A hundred million people throughout the world cannot afford to buy food, according to United Nations statistics. This approximates the combined populations of California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois. Experts say we are experiencing a global food crisis. Not a bind or a problem or a difficulty, but a crisis.

There are a number of contributing factors to the dire straits in which the world finds itself: climate changes resulting in crop failures, the diverting of food into biofuels, the skyrocketing price of oil needed for the production and transportation of food, diminishing grain inventories, population growth, especially in India and China which together total 2.4 billion in population. There also are a number of ways we can respond to the crisis: aggressive political action, generous support of those organizations competently addressing the issues, genuine personal efforts to decrease consumption and live more “greenly.”

We as Unitarian Universalists are particularly called to respond to this crisis if we are to live up to our denominational principles, for how can there be justice, equity and compassion; how can there be world community; how can we uplift the search for truth and meaning in a world where the people are hungry? As O. Henry said in 1907, “Love and business and family and religion and art and patriotism are nothing but shadows of words when a man is starving.”

We here at BUUF will be thinking and talking about how we are called to respond to humanitarian crises and social justice issues throughout the year as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our founding. This is a significant event in the life of our Fellowship, and I am excited to be sharing it with you.

The kick-off for this year-long celebration will begin with our Spring Fellowship Banquet on Saturday May 17, and will continue with activities and events, entertainment and discussions, through the final celebration next May.

As we celebrate together we will have opportunities to think about why we were founded and what we are about, and how we may ever more positively impact a bruised and hurting – and starving -- world.

It’s an exciting time in the life of our church. Please plan to join us in celebration.

Dear Members and Friends,

The charge often made against Unitarian/Universalists is that they lack theological depth. I think this is because in our Enlightenment pride, we do not wrestle with the problem of evil. We have chosen the first creation story of GENESIS in which God declares his creation, "very good." The second creation story contains the myth of the Fall and the expulsion from Eden accompanied by curses. The drama of God's driving Adam and Eve out of the garden remains a central theme of art, even in our day. See the NEW YORKER cover for March 7, 2005.

To answer our critics we must deal with the myth of the Fall because it defines so much of Western civilization. To clarify our thought about evil let me make a comparison with the Oedipus myth and Adamic myth, both failures who make wrong choices. The story of Oedipus points outward toward the divine conditions within which reason and action go forward. Oedipus cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is not. The play asks the question, what can we know? The biblical myth turns inward and asks the question what is the source of disobedience? The answer is found not in the failure of reason but of the will. Both stories tell us that we live in a disordered world. Both tell of failure, one of reason and one of will. One denies us knowledge with a warning that reality might be a fiction. The creation myth recognizes knowledge, "we have eaten of the tree" at the cost of a disobedient will. The Oedipus story is one of necessity; the Adam story is one of freedom. One puts us at the mercy of powers beyond our control. The other puts us at the mercy of our own will over which we often fail to exercise control.

Augustine says that this original failure of All meant a loss of control of the body which may explain the anti-body attitude of Christianity which has forgotten its own teaching that "it is in the flesh that we see God." We have to choose between the failure of reason and the failure of the will.

Choices are scary because every choice gains part of its meaning from what has not been chosen. Adam and Eve failed the choice test and so death entered our existential condition. So evil comes out of the second creation story. Is it any wonder that we avoid it?

I have attended the Unitarian church in Chicago for 52 years, and I have never heard a sermon on the problem of evil, though many brilliant and gifted preachers have come and gone. By studying the Fall, we can begin to get a handle on the depth of evil, and the power of the demonic in our common life, so full of terror which shapes our present wars.

As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, let us remember all who have died that we might be free to choose life, and love which wants all eternity.

Love,

Murder Mystery Guests (l to r): Attorney J. Stephen Peek (Gary Cook), Novelist Connika Gothika (Mary Lou Elson) , "Gator" Crovitz (Evan LeFever), Cayenne Pepper (Beth LeFever), grieving widow Melissa DuPre (Sue Betz), Bourbon DuPre (Jay LaPlante), and the maid, Elise St. Gresch (Teresa LaPlante)

Murder & Mystery…Thanks, Julia!

Having purchased their tickets at the BUUF Silent Auction, a few mystery buffs (or is that BUUFs?) recently gathered at Julia Williams’ home for murder, mystery, and some delicious jambalaya. The setting was New Orleans during Mardi Gras and the plot was thick with secrets and surprises as the murder of a certain Pierre DuPre was discussed and the murderer found. For many of us, it was our first taste of such a party, but it won’t be our last. I, for one, think it should be an annual event — although next time, Julia will have to enjoy being one of the guests. Thanks, Julia, for a wonderful evening!

Summer at BUUF

I cannot believe that my first year at BUUF has gone by so quickly! Already it is May and children are eagerly awaiting beginning of summer (which, if you ask any child, is dated by the last day of school, not June 21). Have you got big plans for your kids this summer? Here are a couple of ideas to consider:

For children who are staying home this summer, I would like to offer a one-week summer day camp at BUUF. This will be a camp based on the Camp Quest purpose (above). To make it happen, I need a few people who would work with me in planning and running this camp. Summer is, first of all, a time of play, so I plan to keep the camp (and the planning) simple and relaxing for everyone involved. If you help with this camp, it will not be a chore, but will be fun. Let me know asap by mail or phone if you would like to join the summer camp team.

Children’s interests will dictate the theme of the camp. It might be cool to show magic and science in a Harry Potter-like camp, or maybe we would go the other way and let the kids’ imaginations rule in a fairy camp (wings and all, of course) or we could go with a Mother Earth camp or a Native American camp or….!!! [photo: Young girls learn to feel auras and energy at the Belladonna Fairy Camp.]

We also need teens and adults who would be willing to share a talent or interest with the kids. Anything fun and safe will be considered. Some of the possibilities are science projects, yoga, sports, archery, astronomy, crafts, art, music, gardening, second languages, theatre, photography, dance, herbs, fairies, bugs…you name it! Your time involved could be just one hour or one hour each day of the camp, depending on the subject.

NOTE: Teaching and/or helping at this camp would be a great way for high school students to use volunteer hours.

Let me know in whatever way you prefer (email, phone, or in person) what your ideas are and what you are interested in doing. Together, we can make this happen.

Cakes for the Queen of Heaven: In Ancient Times

Nine women have signed up for the one-week intensive, Cakes for the Queen of Heaven: In Ancient Times. Class begins Monday, May 5 at 7:00pm, and I, for one, am getting excited. It is going to be a great week of empowerment and growth for all of us.

I first became aware of the Goddess almost 25 years ago. A former sister-in-law of mine wore a T-shirt that read, “When God made man, She was only kidding.” I thought, “how silly. God isn’t female. God isn’t male, either. God is God.” But that small act of rebellion on her part made me start thinking, and began a journey that still hasn’t ended.

The current presidential campaign is a reflection of that journey. A common anthropological theory is that the myths of a culture reflect its social power arrangements. For instance, if the overarching myth is that of a father-god whose representatives on earth are males, as in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, this mythology will be reflected in a male-dominated society. It is a 2-sided coin: The flesh reflects the divine…the divine enhances the flesh. This means two things to us today:

1. There was a time…thousands of years ago…when myths emphasized significant female power and presence, and it showed in the social structures of that time
2. As women assert themselves and change the social structure, the myths will change to reflect that shift.

The fact that Senator Hillary Clinton can be seriously considered as presidential material is a sign that women are slowly regaining their status and power in society. Flip that coin over and a reflection of that is that more and more people are worshipping a Goddess. One enhances the other. Personally, I think we’re going in the right direction.

When the first Cakes for the Queen of Heaven came out in 1986, it changed the lives of women everywhere and brought about the removal of sexist language in UU literature and the addition of the seventh principle, respecting all creation. It is my hope that In Ancient Times deepens and matures our commitment.

This curriculum was published by UU Women & Religion. You can read more about it on their website, www.uuwr.org and on the new CAKES website and BLOG, cakesforthequeenofheaven.org.

RE Calendar of Special Dates

May
4 – May Day celebration (outdoors, if possible—dress for the weather!)
11—Lesson 21: Celebrating Ourselves as Superheroes!
18—Inter-Generational Service: Superheroes, Unite!

July/August: Summer Camp

What We Teach Children:

• Each and every person is important
• All people should be treated fairly and with kindness
• We should accept one another and keep on learning together
• Each person must be free to search for what is true and right
• All persons should have a voice in the things that concern them
• We work for a peaceful, fair, and free world
• We care for our planet earth, and treat all creatures upon it with respect, as we share the same home.

Your Comments Please!

The BUUF Board and RE Committee are conducting a first-year evaulation of our Religious Education Director, Teresa LaPlante. The board would like to hear from those of you at BUUF any comments, kudos, or criticisms you may have regarding Teresa's on-the-job performance here at BUUF. This would include anything that has to do with RE classes, Sunday services, or other projects she's been involved in since joining us. Please submit your reflections in writing and include your signature in case I need to contact you for more information. You can email your comments to Dave Sarra at president@buuf2.org or give them directly to me by May 16. -- Dave Sarra

The BUUF book club

May meeting will be hosted by Julie Williams on Friday, May 2. We will be doing another poetry sharing event. We have not nailed down our summer dates yet, but the books planned are:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini for June
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin for July
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl for August
Questions? Contact Amy Eklund, amyeklund@comcast.net

BUUF CALENDAR

Other Places, Other Faces

Transgender Activist Dr. Julie Nemecek to speak to Three Oaks Youth Group
All interested LGBT and Allied adults welcome too. Hosted by Defying Boundaries, a Berrien County youth group dedicated to promoting diversity and breaking down barriers to inclusion and acceptance for everyone. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30 Acorn Theatre 107 Generations Drive Three Oaks, Michigan.
Dr. Julie Nemecek is a former university professor who lost her job for following the treatment protocols for her diagnosed condition. The Christian university (Spring Arbor) where she worked said that following these protocols to reach some measure of congruence between mind and body was "un-Christian behavior." She is a transsexual. During this process, Dr. Nemecek shared her story with the local newspaper. The story was quickly picked up by the Associated Press and other media. Julie's website is www.julienemecek.com.

Extreme Inequality: Why it should matter for our democracy, economy, and spirituality.
A conversation with scholar, author, and organizer Chuck Collins on Thursday, May 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Hull Chapel at First Unitarian Church 5650 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago IL 60637. www.firstuchicago.org
Come join born and raised UU Chuck Collins, for a lively workshop and conversation examining the growing disparity of income and assets over the last thirty years and its adverse impact on our democratic institutions, public health, economy, and civic life. Sponsored by: UUs for Social Justice, Task Force on Economic Justice and Homelessness. Chuck Collins is co-founder of the Boston-based organizations, United for a Fair Economy and Responsible Wealth. His most recent book is The Moral Measure of the Economy (Orbis 2007), co-authored by Mary Wright of Just Faith which was listed as One of the Best Spiritual Books of 2007, according to Spirituality and Practice.