Introductory Remarks – Rev. Joan Gelbein
Every year, representatives from our churches meet to do business, to learn about running our churches better, to share ideas and passions, and to worship, and play together. We call it the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Because UUCA is such a big church, we get to send a lot of representatives. This year, we sent 20 “Official” Delegates, including Youth Delegates. Our church also sent 2 Ministerial Delegates and some Alternate Delegates. A few others went along with us, also, just for the fun of it.
The other Delegates who attended GA with us, but who don’t appear, today, on the platform, are Gerry Stevens-Kittner, Dorothy Mulligan, Sharon Sundial, Dave Voorhees, Lee Bory, Kate Deglans, Jamie Findley-de Regt, Alex Engel, Penny Showell, and Eloise Harmon. Oh yes, and Michael McGee! [Rev. McGee began a month-long vacation starting July 1!]
We, here on the platform, who want so much to share with you our exceptional experience of having been part of the rich, intense, and whirlwind days of GA – just aren’t able to do it. The expression, “You had to be there!” just couldn’t be more fitting. There’s so much each of us would like to tell you, but we can’t in this format. You’d be overwhelmed or bored. And although we worked hard to trim our written pieces down to the bone, we’re even now worried we’ll overwhelm you! But, hear our excitement about having come together for five days with each other and with over four thousand other UUs, and how inspiring, stimulating, and, often, touching that experience was. We sincerely wish the same for every one of you here.
We entered in processional style, because we wanted to evoke the memory of the opening banner parade, and the processional that began the Service of the Living Tradition. We arranged the platform to give you some idea of the Plenary Sessions – with delegates seated, theatre-style, in rows upon rows of the Cleveland Convention Center. We usually found a way to save seats and sit together, rather like you see on the platform this morning.
Although there are signs on the microphones which say, “Pro,” and “Con,” that is for ambience only – to suggest the work of the Plenary Session, when delegates debated the issues set before them. Any similarity, during this service, to “real” Pro and Con debates on the floor of the UUA General Assembly is purely coincidental. And, the yellow voting cards our delegates will use from time to time, are for the purpose of simulating, in microcosm, the way voting occurred during the Plenary Sessions. Do NOT mistake this for real voting.
So, now, we start the story today, and what we bring with us, from GA, will keep coming, in lesser and larger ways, during the year to come.
Kathie Ross
My name is Kathie Ross. I am currently the Chairperson of our Board of Trustees.
Among the many memorable moments at GA, was the election of the new UUA president, William Sinkford. As noted on CNN Headline News on Sunday morning, June 24th, Sinkford is the first African American to head a largely white denomination. Listening to his acceptance speech in a crowded hotel ballroom at 11 p.m. on Saturday night - I really sensed that we were all part of a historically significant event. I feel so proud to be part of a movement that would elect someone like Bill to lead us.
Bills' comments were authentic, compassionate and visionary. He spoke of the fact that we live in a hurting world - and that we have the healing antidote so desperately needed. I began thinking that just as the UUA is approaching an exciting transition - so are we here at UUCA.
We are a dynamic, talented community. We gather here today in the shadow of the nations capital where we can almost hear the shrill, hateful voices claiming to speak for the religious people of our land. I believe that we can, and must raise our voices saying, we are a people of tolerance, faith and passion - and you DO NOT SPEAK FOR US.
Bill Sinkford invited GA attendees to join him in recommitting themselves to the principles that unite us as a religious people. We are an eccentric and fiercely independent people (nowhere is that more evident than at GA), but transcending all our differences is our firm belief in our Seven Principles. They are printed in your Order of Service today.
In the coming weeks you will begin hearing about a strategic planning process by which we will create and clarify our identity and priorities as a congregation. I invite you to actively participate in this process - and I challenge you to think big. We do indeed live in a hurting world and we do have a much-needed healing antidote.
Bob Eldridge
My name is Bob Eldridge. I’ve been a member of this church since 1957. This was my second opportunity, this 40th General Assembly, with its highest attendance in history – 4,480 people, and 2,501 who were delegates.
The historic event involved the selection of a new UUA President and Moderator. In preparation for voting on your behalf, I read about the particular qualifications of each candidate in the UU WORLD magazine, and, after hearing the oral presentations of the candidates, there was no question that I would vote for the most qualified. As I walked to the voting area I was surprised to learn that the man I was voting for was Black. The next day, Denny Davidoff, the past Moderator, informed us of the results of the votes. Yes, I bowed my head in my lap and shed a tear of joy on this momentous occasion that I could never foresee.
Aside from the election, I had a deep sense of concern about the important issues on the agenda – Economic Globalization, United States Election Reform, Separation of Church and State, plus Prison Reform.
However, strong memories came back to me when I attended two workshops dealing with the “Echoes of the Black Empowerment Controversy in the 1968 General Assembly, which was also in Cleveland.
I remembered that among the many people involved at that time was our own Joe Fisher, myself, and a Rev. William R. Jones, Ph.D. He was a retired Professor of Religion and Director of Black Studies at Florida State University. Rev. Jones, like I, did not join the Black Unitarian Universalist Caucus, or,“BUUC,” as it was called, in its demand for funds. It was, at that time, a totally segregated organization. I refused to join the group because I had lived in a segregated society until I attended All Souls Church in Washington, and this church. Both of these UU churches were a refuge for me from the hostile racist environment of my job and the city of Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia.
I think the Black Empowerment controversy that started in our UU churches back in 1968, was trying to tell us: There is no racial justice without economic justice.
Joy Cobb
My name is Joy Cobb, a member of this church since 1996, and this is my second GA.
Here’s what I loved at GA: “Sin, Salvation, and Worship!”
No, I did not skip GA and go, instead, to a Baptist convention!
But I DID find a renewed hope in the Unitarian Universalist Religion. And it was not just the workshop by this same title that I went to. It was the message I got from the experience, and the hope I saw in the youth of our very own congregation. The workshop, “Sin, Salvation and Worship,” was just the catalyst that sparked my generator and made the inner light go on!
The workshop featured two UU theologians, David Bumbaugh, and, my favorite, Thandeka. They presented two very different views on how our religion deals with these, sometimes-volatile topics.
I do know now that the warm fuzzy approach can work hand in hand with a more practical approach to worship and ministry because I do believe that, as UU’s, we all want the same outcome. And that is to promote and live the 7 principles that we all believe in. Whether you do this through your involvement in the intimacy of a Covenant Group, or believe that a less intimate and more intellectual way of outreach and ministry is most effective.
However each one of us practices our faith, I know that the foundation of values we stand on means that, eventually, our paths cross, and we come together in a strong religious community.
My renewed hope in this faith was nourished, even further, in other ways, for example: by watching our very impressive youth take part in the democratic process of fair debate and discussion in the plenary sessions. Their enthusiasm about wanting to be more involved in the workings of the UUA at a deeper level by getting a youth position on the UUA Board of Trustees voted in by the Assembly, was refreshing. My experience as the only female bass singer in the GA choir was great. Larry Bory and I were dancing up a storm during the banner parade, which was accompanied by wild and wonderful rock music! And, I got to witness, and enjoy, the impressive performance of our new Minister of Religious Education – Linda Olson Peebles -- as a lounge singer in the piano bar at the Renaissance Hotel! This woman has REAL possibilities!!
It is easy to see that diversity feeds this faith and keeps it strong.
Sin, Salvation, Worship -- and Song! We are a faith that has something for everyone!
Thom Watson
My name is Thom Watson, and this is my first GA.
As a relative newcomer to this congregation, I was especially delighted to be able to represent UUCA as a delegate to the General Assembly. While many of the activities and events --and there was an overwhelming richness to choose from-- touched me very strongly, some, particularly, gave me a sense of experiencing our Seven UU Principles personally, sometimes even tangibly.
The very first night, for example, I took part in the march and vigil at the Cleveland Indians’ stadium to silently protest the team's use of “Chief Wahoo,” a caricature of an Indian, as their mascot.
In the pouring rain and lightning, walking to the stadium hand in hand with a friend along with hundreds of other UUs, I felt energized and refreshed; a small but integral part of a larger whole. That night I understood a little bit more the importance of standing up for “the inherent worth and dignity of every person,” our First Principle, even though it might have been more comfortable to stay dry and warm inside.
Sunday afternoon I participated in an outdoor summer solstice ritual, organized by CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans). During the ritual, bracketed by music and dancing, we moved into a physical representation of a spider web, reminding us of all the many elements that exist interdependently in this world: air, water, stones, green growing things, animals, people. I experienced quite viscerally the reality of our Seventh Principle -- “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”
I attended the “Thinking about Ministry” workshop, which felt like a potential crossroads in my own life. This was reinforced on Sunday morning, at the Service of the Living
Tradition, a beautiful and incredibly moving service in which new ministers are welcomed into their preliminary and final fellowships, and retiring and newly-deceased ministers are recognized and honored for their service.
A reading about synchronicity, and being open to what it is trying to tell you, was followed by an incredible sermon by the Rev. Dr. Richard Gilbert, entitled "Called! By Whom? To What?" Its message was, "Listen. Hear. Heed.," in which he exhorted all of us to listen for the call... the call to live life fully and purposefully.
This sermon had a powerful impact on me, bringing to bear the Third and Fourth Principles – “encouragement to spiritual growth,” and “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning,” -- on my own attempt to understand what that call might be saying to me.
Overall, GA opened me up to a greater sense of community; to a greater need to do more and to try to become more; and, to a greater appreciation for the nearly boundless opportunities for spiritual, intellectual and emotional growth afforded by our UU experience.
I came back not only immensely satisfied with my own experiences, and extremely proud to be a UU, but for the first time in my life wanting to – gasp! -- proselytize!
So I'm starting small, here with you, strongly urging you to go to GA and experience it for yourself.
Listen. Hear. Heed.
Arlene Wilson
My name is Arlene Wilson, and I’ve been a member of this church for 30 years. This was my third GA.
The year 2001 is the 40th anniversary of the merger between Unitarians and Universalists. Since I started out as a Universalist, I was especially interested in a lecture by the Reverend Thomas Chulak, entitled “Evolving Partnership: The Rise of Universalism Since Merger.”
I learned that, at the time of merger in 1961, Unitarians had three times the number of members as Universalists. Each group emphasized different aspects of our liberal tradition. Unitarians focused on freedom, reason, rationality, and the search for truth and justice, while Universalists were more concerned with love, the worth of every person, the universal spirit, and bringing together the emotional and rational.
Reverend Chulak’s main thesis was that, since 1980, Universalism has become a major force in our movement. More specifically, Universalist theology and culture made it possible for our denomination to broaden its horizons to accept and support many significant societal changes. Perhaps most important of these was the emphasis on racial justice. Our Universalist heritage also led us to support equal opportunity for women, gay and lesbian rights, and protecting the environment.
Moreover, our first principle – the inherent worth and dignity of every person – and our seventh principle – respect for the independent web of all existence of which we are a part – were strongly influenced by Universalism.
Finally, the Universalist values of community, peace and love, as well as the Unitarian value of reason, are all reflected in the chalice, which emerged as a symbol of who we are.
Abe Gelbein
My name is Abe Gelbein, and I’ve been a member of this church for 12 years. This is probably my tenth GA.
Well --- We did it again! This was the third time we brought our labyrinth to a general assembly. And it was appreciated once again by several hundred UU’s who walked the two canvas labyrinths we brought.
The labyrinths were set down in a large space in the Exhibition Hall of the Convention Center, which was simply separated from the sales booths by curtains. With as few as 2-3, or as many as 15-20 people walking on the labyrinth at any given time, I had the sense that our space was truly an oasis from the busy hubbub of the GA.
It also caught the attention of the local newspaper – The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Our labyrinth was pictured on the front page of the weekend issue, included in a report on the GA.
Our display booth, managed by Lee Bory, was also a busy place for labyrinth talk. Joan spent a lot of time at the booth, involved in starting up a UU labyrinth network. It’s off to a great start, with more than 60 UU churches -- who either have labyrinths, or want to have them-- signing up to create a new UUA-affiliated organization.
I divided my time between minding the labyrinths and our booth, attending the Plenary Sessions, participating in the GA choir, and attending a couple of workshops.
There were 170 singers in the GA choir – the largest ever. We were part of the closing ceremony. I loved the experience!
One of the workshops I attended, that I want to tell you about, was called, “Is There a Future for Men in UUism?” A panel of thoughtful UU’s considered whether men are getting what they need in UU congregations and whether congregations are getting the most from their men. One of the panelists observed that the male UU population is shrinking nationwide. Interesting! Should we be concerned here at home?
Bob Denniston
My name is Bob Denniston, and I’ve been a member of UUCA for __ years. My thoughts about the Action Issue for study this year – “Alternatives to the Drug War,” are written in poetry:
The Action Issue this year for study
Is an issue become so awfully muddy--
“Alternatives to the drug war;”
A policy that punishes both the ethnic and poor.
Three sessions were held to discuss
How the drug war is so unjust,
And we heard about the travesty
From misguided federal policy.
A policy that creates havoc and disorder
In other countries, and at our own border.
That priorities are wrong no one can deny
With so much focus on cutting drug supply,
While instead our belief, and our intention
Is to increase supply of treatment and prevention.
Heroin, crack, meth, and weed
are challenges for our faith, indeed,
And some of us exchanged our views
On all the favorite drugs we use:
Coffee, chocolate, beer and wine
Bring on the feeling so sublime!
Valium, Prozac, Zanax -- in excess,
With a doctor’s prescription from CVS!
So even the word “drug” did confuse,
And brought out contrarian views.
Some UU parents did acknowledge
They might have used some drugs in college,
So telling their kids that drugs aren’t legit
Makes them feel like great big hypocrites!
The solution is “harm reduction” some believe,
Though, in my view, they are quite naïve!
While legalization might be the intent of a few
Most would argue, that’s a dangerous view.
As UUs, we all should recognize
We have much influence, despite our small size;
So perhaps -- more tolerance than a total drug ban --
And the courage to change the things that we can.
Our UU challenge, now, is to recommend
A humane drug policy that we can defend,
And prepare ourselves to have our say --
June -- in Quebec -- at the next GA.
Gene Mulligan
My name is Gene Mulligan, and I’ve been a member of this church 42 years. This was my second General Assembly.
Carrying our church banner with Kate DeGlans of our youth delegation into the cheering throngs in Cleveland's Public Auditorium at the opening celebration proved a heady introduction to five stimulating days. Our banner was one of nearly 1,000 and we were maybe the 600th to pass our UUCA delegation. I was thrilled at their response.
I attended the UUA's first General Assembly in Boston 40 years ago when our Unitarian and Universalist traditions merged. My second GA was in Rochester three years ago, where I got involved in the work of the Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community. This group sponsored the Study/ Action Issue "Economic Injustice, Poverty and Racism" that became a stirring Statement of Conscience at last year's GA in Nashville.
This year I focused on issues dealing with challenges that face our beloved planet. Kevin Danaher led a workshop on "Globalization and Economic Democracy." This has become our newest topic for study and action. David Orr gave a workshop called "Green Architecture -- Green Religion," describing the "green building" at nearby Oberlin College. Its aim is to be as close to climate neutral as possible.
As a child of the Great Depression, I rejoice in this GA's adoption of its latest Statement of Conscience, "Responsible Consumption Is Our Moral Imperative." Its message strongly accords with David Orr's theme, that our next generation or two must undergo a potentially wrenching transition to greatly reduced consumption levels of our remaining stocks of nonrenewable resources. I urge you to take it to heart and to help save the planet.
Margaret Bauman
My name is Margaret Bauman. I am an eight-year member of UUCA, and this was my third General Assembly.
Now, if you work for an organization that has an annual conference each year in order to settle the business at hand, set forward-thinking policy, and recharge intellectually, then setting aside the last weekend in June is a no-brainer.
But why in the world would the rest of us (to the tune of over 4,000) give up 3-4 days of our vacation allowance, and lots of hard-earned money, to go to places like CLEVELAND? (!)
The answer, for me, is that the large and substantial dose of forward thinking policy-setting and intellectual stimulation I find at GA, rejuvenates and DEFINITELY re-charges me. I am very proud of this liberal religious denomination. I was proud to explain to someone how every GA I have attended has been opened with humble thanks for the permission asked and granted from the indigenous peoples of the region to welcome us onto the land we recognize as theirs first.
I worked this year as a volunteer. For a donation of 24 hours over 5 days, I received my registration free. I luckily got assigned an USHER job, which meant I was able to hear the worships and plenary sessions, plus I got to count heads and votes with this nifty little number counter. I felt so important! -But, really, it DID feel good to be part of the process.
One plenary session found me in charge of one of the floor debate microphones, but I spent most of the four hours conversing with the camerawomen assigned to the same mike. She was a member of the Audio-Visual Company and she was apparently sparked by what she was hearing. I was sufficiently challenged to articulate my beliefs and our denomination. From “interpreting” in non-UU language what was being said onstage, to trying to answer what was DIFFERENT about what we believe vs. what she (a Jewish woman) believes. She found them so very compatible! And then she timidly asked if she could ask me a tough question that might offend me. I said sure and she asked why, with all the talk on stage of our anti-racism efforts –why weren’t their more African Americans and she looked around the plenary hall. That was a tough question, not because it doesn’t have an answer but that the answer is so inadequate-so disappointing.
I come back from General Assembly with new experiences, new ideas to think about and new energy for my life and the life of my chosen religious home.
Lavona Grow
My name is Lavona Grow. I’m a member of this church, and this was my first GA. I wanted to attend GA as the next step in my personal spiritual journey as a UU in order to get “The Big Picture!” And, I did!
It was exciting to be a delegate at the GA where we elected a new President, the Rev. Bill Sinkford from Cambridge, MA, and a new Moderator, Diane Olson from Scottsdale, AZ. In addition there were 17 other Board positions on which to vote.
All of the five Study/Action Issues for 2001 had compelling arguments to support them made during workshops, in our UUCA caucus, and on the floor of the GA.
The vote for the top two, Globalization, and Separation of Church and State, were so close that the moderator called for a run-off vote. Then, with the three other issues, Prison Reform, US Election Reform, and The Changing Family eliminated, the run-off vote resulted in “Globalization” being chosen as our Study/Action Issue, with a final vote of 875. “Church and State” came in with 688 votes.
The study, over the next two years, will attempt to answer the question: How can UUs respond to the unprecedented opportunities and potentially dangerous environmental, political and quality-of-life challenges accompanying economic globalization?
UUCA is ahead of the curve. We currently have a study group -- sponsored by the “COTF,” our Community Outreach Task Force, -- which is exploring these issues. It’s called “Globalization Watch,” and you’ll be hearing a lot more from this group in the near future.
The next big vote was on this year’s “Statement of Conscience.” After two years of study, and a long debate at GA over two lines of the 94 lines of text, the 1999 Study/Action Issue on “Responsible Consumption” was adopted. The Statement of Conscience urges congregations, individuals, and communities to embark on a journey to change behavior and become more responsible consumers.
We are an incredibly small denomination. We are only (155,000?) strong. But the good news is that although we are small, our influence isn’t. And, I’m determined to keep it that way!!
Nancy Green
My name is Nancy Green.
When I came to UUCA about 7 years ago, I wasn’t looking for a sense of community –but now I can’t imagine being without it. And luckily for me, that sense of UUCA community was alive and well at GA.
We had community when sat together in the Plenary sessions.
And we had a wonderful sense of community when 25 of us had brunch together on Sunday morning and took time for each person to share personal reflections about GA.
But, for me, the sense of community was the strongest when we held a caucus late Friday afternoon to talk about – and I mean REALLY TALK ABOUT – the 5 Study Action Issues. The next day we would vote to select 1 of the 5 for further study across the denomination over the next two years, and then possibly to adopt it as a Statement of Conscience, with further work to carry out after that.
So at end of a long, intense day of debate and discussion, we literally took over a large corner of the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel for about an hour on Friday evening, and held our very own, spirited debate about the 5 Study Action Issues.
We talked about important points we’d heard during the day’s debate.
We talked about the feedback from the congregation.
We talked about whether there was some unique role that the denomination could play with respect to each issue.
And then the conversation shifted in a way that was very compelling to me -- so compelling that it changed my mind about my vote. We started talking about whether we should give greater weight to whichever issue would be the most difficult for us to grapple with -- the one that would challenge us the most -- the one that wouldn’t seem “easy.” Perhaps our choice should be the one that would make us uncomfortable enough that we would have to grow – as individuals, as congregations, and as a denomination – and thus might also “put us on the map” as courageous enough to address and take a stand on a difficult topic.
In a very real sense, we were practicing the 4th and 5th principles:
“A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.”
and
“The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.”
In the voting on Saturday, out of the five important issues, “Economic Globalization” was adopted as the Study Action Issue. I hope you’ll stop by our table in the Fellowship Hall and pick up some material about it. And I hope we will study it seriously over the coming year and have input about it ready to offer at GA next year.
The issue I voted for -- “The Changing Family” -- did not “win” the vote – but I know it is an issue that certainly won’t be going away.
Interestingly, I have far stronger memories of our group’s spirited caucus session in that hotel lobby than I do of the vote the following day. It is that special sense of UUCA community that will be one of my strongest memories from this GA, and I am grateful for having been there.
Sheila Patrick
My name is Sheila Patrick. I’ve been a grateful member of this church for 5-1/2 years, and this was my second GA.
Our UUCA delegation heard your voice on several occasions before we left for Cleveland, when you were kind enough to fill out the questionnaires regarding your preferences for Study/Action Issues to consider.
So I want now to describe for you a sample of some voices I heard at GA.
At the workshop he gave on his new book, Jefferson’s Pillow, Roger Wilkins, in his quiet, dignified, professorial voice, described how he views homeless African-Americans on the streets of our Nations Capitol--the ghosts of slavery.
The passionate voice of Dr. James Forbes, the first African-American senior minister at the New York Riverside Church, rang out during the Ware Lecture, as he called for the recruitment of “human race activists.”
The visionary voices of the past UUA president, John Burens, and the newly-elected president, Bill Sinkford, proclaimed our increasing numbers of young people as the future of our denomination. In affirmation of that statement, the Assembly added its almost unanimous voice by voting to change the by-laws to allow for an at-large youth Trustee. During that vote, I heard Larry Bory’s voice when he offered Alex Engel, one of our alternate youth delegates, Larry’s voting card saying, “You cast a vote for this one, Alex.” And when the result was clear, the loud, energetic voices of the Youth Caucus rang out as one in a hearty “THANK YOU!”
Voices were raised in beautiful song throughout GA, and the GA Choir was breathtaking.
Those of us who attended the workshop on “How To Do Board Religiously” heard the compelling voice of Marge Piercy through her poem, To Be of Use (#567 in hymnal). We heard her voice again in this morning’s meditation.
And on my drive home, I heard my own small, still, inner voice saying, “I am returning to Arlington even more committed to the principles of this liberal religious denomination, and to being of use in this most special community as we create our future together.”
Now, please stand as you are able and raise your voices as we sing Hymn 145, As Tranquil Streams.
-Amen and shalom!
