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UU elders offer wisdom
Timuel Black, a member of Third Unitarian Universalist Church,\ in Chicago, Illinois, spoke there recently about his new book, Sacred Ground: The Chicago Streets of Timuel Black. Black, who is 100 years old, has worked for a lifetime to make the world better, inspired by his military service in World War II. If asked, he says that “we need more community activism of the kind he witnessed in the Civil Rights movement over 60 years ago.” (Austin Weekly News, 1.29.19)
The Herald & Review of Decatur, Illinois, profiled John Regan, one of the founding members of the local Unitarian Universalist fellowship, who “charted a path as a prominent civil rights lawyer and philanthropist, and once served as a legal adviser to the Decatur Branch of the NAACP.” At 108 years old, Regan is still very interested in connecting with people and keeping track of what’s happening at the fellowship. (Herald & Review, 1.20.19)
Historic ministry ends
After suffering a significant head injury in a fall, Rabbi Chava Bahle has resigned her position as the settled minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse in Traverse City, Michigan. Bahle, who has been the congregation’s minister for five years, noted that she was the first rabbi to serve a UU congregation: “No rabbi had done what we did. It was a really rich, interesting experiment. . . . I wasn’t pushing Judaism; that was part of the agreement. . . . I didn’t want to turn them into Jews and they didn’t want me to turn into a Unitarian Universalist.” (Traverse City Record-Eagle, 2.3.19)
Congregation to hire social justice coordinator
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton, New York, well-known in its community for “siding with love,” plans to hire a part-time social justice coordinator to support its efforts. The congregation’s minster, the Rev. James Galasinski, said,“There is definitely a trend where people are not being as religious as they used to be. . . . But we’re not dropping like mainline churches. . . . People are seeking out community, refuge, and comfort in these troubling and weary times.” (North Country Now, 1.20.19)