All Souls UU Church of Bellville, OH » General

Spring Meditation

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:22:52 +0000

As the snows of winter appear to be finally giving way to the inevitable spring, my mind turns to thoughts of the seeds that have lain dormant for the past few months, waiting only for the warmth of the sun to bring them to life and growth. Beneath the seemingly barren ice and snow that surrounded us for so long, the flowers of spring are waiting to blossom when the time is right, their being dependent on not themselves alone, but on the cycle of life that surrounds them. In like manner, we find ourselves often buried beneath the icy indifference of a world at war with itself and a society intoxicated by the sense of “I” at the expense of the “We.”

“No man is an island,” wrote John Donne. And it’s clear to even the most novice of gardeners that a single daffodil does not a garden make. Only when we come together in all our glorious diversity of thought, opinion and experience do we bring forth any semblance of the beautiful potential that lies within our collective lives. Only in community can we truly display all the wondrous gifts that each of us brings to the altar of humanity.

Our UU Principles lay the foundation for the ways in which we, as Unitarian Universalists relate not only to one another, but to the world around us. They are far more than a list of nice sounding phrases that we sometimes recite during worship services. They, in fact, serve as a statement of who we, as individual Unitarian Universalists, aspire to be in order to live out our collective vision of the “Beloved Community.” On deeper reflection, we find that the Principles, taken seriously, provide a major “plumb line” by which to measure ourselves on a daily basis.

I affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Is there any person whom I have disrespected? Who have I failed to forgive or acceptance forgiveness from? Is there anyone whom I have treated with less than the dignity and respect that I would hope to be treated?

I affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
Is there any person whom I have treated unfairly? Have I taken the time to be compassionate with every person I have encountered? Have I made an effort to broaden my concerns to those who may not be among those whom I consider my own family and friends… especially among those with whom I disagree?

I affirm and promote acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
Have I compassionately offered others the opportunity for growth, and have I truly accepted people, even those who are not like me and those who do not fit my idea of “okay”? Have I shown disrespect toward anyone else’s religious beliefs?

I affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
Is my life a reflection of a search for truth and meaning, or am I stuck in the “getting and having” place which deadens people? Can I move a little further from “getting and having” and a little closer to truth and meaning today? How will I do that today?

I affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.
Have I listened to others, and tried to think the way they think, see their point of view? Have I encouraged consensus and connections so that democracy is an everyday fact of life, or have I tried to stack the deck in my own favor? Have I allowed the “tyranny of the majority” to silence anyone?

I affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
What have I done today to promote peace, understanding, and freedom throughout the world, and in my own corner of the world? Have I done anything to loosen the bonds of oppression in the lives of those “others” who have not shared in my own privilege?

I affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.
How have I reduced the negative impact of my living on this planet? What could be done to restore the balance of nature and to make the world that our children will inherit better than the one I have received?

May we in the privacy of our own hearts meditate upon these words of our principles so that we might live them more fully and thus allow the sunshine of our own lives to brighten the way for those around us and enable them to blossom into the people we would have them to be. Only then will the spring time come for all of us.

Aloha,

John

As winter wanes…

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:19:12 +0000

As the snows of winter appear to be finally giving way to the inevitable spring, my mind turns to thoughts of the seeds that have lain dormant for the past few months, waiting only for the warmth of the sun to bring them to life and growth. Beneath the seemingly barren ice and snow that surrounds us, the flowers of spring are waiting to blossom when the time is right, their being dependent on not themselves alone, but on the cycle of life that surrounds them. In like manner, we find ourselves often buried beneath the icy indifference of a world at war with itself and a society intoxicated by the sense of “I” at the expense of the “We.”

I affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Is there any person whom I have disrespected? Who have I failed to forgive or acceptance forgiveness from? Is there anyone whom I have treated with less than the dignity and respect that I would hope to be treated?

I affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
Is my life a reflection of a search for truth and meaning, or am I stuck in the “getting and having” place which deadens people? Can I move a little further from “getting and having” and a little closer to truth and meaning today? How will I do that today?

I affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.
Have I listened to others, and tried to think the way they think, see their point of view? Have I encouraged consensus and connections so that democracy is an everyday fact of life, or have I tried to stack the deck in my own favor? Have I allowed the “tyranny of the majority” to silence anyone?

I affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. What have I done today to promote peace, understanding, and freedom throughout the world, and in my own corner of the world? Have I done anything to loosen the bonds of oppression in the lives of those “others” who have not shared in my own privilege?

I affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.
How have I reduced the negative impact of my living on this planet? What could be done to restore the balance of nature and to make the world that our children will inherit better than the one I have received?

You Are Not Alone

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:08:06 +0000

You Are Not Alone

I once knew a man named Bob Keller and he was perhaps the most incredible person I’ve ever met. He was a very high powered individual, heading up his own non-profit organization and even served as the executive producer of his own cable television show. Bob wasn’t the most highly intelligent or the luckiest person in the world. In fact, he had more problems than most of us could ever dream of dealing with. Still, Bob was able to channel his energies into living and doing those things that he was capable of doing… and he did them well! He had a wonderful knack for getting people to help out with getting things done and to feel empowered by it. He was phenomenal when it came to organizing his vast network of friends and associates to join together for getting things accomplished that none of them could have done by themselves. He knew the value and importance of having a community to help share the load in times of difficulty. He really knew what it meant to trust in others when it was impossible for him to do things for himself.

You see, Bob was paralyzed from the neck down in an automobile accident. This was certainly a life changing situation, but not a life STOPPING one. Rather than be consigned to a back seat in life, Bob created the Disabled Americans Rights Network (DARN) and went on to produce a series of programs for cable television, show-casing people who had risen above their disabilities to achieve more than anyone would have ever thought possible. Further, he was a powerful advocate for the rights of disabled people to have access to public accommodations and to be treated fairly in society.

How was he able to do all this? He knew the strength of community. He knew the strength of relationships with people who, individually, may have had little to offer, but collectively could work miracles. He knew how to trust in and rely on other people, even in the most difficult circumstances. Bob Keller taught me much about life. He taught me that when I am tempted to feel overwhelmed and overcome by my own petty troubles, they are as nothing compared to those others may face. I, like most of us, forget this lesson from time to time. Most of our lives are nowhere near as difficult as Bob’s, but we far too often forget that and close ourselves off from our community rather than taking strength in our community, religious or otherwise.

Still, it’s hard to keep it all in perspective. This is MY life we’re talking about, right? Well, there is not one human being that can live out their life without facing adversity. Troubles have a way of finding us, despite our best laid plans. Sometimes they are self-inflicted; other times they come through someone else; still, most often, troubles simply come through the “luck of the draw.” Health issues, money problems, marital instability, difficulties with raising children, all of these may touch our lives at some point or other.

We cannot choose our life challenges, but we can choose how to get through it. Will we become better or bitter? That choice is up to each of us. Will we reach out to those around us and become more involved in living, or will we retreat into sadness and depression? As we go through our life tests, we can emerge stronger and wiser. We may unearth a part of ourselves that until now remained concealed deep within us. We may discover our hidden potential. That is the miracle of life.

When going through difficulties, instead of being miserable and sinking into despair, let us ask ourselves, “What can I learn from this? Am I truly as bad off as I think I am? What can I do to make things better, if not for myself, then for someone else?” Make use of your connections with other people. Let them into your life and take part in theirs. That is what community is all about, be it a church, a club or a family. Seek out others going through difficult times and see what you can do together that might help all of you. That’s what Bob Keller did. That’s what I can do. That’s what you can do.

We here at All Souls are here for you in whatever situation life has dealt you. Find the strength only to be found in a spiritual community that asks only that you be who you are and do what you can. In that way, we all grow, despite our limitations.

In closing, strive to be happy despite life’s tribulations. As Rev. Wayne Arnason wrote, “Take courage friends. The way is often hard, the path is never clear, and the stakes are very high. Take courage. For deep down, there is another truth: you are not alone.”

Sunday's Service

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:30:00 +0000

On Sunday, June 27th at 10:30 am, our speakers will speakers will be Renie Maginniss and Ken Arthur.

Topic: “Mask, Not Mask”: A way of looking at human faces literally, symbolically, and metaphorically.

Please join us afterward for coffee and conversation. We always enjoy spending time meeting with everyone.

We're Branching Out!

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:53:26 +0000

All Souls is now on Facebook and Twitter! We invite you to join us… somethingsomethingsomething

Questions

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:39:57 +0000

Q: Will I be welcome?

A: Yes. We mean that welcoming statement on the Home page. Over the years we have had members who were rich and poor, black and white, young and old, walking and wheeling, straight, lesbian and gay. We have had people of different heritages; Down-east Yankee, Old Virginia, Hispanic, Hmong, Huguenot, Iranian, Italian, Portuguese and English, to name a few. We’ve had doctors, lawyers, carpenters, teachers, newspaper editors, computer programmers, unemployed people, house wives, house husbands, students and retired people. We welcomed them all. We will welcome you.

Q: Will I be welcome even if I’m gay or lesbian?

A: Yes. A few of our members are one or the other. We didn’t do an exact count for the FAQ page.

Q: Will I be pressured to join or to be saved?

A: No. In fact, people sometimes think we are being aloof because we don’t approach our visitors as if we were selling used cars. We’ll welcome you at the door. We’ll send you our newsletter for a while, if you ask for it. We’d be happy to have you join us, but we won’t try to push ourselves onto you. We will never ask you to join on a first visit; we recommend you visit for a couple of months before you consider joining. We’ll never pressure you to be saved, either. We don’t believe in salvation by grace. That is where the “Universalist” part of “Unitarian-Universalists” comes in. A Universalist refers to universal salvation, always already.

Q: Does your congregation have diverse beliefs?

A: We have some mild differences of opinion. Most of us started out as Jewish, Catholic or Protestant. Some of us are still Christian or Jewish. Some of us are agnostics or atheists. Some of us believe in an earth-based spirituality. Some of us are Buddhists. We all believe in the search for truth and a deeper meaning in life. We asked our members to answer the question “What do you believe?” in 50 words or less. You can see the responses on our Beliefs page.

Q: How can an agnostic go to church?

A: By private automobile, bicycle or on foot.

Seriously, this is one of the things about us that puzzles people. Why would an agnostic (atheist, humanist…) go to church? We give people a place to explore and grow spiritually, even if they grow in different directions. We provide religious education for their children, so that they can make an informed choice when it comes time for them to choose a religion. Finally, there is the social aspect of church. Even agnostics like potlucks.

Q: What do adults wear?

A: You are welcome to come in whatever makes you comfortable. If you are a gentleman who feels most comfortable when he looks like the rest of the guys, then navy blue Dockers and a dress shirt (no tie) will put you right in the middle of the crowd. Most, not all, of our ladies wear a dress or dressy pants and a nice blouse. On any given Sunday at least six men and women will be in jeans and two men will be in a coat and tie.

Q: What do children wear?

A: Children will be fine in sneakers and jeans. They will probably spend part of the Religious Education class sitting in a circle on a carpet, and another working with paste, glue, paint or crayons. They play in our back yard, or go wading in the creek from time-to-time, too..

Q: What goes on during the worship services?

A: We usually have:

The call to worship
Announcements, Joys and Concerns are shared
The Prelude music
Opening Words, which are usually a short reading.
Chalice Lighting
An Opening Hymn.
A Responsive Reading and Affirmation
The Offertory.
A few moments for silent meditation/prayer/reflection
A Sermon or Message.
Another Hymn.
Closing Words
Closing Hymn
Postlude Music
Coffee and Conversation.

The services are designed around the ‘theme’ of the speaker’s topic for the week.

Q: Is Unitarian Universalism a cult?

A: No. Cults have three hallmarks. They are relatively new, they have a single, charismatic leader, and they share a single mindset. We have been around for 200 years. President John Adams and his son, President John Quincy Adams, were Unitarians. Our leader, the president of the UUA, changes every ten years. Sometimes we elect a person with charisma, sometimes we don’t. As to our mindset, some of us believe in God, some don’t. We have other differences. We are not a mainline protestant denomination, but we are far from being a cult.

Why We Come to All Souls

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:34:32 +0000

Let’s talk about what All Souls is really about…
All Souls is the 187 year old congregation that has been through so many upheavals and a couple of closings and has survived and is now thriving as a Beloved Community.
All Souls is the Pew Crew that spent a year meeting twice a week to work together to solve the problems of adapting our beautiful pews to our needs. They toiled and fussed and argued and worked and cooperated and learned and worked together and dug each other out of the mud when the lane to the workplace was awash in the winter – and the result was the beautiful, literally built-by-love pews that we sit in each week.
All Souls is the kitchen window downstairs - There are two members involved with a project to replace the worn out window and frame above the refrigerator. Another labor of love, actually.   One wants vinyl – the other wants no vinyl. They can’t get together on the material but they will – and that’s what’s so marvelous about it.. It’s just a window but the friendships and respect for each other is what’s holding it together.
All Souls is our ‘coffee and conversation’ after church services each week. Some call it noisy. Others call it – Energy.   Whatever it is – it is a family of people who love and care for each other and enjoy having the weekly time to chat and talk about what concerns them and to be listened to and heard and go away from church feeling invigorated and validated.
It’s Reed Richmond who took over publication of our newsletter a couple of years ago and somehow, magically, has it here for us each month.
All Souls is Joan Richmond and the chorus she’s building in our church and the love and patience she brings to that process and the beautiful music she is teaching us to sing each month. AND it’s Ayesha Manley playing our organ, commuting here from Galion and Wooster four trips per month to bring us that music. It’s the Carol Bernhardt Trio playing for us every other week. And it’s the organ itself and the winter that Joyce Fenton spent repainting each of the 21 pipes on the front of the organ – restoring them to their original beauty. AND it’s Sean Burns who, unless there’s a big sports car race is at church nearly every week taking care of the sound system – keeping the screeches out and constantly learning and figuring out new tricks and techniques he can use with the sound system. And – it’s Amy Burns who brought us the concept of Whole Church Worship when the kids stay upstairs in church for the whole service.
All Souls is the little church that supports and sponsors ministerial interns and helps them get ordained and fellowshipped.
All Souls is all of the Social Action activities people from this church are involved in. Without an organized committee or operation there are dozens of people in this church who are giving themselves and their time and money every week to various causes and organizations that they believe in and support. It’s Floyd and Ruth Moody who wanted us to create a FINCA bank and kept after it until it was done and now there are 70 or so women in Haiti who have businesses and their lives are improved forever. AND it’s our support of Aloys Kamwithi’s orphanage and school in Kenya AND it’s Sandy MacPherson taking on supporting Aloys out of her pocket and time and helping him prepare and get all the hundreds or thousands of books we’ve accumulated for his school shipped to Kenya.
And – it’s Laura Crabtree who, for two years has been coming here and providing such wonderful care of our children during services so the parents can have the hour to stay in services – most Sundays.   And now she’s a full-time nursing school student with a job – and she still comes and takes care of our kids.
All Souls is Doug Wilson who took a large broken piece of stained glass and created our chalice and then created the chalice art pieces we have in the church and in some of our homes. Totally a labor of love…
It’s the loving care we give each other in times of need and pain and the knowing that we’re safe here and loved and accepted – mostly accepted for who we are and for our foibles and forgiving when we make mistakes and supporting and listening and just loving and caring for each other so very much.
It’s the action by the Board in July of this year to take down the attendance / contribution board because people have more than enough monetary stress now and All Souls needs to be a place for peace and not another place hammering away at us for our money every week and All Souls will survive with less revenue for a while.
It’s Reed Richmond giving us the posters he made for the walls in the sanctuary with the Seven Principles and the Blake Covenent which remind us of who we are and what we try to be to each other and to the community. AND – it’s Renie Gilbert who offered to put those posters in beautiful frames, a project that is in the works.
And it’s Jay Gilbert who each week posts the calendar on the website and each week prepares and publishes the bulletin for our Sunday services – and it’s Lou Green who makes sure there is an article in all the local newspapers each week announcing our presence and our service and our activities..
It’s Jane Price who, on the day I delivered a message here about listening, during the postlude was playing a measure off from Carol and Pam and stopped in the middle of the music and said “Wait! Start over, I wasn’t listening!”   And it’s Jane Price who comes and accompanies the chorus each month without charge, even though she is not a member of the church.
All Souls is our wonderful children’s RE teachers who are teaching the kids a curriculum called ‘Tapestry of Faith’ which is about there are lots of religions in the world including Unitarian Universalisn – and that they all are valid and they all teach mostly the same values and just do it in different ways. They’re teaching the kids about the 7 principles in words and phrases and lessons that make sense to anyone and are giving the kids a belief basis to grow their lives around. AND – it’s Janet Chandler and others who keep coming up with and leading programs for adults to participate in for further education and learning beyond the services and coffee hour.
All Souls is our becoming a young church as the average age of our membership drops and new, young families come and we have more wonderful children learning and being in our church each or most weeks.
All Souls is LD Ball and the love and meticulous care he has given the building and keeping it in such beautiful condition, ever since he took over the position from Mike Garber who had done those things before him. It’s Mike Garber and Judy Shaffer who give a lot of each Tuesday to the task of cleaning the church – delivering us a clean carpet and pews and seats every single week. And it’s the Kilgores who take care of the grass and flowers and the kitchen and the coffee and conversation room so we are always provided with a facility that we are comfortable and safe in. And the Kilgores who magically – every week of the year – provide flowers for our table at the front of the church.
All Souls is the entire set of responses to the bat situation last winter and the response to the loss of money that we had to figure out and the way we sailed through those tough times, almost without real pain – and we have mostly forgiven that and moved on. And it is that we have *mostly* forgiven all of that…. many have, but some haven’t – and that’s OK.
It’s the people who come here just to attend worship services. And those who come for coffee hour and not services and those who come here whenever there is something going on in the church and those who don’t.
There are so many wonderful things about All Souls that I have not mentioned – the list goes on and on and on and I haven’t left anyone out on purpose, but I know I have left people out. The list is just endless and the reasons just keep coming and coming and I could go on and on and never express all the beauty and wonder that is All Souls.
All Souls is the beautiful, loving, accepting tapestry of all of us.
All Souls is our church – our Beloved Community in the fullest and richest sense of those words. It’s amazing and wonderful and sometimes agonizing, but full of joy and opinions and feelings and loyalties and love for each other and the way we are – together.
And because we’re UUs and we have and are encouraged to share our own opinions, sometimes we can and do have differences that need to be resolved and they always are and then it’s OK. That’s part of encouragement of each person’s search for truth and meaning.
That’s what All Souls is to me!
Bill Millikin
====

Welcome

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:17:06 +0000

Are You looking for a church or spiritual community where you can find Warmth, Acceptance and Spiritual Growth? Are you looking for a liberal religious community for your children, where they might learn to live in harmony with others, grow in spirit and acquire a good understanding of the world and its people?

If so, you might find that the Unitarian Universalist church is here just for you. Rather than prescribing a covenant or set belief system, we welcome and honor all belief systems and lifestyles that honor the inherent worth and dignity of each person, and come together from a set of principles that celebrate ALL individuals as valuable and worthy. Our Seven Principles

We are a friendly and welcoming community of individuals, each seeking truth for our own lives through community with each other, and we WELCOME YOU to visit and then keep coming back as long as you feel valued and rewarded by being with us – as long as your journey is being honored, encouraged and enhanced.

Occasionally, a visitor who has felt like an outcast for years will break into tears. They realize that finally, they are not alone; that even if they are Wiccan, Agnostic, lesbian, gay, a recovering alcoholic, a disenchanted Catholic, or atheist, or they just don't quite know WHAT they are, there is someone here just like them, someone who has walked miles in their shoes and that we will welcome them. They realize we really mean our first princple of valuing the worth and dignity of every person. Then we old members bite our lips and swallow hard, remembering the years when we felt alone.

Our membership is about 85 with adults and children of all age groups – from 1 to 89!. We also have many friends of the church who are very much an active and vital part of our church family, but don't want to join for a variety of reasons – and we are happy with that.

We will welcome YOU to visit us, say hello, and maybe stay with us a while on your own journey!