From the Minister

Bruce's Message - February 2012

Brief Sermons, Tiny Pulpit

When a church or fellowship is interested in attracting like-minded and like-hearted folks to join in the fun, there’s nothing so important as being able to articulate “why” we are here. And yet, if we write a book about all the whys and wherefores of our involvement at Evergreen, it will quickly become shelf art, of no use to anyone.
The trick is to say something briefly, revealing at least part of our “why” story. If we feel the truth of what we say, as we say it, our listener will be engaged. They may even take further steps to find out more. The congregational survey that our Committee on Ministry is working on will help us to know which “whys” are most important to us here at Evergreen.

So a coworker catches us in the elevator and asks, “Are people in your church in support of Senate Bill 6239, in support of gay marriage?” Apparently some of the folks in his church are against the bill.
And we say, “Of course. Marriage is a right that must not be limited by sexual orientation. It’s part of why I’m a Unitarian Universalist. Justice, equity and compassion for all people is one of our core values.”

Brief. Clear. Says why our fellowship is important to us. It has a powerful affect on the other person.

One of the great vehicles for such brief, catchy statements of value (besides, of course, elevators) is known among UU churches as the Wayside Pulpit. Here at Evergreen we have been saving for more than two years to build one on our property, hopefully catching the interest of those who pass by on Fourth Street. The Board has given the go-ahead, and the design team is finalizing the sign’s appearance. Hopefully we will see it in place by spring!

I love some of the quotes that the UU Association makes available to us. Some are funny. Others are edgy. Yet others are thought provoking. I thought I’d share a few of these very brief “sermons” that we may find use for on our tiny “pulpit.”

Maybe you can come up with some yourself. Could be a quote, or perhaps you can craft your own. In either case, send them to me. I’d like to include some of them.

Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing so gentle as real strength. —Francis de Sales	Goodness is the only investment that never fails. — Henry David Thoreau
Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. — Martin Luther King, Jr.	Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. —Janis Joplin
May your life preach more loudly than your lips. —William Ellery Channing	Little strokes fell great oaks. —Benjamin Franklin
Democracy—is a government by all the people for all the people. —Theodore Parker, 1854	I feel we are all islands—in a common sea. —Anne Morrow Lindberg
We are each of us responsible for the evil we might have prevented. —James Martineau	What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on? —Henry David Thoreau
Blessed are those who dream, for some of their dreams will come true. —Harry Meserve	Good is not a quality of life. It is life itself. —Dietrich Bonhoeffer
We did not weave the web of life: We are merely a strand in it. —Chief Seattle	Each night a child is born is a holy night. —Sophia Lyon Fahs
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. —Marcel Proust	It is in our lives, and not from our words, that our religion must be read. —Thomas Jefferson
True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice. —Martin Luther King, Jr.	What the earth is, we are. —Walt Whitman
More progress is made by attacking problems than by attacking people. —Harry Scholefield	We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. —Winston Churchill
Never does hatred cease by hating in return. —Dhammapada	Religion is something you do, not something you wait for. —Charles G. Finney
Prejudice is the child of ignorance. —William Hazlitt	We must learn to live together—or perish together as fools. —Martin Luther King, Jr.
True religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess. —Louis Nizer	At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another. —Albert Schweitzer
Why should we live in such a hurry and waste of life? —Henry David Thoreau	Unanswered questions are far less dangerous than unquestioned answers. —Source unknown
You need not think alike to love alike. —Francis David	There’s more to life than increasing its speed. —Mahatma Gandhi
The aging aren’t only the old; the aging are all of us. —Alexandra Robbin	Without justice, courage is weak. —Benjamin Franklin
Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty. —Stanislaw J. Lee	How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend out lives. —Annie Dillard

I’d love to hear from you. Which ones do you like best?

With love,