From the Minister

7-11-05

I enjoyed Jim Joyner’s sermon about the rituals in our life. He has an engaging presence in the pulpit. Almost made me want to register for one of his classes. He told me that next year he’ll be teaching four classes at three colleges. And his wife Paige will be teaching a full load, too.

That information prompted Kate and me to discuss the dubious nature of hiring practices at colleges and universities. It’s obvious that they are under the same financial constraints as everyone else. It’s also obvious that they take it out on the adjuncts, those teachers who are young, energetic, hungry and without a tenure–track position. Kate, who taught French, Chorus and Drama for 25 years, says that four classes is too much for an part–time, untenured teacher.

I was never a teacher, so I don’t know. But four classes and the preparation needed for each seems an onerous task for a green teacher. I wonder what’s expected of the senior faculty.

In Rochester, New York, several years ago, the school board instituted a plan that made sense to me. They assigned their toughest classes in their worst schools with their most un-motivated students to their most experienced teachers. I don’t know how this program fared, but I thought the concept was excellent. Assign the best teachers to the worst situations.

Because of his professional life, it seems that Jim’s domestic life was taking a hit. It was obvious that the time for family rituals will be constrained. I wish it were not so. If this situation is similar to yours, I hope you, find a way to establish and practice the rituals that connect you to them members of your family.

It was good to see everyone again in church. I'm happy to be home.

July 8, 2005

There's lots happening this summer in both the UUA and other denominations around issues of sexual morality and justice. I thought I'd round up a few things you might want to read. Come back again. I'll have more to say in the following weeks.

First off, check out the news of the UUA General Assembly by following this link.

Secondly, congratulate Rev. Johnny Mingus at Pilgrim Congregational Church (UCC). We celebrate the United Church of Christ vote to affirm same sex marriages. Announced on July 4th, it truly was a vote to affirm life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation. On Monday, July 4, 2005, according to the UCC website, “General Synod 25 overwhelmingly passed a resolution in support of equal marriage rights for all people. . . . It marks the first time that one of the nation’s mainline churches has expressed support of marriages for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons.”

Follow this link to read the Marriage Equality Resolution. You'll need Adobe Reader, a free program that my son worked on. Here's a link to get it.

On June 22, 2005, Southern Baptist Convention voted to end their boycott of the Walt Disney Corporation. Taken at the SBC annual meeting, this vote comes after eight years of condemning the corporation as immoral and “gay-friendly.” The resolution reads, “Be it resolved, That we urge The Disney Company to Serve the Families of America by providing only those products that affirm traditional family values.”

To read the SBC resolution, follow this link.

You might enjoy the daily posts from Straight into Gay America. The Rev. Lars Clausen is a straight ELCA Lutheran pastor who is riding his unicycle across the United States to raise awareness of LGBT issues and religion. He began his ride on June 14, 2005 and will finish it on July 19, 2005. He began in Burlington, Vermont. Each day, his current host recommends another host. Pastor Clausen writes, “Day two will tell me where to spend day three, and so on. I hope to travel like this the entire month, from story to story, life to life, all connected from the start to the finish of the journey on July 19th. Where it will end, no one will know in advance.”

To learn more, follow this link.