USH-Enews for September 27 and October 4, 2007 Print Only Edition

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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.

Sunday - 30 September - 9 AM - Of Glass Houses and Music of the Ages - We welcome John K. Currie to the Chapel pulpit for our 9 AM service on October 30. John is a musician, an attorney, a long time friend of the Meeting House, and a human rights advocate. His topic will bring reflection on the life and music of Charles Ives, and on the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, CT. Rev B.J. will offer a response, considering the way that an aesthetic of "coloring outside the lines" can often be a window to the numinous.

Sunday 30 September - 11 AM Making Melody in Our Hearts - This Sunday we will show our love for music as expression and experience of the sacred, and we shower appreciation on our choral program Director, Mattie Banzhaf, with celebration of more than 20 years of service to our congregation and our cause.

Sunday 7 October - St Francis Day Pet Blessing: Do animals go to heaven? - Join us for our first Pet Blessing and Dedication of the Pet Memorial Garden. The 9 AM service will feature a “pet free" atmosphere (also scheduled for the Sanctuary) for those who prefer to just think about animals! Feel free to bring a photograph of a beloved pet, living or dead.

The 11 AM service will include typical elements of choir, children’s story, sermon, music, and you may bring a photo of a beloved pet living or dead, and your live pet as well! The only restriction is that you pet MUST be contained and restrained in such a way that he or she will not mingle too freely with other sentient beings present, particularly those of other species! Bring your pet into the Sanctuary and sit in the area designated for their "type." We will have a pet processional for blessing at some point, and will retire to the Pet Memorial Garden to close the service. Wow! More

Music - Hymn of the month winners announced - 9/30 After over two year of singing exclusively other composers, Mattie is in “Bach Withdrawal.” J.S. Bach may have lived 300 years ago but his music is still fresh, vigorous and alive. As court composer he was required to produce dance music for Saturday night entertainments, and then produce sacred music for Sunday services. Somehow this most pious composer’s sacred pieces fairly dance off the chancel, a fitting complement to a joyous service. The Celebration Choir will also sing.

10/7 All God’s Critters Got a Place In the Choir! That will be the anthem for Pet Blessing Sunday, and the entire congregation is invited to sing along. (The real “critters” won’t literally be in the choir, but we hope they’ll appreciate the message.) At 9:00 the Chancel Choir will sing a charming old English hymn, “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” Phrases from this hymn became titles for James Herriot’s series about the life of a country veterinarian.

REflections on Children's Programming - Seminar Offered through Adult Programs - Too often, programs designed to create positive change in one's life are focused on what we perceive as our weaknesses. How refreshing, then, to find a program like Active Parenting, which focuses on the strengths of both the parents and the children. We are deeply fortunate to be able to offer this three session course here in our meetinghouse on October 11, 18 & 25. Facilitators Fred and Joanna Bogin will join us from their busy lives as the Director of a pediatric clinic and child advocate to offer effective strategies designed to promote positive behavior and self esteem in families. Child care and a light supper will be provided for the children. To register, please contact Ginny Berrien at: 860-243-0149 or v.berrien(at symbol)comcast.net.

Honoring Our Children's Worship Experience - While we are enjoying our enriching and diverse Sunday worship services, our children are having their own spiritual experience in the classroom. Members of the teaching teams, the Religious Education Sub-Council, and the RE staff continue to work tirelessly to provide the best program possible for the families in our congregation. Please be respectful of the sacred space created in the classrooms each week, and wait until the children are dismissed at the end of the lesson to pick up your children. While you wait, please enjoy the "Car Questions" handout available outside of each classroom. They are designed to stimulate conversation during your ride home from the Meeting House.

Intergenerational Service On Sunday, October 7, 2007, we will be offering an intergenerational service and pet blessing during the 11 AM service. In lieu of classes that week, we encourage parents and children to attend the service, along with the feathered, furred, or finned members of your families. - Gail M. Syring, DRE

Rare Opportunity - From time to time the Earth, Sun and Moon line up just so, and you get to see an eclipse! Suppose you picked up a quarter from the sidewalk, and discovered it was a stack of four. These would be rare events and opportunities by any measure.

Sunday 9/30 such an event will occur. For reasons unknown to your reporter, it has come to pass that we have two extraordinary and different services, one at 9 AM featuring John Currie, who as many of you know comes well prepared and always has something substantial worth saying, and then the special music service, Making Melody in our Hearts, at 11 AM.

There you have it! Attend both services and have a two cups of coffee while visiting with friends during two coffee hours. Your mental powers will fairly burst with happiness at being fully exploited: music, art, language and integration of thoughts among these mental centers of our minds! - DCN

Training for Lay Pastoral Listeners - Thursdays, October 18 - November 15 5:15 - 6:45 PM - It’s not too late to apply for the training! Spiritual director Dr. Sara Worcester will provide 5 sessions, an interactive and informative program, which will be useful to you in all your relationships. You can find information about her spiritual direction work on an easel in the Lower Lobby. The setting includes experience of the spiritual practices for your own deepening in spirit as well. We’ll cover such topics as: why pastoral care matters, boundaries, acceptance, life issues. There will be role playing of visits you might make, including practice in beginning conversations, ending a visit, and active listening. This training is made possible for you, free of charge, due to the generosity of some one at USH who believes in YOU. Contact Rosie for an application.

Language and Peacemaking: Our Faith in Connection - The word “connection” is going to be heard more and more around the Meeting House, we learned from Rev. BJ’s sermon on Nonviolent Communication (NVC) last Sunday. NVC is a process for creating and keeping peace in all structures in society—family, congregations, organizations, governments, countries.

“We should use our powers to bless rather than curse,” she said. To create peace, we need to connect within ourselves, to others, and to the structures in our world. Rev. BJ deplored the “myth” of the “domination construct,” where we are educated in such a way that makes violence enjoyable. Rev. BJ described “a way to peace” she observed during her recent attendance at Jewish High Holy Days services. In a symbolic, ritual act, individuals in the congregation kiss their prayer books, then touch the Torah with the book as a way to bring atonement and reconciliation.

Rev. BJ, a person who obviously plans ahead, reminded her congregation that she touched on this peace-making approach (and has continued to study it) in her remarks for the USH’s 2007 Annual Report. In it, she spelled out three ways to reach a shared pilgrimage and growth in service. They were, “first in reconciling relationship with ourselves, secondly in hospitable relationship with others, and thirdly in recognition and reverence for that which is greater than we are.”

Rev. BJ will be more fully explaining this topic in a four-week program starting on Wednesday October 3 at 7:30 PM at the Meeting House: “Nonviolent Communication: Towards an 8th UU Principle.” These will be interactive classes, reading and practicing together to discover the methods and philosophical base of Nonviolent Communication. - Kayla Costenoble

The October 7 Pet Blessing and Pet Memorial Garden Dedication - The first Sunday of October is, for our Catholic friends, a day to honor St Francis of Assisi, and to bless all pets, honoring the man who found God in all animals. For us at USH, it will be a day of delightful surprises and ‘mixing things up!’

You may recall that the 9 AM service will feature a “pet free’ atmosphere. If you are allergic to animals, or just prefer our more typical worship services, please attend the 9 AM service that day. The chancel choir will sing at the 9 a.m. service, which this time will be held in the Main Sanctuary.

We will build a pet altar, so please bring photos or objects which remind you of pets or animals you have known and loved.

The 11 AM service will include typical (but abbreviated) elements of singing, children’s story, sermon, a processional of pets, all ending with a service of thanksgiving and dedication of the Pet Memorial garden outside, weather permitting.

If you are bringing a pet, please sit in the section designated for his or her ‘type’. We ask that you have leash or pet carrier for containing and restraining any overly eager interaction between animals! (Bring paper towels if you imagine any accidents might occur.) This service will also feature the building of a pet altar of photos or objects honoring pets you chose not to bring, or who are no longer a part of your life.

One UU minister has written about such events: I have held animal blessing services for years. My only stipulation was "the animals should be under control." It's always worked out fine. Some (cats, rats, iguanas, small dogs and such) join their owners in the pews in carrying cases. Some are brought in for the blessing, a procession down the aisle, across the front with a pause for a personal blessing, then taken out. Some stay in the Sanctuary, some are taken outside. As in most things UU, your individual preferences should rule your decisions and behavior regarding your own pet. Only once have two dogs taken offense at each other, and that was following the service and consisted of a challenging bark, a reply, and an intimidating counter-reply. Only one "accident" on the wood floor, which was quickly cleaned up by the owner. None have lunged at each other, dogs and cats

Former President Addresses New Orleans Situation - Don't Forget New Orleans - Having just returned from a trip to New Orleans that included tours of the city and meetings with community organizations, I am appalled at the egregious failures of government agencies at all levels in dealing with the persistent devastation two years after Hurricane Katrina.

The suffering continues: Only 2,500 of the Lower Ninth Ward's 14,000 residents have managed to return, and they have done so with little or no government assistance. Though damaged little by the storm, all but one of the city's public housing projects remain shuttered behind chain-link fences. What little progress has been achieved is the work of community and faith-based organizations that are on the ground assisting residents to return home. But the needs are too great to be met by volunteers and community-based organizations.

Restoring New Orleans will require the passage of legislation such as U.S. Senate Bill 1668, introduced by Connecticut's own Sen. Christopher Dodd. I fear that the plight of more than half of New Orleans residents who remain displaced has faded from the media and the national consciousness. The callous neglect of those still reeling in the wake of Katrina obviates any claim this country might make to greatness.

Charles Huntington, Simsbury -The writer was in New Orleans as a member of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (Letter to the editor Hartford Courant 9-21-07)

Hymn of the Month Contest Winners - The results are in and we're ready to roll with our hymns of the month for nearly a year! Based on your feedback and a combination of the hymns' relevant messages and musical worth, we have selected the following Hymns of the Month through August 2008:

2007 - October: #298 - Wake Now My Senses; November: #1 - May Nothing Evil; December: #18 - What Wondrous Love

2008 - January: #295 - Sing Out Praises for the Journey; February: #12 - O Life That Maketh All Things New; March: #23 Bring Many Names; April: #21 For the Beauty of the Earth; May: #108 My Life Flows on in Endless Song; June: #86 - Blessed Spirit of My Life; July: #38 - Morning Has Broken; August: #121 - We'll Build a Land.

This practice will give both adults and children alike an opportunity to hear and to practice the same hymn several weeks in a row. Meanwhile, we'll also continue to explore hymns from our new hymnal supplement Singing the Journey. As you know, we have a number of copies of this supplement already, and one of BJ's goals is to purchase additional copies to put in all of the pews. Through both the Hymn of the Month and the hymnal supplement, we are deepening and enriching our church's musical liturgy while making beautiful music together.

So, if over the next year there's a particular hymn that you think might make for a good hymn of the month next year, please suggest it; if you'd like to help offset the cost of the hymnal supplements, please consider making a small directed contribution; and if you just want to learn some new hymns, come on in and sing!

Fool for Christ - A One-Woman Play Portraying the Life of Dorothy Day - September 27 Please come! Proceeds will go to GHICEJ, Hartford Catholic Workers & The Fellowship of Reconciliation. More

A Ray of Hope - GHICEJ is cosponsoring A Ray of Hope, a fund raiser for an urban youth ministry in Hartford on Thursday, September 27th More

The fall Pathways to Membership session is scheduled for two Monday evenings, October 1 and October 15, from 7PM - 9PM. If you would like to attend, but have not yet signed up, please contact Rosie Rindfleisch in
the office at 233-9897 by Friday afternoon or Martha Page at 233-3234.

Just a few extra minutes could mean the world to those who want so much to be at the Meeting House for Sunday services, but are unable to drive. They also enjoy being able to see their friends and to socialize. ( It might be their only opportunity).

Photo

If you have children, what a great way for them to see you modeling helping others! Their contributions might be to get ready just a few minutes early, to listen to and talk with the adult members of our Church family needing rides.

There's a sign up sheet outside Fellowship Hall, or just call or e mail Tom Reed 521-1082 or Diana Heymann 461-0908

Change of Date for Circle Dinner: To avoid conflict with the Holly Near concert, the October Circle Dinner date will be changed from Saturday, October 20 to Friday, October 19. - Marion Kelliher.

From the Adult Programs Sub-Council - Don't miss out on the many Programs offered this Fall! Come and Register this Sunday in Fellowship Hall following the 9 and 11 AM services. You can also refer to the Fall Programs Catalog now available on the web for additional information about all of the offerings.

Note the new starting date for View from the Center of the Universe, and for those of you who would like to attend a daytime program, please take a look at Mindfulness in Every Day Living. With USH's focus on the family this year, those of you with children may want to consider the Active Parenting course that is offered.

Programs that will be starting in the next two weeks:

Pathways to Membership, Monday, October 1, 15, 7:00 - 9:00 pm. This program is designed for those who are considering membership in the Unitarian Society of Hartford.
View from the Center of the Universe, begins Tuesday, October 2, 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Based on a book by the same title, Dick Edwards will lead a four session discussion which will include the creation of the universe and life, the cosmic spheres of time, and the cosmic density pyramid.

Nonviolent Communication: Toward an 8th UU Principle, Wednesdays, October 3, 10, 17 & 24, 7:30 - 9:00 pm. More

Mindfulness in Every Day Living, begins Thursday, October 4, 10:00 - 12:00 noon. This course is for those wanting to bring more balance and joy into their lives. Led by Sylvia Gingras-Baker, LMFT and Patricia Barone, MSW, LCSW, participants will be guided towards healing and renewal through meditation exercises, presentations, and discussions.

Active Parenting, Three Thursdays starting October 11, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. This course facilitated by Fred and Joanna Bogin focuses on raising children to be responsible and caring individuals with strong self-esteem. Fred is director of the pediatric clinic at St. Francis Hospital and Joanna directs the "Help Me Grow" program for the state of Connecticut. Childcare and light supper will be provided for children.

Friday Dinner and Movie, October 12, 5:30 - 10:00, featuring, Volver. More

Toward Aging Gracefully, Sunday, October 14, 1:00 - 2:00 pm. Bring a sandwich and enjoy a discussion of issues including Estate Planning, Preservation of Assets, Social Security, Long Term Care presented by noted attorney George W. Bickford.

Don't miss out on the many Fall Programs offered! Come and Register this Sunday in Fellowship Hall following the 9 and 11 AM services. While there, be sure to pick up your copy of the new Fall Programs Catalog. The Catalog is also on the web.

Flash: Fall Small Group Ministry Down to Two Openings - The fall Small Group Ministry sessions are almost filled up, so you should sign up right away. We have only two openings in the following groups: Monday evenings at the Meeting House, a creativity-themed group facilitated by Carol Shoemaker and Lisa Gabrielle (one opening); and Thursday evenings in Simsbury facilitated by Bev Prager and hosted by Louise Willett (one opening). You may consult the Adult Programs Catalogue for more information. Please sign up by contacting the church office. - Mike Roy

Caring Network - "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
— Aesop, Greek fabulist (fl. 6th century B.C., possibly legendary) - 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.

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 PM 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.

Thursday, September 27
7:00 pm The Dorothy Day Story, Sanctuary

Friday, September 28
5:00 – 9:00 pm UUSE Retreat, Fellowship Hall

Saturday, September 29
9:00 am – 3:00 pm UUSE Retreat, Fellowship Hall

Sunday, September 30
8:00 am Music Rehearsal, Chapel
9:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, CHAPEL
10:00 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Children’s Choir Intro, Chapel
11:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
12:00 pm Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
12:00 pm Council on Social Justice, Library
3:00 pm Rental, Chapel

Monday, October 1
6:30 pm Information & Advocacy, Fellowship Hall/Library
6:30 pm Survivors of Incest Anonymous, Fuller
7:00 pm Pathways to Membership, Library
7:00 pm Artist’s Way, Servetus

Tuesday, October 2
10:00 am Clara Barton District Ministers, Fellowship Hall
6:00 pm Rental, Servetus
7:00 pm View from the Center of the Universe, Library
8:00 pm AA, Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, October 3
6:00 pm Dharma Gathering, Emerson
7:30 pm NVC, Fellowship Hall
7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

Thursday, October 4
9:30 am International Women’s Circle, Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Mindfulness, Library
7:00 pm Rental, Ballou

Friday, October 5
6:00 pm Welcoming Congregation, Library

Saturday, October 6
12:00 pm Survivors of Incest Anonymous, Library

Sunday, October 7
8:00 am Music Rehearsal, Chapel
9:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
10:00 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Youth Group Soup Making, Kitchen
11:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
12:00 pm Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
3:00 pm Rental, Chapel
5:30 pm UU Singles Potluck, Library

Monday, October 8
6:00 pm Worship Arts, Ballou
6:30 pm Survivors of Incest Anonymous, Fuller
7:00 pm Artist’s Way, Servetus

Tuesday, October 9
6:00 pm Caring Network, Servetus
6:30 pm Board of Directors, Library
8:00 pm AA, Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, October 10
6:00 pm Dharma Gathering, Emerson
6:30 pm Tai Chi, Fellowship Hall
7:30 pm NVC, Emerson
7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

Thursday, October 11
10:00 am Mindfulness, Library
6:00 pm Active Parenting, Library
7:00 pm Rental, Ballou
7:30 pm Rental, Chapel

Friday, October 12
5:30 pm Friday Dinner & Movie, “Volver”, Fellowship Hall

Saturday, October 13
9:30 am Rental, Chapel
12:00 pm Rental, Fellowship Hall

Sunday, October 14
8:00 am Music Rehearsal, Chapel
9:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
10:00 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Building & Grounds, Murray
10:00 am Comfort Shawl Knitters, Lower Lobby
11:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
12:00 pm Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
1:00 pm Toward Aging Gracefully program, 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

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)

Two Rooms, by Lee Blessing - Directed by Jared Towler - (Our own Debi Freund appears) 9/21-30 More

Fall Seaside Get-Away - The UU Society of Martha’s Vineyard is hosting its annual Columbus Day B&B week-end October 6 to 8. More

Connecticut Humanists meetings schedule and newsletter available on the web.

Did You Know? - Pensions are fading. Private sector workers covered by defined benefit plans have declined from 43.7% in 1974 to 16.8% in 2004. What is our duty to the elderly populations of the future?

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