APRIL 2001

Allegheny Advocate

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE ALLEGHENY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH

Greeters

Refreshments

Toddlers

Preschool/Kindergarten

First/Second Grade

Third/Fourth Grade

Fifth/Sixth Grade

Board Nominations

Soon we will be putting together a set of new nominees to serve on the Board of Trustees. If you are interested in serving or would like to nominate someone else to serve a three-year term, please talk with President of the Board, Jeanne Zang.

Pancake Breakfast

Our traditional Easter Sunday Pancake Breakfast is fast approaching. Remember to sign-up for the event after church, on the sign-up sheet, located in the coffee room. The breakfast will occur immediately before the Easter service at 9:00 am. in our downstairs meeting space. If you are interested in volunteering with clean-up or set-up, or would like to flip a few pancakes with the pro's, we would very much appreciate your assistance. Indicate that you can help on the sign-up sheet and we will contact you.

Choir

Adult choir practices will take place every Sunday morning for the foreseeable future, beginning at 9:00am. The children sing most Sundays at 10:00am.

New U Class and Membership

Art McDonald will conduct a class for newcomers on Sunday, April 8, from 12:30 until 1:45, downstairs in the church. Anyone who is interested in hearing about Unitarian Universalism and wishes to know more about Allegheny and what it means to be a member, please come. If anyone thinks (s)he is ready to sign the membership book, please talk with Art or Membership chair, Diane McMahon.

Meditation Space

Every Sunday morning, from 10:15 until 10:45, Jane Dirks and Joe Chekanowskywill provide an opportunity for meditation with music on the first floor of the Unitarian House. Why not join her.

Holy Week Services

This year we will celebrate our annual Passover Seder on Saturday, April 7, the first evening of Passover, beginning at 6:00pm. The Seder will be followed by a potluck dinner. Holy/Maundy Thursday will be celebrated on April 12 at 7:00pm. It will be a communion service. Please mark your calendars.

Board of Trustees Meets

This month our Board meets on Wednesday, April 18, beginning at 7:00pm. All are welcome.

Youth Group News

The youth group participated in our first chosen service project, protesting the University of Pittsburgh's policy that denies health benefits to gays and lesbians. We joined members of Open Arms church, veteran protesters from the Alliance for Progressive Action, and students from the University, for their monthly Saturday morning picketing at the chancellor's home in Shady Side. We were excited to be video-taped by University police! Very cool. We hope to return to protest again in May. See Claudia if ya wanna join us.

In April, all middle schoolers can participate in our Pittsburgh area all-day middle school conference. The conference is down at Sunny Hill church on Saturday, April 7th. Register with Kris Thomas asap.

Pleasant Valley Shelter Meal

This month’s shelter meal at Pleasant Valley Shelter for homeless men will take place on Thursday, April 19. See Jane Schwarz to volunteer.

Adult Religious Education

Rise Up and Call Her Name, the women/earth honoring curruculum facilitated by Jane Dirks, has begun and will be continuing on March 26, April 9, and April 16 at least, beginning at 7 pm. Each session is fairly independent from all the others, so please just "drop in" and share some goddess imagery with us. We are considering dividing this 13-week curriculum up into 3 groups of 4 weeks, and we are flexible on days/times, so if you are interested but the day/time is a conflict, please let Jane know.

Also, Art McDonald will begin a 3-4 week adult education class based on a book by Parker Palmer, The Active Life. It can be purchased for $5. The class will begin on Wednesday, April 25, at 7:15pm. A sign-up sheet will appear in the Emerson Room soon.

UUA GA in Cleveland

The UUA General Assembly comes to our District this year and with it the opportunity for more of us than ever to join over 4000 UUs from around the world in celebration of our community. GA will be in Cleveland, from June 21 to June 25. If you sign up to be a volunteer at GA, your registration fee will be waived. Please talk to Jane Dirks NOW if you are interested in getting involved in this wonderful opportunity to help celebrate our faith. Call Jane at (412) 242-5166 or email her at dirks@sis.pitt.edu to learn more!

Follow-up Congregational Gathering

On Sunday, April 22, from 12:30 until 1:45, there will be a follow-up to our mid-year congregational gathering. Bring a brown bag lunch. There will be childcare. Art McDonald will begin the meeting with a reflection on the past 10 years in terms of the mission of the congregation. The idea is to then have an open discussion. Please mark your calendars. Thanks to Rev. Renee Waun and the Board for putting together a process for the last meeting.

Annual AIDS Walk

Please mark your calendars for the annual AIDS Walk to be held on Sunday, June 10, at 10:00am, at Schenley Park.

Affordable Chic

Join the annual luncheon and fashion show benefit for the East End Community Thrift Shop and Sojourner House at East Liberty Presbyterian Church on Saturday, April 7, from 11:00am until 2:00pm. See the ad in the Emerson Room or call 361-3022 for more details.

Way of the Cross, Way of Compassion

Join Pax Christi for a public procession of song, prayer and scripture on Good Friday, April 13, from 9:00am until 10:30 at the Greyhound Bus Terminal downtown. The Walk is approximately 1 hour.

Preventing Crime in the Black Community

Mayor Bill Campbell of Atlanta has been invited to offer the keynote address at an all day conference on crime prevention to be held on April 19, at the Convention Center downtown. There is no charge but registration is limited. See details in the Emerson Room.

Stars of Justice Awards Concert

On Saturday, May 12, at 7:30pm, at the Bell Harbor Marina in Blawnox, the Thomas Merton Center is sponsoring this annual event. The 2001 Stars will be those who have struggled for the Civil Rights of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community. If you have nominees, please get them to the Merton Center by April 15. Call 361-3022 for more details. There are more details in the Emerson Room.

Rev. Art McDonald

Minister/Director of Social Advocacy

Many Thanks, AUUC

When I heard the oncologist say last September that my brother’s chances of survival were 20 percent, I began to wonder how to be with him through this process. Being 600 miles away, I couldn’t imagine how I could be supportive and helpful except by frequent phone calls. Then, one Sunday after church, Pat Downey, an AUUC Board of Trustees member, asked me if I had considered a leave of absence from my work. Ever slow on the draw, I thought she had noticed that maybe I was burning out and needed some time off. Only after we continued the discussion did I realize she meant to go spend time with my brother! She made it clear that she would support such a strategy. It had never occurred to me. Of course, the Board of Trustees was totally supportive and I went to Boston several times to spend quality time. It was a gift for both him and me. After returning each time, I would call Jerry and he would say how special it was to just "hang out."

Our time together in Boston was usually very quiet and reflective. I would sit next to him and read as he often slept. While awake, I’d ask him what it was like. And he would share openly his fears and concerns – mostly about his wife and children. About death itself, he wasn’t particularly nervous. I shared some thoughts about the passage from my own reflections and told him that I often turned to Buddhism as a source of wisdom rather than our shared Catholic/Christian heritage. He always listened. Each night we kissed and reiterated deep love.

At his wake (a great Irish ritual for some of us ), a nephew shared with me a conversation he had with my Jerry, his uncle, about death and how it felt to approach it. My brother told him that I had helped give him some perspective on it that was helpful. What a gift to hear that. What a gift that you allowed me the time to be such a part of his journey with life and death. I am forever grateful.

In May, I’ll return to Boston to participate in a fundraising golf tournament that my brother started nearly three years ago to raise money for Huntington’s Disease research. His wife is deteriorating with this terminal disease and it was his wish that the event continue. Indications are that this year will surpass last by a far sight.

Congregational Meeting Follow-Up

Due to my brother’s illness, I was in Boston during the mid-year congregational gathering facilitated by Rev. Renee Waun. From most of the reports I received, it was a very positive first step opening a process of dialogue and understanding about what it means to be a UU congregation. From most accounts, people felt they had an opportunity to speak and be heard. At the same time, a number reported to me that they felt it was only a first step and that there was a need for ongoing discussion and dialogue.

To that end, the Board of Trustees decided to continue the process by having a follow-up gathering on Sunday, April 22, beginning at 12:30. I will prepare some remarks on my 10 years at Allegheny and talk about the development of our mission through these years. This will be followed by an open discussion of this mission and how it affects members, friends and the wider community. If anyone has any thoughts about how to make this next gathering helpful for the congregational participants, please feel free to talk with me or any member of the Board.

Urban Church Conference

Less than two weeks after my brother’s death, I was off to Chicago to participate in the UUA’s Urban Church Conference. This conference occurs every three years and is attended by approximately 150 UUs. Though I was not always present to the happenings at the meeting, for personal reasons, it was important to be there for institutional reasons! Allegheny has visibility in our UU movement, in part because of our urban advocacy work. Also, part of the gathering involved a separate meeting of a Veatch-funded group, of which Allegheny is a part, called the Urban Disciples. I serve as a kind of theological consultant to the group, though Allegheny is not funded beyond my expenses being covered. Funding may be a possibility in a year or two.

One key theme at the meeting was the question of "metropolitan" strategies. That is, both in our efforts to grow UUism and promote effective models for ministry in the urban context, there was lots of talk about the importance of linking the city to the surrounding counties and suburbs. This seems very much in keeping with our new county government approach here in Southwestern PA. That is, the city and county are trying various ways to plan together and share resources. Also, urban and suburban congregations are working together to share resources and do joint programming. Another example is the Living wage Campaign, which began with a city focus but quickly took on a county strategy. As many of us know, the city is changing and what has been forgotten and/or abandoned for the past 20-40 years is now getting attention. Individuals and companies are beginning to return to the city and poor people, who have been isolated in urban areas over these last years, are beginning to find it more difficult to find housing in a changing city market. The close surrounding suburbs may be their next stop.

Global Warming - Nancy Martin-Silber

In February we were presented with the disturbing findings of the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaption, and Vulnerability. The report was written by 183 coordinating lead authors, 243 contributing authors and was reviewed by 440 government and expert reviewers. In addition, one hundred IPCC member countries were represented by their respective delegations in the Sixth Session of Working Group II in Geneva. In short, this report is neither partisan nor biased, and, unfortunately, not exaggerated.

On February 23, 2001, a P-G editorial reported that Mt. Kilimanjaro’s ice cap is "melting so fast that it may disappear entirely during the next 20 years due to global warming." We also know now that ice shelves of Antarctica and Greenland are disappearing at alarming rates.

The ramifications of global warming and climate change are far reaching. Not only do scientists acknowledge a rise in temperature and sea level, but also an increase in drought and extreme weather (flooding, hurricanes, etc.) posing a serious threat to the very existence of animal and plant species, the world food supply, and to human health. The warnings that we have ignored and postponed acting upon for so many years will no longer tolerate inaction. The Earth, which sustains and supports life as we know it, is in serious trouble. Pumping carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at the current rate is grossly unsustainable. The message is urgent and clear: this is a battle that can afford but one side.

Accepting our responsibility as Earth stewards, people of faith are joining hands to address this critical issue. The Pennsylvania Interfaith Climate Change Campaign, sponsored by the PA Council of Churches, is working with congregations to examine and address climate change concerns. The campaign provides educational and energy conservation resources. It also provides information about alternative, renewable electricity options.

Decrying human-induced climate change as "doing violence to God’s creation," and violating "moral and religious principles of justice," religious leaders from across the state, representing nearly every denomination, have signed a statement calling for action by their congregants and all people of faith to recognize climate change as a religious issue and urging them to meet their moral obligation to act to protect the Earth. We cannot afford the luxury of sitting back while governments and corporations promote their own agendas and bicker over the dotting of I’s and the crossing of T’s. This is a struggle that demands immediate and sincere cooperation. We have an opportunity to use this critical issue as the battle cry to unite humanity as we honor and protect our sacred Earth.

(A segment of this article appeared as a letter to the editor in the March 7 edition of the Post-Gazette. Also, Nancy will be leading our Earth Sunday service on April 22)

Living Wage Campaign

As I reported in last month’s Advocate, as the Living Wage legislation gets close to being presented and voted on by the County Council, there is some distance between the campaign and some of the major human service providers. Some negotiation had taken place but as of last month, there remained unresolved issues. As a consequence, some providers didn’t feel they could support the current legislation and the campaign felt that more changes would seriously weaken the effort. It wasn’t looking positive to me. However, I am happy to report that ongoing negotiations have resumed and one of the service providers shared with me that renewed progress is being made. Everything isn’t settled but there is reason to be optimistic.

For myself, I believe this legislation is very important for both real and symbolic reasons. I want it to pass and have the support of political and religious activists, as well as the human service community. Everyone should have a just wage in return for her/his hard work no matter what type of job it is that the person is performing. Nevertheless, due to limitations in the funding of many programs, some agencies are strapped in locating enough money to pay decent wages. Our partner, Northside Common Ministries, is one of many of such agencies. Though a number of our employees do make a decent wage, we also pay some well below the targeted $9.12 an hour plus benefits. The money just isn’t here at present. Though the federal, state and local governments have the lion’s share of responsibility for providing this money, agencies must get creative about finding other sources of income as well.

I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the negotiations and Jeanne Zang will let you know what else we can do as a congregation.

Update from Reggie Lewis, Death Row Inmate

"Dear Rev. Art,

I’d just completed a legal visit with my former attorney, Kathy Swedlow, daughter of your congregation members, Tom Kerr and Pat Swedlow, who relayed to Kathy that I’m mentioned in your newsletter – quite surprising, to me. I respectfully request a copy of this issue.

I don’t see why your congregation should not extend your work against the death penalty, if they fervently believe all killing is unjust – I am open to apprising someone, anyone from your church about this critical issue of universal import – and how their voices can be utilized effectively. It’s not out of a personal interest that I desire to proffer insight of death row from a vantage point - but remoteness alienates the hearts and minds from the very human rights most in need of understanding and knowledge. Again, I invite dialogue via correspondence, or an arranged social visit.

I am happy you are open to publishing some of my poetry – and so enclosed find seven poems taken from my new book, Leaving Death Row. You have my permission to print any you find appropriate, as long as you list the title, publisher, and my name and copyright. And feel free to print my address/number. I welcome feedback about my work.

I am –

Reggie"

Reginald S. Lewis

#AY 2902

175 Progress Drive

Waynesburg, PA. 15370-8089

Lobby

There are too many lobby issues to list but check the bulletin board for information on current lobby efforts on: low income housing, state and federal, unfair tax cuts, and closing the School of the Americas.

Allegheny UU Church

Unitarian House

1110 Resaca Place No. 4

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212

The Allegheny Advocate is published monthly by the Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church. Contributions or inquiries may be directed to John Schriefer (jhschrief@aol.com).

©2001 AUUC