“To Widen Our Beloved Community”
the Rev. Bruce Russell-Jayne, December 9, 2007

Reading

selections from O. Eugene Pickett-Borne on a Wintry Wind Tom Owen-Towle

This morning’s reading is quotations by the Reverend O. Eugene Pickett, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association from 1979 to 1985 taken from a his biography written by the Reverend Tom Owen-Towle.
“Because we are individualist, we tend to distrust our institutions. Because we are Congregationalists, we tend to support associative action reluctantly. Because we are nonconformists, we tend to resist the lessons of the past, many of which warn us of mistaking rhetoric for substance and embracing an arrogant, if not excessive, individualism which can be destructive of the common good.

“Unitarian Universalism is an idea, a faith, an international movement, an historical institution whose expression is more than congregational, but other than hierarchical. The key word is associative. We work and worship in association with one another, which is to say, in partnership with one another. The Association represents our best effort to walk together in trust and respect with all who value a free but organized religion.”

“The longer I am a part of this movement, the more convinced I become that the values and ideals of liberal religion can be effective only if they have a solid institutional base, and that means strong congregations and a strong Association. I know that we as a religious movement have traditionally been suspicious of a strong Association. We have been fearful that strength would mean power, rigidity, and control. But I am convinced that our Association can be both strong and flexible, an institution of which we can be critical while still being committed to it.

“We tend to be a contentious group of people. We are often harder on ourselves than are our fundamentalist critics. It is so easy to be cynical and mistrustful. But the UUA is what binds us together. It is a vehicle of our hope

.
“Those years as president [of the UUA] made me deeply aware of how much we need one another. It is only as we recognize our mutuality, honor our diversity, and reconcile our differences with respectful honesty that we can build a strong and vital religious community. Being part of and nurturing such a religious community is what ministry is to me…

“I have found that I need you in order to be me, that we need them in order to be us, that only together do we have a future. Could we but accept and act on this simple but basic insight, prejudices would be undermined, injustices denounced, and exploitation of nature and people condemned. The world would become ours and all women and men us.”

Homily

To Widen Our Beloved Community Rev. Bruce Russell-Jayne

“Are you a Unitarian without knowing it?” This short, catchy phrase was the principal constituent of the former American Unitarian Association’s ad campaign 50 years ago, and it still brings smiles today. How many of you have heard or repeated that question? “Are you a Unitarian without knowing it?” still elicits a warm feeling in many UUs for whom it describes their personal experience of discovering UUism after years of looking and yearning for just what we have. That feeling, one of finally knowing it is OK to believe what you believe and of being accepted into loving fellowship, is the paradigm most of us experienced when we became a UU. “Are you a Unitarian without knowing it?” was an attempt to advertise, to reach out to those who might not know about our wonderful church. It was short enough to be placed in all kinds of unique places like the Yellow Pages or the want ads in the back of liberal magazines. It probably attracted quite a few people back then, but there has not been a national advertising campaign during the entire 46 year history of the Unitarian Universalist Association until now.

Northern Hills could do something like it today – put a good one-liner in some local ads – we would need to update it from Unitarian to Unitarian Universalist – but there’s nothing wrong with advertising. I would change the old ad in another way, too because simply asking a stranger if they think they are a UU isn’t going to hook many people today. If out of the blue I just asked you if you thought you were a “Swedenborgian,” or if you were a follower of Theophilus Lindsay and didn’t know it, how would you respond? Well, UUs should respond yes to both of those inquiries. Swedenborg more or less invented the idea of spiritual but not religious and heavily influenced the Transcendentalists and the Universalists, and Lindsay started the first Unitarian church in England. But, if you didn’t know it why would you want to identify with a preacher named Theophilus? Do you catch my drift – that “Are a you a UU without knowing it?” puts the burden on the person who doesn’t know who we are not only to discover us, but also to figure out what we are about and to determine how they might fit in. A hardy few may find and join Northern Hills that way, but if we were to depend solely on that ad we would likely remain the best kept secret church in town.

That old ad brings UUs a feeling of nostalgia, but I don’t think we can rely on it today. Asking someone out of the blue if they are a Unitarian Universalist only has a chance of working if people already have some idea about UUs. You have to count on them being “UU curious,” and I hate to say it, but most people haven’t heard about us, or if they have, it is only through non-UU sources like Garrison Keillor’s jokes about us on his radio show. For example, “Have you heard it’s dangerous to upset a UU? He might burn a question mark on your front lawn?” Now, what can he mean by that? Or: “What do you get when you cross UU with a Jehovah’s Witness? Someone out knocking on doors for no apparent reason.” Oh, that one hurts – to be accused of not having anything to say – on our precious National Public Radio no less. If UUs are anything we are intelligent – ain’t that so? Here’s one more cute one that goes the other direction: “On Wednesday, a UU minister sees a child out in front of a house in the neighborhood with a sign "Adorable kittens -- FREE." Friday, she sees the kid in front of the synagogue with a new sign: "Adorable Jewish Kittens -- Free." Sunday, the minister notices the child out in front of a church with her sign now saying: "Adorable Methodist Kittens -- FREE." So the Minister isn't surprised the following Sunday the child is in front of the church she serves with a sign promising "Adorable Unitarian Universalist kittens." "Now really," she tells the child, "they are adorable kittens, but I have a problem with your advertising. I've seen your kittens change their religion several times. Why should I believe these are UU kittens, all of a sudden?" "Well," said the child, "Now they have their eyes open."

Now, that’s more like us – the church of the open eyes. Truth is, even though Garrison Keillor makes fun of us, UUs probably started all of those jokes; I know the UU Minister who wrote the last one. There’s nothing wrong with telling a joke on yourself; we all need to lighten up. There is a grain of truth in all of these jokes, as well as a bit of irony. The irony of the last one - saying UUs are the folks with their eyes open, is it makes us sound a little superior, and that may not be the most welcoming message to non-UUs.

The Unitarian Universalist Association’s ad, which represents us, in the November 5th Time magazine begins with, “Find us and ye shall Seek.” Now that’s eye catching but still a little vague. But, if our potential new member reads on, it explains, “If you are searching for a spiritual home where questions are as welcome as answers, find us. We are a loving, open-minded religious community that is guided not by a set creed or dogma but by a free and responsible quest for truth and meaning in our lives. There is a religion that welcomes your search. Discover Unitarian Universalism.” Now that’s better. That ad tells people something positive about us – about our loving community and about our spiritual and intellectual approach to religion. It doesn’t ask people to self-identify as a UU before they even know who we are. People shouldn’t have to quack like a UU before we invite them into our fellowship. Eat, My Fine Coat! reminds us to welcome people for who they are – to look beyond their clothes, their outside coating, consisting of political party, ethnicity or educational status – and make human connection with them. So, let’s turn the “Are you UU without knowing it?” paradigm around. We should be thinking, “Are there UUs out there that we just don’t recognize, and how might we tell them more about us?” How might we make ourselves more attractive to the hundreds or even thousands of potential UUs in the Cincinnati area?

I hope the national ad campaign will make you prouder to be UUs, and move you to invite folks to visit Northern Hills. It is intended to introduce UUism to a wider audience, and to make our voice more recognizable in the national marketplace of ideas. I think it will increase our visibility in our own community. That is bound to be a help as we continue to try to grow as a congregation by welcoming strangers to hear our message and be transformed by it and us by them.

Let’s frame our own message to let people hear what we want them to know about us. Our Antiphonal Reading is more like what I would want to say about UUism. While writing this homily I got so worked up about how proud I am to be a UU, I decided to go ahead and do our Antiphonal Reading right here. So, if you will, please stand as you are able and put some energy into this little exercise. For this we’re going to divide the room in half right down the aisle, and the side by the circle window will read to the side by the piano and then the piano side will read to the window side. Will you turn to face each other across the aisle, and when you get to say, “That’s Our Good News!” do it with enthusiasm. Ok – Window side – Go.

* Antiphonal Reading That’s Our Good News Rev. John Corrado

Window Side: We believe there is a place at the table for each and every child of earth. That’s our good news!
Piano Side: We believe the giver of life has been given many names and loves the givers of all of them. That’s our good news!
W: We are more interested in getting heaven into people now than getting people into heaven later. That’s our good news!
P: We believe that religious scriptures are open doors rather than sealed vaults. That’s our good news!
W: We believe there is still some holy writ yet to be written. That’s our good news!
P: We believe true evangelism is more preaching practiced than practiced preaching. That’s our good news!
W: We believe peace and justice are not just words we form with our lips, but realities we shape with our lives. That’s our good news!
P: We believe in one race - the human race. That’s our good news!
W: We believe we are one with the stars and trees and tigers and rivers and all the stuff of life. That’s our good news!
ALL: We believe our lives are all about growing hearts that love, minds that seek, and hands that serve. That’s our good news!