Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church

Author: Adam Nisenholz

RE MATTERS: A Christmas Eve Story

The following story by Emmalinda MacLean first appeared in “Emersonians” on December 23, 2017. We reproduce it here for your enjoyment.

Emmalinda MacLean

Director of Religious Education

emmalindadre@gmail.com

I wanted to share a Christmas Eve story with all of you, although I won’t be there tomorrow night [December 24, 2016]; you’re all in my heart. Merry Christmas.

I know many people who are struggling this holiday season with how to celebrate, when it seems that there is so much to fear and mourn. I feel that tension, too. This story from my childhood has come back to me this week with new meaning, and I share it in hopes that it may be meaningful to some of you.

I grew up at the First Unitarian Church of San Jose; I’ve never missed a Christmas Eve service there. When my brother and sister and I were young, my mother volunteered in Religious Education classes, and my father was the chair of the building committee for years. The San Jose church was built in 1889 and is a historical landmark—it’s a beautiful old building with a massive domed sanctuary and lots of stained glass windows.

In October of 1995, when I was 8 years old, there was a terrible fire at the church. The dome over the sanctuary collapsed; the fire department’s hoses did almost as much water damage as the fire itself, and when the smoke cleared there were piles of rubble and ash and soaked hymnals in our spiritual home. It was a tragic accident. The congregation cried, and held each other, and then took a deep breath and started to rebuild.

For three years we met in the senior center across the street, but for the well-attended candlelight Christmas Eve services the congregation rented space in a considerably grander hall a few blocks away. Our Christmas Eve ritual has always included passing the light, and the heat of a small white candle close to my face in the darkened sanctuary, surrounded by faces each lit by their own flickering yellow glow, is one of my earliest and most vivid sense-memories of Christmas.

But for each of the three Christmases that our sanctuary was filled with charred wood, tarps, and scaffolding, we had another ritual. Dad had continued to serve on the building committee, in spite of the fire’s major impact on what the job entailed, and he oversaw much of the rebuilding. Burning a church down is a great way to test people’s volunteer commitments—not everyone stuck around, but my father is not someone to walk away when he can help.

So for three years, my family and a few others would leave Christmas Eve services at the beautiful brightly lit rented hall, holding our little white taper candles, and walk the few blocks through downtown San Jose to the church. Dad unlocked the building and we slipped in, re-lit our candles—very carefully; the San Jose congregation has a particularly cautious relationship with fire to this day—and stood in a circle in the darkened sanctuary to sing a few Christmas carols, holding our small flickering lights. The scaffolding and exposed beams made strange shadows, and it felt scary and forbidden and dangerous and exciting. It wasn’t Christmas until we had brought light and song into that sanctuary.

My mother still says with pride that in over 125 years, the church has never been dark and silent on Christmas Eve. Even when the roof caved in, we raised it back up. Even when it seemed the sky was falling, we joined together to bring light and music into the darkness. That’s the gift of a community of faith; that’s the gift my parents gave me all the Sundays of my childhood, but especially those dark, candle-lit Christmas Eves, surrounded by scaffolding, filled with faith, hope, love, and joy.

May it be so for all of us.

December 31, 2016
FROM THE BOARD

FROM THE BOARD

By Bettina Salas, Board Secretary

Bettina33@earthlink.net

Dear Emersonians,

New Year’s Greetings from your Board and a heartfelt wish for a healthy and peaceful year 2017!

We left an ambiguous year behind. Happy and sad news seem to have accompanied us at every turn, and we are trying our best to remain upbeat and find solutions to the obstacles we are confronting during these uncertain times.

On a very positive note, we have welcomed our settled minister, the Reverend Matthew McHale, his lovely wife Anne, and their adorable daughter River Grace. And not a moment too soon as the earth-shattering election results have shown us. Rev. Matthew is very much an activist, and immediately after the results became known, called for a meeting to share, grieve, and express people’s fears and anger.

Another positive development is a new group called Justice Advocacy Ministry (JAM), which formed earlier this year by three Emersonians. Many of us, spurred on by JAM, have begun on a renewed path of social activism, which includes immigration reform, gun control, and many other social issues. Please check our website, emersonuuc.org, regularly to get updates on what you can do to help our congregation and larger community.

We had a very successful fall fundraiser, which offered lots of events to bring people together. I got a bit carried away by all the choices and bid on more gatherings and dinners than I had planned, but that’s okay. I don’t enjoy cooking, so I am now set for weekend meals for the next few months.

On a sad note, we had to say good-bye to three Emersonians—Barbara Tober, Dorothy Lyon, and Burt Siskin—whom we will hold in cherished memory.

In terms of your Board of Trustees, the Trustee-at-Large, Shawn Quinlivan, resigned in December, and we appointed Don Ordway to fill this position until the election next year. A big thank-you goes to Shawn who was instrumental in helping us launch our new website and reminding us that love is the foundation of our lives. Don, welcome to the Board. We look forward to working with you. In addition, we have had the pleasure of seeing Clinton Bench at some of our meetings as he has taken on the responsibility of financial manager.

In the next few months, a new committee will review and update the church’s by-laws, and you will be getting more information on this issue during our congregational meetings in 2017. If your curiosity is great, and you would like to know more now or be involved, please contact Tracy Watson.

We are also in the process of developing policy on solicitations, donations, and fundraisers and are considering how best to get this information to you.

The Board is in the process of designating the front parking lot for people with mobility issues and visitors only during Sunday services. Please be on the lookout for signs to announce this change so that we can accommodate those who need our assistance most.

Finally, please mark your calendar for February 5, 2017, right after Sunday services, when we are planning our next congregational meeting. Hope to see all of you there.

My best wishes for 2017 go out to my fellow congregants and the larger community. Let’s remember that we need each other and are part of the interdependent web of life.

Yours,

Bettina Salas

December 29, 2016
SOUL MATTERS, January 2017: What does it mean to be a community of prophecy?

5january2017-prophecy

Our times ask us to exercise our capacity for prophetic witness, by Prophetic witness I mean our capacity to see what is happening, to say what is happening and to act in accordance with what we know…. Prophetic witness …is the ability to name those places where we resist knowing what needs to be known.

-Rebecca Parker, UU theologian and minister

“I am not crushed. I am awake.”

– A liberal activist interviewed about the presidential election

Prophets are known for their condemnation. Images of an angry bearded man shouting and predicting God’s judgment come to mind. But for Unitarian Universalists, the prophetic voice has always been less about shouting “You’re evil!” and more about pointing out “We’re all asleep!” The prophetic message, for us, is not so much “Repent!” but “Wake up!”

Recent political events are relevant here. On election day, many of us realized we had been living in a bubble. We existed in an echo chamber but told ourselves we had a clear picture of the world. Whether it was class, condescension or comfort, something distorted many people’s view.

And so if Election Day was about realizing we were asleep in a bubble, the question on Inauguration Day becomes, Are we ready to wake up? And let’s be clear: this is not a politically partisan thing; liberals and conservatives both have a ton of waking up to do. One unemployed Michigan factory worker was quoted after the election saying, “I vote Republican because I won’t vote for anyone who doesn’t see and respect me.” On the other side of the political fence, black, Latino, Muslim and LGBT families are struggling with real fear about what’s been unleashed and what may be unleashed against them. And they are wondering if this country will wake up to and take their fear seriously.

Bottom line: we need prophetic communities now more than ever. As Rebecca Parker says, we need circles of brave and bold people who are willing “to see what is happening, to say what is happening and to act in accordance with what they know.” Which means that being a community of prophecy is not just about helping people wake up to each other’s realities and fears; there is also the matter of waking up to and being wide-eyed about the need for resistance. Most of the time, holy work is about finding common ground among differing worldviews. But sometimes, holy work is about prophetic judgment and knowing when some views need opposed. As that activist said, “I am not crushed. I am awake.”

So many ways to wake up. So many people who need us to do so. Sleep is no longer a luxury. In the end, maybe that is the most prophetic message of all.

December 16, 2016
Welcome Home Project: Helping Formerly Homeless Angelenos

Thank you to all Emersonians who donated household items for Mayor Eric Garcetti’s “Welcome Home Project.”

The “Welcome Home Project” is an effort to provide basic household items to formerly homeless Angelenos, who are now moving into their first affordable housing and need basic items. We were collecting laundry baskets, pillows, pillowcases, blankets, set of sheets, books (can be used), picture frames, can openers, pots/pans, pitchers, cups, towels/washcloths, toothpaste/toothbrushes, shampoo/body soap, toilet paper, deodorant, comb/brush, bowls, plates, and utensils.

Items Emersonians Donated

The collection took place on November 27 and December 4.

If you would like to take part in future efforts to help the homeless (and formerly homeless) folks of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, please contact Terry Hassman-Paulin at tmhassman@aol.com or call her at 818-404-6941.

December 5, 2016
POINSETTIAS FOR SALE AT EMERSON

Looking for a bright, seasonal plant to brighten your home or to give as a gift?

Poinsettias are the answer. We’re selling two different sizes: one for $4 and one for $7. Contact Barbara Moore barbmoore1000@gmail.com for more information.

November 30, 2016
MINISTER’S COLUMN: After the Election, Showing Up for Justice

By Rev. Matthew McHale

Minister, Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church

revmatthew@emersonuuc.org

At our ministerial start-up weekend in October, congregational leaders identified several key priorities for our first year together, one of which was to revitalize our justice work. As a minister, I’m very passionate about justice work and I had been wishing for a more vibrant justice presence at Emerson, so I was really grateful that we identified that as a priority.

In the wake of this election, our justice worship has received a big boost, but came as the result of an election that could easily be a catastrophe for our community, our country and our world.

We had a really great turnout of around 40 people for the special, post-election Justice Action Ministry (JAM) meeting on November 20, and many more indicated that they wanted to be there, but couldn’t make it. Clearly, a lot of people are eager and ready to get involved in justice work in the wake of this election.

At the meeting, I articulated what I saw as key priorities for our justice work, now that we are facing a Trump presidency, and a resurgence of bigotry and intolerance from his supporters: working for immigrant justice, standing up to religious intolerance, and continuing to fight for climate justice. And undergirding all three of these issues is the necessary work of racial justice.

Trump has promised to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, regardless of how that would tear apart families and peoples lives, and has repeatedly said racist things about Latinos. Canoga Park is heavily Latino neighborhood, and a lot of our neighbors are undocumented or have family who is undocumented. If we are going to be responsive to our community’s needs, this is an obvious place to start.

Muslims are another group that Trump and his supporters have vociferously targeted, even suggesting the possible creation of registry for Muslims, which horrifically evokes Nazi Germany. As people of faith, who believe in religious pluralism, we must stand up against the rise in hate crimes and violent rhetoric directed at Muslims. Because of the large Muslim population in the west valley, there is a great need here, and because of our relationship with the Islamic Society of the West Valley we have a good foundation to build on.

Because Trump has indicated that he doesn’t believe in global warming, his administration may cut back on environmental regulations, push for fossil fuel exploration, and undo emissions reductions at a time when we simply cannot afford to wait, let alone go backwards. So we must fight for climate justice, to make sure that those who bear the least responsibility for causing global warming—primarily People of Color and poor people—do not bear the worst impacts, and to ensure future generations have a world that is livable.

If we are to be effective in any of these struggles, all of these will require joining with other communities in solidarity and in action, because we cannot do it alone. It is our role to show up and ask Muslim and immigrant communities what they need and how we can support. As a predominantly white congregation, will need to learn how to be effective allies, and develop our capacity for working in multicultural environments.

Though there are so many issues beyond these that we are all passionate about, in this particular moment I want to invite us all to listen attentively to the needs of those vulnerable among us, particularly within our community, and have that be the guide for where we focus our work.

Though I deeply wish the circumstances were different, I am heartened to see how many people are ready and willing to show up for justice. I am glad to be doing this work with all of you.

In Blessed Struggle,

Rev. Matthew

November 26, 2016
RE MATTERS: Religious Education Matters: Learning to Speak Love and Hope in times of Hate and Fear

By Emmalinda MacLean
Director of Religious Education
emmalindadre@gmail.com

In the aftermath of the presidential election, I’ve seen more and more of my friends and fellow Emersonians challenging themselves to become more informed, involved, and vocal activists, and it’s inspiring. It’s also hard, but church is a good place to develop and practice the language and skills needed to stand up for your beliefs. This is a big part of what I hope Emerson’s children gain from attending our Religious Education classes, and what I work to make sure we teach.

On the Sunday after the election, our classes discussed the importance of sending messages of love, welcoming, support, and hope; then they used sidewalk chalk to write some of these messages on the corner in front of our church, where Emerson’s neighbors would see them. This was part of a nationwide action started by a UU minister in Minneapolis, which you can read more about here: http://www.twincities.com/2016/11/14/post-election-love-notes-in-chalk-appearing-around-twin-cities/

Emerson youth wrote expressions of love and encouragement on the sidewalk outside our church.

The Sunday after that, we talked about how different sides of a story can both be true, and that everyone deserves to have their version of a story heard. I explained to our first through fifth graders the meaning behind the African proverb: “Until lions have their storytellers, tales of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Then we created stories together, using “story stones” with images on them as prompts, with the rule that everyone got to add a piece of the story and we would all accept and include the ideas each child contributed.

1st through 5th graders created their own “story stones.”

On November 27, I’m excited to begin our holiday service project: we’ll be painting and decorating branches, planted in plaster-filled flower pots, and selling them as “magic wishing trees” to buy Christmas gifts and holiday meals for families living in poverty in Los Angeles. I can’t wait to see these tiny, whimsical, brightly-colored trees—they’ll make beautiful gifts that also support a worthy cause—and I look forward to seeing our children and youth find the joy in working to help those in need.

All of these lessons and more help shape a child’s faith: we give them a community that supports their family’s values, peers with whom they get to practice being in covenant, and fun experiences that I hope will keep them wanting to come back. But no single Sunday school class is going to change a child’s life; we all “practice” being our best selves at church, and keep working to get better at it. This practice is most likely to pay off for children when they attend church regularly–children internalize values and lessons when they’re exposed to them on a consistent basis. Underneath all our noble efforts to fight for justice, build bridges, and leave a better world, just showing up for each other is the most powerful, radical action we can take. I hope you’ll consider making it to church regularly an important part of your commitment to stand on the side of love and work for peace and justice in the world.

November 26, 2016
MUSICAL MUSINGS: Justice and Harmony

By Scott Rieker

Director, Emerson Choir

scott@scottrieker.com

As a middle school teacher, I often heard my students say, “It’s not fair!” when someone received something they did not have. This may have been a solo, a partner on a project, or a reward for a good grade, but the result was always the same: “It’s not fair.” My students had been taught a lie: that fair is equal. (This could also be couched as a confusion between equality and equivalency.) “It’s not fair” demands a consideration of justice, which is—strangely—apt when considering choral music.

Cicero defined justice as “giving a person their due; giving a person what is owed to them.” This assumes that everyone has dignity and worth. This also assumes that there will be subjective factors that influence what someone is owed. The example I used with my sixth graders illuminates this point:

Scott: If someone disrupts the class, should they get sent to the office?

Class: Yes!

Scott: What if they’re crying because their cousin died, and that disrupts the class? Should they get sent to the office?

Class: Oh…..no…….maybe the counselor…?

Circumstances matter; consequently, fair is not equal. Everyone needs, but everyone needs differently. There is an education policy cartoon where the instructor has a class of animals (e.g., a monkey, a giraffe, an elephant, a lion) and says something like, “You are all going to be graded on this standardized test. To be sure it’s fair, everyone has the same task. Now, go climb that tree…” If our goal was to get all of the animals to the top of the tree, the monkey would probably need nothing, and the elephant probably need a reinforced ramp. (And this is assuming it’s really wise or important to get everyone into that treetop in the first place.)

I propose that there are two poles, between which justice lies. At one extreme, there is the mindset: I’ll get everything I can get. This is often called “The law of the jungle” or “Might makes right.” Strength, advantage, privilege, and the like determine what one receives. At the other extreme lies the concept: Everyone must get everything in equal measure. Under the guise of being fair, we often ensure everything is doled out exactly the same to everyone. Sometimes we even call this “equality,” but this is actually “equivalency” or “interchangeability.” Everyone is not the same, and therefore their needs are not the same. People with the first mindset often believe that they deserve whatever they can get, and use any means whatsoever to achieve it. People in the second mindset, on the contrary, often believe that they are wronged when someone receives something they do not. They will often react indignantly and demand equity when what they are demanding is—in fact—unjust. Both of these mindsets grow from the mindset of “I deserve.” Perhaps a mindset of “How can we serve” would be a better perspective.

Somewhere between these lies the concept of justice. We do deserve. We deserve love, respect, material stability, and more. But if we focus on what we deserve, we might miss out on what those around us deserve. Paradoxically, if we focus on what others need, we will almost always get what we deserve.

And, finally…choral music. The first mindset is the “diva.” Every musician knows that person who demands more notes than anyone else, more solos, more spotlight time. You won’t find this person at Emerson, but you don’t have to look far beyond our walls. If a choir were made up of only people with this mindset, the resulting sound would be a cacophony: everyone clamoring to be heard, to be featured, to be in the forefront. This would not be music, nor would it be an ensemble. It would be chaotic noise. The second example, on the other hand, is an absurdity. It assumes that singers are interchangeable. Everyone should be a high soprano…sorry altos, tenors, and basses. Or, everyone should sing the melody…sorry harmony. Or, everyone should sing the solo…sorry blend.

Choral ensembles (and other ensembles, as well) are actually icons of justice: To each as they are due. In a good piece of music, everyone should have interesting musical lines, everyone should have an opportunity to come to the fore, and everyone should spend some time in the background. Sopranos sing the high part; basses sing the low part; tenors and altos add the interesting notes. The difference is: in an ensemble, everyone is serving one another and the music (a greater good). Everyone is conscious of how their line blends with the others, rather than how to make their line prominent at all times.

Music is a model of justice that will serve us well as we strive to create a message of hope in the face of discord. Everyone is due respect and love, as their dignity as a human person demands. Everyone’s needs are different, which influences the particular application of justice in each situation. We do not take everything we can get. We do not expect to receive the same things that everyone else gets. Instead, we look to the needs of others to create a harmonious whole.

November 21, 2016
SOUL MATTERS: What Does It Mean To Be A Community of Presence?

Spiritually, presence can mean two radically different things. On the one hand, contemplatives talk of “being present.” Presence from this perspective is all about awareness and remembering to “live in the moment.” On the other hand, theologians tend to come at presence from the perspective of “otherness.” Their concern is not just that we pay attention to the present moment, but that we notice a transcendent Presence that is woven through all moments.

This month, we refuse to takes sides. Attentiveness or otherness? Who says we have to choose? Isn’t it true that, more often than not, they dance together more than they compete? Isn’t it true that when we are most present, a powerful presence emerges? Pay attention to your child and slowly a confidence and unique self unfolds. Pay attention to the flow of your breathing or the flow of the ocean and something bigger than yourself enters the scene. Look for a long time at a singular tree and eventually it presents itself to you as a world in and unto itself.

The underlying message here is that the world is full of unnoticed gifts and grace. It’s a message perfectly fit for this month that so often celebrates presents over presence. In the face of commercials and billboards that tell us our lives will finally be complete if we stuff them with a few more shiny objects or plastic gadgets, our spiritual traditions come along and remind us that our lives are already complete. Their message: The greatest gift of the holidays is noticing the many gifts that have been sitting there all along.

So how will you engage this dance? What powerful and meaningful presence is waiting for you to be present to it? What gift is waiting and wanting to emerge? What will your awareness bring into being this month?

November 21, 2016
EMERSONIANS GATHER AFTER 2016 ELECTION

Following the November 2016 election, when emotions ran high, Rev. Matthew McHale opened Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church to the community to come together for support. During an emotional candlelight services, attendees expressed their feelings of disappointment, confusion, anger, and frustration. Then, led by Rev. Matthew McHale, they marched in protest along Sherman Way and surrounding streets in Canoga Park.

November 15, 2016