By John Hartman Everyone knows about the American Dust Bowl. Tons of topsoil were blown from west of the 100th Meridian to places east — lost forever. It was lost due to poor farming practices. Taking grasslands, which prospered, and converting it, via the plow, to crop land. It didn’t work. When the droughts came in the ’30s, there was no grass to hold the soil when the wind blew.
We are facing another crisis in farming practices that will greatly affect climate change. Conventional agricultural practices such as plowing and tilling release carbon dioxide from the soil by exposing organic matter to the surface and thus promoting oxidation. It has been estimated that roughly a third of the increase in CO2 in the climate has been due to the degradation of soil organic matter because of poor farming practices.
Regenerative agriculture which includes no-till farming, rotational grazing, mixed crop rotation, cover cropping and the application of compost and manure have the potential to reverse this trend by sequestering CO2 in the soil. With widespread application of regenerative agriculture it is possible to offset a significant amount of the C02 currently being emitted. This approach is one tool which could be used with many other tools to reduce carbon emissions.
For much more information on regenerative agriculture check out the excellent movie “Kiss the Ground,” currently streaming on Netflix and rentable for $1 on Vimeo.
In July and August WUUC will explore different approaches to worship and worship service themes. The Worship Team hopes to encourage our members and friends to contemplate the meanings of worship and the worship experience. We welcome feedback about what works to make worship meaningful for our community.
The overall theme for July will be “Exploring Worship.” The month features an introduction by Rev. Dan, our WUUC Joyful Noise band in a celebration of UU music, and an all-poetry service with Chuck Bean. For the final service of July, we will “worship like UU youth.” This service will be organized and led by Ava Priest, who served as Worship Co-Lead for PNWD Youth in April 2021.
The theme for August will be “UU Values in Work and Education.” Rev. Dan will lead off the month again, followed by Chuck Fowler. In the last half of August, we will hear from WUUC teachers, families, and students about their experiences during the time of Covid.
By Donna Johnson Worship Team Chair In March 2020, WUUC jumped straight into virtual Zoom church services with two days’ notice and a can-do spirit. This “show must go on” attitude kept us together as a congregation during a scary time, but resulted in some craziness from week to week.
Now, in the not-too-distant-future, when the time is right, WUUC will begin to offer worship services and other events in the church buildings again, and this time we can take our time to plan this new version of church. It is likely that most gatherings will be offered as both in-person and virtual events, so people who are not able to come to church will still be able to participate.
Many things will need to happen to make this “hybrid” and “multi-platform” future possible. An ad hoc, livestreaming group has been considering all the technology and people that will be needed to broadcast from the sanctuary while some people attend services in person and others participate at home. WUUC staff and volunteers are planning and working to get the building ready for people again.
A survey will be sent to WUUC members and friends to gather information about personal choices and preferences for worship services, social gatherings, and committee and team meetings. Stay tuned, there will be more to come and more opportunities to participate in reinventing church in the coming months.
By Donna Johnson Worship Team Chair Our stories help us know ourselves and know what matters in our lives. “Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories.” (Chimamanda Adichie)
We tell the story of who we are. “I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” (Brené Brown)
We are shaped and created by stories. “Stories shape us in so many ways—when they resonate with our own experience, they tell us something about who we are. When they jolt us into a new perspective, they broaden our sense of the world. When they share where we have come from, they remind us that we are part of a larger narrative……Sometimes just sharing our story and having it be held by others is helpful. Sometimes hearing a story that sounds like yours, but with a different ending, can give you hope. Sometimes listening to someone whose perspective is totally different opens up new worlds and new understanding.” (Rev. Emily Gage)
We are connected by stories. “Humans make meaning by connecting stories.” (Rev. Karen G. Johnston) “…..stories connect us in ways that abstract thought and opinion do not.” (Rev. Rod Richards)
Stories set us free. We cannot wish old feelings away nor do spiritual exercises for overcoming them until we have woven a healing story that transforms our previous life’s experience and gives meaning to whatever pain we have endured. (Joan Borysenko)
Stories have power. “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.” (Proverb, exact source unknown)
Stories drive social change. Storytelling is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent, not universal, not necessary. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
Change the story, change the world. (Terry Pratchett)
