Rev. Paul Daniel Presents Final Candidating Sermon on Sunday, April 26

Rev. Paul D. Daniel will give his second and final candidating sermon at UUMAN next Sunday, April, 26, 2009. Following that service we will hold a congregational meeting to vote on calling him as our settled minister. The following information is taken from the packet of information that Paul provided to the search committee.

An excerpt from the section of his packet, “What I Seek in a Congregation” provides insight and information on his aspirations and hopes for the congregation that he will serve. “I am seeking to spiritually lead and serve a new, larger congregation that is diverse, forward looking, willing to change and grow, to adequately fund its programs, and to offer a radical hospitality to all who walk through its doors. My hope is that in concert we can create a congregation that is dedicated to living in right relationship with each other and the greater community. Together we covenant to celebrate our uniqueness and common humanity, joining together to worship, work, grow and play. We agree to honor each other’s personal spiritual journey with open hearts and minds.”

Rev. Daniel was born in Connecticut in 1945 and grew up in a moderately observant Jewish household. After his Bar Mitzvah he lapsed in active observance until he became a Unitarian Universalist in 1968.

Rev. Daniel has been involved in Unitarian Universalist ministry for more than 10 years and is currently the minister of The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert, Rancho Mirage, and California, where he has served since August 2006 and will continue until this June. Previously he served as minister of The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Las Vegas, Nevada from August 2001 until June 2006. Other ministerial assignments include: serving as interim minister at The James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Madison, Wisconsin from August 2000 until June 2001; summer minister at First Unitarian Church, Rochester, New York in 1999, and intern minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, California from September 1997-June 1998. Before entering the ministry he was a teacher and a successful commissioned sales person for 25 years.

“My decision to enter the ministry followed a sequence of events. I joined a men’s support group dealing with life passages and issues. With their help, I finally began to come to terms with being gay and my subsequent separation and divorce in 1991. I am pleased to say that my former wife and her husband remain friendly. During that difficult time, my sons were supportive and remain very important in my life,” he said.

He holds a Master of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California and a BA in History and Education from Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey.

If you're ready to get off the fence (and onto the Path)

Article submitted by Loren Kirby
Interested in becoming a member of UUMAN? The next Path to Membership class will be held on Saturday, May 16^th from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. A light lunch will be served. If you are interested in attending please contact Loren Kirby at (678) 977-9495 or e-mail lkirby1@comcast.net. Please sign up at the Membership table in Fellowship Hall. Child care will be provided on request. The next New Member’s Ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 7^th, with a potluck luncheon to follow.

Tip O' the Month from the Sustainability Committee:

Food Miles – Local vs. Organic (Big v. Huge Factor edition)

Article submitted by Dave Hudson
Shopping for food is confusing these days – as we weigh the various impacts of our food choices. Which is more important – local or organic? Or either? Why? How do we decide?

Until we are provided with labeling as to the carbon footprints of foods [Ed. note: Not holding my breath for that] we could use a few general truths to guide us.

“Food miles” can be deceptive. Closer is not always better, as ocean freight is more energy efficient than rail, than is truck, than is air. Wine shipped by sea from France may have a smaller carbon footprint than that shipped by truck from California. (However, the unregulated greenhouse gas emissions of ocean freighters are a huge, growing issue.)

The quantity shipped is a big factor. Local food carried to market in small quantities may have a larger “delivery” footprint than food shipped in larger quantities from a considerably further distance.

The mode of food production is a huge factor. The energy wrapped up in the production and transportation of fertilizer and weed control chemicals adds significantly to the carbon footprint of foods treated with them.

Lamb grown in New Zealand, with its long growing season, raised in natural pastures (not on feed transported long distances), requiring little or no fertilizers, shipped all the way to the UK by boat produces ¼ of the carbon dioxide of lamb raised in the UK, with all its various artificial inputs!

Packaging also adds significantly to carbon footprint, considering the energy required for transportation (of both raw materials and the packaging itself) and production – as well as the emissions throughout the life cycles of the packages.

Processing of food adds to its footprint – for the same reasons.

Seasonality is important. It’s hard to beat the carbon footprint of locally grown, organic food. When it’s stored in refrigerators or freezers, local is not always best.

Referring to the case of New Zealand apples, Michael Pollan strongly believes that “when you compare apples eaten locally in season they win hands down – it’s only when you get to out of season eating that you run into trouble.” He maintains that “if the food is made more from sunlight than fossil fuel, the closer the better.”

“Agrichemicals” have the added disadvantages of pollution and depleting the soil of its natural vitality (sterilizing it, in effect).

The centralization of agriculture (in California’s Central Valley) is a huge negative. We want to disperse agriculture – especially if it’s organic.

Given these point, I would suggest thinking, in this order:

1. organic
2. seasonal
3. unprocessed
4. local.

Try to avoid the sins of heavily-fertilized fruits and veggies shipped by air from Chile in mid-winter (grapes, raspberries), for example.

I refer you to these two sites; there are many more.
Wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_miles and
Weaversway.coop/blog/2008-06SHUTTLE_carbon.pdf

Playdate!

If you have children under the age of 5 and/or at home during the day, join us for a daytime playgroup.

We meet at different venues around the area and when it's warm enough we also go to parks and playgrounds.

We are currently meeting Friday mornings, but this may change in the fall.

We look forward to meeting you. Please join us.

For more information, contact Anna Hamblen at AnnaStamps@gmail.com

Free-Shipping Offer from UU Mothership

article submitted by Rose Hartig

We are offering free shipping on all orders until May 4. I hope many of you will take advantage of this for your RE programs, for your church book tables and for your own personal spiritual needs.

Some folks have already mentioned to me that they plan to buy books that make great gifts, and keep them on hand for when birthdays, holidays and celebrations come up. Good idea!

So head over to the bookstore's website -- www.uuabookstore.org. In addition to our full catalog, you'll find some new and Earth Day-friendly titles featured in this newsletter. As an aside, I know a young man who has "Earth Day Resolutions." Last year, for example, he bought cloth handkerchiefs and stopped using disposable tissues. Another good idea!

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UUMANTimes is the newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North congregation. We heartily welcome all types of newsletter submissions, and manage to publish a majority of them as well.

Please email your articles, editorials, announcements, sonnets, free verse, seditious rants and unclassifiable prose to Mister Ed.: mistah ed email