Name:

I am a parish minister currently serving the Eliot Church of Natick MA. Eliot Church is a Community Church affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. Any statements made and postions held in "Unity," however, are solely mine(of course, they may be used with appropriate atribution). Therefore if you disagree, please do not blame the church!

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

The Four-Way Test

A week from yesterday I had the priviledge of giving the Invocation and the Benediction at the annual Installation of New Officers at the Natick Rotary. I bring this up because it is an organization that does a great deal of good work in the community, both locally and internationally.

I also wanted to post one of the principle pillars of Rotary. One member of our club--while recieving the Paul Harris Fellowship award (arguably Rotary's highest honor) for service to the community--referred to it as a "secular Ten Commandments". Usually, we just call it the Four-Way Test...

Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:

"Of the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"


Good questions to ask yourself, I think.

One of the recipients of the Paul Harris this year is a member of the Eliot Church. Congratulations to Harriett Buckingham! This was her second, making her the first member in the 80-year history of Natick Rotary to recieve the award twice.