questions

I have a couple of questions that I hope someone will answer. I also hope that the second question isn't of the kind that Oliver Wendell Holmes spoke to when he said, "That's a question that answers itself." Actually, I've just seen that attributed to Justice Holmes but I'm not certain that he actually said it. He did say,

Controversy equalizes fools and wise men - and the fools know it.

and that's a better quote (though it appears to have nothing to do with either of my questions).

Question One: I trying to understand after reading Important Information about Voting by Ministers and Credentialed Religious Educators, does a congregation with professional leadership thereby gain additional delegate strength at GA over the congregation without professional leadership?

Under the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) bylaws, ordained and fellowshipped ministers and credentialed religious educators (Masters Level) are also entitled to represent their congregations as General Assembly delegates and vote in the election (absentee or on site). However, to have delegate status and vote in the election, a minister must be in preliminary or final fellowship with the UUA, and must be either settled in a certified congregation or have been awarded minister emeritus/emerita status by a certified congregation not less than six months before General Assembly. And to have delegate status and vote in the election, a credentialed religious educator must have achieved Credentialed Religious Educator—Masters Level status with the UUA, and must be either employed by a certified congregation or have been awarded director of religious education emeritus/emerita status by a certified congregation not less than six months before General Assembly.

The appropriate number of absentee ballots for each congregation's ministers and credentialed religious educators will be included in the mailing to congregations in early May.

Preface to my second question: Until the last couple of years I was a member and an elected leader of a congregation that, while we had ministers for a few years, opted to call no minister. Our services were mostly lay-led though we also were blessed with visiting ministers from time to time. During this period, some of us formed a Sunday Service group, named 'The Pulpiteers,' to present Sunday Services that were done with a great deal of care - we rehearsed the "talk" to be presented as well as other elements of the service as needed. Most of our talks were written within the congregation but we also scoured books and the library (this was before UU sermons were so readily available on the Internet) for sermons we thought would fit our Sunday Service format. And we found a bunch of good ones. We always attributed the author of the sermon (though because we honed our delivery, in the early presentations, some of our members thought we were attending seminary in the evenings). Recently, I was invited back with the specific request to present the address that Rev. Forrest Church gave at last year's GA. I was given a copy of the sermon and found slight variations of the Rev. Church's talk on the Internet and was also able to listen and watch his delivery of the Sermon (I think it was at All Souls in Tulsa).

Question Two: Even if clearly attributed, does a congregation need permission from the Minister/author before presenting one of his/her sermons as part of a Sunday Service?