by Merle Wenger
May 5 2025
UU Minute
James Luther Adams (1901-1994) was a prominent Unitarian Universalist theologian and a significant figure in 20th-century liberal religious thought. Born in 1901 in a small Nebraska town, Adams faced a challenging youth that shaped his commitment to social justice and religious pluralism. He studied at several institutions, including Harvard Divinity School, where he was influenced by both Unitarianism and the pragmatism of philosophers like William James and John Dewey.
Adams is best known for his concept of “the ethics of responsibility,” emphasizing the need for individual and collective action in the pursuit of justice. He believed that personal faith must be expressed through social action, encouraging congregations to engage in meaningful community service and advocacy.
Adams defines ministry broadly, and that caught my attention: defining ministry as a means of engaging in the world to shape history through voluntary associations like church, promoting social justice and ethical action, and fostering dialogue and consensus across different groups.
Adams argued for a faith grounded in shared human values rather than specific dogmas.
I believe that definition of ministry includes what we share in Covenant group as well as here on Sunday, from the pulpit, across the dinner table and during coffee hour.
10 Reasons I Value Going to Church
Number 1: Music That’s one of the reasons I show up here every Sunday morning, and why a lot of Americans go to church. To hear beautiful music. To step out of the micromanaged brain and let the soundwaves wash over you. Like meditation, listening to music can pause the brain from the “monkey brain” overprocessing of information. I know that happens to me often when I hear Dee play the prelude. It’s one way church attendance can be transformative. Thank you, Letitia, and thank you Dee for scrubbing the doldrums out of our neural pathways
Number 2: A Safe Place Because we believe in a free and responsible search for truth and meaning I have been able to explore what I believe, and not only what I believe, harking back to Ben’s service last Sunday on Beliefs and Values, our Sunday services always help me review what I value—where I want to extend Merle, where I curtail Merle. Our concept of shared ministry has encouraged me to share my personal message freely as my spiritual life has evolved, a process of which James Luther Adams alludes.
Our Congregational style, non-hierarchical roots established local autonomy with no central controlling authority, emphasizing instead corroboration and mentoring. With a very few exceptions, in my opinion, our board has played an ongoing constructive, hands-off decentralized role in our success. Adding a paid minister to this organizational structure is a challenging aspect of the future ministerial search.
I believe as members, we each have a responsibility for ministry, (which I define loosely as sharing our value convictions), that is, whether here at this podium, in covenant group, or in one on one conversations, sharing our beliefs and values is what expands the inclusiveness of the Unitarian Universalist experience, while at the same time binds us more closely to each other. That togetherness makes us feel safer. I value that safety.
Number 3: A Place of Expansion and Divergence This is where I came out. This is the place that told me, no matter what, I mattered. This is the place that could make you feel that you matter more. For me, volunteering played a role in that feeling of expansion and divergence. From serving as treasurer and a board member for three terms, serving on religious education and buildings and grounds, and my most recent 12-year stint on the worship committee, I came to appreciate more fully the contributions so many people are making to expand our network here at HUU but also in the community. When we connect through social action with VIA, Open Doors or protests on the square, Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists expands. I believe such expansion is a mark of our future viability.
Number 4: A Place of Contraction Here we are protected from the cultural and atmospheric elements that disturb us. From the beginning of civilization, people have learned the value of gathering with like-minded people to achieve a level of safety and growth. Here it is perfectly alright to show up on Sunday morning and talk to nobody. There are days when that is necessary. If you can’t do it here, you can do it on Zoom. I believe the religious experience expects us to take time out, to reflect and reorganize. As a functioning family, we can support each other in those slowdown times. Sometimes the hurt inside turns us into observers. At those times church needs to be a place of contraction.
Number 5: A Place that teaches me something new. Serving on the worship committee, especially through Covid, made me appreciate the thirst that exists among Unitarian Universalists for a variety of worship experience. From Fusion Farm Sunday, Flower Communion, Action Sunday, our UU ministers’ teachings, other faith leaders from the synagogue and mosque, social service providers such as Skyline Literacy, Gemeinschaft or the Climate Action Alliance, Lee Anna’s sustainable nutrition service–we are constantly being taught respect for values other than our own. It is critical to our denomination to mutually entwine our values through other community helping organizations.
Number 6: A Place that Makes me Hope Children give me the most hope. I always hate to miss a service here in the sanctuary, often times because I have been involved with the Worship Committee in setting up the service. Nevertheless, each time I spend the morning with the children, I come away feeling abundant admiration for the teachers and the children. The last time I assisted Sandy, Griffen asked in sharing time how old you needed to be to assist in the nursery, as his sister Pepper was doing that on this Sunday. Sandy commented that he could also assist there. On asking him why he would want to serve there, (wondering privately what that said about the RE program) he surprised me by responding that he liked the smaller space, that large open spaces are often too distracting to him. That was my takeaway lesson for the morning. First, that a child is self-aware enough to recognize that, and second, to put it into words to teach others.
The other point I want to emphasize is the importance of other members and friends presenting the Worship message. I will name a few that stand out, but each of you that has stood here and shared, I value. I value Linda Dove’s series on Unitarian Universalist history series, Dr Tembo’s lessons from his African childhood, David Lane’s many years of Rekindling our Flame in January, Bill Faw’s psychological insights, Martha Sider’s leading the Flower Communion, Paula sharing her passion for religious education in many ways, and Mary Hahn’s service years ago about the value of Alcoholics Anonymous in her family. You all have touched me with your words and vulnerability. That keeps me coming back. I think an HUU minister will always encourage ministry from as many people as possible, to honor our lay led legacy and Congregational roots.
Finally, I value our sharing of Joys and Concerns as a particularly moving aspect of our shared ministry. When someone stands behind this podium to share their most private joy or sadness, it is often a memorable element of the service for me: many of you have shared that same feeling. I once heard a seasoned minister at General Assembly state that congregants are much more interested in when she shared her failures rather than her successes. I think that truth shines a light on the value of authenticity in Joys and Concerns. My definition of ministry values the message both of a trained minister and the unvarnished sharing of friends or members standing up being vulnerable, sharing their truth.
Number 7: A Place that teaches us to share. Most significantly, I am aware how important it is to get up on Sunday to show up for the service. I know that seems simplistic but I don’t think it can be over-emphasized. Sharing your precious Sunday morning time here with everyone else is a gift in itself. The gift of presence doesn’t require you to even open your mouth, but eventually it will encourage that sharing as well. Sharing food on potluck Sunday is another way in which we share. It’s obvious when the bountiful lunch spread unfolds that many of our friends have taken great care in preparing a special dish. Sharing a skill you have as a volunteer also binds you to the community. Sharing your message of beliefs and values, whether through direct conversation, but more vividly through action, is at the foundation of the religious community experience. Finally, sharing our financial treasure, whether it be in the basket on Sunday, or through an ongoing pledge, is a valuable method of casting your vote for the future of this community.
Number 8: A Place to Ponder the Big Question: Where did the Universe and We come from, the concept of God, it really is a construct that keeps evolving, especially now that the Supreme Court is close to authorizing Christian School funding, Elon Musk claiming to be a “cultural Christian, and where are we going? All our UU ministers, including Rev Onnie, demonstrate how their training emphasizes communicating these existential issues. I have come to appreciate over the past year, the importance of a minister spending part of their time in the pews and part behind the pulpit, which is customary in most UU churches, but also difficult for a quarter-time minister position.
Number 9: A Feeling of Family
When we sit next to each other, when you reach out and touch someone, when we gather around tables to eat together, when we greet each other when we engage with the children. These are all acts that create family. Families don’t run away when you have problems. They’re still there. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will always be there either. Sometimes as noted above, they might be in their individual cocoon trying to answer a big question or solving a painful problem. But in the end, family means there is usually someone with whom we can share a personal joy or concern.
Number 10: A Second Home
We rest, we recuperate, we gird up our loins. I am in a business that helps make home in a physical sense, emphasizing how proper furnishings, window treatments and accessories can harmonize to make the home more functional. This past week I spent an hour with a customer who asked for my assistance in rearranging their furniture to facilitate their grandson’s need to use a walker to move about the space. Here at HUU, we must always strive to furnish our home here to serve the needs of every friend, member or visitor, both physically and emotionally. We do function in an older building. Our physical space is sometimes difficult. Might we dream for a new home some day? Could it be on this property? Could we negotiate to purchase another acre from the goat farm behind our property to facilitate more parking space? Sometime ago I suggested we move downtown: a suggestion that was welcomed by some, while leaving others horrified. I thought it might be good to put another option on the table. I’ll leave you with that thought.
We won’t always get it right. Mistakes will be made. Feelings will get hurt. But we will learn to repair–how to better respect the inherent worth and dignity of each other. That is a challenge for a lifetime. I believe Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists has a bright future, when we consider the values associated with regular Sunday morning attendance.
We can celebrate how far this congregation has come over the past 33 years and we thank those early founders, like those who remain: Rossers, Fankhauser, Stricklers, Lawsons, McNallie, and Geary for their insight into the importance of a liberal voice in the Valley. They had a dream and I dream now for our continued dynamic growth. We offer the community an important alternative liberal religious experience that will impact the future of this part of the Shenandoah Valley. Thank-you for listening.