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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 For May 8, 2008
Jump to: Calendar; What's happening; A matter of opinion; External events; Further Down the Road; Did You Know?
Photos by Fred Louis - see storyThe 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. And, to read the monthly Meetinghouse Messenger (newsletter) on the web 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 Services at 9 & 11 AM
Ahem, we are getting later in our swarming into the Sanctuary when the service is getting underway. How about planning to arrive at the service, perhaps, two full minutes earlier than necessary? Just a suggestion - DCN
Sunday - May 11th - Flower Festival - It’s our once a year, uniquely Unitarian ritual celebrating Spring, unity in diversity, and this year, Mother’s Day! Please bring a flower or two to be placed in a common vase - Rev. Jamestone
Music -The annual Flower Festival will be graced with flower songs from nearly all our choirs, starting with our littlest Chalice Children. The Children's Choir sings as well, and the Chancel Choir has just discovered a beautiful favorite. Several choir members attended a workshop by composer Morton Lauridsen and were entranced by his setting of "Dirait-on" ("So they say") from his Chansons de la Rose. Perfect for Flower Festival!
REflections on Children's Programming - Intergenerational Service
This Sunday, May 11th will be our annual intergenerational Flower Festival. There will be child care, but no regular classes.
Registration for Fall/RE Assistance
As the summer rapidly approaches, registration for Fall religious education classes is upon us. Please visit the table in the lobby for your family's registration form and be sure to volunteer some of your talent to the program.
Request for Summer Storytellers
Help pass on the wisdom of our parents and grandparents to our children. We need people willing to volunteer to tell a story to our RE class this summer. Brush off your favorite bit of wisdom, your most exciting adventure, or even your tallest tale and share it with our children. Please contact Gail at: dre@ushartford.com for more information. - Gail M. Syring, DRE
What Else is Happening & AnnouncementsTaize service Friday, May 9 at 6 PM in the Chapel.
Patrice Fitzgerald, Mezzo-Soprano sings music by women composers in her final Hartt graduate voice recital. Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 7:00 PM. The Unitarian Meeting House, 50 Bloomfield Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut
Hildegard von Bingen, 1098-1179, Barbara Strozzi, 1619-1677, E.T.P.A. (Maria Antonia Walpurgis), 1724-1782, Louise Reichardt, 1779-1826, Anna Amalia, Herzogin von Sachsen-Weimar, 1739-1807, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, 1805-1847, Clara Wieck Schumann, 1819-1896, Alma Maria Schindler-Mahler, 1879-1964, Pauline Viardot, 1821-1910, Jane Vieu, 1871-1955, Poldowski (Irene Wieniawski), 1880-1932, Nadia Boulanger, 1887-1979, Lili Boulanger, 1893-1918, Libby Larsen, 1950-
Piano and harpsichord accompaniment by Stephen Scarlato. Vocal and spiritual assistance by Richard Leslie and Gabriel Löfvall
A reception will follow the performance. This free recital is part of the Eighth Annual Women Composers Festival.
New Ambulatory Art Show for May by Ruth Brody - Ruth is listed in Who’s Who in American Art as a painter and printmaker. Born in New York City in 1917, she knew from an early age that she was destined to be an artist. For a solo show at Seabury Retirement Community in Bloomfield, where she lived at the end of her life, she wrote:
The inspiration for my work comes mainly from two sources: first, what is happening in the world around me, and second, the free associations that arise spontaneously from my imagination. Although I had a classical art education – a B.A. in Fine Arts from Hunter college and an M.A. in Fine Arts from Teachers college, Columbia University – it did not take long for me to be drawn into the orbit of the experimental movements that began to proliferate in the 1930s and 1940s. I studied with other teachers outside the academic environment such as Raphael Soyer, Nahum Tschacbasov and Harry Shoulberg, and I have continued to find influences in exploratory work.
Ruth Brody exhibited with the Knickerbocker Artists in New York, the Silvermine Guild in Connecticut, the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, and other juried exhibitions. She was a member of Gallery 84 in Manhattan, giving a solo show and winning awards.
But for thirty years my energies were sidetracked into teaching. I taught art in secondary schools in New York City and nearby Yonkers, squeezing in a career as a painter and graphic artist into the time left from teaching and mothering a family of three children. Since retirement I explored projects in various media.
Ruth Brody never wanted to restrict her artistic styles or media. She taught and created artworks in drawing, watercolor, oil and acrylic painting, many types of printmaking, serigraphy, sculpture, collage and assemblage, and more. Her home in the Bronx was filled with the creations of a lifetime. These are now dispersed among the homes of her children – Mattie Banzhaf in Connecticut, Oliver Brody in Vermont and Joshua Brody in San Francisco – and her grandchildren in Boston and Tokyo. She died in June 2006 but her spirit of fierce integrity and her art continue to enrich our lives.
Farmington Valley Arts Center to feature pen, ink and pencil drawings of Dick Hall. The Arts Center is located at 25 Arts Center Lane, Avon, CT 06001. The Opening Reception is May 9, 6-9 PM and the show will continue from May 8 - May 31st.
The Membership Sub-Council invites you to attend a “welcome wagon meeting” on Friday, May 16, 1:30 PM. Rev. BJ's work next year will focus on converting honored guests into beloved members. We are looking for like-minded folks to help with this work. WANTED: all those who believe hospitality is both a moral imperative and a lot of fun! Please join in this Membership 2008-2009 kick-off!
Cabinet Needed - Are you downsizing or just having a tag sale? We are looking for a donation of a cabinet to house our aprons and tablecloths in the space left of the fridge. Something between 16”-24” wide and 5’-6’ tall would save us $75 for a similar one at a local home center. Please contact Peter Magistri if you can help.
Women's Alliance 2008 Education Grant Applications Due June 1st - The UAMW of USH is pleased to announce that their Educational Grant applications are available during the month of May. More
Announcing Summer Small Group Ministry - Sign Up Now for Summer Small Group Ministry - The summer Small Group Ministry session is filling up fast, so you should sign up now if you’re interested. This summer we are offering just one program in July, and we have only three openings. The group will meet on four Tuesday evenings in July, beginning on July 1. The group will be facilitated by RE Director Gail Syring and hosted by Janice and David Newton. It will meet at the USH Meeting House in air-conditioned space.
Interested persons can identify accessibility concerns (including assisted listening devices or allergies) with Mike Roy (561-4061) so we can address them to the best of our ability.
You may consult the Programs Catalog for more information. Please sign up by contacting the church office (233-9897). - Mike Roy
From the Adult Programs Sub-Council: There will not be a Programs table this Sunday, May 11. If you have a topic or interest that you would like to offer or suggest be part of the Adult Programs curriculum next fall, you may contact an AP committee member and/or fill out a proposal form. Proposal forms are available in the office and the USH website (click on Spiritual Life and then Adult Programs).
AP Sub-Council members - Janice Newton, Chair, Ginny Berrien, Helen David, Virginia de Lima, Nita Hansen, Barbara Hellenga, Mary Leonard, Nancy Reed, Beverly Spence. We'd like to hear from you!
Ember Days will be celebrated Wednesday, May 14,12- 2 PM, Friday and Saturday, May 16, 17, 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Led by Rev. Jamestone, this fourth seasonal observance will include spiritual exercises and time for personal introspection in silence. Come to any or all of the sessions. No registration needed.
Copies of Nonviolent Communication - A Language of Life and Respectful Parents Respectful Kids, 7 keys to Turn Family Conflict Into Cooperation are available at the Book Cart on Sundays for $15 each. These books were used in conjunction with recent USH Nonviolent Communication studies.
Caring Network - " Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." ~ Mother Teresa
- 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.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.
Leadership School for Lay Leaders- Unitarian Universalist history and principles. Theology and worship modules are combined with leadership skills development to provide participants with a new and stimulating way to incorporate UU theology, spirituality and leadership.
Are you a lay leader looking for ways to energize a board or committee? Have you recently accepted a leadership role in your congregation and are wondering how you’re going to manage? With participation in the NELS program you will return to your congregation with stronger group leadership skills, new ideas for your governing board and committees, and a greater integration of the UU principles into the day-to-day running of your congregation and your personal life.
This year’s program takes place in the beautiful setting of Craigville Conference Center on Cape Cod during the week of July 27, 2008 - August 2, 2008. Congregations must co-sponsor their participants. Check with your governing board to determine if there are funds available for lay leader training. Many UU districts offer scholarships, especially for congregations that have never sent members to NELS.
Applications have been sent to all congregations in the northeast U.S. For more information, contact Bill Young or Heather Ferguson-Hull. We hope to see you there this summer!
Further Down The Road (About 30 Days)
External Events and Educational Notes
The CT Coalition for Environmental Justice presents Body Burden, a modern day comedy about breast cancer, environmental health and you. This is a partner organization of USH. May 17 at First Presbyterian Church (next to the Bushnell), 7 PM; 6:30 mixer. $10 adult, $5 students. Questions to Dawn at 548-1133. - The Kembles
If anyone has a 10x10 or smaller canopy or craft show type tent that Interweave can use on June 7 or 8th for Hartford Pride in Elizabeth Park please contact Lisa Gabrielle @ 860 408 0009 or email @ lgabrielle(atsign)sbcglobal.net. Thanks.
World Refugee Day will be at the Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St www.hplct.org on Saturday, June 21 from noon until 4 PM. Hartford Sister Cities International, Hartford's Refugee Community and numerous other cultural organizations invite you and your family to commemorate World Refugee Day. Free events include exhibits, information, booths and dances from around the world. 695-6334 or ask Brian Smith. - The Kembles
The American Friends Service Committee, CT area, will hold the annual dinner at USH on Saturday, June 7 with silent auction at 4:15, dinner and program 5:30-9. "Engaging the Spirit for Justice and Peace: the Work of the AFSC" is the topic. $45 pp/$30 students/financial assistance. contact Connecticut@afsc.org
A Matter of Opinion: (space for comment on USH issues from members and friends) - Editor retains the right to make minor changes – letters should be issue oriented
Did You Know? -Wondering what a GREEN SANCTUARY IS? Interested in the environment becoming healthier?
Please join us for the next green sanctuary committee meeting at USH on May 21 (Wed) at 5:00 PM to hang out with like minded people and see what this is all about. (bev_prager@hotmail.com)
From the Editor:
This Week’s Feature Articles
Comments on Fall Sunday Scheduling
We Remember Dick Woodhull
Three Very Personal Stories
A Walk in Old WethersfieldComments on Fall Sunday Scheduling - Been following the discussions about the Sunday schedule to be implemented next fall? If so, you know BJ has invited email comment, which comment received on or before Friday May 9th at 4:30 PM will be posed on a special web page for your collective consideration early Saturday. Some comments are already posted and more will be arriving. The link to the web page has been deleted as it was a temporary one.
A Walk in Old Wetheresfield - an event to be long remembered. Last Sunday afternoon, under skies that changed from rainy in the morning to full sun in the afternoon, a group of about 40 USH members and friends stepped off on an AP sponsored trip through parts of Old Wethersfield under the skilled guidance of our own Betty Arnold and Ed Richardson.
Pausing before one old building or another, Betty explained some of the history of that venerable community as we moved among the colonial restored structures.
Meanwhile, Ed Richardson noted some large massive old trees along the way as well as some unique specimens explaining their attributes and environmental preferences. He is an expert in the location of very old trees in the state.
It was an extraordinarily rewarding afternoon to all in attendance. See photos kindly supplied by Fred Louis.
We Remember Dick Woodhull - As we were loading the table with good things to eat shortly before the memorial service for Dick Woodhull last Saturday morning, David Newton asked me, “Are you going to write about Richard?” And I realized that of course I would, sadly thinking that I am doing this too often of late, as “our” group keeps shrinking.
We learned a great deal about Dick during the service—from his son John, from USH friends and from neighbors. What emerged was a portrait of a caring, complicated man—past President of the Society, a member of the Search Committee that called Rev. Jon Luopa to the USH, happily married 58 years to his wife Helen. John spoke of growing up in a family where education and self-reliance were stressed. He said his father had opinions and convictions “on every possible subject.”
For years, Dick biked the 17-mile trip from Bloomfield to his work in Hartford. He also played tennis, cross-country skied, sailed and rowed. John recalled his father’s many inventions, some designed (not too successfully) to keep squirrels from his bird feeders. His life’s work was protecting Connecticut’s public water supply, for which he was named “Water Utility Man of the Year” in 1969. John said his father was “responsible for the miracle in Connecticut - our clean water.”
USH member Chris Smith said that for many years the Woodhulls and the Smiths lived about 200 yards from each other in Bloomfield. They became fast friends in church and in the Men’s Luncheon Group. “He was impatient with those whose minds were not nimble enough to follow his reasoning,” Chris said. “My life was enriched by knowing him.”
USH member Dick Edwards liked the picture of Dick Woodhull on the front of the memorial program order of service. “He looks quizzical…as if he’s contemplating some new venture,” Dick suggested. He described his friend as “a man of deep and strongly-held convictions…skilled, determined, tenacious.”
USH member Earl Costenoble remembered Dick as a faithful member of the church’s Great Decisions group. Dick was one of the few who earned perfect attendance certificates for many years. Earl told of an incident during a Great Decisions discussion where a guest speaker kept referring to President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative as “Star Wars.” This belittling terminology infuriated Dick. The first two times it was used, Dick corrected the speaker. At the third use, he stormed out of the room.
USH member Kayla Costenoble told of her first visit to Dick when he was at the Alexandria Manor nursing home. She attempted to explain the Church’s new Lay Listener Program and was queried repeatedly by a suspicious Dick Woodhull about why we were doing this, what we expected to get out of it, and why would anyone bother to do such a thing? “To keep in touch,” she explained.
USH member Tom Kemble wryly remembered that it would test your mettle if anything political came up, but that it was a “pure delight to be on the opposite side of Dick.” USH member Ed Richardson recalled that Dick originally supported the Democrats, then later “well defended conservative political principles.”
Rev. BJ remembered that shortly after the congregational vote to call her as the new USH minister, Dick was brave enough to tell her that he was one of the three persons who voted against her. When she visited him when he was ill, he recalled his vote and expressed surprise and appreciation that she would come. Rev. BJ said they then had some great conversations.
In her closing words, Rev. BJ reminded us that “Death ends a life; it does not end a relationship…memories light our path.” She concluded with excerpts from Walt Whitman”s “Leaves of Grass,” a volume Dick bought for his daughter Pam’s birthday after hearing Nat Lauriat speak of it:
“I depart as air—I shake my white locks at the runaway sun
I effuse my flesh in eddies, and drift in lacy jags.“I bequeathe myself to the dirt, to grow from the grass I love;
If you want me again, look for me under your boot-soles.
“You will hardly know who I am, or what I mean;
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.
“Failing to fetch me at first, keep encouraged;
Missing me one place, search another;
I stop somewhere, waiting for you.”- Kayla Costenoble
Three Very Personal Stories - It certainly could not have been easy for the three persons who told stories of their mental problems during the Disabilities Sunday service. It certainly was not easy for us listeners either. But as Rev. BJ reminded us, we “need to lay a foundation of care.” It takes time for inclusion, acceptance and empathy, she said, and she hopes that Sunday’s stories will increase our congregational awareness.
Dick Hall, a Friend of the USH, told us that he had 31 years of a privileged life, including marriage, fatherhood, then divorce. Paranoia symptoms led to his mental breakdown. He has spent the past 17 years in a residential home in Hartford and gets a “great deal of emotional support from you folks.” Rev. BJ said she gets support by looking at Dick Hall in his front seat each Sunday with his eyes closed and hands open, and she feels he is praying for her.
Bill LaPorte-Bryan, currently USH Council Chair for Social Justice and a very active member of the Society, spoke of his battles with bipolar disorder and the extreme high and low mood swings connected with it, Although he was born with a genetic abnormality, Bill said he lived a normal life for 32 years until the Christmas of 1969 when he suffered a painful injury during a football game, which led to a mental breakdown. The “miracle drug” lithium controlled these mood swings, but “when I retired, an amazing thing happened,” and he was weaned off the drug and now has no symptoms. Bill LaPorte-Bryan said he is “grateful for every day.”
Deb Meny has been a member of the Society for 19 years. Her “invisible disability” was misdiagnosed for 15 years, she told us, as “female emotional guilt.” It was finally diagnosed as an atypical type of epilepsy. She was “sucked into a whirlpool” where she hated herself, became unbalanced, uncontrolled and suicidal. With much help, she said, she is slowly learning to understand these abrupt behavioral challenges and is working to learn new ways to become balanced.
Sunday’s service, put together by the Disabilities Sub-Council, was our first “theme team service.” Last year, members of the Sub-Council began creating a plan to address the concerns of persons with brain disorders and mental health issues. Sunday’s offering will benefit the Chrysalis Center of Hartford, an agency that provides rehabilitation and health care support for individuals and families confronting mental illness, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, homelessness and poverty. - Kayla Costenoble
On the CalendarThursday, May 8
3:30 pm Fitzgerald Rehearsal, Sanctuary
5:30 pm Lay Listeners, Emerson
6:30 pm Performing Arts Sub-Council, Library
Friday, May 9
11:00 am Memorial Service (rental), Sanctuary
5:30 pm Dinner and Movie, Fellowship Hall
6:00 pm Taize Service, Chapel
Saturday, May 10
10:00 am Rental, Chapel
10:00 am Worship Arts Training, Emerson
7:00 pm Fitzgerald Graduate Vocal Recital, Sanctuary
Sunday, May 11
8:00 am Music Rehearsal, Sanctuary
9:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, CHAPEL
10:00 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Coming of Age, Fuller
10:00 am Children’s Choir, Chapel
10:00 am Council on Social Justice, Library
11:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
12:00 pm Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
3:00 pm Rental, Chapel
Monday, May 12
7:00 pm Council on Spiritual Life, Servetus
7:00 pm NVC Practice Group
Tuesday, May 13
6:30 pm Board of Directors, Library
6:45 pm Caring Network Sub-Council, Servetus
8:00 pm AA, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, May 14
12:00 pm Ember Days, Chapel
2:45 pm Rental, Servetus
5:15 pm Tai Chi, Fellowship Hall
6:00 pm Dharma Gathering, Emerson
6:30 pm Tai Chi, Fellowship Hall
7:00 pm ICEJ Education Task Force, Library
7:30 pm Choir rehearsal, Sanctuary
7:30 pm NVC practice group, Emerson
Friday, May 16
1:00 pm Transitional Group, Library
1:00 pm Membership Sub-Council, Minister’s Study
5:30 pm SGM for Families, Fellowship Hall
6:00 pm Ember Days, Chapel
Saturday, May 17
6:00 pm Ember Days, Chapel
Sunday, May 18
8:00 am Music Rehearsal, Sanctuary
9:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
10:00 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Coming of Age, Fuller
10:00 am Youth Choir, Chapel
10:00 am Building & Grounds, Murray
10:00 am Comfort Shawl Knitters, Lower Lobby
10:00 am Disabilities Sub-council, Library
11:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
12:00 pm Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
12:30 pm BTWWDA, Emerson
3:00 pm Rental, ChapelItalicized entries are non-USH events.
Please notify Brian Mullen of all additions or changes to the calendar. Follow this Link to all our scheduled events!
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 05/09/08 3:20 PM)
