What's in a Name?
3 Jul 09 Faye joins the Traversa Pack I could get used to this retirement thing. Even though I do a lot of work for the church, it doesn’t really feel like work. I don’t have to set my alarm clock anymore (yet I still tend to wake up between 0630 and 0730. I haven’t become proficient at sleeping in yet. Probably a good thing, since I’ll have to start getting up to go to school in August, when seminary starts. July is also the month that my oldest son, Taylor, goes to Army boot camp. Ryan could also be going to Marine training soon, we are still waiting on an earlier report date. Both boys will be third generation military. Their grandfathers served in the Army and Air Force (both doing 20 years), and of course I did 20 in the Air Force. They also have an uncle and aunt who both served in the Air Force. So the tradition continues. Hamid Update: Hamid continues to look for a full-time job. He currently shows up at 0400 in the morning to a warehouse, which may have work for him. If not, he goes back home. He does not get to call in, he must show up each day. He is averaging one or two days of actual work a week this way. We do have a good possibility with a security company, and hopefully he can get a job as a security guard. It seems to be the strongest lead yet. Hamid did finally get his driver’s license, so in three months he has accumulated a green card, social security number, car, and a driver’s license. All he needs now is a job and a wife. Dogs: Gretchen We’ve adopted Faye, the Chihuahua mix with the broken leg that we were fostering. She was simply too sweet not to keep her. We also fostered a very energetic puppy named Gretchen. She had way too much energy, and turned all of our dogs into nervous wrecks. Not that she was mean, just way too friendly and rough. Fortunately, she has been adopted, and peace has settled onto the Traversa pack once again. Unitarian Universalism: Seminary is just around the corner, and I have finished all the paperwork and the interview for Aspirant status (one of the steps towards full ministerial fellowship within the Unitarian Universalist Association). I spend much of my free time reading books from the mandatory reading list as part of my fellowship requirement. Pretty soon the leisurely life of a retiree is over, but I am looking forward to seminary with great anticipation. Only 6 ½ weeks to go. And finally, another sermon for you. This was the prelude to a discussion on whether we should change the name of our church to something like “The UU Congregation of Tullahoma,” or “The UU Fellowship of Tullahoma,” or even “The Unitarian Universalists of Tullahoma.” In the end, we decided to keep our current name, but the discussion was valuable, and even though I gave this sermon three weeks ago, people still comment on their views to me. Enjoy! What’s in a Name? (Sermon given 14 Jun 2009) I want to start off by saying that more than any other talk I’ve given, this one is designed to promote discussion and solicit your opinions. I think on this topic we can afford to do some self-examination and see if a change is worthwhile. I have not formed a firm opinion myself, and am eager to hear what all of you have to say. As we continue to grow and mature as a group, it is important and healthy to evaluate ourselves. I hope this talk will be part of the process. These are my thoughts, and mine alone. I have not discussed them with the board, and I have no proposals to present. This is merely an opportunity for congregational introspection, with a look towards our future. During my trips to both the Thomas Jefferson District Meeting and the Southeast UU Ministers’ Association meeting, there was discussion by some that using the word “church” to describe our congregations was potentially keeping people away. The argument goes like this: “Church” has been used historically to refer to Christian groups. Many people who might find a home in a UU congregation might never attend, either because they are coming from a non-Christian background, or have had a bad experience in a Christian church and don’t ever want to go to “church” again. As an example, the largest church in the Mid-South District, the UU Congregation of Atlanta, has an assistant minister who is Jewish. Anyone who knows history knows how Christian terminology would turn off someone of Jewish heritage. She deeply appreciates the fact that she does not minister at a church, but to a congregation. Origins of the Word “Church” I will not do into great detail on this. I’m not an expert on the Greek language, nor do I want to turn this into a lecture on word origins. The English word “Church” is usually used when the original Greek word “Ekklesia” is used. Ekklesia means “a group or assembly.” This could have been a political or civic group, as well as a religious group. It would be better translated “assembly” or “congregation,” and did not have a specifically Christian connotation. The King James version of the Bible was the first English translation to use the word “church.” Here it became exclusively Christian. Matthew 16:13-20 includes the first chronological appearance of the word “church.” Matthew 16:13-20 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." 15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18"I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." 20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. As an interesting though unrelated aside, these are the verses used by the Roman Catholic Church to argue that they are the only true church, built on Peter as the first Pope. The Protestants disagree, and to this day Christianity is split into two major factions (three if you count the Eastern Orthodox Church). Definition of “Church” So what does “Church” mean? Webster’s New World Dictionary gives many definitions, but three applicable definitions are as follows: 1. A building set apart for public worship, especially Christian worship 2. All Christians considered as a single body 3. A group of worshippers, a congregation While I’m defining words, lets look at a couple of other words often used by Unitarian Universalists. Congregation – an assembly of people for religious worship Fellowship – a group of people with the same interests Terms Used by Major Religions for their Congregations Finally, here are some terms used by various religions to describe their groups. This is not comprehensive, and is based solely on my use of internet search engines. Jewish – Temple, Synagogue, Congregation Muslim – Mosque, Center, Society Jain – Society, Temple Hindu – Temple, Mandir Jehovah’s Witnesses – Kingdom Hall Pagans – Temple, Congregation, Circle, Tribe, Covenant, Coven Humanists – Ethical Societies Is the Word “Church” Used only by Christian Groups? There are some non-Christian groups that use the word “church.” Some of these would argue they are the only true Christian Church, but their doctrines usually deviate so much from traditional Christianity that they really stand on their own. Church of Scientology Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) Unification Church Wiccan Church Church of Satan And of course, Unitarian Universalists. Please note that the non-Christian churches were all formed in the 19th or 20th century. Early Unitarian and Universalist churches considered themselves completely Christian, and did not embrace other religious thought as we do now. Our History Our church was originally founded as the Unitarian Fellowship of Tullahoma. This was just before the merger of the Unitarians and the Universalists. After the merger, we changed our name to the UU Church of Tullahoma. At this time, the term “fellowship” referred to smaller congregations, and the term “church” applied to larger congregations. I’ve talked to Sue Male to confirm this, though she can’t remember the exact details. Somehow we were able to use or retain the name “church” despite our small size, and this added some stature to our congregation. Today, there are no relationships between the terms “church,” “congregation,” and “fellowship.” There are numerous fellowships with over 100 members, and tiny churches, like the 12 member First UU Church of Camp Hill, Alabama. All three terms are used almost equally, at least in my survey of the Thomas Jefferson and Mid-South Districts. A brief look through some of the other districts showed the same usage. Other terms used to a lesser degree are “society” and the lack of any group name at all (for example, we could be called “The Unitarian Universalists of Tullahoma”). Here are the exact numbers I got from my research: Church – 37 Fellowship – 36 Congregation – 20 Other - 10 So What’s the Fuss? I’ve spent a great deal of time providing background and defining terms. I did this because the name we use is very important. Nothing sums up our very identity in so short and simple a form as our name. In many ways, it is our first impression. As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. We certainly want to be accurate in ours. More importantly, a name should accurately reflect what we are. From personal experience, I can tell you it was very difficult to come here the first time. To me, “church” meant having to use faith instead of reason, listening rather than sharing and discussing, and conforming rather than evolving. Church was intellectually stifling and frankly boring and completely uninteresting to me. I left Christianity when the truths I was taught became unbelievable and unacceptable. There were many negative connotations with the word “church,” and I was very cautious and leery the first time I attended. Once I finally came, I saw my fears were unfounded, but I had stayed away for several years, simply because this was a church. I have to wonder how many others have never come. Of course, it is equally possible that others have attended because we call ourselves a church. I hope to hear from all of you on this during our discussion. Are We a Church? Depending on which definition you use, we may or may not be a church. And is so often the case, words just get in the way. I think the more important question is, “What name would most accurately reflect our values, our principles, and our goals?” We wish to be a welcoming group, open to all regardless of their religious (or not) beliefs. We want people from non-Christian religious backgrounds to feel welcome and safe. We want atheists and agnostics to feel equally valuable. While fully acknowledging our Christian heritage and roots, we should equally acknowledge our nature as an evolving religion, one that acknowledges the value and worth of our stated sources, which include the world’s religions, earth-centered traditions, and humanistic teachings. How do we best express that in our name? I will close by saying that I have made my peace with the word “Church.” Obviously, I use it in the sense of a group of worshippers, with no other strings attached. I think it will be useful to examine this issue, but I don’t have an agenda. If a change is to be made, a consensus should be reached. This should NOT be a divisive issue. I talked to Sue Male, one of the pillars of the church in our past, to see what she thought. She liked to idea of changing the name to “congregation,” but did not want to see us go back to a “fellowship.” In her mind, that would represent a step backward. Of course, this is just one opinion, but as I did when I proposed switching districts, I checked with her to see if there were reasons I was unaware of that we should not change. It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the past when moving forward. I look forward to our discussion.
