USH-Enews for October 23, 2008 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 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.

Sunday 26 Oct. - Human Rights: Dignity and Justice for US All - This year marks the 60th anniversary of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We have made great strides in protecting human rights and freedoms around the world, and there are still too many violations, every day. What rights do we have as humans? What can you reasonably do to help stop human rights violations around the globe?

One thing I love about my job is the people who cross my path. Serge Traore is one of those people - a vivacious, glowing African whose great heart holds first hand experience of the agony of the genocide in Rwanda, and a faith strong enough to hold and transform it.

A fulbright visitor to Hartford seminary, studying interfaith dialogue and healing, he will join me in the pulpit next Sunday as we celebrate United Nations Sunday. Your own heart will be broken and healed, and your hands will itch to contribute to "tikkun olam" (Jewish notion of healing the world) as your mind is challenged to even fathom the depth of Serge's vision and commitment. Please come. Bring some friends who care about the world. We will not receive an offering for any cause. What you are called to give in response to this message will be left up to you. More

This Sunday we recognize the United Nations and its unparalleled role in the world. During the service, our Society will inaugurate its own ritual of awareness of the suffering caused by war and the hope for the future that peace offers to us and to our children. As a congregation, we will join together – children and adults --in opening our hearts and our minds by lighting a special candle for peace. Beginning this Sunday, and each Sunday through November 17th, we invite you to reflect on the possibility of peace in our time.

Music - The musical selections at this Sunday's two services are quite different yet related by their relevance to issues of social justice and taking responsibility for the world.

At 9:45 members of our Youth Group, having spent the night sleeping in boxes, will sing "One Voice, " which talks about social responsibility from the perspective of young people. These singers mainly learned the song on their own, by listening to the young singer Billy Gilman on YouTube. At 11:15 the Choir sings a medley of South African Freedom Songs in both English and African languages such as Zulu and Suthu. The songs were compiled and notated when Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island and his wife Winnie was fighting for his freedom. These names can be heard in the songs. "Vula Botha" implores South African president P.W. Botha to "release Mandela" and end apartheid.

REflections on Children's Programming -

Religious Education Classes

Spirit Play: Yellow Promise: How the Rooster Learned to Crow
Second & Third Grade: Dewali Celebration
Fourth & Fifth Grade: Moses from the Bullrushes to the Burning Bush
Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Grade: Moveable Sculpture-Creating Balance in Your Life

Youth Group Activities

The youth will be sleeping outside in cardboard boxes this Saturday night, to raise awareness for homelessness and money for My Sister's Place. Please take this opportunity to encourage youth involvement in social action and raise money for a worthy cause.

From the Editor: Starting this week we provide some of the forward looking information formerly in the Messenger. The items of this nature are marked with a for your reference or hard copy under the magnet on the refrigerator.

November Services Announced

2 November - Annual All Souls Day celebration - We follow the ancient human tradition of remembering and honoring death and the dead as winter’s chilly darkness descends. Bring a photo or other object for our memorial table.

9 November - Sharing the Abrahamic Blessing: Jews, Christians, and Muslims as Partners in Peace building - Professor Yehezkel Landau from Hartford Seminary.

16 November - Veterans’ Day Celebration - Knowing that no person loves war, we remember and honor those who have courageously served the United States military, while recognizing the military service of all nations.

23 November - Thanksgiving Service: Come Ye Thankful People, Come
We gather to offer thanks, as the holiday season of giving begins.

30 November - The First Sunday of Advent: Waiting for Godot?

Have you noticed - the many ways our congregation is making music? John playing piano and organ -- the Choir singing sometimes at 9:45 and sometimes at 11:15 (and occasionally at both) -- soloists individually and as a group -- children of all ages -- guest musicians of the highest caliber -- and the entire congregation too, not just singing hymns but branching out to Congregational Anthems of all types. We are filled with musical variety, and we are truly musically blessed.

Folks at the Meeting House are not afraid to lift our voices in song, exploring ways to find our innermost feelings and our spiritual community with each other through music. The Unitarian Society is known throughout Greater Hartford for the breadth and high standards of our music, and for the supportiveness of our congregation.

Whether it's traditional anthems and hymns, instrumentals of many styles, ancient chants or contemporary tunes, each Sunday brings an array of music that is compatible with the theme of the day, uplifts our spirits and elevates our souls.

As one of the great Unitarian thinkers said, "When I hear music, I fear no danger, I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest."-- Henry David Thoreau
- Mattie Banzhaf

Music Selections for November Announced -November's music ranges from Hebrew liturgy to a UU composer from Massachusetts. All ages will be singing -- the children, the Youth, our newest "Moms & Kids" choir, the Chancel Choir, and, in a USH success story, one of our children who sang her way through services here and is
now a professional cantor.

Nov. 2 - the Chancel Choir sings at both services. Randall Thompson's "Choose Something Like a Star" is an affecting and dramatic setting of Robert Frost's poem about mystery and magnitude. It is coupled with an American hymn, "Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal" as arranged by Alice Parker.

Nov. 9 - Julia Rubin-Cadrain sang with every level of children's choir at USH as she grew up, ultimately singing solos and duets with her sister Leah. Julia studied voice at the New England Conservatory, went on to cantorial studies in New York City, and is now beginning a career as a cantor, starting with a synagogue in Texas. She brings her vocal artistry and deep faith to our services, sharing the chancel with Rabbi Yehezkel Landau.

Nov. 16 - The music will be quite different at the two services for Veterans' Day. "Moms & Kids" will sing the Jazz-Rock anthem "Peace on Earth, a Jazz Prayer" by Carl Strommen at 9:45. Then the Chancel Choir offers "Peace Comes From Silence" recently composed by UU composer Ken Langer on the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War, expressing the sorrow of all countries involved in the war who have lost children and relatives.

Nov. 23 - Children and adults will sing songs of thanksgiving for this family Thanksgiving service.

Nov. 30 - The entire congregation is invited to join in the singing on this day, the end of the Thanksgiving weekend and the beginning of Advent.

As we understand it, this is Bustopher Jones (Davidson-Robbins), Chancel Cat, who looked out over other pets last Sunday with a certain presiding manner of authority. When there was barking from certain, ahem, dogs, he simply turned away from them until they became silent. Here he has usurped John's seat at the piano.

Animals Past and Present Blessed - Squeakers, purr-ers, barkers and cluckers joined us in the Meeting House this past Sunday morning to mark the second annual Blessing of the Animals. One of the earliest to arrive was a pair of chickens named Lovey and Chocolate Chip. They were followed into the Sanctuary by beloved dogs, cats, hamsters, and guinea pigs. Sixty-three people brought their pets with them to be blessed by BJ either “in person” as with the chickens, or in absentia for the creatures who didn’t like car rides or mingling with other pets.

Beloved animal companions of the past were also honored on this special day. One hundred sixty-four people (including 7 visitors) wrote the name of a departed pet to hang on the memorial wreath. One of the most poignant parts of this ritual was to see the connections across generations — deep love of our pets knows no age limits. As with all rituals, these simple acts bring a profound spiritual awareness of our interconnectedness and our awe at the beauty and splendor of the world around us.

Following the first service there was a brief gathering in the Pet Memorial Garden were fond memories of the Ferguson-Hull family cat, Miranda, were exchanged before her ashes were buried in the garden. Similarly, after the second service, Gail Syring’s cat, Misha, was remembered as his ashes were placed in the garden .

In an admittedly challenging service environment, BJ taught a lesson to those assembled about the meaning of a blessing. After a few volunteers gave their opinions of what the term means, there was a general acceptance that it was an expression of a deep desire for the best of good things wished for someone or a pet. Later BJ raised the issue of heaven. What is it? Do pets go there? What is your vision of such a place, if any, in the world of the unseen.

She likened her view of heaven as a vision of a rainbow glued together with love and flowing endlessly as a river through time. - Jen Cook (with some editorial additions)

The Minister’s Discretionary Fund Offering is 11/02/08

Dear friends, - I continue to be awe struck by the opportunity to be pastor to the souls of so many extraordinary people, and to be able to do work which allows me to use such a multiplicity of my skills, experience, and interests on the behalf of our saving faith, and to occasionally make contribution to your lives. One of the ways I am able to be pastor to your needs and champion of our congregational vision is through the Minister’s Discretionary Fund that you provide for me by an annual offering (November 2 this year) and by your other contributions through the year.

In an article in the next enews you will hear directly (though anonymously) from some of the members and congregational causes to whom I have been able to administer funds. Your anonymous and generous giving and their anonymous and grateful receiving are a source of joy and pride to me as your spiritual leader. In other words I am able to be a bridge of blessings from you to people you don’t know.

In order to continue being your hands laid on others in this special way of blessing, I need and deeply appreciate your financial support. The dollars you drop in someone’s lap when they need it most can inspire and encourage them in powerful ways, and this fund is the best way that you can give me your gift of confidence in and appreciation of my work among you. Please bring a check on Sunday or drop one in the mail, made out to “USH Ministers Fund”. As Ever, Rev BJ

Our Used Book Sale is into its third year and still chugging along. The total in sales last fiscal year was $621.30, another new high. Best of all, we often hear about folks being happy to clear out book shelves to contribute to another source of income for USH. And to make room for new reading.

You might be interested to know that the books that don't sell at USH go to other causes. There is a huge need for books for the prison ministry, and the spiritual and self-help books go to the prison chaplain's library for lending. We contributed books to the West End Community Center twice this year - once for the children's reading shelves and then again for the center's first used book sale. And we sent children's books to Haiti along with empty prescription bottles, cotton cloth, and toothbrushes.

If you have books to donate to this sale, they can be left in the dark green bin at the entrance to our Fellowship Hall. It's always there. When you buy a book and have finished reading it, consider turning it in again. We don't mind re-selling a book more than once or twice….

We have very attractive book prices - a regular paperback is fifty cents. A hardback is $1.00. Yes, even the bestsellers go for $1. The larger paperbacks, sometimes referred to as Trade-size or Quality paperbacks are $2. We have titles than run the spectrum from the bestsellers to the esoteric.

This book sale could not happen without the reliable and dedicated help of five book wranglers - Sue Smolski, Virginia deLima, Randi Wuertz, Cat Lanser and Milly Geetter. Every Sunday one of us will set out a table of titles for both services. The unsold books go to my cellar to await another chance to be sold. A new assortment of titles shows up each Sunday - if you see something you want to read, buy it then because it won't be there next week!

Check us out every Sunday at coffee hour. We'll be there and the books will be, too. - Carol Davidson.

Photo

Get away from pre-election frenzy to a far-away part of the world and come Trekking in Patagonia with Anne Bailey and Betty Palmer. Anne’s slide show includes hiking with an older group (up to age 80!) in two of Patagonia's National Parks, Argentina's Los Glaciares, with it's Fitz Roy Massif, and Chile's Torres del Paine. A musical accompaniment throughout helps carry you away to this majestic area. Visits to the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier and Tierra del Fuego, the "end of the world" will also be included, as well as a post-trip visit to northern Argentina's Iquazu Falls.

Chicken (or turkey) soup will be on sale after the second coffee hour - or you can bring a snack or sandwich. Lemonade and popcorn will be served during the show

Sign up at the Adult Programs table in Fellowship Hall or by calling the office.

Traditional Sleep Out planned for Saturday Night - For those of you who are not familiar with this event, each year our youth group sleeps out in boxes, as is the case with some homeless people, to dramatize the situation, to share an event well remembered, and most importantly, to raise funds to be donated to My Sister's Place, a charity for homeless women and children. The youth group will meet at 7 PM on Saturday night and create a shanty condo complex out of refrigerator boxes. Sleep is dependant on nighttime temperatures. The temperatures are expected to be in the 30's overnight.

Here is the important part. On Sunday the youth group members will be "begging" at the door when you arrive at the Meeting House. If you have not sponsored the event already, please be ready to make a deposit in the "pots" for a worthy cause. - DCN

October 25th - Unitarian Society of Hartford present - “Classical & Broadway; a perfect marriage” A benefit concert featuring mezzo soprano Patrice Fitzgerald and baritone Richard Leslie. Here's a concert not to be missed - an engaging, entertaining "marriage" of classical and Broadway singing by our own newlyweds Patrice Fitzgerald and Richard Leslie. Rev. BJ performed their wedding ceremony this summer on (and sometimes in) Long Island Sound. Of course they both sang afterwards at the reception, to warm response from the well-warmed-up attendees. Now Patrice and Richard are bringing their happy feelings and major vocal talents to the Meeting House with a generous Benefit Concert on Saturday, October 25th.

The Performing Arts Committee of the Unitarian Society of Hartford continues its 2008-2009 season with a spectacular musical evening of vocal gems ranging from Handel’s “Largo” and Verdi’s “Il balen del suo sorriso” to tunes from Oklahoma! and Sweeney Todd. Hartt graduate Patrice Fitzgerald, longtime soloist for the Unitarian Society, joins husband Richard Leslie, a baritone and student of John Macurdy of the Metropolitan Opera. Accomplished pianist Stephen Scarlato will join the newlyweds on a musical journey from the 18th century Italy to contemporary Broadway. - Mattie Banzhaf More

Have you enjoyed Festival of the Season? In order to have this special and traditional event this year, we need one or more special people to step up to coordinate the planning for the event. It will be December 6th. If you are interested in helping with this event, please contact Janice Newton.

Noah Webster School Volunteers Sought - From Tracey Mozdzierz, Community Resource Coordinator at Noah Webster School - I am seeking adult volunteer(s) who:

1. Will be willing to work with 7th and 8th graders planting sustainable plants in the 4 garden beds in front of the school in the spring of 2009.

2. Would allow their name, provide any experience they have had gardening with children and the name of the organization they are with to be included on the grant application

3. Be willing to assist in maintenance during the summer months (an hour every 2 weeks)

Registrations for the Fall Programs including the Introduction to Iconography(no fee) and Traveling and Trekking in Patagonia (no fee) will continue this Sunday during coffee time in Fellowship Hall. It's not too early to sign up for the next Friday Dinner and Movie night.

NEW! Traveling and Trekking in Patagonia, Sunday, November 2, 1 PM in Fellowship Hall. Veteran traveler, Anne Bailey, will share a slide show with musical accompaniment of a hiking trip to two of Patagonia's National Parks: Argentina's Los Glaciares with its Fitz Roy Massif, and Chile's Torres del Paine. A post-trip to northern Argentina's Iquazu Falls will also be included. Don't miss this wonderful trip narrated by Anne. Sponsored by the Unitarian Alliance Ministry for Women (UAMW) there is no fee but please register - popcorn and lemonade will be served. More

NEW! Iconography, Saturday, November 1, 9-10 AM. An introduction and informal session to iconography is being offered by USH member Ser Seskevich. Ser is a former Franciscan Monk of the Byzantine Rite and an experienced artist. After he left the monastic order, he started his own business, specializing in Russian icons and design and construction of church furnishings and the Russian Banya (onion dome). At the introduction, Ser will display some of his work and answer questions about the process of iconographic painting. Registrations for the 7 week course will be taken after the introductory session and dates will be determined by the participants. Please register this Sunday or by calling the USH office at 860 233-9897

Friday Dinner and Movie, November, 14. The featured movie will be Life of Reilly.

Do take a look at the Book Cart located near the Registration Table. Among the books that are available to purchase are:

Respectful Parents Respect for Kids by Sura Hart and Victoria Kindle Hudson.
100 Questions that Non-Members ask about Unitarian Universalism by John Sias.
Dancing with the Sacred by Karl Peters.
UU Pocket Guide, 3rd Edition by John Buehrens.

Caring Network -
Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.

- 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.

Further Down The Road (About 30 Days)

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? - Green Sanctuary Sub-Council - Only one percent of the earth's water is drinkable. If you and
your family are careful when using water for brushing teeth,running the dishwasher, using dams or inserts in toilet tanks,
fixing leaky faucets and using faucet aerators, a family of 4 can save about 14 gallons of water daily.

Lets go green! Linked is a flyer for a green company that USH has signed on with to receive 25% of every on-line purchase individuals make. Print you copy of the brochure and order now!

On the Calendar

External Events and Educational Notes

Workshop and Concert Planned - The 175 Anniversary Committee of Metropolitan A . M. E. Zion Church Presents - The Legacy of Spirituals, A Master Music Workshop and Concert October 24-25, 2008 Facilitated by Renown Composer-Arranger Dr. Roland M. Carter of Chattanooga, TN