"By Their Covenants You Will Know Them"
A Sermon by Rev. Charles Blustein Ortman
October 31, 2010
READINGS: ANCIENT AND MODERN
Our first reading is from one of the latter prophets of the
Old Testament, the Book of Joel:
And it shall come to pass; I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and
women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders
in the heavens and on the earth…
Our second reading, Being Human, is from the Meditation Manual,
Dancing in the Empty Spaces, by Unitarian Universalist minister,
David Rankin. It is entitled, Being Human.
To be human is to be in touch with the larger rhythms and harmonies
of the universe;
To be human is to be aware of the beauty of a creation that continually
unfolds;
To be human is to be the servants of the earth upon which our existence
depends;
To be human is to embrace the present moment as a sacred, joyful
occasion;
To be human is to nurture bridges of intimacy that are global and
inclusive;
To be human is to be in a state of process: to live, to love, and
to never die.
SERMON:
Milton Rosenberg, Professor of Social Psychology at the University
of Chicago, once said, "People are coming to church not simply
to partake of the sacred, but to partake of sacred community."
I think his comment resonates with many of us here.
Some of you are familiar with the history of the beginning of this
congregation. Back in 1897 a small group of women got together,
called themselves the Unitarian Women's Alliance, and they created
a Sunday School. They wanted to provide a liberal religious education
for their children. And so they did.
But they did more. They created for themselves a community-a liberal
religious community. They gathered regularly; they developed strong
personal relationships; they explored the history and the literature
of Unitarianism. They set about to create a better world by providing
their children with a religious background and with a religious
experience that would make a difference in their lives, in their
children's lives and in the world. After a while of course, the
men felt left out, and so they too were invited to become a part
of the community. And this congregation was born.
From that time to this, including various periods of ups and downs,
the congregation has grown. It has expanded in numbers and, we'd
like to think, in depth of experience.
Last year we held a listening campaign throughout much of the congregation.
We wanted to know how things are going for you here. And so we asked,
as many of you as we could, a couple of questions. "What do
you especially appreciate about what's going on in our Congregation?
And what can we do even better?"
You said that you appreciate experiences that enhance the spirit
of religious community, and you also appreciate clearly envisioned
opportunities to serve the community and the world. And, while you
said that you appreciate what we have and what we offer, it was
clear that you do want even more.
As we welcome new members into the congregation today, it is important
to realize that what most of us want is indeed here, but not necessarily
in sufficient quantity. We want what our founding mothers had back
in 1897-a close circle of kindred spirits who want to know, and
grow with, and serve with one another.
While we are a growing congregation, we manage to maintain only
about half of our level of growth. That is, about half of those
who choose to become members of our congregation also leave within
their first three years of membership. That's a statistic that has
been true for far too long. Some of this is due to the mobile society
in which we live, as some of these folks move on to other parts
of the country. But that is not the case for most of those who leave.
Perhaps a larger reason is that there are too many who come through
our doors who needs are not easily met by our limited opportunities
for intimate community.
Over the years, we have worked at creating opportunities for folks
to get together. Various members of the congregation have begun
different groups for various purposes. It is the small group experience
that is essential.
With close to 400 adult members, 250 children and still growing,
we aren't ever likely to experience here an intimacy of the whole
congregation like that which was enjoyed here so long ago. That
means, true to our word, we have been willing to forsake some of
our own personal feelings of comfort and security - personally knowing
everyone that's here - in order to make welcome others who would
be well served by our liberal religious tradition. But that's no
reason we too can't enjoy, within our expanding congregation, a
close circle of kindred spirits who we want to know and be known
by, and with whom we want to learn and grow and serve.
Exactly 10 years ago the next month, we began a program that we
called Covenant Group Ministries. Early on, close to half the congregation
participated in one or more of those groups. We had an Assistant
Minister who ran the program. It was well supported.
Three years later, that minister, Rev. Mary Tiebout moved on to
Newton, New Jersey, where she is the pastor of her own UU congregation.
Economic factors came to bear-in the world and in our congregation
- and we were financially unable to refill her position. The program
has languished considerably through the years since then, as a result,
there are very few covenant groups still in existence.
Still, the need for them is great. With the reconfiguration of
our staff structure recently, Rev. Judy Tomlinson's new job description
will include leadership of the Covenant Group Ministries. Along
with congregation member and former covenant group leader, Claudia
Sanderson, our hope is to once again provide a robust program of
fertile opportunities for friends and members of the congregation
to come together in a meaningful way.
To that end we will begin again a Covenant Group Ministries Program
shortly after the first of the year. It will take a little while
to get things off the ground. There will be themes to consider,
leaders to recruit, and structures to be fortified. But, in the
end, I think it will once again dramatically change the way we do
our work of transformation. It will enable us to better give and
receive those opportunities for intimacy and for ultimacy that are
at the core of our being here. In the end, it will enable us to
better and more fully participate in the shared ministry that is
at the core the life of this Congregation.
Just what are Covenant Groups? They are small-group gatherings
of congregation members and friends intended to provide social connections
and support. But even more, they are intended to add spiritual and
religious connections and support for those involved.
They contain an emphasis on deepening and developing relationships
among congregational members. Congregations are finding that, not
only are new members helped through Covenant Groups to find friends
in their congregation, but older members are also rediscovering
what it was that brought them to the congregation in the first place-the
development of relationships with others, and the opportunity to
have meaningful adult discussions about matters of ultimate concern.
A Covenant Group is made up of no more than ten members. Since
these groups meet in private homes the group has a member who agrees
to be a host/hostess for each meeting. They can meet as often as
they choose, but at least once each month. There is always an empty
chair and with it an open invitation to others to come and join
the group.
A lay minister leads each group, with an associate. These leaders,
the lay ministers will always be members of the congregation. As
the group grows beyond its limit of 10 members, the associate will
become the lay minister for the new group.
Covenant groups can be formed around many different focuses:
o Affinity groups, in which the members have a common interest,
such as Buddhism, parents of teens, second career, and so on.
o Diverse groups, in which the members do not share any particular
characteristic, other than meeting in a thoughtful Unitarian Universalist
environment.
o Interest groups, in which people with a common interest, such
as yoga, reading, forms of meditation, spiritual paths like Christianity
or Humanism, and the like, seek to pursue that interest; again,
in a thoughtful Unitarian Universalist environment.
Can anyone be in a Covenant Group, or is it only members of the
Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair? The groups will
be open to anyone, whether a member or not, who agrees to the structure
and abides by the spirit of these groups. Leadership of the groups
though will be filled by congregation members only.
Structure? There's a Structure? Yes!
Meetings last for two hours. They begin with a Chalice Lighting
and a short reading from a Unitarian Universalist source. About
45 minutes is spent with a "check in" of what has been
going on in the group member's lives, at least what they choose
to share. A topic is introduced, in keeping with the group's goals
or interests. Toward the end of each session there is time for sharing
likes and wishes, which will then be used by the leaders in guiding
and shaping the next meeting. The gathering concludes with a set
of closing words.
The important thing is that the groups are relational. They are
steeped in UU tradition (through the readings) and, while there
is clearly a service to the congregation and to the larger world
component to them, they are not about programs or tasks. First,
they are about the people who are in the groups, and second, they
are about exploring life issues through the designated focus and
within a religious context. And then they are about service to the
community. That's what makes them a ministry - intimacy, ultimacy
and service.
For those of you who might be feeling a little skeptical, Rev.
Glen Turner, one of the forebears of this movement within Unitarian
Universalism writes:
"Generally, I have found that individuals to whom this idea
is presented are excited about the possibilities. They feel it would
give them what they came for. There are some, however, who see it
as a different kind of church than they joined. It asks more of
them, personally, and seems threatening. It's one thing to share
ideas; another to share your life. It's one thing to debate another
person's theories; another to respond to their soul.
Then, there's the question of time. There is a persistent myth
that people don't have time for church any more. There are too few
people for too many jobs. I think this has to do more with the unrewarded
nature of most church efforts. Institutional survival modes sap
energy. When we're not getting what we came for (spiritual inspiration,
community, religious growth), then what we do in the service of
the church is tiring. Being fed spiritually and communally is energizing.
When things are going well, people have time to participate without
complaint."
We need one another. And we not only need one another in a general
sense, we need to be connected-specifically-in deep ways that allow
our spirits to be touched and held by others, and in ways that help
us to reach outward and touch and hold the spirits of others lovingly
and caringly. That happens best in small groups of people and that's
why we are returning to the covenant groups. Those groups will be
here for you to have more meaningful relationships within your Congregation
so that you can have a more meaningful relationship with your Congregation
- so that we can be an ever more vibrant center of light and spirituality.
If your relationship with the Congregation is all that you want
it to be already, that's great. But if your relationship with the
Congregation isn't all you want it to be, maybe you'd like to get
involved with one of the new groups that will be forming. Maybe
you'd like to make a suggestion for the formation of a new group.
There are a lot of possibilities. It's up to you to redeem those
possibilities for the experiences you want to have here. Judy Tomlinson
will be at the R. E. table in Fletcher Hall after the service this
morning. She hopes to hear from you with any questions you might
have, or requests for group themes you might be thinking about.
Or you can just sign up for one of the groups.
The covenant groups can provide a way for us all to minister to
each other and to be ministered to. In a congregation of our size,
the professional ministers cannot realistically be there for everyone
at all times. As a part of a religious community, don't we want
to make sure that there is always someone there for anyone who might
be in need? In this way everyone can literally share in our ministry.
This is not a new adventure so much as a new way of trying to do
what this congregation has always tried to do from the very beginning.
It is an attempt to create a community-a liberal religious community;
to gather regularly; to develop strong personal relationships; to
explore the history and the literature of Unitarian Universalism;
and to go about creating a new and a better world, for ourselves
and for those around us.
If you have come this morning with a spiritual hunger, looking
for an uplifting message, I hope you find it satisfied in this thought:
Your Congregation takes you, your interests and your needs very
seriously. Together, we are going to make every effort to be sure
that your spiritual needs are met.
To be uplifted we have to first be held. To be held, we must also
be willing to hold. Together, we can create such a spiritually uplifting
opportunity with and for one another.
The late Unitarian Universalist minister Kenneth Patton wrote:
"We arrive out of many singular rooms, walking over the branching
streets.
We come to be assured that brothers and sisters surround us, to
restore their images on our eyes. We enlarge our voices in common
speaking and singing.
We try that solitude found in the midst of those who with us seek
their hidden reckonings.
Our eyes reclaim the remembered faces; their voices stir the surrounding
air.
The warmth of their hands assures us, and the gladness of our spoken
names.
This is the reason of cities, of homes, of assemblies in the houses
of worship.
It is good to be with one another."
We come to our Congregation, not only to partake of the sacred,
but to partake of sacred community, of which we are the builders.
May we ever find both - the sacred and the sacred community - in
great abundance. May our efforts lead us through transformations
in our lives, lives that are ever more abundant in faith and hope
and love.
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