(Portland, OR - Nov. 2, 2001) In a packed ballroom at the Hilton Portland Hotel, The Revs. Marilyn Sewell and Thomas Disrud, ministers of First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR, officiated at morning worship.

A packed ballroom at the Portland Hilton hotel was the scene for Friday morning's worship service and the keynote address by Gil Rendle.

The service began with the "Prelude in a Classic Style" (Young), played by Signe Lusk, pianist, First Unitarian Church. Following Opening Words delivered by the Rev. Disrud, the congregation sang the Opening Hymn, #360 (STLT), "Here We Have Gathered."

The Rev. Sewell led the Responsive Reading (#609), "To Serve the People,":
To worship God is nothing other than to serve the people
It does not need rosaries, prayer carpets, or robes.
All people are members of the same body, created from one essence.
If fate brings suffering to one member
The others cannot stay at rest.

The Rev. Marilyn Sewell, Senior Minister of the First Church of Portland, OR, co-officiated at Friday morning worship at the Large Church Conference.

The Reading was followed by the singing of a Doxology (#123), "Spirit of Life" by Carolyn McDade. A reading,m "A Ritual To Read to Each Other" by William Stafford, was read by the Rev. Sewell, and was followed by Music for Meditation, the theme from "On Golden Pond," by Dave Grusin.

The Rev. Disrud delivered the Homily, "We Need the Church Right Now." Disrud began by telling the story of a man from Kansas who wanted to tell the story of churches, and visited churches from all over the US. The man encounters a golden telephone which can, for a large price, connect him directly to God. He finds more of the golden phones in his travels, and when he inquires, he receives the same answer: you can reach God, by the cost is $10,000 per minute. In the Pacific Northwest, he sees the same golden phone, but the sign reads, "calls, 35 cents." Fascinated, he asks to talk to the pastor, and inquires about the difference in the telephone cost in the Northwest church. "Why is there a different price?," he asks. The pastor looks a little shy and says, "Son, now that you're in the Pacific Northwest, it's a local call."

The point, Disrud suggested, is that "Each one of us is part of a place, and each place has its unique set of attributes, including, at times, some smugness. Each one of us comes from a congregation connected to a particular place, with its unique challenges. Each congregation is trying to find its direct line to the holy.

"Much has happened to each of us in these past couple of months. It has been a difficult time, and very important in the lives of our faith communities. As a minister, I have an awareness as I have never had before of the life of the church. If I had any doubt about the importance of the church before, I don't have any now. It was on the Sunday after the terrorist attacks, Sept. 16, that I started to understand the magnitude of what had happened. I saw the enormous grief of the people who came through our church doors…I started to get it.

The Rev. Thomas Disrud, Associate Minister of the First Church of Portland, OR, preached the homily at Friday morning worship.

"We have to be in the presence of others to come to some deeper understanding of the events that happen in our lives. We are reminded of that Latin word religio, which means to tie, or bind. We are tied together in a circle of community, of mutual support and love. We come to church on Sundays for meaning, we come for hope. When we don't know what we can do, we come together to try and make sense of what is happening in our world.

Isn't that what happens in life…we get caught up in what goes on, and we can get so caught up in the doing, that we forget about being. Sometimes doing is not all that important. This can happen in the life of the congregation as well. Sometimes when we're doing the budget, the discussion is not that connected to the life of the congregation and the community. When we set up a program to welcome newcomers, to welcome all that they are bringing, we can forget that we might be saving someone's life.

"In the last couple of months," he said, "it has felt very clear. If your church is like mine, attendance is up. There have been lots of opinions about what the ministers should be saying. There has been lots of searching, there have been many, many tears. And if your [church] is like mine, it's been a chance to know why we do this work. Why we put up with each other, with all our foibles, why we don't just sit home and read the newspaper. People have been drawn to this religious impulse, coming together. These are challenging times, and what all this will mean later, no one knows. But there is an opening. People are coming to us, looking for answers, and this presents some challenges.

Senior Minister Rev. Marilyn J. Sewell (right) and Associate Minister Rev. Thomas G. Disrud (left) in front of First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR

"What do we need to do? I know a few things. We need to live our values, now more than ever. We need to value one another, to hold one another. We need to bring our message into the world, because right now, the world needs our message. Hear these words about the church in the new century: '…it must be full of the brave, daring spirit of the day, keeping also the good times past. New truths…have come to light, and it demands freedom for itself, truth in its beauty and its deeds. The church that stood for the first century, or the fifteenth, will not do for this time…' These words were spoken by Theodore Parker some 155 years ago.

In these times, like in Parker's time, we are called to take ourselves and our message very seriously. They call for us to pay attention, and they call for us to lead. The world needs our message. It needs the message of each congregation present here. It is a good, holy, sustaining message. Just as our Universalist forefathers and foremothers were called to build a kingdom on earth, each of us in our particular place are also called to do this work. In times like this, we need the church, perhaps more than ever before. May this be so this day.

"Amen."

Following the homily, the Rev. Disrud offered this prayer:
"Oh God, hold us this day. Give us the courage to live fully in these times. Help us to move not out of fear, but out of courage and strength. Guide us as we lead. Help us to bring our light into the world. Amen."

The service closed with Hymn #140, "Hail the Glorious Golden City," and with this Benediction: "And so my friends, go this day in love. May love guide us and hold us in our time here together. Go from this place in love, and in hope, and in peace. Amen." The Postlude by Brahms concluded the service.

The continental Large Church Conference of the UUA continues through Sunday, Nov. 4, on the theme, "Changing Congregations, Changing Leadership."

Reported for the web by Deborah Weiner; formatted for the web by Julie Albanese.

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