Expecting the Unexpected

So it's Wednesday morning, and I'm real glad I allowed Tuesday for travel-recovery, though I'll spare you the details. I've gone through the Program Guide Janine referenced, also (with my web-design hat on) wondering why I wasn't able to find that link myself before she pointed it out. And I'm only triple-booked 3 times, which is not bad for a five-track convention.

My host has loaned me a bicycle, and having had the foresight to bring lights and a lock and the weather at 6am this morning having been marvelous, I may well use it -- *after* today, as I'm going to be travelling at about noon, at which time the weather forecast suggest hot and extremely muggy. Thursday through Saturday, though, stuff starts at 7am and goes 'til midnight, and 6am and 1am should have ideal biking weather.

I have a long history at making excellent progress at right angles to my intended direction, so I half-anticipate ending up doing something wonderful and completely outside of any existent plans. We'll see how it goes.

Tandi’s Tips to Make the Most of Your General Assembly Experience

Internet portal to all things GA: http://www.uua.org/events/generalassembly/
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations’ Blog: http://www.uuworld.org/news/ga/


• Before you go to General Assembly (GA), skim the Pacific Northwest District of congregations (www.pnwd.org under “Congregations”) or your own district. Find congregations that are similar in size, and make a list. At the General Assembly, seek out people from those congregations who are in similar leadership roles as you and compare notes. What is working well? What are challenges? What are possible solutions? Swap contact information and keep in touch. There is a message board at GA where you can post and receive messages to people.
• Even better – contact folks ahead of GA and arrange regular meetings (breakfasts?) to debrief the experience and start plotting collaboration and support once we’re back home.
• Be extra-friendly to the folks working the General Assembly – they are all volunteers and our UU brothers and sisters.
• Sing out at the Opening Worship and let the rush of celebrating with thousands of Unitarian Universalists from all over our continent sink into your bones. Let our collective energy feed your spirit. After each worship service ask what you liked best and how you can bring that nugget home to your own worship.
• Seek out district board members and your Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations trustee and tell them what your greatest hopes are for our religion and your congregation. Our boards set the vision for our collective ministry with long range dreaming. Tell them what your priorities are.
• Seek out U.U.A. of C. staff with your questions. Tell us what you need to build a vibrant, thriving religious community. During Plenary staff sit in a block to the front-left when facing the stage.
• Go to a workshop that speaks to a need in your congregation. Before you leave General Assembly, create a plan for how you will apply what you learned back in your home congregation.
• Go to a workshop that speaks to a personal passion or interest. Before you leave General Assembly, create a plan for how you will apply what you’ve learned back in your home congregation and/or your personal life.
• Keep some extra room in your suitcase for the wonderful Unitarian Universalist clothing and jewelry available in the display booth area. Everyone should have at least one piece of UU jewelry to wear.
• Keep the energy going! When you return to your congregation, schedule some coffee time with key folks to share what you learned. Give them copies of the hand-outs and your notes. Write an article for your congregation’s newsletter. Make yourself available at coffee hour for people who are interested. Seek out the next group of leaders who should go to General Assembly 2011 to represent your congregation and bring back inspiration, perspective, connections, and ideas to help your religious community be all that it can be.

Invitation to Discussion of Proposed Governance Changes

During this year's General Assembly, you will be hearing a lot about some of the proposed changes to UUA Governance that are being proposed by the UUA Board. There are changes which would affect the election and terms of the President and Moderator, the size of the UUA Board, the nature, format, and frequency of General Assemblies, and the manner in which our Districts fit into this whole framework.

Members of the Pacific Northwest District Board invite you to a Discussion Group to get answers to your questions about these proposals and to invite your feedback on the merits of the different elements being considered. The group will meet in the Marquette Room of the Hilton Hotel on Sunday afternoon, June 27, from 1 pm to 2:15 pm (between two plenary sessions).

Please bring a lunch and join us!

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

And for some reason while I was taking a nap in mid-packing, I had a very vivid dream of turning my suitcase into a nightstand. This is unusual for me; I usually do my dreaming while I'm awake. My head hits the pillow and *boom*, I'm out. I may not *stay* asleep, but *getting* there is easy.

This is going to be my first GA; I've been involved with UUism for just over a year. I did attend the PNWD meeting in Bellevue, and had a couple of good conversations with Peter Morales there, that I attempted to continue via email. I think I need to be a better correspondent.

What I'd asked Peter was "Are we, UU's, a People?" His answer was "No, we aren't, and I don't think we can become one," mentioning congregational polity as a main reason why. Given how often I've heard people around UUFC quote "We are a people of values, not creeds," it suggested to me I had asked the wrong question.

It seems obvious to me that UUism is both a religion and *some sort* of social entity; perhaps the word "People" isn't quite the right label for it, but we're a *something*, and we can name ourselves at our mutual conveniences.

Back on the religion aspect, Gretchen (my minister) had quoted a definition I had found very useful: "It comes from the Latin "religare," meaning "to tie together;" a religion ties all of life together." So we try to tie our lives together with our values; good so far.

So why do I need to tie my life together by my values in Minneapolis? I've attended *other* conventions and meetings before, but I doubt GA is going to bear much resemblance to a science fiction convention, Loving More retreat, stockholder's meeting, or Black Rose. It *is* suppose to be a business meeting, so I read up on all the issues and sent out an email to 30 other congregations (in 3 areas, PNW, Los Angeles, and greater Washington D.C.), saying roughly "Hi, I'm new here. I'd like to talk about the issues we're going to be working on at GA *before* we get there, could you put me in touch with your delegates, please?"

Thirty letter out, three responses back. On the one hand, a good response rate for cold-calling is 2%; my 10% is pretty good by that standard. On the other, if we are supposed to be a welcoming people and the response of 90% of our congregations is to blow off newcomers, we're not doing very well.

Of the three responses I got, one said "We don't have any delegates," and the other two, roughly paraphrased, said "Why are you letting work interfere with your vacation junket?"

Part of the reason I joined in the first place is that I *like* work. I'm chair of the Building and Grounds committee, I serve on the Program Council and Communications committees, I've proposed a project to our Environmental Action Council for cleaning up the Great Pacific Trash Patch, I'm working on creating a UU Kibbutz, and I'm trying to get our youth program to adopt a local pirate festival as a way of opening discussions on responsible rebellion. I don't *do* either vacations or junkets; my preferred method of resting is to switch projects and work on something different for a while. And every now and then my body overrules me on that and we Have A Nap, Right Now.

But the people who are going to Minneapolis for a vacation junket or 'spiritual experience' are as much Our People as I am. As New Kid On The Block, it is *not* my job to walk in the door and say to the assembled "You're doing it wrong." Having a spiritual experience is a fine thing to be doing; so is having a business meeting. *I* can't do both at once, but maybe some others of our people are more gifted in this regard than I am.

I'm not as good at short posts as I would like to be. I may have only just scratched the surface, but that's all an introduction is supposed to do. So how are *you* doing and what would you like me to do for you in Minneapolis?

Why even nonbelievers should read the Bible...

None of the kids in the UU youth Sunday School class I teach has read the Bible, although they know some of the more familiar stories (some wrongly) and are adamant about not believing it to be "true". Have you? Here is the list of reasons I think you should read it, even if you are a "nonbeliever":

1. To enhance your understanding of history and early ways of life. After all, the Old Testament is one of the oldest written records around.

2. To understand pervasive cultural and literary references to the Bible in western civilization. You'll miss the nuances in much of English literature if you haven't read what the authors assume you have.

3. To enhance your ability to communicate with Jews and Christians. As an educated person in a pluralistic society, you need to know where some of their values (and some of yours) come from.

4. To provide context for modern and current events. Rational self-interest doesn't explain everything that goes on in the Middle East.

5. To provide perspective on religious and ethical questions. They've been on people's minds for a long time.

6. To know what others believe and/or have found meaningful. Why have so many good and smart people taken these teachings seriously?

7. To decide for yourself if you believe what the Bible says, and whether you find literal or metaphorical wisdom therein.

Can you think of additional reasons?

If you google the question, you'll turn up a lot of fundamentalist Christian sites that assert that the Bible is the literal Word of God. They promise you salvation - an afterlife - if you read and believe the Bible, or at least the New Testament. Nothing comes up that echoes my list. Maybe UUs should rectify that and take a stand for literacy and for skeptical exegesis. Let's not let our younger generation be bound by ignorance.

I started at about Junior High School age voluntarily to read the Bible at a pace of about a chapter a night. It took a long time to finish, but it was quite interesting and led to a lot of enlightening discussions with parents and Sunday School teachers, and to the benefits touted above.

What do you think? Should we encourage this kind of study? Do you have a better idea?

Indigenous Issues at GA

I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Beth Brownfield, member of the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship since 2004, when we moved here from Minneapolis, MN.

I'm excited to return to a city and friends that I love, and for the opportunity to attend General Assembly once again. My particular interest in GA this year is the Ware Lecture given by Winona La Duke, a personal friend of mine, who I worked with over many years. Winona is the first Native American to give the Ware Lecture. She delivers hard messages, but in a way where one is left empowered rather than defensive. Winona is a non-stop activist. Her mission in life is to protect the earth. She works mainly with tribal nations throughout North American, but also lectures extensively at conferences and symposiums.

Besides the Ware Lecture, Winona will be on a panel sponsored by the UU UN Office (Friday, June 25, 4:30 - 5:45). The title of the workshop is: "Global Blueprint for Cultural Survival: Indigenous Peoples' Rights". The workshop will focus on the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that is seen as a tool to ensure the survival of Native cultures worldwide. (This declaration was endorsed by over 140 countries, 11 abstained, and the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia all voted NO on it. Since then New Zealand, Australia and Canada have moved towards formal endorsement. The U.S. is now taking comments on the State Department's website and may revisit their decision later this summer.) In this same workshop Winona will especially emphasize how climate change is effecting Native Peoples.

I personally have a strong commitment to help build bridges between native and non native communities and have worked as a volunteer in this effort since the late 70s. At the Ware lecture Dave Weiman (Peoria UU Church) and I are launching an initiative to engage UU congregations nationwide in working with Native Peoples to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, and to endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Our flyer can be found on our website. It will be distributed by the ushers when they hand out the program for the evening.

Please visit our website for the details. Winona will speak about both the Doctrine of Discovery and the UN Declaration at both the UU UN workshop, and the Ware Lecture. The web address is: www.rd-ad.org. I'll be bringing this effort back to PNWD in the fall.

Minneapolis here we come! For those of you who are going to GA for the first time you will find it a smorgasbord of delights and stimulation. It is an amazing opportunity to hang out with thousands of UUs, put one's heads together on issues, laugh, cry, debate and converse ! For those of you who are staying put and reading the postings, you will be able to stream some of the major events on the UUA website sometime in the near future. Beth Brownfield Bellingham, WA

Ready for GA?

If you're attending General Assembly 2010 in Minneapolis -- NEXT WEEK!! -- then you are probably receiving the monthly updates from the GA office with the latest developments and hints for making the most of your GA experience. The June update arrived in my email inbox this afternoon, and brought advice on airport transportation, told me the first issue of the GA Banner (daily newsletter) is already available on-line, and told me there's still time to volunteer with the GA service project to support Hope Community. And, I got lots of links to more information on GA -- blogs, Facebook, Twitter, audio podcast... and much more.

If you didn't receive that little newsletter, you can check out the latest news at the official GA Blog (subscribe to that one, too, if you like) or the regular old GA website.

Here are two places to connect with PNWD at GA, when you arrive and before you leave:

• Regional Ingathering, Wednesday 6/23, 6:45-7:30 PM, Convention Center 208 A-D. We'll be joining our Pacific Western neighbors this year!
• PNWD Leaders Discussion, Sunday 6/27, 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Hilton Marquette II. Debrief your GA experience with the PNWD Board - in particular, we'll focus on governance changes and proposals, and what that means to our district.

And if you're representing your congregation as President, you'll want to attend the Congregational Presidents Gathering, Thursday 6/24, 4:30 - 5:45 PM, Convention Center 205 A-D. This is workshop #2106 in the program guide.

Speaking of schedules, have you discovered the "My Schedule" feature at the GA website? It's searchable and easily browse-able, and you can create and print your own tailored program itinerary! Priceless.

Don't forget your congregation's banner! The Banner Parade during opening ceremonies on Wednesday night is quite a spectacle. If your congregation doesn't have a banner or banner pole, click HERE for information on how to make these.

So - what are YOU most looking forward to at GA? A particular workshop or speaker? A specific social witness event or study/action issue? A particular discussion or vote in Plenary? Let's hear about it - I'm ready to read someone else's words on this blog!