The Paint Branch Blog

"Just Because I'm a Man..."

Such were the words Vice Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, uttered in response to a Sarah Palin diatribe about how being a mother of five with a special needs child,etc. somehow imbued her with special qualifications to be Vice President of the United States.

The response Joe Biden began with "Just because I'm a man..." went on to define his own unique qualifications not only as a father but as widower who lost his wife to unforeseen tragedy and the ongoing care of children that had uncertain chances of survival and the experience of single fatherhood.

Obviously, in the twenty-first century the stereotypical roles of men and women are becoming more and more indistinguishable from one another.

Or are they?

Recently, at Paint Branch I found that some women, in casual and unguarded conversation, hinted, in sometimes subtle and sometimes more overt ways, that such and such a male helped out with the cleaning around the house or laundry or some such chore they thought was unusual and noteworthy.  The implication, as I understood it, was that it would be nice if more men (me?) pitched in with said household chores.

Now, these women knew nothing about my personal arrangement at home and I know they were not being didactic.  Yet, it is this kind of offhanded conversation that leads me to believe that, even within a liberal congregation such as Paint Branch, there are still some people that believe that men do not pitch in to do what has historically been "women's work" (i.e., cooking, house cleaning, parenting, etc.).

It gives me pause. 

It may very well be that many men, at home, still lay back on the couch belching and calling to their spouses or significant others to bring them a beer while watching sports, demand dinner on the table as soon as they get home from work and never lift a finger to vacuum or do the dishes. Yet, in an age where the two-income household or the one-parent household is more common than not, I find this scenario less than likely.

It just brings home to me that, while we strive at Paint Branch to be all-inclusive, we tend to forget that sexism runs in both directions.  In today's world it is just likely for a man to take on the role of single parent and/or stay at home dad.  It is likely that men will help with the house cleaning, cook and do the dishes as well as push the lawn mower around or take a wrench to a leaky faucet.

Joe Biden bought it home for me since I really didn't think about it much before.  After all, there are centuries of history of women's oppression and the fact that a few joke about men helping vacuum isn't a big deal.  But as Sarah found out during the Vice Presidential debate, parenthood and the other myriad tasks of running a household are no longer the sole domain of women.  At least not as much.

A UUA Initiative for Growth

The Board of Trustees has agreed to participate in a
Baltimore/Washington area UU Marketing Initiative tentatively
scheduled for early 2009. This campaign is being organized by the
Unitarian Universalist Association on behalf of the 29 UU
congregations in the Baltimore and Washington metro areas. This
multi-media campaign is being designed to create a wider awareness of
Unitarian Universalism and to direct people interested in liberal
religious communities to individual churches like Paint Branch.

Since a large percentage of our survey respondents want Paint Branch
to grow, this could be an important action towards that goal.

Part of the participation of our congregation would be to provide the
mailing list of our membership to the UU Marketing Initiative for the
purpose of raising funds to support the media campaign. We would like
to offer our members the opportunity to "opt out" of this mailing
list. If you do not want your contact information to be provided to
the UU Marketing Initiative, please contact the church office at
churchadmin@pbuuc.org or call the church office at
301-937-3666 and ask to "opt out".

An Interesting Take on Teaching

Every now and then I find something interesting and thought provoking.  Every now and then.  Seven minutes and Forty One seconds ----

Bob Holloway - A Good Man

I have to admit I'm not a great one for eulogies.  I also need to say that although I knew Bob Holloway, I didn't know him well.

When I first came to Paint Branch back in 1990, Bob was nearing the end of his tenure as the Music Director for the congregation. I would see Bob up at the front on Sundays leading the choir in song.  At that time there was a separate accompanist so Bob was really a more visible presence.

I would see him at the New Year's Eve events at the church and various other social occasions but I never really sat down an spoke with him at any length.

It was years later, when the Legacy Fund was beginning to be formed, that I discovered that a previous attempt at creating an Endowment for the church had been spearheaded by Bob. He, too, had a vision of Fund that could provide the type of lasting financial sustainability the church needs to promote its mission.  I spoke with him about this original Endowment Fund and why he had felt the need to lead on this particular issue.

His observations were indicative of the man himself, humble and straightforward and sincere.  As time went on we crossed paths at church and, every now and then, out in the world.  In fact, I remember one time I happened into the Atlanta Bread Factory in Greenbelt and was cordially invited to join Bob and his wife, Jeri, at their table.  We had a great conversation and their warmth and friendliness greatly appreciated.

Bob will be missed. He was a good man.

Planning for a Rainy Day

Part of the initial vision of the Paint Branch Legacy Fund was to be able to provide lasting financial sustainability for the congregation. As the Legacy Fund grows and the income from it becomes larger and larger, the Fund will be able to provide money for projects that promote and further the mission of the church without needing to appeal directly to special collections or special fundraisers or the operating budget of the church.

However, the Legacy Fund is still limited in scope inasmuch that it will not provide much needed money for the church's "regular" expenses.  These expenses include salaries for our minister(s) and other staff, the utilities, the mortgage, repairs to existing infrastructure or even for the programs the church provides like Lifespan Religious Education.  This money comes directly from the Canvass and various other fundraisers like the Auction and, of course, our tenant, the Paint Branch Montessori School.

What is lacking in the process is planning for the unforeseen expenses or contingencies that pop up.  This might come under the heading of "Life Happens".  We all know about the deck.  It needs something new or, at a bare minimum, it needs a huge rehabilitation.

But what about other things?

What would happen if our tenant decided to move or, worse, go under as a viable business?  What would happen if our Ministerial Candidate wanted a better compensation package? What about periodic painting of our buildings? Plumbing and electrical repairs?

The church's history is replete with these types of incidents and, luckily, we're still here to tell the story.  Somehow, we manage to squeak through with fund raising campaigns and sporadic surges of giving.

I wonder how much farther ahead of the game we would be if we could set aside some money from the budget, every year, for a rainy day fund.  That day when we need to pull out $5,000 or $10,000 for a furnace or roof repair or a Ministerial Search Process (likely to come sooner or later).

Of course, this means budgeting for it, getting the money for it from the Canvass and the Auction, and putting it someplace where the Board, now and in the future, wouldn't touch it unless it was really, really needed.  One of the biggest challenges in the past when funds like this were attempted was that every year presented another new crisis, another emergency that sucked up cash like a new Dyson vacuum.

I wonder if the new Vitality will also create the energy for good planning.

To Berm or Not to Berm, That is the Question

A ledge at the bottom of a bank or cutting, to catch earth that may roll down the slope, or to strengthen the bank.

berm. Dictionary.com. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. MICRA, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/berm (accessed: August 31, 2008).

Most people who have walked the deck between the parking lot and the church buildings have noticed that it is sorely in need of repair.  Our administrator, Daniel Everitt, reminds the Board at every opportunity that the stairs that lead from the upper portion of the deck to the glen behind the church (and to the entry to the lower level of the Meeting House) are in serious disrepair and in need of quick attention.

Ron Cotts, to his credit, and Eric Most before him have tried mightily to keep applying the "band-aids" of additional wood planks where old, rotting ones needed to be replaced. Both Ron and Eric have organized "deck parties" designed to help stay as many steps ahead of the decks ongoing deterioration as possible.

Yet, the deck continues to deteriorate.

Some think it's not so bad. That may be. Yet it should be obvious to anyone that the warped boards and leaning rails are signs that the deck -- orignally installed with the "new" building in 1991 -- is fast reaching the end of it's useful life.  Like air conditioners, water heaters and roofs, the deck is a physical structure that only lasts so long.

There are informal discussion about what to do about it.  There are those who think the deck should just be replaced with a like structure which will last for another 15 years or so. Others would like to see something more innovative, like a berm.  When I was looking up berm at Dictionary.com I was surprised that there was no definition that explained it as a pathway from one point to another.  Rather, a berm is almost always defined as a fortification or drainage mechanism.

Regardless of the true definition of a berm, the word at Paint Branch is used to describe some structure to lead from the parking lot to the church buildings including a way to reach the rear of the buildings and the glen behind the church.  Some structure other than another deck.

Since either a deck or a berm is going to be a) cause for lots of serious deiscussion and b) cause for lots of serious fund raising to accomplish either task, shouldn't that discussion be taking place in some formal context.  Why is it that, we at Paint Branch, seem to wait until the very last miute and react to crisis before we spring into action to find a solution to a situation that, with planning and aforethought, can be reached with less stress, anxiety and, possibly, morey.

In honor of the "mission creep" that is inevitable with all discussion of this type, would it be possible to begin the process to talk about how the lower level of the Meeting House might be used.

I forsee that these discussions -- within some type of formal framework and context -- may take years.  That is why I am suggesting that they start now. 

Wanted -- Free Mulch for Playground

It seems that the church is in dire need of some mulch to replenish the playground mulch from last year.

As is usually the case, mulch will degrade and wash away over time and for the playground to be safe and fun to play in it needs some "padding" in the way of mulch.

In past years, the mulch was obtained for free from various sources.  This year there seems to be a problem locating a source for free mulch.

So.....if you know any source for free mulch please, please, please contact the church Administrator, Daniel Everitt at this e-mail address or James Alexander at this e-mail address

The Legacy Fund Needs Your Continued Support

It was just a short time ago that The Paint Branch Legacy Fund crossed the $100,000 threshold that was required for the Fund to begin providing grants to worthwhile projects that support the church's

mission.  Since that time, the Legacy Fund has provided:

• funding for a DARTT team speaker about Sundown Towns
• supplemental funding for a new road sign for the church
• supplemental funding for a new sound systemm for the Meeting House
• funding for a JPD Consultant to encourage the DIV process
• supplemental funding for a new commercial dishwasher for the Meeting House kitchen
• and more

 

The size of the grants and the number of projects the Endowment can fund depends on the continued generous support of the members and friends of the congregation. In these somewhat uncertain below the $100,000 threshold required in order to provide support for new and ongoing projects. Contributions to the fund guarantee it's continued growth and vitality so that future projects can be generously supported.

If you're interested in how to help The Paint Branch Legacy Fund continue to grow and support the church, you can contact either Liz Citrin or Kevin Miller .

The Blog Takes A Break

You may have noticed that there hasn't been much activity on the Blog recently.  Well, hey, it's summer and there ain't much goin' on.

There was a time when, if I was suffering from writer's block, I would post a cute animal photo or some equally cute thing.  Now, I just let it sit.  Of course, there are plenty of current events -- the raid on the Mayor of Berwyn Heights' house and subsequent police shenanigans, the election, our incoming Interim Ministers.

In any case, I'm getting ready to run off to Arizona for a week so I'm making a public challenge to my co-author, John Bartoli to get up here and write something.  He's on the Ministerial Search Committee so I don't expect him to compromise any confidentiality but surely there are other things he could post!

Of course, I could provoke my good buddy, James Alexander, about the survey, the sign and the steps on the deck that lead down to the glen. Check out the Message Board for James' take on these important topics!

Speaking of the Message Board, there have been some great input for local Farmers' Markets and even an on-line Farmers' Market (it had to come sooner or later) and a link to the Paris Hilton campaign ad in rebuttal to McCain's "celebrity" ad. Just about anything goes on the Message Board -- even Ms. Hilton.

Click on that big blue icon on the left that says "Click Here for the PBUUC Message Board".

TVUUC Re-Dedication

Anita Wagner was kind enough to supply this video of the re-dedication service at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. 

(note: the embed code for the actual video is such that it immediately starts playing when the Blog page loads so instead of embedding the video here the link works just as well.)

The video is of the entire service so it's rather long -- Click Here