January 2008 Archives

Next Sunday, January 27th, I'll be joining two of my friends from the UU community on a visit to the Urbana-Champaign Friends Meeting, also known as the "Quakers." I've been before, and it's a very serene experience....the service pretty much consists of sitting together quietly for an hour. The space is beautiful, and the people very welcoming and friendly. Contact minister@revjack.com if you'd like to meet up with us for this trip, or just bring yourself. The service begins at 10:30am, 1904 East Main Street, Urbana, IL.

A friend of mine has had this in his random signature file for awhile. I probably shouldn't relish seeing myself quoted so much, but it's nice to see what ideas stick. Anyway, I wanted to post this here and see if anyone had any thoughts to share:

I can walk into a Christian church and evoke a plethora of symbols that help lead people to compassion. The vast majority of people might suck at loving their enemies and forgiving those who tresspass against them, but at least the words are there to plant the seed of the idea. Whereas I walk into a UU church, and their secular symbols focus entirely on "justice," rewarding the innocent and condemning the guilty.

See post title for why I haven't posted in awhile, and why I'll probably be soon changing the name and URL of this blog to be something that might work more generically with my ever-changing religious interests. I haven't decided what yet.

The Community United Church of Christ trip went well, though I failed to write a decent recap at the time, and now the details are fading. I recall quite enjoying the sermon, and spending much time in worthwhile conversation with folks during the social hour afterwards. Pastor Mike Mulberry continues to rock my world.

The December trip might technically be considered my trip to St. Margaret Mary's Roman Catholic Church with my mother on Christmas; the holiday schedule prevented Rev. Monkey from joining me to go elsewhere. I wanted to hit Hessel Park church for their Christmas party, but without a companion I could not muster the will to drag myself out of bed. The homily at St. Margaret Mary's included a criticism of the apparently atheist kids book/movie "The Golden Compass," which simply inspired me to go out and see the movie, which then inspired me to dive into the book, which I am absolutely loving.

Anyway, counting my mother, only three people have accompanied me on these trips thus far, each on a different occassion, and one of those people is now dead (not my mother!) Not that this discourages me, but it does make me reconsider my advertising policy. Rather than picking a date and hoping that someone will show up, I'm switching to a standing open offer to accompany people to the church of their choice. Once a church visit is scheduled, I'll announce it via blogs and email lists to see if anyone wants to join us.

So, email minister@revjack.com if you want to go to church with me! And stay tuned for more church visits and other activities coming your way this year!