Every issue, the Canadian Unitarian runs a column called
“Testimony” as part of the newsletter, often in a prominent spot on
page two. It’s a place where all kinds of Unitarians describe their
personal spiritual journeys to this faith.
“Testimony” serves several purposes for the newsletter:
• it provides a first-person story in every issue (most of
the news is in the third person)
• it introduces a new “face” in every issue (someone who’s
never been in the newsletter pages before)
• it showcases the diversity of Unitarian Universalist
belief
• it provides a regular forum for spiritual discussion (in
contrast to the organizational focus of much of the newsletter)
In Testimony, we encourage our contributors to focus on
their personal story – how they found their church, what it means to
them, and the direction of their growth. We really only have three
firm criteria:
• a personal story, written in the first-person
• 500 words in length (slightly over is okay, as this gives
us some editing room)
• accompanied by a high-resolution head-and-shoulders photo
So, what do people write about, and how do they structure
their columns? Here are some examples:
• Elisabeth Bailey contrasted her childhood in a small-town
UU church in Illinoiswith her experience as a young adult in a
diverse, Chicago congregation – leading to her decision to go into
the ministry. (Summer 2004)
• Helmut Kuhn described his alienation from his Baptist
training and his eventual embrace of Unitarianism as a faith
community, and the possibility of finding holiness at church even if
it did ruin his precious Sunday mornings!. (Winter 2004)
• Grace Flesher focussed on one aspect of Unitarianism –
financial stewardship – and showed how it connects her professional
life (in banking) with her volunteer church involvement. (Spring
2004)
• Gordon Koppang used bear stories as an allusion to
Christianity to describe his spiritual journey (he likes the story
of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but doesn’t consider it to be an
infallible account of the lives of bears). (Summer 2003)
• Peter Scales in Summer 2005 talked about his introduction
to UU-ism as a Mensa member and his quest through membership in
Edmonton, Anchorage, Kingston, Belleville and Victoria congregations
to encourage the involvement of young adult members.
• Amanda Tarling of the Capital UU Congregation in Victoria
gave a passionate account of her son Cal’s disability in
transforming her spirituality and teaching her about “the great
human paradox – that out of pain, sorrow and disappointment are
forged growth, power and strength”. (Fall 2005)
• Cameron Linton of Toronto talked about his family’s
“attachment” to the Annual Conferences and Meetings, the activities
for all ages there, and the energizing opportunities for connecting
with Canadians across the land of our UU community. (Spring 2005)
In other words, we like original, colourful stories,
peppered with examples or anecdotes. Mostly, the Testimonies are
chronological in structure; some have a dose of self-effacing humour
thrown in.
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