USH-Enews for July 24, 2008 Print Only Edition

Home Page for the website of the Unitarian Society of Hartford.
Word Version of this document in color with photographs, which will print nicely for those who use Microsoft Word.
Link to various "normal" newsletters.

The 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.

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Filtered Summer Sun
photo by Carol Cooper

Worshipping Together Since 1830
Summer Services at 10 AM

Sunday - July 27th A Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning: Searching Together - How can we walk our different paths in search of truth and meaning in community? How might we affirm and promote diverse (and sometimes contradictory) truths within a congregation, city, and country? - Cathy Rion will explore the tension between individual freedom and our responsibility to each other as we search for truth and meaning.

About the Speaker: Cathy Rion is a student at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California where she is studying to become a UU Social Justice Minister. She has worked as a community organizer on issues of educational equity and racial justice, and she is a cellist and proud chocoholic. Cathy grew up in West Hartford and is glad to be back for her CPE (chaplaincy internship) at St. Francis Hospital this summer.

Music -

REflections on Children's Programming - Religious education for Unitarian Universalist children focuses on teaching our children about the religious world and encouraging them to take their place in it." ~Unitarian Universalist Association

Perennial Wisdom - Marye Gail Harrison joins us in Religious Education class today, to speak about being a shoe store man's daughter. Have you looked closely at your shoes lately?

The scheduled speaker for August 10th has changed. For details on the new program see services.

From the Editor:

This Week’s Feature Articles

Engagement Announced
What's in a Name?
News from GHICEJ
Love is the Spirit of This Church

Engagement Announced - The good folks at USH congratulate John Jesensky and Katherine LaPorta on their recent engagement!

John and Katie have worked at the Meeting House for the past three years; John as Tenor soloist and now Music Associate, Katie as our Soprano soloist and Children's Choir Director. Their musical ambitions have made them a dynamic team for over four years, and they are thrilled to share their engagement news with USH friends.

What's in a Name? - For many, researching names for a family tree can be a fascinating business. For UU member Marion Kelliher, this exercise yielded an unexpected surprise.

Marion wondered about the origin of her maiden name of Evilsizer. Her research took her back to her great great grandfather Joshua Evilsizer (born in 1795) who helped organize the Baptist Church of Elkton, Illinois in 1842. However, two years later, great great grandpa was, according to church minutes, .."excluded for hearsay universalism and general immorality."

Marion learned that his "general immorality" included drinking too much ardent spirits, singing and whistling reels and gigs and playing cards and checkers. But perhaps, she suggests, "hearsay uinversalism was an even greater sin." - Kayla Costenoble

NEWS from GHICEJ and the Noah Webster Partnership Project - For the last two years, several faith communities have joined Immanuel Congregational Church in providing backpacks for the entire incoming fourth grade at NWMSMS. Each class gets its own color, and it's great to see the classes lined up in the morning with their bright book packs. They are ordered in early August, and delivered to school as soon as they come in. Fourth grade families are notified that these await them on the first school day. It is a nice way for the fourth grade to celebrate BEING fourth graders and having big kid backpacks.

Please join your fellow faith communities in supporting this initiative. Some churches make a pulpit announcement, and others use money from a service committee budget. We need approximately $1,800 dollars. Contributions can be sent to:

Social Action and Mission Committee at Immanuel UCC - 10 Woodland Street Hartford, CT.

If there are extra funds, these will go toward the NW library budget. The library is thousands of books short for a school of the size of NW, and since the librarian can purchase books more inexpensively than we can do it for her; the best plan is to assist her in her purchasing.

In addition, Immanuel UCC will sponsor a book drive. For the book drive it is really important to get decent books. If families have no children's books to donate, they can donate even a small amount of cash to the library fund because the librarians can purchase amazing numbers of books with only few dollars. A book drive would create an inventory of books that can be given to children by the librarian and or school staff.

These would be kept in the Family Resource Room. We are told that the best books are classics, or current books, as well as books that celebrate the diversity that is represented at NW. Many of the teachers have created their own libraries in the classroom with their own money because there are so few books in the library.

Please consider making a donation to a very worthy cause. - Submitted by Shai Cassell

Love is the Spirit of This Church – The title of Nina Elgo’s sermon last week was most appropriate as she described the things in her life experience that taught her the lessons illustrated a few months ago when we received “stones” after a service reminding us of a powerful children’s message, the stones said, “You are loved, and so are they.

She noted how important the concept is of understanding you are worthy of love, and her experiences in social services where so many troubled children consider they are without value, a concept soon leading to difficulties.

Nina described her own search for meaningful personal relationships, and how after considerable life experience she found her way to USH, and was surprised and heartened to find a place where religion and science could be the subject of a sermon and rational thought was helpful to religious belief. As many of us know, she soon became and remains an enthusiastic participant in USH affairs currently serving as Secretary on the Board.

As part of a community, where we begin each service with the words, “..Love is the Spirit of this Church…” Nina came to understand the words clearly when in the middle of a painful surgical procedure, her mind suddenly presented her with a vision of all of those in the USH community who love her and “surrounded” her during her pain. As she put it, “ And then something, dare I say it, miraculous happened. I became flooded with this sense that I was loved.”

She ended the service with these words,

“May then Love be the Spirit of this Church.

“Representing unity in our diversity, may its walls, which encircle us, hold our hearts and make them strong as we accept with grace the challenges of our lives together.”

You may read the complete sermon now posted on the web. - DCN

What Else is Happening & Announcements

The June-August Meetinghouse Messenger is available.

Ballots for Next Season's Movies - in the Friday Dinner and Movie Series are due Friday, August 1.

Voters are asked to choose Nine titles from the list of nominations. If you did not receive a ballot (or misplaced yours) and want to vote, you can request one by emailing pickmovies(at symbol)ushartford.com or calling the USH office at 233-9897 to receive one by US Mail.

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The winning titles for the 2008-9 season will be announced at the USH Programs Fair in September. Individual and season tickets will also be available then.

Further Down The Road (About 30 Days)

Painters Needed - In August a team of painters, not necessarily the artistic type, will enhance the appearance of another classroom. More

Alerting ALL Women-Folk at USH - Save the Date: October 24-26. More

External Events and Educational Notes

On the Calendar

Thursday, July 24
6:00 pm BTWWDA, Emerson
7:00 pm Rental, Ballou

Friday, July 25
1:00 pm Transitions Group, David’s Den

Saturday, July 26
10:30 am Rental, Chapel

Sunday, July 27
10:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
11:00 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
3:00 pm Rental, Chapel

Tuesday, July 29
7:00 pm Small Group Ministry, David’s Den
8:00 pm AA, Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, July 30
6:00 pm Dharma Gathering, Emerson

Thursday, July 31
7:00 pm Rental, Ballou

Friday, August 1
5:00 pm Wedding Rehearsal, Sanctuary

Saturday, August 2
3:30 pm Wedding, Sanctuary

Sunday, August 3
10:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
11:00 pm Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
3:00 pm Rental, Chapel

Italicized 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!

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 -

Marye Gail Harrision has a copy of Ron Mallet's "Time Traveler" she would loan to anyone at church who wants to borrow it. See her at the hospitality table after the service. Did You Know? - .... that cute digital photo frame you are thinking of buying will suck electricity all day. If every household in America owned one, it would take five medium-sized power plants just to keep those family photo slide shows rolling. (U.S. News & World Report April 28, 2008)

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 Hartford