SUMMER 2003 WOMUUNWEB

CONTINENTAL ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER OF

UU FEMINIST INSPIRATION FOR WOMEN AND MEN

NEWS TO USE FOR MORE THAN JUST PERSONAL GAIN

UU W&R CONTINENTAL NEWS

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Mission Statement

Unitarian Universalist Women and Religion is dedicated to freeing ourselves, others and the Earth from traditional, historical and contemporary oppressive and patriarchal systems.

We continue to work together to implement the 1977 UUA Women and Religion Resolution.

Just In: Our registration for UUA Affiliation has been renewed.

UU W&R PLANS FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Thanks to all who have contributed donations to the UU W&R treasury, we have enough money for a booth in the display hall and two events (in four slots). Here's the publicity for the W&R events plus two:

Unitarian Universalist Women & Religion Events

Perceived Gender Roles Vs. Reality
Joan Fitz-Randolph and Pam Leavy
Fri 6/27, 8:45 pm - 10:00 pm
HCC (Hynes Convention Center), Rm 106
And repeated Sun 6/29, 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
HCC, Rm 204

With openness, examine the UUW&R course "Unraveling the Gender Knot" which makes visible the systemic traditions of patriarchy and teaches UUs to challenge and put aside stereotypic, perceptions and practices. Participate in a real world exercise for which you have experienced instances of sexist or patriarchal assumptions or actions.

Cycles of Rituals
Misty Sheehan and Lois Ellinwood
Sat 6/28, 10 am - 11:15 am
And repeated 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
HCC, Rm 204

Through our internal integrity and taking inspiration from the cycles of nature, UUs have devised many organic rituals that focus and clarify our intentions and efforts. Come to share rituals you have found to be meaningful, and create a participatory ritual with others in the workshop.

Unraveling the Patriarchy for Peace*
Craig Rancourt and Pat Simon
Patriarchal systems shape most social, political, and economic structures in developed countries in relationships of domination/subordination. In contrast, so-called feminine characteristics are associated with peace-making. Workshop participants will explore ways to reduce patriarchal influences and increase partnerships among peace-makers everywhere. MBD and PCD Women & Religion committees support this forum.
Sat 6/28, 5 pm - 6:15 pm
HCC, Rm 103

"Emerson's Circle of Women,"
A Conversation with Scholars/Biographers/Editors
It Takes a Village of Women to Raise a Man*

Laurie James and Rosemary Matson
Sat 6/28, 8:45 pm - 10:00 pm
HCC, Rm 304
To know "the village of women" who "raised" Emerson is as imperative as it is to know his philosophy. A conversational-style panel of scholars broadens perspectives: Joan Goodwin, Laurie James, Nancy Craig Simmons, Delores Bird Carpenter, Paula Robbins, and Megan Marshall. Moderator: Rosemary Matson. A celebration of the Emerson Bicentennial.

* This one is under the auspices of another organization but, Pat Simon, as part of the W&R movement, deserves our support. The same is true for "Emerson's Circle of Women," specifically Laurie James, Rosemary Matson and Women & Religion PCD. (See at the end of this section another event from Rosemary and Laurie.)

VISIT OUR WOMEN & RELIGION BOOTH #320 IN THE EXHIBIT HALL.

What is General Assembly?
By Rockville's Karen Malley

It is the yearly meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. The Myriad of programs, business events and exhibits provide a rich experience to the thousands of UUs who attend each year. This year, GA is in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center. GA attendees may select from a variety of over three hundred workshops, worship services, lectures, social events and performances. If you are a delegate from your congregation, expenses at GA and travel costs are tax-deductible.

Commentary from Helen Popenoe (H. Pop)

The May 17 issue of the New York Times had an article describing an initiative of Rev. Bill Sinkford, UUA President, that I'm sure will be a hot topic at this GA. It said, in part, "Mr. Sinkford, who was elected in June 2001, has been urging the nation's 225,000 Unitarian Universalists to reclaim a 'vocabulary of reverence.' He has called the effort a main goal of his presidency of the noncreedal association."

HOPE YOU DECIDE TO ATTEND THIS GA THE LAST WEEK OF JUNE, STARTING JUNE 26.

POST-GA ONE-DAY TOUR OFFERED!
FOLLOWING MARGARET FULLER'S FOOTSTEPS

Extend your time at GA in Boston one more day -- July 1st -- and follow the footsteps of Transcendentalist Margaret Fuller. Travel with Laurie James, actor/author, portrayer of Margaret Fuller and Rosemary Matson, global feminist activist/historian, as well as other knowledgeable tour guides.

Starting at the Hilton Back Bay Hotel, you will be taken in an air-conditioned scenic coach to historic landmarks that have been graced by the Fuller spirit in the misty past in Boston, Cambridge and Concord.

Listen in on the ghostly conversations still to be heard in Elizabeth Peabody's bookstore on West Street. Find the hidden statue of Margaret Fuller. Visit the energy-filled home where she was birthed in 1810, the Square that bears her name and houses her plaque, the Fuller gravesite (latest entry, Buckminster Fuller) and lunch with Fuller at First Parish Church -- where Fuller listened to Ralph Waldo Emerson delivering his famous American Scholar Address. It's fascinating to learn Fuller's viewpoint of Emerson in their close friendship.

Then on to Concord to commune with Margaret's Transcendental colleagues -- where doors were always open to Margaret and her superior intellect, guaranteed to stir things up. See the Red Room in then Emerson House where Margaret edited "The Dial Magazine" and cross the hall into Emerson's library where Waldo Jr. quietly played while his father wrote essays. Gaze into Walden Pond and imagine a moonlit evening with Henry David Thoreau rowing Margaret in the boat he made himself.

Along the route, you'll hear about the hearts and minds of these people and the times in which they lived. You'll see a Cambridge Forum video with The Rev. Jack Mendelson, The Rev. Herb Vetter and former Harvard senior lecturer on history, Barbara Miller Solomon, interpreting their relevance. You'll feel you understand and have touched these American Transcendentalists who impacted our country.

Tour guides also include Steven Loudon on The Margaret Fuller House, Dee Morris at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, The Rev. Thomas Mickelson in Cambridge and Margaret Stewart in Concord.

To sign on or for more information, write to:

Margaret Fuller Network
PO Box 1710
Carmel Valley, CA 93924
Or, e-mail goldenheritage@nyc.rr.com
Cost: $65 (includes lunch, transportation, guides, admissions, various extra surprises). Checks are payable to W&R-PCD, with memo stating "for the Margaret Fuller Tour."

Note: The Margaret Fuller Network is restoring Margaret Fuller to her rightful place in history. I'm going on the tour. H. Pop

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Guarantees Everyone: The Right to Education

JOSEPH PRIESTLEY DISTRICT NEWS

The JPD Spring Conference workshop on Allen Johnson's The Gender Knot was well attended by both men and women. Led by Laura Shemick with assistance from Nuala Carpenter, the workshop introduced attendees to the concepts set forth in Johnson's book and explored ways in which Unitarian Universalists could offer workshops in their home congregations.

The idea that all people--men, women, and children--suffer from the effects of our patriarchal system was a key point made in the program, and attendees sometimes had a difficult time with the concept that if they were a member of today's patriarchal society, they were participating in the patriarchal system. Ideas for presenting the workshop "back home" focused on the size and nature of the study groups (should they be all women or should they be mixed), and the nature of the presentation (small-group discussions vs. lecture format). A pilot curriculum has been developed at the national level, and it will be available in the fall.

Because of the challenging nature of many of the ideas in Johnson's book, it was recommended that there be at least one skilled facilitator in the study groups, that the groups be kept small, and that they be gender-mixed. In addition, the curriculum developers suggest that the co-leaders of the group be male and female.

The questions presented were interesting and the discussion vigorous. With work in our own congregations, this fascinating book may be the match that sets off an explosion of interest in changing the patriarchy that is our society.

JPD W&R RESOURCES

Check out the Fall 2001 WOMUUNWEB to see what we have in our lending library. Also, we have two sample Sunday services on "The Gender Knot," thanks to Rosemary Matson and Barbara Schonborn. The librarian, Sandy Eckert jabuda@paonline.com can give you the new resource entries if you don't find what you want in the 2001 list.

A NOTE FROM W&R DISTRICT CONVENER, NUALA CARPENTER, ABOUT THE ANNUAL SPRING RETREAT, "EXPLORING SPIRITUAL PRACTICES"

Dear Helen,
We made over $160 at the silent auction this year for UUW&R. The retreat was great. You were missed. There was a nice balance between fun and more serious content. Dressing up as goddesses on Sat eve was full of laughter. Doddie did a good job and the drummer, Camille, added a lot of energy to the weekend.
Love, Nuala

Note from Helen about next year's location--We're moving to a new retreat site next April:
Precious Blood Spiritual Center
3950 Columbia Ave.
Columbia, PA 17512

This will make it easier for us from the southern part of the District to travel for this wonderful gathering.

NEWS FROM THE LATEST JPD NEWSLETTER, MAY-JUNE, 2003
Updated by Helen Pop

STUDY/ACTION ISSUES FOR JUNE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

These issues are chosen for the agenda for this year's GA in Boston, June 26-30.
They are:

1. Weapons of Mass Destruction--
What can UU's do to promote the abolition of weapons of mass destruction, recognizing that their development and deployment threaten all life and that their use would destroy life on a massive scale?

2. Indigenous Peoples--
What can UUs do to be better neighbors and provide collaborative support for indigenous peoples, regarding cultural, financial, political and environmental concerns?

3. Human Rights and Peace--
How can UUs help utilize the UN Declaration of Human Rights as a basis for building peaceful relations among nations and people?

4. Criminal Justice and Prison Reform--
How can UUs successfully advocate reform of the criminal justice and prison systems, as the prison industry expands to accommodate more people and becomes more inhumane and unjust.

5. Civil Unions and Same-Sex Marriage
For decades Unitarian Universalists have been at the forefront of the fight for gay and lesbian rights. The Unitarian Universalist Association endorsed civil union ceremonies in 1984, and same-sex marriages in 1996. As many other organizations are helping to gain public support for same-sex marriage, Unitarian Universalists can offer a religious voice that embraces diversity and rejects intolerance. It may be that convincing states to legitimize civil unions can serve as a useful step on the way to their willingness to legitimize same-sex marriage.

6. GA will consider--
A business resolution on "Registry of Marriages, Same-Sex Unions and Domestic Partnerships."

Also a likely consideration will be revision of the Principles and Purposes. This stems from President Bill Sinkford's initiative "Vocabulary of Reverance." This goes along with the Commission on Appraisal's current search to name the core values of Unitarian Universalism.

DISTRICT CHURCHES "TASTE THE JUSTICE"

UU Society of Northern Chesapeake, Fallston, MD and UU Congregation of York, PA are taking orders for and serving organic and shade-grown coffee, purchased through the Equal Exchange, a worker-owned Fair Trade Organization, insuring Mexican and Nicaraguan growers fair prices. The York church also is selling bags of coffee. The coffee costs more than at the supermarket, but the extra money supports UU values. UU churchers of Berks County, Reading, PA and Fairfax, Oakton, VA also are participating in the project, coordinated by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

NEWS FROM JPD NEWSLETTER, MARCH -APRIL 2003

UU WOMEN'S FEDERATION SETS UP INTERNSHIP FOR WOMEN'S ISSUES

The UU Women's Federation has created the UUWF Clara Barton Washington Internship for Women's Issues. The intern will work out of the UUA Washington D.C. Office for Advocacy. The Federation dedicated to the internship $200,000, proceeds from the sale of the site of the Clara Barton Camp for Diabetic Girls. The land was sold to the Barton Center for Diabetes Education, Inc., North Oxford, MA. The Federation also established a fund-raising project, with a goal of $400,000, for the internship's total endowment fund. The year-long internship, with a new intern being selected each year, will focus on social justice issues related to women.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Guarantees Everyone: The Right to Social Order Assuring Human Rights

NEWS RELATING TO OUR JPD SOUTH CONGREGATIONS

SUMMER SOLSTICE SERVICE, June 22

Now comes the growing season in full. Our internal body clocks feel the effects of the sun's rays in anticipation of a bountiful harvest. Join our circle of equals at 5 pm in the River Road Unitarian Church Fireside Room and out on the courtyard, weather permitting, for feeding hope by realizing we are, at a deeper level, a community of spirit. Elements of the service include ritual, simple circle movement, connecting through sharing insights and meditation. Please, bring snacks/drinks and your own cup for refreshments afterward. All over age 10 are welcome. Diane Popper will be with us.

Helen Popenoe, 301/229-0549

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Guarantees Everyone: The Right to Equality


WOMUUNWEB DEADLINE for Summer, 2003 Issue is September 4th, please.

Many thanks to Al Carlson, GWA Webmaster, for publishing this WOMUUNWEB issue #12 on the GWA website www.gwa.jpd.uua.org

Please, send your news to Helen Popenoe at hpop@bellatlantic.net

Respectfully submitted by Helen Popenoe thanks to the editing and formatting skills of Margaret Warker.


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