Group Urges Unplugging to Take Back Sabbath

One group trying to take back the Sabbath is Reboot -- a nonprofit organization aimed at reinventing the traditions and rituals of Judaism for today's secular Jews.

Composed of Internet entrepreneurs, creators of award-winning television shows, community organizers and nonprofit leaders, these "Rebooters" are people who typically have their cell phones glued to their palms. Several of them go so far as to say they have an addiction to their devices.

They pledged to observe 24 hours of freedom from their devices this past weekend: a National Day of Unplugging, lasting from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.

The day was to launch Reboot's ongoing project, the Sabbath Manifesto. Dan Rollman, a Rebooter and founder of the Universal World Record Database Web site, created the Sabbath Manifesto because he felt that technology was taking over too much of his life.

"There's clearly a social problem when we're interacting more with digital interfaces than our fellow human beings," Rollman said in an e-mail to CNN. "Rich, engaging conversations are harder to come by than they were a few years ago. Our attention spans are silently evaporating."

The Sabbath Manifesto consists of 10 principles. However, people are encouraged to discuss online which principles work and which should be tweaked. As they stand now, the guiding principles are:

1. Avoid technology.
2. Connect with loved ones.
3. Nurture your health.
4. Get outside.
5. Avoid commerce.
6. Light candles.
7. Drink wine.
8. Eat bread.
9. Find silence.
10. Give back.

Read the full article at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/19/national.unplugging.day/index.html?hpt=C2

Quote Time

If you are patient
in one moment of anger,
you will escape a hundred days
of sorrow.

~ Chinese Proverb

UCC Leaders Laud Health Care Passage as Being of the Realm of God

Leaders in the United Church of Christ are lauding passage of major health care reform following a vote of the U.S. House of Representatives on March 21.

"We thank the members of the House of Representatives for their courage, vision, and leadership in making a wise decision and voting on what is best for people living in the United States," said the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, the UCC's general minister and president, who was in Washington, D.C., attending the UCC-supported Ecumenical Advocacy Days when the House gave its approval to historic health care reform. "The passing of this bill moves us closer to the realm of God, a realm where mercy, compassion and love for all reigns on earth."

Black said members across the UCC are rejoicing that "the House put millions of individuals, children and families ahead of politics and egos and voted to help end the suffering of those without health insurance and to end the discriminatory practices of health insurance companies."

The Rev. Linda Jaramillo, executive minister of the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries, said, "After nearly a decade of struggling for a new health care system, this historic vote moves us closer to realizing the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health, as proclaimed by President Franklin Roosevelt's 1943 declaration 'Freedom from Want.'"

"While we recognize that the bill is far from perfect, we know that it was necessary to pass this bill as a first step in moving our great country forward in guaranteeing that health care is a basic right," Jaramillo said.

Remembering the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s oft-quoted sentiment, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman," Barbara Baylor, the UCC's minister for health care justice, said, "This day will go down in history as the first time that we can dare to believe that perhaps the injustice in health care will not remain the most shocking and inhuman."

"The United Church of Christ will continue to speak prophetically that health care is not only a basic human right but a human need that includes everyone," Baylor said. "We will continue to work with the faith community and the Administration to make sure that the bill is perfected and our health care system is inclusive, accessible, affordable and accountable or everyone."

From www.ucc.org

Concerts at Park Church Grand Rapids

Park Congregational Church, located at 10 East Park Place in downtown Grand Rapids, announces two upcoming concerts (www.parkchurchgr.org).

On Palm Sunday, March 28, at 4:00 pm, The Chancel Choir directed by Jim Metzler and accompanied by organist Carol McNally, will present John Stainer's The Crucifixion. Free admission.

On Monday, March 29, at 7:00 pm, Todd Wilson will play Marcel Dupre's monumental organ work, The Stations of the Cross with the poems of Paul Claudel. This recital is also free of charge.

Quote Time

Love is
an awareness,
an attitude,
a context for
understanding
life.

~ David Hawkins

Churches, Communities, and the White House

HRC Religion and Faith Program director Harry Knox reflects on the last year as a member of President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in The Advocate.

It has been my privilege for the last year to serve as a member of President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. As one of the two openly gay members of the advisory council, I want to give a brief report to the LGBT community on what was accomplished.

Read the full piece at http://advocate.com/Politics/Commentary/Churches_Communities_and_the_White_House/

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"Growth begins when we start to accept our own weaknesses."
~Jean Vanier

Cloistered Nuns Offer Wisdom on Humility: No Comparisons

By Amy Cunningham

When Sister Christiana and Mother Therese return from their lunch and the two prayer sessions that framed it, they present me with a reading on humility by Saint John Climacus. The sisters and I have been discussing humility all morning. What does it mean to be humble? Of all virtues, why is humility most important? Because their every gesture is cloaked in humility, because their low voices are so saturated with sincerity, I’m feeling rather proud of myself for getting an interview with the most humble spiritual teachers possible, certainly the most humility-enriched people residing within fifteen miles of the U.S. Capitol! But there I go, getting smug, losing my own humility again.

These cloistered nuns wear traditional habits and headdresses. They chant the divine office eight hours daily with thirteen other Poor Clare sisters in the monastery’s chapel, uplifted by the candlelit glow of thirteenth-century Franciscan ritual. They pray for the nation, the president, and all people in need; they also respond to scores of prayer requests weekly. But only a few priests who come in to say Mass get to see them. People who attend chapel services can hear the nuns’ ethereal voices, but their bodies are always hidden, as is their wish. “We come here to live in obscurity and die in obscurity, and usually we do not know the effect our lives and prayers have upon people,” says Mother Therese, who moved here as a novice more than twenty-five years ago. The sisters are so humble as they grapple with my questions, they’ve already thanked me for setting their minds to humility, insisting I’ve taught them something about it in the process.

So I’m not sure what to expect as their slender fingers slide my way the piece of paper on which is typed the reading on humility by Saint John Climacus. We are seated in the same parlor, separated by a fine-mesh screened partition through which I can see them for the purposes of this rare conversation.

I read aloud from what they’ve given me: “‘Humility is constant forgetfulness of one’s achievements.’ Oh yes, that’s good....”

“‘Humility is the disposition of a contrite soul and the abdication of one’s own will,’” I read on, adding, “Oh, that’s lovely too.”

“Yes, but he is saying that humility is more than these things,” offers Sister Christiana. “You will see when you get to the end.”

I skim to the bottom of the page and read back to them: “Humility is a grace in the soul with a name known only to those who have had experience of it.”

The three of us then utter little gasps you’d ordinarily reserve for fireworks. “It is indescribable wealth, a name and a gift from God.” At this, the nuns seem to indicate, “Oh yes, that’s it,” and I stop reading to look into their delighted faces for a second.

My thirteen-year-old son cannot define humility, but he can approximate what being humble means. “That’s like when you don’t brag about a good thing that has happened because you don’t want other people to feel bad,” he says. What happens to the good thing then? I ask. “Well, you can still enjoy it and think about it,” he says, “but you just keep it inside of yourself.”

No, honey, it’s harder than that. Humility means you stop labeling the things that happen to you as either good or bad. Your life’s assignment is to greet your fellow men with the assumption that they have a good thing inside them that you are curious to discover, no matter who they are. Your narrative, your history, travels with you, but you have stopped worrying about your rank. “Each person is unique,” the sisters like to say. “There is no comparison.” Humility is the great equalizer. Instead of keeping up with the Joneses, try viewing poverty as a privilege, as the Poor Clares do.

The Lord finds joy in his people,
He honors the lowly.
—The Liturgy of the Hours

To understand humility and fathom its riches, we must turn the world as we know it on its axis.

Read the rest of this wonderful article at

http://incharacter.org/features/good-habits/

Quote Time

You are either
opening in love,
or are closing in fear.
It's your choice.

~ David Deida

Get to Know Bishop Gene Robinson, Now Also Part of Center for American Progress

Jeff Krehely, Director of CAP’s LGBT Research and Communications Project, and Sally Steenland, Senior Policy Advisor for Faith and Progressive Policy, interviewed Robinson on March 22 about a number of issues, including his new role at CAP, what it was like to be ordained as the first openly gay bishop, what a bishop does, and what he sees as the major issues confronting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.

www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/03/robinson_interview.html

Quote Time

Stand up for what is right
even if you have to stand alone.

~ Anonymous

Noted Author of "If the Church Were Christian" to be at Nearby UCC Church

Phil Gulley at Portage United Church of Christ (PUCC), Portage MI April 9 & 10, 2010

As a part of its ACE (Adult Christian Education) program, Portage United Church of Christ welcomes Quaker pastor and author Phil Gulley back to our area.

The author of If Grace is True and If God is Love will discuss his new book, If the Church were Christian: Rediscovering the Value of Jesus, published by Harper Collins on February 2, 2010.

Gulley will review this latest book and answer questions from 7-9 p.m. on Friday evening, April 9, and continue on Saturday morning, April 10 from 9-11:30 a.m.. Each session will address different aspects of the book.

The chapter titles from If the Church were Christian are:

1. Jesus Would Be a Model for Living Rather Than an Object of Worship
2. Affirming Our Potential Would Be More Important Than Condemning our Brokenness
3. Reconciliation Would Be Valued over Judgment
4. Gracious Behavior Would Be More Important than Right Belief
5. Inviting Questions Would be Valued More Than Supplying Answers
6. Encouraging Personal Exploration Would Be More Important Than Communal Uniformity
7. Meeting Needs Would Be More Important Than Maintaining Institutions
8. Peace Would Be More Important Than Power
9. It Would Care More About Love and Less About Sex
10. This Life Would Be More Important Than the Afterlife

PUCC is located at 2731 West Milham Road, one half mile west of Oakland Drive, in Portage, MI 49024. http://www.portageucc.org/

There is no charge for this event; however, guests are requested to register in advance with the church office by April 5^th. Please call 327-3114.

Quote Time

It takes courage to live openly.

~ Rev. Marjorie Lipari

ACLU Michigan's Gay History

In 1966, Michigan's gay community faced many challenges. Undercover police officers regularly baited and arrested men in prostitution stings at gay pickup areas. Raids on downtown Detroit gay bars were frequent and their owners felt harassed. The gay community was fearful. Yet there was one organization willing to fight: the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.

"Miranda rights weren't being read to people," said Rolland O'Hare, ACLU of Michigan's first chairman from 1961 to 1966. "Once someone was arrested, there was no appointment of counsel. It made sense to stay in the closet."

That same year, O'Hare was approached by a man denied a promotion at a local automotive assembly plant because fellow employees refused to work for a "queer." O'Hare, a practicing labor attorney, recalls that the discrimination the gay community experienced in those days was not immediately obvious to the ACLU.

However, with all of these issues combined, O'Hare knew it was a concern that needed addressing. The ACLU of Michigan subsequently formed the country's first "Committee on the Rights of the Homosexual" nearly two years before the Stonewall riots in New York City.

"We probably handled 40 to 50 cases that year alone," said O'Hare. "Because gay plaintiffs now had lawyers, this ultimately led to many charges in the sting operations being dismissed."

More than 30 years later, when Kary Moss was appointed executive director for the ACLU of Michigan in 1998, the hostile climate for the LGBT community was strikingly similar. No legal protections existed to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Many people still questioned what "basic rights" meant to the LGBT community when addressing matters typically covered through marriage such as hospitalization, health care and inheritance. Proposal 2, Michigan's anti-gay marriage amendment, loomed on the horizon.

Read the rest of the article from PrideSource at:http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=40439

PFLAG Lakeshore: "Through My Eyes" on March 19

This Friday at PFLAG the program is a DVD called "Through My Eyes". This 46 minute 2009 DVD sponsored by the Gay Christian Network was created for Christians by Christians struggling with their sexuality and their love for God. Over two dozen young Christians agreed to share their private feelings, struggles, and experiences on camera. All of them hoped that their stories might make a difference. Bring a snack to share. Hope to see you there at Grace Episcopal Church, 555 Michigan Ave. We meet downstairs beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Want to Build a Wheelchair Ramp Together?

Greetings from PRiHZ (Project Ramp in Holland Zeeland)!

Spring is here! The ground is thawing and for those of us at PRiHZ, that means we’re gearing up for another season of building wheelchair ramps for financially-struggling, disabled individuals in our community. This has been our mission since we started in 2004.

In January, I sent a letter to your church to see if there would be any interest in partnering with us to provide the finances and/or volunteer labor to make a wheelchair ramp a reality for one individual in our community. Attached is a copy of that original letter, so please take some time to look it over and see if this is something in which your church would like to be involved.

If this is an area in which your church finds God calling you, but you have some further questions or need more information, please feel free to call me at (616)396-5326 ext. 101, or e-mail me at faith@dnlakeshore.org. Thank you and God Bless!

Warm Regards,

Faith Avery

Information & Referral Specialist

Disability Network Lakeshore

426 Century Lane

Holland, MI 49423

T: 616-396-5326 ext. 101

F: 616-396-3220

www.dnlakeshore.org

There are MORE people with disabilities than you think. MORE kinds of disabilities. And MORE opportunities to partner.

Disability Network is changing lives, communities, and perceptions.

When we work together, we can do MORE THAN YOU THINK.

The Spirituality of Gender Identity

by Sy Mukherjee (read the full article at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/03/spirituality_gender_identity.html)

Susan McIntyre hails from Des Moines, Iowa. Until her recent dismissal, she worked as a housekeeper and part-time counselor for the St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Student Center at Drake University. Susan is a devout Catholic convert who holds the values of her faith close to her heart and worships on a regular basis. So why would the Bishop of Des Moines fire this Catholic woman?

The answer: Susan McIntyre was born Jim Ford. She is transgender.

While there’s growing acceptance of lesbians and gays in many faith traditions, there is less familiarity—and acceptance—of transgender individuals. Many religious institutions believe that those who are transgender live in defiance of God’s law and should not be included in the faith community.

This picture is beginning to change. Reconstructionist Judaism, Reform Judaism, and various Quaker groups openly allow transgender worshippers in their congregations. Certain Christian denominations, including the Presbyterian Church (USA), Ecumenical Catholic Church, United Church of Christ, Metropolitan Community Church, and the Unitarian Church openly accept gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

Critics may charge that such faith communities represent liberal politicized distortions of their traditions and sacred texts. But a closer examination of such texts reveals a more complex and nuanced picture—and, in some cases, acceptance of transgender individuals.

For instance, the Christian Bible explains differences between types of “eunuchs,” or castrated men. The Book of Matthew states that there are “eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs,” (Matthew 19:12) or chosen to change their sexual anatomy, and that they should be “received,” or accepted. Further, in Acts, the Apostle Philip baptizes a eunuch, telling him that as long as he “believe[s] with all [his] heart” (Acts 8:37), there is no reason he cannot be baptized.

More important than texts, however, are the core religious principles of compassion, love, and acceptance. As Rev. Dr. Ted Jennings, a professor and former acting dean of the Chicago Theological Seminary, says, “While the fact of transgendering may make some folks uncomfortable, Christian faith and faithfulness is not dependent on gender in any way… In short, there is no problem in principle either in doctrine or in Biblical texts for the full acceptance of trans folk in Christianity.”

Baha'i Celebrate New Year on March 20

Starting at sundown on March 20th, Baha’is will celebrate Naw-Ruz (meaning “New Day” in Persian) - specifically New Year 167 BE of the Baha’i Era. Naw-Ruz is one of the nine Baha'i holy days on which Baha'is suspend work and school.

As with Baha’i holy days generally, there are few specific rules for the observance/celebration of Naw-Ruz. It is typically observed with celebration and prayer. And, since the sunset on which Naw-Ruz begins ends the last day of the Baha’i Fast, observances are often combined with a dinner. For many Baha’is Naw-Ruz is also a day of gift-giving.

NOTE: Baha'is follow the Badi (Wonderful) calendar, which consists of 19 months of 19 days each (361 days), with the addition of "Intercalary Days" (four in ordinary and five in leap years) between the 18th and 19th months to adjust the calendar to the solar year. Months are named after the attributes of God. The first month of the Baha’i year is Baha (meaning Splendor).

The folks at Adherents.com tell us that there are well over 7 million people of Baha’i Faith globally. After sundown on March 20th, we ask that each of you pause for a few moments and, in a manner appropriate in your faith tradition and/or belief system, send thoughts of love and good will to all of our Baha’i brothers and sisters.

Happy Naw-Ruz!

Shalom Salaam Peace

Kay & Dave Corby, Founders
Common Tables

"In a world in which religion is the source of bitter division and bloodshed, as well as of love, caring and peace, it is important for people of differing faiths to find a common table where they can demonstrate a shared devotion while learning of the beliefs of others. As conceived, "Common Tables" is an effort to facilitate that kind of sharing and learning. We have met and learned from a modest sampling of believers and unbelievers. We hope to meet more and learn more and to share our commitment to a shared humanity."Dan L. Colorado

Quote Time

Without
inner disarmament,
it is very difficult to
achieve genuine, lasting
world peace.

~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Holland Is Ready Presents Speaker March 29

Holland is Ready, a group of local leaders working for the safety, rights and inclusion of LGBT persons presents On Being Liked: A Conversation with James Alison on Monday, March 29^th at 7:30pm at Hope Church. James Alison is a Catholic priest and theologian who has lectured and taught throughout the U.S., the United Kingdom and Latin America. His books, which include On Being Liked, The Joy of Being Wrong, Fragments Catholic and Gay, and Raising Abel, are strikingly original and creative in their exploration of central Christian Themes. Come listen, discuss and consider with us that GLBT inclusion is a faithful thing to do.