50 Bloomfield Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105 Tel: (860) 233-9897 / FAX 233-1333 Email: firstunitarian@ushartford.com Reverend Barbara Jamestone, PhD

Home Page- Link Central Questions and Comments	USH-Enews For August 23, 2007 Jump to: Calendar; What's happening; A matter of opinion; External events; Further down the road; Did You Know? Text only Printer Friendly Format
	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 line, or past issues of the weekly USH-Enews click here. Office hours: M-F 9-3 (excluding W 10 -11); Rev. Jamestone: Phone: 860 233-9897; Email: RevBJ@USHartford.com - Rev. BJ office hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday by appointment.
	Worshipping Together Since 1830 - Services Held During the Summer at 10 AM Sunday - 26 August - Who Are We ... Really? (10 AM Service) - Join in six fanciful interviews with a chemist, an astronomer, a theoretical physicist, Lao-Tzu, Albert Einstein, and BJ as they answer this question. - Bill LaPorte-Bryan Music - This week we will hear Allegretto from Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, Andante from The First Symphony by Beethoven and Spring Song by Schumann. The music explores the beauty of epiphany. A bit selfishly on my part, I have included music that, through the years, has offered that glorious moment of enlightenment to me. My hope is that through its performance, these gorgeous pieces may do the same for you. Please join me in exploring who we are, and what music can do for our spirits. - John Jesensky Name a Hymn - One "transition" you’ll notice during worship this year  will be that the first hymn will be the same hymn every week for an entire month. This is a way of teaching our children our great hymns.  Please examine your heart and our hymnal for hymns that seem to you to reflect the core of our faith, and which our children should know. Then, email me the name/number of that hymn for consideration! Following the benediction, please feel free to exit, or to sit and enjoy the postlude. REflections - This week, August 26th, we will be celebrating Cat in the Hat day! Please join us for the story and an opportunity to make your own hat.  With luck, the cat will have the house clean before the service is over! Next week, September 2nd will be our last summer church camp day.  We will be playing outside for a Field Day, weather permitting. September 9th will be Ingathering Sunday, an intergenerational service at both 9 and 11, and regular classes will begin on September 16th at 11AM.   Sermon Published - Do you have the most important things in your life placed first in your priorities? Principies sermon of August 16 is on the web. What Else is Happening  & Announcements Holly Near in Concert - Following months of preparation, the Unitarian Performing Arts Sub-Council is pleased to offer an opportunity to hear Holly Near in Concert at the Meeting House. More A Meeting With Bo Lozoff - Thursday, August 30, 7:00 p.m. - More Vehicles and Drivers Needed for a Few Bulky Items - Give Gail Syring a call (233-9897) if you can transport cabinetry, a crib and/or 4 x 8' panels sometime during the next two weeks. From the Adult Programs Sub-Council - Mark your calendars for the Fall Programs Fair!  On Sunday, September 16, at 10 AM and Noon, you will have a chance to pick up the new Fall Programs Catalog and register for spiritual, intellectual, fun and community building programs. Good Books Available -The Official USH Used Book Sale will be starting up again September 9. More Caring Network - Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.  ~Mark Twain You are the ears of the Caring Network. Diana Heymann is the Chair of the Caring Network. Please tell Diana (heydiana(at symbol)comcast.net) 860.461.0908, or call the office when you learn of any of our members enduring the stresses of life so we can reach out to those in need. - Offer your services. A wide range of community services are available to help you. Call InfoLine at 211. ON THE CALENDAR: Thursday, August 23 7:00 pm  Small Group Ministry, David   Sunday, August 26 9:00 am  Music Rehearsal, Chapel 10:00 am  WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY 11:00 am  Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall 3:00 pm  Rental, Chapel   Monday, August 27 6:30 pm  Survivors of Incest Anonymous, Murray Tuesday, August 28 7:00 am  Carpet cleaning, Building-wide 8:00 pm  AA, Fellowship Hall Thursday, August 30 7:00 pm  “A Meeting with Bo Lozoff”, Sanctuary   Sunday, September 2 9:00 am  Music Rehearsal, Chapel 10:00 am  WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY 11:00 am  Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall 3:00 pm  Rental, Chapel   Italicized entries are non-USH events. - Please notify Brian Mullen (233.9897) of all additions or changes to the calendar. More general calendar information covering several months may be found here. Further Down The Road (About 30 Days Max) Family Fun-Raising Event for LGBT Families & Allies - Friday, September 7th 6pm - 8PM at the Carousel at Bushnell Park, Hartford Reserve Your Tickets Today at www.lmfct.org * Unlimited Carousel Rides, Playground, Pizza & Popcorn, Face Painting! * Bring your kids, grand kids, nieces, and nephews-all are welcome! Rain or shine. * Suggested Donation: $40 per Family OR be a Family Pride Sponsor at $100! (RSVP by 9/4) * Proceeds benefit Love Makes a Family's campaign for marriage equality for same-sex couples in Connecticut. Fool for Christ - A One-Woman Play Portraying the Life of Dorothy Day - September 27 More Artist and Activist Holly Near in Concert - co-presented by The Unitarian Society of Hartford and Love Makes A Family Saturday, October 20, at 7:30 P.M. at the Unitarian Meeting House, 50 Bloomfield Avenue, Hartford, CT. More information and ticket details. Ministry Matters: Strengthening Lay & Professional Leadership - A program presented by the UU New England Conference - Saturday October 27, 2007 Beechwood Hotel, Worcester MA 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM ($90 per person). You can download the pdf brochure that is available on this web page. USH Members Discuss Sunday’s Two Services - It’s not an easy picture to envision—more than 50 members of the USH packing the chapel on Sunday, August 19, for a modified small-group-ministry-style discussion of the pros and cons after a church year of two Sunday services.  But it did, indeed, take place, and facilitator Rev. BJ set the tone by reminding the many speakers-to-be, “You and I are here to listen to each other speak from our hearts.”  Agreed-upon ground rules included: no dialoging; avoid praise and blame; be non-judgmental; speak from a first person (“I”) perspective; no boos, hissing or eye rolling; self-restraint; respect for minority opinions and no interruptions or side conversations. Rev. BJ asked for comments/opinions on three two service-connected  areas: How are they functioning? Is it different from what you thought it would be? Do you have ideas on changes in worship? Overall, people liked the change in direction that our worship is taking.  Many felt encouraged by the creativity exhibited, and hope that other areas can be examined, such as the length of service time, start time for the first service and divergence in types of services.   The intimacy and the “outdoor setting” in the Chapel are appealing.  Having two services offers worship alternatives and choices on when to attend (besides, you don’t always have to go to the same service).  And on a practical basis, having two services has resolved the parking problem for the present. But there were certainly definite concerns and anxieties expressed:  fear of change itself; too much change, too fast; fear of losing certain traditions such as classical music and lengthy sermons; loss of the overall community experience by dividing attendance; need for more factual information on how/if two services have affected attendance and membership; and need to increase sense of congregational inclusiveness on big decisions. Responding, Society President Bill Young said attendance at the 11 AM service remains the same, but those coming to the 9 AM service raise overall attendance by about 20 percent.   He reminded attendees that, “We chose to go down a different path” with a new minister and a new Worship Associate plan. Past President Charles Huntington admitted the process of changing to two services “could have been handled better” and felt the level of distress seemed greater than the issue itself. In retrospect, it is clear that opportunity for congregational input was insufficient. Rev. BJ said the questions we will keep coming back to are, “What is our mission?  What are we trying to create?” She feels we make space for something uniquely possible on Sunday mornings that couldn’t happen any other time in our lives.  She expressed hope that we will limit our ‘business’ meetings on Sunday mornings, so that we will each be more mentally and spiritually available for a ‘sabbath’ experience, and so that we are more fully present to providing hospitality to new comers.  She went on to suggest that we allow adult religious education programs to meet during either worship service, as there are many ways to encounter the sacred and to grow in spirit.  The group agreed, and as a result, our  “Great Decisions” group, which meets in the Spring, will be taking advantage of this opportunity. For the 2007-2008 church year, services will continue to be held at 9 and 11 AM. At the conclusion of the hour-plus meeting, Rev. BJ acknowledged her joy at the cooperative listening spirit of the gathering.  She concluded by saying that it will be a priority for her this year to continue exploring some fusion of our great Unitarian tradition of ‘traditional’  sermonic and musical elements with interactive and contemporary elements which church growth research indicates is important for achieving our mission of growth in service, spirit, support, and numbers. - Kayla Costenoble, with reports from “official scribes” Amy Hines and Margaret Leicach Did You Know? - Just what would our foreign policy look like if we were energy independent?	From the Editor: Many thanks to the crew spiffing up the RE classrooms. Give them a hand in finishing up the job, if you can. This Week’s Feature Articles Youth Win Award Board Announces Appointment USH Members Discuss Sunday's Two Services New Members Welcomed Lessons from the Lounge Chair Lay Pastoral Care Training Getting to Know Bill LaPorte-Bryan USH Youth Win Award - Our youth group of autumn-sleeping-out-in-boxes fame is being awarded the Allison Chase Spirit Award along with the Gengras Center by the Board of Directors of My Sisters' Place on September 25th. In the language of the blurb reaching the editor, "..and it certainly takes a special kind of spirit to sleep in a box on a cold winter night helping to create awareness regarding the blight of homelessness. Each year the Unitarian Church's Youth Group conducts a sleep out to raise funds for My Sisters' Place's mission. At my Sisters' Place... we know how important it is for young people to stand up for what they believe. We are proud and honored to be associated with such a special group of teens and youth. " Congratulations on receiving the Spirit Award." Let's all have electronic high-fives for our youth group! Board Announces Appointment - Peg Otto, Elected at-large member of the Board for Social Justice was called to a new job on the West Coast earlier this summer. The Board has announced the appointment of Carolyn Cartland to the remainder of the unexpired term. Congratulations Carolyn! You can learn more about Carolyn here and note her additional work for National UUA (as long as the link lasts). L- R front -  new members Fran Oatess, Ann Farmer, and Barbara Thornburg, along with Sherry Anderson (not shown) joined the USH family during the service on 8/19.  Bill Young, President and Martha Page, Chair, Membership, are shown in the back row. Lessons From the Lounge Chair - It was good hearing that soft Southern accent again.  During her “guest speaker” appearance at the Unitarian Meeting House on August 19,  our own Rev. BJ suggested that the time for lounging that summer offers can lead to moments of reflection.  She said, “I got here by grace and by the good sense to lie in a lounge chair.” Lounging and reflecting help us to see differently and to review “our hearts’ imperviousness.” Attending General Assembly (GA) helps her to cure her own imperviousness, Rev. BJ explained.  The question heard over and over again during this summer’s GA was, “In today’s complex world, what is our mission as a faith community?”  Rev. BJ admitted that she tries to avoid ministerial responsibilities during GA so she can wander and choose freely from among the myriad offerings.  What one chooses to do, she suggested, is a Rorschach test of what is most important to that person. Items in the GA catalog Rev. BJ circled included worship, dismantling chaos, kids’ issues, United Nations hot topics (such as social justice), theology of peace-making, changing lives to change worlds, church growth,  paganism (“I won’t scare you all with that too often…”) and family focus events. New hymns we sang during Sunday’s service were from, “Singing the Journey, A Supplement to Singing the Living Tradition,” and included some written by friends of Rev. BJ. -  Kayla Costenoble Lay Pastoral Care Associate Training Coming This Fall - - What is Lay Pastoral Care? Pastoral care is traditionally considered to be that part of the minister’s role which includes acting as a pastor, one who tends the souls of the parishioners through listening, attention, and a certain quality of presence. It does not usually connote actual hands on helping, but is more a "sitting with" others as they navigate life’s waters of the moment.  (I recall as a hospital chaplain, how hard it was to sit with patients, and not assist those who needed it  with eating, which was forbidden to the chaplain staff!)  Whether smooth sailing and celebration, or choppy water and crisis, the idea of pastoral care is that "the times of our lives" can be more powerful and precious when awareness and attention from another person is present. Though the minister is always available for rituals commemorating life passages, and is present in times of critical need, it is not possible for the minister to regularly call on and give full listening attention to each member of a congregation on each occasion that they might need or want pastoral accompaniment. That is why larger congregations often have  a team of lay pastoral care associates. A lay pastoral care team made up of trained and mentored members can help a congregation to be sure that every member will know they are not alone in times of need. This fall a professional consultant and I will be training such a team at USH.  If you have life experience or training  in the art of attentive listening and being present to others as they make difficult decisions, navigate life passages, discern critical next steps, or just need to be reminded that they are not alone, AND you feel some sense of calling to such a ministry at USH, please ask Rosie to email you an application.  The team will be selected, and  training sessions will be held this Fall, either during seven lunch hours or on five evenings.  The exact nature of your "listening" commitment will be determined by your interest and availability, and by the particular needs of congregants at any given time. (Please RSVP with your application as soon as possible, as I need to establish a contract with our consultant soon.) With such a team of committed lay listeners, our congregation can reach out with awareness and attention to those among us who need care. Lay pastoral care associates will work in tandem with members of the Caring Network, which will continue providing the same excellent "hands on" care and nurture for which its members have become famous.  I will be providing ongoing mentoring and supervision of the lay pastoral care associates program. - Rev BJ Getting to know you - Bill LaPorte-Bryan, Chair, Council on  Social Justice – Bill comes to us in retirement and, as many of us know, has focused a good bit of post-retirement effort on contributions to the improvement of USH life. Photo by Anne Bailey Bill earned BS in mathematics from Swarthmore College, MBA from Washington University in St. Louis before is 41 year career with IBM. This included various positions in marketing, eight years as a sales and systems engineering manager, three years as Executive Assistant to the IBM Senior VP of Strategic Planning, eight years as manager of various marketing support departments in IBM’s business outside of the United States, three years as a teacher in the world-wide Executive Training Center and 19 years as Director of the International Customer Executive Briefing Center. Bill’s family includes Ann LaPorte-Bryan whom he met at coffee hour shortly after he joined USH in 2004,  step-children  19 year-old Zaike and 13 year-old Zuri and a son Scott who lives in Philadelphia and daughter Rebecca, a recent past president of USH.  He is also proud to report he has four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.  Bill’s son in-law Bart is also a recent past president of USH. Asked for thoughts he would like to share with us Bill says, “I love the diversity of the wonderful people who are our society’s members or friends or who come to visit us.  When we are wise and practice our UU principles, I believe that diversity is the bedrock strength of USH.  However, when we focus on our differences rather than the things that make us one, our struggle with that diversity can weaken all of us.  So, our glass is equally half-full and half-empty depending on whether we live our principles or just talk about them.” Bill’s hobby,  (note today’s service)  is cosmology but his passion is people starting with family and ending with the whole human race. Before Bill moved to Connecticut, He lived in New York and belonged to a 40-person secular Unitarian fellowship with no minister and no paid staff.  He says, “I loved it because of the people and the same UU principles we practice at USH.  When I joined USH in 2004, I discovered, somewhat to my surprise, that I was a spiritual being.  The only things that the First Unitarian Society of Westchester, NY and USH have in common are wonderful people and the UU principles.  Despite their differences, in both of them, I found my religious home. -DCN Getting to Know You: Past profiles: Bill Young - President Heather Ferguson-Hull - President Elect Nina Elgo - Board Secretary Margaret Leicach - Treasurer Karla Principe, Board Member -  Council on Community Within Elected At-Large Mattie Banzhaf, Music Director 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) Women to Women Project - As a delivery person for the Food for Children Program, I have had the opportunity to talk with representatives at Liberty Church when I distribute canned goods. Whenever my contact is with a woman, she invariably, in lowered tones, asks if there is any chance of getting contributions of women's sanitary products. Mothers' don't want to take money out of their already too skimpy food budgets for these items yet, they have little choice. All of you women reading this have biologically "been there." Probably though, you did not have to chose between your personal needs and your children's need for food. Will you be willing to join me in a project to help women in a way that is so basic? If so, please consider sending small amounts of money or giving donations of sanitary products on Sunday mornings. I will deliver the items I receive or am able to purchase on a monthly basis. - Laurie Rollins Editor's note: This project has been approved by Bill LaPorte-Bryan, Chair of COSJ. Monetary contributions should be marked, "For Sanitary Products," and sent through Brian Mullen at the office. External Events and Educational Notes TV Donated as Requested - recall Soromundi Commons was seeking a TV, please note: The Soromundi Common Resident Council heartily thanks Tony Griffith for the donation of a 27" Sony TV.   Wes Christensen Memorial Golf Classic 9/1/07 More information) Hook-In Saturday Sept. 29 from 10 - 3 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Meriden, CT. Are you looking for a compatible rug hooking group? Come to the first meeting of a UU hooking group Saturday September 29 at the Meriden church. We have new tables, new upholstered chairs, and wonderful natural light. Bring your lunch and a goodie to share. Coffee, tea, and cider will be provided. To register, email Janet Hiller at janethiller(at symbol)snet.net or phone her at 203-238-0008 by Sept. 25. A fee of $10 per person for the church will be collected on site. We will discuss making this an ongoing group with meetings alternating among CBD churches.
	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
	Let us know of any comments, errors and corrections - thanks (revised 08/22/07 9:14 PM)