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Sunday Service Presentation from July 14, 2002

DIALOGUE BETWEEN GRACIE GREENER & WILL WORLDLY
over coffee in the foyer, after church one Sunday morning

Gracie: Hi, Will! How's it goin'?

Will (looking Gracie up and down, skeptically): Just fine, Gracie. That certainly is an interesting outfit you've got on today.

Gracie: Well, thanks, Will! I picked it up at the Goodwill Store last week!

Will: So is shopping at Goodwill part of your recycling program? And does wearing it to church " integrate it into our congregational life?"

Gracie: You've got it partly right, Will - Shopping at Goodwill is one way I reduce waste. Re-use is the second best way to reduce waste, as you probably know. And reducing waste is one way of showing my respect for the interconnected web of life of which we are a part. Besides, I can save a bunch of money, buying second hand.

Will: Well, I'm always in favor of saving money. But I especially like it when it's the congregation's money we're saving. Are there ways we can apply this philosophy of doing good for the environment and the budget, here at the church?

Gracie: Yes, there are, Will. And that's one of the benefits of integrating our Seventh Principle values into our congregational life.

Will: Okay, just what is it you mean by that, Gracie? I assume you mean bringing environmental values into the church. Don't we do that automatically when we bring our individual values with us on Sunday morning?

Gracie: I suppose that we do, Will. But most of the people here have jobs to concentrate on five days a week; they focus on their families and homes during evenings and weekends, and think of Sunday morning as a time to be spiritually refreshed so that they can go out and start again on Monday. And about half of the people here have roles in the Sunday morning program - from ushering to teaching Sunday school classes, to making coffee. I don't think a lot of people really think about how we live the Seventh Principle here at the church.

Will: Oh, I get it! We say that we respect the interdependent web of life. And, this congregation even includes a commitment to sustainability in our Mission Statement, but you think we need to see if we are "walking the talk?"

Gracie: You management people sure have clever ways of saying things! That's almost as good as one of Art's New Yorker cartoons!

Will: Well, every sub-culture develops their own short cuts in communication. I'm sure that you have observed that in your environmental campaigns, Gracie.

But let's get back to integrating the Seventh Principle in to our congregational life. I know that we revived our recycling efforts this spring, and the kids had a session on recycling in their religious education classes. What else needs to happen?

Gracie: There are ways (or opportunities, in management language) to make better use of our natural resources and to protect the environment -- inside and outside our buildings, in almost every activity we do, related to our congregational life. A couple years ago, the national Unitarian-Universalist General Assembly recognized our congregations' need to get organized around the seventh principle. They okayed a proposal to set up a national Seventh Principle Project, called the Green Sanctuary Program. Recycling is one focus of the program, and there are several more.

Inside our building,

• We need to pay attention to our energy and water use, so that we don't use more than we really need.
• We need to avoid toxic cleaners as well any chemicals that aggravate people's allergies.
• We should work at obtaining and using recycled paper products.
  

Outdoors,

• paying attention to how we use water and manage the runoff from our parking lot is important.
• We should minimize our use of garden chemicals and focus on native plants in our landscaping.
• We need to pay attention to what kind of building materials we use for repairs and painting.

Will: Wait a minute, Gracie! This is starting to sound like a lot of work!

Gracie: Oh heavens, I'm not saying that we are doing everything wrong now, or that we have to change everything that we are doing right away! We just need to pay attention as we go along. When Jim and Steve and Pat installed that drip watering system in our landscaping last month, they were taking a big step in water conservation on behalf of the whole congregation. And it has the potential of saving us money, as well as water, in the long run.

Will: Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that! You had me worried, Gracie. Your environmental shopping list sounded expensive!

Gracie: Do you remember when we replaced the flooring in the north wing of the building last winter, Will? They made sure that they used the least volatile adhesives that they could find, to protect our health. And that didn't add a lot to the cost. We just need to make smart choices whenever we are making improvements, or whenever we have a chance to analyze our environmental impact.

Will: So is that ALL we need to do to integrate our environmental values into our congregational life?

Gracie: No, but it is a good start. We have a lot of opportunities to reduce our impact on the environment. Every person that rides their bicycle to church, or walks here is helping to reduce global warming. And of course, carpooling and taking the bus help a lot, too.

Will: That's fine for you retired folks that don't have children to bring with you. But what about families?

Gracie: Well, I certainly consider a family riding together to be a carpool! Goodness Will, I am not an environmental ogre! And integrating the Seventh Principle into our congregational life means working together with our other principles and values. We really value kids here at OUUC, and we certainly don't want to make it any harder to get them here on Sunday morning!
On the other hand, if the kids suggest that Sunday is a nice day for a bike ride, you could all ride to the church service before you bike off to a picnic or ball game.

Will: If more than a couple people are going to ride their bikes to church, shouldn't we have a bike rack?

Gracie: Yes, we really could use one. I contacted the City to see if they would like to donate one, as they have for some of the businesses downtown. But we really need a rack to hold four bikes or more, and that's not part of the City's program. So I'm keeping an eye out for another source of a free bike rack. Could you let me know if you hear of any?

Will: I'd be happy to, Gracie. (PAUSE) What are some of the other ways that the Green Sanctuary Program meshes with our congregational life?
Gracie: Well, you mentioned the discussions on recycling in the Religious Education classes, that we had in the spring. Bringing the Seventh Principle into our children's and adult RE classes is another way to integrate environmental values into our congregational life. A couple years ago we had a Voluntary Simplicity class for adults, here at the church. That class helps people refine their personal lifestyles to support environmental sustainability. If there's enough interest, I'm sure we could bring it back, or start another class or discussion group.

Will: I suppose Sunday services are part of the Green Sanctuary Program, too.

Gracie: Yes, indeed! There are times when services focused on the physical world, or environmental issues are appropriate, and other times that a meditation or reading on an environmental theme can be integrated into a service that has another theme.

Will: What kind of environmental issues do you have in mind?

Gracie: The Green Sanctuary Program recommends that we see what environmental justice activities are happening in our region, and get involved.

Will: Environmental Justice - that brings our social justice and environmental principles together, doesn't it?

Gracie: That's right - You are involved in the Social Justice Committee, aren't you, Will?

Will: Yes, I am, and I have to tell you, we really don't have the people power to take on any more issues right now.

Gracie: Don't worry Will; I'm not suggesting that we need to get the congregation marching on the Capital Building! At least not right away! I'd like to see us work together to plan a public forum on environmental justice issues in the South Sound area. If that generates interest, there would be more people than your committee involved in working on the issues.

Will: That's an interesting idea. Is there any possibility that we could get other religious communities to work with us on an environmental justice issue?

Gracie: Yes, I think there are opportunities to work with others. There is a national environmental program called Earth Ministries that is sponsored by a number of Christian denominations. It's based in Seattle, but I think that some of the Olympia area churches get involved in their projects, too.

Will: That's encouraging to hear. We can probably get in touch with them through the Associated Ministries organization. (Pause)

You know, I'm still concerned about how we get our congregation individually involved in the Green Sanctuary Program.

Gracie: I know, Will. It's a challenge for all of us. Each of us has to find our personal balance point between our material needs and our ethical principles. I'm hoping that the Green Sanctuary Program will increase our congregation's awareness of the many ways we can work to better protect the Earth in our congregational life and in our daily lives.
As our benediction says:
Let us go forth into the week ahead, striving to be faithful to our lives' journey, serving the needs of the earth and its inhabitants…

Will: That's a good thought, Gracie. Have a good week!

SHAKE HANDS and PART