Help for the Heart

To the editor:

A letter from Bill Savoie (InterConnections, July/August) prompts this response. He asks what regular church activity could his congregation schedule to satisfy the needs of the heart. Several come to mind from our experience.

About six years ago one of our members offered to lead a group called "Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography," based on a book, The Story of Your Life: Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography, by Dan Wakefield, (UUA Bookstore - Currently out of print ). During the eight-week course those of us who participated and shared our personal life stories became a close and caring group. It provided us with a safe format for breaking down the barriers that prevented us from sharing our feelings and knowing each other on a deeper level. When that group ended I began leading a weekly support group for those who wanted to continue. Five years later we still meet every week for two hours.

Another practice that has opened up our congregation to heartfelt communication is the Joys and Concerns portion of the Sunday morning service. Flowers are made available for those who wish to add one to a bouquet as a token of joy or concern. There is a climate of trust and acceptance that encourages shared feelings.

Ann MacConnachie
Secretary, UU Congregation of Cocoa, FL (28 members)

To the editor:

I wanted to cry for/with Bill Savoie who wrote in the July/August issue of InterConnections. He said, "I am looking forward to building some activity at our church that will recharge our batteries and leave us more willing to be in love with life." After being a UU for 21 years I too feel that great void in our churches and have found some comfort in a magazine called Science of Mind.

I'd also like to recommend the fairly recent version of the Tao te Ching edited by Ursula LeGuin. It's helped me through more than one season of spiritual hunger. I hope Bill reaches out to the other heart-driven members of his congregation and succeeds in creating the activities which fully meet his spiritual/heart needs. The UU church is big enough for us all.

Alma F. Sanford
Vice-Moderator, UU Church, Hopkinsville, KY (15)

Attracting Members

To the editor:

Thank you for the September/October issue. One of the most notable ways of attracting new members is actively participating in the Sixth UU Principle, "The Goal of World Community with Peace, Liberty and Justice for all."

A survey will show growth in the over 120 UU churches which are participating in the Partner Church Program. In the coming year the International Council of UUs is working with the Partner Church Council to expand this program beyond Eastern Europe.

Come to one of our International Events in 1999: the British Unitarian General Assembly in Southampton, April 7-11; the proposed ICUU Tour of Eastern Europe, May 11-24; the International Association for Religious Freedom Congress in Vancouver, July 29-August 4.

When congregations have a live sense of participation in the World Community, they also get trust and hope in the future. To learn more, check out these links to the ICUU and the PCC. Or send us e-mail.

In faith, love, and hope,

Richard Boeke
Secretary, ICUU Mannings Heath, Horsham, UK

Antenna Observations

To the editor:

In response to Margaret T. Patton's letter ("Antennas Unhealthy," InterConnections, Sept/Oct 98), there is no cause for concern regarding wireless communications facilities placed in church steeples. If we are correct in indicting wireless installations on the basis of human exposure, then we must turn off our baby monitors next to our cribs, and we must stop using wireless microphones every Sunday.  These inherently safe, low-power devices typically expose the user to far more energy than a typical wireless antenna site. I would be happy to speak with anyone who has questions about wireless antenna siting.

Go ahead and negotiate with the wireless carrier interested in your steeple. Keep your congregation informed about the facts. Not only does your congregation stand to earn some revenue to support its causes, but you do a community service. You help solve the problem of placing another unsightly tower in your area. From a community impact perspective, a steeple is an ideal location for hiding antennas.

David P. Maxson
First Parish UU Church (98)
P.O. Box 215, Medfield, MA 02052

To the editor:

The scientific facts are clear, and readily available. The ground-level radio-wavelength radiation intensities near these antennas are far below levels deemed safe by scientific consensus of many years' research in many countries. See, for example, World Health Organization Environmental Health Criteria Studies Report No. 137, ISBN 92-4-157137-3. These radiation levels are many times lower than those to which people are routinely exposed, from household appliances, manfunctioning automobile ignition systems, commercial TV, etc. Some technologies carry health hazards. Radio-based communication is not one of them.

There are legitimate reasons why one might oppose the proliferation of wireless devices and services. These range from aesthetic concerns about the visual appearance of antennas, to my own particular concerns regarding the ever-worsening radio interference environment. As a radio astronomer at a major university, my professional livelihood is threatened by these systems. It is on issues like these that the debate over siting of communication system antennas should be held.

Alan R. Whitney
First Parish in Concord (670)
20 Lexington Road
Concord, MA 01742