|
50 Bloomfield Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105
Tel: (860) 233-9897 / FAX 233-1333
Email: firstunitarian@ushartford.com
Reverend Barbara Jamestone, PhD
USH-Enews March 25, 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; USH Stats
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.
Stewardship Pledge Drive Off to a Great StartSaturday night at the Meeting House was a great time for good food, fellowship and fun. Marye Gail provided a spectacular rendition of Reverend BJ in the pulpit. Gail’s play writing skills were outstanding, Nancy Mandly provided timely song-writing and choir members, Laurie Kelliher and folks from the NVC steering committee rounded out the cast.
Our annual pledge drive is underway and we are making good progress toward reaching the $345,000 we need in order to maintain current programming and staff. As of this writing, we have raised $230,000 from 78 pledging households. If you have completed your pledge card, thank you! If you haven’t, you should have received yours in the mail by now. Please return your pledge card to the office by April 9th.
We are asking everyone to consider a minimum pledge of 2% of income. We know that this is not possible for everyone, and that there are some who are unable to make a financial pledge at all at this time. And so, we are asking that if you can do more, please do so. Without increases from many people, we will not be able to raise $345,000.
If you have any questions, please contact any of the members of the Stewardship Committee.
Susan Kinney, Joe Rubin, Diane Cadrain, Nancy Mandly, Helen David, Martha PageWorshipping Together Since 1830
One Service 10:30 AM28 March Sunday - God’s Shoelace - Many people embrace Unitarian Universalism because they are partners in mixed Christian - Jewish marriages and seek common spiritual ground for their lives together. Others come from Catholic backgrounds and seek to incorporate the best of their Christian upbringings with the best that Unitarian Universalism has to offer. The sermon on March 28 will tell the story of Diane's spiritual journey from Catholicism to Unitarianism and her ongoing search for deity wherever she can find it … even her own shoelace. Our own member, Diane Cadrain, is our guest speaker this day. More about Diane
Music -–Following Saturday night’s Concert Pro Femina (an annual concert held at the Meeting House dedicated to the music of women composers), the music Sunday morning is all by women composers, including the hymns.
Emma Lou Diemer, a major American musical figure, is represented by her delightful anthem “Dance, Dance My Heart.” Our Music Director Mattie Banzhaf, a more minor musical presence, composed “Live In Harmony” to a Bible passage, giving each of our section-leaders a brief solo moment. This will be our first opportunity to hear, on his own, our new baritone soloist, Garrett Matthews. In addition, the speaker of the day, Diane Cadrain, joined by her daughter, Cantor Julia Rubin-Cadrain, remembers the ancient hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus” (Come, Creator Spirit).
REflections on Children's Programming
Religious Education Classes
Spirit Play: Violet Promise: The Tailor
Second & Third Grade: UU Super heroes: Christopher Reeve
Fourth & Fifth Grade: Spirit of Adventure: Taking it Apart
Sixth & Seventh Grade: Eastern Religions
Eighth Grade: Coming of Age
Youth Group Activities: Discussion/Worship PlanningGail Syring, DRE
What You Can Do For USHJoin the Building and Grounds Workday at the Meeting House 9 -12 noon on Saturday 3/27.
Financials for February have been published.
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.
You may still attend. Just bring a dish to share, a beverage and your favorite game along with $5 for families or $2 for an individual. Bring a dish to share, a beverage, and your favorite game. … we’ll make room at the table for you.B&G Workday March 27th - Come to the work day from 9AM to Noon on Saturday the 27th and participate in spring cleaning for the grounds including picking up debris, preparing the Memorial Gardens for the growing season, and doing maintenance on the building including cleaning of the kitchen ceiling tiles.
It will help in the planning if you let Ed Sax know of your participation, call 860.286.9688 and let Ed know you are coming. Peter Magistri will be heading up the Kitchen Project, a Green Sanctuary initiative, so Green Sanctuary folks will please let Peter know you plan to attend. pvwindsor(at symbol)sbcglobal.net
Concert Pro Femina celebrates classical music by women composers - The public is invited to an extraordinary performance of music composed by women at the Concert Pro Femina to be held on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of the Unitarian Society of Hartford. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students; refreshments are included. Call (860) 233-9897 x107 to reserve tickets, or simply pay at the door.
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. MoreAdult Programs
April is almost here, and if you are planning to attend the Friday Dinner and Movie, April 9 and/or the Collage course with instructor Hannah Libman, April 10 and 17, please sign up this Sunday, March 28th at the Programs Table during coffee hour.
Easter Sunday, April 4, there will be no Programs Table. However, you may still register by calling or e-mailing Janice Newton. Coming in May, Painting In The Park With Watercolors, is scheduled for four Saturdays, May 8-29. For additional information, you may refer to the complete description of classes, programs, and events on the web.
Coming Events:Family Potluck Supper and Games Night, Friday, March 26. (More)
Friday Dinner and Movie, April 9. The featured movie will be The Reader (More).
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. Your cooperation is deeply appreciated.
"It is a majestically somber, always gripping film, told with immense restraint and no hint of sensationalism."*
"Though The Reader may boast the typical pedigree of a Holocaust film--acclaimed actors, a literary source, and an Oscar-baiting end-of-the-year release date--this drama has a significant difference: it focuses on a perpetrator, rather than the victims."*
A compelling, searing R-rated film (for sexuality and nudity), "The Reader" is based on a best-selling novel. Kate Winslet won the 2009 best actress Oscar for her role. You can watch the film's trailer
We will show the film at our next Dinner and Movie evening, Friday, April 9. The menu will feature beef stew; if you prefer a vegetarian meal, please let us know when you make your reservation. You can reserve during this Sunday's coffee hour at the Programs Table in Fellowship Hall with cash, check, or credit card. Otherwise, please call Janice at 860-677-1121 and leave a message if the machine answers. You can then pay by cash or check at the movie. Please make reservations by Monday, April 5.
We will begin with drinks and popcorn at 5:30, dinner at 6, movie at 7, followed by optional discussion. If you have some extra time, come earlier to join us in set-up.
And begin thinking of movies you want to nominate for next season, as we will gather nominations in June and vote during the summer.
*from the Rotten Tomatoes.com website, where you can read reviews of the movie
Village Garden Project - Last year a few of us grew a garden with children at The Village for Children and Families (next door to USH) on their grounds. It was a wonderful experience for us all and we'd like to expand it. It involves a couple of hours twice a month to meet with a small group of children and their staff and grow veggies, herbs and flowers. The excitement and comfort of creating life and learning where food comes from is invaluable for these kids who are going through very difficult times (foster care).
The volunteer application takes about a month to be approved once it's submitted so we're asking people who are interested to fill them in now. They can be found on the Green Sanctuary Bulletin Board on the way into Fellowship Hall or can be downloaded from www.villageforchildren.org.
If you have any questions please email bev_prager(at symbol)hotmail.comKingian Non-Violence Training at USH - To be held Saturdays April 17 and 24 at USH. More
* Sustaining: Members (229) Friends (9)
** Supporting: Members (58) Friends (11)
*** Ministerial Exemptions: 0
Sub -Total: Members (287) Friends (20)
****Total USH Community 307
*Sustaining members donate more than $250 per year per person, and are reported to UUA.
**Supporting members donate from zero to $249 per year per person.
***Exemptions: those who consult with minister and make a service pledge in lieu of financial donation.
**** The total USH community--those who consider USH to be their religious community when they have need of a religious community or minister.
Attendance for Sunday, March 21, 2010
Worship = 98
Average Attendance for February = 142
Religious Education Attendance = 28
Average RE Attendance for February = 31
Visitor forms completed 3/7 = 1
Visitor forms completed February = 9
Offering for 3/7 = $2,154
Members Joining January: 3
From the Editor: Suggestions for Contributors.
Pledge Drive off to a Great Start
B and G Workday Planned
USH Unitarians are Remarkable People
The Meeting House Players Present..
At our WITS end
An Unsolicited Testimonial
USH Unitarians are extraordinary people. - This week our guest speaker is our own Diane Cadrain, She holds a Master's Degree in English from the Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She currently works as a writer specializing in employment law topics. Her work appears on the web sites and in the publications of the Society for Human Resource Management and the American Association of Retired Persons.
She and her husband Joe have been members of the Unitarian Society of Hartford since the early '80s. They are the parents of three daughters who received their religious education from our congregation. Her oldest daughter, Julia, is studying to become a cantor in the Jewish faith. Middle daughter Leah is working in television production in New York City. Youngest daughter Lucia is a freshman at the University of Vermont. Diane has served as a member of the choir for over 10 years, a member of the Society Council and then the Board, a religious education teacher, a member of the Stewardship and Worship Arts committees, and as a facilitator in the Artist's Way program, now in its sixth year.
The Meeting House Players Present Whimsical Worship
Photo by Joe RubinWith Marye Gail Harrison as our own Reverend Jamestone, dressed in a white bathrobe and rainbow feathered stole, it was clear this would be a unique stewardship skit.
Members of the NVC Steering Committee, the Choir and the Stewardship Committee crafted an insider's look at our worshiping community, complete with songs ranging from the depression era through the 1980's. A particularly telling moment was the "announcement" that there would be a change to the Candles of Memory and Hope ritual:
Photo by Joe Rubin
" In order to meet the needs of our entire community, beginning next week our ritual of Candles of Memory and Hope will be modified in the following ways: Those who wish to light a candle and have their joys and sorrows lifted before the congregation can proceed to Bowl A. Those who wish to light a candle with no ostentatious lifting can proceed to Bowl B. Those who abhor the entire candle lighting process can focus their attention on empty Bowl C and hum hymn number 123 quietly to themselves to avoid the whole experience."
Edith Savage sang a beautiful solo based on the song "Brother, Can you Spare a Dime?" with lyrics written by Nancy Mandly. Board President Carolyn Cartland made a cameo appearance as herself, and Laurie Kelliher was enchanting as the unflappable Worship Associate. The entire performance was dedicated to the memory of Charles Huntington, who not only distinguished himself on the Stewardship Committee, but was always willing to laugh at himself during a skit.
Our DRE Gail Syring, the author of the production, welcomes suggestions for future theatrical performances and opportunities to don her wings.At Our WITS End? - Hopefully, we’re not. We’ve heard a lot about WITS the past three Sundays, as Reverend BJ helped us take a look at the inner principles that guide our words and deeds. We use our WITS to do this, translating the acronym as “wise inner teacher” of children or “workable inner training story” of adults.
Participation was the overall theme of the series, and last Sunday’s sermon focused on how congregational life helps us in our need to participate. Reverend BJ suggested that participating involves give and take, and sometimes things can be done better when done together. “You and I need to participate, to invest ourselves in other people,” she said.
We come here, she continued, “to practice what we’ll do when we’re thrown into the lifeboat.” We come here to “make voluntary associations.” (Reverend BJ calls them “pocket gardens.”) Our internal stories help us make sense out of nonsense and order out of chaos. Our religious community sustains us, enhances our lives and validates and nurtures our better selves. By participating here, we can change and/or enhance our internal stories, which are not set in stone, Reverend BJ said.
During worship we welcome the sense of all imagination and stories of possibilities, she said. We nurture “wild, impossible stories” expressing the power of great love. We can use prayer to seek the guidance of our inner teacher and to strengthen our WITS.
Reverend BJ used the novel The Life of Pi as an example of how imagination, possibility and intellectual vigor are possible when we use our WITS. It is a story of survival, belief, behavior, hope and hopelessness. In it, 16-year old Pi, who has formed his own belief system after studying Hinduism, Islam and Catholicism (he is equally enthralled by science), finds himself the sole human being in a crowded lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger.
The Meeting House is the place where we can let go of our “daily, mundane, task-driven lives,” Reverend BJ suggested. It is here we can “overcome the natural tendency to do nothing because we don’t know what to do… Our lives are real and relevant when we participate.” - Kayla Costenoble
An Unsolicited Testimonial - Reverend BJ came over to me last Sunday shortly before the service began to be sure I would be available to stand with her and hand out candles during the Candles of Memory and Hope part of the service. I assured her I would be; I have begun to consider this my “job.” Then she said, “ Why don’t you write about what it means to you?” And those ten words led—somewhat to my surprise—to some more serious thinking than I usually engage in.
Reverend BJ is, of course, quite used to it—standing in front of and looking out at her congregation. But to me, it’s a revelation and an incredible experience. I know so many of the people out there; I’ve been a member of the USH for 34 years. These are my friends, my support group; they will be there for me when I need it, and I will be there for them. So many of the familiar faces come from attending Small Group Ministry sessions. (Earl and I are SGM groupies; we’ve only missed about two since they started many years ago.) Some are from the small social dinners we have been enjoying ever since Marion Kelliher moved here and introduced them to us. Meeting and eating together is great.
I have to restrain myself as I hand out the slim white candles to the long lines of people approaching me. I’d love to reach out, greet and hug each person, but that’s not part of the job description. So I don’t. Some add a personal touch. One person lights a candle, then puts his hands in prayer position. Another does not actually light a candle, but puts his two hands above the burning candles to absorb their warmth.
I do not consider myself a spiritual person — whatever that word means. I’m among those who groan during a SGM when we are asked, ”And how does this (insert topic of the day) affect your spirituality?” And yet, this candle-lighting ceremony has become important to me. Especially when the lines are finished and I light my own candle. Kayla CostenobleCaring Network - Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect. - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus 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.
Social Justice Journeys (From the UUA) And from USH
Further Down The Road (About 30 Days)
Economic Conversation Planned - We will have an Economic Conversation on Sunday, May 2, after the service, to talk about the development of the 2010-2011 budget. Please join us to learn more and to provide feedback on the process.
Green Topics - Did You Know? - Two New Additions to the GREEN TABLE:
A toothbrush that gets your teeth cleaner and minimizes impact on the environment. While the bristles are brand new, the handle is made from recycled yogurt cups. Compared to virgin polypropylene, the process for the type of plastic in this toothbrush uses 46% less electricity; 77 % less natural gas, 48% less coal, 75% less oil; 64% less greenhouse gases and 54% less water.
Other Benefits: Handle 100% recycled #5 plastic;( bristles new nylon ); easy-to-grip curved handle; tiered bristles for gentle, thorough cleaning; completely recyclable after use via a prepaid mailer); BPA free; made in the USA. WOW!
Earth Friendly Air Freshener: Citrus Scent; A natural non-aerosol formula made from real citrus oils. Smells great. $3.50Turn out. Take Action. - Earth Hour. March 27, 8:30-9:30 PM., local time. Turn your lights off.
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
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 03/24/10 8:30 PM)
.jpg)
