I am a man

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With Rachel Mackintosh

I am a man
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Rachel Mackintosh © 22 September 2019

When I was 17 I wrote a 500-word essay in English on this quote from King Lear: “I am a man more sinned against than sinning.”

Just to recap in case you have forgotten or never knew, King Lear was on a heath in a storm, having been thrown out by his daughters Goneril and Regan, even though he had given them half his kingdom each and was expecting to live with them in his old age. He had been proud, arrogant and pretty irritating. They had been venal and unloving.

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How can awareness of death enrich life?

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With Rev. Jean McElhaney

How can awareness of death enrich life?
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Jean McElhaney © 15 September 2019

Therefore, because death stirs people
To seek answers to important spiritual questions,
It becomes the greatest servant of humanity
Rather than its most feared enemy.

Lord Krishna to Arjuna, in Bhagavad Gita

While we all “know” that death is inevitable, it usually a topic that we would prefer not to think about. When I posted on Neighbourly that I was seeking a co-facilitator to host Death Cafes with, people responded that discussing death seemed morbid and somehow sick.

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Finding beauty in a broken world

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With Clay Nelson

Finding beauty in a broken world
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Opening words for this service, not included in the video above were ‘Anthem’ by Leonard Cohen

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Clay Nelson © 8 September 2019

Borrowing a line from T S Eliot’s The Wasteland, Terry Tempest Williams opens her book, Finding beauty in a broken world,with this reflection:

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Seeking youth group builder/leader

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Auckland Unitarians are looking for a leader to create and lead a youth group in our community.

Our vision is that in these times of high anxiety around climate change, increasing inequality and racial tensions, that our community is able to stand as a source of hope and spiritual inspiration and support. We believe that for young people in Auckland, there is a need for such a community

We would be able to provide a curriculum, or the youth leader could develop their own, as long as it was in line with Unitarian–Universalist principles. The group would be expected to meet in the church building in Ponsonby, on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

If you are interested, or know of anyone who might be suitable for this role, please email us at youthgroup@aucklandunitarian.org.nz

Letter to Andrew Little, Minister of Justice, & Reply from the Ministry

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Go straight to the reply.

Auckland Unitarian Church
1a Ponsonby Road
Grey Lynn
AUCKLAND 1011
www.aucklandunitarian.org.nz

13 August 2019

The Rt Honourable Andrew Little
Minister of Justice
Freepost Parliament
Private Bag 18 888
Parliament Buildings
WELLINGTON 6160

Email copy sent to
a.little@ministers.govt.nz.

Email Copy sent to
The Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister
jacinda.ardern@parliament.govt.nz.

Dear Minister,

We are writing to express our deep concern after hearing of the distress experienced by many of the victims and their supporters at the first hearing of the alleged perpetrator of the March 15 2019 Mosque attacks.

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Early Childhood Teacher Wanted

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The Auckland Unitarian Church is an open, progressive and welcoming faith community. To learn more about our community and values, please look around this website, or follow Auckland Unitarians on Facebook.

We are seeking a motivated, compassionate early childhood teacher to help us build our preschool children’s programme. We are looking for someone to provide safe, welcoming, developmentally appropriate care for infants and toddlers (up to age 5) during Sunday morning services, to ensure a safe environment for children and allow parents to participate fully in church life.

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What happened to compassion?

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With Rev. Clay Nelson

What happened to compassion?
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Clay Nelson © 11 August 2019

We are living in a time I find exceedingly painful. It seems that all too many feel it is okay to treat others as if they are less than human. Part of the problem is I spend too much time following what is happening in my home country. This past week the mass gun shooting in El Paso where over 22 died and 48 were wounded was the 250th this year. According to the shooter’s manifesto posted online he was inspired by the shooter in Christchurch. The difference was he was seeking to kill Mexicans instead of Muslims. Just a few hours later the 251st mass shooting happened in Dayton Ohio. Police were able to stop the shooter in Dayton in less than one minute but he was still able to kill 9 including his own sister and wound 27 others.

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