"Whatever is Unsure is Possible"

But do not let your ignorance Of my spirits whereabouts dismay You, or overwhelm your thoughts. Be careful not to say Anything too final. Whatever Is unsure is possible, and life is bigger Than flesh. Beyond reach of thought Let imagination figure Your hope. That will be generous To me and to yourselves. Why settle For some know-it-alls despair When the dead may dance to the fiddle Hereafter, for all anybody knows?

abridged from "Testament"

in Collected Poems 1957-1982

by Wendell Berry

We Unitarian Universalists do not have a creed, a statement of belief. Instead, we have agreed to affirm and promote seven principles of behavior which assume commonly held values. Our principles are written on the inside front cover of your order of service. They are in the left column in the middle of that page. They are not numbered, but the fifth one down reads, "... the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large." My sermon today addresses that principle.

One time when my children were little, we were camping in Hawaii on the island of Maui in the area known as Hana. I had read in a guidebook that it was possible to rent horses there and go riding. I mentioned the possibility to my children, who immediately clamored to go. However, I resisted going further than talking about the possibility. I didn't research the cost because I assumed the cost would be too high. Yet I continued to talk about the prospect. Finally, one of my sons said, "Well, are we going riding or aren't we?!"

He knew that while we often made decisions in our family in a democratic way, with each person having a vote, only I had the power to make this decision because I controlled the purse strings. He was tired of my ambivalence, and angry that I kept dangling a potential horseback ride when I might decide against it. He appealed to my conscience. He was asking for a benevolent autocracy - go horseback riding or stop tantalizing. My conscience tweaked, I did the research, found out the cost for a ride wasn't as high as I was afraid it might be, and we went riding. That ride was one of the highlights of our trip.

Like Nadia, he dared to persist because his conscience told him to even though our family was not a democracy.

Nadia's story demonstrates that conscience is not a matter of thought only. It is also a matter of heart.

As Unitarian Universalists, we are called to act on the basis of conscience. We often do. As an almost member church of the Unitarian Universalist Association, we practice both pure democracy and representative democracy in our congregational life.

Certain privileges are reserved to the congregation as a whole. Only a congregation may call a minister. Only a congregation may purchase or divest itself of real property. Only a congregation may approve the annual budget - usually.

I say "usually" because in at least one congregation, each year the congregation approves goals, and the Board of Trustees then designs a fiscal plan, or a budget, to support those goals. Because all of our states have laws holding elected representatives in non-profit corporations fiscally accountable, the congregation may legally entrust that decision to the board.

There are many differences between the ways a small congregation operates and the ways a large congregation does its business. Generally, smaller congregations use consensus to make changes. As the congregation grows, the people find consensus decision making unwieldy, and increasingly smaller parts of the congregation - the board of trustees, committees and staff -- make decisions for the whole. They are guided by the congregation's mission and goals, and the board's policies, which reflect these.

Issues like how long to retain a visitor's name on the mailing list if she never comes back, whether and how to approach a member who is not current on his pledge, and whether to throw out the paper flower bouquet in the bathroom or move it - these decisions are made by a smaller and smaller body within the congregation as the congregation grows larger and larger.

As a congregation grows, issues that used to be resolved at the congregational level move to the Board. As it grows some more, issues that used to be resolved at the Board level move to the committees. And as it grows some more, issues that used to be resolved at the committee level move to the staff. At each step along the way, the decision makers are free to call upon the wisdom of congregational members.

Democratic congregational decision making can have momentous results. This congregation was conceived as the result of a vote taken at the Greater Daytona Beach Unitarian Universalist Society in Ormond Beach in the spring of 1996. The issue was to sell or not to sell its existing property and seek new property to the west of its present site for a new home base. The majority decided not to sell. The sizable minority organized to form this congregation west and south of the Ormond Beach site. Their premise was that the Unitarian Universalist movement would be better served if the growing population of East Volusia County had two congregations. They also wanted to consider the needs of people in the south end of the county and those living near I-95. They took a huge risk in leaving the Ormond Beach congregation. There was no guarantee that they would be successful. There was no guarantee that the Ormond Beach congregation would survive without them. There was no guarantee that there wouldn't be enmity between the two congregations and between the people who chose to remain and those who chose to leave. Yet conscience motivated them to act creatively, whatever the risk.

The success of this congregation and new energy within the Ormond society suggest the decision to start a new congregation may well bring the good news of Unitarian Universalism to more people in Volusia County than ever before!

When we have practice at democracy, when we have been empowered to act on the basis of conscience - with both the heart and the head directing our actions -- we can come through in an emergency.

What happened last Sunday during our service is one small example. Bill Bailey lost consciousness. The way those of you who were present responded was an etude of conscience-directed action. Those of you in the helping professions came forward to assess and assist. Those of you who are neighbors gathered 'round to offer comfort. Those of you who were responsible for the service carried on, including our two guests. Because I was the first person to be aware of the need and had no other responsibilities at the time, I called 911. Ordinarily that responsibility belongs to the usher who perceives the need first. At least two of you thought to go out to the road to usher the emergency vehicles through the maze-like approach to our building.

As it happened, the worship service ended after 911 had been called and before the emergency personnel had arrived. During that awkward interval I called you into prayer. First we sang our prayers, with assistance from a competent keyboard player who elected herself to provide support. When the emergency personnel did arrive, I offered a spoken prayer on behalf of us all, and then you disbursed to the hospitality area to speak your concern and comfort one another. When the time came for the ambulance to take Bill to the hospital for tests and observation, I accompanied Margaret to the hospital. Those of you who were responsible for closing up the church last Sunday completed your appointed duties - you cleaned the hospitality area, shut down the Sunday School, turned out the lights, set the alarm, and locked the door.

Democracy thrives in a community whose members feel compassion for one another and when they are empowered to show active, positive support.

There is a humorous twist to this story. Earlier in the week I learned from the worship committee that some of you do not like to be told to say "yes" (instead of amen) on command. I felt miffed and defended myself by saying that I was teaching a new way to respond to a prayer rather than commanding. Laurie held firm in representing the committee's assessment of your feelings. Because I respect Laurie and because I don't want to offend the worship committee and you all, at least not in the first few months of our work together, I said I would lay off requesting a "yes" response each time I said "so be it".

So last Sunday, even though the situation was unrehearsed I remembered to end the spoken prayer with the words "so be it" period - no "yes". Yet I was startled to hear a resounding "yes" in response from a few of you, some of whom, I think, were in on that discussion. That "yes" stirred me deeply. At the same time that I remembered to affirm your choice not to be prompted - your right of conscience to respond in your own way - you affirmed my position as your spiritual leader. Of all the moving events that day, that brief incident still touches me today. It was a blessed example of mutual empowerment - which might be another term for democracy at its best - mutual empowerment.

I was talking about this with our house guests from Seattle over dinner earlier this week. They are familiar with Unitarian Universalist culture and suggested that each time I said "so be it" the congregation could be empowered to say whatever came into their minds: like "OK," or "you got it, baby," or "oh, yeah," or "dig it" or "maybe yes, and maybe no!"

Earlier, during our reflection, I read part of a Wendell Berry poem. The person speaking in the poem is about to die. His conscience moves him to offer final words to those who love him. Do not let your ignorance Of my spirits whereabouts dismay You, or overwhelm your thoughts. Be careful not to say Anything too final. Whatever Is unsure is possible, and life is bigger than flesh.

You are not dying! In fact, you are giving birth to a new congregation! You are driven by your collective conscience to bring our good Unitarian Universalist news to more and more people in Volusia County. You know you are taking a risk - both those of you who started this congregation and those of you who join in making it happen. Yet as long as there is risk there is uncertainty. I like Wendell Berry's words. They comfort me. "Whatever is unsure is possible, and life is bigger than flesh." I want to remember them as we press on together creating our new spiritual home.

One way you have demonstrated your intention to let conscience motivate you to act beyond these four walls is your sponsorship of the "Creating a Jubilee World" workshop last weekend. Your conscientious action motivates me to act and to inform you of an upcoming event in Daytona.

On April 24-25, a conference entitled "Visions of the 21st Century: conversations about Reparations for Black Americans," will take place at Bethune-Cookman College. The Conversation will be held from 6:00 PM through 9:00 PM on Friday, April 24 and 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 25. The purpose of the Conversation is to make recommendations regarding reparations for Black Americans to the Advisory Board of the Presidents Initiative on Race. [Those responsible for the conference] have been in contact with President Clinton's staff for the Initiative and they look forward to receiving the results of our Conversation. The Conversation is funded by the Florida Humanities Council and is open to the public.

The format is this: Several scholars will present papers. A jury will listen, confer, and render a verdict. Anyone may apply to be a juror. Applicants must fill out a form and write a one hundred word essay on what reparations mean to them. Each juror selected must attend the entire conference and will receive a $100 honorarium. Twelve jurors will be selected. I don't know who will do the selection. I have applied to be a juror. Whether I am selected or not, I will attend the conference.

Last week during your small group discussions you told me you feel isolated as Euro-Americans from the African-American population in this area. You also feel discouraged because there are no existing bridges to connect the two communities. You also told me you are uncomfortable with the situation. Your collective conscience itches when you think about white privilege. You recognize that it is not mutually empowering for people of color to live mostly in poverty while white people live mostly in wealth.

Building bridges takes time. Creating coalitions where none exist is hard work; however, the conversation Bethune-Cookman College will foster in April could be a start, because the outcome is unsure, and "whatever is unsure is possible."

In Florida the Democratic governor and the Republican legislature have locked horns in a legal battle over the gubernatorial veto process. The governor maintains that because the legislature did not vote to override his veto of the late term abortion bill when it last met, his veto nullifies the bill the legislature passed. The legislature maintains that because its last session was a special session and not a general or regular session, this session is its first opportunity to override the governor's veto and its vote to do so stands. The bill is law. Stories of the battle were so focused on the veto process, as a newcomer to Florida I took awhile to figure out that if the governor wins his appeal, late term abortions will remain legal in this state, and if he doesn't, they will become illegal. This is democracy in action - in its most complicated manifestation. As someone whose spiritual process is the Path of Harmony, these political battles are hard to follow, especially when rights which have been so long in coming may be overturned. Yet, as a woman who wants to preserve the right of physicians and pregnant women to choose late term abortions when their consciences dictate that decision, I am glad Governor Chiles is using legal process to try to preserve his veto. As the court battle continues, I take comfort in the fact that the outcome of the governor's appeal is unsure, and "whatever is unsure is possible."

Tomorrow, Nick Cardell, a Unitarian Universalist minister and several other members of the May Memorial Church, in Syracuse, New York, the congregation he serves, will go to prison. They were arrested on November 16 last year during a peaceful protest against the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia.

To remind you, the School of the Americas, or SOA has a long history. It was founded in 1946 in Panama. It moved to Ft. Benning in 1984. It is organized as a U.S. Army School to teach military personnel from Latin American countries how to counter subversion. Nick credits graduates from the School of the Americas as having had a major role in El Salvadoran atrocities: the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador; the rape and murder of four U.S. Religious women; the El Mozote Massacre of an entire village of 900 men, women and children; the murder of eight Jesuit priests and their two women co-workers; and uncountable numbers of campesinos "neutralized" by death squad activity. He says School of the Americas graduates have similar accomplishments in Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, and Mexico, for instance in Chiapas.

Nick and the other Unitarian Universalists arrested were acting conscientiously, according to our fifth principle, when they demonstrated. They acted to draw our attention to the fact that the School of the Americas, financed with our tax money, is supporting systems which are an abomination to democratic process, and, therefore, must be destroyed - not by violent means, but by democratic means. Like Henry David Thoreau was in the 19th century, they are willing to go to jail to get our attention. If we value their action we can support them by writing letters. I've posted some addresses on the Social Justice bulletin board.

It is unsure if Nick and his Unitarian Universalist compatriots' action and letters from their supporters will be the action that finally turns the tide, so that congress acts to shut down the School of the Americas. This uncertainty is hopeful, because "whatever is unsure is possible."

A special Time magazine report printed in 1997 begins this way:

The most famous story to come out of Spain concerns a skinny man aged about 50, an
eccentric bachelor who kept an old nag and a greyhound and loved hunting. One
day--having read too many stories about chivalry--he took it upon himself to set out like a
knight of old to right the world's wrongs. Don Quixote would not have gotten far past
today's police, paramedics or social workers, but the character created by Miguel de
Cervantes trotted up some high and hilarious adventures. The best-known is his encounter
with windmills, which he decided were alien giants. Lowering his lance, he spurred his
horse Rocinante and charged them, giving the world the expression that means to strive
against the odds: tilting at windmills.

The report goes on to analyze the changes which have occurred in Spain over the last ten years, leading it to join the democratic European community. The analysis admits that the Spanish democracy is not perfect. Other reports in other media chronicle developments in other countries where women and men tilt at windmills to bring, revive, and sustain democracy in their homelands. Articles date lined South Africa, Indonesia, Mali, South Korea, and India claim our attention daily as journalists report the struggle for democracy on these fronts.

Everyone who works to secure the right of conscience and the use of democratic process in oppressive and unstable situations could be said to tilt at windmills. Some would say that Nick Cardell and the other peaceful demonstrators against the School of the Americas tilt at windmills. Perhaps Governor Chiles is tilting at windmills when he argues that his veto should stand. I'm sure many who hear of the Conversation Conference about reparations to blacks will laugh and think it's just as silly to tilt at windmills as think of such a thing. Laughing at such idealists and comparing them to Don Quixote closes off possibilities. I prefer to think of the outcomes as unsure, even dubious at best - because "whatever is unsure is possible."

I want to end my sermon today with a prayer created with words written by Wendell Berry:

Life bigger than flesh --

We open our minds and hearts to you so we may remember that whatever is unsure is therefore possible. We let flow in creative, hopeful dreams for sustainable democracies throughout this world. We humbly let go of our know-it-all despair. We commit ourselves this day to affirm and promote mutual empowerment in our homes, in our communities, in our nation, and in the world. So be it yes.

[Note: Information about how you may support the Reverend Nick Cardell and others from May Memorial is posted on the Social Justice bulletin board. See the attached sheet for ideas from the Rev. Cardell.]

(from Nick Cardell) Write your members of Congress to co-sponsor HR611 and S980, bills to close SOA.

Write Chief Judge Duross Fitzpatrick requesting that he investigate the harsh sentences imposed on the SOA 25 by Judge Robert Elliott and

Magistrate William Slaughter and urge commutation of the sentences.

Chief Judge Duross Fitzpatrick
US District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
PO Box 1014
Macon, GA 31202-1014
Ph (912) 752-3500 fax (912) 752-3502

Write Attorney General Janet Reno and request that she investigate the harsh sentences imposed on the SOA 25 by Judge Robert Elliott and Magistrate William Slaughter and recommend a Presidential Pardon.

The Honorable Janet Reno
Attorney General of the United States of America
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Room 4400
Washington, DC 20530
Ph (202) 514-2001 fax (202) 414-4371

Urge Amnesty International (AI) to pass the Resolution that will be voted on at the AI Annual General Meeting in March, which calls for the closure of the SOA. Also ask that Amnesty International adopts the SOA 25 as Prisoners of Conscience.

Amnesty International
William Shulz, Executive Director
322 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10001