How many of you have phones that can access the Internet? In the land of smartphones and other mobile devices, there are 3G and 4G wireless networks. The G stands for generation. A 3G network is so fast that it allows a lot of information to be transmitted and received by mobile devices. A 4G … Continue reading Why I Belong
When deciding what direction my stewardship moment should take, I considered different angles. I first thought about being painfully directâreminding the congregation that we canât do all the great stuff we do and all the great stuff we want to do without having enough money to pay for it. Then I thought about adding that … Continue reading Why I Belong
Iâve been attending First UU since August 2012, and I joined not too long after. Having heard about the UU faith when I was a Christian, I knew right away that this was where I needed to be. I knew that Iâd be welcomed no matter who I was or what I believed, and that … Continue reading Why I Belong
Have you ever been to a play performed at the Wichita Community Theater? Have you ever been to Planned Parenthood in Wichita? Both of those organizations were the product of this church. Wichita Community Theater grew out of a series of plays that were performed at the Unitarian Church, as it was known then. Mary … Continue reading Why I Belong
On occasion I am beyond flattered by circumstances, Most recently it was being recognized at the Wichita NOW Chapterâs Annual Colleen Kelly Johnstonâs âShe Makes a Differenceâ Dinner, along with Julie Burkhart and Marge Zakoura Vaughn. More about the event later, but first I want to clear up something often misunderstood. NOW is an acronym … Continue reading A Feminist Life
In the grand scheme of things, where do we ultimately fit in? Itâs a question that has sought a question for millennia. Many men and women, each greater thinkers than I, have come up with answers that will probably beat anything that I can come up with. However, living as a transgender person is a … Continue reading Cybele and Me
First UU of Wichita is gearing up to go through the process of earning the Green Sanctuary Certification from the UUA. This involves an extensive effort to build awareness of environmental issues in our congregation through many dimensions of our personal as well as social lives. We have formed a Green Sanctuary Committee to lead … Continue reading Green Sanctuary Certification
We are in Day Six in this summerâs antiabortion grandstanding event. A small corps of antiabortion activists is in town, attempting to recreate the hysteria of 25 years ago, when thousands of them descended on Wichita. The goal, largely accomplished in 1991 but pretty much a bust this time around, was to disrupt and enrage a community that included … Continue reading View from the Home of an âAbortionistâ
âSometimes I think the only real division into two is between people who divide everything into two, and those who donât.â Â Gloria Steinem, âMy Life on the Roadâ (2015) Unitarian Universalists understand that nothing in this world can be divided into two distinct parts or opinions. Â But one issue, high profile in Wichita always … Continue reading Once Upon a Feminist Life: Our Minds, Our Bodies, Our Choices
People, regardless of their gender, sexuality, or any other trait, are always in transition. From daughter to mother, brother to uncle, we all undergo changes in our lives. However, trans people experience transition in a very unique and often challenging way. The idea of “passing” (that is, being acknowledged as one’s preferred gender) is spoken … Continue reading The Art of Passing
Ten years ago a friend had a startling reaction to my casual reference to âwe feminists.â âIâm not a feminist,â my 20-something friend responded indignantly, much to my surprise. I knew her to be someone who thought clearly about women’s issues. A few questions from me followed.   âDo you believe in equal pay for equal … Continue reading Feminist Life
I was packing a sack lunch for a resident at the homeless shelter where I worked when I realized I was a man. I was twenty-four. It was not when I asked my mother at age four if she was absolutely sure I was a girl. It was not when I felt infinitely more comfortable in … Continue reading Trans Voices: Introduction
[This post is the first in an on-going series of social justice stories and reflections from members of the First UU Wichita congregation. If you would like to submit a blog post for publication, please contact our Social Action Coordinator Margi Ault-Duell at socialaction@firstuu.net. Enjoy!] Once upon a feminist life⊠Written by Del Smith When … Continue reading Once Upon a Feminist Life
Now seeking applications for our 2016-2017 Share the Plate Award! We’re moving into a process for selecting Share the Plate recipients that involves the participation of the whole congregation. Organizations can apply directly or be nominated by our members to receive support from us for one year. Any organization that is nominated by a FUUW … Continue reading Share the Plate Award
The Bylaws task force is nearing completion of its draft and wants to make it available and known to as many church members as possible. We will have two “listening sessions,” similar to the covenant process: #1 – Sunday, Feb. 8, after church #2 – Wednesday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m. We also want to solicit … Continue reading Bylaws Under Revision
