Unitarian Universalists in the Media
A frequently updated guide to stories about Unitarian Universalists from other sources around the web.
Friday, November 21, 2008
UUA launches lawsuit, UU politician in hot water, and more
by Sonja L. Cohen
UUs rally against Proposition 8
As California Attorney General Jerry Brown pushed the state's Supreme Court to let Proposition 8 take effect, the UUA filed a lawsuit (with the California Council on Churches, the Episcopal Bishop of California, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, the Progressive Jewish Alliance) to overturn the measure. Proposition 8 bans same-sex marriage in California. (Los Angeles Times - 11.18.08)
See also: Court to hear Prop 8 cases (Bay Area Reporter - San Francisco 11.20.08)
UUs were among those at a series of demonstrations supporting same-sex marriage, which took place across the country on Saturday in reaction to California's Proposition 8. The Bay Area Reporter covered the rally in San Francisco, as well as turnout in other cities. Also covered in the media were rallies in White Plains, N.Y., and Idaho Falls, Idaho. (Bay Area Reporter - San Francisco 11.20.08 / Lower Hudson Journal news - West Harrison, NY 11.16.08 / KPVI-TV - Pocatello, ID 11.15.08)
Minister recalls Selma tragedy
The Rev. Clark Olsen, who was with fellow UU minister the Rev. James Reeb in Selma, Ala., the night he was killed in 1965, recalls the events of the night and talks about the fight for civil rights. (Toledo Blade - Toledo, OH 11.20.08)
UU councilwoman in hot water over Catholic remarks
Beaufort County Councilwoman Laura Von Harten, a member of the UU Fellowship of Beaufort, S.C., has apologized for anti-Catholic remarks she made during a zoning debate. Meanwhile her minister, the Rev. Nan White, reaffirmed the UU commitment to freedom of religion. (Beaufort Gazette - Beaufort, SC 11.19.08)
In the congregations
The First Unitarian Society of Madison. Wisc., just unveiled the $9.1 million "green" building addition to its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Meeting House. (Capital Times - Madison, WI 11.18.08)
See also: Frank Lloyd Wright's Unitarian Universalist churches (UU World - May/June 2005)
UUs of the Cumberland Valley in Boiling Springs, Pa., are raising money to help send Mozambique women to school. (Carlisle Sentinel - Carlisle, PA 11.17.08)
Youth from the First Unitarian Church in Lynchburg, Va., joined hundreds of people in Washington, D.C., for a “Gathering of the Tents” to raise awareness of the plight of Darfur refugees. (Lynchburg News and Advance - Lynchburg, VA 11.14.08)
See also: Tents draw attention to Darfurian refugees' plight (uuworld.org - 9.8.08)
The Rev. Sandra D. Fitz-Henry, minister of Murray UU Church in Attleboro, Mass., writes about the importance of respecting our differences. (Attleboro Sun Chronicle - Attleboro, MA 11.15.08)
Bob Vilt of the Austin Daily Herald writes about the experience of visiting the First UU Church in Rochester, Minn. (Austin Herald - Austin, MN 11.19.08)
posted by Sonja L. Cohen at
4:58 PM
Friday, November 14, 2008
TUUL-Belt Ministry, justice issues, and more
by Sonja L. Cohen
TUUL-Belt Ministry helps end three-year journey
The New York Times tells the tale of two tractor-trailers worth of high-quality tile that, over three years and through the combined efforts of several people and groups, made the journey from New York to New Orleans to be installed in homes being rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina. The TUUL-Belt Ministry, a volunteer building-program led by the Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael, minister of the Accotink UU Church in Burke, Va., contributed $3,000 to pay for half of the tiles to be shipped to Louisiana. (New York Times - 11.11.08)
UUs focus on justice, social issues
A week after the elections, members of the UU Church of San Mateo and other community members held a peaceful protest against Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriages in California. (San Mateo Daily Journal - San Mateo, CA 11.12.08)
The Countryside UU Church in Palatine, Ill., hosted a three-day conference on homelessness attended by 200 teens. (Schaumburg Review - Elgin, IL 11.10.08)
The UU Fellowship of Santa Cruz County, Calif., passed a resolution against torture as part of the National Day of Witness for a Presidential Order to Ban Torture. (Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco 11.10.08)
Sally Armstrong, a noted human rights activist, author, and documentary filmmaker, spoke at the Unitarian Congregation of Mississauga, Ontario, about the predicament of women in Afghanistan. (Mississauga News - Ontario, Canada 11.10.08)
A look back at UU history
The Troy Record looks at the news from Nov. 12, 1908, when American Unitarians were all abuzz about the election of one of their own: President William Howard Taft. (Troy Record - Troy, NY 11.11.08)
Maine group works to preserve historic church
The First Parish Preservation Foundation, which works to fund restoration projects on the First Parish UU Church in Biddeford, Maine, spoke to the community about the importance of the historic building. (Biddeford Journal Tribune - Biddeford, ME 11.13.08)
Eating responsibly
A series of discussions about locally grown and organic food at the Murray UU Church in Attleboro and the First Universalist Society of Franklin, Mass., culminated in a special potluck dinner. The story includes recipes for several of the dishes! (Attleboro Sun Chronicle - Attleboro, MA 11.12.08)
posted by Sonja L. Cohen at
5:02 PM
Friday, November 07, 2008
Same-sex marriage in California, and more election news
by Sonja L. Cohen
California couples race to marry before Election Day
The Rev. Byrd Tetzlaff, minister of the UU Fellowship of Kern County in Bakersfield, Calif., noticed a major increase in same-sex weddings as couples rushed to marry before Election Day and the Proposition 8 vote, which would outlaw same-sex marriages. (TurnTo23.com - Bakersfield, CA 11.3.08)
Fearing that Proposition 8 would pass, the First UU Society of San Francisco stayed open until the polls closed Tuesday in order to marry any same-sex couples who had a marriage license free of charge. (abc7news.com - San Francisco 11.03.08)
A photo of the First UU Society of San Francisco appears (third down) in a roundup of Election Day photos. (SF Weekly Blogs - San Francisco 11.4.08)
See also: Unitarian Universalists work to preserve gay marriage in California (uuworld.org - 10.20.08)
UUs voice Election Day opinions
The Rev. Marc Fredette of the First UU Parish in Waltham, Mass., explains why he was one of more than 50 clergy members supporting a state initiative decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. (The initiative passed.) (Boston Herald - 11.4.08)
The Rev. Bruce Davis of the Evergreen UU Fellowship in Marysville, Wash., speaks in favor of a state initiative to legalize physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill people who have less than six months to live. (The initiative passed.) (Lynnwood Enterprise - Lynnwood, WA 11.2.08)
The Rev. Daniel Budd of the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland joins other clergy to weigh in with his thoughts on what effect the election will have on America's changing religious landscape. (The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com - Cleveland, OH 11.3.08)
Also in the media:
Members of Cincinnati's First Unitarian Church choir took the law into their hands when they chased and caught a would-be thief. (WLWT - Cincinnati, OH 11.2.08)
As the Tennessee Valley UU Church prepared for its third annual "Walk for Nonviolence," 25 Knoxville-area churches and community groups declared 2009 a Year of Nonviolence in East Tennessee. (WBIR-TV - Knoxville, TN 11.1.08)
Dave Dierdorff, board chairman of the Juneau UU Fellowship, writes about the importance of churches in these troubled times. (Juneau Empire - Juneau, AK 10.31.08)
A quote from the Rev. Forrest Church, author and minister of public theology at All Souls Church in New York City, is the Dallas Morning News' Quote of the Day. (Dallas Morning News - Dallas, TX 11.3.08)
posted by Sonja L. Cohen at
2:53 PM
Friday, October 31, 2008
UUs fight to keep marriage rights, and more
by Sonja L. Cohen
UUs fight to defeat California's Proposition 8
UUs have appeared in several articles about California's Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court's ruling that legalized same-sex marriage and would change the constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
ABC News covers the reaction of religious people on both sides of the argument: those praying to stop same-sex marriage and those desperately trying to keep it legal. (ABC News -10.29.08)
The Modesto Bee looks specifically at those who are against Proposition 8 and why. (Modesto Bee - Modesto, CA 10.25.08)
The Santa Barbara Independent examines the history of similar propositions in California and talks to local clergy about why they are for or against Proposition 8. (Santa Barbara Independent - Santa Barbara, CA 10.26.08)
See also:
Unitarian Universalists work to preserve gay marriage in California (uuworld.org – 10.20.08)
Unitarian Universalists mobilize against state ballot initiatives (uuworld.org – 10.31.08)
Haunted graveyards and Halloween giving
A man in South Carolina writes about his encounter with Mary Bloomfield,
a ghost who walks the Unitarian Churchyard in Charleston, waiting for her husband to return from his ill-fated trip to Boston. (WCNC - Charlotte, NC 10.29.08)
Kids at the UU Congregation of Erie, Pa., will be doing some reverse trick-or-treating this Halloween, visiting houses to give people a sample and information about Fair Trade chocolate. They'll also be raising money for UNICEF. (GoErie.com - Erie, PA 10.25.08)
Congregations improving themselves and their communities
Across the religious traditions, houses of worship are becoming increasingly eco-friendly in an effort to save both money and the environment. (Boston Globe – 10.26.08)
Earlier this year the UU Congregation of Rock Valley, Ill., moved into an old school building. Now members are looking for school archives, artifacts, and memorabilia to learn more about their new home. (Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL 10.29.08)
The Albany Times Union profiles Melissa MacKinnon, RE director at the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady, and learns more about her congregation's emphasis on community involvement. (Albany Times Union - Albany, NY 10.25.08)
The UU Society of Stamford, Ct., held its first Pro-Am Charity Chili Cook Off, which netted about 512 pounds of nonperishable food for the local food bank. (Stamford Advocate - Stamford, CT 10.26.08)
Words of a Wiccan
Amber K, author of True Magick: A Beginner's Guide and several other books on Wicca, talks about her Wiccan faith and how she discovered it while working as a Unitarian RE director. (Santa Fe Reporter - Santa Fe, NM 10.29.08)
The power of prudence
The Rev. Dr. Tess Baumberger, minister of the Unity Church of North Easton, Mass., reflects on the value of prudence as a virtue. (Norton Mirror - Raynham, MA 10.23.08)
posted by Sonja L. Cohen at
12:23 PM
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