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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 March 4, 2010
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
Believe
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.
Worshipping Together Since 1830
One Service 10:30 AMSunday - 7, 14, and 21 March -The Joy of Participation: Pocket Gardens for Perennial WITS - Religious community nurtures WITS, whether WITS is the "Wise Inner Teacher" of children, the “Workable Internal Training Story” of adults, or some other acronym pointing toward an inner foundation of guiding principles guiding our words and deeds. The March worship theme is our human need for participation -- as an essential nutrient for the spiritual formation of our maturing WITS. Join our three-week exploration of "The Joy of Pocket Gardens" for the care and nurture of our perennial WITS.
This Sunday (March 7) is Justice Sunday at USH and the collection will go to the UU Service Committee. Watch for Tom Kemble to hand out UUSC brochures. Make a generous contribution to a worthy and effective peace and justice organization.
You may wish to leave a bit early for the Meeting House as UHar as a basketball tournament event at 11 AM that will be generating extra traffic in the neighborhood.
Music - The music this Sunday is entirely by the great British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958). Vaughan Williams composed a vast amount of music of all types: symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral masterworks, even film scores. At the turn of the century he was among the very first to travel into the countryside to collect folk-songs and carols from singers, notating them for future generations to enjoy. As musical editor of The English Hymnal he composed several hymns that are now world-wide favorites, such as For All the Saints and Come down O Love Divine.
Vaughan Williams volunteered to serve in the Field Ambulance Service in Flanders for the 1914-1918 war, during which he was deeply affected by the carnage and the loss of close friends including the composer George Butterworth. He was a relative of the potter Josiah Wedgewood; Charles Darwin was his great-uncle. He studied composition with major figures like Max Bruch and Maurice Ravel, and he edited the works of Henry Purcell, the other "greatest British composer of all time." He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Vaughan Williams is a central figure in British music because of his long career as teacher, lecturer and friend to so many younger composers and conductors. His writings on music remain thought-provoking, particularly his oft-repeated call for all persons to make their own music, however simple, as long as it is truly their own.
The performers this Sunday are our Associate Music Director Mark Child, Ginny Allen playing the viola, and Mark's wife Martha accompanying the songs. The viola solos represent Vaughan Williams's deep love of English folk songs, and the tenor solos (with viola accompaniment) turn to the church composing side of this great composer.
REflections on Children's Programming
Religious Education Classes
Spirit Play: Green Promise: The Carrot Seed
Second & Third Grade: UU Super heroes: What is a Superhero?
Fourth & Fifth Grade: Spirit of Adventure: Clara Barton
Sixth & Seventh Grade: Buddhism
Eighth Grade: Coming of Age
Youth Group Activities: DiscussionGail M. Syring, DRE
Things You Can Do For USHAny visitors or newcomers who are with us today are invited to come to the First Sunday USH Connections session held at 11:45 after the service today (and interested members/friends are welcome to drop in, as well). No need to register – just come! You will have the opportunity to share what you are looking for in a religious community and explore ways to become more connected here at USH.
Bring your coffee and join us between the stairs in the lower lobby lounge area. Childcare will be available, if needed, and light snacks as well. We will plan to wrap up by 1:00 at the latest.
Save the Date for the Annual Stewardship Community Event March 20th 7-10 PM Fellowship Hall More
Social Justice Journeys (From the UUA) And from USH
On Sunday March 7 at 4 PM there will be a fundraising concert at Immanuel Congregational Church at the corner of Farmington Ave. and Woodland St. in Hartford to benefit the Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice (ICEJ). USH is a member and Joan and Tom Kemble are Board Members. A few members of the USH choir will be singing. Tickets are $15 general admission and $10 for seniors & students. Come and enjoy songs of peace and social justice performed by Immanuel's wonderful singers as well as a choir of members of ICEJ congregations' choirs. - Joan Kemble
The USH Men's Luncheon Group meets at noon on the third Tuesday of the month, at Carmen Anthony's Restaurant, located on Route 44 in Avon.
The speaker for the meeting on Tuesday, March 17 will be Tom Kemble whose topic will be "Solving the Connecticut Budget Crisis."
Family Potluck Supper and Games Night
Come along and enjoy a meal and a game with us.
It’s March 26, 2010 in our Fellowship Hall. Arrive 5:30-ish. Dinner 6:00-7:00
Games to begin around 7:00 after clean-up.
Bring a dish to share, a beverage, and your favorite game.
All this for $5 for families and $2 for an individual. You can sign up and pay at the Programs Table during Coffee Hour; or call Janice Newton 860-677-1121 or email at dcnewton(at symbol)snet.net That will help us with set-up. Or just come with potluck… we’ll make room at the table for you.
Date: Friday, March 26, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM
Fee: $2.00 individual/ $5.00 familyWhat about an Antique Fair as a fundraiser? Our Stewardship Sub Council thinks this might be a good idea as such an event could not only raise money for the USH but also be a fabulous community-builder through which we could get to know each other better.
Would you like to explore this possibility with me? If so, please call me at 860 678-1030 for more details. An exploratory design team will meet at
my home (58 Hitchcock Lane, Avon) on Wed., March 3 at 7:00, to discuss plans for an antiques fair to be held at the Meeting House in the fall. - Jean GroothuisKingian Non-Violence Training at USH - To be held Saturdays April 17 and 24 at USH. More
Collage with Paper and Found Objects.
Saturdays, April 10 and 17.
Time: 10 AM - 2 PM.
Fee: $30.00 per class or $55.00 for the two classes.
Hannah Libman, is a member of the faculty at the West Hartford Art League and award-winning artist. This will be her sixth year teaching collage at USH. Participants may take one or both classes. The first class will be to create collages from torn paper, and, in the second class, participants will use tissue paper and found objects to create a collage.
There is a modest materials fee ($5.00) for those who don’t bring their own supplies. For the first class, participants should supply their own mat board, magazines, white glue, and an old paintbrush, or pay the materials fee. For the second class, participants should supply tissue paper and found objects or pay a materials fee.
Register on Sundays at the Programs Table or by calling Janice Newton at 860.677.1121.
For questions contact: Diane Cadrain 860-233-8766 diane.cadrain(at symbol)snet.netAdult Programs
At the Programs table this Sunday during coffee hour, you can register for the Friday Night Dinner and Movie on March 12. A NEW; fun Family Potluck and Games Night is planned for Friday, March 26 and a few spaces are left for Small Group Ministry, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Looking ahead to Spring, a two class Collage course with instructor Hannah Libman will be offered in April. If you've wanted to learn how to paint using watercolors, Painting In The Park With Watercolors is scheduled for May. You may refer to the complete description of classes, programs, and events on the under adult programs elsewhere on the web.
Coming Events:
Small Group Ministry. (More)
Friday Night Dinner and Movie, March 12. The featured movie will be Good Will Hunting.
Collage with Paper and Found Objects, Saturdays, April 10 and 17, 10 AM - 2 PM. (More)Please, if at all possible, register for programs in person during coffee hours on Sundays. If you cannot register in person, please email Janice Newton dcnewton(at symbol)snet.net and note registration in the subject line, or call 860.677.1121 and leave a message (if we are not home) rather than calling the office. This procedure will be followed for all programs including Small Group Ministry.
From the Editor: Suggestions for Contributors.
Reserve the Date Stewardship Event
Music Fund Raiser for ICEJ
Latecomers accommodated
Put your leaf on the tree!
Podcasts Growing
Love Continued
Spaces Left Small Group Ministry
Movie, Good Food and Discussion OfferedLatest update on usher procedures for latecomers: we think we’ve got it! - A big "thank you" to all of the latecomers at last Sunday’s service for taking care to follow the directions posted on the sign at the entry to the Sanctuary. It appears the latest "tweak" in the system is working, allowing latecomers to be seated in a way that doesn’t intrude on the service, once it is underway:
After the service has begun, the glass doors to the Sanctuary are partially closed and latecomers are asked to wait inside the doors, at the back of the Sanctuary, until the ushers indicate a time to be seated – OR to go to one of the side aisles to find a seat. (Exceptions to this will be made in individual circumstances.)
Latecomers may also enter, at any time, by one of the side doors.Last Sunday, it seemed that most latecomers chose to find their seats from one of the side aisles, rather than wait, and this appeared to work smoothly.
Now let’s see if we can reduce the number of latecomers! We would very much appreciate folks making every effort to be seated by the time the service begins. This shows respect for those speaking or playing music early in the service, as well as enhancing the sanctity of the service and making our usher’s jobs easier. - Lets ALL try to be aware of the clock and get to our seats on time! With much appreciation from the Membership Sub-CouncilPodcasts Growing! - and Growing Pains …
USH now has four recent service selections available as PODCASTS. What is a podcast, you ask? It is a file you can listen to on your computer, download to your I-Pod, or pick up on the Wi-Fi phone when you have someone on hold.Actually, you can find the podcasts most easily by using Google: Enter “Hartford Unitarian” and you will find a link to one of the podcast sites about three items down on the first search page. Click on that link and check out the four titles. The programs are primarily the sermons, with a touch of classy music and a reading or two thrown in to frame the Rev’s talk.
Your comments would be appreciated; please send to edsavage(at symbol)ushartford.com. More of these will be coming later in the month ( Ed has to work on occasion, too).
Love, Continued - Thankfully, we Unitarians don’t (usually) have fire and brimstone preachers who threaten us with damnation and the eternal punishment of hell. What we have here at the USH, instead, is a deceptively soft-spoken Southern lady whose well-chosen words “force” us to consider how we’re leading our lives right at this moment and, maybe, where we’re falling short and what we can/should do about it.
In a discussion after the service (yes, BJ, we sometimes do talk about what you said and how it relates to our own lives), we confessed that we get too busy and too involved in our own stuff to think about how our busyness might look to those around us who need some comfort, or help. . .or love.
We speak much about love, Reverend BJ reminded us. In our Great Covenant, dutifully repeated each Sunday, we begin, “Love is the spirit of this church.” And near the end, we promise to “seek the truth in love.” Our departing blessing for the kids includes “the light of liberty, justice and love.”
During the service, we also gave the words from First Corinthians 13 a workout. We did a responsive reading of it, with its stirring last verse, “Now faith, hope and love abide. These three, and the greatest of these is love.” Our superlative choir offered a dramatic anthem of it, with chanting, speaking, imitating sounds, harmony, dissonance. As Choir Director Mattie Banzhaf’s notes explained, “The music near the end breaks into more parts, overlapping and knotty, full of twists and turns—and then resolves, on the final word, ‘Love.’”
Reverend BJ said that in her “first naivete” she believed that “God is love” but now, as a more mature person in her “second naivete,” she has shifted to incorporate a deeper hidden meaning of the words. She now believes that “love is God.” Love, she said, “is worthy of reverence and the heart’s commitment.” We have to practice believing we are loved and that we are “held by some great mystery we do not understand… Love is a huge amorphous abstract thing.”
During A Time for All Ages, RE Director Gail M. Syring retold the Bible story of the prodigal son. Reverend BJ called this primarily an ethical rather than a moral parable—a “tapestry showing the true nature of the human condition and a portrait of human freedom.” She spoke of the father’s wisdom in recognizing that his older, jealous son needed justice and affection. He offered his son a chance to return to the beloved community by assuring him that “All that I have is already yours.” The wise father believed that humans can enter the beloved community of love and care and that we have the awesome chance to grow and make choices.
During the Turning Inward part of the service, Reverend BJ asked us to think about a time when we were mature enough and had the capacity “to know love when we meet it face to face.” She then burst out in song—“Hold me, hold me, never let me go”—and by the third or fourth chorus she had some of the congregation joining her.
(Incidentally, if anyone out there wonders why I often assist Reverend BJ during the Candles of Memory and Hope section of the Sunday service by handing out candles, it’s not that I have won a contest or anything like that. It’s that I’m always close to the front taking notes on the sermon, so I’m available when she gives me that little nod. I consider it an honor and a privilege.) - Kayla Costenoble
Dinner & Movie - Friday, March 12
"Good Will Hunting"Our Friday, March 12 film is the 1997 drama "Good Will Hunting." It's the story of Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a hood from South Boston working as a janitor at MIT who happens to be a prodigy. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck both wrote and starred in the film, became celebrities, and won the best original screenplay Academy Award. Robin Williams won an Oscar for his supporting role as a therapist who works with Damon. The movie has an R rating. You can watch a trailer here.
Our menu will feature traditional Irish corned beef and cabbage; if you prefer a vegetarian meal, please let us know when you make your reservation. Please reserve by Monday, March 8. If there is a Programs Table in Fellowship Hall during coffee hour, you can reserve there, with cash, check, or credit card. If not, please call Janice at 860-677-1121. Please leave a message if no one answers; you can pay by cash or check at the movie.
We'll begin our evening at 5:30 with popcorn and libations, dinner at 6, movie at 7. We'll talk about the movie afterwards (optional). Last reminder: We need a minimum of 20 reservations for our wonderful caterer (Kane's of Simsbury). You can invite your friends and neighbors to join us for the evening. - Nita
Time Running Out To Register For Small Group Ministry - Groups have started for spring Small Group Ministry, but some space is left if you sign up NOW. SGM is a great way to get to know other members and friends better while discussing spiritual and life topics openly and in depth. If you are a newcomer to SGM or the Meeting House, you can test the waters by participating in the Mini-SGM on Thursday evenings, starting March 18, facilitated by Carol Davidson and hosted by Bruce Robbins in their Hartford home. This Mini-SGM (4 spaces left) is limited to four sessions, with the option for more sessions at the group’s discretion. We are also offering an LGBT affinity group, with straight and supportive friends welcome. This group (6 spaces left) meets on Wednesday evenings, starting March 10, facilitated by Julie Smith and hosted by Debbie Nardi in their Canton home. The family friendly group on Friday evening (starting March 19) is full, but you can sign up on a waiting list with the possibility of a second group being formed. For a description of how SGM works, click here. Register on Sunday or by calling Janice Newton at 677-1121. - Mike Roy
Caring Network - If you think you can do a thing, or think you can't do a thing; you're right ! - Henry Ford - 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.
Further Down The Road (About 30 Days)
Green Topics - Did You Know? - You can bring in candy wrappers, cookie wrappers, energy bar wrappers and capri sun drink pouches to be recycled. Drop them off at green table or green sanctuary bulletin board. Besides helping the environment USH also gets $ for them!
Turn out. Take Action. - Earth Hour. March 27, 8:30-9:30 PM., local time.
Most catalogs use virgin wood, not recycled paper. Make the most of the magazines you love by bringing them to the USH Magazine Rack downstairs on the way into Fellowship Hall. Simply add any magazine (recent copies, within one year old please) AND take whatever one you'd like for as long as you'd like.
Also, you can reduce unwanted mail, opt-out of catalogs and remove your name from mailing lists by going to www.catalogchoice.org . It's simple and free. Stop the waste, reduce the clutter and save natural resources! Every little bit counts.
On the Calendar - Please notify Brian Mullen of all additions or changes to the calendar. Follow this link to all our scheduled events
External Events and Educational Notes
2009-10 Beth El Temple Music Series / Concert No. 2, Waltz & Wine, 7 PM, Sunday, March 7 - More
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 03/3/10 5:39 PM)
