About Rev. Millspaugh
Tapestry, A Unitarian Universalist Congregation called the Reverend John Millspaugh as its settled minister in September 2002, following his year as Intern Minister at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego. He holds two degrees from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts: a Master of Divinity from the Divinity School and a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School.
Most of his previous work has focused on social justice. For three years he served as the Assistant for Social Justice to our denomination's President. He worked with national political and religious leaders on such issues as child poverty, campaign finance reform, nuclear proliferation, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights, and modern slavery.
Previous to that position, Rev. Millspaugh served as a Job Coach for disadvantaged youth, a lobbyist for an environmental protection agency, and a program designer for a nonprofit family services organization.
He has enjoyed serving Unitarian Universalist churches as a volunteer religious education teacher for second and third graders. He has also taught other grade levels, noting, "I once spent a week on a tiny island in the Atlantic, leading a program for fourteen junior high kids—which sounds like a bad and scary reality TV show, but actually was a lot of fun."
Rev. Millspaugh grew up in Hawaii, Minnesota, and Missouri, and considers his four months spent living with a Zulu family in South Africa particularly formative.
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Neo-Paganism, and Sufism are among the many religions that interest him. He has been teaching himself folk guitar and is now thoroughly mediocre. He is an avid bodysurfer, an occasional hiker, a not-so-disciplined meditator, and a skilled magician.
For more information about Rev. Millspaugh's background and philosophy, see these excerpts from his answers to the Tapestry ministerial search committee's questions.
Read Some of Rev. Millspaugh's Previous Sermons
Love is a Many-Gendered Thing
There are over 1400 rights that come from being legally married. Opening the door to same-sex civil marriage is about recognizing the love, equality, and needs of real families. Unitarian Universalist clergy have been performing services of union for over thirty years; today some government leaders are beginning to claim that civil marriage is a civil right. Is it?
Read the full sermon.
Finding Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a tricky concept—so tricky it has become a subdiscipline of the graduate subject of psychology, and an entire institute is devoted to its study. Forgiveness is different than forgetting that something ever happened, nor is it synonymous with offering oneself to be hurt again. What is forgiveness exactly? How can we forgive others when they have wounded or betrayed us? Should we? What does it mean to forgive yourself? Forgiveness is one of the least understood spiritual practices, yet is one of the most important for us to understand and live out.
Read the full sermon.
Sashaying Down The Road To War
Government leaders in recent months (Feb. 2003) have been preparing American citizens to support a war with Iraq. Theyhave deliberately chosen rhetoric to deaden our senses to the activities that war entails. We will examine the various metaphors and images currently used to describe war, and analyze the ways in which those images are misleading. We will also think critically as a people of faith about the function (and dysfunction) of war in international problem-solving.
Read the full sermon.
Chanukah, the Zulu Water Spigot, and the Thing with Feathers
Chanukha is a minor Jewish festival that has achieved prominence largely through its proximity to Christmas. But when we delve deeply into its meanings, we may discover that Chanukah is one of the most stirring and relevant holidays we'll encounter. We explore the import of Chanukah to us as Unitarian Universalists and hear of my encounter with a certain Zulu water spigot in South Africa—not to mention Emily Dickinson's Thing With Feathers.
Read the full sermon.
Speaking of Love
A week or so after Valentine's Day, the roses are drooping or wilted, the chocolates are eaten, the cards are relegated to our files or recycle bins—if we even received them at all. The love expressed on Valentine's Day can be sweet and tender. It is meaningful enough to annoy those who are not participating in it this year. But is it “love” that gets relationships through the long haul, or is it something much deeper? My sense is that contrary to the cliché, “love” is not the answer.
Read the full sermon.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Unitarian Universalism
I’ve seen certain trends, some negative and some positive, which for some reason tend to get blown out of proportion in this faith, and in liberal religion generally. For purposes of this sermon, I’m calling these the Seven Deadly Sins of Unitarian Universalism.
Read the full sermon.
Spirit of Life
If Unitarian Universalists had their own particular winter holiday, given our varied theologies, what divinity would we celebrate in common? One of our hymns uses the phrase “Spirit of Life” for the sense of the sacred that all UUs share. Do UUs revere a “Spirit of Life” in common? If so, what can be said about it?
Read the full sermon.
Stages of Faith
Faith is one of those words that gets tossed around freely, but when you get right down to it, what does it mean? “Faith” comes from the Latin word "fides" which means trust. Faith is a kind of trust, having to do with which powers we fear and which we cling to. We are all people of faith in this sense, for we all have ultimate concerns that gives meaning to our lives. Today we’ll explore what psychologists have found in the last few decades: that people move through specific stages of faith, remarkably consistent across religions (and irreligious) worldviews.
Read the full sermon.
Ministerial Musings for May 2008
Our Fellowship Dinner last month included a goofy performance by our very own “Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time” Players. Their subject? The hit 80s movie Back to the Future, which happens to be the first movie I saw more than once in a theater. In the film movie, a scientist invents a time travel gizmo and installs it in a luxury sports car.
When the main character Marty uses the plutonium-powered time machine, the conditions are not what you would call “clinically controlled.” Marty has never before been in the driver’s seat. He doesn’t know how to read all the information blinking on the control panels. He can’t get straight answers from the scientist…and then the scientist is killed by terrorists, who chase after Marty.
In other words, Marty takes the driver’s seat in the midst of a great deal of flux. Nonetheless, the time machine works perfectly. How is this possible? Due to the “flux capacitor,” the component that makes the time machine (and the movie) work. You may remember from high school physics that a capacitor is a certain kind of device capable of storing up and redirecting energy. Flux, of course, means significant, multifaceted, continuing change.
Sci-fi fans have speculated for decades about what exactly a “flux capacitor” does. But it seems obvious to me. A flux capacitor charges up from the energy of flux: significant, multifaceted, continuing change. Any change unleashes energy. Significant, multifaceted, continuing change must release incredible power, and is the perfect source of energy for a time machine! A flux capacitor harnesses and redirects that power for a specific purpose.
As I watched the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players deform perform a favorite story of mine, I found myself traveling back in time to my high school days when all my friends longed for a flux capacitor of their very own. Who wouldn’t want something that could harness the power of change and redirect that energy toward a specific purpose? Then, as I watched the play, I realized I was sitting in the middle of a giant flux capacitor. Over the decades, this congregation has always used density’s destiny’s twists and turns to provide the energy it needs to go to a new level as an organization. Our vision statement encodes that history and propels it into the future by naming us a dynamic and transformational congregation.
Some organizations are incapacitated by flux. Other organizations become, well, flux capacitors. They multiply the energy of change and use it to take a quantum leap forward toward their vision.
As of this writing, this congregation faces flux. Flux’s particular form right now is an unstable economy, a ministerial transition, and a welcome but tricky merger with a sister congregation. This congregation has always thrived on change, and can now. But this congregation and its vision can only prosper if they receive the significant support needed to fund the plutonium staff, space, and programs that serve the vision.
We’re in the midst of a stewardship drive. It’s human nature, in times of flux, to withdraw, to wait and see, to remove our support until we’re more sure of what’s happening. But that’s exactly what leaves congregations…incapacitated. I hope you pledge time and talent based on your commitment to Tapestry’s vision, your belief in the necessity of liberal religion in a place like Orange County, and your understanding that this organization receives most all its income from the pledged financial support of its members and other regulars. If you’re reading this column, you’re one of the few that this organization depends on for the financial support that make it possible.
My wife Sarah majored in physics. She tells me physicists use the term flux as a unit of measurement. Flux measures the strength of a force in a given area. So a flux capacitor, in that sense, would be something that something that accepts strength, builds it up, multiplies it, and directs it in service of a vision. I think Tapestry fits the definition… but by that same definition, this particular flux capacitor can only work if you lend your strength to it.
Guess what? You’re in the driver’s seat. Engine running. Flux capacitor…fluxxing. Hand on the gearshift, foot hovering over the pedals. It’s up to you to decide what comes next. I hope you lend your strength in service of the vision, and help take Tapestry into the future.
John
Minister's Availability
Rev. John is available not only during his office hours (Tuesdays from 3-6 and Thursdays from 10-1) but also by appointment. Call him at 949-581-0245, or email him at .
When the Minister’s Away……
Should you wish to speak with a minister during a time when Reverend John Millspaugh is away (periodically throughout the year, or in the summer during vacation and study leave), please consider the following options::
- If you have general questions, please email President Tara Sayre at .
- If you have questions about membership, please email our Membership Chair, Rosy Pacilli at .
- If you want to know more about our Children’s Religious Exploration program, please contact our Director of Religious Exploration, Katelynn Hassler, at .
- If you are experiencing personal hardship or a difficult circumstance, please contact our Caring Committee Chair, Connie Pursell, at , or Susan Jagielko in her absence. The Caring Committee will address your concern or put you in touch with appropriate resources, whenever possible.
- If you have personal issues to discuss with a minister or wish to make an appointment for pastoral counseling, please contact President Tara Sayre at or VP of Operations Connie Pursell at . She will put you in touch with the designated minister on call.
