Comments on: Congregational comings and goings since GA 2006 http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/ Scott Wells on the practice of Christian faith Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:57:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Scott Wells http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47800 Scott Wells Sun, 11 May 2008 18:12:07 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47800 They have a site?! What's the address? They have a site?! What’s the address?

]]> By: StevenR http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47798 StevenR Sun, 11 May 2008 16:23:37 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47798 I looked at the "Church of the Open Door" website - old content (well is ash wednesday old?) and dead links. Hard to say. I looked at the “Church of the Open Door” website - old content (well is ash wednesday old?)
and dead links. Hard to say.

]]> By: StevenR http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47797 StevenR Sun, 11 May 2008 16:18:32 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47797 Scott will find it intersting that one of the members of the Rocky Mount NC UU Fellowship was a former member of the Rocky Mount Universalist Church - which disbanded shortly after the time of the merger. Scott will find it intersting that one of the members of the Rocky Mount NC UU Fellowship was a former member of the Rocky Mount Universalist Church - which disbanded shortly after the time of the merger.

]]> By: Bill Baar http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47792 Bill Baar Sun, 11 May 2008 11:06:15 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47792 Sycamore is UU and UUC... Woodstuck just kept the Congregational name. http://www.cucw.org/1_aboutus.html Sycamore is UU and UUC… Woodstuck just kept the Congregational name. http://www.cucw.org/1_aboutus.html

]]> By: Scott Wells http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47790 Scott Wells Sun, 11 May 2008 03:06:56 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47790 I'm thinking more a disaffiliation than disbanding: http://www.ucc.org/find/chicago-church-of-the-open-door-ucc.html I’m thinking more a disaffiliation than disbanding: http://www.ucc.org/find/chicago-church-of-the-open-door-ucc.html

]]> By: Scott Wells http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47788 Scott Wells Sun, 11 May 2008 03:04:10 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47788 @Dan. The WES situation is much different than Sycamore (which I think is Unitarian and Congregational/UCC). WES isn't a merger or consolidation of two or more institutions, one of which is Unitarian or Universalist. And it isn't coming in as an independent congregation whole-cloth (as one congregation in Minnesota did, or what-might-have-been if you think of the Fountain Street Church) but comes in "half cloth" with no apparent identity change. I think it bears examination: not of WES so much as our own sense of identity. @Dan. The WES situation is much different than Sycamore (which I think is Unitarian and Congregational/UCC). WES isn’t a merger or consolidation of two or more institutions, one of which is Unitarian or Universalist. And it isn’t coming in as an independent congregation whole-cloth (as one congregation in Minnesota did, or what-might-have-been if you think of the Fountain Street Church) but comes in “half cloth” with no apparent identity change.

I think it bears examination: not of WES so much as our own sense of identity.

]]> By: Dan http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47786 Dan Sun, 11 May 2008 02:47:35 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47786 Scott @ 2 -- Re: Washington Ethical Society, dual affiliation, and polity: But no odder than the federated church in Sycamore, Ill. -- federated Universalist and Presbyterian, as I recall -- who's the authority there, congregation or presbytery? Don't know the lowdown on Church of the Open Door, and I only attended worship there once -- but I kind of had the feeling that Karen Hutt and Alma Crawford, the founding pastors, were the church. That's just one person's uninformed opinion, would love to know more. I really enjoyed worshipping there the one time I was able to make it out there. And good to hear that Prairie Circle UU Church is affiliating! I had the privilege of preaching there once not long after they had formed -- what a nice bunch of people. Of interest to UU church planters -- they had administrative and moral support from North Shore Unitarian (I believe), and their first paid staff person was a part-time DRE -- they were also quite intentional about locating in a fast-growth area not currently served by a UU congregation. Scott @ 2 — Re: Washington Ethical Society, dual affiliation, and polity: But no odder than the federated church in Sycamore, Ill. — federated Universalist and Presbyterian, as I recall — who’s the authority there, congregation or presbytery?

Don’t know the lowdown on Church of the Open Door, and I only attended worship there once — but I kind of had the feeling that Karen Hutt and Alma Crawford, the founding pastors, were the church. That’s just one person’s uninformed opinion, would love to know more. I really enjoyed worshipping there the one time I was able to make it out there.

And good to hear that Prairie Circle UU Church is affiliating! I had the privilege of preaching there once not long after they had formed — what a nice bunch of people. Of interest to UU church planters — they had administrative and moral support from North Shore Unitarian (I believe), and their first paid staff person was a part-time DRE — they were also quite intentional about locating in a fast-growth area not currently served by a UU congregation.

]]> By: Derek http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47785 Derek Sun, 11 May 2008 00:48:31 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47785 - I don't know the underlying cause of the conflict, but for a time the DC Ethical Society was not paying its dues to the national AEU (in violation of good standing rules of the AEU). I also know that there was some kind of negotiated compromise that the national body and DC body agreed to, regarding these witheld dues. This was all before the settlement of their current Interim Leader, but was reported on in an old issue of the AEU's national newsletter.
  • I don’t know the underlying cause of the conflict, but for a time the DC Ethical Society was not paying its dues to the national AEU (in violation of good standing rules of the AEU). I also know that there was some kind of negotiated compromise that the national body and DC body agreed to, regarding these witheld dues. This was all before the settlement of their current Interim Leader, but was reported on in an old issue of the AEU’s national newsletter.
    • ]]>         By: Scott Wells http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47783 Scott Wells Sun, 11 May 2008 00:26:00 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47783 What kind of conflict? And I find it an interesting polity situation: for one, what is the role of covenant in an Ethical Culture society? Also, there's not one mention of the UUA on their site, but perhaps these things take time. What kind of conflict?

    And I find it an interesting polity situation: for one, what is the role of covenant in an Ethical Culture society? Also, there’s not one mention of the UUA on their site, but perhaps these things take time.

    ]]>         By: Derek http://boyinthebands.com/archives/congregational-comings-and-goings-since-ga-2006/#comment-47782 Derek Sun, 11 May 2008 00:05:27 +0000 http://boyinthebands.com/?p=2573#comment-47782 Comments... Is Church of the Open Door truly disbanding? Or going over to the UCC? One of their founding pastors (Kaen Hutt) was UCC. If it is disbanding, that is a terrible shame. I visited it once, and found it to be a lively mostly African-American GLBT church with an incredible worship style. I hope they are simply going UCC, because their closure would be a shame for Chicago's GLBT community. I find the federation of the Ethical Society of DC to be VERY interesting. Has this ever happened before? A UUA/Ethical Culture congregation? I know that the DC Ethical Society had a conflict with the AEU, and wonder if this federation has anything to do with that. Comments… Is Church of the Open Door truly disbanding? Or going over to the UCC? One of their founding pastors (Kaen Hutt) was UCC. If it is disbanding, that is a terrible shame. I visited it once, and found it to be a lively mostly African-American GLBT church with an incredible worship style. I hope they are simply going UCC, because their closure would be a shame for Chicago’s GLBT community.

    I find the federation of the Ethical Society of DC to be VERY interesting. Has this ever happened before? A UUA/Ethical Culture congregation? I know that the DC Ethical Society had a conflict with the AEU, and wonder if this federation has anything to do with that.

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