Church Life Archives

Postludes – Music for walking out but not forgetting

Saturday, March 24th, 2012

Tomorrow’s order of service includes the Joyful Noise providing a postlude. I’m more of a walking-out person than a postlude person. Let your left brain talk with friends. I trust that your right brain is listening to the music. But there is the Joyful Noise at the end of the order of service, playing a postlude. It’s because I didn’t communicate adequately as the Order of Service was being developed.

The possibility of a postlude brought to mind that Whitney Houston died on February 11th. I grew up listening to the Supremes, unaware that there was anything new in the concept of pop music that was performed by African Americans. I love “You Can’t Hurry Love,” and “Where Did Our Love Go?” and lots more of Whitney Houston’s music. Although I didn’t know it, my growing up cherishing Motown was part of a revolution in America.

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Joyful Noise – Not Waiting for Perfection

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

[This is the sermon that Duane Herzig gave at Skagit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on March 11, 2012.]

Good Morning, My name is Duane Herzig and I am the tuba player for Joyful Noise. We are delighted to be here again. When we were here in January, there was talk that you folks were looking into setting up your own group.

I hope very much that you do.

If I may, I would like to say a few things about our group that I hope you will embrace in your group. I will also borrow heavily and shamelessly from Robert Fulgum and say that these are things I learned in Joyful Noise that I wish I had learned in kindergarten.

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Summer Music

Monday, March 19th, 2012

I enjoy my summers off from being in the choir. It’s not just because I have my Wednesday evenings free from practices for the months of June, July and August. It’s not even because I get pretty sick of wearing ‘black on black’ twice a month to sing in. Getting to church by 8:30 to practice and staying after 11:30 does get a bit old. (more…)

The Impact of an Image

Monday, March 19th, 2012

When the Occupy Wall Street Movement got underway last year, I watched it on YouTube; read about it online.  I was struck by people young and old rising up to protest issues I too stood against, but I only watched and stayed out of it. (more…)

Rallying Against Corporate Personhood

Friday, March 9th, 2012

Ever wonder what it’s like to rally and march for an issue?  Does it make a difference?  You bet!!!

Several people from EUUC went to the “Citizens Ignited Against Citizens United” rally on January 21.  Here is one member’s enthusiastic description: (more…)

Building Bridges workshop – May 21

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

The Building Bridges workshop is this coming Saturday, May 21.  This is a joint effort between UUSC, East Shore, University, Edmonds UU, and several Muslim groups.  John Tucker, our UUSC rep, has participated in organizing it, and Eric will deliver closing remarks in the afternoon. Download a flyer. (more…)

Luncheons for the Soul

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Time flies.  Doesn’t it always? One month you’re busy shopping and preparing for the winter holidays, and then you’re making the big decision of where your firstborn is going to go to kindergarten, and then your parents are in town, and then… and then…. It never ends.  But don’t get me wrong.  I’m not complaining.  A friend once shared his father’s wisdom with me.  “When your ‘to do’ list is done, then you’re as good as dead.”  Or something to that effect.  But sometimes this busy-ness gets in the way of things that I’d like to do, or in the way of who I’d like to be.  Enter Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Church (fondly abbreviated as EUUC). (more…)

EUUC University of Music

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Wow, Steve Ernst’s Testimonial at last week’s service really made an impression on me. It helped me realize all the free music instruction and enjoyment I am getting out of EUUC. That analogy resonated with me—it is like a University.

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Personal Changes to Minimize Climate Disasters

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

I’m writing this on a bus navigating wet roads with patches of ice. The snowy scene outside is lovely, and the bus driver worries about not hitting other cars. It reminds me that several years ago, I read that there was a rural letter carrier in Minnesota who raced dog sleds on the weekends.

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If We Can Learn to Cook Soufflé, We Can Figure Out How to Stop Climate Disaster

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

A year ago, EUUC hosted three showings of the beautiful and distressing movie, Home at EUUC.  Home is a video portrait of the earth, and of what people are doing to the globe.  The movie is like a cry of pain.  Ice caps are melting.  Oceans are becoming more acidic and continue rising.  Flooding, droughts, and storms from the arctic are our present and will dominate our future.  As the deteriorating environment kills more and more people, environmental refugees will attempt to overwhelm developed-world kindness and self-preservation will tempt people on both sides of the development divide to start disposing of other populations.

After each showing of the movie, there was a common response.  Don Snow summarized it well:  The movie is like a beautiful child screaming, “HELP ME!”  Inside, we are yelling back, “Hold on!  We’re coming!”  But not everyone felt confident.  If we’re going to help, what are we going to do?

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