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First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit 4605 Cass Avenue Detroit, MI 48201 Phone 313-833-9107 Fax 313-833-0127 May 15, 2005

From The Interim Minister

In a recent column I discussed the ministry. In this column I discuss the church.

The church is a unique institution. It is sharply

Differentiated from the state, the corporate sector,

the marketplace, the school, social work, and special interest groups. The purpose of the church can be variously stated. What seems clear is that the church is in some way related to the religious impulse in persons. Incidentally, by speaking of "communities of faith" we can enlarge the category to include Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and others outside the Christian tradition, a tradition to which the word "church" specifically applies.

A church, or community of faith, is an ongoing assembly of persons gathered for specific purposes including worship, solidarity, mutual aid, and the improvement of society. A word about each.

Worship is the central act of celebration of most if not all communities of faith. Who, except in exile, would wish to belong to a community of faith that never gathered at one place at one time to renew its covenants? Our Sunday morning worship service at Cass and Forest, although lacking the dramatic power of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1-4), is an essential event of meeting and mutual affirmation for all of us at First UU. Others, who do not or cannot attend church services, nevertheless take strength from the fact that the community of faith gathers for worship every Sunday morning.

In worship we seek edification, inspiration, and specific forms of support in our brokenness. In personal or societal crisis, such as the illness or death of a loved one or a 9/11-type catastrophe, the need for support is all the more intense.

The experience of worship also connects us with a larger system of support and consolation—spiritual ("You are not alone"), ecclesial (the UUA) and global (diverse forms of religious faith and practice with the common purpose of support for those in need).

Not every worshiper will feel that he/he has received edification, inspiration, and support in every worship experience. Persistent disappointment, however, may lead some to ask, is this community of faith the right one for me?

First UU's emphasis on lay leadership in the worship service constitutes a challenge to the minister and lay leader to prepare every worship service as if it were their last. Addressing a heterogeneous congregation for an hour on Sunday morning is a formidable responsibility. It requires deep reflection, mindfulness of others, and a durable faith.

Solidarity (also known as camaraderie or fellowship) is the sense that we are one people and take strength from our principles of faith and from one another. The labor movement bears witness to the power of solidarity, as does the women's movement, the movement of gay and lesbian rights, and the movement for African unity. The shipyard workers in Gdansk immortalized the world "Solidarity" in their successful resistance to Poland's Communist overlords in 1980.

Newcomers tap into the UU experience of solidarity when they choose this church as their own. But they bring their own special gifts to our common life. In subtle ways our solidarity adapts to these gifts, growing deeper and wider with the increasing diversity we enjoy. An example is Alecia Becks' commitment to recycling. Because of Alecia and the planning team she has gathered, Midtown Recycling, a social justice project of this church, will be launched in the Prentis Street parking lot on the first Sat. in June. See the newsletter and the Sunday folder for details.

A third mark of the church is mutual aid. We exist not only for ourselves. We exist for others. If a member falters, another member steps in and does the job. There is no limit to the number of ways in which we can assist one another through the community of faith. Lencha Acker has acknowledged the myriad ways in which church members rallied to her husband Al and herself during Al's recent round of surgery. A church family is a priceless asset, especially in time of illness and loss.

The improvement of society is a quality for

which First UU is well known. Many of you have told me of conversations in which a stranger, upon learning one is a member at First UU, declares that our church stands out in greater Detroit for its commitment to good works. I am happy that our church is finding a role for itself in MOSES, the ecumenical and interfaith consortium First UU joined in December. Coalition efforts increase our power to change society for the better. They bring us into contact with other congregations, with community leaders, and with the poor. They provide training in the theory and practice of directed social change. A congregation is incomplete, I hold, if it is not informed on the vital issues of the day and in constant dialogue with the people of its neighborhood, its city, and the larger structures of regional and national decision-making.

Each of us has his or her own vision of the ideal

church. There is no doubt that 100 new members and $100,000 in new pledges would give this church a new lease on life. But we do not see such growth on the horizon at the moment, so must make do with the resources we have.

So I ask, is worship, solidarity, mutual aid, and the improvement of society an adequate agenda for the church in our time? If not, how can the church adapt itself to the new international, interplanetary, and intergalactic society which is breaking in upon us more forcibly every day?

First UU is the only Unitarian Universalist church within the city limits of Detroit. We have the UU franchise in this metropolis. What does Unitarian Universalism look like in Detroit? It looks like First UU. What might it look like? That is the question this church must answer if it is to play a role in the city of tomorrow.

My best to you, David

Canvass Information

• Pledges are being solicited for the church fiscal year, which runs from July 2005 – June 2006.

• Member pledges enable the church leadership to budget expenses including the salaries of the minister, music director, choir director religious education director, office administrator, and building maintenance personnel.

• Dan Secrest is coordinating the canvass this year. Please contact Dan via email or phone to make a pledge, or if you have any concerns. His contact information is provided below.

• Dan suggests that you pledge a percent of your income. The Unitarian Universalist Suggested Giving Guidelines recommend a pledge of 3% of income for someone earning $50,000 per year. Of course, your pledge will vary according to your financial capability, your level of commitment to the church, and other personal considerations.

• Live a generous life. Please keep the liberal religious flame alive in Detroit.

Dan Secrest

dsecrest1@comcast.net

313-864-0177 (home)

313-983-2173 (work)

Women’s Book Club

The next meeting of the Women's Book Club will be on Sunday June 5, 2005 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM in Memorial Hall. The book to be discussed will be Little Red Riding Hood – Uncloaked – Sex, Morality and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale by Catherine Orenstein. On July 10 (please note date change due to July 4^th holiday) we will be discussing Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Nasland. At the August 7^th group, we will be talking about Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl by Kate McCafferty. Please contact Maria Majer at maria_majer@yahoo.com or 313-899-1694 for additional information. All are welcome.

Our choir is open to all who enjoy singing and being with some really nice people. Rehearsals are in Memorial Hall, unless otherwise noted, and begin at 9:30 A.M. The schedule follows:

May 22 & 29 off

June 5, 12, 19 with performance on the 19^th.

Thank you,

It's hard for me to express how much the support of my church family has meant to me over the last several weeks. For those who didn’t know (if there is anybody) I had bypass heart surgery in mid-March, followed by a slight stroke and surgery to remove my gall bladder. All the cards, phone calls, visits and other kindness’ I have received have been overwhelming. I have always felt loved at First U-U, but I had no idea the depth of your caring. Believe me, I credit it with playing a huge part in my rapid recovery. Thank you also for nurturing Lencha. One of our neighbors said, "sometimes we give the flowers to the wrong person when someone is ill." Thank you for all the "flowers" you've given both of us. You are a very special group of people.
Love, Al Acker

We Get Mail…

Effective July 5, 2005 Connie Hart’s new address will be The Quadrangle

3300 Darby Rd., Haverford, PA 19041-1095

601-642-3000

…”Dear Dan (Kosmowski), Thank you for your lovely letter. I’m sorry I cannot respond as we would both like – I am moving to a retirement community in 2 months and must cut back my pledges to the 3 churches that I’ve attended in the past and maintain some contact with. I wish the Detroit Church all the best, and the same to my old friends there. [Connie Hart]….

We also heard from Helga Herz …

…I appreciate receiving your Newsletter and messages. As I reported before, I have joined the River Road Unitarian Church in Bethesda, MD. Good luck to First UU of Detroit as you continue on the path.

Helga’s address is 2201 Colston Dr. Apt 811, Silver Spring, MD 20910-2549.

Retirement Party Planning Meeting

There will be a planning meeting on Sunday, May 29, 2005 at 12:30 to discuss David’s retirement party. All interested people are welcome. For more information call Irene Schultz at 313-838-3348.

New Church Directory

The Olin Mills church directories are available from Arlene Teed. Please check to make sure all information is correct and if there are any changes or if you want to include other information such as an email address, call Arlene at 313-441-2725 and she will include a separate sheet with the corrected/new information.

Unitarian Universalist Association’s

2005 Midwest Leadership School

Experience a whole new level of Unitarian Universalism at the beautiful Beloit College Campus in Beloit, Wisconsin July 13 – 20 for session 1 and July 23 – 30 for session 2. For more information call Jan Steinmark at 812l-473-3915.

Save the Date

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is sponsoring a Call for Justice Weekend: September 24 l- 26, 2005 in Washington, D.C. For more information call 617-868-6600.

June Birthdays

1. Paul Wilkie Adcock

4. Margaret Beck, John Angry

7. Matthew Malone

10. Jim Milford

12. Sandra Thottakath

16. Ann Harvey

18. Joe Thomas

20. David Robinson

23. Ardith Dickason, James Robinson

25. Virginia Thornthwaite

26. Ruth Crawford, Carolyn Ludwig

29. Dan Secrest

The Results are In…

The congregation of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit elected the following people to the following positions:

• Moderator – Jim Harvey

• Vice-Moderator – Dan Weist

• Trustees – 3 year term – Jim Brown, Alicia Biggers, Jackie McNaughton

• Trustee – 2 year term – Lencha Acker

• Trustee – 1 year term – Mary Lou Malone

• Nominating Committee

Trey Greene, Rhonda Rodgers, Jerry Williams, Arlene Teed, Mary Lee Ventzke, Ann Harvey, Cindy Hill

• Religious Education Committee (adults)

Mark Schwing, Nora Holt, Charlene Evans, Nicole Kozub

• Religious Education Committee (youths)

Vanessa Gant, Marianna Snyder

• Heartland District

Gwen Winston, Mary Lou Malone, Alma King

• Heartland District Alternates

Sally Borden, Carolyn Ludwig, Trey Greene

• Board of Review

Carter Stevenson – 3-year term

Bill McKnight – 2-year term

Sally Borden – 1-year term

• Elected Ministerial Search Committee

Ivan Louis Cotman, Sharlene Gage, Marilyn Mitchell, Kathe Stevens – the Governing Board will select three more people to complete the committee. Congratulations to all.

Other Items that were Decided

1) The decision was made to have an interim minister next year.
2) There will be a Congregational meeting scheduled for Sunday, June 26 to consider the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2005.
4) The Emeritus Minister title was approved for Larry Hutchison. Larry was called to let him know about this. The Worship Committee has already committed to having Larry speak on September 25, so we will make our formal presentation to him then.
5) The Annual Reports are available. Len Zettel will put them on our website and paper copies are available from the church office.

CONGREGATIONAL DETERMINATION TO PROCEED WITH INTERIM MINISTER

On Sunday, May 15, 2005, the congregation met to consider the question of proceeding with an interim minister for the coming year.  This issue was brought to the congregation by the Board after a recognition that there was a shortfall in this year's revenues from those expected.  In addition, there was an expectation that a similar shortfall could be expected to occur in the coming fiscal year.  Additionally, there had been discussion within the congregation and at a previous board meeting regarding whether to proceed with an interim minister.

The format for the congregational meeting was carefully crafted by Moderator Colleen Dolan-Greene.  She allowed two main presenters to speak pro and con to the issue of retaining an interim minister.  Jim Harvey described the reasons to proceed with an interim and Dan Secrest described the reasons why he felt an interim minister should not be retained for the coming year.  Then, individual members of the congregation spoke for approximately one minute each.

A vote was taken upon completion of the discussion and there was a significant majority voting to proceed with the interim minister search for the coming year.  The Interim Screening Committee will therefore be continuing to interview applicants.  The Interim Screening Committee will be reporting back to the Board with respect to its progress.

It appeared that the congregational meeting on this subject was helpful in allowing a respectful and democratic process to help the church move forward.   Other issues surfaced during the meeting, including the issue of younger members of the congregation feeling generally left out from the inner workings of the church.  There also appeared to be a general positive feeling about involving the congregation in the issue of the appropriateness of continuing with the interim minister search,  as well as some desire to maintain an ability to provide input to further issues impacting on the direction of the church.  The church leadership is mindful of these sentiments and will be working to maintain channels of communication between the congregation and the leadership of the church.

Submitted by Jim Harvey

In the Hospital...Our Sunday custodian, Leonard Swint, is in Ford Hospital after breaking his leg. As of this writing, he's in room 443 unit B. I'm sure he would enjoy cards and calls from our church members. Thank you to those who contributed to his medical expenses.

Items from the Internet

A first grade teacher had twenty-five students in her class and she presented each child in her class the first half of a well known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. Below is what they came up with.

1. Don't change horses....until they stop running.

2. Strike while the............................bug is close.

3. It's always darkest before................Daylight Saving Time.

4. Never underestimate the power of ........ termites.

5. You can lead a horse to water but ......... how?

6. Don't bite the hand that ........................ looks dirty.

7.No news is................................... impossible.

8. A miss is as good as a ............................... Mr.

9. You can't teach an old dog new ................ math.

10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll .......... stink in the morning.

11. Love all, trust ......................................... me.

12. The pen is mightier than the ...................pigs.

13. An idle mind is........the best way to relax.

14. Where there's smoke there's ................. pollution.

15. Happy the bride who.........................gets all the presents.

16. A penny saved is .......................... not much.

17. Two's company, three's ......................... the Musketeers.

18. Don't put off till tomorrow what ......... you put on to go to bed.

19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and .......you have to blow your nose.

20. If at first you don't succeed ..................... get new batteries.

21. You get out of something only what you ....... see in the picture on the box.

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