“We Dedicate This House in Appreciation and Aspiration”
A sermon by Rev. Charles Bluestein Ortman
For the Sanctuary Rededication Service
by Reverend Charles Blustein Ortman
May 18, 2008
READINGS ANCIENT AND MODERN:
Our first reading is a translation from the ancient Hebrew text of the Second Book of Samuel:
For you, O Lord, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, “I will build you a house;” therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer... And now, Lord… your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue for ever before you; for you… have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed for ever.
Our second reading, The Task of the Religious Community, is written by Mark Morrison-Reed. Mark, one of our few African-American clergy, is Minister Emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Toronto.
The central task of the religious community is to unveil the bonds that bind each to all. There is a connectedness, a relationship discovered amid the particulars of our own lives and the lives of others. Once felt, it inspires us to act for justice.
It is the church that assures us that we are not struggling for justice on our own, but as members of a larger community. The religious community is essential, for alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen, and our strength too limited to do all that must be done. Together, our vision widens and our strength is renewed.
SERMON:
Today is a day of celebrating and dedicating ourselves and our congregational home. It is a day to remember the past and those who went before us with appreciation, a day to take stock of where we are now with gratitude for those here who have given so much of themselves, their talents and their resources in order to get us to this day. It is a day to remember the purposes for which this congregation has gathered for 111 years, purposes for which we gather still. It is a day to dedicate ourselves to the ongoing life of this vital, liberal, free religious community.
In 1905, 103 years ago, our forebears of this Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair (known then as Unity Church) completed and dedicated to service, for the first time, this very space where we are gathered this morning. We are the manifestation of the religious community that they envisioned over 100 years ago. It was their foresight, their determined investment of blood, sweat and tears, their generosity in the investment of time, energy and commitment to that vision that has provided the liberal religious traditions and the physical home we enjoy today. Ours is a community that is born of their imagination and commitment. We, their heirs, gather together in this sacred space provided for us by those prophets of our existence.
Three years ago we began a program of our own generosity, our own blood, sweat and tears. Our campaign has not always been a smooth or easy path from that new beginning to this day. But it has, at each step along the way, been a journey of transformation guided by vision, trust, integrity, good taste and with good spirit among us. And it has included an ever present hospitable invitation to seekers and searchers who might find and make meaning here as much as we do.
Look around you at what we have done. We might not have all chosen the design of this room, myself included. But we acted as a faith community. We put our faith in those leaders we trusted, honoring their bold vision. And look at what we have as a result of that faith. This place ,which we had let go for far too long, is magnificent. In my opinion, it is utterly beautiful! I have not spoken with a single person who, upon entering this room for the first time, has not been amazed and uplifted by the graciousness of this beautiful space. We took a leap of faith and landed in a very magnificent place.
There has been so much restoration throughout this room and in this building and on our property – literally from the floors to the ceilings and all points in between; from the sign out front telling people who we are to the retaining wall that holds our corner of the universe in place. We have not only restored, we have recreated, renewed and re-imagined. There are so many people to thank for these incredible accomplishments.
We don't often recite long lists of names as part of our worship services. But today is a big day; it is a day for the naming of names. Those people whose names you are about to hear have been involved in this campaign throughout, and in so many vital capacities. Several of them have been deeply involved in multiple ways, from campaign organization and solicitation, to architectural design and implementation. Today is a day for thanking those whose names are mentioned and so, as I call your name, I ask you to stand and remain standing until we have finished.
Courtney Allen
Bruce Anderson
Ken and Jennifer Bakshi
Hamilton Bowser
Nancy Brach
Lauren, John and Sarah Carlton
Monty and Julie Cerf
Chris and Deb Corbett
Theresa DeSousa
Holly English and Fred Smagorinsky (treasurer)
Ann Evans
Barnaby Feder
Mark and Nancy Felix
Karen and Jerry Fried
Donna Lauckner and Patty LaRocco (staff members)
David Lewis
Nick Lewis
Judy Lutzy
Arlene Marin
Jane Rappaport
Karen and Warren Ross
Irene and Gary Sanderson
Scott Seale
Mike Shapiro and Janice Maffei
Matt Silverman
Sabine von Aulock
Pete Williams
Laura Wilson
Joe Thomasberger
Joanne Lindsley
George Azrak
The UUC Men’s Group
Please be recognized and appreciated by your fellow congregants. Your generosity of spirit and time has led the way to the overall success of this campaign.
At this time we would also like to recognize those individuals and households who have contributed financially at the very generous naming-dedication level. I'm not going to call those names aloud at this time; they are published in your order of service. I would like all of those who are here, whose names appear on that list, to stand and to be recognized and appreciated by your fellow congregants. Your generosity has led the way to the financial success of this campaign. (Special mention of Jimmy and Nancy Pierson, who are not even members of the congregation.)
(The names from the list have been included in this written version for the sake of posterity:
Ellen Blaney and James Shillaber
Ami Brabson and Andre Braugher
John and Lauren Carlton
Barnaby Feder and Michele Lowy
Mark and Nancy Felix
The Foster-Palmer Family
Terry Last
Nick Lewis and Judie Rinearson
John and Patricia Lytle
Bob and Elsa New
Jim and Nancy Pierson
Glenn and Katrina Rogers
Doris and Harold Williams
Carolyn Burr and David Lewis
Holly English and Fred Smagorinsky
Frank Ippolito and Scott Seale
Don and Merrilea Trawin
Jennifer and Ken Bakshi
David and Kathleen Cullina-Bessey
Nancy Brach
Chris and Deborah Corbett
Barbara Havlik and Ed Martoglio
Denise Rodgers
Jean and Malcolm Campbell
Karen and Warren Ross
Alan and Roseann Shaiman
Michael Shapiro and Janice Maffei
Monty and Julie Cerf
Jerry and Karen Fried
Judy Lutzy)
The vast majority of the names on this list can be seen on the newly installed brass plates among our pews. There are a few dedications though, based on even larger donations, that are yet to be determined. However, one of those dedications, the dedication of our new sound system – which is spectacular – was given to me just this past Friday and so there is not yet a commemorative plate for it. When there is, it will read, "Janice Maffei and Mike Shapiro dedicate the sound system in honor of John and Abigail Adams, whose lively and prolific communications continue to inspire all who strive to be heard and understood, to listen and to learn."
At this time let us recognize any other individuals and households who have given financially at the very generous level, which they could. I would ask everyone else here, who has contributed to the Capital Campaign, to stand and to be recognized and appreciated by your fellow congregants. Your generosity was vital to the financial success of this campaign.
I would like to recognize someone whom most of you have never met, Mike Evers, our campaign consultant. Mike was someone that we drove crazy on a very regular basis, but he kept coming back to support our efforts along the way. We take this opportunity to thank you, Mike.
I want to especially recognize two of our resident artists, Karen Fried and David Lewis. The two of them, through much of the renovation, were often hear nearly around-the-clock. The beauty in their hearts is well reflected all around us in the beauty of this room. Thank you, David and Karen.
I would ask Nancy Felix and Chris Corbett to come forward at this time. Janis Maffei could not be with us this morning or she, too, would be a part of this group. The four of us began meeting on your behalf nearly five years ago – to dream, to aspire, to plan and to create the plan that led to the campaign, the first phase of which we celebrate today. Nancy, Chris and Janice have been at the lead of this project since before it was a project. They have seen it through devotedly. We thank you.
I mentioned that this day of dedication is in honor of the incredibly successful completion of Phase I of our campaign. You may remember that we initially spoke of three phases. It was pretty easily and early determined that Phase III, should it ever be undertaken, would not be likely within the next couple of decades. The campaign team wisely decided that funds, which might have gone towards Phase II of the campaign, were needed to do serious renewal and renovation in Fletcher Hall and in other parts of this building. And we know how well and how beautifully that work has turned out.
Since then, many of you have asked and I want you all to know that Phase II of this campaign is still quite alive and well, thank you very much. This phase will be the creation of the Unity Hall Town Center, which will connect our two buildings with an entry that will be a hub of welcome to all those who come in to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
It will be a community center that will be a large, open, bright space where information is available; where art can be exhibited; where symbols that tell the world who we are will be on display. It will be a central place, a hub around which the activities of this community – the mission of our congregation, the activities of our faith – would occur. It will be our wheel within a wheel, a space where we welcome ourselves and our visitors, adorned with evidence of our ongoing faith in the unity of all things.
It is a marvelous idea, one that will creatively expose us to the broader community, and then invite that community to engage in our values and to join us in working toward them. It is an idea that allows this generation to contribute our own prophetic stand, in preparing for a future stream of Unitarian Universalists that we can only imagine at this time. It is an idea that will allow us to provide the future with a physical vision, a beacon of hope for a world made more whole for having embraced its unity.
I few weeks ago, I asked our resident artist, David Lewis, and our resident architect, George Azrak to give us some help in envisioning what our Unity Hall might look like. I'm so very happy to be able to share their beautiful work with you this morning. This is not necessarily the exact plan we will pursue, but it surely is a magnificent idea for that plan. When David presented it to me this past week, I found it so incredibly beautiful that I got just a little weepy. I present it to you now, as an inspiration for what will be our next step as we move forward through the ages with this campaign.
The Board of Trustees, the Finance Committee and the Capital Campaign Team will be planning this next phase of the campaign over the coming months. I hope and trust we will be hearing about these plans as we move into our new program year in the fall. For the time being, these pictures will be hung in the annex hallway to whet our appetites and inspire our enthusiasm. Thank you, David and George.
We’ve come to our worship service this morning to dedicate ourselves and our facilities in appreciation and aspiration. We can never express our appreciation too much. If you have not had a chance to participate in the campaign to this point, believe me, your time will come! And be assured that your gifts, too, will be appreciated!
Still and ever, we are called to be more than appreciative. We are called to be transformative agents in a world that needs healing on so many levels. We need to know to what end we have formed this congregation, to what end we apply our love, our talents and our resources to these facilities. That end is really our aspiration in being here. It is our hope for growing Unitarian Universalism in our wider community and in our world.
Our Mission statement really says it all: “We are a liberal religious community seeking transformation in our hearts, our homes, our community and our world.” Our mission really is our statement of hope as much as it is a statement of our purpose. It is a statement of our aspiration and our vision.
What is our vision for the future of Unitarian Universalism here in Montclair and in Northern Essex County? What is our vision for a faith tradition that embraces, not the divisiveness so prevalent in national and world politics, so prevalent in many of the fundamentalist religious expressions growing in our own country and throughout the world, but what is the vision for our faith tradition that holds at its very center the unity of all people and of all things? What is our vision as we imagine the future?
Let it be this – that we will hand on to the future a faith community dedicated, as it has been for over a century, to unity – just like the original name of this congregation: Unity Church. Let our vision be that this will continue to be a place where pilgrims on life’s journey will be able to come for soulful sustenance and for the sacred community of kindred spirits; a place to ask questions, to seek answers and then to act on what has been discovered. Let our vision include that this place will continue to be the home of a faith community of people dedicated to the work of justice, doing our active part to end racism, homophobia, sexism, ageism, ablism and any other form of oppression yet to be recognized, either within our congregation or out in the world.
Let our vision include that the buildings that will house this sacred community of the future will be more than merely safe, sound and well cared for. May they also reflect the integrity of our values, the generosity of our spirit, the dedication of our mission, the duty and the beauty born of these, our aspirations.
Let us join together in this dynamic vision of our future. And let us dedicate this building and ourselves to this vision and to our shared purposes in it. It is a day to dedicate ourselves and this space to the ongoing life of this vital, liberal, free religious community. May it, may we, be so dedicated!
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