Religious Education satisfies curiosities

Children often pose the most astounding questions. Where did I come from? Why is that man sleeping outside? How do I know what is right? Do you believe in God? Why is my brother so mean? If I wish hard enough, will it come true?

Adults have confided in me that they are surprised and challenged by children's deep questions. So often these simple inquiries touch on complex ethical or theological issues. Children can sense when grown-ups are uncomfortable and can learn to stop asking. Even if we do not have all the
answers, it is important to nurture curiosity and reverence from a young age.

William Ellery Channing, Newport native and father of American Unitarianism for whom our church is dedicated, wrote in 1830, "The great end in religious instruction is not to stamp our minds upon the young, but to stir up their own. Not to make them see with our eyes, but to look inquiringly and steadily with their own. Not to give them a definite amount of knowledge, but to inspire a fervent love of truth. Not to form an outward regularitybut to touch inward springs."

The Religious Education program at Channing Memorial Church is designed to empower children and youth to engage directly with the beauty and struggles of life. Our classes are designed to foster self-confidence, respect for the inherent worth of every person, reverence for the interdependent web of existence, and encourage a life of compassion and service.

Often couples who have different religious backgrounds or who are searching for a caring community of all ages will join a Unitarian Universalist congregation. Personally, I was raised attending a Unitarian Universalist church. My paternal side is Jewish and my maternal side is Catholic. My family found a religious home in a supportive community that honored our
interfaith heritage and nurtured our ongoing spiritual development. From an early age, I was taught that my thoughts, feelings, and deeds are valuable.

The lessons learned on Sunday mornings helped me to understand that my actions have consequences not only for myself but also positively or negatively affect the interdependent web of life of which I am a part.

Each year we offer classes in the following areas: World Religions, Unitarian Universalist principles, and Social Justice. This year's curriculum includes earth-based traditions, ethics, spiritual development, and making a difference in the world.

In addition, Our Whole Lives (OWL) will be offered for 4-5 graders and 7-8 graders who enroll in this comprehensive sexuality education class. Although many people are surprised that a church would speak candidly about sex, the predominant misinformation, shame and pressure in our society make it essential. OWL is a curriculum developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association in partnership with United Church of Christ. O, the magazine published by Oprah Winfrey featured this program in a recent issue. We believe that honoring our bodies, having caring relationships and making healthy choices is essential.

On Saturday, September 12, 10:00am-12:00pm, a Community Open House will be held at Channing Memorial Church, 135 Pelham Street in Newport. All are welcome to drop by the Parish Hall to register children or to learn more about our church. Halcyon Westall, our Director of Religious Education and I will be available to answer your questions and provide information about upcoming classes and events.


View Channing Church, Newport, RI in a larger map

Newport Pride Meetup this Friday at 6:30pm

I hope you can join us! ~Amy

Newport Pride Meetup
This Friday from 6:30pm - 8:30pm
EMPIRE TEA AND COFFEE
On Broadway in Newport, RI

Join us for an informal gathering to meet, network and organize. This meeting we will be coordinating plans for marching in the RI Pride Parade on Saturday as well as discuss starting an Interweave chapter at Channing Church.

On Facebook? You can RSVP to this event and invite friends here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=90610198329

Channing Church launches capital campaign to restore steeple

Channing Memorial Church is a thriving Unitarian Universalist congregation located in the heart of Newport. First gathered in 1835, our congregation has been a vital and inspirational community for generations dedicated to the values of liberal religion.

The Rev. William Ellery Channing spoke at the dedication of the church first housed on Mill Street. It was Channing who first articulated what came to be known as Unitarian theology, that there is but one God. Driven by his inclusive faith and a passion for social justice, Channing was an influential leader. His thought gave rise to New England Transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau and inspired intellectuals and reformers worldwide.

The Unitarian congregation chose to build a Memorial Sanctuary to honor William Ellery Channing in his birthplace. A feat that, according to the minister of the time “the majority of the congregation considered impossible and some thought it an insane and wild dream, but they resolved to go forward.” The cornerstone bearing the words “We Build in Faith, Hope, Charity” was laid on Pelham Street across from the Old Stone Mill in 1880, the centennial of Channing’s birth.

Many dignitaries gathered for the Centennial Celebration in Newport including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott, and Julia Ward Howe. The newspaper reports of the time state that the building of the church was cause for celebration not only for Unitarians but for all people.

Since its completion, the stone steeple of Channing Memorial Church has risen 130 feet above the skyline in Newport. Located on Historic Hill, the steeple can be seen from the water and when crossing the Pell Bridge. Newport’s tallest point, it is a symbol of religious freedom in a town known for religious diversity and tolerance.

Since 1881, Newport has not only looked to Channing’s steeple for inspiration, they have listened to its music. Housed within is a rare nine-bell set of chimes, a massive musical instrument with bells ranging in size from 300 pounds to just over a ton. For over one hundred years, the bells rang out in celebration at weddings, tolled in mourning, and rang in solidarity with the joys and sorrows of the larger community. That is, until the year 2000 when neighbors began hearing a periodic clang in the middle of the night, the sound of bricks falling from within the steeple striking the historic bells.

This phantom bell-ringing alerted church leaders to growing structural problems with the steeple caused by years of moisture freezing and thawing. This moisture found its way into the steeple through faults in previous repairs. A platform was constructed to protect the bells and a steel girdle was fastened to shore up the stone structure.

“Rising to the Challenge!” is the theme of the Capital Campaign to repair the steeple and bells of Channing Memorial Church launched on March 1, 2009. Already members and friends of the church are rising to the challenge! Of the estimated cost of $1.2 million benefactors, church members, and Foundations have already contributed roughly $400,000. In December, Channing Memorial Church’s application for a “Save America’s Treasures” grant of $440,000 was approved. This grant is very competitive. Our successful application demonstrates that the Gilded Age Sanctuary is a treasure not only to our own membership but as a community asset. Our goal is to raise $400,000, the remaining third needed to restore our steeple and bells.

This project is about more than stone and mortar. The steeple project is our opportunity to preserve a beacon of liberal religion for future generations. In the tradition of our namesake, Channing Memorial Church is an open and inclusive community dedicated to the values of equality, justice, and compassion. The church is open to all people for rites of passage, meditation, concerts, and educational opportunities; a safe haven for people of all religious backgrounds or none at all to join together for interfaith services and celebrations.

To reconstruct a steeple is an act of faith. The tower of stone seems to defy gravity as it rises 130 feet into the sky. When so much music is recorded, it is an act of faith to restore a chime of bells to ring out with timeless music. This reconstruction project will begin this spring. When so many banks are floundering, you are invited to invest in a sure thing.

Rev. Amy Bowden Freedman is the Minister of Channing Memorial Church, a Unitarian Universalist Church in Newport, RI.

Public teaching with Khensur Rinpoche - October 30, 2008 in Newport, RI

I'm excited to announce that Venerable Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Wangdak will be offering a public teaching at Channing Church this October. The following is a brief bio provided by the Chenrezig Center.

Lobsang Tenzin Geshe Wangdak, Khensur Rinpoche, was born in 1934 in Tibet. Rinpoche was the senior teacher for 14 years, and Abbot for four years, at Namgyal Monastery, the Dalai Lama’s personal monastery in Dharamsala, India. In 1995, H. H. the Dalai Lama appointed Khensur Rinpoche Abbot and Senior Resident Teacher at Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, NY. He retired from Ithaca in 1998, and now resides at the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center in Middletown, Connecticut. Khensur Rinpoche was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest Tibetan Buddhist doctorate. Rinpoche received initiations and teachings of tantric practices of all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. For a more complete biography of Khensur Rinpoche, visit the Chenrezig Center’s website.

Event details:

Venerable Khensur Rinpoche
Geshe Lobsang Wangdak
October 30, 2008
7:30pm - 9pm

Channing Memorial Church

135 Pelham Street

Newport, RI

Suggested donation of $10, but no one will be turned away

Proceeds will benefit the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Connecticut
http://www.chenrezigcenter.org/

Step It Up!

Newport RI Step It Up report.

Newport Daily News Clergy Corner:

"Step It Up!"

Grab a jacket, invite your neighbors, and head to Easton’s Beach boardwalk! On Saturday, April 14th at noon, residents of Aquidneck Island are gathering to express how much we value our beautiful home and the urgent need to protect it. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a nationwide movement. In all fifty states, thousands will gather with the message, “Step It Up Congress! Cut carbon 80% by 2050”.

Sheldon Whitehouse, US Senator for Rhode Island is a strong supporter of this initiative and will be one of the speakers on Easton’s Beach. “From Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay to ecosystems and communities all over the world, global warming is a serious threat that demands immediate and urgent action”, said Whitehouse. As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Whitehouse supports legislation to reduce carbon emissions nationally.

LeRoy White who is well-known in this area for his inspirational music and message, will offer songs and lead us in praise of our ocean home. “Step It Up!” will also include speeches by local leaders and business people as well as information about personal steps you can take to help reduce climate change.

This local event is being organized by Kelly Kittel and Beth Milham as a part of a joint effort of Portsmouth United Methodist Church and Channing Memorial Church, Unitarian Universalist. Both congregations have begun efforts to become “green sanctuaries”, that it is to preach, teach, and take actions that honor the earth and the web of life. We feel it is our moral and spiritual responsibility to do all that we can to protect and preserve our planet home. This is an issue that affects all people and living beings.

Scientists agree that climate change is real. Due to human emissions of greenhouse gases and deforestation, carbon dioxide is becoming trapped in our thickening atmosphere. We have already begun to see the negative impact with temperatures reaching record levels, melting of glaciers, sea levels rising, and the increasing ocean temperature causing more severe storms. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita should serve as wake-up calls to the devastating impact these trends could have locally and globally.

Rhode Island is only 37 miles wide by 48 miles long but our small state has 400 miles of coastline. Many of us live here because of the awesome beauty of that coastline. However, as anyone who is lucky enough to live on oceanfront property can tell you, our beaches are undergoing significant erosion. Without question, rising sea levels along our shores would disrupt every aspect of our lives including coastal communities, drinking water, energy supply, economy, and public health.

On April 14th, people across the nation will send a message to Congress that American citizens are concerned about the environment and want the leadership in Washington to take action. Reducing carbon emissions 80% by the middle of the century is an ambitious goal. Unfortunately, it may be too late to prevent global warming but it is possible to stave off the most catastrophic effects. There is a growing commitment to switch from fossil fuels to new sources of energy. It will take strong legislation to reduce emissions at least 2% a year in order to slow the potentially disastrous effects of higher temperatures across the world.

Spring is the perfect season to step up your commitment to the earth. If you cannot make the rally, I encourage you to call members of congress, urging them to “Step It Up!”, and to visit the “Step It Up!” website: http://www.stepitup2007.org/

Have you been confusing your “Uni” religions?

Have you been confusing your “Uni” religions? My husband thinks so! In reviewing the statistics for his Unitarian Universalist website (http://www.uufaq.com/), he noticed that many people visiting the site had meant to look up another religion starting with “Uni”. These included the Unification Church, the Unity Church, and the Universal Life Church. If the people looking for these other religions are confusing Unitarian Universalism for them, how many of you are confusing them for us?

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion with Judeo-Christian roots. Our congregations have moved from being Christian to being a home for people with diverse beliefs, including many interfaith families. Our members identify as Unitarian Universalists, but also as Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, Christians, Humanists, Jews, Pagans and others.

Our community is held together by our shared values, the same values of religious freedom and reason that inspired the formation of our great nation. In fact, John Adams, founding father and second President of the United States, was a Unitarian. These values are most commonly articulated by the following Unitarian Universalist principles:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth.
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process.
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

What about those other “Uni” religions? Here are some facts to set the record straight. The Unification Church was started in Korea by Sun Myung Moon in the 1940s. Members of the Unification Church are more commonly known as “Moonies”. A core belief of this movement is that Moon is the messiah.

Many people consider the Unification Church to be a cult. Unitarian Universalism, on the other hand, is a creedless religion. While we have Judeo-Christian roots, we do not tell our members what to believe. This includes whether or not there is an afterlife or a God. We do challenge members to answer the great religious questions and to “build your own theology”. We believe a lifelong search for truth and meaning is best done in a supportive community of fellow seekers.

The Unity Church association describes itself as a positive and practical Christianity. They teach application of the principles of truth taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ as interpreted by the Unity School and the Association of Unity Churches.

In becoming progressively more liberal over the years, Unitarian Universalism has moved away from its Christian belief tradition. Where does this leave us with respect to Jesus? Modern Unitarian Universalists widely view Jesus of Nazareth as a great teacher, a revolutionary and enlightened person, but a mortal.

We describe our faith as a living tradition drawing on many sources. These include wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life, Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves, Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed use both reason and science, and the teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

If a friend mentions that he or she was ordained online, it was through the Universal Life Church, not the Unitarian Universalist Church. Many feel the ULC was created to allow its clergy to evade taxes. In contrast, Unitarian Universalist ministers attend masters level seminary programs, are mentored though internships, and follow a lengthy credentialing process.

Given the similarity in the names it is not surprising people confuse these four religions but, the similarities end there! Whether it is with regard to Unitarian Universalism or another spiritual community you’ve wondered about take the time to research the answers to your questions. Grab a few friends and explore the many faith communities on this island. Many people discover us later in life and wonder why it took so long to find us. Don’t let your spiritual home pass you by!

Rev. Amy Bowden Freedman is the minister of Channing Memorial Church, Unitarian Universalist in Newport, RI.