May 2005 Worship Services

Ministerial Cognitions

Some people say life is hard. Compared to what?
---ANONYMOUS

I guess most of you have noticed that the sign in front of the church has a lot of dirt and cement around it, and is leaning at about 15 degrees off center. Well, first of all, I want to tell you how this happened. Some of you may have noticed that parts of the sign are decaying, like the 2x 6 piece of wood across the top of the sign. And some of you may have noticed that some of the letters are falling apart. And some of you may have had the experience of driving up to the church and not seeing the sign until you had already passed the church.

Well, the church board decided to move the sign and renovate it. We plan to fix the letters, pain the sign, and move the sign closer to the street so it can be seen more easily when approaching the church. The good news is that we have received a $5000 grant to fix our sign.

The not so good news is that we have yet to be able to remove the sign from the ground. Three stalwart congregants took shovels, sledge hammers, and a weed eater to begin what was expected to be a rigorous but not impossible job. We began by removing the hedges, then we started digging around the poles. We noted the poles kept going down further and further. We also noted that the cement around the poles went all the way down each of the poles. We dug about four feet down. We broke three sledgehammers knocking the cement off the poles as far down as we could. Then we tried to remove the sign from the ground.

First, we tried with chains and four-wheel drive vehicles. No luck. Then we tried a back hoe. The rear end of the back hoe was lifted off the ground. The sign remained imbedded in the ground, but it was now 15 degrees off center.

So what's next? We actually have a plan B. We will dig a little deeper, knock off a little more cement, and cut the poles at about four feet. Then move the sign, which weighs a ton--we will need a number of people to lift it. Cement the poles up to the base of the sign. Then paint and repair the sign.

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns.

Rev. Tom

Worship Services:

May 1

Letting Go of the Ego by Rev. Tom Capo

What does it mean to `let go of the ego'? The word "self" is often used as a synonym for ego. Western psychology emphasizes the value of a clear sense of self--resulting in a feeling of autonomy, and a healthy dose of self-esteem. But difficulty can arise spiritually when we invest the ego, or self, with too much importance. When we are preoccupied with own activities or needs, we become self-centered or egocentric. Buddhism suggests that to get too attached to the "self" is to misunderstand the fluid nature of human existence. Inevitably according to Buddhist teachings, the result of this attachment is some form of dissatisfaction or pain.

May 8

Mother's Day--A UU Holy Day by Rev. Tom Capo

Did you know that a Unitarian poet is one of the cofounders of Mother's Day? And that it was conceived as a rallying day for peace? Julia Ward Howe, author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," initiated a Mothers' Peace Day observance on the second Sunday in June and held the meeting for a number of years. Her idea spread but was later replaced by the Mothers' Day holiday now celebrated in May.

May 15

Ask the Minister or Exploring Spiritual Questions by Rev. Capo

During the first two weeks of May, you will have the opportunity to write down questions that you want the minister to address. You can put them on cards and hand them to me or email me at tcapo@houston.rr.com. I will try to answer these questions in the form of a sermon. Lots of UU ministers apparently do this with some success. Lots of UU ministers do this as their final sermon of the church year because they are running out of topics for sermons. I am doing this to learn more about the spiritual questions that you all have.

May 22

Cultivating An Attitude of Gratitude by Laura Polich, member

Behavior associated with addiction can affect not only the addict, but everyone who comes in contact with the addict. Al-Anon offers a spiritual (note, not religious) program for family or friends of addicts who are dealing with the fallout from that behavior. I will share some spiritual insights that have come to me as a result of the Al-Anon program. Among the recommendations given "newcomers" to the program is the suggestion to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

May 29

David Throop, Bay Area UU Church member will be our guest speaker.