The Free Seeker
The Voice of Liberal Religion in the Tri-State
and
The E-Newsletter of the Unitarian Fellowship of Huntington, WV
March 31, 2010
Program for Sunday, April 4, 2010
Open Discussion
This is how we usually kick off the month. Consider news topics on your mind as possible subjects of discussion. How about the newly-passed health bill, congressional elections next November, subduing Iraq: can we do it, and is it worth the trouble? How about, are the tea parties Republican goon squads in disguise?
Future Sunday Programs
April 11: Matt Christiansen: "Autobiography"
April 18: Bill Price of the Sierra Club
April 25: Jim Lewis representing West Virginia Patriots for Peace
May 2: Open Discussion
May 9: Jacqueline Muth on "Occupied Minds Inside Occupied Palestine"
May 16: Bart Herman on "The Gospel Revisited"
May 23: TBA
May 30 Fellowship Picnic
Retrospective of Last Sunday
Mike Mitchell came by to tell us about the AIDS Task Force accompanied by his friend Eric, who is from Guatemala. Mitchell's office is at 1028 6th Avenue, just up the street from us. Mitchell, who is himself infected, used himself as a model of a more or less typical case. He is gay and has been with his partner for 8 years. He moved to Huntington recently, having spent 25 years in Columbus, Ohio, the last 20 of them working at the Hyatt Regency.
He made a distinction between HIV infection on the one hand and the full-blown advance of the disease that leads to death on the other. Claire asked him if he had surgical complications, to which he replied in the negative. The first thing afflicted people ask is "How long do I have to live?" Here are some of the things Mitchell stressed. * his belief in a Creator
* you don't have to be gay to get the virus,
* women in prison as a subset of infectees,
* it is dangerous, but you can live with it,
* his own treatment began with some 30 to 40 drugs a day, and now he is
down to 7,
* his message to gays and straights alike: use protection,
* on February 14th, Valentine's Day, he and some co-workers gave out safety
kits calling themselves "Cupid and his Fairies."
He said it cost him $4,800 to live for a month. At one time he was down to 100 pounds. He applied for early Social Security. While he was going through this he lost three members of his family: his father and two aunts. Reconciliation with his family was difficult, when he finally explained his life-style to them. His father (bless him!) said, "I'm okay with it as long as you don't wear a dress." However, his brothers and sisters couldn't wait for him to die.
He mentioned the Ryan White Fund as a source of financial aid. There are 2000 people in the program in West Virginia. Asked how many infected people get to be functional he said, "80%."
I was confused when he talked about viral loads that are measured in "copies." HIV, the first stage was 200 copies and more. Full-blown was 750. Normal leveling off was 1200 to 1600. There is about a 6 month window in which to stabilize.
Homily: "The Cosmic Sound" by the Reverend Jack Wilkinson
Many years ago, when I first practiced raja yoga, after a few months of meditation I acquired the cosmic sound, which in yoga is known as the 'OM' sound (alternate spelling 'AUM'). It is also a manifestation of the "music of the spheres." This metaphor suggests that the same mathematical relationships that exist in concert music can be found in the universe on a grander scale. The theological correlation of OM is one's personal god. Philosophically speaking, it is our personal, individual connection with the cosmos.
No matter how good or bad I've been the OM sound is always with me, although much of the time I ignore it. When I say, "no matter how good or bad," I mean that the sound is there not to judge me but to protect me and constantly heal me. The OM is not a tune but a constant which can change in intensity. Mine is a high pitch like an oboe. For those looking for excitement it is, no doubt, humdrum, but for those seeking a steady companion it is ever-faithful.
The OM sound is not a Rosetta stone. It does not give me the secrets of the spirit world. However, it is a connection, a connection to faith and hope in a larger life and my participation in it.
The Church and its Mission
In the spring 2010 issue of the UU World my colleague Dan Hotchkiss has an article entitled "Who Owns Your Congregation?" His conclusions are instructive. Here are a few of his comments.
Board members should represent not only present members but future members as well.
A good Board member will not simply reflect the preferences of the membership but also influence the membership to move in a new direction.
Sometimes Board members are entrusted with a ministerial role, as, say, an elder in the Presbyterian Church.
Board members, some would say, have a fiduciary role (from the Latin fides, meaning 'faith'). The Board controls property on the part of the owner, but who is the owner? The membership? Not really. Unlike a corporation for profit, a church cannot liquidate itself and divide up its assets among its members. For-profits must benefit their stockholders, but non-profits may not benefit their members. Members are not owners. The "owner" that the Board must serve is the congregation's mission, the covenant that the congregation has set its heart to, and the piece of the Divine Spirit that belongs to it. Quoting Peter Drucker he says, "the core product of all social sector organizations is a changed human being. A congregation that limits its vision to pleasing its members falls short of its true purpose. Growth, expanding budgets, building programs, and such trappings of success matter only if they reflect positive transformation in the lives of the people touched by the congregation's work."
Other Meetings in our Building
* Buddhist Meditation Group, Wednesdays at 6:00 PM (beginning April 7th).
* CUUPS Group Fridays 6-8 PM. (This is a switch back from Thursdays beginning April 2nd). All welcome. Presentation of the traditions of earth-bound religions, with drumming every other week.