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March 28, 2007 The Parish Minister’s Column The Rev. Barbara J. Pescan
I hope you went to the altar to look at the vase on March 25th, UUSC Sunday, “Drumbeat for Darfur.” Lee and Jane Bannor tended the altar, and the lilies they brought emerged from a vase made of a spent cannon shell from World War I, made, Jane thinks, by her grandfather himself. It is carved and the top of the vase looks as if the top four inches of metal were cut in strips and woven back together like a basket – delicate and beautiful. I hope Jane brings the vase again, so if you missed seeing it, you’ll have another chance.
Great gratitude is due, also, to the rest of the Peace and Justice Program -- Craig Heinke read in the service as well as preparing the lunch with foods of Darfur -- a small bowl of rice, white corn meal mush, beans and greens, with water to drink -- that many helped serve. Diners sat on the floor on blankets and talked about what they do to help the world. It was especially good to have the children be such a big part of taking seriously the ideal that each one of us makes a difference, an ideal I often forget in the landslide of “it’s so awful” that we hear on the news most of the time. Thank you to the children and the families for reminding us to take seriously our capacity to make the world better. Once again, without much talk between us, Mary Dudek and the group followed the service with seamless continuity during the lunch. Fifty people attended the lunch and discussion, sixty people wrote letters to President Bush and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The lunch made $300 to send to the Save Darfur Fund. More events to come.
We will have another chance to mobilize on April 29th, the Global Day for Darfur, joining with the Save Darfur Coalition to mark an international day of cooperation to urge policy makers to make Darfur a higher priority. The theme is “Time Is Running Out.” If you were inspired by the service and lunch on March 25th, you may want to join in the week of action led by the Save Darfur Coalition, April 23rd through 30th, and be part of things at church April 29th. The 30th is likely to be a National Call-In Day to policy makers. If you are interested in helping out or being part of things, call me 847-864-1330, or bpescan@ucevanston.org.
A footnote: It feels really good around here these days. In spring, things sometimes slow way down. But, you are participating, pledges are coming in well (if you have sent yours in, thank you so much; if not, we are waiting to thank you, too …), there is so much wonderful activity, the children’s food mosaic made the Heifer World Ark Magazine, we have had the privilege of giving away half of our loose plate collections all year and have been quite generous. I am full of gratitude for all of your efforts, your presence, your generosity and your care of each other. Blessings to you. See you in church.
Barbara
Unitarian Church of Evanston
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