Newsletter February 04 USH

Messenger Newsletter Content For February 2004

Upcoming Services

February 1, 2004 “Techno-Religion?” - Worship Leader: Rev. Terasa G. Cooley - In our hyper-technologized world, one must ask whether religion and spirituality are or should be completely separate from our mechanized world, or whether perhaps there are spiritual implications about how we interact with technology.

***Congregational Meeting immediately following the service***

February 8, 2004 “The Language of Reverence” - New Member Welcome Sunday - Worship Leader: Rev. Terasa G. Cooley - The President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Bill Sinkford, speaks often about the need for UUs to reclaim a “language of reverence”, particularly in our worship. Terasa will reflect upon what this may mean to us as UUs trying to honor theological diversity.

February 15, 2004 “Living with History” - Worship Leader: Rev. Terasa G. Cooley - There is much in our Unitarian Universalist heritage to be proud of, and that is important for us to remember and honor. There are also examples of particular people in our past that we pass over because we have come to a different understanding, or more complicated examples of people that we now feel ambivalently about, such as Thomas Jefferson. Terasa will talk about ways we might come to terms with our whole history, not just pieces of it.

February 22, 2004 “Oops!” - Worship Leader: Rev. Arline Conan Sutherland - One of the major religious questions is what to do when we realize we have erred. Words like sin, penance, and contrition are not often heard in Unitarian Universalist circles. Arline will explore how we might address these issues.

February 29, 2004 “Listening” - Worship Leader: Rev. Arline Conan Sutherland - The spiritual practice of listening is the topic for this morning. Arline will reflect on how we listen and what we hear.

From the President...With Many Thanks

My second significant cold of the season has invaded my body, and the task of writing an article is a challenge; I would rather be sleeping or watching an old-time movie. Being part of a larger community, however, means that it is okay to take time to relax and heal, and the work of our community will still get done. I have been thinking about all the work that is ongoing in our Society. Much of which goes unheralded.

I would like to acknowledge the work of the many people who have given untold hours to the work of our community. It is inevitable that I will miss someone or some initiative that I may not be fully aware of. So, I ask all of you reading this article to send me an email of those people or initiatives that I may have may have missed (my address: bwbracken@comcast.net). A good place to start is with the staff and leadership of the Society. The Council, Executive Council, Board of Trustees, Ministers, and staff work hard to ensure that our Society is run smoothly and efficiently. We have had some challenges over the past couple of years, but we weathered these changes well. I am proud of their work.

The next group are the chairs and members of our various committees. These committees operate very autonomously. I am amazed at the amount of work they perform. (Space constraints limit me to naming chair persons only.) Think of what is involved with managing our building and grounds (Stuart Spence and Ed Sax), worship services (Patrice Fitzgerald), religious education (Liz Garmise), adult programs (Rosie Rindfleisch), Small Group Ministries (Margaret Leicach), work with the larger community (Andrew Millard), membership (Anne Bailey and Mike Radice), stewardship (Sue Kinney and Amy Hines), caring network (David and Janice Newton), youth program (Denise Ackeifi), music (Mattie Banzhof, Tom Schmutzler, Laurie MacAlpine), personnel (Peg Horne), communications (Carolyn Soutter), denominational concerns (Sue Smolski), leadership recruitment (nominating committee, Nancy Witcomb), women's alliance, and men's group.

Also, a good deal of work is performed by volunteers on committees that many of you may be unaware of, such as our historical and archives (Margaret Sax), arts (Sara Sturges), memorial garden (Bill Willett), audit (Louise Schmoll and Kent Childs), UU Singles (Paul Hansen), and congregational life (Sara Logan,). Each and every one of these committees has worked hard on behalf of our society. I did want to make a special note about the work of the religious education committee and its chair, Liz Garmise, who addressed the challenge of losing Reverend Leshay at the beginning of the religious education season with fortitude and commitment.

The list continues! We have established a number of very important task forces and groups that have worked extremely hard. Considering the extraordinary efforts by these task forces, we can never thank the individuals involved enough. For the past three years we have been guided by a Strategic Plan developed by the strategic planning task force headed by Sara Logan.

Their work has propelled us forward and has spawned new task forces dealing with governance ( Charles Huntington), chancel improvement ( Bill Willett), building usage (Tammy Slater), and social justice empowerment ( Margaret Leicach). We have been very fortunate to be led and inspired by our welcoming congregation task force (Maryann Otto and Wes Christensen), whose leadership has made our society a Welcoming Congregation. I would also like to acknowledge the work of the comfort shawl knitting ministry (Vickie Carey), our efforts on behalf of the Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Justice and Equity, Partner Church, and CUREJ (Congregations United for Racial Equality and Justice).

We must thank many other people for extraordinary efforts. David and Janice Newton are not only active on a number of committees and task forces, but also publish the very successful weekly USH-ENews. By the time you read this article, our downstairs bathrooms will be refurbished, in large part due to the volunteer efforts of the building and grounds committee and Peter Magistri. Gwen Childs deserves a special commendation as well, toiling each day to complete the project. I also want to thank Louise Schmoll for her efforts to bring the Unitarian High School Choir from Kolozsvar, Translvania to our Meeting House for an inspiring evening of music. You may have also noticed the efforts by Anne Bailey to make our lobby more welcoming and hospitable. A few plants and some furniture make a big difference! Finally, I want to thank Kayla Costenoble for putting together the Meetinghouse Messenger. Her editing capabilities, hard work, and patience in dealing with all of us procrastinators has made the Messenger a valuable communication.

If I have missed some who deserve to be acknowledged for their work on behalf of our Society, I apologize. We are an extraordinary village! Bart Bracken

Speaking of Music

February 1 – Following a month of dramatically complex and magnificent music, the choir now shifts gears with “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need,” by the American composer and music critic Vigil Thomson. This is a simple folksong setting.

February 8 – In honor of Black History month, our choir gets down with “Anthem of Praise,” by famed gospel composer Richard Smallwood. Brother Lawrence, Bethel A.M.E. choir director, shared this piece with us, and we think it's a gem. Gospel choirs have sopranos, altos and tenors, but no basses (all the men have to “get up there” in pitch), so we've had to get creative with our arrangement.

February 15 – to be announced.

February 22 – More Bach! “Gedenk, Herr Jesu” pairs a virtuosic cantata chorus with a traditional Lutheran chorale (hymn) as an effective anthem.

February 29 – Continuing our Black History month observance, we offer Duke Ellington's personal anthem “Come Sunday” for soloist and choir. Ellington included this piece in his Sacred Concerts, but he also did a number of jazz arrangements of it over the years.

Mattie Banzhaf

You're Invited to a February Leap Year Party

All women of the Unitarian Society of Hartford are invited to a Leap Year Winterfest Party on Sunday, February 29. Sponsored by the Women's Alliance, the party will begin after service in Fellowship Hall with snacks at 12:15 and lunch at 12:30. Lunch will be a shared sandwich platter; those attending are asked to bring a sandwich (or two) to share. Drinks and dessert will be provided by the Alliance. Sign up on the Alliance bulletin board until February 22.

A slide presentation on Mahila, the one-woman company that buys jewelry made in Nepal to sell at parties, will highlight the afternoon's program. Profits from Mahila pay for cleft palate surgery for children in Nepal and for educating young women there. At present, eight young girls in grades 6 through 12 are in school in Nepal under Mahila's education scholarship program

Six women currently design jewelry and hand-painted silk scarves for fabrication in Nepal. Among them is Society member and stained glass artist Carol Davidson, who also designs jewelry for Mahila. Before and after the slide presentation, attendees will have a chance to ask questions and buy jewelry,

Language no Barrier for Women Knitting Together

Knitting became an international language last month when the Comfort Shawl Ministry knitters and several Bosnian women knitters spent a raucous hour and a half eating, listening to the choir rehearsing the “Magnificat,” trying to communicate (smiles are also international) and, of course, knitting.

The Bosnians, residents of the U.S., sold their intricate knitted and crocheted mittens, booties, sweaters, scarves, table runners, hats, and warm sock/slippers (a particularly popular item on a below-zero Sunday).

According to Society member Diane Cadrain, the women are all Moslem war widows, come from refugee camps, and are very poor.

Since Vickie Carey started the Comfort Shawl Ministry in November 2002, 34 shawls have been given to persons needing comfort, eight more are finished, and about a dozen are in process.

Knitters will meet again at 9 am Sunday, February 8. New members are always welcome. To join, contact Vicki at 726-1989 or vickidon@aol.com

CUREJ Potluck Dinner

Takes Place February 6

“Race Still Matters” will be the topic of a minister-led forum following a potluck dinner at 6 pm Friday, February 6 at the Meeting House. The dinner is sponsored by CUREJ (Congregations United for Racial Equality and Justice). Those attending are asked to bring a side dish or dessert; CUREJ will provide a main dish and beverages.

Participants in the forum will be ministers of the four CUREJ churches: Rev. Dr. Alvan Johnson, Jr. of Bethel AME, Rev. Jan Nielsen of the Universalist Church of West Hartford, Rev. Josh Pawelek of the UU Society East and Rev. Terasa Cooley, USH.

Please contact Carol Shoemaker for information at 243-9505 or email her at Shoemake@ntplx.net

MUSINGS... Reverend Arline C. Sutherland

When do you take down the tree? How about the outside lights? As I drove home this afternoon I listened to people talk about their customs. Someone from Anchorage said that the city encourages people to put up exterior lights and keep them up and lit till dusk starts arriving at a reasonable hour, like maybe 6 pm. In the long dark winter nights the lights are decorative and useful. Another family takes down their decorations on Super Bowl Sunday. And there were those who held that trees must be down by New Years or Epiphany at the latest. Some people cast aspersions at those who keep trees up till May Day and lights on till the 4^th of July. Laziness is the most frequently mentioned failing.

Our family usually takes the tree down at New Years but other decorations stay out till Epiphany and the wreath hangs on the door till Valentine's. In some cultures Epiphany, the feast of the Three Kings, or Twelfth Night is cause for one last mid-winter festival. I have vague memories of attending parties as a child in Beirut, Lebanon at which we sang songs, acted out the arrival of the three kings in Bethlehem, and ate cakes in which various symbols or beans had been baked. Mostly, what Epiphany has meant in our house is that it's time to clear away the holiday debris.

Invariably, I procrastinate. Once started, packing up Christmas doesn't take as long as I'm afraid it will but it is invariably emotional. I remember who was here to put these lights up and who isn't here tonight. Like most families we still have a few, shall we say, “lumpy” ornaments the kids made in kindergarten and a few exquisite ornaments people have given us over the years. They are, each and every one, repositories of memories, memories that are carefully wrapped and stored in the basement waiting till next year.

The house looks uncluttered, now that it's all away. As I look around, my eyes and heart feel soothed. There's a feeling of being cleared up. The spare winter landscape is congruent with the uncluttered surfaces inside. It's time for minimalism, time for clarity, time for space. Perhaps the lack of clutter will create room for an epiphany, a vision of the sacred here, right here in our living rooms, in our lives.

Together, we are moving between – between one ministry and another. One could say that we too are packing away memories, some that are a little “lumpy,” others that are exquisite. As we clear out the clutter may we too create space for a vision of what may yet be.

Blessings, Arline

ICEJ Forges Ahead on Multiple Fronts

Members of the Unitarian Society of Hartford are providing increased leadership in the Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice (ICEJ). The overwhelming positive response to the October public meeting has given us credibility and visibility with top public officials.

Kent Childs chairs the Fundraising Committee and Carol Shoemaker and Mike Winterfield co-chair the Educational Task Force (ETF). On the public issue front, Kent, Carol and Mike are the respective leaders for the Split-Level Tax, Universal Pre-K and Property Tax Reform initiatives.

The Split-Level Tax team proposes restructuring property taxes in Hartford and other large cities. The split-level tax would reduce tax rates for small business owners and resident property owners of developed and lived-in structures. Reductions would be funded by dramatically increasing the corresponding tax rates for property owners of vacant or abandoned structures. The Split-Level team is closely working with the City of Hartford leadership on the most appropriate configuration.

ICEJ supports universal pre-school access for all three- and four-year olds. ETF members are working on two fronts: a) drafting legislation that Senator John Fonfara will introduce in the 2004 session and b) meeting with town officials and state legislators to identify the major needs. The ICEJ proposal guarantees that, by September 1, 2006, all priority, severe need, and transitional school districts have enough resources and capacity to provide access to school readiness programs for at least 75% of eligible children. By September 1, 2010, 90% would be covered.

The Property Tax Reform team is structuring a Task Force for Fair Funding of Public Education. The primary goal is to provide for greater equity by significantly increasing the state's cost sharing, thereby reducing the emphasis on local property taxes. We are committed to a “long term” (multi-year) overhaul of the current tax structures and to “near term” (2005) relief. Near- term relief will likely center around the 1% education surtax idea that has been proposed by a number of state legislators. We propose that it be initially earmarked for the Universal Pre-K initiative.

USH members are also actively participating on the ICEJ Health Care Task Force. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Joan and Tom Kemble, about 10 Society members attended a January 15 Prayer Vigil at the Legislative Office Building to ask for repeal of HUSKY and Medicaid changes that will severely cut benefits and increase costs for the state's poorest residents.

Mike Winterfield

Betances Needs Tutors

The Center for Youth is facing a shortage of tutors at Betances School in Hartford this semester. Gavan Meehan, Center for Youth Community Coordinator, says there are opportunities available throughout the school day and especially in the after-school program. If you can help, please call Gavan at 549-8551, ext. 2004 for more information.

Onward to Part II =>>

Let us know of any comments, errors and corrections - thanks (revised 2/21/05)