Other News
Message from Dr. Schulman: Communion in our Fellowship?
Two members suggested that we might have communion some time. Let me--or any officer of the Fellowship--know how you feel about it.

Communion is an old tradition in Unitarian churches. It is practiced in a number of our churches, particularly in New England, and it is practiced widely in England. When I was minister at Emerson Unitarian Church in Houston we used the ceremony regularly.

Our tradition considers communion as a remembrance of the heroism, sacrifice, and teaching of Jesus. It is, as Emerson called it, "a feast of remembrance." The service calls to mind all those who have sacrificed their lives for their faith. The bread and wine are distributed, and of course they are symbolic. The ceremony remembers the last troubled days of Jesus, especially his last meal with his friends.

No one is urged to take the elements. They are passed to the congregation, and those who do not wish to partake simply pass them to the next person.

I am scheduled to preach on Easter and that is an appropriate time to celebrate communion, if we wish to do so. The ceremony is brief and will come at the end of the regular service, if we so wish.

This should not be a source of contention among us and if there is any considerable objection we will not use it. It is a simple and moving service and you might be interested to see how it is done in the Unitarian tradition.

I welcome your comments, as will the officers of the Fellowship.

Elevator Speeches:During an earlier UU Women meeting the question was asked, "How would you answer the question, if you were on an elevator on 6th floor heading for the lobby and someone asked you, ‘What does a Unitarian/Universalist believe?’" In our recent, January/February 2004 issue of UU World, there is an article entitled, "Elevator Speeches" on page 24 that addresses that very question. Check it out.