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50 Bloomfield Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105
Tel: (860) 233-9897 / FAX 233-1333
Email: firstunitarian@ushartford.com
Reverend Barbara Jamestone, PhD
USH-Enews January 6, 2011
Jump to: Sunday Service; Calendar; What's Happening; Feature Articles; External Events; Further Down the Road; Social Justice Journeys; Green Topics ; A Matter of Opinion
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USH-Enews is a weekly email newsletter produced for members and friends of the Unitarian Society of Hartford. The USH web address is: http://www.ushartford.com/ Check at the end of this USH-Enews for information on submissions, subscriptions and escape from the mailing list or to find past issues of the weekly USH-Enews click here.
Office hours: Rev. Jamestone: Phone: 860 233-9897; Email: RevBJ@USHartford.com - Rev. BJ office hours by appointment.
Waiting for Spring
Evaluation of Shared Ministry 2011 at USH
What is ministry? This question is at the core of who and what we are as a religious community. An evaluation of shared ministry looks at who we are as a congregation within our own walls, within our local community and in the wider world and larger Unitarian Universalist faith. This year the Board has requested that the Committee on Ministry (COM) develop a process to conduct an evaluation of the shared ministry at USH.
Some of you may ask “What does a Committee on Ministry do, and who are they?” The COM is a relatively new structure within UU societies that supports all of the ministries of the congregation, not just the ministry of the called minister. Former district executive Reverend Anne Heller explains:
“Committees on Ministry are designed to track the heartbeat of ministry within a congregation; how the members take care of themselves and each other, how the lay ministerial leadership serves a congregation; and how the called minister serves the congregation. It seeks to understand, assess, support, and advocate for robust ministry throughout the context of congregational life.”
The current USH Committee on Ministry is comprised of Cedric Woods, Laurie Kelliher, Peter Meny, David Principe, Peter Olguin, and Janis Milroy. They will be leading the process of the evaluation of our shared ministry, in consultation with district executives from the UUA. Brief biographies of the COM members are included below so that you have an idea of who will be spearheading this evaluation process.
Cedric Woods and his wife Meredith Vasta joined the USH in 2005. He has been a member of the Committee on Ministry for four years. He is the Interim Director of the Institute for New England Native American Studies at UMass Boston, where he works to assist in addressing the disparities in health, socio-economic status, and education faced by regional Native communities. Prior to working at the University, Cedric spent over 12 years working for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. He is an enrolled citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
David Principe has been a Unitarian Universalist since 1998, and he has been a member of the Unitarian Society of Hartford since 2007. He taught religious education for several years at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham, NC, and, since moving to CT, he has been active at USH as a member of the Worship Arts Sub-Council and the Committee on Ministry, as well as an occasional chaperone for youth group activities. He and his family live in West Hartford. He is a financial planner in Farmington.
Originally from California, Peter Olguin moved to West Hartford seven years ago with his wife, Betsy, and three children. He works for Deloitte as an information technology professional. Peter and his wife were raised in the Catholic faith, as were their children. However, the entire family is pleased with their new spiritual home at USH. Peter enjoys cooking, swimming, playing guitar, singing, and spending time with his family.
Laurie Kelliher describes herself as a proselytizing UU. In her own words, “I can’t help but think that if I were better at it the world would be a more joyful place.” She is the proud mother of Henry and Nelly, two third generation UUs who prompted her many years teaching and chairing Religious Education at the USH. Through RE she found her ministry when she and her husband Andy taught OWL. Our Whole Lives is the UU program on sexuality that is a values-laden approach to friendship, love, sex and the worth and dignity of all people coupled with amazing, bright, funny, caring and questioning middle schoolers. Ministry can be found in the eyes of our youth. Now her work at the church lies closer to the pulpit with the Worship Arts group and Committee on Ministry. Laurie sums up her commitment to USH, “Golly if I haven’t become a church lady.”
Janis Milroy joined the USH in the summer of 2010 after attending for a year. She has been active in Great Decisions and the music program. She is a Social Studies teacher at High School, Inc. in Hartford where she supervises programs including the Ebony Horsewomen Riding Club and the student partnership with St. Anthony and St. Patrick to help feed the needy. Prior to teaching, Janis spent 28 years in Healthcare Product Development with The Travelers and Phoenix.
Peter Meny is a long-time member of USH and has served in many roles. In addition to his work on the COM, Peter and his wife, Deb have chaired the Stewardship Committee, he is a past Council President, member of the Trustees and is currently on the CALM committee, having helped to develop its policies and procedures. Their daughter, Olivia is a lifelong participant in the USH RE program and now attends Clark University in Worcester. Peter currently works as a school psychologist in the Glastonbury School System.
We are just now in the beginning stages of planning the process for this evaluation. As we move forward, working with the Board, minister and the entire congregation, we will provide regular updates on our progress and findings.- Cedric Woods, President-Elect/ Chair, Committee on Ministry
Worshipping Together Since 1830
Service 10:30 AMSunday 9 January - A Different Kind of New Year’s Resolution ( part two) In the season known as Epiphany on some religious calendars, there is celebration of glad surprises that come unbidden to light our path. In our culture, it is also customary to create resolutions to guide our way in the coming year. How can we remain open to enlightening new visions while at the same time resolving to commit to some charted direction? - Rev. BJ
REflections on Children's Programming
Religious Education Classes
All children and youth are welcome to attend classes after the Time for All Ages. If your child is not yet registered, please email Gail at: dre@ushartford.com
Gail M. Syring, DRE
Save the Date - Open Up Your Hearts for Our USH Sweetheart! February 12, 2011 from 6:00-10:00 will be an evening of dessert, dancing, and raffles to benefit Gail Syring to help with her expenses during kidney transplant recovery. Ticket sales will begin in mid-January. If you'd like to donate a gift certificate for a good/service to be used as a raffle item, please contact Debbie Nardi at 860-309-1812. - Julie Smith
Any Visitors or Newcomers are invited to come to the USH Connections session held after the service this coming Sunday at 11:45. No need to register – just come! You will have the opportunity to share your thoughts about what you are looking for in a religious community and explore ways to become more connected here at USH. Interested members/friends are welcome to drop in as well.
Bring your coffee and join us between the stairs in the lower lobby lounge area. Childcare will be available, if needed, and light snacks. We will plan to wrap up by 1:00 at the latest. - Anne BaileyCaregivers Support Group meeting on 1st Thursday of each month 12-1:30 - Details contact Carolyn Cartland or Diana Heymann
Small Dinner Parties - Our 2011 Small Dinner Parties will be on February 5, March 12 and April 9. With advance notice, a substitute can be found if the registrant must miss a date.
The purpose of these Dinner Parties is social comradery among new and old members of USH. Six to ten adults are randomly assigned in different groupings for each dinner. The host furnishes the entrée, beverage and bread. Guests are assigned to bring appetizers, salad, side dish or desert.
Not everyone can host, but we do need hosts, so participants whose homes can seat six may be asked to host one dinner.
Registrations will be taken in Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour on January 9, 16 and 23.
Fee: $2 per household for paper/mailing expenses. Registration Deadline: January 23 - Marion KelliherBill Revill's Seascapes and Landscapes - now hanging outside the Sanctuary will be leaving the church this coming Tuesday morning, January 11th. If you are interested in purchasing one of his paintings before they leave, please check with the office. 20% of the sale goes to our society. You may always check out Bill's work at www.billrevill.com
An invitation to join our Sunday Welcome effort - Greeting and welcoming our visitors is an important job shared by many of us every Sunday. We encourage you to consider joining the group of USH volunteers who fill the four “official” roles on Sunday mornings (greeting at the doors, ushering, and/or hosting at the Welcome Table in the lobby and the Visitors Table in Fellowship Hall).
Volunteering for one of these roles offers a chance to interact with folks as they arrive or during coffee hour, and plays a very important part in creating our friendly atmosphere at USH, as well as being a pleasant and rewarding experience for the volunteer.
Any of these roles can be learned by working with another experienced volunteer and there are detailed directions available, as well. Please contact Anne Bailey and she will send you information to help you get started: abailey379@gmail.com or 860-379-7740The Men's Luncheon Group will meet on Tuesday, January 18, at Carmen Anthony's Restaurant, Rte 44 in Avon, at noon. Moderator will be Roy Cook. Attendees are asked to tell about a favorite book or author. All men and women of the Society are invited.
Sprucing up “Our Chosen Faith” with “UU World” articles - Second and fourth Wednesdays in January 7 PM More
Adult Programs - On Sunday, January 9, stop by the Programs Table to register for the Friday Dinner and Movie on the 14th, Great Decisions, and Small Dinner Parties. Sign ups for Small Group Ministry will begin later in January. There is still time to offer a program, class, etc. to be included in the 2011 Winter/Spring Catalog for Adults and Families. For additional information about offering a Program.
Coming Programs:
Friday Dinner and Movie featuring “Winter Bones,” January 14. (More)
Our Chosen Faith, Wednesday, January 12. The “UU World” is full of timely articles. If you read something there and would enjoy hearing what other UUs at USH think about the article, bring your magazine on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.
USH Book Club, Thursday, January 20. (More)
Great Decisions, 8 Sundays, February 6 – March 27, 8:45 – 10:15. An annual favorite, Great Decisions will continue this year with eight weeks of thoughtful discussions of foreign affairs based on readings provided by the Foreign Policy Association. Topics for 2011 include Rebuilding Haiti, U.S. National Security, Horn of Africa, Responding to the Financial Crisis, Germany Ascendant, Sanctions and Nonproliferation, The Caucasus, and Global Governance. Cost: $20 includes booklet.
Small Dinner Parties, 3 Saturdays, February 12, March 12, and April 9. (More)
Small Group Ministry Offerings (More)
Further Down The Road (About 30 Days)
Announcing Small Group Ministry for Spring of 2011 - The success of SGM continues for good reason! Get to know other members and friends better while discussing spiritual and life topics openly and in depth. Share insights you have gained and concerns you have been struggling with, and explore the spiritual dimension to your life in a non-judgmental atmosphere.
Groups of 7-10 people follow a common format at each meeting: check-in, chalice lighting, reading on a meaningful topic, questions and sharing of personal experiences following a covenant of close listening and right relationship, and closing reading.
Groups are scheduled for different days of the week in various locations and at different times, and normally meet eight times. Interested persons are encouraged to identify accessibility concerns (including assisted listening devices or allergies) to Mike Roy so we can address these concerns to the best of our ability.Pre-registration is required, and you may register NOW.
Register on Sunday in Fellowship Hall or by calling Janice Newton at 860-677-1121 or e-mailing Janice at dcnewton(at sign)snet.net. Please let Janice know if you change your mind after signing up for a particular group so that we can arrange for someone to take your place. Participants are notified of details before sessions begin. These eight new groups will begin in February and March 2011.
Start Dates/Locations:
1. Monday evenings (7:00-9:00 PM), March 14, Farmington - Facilitator Ginny Allen, Hosts Janice and David Newton - This SGM will meet for six sessions.
2. Monday evenings (7:00-9:00 PM), March 7, Hartford - Facilitator Carol Davidson, Host Bruce Robbins - This Mini-SGM of four sessions will focus its readings and reflections on aspects of faith. Newcomers to SGM (or to USH) are welcome!
3. Monday afternoons (1:00-3:00 PM), February 28, Glastonbury - Facilitator Barbara Fraher, Host Kathy Herzog
4. Tuesday evenings (7:00-9:00 PM), February 22, West Hartford - Facilitator Bill Shoemaker, Host Linda Ericson-Ebel
5. Wednesday evenings (7:00-9:00 pm), March 2, Simsbury - Facilitator Bev Prager, Host TBA (at home of Bev Prager)
6. Thursday afternoons (1:00-3:00 pm), February 17, USH Meeting House - Facilitator RE Director Gail Syring, Host Joanne Orlando - This group continues from last fall, with three openings left.
7. Thursday evenings (7:00-9:00 PM), February 17, USH Meeting House - Facilitator Julie Smith, Host Deb Nardi - This SGM is an LGBT affinity group, with straight and supportive friends welcome.
8. Friday evenings (5:30-8:00 pm), March 18, USH Meeting House - Facilitator David Principe, Host Peter Olguin - This Family-Friendly group is open to everyone, but will especially accommodate adult members and friends with younger children. Format changes are:
• Potluck Dinner for adults and kids
• USH provides childcare at no charge
• Dinner from 5:30-6:30 PM; SGM from 6:30-8:00 PM
• Meet on Friday evening (no school next day!)We welcome participation by parents, whether single or partnered. Both spouses or partners can choose to participate, or just one spouse or partner may participate.
Fee: None (What a bargain!)
- Mike Roy
Join the Book Discussion - USH members and friends are invited to participate in the next meeting of the recently-formed Book Club on Thursday, January 20, from 7 – 8:30 PM. We will meet at a home in Avon and discuss Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It is available in book and CD format at local libraries and book stores.
From a review in the Washington Post, “. . . a very French novel: tender and satirical in its overall tone, yet most absorbing because of its reflections on the nature of beauty and art, the meaning of life and death.” From the Amazon.com website, “By turns moving and hilarious, this unusual novel became the top-selling book in France in 2007.”
For directions and questions, call Richard or Jean Groothuis at 860-678-1030.
From the Editor: Suggestions for Contributors.
Evaluation of Shared Ministry 2011
Let's Sing Together on January 9th -9 AM
Announcing Small Group Ministry - Spring
Our Musical Imagination at USH: Let’s Sing Together on January 9 at 9 AM! - I have the privilege of serving the future of our denomination this week by working at our Chicago seminary for 48 hours as part of the annual Meadville-Lombard Seminary January Learning Convocation. It’s an exciting time when students re-gather, meet with advisors, hear lectures from cutting edge leaders in liberal theology and service, and participate in workshops designed to help them gain skills in the arts of ministry. I serve as field advisor and teaching pastor in the new divinity school curriculum “Touch Point” in which students combine class room experience and hands on work in congregations and other service situations.
The theme of the convocation this year is “Church on Purpose: Singing a World Into Being” and our first lecture is entitled “Working with Congregations: The practical challenges of widening a music program.” Other events will focus on the notion that human beings are “liturgical” as part of our very nature - which I expect will tell us how liturgy is defined as “The work of the people” and that worship at its best is an occasion when we make meaning and find purpose as a group exploring our core theology in action and movement of some kind. Singing together is a prime example, as is reciting words together, and ritual acts like our candles celebration. It is exciting to me to see that so much of what we have been working on together at USH is becoming part of the curriculum studied by the next generation of UU ministers, and I am proud to be representing you here as a congregation actively preparing to widen our music program ministry, and to participate in a church which is “on purpose” “singing a world into being.”
Now…all of that was said to encourage you to join us in worship this Sunday January 9 as we welcome interim music director Carolyn Halsted to the chancel. She begins her public duties by rehearsing at 9 AM with some of you who will sing our anthem at the 10:30 service. She has selected a piece for which there can be no wrong notes, only a group of folk committed to USH and to “singing a world into being.” I hope that you will consider joining us at 9 AM to prepare to sing an anthem of praise this Sunday, whether or not you intend to pursue choral participation in future, as one way of welcoming Carolyn and of beginning again in love as we continue to create “church on purpose.”
Some of you heard me deliver remarks at a congregational gathering in November, and I’d like to repeat them here:
“Music ministry happens, not when we have full time staff musicians, but when the musical imagination of an entire congregation takes flight, which takes place when and because every member sees music as a ministry which has no wrong notes, which takes place when and because many volunteers consider it fun to make a joyful noise, which takes place when and because members with musical skills imagine themselves as patient and accepting mentors to those of us who want to be enlivened by participating in musical expression, but don’t have time or inclination for serious musical practice, which happens when and because church music staff broaden their understanding and practice of music as ministry to everyone.
“I believe that a season with an accomplished interim musician and beyond that a season under the care of a music ministry director, will convince you that serious music is not under threat, and will surprise you with additional ways that music will continue to bless, heal, and transform you as persons and to strengthen this proud society as it has in the past.
“We won’t know until we try. It may be, as some thoughtful observers have said, that the vision of the majority of this congregation does not match my own. For myself, I am convinced that the lessons of my corn plant story (told earlier in these remarks) are applicable here: with the robust musical root ball we have, with the patience of a long time horizon, and a love affair of the heart, USH will produce a heretofore unimagined flower like it has never known, the fragrance of which will not only bring us immense beauty and blessing, but will waft out and entice the world, which so needs our radical truth claims, to come in and help us build the world we dream about, beginning here and now.”
Happy New Year everyone - Rev BJCircle of Caring - The Circle of Caring (previously known as Pay-it-Forward) refers to a group working to aid members and friends of USH who have encountered especially adverse situations during our economic downturn. Aid is dispensed on a case by case basis as situations are identified and reach the attention of the Circle of Caring group. During the Christmas Eve services a special collection was taken for the needs of our internal constituency. We are pleased to report $1,428 was raised at the time.
Deepest thanks to all contributors - Circle of Caring Folks
Epiphanies and Resolutions - Reverend BJ used a personal example — a cup of coffee prepared and presented to her exactly as she liked it by someone who did not know her or her coffee preferences — as an example of an “epiphany.” This happened at a religious retreat as she attempted, without success, to find the proper cup for the much-needed brew.
She used a broad meaning of the beautiful word “epiphany” — way beyond the traditional religious meaning of the word — to describe something that comes upon us suddenly and inexplicably to reveal some understanding or insight that can change us and the direction of our lives. And epiphanies often are initiated by some simple or commonplace occurrence or experience. “I believe there is a grace that comes before we even know what we want,” she said.
Reverend BJ used some pithy quotes from writer/ poet Rilke relating to making some unusual resolutions for a new year. Love the questions themselves. Love all that is unresolved in the heart. You must change your life. Let us welcome the new, full of things that have never been. Love the darkness that we come from. This theme was restated in a responsive reading during the service: “Let us therefore praise winter, rich in beauty, challenge and pregnant negativity”
She suggested that we resolve to make a strategy for our life, that we set a direction and make a decision to step off in that direction, that we will encounter unforeseen options and things we never imagined to be possible. These words were echoed as we sang Hymn 295, “Stand we now upon the threshold, facing futures yet unknown.”
At one point during the January 2 service, Reverend BJ asked us to imagine ourselves would-be playwrights, sitting on a bare stage in the dark, asking:
How will things be now?
What should I do next now that this has happened?
Who is on the stage with me?
Will I write a tragedy, a comedy, or about love?(Your reporter suspects that she and other members of the congregation were being asked to think about our answers to these questions in relation to the current USH situation.)
Being a Unitarian, Reverend BJ suggested, brings a voice of reason. “It is not this way or that way. It is somewhere in the middle…There is nothing in our lives that is either/or. There is a middle path.”
- Kayla Costenoble
$10 Pizza Movie Night - Friday, January 14, 2011
"It's been a long time since a film has conveyed a culture, and a sense of place, with such telling precision. At the same time, Winter's Bone thrums with suspense."* Review,etc.
Another $10 Pizza Movie Night is planned, featuring the 2010 film “Winter’s Bone” on Friday, January 14. This R-rated movie was an official selection of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival's Dramatic Competition, the recipient of the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. You can watch a trailer here
The evening will begin at 5:30 with popcorn and drinks, then pizza and salad at 6, followed by the movie and subsequent (optional) discussion. Those who can help set-up will be welcomed any time after 4 PM.
To reserve, let us know if you prefer meat or vegetarian pizza, beer or soda. To reserve, call Janice and leave a message at 860-677-1121. You can then pay by check or cash at the movie. For questions, call Nita at 860-693-4269. Please do not call the USH office. And please make your reservations by Monday, January 10.
*from reviews on RottenTomatoes.com, where you can learn more about the movie - NitaCaring Network - To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions. William James - If you know of any member experiencing some difficulty, please contact Diana Heymann, Chair of the Caring Network heydiana(at symbol) comcast.net 860.461.0908 or call the office so we can provide some assistance.- before 10:30 on Sunday. A wide range of community services is also available to those in need by calling InfoLine at 211. Please contact Diana if you are able to volunteer your services.
On the Calendar - Please notify Brian Mullen of all additions or changes to the calendar. Follow this link to all our scheduled events
Social Justice Journeys (From the UUA) And from USH
Green Topics Beginning this month, the Green Table will be available on the 1st and 3rd sunday of the month. Stock up on paper and cleaning products that support our earth not hurt it (and us).
Nuts and Bolts: The member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association covenant to affirm and promote: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragement of spiritual growth in our congregations; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process, within our congregations and in society at large; the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.
Generally, USH-Enews will be posted on Thursday. Send email related to the USH-Enews to dcnewton at ushartford.com If you have announcements or articles you wish to be published, send them along with the subject line USH-Enews by 4:30 PM Wednesday evening. Comments are always welcome. If you wish to have your name removed from the distribution list or have learned of the electronic publication and wish to have your email address added, just ask. © Unitarian Society of HartfordLet us know of any comments, errors and corrections - thanks (revised 01/07/11 9:23 AM)
