Presented by the HUU Board of Trustees
February 3, 2008
Story for all Ages
John Godfrey Saxe’s ( 1816-1887) version of the famous Indian legend
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!”
The Second, feeling of the tusk
Cried, “Ho! what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up he spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake!”
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!”
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope.
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
Moral:
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen.
Service: Lost Scrolls of HUU
Note: Old woman is helped to the speaker’s podium. She is dressed all in red with red hat carrying a cane.
If there is anyone out there that doesn’t know me I’m….oh yes I’m Kathleen Burke and I am still congregational liaison to the Board of Trustees at Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists (HUU) today February 2058 as I have been since 2007. As you know since our membership is up to 250 members, we decided to again expand the size of our space. Since we can’t expand up, for fear of getting in the way of local air traffic, we have decided to expand down. During the process of clearing out the basement, we came upon some interesting documents hidden away since 2008. Let’s call them “The Lost Scrolls of HUU.†(laugh) Seems they were the efforts of that board to communicate with the congregation of 2008, and apparently, they got misplaced for some reason.(Not very good at organizing as I remember) After deciphering the primitive handwriting of that time, we thought you would be interested to hear what was going on then, so we can better understand how we got where we are now. Perhaps we’ll even learn about the communication breakdown that occurred way back then.
The first is the lost scroll of Beryl Lawson
February, 2008
To the Congregation of HUU, I send you greetings. I feel moved to share with all of you what some may call a spiritual experience.
As you may know, the Board of Trustees of this congregation met last month in retreat to discuss and act upon some of the challenges with which we are faced. As we are charged with the governance of the church we take very seriously the obligations with which you have entrusted us .
In a sense, the Board is a microcosm of the entire congregation. We are seven individuals with differing personalities and means of dealing with questions that arise. Some of us are active and bold and fast in deciding things. Others of us are deliberative and thoughtful and take time before coming to decisions.
As you may see, this can be a source of difficulty. If taken to the extreme it is an issue that may well divide us and destroy the possibility of working together for the common good.
Fortunately, we have a wonderful statement of the three basic religious tasks, which the board adopted following the recommendations of the Long Range Planning Task Force of several years ago. Let me remind you of them: they are: Sense making, Care giving and Justice seeking.
With these three tasks before us we have been able to listen to each other to try to make sense of what is before us, care for each other, those who may be tired, unwell or just not ready to give his or her all, and try to do justice to what we are here to do.
Working from this point of view I found that the retreat was wonderful. We cared for each other, respecting each other’s needs and fed each other royally.
We strove mightily to state clearly what we needed to do, spelling out how we planned to do the task and came away with detailed action items that will make it easier to do our job.
Respecting each other was an expression of justice seeking . We were learning to put our needs second to the needs of the others.
Can you see why I say, that for me, this was a spiritual experience?
The great thing about basic principles is that they can be applied in many circumstances and with many people, whether in small groups like a family or a congregation, or in large groups like a country or countries. I saw that these principles applied in our retreat among a few of us. I charge us, as a congregation of truth seekers to try to make sense of life: how things work? why we are here? How can we help each other look deeper into the world and its puzzles?
As a community of souls looking to change the world, how do we care for each other? For our community? For the world?
As people who may have some idea of what it means to be different how can we seek for justice for those who suffer for being different? For those of the minorities of whatever religion, class, race or sexual preference?
As some of you may know, I am a charter member of HUU. Coming in at the beginning has given me a long range perspective, one might say. I’ve seen us starting out in someone’s living room. I’ve seen us trying to learn what Unitarian Universalism is. I have been present for many a debate as to the meaning of church, worship, spiritual and prayer. Amen. Did we want a minister? Did we not want a minister? Should we own our own building? Where? How could we afford it? And through it all I feel we have tried to use our principles and our three chief religious tasks to guide us. Perhaps we have not always succeeded but we cannot ever be accused of giving up. I hope we never will.
I’ve perhaps gone on too long.
I send you my greetings and best wishes that we may as a congregation of Unitarian Universalists renew our efforts to use our three religious tasks so that we may grow and be better able to serve each other and the world..
Who knows where we might be in one hundred years if we live out our goals?
All my respect and love,
Beryl Lawson
Next the lost scroll of Ralph Grove –
The Gospel According to Owl
In the year 2008 of the common era it came to pass that a famous Unitarian minister from Transylvania came to Harrisonburg with a request to hold a public inquiry at HUU on a topic of great religious importance. The most reverent visitor, speaking through an interpreter, asked to call a meeting of the learned lay ministers of the congregation, who might be skillful in debate, in order to have a great exchange of ideas about the nature of the key religious tasks of the congregation.
A congregational meeting was called in which the members were told of the great and wise visitor and of his desire to hold a public inquiry into matters of congregational spirit. “This visitor is not only famous but a great travelerâ€, they were told, “and if we cannot bring forth someone learned and articulate in such matters who can put forth a respectable intellectual showing, then it will be said everywhere that the UUs of Harrisonburg are of no account, and our good name will be injured.†The Board members held a long meeting in which they debated the possibilities of who might represent HUU in argument against the visitor. Shall we invite a learned UU minister from Boston? Shall we seek a Professor of Theology from the University. At last they decided to ask the advice of a sage member of the congregation, identified here only as The Owl.
The Owl thought for a while about this challenge then spoke. “Leave it to meâ€, said the Owl. “If I can offer great wisdom to counter this visitor’s philosophy, then all will be fine. If not, then all you have to say is “Oh, that Owl fellow is a crackpot! He came to the meeting uninvited and spoke without thinking. Pay him no attention!†The Board accepted his offer to be scapegoat for the congregation and sent him forth with their blessing.
On the day of the appointed meeting, a great crowd was gathered in the sanctuary, where a whiteboard was set up at the front for the two to draw their competing arguments about key religious tasks, since they spoke no common language.
After the participants had been introduced, a hush fell over the room as the visitor took the floor. He began by drawing a large circle on the board, after which he rested and looked at his challenger. The Owl arose at once and drew a line right through the center of the circle, dividing it into two equal halves. He looked at the visitor, who, with a nod of his head, indicated his approval. The Owl then drew a second line, dividing the circle into quarters. With a motion of his hands, he made a gesture as if he would draw three of the quarters to himself, while pushing the other quarter to the visitor. The visitor nodded again, visibly impressed.
The visitor then stood and held his hand in the form of an open tulip. He then stretched out his fingers and waved them several times in the air, pointed up. The Owl made a gesture exactly the reverse so that his fingers pointed to the ground, to which the visitor gave another sign of approval. Then the visitor pointed to himself and with his fingers imitated an animal walking on the ground. Finally he pointed to his stomach and made a sign as if her were pulling something out. The Owl took an egg from his pocket and, shaking his arms, imitated the act of flying. Finally, the visitor bowed to The Owl in a gesture of strong reverence of his wisdom.
After he had made his goodbyes and was traveling from Harrisonburg, the visitor was asked by his traveling companion to explain the debate. “I first drew a circle to show that humanity is oneâ€, said the visitor. My opponent then drew it into halves to say that we are separate individuals, but still part of the same whole. He then showed that we care for each other, by sharing one fourth of all that he had with me. Next I illustrated the supreme mystery of life by pointing to the heaven above as the source of life and soul. He responded by also pointing to the earth to illustrate that there are many sources of wisdom and that we should make sense of the mystery by grounding ourselves in rationality. Finally I showed that although we have souls, we also walk on the earth and must seek justice in order to make it a better world. He responded that justice is born of a single act, like a bird from an egg, and that our commitment can give it wings like an eagle. What a brilliant person! Truly the UUs of Harrisonburg are a wise and enlightened group.
That same day, the congregation asked The Owl to explain to them the great debate they had witnessed, for they understood little of it. “Well, the poor fellow was obviously dirt poor and very hungry, for the first thing he drew was a huge pie! I divided the pie into pieces to show that I would share them with him, but he didn’t understand so I gave him one piece while I kept the other three. Then he held his hand up as if to say, Oh if only we had a cup of fair trade coffee to go with the pie! I made a gesture to say, Yes, and we can flavor it with organic sugar and vegan cream substitute! Finally, he pointed to his stomach as if to say, I am very hungry, so let’s end this debate and go eat! I answered to show that I could fly like a bird since I was so empty, because there was nothing to eat at home this morning except for this one lousy egg and I had to get up so early for this debate that I haven’t had time to eat even that!†Hah! Wise man indeed!
Then the lost scroll of Amy Thompson
When I was approached to serve on the Board 3 years ago, I was surprised even to be considered – would I be able do the job? I was asked to serve because I’m the parent of young kids and would provide a unique perspective for board decisions. But, just what does it mean to be a board member? What are the responsibilities? I would have to find out.
My tenure on the board began soon after an unsettled time at HUU when the previous minister had left. So the first several months were spent trying to understand what had happened and what we were supposed to do next. In addition to handling ordinary business, the board is to provide long-range vision for the purpose of the congregation. It’s exciting to have some input in, and influence on, the direction of a spiritual organization.
Each year, the board has a retreat where we gather for a weekend to plan the coming year. This gives us a longer, uninterrupted time to discuss important issues, more than the monthly, after-service meetings. In 2006, The Board first talked about the Long Range Planning Committee’s suggestions. That committee looked at how we can grow as a congregation and one of their conclusions was that we need to have clear spiritual goals before we can consider physical growth. They proposed the idea of three key religious tasks for us to uphold – sense-making, care-giving, and justice-seeking. This concept has been the core of The Board’s work since then.
We agreed that these are ideas that we already incorporate, and that we could make them more obvious to the congregation. In 2007, we decided to continue emphasizing these 3 key religious tasks and to look into setting up a lay ministry team that was also suggested by the Long Range Planning Committee. The tasks dovetail nicely with the concept of shared ministry.
The shared ministry task force has spent this past year carefully researching the concept of shared ministry and how to set up a team to formalize the work of those 3 key religious tasks. We need to recognize that we already do shared ministry, sense-making, care-giving, and justice-seeking, and that as we refine these skills, we will become known in the larger Valley community as a place where people can come to take advantage of all we have to offer.
These concepts of religious tasks and shared ministry have been a focus of the Board of HUU for several years already and will undoubtedly continue to be a focus in the future. One of the benefits of being on The Board is that we share responsibility, like sharing ministry. We have seven different personalities and perspectives, but we work together to set goals for the future. After learning the ropes in my first year, I felt that I actually could make a positive contribution to the workings of our congregation. Being on the board makes me feel more a part of this congregation.
Then there is the lost scroll of Eyeore/Lincoln Gray
(you really had to meet this guy-such a nice wife) anyway just remember that Eeyore is a character in the book series Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne. He is a pessimistic, gloomy, old, depressed, grey stuffed donkey. His philosophy is shared by others who share the dubious distinction of being Gray.
The Scroll of Eeyore (a pessimist’s manifesto) “Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless,” it says in an even older scroll labeled Ecclesiastes from the year 973 BC. That scroll writer sure seems to have some worthwhile and long-lasting wisdom. So now, some 2981 years later, nothing has changed.
Why did I agree to serve on this Board of Trustees? I guess I got my arm (actually my tail) twisted again. This Board will never get anything done; never define the key tasks for this religious community; never get us to look outward and not just inward. We will never make any sense of our spiritual lives. Care-giving (to each other-that is) is understandable. I can understand that because I could use some care myself once in a rare while (not that anyone cares about old sad Gray donkeys). But justice-seeking and sense-making? We pessimists just believe that the world is unfair and that there is no real justice. Even worse is how to do the mandated Board Services that we need to put on at the beginning of February each year. Do you really think this folly will continue for another 50 years? I hope not. How could we possible say anything that has any meaning? Many people, much more dedicated and more inspired than this writer, have surely tried to explain the meaning of life , to define the key religious tasks, and to write meaningful services. Communication between the Board and the congregation will probably fail. I predict, in fact, that this scroll will not be found or read to a congregation for another 2981 years, not until the year 4989.
The names Ecclesiastes and Eeyore seem somewhat similar. He and I seem to think alike; I wonder if we are related. I wonder if he was gray like I am. I think it is appropriate that the spell-checker of my computer’s “Scroll-processor†wishes to change the title of this scroll (and my name) from Eeyore to “eyesoreâ€.
Actually the Board Retreat wasn’t all that bad, but I will never admit that to anyone. It is remarkable that a liberal religious presence has persisted in the great valley of the Shenandoah River for almost twenty years, but what is that in the span of millennia and what is that compared to the religious presence in the great valley of the Jordan River? So I will end with more words from the wise Ecclesiastes: “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11)
So we hope you can see that then as now The Board has striven mightily to be worthy of the trust you have put on us, has attempted to reduce miscommunication, and focused the range of possibilities to improve our collective spiritual journeys, even way back then. And, of course, all of our actions might be inherently vain, futile, and meaningless; so we need to make the best of what we have. Aren’t we fortunate that enough of what was in their hearts and minds in 2008 was able to make it through so that we have been able to grow individually and as a congregation to where we are today, in 2058. We can see that we each must make sense of our own world, take care of our selves and seek our own justice, as well as, help others make sense of this world, offer whatever gifts we have to physically and spiritually take care of our fellow humans, and seek a just world for all, right in line with the principles of Unitarian Universalism.