March 2005 Worship Services

Ministerial Cognitions

The task of our government and elected representatives is not to enshrine the religious point of view of any one faith into our laws; the role of our government is to dedicate itself to protecting the rights of all citizens.
---UUA President, Rev. Bill Sinkford

I was at the monthly minister's gathering in February, when Rev. Matt Tittle of Bay Area UU Church announced that he and his congregation were going to protest a program called "Focus on the Family "Love Won Out" Conference." This conference was taking place at Grace Community Church, not ten miles from my house. After hearing from my colleague that this conference centered around "fixing" homosexuals, I did a little research. This is what was posted on the Grace Community Church website: "Whether you're a parent, friend or loved one of a homosexual, a pastor, mental health professional, youth worker, educator, gay activist or simply someone who has a heart for the culture in which we all live, the "Love Won Out" Conference is for you. At "Love Won Out," you will hear from nationally known experts who have firsthand experience with the seldom told side of the homosexual issue. You will learn how to minister to a loved one who's dealing with homosexuality, respond to misinformation in our culture, defend Biblical beliefs and prevent your child from embracing this destructive way of life. But mostly, you will be reminded of the power of God's love and His desire to transform the life of a struggling homosexual to find freedom in Jesus Christ ...February 19, 2005."

Besides being enraged, and yes I don't use that word often, I was curious if this conference has been arranged to coincide with Freedom to Marry Week (Feb12-19), which honors loving UU Same Sex Couples. Did you know that on the eve of Freedom to Marry week, the Religious Coalition for Freedom to Marry honored the Unitarian Universalist Association with its Peace and Justice Award for "outstanding leadership in helping gay and lesbian couples attain and preserve their civil right to marry."

But probably Grace Community Church knew little about our denomination or Freedom to Marry Week. Why was this church presenting this `Love Won Out' program? Didn't they realize the harm it would cause? Didn't they understand that homosexuality has a biological basis? Couldn't they just accept that people are different and not try and change that? Part of me wanted to go over there and ask them these questions, but part of me knew what their answer would be like. You see they want life to be uncomplicated--they want the world to be the way they wanted it to be.

But the world is complicated, and we need to accept diversity. And as UUs, we need to witness and affirm diversity. We need to help people that might be oppressed in our world. We need to affirm the rights of all people regardless of color, creed, socioeconomic status, sexuality, sex, religion, or whatever differences exist. Our UUA continues to affirm the rights of the oppressed. At the 1996 General Assembly, our yearly denominational meeting, delegates overwhelmingly called for the legalization of same-sex marriage. And our Association has a long standing and deeply held commitment to support equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people, going back to 1970, when we developed a specific department for GLBT Affairs.

We need to be on the lookout for the kinds of programs like "Love Won Out" and witness that they are dangerous, harmful, and destructive to our community. They are certainly hurtful to those in our community that have been oppressed enough. Let us not passively ignore these kinds of programs, thinking that they will not have a significant influence--they do by their very existence. Let us go out into our community and confront these dangerous and destructive programs, wherever we find them. We are called to live our faith to make a difference in our world.

Rev. Tom

Worship Services:

March 6

Acceptance Over Tolerance by John Smith, member

March 13

Margaret Fuller, Transcendentalist by Rev. T. Capo

Ralph Waldo Emerson gathered together a select group to study and discuss religion. They were the first to expose the United States to the Eastern Religions. Emerson was also progressive in including women in these discussions. Margaret Fuller was one of those intelligent and forward thinking women.

March 20

Let Us Be Generous by Rev. Tom Capo

This is the time of year when we are asked to be generous to support our church. What does it mean to us to be generous? What makes a person generous? How do we express our generosity in various areas of our lives? I talked with one Unitarian Universalist minister who said his church practices rigorous generosity within and outside the church community. What is rigorous generosity? Let us explore these questions together.

March 27

Easter Flower Communion by Rev. Tom Capo

This is our annual Easter Ritual?Our Flower Communion. Each person who attends is asked to bring a flower that will be used in this ritual of fellowship. This wonderful ritual affirms the love we share in our church community.