The following article originally appeared in the 3-January-2008 Dayton Daily News:

The following article originally appeared in the 22-August 2007 Dayton Daily News:

The 360 video of the Peace Labyrinth below requires the Quicktime viewer.

Special thanks to Eric Gang for supplying the multimedia content.

Church Plants 3,700 Flags, Calls for Prayers of Peace

Each hand-painted cotton flag represents a prayer for peace to honor those who have died in the Iraq war.

By Joanne Glodfelter Contributing Writer

CENTERVILLE - Members of the Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Centerville are creating a focal point for peace on their church property.

Members are creating 3,700 hand-painted peace flags, which will be placed near the labyrinth on the south side of the church grounds. A labyrinth is a path offering space where individuals can quietly walk, reflect, meditate and pray.

"We wanted to come up with a way to make a powerful public statement to ask our community to pray for peace in the world," Gail Cyan, a member of the church, said. "The collective intention of the group is putting out that energy in a very powerful way to make things happen."

The 7- by 9-inch cotton flags were decorated by children and adults in the church. The flags will hang from 13 posts, ranging from 6 to 13 feet high, next to the labyrinth. The flag-making culminates a summer program of peace studies by the children of the church.

"Each person painted a mantra on a flag," Cyan said.

She defined a mantra as a prayer, which could be any word, symbol or picture related to the concept of peace.

"The wind and the rain on the flags will slowly dissolve them. They'll fade into the universe, and the mantra fully releases itself over time." After hanging for one year, the remains of the flags will be burned in a Buddhist ceremony.

According to Cyan, each flag represents one U.S. soldier who has died since 2003 in the Iraq war, and each flag represents between 20 and 120 civilians killed in Iraq during the same time. Each flag also represents a prayer for peace to honor those who have died, with hope that strong people will unite and build a peaceful world. "These flags draw the community together in a way that we can all see the effects of the war," Cyan said.

"We've gotten the kids involved, and the public will be involved when they walk the labyrinth and meditate."

The church will hold a peace service led by the children of the congregation on Sunday at 11 a.m.

The church also will hold a public reception and a peace walk in the labyrinth on Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m., followed at 7:30 by the movie, "I Know I Am Not Alone," about a musician's travels in the Middle East, and the universal desire for peace he encountered.

The labyrinth is open to the public and takes about 20 minutes to walk. The church is at 8690 Yankee St. in Centerville.

The following article appeared in the 21-Mar 2007 Oakwood Register:

Former Oakwood resident now Unitarian minister

Twelve years ago, when Amy MacMillan lost her 45 year old husband to cancer, she was extremely grateful to the members of her church, Miami Valley Unitarian Fellowship, for their love and support. This experience led her to a decision to train for the ministry. A ministry that has proven successful so far—the membership of her previous church in the Washington D.C. area more than doubled in her time there.

The members of Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship recently completed an almost two year process of searching for a minister. That search found Reverend Amy (MacMillan) Russell and brings her back to her religious roots. “I’m glad to be back in the Dayton area where I have so many fond memories” Amy says.

Reverend Russell, who spent 14 years at NCR in counseling and training, graduated from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Her first service with Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship was Aug. 19 with an Oct. 21 installation date.

The following article about long-time MVUUF member Jamie McQuinn originally appeared in the 18-Mar 2007Dayton Daily News:

Indoor football, city a good fit, fan says

By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer

In the past eight years, as teams have come and gone, the one constant in the local indoor football scene has been Jamie McQuinn. The 47-year-old manager of the magazine and special collections division of the Dayton Metro Library, McQuinn is the sport's local super fan.

From the two-year stay of the Dayton Skyhawks in 1999 and 2000 through the Dayton Warbirds and Dayton Bulldogs to the current Miami Valley Silverbacks and Dayton Marshals, McQuinn has headed fan clubs, run Web sites and done whatever he could to encourage support for the sport. He operates the Web site ohioindoorfootball.com, which concentrates on message boards for teams and leagues throughout Ohio.

In his words

  • "My first game? It was the last regular-season game of Dayton Skyhawks in 1999. What I remember about it was the excitement of being so close to the action and the ability to interact with the players as a fan."

  • "I'll tell you a story. I had gone on a lark to see what this was about. I splurged and bought a front-row seat, and the Skyhawks were playing the Lincoln Lightning. The player waiting for kickoffs each time was dancing, and we were razzing him. Well, he got hurt, and another guy came in. We yelled at him and asked if he was going to dance for us. He pointed and said, 'I'm going to score a touchdown.' And he did. That's what got me hooked, the ability to relate with the players is such fun."

  • "I think people see that it's indoor and on a smaller field and think it's not real football. But it's real players playing real football. They run as hard, hit as hard and win and lose just as hard."

  • "My Skyhawks fan Web site was the first. I got hooked and was learning more about them, and I discovered they didn't have a fan Web site. They had an official Web site with no information, but I wanted a Web site where the fans could talk and have a community."

  • "The leagues recognize that Dayton is one of the largest markets out there for indoor football, and it's clearly a market that if it could ever be done right could be very successful, could be lucrative. It has proven it can support minor-league sports."

  • "Oh, absolutely. I think if a league and a team owner comes in with, first of all, adequate funding to start off right and then be willing to work fairly and ethically and honestly with the fans, with the sponsors and with the media, I think this could and should be very successful here."

    The following article originally appeared in the 12-Aug 2006 Dayton Daily News:

    Same-sex marriage nothing new for Unitarian faithful

    'Our congregation considers this a human right,' Miami Valley pastor says.

    By Khalid Moss, Staff Writer

    WASHINGTON TWP. — The white banner waving lazily in the hot August wind at Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 8690 Yankee St., read, "People of Faith for Marriage Equality."

    The wedding ceremony taking place inside the church bore witness to that affirmation.

    For Miami Valley's interim pastor, Martha Hodges, this union wasn't an attempt to fuel a national debate about same-sex marriage. It was, simply, the first time she had ever led a lesbian couple into holy matrimony. And she hopes it won't be her last.

    "It was wonderful and very moving," Hodges said. "It was great to know our congregation was supporting this couple in the choice they made to commit their lives to each other."

    Despite polls that say 70 percent of Americans oppose same-sex marriages, the Unitarian Universalist Church, locally and nationwide, remains firm in its conviction that same sex couples must have the legal right to marry and enjoy the same benefits and privileges as heterosexual couples.

    "We have a long history of calling for the legal recognition of same-sex marriage," Hodges said. "We were the first denomination to do so. UU minsters have been performing same-sex religious weddings for 35 years, so this isn't a new thing for us. I performed one on Aug. 5, and those two women are recognized as married by Unitarian Universalists everywhere. Our congregation considers this a human right, and we are deeply committed to human rights."

    In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. They were quickly followed by Belgium, Canada, Spain and South Africa. In the United States, Massachusetts is the only state where gay and lesbian couples can legally marry. and from May 2004 to May 2005 more than 6,000 gay couples got hitched in Massachusetts.

    Locally, churches such as Eternal Joy Metropolitan Community Church, 2382 Kennedy St. in Dayton; Cross Creek Community Church, 667 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp.; and several others celebrate Christ to gay, lesbian and transgender people of faith.

    Gary Courts, Miami Valley Unitarian's public information director, said while same-sex marriages in Ohio have no legal standing, Unitarian Universalists are working hard to change that.

    "At the 1996 Unitarian Universalist Association general assembly, delegates voted overwhelmingly to call for the legalization of same-sex marriage," Courts said. "The UUA has a long-standing and deeply held commitment to support full equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender folks."

    At the opposite end of the debate sits Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. In his Eleven Arguments Against Same-Sex Marriage, Dobson argues that "legalization of homosexual marriage will quickly destroy the traditional family. Among other things, same-sex unions reduce marriage to something of a partnership that provides attractive benefits and sexual convenience without an understanding of lifelong commitment."

    Hodges doesn't buy Dobson's argument.

    "My explanation is that at heart we are still a very homophobic society," she said. "Unitarians believe homophobia is the problem, not homosexuality. We welcome LGBT people into our church and affirm them as full participants. We have LGBT ordained ministers and we recognize the many blessings they bring to our congregation."

    Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2167 or kmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.

    The following article originally appeared in the 7-Aug 2006 Dayton Daily News:

    Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims Welcome

    The newly opened Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church in Washington Twp. boasts a welcoming spirit toward people of all denominations. The church encourages a diverse congregation and promotes "liberal religious principles." Services are held at 11 a.m. Sundays, officiated by Martha Hodges. The church also organizes social events for its congregation. MVUUF is located at 8690 Yankee St. For more information, go online to www.mvuuf.org.

    written by Kevin Lamb