UCM Closing Due to Coronavirus

In response to the expanding COVID-19 pandemic, we have some changes to announce in UCM's staffing and operation:

1. Starting this week and until further notice, Thursday Supper will be offered as a take-out option; Saturday Lunch has been canceled until further notice. Guests at the meal can expect distribution of some of UCM's store of perishable food, as we seek to ensure that food resources we have been able to accumulate do not go to waste.
2. For all other purposes, UCM is closed until further notice. This includes regular UCM programming, as well as meetings of community groups scheduled to take place in UCM's building.
   UCM staff will be periodically checking our voicemail and email, and will respond to contacts as quickly as we are able.
   Because we want to help where we can, we'll be sharing information and resources on social media and via email as it becomes available, and we want to hear from you what you know and what you need that we might be able to help with.
3. UCM staff will be periodically checking our voicemail and email, and will respond to contacts as quickly as we are able.
4. Because we want to help where we can, we'll be sharing information and resources on social media and via email as it becomes available, and we want to hear from you what you know and what you need that we might be able to help with.

If you want information (or want to share information) about community food resources or our meal programs, email Assistant Director Lacey Rogers (lacey@ucmathens.org); for other UCM and community questions or topics email Executive Director Evan Young (evan@ucmathens.org). Stay safe, stay connected, and work together--together is how we're going to get through this!

A Prayer for MLK Day 2020

On January 20, UCM Executive Director Rev. Evan Young delivered a prayer at the beginning of the 20^th annual MLK Silent March at Ohio University. It was an extemporaneous and heartfelt prayer, and it has taken us some time to find a recording and transcribe it for sharing. We’re indebted to Athens NEWS Associate Editor Conor Morris for sharing with us a recording of the event, our transcription of which we now share with you.

“When I accepted the invitation to perform this service, I acknowledged that it felt a little bit odd to be a white man offering an invocation on this particular day, on this particular occasion, around this particular issue in our lives and in this historical moment. But I was reminded recently of the words of Nelson Mandela, who said, much more eloquently than I could hope to, that “the oppressor and the oppressed must both be liberated.” So it is in this humble spirit of acknowledging both my own complicity in and my own oppression by the systems and structures that Dr. King crusaded against, that I invite you into prayer with me:

For ourselves, for each other, for our communities, local to global and beyond, for any God or power that lives in our hearts and lifts up our spirits, we offer this prayer. Lord, this road we have been walking has been long, and like so many roads it has had its straight stretches and its torturous stretches, its difficult and dangerous passes, and passes in which we are tempted to sink into comfort and forgetfulness. This particular passage we’ve come to feels in many ways dangerous. We have witnessed the rise of sentiments and systems of white supremacy; we have witnessed the increasing permission felt by some of us to act on and argue for the otherness, oppression, and marginalization of many of us. And yet we know, because we have been shown by so many before us, that however long, however difficult our road is, there is an end, a destination, that is better, more whole, more holy than this place. And we know, today, in this group, that there are many who continue on that path with us, carrying that same vision in their hearts. May our feet be guided on the path toward justice. May our hearts be buoyed up by our companions on that path. And may we return with steadfastness and resolve to the work of making that road by walking, so that all may experience the liberation that some have promised and that is our common vision. This we pray in all the names we give to you who have ever been beyond naming. Amen; blessed be.”

Transformative Social Justice Work and Ecumenical/Interfaith Campus Ministry

One of the great challenges of doing social justice work in the present age is that the pace of our information economy undermines the spiritual discipline of memory. In the 24-hour news cycle that increasingly defines our experience, today’s news effectively displaces and erases yesterday’s news, and renders us both rootless and directionless. As the great labor historian and folk singer Utah Phillips said, “the long memory is the most radical idea in this country. It is the loss of that long memory which deprives our people of that connective flow of thoughts and events that clarifies our vision, not of where we're going, but where we want to go.”

In the conservation and transmission of that long memory, no tool is more important than the story. Our stories, told well in community, offer our experience in all its complexity in a form that invites not debate or disputation, but identification and solidarity. Hearing your story, I look in it for that which resonates with my experience—and my understanding of your need and what would meet it is deepened, calling forth my compassionate response. This is why UCM focuses on “listening people into speech,” evoking their stories and sharing them in contexts that make a difference.

UCM’s story is rooted in the modern ecumenical movement within Protestant Christianity. The modern ecumenical movement was founded on a call for Christian leaders throughout the world to work for peace and justice. This call was a new expression of a millennia-old yearning for a return to unity within the Christian Church—unity that perhaps never existed, and certainly had not existed since the 4th century of the Christian era. The most important—and potentially fruitful—locus of that unity was in our shared ethic of service and restoration. So the movement sought to continue, expand, and integrate efforts of unifying the church globally around the idea of helping all those in need, whether that need be physical, emotional, or spiritual. The movement promoted an understanding amongst the churches that, despite difference, they could join together to be an element of great change in the world, an agent of hope and peace amongst the chaos and destruction that humans seem to create.

This is where UCM comes from, and why we look the way we do. This is the history that underlies our programming and our ministry. This is why there’s a Thursday Supper and a Saturday Lunch, this is why there’s an Appalachian Ohio alternative spring break service/learning trip. And ultimately, as our understanding and identity have expanded beyond the traditional bounds of Christianity, this is why we’ve devoted ourselves to building interfaith relationships of understanding and trust—to addressing our common need to be welcomed, accepted, honored, and attended to within the communities in which we live. This is the story we continue to tell, to invite others into, and to pass on as our heritage of transforming love.

On the Day After the 2018 Election

The temptation to engage with politics as political theater, to see oneself as primarily a spectator in the political process, is strong. And we’re encouraged to do so by moneyed interests and the media they control. I know that at times I've succumbed to that temptation—and that those times have felt significantly less empowering than have the times when I've been engaged in pursuing my heartfelt mission and vision of a different, more compassionate community and world.

In many ways, elections are to politics what Christmas and Easter services are to Christian churches. They bring out a lot of people we never see at other times. But if enough of the people we see a lot do enough planning and preparation that what’s on offer at those big events is compelling, there’s a good chance we’ll see some of those new faces again. Which is, today (given the narrow scope of the electoral offerings, and the much broader scope of the individual and collective efforts toward transformation I've seen and been part of), both a sobering and a hopeful thought.

Gauging the success of organizing and coalition-building work by electoral success is a case of measuring things that can be measured because we can measure them. The things elections measure best are not the things we’re most interested in changing: hearts, minds, understanding of the interdependent nature of our existence in this place and on this planet. Working to transform those things is the kind of life-giving activity that springs from a much deeper well of passion and purpose, and that has always been UCM's primary work.

I was reading, in the November 2018 issue of The Sun, an interview with Stacy Mitchell, a thoughtful critic of big-box-store economies and monopolistic online retailers like Amazon, and she made a powerful point about the impact of those institutions on the fabric of our communities and our propensity for civic engagement: “Economic relationships often involve other types of relationships, too. When you shop at a small business, you’re dealing with your neighbors. You’re buying from someone whose kids go to school with your kids. That matters for the health of communities. . . . The true value of having a vibrant local economy isn’t just in the bottom line of small businesses and the specific jobs they create. It’s also the notion that place matters. A community can nurture active citizens and help people realize their dreams and potential.” This sounds a lot like the Athens community I know—people who are connected and empowered by the multifaceted relationships they have with one another, and who carry that empowerment into the public and political spheres to drive real social innovation, inclusion, and transformation.

Today is a good day to breathe, to visit, to share a coffee or other beverage with a friend and comrade, and to reflect on the transformative work your relationship is doing in each of your lives. I know my relationships with the folks I’ve been working with for the last two years have changed me in deep and lasting ways. And for that, today I’m giving thanks and praise.

And in case you still need a little quantitative validation of the transformative work you've been throwing your heart and soul into all election season, I offer these significant milestones, shared by our friends at Equitas:

Shattering the previous record, at least 114 women won statewide or federal seats across the country—including 94 US House seats, 12 US Senate seats, and 8 Governorships. These women include a number of firsts: the country’s first Muslim and first Native American women elected to Congress, the youngest women elected to Congress, Massachusetts’ first black congresswoman, the first woman Governor of Guam, and the first two Latina congresswomen from Texas.   Colorado elected the country’s first openly gay Governor. In statehouses across the country 129 LGBTQ state legislators will soon take office—including Ohio’s own Senator-Elect Nickie Antonio, who will be the state’s first openly LGBTQ State Senator.

 Shift happens. Thanks for helping it along.

On the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

Rev. Evan Young, Campus Minister

Like you, I am horror-struck by the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh this past weekend. Heart-sick, dismayed that such a thing happened, could happen, anywhere in this country but particularly in a city and community I’ve visited and loved, where people I know and love are reeling and hurting and grieving together. The impact of such a thing happening in a place of worship that serves as sanctuary and community center is beyond my power to imagine. And that all I have to offer is my sympathy seems very weak tea indeed.

There’s a temptation hiding in my response to this tragedy. I’ve heard it voiced about this tragedy, and about others as well; maybe you have too. It sounds like this: “This isn’t who we are. This doesn’t represent our community. We’re better than this.”

I understand the sentiment. I’ve shared it. I’ve said these words. But right now, in the wake of this latest act of terrorism, I’m coming to grips with its essential dishonesty. Because in fact, this is precisely who we are—who, in this historical and cultural moment, we have become.

I believe in community writ large. I believe the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue is not something that happened to that faith community, or to the community of Pittsburgh, or to the Jewish community. I believe it’s something that happened to (and in) my community—and yours. Because we’re all connected, because we’re interdependent, because the quality of community each of us enjoys depends on the quality of community all of us create.

And the fact is that the community we have all participated in creating is one in which bigotry can thrive. In our America today, it thrives to the point where bigots feel empowered to make their bigotry concrete and real in acts of violence—acts directed against people of color, against Jewish people, against LGBTQ+ people, against Muslims, against immigrants.

In a community where this is true, it’s not enough to simply be someone who doesn’t perpetrate those acts, doesn’t hold those beliefs, doesn’t say those things. It’s not enough to feel bad for the victims of those violent words and deeds, to send them thoughts and prayers, to long for a better time past or future. When we say we “stand with,” we must mean that we “act with,” and “advocate for,” those among us who are suffering. And that we “engage with,” and “differ with,” and disrupt the empowerment of those who would, and do, oppress through their power and privilege and bias.

When I talk about resistance, this is what I mean. Not resisting the rule of a politician, or a party, with whom I disagree. My resistance is about resisting—and confronting, and combating—ideas and actions and worldviews that presume humanity is rightly divided into a favored “us” and a disfavored, less-than-human “them” upon whom the favored can practice all manner of oppression. That’s what the gunman did this weekend; that’s what the pipe-bomb-mailer has been doing; that’s what “proud boys” all over the country are doing; that’s what our nationalist-in-chief is advocating when he proclaims himself a nationalist. And my resistance to what they’re all doing springs from a deeper well than my political affiliation. It springs from my faith, from the way I understand our participation in a larger whole of which we are part, on which we depend, and for the well-being of which we are therefore obliged to work.

Resistance like this is ultimately an act of faith, one that requires us to start where we really are and move toward a better, wholer, holier vision. It means embracing the possibility that this is, in fact, who we now are—however horrifying that prospect might be. And then throwing your body and soul into moving us all in the direction of the community we could be, because to do less would be to deny who you are, and whose you are.

On "trans*"

This week began with news of an ongoing effort within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to roll back recognition of and protection for trans* people under federal civil rights law, by defining "sex" as either male or female (i.e., binary), unchangeable, and determined by the genitals a person is born with. According to a New York Times story published on October 21, the Department specified their proposed redefinition in a memo drafted this spring and circulated since then: "Sex means a person's status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth. . . . The sex listed on a person's birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person's sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence." 

To put it as clearly as possible: we at UCM believe this is wrong. And hateful. And hurtful. And we will neither accept, nor support, nor comply with it. Trans* friends, we see you, we welcome you, and we affirm, support, and defend your right to be fully and fearlessly who you are. For us this is a moral, ethical, and spiritual commitment that goes beyond politics. And we deplore both the dehumanizing intent and effect of this proposed move, and the cynical use of gender identity as a political wedge issue to manipulate voting blocs. Good people don't treat real people this way. And we're here for everything that will make this better.

On the Approaching Election
Rev. Evan Young, Executive Director

In this election season, there's something I want to make sure to say to you.

Voting is highly recommended. 

Not because it's the be-all and end-all of participatory democracy, not because it's some panacea that holds out the promise of curing all our nation's ills. I'm well aware of the significant flaws in our democratic process, as currently practiced. Well aware of the interests it weights too heavily, well aware of the interests it excludes from the conversation, well aware of the corrosive influence of money and its erosion of the power of our representative democracy to . . . well, represent.

I still highly recommend that you vote. Because it's a gateway activity to the kind of engagement and activism for social justice out of which real change can emerge. Take the time to become educated about the choices on offer in this election season--both candidates and issues. Let your research stimulate questions and lead you into reflection on the world we have, the world you want to see, and what it's worth to you to take action to move us in the direction of your vision. Let your reflection lead you into action, collaboration, and deeper, more interdependent relationship with people who share your vision (or who embrace a vision you had never imagined before that fills you with hope for the future). 

Voting is the low bar, the entry point, the first step on the path toward engaged, informed, contributing citizenship in our community, our nation, the world. So do it. And be advised--since our current leaders are invested in limiting access to the means of participation (i.e., voting) particularly in strongly liberal/progressive areas (like Athens), you should take advantage of the opportunity to cast your vote early (for days, times, and locations click here). Avoid long lines and make sure your vote is cast, recorded, and counted. And then . . . get to work.

Melissa Wales, Executive Director, to Leave UCM

After eighteen years at United Campus Ministry, and thirteen years as its Executive Director, Melissa Wales is leaving the organization at the end of September to assume the new position of Chief Operating Officer of Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville.

“It’s been a wonderful experience serving this organization and this community,” Wales said, “and UCM will always be very dear to my heart. I’m excited to be able to pursue this new opportunity, and happy that I’ll still be around and able to support UCM in other ways.”

Wales joined the UCM staff in 1999 as Program Coordinator. She became Interim Director upon Rev. Jan Griesinger’s retirement in 2003, and became Executive Director in 2005.

UCM is inviting everyone to a thank-you and farewell celebration for Wales on Wednesday, September 20, as part of the “Pints with a Purpose” fundraising event being hosted by Devil’s Kettle Brewing on Columbus Road in Athens. The fundraiser runs from 4 to 9pm; the celebration will be from 6 to 8pm.

Rev. Evan Young, UCM’s Campus Minister, will assume the role of Executive Director on October 1. UCM is opening a search for an Assistant Director and plans are to fill that position by November 1.

“Melissa is not someone we’re ever going to be able to replace,” said Young. “I’m excited for her at this new opportunity, and I’m confident that UCM will be able to adapt and move forward with our vital interfaith and social justice work. It’s a little daunting, of course, but I know we’ll have some stellar applicants for the new position and I’m looking forward to UCM’s next chapter.”

For information about the Assistant Director position and the application process, contact Jennifer Kelly, UCM’s Office Manager, at Jennifer@ucmathens.org.

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Assistant Director Position Announcement

United Campus Ministry (UCM), an ecumenical and interfaith ministry serving the Ohio University and Athens communities, is seeking an energetic, committed, justice-seeking individual to fill the newly configured position of Assistant Director.

UCM is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage the Ohio University and Athens communities in spiritual growth, work for social justice, and community service guided by socially progressive and interfaith values.

The duties of the Assistant Director will include:

• Assisting Executive Director with fundraising and donor development, community & campus networking, program development, and overseeing/assisting with events

• Primary responsibility for operation of our two weekly free meal programs

• Managing building & rentals

• PR and publications

• Managing UCM’s website

Qualifications (required):

Bachelor’s degree

Some experience working in the nonprofit sector

Experience supervising paid employees and/or volunteers

Excellent written and oral communications skills

Some availability for evening and weekend work

Patience, flexibility, and a sense of humor

(desired):

Some experience in fundraising and development

Some theological education

A history of involvement in social justice and activism work

Expected salary: $25,000 to $30,000

Applications accepted until October 3. Seeking a start date of November 1. To apply, send a resume, cover letter, and contact information for two references to Jennifer Kelly at Jennifer@ucmathens.org.

Charlottesville, A Reflection

by Campus Minister Rev. Evan Young

The events in Charlottesville, Virginia have been front and center in our thoughts. As we prepare for the return of students to OU’s campus, we’re thinking, “Charlottesville is a college town. Like Athens.” And wondering when what happened there will come here—and what we’re going to do about it.

White supremacists are marching and rallying openly in the streets of our nation. In the week since Charlottesville, they’ve marched and rallied in several other cities. They’re advocating policies and practices that give preference to white people and treat nonwhite people (and immigrants, and LGBTQ+ folks, and non-Christians, and women) as “less than.” They’re openly threatening violence—not just isolated violent acts, but a mass campaign of violence—to promote their vision and to force its adoption as policy.

Yet more disturbing is the extent to which they have gained the ear, the sympathy, and the support of key political and government leaders—from the President to members of his administration to leaders of his political party, both within and beyond the legislative and executive branches of government. President Trump’s failure to condemn the words and actions of the individuals and groups who organized the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, who marched through those streets chanting “Jews will not replace us!” and “Blood and soil!,” is a stain upon our collective identity, integrity, history, and community. The false equivalency he has drawn between the white supremacist demonstrators and those who gathered to protest the message of hatred, bigotry, and oppression is an insult to our collective intelligence. And the silence—or overt and enthusiastic agreement—of his supporters in the face of this insult is an embarrassment to us all.

This is not a political issue. It’s a moral issue. It goes to the heart of our faith commitments to affirm and promote freedom, justice, and community for all. We have found that in order to be true to our faith (our faiths, really, since we have many traditions represented on our staff, on our Board of Directors, and among our students, supporters, and donors), we must speak to this. And we must be unequivocal. We stand against those who believe that the right to rule this country must be reserved for “white” people. We stand with those who seek equal rights, opportunity, and protection for all people, whatever their race or nationality or immigration status or sexual orientation or gender identity. We recognize the painful and problematic presence of racism and white supremacy in our past and our present, and we are committed to educating and equipping ourselves and our communities to right those wrongs. If this sounds like you, or like what you want to be and to do in this town and this world, we stand with you. We want you to know that you’re not alone in this struggle, and we want to invite you to reach out to us and to each other for encouragement, for support, for challenge or a listening ear. We’re going to need each other.

Because the students are coming back. And they’re talking about this. They’re hurting, maybe afraid that Charlottesville is coming to our college town, in one form or another. They’re going to need all of us—our presence, our heart, our witness, our dedication, our faith. And we’ll need to be prepared, because Charlottesville IS coming to our town, one way or another. Our prayer and intention is that UCM will be ready with a faithful response—our campus and community need that from us. And we need you. Because we’re better, stronger, and wiser together.

LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!

OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE TO RENT AT UCM

18 N. College St.

Convenient up-town location just off Court Street and a block and a half from Ohio University. Beautiful hardwood floors and built in shelving. And the best office neighbors. AND your rent goes to support the work and mission of UCM!

Approximately 13ft x 14ft on the 2nd floor in the United Campus Ministry building. Ideal for a non-profit organizations, professional office or research/writing. Additional meeting space, kitchen and dining/event room available for free use. Includes WIFI and all utilities except land line. Call 740-593-7301 or email jennifer@ucmathens.org NOW to scheduling a visit to check it out!

FROM THE CAMPUS MINISTER

The arrest of more than 70 students and others last Wednesday (February 1, 2017), at a peaceful protest and sit-in at Ohio University’s Baker Center, has brought home to Athens and Ohio University a deeply troubling trend in our national dialogue around race, religion, justice, and civil rights. While there may be differing opinions as to the extent of the “disruption” created by the protesters (for instance, those attending an event in the Front Room that evening might have experienced the large protest just outside differently from those who witnessed part of the protest in person or via streaming video), there is no “alternative” to the fact that in a situation that was escalated by the presence and action of a large number of local law enforcement personnel as well as a few counter-protesters, no person or persons emerged to play the role of a mediating presence that might have been able to de-escalate the situation.

As a campus minister who serves the Ohio University and Athens communities, I wish with all my heart that I had been there. Had I not been fully engaged elsewhere in another part of my role, I would have been there. Not because I am uniquely qualified to serve as a mediating presence—there are many in this community who could do that better, and some of them hold positions of much greater power and influence that might have been of help in defusing the situation. No, I wish I had been there because part of what we do here is to “walk toward trouble.” And that’s the discouraging trend we see—the dwindling willingness of people who should know better to do the same: to show up and engage and to help mediate tense and potentially conflictual situations. We can do better than this.

If the last couple of weeks are any indication, the coming weeks and months are likely to offer many more opportunities to “walk toward trouble.” I hope, intend, and expect to rise to those occasions. For the sake of the students and community members who will be continuing to stand up and speak out for justice and inclusion in the face of rising fear, mistrust, and bias, I hope we all do. I would hate for Ohio University to become a place where principled and public expressions of dissent draw to them not compassionate concern and engagement, but silent acquiescence to heavy-handed suppression. If you agree, perhaps we can find ways to work on this together.

Email Evan at evan@ucmathens.org

UCM'S CAMPUS MINISTER REFLECTIONS ON NOVEMBER 9, 2016

I have spent much of today making the rounds and checking in with people on my campus I thought might be reeling from the results of the election, and from the responses to those results that compound the hurt they experienced during this long and bitter campaign season. And while I hoped I might be of some help to people who are hurting, I find that the act of reaching out and connecting has been balm for my own bruised soul. I’m glad for the respite from social media, even as I am mindful that this virtual space too is my mission field. So I've made my way back here with some thoughts and words that had until now been hard for me to find.

To all my women friends, and my LGBTQ friends, and my black and brown friends, and my immigrant and international friends, and my friends from various faith backgrounds (including Christians) or from no faith—I know many of you are hurting right now. I know that many of you experienced this result as a grievous and wounding attack on your very persons. For you, I know, this decision goes way beyond politics and policy and law and government—goes directly and painfully to whether there is a place for you at all in the new nation we all woke up to. And I hurt because you’re hurting.
Thanks to my walkabout earlier today, though, I know more than that. I know that you are amazing in your beauty, power, resilience, and dedication to the well-being of each other and of our community as a whole. I know that however much you might be reeling from what’s happened, you are absolutely and emphatically there for each other—and for me. I’m honored and awed by the privilege of being in ministry with you and to you and on your behalf. And I’m pledging to you right now that I will never stop standing with you and fighting for you and working to bring about the vision of beloved community we share. 

At United Campus Ministry, where I am called to serve, we have always held ourselves accountable to the scriptural ideal that the justness of our community is measured by how we treat the widow and the orphan and the stranger, how we treat those on our margins. We have always dedicated our heart and soul and mind and strength to loving our neighbors—all of our neighbors—as ourselves. We have always concerned ourselves with speaking truth to power and with bringing the voices of those whose voices have been disregarded to the ears and the hearts of those who hold and wield that power. These things we have always done are who we are, and there’s no way we’re going to stop now. Because you—all of you—deserve nothing less.

ANNUAL BENEFIT BASH!!! 

Saturday, November 5, 6pm

Athens Community Center

COME DINE AND DANCE WITH UCM! MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY 

Email or call 740-593-7301

$40/person or more if you're feeling inspired!

$20/low-income rate

Free, on-site childcare available with advanced notice.

Menu includes:

Jamaican Jerk Chicken w/ Spiced Orange Cream Sauce 

 Tofu, Tomato, Harvest Stew 

Traditional Jamaican Rice and Peas 

Garlicky Green Beans.  

Rolls and Herb Butter

Thanks to Jackie O's Pub and Brewery for donating a keg of their award-winning, local craft beer!

Some wine and non-alcoholic beverages will also be available or you may BYOB.

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Huge thanks to Jeremy Bowman and our friends at Crumbs Bakery for donating their delicious and gorgeous chocolate UCM cake again!

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Live music and dancing with the exciting vocalist Sharell Arocho backed by Jesse Warner (keyboard) and Eric Wright (percussion)

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THANKS ALSO TO OUR GROWING LIST OF SPONSORS! WE COULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT!!!!!!

JOSH BODNAR

CARPENTER & ASSOCIATES

CETIDE

JOHN CORLETT

DAVID DESCUTNER & LYSA BURNIER

THE FARMACY

DON & MARY ANNE FLOURNOY

MARA GIGLIO

HOCKING VALLEY BANK

MAC'S THRIFTY STORE

VICKI MARSHALL

MS. ACCOUNTING & TAXES, INC.

FRANK & LORRAINE MYERS

RICH GARDENS ORGANIC FARMS

SUSAN ROTH, MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA

THE LAW OFFICE OF WENDA SHEARD

PENNY SHELTON & BOB STEWART

SNIDER, FULLER & STROH

SUSAN B. ANTHONY MEMORIAL UNREST HOME

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THANKS ALSO TO THESE INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES FOR DONATING TO OUR RAFFLE AND SILENT AUCTION

BALLET MET COLUMBUS

THE DAIRY BARN ARTS CENTER

BRUCE DALZELL PIANO TUNING & REPAIR

KATIE DAWES & LAVENA STATEN

FUR PEACE RANCE

HYACINTH BEAN FLORIST & GIFTS

JB'S BEST

JENNIFER JONES, FDN-P

JENNIFER KELLY

MICHELLE MILLER

NELSONVILLE EMPORIUM

SUNFLOWER GLASS

TWO BROKE ARTISTS ART STUDIO

SATURDAY LUNCH CELEBRATES 10 YEARS!!

Happy 10th Birthday, Saturday Lunch from Shannon Stewart!

Click on the link above to see a very special message from former UCM intern and Saturday Lunch champion, Shannon Stewart! And here's a special message from Saturday Lunch founder, Joe Buzzelli!

Join us on October 15 at 1pm to celebrate 10 years of Saturday Lunch, UCM's 2nd weekly free meal which, along with Thursday Supper, provides more than 5,000 meals annually, hundreds of service hours for students and others, and a unique opportunity to bridge and the build the Athens and Ohio University community!

We are raising $10K for 10 years to renovate our kitchen and dining room. Visit our YouCaring site to donate now through our secure paypal account or send a check to UCM, 18 N. College Street, Athens OH 45701.

UCM Campus Minister Evan Young's closing prayer 

at the June 13 Vigil in Solidarity with Orlando

"We are the change we’re going to see in the world. When we love and when we hate, when we act out of fear and when we embody idealism and courage, we change the world. When we respond to tragedy with sadness or outrage, vitriol or compassion, renewed commitment to a vision we share or a vision that seems too outlandish ever to become reality, all of us are becoming. We choose every second, every minute, every day what future we will move toward. Tonight we stand together, we grieve together, we weep and mourn and proclaim and dream and seek to become, together. And the root, the core of what brings us together, keeps us together, and will ultimately move us forward together is love. Not just for the ones it’s easy to love, the ones we’re told it’s OK to love . . . but also, and especially, for the ones we struggle to love. We need this, we need tonight, we need this gathering and this affirmation and this experience of hands reaching out to our own to remind us of this simple fact, to burn onto our hearts this image of our common humanity and our interdependent community. So that the next time an act of hate, a divisive and hurtful word, a gesture of power-over rather than power-with moves us to repay hurt with hurt, we can remember THIS. This right here is the change I wish to see. May my heart, my soul, my being, my life ever be given to the holy work of being this, everywhere and always. And may I always remember the cloud of witnesses, partners, and fellow travelers that walk this path with me. Amen; blessed be."

And...it's a wrap!

UCM INTERN APPRECIATION DINNER

Front and L-R: Jennifer Kelly (Office Manager), Anna-Kaye Rowe, Lacee McKinney, Kathryn Bublitz, Rev. Evan Young (Campus Minister), Melissa Wales (Executive Director), Jackie Duffy, Aleks Tyler, Kelsey Gerard, Josh Baron and Kelli Wanamaker.

It is hard to believe we’re coming up to the end of another academic year. As always, it’s been exhilarating to walk with students through this transitional time in their lives as they grow spiritually, emotionally and professionally.  We are grateful for all that they bring to UCM and for everything they will bring to the wider world when they leave us. Our graduating interns are Josh, Kathryn, Jackie, Carissa, Anna-Kaye and Kelli. We’ll miss you terribly, wish you all the best, and hope you keep in touch!

We kicked off Spring semester with a Candlelight Vigil for the Beloved Community at Galbraith Chapel in the wake of racist vandalism to the Black Lives Matter mural on the graffiti wall, cosponsored by the Multicultural Center. Our continued participation with the OU MLK Celebration Committee included organizing a visit from Rev. Mel Hoover on anti-racism work in faith communities. Evan was asked to lead the opening invocation at the Silent March, and Melissa helped organize a Teach-In, “Black on Campus: Then and Now” with students and alumni including President McDavis (class of ’70).

Winter (and the fact that OU’s spring break is now in early March) continues to thwart our attempts at executing a local spring break service-learning trip. We remain enthusiastic about the curriculum we’ve put together to connect students to local organizations to learn about the challenges and strengths of Appalachia, so we’re exploring the option of moving our Alternative Spring Break to the week between Spring graduation and first Summer Session. Stay tuned!

Our Better Together campaign has been busy with Campus Conversations, tabling and outreach, and planning Stories of Interfaith Bridge-Building with Peggy Gish.  With continued support from Diversity and Inclusion, we sent three students to Interfaith Youth Core Leadership Institute (ILI) in Atlanta and a mini ILI in Dayton. Our final event will be our signature watershed service project with Rural Action’s Monday Creek Restoration Project.

We were pleased to host representatives from one of our long-time partners and supporters the Scioto Valley Presbytery in March, Rev. Peter Galbreath from Nelsonville Presbytery and lay leader Susan Dietz, lay leader from Logan Presbyterian. We shared stories of how their involvement in UCM has impacted them and why UCM remains such an important organization on campus and in the greater Athens community.

We had our Annual Meeting on April 20 with lay leaders from our 5 local supporting congregations: Athens Friends Meeting, Christ Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens and elected our 2016-17 Executive Officers: Kellea Tibbs (Chair), David Descutner (Vice Chair), Kaytlin Dawes (Treasurer) and Amanda Hobson (Secretary). We are grateful for how the community supports us and are looking forward to growing together!

  

UNITED CAMPUS MINISTRY's

ANNUAL MEETING

"COMMUNITIES ON CAMPUS"

April 20, 2016, 5pm - 7pm

18 N. College St.

Join UCM Staff, Board and Interns in wrapping up another great year of campus ministry at Ohio University! 

We will present the 2016-17 Board Officers, bid farewell to outgoing Board members and welcome incoming members. 

We will also hear from lay leaders from our supporting congregations. 

Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome!

2016 Social Justice Awards

2016 SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARDS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 6PM - 8PM AT UCM

Join us in honoring the following community and student activists and organizations:

TYRONE CARR

KATIE CONLON

LIVE HEALTHY APPALACHIA

OU CLIMATE ACTION NOW

TORCH CAN DO

BOBBY WALKER 

JOLANA WATSON

AND

LOIS WHEALEY will receive the Kuhre Griesinger Lifetime Award.

Which Lives Matter?

Recently at Ohio University, a graffiti wall that had been painted by our Black Student Union with the message "Black Lives Matter" was painted over with a different kind of message, which you can see here. The result has been a resurgence of racial tension, an intensification of discourse around race, and renewed demands that university administrators take action to promote an inclusive community on the campus and in the town.
Predictably, there have been backlash-y reactions to it that highlight the continuing problem of racism in this country (as for example here--although if the "f" word bothers you, this will be a risky click). Much of the backlash revolves around the question, "but don't ALL lives matter?" To help unpack this conundrum, our campus minister, Rev. Evan Young, offered this explication:

I'm a Unitarian Universalist. And the first principle of Unitarian Universalism is that we "affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person." So yes, all lives matter. And Unitarian Universalism as a faith community has embraced the‪#‎BlackLivesMatter‬ movement, encouraging individuals and congregations to stand with people of color against the systemic and systematic oppression visited on black people in our society. Our actions speak most clearly about what we as a people believe--and our actions as a nation and a society have been saying, for centuries, that black lives matter less. Because I believe that all lives matter, and because I have seen and recognized that our society treats black lives as somehow less valuable, less worthy of respect and equal protection, I must as a person of faith stand with the oppressed, and I must proclaim with them that black lives matter. That's what justice looks like; that's what a just community would do in the face of such injustice. So when people say "black lives matter," the only response I believe can be made with honesty and integrity is "Yes, they do. Let's start acting that way."

At UCM, we stand with those who continue to proclaim that Black Lives Matter. And we commit ourselves to building a community, a culture, and a world in which we all act that way.

 

This Old House

The red brick house at 18 N. College St. has been the home to dynamic campus ministry at Ohio University since it was donated to the Westminster Foundation in 1951.  It’s within these walls that courageous and dedicated clergy, staff, community activists and students have fomented resistance to oppressive forces, agitation for social justice and solutions to community problems for almost 65 years. Here we have counseled Vietnam draft resisters, women with unplanned pregnancies prior to Roe v. Wade, organized for equality and justice for women, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and community members, and resisted war and violence of any kind. Here we have sown the seeds for area organizations like My Sister’s Place, Athens AIDS Task Force and the Southeast Ohio Foodbank. For our students, UCM has been their home in Athens – a place to come to feel supported and encouraged to live out their faith; to question and grow and know they’re supported and loved along the way; to flop down on the couch for a quick nap or grab coffee in the basement with another intern.

This house has taken good care of us and we must take care of it. In the past 2 years alone, we have invested nearly $60,000 in building repairs and updates including a new roof, gutters and drain spouts; repairs to ramp and handrails; extensive work to address drainage problems in the basement; and removal of moldy paneling and plaster walls. If that wasn’t enough, we had an unexpected main waterline break this past February deep freeze that required expensive repairs.

Since most of these projects required immediate attention, grant funding was usually not an option (other than the front basement door and railings – thanks Athens Foundation!) So we have had to dig deep into our pockets to ensure that this old house is safe and sound for all who call it home. If you love our old house like we do, and would like to help us offset some of these expenses, please consider a donation today! You can set up PayPal to be an ongoing sustaining donation or make a one time donation on our website or check.

Help us ensure that 18 N. College Street is home for interfaith, progressive campus ministry for years to come! Thank you.