“THE THEOLOGY & PRACTICE OF GNOUU”

A Sermon by the Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger
First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans
Sunday, January 27, 2008

Have you ever felt like the little girl in our Children’s Story “Now Everybody Really Hates Me”? Have you ever felt that other people disliked you, even hated you, and then based your actions and behavior on that feeling? And then did you find out that you were either a little bit wrong, or a lot wrong, and then made friends with that person? This sermon is about just such a transformation.

For just about as long as I have been a Unitarian Universalist, there have been 3 UU congregations in the New Orleans metro area. It so happens that at the time I was church shopping in the early 1980s, I lived on Napoleon Avenue and this church (in its previous location) was the closest one to me. (I was also, as I have said before, predisposed to like this church, since my older sister’s wedding was performed by Albert D’Orlando in the old building and because when Dutch Morial was running for mayor, the church agreed to host a mayoral forum.) My family and I joined this church, and we loved it. But we were not members very long when we found out – almost by osmosis, as if it were in the air or something – that this church did not have close and supportive relationships with the other 2 UU churches.

It doesn’t matter why that was so, or what the actual history was – what matters is that for whatever their various reasons, all 3 Unitarian Universalist congregations for the most part felt set apart, unconnected, from the other 2, and sometimes even competitive with them. While the ministers met regularly in collegial fellowship, the members seldom did. I think it would be fair to say that in each congregation, assumptions were made about how people in the other 2 congregations felt and thought, and then actions were taken and decisions were made based on those assumptions.

You might say that in those days we all, consciously or not, practiced a theology of independence and individuality and difference. For good and ill, the shared implicit mantra of all 3 churches was “We are not them.” When we spoke of each other, we tended to stress our real and imagined, important and unimportant, differences – “we have pagans, they don’t;” “we have more children than they do;” “they’re urban, we’re suburban;” “we’re more involved in social justice than they are;” “we’re more humanist than they are;” “music is more important to us than it is to them;” and even “we have windows, they don’t” – and so on. And stressing all that difference had the natural effect of making the people of all 3 congregations think that we had little in common.

Independence, individuality, and difference are neutral values; none of them is inherently negative or evil. We have all experienced instances in our lives when independence, individuality, and difference were good things for us, and helped us on our spiritual journey. But when strung together and practiced too closely, they become restrictive and exclusive. A theology based mainly in independence, individuality, and difference, whether practiced inside one congregation or among several congregations, inevitably results in separation, even alienation. It promotes an atmosphere heavy with suspicion and potential conflict. It tends to result in tenuous, arms-length, relationships, and easily riled sensibilities.

Please understand me – I am not saying that this theology was exclusive to us, to New Orleans. To my knowledge, MANY UU churches in the same metro area worship at the altar of independence, individuality, and difference. The church I most recently served, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was born in the 1950s out of First Church Philadelphia during the post-war flight to the suburbs. In the intervening years, the ministers meet regularly, but the members hardly ever do. There is little sense in the congregations that there is a relationship beyond belonging to the same denomination; there is little memory in Cherry Hill of having any accountability or owing any-thing to the “mother” church, and almost no sense at First Philly that some kind of guidance might be owed to Cherry Hill. As with us here, they either ignore each other, or feel a little competition with each other. The story is much the same in other large cities where there is more than one UU church, whatever their particular history or story.

I will go further, and say something strong that might upset some people. I have come to believe that holding independence, individuality, and difference as the primary and most important values is harmful to Unitarian Universalism. I believe it keeps us not only from bonding with other UU churches that are geographically close to us, but it prevents us from making authentic interfaith relationships as well. Unfortunately, the theology of independence, individuality, and difference also tends to make Unitarian Universalism one of the most contentious and conflict-ridden of religious organizations. Members valuing independence and individuality above almost all else will demand to be satisfied, to have their personal preferences ratified by their congregation, and with an over-emphasis on difference, there’s more and more folks whose needs must be met, and it simply cannot be done. Hear me well: if our movement stays on that path, it will destroy us.

Who knows how long we might have gone on in that way if nothing had happened to shake us out of our accustomed habits? But as we know all only too well, something DID happen. Hurricane Katrina swept in, the federal levees failed, the winds howled, the floodwaters surged, and everything was changed for the people of greater New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. All 3 congregations were unable to meet in their buildings; all 3 congregations had members and ministers spread out over several states, with some members never being able to return; all 3 congregations faced financial crisis. And almost right away, the members and ministers discovered an important truth: that we needed each other.

In the aftermath of crisis and tragedy, we finally acknowledged that we were all one family, that our 3 congregations, in whatever shape they were in, represented Unitarian Universalism for the New Orleans metro-politan area. As our 2 of our GNOUU representatives have shared this morning, we drew closely together for spiritual comfort and sustenance. We shared meals and meetings and worship. We slowly began to dream about and plan for our mutual futures. We realized it did not make sense to “go it alone.” And so the Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalist cluster, better known by its acronym, GNOUU, pronounced “guh-noo,” was born.

Yes, there were practical reasons for coming together, and Jyaphia and Claudia have both talked about them. But there are also spiritual reasons for our cluster. Just as our separateness and competitiveness in previous years was based in a kind of theology, so is our joining together. Where once we emphasized independence, now we strive to live out our interdependence. Where once we were proud of our congregations’ individuality, we now celebrate our shared community. Where once we made much of our differences, we now give prominence to our shared values, our common history, our relationship as UUs, our mutual needs. Without even meaning to, we developed a theology and practice of interdependence, community, and commonality.

Just as a theology of independence, individuality, and difference has implications for those people and congregations who practice it, so does a theology of interdependence, community, and commonality. Living out the inclusive and embracing spirituality of interdependence, community, and commonality leads to more connections, and deeper relationships. Suspicion is lessened, and serious conflicts are less likely. It is not that we’ve lost our independence, or compromised our individuality, or ignoring or denying our differences – but that these have become less important to us, and are tempered and balanced, seen in a wider perspective. If our mantra before the Storm was, “We’re not them,” our new mantra is “We’re more alike than we are different, and we care for each other.” Now, there’s a difference that really matters!

Since my arrival here as Consulting Minister, participating as much as I can in the GNOUU meetings and activities, I feel a renewed sense of connection with the wider Unitarian Universalist movement. Much as I love this church, it’s not all about First Church. (UU ministers have an expression for those church members whose primary or only allegiance is to their home church; it’s “First Churchatarians” – which is what I think I used to be!) I now feel a close kinship with the ministers and members of the other 2 churches; I care about them, I want them to be whole and healthy, as I want this congregation to be also. My faith is strengthened when I listen to the sharing of stories and feelings from members of Community Church and North Shore; I am inspired and heartened by their dedication and commitment. Now I think I understand the true meaning of our liberal faith, and I finally grasp what my colleague UU historian Alice Blair Wesley has harped on for years and years – that UU congregations are stronger and better when they are in active right relationship with each other, taking counsel with each other, learning from each other, supporting each other. I believe I am a better Unitarian Universalist, and a better minister, for my experiences with GNOUU. And what’s more, I sense the same kinds of things back from the ministers and members of the other congregations.

We began with a story about transformation, and now we’ll end with another one. There’s an old story that I first heard back when Rev. Mike McGee served this congregation, and since then, I’ve heard other ministers use it many times. It goes something like this: Some people died and ended up in the Afterlife, and were given a tour by St. Peter. To their surprise, they discovered that it was all one big place, with one door marked, “Hell” and another one marked “Heaven.”

St. Peter opened the door to Hell, and they saw a large banquet hall with a table laden with every good food, and there were many chairs around the table, with people sitting in them. The people were thin and bitter-looking, and they were all shouting and crying and cursing at each other. The room was like a frat house dining room after a food fight – it was a complete mess. Here’s what was strange – each person had long-handled spoons strapped to each arm, and the spoons were so long that no one could feed themselves, although they kept trying. That’s why everyone was hungry and angry and frustrated, and why the room was spattered with wasted food..

St. Peter then led the group to the second door marked, “Heaven” and when he opened it, they saw something that was both the same and yet different. Here was another large banquet hall, and another big table full of good food, and more people sitting with giant spoons strapped to both arms. The difference was in this room, people were happy and satisfied, laughing and talking and eating. Everything was the same as in Hell, with just this one difference – nobody was trying to feed themselves. Instead, they fed each other, and all were satisfied. The circumstances were the same – what was transformed were the people’s attitudes and perspective.

As we embark on an unprecedented shared capital campaign for the GNOUU cluster to raise funds to rebuild and restore all 3 congregations, and rebuild and restore Unitarian Universalism for all of New Orleans, I invite all of you to partake of this new kind of UU spirituality. Don’t think of us joining with the other 2 UU congregations as a matter of mere monetary necessity, but look at it as a religious necessity, as part of a needful transformation for our mutual benefit, and for the benefit of our entire denomination. Be a part of it – attend the yearly joint services, social events, and commemorative occasions, and welcome the ministers and members of our sister churches when we gather together, whenever and wherever that is. And when you are asked to contribute to the GNOUU shared capital campaign, give joyfully and generously, knowing that your gifts will be combined with many others to ensure the life and health and better future of Unitarian Universalism in the greater New Orleans area, in the form of 3 dynamic, vibrant, lively, and slightly different UU congregations. In our connection is a synergy that has the potential to bring major positive change to the New Orleans area, and be a model for UU churches in other cities.

Taking part in the theology and practice of GNOUU can change your Unitarian Universalism, and even change your life. I invite you to join in this new theology and let it work its spiritual magic for you. AMEN – ASHE – SHALOM – SALAAM – NAMASTE – BLESSED BE!