This Week at UBC
Updated every Monday
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love." -Martin Luther King Jr.
Hello Friends:
I was busy making maple syrup yesterday, so I apologize for the delay in this weekly missive. The weather is cooperating so much that we have made 7 gallons of maple syrup in our back yard over two days. We have been buoyed by 20 visitors, all of whom went home with a jar of syrup. We might be making syrup again on Thursday of this week.
Tonight, the Antiracism group is holding its monthly meeting on zoom. As part of our ongoing examination of our roles in a society and perhaps a church steeped in white supremacy culture, the Anti-Racism Action Group has adapted a survey for us to complete. You don’t need to be an active member of UBC or have any official capacity to fill this out. We want your perspective.
UBC Community Anti-Racism Assessment
Hard copies will be available on Sunday, too. The Group is requesting that the assessment be completed by 11:59 p.m. central on March 26th. Results will be discussed at the forum on March 30th. The forum will provide an opportunity to discuss issues raised in the survey, as well as to clarify responses and provide input to improve the survey.
On Friday night, we have been invited to the postponed Mardi Gras celebration at First Congregational church. It includes music, tacos and even mini-golf course. The festivities begin at 4:30 and continue until 8pm.
On Saturday, we will celebrate the life of Laurie Brazman. The service begins at 1pm. It will be live-streamed. See the link below. We have secured free parking at the LDS Institute next door to UBC as well as at University Lutheran Church of Hope (13th between 6th and 7th)
On Sunday, my sermon is entitled “Rage Against the Machine”. As we continue to look at the Sermon on the Mount, we encounter the first of six passages where Jesus addresses issues of import. He uses a formula in these discussions: “You have heard it said…but I say to you.” Jesus quotes a scripture passage from the Hebrew Bible and/or culture and then pushes us deeper. In Matthew 5:21-26 Jesus starts out by quoting the 6th commandment, “You have heard it said that you shall not kill, but I say to you don’t be angry.” Sometimes it feels so good to be angry. Maybe Jesus is telling us to place our anger in the right place. Jesus also calls us to not insult one another. It seems one who peddles in insults doesn’t think or care deeply enough. Maybe the machine about which we are to rage is our propensity toward violence of the heart-which too often leads to violence of the fist. The UBC Chorale will sing and John Medeiros will be the worship leader.
On Sunday, we’ll also get a chance to meet our new Marketing and Communications Director Maura Dunst.
Our adult forum will be: “Impact of federal funding cuts to foreign aid”
Katie MacAulay, who recently completed work on a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contract, will talk about her experience and observations. Jacob Beier spent eight years at the Government Accountability Office, an independent, nonpartisan agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for Congress. He will share his thoughts on the broad impact of the administration's actions.
Gayla Marty is interested in starting a group to discuss this book: https://global.oup.com/ushe/product/the-forgotten-creed-9780190865825?cc=us&lang=en& If you are interested, please purchase/borrow the book and let Gayla know.
Blessings and Peace,
Doug Donley
This week's schedule:
Tuesday-5:30pm Sacred Harp
Tuesday—7pm Anti Racism Group
Meeting ID: 517 697 6753 Passcode: 602794 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5176976753?pwd=NG15ZlNlbDcwUElzTWFmLzRyZm5OQT09
Wednesday—6pm UBC Chorale, 7:30pm UBC Carillon
Saturday—9am Bible Study
Meeting ID: 517 697 6753 Passcode: 602794
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5176976753?pwd=NG15ZlNlbDcwUElzTWFmLzRyZm5OQT09
Saturday—10am Spanish Conversation at the home of Mary Jean Korsmo
630 3rd Ave NE, Minneapolis 55413.
Sunday—10am worship
11am or so Refreshments
11:30am Bible Study, Forum
Meeting ID 839 4725 7444 passcode 257750 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83947257444?pwd=cFZCWEdqUkR0RDgwT0JwT3hrQ3FpUT09_
One tap mobile +13602095623,,83947257444#,,,,*257750# US
4pm Sacred Harp