Casual Comments from the Minister - September 2010
Thursday, Sep 2 2010 01:34
| immigration, study/action item, immigration reform
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Our new study/action item is a controversial one: immigration! I found that out when I preached on my experience in Arizona last month. I intended to be talking about injustice [not immigration per se] dealing with a law I [and others] perceive as targeting certain people because of race and overlooking others because of race. The subject of injustice is a powerful one for me and I know it is for you, but it is not the same thing as the subject of immigration. I will stand up against racism and the injustice that occurs because of it no matter what the specific situation is. On the other hand I’m not ready to take a specific stand on immigration reform at this point because I don’t know enough [yet!] to make that stand effectively. And that, of course, is the reason that we have study/action issues, instead of just “action issues”. I apologize to anyone who may have thought I was talking about immigration itself this past week — I needed to make myself clearer. It’s humbling for me as a former English teacher to realize that I can be inaccurate in this way [although I think humbleness is a good thing occasionally!], but it is a good lesson to learn.
Meanwhile we do need to think about immigration reform. Whether it is a particular passion of yours or not, it is going to be a much talked about [and argued about] topic in the months to come. I’m so glad that the association delegates voted to define it as our next study topic and I hope it will engender a discussion group right here at OCUUC. Some of the questions that have already been suggested for study include:
These and other questions intrigue me and I look forward to sharing thoughts, feelings, and ideas with you as we explore the subject of immigration in the near future.
In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
Karen
Meanwhile we do need to think about immigration reform. Whether it is a particular passion of yours or not, it is going to be a much talked about [and argued about] topic in the months to come. I’m so glad that the association delegates voted to define it as our next study topic and I hope it will engender a discussion group right here at OCUUC. Some of the questions that have already been suggested for study include:
- What are the definitions of refugee, migrant, permanent resident, citizen, non-immigrant, and undocumented and documented immigrants?
- Is international law concerning migrants and refugees (mainly the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions) adequate for people seeking asylum in a current context?
- What underlying factors contribute to global migration? And where are we complicit or accountable in these factors?
- What is the economic impact of immigration on countries and on individuals?
- For what reasons are immigrants arrested and incarcerated? And once incarcerated, how are individuals and families treated in detention centers?
- What are our positions on the enforcement of national boundaries?
- What are the myths and realities regarding immigrants?
- What role do racism, hate and intolerance play in driving immigration and enforcement policies?
- Are there ways that immigrants enrich the social fabric of the country in which they settle and in particular the United States?
- Using UU principles and values, what would be a just and humane immigration policy?
These and other questions intrigue me and I look forward to sharing thoughts, feelings, and ideas with you as we explore the subject of immigration in the near future.
In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
Karen
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Casual Comments from the Minister - June 2010
Sunday, Jun 6 2010 10:37
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I’m planning to spend May 29th in Phoenix at a big rally opposing the Arizona Immigration Law that is so discriminatory. It is a great pleasure to me that many of my colleagues from other UU churches in California will also be there along with all the Arizona UU clergy. This is the most important way I know to live out the fifth principle we affirm: support for the democratic process in our congregations and in society at large.It is not enough to vote.It certainly isn’t enough to complain to one another when injustice occurs, and it would belie everything I believe in to stand by because I live in California and the problem is in the next state over.Real support of the democratic process means standing up for what we believe when the opportunity arises.Real support for our denomination means coming to the aid of congregations in another state who are needing help to protest an injustice in their area.And so I will go to Arizona, along with lots of other UU lay people and clergy, and many like-minded citizens to say this law is a travesty that we do not want to see exist anywhere in the world, much less in the United States.
The other reason I’m going is to work for a world of justice, liberty, and peace. I believe along with Martin Luther King, Jr., that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and I am heeding the lesson of Martin Niemoller who pointed out that when we don’t stand for the other, we risk there being no one left to stand for us when we are oppressed. So I am going to Phoenix to live out our sixth principle as well as our fifth principle.
I feel honored and excited to have this opportunity to live my faith — it is the spirit that moves me. I’m writing this before the trip, but it is serendipity that I will be preaching on May 30th about the importance of “doing” when the spirit moves us. By the time you read this I’ll probably have told you all about it! In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
Rev. Dr. Karen Stoyanoff
minister@ocuuc.org
P.S. A video was made by the UUA of this important event and I wanted to share it with you!
The other reason I’m going is to work for a world of justice, liberty, and peace. I believe along with Martin Luther King, Jr., that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and I am heeding the lesson of Martin Niemoller who pointed out that when we don’t stand for the other, we risk there being no one left to stand for us when we are oppressed. So I am going to Phoenix to live out our sixth principle as well as our fifth principle.
I feel honored and excited to have this opportunity to live my faith — it is the spirit that moves me. I’m writing this before the trip, but it is serendipity that I will be preaching on May 30th about the importance of “doing” when the spirit moves us. By the time you read this I’ll probably have told you all about it! In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
Rev. Dr. Karen Stoyanoff
minister@ocuuc.org
P.S. A video was made by the UUA of this important event and I wanted to share it with you!
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Casual Comments from the Minister - May 2010
Sunday, May 2 2010 10:40
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We’ve come to the time of year when we do denominational things -- like District Assembly this past weekend and General Assembly coming up in June. Amidst the drama and excitement of both these events there is a strong message that we all need to be aware of: we are more than just a small group of souls gathering at Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church! It’s always been exciting for me to get together with other UU’s and to see both our similarities and our vast differences. We talk about celebrating diversity a lot, and if I look around when we’ve gathered from across the region or the continent, I can see that diversity incarnated. We gather strength from our solidarity and from our differences — as former UUA president, Bill Sinkford says — we are better together! This past few days we’ve faced a disturbing development in our neighboring state of Arizona. A seriously punitive measure has been passed and signed into law in that state. It would discriminate against people of color in a major way. In the District business meeting we talked about what measures we might take to express our concern about this law. It was heartening to me to see how willing we were to discuss, debate, and disagree with each other about the wording of the resolution [there was no disagreement about the substance of our concern — the motion passed unanimously!]. We need to be able to speak out, honoring both our diversity and our common purposes. To give up either one of those would be a travesty. Our fifth principle calls us to support the democratic principle in our congregations and in society at large and that mandate means we have to be able to have open discussion. The democratic process is much more than just voting and accepting majority rule. It is bound up in our willingness to speak out, to take action, to stand for [or against] and to discuss with the hope of finding common ground. That’s what we did at District Assembly and I’m proud to be part of it.
Sometimes the work is difficult and sometimes the cost is high — we might accidently offend someone or even lose a friend when we stand strong for what we believe. No matter the work must be done, and I believe that with respect for our first principle [the inherent worth and dignity of every person] we can find ways to work through our differences and move to new high ground. As the song we love to sing says, “we know the way will be hard and the road will be muddy and rough, but we’ll get there.” In the meantime, may you...
Go shining,
Karen Stoyanoff
minister@ocuuc.org
Sometimes the work is difficult and sometimes the cost is high — we might accidently offend someone or even lose a friend when we stand strong for what we believe. No matter the work must be done, and I believe that with respect for our first principle [the inherent worth and dignity of every person] we can find ways to work through our differences and move to new high ground. As the song we love to sing says, “we know the way will be hard and the road will be muddy and rough, but we’ll get there.” In the meantime, may you...
Go shining,
Karen Stoyanoff
minister@ocuuc.org
js-comments
Casual Comments from the Minister - April 2010
Thursday, Apr 1 2010 03:50
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I just spent a week in Boston and I’m inspired by being in our historic place.Boston itself is wonderful, independent of the presence of Unitarian Universalism. I was fortunate that the weather was lovely while I was there — I actually took a walk in my “shirtsleeves” one day! But the primary reason for my inspired feelings was the rich history of Unitarian Universalism that was all around me. I spent a fair amount of time at “25” the address of the Association headquarters. It is literally in the shadow of the State Capitol! The story is that its number is out of order, because a while back it was necessary to relocate some buildings, but the UU’s were allowed to keep number 25 because it was so much a part of Unitarian history.Boston is not known for the logic of it’s geography [the claim is that the impossible streets are the fault of the cows since the streets were originally laid out on the cow paths!], so I guess the fact that the street numbers aren’t in order isn’t a big deal.
What is a big deal is the sense of our history that I got spending time in buildings whose walls were covered with pictures of notable figures of our past. We stand on the shoulders of amazing women and men who stood for their beliefs in spite of ridicule and sometimes outrage. That is the history we have inherited. One of the questions we ask ourselves is “to whom are we accountable?” I think there are several answers to that question, but one of the important ones is that we are accountable to those who went before us, paving the way for freedom of thought and religion, the right to question anything that doesn’t ring true for us, and the right to stand by, for, and with those who are oppressed. While they made great strides in the era of their lives, the job isn’t done.
So we must take up the mantle they have laid down and work to create a world that is better, freer, kinder and more compassionate. We must steward the earth as well as fight oppression. That is our legacy and it is a proud one. Oh, and if you get a chance to go to Boston, be sure to visit “25” -- hopefully it will inspire you as it did me.In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
minister@ocuuc.org
What is a big deal is the sense of our history that I got spending time in buildings whose walls were covered with pictures of notable figures of our past. We stand on the shoulders of amazing women and men who stood for their beliefs in spite of ridicule and sometimes outrage. That is the history we have inherited. One of the questions we ask ourselves is “to whom are we accountable?” I think there are several answers to that question, but one of the important ones is that we are accountable to those who went before us, paving the way for freedom of thought and religion, the right to question anything that doesn’t ring true for us, and the right to stand by, for, and with those who are oppressed. While they made great strides in the era of their lives, the job isn’t done.
So we must take up the mantle they have laid down and work to create a world that is better, freer, kinder and more compassionate. We must steward the earth as well as fight oppression. That is our legacy and it is a proud one. Oh, and if you get a chance to go to Boston, be sure to visit “25” -- hopefully it will inspire you as it did me.In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
minister@ocuuc.org
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Casual Comments from the Minister - March 2010
Monday, Mar 1 2010 03:50
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We’ve lost a beloved member of our community and although she lived a long and productive life, it is still sad. The sadness, of course is our own, not hers. We will miss her as we have for the past couple of years when she has gradually been withdrawing from life. It is always so, when a beloved friend or family member dies. We, who remain behind, are the ones with the true sadness. It’s hard, especially in the first days and weeks of loss, to feel joy at the association we have had, because we are overwhelmed with the sadness of not having it still. But ultimately that’s the goal we know we will eventually achieve — the sense of joy in the association that was part of our lives for a time.
I know that we UU’s often say that we live on in the memories of those who knew us and that as long as they remember we have a form of existence. I was thinking of this the other day, remembering my own grandmother and recognized that when I am no longer alive, there won’t be anyone to remember her. It was a disquieting thought — especially as I look at my own two young grandchildren and imagine that when they die, there will be no one to remember me. It’s a grim sort of view of immortality — the thought that we only exist as long as someone remembers us. And I’ve decided that it’s too simplistic a version of our impact on history and society.
I know that many people — my parents and other family members, many of my teachers, friends, co-workers, and even people I’ve met in more peripheral settings — have influenced who I am and how I’m living my life. In particular I remember a woman I knew as a young adult who was a role model for me. She was a serious career woman, running for political office, who was also a homemaker and family woman. She entertained beautifully and was gracious to a fault. I dearly wanted to be just like her. She died young and I grieved intensely over the loss, but have striven to live up to the model of life she exhibited. I know that I’m a different person than I would have been without her example. I have to believe that there may be others in this world who have been affected by me and the model I’ve lived. And their life will be transformed because of that. They, in turn, will affect others, and it won’t matter that they didn’t know me: my life will still — in this small way — influence theirs. That’s a much more acceptable form of immortality for me to consider. I like the idea that it is a gradual process — that I’ve been affected by all sorts of people that I never actually knew — and that I will continue to impact the world even long after I am no longer here.
And still I come back to the bittersweet sense of loss because someone I cared about, someone who made life better and more interesting, to say nothing of more joyful, is no longer here. I am looking forward to the day when I can remember with joy all the lovely ways in which she impacted my life. In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
minister@ocuuc.org
I know that we UU’s often say that we live on in the memories of those who knew us and that as long as they remember we have a form of existence. I was thinking of this the other day, remembering my own grandmother and recognized that when I am no longer alive, there won’t be anyone to remember her. It was a disquieting thought — especially as I look at my own two young grandchildren and imagine that when they die, there will be no one to remember me. It’s a grim sort of view of immortality — the thought that we only exist as long as someone remembers us. And I’ve decided that it’s too simplistic a version of our impact on history and society.
I know that many people — my parents and other family members, many of my teachers, friends, co-workers, and even people I’ve met in more peripheral settings — have influenced who I am and how I’m living my life. In particular I remember a woman I knew as a young adult who was a role model for me. She was a serious career woman, running for political office, who was also a homemaker and family woman. She entertained beautifully and was gracious to a fault. I dearly wanted to be just like her. She died young and I grieved intensely over the loss, but have striven to live up to the model of life she exhibited. I know that I’m a different person than I would have been without her example. I have to believe that there may be others in this world who have been affected by me and the model I’ve lived. And their life will be transformed because of that. They, in turn, will affect others, and it won’t matter that they didn’t know me: my life will still — in this small way — influence theirs. That’s a much more acceptable form of immortality for me to consider. I like the idea that it is a gradual process — that I’ve been affected by all sorts of people that I never actually knew — and that I will continue to impact the world even long after I am no longer here.
And still I come back to the bittersweet sense of loss because someone I cared about, someone who made life better and more interesting, to say nothing of more joyful, is no longer here. I am looking forward to the day when I can remember with joy all the lovely ways in which she impacted my life. In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
minister@ocuuc.org
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Casual Comments from the Minister - February 2010
Monday, Feb 1 2010 03:49
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I want to publicly thank all those who helped in the wake of the flooding at church the week of January 17. I realized we had a problem Monday evening when I arrived for a meeting and discovered water on the floor in the Social Hall, the kitchen hall, and the bathrooms. I called Paul Gethard, head of Buildings and Grounds, and he put out the call for help to a number of members. By the time I arrived for another meeting at 10 the next morning, the problem was solved! It is so good to know that we can count on members of the community to help wherever needed. And that’s true of our Caring Ministry, our Committee workers, the Board of Trustees, the volunteers in our RE program, and all those who come on an emergency basis when called. And I must also name our staff who — on an ongoing basis — do their work and go beyond whenever it’s needed. You are all wonderful and you are what makes us a strong community!
Of course I also believe that there is a real benefit for each of us in helping out when we can. The good feelings that come from rising to the ocassion are indeed a lovely recompense for our efforts. Still, as John Buehrens has said, “Blessed are those who when asked to serve, do it gladly, who realize that change is brought about through human meeting, who do the work of committees, and stay till the end.” Thank you one and all!
In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
minister@ocuuc.org
Of course I also believe that there is a real benefit for each of us in helping out when we can. The good feelings that come from rising to the ocassion are indeed a lovely recompense for our efforts. Still, as John Buehrens has said, “Blessed are those who when asked to serve, do it gladly, who realize that change is brought about through human meeting, who do the work of committees, and stay till the end.” Thank you one and all!
In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
minister@ocuuc.org
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