But I don't want to miss the opportunity for a final reflection on GA 2007 closing ceremony, especially the sermon by Rev. Josh Pawelek of Unitarian Universalist Society: East in Manchester, CT. That sermon is also on the UUA site.

His sermon was entitled, "Becoming An Ancestor," and it was dedicated to Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, a much loved UU minister who passed away at the end of 2006.

For Pawelek, ancesterhood is about doing things in our lives that build, preserve, and pass on traditions to future generations. Obviously, there are many ways to do this, but Pawelek gave particular attention to the work of building a tradition of anti-racism and multiculturalism within Unitarian Universalism. In this regard, Pawelek identified himself as a supporter of the Journey Toward Wholeness, the initiative through which UUs continue down this path.

This journey does not take place in the abstract. Pawelek challenged UUs to build the path by walking it. The Journey Toward Wholeness requires that UU congregations be in "right relationship" to people of color in their communities. Such a relationship requires "showing up" when the rights and the aspirations of people of color are on the line. But it isn't enough to just show up. In showing up, UUs must make use their power in ways that are accountable to people of color.

Rev. Pawelek recited a long litany of ways in which UUs have power, but he didn't provide a lot of detail about what it means to make that power accountable. Perhaps an opportunity was lost here. Progress on the journey will require more clarity about that accountability. Does the Gulf Coast Volunteer Program amount to showing up in a way that is accountable?

UUSC was one of the sources of power mentioned in the litany of UU power sources. That welcomes the Service Committee into a reflection on the accountability of its own power to people of color and others. Such a reflection is underway, although it is in its very early stages.

Josh Pawelek's consideration of the place of anti-racism and multiculturalism in the legacy of today's Unitarian Universalism was an appropriate capstone for a GA that was very much oriented toward these themes. I understood this as a strong statement by Rev. Sinkford and his leadership team that they intend to take long, sure steps on the Journey Toward Wholeness during these next two years. Are we ready to walk with them?

But I don't want to miss the opportunity for a final reflection on GA 2007 closing ceremony, especially the sermon by Rev. Josh Pawelek of Unitarian Universalist Society: East in Manchester, CT. That sermon is also on the UUA site.

His sermon was entitled, "Becoming An Ancestor," and it was dedicated to Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, a much loved UU minister who passed away at the end of 2006.

For Pawelek, ancesterhood is about doing things in our lives that build, preserve, and pass on traditions to future generations. Obviously, there are many ways to do this, but Pawelek gave particular attention to the work of building a tradition of anti-racism and multiculturalism within Unitarian Universalism. In this regard, Pawelek identified himself as a supporter of the Journey Toward Wholeness, the initiative through which UUs continue down this path.

This journey does not take place in the abstract. Pawelek challenged UUs to build the path by walking it. The Journey Toward Wholeness requires that UU congregations be in "right relationship" to people of color in their communities. Such a relationship requires "showing up" when the rights and the aspirations of people of color are on the line. But it isn't enough to just show up. In showing up, UUs must make use their power in ways that are accountable to people of color.

Rev. Pawelek recited a long litany of ways in which UUs have power, but he didn't provide a lot of detail about what it means to make that power accountable. Perhaps an opportunity was lost here. Progress on the journey will require more clarity about that accountability. Does the Gulf Coast Volunteer Program amount to showing up in a way that is accountable?

UUSC was one of the sources of power mentioned in the litany of UU power sources. That welcomes the Service Committee into a reflection on the accountability of its own power to people of color and others. Such a reflection is underway, although it is in its very early stages.

Josh Pawelek's consideration of the place of anti-racism and multiculturalism in the legacy of today's Unitarian Universalism was an appropriate capstone for a GA that was very much oriented toward these themes. I understood this as a strong statement by Rev. Sinkford and his leadership team that they intend to take long, sure steps on the Journey Toward Wholeness during these next two years. Are we ready to walk with them?

I rushed into the Oregon Conference Center, just before the "Spirituality and Social Justice" workshop that Rachel Jordan reports on below. The conference center was absolutely empty. Where was everybody? Had someone pulled the fire alarm? Was I missing something really important?

Yes, I was. No UUs were anywhere to be found because they were all piled into the giant room set aside for GA plenaries. In that room, Democracy Now host Amy Goodman was preparing to moderate a panel to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the publication of the Pentagon Papers by the UUA's Beacon Press.

In addition to Goodman, the panel featured Daniel Ellsberg, former UUA President Robert West and Sen. Mike Gravel, the only presidential candidate to appear at this year's GA.

I stuck my head into the plenary room and the energy of the place was like no other moment during GA 2007. A huge crowd had gathered for this momentous event.

A good doobie (and a chump) to the end, I somehow turned around and marched off to UUSC's scheduled workshop. I can't report on the Pentagon Papers discussion until I am able to view it one the UUA website. I can, however, report that I interviewed several people right after the discussion, and they all found it to be an incredibly moving ode to the courage of those who did the deed in 1971, and a call for someone on the inside to release today's Pentagon Papers.

As I hurried through the nearly abandoned corridors, I wondered who so disliked UUSC and Rev. Marilyn Sewell that they scheduled this workshop opposite the Goodman-Ellsberg-West- Gravel extravaganza? Were Jesus Christ to have the ironic sensibility to schedule his long-promised return appearance on earth for the Saturday afternoon session of GA 2008 in Fort Lauderdale, would the GA program include a full set of workshops alongside that appearance? In that case, I suppose it most certainly would...and those workshops would be well-attended.

As Ms. Rachel reports, the Sewell-Lore workshop was a fine one. It is a tribute to the importance of the topic and the Rev. Sewell's renown that well over 100 people joined me in participation. I'm sure that was the only event that could have kept Charlie Clements out of the Pentagon Papers talk. I went up to Charlie after the workshop to be sure it was him. Sewell, Kate Lore, and the inspired leadership of Portland's First Unitarian Church have done an amazing job of modeling a faith of "deeds, not creeds."

In the opening ceremony of GA 2007, both UUA Moderator Gini Courter and President Bill Sinkford set the tone for this GA by signalling their intention that Unitarian Universalism deepen its self-reflection on issues of racial and cultural diversity and anti-racism.

As part of their joint opening address, Courter and Sinkford took a fascinating retrospective look at how resolutions of the General Assembly impact the life of the denomination. They raised up past resolutions on Women and Religion, on Serving People With Special Needs and on Diversity and Anti-Racism.

While celebrating positive change in all areas, both speakers showed a certain impatience with progress on issues of Diversity and Anti-Racism. For President Sinkford, "...progress has been agonizingly slow. There are too few people of color in our congregations."

After noting the fact that 54 percent of UU congregations have become Welcoming Congregations by participating in a special program to address how the congregation is relating to the LGBT community, Gini Courter wondered aloud why we have been so effective addressing one form of oppression and not the other.

Sinkford followed up the opening reflection with a call on Thursday for the denomination to revisit the issue of reparations for slavery. Seats squeaked as many of those occupying them squirmed in uncomfortable memory.

The Oregonian quotes Sinkford saying, "Many of our churches with beautiful steeples on the New England Coast were built with money from the slave trade."

Not surprisingly, this very public treatment of this long-submerged issue by the UUA leadership has created a considerable buzz among GA attendees. I've been in at least a dozen conversations with people looking back on some of the UUA's painful history in this area...and nobody talks to me.

Even the press covering GA has picked up this issue. Based on a series of interviews that extended well beyond the official UUA spokespeople, a writer for Oregon's largest circulation paper wrote a provocative analysis of diversity (or lack of same) within the UUA. While not particularly flattering of Unitarian Universalism, it does suggest that the UUA is trying to address the issue, which puts it in select company in this country. The article also references a weblog by a newly-ordained UU minister of color who shares his own reflections on these issue.

One hopes that the increasing prominence given to this discussion by the UUA will help UUSC in its own efforts to address issues of diversity from an anti-oppression perspective. As Joseph Santos-Lyons suggests in the article in The Oregonian, "A habit of liberals is to want to fix everything on the outside....But we don't turn inward and fix ourselves." Can we look inward and outward at the same time?

Around the corner from our hotel in Portland sits a drumming shop called Rhythm Traders. The side wall of the shop hosts a beautiful mural depicting a group of drummers and singers making music and enjoying life. The mural caption reads, "Hope Is Vital: It Takes a Planet to Save a Village."

That's a fitting message for any gathering, but it is especially right for a GA in which UUSC is drawing attention to the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

As of this moment, over 1,000 people at GA have attended an event on Darfur or joined our advocacy action to get the Chinese government to work actively to end the genocide. As the most important purchaser of Sudanese oil and the source of much of the Sudanese regime's weaponry, it matters what China does.

In addition, black T-shirts bearing the Drumbeat for Darfur logo and a request that people "Connect, Take Action, End the Genocide" are popping up all over GA. UUSC Washington DC representative Shelley Moskowitz was minding her own business buying a sandwich across the street from GA, when the man behind the counter asked, "Where'd you get that cool t-shirt?" Shelley answered that they were available across the street at GA.

When Shelley told the guy that the shirts cost $15, he asked whether or not the money goes to a good cause. As Shelley considered the perfect response, a woman two people behind her in line chimed in, "You bet it does!" Shelley turned around to see that this UU from Sacramento had on the same t-shirt. GA is pulsing with the Drumbeat for Darfur.

The mere threat of action by hordes of gentle UUs has already goaded the Chinese government into action. China's newly appointed special envoy to Sudan made a public statements today defending China's actions to bring peace to Sudan, and indicating that the Chinese were thinking seriously of contributing troops to a UN protection force in Darfur.

We are now hearing that this is the second-largest General Assembly ever. Rumor has it that registrations are approaching the 7000 level, which is quite exciting.

Many exciting things happened on Thursday, but, for me the most moving moment was a workshop entitled, "The Story of Rachel Corrie: A Death in Rafah," organized by Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East.

If you don't know Rachel's story, she was a young activist who went to Palestine in 2003 to work with The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group promoting direct action against the Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The workshop involved a dramatic reading of a script put together by Madeline Izzo from the writings of Rachel, her parents, and other sources. Rachel's parents, who live in Olympia, WA, were in attendance.

Rev. David Herndon, minister of the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Rachel Krishnasawami and Aushra Abouzeid performed the reading beautifully. Tears flowed freely down the cheeks of many of the 200 people jammed into the small room given over for this purpose.

Relying heavily on correspondence between Rachel in her parents during the last days of Rachel's life, the play provides a rare view into the mind of someone developing a powerful commitment to act against injustice. Ultimately, it was the strength of this commitment and an absolute faith in the power of life to overcome death that put Rachel in the path of the bulldozer that day. The reading offers less insight about what led the two Israeli soldiers driving the bulldozer to drive over Rachel with the giant machine and then shift into reverse and back over her, again.

It will come as no surprise that not all UUs are of a single mind on this issue. When Rachel's parents offered themselves for a Q & A session after the reading, one woman stepped to the microphone and suggested that, while she truly wanted peace for the region, Rachel had been manipulated by a group that was consciously recruiting foreigners to act as "human shields." If patience is a virtue, Rachel's parents showed themselves to be uncommonly virtuous.

Rev. Herndon suggests that any congregation or community group wishing to receive the script to hold their own event can contact him at the First Church of Pittsburgh.

GA got off to an early start for UUSC, with a full day of training for activists in the Drumbeat for Darfur campaign. Over 80 activists from around the country showed up in Portland to learn and talk about how to get their congregations more involved in ending the Darfur genocide.

They heard from Omer Ismail, the Darfurian founder of Darfur Peace and Development, an organization dedicated to promoting an end to the violence there. Omer was forced into exile at the time of the military coup in 1989. Omer gave a uniquely personal account of the conflict in Darfur: "When I was growing up in Darfur, I had no idea who was Arab and who was African. This sort of difference was created by people interested in dividing us for their own purposes."

Bill Sinkford of the UUA also found time on the day GA opened to provide a little inspiration.

Now is the time for the Drumbeat for Darfur to intensify ... As people who understand that the interconnected web of human existence does not end at our borders, whatever fences we might put up, this [work on Darfur] is ours to do. It may not be uniquely ours to do, but it is definitely ours to do.

The airline industry conspired to keep Frances Moore Lappe away from the Drumbeaters, but she did make it to Portland in the late afternoon. To my surprise, not a single one of the meeting-weary UUs gave up their seat. Frances didn't focus on the details of Darfur, but instead suggested that we all build what she calls "The Expanding Heart," as a precondition to overcoming despair in hard times.

We must learn to weep AND sing. That's how we build the expanding heart. The tears help make room for the heart to grow.

The reach to the emotional level was the perfect way to end a day of dealing with an issue that most of us would rather not face. Keeping the Drumbeat going requires just the kind of emotional resilience that comes from weeping AND singing.

After spending a good part of the day talking about how to make the media pay attention to Darfur, we awoke this morning to good media news. Portland's largest newspaper, The Oregonian, posted an op-ed piece on Darfur in today's online edition. Maybe it is in the paper edition, as well!