I just returned from another amazing UU General Assembly held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon.  It was the second largest attended GA--only Boston in 2003 had a larger attendance.  An estimated about 7000 were in attendance.  I proudly carried our beautiful UUCVH banner--along with over 300 others--in the banner parade before the Opening Ceremony.  Our banner was placed in a very prominent position in the Convention Center for the rest of G.A.  The theme of G.A. this year was Choices that Matter.

 

The downside of the large attendance was the crowded workshops.  Portland fire regulations require that no one sit in the aisles and no additional chairs could be added.  So, I was not able to attend several workshops as they were full, even though I was there early.  Nevertheless, I was able to attend several good workshops. Also, I attended as many of the plenary (business) sessions as possible. 

 

The Service of the Living Tradition, honoring ministers and other religious professionals at various stages of their ministry was a highlight on Thursday evening.  On Saturday evening, the Ware Lecture was giving by Dr. Rashid Khalidi, Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University.  He enlightened us about the precarious situation in the Middle East and laid most of the blame for those problems directly on the Bush Administration. 

 

For the Fourth year, I sang with the G.A. Choir.  Singing with the choir requires an extensive commitment of time.  (We rehearsed an hour and 15 minutes daily plus sectional rehearsals and a tech rehearsal.  We had 170 members for our performance on Sunday.)  Dr. Leon Burke, III Music Director from the Eliot Unitarian Chapel in St. Louis was our director.  Working with Leon was great!  He is a fabulous musician, and must have been a comedian in a former life.  His humor and personality makes his rehearsals not only productive but a lot of fun.  We did five very challenging numbers at our mini-concert and received a standing ovation. 

 

The closing ceremony was open to the public, with thousands in attendance.  The bell choir, chancel choir, and Unitarian Choirs of over a 100 from First Unitarian Church, Portland provided much of the music.  They were outstanding!  The sermon, On Becoming an Ancestor, was given

 

by the Rev. Joshua Pawelek from Manchester, CT.  Pres. Bill Sinkford Extinguished the Chalice and offered the closing words. 

 

It was a super five days! Rev. Jim

 

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