My first UU service.

[Storm]

I moved back to TX, lil. I miss First Church, though. Did you know we got Bill Sinkford for our new Senior Minister?

 

[Darkness]

No, not really. Social justice is built into the foundation of the religion, unlike more traditional faiths centered on theology.

UU congregations can vary quite a bit and mine uses much more religious (usually Judeo-Christian) language than Storm's does. While a great many of our sermons have political content, they are usually looked at thru a religious lens. Most UUs are pretty left-leaning, so the sermons tend to be left-leaning and congregants tend to agree. I do very occasionally hear complaints from politically conservative UUs (there aren't many but they exist) that they feel marginalized, and I feel bad for them, but otoh, I don't want to muzzle our political discussions because, like Storm said, social justice is core to us.

To translate the UU worldview into Christian terms**, we believe that the Kingdom of God is here and now, on this earth, and it's up to us to make it a reality. There may or may not be an afterlife, but our focus is on this life. So we have to protect the earth, do away with discrimination, poverty, war... "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, ON EARTH as it is in heaven." So you see, we can't be apolitical. We have to talk about climate change, and racism and homophobia and Islamophobia and gun violence, etc, etc, if we are going to build God's kingdom on earth.

I follow liberation theology, so trust me, social justice is a central part of my faith as well. It is merely a difference in purpose, I suppose. The Eucharist, for me, carries a message of social justice, but it is compiled in an expansive view, not a specific or practical exposition. Nothing I said was meant to disparage Unitarian Universalism. I am merely discussing style.

 

[lilithu]

I follow liberation theology, so trust me, social justice is a central part of my faith as well. It is merely a difference in purpose, I suppose. The Eucharist, for me, carries a message of social justice, but it is compiled in an expansive view, not a specific or practical exposition. Nothing I said was meant to disparage Unitarian Universalism. I am merely discussing style.

No worries. I love liberation theology. I also love ritual, which is something that UUism is sorely lacking in and Catholicism has in abundance. If it weren't for the Vatican and the fact that women can't be priests and the anti-gay thing and the anti-contraception thing, and the general putting down of women, I would be Catholic. Heck, I would be a Jesuit. And I'm not saying that in a snarky way. I really do love liberation theology. I also know that there are plenty of Catholics who ignore the Vatican and the proscriptions against homosexuality and contraception, etc. If I had been born Catholic, that's what I would do, but to my mind, it doesn't make sense to me to convert to a religion if I know I'm automatically going to be a heretic within it.

 

[Darkness]

No worries. I love liberation theology. I also love ritual, which is something that UUism is sorely lacking in and Catholicism has in abundance. If it weren't for the Vatican and the fact that women can't be priests and the anti-gay thing and the anti-contraception thing, and the general putting down of women, I would be Catholic. Heck, I would be a Jesuit. And I'm not saying that in a snarky way. I really do love liberation theology. I also know that there are plenty of Catholics who ignore the Vatican and the proscriptions against homosexuality and contraception, etc. If I had been born Catholic, that's what I would do, but to my mind, it doesn't make sense to me to convert to a religion if I know I'm automatically going to be a heretic within it.

If I had not been raised a Roman Catholic I doubt I would have re-converted to the tradition when I regained my belief in the Sacred. I probably would have joined the Episcopalian Church, so as to retain progressive values with some high liturgical style (and of course if I had been born in the Middle East, I would probably have re-converted to Sufism). It is more expedient to be an inside dissident than join for the sake of dissidence towards the Vatican, I guess. Though, to be honest, the tradition is 2,000 years old; so to say that defying the Vatican hierarchy makes one a heretic is to give too much power and legitimacy to the Roman Curia. 51 percent of Catholics support same-sex marriage, and I think the laity has gotten to the point where they will not let the conservatives in the faith bully them into believing they are somehow less Catholic.

I am working towards an M.A. in political philosophy, so I get a daily dose of social justice in my readings and class discussions. If somebody does not have that constant political/social environment, the unitarian universalist focus on social justice is probably very helpful. For me it seems like overkill.

 

[lilithu]

If I had not been raised a Roman Catholic I doubt I would have re-converted to the tradition when I regained my belief in the Sacred. ... It is more expedient to be an inside dissident than join for the sake of dissidence towards the Vatican, I guess.

Agreed. :yes:

Though, to be honest, the tradition is 2,000 years old; so to say that defying the Vatican hierarchy makes one a heretic is to give too much power and legitimacy to the Roman Curia. 51 percent of Catholics support same-sex marriage, and I think the laity has gotten to the point where they will not let the conservatives in the faith bully them into believing they are somehow less Catholic.

I know that most U.S. Catholics don't pay attention to the Pope and that Catholics are by and large progressive. Believe me, I'm constantly defending Catholics when people use what comes out of the Vatican as an excuse to attack. But as I said, it doesn't make sense for me as someone who was never raised Catholic to convert when I know beforehand that I am going to ignore most of what comes out of the Vatican and most bishops, and there is the whole issue of women (and openly gay people) not being allowed to be priests. But I do love the rituals and all the saints - they remind me of Buddhist bodhisattvas, which I did grow up with. I also grew up with candles and incense and chanting... and UUism doesn't have any of that. *IF* otoh, the Vatican is actually stupid enough to continue cracking down on U.S. Catholic nuns for their social justice work, resulting in something like a split, then I would be sorely tempted to convert. But I am not praying for anything like that to happen as I know it would be very painful for a lot of people.

I am working towards an M.A. in political philosophy, so I get a daily dose of social justice in my readings and class discussions. If somebody does not have that constant political/social environment, the unitarian universalist focus on social justice is probably very helpful. For me it seems like overkill.

It really isn't. Many of the people who attend my home church in DC work on issues of social justice, whether it's for the EPA, the DoJ or numerous non-profits and think-tanks, so they are already immersed in the issues too. As I said, it's not like we sit and listen to a lecture on these topics. They are always talked about thru a spiritual lens. What the preacher does is give voice to why these issues are important to us as people of faith. I'd say without it, we would be more likely to burn out. It gives us grounding.

For example, I still vividly remember one guest preacher who addressed a biblical parable that I had had trouble with as a child. It's the story about the rich man who had such a great harvest that he couldn't fit all of the grain into his existing silos. So he decided to build more silos and thought that then he'd be set for life. Then God said to him, "You fool!" and told him that he was going to die that day. As a kid, I wondered why God was being so mean. The man was just saving for the future (which my mom had taught me to do). But this preacher, she talked about how the rich man's mistake was to think that all of the grain belonged to him. How he didn't take into account the people who worked for him who toiled in the fields, tilling, planting, weeding, harvesting. He didn't take into account the rest of the community, the animals, the earth itself, and how we are all interdependent upon each other. That what we have isn't by our own merit. The moral being that if we are blessed enough to have more than what we need, it's our duty to share. To hoard wealth when others are in need is a sin. This sermon was delivered years ago and I don't remember the exact modern-day examples that she tied the story to, but I'm sure that if she delivered the sermon today she'd likely tie it to Obama's comment, "You didn't build that" and the GOP's response "We built this" and tax equity and the immoral Paul Ryan budget and the 99%/Occupy. All of which is to say that by the end of the sermon I had a better appreciation for that biblical story and how it's still relevant today. The sermon reinforced my belief in the interdependent web of existence and re-energized me to work on issues of economic justice.

 

[lilithu]

I moved back to TX, lil. I miss First Church, though. Did you know we got Bill Sinkford for our new Senior Minister?

I think I forgot that you used to be in Portland. You must know Kate Lore! I love Bill; the congregation there must be in heaven.

What is the congregation near you now like?

 

[Storm]

I think I forgot that you used to be in Portland. You must know Kate Lore! I love Bill; the congregation there must be in heaven.

Adore Kate, remarkable woman, remarkable Reverend. Bill rocks, too. He's our very own BaRockStar. First candidate we vetted, and called with 98% of the vote. It was kind of funny... "gee the former head of the UUA wants to know if he can be our minister. Yeah, that's a toughie..."

That said, had some of our guest Ministers in the transition year been candidates, I'd have had a much more difficult decision. The Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison Reed was indescribably wonderful! Do you know him?

What is the congregation near you now like?

Eh... not completely sold, yet. The people are lovely, and being a small congregation (78 members), it's a lot easier to jump in socially. OTOH, there's just not much going on, and I'm regularly left cold by the homilies. It's a lay-led chapter, and I KNOW it isn't fair to compare the musings of the untrained to the oratory of Ph.D's, but... I'm not getting anything out of it.

 

[Darkness]

*IF* otoh, the Vatican is actually stupid enough to continue cracking down on U.S. Catholic nuns for their social justice work, resulting in something like a split, then I would be sorely tempted to convert. But I am not praying for anything like that to happen as I know it would be very painful for a lot of people.

It is not like we haven't met with splintering factions before. There was this thing a few hundred years back called the Protestant Reformation and the Old Catholic Church, which split on the doctrine of papal infallibility.

It really isn't. Many of the people who attend my home church in DC work on issues of social justice, whether it's for the EPA, the DoJ or numerous non-profits and think-tanks, so they are already immersed in the issues too. As I said, it's not like we sit and listen to a lecture on these topics. They are always talked about thru a spiritual lens. What the preacher does is give voice to why these issues are important to us as people of faith. I'd say without it, we would be more likely to burn out. It gives us grounding.

This is an interesting perspective. Your Church then seems to be a faith organization grounded deeply within your particular community. Quite cool.

For example, I still vividly remember one guest preacher who addressed a biblical parable that I had had trouble with as a child. It's the story about the rich man who had such a great harvest that he couldn't fit all of the grain into his existing silos. So he decided to build more silos and thought that then he'd be set for life. Then God said to him, "You fool!" and told him that he was going to die that day. As a kid, I wondered why God was being so mean. The man was just saving for the future (which my mom had taught me to do). But this preacher, she talked about how the rich man's mistake was to think that all of the grain belonged to him. How he didn't take into account the people who worked for him who toiled in the fields, tilling, planting, weeding, harvesting. He didn't take into account the rest of the community, the animals, the earth itself, and how we are all interdependent upon each other. That what we have isn't by our own merit. The moral being that if we are blessed enough to have more than what we need, it's our duty to share. To hoard wealth when others are in need is a sin. This sermon was delivered years ago and I don't remember the exact modern-day examples that she tied the story to, but I'm sure that if she delivered the sermon today she'd likely tie it to Obama's comment, "You didn't build that" and the GOP's response "We built this" and tax equity and the immoral Paul Ryan budget and the 99%/Occupy. All of which is to say that by the end of the sermon I had a better appreciation for that biblical story and how it's still relevant today. The sermon reinforced my belief in the interdependent web of existence and re-energized me to work on issues of economic justice.

I very much agree with the philosophy underlying the sermon. He sounds like a cool preacher.

 

[lilithu]

Adore Kate, remarkable woman, remarkable Reverend. Bill rocks, too. He's our very own BaRockStar. First candidate we vetted, and called with 98% of the vote. It was kind of funny... "gee the former head of the UUA wants to know if he can be our minister. Yeah, that's a toughie..."

Wait, what? 2% voted against Bill? Who could do that? (Granted, 98% is incredible consensus among UUs.)

That said, had some of our guest Ministers in the transition year been candidates, I'd have had a much more difficult decision. The Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison Reed was indescribably wonderful! Do you know him?

Exchanged a few words when he was in town promoting his book, but it'd be a lie to say that I know him. (Like I doubt he even remembers me.) I've heard him speak a few times but have never gotten to hear him preach. Lucky you!

Eh... not completely sold, yet. The people are lovely, and being a small congregation (78 members), it's a lot easier to jump in socially. OTOH, there's just not much going on, and I'm regularly left cold by the homilies. It's a lay-led chapter, and I KNOW it isn't fair to compare the musings of the untrained to the oratory of Ph.D's, but... I'm not getting anything out of it.

Any other UU congregations in the area? (I've heard of Lubbock but forget where it is. Is it in the western part?)

 

[lilithu]

It is not like we haven't met with splintering factions before. There was this thing a few hundred years back called the Protestant Reformation and the Old Catholic Church, which split on the doctrine of papal infallibility.

Yes, and Unitarianism is basically the Protestant Reformation taken to its logical extreme. So in that sense, yes, I've already converted to one of the resulting branches of a split in the universal Church. But unfortunately when Protestants threw out papal infallibility they threw out a lot of other things as well. What I was talking about was a split that might leave the liturgy intact but remove the patriarchy. There is a small group of U.S.American Catholics who have started to "ordain" women. I put ordain in quotes because they have no recognized authority in the rest of the Catholic church but they can deliver the homily and serve the Eucharist within this small group. Anyone who wishes to can receive communion; not just Catholics.

This is an interesting perspective. Your Church then seems to be a faith organization grounded deeply within your particular community. Quite cool.

Thanks, that's a wonderful compliment.

I very much agree with the philosophy underlying the sermon. He sounds like a cool preacher.

SHE is a very cool preacher. In fact, she teaches preaching at one of our seminaries. She was a guest preacher for us; our senior minister is male (and gay) and also quite gifted.

 

[Darkness]

What I was talking about was a split that might leave the liturgy intact but remove the patriarchy. There is a small group of U.S.American Catholics who have started to "ordain" women.

Isn't that what High Anglicanism is?

SHE is a very cool preacher. In fact, she teaches preaching at one of our seminaries. She was a guest preacher for us; our senior minister is male (and gay) and also quite gifted.

I really want to think I wrote "he" instead of "s/he", because whenever I think of Unitarian Universalist Pastor, I think of Rev. Goldsmith. And not because of residual gender biases. It's funny that no matter what you believe, it's hard to subconsciously detach yourself from cultural discourse. Perhaps Lacan was right when he said that the social discourse surrounding us is our unconscious; or something like that. I am not too knowledgable in Lacanian psychoanalysis.

 

[Storm]

Wait, what? 2% voted against Bill? Who could do that? (Granted, 98% is incredible consensus among UUs.)

And it's a huge congregation.

The only person I know who voted no did said he did so because Bill wasn't sufficiently aggressive enough in opposing Dubya's military actions. Specifically, because the UUA didn't issue a formal statement opposing going into Afghanistan before it was done. Nevermind that UUs weren't really unanimous on that....

For context said friend was vegan for the sake of pacifism with Asperger's so, yeah... little extreme.

Exchanged a few words when he was in town promoting his book, but it'd be a lie to say that I know him. (Like I doubt he even remembers me.) I've heard him speak a few times but have never gotten to hear him preach. Lucky you!

I actually posted a recently resurrected thread to discuss a sermon he gave on Universalism, if you'd like to read it and weigh in: On Universalism. Truth be told, though, reading it is a poor substitute for hearing. Magnificent orator, with all the passion of a fire & brimstone Southern Baptist. I was in tears 5 minutes in!

If you ever get the chance to hear him, jump all over that.

Any other UU congregations in the area? (I've heard of Lubbock but forget where it is. Is it in the western part?)

In Lubbock? I wish!

Yeah, West Texas, in the base of the Panhandle.

 

[SageTree]

Nice conversation here folks.


Steven. Welcome. Glad you seem to feel at home.

 

[lilithu]

Isn't that what High Anglicanism is?

People have suggested the Episcopal church to me, and maybe I'm being unfair and should check them out more closely, but I have the impression that they are very Anglo. And I don't just mean racial demographics. I mean culturally. In Catholicism there is liberation theology, which as you know comes out of Latin America. There is the Virgin de Guadalupe. There is the Black Madonna from Eastern Europe. There is Saint Brigid. Because Catholicism is so old and was the Church when Christianity spread to other parts of the world, a lot of local indigenous practices got incorporated into it. (I hope I don't offend you by saying this; I'm speaking from sociological perspective rather than a religious one.) I just don't get that same impression from Episcopal/Anglican. I'm not terribly excited about joining the "Church of England." as opposed to the "universal" Church.

I really want to think I wrote "he" instead of "s/he", because whenever I think of Unitarian Universalist Pastor, I think of Rev. Goldsmith. And not because of residual gender biases. It's funny that no matter what you believe, it's hard to subconsciously detach yourself from cultural discourse. Perhaps Lacan was right when he said that the social discourse surrounding us is our unconscious; or something like that. I am not too knowledgable in Lacanian psychoanalysis.

I was amused by the gender slip specifically because we had been talking about Catholic patriarchy, but honestly, I didn't think too much of it. It wasn't until the first time that I saw a woman airline pilot in uniform and thought she looked "strange" that I realized I had had a subconscious "rule" in my head that all pilots are male. If you had asked me directly "Does one have to be male to be an airline pilot?" I would have said, "Of course not; are you kidding me?!" Yet when I saw her, I was confused for a moment because her appearance did not match my heretofore unacknowledged cultural expectations. So... we all have these kinds of biases.

 

[lilithu]

And it's a huge congregation.

The only person I know who voted no did said he did so because Bill wasn't sufficiently aggressive enough in opposing Dubya's military actions. Specifically, because the UUA didn't issue a formal statement opposing going into Afghanistan before it was done. Nevermind that UUs weren't really unanimous on that....

For context said friend was vegan for the sake of pacifism with Asperger's so, yeah... little extreme.

Yeah, Bill could not have done that because, as you said, UUs were divided on that.

During the last General Assembly in Phoenix, he was on a panel and when it came to the question/answer period someone went to the mic, looked to Bill and very dramatically said "You have disappointed me!" Turns out that this guy was disappointed because Bill had not called on all UUs (and society in general, I guess) to intentionally miscegenate. He wanted everyone to intentionally marry someone of a different race and then he bragged about how he had done just that. :areyoucra I sat there dumbfounded wondering how anyone could possibly respond to the guy in a respectful way, but Bill managed to do just that. I love him. :hearts: Rockstar indeed!

I actually posted a recently resurrected thread to discuss a sermon he gave on Universalism, if you'd like to read it and weigh in: On Universalism.

Cool, I'll check it out. And yes, I'd love to hear him preach whenever the opportunity arises.

 

[Storm]

Yeah, Bill could not have done that because, as you said, UUs were divided on that.

Exactly.

During the last General Assembly in Phoenix, he was on a panel and when it came to the question/answer period someone went to the mic, looked to Bill and very dramatically said "You have disappointed me!" Turns out that this guy was disappointed because Bill had not called on all UUs (and society in general, I guess) to intentionally miscegenate. He wanted everyone to intentionally marry someone of a different race and then he bragged about how he had done just that. :areyoucra I sat there dumbfounded wondering how anyone could possibly respond to the guy in a respectful way, but Bill managed to do just that. I love him. :hearts: Rockstar indeed!

Wow! Kudos to Bill, but seriously? That's the most hypocritical, self righteous example of racism I ever heard. Disgusting.

Cool, I'll check it out. And yes, I'd love to hear him preach whenever the opportunity arises.

Looking forward to it.

 

[SageTree]

Isn't that what High Anglicanism is?

Basically yes. Specifically, they aren't part of the Anglican Communion.

Most Anglican Church in Canada that I've been to are in the middle of 'high and low' somewhere, but leans to the high side generally speaking, as opposed to my Episcopal experiences in the States, which is part of the same Communion.

People have suggested the Episcopal church to me, and maybe I'm being unfair and should check them out more closely, but I have the impression that they are very Anglo. And I don't just mean racial demographics. I mean culturally. In Catholicism there is liberation theology, which as you know comes out of Latin America. There is the Virgin de Guadalupe. There is the Black Madonna from Eastern Europe. There is Saint Brigid. Because Catholicism is so old and was the Church when Christianity spread to other parts of the world, a lot of local indigenous practices got incorporated into it. I just don't get that same impression from Episcopal/Anglican. I'm not terribly excited about joining the "Church of England." as opposed to the "universal" Church.

Hope I'm not butting in here
But I have some experiences to add that might be of potential merit.

I consider my Self UU in my core, enough to be able to open my mind up to most people's form of worship, in as much that it accepts, generally speaking, the Principles of UUism, or at least doesn't have dictations AGAINST the concepts, but truly I've been to some 'unfriendly' places as well in the name of exposure.

For most of the last two years I've attended Anglican worship here in Canada and have found it (after years and years out of a Christian Church) open and welcoming. (In the UU sense as well)

UUism is harder to come by up here it seems and there isn't always a congregation around, personally speaking there isn't always a Buddhist group around either.... but sure as can be there is an Anglican Church of Canada around.

So after volunteering with a retired Priest in the ACC and finding out that he could talk Sanskrit with me about mediation, was a vegetarian, went on retreats and was a child of the 60s we'll say, I began to wonder if there wasn't room 'for a guy like me'?

I was raised a Protestant, a Methodist, so I appreciated the irony of being an American, back in Canada, and a Methodist, back in the Anglican Church. The person who started Methodism was always part of and never actually left the Anglican Church.

My first Sunday, up in northern British Columbia, by a lesbian couple and their adopted daughter. Later that summer the Canadian Church changed the language of it's marriage criteria to 'Two consenting Adults', basically opening it up to everyone.

Funny enough, they rang a meditation bell after their Gospel reading and had 5 minutes of silence! And 'Via Media' is the Anglican theology, which is 'The Middle Way', which I appreciated the coincidence for what it was.

The Canadian wing was also the first in the Communion to ordain women into the clergy, going so far as to go to Canterbury to lobby for it.

I've also been to the Episcopal Church in the States with my Mom, in an effort to get her back to Church. It's more Protestant, but follows the general form of an Anglican service. Of note they do a 'Celtic Service' and a 'Silent Service', which I thought was pretty cool and a throw back to the 'roots' of the Church and it's practices.

There is a movement in some parts of Canada to get chanting back into worship as well, which is a throw back to Catholic times for sure.

As far as diversity of the congregations go, the world body is REALLY big actually and includes the veneration of all the local Saints as well as those of the Roman Church, although Saints are venerated in a different way over all.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Communion

A world map showing the provinces of the Anglican Communion (Blue). Also shown are the churches in full communion with the Anglican Communion: the Nordic Lutheran churches of the Porvoo Communion (Green) and the Old Catholic churches of the Utrecht Union (Red).

Social justice is something important to me, and believe me, I wouldn't have gone for so long if I felt I was in a group that was working against those things.

However I've found more than enough chances to involve myself in that kind of work.

Surely I don't mean this to be an Anglican Church commercial,
but I did want to share what I've experienced in dealing with this Church Body.

And imo, it's been a wholly good experience for me.


So yea... I hope that sharing was alright with you and you all.

If you want to talk more, PM me or start a thread somewhere and let me know about it.


In the town I've moved to recently I've found a UU community that meets once or twice a month, but I've been having a really hard time making contact with them.

Hopefully before long I'll be able to get my UU on again.


:namaste

 

[lilithu]

Hope I'm not butting in here
But I have some experiences to add that might be of potential merit. ...

SageTree, namaste.

Your perspective is always welcome.

One of the things I've learned while working in faith-based advocacy is that there are a lot of really cool, progressive, wonderful Christians of all stripes. In my work I interact regularly with Catholics, Episcopalians, and Methodists (actually, we do A LOT of work with the Methodists), as well as Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Quakers and Mennonites and UCC. I've even met some pretty liberal Baptists, Mormons, and Evangelical Christians who have forced me to re-evaluate the validity of making any assumptions based on denomination. (I've not yet met any liberal Jehovah's Witnesses or Seventh Day Adventists, but it's a big world so you never know. )

All of which is to say that I know that there are cool Episcopalian churches, that accept diverse theological views, are welcoming, and social justice oriented. (Heck, many UUs think that we're the only ones who care about social justice or that we're the only ones that celebrate diversity; they have NO idea.)

When I said that the Anglican/Episcopal church is the "Church of England," as opposed to the Catholic church which is "universal," I didn't mean literally. That is, I know that they are all over the world. What I meant was (and I could be wrong) I have the impression that Episcopal church culture is very Anglo. Whereas when I think of Catholic churches, I think of a multitude of different cultures, Italian, Irish, Latin American... Again, I could be being completely unfair. I've visited a lot more Catholic churches than I have Episcopal ones.

Anyway, I'm not planning on leaving UUism any time soon. :angel2:

 

[lilithu]

Overall, it was a very nice experience, and I am definitely going to check it out again, as well as some of the classes they offer. Hopefully I've found somewhere I can belong to.

So Steve, were you able to go back this Sunday? Were you able to talk to any more congregants?

 

[SteveGrayFTW]

So Steve, were you able to go back this Sunday? Were you able to talk to any more congregants?

I was able to make it back this Sunday, and really enjoyed the services this week too. It was a sermon about hope, and was a bit more spiritual in tone than last weeks (the one about the DREAM Act). I was told that a lot of the sermons will be political in nature, but I am really glad that is seems like there is a balance between political and spiritual.

There was a bit of politics though, as the Minister showed us that one of the Churches signs about supporting the DREAM Act had been set fire to by some ******* (my words, not his). :/

I also stayed a little longer afterwords and was able to connect with a few more people. Nothing too in depth, but it was still nice to have people to be able to talk to. I'm usually shy as all heck around strangers, but everyone so far has been really friendly and approachable.


Edit: Not sure if it matters or not, but I should probably clarify that when I say "Dream Act", I'm referring to the Maryland one specifically. Both that and same sex marriage will be on our election ballot, and the Minister has been trying to urge us to vote for both.