CUUC Ministers and Sermons

Rev Barbara Coeyman
Reverend Barbara Coeyman

August 2010: Report on General Assembly

want to tell you about some of my experiences at UUA General Assembly, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this June. GA itself runs from Wednesday evening through Sunday evening. Ministers, religious educators, and church administrators come in a day or two earlier for various professional development activities. This was an amazing GA this year. I hope by highlighting what I consider the most important events I can give you a sense of the spirit of GA 2010.

The most important topic on everyone’s mind was the proposal from the national Board of Trustees to move the location of GA 2012 from Phoenix. The state of Arizona has recently passed new immigration laws. These laws open up doors for abuse of human rights through racial profiling of anyone of non-white skin color. This is a violation of our first UU principle of respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all persons. To boycott would mean losing over $600,000 in deposits on convention sites. The other option was to go to Phoenix and hold business as usual. This win/lose, boycott/no boycott, dilemma pressed heavily on many of us who know about previous ruptures in our Association during what is referred to as the Black Empowerment Controversy of 1970. The question of GA 2012 was resolved in a third way. The board substituted a proposal that said GA would go to Phoenix as planned, but conduct General Assembly very much out of the ordinary, especially in standing in solidarity with groups who risk racial profiling.

Yes, in late June, 2012, in Arizona, we will stand on the side of justice, arm-in-arm and side-by-side with several Arizona organizations for worker rights. Our national moderator, Gini Courter, did an excellent job of running the meeting for discussion and voting. She helped us find common ground in a way that we could not back in 1970 when, as a young denomination, we still did not have the skills to stick with hard issues and see them through to positive resolution. Back then there was a split because of broken promises. This GA we came together in new dimensions of solidarity. This discussion and vote was one of the most powerful experiences I have been part of since I started attending General Assembly in the mid-1990s.

Arizona wasn’t the only important issue of the plenary session business meetings. After being sent back last year for more consideration, the Congregational Study Action Issue (CSAI) “Creating Peace”, passed the General Assembly. There was still a fair amount of dissenting opinions during floor debate, especially as we searched for common ground between supporting a position of pacifism and supporting our members and family in the military. Our decision to stand for peace-making was a religious act. Additionally, a new CSAI topic, ‘Immigration as a Moral Issue,’ passed after a run-off with the topic of ‘National Economic Reform: A Moral Imperative.’ Our congregations will study this immigration topic for the next four years.

We also voted on five Actions of Immediate Witness. These are social justice initiatives that, as their names says, require immediate action, within the next year. Three proposals passed: Opposing Anti-Immigrant Measures at the State Level; Gulf Coast Justice 2010; and Cleaning Up the Clean Energy Bill. Two initiatives failed: Ending the Blockade of Gaza and Ending War in Afghanistan and Pakistan. See www.uua.org for more details about all these votes.

Two other important issues discussed in plenary were the future format of GA and the election of the national offices of Moderator and President. We are aware of the many inequities in the current method of holding General Assembly and are discussing ways to make it more affordable and more congregationally accountable. As one person said during debate, we need to find an approach to GA that does not suffocate our important theological message because of governance hang-ups. Choosing National Officers in the future may be done through search committees, not the rather expensive election campaigns that we have used in the past.

Aside from all this business, we heard DVD presentations from four Breakthrough UU Congregations. They were in Summit, NJ, Harrisburg, PA, Sherborn, MA and Mankato, MN. Breakthrough Congregations are recognized for particularly innovative projects, growth, social outreach, and more. The DVDs shown at GA are available to all congregations. I encourage us to watch these during the coming year. We also heard a report from the ‘Standing on the Side of Love’ (SOSL) Committee, which held over two hundred events this year around the country. We UUs also participated in Minneapolis’ Pride Fest. Finally, I encourage everyone here at CUUC to keep your eyes open for a new study from the Commission on Appraisal (COA), titled “Who’s in Charge Here?: The Complex Relationship Between Ministry and Authority”. This project will engage in questions about where any religious leaders, lay or ordained, finds authority to call what we do ministry. I predict this will be a fascinating study.

Personally, I again had the thrill of singing in the ministers choir for the Service of the Living Tradition, which honors rites of passage, including fellowshipping, retirement, death, of ministers. I also was organizer of a booth in the display area presented by our new organization, Partners in Unitarian Universalist History and Heritage. Working our booth is fun, because so many interesting people come by to talk (and we hope, buy our books).

Yes, a wonderful experience, General Assembly 2012. See more on the UUA website!

See you at church!

Reverend Barbara

September: Covenant
October: Trust
November: Mystery
December: Darkness
January: Hope
February: Compassion

March: Gratitude
April: Rebirth
May: Appreciation
June: Self-acceptance
July: Freedom of Choice
August: to be announced

Minister Hours (call the office to schedule):

Wednesday: 6 – 8 pm
Thursday: Noon – 2 pm
And by appointment
Day Off: Fridays

Sermons by Reverend Dr. Barbara Coeyman
Notes from Reverend Barbara

Columbine Unitarian-Universalist Church,
6724 S. Webster St.,
Littleton, CO 80128,
303-972-1716.
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Charter for Compassion:
A call to Bring the world together ...

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

Add your voice: www.charterforcompassion.org