From de at heartlanduu.org Mon Dec 1 12:30:33 2003 From: de at heartlanduu.org (Mary Andrus-Overley) Date: Mon, 01 Dec 2003 17:30:33 -0000 Subject: [huud-l] FW: Uncommon Denomination web site launched! Message-ID: <000401c3b82f$04fa6bc0$6601a8c0@workstation3> Further information on publicity resources from the Kansas City media campaign, for your awareness and use. Mary Mary Andrus-Overley, LCSW, ACSW District Executive Heartland District of the Unitarian Universalist Association -----Original Message----- From: Tracey Robinson-Harris [mailto:trobinson at uua.org] Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 1:16 PM To: # District Staff; DL District Presidents Subject: Uncommon Denomination web site launched! Our new web site with resources from the media campaign - including covenant/guidelines, resources on congregational hospitality and Tier 1 media resources - is up and running. The address is www.uua.org/uncommondenomination Happy Thanksgiving! Tracey Tracey Robinson-Harris Director, Congregational Services UUA phone 617-948-6462 fax 617-742-0321 Growing our faith, Witnessing for justice From de at heartlanduu.org Mon Dec 1 12:35:13 2003 From: de at heartlanduu.org (Mary Andrus-Overley) Date: Mon, 01 Dec 2003 17:35:13 -0000 Subject: [huud-l] CNN.com - Massachusetts court rules ban on gay marriage unconstitutional - Nov. Message-ID: <000501c3b830$7f97c660$6601a8c0@workstation3> Hillary is one of several UUs who were involved in this lawsuit. She directs the UU Funding Program. Scroll down on this CNN.com page to cast your vote, and pass this on to others. Thanks. -- Mary Andrus-Overley _____ Skip to main content International Edition | MEMBER SERVICES The Web CNN.com Home Page World U.S. Weather Business at CNN/Money Sports at SI.com Politics Law Technology Science & Space Health Entertainment Travel Education Special Reports Click here for our advertiser SERVICES Video E-mail Services CNNtoGO Contact Us SEARCH Web CNN.com enhanced by Google Law Massachusetts court rules ban on gay marriage unconstitutional Julie Goodridge, left, and Hillary Goodridge, one of seven couples who sued for the right to wed, go to a news conference in Boston. Julie Goodridge, left, and Hillary Goodridge, one of seven couples who sued for the right to wed, go to a news conference in Boston. _____ Story Tools _____ more video VIDEO CNN's Dan Lothian reports that opponents in the Massachusetts Legislature vow to fight a state court ruling that legalizes same-sex marriages. premium content PLAY VIDEO _____ With a fight for same-sex marriages being waged, CNN's Kitty Pilgrim looks at the responsibility marriage brings. premium content PLAY VIDEO _____ Massachusetts high court rules in favor of gay marriage. premium content PLAY VIDEO _____ Plaintiffs' attorney Mary Bonauto praises the decision. premium content PLAY VIDEO QUICKVOTE Should the Massachusetts Legislature move to allow same-sex marriages? Yes No VIEW RESULTS RELATED Interactive: State-by-state: Same-sex marriages Bush uncertain about gay marriage ban FindLaw's Joanna Grossman: Assessing civil unions . Interactive: Polls on same-sex marriages _____ . Read the ruling: Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health (FindLaw, PDF) external link . Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts external link . Supreme Court strikes down sodomy law YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Same-sex marriage Civil Rights Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court or Create your own Manage alerts | What is this? (CNN) -- The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has cleared the way for lesbian and gay couples in the state to marry, ruling Tuesday that government attorneys "failed to identify any constitutionally adequate reason" to deny them the right. In a 4-3 ruling, the court gave the Massachusetts state Legislature six months to rewrite the state's marriage laws for the benefit of gay couples. The ruling by the court on the Massachusetts Constitution could set new legal ground, and drew quick reaction from advocates on both sides of the issue. Massachusetts' governor immediately denounced Tuesday's decision and said he would work for a constitutional amendment to overturn it. But an openly gay U.S. congressman from the state said the amendment couldn't come before the voters before 2006, and by that time same-sex marriages will be law. President Bush waded into the debate with a statement criticizing the ruling. "Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman," he said. "Today's decision ... violates this important principle. I will work with congressional leaders and others to do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage." Bush stopped short of saying he would support an effort by some Republicans in Congress to pass a federal constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage, which would trump the Massachusetts court. Analysts said the state Legislature could write laws legalizing same-sex marriages, or it could do nothing and let Tuesday's ruling go forward. Same-sex marriage opponents could also appeal Tuesday's decision to the U.S. Supreme Court during the next six months. Vermont is the only state in the United States that allows same-sex couples the rights and benefits of marriage. Vermont calls them civil unions, rather than marriage. California's State Assembly recently passed a domestic partnership law to provide similar benefits, but it stops short of allowing gays to marry. (States determine marriage laws) Governor suggests amendment drive Legal observers said the Massachusetts case took a significant step beyond the 1999 Vermont state Supreme Court decision that led to civil unions in that state. (The ruling ) The Associated Press reported that many lawyers believe Tuesday's ruling applies strictly to marriage and that creating a separate class of domestic union -- such as civil unions -- would not be acceptable. Attorney Mary Bonauto, who represented the seven gay couples who sued the state, said the only task assigned to the Legislature is to come up with changes in the law that will allow gay couples to marry at the end of the 180-day period, the AP reported. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said the state Legislature would comply with the court's ruling "even if we don't agree with it." The governor said he would ask lawmakers to initiate a constitutional amendment process "that will be consistent with what I think the feelings are of the commonwealth" about marriage. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, an openly gay congressman, said the process for doing so would delay a vote until 2006. "My prediction is that when we in Massachusetts vote on this -- and we almost certainly will in 2006 -- the reality will have overtaken the fears," he said. In a paper statement he released immediately after the ruling was released, Romney left the door open for some other way of recognizing same-sex couples. "Of course," he said, "we must provide basic civil rights and appropriate benefits to nontraditional couples, but marriage is a special institution that should be reserved for a man and a woman." 'Happiest day in our lives' At a news conference after the ruling's release, the seven couples were elated with Tuesday's ruling. "We have been together 32 years," said Gloria Bailey, whose partner, Linda Davies, proposed on the way to the conference. "Without a doubt this is the happiest day in our lives. The most important thing for us is knowing whatever comes ahead in the rest of our lives, we now know we can be at each others' sides." Connie Mackey of the Family Research Council criticized the ruling, saying it was "a clear case of the courts overruling the majority opinion of the people." "If the will of the people has anything to do with it ... the people will throw out any legislator that upholds this ruling," she told CNN. "The culture has seen the family unit for thousands of years as one man and one woman for the purpose of raising children." Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court announced their ruling Tuesday. Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court announced their ruling Tuesday. Mackey also urged passage of a federal constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages. Elizabeth Birch, director of the gay rights organization Human Rights Campaign, said that the courts are not obliged to support a majority of the people. "If not for courts, African-Americans would not have had the right to vote, women would not have the right to vote," she said. "The purpose of a constitution is to protect a minority group from the wrath of the majority." Both supporters and opponents of the right of same-sex couples to marry had waited months for the decision. The court heard the case on March 4 and usually rules within 130 days of the hearing the case, but that deadline passed in July. Survey shows opposition to same-sex marriage Gay activists say the American judicial system is beginning to catch up with modern society. In June the Supreme Court ruled that anti-sodomy laws are unconstitutional. (Full story ) On June 10, an appeals court in the Canadian province of Ontario struck down a ban on same-sex marriage. But a majority of people surveyed in late October said gay marriages should not be legally recognized, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. According to the survey, 61 percent said no when asked whether gay marriages should be recognized as valid by law. Thirty-five percent said yes. The poll, taken October 24-26, surveyed 1,006 people and had an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. The same poll showed sharp difference on the issue based on gender. According to the survey, 70 percent of men said no to legalizing gay marriage while 26 percent supported such unions. The survey showed that 53 percent of women opposed gay marriages, while 43 percent supported legalizing them. The question posed by gender had a sampling error of plus or minus five percentage points. _____ Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. Story Tools Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! cover Top Stories Court will rule on covert arrests . Colorado court rules on redistricting . Gitmo officer accused of security breach . Police: Man shoots at noisy teenagers, killing one Top Stories Officials: Convoys carrying money being targeted . Millions mark World AIDS Day . Rumsfeld awarded 'Foot in Mouth' prize . 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From de at heartlanduu.org Mon Dec 15 16:21:10 2003 From: de at heartlanduu.org (Mary Andrus-Overley) Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 21:21:10 -0000 Subject: [huud-l] Paint Creek Church fire 12-15-03 Message-ID: <001501c3c351$fef5e140$7b306b42@workstation3> Please pass this sad news along to others in your congregation with an invitation to help with financial contributions as they are able. Thanks. Mary Andrus-Overley _____ For Immediate Release Contact: Jaco B. ten Hove, co-minister (at above addresses) Fire UPDATE - as of Saturday evening, Dec. 13 EVENT SUMMARY Near dawn on Tuesday morning, Dec. 9, at Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church, a fire broke out in the back end of the Religious Education Building, apparently related to the furnace underneath a classroom. The blaze was controlled relatively quickly, but not before that room was gutted, floor through roof. The rooms on either side were also destroyed, and all contents in the entire building were contaminated by smoke, including the church offices. Thankfully, no one was in the building at the time and there was no damage to any other nearby structures, such as the Meeting House and the deck that connects the two buildings. Around 75 firefighters, mostly from local volunteer units, were very active in preventing any further spread of the fire. Media crews were also quite attentive. Staff and trustees from the church plus the owners of the Montessori School that rents the building were on site very soon, anguished and concerned. IMMEDIATE ACTIONS An emergency response and restoration firm was immediately called in to secure the suddenly unsafe and very sooty building, and various investigators began inquiries. A church gathering was held that first night in the Meeting House, attended by about 75 people, and the Board of Trustees met in emergency session on Thursday evening. In the first days after the fire, many hands helped set up a new church office in a storage area of the Meeting House. Trustees and staff also met with the Church Mutual insurance adjuster and began to sort out pathways and decisions ahead. Co-minister Jaco ten Hove functioned as the most visible representative of the church, coordinating with emergency personnel, adjuster, and church staff/volunteers. NEXT STEPS The burned and smoky building is now uninhabitable and off-limits to everyone except workers. All its contents will have to be removed (either discarded or professionally cleaned and stored) so the stripped-down building-built in 1965-can be thoroughly decontaminated. Preliminary indications are that general building insurance will adequately cover the cleaning, renovation and refurbishing, but coverage for rental income loss and upgrades to meet newer codes is limited. Early estimates suggest that the building repair process could stretch until summer. The church Religious Education program and other users of that building will have to make serious adjustments, including the weekday Montessori School renters. The co-ministers and RE director now have no office space, and RE classes will begin again on Jan. 4 at an off-site location still to be determined. All on-site meetings will have to share the Meeting House, which is essentially one large room, surrounded by a lobby, rest rooms corridor, kitchen and some storage areas. Montessori classes are temporarily being held in there as well. While the fire has been a hard blow to take, many expressions of support from within and beyond the church have been inspiring. There is much work ahead, but this setback also provides opportunities that can help build an even stronger and more committed church community. By request of generous friends outside the church who want to help financially, there is now a Paint Branch Fire Recovery Fund, contributions to which can be sent to the church address: 3215 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, MD 20783. Further updates (and pictures) will be available soon, if not already, on the church website: www.pbuuc.org. From office at heartlanduu.org Tue Dec 16 13:07:42 2003 From: office at heartlanduu.org (HUUD Office) Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 18:07:42 -0000 Subject: FW: [huud-l] Paint Creek Church fire 12-15-03 Message-ID: <200312161807.hBGI7ULi028996@www.uua.org> CORRECTION: The release below is the Paint Branch UU Church in Maryland; not Paint Creek UU Congregation in Rochester, Michigan. My apologies. Mary Andrus-Overley -----Original Message----- From: huud-l-bounces at uua.org [mailto:huud-l-bounces at uua.org] On Behalf Of Mary Andrus-Overley Sent: Monday, December 15, 2003 4:26 PM To: huud-l at uua.org Subject: [huud-l] Paint Creek Church fire 12-15-03 Please pass this sad news along to others in your congregation with an invitation to help with financial contributions as they are able. Thanks. Mary Andrus-Overley _____ For Immediate Release Contact: Jaco B. ten Hove, co-minister (at above addresses) Fire UPDATE - as of Saturday evening, Dec. 13 EVENT SUMMARY Near dawn on Tuesday morning, Dec. 9, at Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church, a fire broke out in the back end of the Religious Education Building, apparently related to the furnace underneath a classroom. The blaze was controlled relatively quickly, but not before that room was gutted, floor through roof. The rooms on either side were also destroyed, and all contents in the entire building were contaminated by smoke, including the church offices. Thankfully, no one was in the building at the time and there was no damage to any other nearby structures, such as the Meeting House and the deck that connects the two buildings. Around 75 firefighters, mostly from local volunteer units, were very active in preventing any further spread of the fire. Media crews were also quite attentive. Staff and trustees from the church plus the owners of the Montessori School that rents the building were on site very soon, anguished and concerned. IMMEDIATE ACTIONS An emergency response and restoration firm was immediately called in to secure the suddenly unsafe and very sooty building, and various investigators began inquiries. A church gathering was held that first night in the Meeting House, attended by about 75 people, and the Board of Trustees met in emergency session on Thursday evening. In the first days after the fire, many hands helped set up a new church office in a storage area of the Meeting House. Trustees and staff also met with the Church Mutual insurance adjuster and began to sort out pathways and decisions ahead. Co-minister Jaco ten Hove functioned as the most visible representative of the church, coordinating with emergency personnel, adjuster, and church staff/volunteers. NEXT STEPS The burned and smoky building is now uninhabitable and off-limits to everyone except workers. All its contents will have to be removed (either discarded or professionally cleaned and stored) so the stripped-down building-built in 1965-can be thoroughly decontaminated. Preliminary indications are that general building insurance will adequately cover the cleaning, renovation and refurbishing, but coverage for rental income loss and upgrades to meet newer codes is limited. Early estimates suggest that the building repair process could stretch until summer. The church Religious Education program and other users of that building will have to make serious adjustments, including the weekday Montessori School renters. The co-ministers and RE director now have no office space, and RE classes will begin again on Jan. 4 at an off-site location still to be determined. All on-site meetings will have to share the Meeting House, which is essentially one large room, surrounded by a lobby, rest rooms corridor, kitchen and some storage areas. Montessori classes are temporarily being held in there as well. While the fire has been a hard blow to take, many expressions of support from within and beyond the church have been inspiring. There is much work ahead, but this setback also provides opportunities that can help build an even stronger and more committed church community. By request of generous friends outside the church who want to help financially, there is now a Paint Branch Fire Recovery Fund, contributions to which can be sent to the church address: 3215 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, MD 20783. Further updates (and pictures) will be available soon, if not already, on the church website: www.pbuuc.org. _______________________________________________ huud-l mailing list huud-l at uua.org http://www.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/huud-l From office at heartlanduu.org Thu Dec 18 16:00:41 2003 From: office at heartlanduu.org (HUUD Office) Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 21:00:41 -0000 Subject: [huud-l] Holiday Garage (Office) Sale Message-ID: <200312182100.hBIL0ULi026566@www.uua.org> Several pieces of office equipment were moved from our Michigan office for which we have no need. HP DeskJet 932C Color Inkjet Printer (documentation included) $75.00 (or best offer) HP DeskJet 1120C Color Inkjet Printer (no documentation; can download from Internet) FREE Xerox WorkCentre 470cx Color All-in-One Fax-Copier-Printer (documentation included) $25.00 4 - 4-line Bell System phones $25.00 Plantronics Memory Phone plus Headset FREE If interested in any of the above, please contact me at office at heartlanduu.org, or call toll free 888-948-4883. Thank you. Barbara Hamilton Office Administrator Heartland District of the UUA 317-634-5384 (toll free 888-948-4883) "A woman is like a teabag - only in hot water do you realize how strong she is." - Nancy Reagan From de at heartlanduu.org Tue Dec 23 13:34:23 2003 From: de at heartlanduu.org (Mary Andrus-Overley) Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 18:34:23 -0000 Subject: [huud-l] FW: COPY PLEASE ministers, worship chairs, bookstore mgrs, RE Message-ID: <000d01c3c983$c9d3b720$1501a8c0@workstation3> -----Original Message----- From: Jennifer Bosveld [mailto:jen at puddinghouse.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 2:28 PM To: jen at puddinghouse.com Subject: COPY PLEASE ministers, worship chairs, bookstore mgrs, RE Pudding House, a UU publisher and the largest literary small press in America, and the UU Poets Co-op (UUA Directory listed) are thrilled to announce the January release of a mighty UU-useful anthology to serve you, congregations, and UU programs-- HUNGER ENOUGH: Living Spiritually in a Consumer Society Nita Penfold, editor 6x9 perfect bound, full color cover, 128 page book you'll want to use and give. You might want to buy two. We'll give you a deal on that. HUNGER ENOUGH is an important collection that portrays the seductive nature of our consumer culture that turns us into a gluttenous society. But for the most part HUNGER ENOUGH does not attempt to shame us into change. Though it includes poems that reflect us at work and play via less than thoughtful actions, other poems illustrate choices that benefit the interdependent web. There is much in Hunger Enough that allows us to admit our need for alternative behaviors. Edited by Nita Penfold, Director of RE at the Lexington Massachusetts Parish, the book is dedicated to Rev. Jim Bosveld in honor of his community-based lecture series Living Spiritually in a Consumer Society that ran for 8 weeks in UU congregations in Wooster and in Columbus, Ohio. We believe every minister, church bookstore manager, RE director, and your members will want to own and operate this wonderful new anthology. HUNGER ENOUGH is a resource for worship material for ministers and other presenters in the pulpit, for marvelous discussion starters for both adult and teen RE, and it can be taken to heart at the individual level to support whatever actions you're ready to take. If you order during this release celebration offer and act before December 31, you'll pay $18 (U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank) FREE postage/handling inside the U.S. ($8 postage outside the U.S.) And you will receive a free gift of either-- The Unitarian Universalist Poets: A Contemporary American Survey, edited by Jennifer Bosveld ($18.95 knock-dead gorgeous book) or The Pocket Poetry Parenting Guide on yes-based parenting ($12 value). We take cash, check, VISA/MC w/exp date. Send $18 (how about 2 for $29) and your request to Pudding House Publications 81 Shadymere Lane Columbus Ohio 43213 614-986-1881 phone orders, (catch as you can, no message machine) jen at puddinghouse.com email orders (Send 1st 8 numbers of cc# in one email and the other 8 and exp date in 2nd email even though my provider says we're secure.) The books will be released January 15! About Pudding House Pudding House Publications is owned by Jennifer Bosveld, founder of The Unitarian Universalist Poets Cooperative in 1996. She edited landmark anthologies such as The Unitarian Universalist Poets: A Contemporary American Survey (Pudding House 1996), $18.95; Prayers to Protest: Poems that Center and Bless Us (Pudding House 1998), $19.95; The Pocket Poetry Parenting Guide (Pudding House 2000), $12.00; Fresh Water: Poems From the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams (Pudding House 2002) dedicated to Pete Seeger, $19.95. Pudding House and the UU Poets Cooperative sponsors Clearwater Coffeehouse at GA every year and packs a doublewide booth in the exhibit hall as well. Pudding House is "the largest literary small press in America" with over 500 titles in print including chapbooks, anthologies, and broadsides so isn't it exciting to know that it is a UU press, operating according to UU Principles and Purposes. We hope you want to support this latest book from Pudding House that addresses some of the work many congregations have taken on through their members. Pudding House can be explored further at www.puddinghouse.com . Click on publications list, Unitarian Universalist Poets, and much else. From office at heartlanduu.org Wed Dec 24 13:01:17 2003 From: office at heartlanduu.org (HUUD Office) Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 18:01:17 -0000 Subject: [huud-l] HOLIDAY CLOSING Message-ID: <200312241800.hBOI0eLi011539@www.uua.org> The Heartland District office will be closed from Dec. 25, 2003 thru Jan. 4, 2004. The office will open again at 9:00 am on Jan. 5, 2004. HAPPY HOLIDAYS & A SAFE NEW YEAR! Barbara Hamilton Office Administrator Heartland District of the UUA 317-634-5384 (toll free 888-948-4883) "A woman is like a teabag - only in hot water do you realize how strong she is." - Nancy Reagan