Our mission is to offer a welcoming and safe community that reaches out to and receives spiritual seekers. We provide a voice for religious diversity and encourage personal transformation as we strive toward a better world.

    Our covenant is to be a loving, joyful community that nurtures spiritual growth and promotes compassion, social responsibility, and service in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

    Salvation is a constant theme in our religious culture, so it makes sense to ask what a Unitarian Universalist might think about salvation. The choir is singing, and our children will be with us during the service. The pulpit assistant is Chris Maher.

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    One of my dreams for our religious community is to have men’s groups. The problem is I can’t start one, because, well, I’m a woman. The idea behind a men’s group is to provide a place and time for men to openly talk with other men, or at least to be encouraged to talk, hopefully about their lives.

    Men are renowned for not sharing with others, but I have found this to not be entirely true. Many men do talk openly, when given the opportunity and feel safe when doing so. Some are better at it than others, and some just don’t feel a need, but they still like to have male companionship.

    Men’s group are one of the best means and methods to provide the opportunity to talk, and religious institutions are the best providers. A lot of Unitarian Universalist churches have men’s groups, in fact there is a UU national network for men’s groups providing resources and support. At one UU church in Arbor, Michigan, there are nine men’s groups. A friend of mine who is active in a UU church in Denver, reports his men’s group has about 30 men and it is a top priority in his life.

    Some groups have a social focus, some are service oriented, while others offer discussion. Some groups strive to offer all of the above. Groups that thrive report it is the friendships that bond the group, bringing stability as members change over time.

    My vision is to see a men’s group as a part of our Small Group Ministry program; it would be an Affinity Group like our Writer’s Group and Young Adult Group. My vision just needs one or two guys to step up and offer to facilitate. As I said, there are resources and lots of ways to make it happen, but I can’t do it. However, I can ask ... Are there any men in our community who are interested in facilitating a men’s group? Give me a call and help me make this dream come true!

    It’s finally here. The best opportunity for intimacy and ultimacy in our religious community begins March 1. According to Unitarian Universalist churches all over the country this is the best opportunity for UUs to learn about each other, to learn about themselves, and to learn about their world. Through deepened connection more and more UUs are extending their community beyond Sunday morning and committee meetings.

    One participant in another church reports "Small Group Ministry has finally given me a sense of belonging to a community." Another reports "This has meant fellowship and insight to me."

If you’re feeling like you just can’t put something else in your schedule, consider one of the once a month groups ... only two hours a month, yet so much more in your life. Many participants in other churches report that after making the commitment to their group they came away feeling eager for the next meeting, and discovering their small group increasingly becoming a priority in their life.

    Small Group Ministry hand-books are available in the church office for more information, or call Kate Walker, 724-4023, or Lee Ann Wester, 724-932-5702.

    Small Group Ministry sign up is February 26, during coffee/tea hour in the Parish House. Not going to be here this month? Just call us, we’ll sign you up on the phone.

    There are four general discussion groups:

• Group One: meets 2nd and 4th Thursday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Parish House

• Group Two: meets 1st and 3rd Thursday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Parish House

• Group Three: meets 1st Tuesday, 10 a.m. at the group facilitator’s home (TBA)

• Group Four: meets 2nd Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the group facilitator’s home (TBA)

    Topics vary in each group, and may cover; Atheism, Approval, Wilderness and Wildness, the Road Not Taken, Pets, Racism, Bitterness, and many more not listed here. The groups are led by a facilitator and consist of a chalice lighting, opening words, check in, discussion and closing.

    There are three groups that are Affinity Groups:

• Writers Group: meets 2nd and 4th Wednesday, 7-8:30 p.m. in the Parish House

• Connections (cooking and caring): meets First Tuesday, 6 - 8 p.m. in the Parish House

• Young Adults (age 18-35): begins in September, 1st and 3rd Sunday, 7-9 p.m. Allegheny College

    When I was around twelve years old my mother decided to have "the talk" with me about menstruation. She pulled out a biology textbook with a detailed illustration of the uterus and fallopian tubes. I listened carefully, examined the pictures, and I tried very hard to understand the process. Somehow something got lost in translation, and later I remember telling my girlfriend my own interpretation. I told her how there were eggs in our wrists, and they traveled up our arm and down into our belly. (Those fallopian tubes looked a lot like arms!) In Girl Scouts that same year our leaders also tried to attempt the menstruation topic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my facts straight due to all of the laughing and giggling around me. Eventually, I figured it out, but I swore that I would do a better job when I was a parent.

    Well, here I am the parent, and despite my best intentions I find myself at a loss when my children ask questions about sex. What do I tell them? How much do I tell them? And what about the other aspects of sexuality like relationships, affection, intimacy, body image, gender roles, values. Yikes! Comprehensive sexuality education is such a huge and complicated topic and absolutely essential in creating a healthy human being. I think I need a support group, but where do I find it? The public school? So far, my children’s school has not touched the topic. Local parents? Well, I once sat in on a conversation about sexuality and heard only the words abstinence and marriage. So, where am I to go?

    I’ve decided that I need this church to address this topic. This is definitely a place where I can find trust, love, support, respect, open-mindedness. All of the ingredients necessary to deliver an effective sexuality program. So, what about you? Are there parents in our church community in need of a support group and looking for a comprehensive sexuality course for their children? Let’s begin a conversation.

    A special thank you to Kate Walker, Alice Deckert, Mike McGrath, Laurie Parendes, and Mark Wickenheiser for sharing their pictures and experiences of Buddhist Temples from China, Indonesia, and Nepal during coffee hour last Sunday. The presentations were very interesting and informative for children and adults alike!

    Thank you to the Coming of Age teachers, David Burkey, Sarah Sargent, and Mark Wickenheiser, for chaperoning our Coming of Age students to the Zen Center in Pittsburgh. Their extra time and commitment were very appreciated!

    Young children are invited to bring along their favorite stuffed dog this Sunday, February 26, for a special intergenerational story. The story of a heroic dog named Stickeen will be read by several of our Coming of Age students.

    On Saturday evening, February 25, from 7:00-11:00 p.m. the youth group will sponsor a punk rock concert to help raise money for their Boston trip. There will be a $5 admission fee. Five bands will play throughout the evening, and light refreshments will be available.

    During March our children will be creating their own passports to send to the children at our sister church. Each passport will contain a photograph of the child plus information about them (i.e. their homes, family, pets, school, hobbies). Individual photographs can be taken at the church. However, if the children would like to include additional photographs (families and/or pets) then they can bring those photos into the church and place them in Lee Ann Wester’s mailbox for safe keeping. (Please make sure all photographs are in a marked envelope.) The children will create their final passports on Sunday, March 26.

    What exactly is the Fellowship? Join in by bringing a snack to share. We would prefer something green of course! For example, spinach dip, or guacamole, or olives, or vegetable, or whatever you’d like to share. Bring your beverage of choice. Green food dye will be provided to make your drink more festive. We will have some Irish music and are encouraging participants to step up and share a Limerick that you know or to write one at the party! Green clothes and party hats are encouraged. Please sign-up in the Parish House.

    Every once in a while, the great wheel of time slips a cog, and we hardly notice it happening. Yesterday my granddaughter, Jasmyn, entered high school. Today she is shopping for college scholarships and prom gowns!

    I remember the day she was born as clearly as yesterday. Kay, my daughter’s mother-in-law, and several other relatives were gathered in the waiting room anxious for news from on high. I was the only Caucasian in the room, and the only one with absolutely no genetic input into the expected child. It seemed hours till, at last, the father staggered into the room and announced that it was a girl, and she had a thick head of long, straight hair. Without a thought, Kay said, "of course it’s straight – Mary-Lib’s her grandma." That’s when I knew that skin color, DNA, or back-ground didn’t matter. I was family.

    This was confirmed later by Kay, who told me that I was a member of the family, but my husband, Martin, wasn’t. I asked her how she arrived at this information and she explained that, when he wanted a drink, he asked for it. When I wanted one, I went right to the refrigerator and got it. This went beyond family, too, as word spread through the ghetto where they lived. As I walked down the street that frightened so many of my friends, people sitting on their porches waved to me and asked me how I was doing. Everyone was warm and friendly.

I spent many happy Thanksgivings and Christmases with Kay, my daughter Emy and Jasmyn, as well as the assembled sisters, grandparents, etc. No one ever seemed to notice that I was not their color. I was fed ribs, sweet potato pie, collard greens until I was about to burst (a characteristic shared by my Jewish mother-in-law), and told I probably wouldn’t want to try the chitlins – most of them didn’t either.

    When Pooh Bear (Charles Ray) was born, Kay insisted I was the one that should be with Emy for the surgery. If I had known that a 12 pound baby would be cleaned, wrapped, and delivered directly into my lap, I might have demurred. Now I am waiting for word that my son David’s wife will give birth to Andrew Scott in mid-April. Rowena is from the Philippines, and David is bi-racial, but seems to pass for Hispanic. Will I fit as comfortably into this family?

    I guess family has less to do with who you are and who you are related to than it does with where you fit. It’s ideal when it’s both, but it’s fun to discover that differences can be bridges instead of dams. I like knowing that, whether it’s Clan Buchanan, a Jewish family from New Jersey, a UU church, a Black family, or friends from the Onondaga Nation, I fit and am welcomed as one of their own.

    If you haven’t sampled our writing group yet, now is the time to try, while it’s still cold enough to keep us indoors. If you haven’t been for a while, we’d love to welcome you back. If you really would like to come, but can’t, we’ll be glad to send you copies of the writing exercises so you can try them out at home. We meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, from 7-8:30 p.m.

    We bring a writing to each session and do one or two exercises each time. We share these with each other and members of the group provide positive reinforcement. Writer’s block? We have just the exercise to break that block.

    You don’t have to be a published writer, or even have written before. All that’s required is a desire to write, a pen or pencil and some paper.

    Sue Fuller’s brother and sister in law, (Sue is a member of our church), were a part of a team of volunteers who recently went to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi to help with rebuilding efforts. This team of volunteers from Pittsfield Otterbein United Methodist Church recently returned with lots of stories. They installed insulation and dry walling, and did other rebuilding tasks for residents of Pascagoula, MS, affected by Hurricane Katrina.

    The team left on January 16th and completed work on three homes before returning on January 26. During their mission, the team was housed and fed at Vancleave United Methodist Church, a vital partner in the relief efforts coordinated by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) and the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church.

    Sue’s brother and sister in law will present slides and talk about their experiences at noon, Sunday, March 19 in the Parish House. They will provide information on how people can go on other relief trips.

    Kate Walker is contacting our UU Districts in the areas effected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, to see what Unitarian Universalist coordinated relief efforts are happening.

    For those of you who might not remember this project, Eyes Wide Open is a demonstration made of setting out a pair of Army boots for every fallen service person in the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, we now have had so many fall that this exhibit is only a pair of boots for each PA service person dead, with some marking of the total American and Iraqi cost. The "show" was in Youngstown 2 years ago and was very moving.

    Following is an update on the Eyes Wide Open Across Pennsylvania exhibit at Allegheny College. All events are free and open to the public. Contact the location coordinator ahead of time if you would like to get involved as a volunteer.

    Six local UUs volunteered on "our" day at the Soup Kitchen on February 10:

• Carolyn Chase

• David DeGrange

• John Fox

• Emmy Boughton

• Dorothy Gross

• Mary Spicer

    Next time to volunteer is March 10 – please consider donating a few hours of your time. Many hands make light work, and we have fun besides! 10 a.m. at Stone Methodist Church, Meadville.

    A one-man show starring Gary L. Anderson, America's renowned Darrow portrayer.

    One day, two shows only – Sunday, April 9, 2006 in Erie, PA

• 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 7180 Perry Hwy (PA Rt. 97), Erie

• 7 p.m. at the Roadhouse Theater, 145 West 11th St., Erie

Suggested Donation: in advance,

• $15, $10 Student/Senior

• $20 at door

    For Tickets, mail check, payable to NW PA Chap. AU, to: P.O. Box 6579, Erie, PA 16512.

    To reserve tickets and for more information, call 814/455-9730 (after March 1). Free childcare for 2 p.m. show, if requested by April 2. Reception to follow 2 p.m.show.

Sponsors include: Northwest PA Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church & State; Northwest Chapter, PA ACLU; Social Responsibility Committee, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie; Lake Erie Alliance for Democracy (LEAD); Social Action Committee, Temple Anshe Hesed; Social Action Committee, Unitarian Universalist Church of Meadville; Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty.

    Gary Anderson is General Manager of American Legends Theatre in Redding, CA. He has been touring the United States with his one-man show about the life and trials of Clarence Darrow. Recently he performed in Florida and Texas. In March this year he is touring New England, and in April he’s booked in Virginia and Maryland, after Erie.

Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) is the most celebrated lawyer in American History. He lived his life fighting against religious zealots, social injustice, racism, conspiracy laws, and violations of civil liberties. He was often referred to by the press as the "Attorney for the Damned" and by lawyers as the "Lion of the Courtroom." The Fundamentalists, however, called him "The Great Infidel."

    Darrow was at the epicenter of a remarkable series of courtroom dramas that have had a significant impact on our daily lives. Winning the 8-hour working day, gathering evidence that would lead to the first child labor laws, championing organized labor and fighting for the rights of those who were hated and feared – Darrow focused his life’s work on defending those causes and people who would otherwise have been left to fend for themselves.

    In The Search for Justice, Darrow recounts the greatest trials of his career, including the Leopold and Loeb plea for mercy, the Los Angeles Times Terrorist and Bombing Trial of the McNamara Brothers, and Darrow’s own jury-tampering trial, while providing personal insights into his character and philosophies through often humorous and moving anecdotes and trial excerpts.

    His most famous trial, the Scopes "Monkey" Trial, was the inspiration behind the memorable performances in Hollywood’s Inherit the Wind, where he was portrayed by film legend Spencer Tracy.

    Clarence Darrow was driven by two passions: first, to do all he could to make sure that the law protected everyone, no matter how unpopular or unpleasant; and second, to prevent the state from taking the lives of its citizens, even those who had taken the lives of others. Few men in our country’s history have done as much to perpetuate in action the concept of life, liberty, and justice for all.

    Darrow’s record of saving 102 men from execution is an historical fact. With a national debate focused on the preservation of civil liberties amid concerns for public safety from terrorism, this powerful and absorbing portrayal of a remarkable and very human American is uniquely appropriate to our current national state of mind.

Not much has changed on our national landscape since his death in 1938. Creationism versus Darwinism in our schools, celebrity murder trials, sex crimes, child murders, conspiracy laws, civil liberty concerns during times of national fear, racial hate crimes, the death penalty, police misconduct, racial profiling, three "trials of the century" – all these were representative of Darrow’s cases between 1894-1925, cases that addressed both scandalous and national issues, captured media attention on radio, and won front page stories and headlines.

    Darrow was a hero for his time, for our time...for all time. If you want to reacquaint yourself with his immense history and the timeliness of his greatest trials, don’t miss this event in Erie on April 9.

    Gary L. Anderson is the country’s renowned portrayer of Clarence Darrow. The Eureka Times Standard says of his performance, "Anderson’s Darrow is in the same league as Holbrook’s Mark Twain." Anderson is committed to work with groups, churches, law projects, and other social activist organizations dedicated to social change and justice that enhance our society and advance the law.

    Housing Reservation and Registration Information for this year’s General Assemly will be mailed to all congregations in late February and will be made available to all on March 1 at <www.uua.org/ga>. In a continual effort toward increased environmental and fiscal responsibility, the information will not be mailed to individual past registrants, as has been the practice in previous years. GA will take place June 21 to 25 in St. Louis, MO.

    Five Alaskan UU fellowships are offering a $100 discount for reservations postmarked between February 20 and March 20 for summer 2006 UU eco-cultural programs. Limited space left.

Programs include UU home-stays and parties in Anchorage, Seward, Fairbanks, Juneau and Sitka, visits with with Tlingit, Inupiat and other Native Alaskans as well as wildlife tours to see whales, sea otters, sea lions, bears, moose, caribou, wolves, puffins and eagles and visit National Parks. Rev. Dick & Mary Weston-Jones, leaders. Details at www.wuurld.org, E-mail dick@wuurld.org, or phone 1-888-998-8753 toll-free for a brochure.

    Next deadline for submitting items for the newsletter is Friday, March 3, 2006, at 4:30 p.m.