06/21/19 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST GENERAL ASSEMBLY MORNING WORSHIP ‑ 8:30 A.M. PT CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY: HEAR INK HTTP://WWW.HEARINK.COM **********DISCLAIMER********** THE FOLLOWING IS AN UNEDITED ROUGH DRAFT TRANSLATION FROM THE CART CAPTIONER'S OUTPUT FILE. THIS TRANSCRIPT IS NOT VERBATIM AND HAS NOT BEEN PROOFREAD. TO DO SO IS AN EXTRA FEE. THIS FILE MAY CONTAIN ERRORS. PLEASE CHECK WITH THE SPEAKER(S) FOR ANY CLARIFICATION. THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE COPIED OR DISSEMINATED TO ANYONE UNLESS YOU OBTAIN WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE OFFICE OR SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT IS PROVIDING CART CAPTIONING TO YOU; FINALLY, THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE USED IN A COURT OF LAW. **********DISCLAIMER********** KM >> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. IT IS A GIFT TO BE TOGETHER, ESPECIALLY AFTER THAT BEAUTIFUL SERVICE LAST NIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE TEAM THAT PREPARED THIS YEAR'S SERVICE OF THE LIVING TRADITION. I'M YOUR GENERAL ASSEMBLY MUSIC COORDINATOR JOINING ME ON THE KEYBOARD IS MY FRIEND BENGIE MESSER. LATER ON WE WILL ALSO BE TREATED TO ORIGINAL SONGS BY THE FOLK GROUP PLANTED BY HANDS, MEMBERS OF THE UU CHURCH OF SPOKANE. THEY ARE PEGGY, KELLY, AND DAN. I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO HEAR BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. FOR NOW, MEALS RISE IN BODY OR SPIRIT AND JOIN IN SINGING OUR OPENING HYMN, OUR WORLD IS ONE WORLD. >> GOOD MORNING. I AM GOING TO INTRODUCE MYSELF IN A LITTLE BIT. RIGHT NOW I'M LENDING MYSELF TO RACHELLE STRAWTHER FROM SPOKANE WHO LATE LAST NIGHT DEVELOPED LARYNGITIS. SHE AND HER DAUGHTER, SOPHIA, DRAFTED SOME WONDERFUL INTRODUCTORY, WELCOMING REMARKS TODAY, OPENING WORDS, AND IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT HER MOTHER'S WORDS ARE AT LEAST PRESENT WITH US AND WITH SOPHIA THIS MORNING, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND READ THEM, BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS IS SOPHIA'S MOM TALKING. >> THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN YOU THIS MORNING. MY NAME IS RACHELLE STRAWTHER, I'M A MEMBER OF THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SPOKANE, AND I'M HERE WITH MY DAUGHTER, SOPHIA. >> MY NAME IS SOPHIA OKUMU. I'M TEN YEARS‑OLD AND HAVE BEEN ATTENDING THE UU CHURCH OF SPOKANE WITH MY MOM SINCE I WAS 4 YEARS‑OLD. [APPLAUSE] >> IN PREPARING FOR THIS OPENING REFLECTION, WE ASKED OURSELVES, "WHAT DOES THE 'POWER OF WE' REALLY MEAN? WHERE HAVE WE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED THIS IN OUR LIVES?" WHILE WE SEE EXAMPLES OF TOGETHERNESS ALL AROUND US, OUR RICHEST, MOST INSPIRING EXAMPLES COME FROM THE COUNTRY OF SOPHIA'S BIRTH, KENYA. >> WHEN I WAS A SMALL CHILD, I USED TO SPEND TIME IN THE VILLAGE WITH MY KENYAN GRANDPARENTS, WHOM MY COUSINS AND I CALLED GRANNY AND GRANDY. THEIR FARM WAS SIMPLE WITH CHICKENS ROAMING AROUND, HOMES MADE FROM CAKED MUD, AND A KITCHEN HUT THAT WAS ALWAYS SMOKY. THEY GREW MAIZE (WHICH IS LIKE CORN) SORGHUM, BEANS, AND MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF VEGETABLES. GRANNY AND GRANDY HAD BEEN TEACHERS, AND THOUGH THEY WERE NOT POOR, THEY WERE CERTAINLY NOT RICH. STILL, THEY SHARED EVERYTHING THEY HAD WITH EVERYONE THEY KNEW. THEY TOOK IN CHILDREN WHO HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO GO, RAISED MONEY FOR LOCAL CHILDREN TO GO TO SCHOOL, AND FED EVERYONE WHO CAME TO THEIR HOME. EVEN IF IT SEEMED LIKE THE FOOD WOULD BE TOO LITTLE TO FEED EVERYONE, GRANNY WOULD SAY, "WE WILL SHARE THE LITTLE THAT WE HAVE. THAT IS THE KENYAN WAY." >> SOPHIA'S GRANNY AND GRANDY HAD TEN CHILDREN, AND LIKE MANY KENYAN FAMILIES, THE OLDEST CHILD WAS EXPECTED TO SUPPORT THE OTHER SIBLINGS. THEIR OLDEST CHILD, BENSON, DID WELL ENOUGH IN SCHOOL TO GET A GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIP TO UNIVERSITY, AND AFTER GRADUATING AND BECOMING A TEACHER, HE SENT MOST OF HIS SALARY HOME TO HIS PARENTS SO THAT THEY COULD PAY SCHOOL FEES FOR THE OTHER CHILDREN. AFTER BENSON'S NEXT SIBLING, LILLIAN, GOT THROUGH THE COLLEGE, SHE DID THE SAME FOR HER YOUNGER SIBLINGS, AS DID EACH ONE AFTER. ALL TEN OF GRANNY AND GRANDY'S CHILDREN WENT TO COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY, AND HAVE SUPPORTED SIBLINGS, NIECES, NEPHEWS AND COUSINS TO ATTEND SCHOOL, AS WELL. BUT THIS PRACTICE IS NOT JUST FOR THEIR FAMILY ‑ THIS IS SIMPLY THE KENYAN WAY. >> KENYANS ARE ALWAYS HELPING EACH OTHER OUT. WHEN SOMEONE PASSES AWAY, NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS CONTRIBUTE MONEY TO THE FAMILY MEMBERS SO THAT THEY CAN HOLD A REALLY NICE FUNERAL FOR THEIR LOVED ONE. WHEN KIDS ARE GETTING READY TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE, BUT THEIR FAMILIES DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY FOR THE SCHOOL FEES, FRIENDS AND WELL‑WISHERS WILL ORGANIZE A HARAMBEE FOR THEM, WHICH IS LIKE A FUNDRAISING PARTY. >> FOR DECADES, KENYAN WOMEN HAVE EVEN BEEN SUPPORTING EACH OTHER'S BUSINESSES BY WHAT THEY CALL MERRY‑GO‑ROUNDS ‑ SYSTEMS IN WHICH WOMEN POOL THEIR MONEY TO HELP EACH OTHER ON A ROTATIONAL BASIS. >> SO, WHAT DOES THE "POWER OF WE" REALLY MEAN? IN KENYA, IT MEANS "WE'RE STRONGER TOGETHER." >> IT MEANS THAT NO ONE IS AN ISLAND ‑ EVERYONE IS PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER. WE NOW LIGHT THIS CHALICE… AS A SYMBOL OF OUR FAITH, OF OUR UNITY AND SOLIDARITY, OF OUR OPENNESS AND INCLUSION, OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR INDIVIDUAL UNIQUENESS. MAY THIS SMALL FLAME BE OUR OFFERING OF WARMTH TO THOSE WHO ARE COLD AND ALONE, AND A LIGHT TO THOSE IN DARKNESS. MAY IT BE A FLAME THAT IGNITES JUSTICE IN OUR WORLD, AND A BEACON OF HOPE TO THOSE IN NEED. AND MAY IT REFLECT AT LEAST A SPARK OF TRUTH WHEREVER TRUTH IS LOST, AND CAST A HEALTHY SHADOW OF DOUBT WHERE IT'S BEEN FOUND. [APPLAUSE] >> GOOD MORNING. HERE IS A LITTLE STORY WE LIKE TO TELL. I WALK ALONG THE SHORE, WATCH THE SEABIRDS SOAR; LISTEN TO THE WAVES CARESS THE SAND. WHETHER IT'S ROUGH OR CALM, THOSE BIRDS KEEP CIRCLING ON ANCIENT, STEADY SENTINELS OVER LAND. A SINGLE DROP OF DEW SHINING ON A LEAF BRAND NEW REFLECTING EVERY WONDER AROUND. THE GRASS, SKY, AND CLOUDS; OUR HOPES, OUR FEARS AND DOUBTS‑‑ SUSPENDED IN A SPARKLING TINY ROUND. IF I COULD FLY, OPEN WINGS AND CIRCLE HIGH CONSIDER FROM A BROADER POINT OF VIEW. MOUNTAINS CHASE THE RIVERS, CROSS THE PLAINS TO KISS THE SEA. WE'RE ONLY BITS OF STARDUST, YOU AND ME. THE WRINKLES ON MY SKIN, MAP THE PLACES I'VE BEEN. A STORY TRACED ACROSS THE SPAN OF YEARS. AROUND YOUR EYES I SEE, YOU'VE LIVED SOME JUST LIKE ME. A COLLECTION OF YOUR LAUGHTER, LOVE AND TEARS. IF I COULD FLY, OPEN WINGS AND CIRCLE HIGH CONSIDER FROM A BROADER POINT OF VIEW. MOUNTAINS CHASE THE RIVERS, CROSS THE PLAINS TO KISS THE SEA. WE'RE ONLY BITS OF STARDUST, YOU AND ME. EVERY BLADE OF GRASS, THOSE BIRDS, YOUR DOGS, MY CAT: LIVING BY THE WISDOM OF THEIR KIND. AS SURE AS GRAVITY, WHETHER IT RANKLE YOU OR PLEASE ARE BY THE STARS NATURALLY ENTWINED. IF I COULD FLY…. MOUNTAINS CHASE THE RIVERS, CROSS THE PLAINS TO KISS THE SEA. WE'RE ONLY BITS OF STARDUST, AMAZING AS CAN BE. WE'RE ONLY BITS OF STARDUST YOU AND ME. [APPLAUSE] >> CRAFTED BY HANDS LIKE EVERYONE YOU SEE ON STAGE HERE THIS MORNING, OUR LOCALS FROM SPOKANE. THEY ALSO HAPPEN TO BE MEMBERS OF THE UNITARIAN CHURCH HERE. [APPLAUSE] SO THIS MORNING IS THE SPOKANE SERVICE, AND WE ARE SO DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO BE HERE WITH YOU. MY NAME IS TODD EKLOF, MINISTER OF THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SPOKANE, AND I WANT YOU TO TAKE A BRIEF OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO SPOKANE AND TELL YOU WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT IS TO HAVE YOU IN THE 2019 GENERAL ASSEMBLY HERE WITH US. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. [APPLAUSE] >> IT IS MY GREAT LEISURE AND HONOR TO INTRODUCE TO YOU A BEAR FRIEND OF MINE, THE REVEREND HAPPY WATKINS, WHO RETIRED TWO YEARS AGO AFTER SERVING SPOKANE'S NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH FOR NEARLY THREE DECADES. HAPPY, WHO WAS BORN IN THE BRONX 52 YEARS AGO. [LAUGHTER] MOVED TO SPOKANE IN 1961 WHILE IN THE AIRFORCE; AN 18‑YEAR‑OLD WHO WAS INITIALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE MOVE, UNTIL HE FOUND OUT SPOKANE IS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR WASHINGTON, DC. [LAUGHTER] FORTUNATELY FOR US, HAPPY FELL IN LOVE IN SPOKANE, FELL IN LOVE WITH SPOKANE, AND SPOKANE FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM, AND HE'S MADE HIS HOME HERE EVER SINCE. IN ADDITION TO HIS LONG MINISTRY AT NEW HOPE, REV. WATKINS WAS A LONGTIME CHAPLAIN AT DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER AND HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL, BUT HAS ENDEARED HIMSELF TO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THROUGHOUT THE REGION FOR HIS MEMORIZATION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER'S KING, JR.'S CHERISHED, "I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH," WHICH HE'S DELIVERED THOUSANDS OF TIMES IN OUR REGION SINCE 1986. IN A RECENT INTERVIEW, HAPPY SAID, "I NEVER MET DR. KING, BUT I KNEW HIS STRUGGLE, THE HATRED, THE DISCRIMINATION," AND FOR THIS REASON, HE DOESN'T TRY TO IMITATE DR. KING WHEN HE DELIVERS IT. "I PUT MY OWN EMOTIONS INTO THE SPEECH," HE SAYS. WHAT I MOST ADMIRE ABOUT REV. HAPPY WATKINS, HOWEVER, IS THAT HE'S ALWAYS WILLING TO PUT HIS OWN NECK ON THE LINE TO DO WHAT HE BELIEVES IS JUST AND RIGHT, LIKE WHEN HE STOOD WITH ME AND OTHER PROGRESSIVE FAITH LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO PROMOTE MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN OUR STATE, AND ‑‑ [APPLAUSE] LATER, TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA, WHICH HAS SINCE CUT THE NUMBER OF POLICE STOP AND SEARCHES IN HALF IN WASHINGTON. [APPLAUSE] ISSUES THAT DIDN'T ALWAYS PLEASE THE POWERS THAT BE IN HIS BAPTIST FAITH. HE IS AN INSPIRATION IN SO MANY WAYS AND IT IS MY GREAT PLEASURE AND HONOR TO INTRODUCE YOU THIS MORNING TO MY FRIEND, THE REV. HAPPY WATKINS. [APPLAUSE] >> EIGHT YEARS AGO, I WAS MINDING MY BUSINESS. I WAS IN MY BAPTIST BOX. AND I THOUGHT I WAS DOING A PRETTY GOOD JOB. AND SOMEONE INTRODUCED ME TO TODD. AND LIFE HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME SINCE. [LAUGHTER] IT WAS MARTIN LUTHER KING THAT SAID THESE WORDS: I HAVE THE AUDACITY TO BELIEVE. PEOPLE EVERYWHERE SHOULD HAVE THREE MEALS FOR THEIR BODIES, CULTURE AND EDUCATION FOR THEIR MINDS, AND DIGNITY, EQUALITY, AND FREEDOM FOR THEIR SPIRITS. THE ULTIMATE MEASURE OF A PERSON IS NOT WHERE THEY STAND IN MOMENTS OF COMFORT AND CONVENIENCES, BUT WHERE THEY STAND IN MOMENTS OF CHALLENGES AND CONTROVERSIES. SO I MET THIS TODD FELLA AT THE SPOKANE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH AND I HAD TO GO, BUT I DID COME, EVERY SIX WEEKS, I HAD TO GO TO BOTH SERVICES. AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY. HE'S SO DEEP THAT I COULDN'T GET THAT FIRST UNDERSTANDING AT THE 9 O'CLOCK SERVICE. [LAUGHTER] SO I WENT TO THE 11 O'CLOCK SERVICE. I DIDN'T GET IT ALL, SO THEN I HAD TO CALL HIM DURING OVER THE. [LAUGHTER] TODD SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH ME AS A BAPTIST PASTOR. AND I SAT IN HIS OFFICE AND BOY, HE IS DEEP. NOW, THIS OTHER STUFF, HE ALWAYS INVITED ME TO PANELS. MARIJUANA STUFF. EQUALITY IN MARRIAGE. SMART JUSTICE. HE WOULD CALL ME AND SAY, HAPPY, COME DOWN. THERE'S A POLITICAL PARTY THAT WE NEED TO OPPOSE. JUST COME. HE TOOK HIS TIME WITH ME, AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. AS YOU MIGHT KNOW, YOU MAY NOT KNOW, I HAD A SMALL CHURCH AND WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO BUILD, AND I WENT TO TODD AND HIS CONGREGATION RAISED THE FIRST $5,000 PLUS. YOU ALL HAVE TO HEAR ME. I WISH I WAS ON MY EAST SIDE WHERE I'M FROM, BECAUSE PEOPLE RESPOND. [APPLAUSE] IT'S KIND OF LIKE IF YOU FOLLOW BASEBALL, ITCHY ROAD HITS A HOMERUN AND YOU CHEER. BUT IN THIS CASE, TODD HAS HAD A GRAND SLAM. [APPLAUSE] THEN I HAVE A FRIEND OF MINE WHO WAS THE PASTOR AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE MINISTERS FELLOWSHIP UNION, WHICH CONSISTS OF MOSTLY AFRICAN‑AMERICAN PASTORS AND IT WAS I AND HE, WE HAVE TRIED TO GET A GREATER UNDERSTANDING ABOUT PEOPLE AND RELIGION AND WE'VE DONE A GREAT JOB, NOT COMPLETE, BUT WE'RE ALMOST THERE. AND I SAY THAT, BECAUSE IF I COULD GIVE AN AWARD, I WANT IT TO GO TO THIS TODD FELLA. HE HAS HELPED ME IMMENSELY. [APPLAUSE] YOU SEE, IN OUR CONGREGATION, WE OR THE PASTOR IS IT. WE'RE THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. WE'RE EVERYTHING. BUT THEN I MET THIS TODD FELLA AND I GOT ME INVOLVED WITH ALL KINDS OF ISSUES, SOME I UNDERSTOOD AND SOME I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND. WE HELD HANDS. THERE IS A RAILROAD WE WERE GOING ACROSS, AND I THOUGHT IS IT WAS CODE TO DO GOOD. WE HAD TO CLOSE THAT. [APPLAUSE] TODD HAS INVITED ME TO HIS HOUSE, MET HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE. I WANT YOU TO SAY WITH A HEART FULL OF GRATITUDE, I'M THANKFUL FOR SPOKANE'S CHURCH, BECAUSE THEY HAVE HELPED ME. AND BY THE WAY, THEY'RE STILL SENDING DONATIONS A YEAR OR TWO AFTER. [APPLAUSE] A LITTLE BOY WENT TO CHURCH WITH HIS DAD AND HE SAID, DAD, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN THE PASTOR OPENS UP THE BIBLE? HE SAID, HE'S GOING TO READ THE SCRIPTURE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN HE OPENS UP THE HYMN BOOK? WELL, HE'S GOING TO SING SONGS. AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN HE TAKES OFF HIS WATCH? NOTHING AT ALL, SON. NOTHING AT ALL. MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE COMING OF THE LORD. HE'S TRAMPLED OFF WHERE THE GRAPES OF WRATH ARE STORED. HE HAS LOOSED THE FATEFUL LIGHTNING OF HIS TERRIBLE SWIFT SWORD. I WANT TO SHOUT TODAY HIS TRUTH IS MARCHING ON. [APPLAUSE] >> I'M GOING TO TELL THIS CONVENTION, DON'T GIVE UP ON US. WE WANT A PARTNERSHIP, FOR THERE IS POWER IN THE WE. [APPLAUSE] IF MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS HERE HE WOULD SAY THESE WORDS AS I CLOSE, AGAIN, I SOUGHT MY SOUL AND MY SOUL COULD NOT SEE. I SOUGHT MY GOD, AND MY GOD ELUDED ME. I SAW TODD, AND I FOUND ALL THREE. AMEN. [APPLAUSE] >> I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS SUCH A BAD SPEAKER, YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO IT TWICE AND STILL COME TO ME FOR QUESTIONS. [LAUGHTER] >> I HAVE TOO FIND OUR CLOSING WORDS HERE. I'M JUST GOING TO SHARE YOURS. SO OUR CLOSING REFLECTION TAKES US BACK TO KENYA. IN 1977, A WELL‑EDUCATED WOMAN FROM THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL KENYA NOTICED HOW DEFORESTATION WAS LEADING TO DROUGHT, POVERTY AND LESS BIODIVERSITY. SHE WAS COMPELLED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, BUT KNEW THAT SHE COULD NOT DO IT ALONE. SHE OBTAINED A SMALL GRANT AND BEGAN PAYING A GROUP OF WOMEN TO COLLECT SEEDS IN THE FOREST, PLANT THEM IN TIN CANS, AND RE‑PLANT THEM IN DEFORESTED AREAS. THESE EFFORTS CONTINUED ON A SMALL SCALE FOR FIVE YEARS, UNTIL SHE RECEIVED A MUCH BIGGER GRANT THAT WOULD ALLOW HER TO COMPENSATE THOUSANDS OF WOMEN FOR PLANTING NEW TREES. FORESTS BEGAN TO REJUVENATE ALL OVER KENYA. >> THIS WOMAN WAS WANGARI MAATHAI. THOUGH SHE DIED IN 2011 FROM CANCER, HER TREE‑PLANTING INITIATIVE, KNOWN AS THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT, HAS TO THIS DAY BENEFITED 900,000 WOMEN AND LED TO 45 MILLION TREES BEING PLANTED ACROSS AFRICA. [APPLAUSE] JUST AS WANGARI BROUGHT WOMEN TOGETHER IN HER MISSION OF SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT, SO CAN ALL OF US HARNESS THE "POWER OF WE" TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD. [APPLAUSE] >> AS THE AFRICAN PROVERB SAYS: IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST, GO ALONE. IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, GO TOGETHER. WE EXTINGUISH THIS [APPLAUSE] WE EXTINGUISH THIS FLAME BUT NOT THE POWER OF WE THAT IT REPRESENTS. [APPLAUSE] GO IN PEACE. [SERVICE CONCLUDES] **********DISCLAIMER********** THE FOLLOWING IS AN UNEDITED ROUGH DRAFT TRANSLATION FROM THE CART CAPTIONER'S OUTPUT FILE. THIS TRANSCRIPT IS NOT VERBATIM AND HAS NOT BEEN PROOFREAD. TO DO SO IS AN EXTRA FEE. THIS FILE MAY CONTAIN ERRORS. PLEASE CHECK WITH THE SPEAKER(S) FOR ANY CLARIFICATION. THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE COPIED OR DISSEMINATED TO ANYONE UNLESS YOU OBTAIN WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE OFFICE OR SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT IS PROVIDING CART CAPTIONING TO YOU; FINALLY, THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE USED IN A COURT OF LAW. **********DISCLAIMER********** KM 06/21/19 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST GENERAL ASSEMBLY MORNING WORSHIP ‑ 8:30 A.M. PT CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY: HEAR INK HTTP://WWW.HEARINK.COM