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  1. applewuud

    Uniting Church in Australia

    Thought it would be best to start a new thread for this (out of the Weblinks thread). I was in Sydney a month ago, and on the map found a "Unitarian church". We stopped by, and found it was a misprint. It was part of the "Uniting Church of Australia", which (if I remember right) is the...
  2. applewuud

    Personal News

    I'm a little concerned...don't burn out! Being on a board can be a little bit like learning how sausages are made...you might not want to eat them after you see what goes into them! ;) Joking aside, I wish that people could enjoy their new community for a few years before they're drafted...
  3. applewuud

    Fellowship or Ministry?

    UU groups can have "pulpit supply", where a different minister comes every week simply to preach, and doesn't get involved in the church politics at all. Others (including mine) have part-time ministry, where the minister is under contract, preaches 1 or 2 times per month, attending some...
  4. applewuud

    Hello everyone

    "Thank God for Evolution" is an interesting book. I've only read part of it, but have watched one of the DVDs the author put out, and have heard the authors a few times at General Assembly and at churches. There's a very hard-to-find book by Julian Huxley: "Religion Without Revelation"...
  5. applewuud

    Fellowship or Ministry?

    I've never heard of "screening" membership in this way at a Unitarian-Universalist church. However, the "qualifications" for membership in many UU churches and fellowships are close to nonexistent, and that has some great perils. To a person who's not a member of a church, it must seem...
  6. applewuud

    Killing Off the Independent Affiliate Organizations of the UUA: PeaceBang Finally Yaps Her Flap

    I can't be definitive on this, but here are some aspects I've observed. Independent Affiliates of the UUA have (or had?) the right to sponsor seminars at General Assembly, and set up booths in the exhibit hall (but they still had to pay for them, at a reduced rate). There was some concern at...
  7. applewuud

    Budget Crunch

    Yes, you have to focus on the mission first, the spreadsheet doesn't come first. Having said that, we have to make up a $35,000 shortfall, or cut our minister to 1/4 time or do without a minister for a year. They've done it before, about 20 years ago. To me, that's not a good option...
  8. applewuud

    The Coffee House - the UU Fellowship Thread

    Throop and Neighborhood had a healthy relationship when I was in California (over 10 years ago). Plenty of people go to things at both. I went to Neighborhood mostly, but liked the classical church architecture of Throop. On the other hand, Neighborhood has a beautiful campus, lots of tall...
  9. applewuud

    Obama connection to UU

    "She also showed her politics, wearing a campaign button for Adlai Stevenson." Adlai Stevenson, who was the Democratic candidate for president in 1952 and 1956 but was defeated by Eisenhower, was a lifelong Unitarian. William Howard Taft was the last President who was a Unitarian. We...
  10. applewuud

    The Coffee House - the UU Fellowship Thread

    My church had a congregational meeting yesterday...returns from investments are down, we've used up a rainy day fund to get a new heating system. To keep a minister at all (she's currently half-time), we have to increase pledges or other income by $30,000--almost 50%. The treasurer doesn't...
  11. applewuud

    UU Roots

    Traditional Universalists did believe in a limited hell, actually...dealing with the problem of injustice unpunished and the logical issue that Trey mentions by allowing for purgatory. What offended the original Universalists was the Christian doctrine of eternal punishment. Hosea Ballou...
  12. applewuud

    no more Old Testament, thank you

    Another way of looking at it theologically is that God may be unchanging, but it is the changing perception/realization of God by humanity that is documented by the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Clearly, the position of God changes, and God's relationship to Israel and to the gentiles changes...
  13. applewuud

    confUUsed

    No, your interpretation seems right on. The ministry issue you're describing is extremely difficult to navigate. My bias tends to be the other way--that UU congregations are better off with professional leaders that get to set their own tone. It's their whole life, after all, and only...
  14. applewuud

    confUUsed

    This is a really important thread for Unitarian Universalists, because it's an underlying problem for us to address. In a religion that has a strong humanist component, how do we define "spiritual needs" and "spirituality"? I don't think we've "given up" on that aspect, but we are struggling...
  15. applewuud

    confUUsed

    Just curious: Who's sending you those emails? Other former members of that church? Or people from outside? Are they secular or Christian? It bears noting that when CUUPS was petitioning to be an authorized group in the UUA, a former president of the Association gave a controversial speech...
  16. applewuud

    The Coffee House - the UU Fellowship Thread

    Yes, we're getting a work team together to clear out the cobwebs on Saturday. Wish we didn't "recess" during the summer.
  17. applewuud

    confUUsed

    "Anything you want" is a very weak doctrine to hang anyone's hat on, and as a longtime UU I find it a sloppy excuse for a theology. I agree with your criticism. A lack of coherent direction is the Achille's heel of Unitarian-Universalism. But time and time again, in the better writings and...
  18. applewuud

    Minister vs Lay Led

    Having a properly trained religious professional is about as important to a church as having a professional contractor is to building a home. Yes, you can do it yourself, if you're willing to put the time and effort into it, and study, read, and set aside time. Unfortunately, most people...
  19. applewuud

    Shootings at the UU Church in Knoxville

    A friend sent me the following reading by the Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, a UU minister in Western Massachusetts: Minister’s Reflection I know Knoxville. My parents were married at Broadway Baptist Church in Knoxville. My grandfather was a policeman in the Knoxville police department for...
  20. applewuud

    UUs only: How do UUs respond to this?

    There's no such thing as being "excommunicated" from "the" Unitarian church; each individual UU church sets its own criteria for membership. If an individual becomes disruptive and makes people feel endangered, they may ask him or her to leave in order to create a safe environment. Sounds like...
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