Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Arbella Newsletter-November 2008
First Parish of Watertown
Arbella
November 2008
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday, November 2, 2008
“Living by Imagination” Mark W. Harris
For the last couple of months we have had a Wayside Pulpit sign that reads: “Live Out of Your Imagination, Not Your history.” This is an appropriate quote for an election year, where so much is hanging in the balance. Can we move forward with some imagination?
Greeters: Tesi Kohlenberg & Tom Goodwillie
Social Hour: Carole Berney and Virginia
Sunday, November 9, 2008
“Called Unto Liberty” Mark W. Harris
This sermon is last year’s sermon winner from the service auction, bought by Dede Dussault. Dede is a life long UU who descends from the Mayhew family. The Mayhews played a significant role in Watertown’s early history, settled Martha’s Vineyard, and later, one of the Mayhews was instrumental in helping to foment the American Revolution. How can our family history come alive?
Greeters: Ken Repp & Chris Johnson
Social Hour: Kathy & David Warren and
Jan Klein
Sunday, November 16, 2008
“I Brought My Spirit to the Sea: Stories of Transformation from Ferry Beach”
Fayre Stephenson
One of the most amazing things about Ferry Beach is that once people get hooked, they are hooked for life. For more of us than we can count, Ferry Beach nourishes our spirits in a way that no other place or community can. What we hear most often from people is that Ferry Beach is their spiritual home, the place they come to recharge their batteries, the place they can truly be themselves. This service will be a celebration of Ferry Beach told through powerful experiences of transformation.
Greeters: Jean Merkl & John Gorman
Social Hour: Kelly & Kyle Morton
amd Valy McDonald
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Intergenerational Thanksgiving Service
Mark W. Harris
This service for all ages will include a story, Guest at Your Table boxes, a Thanksgiving celebration in the Succah with corn bread and cider, special music and much more.
Greeters: Ginger Burns & Neil Zarin
Social Hour: Johanna Swift Hart and Kyle Hart
Sunday, November30, 2008
“Unintended Wisdom” Mark W. Harris
Has anyone ever said something to you that seemed insulting or hurtful at first, but then you realized that it carried a great deal of truth in it? How much have we gleaned from unintended wisdom?
Greeters: Lynn Bratley & Chuck Dickinson
Social Hour: Michael McCarthy and TBA
Captain’s Log
Some of you may remember my challenging dish washer that I reported on in this column last year. Getting it fixed was an adventure like no other. In the past six months a mechanical adventure has surfaced with our car. For most of that time we have been driving around with a “check engine” light that is stuck on. It isn’t really clear to me that anything is wrong, but it still disturbs me to watch this little light all the time. Sometimes it goes off for no apparent reason, but then just as mysteriously it will pop back on.
A few months back I decided I would attempt to have it repaired through the dealership. I soon learned that it might not mean a major mechanical problem, but that it simply could be a computer malfunction. But in this instance I was told it was some kind of cylinder problem, and it was repaired for hundreds of dollars. But then after it was fixed, guess what? The light came back on. The dealer checked it once, and couldn’t really find anything, but invited me to bring it back for a more thorough check. I have declined, and the car continues to run reasonably well. But the light is still on.
Bringing the car to a dealer is often an all day affair, and with one car, and three boys schedules, this repair is postponed again and again. The car and a pending physical exam made me wonder, Does technology drive us or do we drive it? This is a tough question. As I had my annual physical this fall, I realized that medicine was now standards based, much like school testing. Do we pass the standard? Everything about me is analyzed on the computer, and I received this print out. “Greetings, 57 year old white male who does not exercise enough, and should have a diet with more fiber, etc.”
Age means you have to receive certain tests regardless. The last time my test results came back, the summary letter simply said, test results are fine. Compared to what? I guess I met the standard.
Our complicated family schedule has also meant that we have needed to rent a car a few times, including once for a trip to Maine because we had to go at separate times. This means that I have driven a variety of cars. One of the cars I drove to Maine had a computer sensitivity to everything. It felt like I was driving a hypochondriac car. The light flashed to add air to a tire, then it flashed to add coolant, then to add oil. Its hypersensitivity was driving me insane, but I didn’t really know the car, so I felt like I needed to do what it told me or risk crashing or burning out the engine. The tire didn’t look flat, but what do I know? Was the technology driving me, or was I driving it?
The other day Andrea came back from a doctor’s appointment after hoping she would learn something about the leg that was bothering her. He had looked at the blood test results, and said, “there is nothing wrong with you.” But he never actually looked at her leg or examined her. Perhaps that is the link in all this. With the rental I let the technology drive me because I had no relationship with the car, but with my car I seemed to have concluded that all these warning lights mean nothing. I know it is running fine. This is not to say ignore warning signs, but rather to acknowledge that the relationship is what is most important. We deserve a relationship with the professionals, and they should impart their knowledge while respecting our knowledge, too. It is about listening and responding and knowing, and not prejudging based on assumptions. Here’s to technology that serves our needs, and deeper relationships with those who use technology to make their decisions. May your Thanksgiving gathering mean stoves that cook, washers that wash, and cars that bring you home to all those people you love, with no lights flashing false signals of distress.
Mark
Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to Jean Merkl, John Gorman and family at the death of Jean’s mother Mary on October 21, 2008. A service was held in Worcester on October 25.
Carole Berney’s daughter, Jennifer, who lives in Seattle gave birth to a baby boy, Harlan West Shincke on October 5. All are doing well.
(from Andrea Greenwood)
Perhaps you have been missing Estelle Fox on Sunday mornings, and wondering where she and her housemates have been. Estelle is a lovely older woman who uses a walker and has been attending services at First Parish for years; first with Diane Shepard and then with caregivers from the home where she resides. Estelle was married at First Parish to Russell, in a service conducted by Mark. I recently had a chance to talk with John, the caregiver who brought Estelle and her friends to church, and he explained that medical issues with other residents were preventing him from bringing Estelle. It was great to talk with John, who said he really enjoyed coming to church and missed it; and that he was appreciative of how our congregation kept trying to raise awareness of the issues involved in being an inclusive society. He told me that he had been meaning to drop a note to the church about an area of concern he thought other members would share, which is about protecting natural and organic foods from regulation by the World Health Organization. Currently, there are five bills in Congress which would support the Codex Alimentarius laws. Basically, these laws promote the economic interests of multinational corporations by removing vitamins, minerals, herbs and supplements from the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Pharmaceutical companies would then control the natural health industry. For more information, see codexalimentarius.net (pro international legislation), healthfreedomusa.org (anti international legislation) and hippocratesinst.org (a natural supplement site). Harper's magazine also had a great article last March: The Revolution will not be Pasteurized.
David Morrison is a Notary Public and offers his services to the church community. He can be reached at 617.924.8075
Food Bank
Thanks to the thirteen volunteers who went to the Boston Food Bank on October 18 to sort food. They were: Jill Shaw, Barbara Farrell, Sue Kuder, Bobbie Brown, Mary Ann Cummings, Judy Kamm, Carole Katz, Mark Harris, Kyle Hart, Michael McCarthy, Anna Knight, Brigitte Bender and Pat Mitchell (Carole’s Mom). In our shift there were 38 volunteers altogether. We sorted 11, 995 pounds of food, and 9,596 pounders were salvaged (Remember it is all donated food). We sorted 253 pounds per volunteer, and each volunteer made 194 meals possible for a grand total of 7,372 meals made possible by our efforts. Thanks to all for your good work.
Charitable Offering
Thanks to the generous members and friends who contributed to our October Charitable Offering for Bikes Not Bombs. Jasmine Laitemark, the Director of Grassroots Fundraising and Events and Ashley Leary, the Youth Instructor came to church on October 26 to explain some of the programs of Bikes Not Bombs. Our offering total was $653.00
Our Charitable Offering in November will be to benefit Ferry Beach, the Unitarian Universalist Conference Center in Saco, Maine. Many of our members have enjoyed conferences there in the summertime, especially in recent years when Roberta Altamari has been coordinator for Different Drummers, a middle school camp, and Mark Harris has taught courses and coordinated Heritage Week. Ferry Beach is in the middle of a capital campaign to build a new dining hall (the old one is sinking into the sand!), among other things. It is a wonderful place to go in the summer. The program director there is our former student minister Fayre Stephenson, who will be preaching here on November 16, the day of our charitable offering. Come learn about Ferry Beach, and support this UU retreat for the replenishment of the soul.
Newcomer Breakfast
The Fellowship Committee of First Parish of Watertown is hosting a Newcomer Breakfast on Sunday, November 9th at 9:15 am in the social hall of the church. This is intended for all people who are relatively new to the church, but have not attended a breakfast before. Many of you have received a personal invitation, BUT in case we missed any other newcomers, please consider yourselves invited. As well as enjoying a wonderful meal, we will introduce you to members of the church and each other, and learn of the common roads that brought each of us to First Parish. Please RSVP by November 3 so that we have enough food for all attendees.
Hope to see you then.
New UU Class
Mark Harris will lead a New Unitarian Universalists class on Sunday, November 16 at 9:30 a.m. All members and friends who wish to learn more about the history, traditions and programs of the church are invited to attend, but this class is especially intended for newcomers. A second session will also be held on Sunday, November 23, if there is sufficient interest. Sign-ups will begin on Sunday, November 2.
Film Series
The First Parish is hosting a religious film series over the next several months. The first film in the series, “Arranged” will be shown on Sunday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. “Arranged” is the story of two young women, one an orthodox Jew, and the other a Muslim of Syrian origin. They both struggle with the process of “arranged” marriages through their respective religious and cultural traditions. Facing both family pressures on the one hand, and modern culture and its rejection of traditional values on the other, they must together learn to be strong women in charge of their own happiness while keeping their convictions. This excellent film, shows that friendship has no religion. One reviewer called it, “touching and often hilarious, a must-see in this globalized world.” Next month: James Carroll’s documentary, “Constantine’s Sword.”
November GIVING BOX
November is Voting Month ..and so the Giving Box will "borrow" the following political slogan: Yes we CAN!!!!
The Watertown Food Pantry needs the following CANned goods in order to supplement their Thanksgiving Food Drive:
Canned peas -- carrots--corn--yams--green beans--gravy--cranberry sauce--ground coffee
and packaged Stove Top Stuffing mix and tea bags.
May we ask you to bring, if possible, at least 2 of the above items by Sunday, November 16th.
We know we CAN make a difference--just look at what our Giving Box has accomplished in the past two months: 900+ gently used books for the More Than Words project and, to date, 200+ outfits for SolutionsWear!!
We thank you for thinking of and supporting populations less fortunate. We here at First Parish have much for which to be thankful -- specifically each other and the gift of our spiritual community. Let's make November a real **YES WE CAN ** month --on many levels!!
Jill Shaw and Barbara Farrell
(Please see Debra D's article for details of the youngsters' Thanksgiving collection efforts)
Green Sanctuary Corner
Personal Green Experience
Using rainwater for back yard irrigation.
Our new garden prompted Anna and I to look into ways to conserve water, Anna and I decided to purchase a rain barrel sold by The New England Rain Barrel Company; discounted through the Watertown Department of Public Works (DPW).
The system is comprised of 4 basic parts which arrived fully assembled:
1) a recycled 55 gallon plastic drum that could no longer be reused for industrial purposes
2) two solid brass fittings for the outlet and top overflow control valves
3) an aluminum screen louvered inlet hole
4) a five-foot starter hose with shutoff
You can see more details at http://www.nerainbarrel.com/
I installed the rain barrel as recommended, which only required a couple of hours to divert the downspout to the barrel inlet hole; and we were ready to go!
First rainstorm after installation surprised me. The barrel filled very quickly and the overflow valve was put to use only an hour or so into the storm. Clearly I needed more capacity to capture all the rainwater, but that’s an ongoing saga. After the storm was over; and it was time to water, the system worked very well. We could either attach an ordinary garden hose to the outlet valve or fill a watering can to irrigate the plants. The stored water was sufficient to provide a thorough soaking of all our plants with some left over.
This system works very well if it rains every 3 days and we can irrigate using the stored water two days after the rain storm. Under these conditions, we would never need to use town water for irrigation. Mother Nature, however, is not so predictable.
We acquired three more barrels allowing us to collect and store more rainwater. Manually moving the overflow hose from barrel to barrel has allowed us to collect more water (unfortunately one of us gets very wet in the process). Several times this summer, we had 198 gallons of stored rainwater; enough water to fully soak all our plants 4 separate times. This means we have enough rainwater storage capacity for over a week (assuming full irrigation every other day). Next summer, I plan to improve the system, which will allow the accumulation of up to 198 gallons of rainwater; with out either Anna or me getting soaked in the process.
I would be happy to further share my experiences (along with practical hints, tips and design ideas) with anyone interested in utilizing a rainwater collection system for irrigation.
Mike Anctil, Green Sanctuary (GS) committee member
dma02155@comcast.net
(617) 744-0454
Additional GS Information: Expired Compact Florescent Light (CFL) Bulbs can be safely disposed of in Watertown. Simply bring expired CLF’s to the “Returns Station” just inside the entrance door at the Home Depot near Arsenal Mall.
Hungry for More
Debra Zagaeski, DRE
November, the harvest is ended for our local farms and I’ve put my garden to bed. For me this means I’ve taken the stakes out of the tomato plants tossed some little green tomatoes to the birds and moved my house plants inside for the winter. They are simple steps which acknowledge the change of season. Not as profound as the labors which our ancestors endured to ensure their survival through the long dark winter. My home pantry will barely note the change of season, I will still find strawberries and blueberries to sit atop my granola and my family and I will continue to feast upon fresh green vegetables all through the winter. Even in this season of economic uncertainty I can be certain that my family will not go hungry. What a privilege! I am so grateful.
November, and it is a time to be thankful. It is a time to gather together and be mindful, conscious, and grateful for our many blessings. In “The Omnivore's Dilemma” author, Michael Pollen discusses “conscious eating”. Taking the time to consider where the food on your plate comes from. Who grew this food? Where was it grown? How far did it travel to reach your home? What resources were used in the production of this food? Who harvested this food? We are encouraged to re-connect with the sources of our food and in doing so realize how we may individually contribute to a more balanced environment for ourselves, our families and the whole earth.
November, and Thanksgiving is upon us. Thanksgiving began as an appreciation of the gifts of the land and resources, a time to reach out and share the bounty of the land, invite others in and share our grateful harvest. There are a number of opportunities at First Parish to share our grateful harvest during this holiday season:
In our Religious education program and for all others as well, we will distribute the UUService Committee’s “Guest at Your Table” boxes again this November. Please take one home, contribute as you are able and return it during our Christmas Eve Services in December.
The children in our religious education classes will be helping to assemble Thanksgiving baskets on November 9th to be distributed to twenty-five families on November 23rd. We are collecting canned goods to include in the baskets. Please bring canned goods to church and put in box outside of the DRE office.
The “Giving Box” collection for the month of December is also for canned goods to be distributed to the Boston Medical Center's Grow Clinic.
I encourage you and your family to continue the conversation about the ways in which we may honor our earth’s bounty, and share a grateful harvest. Below are a few suggestions which may help you get started:
*Practice “Dime – a –meal” for three weeks. Place the “Guest at Your Table” box on your Kitchen/Dining Room Table. At every meal, each person takes the simple act of putting ten cents into the box as an expression of thanks for the meal they receive. These small acts add up! If everyone in a family of four put ten cents into the box for three meals a day for three weeks, the family would have twenty-five dollars at the end of three weeks. Twenty-five dollars is enough to purchase fifteen meals for another family of four!
*Practice Mindful eating… Sit down at a table without the TV, a book or newspaper. Give thanks for your food. Think about the origins of your food, where it was grown, and how it got to your table. (This offers a great extended lesson for children who may enjoy researching where all the items from their dinner originated and how they arrived at the family dinner table). Eat your meal slowly and be aware of how each bite tastes. Notice when you feel satisfied and full.
*Take the “Hunger Challenge”. Spend no more than $1 on a meal per person for food. This is an opportunity to walk in another person’s shoes and to understand the experience of eating on a very limited budget. Recipe ideas can be found at hungerchallenge.blogspot.com.
*Visit the Website: “freerice.com” Increase your vocabulary and help world hunger. Grains of rice are donated for each word challenge, whether you know the word or not!
*In preparation for the holiday season try to reclaim the joy of the season by simplifying and slowing down. I recommend two books: Bill McKibben’s, Hundred Dollar Holiday and Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson.
I am grateful for the honor of working each week with the children and youth of First Parish in the Religious Education program. I feel grateful to have survived the first couple of months as a new DRE and I am beginning to feel the earth beneath my feet! I am looking forward to the season of light and will be sending out information about the coming solstice pageant, caroling, and other joy filled activities to come. Look for weekly email announcements as well as website announcements.
I hope to encourage more of you to step up to share your gifts, the bounty of your generous spirit and give a couple of hours of your time to the religious education of our children and youth. If you are not certain of how or where your talents may be best used give me a call (781) 863-1319 or email me drewatertown@yahoo.com. I would be honored to help you help us!
Namaste (The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you),
Debra
Parents of UUTravelers
from Andrea Greenwood
I had a lot of fun with this group over the month of October, but I never got a chance to send out a letter. So here's a bit about what we were up to: We learned that many Jewish holidays are proscribed by the Bible, especially in Leviticus, where the rules are. In Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we learned about new beginnings, believing that everyone makes mistakes and can begin again, and that it is best to not keep our mistakes private. We can support one another in trying to do better. Sukkoth is both a Biblical holiday and a natural one, related to the harvest, and it is one of three pilgrimage festivals for Jews. The Puritans based the holiday of Thanksgiving on this festival, specifically because it was Biblical. In Hinduism, we learned that the celebrations are not based on a book, but on an oral tradition of story telling about the pantheon of gods and goddesses. The Ramayana (ra MY en a) is stories about the god Ram, or Rama, and it is has been told for between three and four thousand years in India. The English expression of calling a story a "yarn" comes from the Ramayana, as sailors involved in the spice trade with India learned the tales. We learned a story about the triumph of good over evil, and thought a little bit about associations like good/evil and God/Devil; or how air is associated with heaven and goodness, and that fire is associated with bad and evil. Isn't it interesting that the idea of intense heat way down deep in the ground is scientifically accurate as well as a powerful mythic image??
Musically Speaking
by Charlyn Bethell, Interim Music Director
We are a very musical community! Music Sunday on October 26th, a service devoted to our retiring music director, Patty Devore, was a beautiful display of music that we can all claim as our own. We dedicated our new hymnals, Singing the Journey, and sang some songs from them. The Children’s Choir, the Youth Choir, and the Adult Choir sang. Djalai Babazadeh, Karen Allendoerfer, and Isabel Tappan-Defrees, all members of our congregation, shared their music with us. The readings about music inspired us, and the totality of the service brought us together with music.
How can you get involved in music at First Parish? Join a choir! The adult choir
has been meeting on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. The location of those rehearsals in November needs to be announced. The Youth Choir sings right after church from 12:30 to 1:15 pm and will meet again November 9th. The Children’s Choir meets every Sunday (except November 9th) at 10:15 am
downstairs by the piano in the social hall.
Our Annual Holiday Caroling will be on Saturday, December 20th in the late afternoon. Save the date; the singing will be fun, and we end at the Bethell/Urban household for cocoa and treats.
When you are hit with a musical inspiration, please don’t keep it to yourself! All good ideas deserve to be shared. Let me know how I can help get you involved with music at First Parish.
Come to a Discussion on November 2nd of Socially Responsible Investing and What it Could Mean to First Parish
All members and friends of First Parish are invited to a discussion in the sanctuary after the service on Sunday, November 2 with the Trustees about socially responsible investing and what it could mean to First Parish if the trustees elect to engage an investment advisor to manage our endowment in a socially responsible manner.
The Trustees of First Parish, who manage the church’s endowment, have been engaged in a search for a new investment advisor to replace our current advisor, Stuart Rothkopf, who is retiring after helping us manage the endowment for nearly 30 years. As part of this search process we have done an extensive investigation into the advantages and disadvantages of retaining an investment organization that specializes in what is called socially responsible investing (SRI).
SRI is the term used to describe investing money in ways that are consistent with one’s values. At the simplest level this would mean not investing money in companies that make products or engage in practices that one finds objectionable. For example, for many people and organizations this means not investing in companies that sell cigarettes or promote gambling. For others it might mean not investing in companies that sell products that pollute the environment or are involved in the exploitation of child labor in the manufacture of their products.
At another level SRI involves not only avoiding companies that engage in practices that are objectionable, but in actively engaging with companies to try to persuade them that it is in their business interest to change those practices. This can involve filing shareholder initiatives to be voted on at a public company’s annual meeting, voting for such initiatives that have been filed by others and communicating with management directly to express concerns.
The most effective SRI incorporates these first two practices, but also includes a third element as well. Firms that actively practice SRI evaluate the products and practices of companies they invest in, having screened out the companies that are involved in businesses that by their nature are objectionable, and when they identify something that doesn’t meet their standards for social responsibility, they seek to engage the company in a discussion to persuade them to change the practice to make it acceptable. They can be effective in doing this because, in addition to making fairly large investments in companies by virtue of the fact that they invest money for large numbers of people and institutions, they also ally themselves with other organizations that practice SRI, including some very large state and union pension funds. This means that when they approach a company they can be speaking on behalf of organizations that collectively own a meaningful percentage of a company’s shares.
In the course of our investigation we learned that through these active initiatives SRI organizations are often effective in persuading companies to change their practices. Part of their ability to be effective is a result of their holding enough shares to draw negative public attention to companies that are not responsive.
To the Trustees of First Parish the opportunity to work with a firm that practices SRI, which would enable us to use our endowment in alliance with others to project the values of First Parish into the larger world is very exciting. However, it is not without cost. Therefore it is important to the Trustees that they are clear with the congregation what those costs are (and are not), and to be confident that the congregation supports us before we incur the costs involved in engaging in actively promoting our values through our investments.
When the concept of SRI first arose it was argued that because it limited the universe of companies that it was acceptable to invest in, it would either limit the return that could be generated by investing in this way, or increase the risk of the investment portfolio. This has proven not to be the case. In fact it is argued by some that SRI, over the long term, will produce better returns because it will avoid companies whose socially irresponsible practices in the short term will prove very costly to those companies in the longer term. While this argument makes intuitive sense, it also is not proven.
The cost to First Parish of engaging a socially responsible investment firm will come from the higher fees these firms have to charge to employ the staff that does the research on business practices of the companies they invest in, and engages companies to change practices that are problematic. These are costs traditional investment firms don’t incur.
For First Parish, given the size of its current endowment, the added cost of engaging a socially responsible investment firm would be $5,000 - $6,000 per year. That is money that would not be available for First Parish’s operating budget. It amounts to about 2% of our current operating budget of $270,000 per year and 6% percent of the amount the congregation gives to the church through individual donations. In practical terms that means that we would need to find a way to save that amount of money in our budget by doing without something that we currently have, or each of us increasing the amount we give to the church by 6%.
The Trustees and the Parish Council of First Parish (which is made up of the heads of all the church’s committees), have discussed engaging a socially responsible investment firm. They are excited by the opportunity for the church to align its values with its investments, and believe that the church is financially sound enough to bear the added cost. However, all agree that it is important for the congregation as a whole to support this initiative.
Please come to this meeting on Sunday, November 2 after the service to share your thoughts on this important topic. If you cannot attend this meeting, feel free to contact Bob Shay, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, or any of the other trustees to ask questions and express your opinion on this important topic.
THE AUCTION IS COMING!
The annual First Parish Service Auction and Potluck Dinner will be held on Saturday, November 15 in the social hall. Dinner and silent auction will be at 6:00pm, with the live auction portion of the evening at 7:30pm.
This is a great evening where laughs and good cheer abound as goods and services are bought by the highest bidder. All proceeds go to First Parish. Plan to contribute a good-cookies, jam, artwork for example—or service-ride to Logan, carpentry, sewing, computer help etc. or just join in the fun and camaraderie of the evening.
Mark Caggiano returns as auctioneer.
Arbella
November 2008
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday, November 2, 2008
“Living by Imagination” Mark W. Harris
For the last couple of months we have had a Wayside Pulpit sign that reads: “Live Out of Your Imagination, Not Your history.” This is an appropriate quote for an election year, where so much is hanging in the balance. Can we move forward with some imagination?
Greeters: Tesi Kohlenberg & Tom Goodwillie
Social Hour: Carole Berney and Virginia
Sunday, November 9, 2008
“Called Unto Liberty” Mark W. Harris
This sermon is last year’s sermon winner from the service auction, bought by Dede Dussault. Dede is a life long UU who descends from the Mayhew family. The Mayhews played a significant role in Watertown’s early history, settled Martha’s Vineyard, and later, one of the Mayhews was instrumental in helping to foment the American Revolution. How can our family history come alive?
Greeters: Ken Repp & Chris Johnson
Social Hour: Kathy & David Warren and
Jan Klein
Sunday, November 16, 2008
“I Brought My Spirit to the Sea: Stories of Transformation from Ferry Beach”
Fayre Stephenson
One of the most amazing things about Ferry Beach is that once people get hooked, they are hooked for life. For more of us than we can count, Ferry Beach nourishes our spirits in a way that no other place or community can. What we hear most often from people is that Ferry Beach is their spiritual home, the place they come to recharge their batteries, the place they can truly be themselves. This service will be a celebration of Ferry Beach told through powerful experiences of transformation.
Greeters: Jean Merkl & John Gorman
Social Hour: Kelly & Kyle Morton
amd Valy McDonald
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Intergenerational Thanksgiving Service
Mark W. Harris
This service for all ages will include a story, Guest at Your Table boxes, a Thanksgiving celebration in the Succah with corn bread and cider, special music and much more.
Greeters: Ginger Burns & Neil Zarin
Social Hour: Johanna Swift Hart and Kyle Hart
Sunday, November30, 2008
“Unintended Wisdom” Mark W. Harris
Has anyone ever said something to you that seemed insulting or hurtful at first, but then you realized that it carried a great deal of truth in it? How much have we gleaned from unintended wisdom?
Greeters: Lynn Bratley & Chuck Dickinson
Social Hour: Michael McCarthy and TBA
Captain’s Log
Some of you may remember my challenging dish washer that I reported on in this column last year. Getting it fixed was an adventure like no other. In the past six months a mechanical adventure has surfaced with our car. For most of that time we have been driving around with a “check engine” light that is stuck on. It isn’t really clear to me that anything is wrong, but it still disturbs me to watch this little light all the time. Sometimes it goes off for no apparent reason, but then just as mysteriously it will pop back on.
A few months back I decided I would attempt to have it repaired through the dealership. I soon learned that it might not mean a major mechanical problem, but that it simply could be a computer malfunction. But in this instance I was told it was some kind of cylinder problem, and it was repaired for hundreds of dollars. But then after it was fixed, guess what? The light came back on. The dealer checked it once, and couldn’t really find anything, but invited me to bring it back for a more thorough check. I have declined, and the car continues to run reasonably well. But the light is still on.
Bringing the car to a dealer is often an all day affair, and with one car, and three boys schedules, this repair is postponed again and again. The car and a pending physical exam made me wonder, Does technology drive us or do we drive it? This is a tough question. As I had my annual physical this fall, I realized that medicine was now standards based, much like school testing. Do we pass the standard? Everything about me is analyzed on the computer, and I received this print out. “Greetings, 57 year old white male who does not exercise enough, and should have a diet with more fiber, etc.”
Age means you have to receive certain tests regardless. The last time my test results came back, the summary letter simply said, test results are fine. Compared to what? I guess I met the standard.
Our complicated family schedule has also meant that we have needed to rent a car a few times, including once for a trip to Maine because we had to go at separate times. This means that I have driven a variety of cars. One of the cars I drove to Maine had a computer sensitivity to everything. It felt like I was driving a hypochondriac car. The light flashed to add air to a tire, then it flashed to add coolant, then to add oil. Its hypersensitivity was driving me insane, but I didn’t really know the car, so I felt like I needed to do what it told me or risk crashing or burning out the engine. The tire didn’t look flat, but what do I know? Was the technology driving me, or was I driving it?
The other day Andrea came back from a doctor’s appointment after hoping she would learn something about the leg that was bothering her. He had looked at the blood test results, and said, “there is nothing wrong with you.” But he never actually looked at her leg or examined her. Perhaps that is the link in all this. With the rental I let the technology drive me because I had no relationship with the car, but with my car I seemed to have concluded that all these warning lights mean nothing. I know it is running fine. This is not to say ignore warning signs, but rather to acknowledge that the relationship is what is most important. We deserve a relationship with the professionals, and they should impart their knowledge while respecting our knowledge, too. It is about listening and responding and knowing, and not prejudging based on assumptions. Here’s to technology that serves our needs, and deeper relationships with those who use technology to make their decisions. May your Thanksgiving gathering mean stoves that cook, washers that wash, and cars that bring you home to all those people you love, with no lights flashing false signals of distress.
Mark
Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to Jean Merkl, John Gorman and family at the death of Jean’s mother Mary on October 21, 2008. A service was held in Worcester on October 25.
Carole Berney’s daughter, Jennifer, who lives in Seattle gave birth to a baby boy, Harlan West Shincke on October 5. All are doing well.
(from Andrea Greenwood)
Perhaps you have been missing Estelle Fox on Sunday mornings, and wondering where she and her housemates have been. Estelle is a lovely older woman who uses a walker and has been attending services at First Parish for years; first with Diane Shepard and then with caregivers from the home where she resides. Estelle was married at First Parish to Russell, in a service conducted by Mark. I recently had a chance to talk with John, the caregiver who brought Estelle and her friends to church, and he explained that medical issues with other residents were preventing him from bringing Estelle. It was great to talk with John, who said he really enjoyed coming to church and missed it; and that he was appreciative of how our congregation kept trying to raise awareness of the issues involved in being an inclusive society. He told me that he had been meaning to drop a note to the church about an area of concern he thought other members would share, which is about protecting natural and organic foods from regulation by the World Health Organization. Currently, there are five bills in Congress which would support the Codex Alimentarius laws. Basically, these laws promote the economic interests of multinational corporations by removing vitamins, minerals, herbs and supplements from the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Pharmaceutical companies would then control the natural health industry. For more information, see codexalimentarius.net (pro international legislation), healthfreedomusa.org (anti international legislation) and hippocratesinst.org (a natural supplement site). Harper's magazine also had a great article last March: The Revolution will not be Pasteurized.
David Morrison is a Notary Public and offers his services to the church community. He can be reached at 617.924.8075
Food Bank
Thanks to the thirteen volunteers who went to the Boston Food Bank on October 18 to sort food. They were: Jill Shaw, Barbara Farrell, Sue Kuder, Bobbie Brown, Mary Ann Cummings, Judy Kamm, Carole Katz, Mark Harris, Kyle Hart, Michael McCarthy, Anna Knight, Brigitte Bender and Pat Mitchell (Carole’s Mom). In our shift there were 38 volunteers altogether. We sorted 11, 995 pounds of food, and 9,596 pounders were salvaged (Remember it is all donated food). We sorted 253 pounds per volunteer, and each volunteer made 194 meals possible for a grand total of 7,372 meals made possible by our efforts. Thanks to all for your good work.
Charitable Offering
Thanks to the generous members and friends who contributed to our October Charitable Offering for Bikes Not Bombs. Jasmine Laitemark, the Director of Grassroots Fundraising and Events and Ashley Leary, the Youth Instructor came to church on October 26 to explain some of the programs of Bikes Not Bombs. Our offering total was $653.00
Our Charitable Offering in November will be to benefit Ferry Beach, the Unitarian Universalist Conference Center in Saco, Maine. Many of our members have enjoyed conferences there in the summertime, especially in recent years when Roberta Altamari has been coordinator for Different Drummers, a middle school camp, and Mark Harris has taught courses and coordinated Heritage Week. Ferry Beach is in the middle of a capital campaign to build a new dining hall (the old one is sinking into the sand!), among other things. It is a wonderful place to go in the summer. The program director there is our former student minister Fayre Stephenson, who will be preaching here on November 16, the day of our charitable offering. Come learn about Ferry Beach, and support this UU retreat for the replenishment of the soul.
Newcomer Breakfast
The Fellowship Committee of First Parish of Watertown is hosting a Newcomer Breakfast on Sunday, November 9th at 9:15 am in the social hall of the church. This is intended for all people who are relatively new to the church, but have not attended a breakfast before. Many of you have received a personal invitation, BUT in case we missed any other newcomers, please consider yourselves invited. As well as enjoying a wonderful meal, we will introduce you to members of the church and each other, and learn of the common roads that brought each of us to First Parish. Please RSVP by November 3 so that we have enough food for all attendees.
Hope to see you then.
New UU Class
Mark Harris will lead a New Unitarian Universalists class on Sunday, November 16 at 9:30 a.m. All members and friends who wish to learn more about the history, traditions and programs of the church are invited to attend, but this class is especially intended for newcomers. A second session will also be held on Sunday, November 23, if there is sufficient interest. Sign-ups will begin on Sunday, November 2.
Film Series
The First Parish is hosting a religious film series over the next several months. The first film in the series, “Arranged” will be shown on Sunday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. “Arranged” is the story of two young women, one an orthodox Jew, and the other a Muslim of Syrian origin. They both struggle with the process of “arranged” marriages through their respective religious and cultural traditions. Facing both family pressures on the one hand, and modern culture and its rejection of traditional values on the other, they must together learn to be strong women in charge of their own happiness while keeping their convictions. This excellent film, shows that friendship has no religion. One reviewer called it, “touching and often hilarious, a must-see in this globalized world.” Next month: James Carroll’s documentary, “Constantine’s Sword.”
November GIVING BOX
November is Voting Month ..and so the Giving Box will "borrow" the following political slogan: Yes we CAN!!!!
The Watertown Food Pantry needs the following CANned goods in order to supplement their Thanksgiving Food Drive:
Canned peas -- carrots--corn--yams--green beans--gravy--cranberry sauce--ground coffee
and packaged Stove Top Stuffing mix and tea bags.
May we ask you to bring, if possible, at least 2 of the above items by Sunday, November 16th.
We know we CAN make a difference--just look at what our Giving Box has accomplished in the past two months: 900+ gently used books for the More Than Words project and, to date, 200+ outfits for SolutionsWear!!
We thank you for thinking of and supporting populations less fortunate. We here at First Parish have much for which to be thankful -- specifically each other and the gift of our spiritual community. Let's make November a real **YES WE CAN ** month --on many levels!!
Jill Shaw and Barbara Farrell
(Please see Debra D's article for details of the youngsters' Thanksgiving collection efforts)
Green Sanctuary Corner
Personal Green Experience
Using rainwater for back yard irrigation.
Our new garden prompted Anna and I to look into ways to conserve water, Anna and I decided to purchase a rain barrel sold by The New England Rain Barrel Company; discounted through the Watertown Department of Public Works (DPW).
The system is comprised of 4 basic parts which arrived fully assembled:
1) a recycled 55 gallon plastic drum that could no longer be reused for industrial purposes
2) two solid brass fittings for the outlet and top overflow control valves
3) an aluminum screen louvered inlet hole
4) a five-foot starter hose with shutoff
You can see more details at http://www.nerainbarrel.com/
I installed the rain barrel as recommended, which only required a couple of hours to divert the downspout to the barrel inlet hole; and we were ready to go!
First rainstorm after installation surprised me. The barrel filled very quickly and the overflow valve was put to use only an hour or so into the storm. Clearly I needed more capacity to capture all the rainwater, but that’s an ongoing saga. After the storm was over; and it was time to water, the system worked very well. We could either attach an ordinary garden hose to the outlet valve or fill a watering can to irrigate the plants. The stored water was sufficient to provide a thorough soaking of all our plants with some left over.
This system works very well if it rains every 3 days and we can irrigate using the stored water two days after the rain storm. Under these conditions, we would never need to use town water for irrigation. Mother Nature, however, is not so predictable.
We acquired three more barrels allowing us to collect and store more rainwater. Manually moving the overflow hose from barrel to barrel has allowed us to collect more water (unfortunately one of us gets very wet in the process). Several times this summer, we had 198 gallons of stored rainwater; enough water to fully soak all our plants 4 separate times. This means we have enough rainwater storage capacity for over a week (assuming full irrigation every other day). Next summer, I plan to improve the system, which will allow the accumulation of up to 198 gallons of rainwater; with out either Anna or me getting soaked in the process.
I would be happy to further share my experiences (along with practical hints, tips and design ideas) with anyone interested in utilizing a rainwater collection system for irrigation.
Mike Anctil, Green Sanctuary (GS) committee member
dma02155@comcast.net
(617) 744-0454
Additional GS Information: Expired Compact Florescent Light (CFL) Bulbs can be safely disposed of in Watertown. Simply bring expired CLF’s to the “Returns Station” just inside the entrance door at the Home Depot near Arsenal Mall.
Hungry for More
Debra Zagaeski, DRE
November, the harvest is ended for our local farms and I’ve put my garden to bed. For me this means I’ve taken the stakes out of the tomato plants tossed some little green tomatoes to the birds and moved my house plants inside for the winter. They are simple steps which acknowledge the change of season. Not as profound as the labors which our ancestors endured to ensure their survival through the long dark winter. My home pantry will barely note the change of season, I will still find strawberries and blueberries to sit atop my granola and my family and I will continue to feast upon fresh green vegetables all through the winter. Even in this season of economic uncertainty I can be certain that my family will not go hungry. What a privilege! I am so grateful.
November, and it is a time to be thankful. It is a time to gather together and be mindful, conscious, and grateful for our many blessings. In “The Omnivore's Dilemma” author, Michael Pollen discusses “conscious eating”. Taking the time to consider where the food on your plate comes from. Who grew this food? Where was it grown? How far did it travel to reach your home? What resources were used in the production of this food? Who harvested this food? We are encouraged to re-connect with the sources of our food and in doing so realize how we may individually contribute to a more balanced environment for ourselves, our families and the whole earth.
November, and Thanksgiving is upon us. Thanksgiving began as an appreciation of the gifts of the land and resources, a time to reach out and share the bounty of the land, invite others in and share our grateful harvest. There are a number of opportunities at First Parish to share our grateful harvest during this holiday season:
In our Religious education program and for all others as well, we will distribute the UUService Committee’s “Guest at Your Table” boxes again this November. Please take one home, contribute as you are able and return it during our Christmas Eve Services in December.
The children in our religious education classes will be helping to assemble Thanksgiving baskets on November 9th to be distributed to twenty-five families on November 23rd. We are collecting canned goods to include in the baskets. Please bring canned goods to church and put in box outside of the DRE office.
The “Giving Box” collection for the month of December is also for canned goods to be distributed to the Boston Medical Center's Grow Clinic.
I encourage you and your family to continue the conversation about the ways in which we may honor our earth’s bounty, and share a grateful harvest. Below are a few suggestions which may help you get started:
*Practice “Dime – a –meal” for three weeks. Place the “Guest at Your Table” box on your Kitchen/Dining Room Table. At every meal, each person takes the simple act of putting ten cents into the box as an expression of thanks for the meal they receive. These small acts add up! If everyone in a family of four put ten cents into the box for three meals a day for three weeks, the family would have twenty-five dollars at the end of three weeks. Twenty-five dollars is enough to purchase fifteen meals for another family of four!
*Practice Mindful eating… Sit down at a table without the TV, a book or newspaper. Give thanks for your food. Think about the origins of your food, where it was grown, and how it got to your table. (This offers a great extended lesson for children who may enjoy researching where all the items from their dinner originated and how they arrived at the family dinner table). Eat your meal slowly and be aware of how each bite tastes. Notice when you feel satisfied and full.
*Take the “Hunger Challenge”. Spend no more than $1 on a meal per person for food. This is an opportunity to walk in another person’s shoes and to understand the experience of eating on a very limited budget. Recipe ideas can be found at hungerchallenge.blogspot.com.
*Visit the Website: “freerice.com” Increase your vocabulary and help world hunger. Grains of rice are donated for each word challenge, whether you know the word or not!
*In preparation for the holiday season try to reclaim the joy of the season by simplifying and slowing down. I recommend two books: Bill McKibben’s, Hundred Dollar Holiday and Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson.
I am grateful for the honor of working each week with the children and youth of First Parish in the Religious Education program. I feel grateful to have survived the first couple of months as a new DRE and I am beginning to feel the earth beneath my feet! I am looking forward to the season of light and will be sending out information about the coming solstice pageant, caroling, and other joy filled activities to come. Look for weekly email announcements as well as website announcements.
I hope to encourage more of you to step up to share your gifts, the bounty of your generous spirit and give a couple of hours of your time to the religious education of our children and youth. If you are not certain of how or where your talents may be best used give me a call (781) 863-1319 or email me drewatertown@yahoo.com. I would be honored to help you help us!
Namaste (The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you),
Debra
Parents of UUTravelers
from Andrea Greenwood
I had a lot of fun with this group over the month of October, but I never got a chance to send out a letter. So here's a bit about what we were up to: We learned that many Jewish holidays are proscribed by the Bible, especially in Leviticus, where the rules are. In Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we learned about new beginnings, believing that everyone makes mistakes and can begin again, and that it is best to not keep our mistakes private. We can support one another in trying to do better. Sukkoth is both a Biblical holiday and a natural one, related to the harvest, and it is one of three pilgrimage festivals for Jews. The Puritans based the holiday of Thanksgiving on this festival, specifically because it was Biblical. In Hinduism, we learned that the celebrations are not based on a book, but on an oral tradition of story telling about the pantheon of gods and goddesses. The Ramayana (ra MY en a) is stories about the god Ram, or Rama, and it is has been told for between three and four thousand years in India. The English expression of calling a story a "yarn" comes from the Ramayana, as sailors involved in the spice trade with India learned the tales. We learned a story about the triumph of good over evil, and thought a little bit about associations like good/evil and God/Devil; or how air is associated with heaven and goodness, and that fire is associated with bad and evil. Isn't it interesting that the idea of intense heat way down deep in the ground is scientifically accurate as well as a powerful mythic image??
Musically Speaking
by Charlyn Bethell, Interim Music Director
We are a very musical community! Music Sunday on October 26th, a service devoted to our retiring music director, Patty Devore, was a beautiful display of music that we can all claim as our own. We dedicated our new hymnals, Singing the Journey, and sang some songs from them. The Children’s Choir, the Youth Choir, and the Adult Choir sang. Djalai Babazadeh, Karen Allendoerfer, and Isabel Tappan-Defrees, all members of our congregation, shared their music with us. The readings about music inspired us, and the totality of the service brought us together with music.
How can you get involved in music at First Parish? Join a choir! The adult choir
has been meeting on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. The location of those rehearsals in November needs to be announced. The Youth Choir sings right after church from 12:30 to 1:15 pm and will meet again November 9th. The Children’s Choir meets every Sunday (except November 9th) at 10:15 am
downstairs by the piano in the social hall.
Our Annual Holiday Caroling will be on Saturday, December 20th in the late afternoon. Save the date; the singing will be fun, and we end at the Bethell/Urban household for cocoa and treats.
When you are hit with a musical inspiration, please don’t keep it to yourself! All good ideas deserve to be shared. Let me know how I can help get you involved with music at First Parish.
Come to a Discussion on November 2nd of Socially Responsible Investing and What it Could Mean to First Parish
All members and friends of First Parish are invited to a discussion in the sanctuary after the service on Sunday, November 2 with the Trustees about socially responsible investing and what it could mean to First Parish if the trustees elect to engage an investment advisor to manage our endowment in a socially responsible manner.
The Trustees of First Parish, who manage the church’s endowment, have been engaged in a search for a new investment advisor to replace our current advisor, Stuart Rothkopf, who is retiring after helping us manage the endowment for nearly 30 years. As part of this search process we have done an extensive investigation into the advantages and disadvantages of retaining an investment organization that specializes in what is called socially responsible investing (SRI).
SRI is the term used to describe investing money in ways that are consistent with one’s values. At the simplest level this would mean not investing money in companies that make products or engage in practices that one finds objectionable. For example, for many people and organizations this means not investing in companies that sell cigarettes or promote gambling. For others it might mean not investing in companies that sell products that pollute the environment or are involved in the exploitation of child labor in the manufacture of their products.
At another level SRI involves not only avoiding companies that engage in practices that are objectionable, but in actively engaging with companies to try to persuade them that it is in their business interest to change those practices. This can involve filing shareholder initiatives to be voted on at a public company’s annual meeting, voting for such initiatives that have been filed by others and communicating with management directly to express concerns.
The most effective SRI incorporates these first two practices, but also includes a third element as well. Firms that actively practice SRI evaluate the products and practices of companies they invest in, having screened out the companies that are involved in businesses that by their nature are objectionable, and when they identify something that doesn’t meet their standards for social responsibility, they seek to engage the company in a discussion to persuade them to change the practice to make it acceptable. They can be effective in doing this because, in addition to making fairly large investments in companies by virtue of the fact that they invest money for large numbers of people and institutions, they also ally themselves with other organizations that practice SRI, including some very large state and union pension funds. This means that when they approach a company they can be speaking on behalf of organizations that collectively own a meaningful percentage of a company’s shares.
In the course of our investigation we learned that through these active initiatives SRI organizations are often effective in persuading companies to change their practices. Part of their ability to be effective is a result of their holding enough shares to draw negative public attention to companies that are not responsive.
To the Trustees of First Parish the opportunity to work with a firm that practices SRI, which would enable us to use our endowment in alliance with others to project the values of First Parish into the larger world is very exciting. However, it is not without cost. Therefore it is important to the Trustees that they are clear with the congregation what those costs are (and are not), and to be confident that the congregation supports us before we incur the costs involved in engaging in actively promoting our values through our investments.
When the concept of SRI first arose it was argued that because it limited the universe of companies that it was acceptable to invest in, it would either limit the return that could be generated by investing in this way, or increase the risk of the investment portfolio. This has proven not to be the case. In fact it is argued by some that SRI, over the long term, will produce better returns because it will avoid companies whose socially irresponsible practices in the short term will prove very costly to those companies in the longer term. While this argument makes intuitive sense, it also is not proven.
The cost to First Parish of engaging a socially responsible investment firm will come from the higher fees these firms have to charge to employ the staff that does the research on business practices of the companies they invest in, and engages companies to change practices that are problematic. These are costs traditional investment firms don’t incur.
For First Parish, given the size of its current endowment, the added cost of engaging a socially responsible investment firm would be $5,000 - $6,000 per year. That is money that would not be available for First Parish’s operating budget. It amounts to about 2% of our current operating budget of $270,000 per year and 6% percent of the amount the congregation gives to the church through individual donations. In practical terms that means that we would need to find a way to save that amount of money in our budget by doing without something that we currently have, or each of us increasing the amount we give to the church by 6%.
The Trustees and the Parish Council of First Parish (which is made up of the heads of all the church’s committees), have discussed engaging a socially responsible investment firm. They are excited by the opportunity for the church to align its values with its investments, and believe that the church is financially sound enough to bear the added cost. However, all agree that it is important for the congregation as a whole to support this initiative.
Please come to this meeting on Sunday, November 2 after the service to share your thoughts on this important topic. If you cannot attend this meeting, feel free to contact Bob Shay, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, or any of the other trustees to ask questions and express your opinion on this important topic.
THE AUCTION IS COMING!
The annual First Parish Service Auction and Potluck Dinner will be held on Saturday, November 15 in the social hall. Dinner and silent auction will be at 6:00pm, with the live auction portion of the evening at 7:30pm.
This is a great evening where laughs and good cheer abound as goods and services are bought by the highest bidder. All proceeds go to First Parish. Plan to contribute a good-cookies, jam, artwork for example—or service-ride to Logan, carpentry, sewing, computer help etc. or just join in the fun and camaraderie of the evening.
Mark Caggiano returns as auctioneer.
Arbella- October 2008 newsletter
First Parish of Watertown
Arbella
October 2008
for calendar of events please go to our website: fpwatertown.org and go to the member page for the calendar
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday, October 5 at 11:00 a.m.
“Making Up is Hard to Do”
Mark W. Harris
Thinking of the old Neil Sedaka song that “breaking up is hard to do”, this will be a few reflections on “making up” or how we all seek forgiveness. Religiously, we might call it reflections on atonement.
Greeters: Randy Rhoda and Kathy Warren
Social Hour: Carole Katz and Beth Parsons
Sunday, October12 at 11:00 a.m.
Carmen Emerson
"Self-Culture: A 19th Century Legacy for 21st Century Unitarian Universalists”
FPW member and seminarian, Carmen Emerson, explores the disciplines of Self-Culture, and ways they may be applicable to contemporary religious life.
Greeters: Martha Scott and David Morrison
Social Hour: Neil Zarin & Ginger Burns,
Judi Fitts
Sunday, October 19 at 11:00 a.m.
“Counterfeit Ways”
Mark W. Harris
Most of us would like to be honest and straight forward in our dealings with others, but it is often a crooked world out there. This can be a difficult concept for liberals to grasp. In what ways must we use the gift of guile in order to survive and prosper.
Greeters: Norah Mulvaney and Paul Day
Social Hour: John Portz and
Meredith Montague
Sunday, October 26 at 11:00 a.m.
Music Sunday
This service will be a very special celebration of music at First Parish. We will share some reflections on how important music has been at the church over the last generation or so. This service will feature many of our FPW musicians, former guest musicians, and Patty DeVore will return to help celebrate her years as music director. Our children’s, youth and adult choirs will sing.
Greeters: Carmen Emerson and Raz Mason
Social Hour: Julie Miller and Paul Dansereau
Captain’s Log
We are underway as fellow shipmates on the Arbella. The church year is afloat. I think for many of us the economy feels like it is afloat, or maybe adrift. These are anxiety producing times. The election is before us and the world is full of problems.
Discussing the economy leads to interesting questions on the issue of responsibility. Initially the bail out plan was placed squarely on the back of taxpayers. In other words we were going to pay for everything while the companies that got us into this mess got off scot free. Shouldn’t they take some responsbility ?
As I write this there is no solution to the crisis at hand, but it is an perplexing situation. Here we have lived under extreme laissez-faire economic doctrine, and now suddenly the laissez faire advocates suddenly want to act like socialists. It is government bailout all over the place. But once the government intervenes, do we then go back to laissez faire again? Which is it going to be? If this works so well, how did we get into such a mess in the first place? I applaud those Massachusetts Democrats who stood up to the initial bail out plan and voted against it. They asked why should we accept all the responsbility, and they also asked if you have principles shouldn’t you live by them?
This is what religion is suppose to remind us of. Do we believe in this or not? The larger issue is the principle. Politicians spend too much time on trivialities and worry about how the electorate will respond. We can do the same. In every walk of life, I want my leaders to lead. To make decisions. To make stands, and show resolve. How about you?
I usually share with you some general information aobut my schedule in this October newsletter. First, you should know that all sermons are posted on the FPW website. (This includes Andrea’s sermon last month). When am I here? Office hours: I am generally in the office Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and try to make Tuesday my off day. I am usually here from 9:30 - 3:30 p.m.
(more or less), but there are some days when I have meetings elsewhere.(Nancy is here on Tuesday, but not on Wednesday). However, I am available to meet with you at any time about any kind of issue pertaining to the church and/or personal, family or religious issues. Let me know. There seems to be some confusion about my sabbatical. I am taking three months this church year (2009) and three months next church year (2010). The minister is given one month for each year of service, so I will have had two sabbatical periods of six months each by the completion of fourteen years. I think it is easier for the church if I split the sabbatical into three month segments, and not do six months all at once. The sabbatical in 2009 will be in April, May and June.
This year I have the privilege of being one of fifty people who will participate in a special summit on excellence in the ministry, as our denomination considers who, how where and why ministers will be educated in the future. This will take place in December, and I will be spending three days in Seattle. It should be a fascinating experience. I was selected because I am the UUA’s Representative on the St. Lawrence Foundation Board. This group gives funds to theological schools and students and is funded by the money from the old Universalist seminary at St. Lawrence University, which closed in the 1960’s.
Mark
Among Us
Congratulations to Mark Caggiano, our former student minister, who received a Category 1 (the highest) from the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee
Thanks for Summer services
We neglected to say thank you to our wonderful cast of worship leaders over the summer months. We generally had 15-20 people here with interesting topics and stimulating leaders. Thanks to Roberta Altamari, Kyle Hart, Peter Cudhea, Chris Johnson, Beth Tappan-deFrees, and Charlyn Bethel.
Mt. Auburn Cemetery Tour
Mark Harris will lead a tour of Mt. Auburn Cemetery featuring a vast array of graves and monuments for Famous Unitarian Universalists. People include Dorothea Dix, Julia Ward Howe and Samuel G.Howe, Margaret Fuller, Robert Gould Shaw, Fannie Farmer, Henry W. Longfellow, and early religious leaders Hosea Ballou and William Ellery Channing. The tour will be on Saturday October 4 at 10:00 a.m. We will meet at the cemetery entrance. Please RSVP to Mark. It is a walking tour of about 11/2 hours.
From the Interim Music Director
We have much to celebrate in the musical life of our church! All three of our choirs are rehearsing and will be prepared to sing for the Music Service on October 26th. Our retiring Music Director, Patty DeVore will be playing with soloists that day as well. At that service, we will be honoring Patty and her many years of service to First Parish.
As we are preparing to search for a new Music Director, we are fortunate to have pianists, Guy Urban and Rita Moershel with us.
We are hoping to hire a new Music Director to begin in January 09. Before the search committee can advertise for a new Music Director, we need to connect and share our visions of a music program at church. You will be receiving an email survey soon and we hope you will take the time to participate. This is the time to tell us what you would like to see in the musical life at FPW. In addition to the written survey, following the church service on Oct. 19th, members of the search committee will be holding a forum to discuss all issues about this new position. If you know you will not be in church that day, you may want to contact any of the people on this committee: Charlyn Bethell , Guy Urban, Sue Demb, Elizabeth De Frees, Marilyn Boenau, Chris Johnson and Mark Harris (ex officio) We value and need your input!
Musically yours,
Charlyn Bethell
Thanks for Fall Start-up
A number of members helped us spruce up for fall, especially in the wake of summer rains that made our weeds grow, and summer painting that made us look new, but resulted in all our wall pictures being taken down. Thanks to Michael McCarthy and David Morrison and Kathy Button for outside labors (along with David Benson and Nancy Dutton and Nick Haddad for flood control!). Then thanks to Izzy and Beth Tappan deFrees for arranging our fall cleaning, Will Twombly for picture hanging, and David B. again for inside projects.
Bicycle Collection for Community Development at Home and Abroad
A bicycle collection for Bikes Not Bombs will take place on Saturday, November 1. As you may recall, Bikes Not Bombs is a Roxbury based non-profit organization working for alternative transportation and community development. They operate a full service bike shop in Roxbury where they achieve the goals of training inner city youth to become bicycle mechanics, learn good business skills and become effective community leaders. On Sunday, October 26 they will be the recipient of our monthly charitable offering. A representative from Bikes Not Bombs will be at the service to explain more about their programs.
Please note our September charitable offering for Solutions at Work was a grand total of $379.75. Thank you for your generosity.
Bikes Not Bombs works both locally and internationally to promote peace and social justice. Over the years they have shipped 33,000 bikes to community bike projects in Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Central America and Nevis. For the working poor in developing countries, bikes are an inexpensive means of transportation and provide a reliable way of commuting to school, to work, and to market.
As mentioned above, the bicycle collection this fall will take place on Saturday, November 1 from 1 – 4 p.m. at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 80 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown. The First Parish youth group will once again co-sponsor the drive, and will be helping on November 1 to prepare the bikes for transport.
Please help Bikes Not Bombs achieve its mission of working towards alternative transportation and community development by donating your used bike in reparable condition. A monetary donation of $5 per bike is requested to help defray the cost of repair and refurbishing.
Information about Bikes Not Bombs can be found at www.BikesNotBombs.org For more information about the Watertown collection see Will or Sue Twombly or Sue Kuder.
Volunteer at the Boston Food Bank
On Saturday, October 18, from 8:45 am – 12:00 pm the First Parish of Watertown has signed up to be one of the groups sorting food at the Boston Food Bank. We will inspect, sort and repack donated grocery products that are then distributed to hunger relief agencies. With the help of volunteers, the Food Bank is able to provide meals for over 83,000 people each week! If you can volunteer, please sign up on the bulletin board downstairs, or let the church office know. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Please wear closed shoes (open-toed shoes not allowed). We can meet ahead of time, and leave from the church parking lot at 8:00 a.m.
October Giving Box
Our Church Community Connects to its Neighbor Organizations!
The Giving Box transitions from September to October: from More Than Words to Solutions Wear!
FPW members and friends collected more than 400 books during September in support of More Than Words, a multi-level educational/support program for area adolescents. We thank the children in our church school who decorated bookmarks in support of this Giving Box collection. FPW has been supportive of More Than Words for several years and the administrators are appreciative of our sustained assistance. When/if you drop in to the Waltham storefront bookstore to buy books, do mention your church affiliation---a suggestion by the Director and adolescent liaison! A big thank you for your response to the first month of the 2008-2009 Giving Box!
October brings transition from waning warmth to goose bump chilly. Our October Giving Box speaks to transition too. We will be supporting Solutions Wear, a non-profit agency with the overall goal of ending homelessness in our greater community. The program is located in Cambridge and services the people of Watertown who are dealing with the direct or related issues of homelessness.
We will be collecting seasonal clothing and accessories for both men and women to be used by people transitioning from homelessness to connectedness through work. Free clothing is selected by clients in need of appropriate outfits for job and housing interviews as well as court appearances. All clients availing themselves to this free clothing program will have had a written referral from a case manager, employment agency or other provider.
Please bring in gently used, clean, seasonal articles on coat hangers. We will provide a clothes tree for you to hang the clothes. Other articles such as shoes or accessories can be put in the Giving Box (in either the upstairs or the downstairs box). This may be an impetus for you to streamline your closets.
Check the bulletin board at Coffee Hour for expanded detail of a program which provides paid employment, tangible resources (like CLOTHES) and economic support essential for independent living!
Your enthusiasm for the Giving Box in September was such a collective expression of what we can do locally together that we all can move into October's efforts for Solutions Wear with hope for another successful joint effort. We truly thank you.
Barbara Farrell and Jill Shaw
Money matters!
Happy fall First Parish members and friends! The Finance Committee has reconvened for the fall. Our primary role is to oversee the annual church budget which includes running the annual canvass. We work in coordination with our co-treasurers Jean Merkl and John Gorman.
If you made a pledge last March and are unsure what you pledged or have other questions about the annual pledge, please contact John Portz (jportz@rcn.com). For the purposes of best closing out our church fiscal year, please try to complete your annual pledge payments by 2/28/09. If you are the chair of a committee, your Finance Committee liaison will be contacting you in the next month to make sure your budget questions are answered. As the fall continues, we will also assist you in developing next year’s budget. Committee members are: Paul Danserau, Carole Katz, Bob Shay, Michael Collins, John Portz and Beth Tappan-deFrees. Please contact any of us if you have questions.
Social Hour Hosting Schedule 2008 – 2009
Here is the 2008-2009 list for hosting social hour. We appreciate each of you for your generosity in doing this. If you are unable to make the date assigned we would appreciate it if you would find a replacement from the list and let the office know of the switch. You can find contact information in our First Parish directory or at the First Parish website under members. The directory requires a user name of fpwatertown. If you don’t know the password call the office. It is important that the office know who will be doing social hour so it is accurate in the Arbella and on the social hall bulletin board. The office will notify you 2 weeks in advance of your assigned time. Please reply back to Nancy in the office by email(fpwatertown@comcast.net) or phone, 617-924-6143 so that we are sure that social hour is covered.
Thanks to all for hosting Social Hour.
The Fellowship Committee
OCTOBER
5 Carole Katz, Beth Parsons
12 Judi Fitts, Neil Zarin and Ginger Burns
19 Meredith Montague & John Portz
26 Julie Miller & Paul Dansereau
NOVEMBER
2 Carole Berney, Virginia Howe
9 Kathy Warren, Jan Klein
16 Kelly & Kyle Morton and Valy McDonald
23 Johanna Swift Hart & Kyle Hart
30 Jim Felty, Michael McCarthy
DECEMBER
7 Charmian Proskauer, Bobbie Brown
14 Katherine & Matt Calabro
21 Beth & Izzy Tappan-deFrees
28 Theo Ellsworth, Randy Rhoda
2009
JANUARY
4 Djalai Babazadeh & Steve Gustin
11 Paul Montesino, Wendell Refior
18 Nancy Dutton & David Benson
25 Elizabeth Strekalovsky & Brian Hebeisen
FEBRUARY
1 Tesi Kohlenberg & Tom Goodwillie
8 Ken Repp & Chris Johnson
15 Kathy Button, Sue Demb
22 Norah Mulvaney & Paul Day
MARCH
1 Jean Merkl & John Gorman
8 Karen Allendeorfer, Cornelia Janke
15 Anna & Mike Anctil
22 Sarah McSweeney & John Chamberlain
29 Martha Scott & David Morrison, Joani Mountain
APRIL
5 Charlyn Bethell & Guy Urban, Martha Urban
12 Judy & Roger Kamm
19 Jill Shaw & Barbara Farrell
26 Gretchen Brown, Johanna Erickson
MAY
3 Sue & Will Twombly
10 Linda Letourneau, Maryellen Howe, Patricia Fox
17 Jeanne Cleary & Barry Greess
24 Sue Kuder & Channing Mendelsohn, Anna Knight
31 Anne Harrington, Susan Lind-Sinanian
JUNE
7 Raz Mason, Carmen Emerson
14 Diane Shephard, Paula Carnese
21 All-church picnic
FIRST PARISH GREETERS 2008-2009
The list of greeters for the church year follows. Your willingness to take on this task is very much appreciated by our entire congregation! Your children and/or other family members are welcome to join you as greeters. If you are not able to attend church on your assigned date, please switch with another person by consulting the First Parish directory or on our online directory at the First Parish website. The directory is under members and the user name is fpwatertown. If you don’t know the password call the office. Please confirm with Nancy in the office of any switch made so it can be accurate in the Arbella and the social hall bulletin board.
Thank You,
The Fellowship Committee
OCTOBER
5 Randy Rhoda, Michael McCarthy
12 Martha Scott & David Morrison
19 Norah Mulvaney & Paul Day
26 Carmen Emerson, Raz Mason
NOVEMBER:
2 Tesi Kohlenberg & Tom Goodwille
9 Ken Repp & Chris Johnson
16 Jean Merkl & John Gorman
23 Ginger Burns and Neil Zarins
30 Sue Kuder & Channing Mendelsohn
DECEMBER
7 Katherine & Matt Calabro
14 Cornelia Janke & Goyo Carvajal
21 Gretchen Brown, Brigitte Bender
28 Lynn Bratley & Chuck Dickinson
2009
JANUARY
4 Jeanne Cleary & Barry Greess
11 Kathy Warren, Eileen Ryan
18 Susan Flint & Nick Haddad
25 Beth & Izzy Tappan-deFrees
FEBRUARY
1 Paul Montesino, Wendell Refior
8 Bobbie Brown, Mathilde Duffy
15 Jan Klein, TBA
22 Charmian Proskauer, Beth Parsons
MARCH
1 Carole Berney, Virginia Howe
8 Elizabeth Strekalovsky & Brian Hebeisen
15 Judi Fitts & TBA
22 Marianne & Michael Collins
29 Peter Cudhea, Anne Harrington
APRIL
5 Paula Carnese, Holly Cachimuel
12 Meredith Montague & John Portz
19 Fatima Hussein & Habis Obyat
26 Djalai Babazadeh & Steve Gustin
MAY
3 Lee Pierce, Dede Dussault
10 Charlyn Bethell & Guy Urban, Martha Urban
17 Sachie Karmacharya, Carole Katz
24 Julie Miller & Paul Dansereau
31 Judy & Roger Kamm
JUNE:
7 Katrina & Larry Carrasco
14 Youth greeters
21 Barbara Hansberry & David Leon
Service Auction is coming in November
Do you have something to donate?
It's time to start thinking about this year's Annual Service Auction, which will be held on Saturday, November 15. What’s a Service Auction? It’s when members and friends of First Parish donated services or items, such as making a dozen cookies, a pie, gardening help, computer help, knitting a scarf, a sermon of your choice, and then we bid on each others items! It’s a great way to get to know each other and raise money for the church.
We will conduct a silent auction on the two Sundays prior to the 15th. Bid sheets for all services and goods will be available for review and bidding, at tables set up during Social Hour.
On November 15, the Service Auction Potluck Dinner will be held in the Social Hall. After the dinner a variety of the items (about 20) will be auctioned off live, all other silent auction items go to the highest bidder on the sheet.
Children are welcome, and childcare will be available throughout the evening. While we hope you can attend the Auction and Potluck, you do not need to be present to be the winning bidder.
To begin with, though, we need services and goods to be auctioned. If you have a service or good to contribute to the auction, please complete the following form and leave it in the office door. If you have any questions, please talk to Jean Merkl or Kelly Morton, or
or e-mail FPW!
Service Auction Donation
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Name ________________________________
Phone Number _________________________
Email _______________________________
Minimum Bid (if any): ___________________
Item or Service to be auctioned (Please describe exactly as you would like it to appear in the Service Auction Brochure): ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Music Service and Potluck Luncheon
All members and friends are invited to a Potluck luncheon after church on Sunday October 26. Please bring main dish, salad, or dessert items to share. Drinks will be provided. We also hope to have some munchies available for those who cannot stay
too long.
Buildings and Grounds Clean Up Day
Please join B&G for whatever time you can spare on October 25 between 9 and 1pm.
We hope to do some projects that will help us save energy inside the building.
First Parish of Watertown -2008 Chair Campaign
Our campaign to raise funds for the purchase of new, blue chairs for our sanctuary has begun! We welcome any and all contributions from all who wish to help us finish the beautification process of this special space. Over the years you may have found inspiration, friendship and solace during our worship services or you may have enjoyed attending or participating in outstanding musical events here, Whatever your experience has been, we hope that you can help us enhance the welcome we extend to all visitors to our sanctuary.
Our goal is to raise funds to purchase a minimum of 136 new chairs by the end of December 2008. Chairs will cost $150 each. If you wish to write a check, please make it out to First Parish of Watertown, and specify “Chair campaign.” All contributions are tax-deductible. If you prefer to contribute in weekly or monthly installments, please fill out a Chair Campaign Pledge form. Please call us with any questions: (617) 924-6143.
First Parish Chair History
1630-1975 - Benches and Pews
1975 - Old church torn down while the congregation moved to the Unitarian Building, now our 8th meetinghouse. The congregation purchased 60 red chairs, because “we could never have more than 60 people in church.”
1994 - Growing congregation purchases 44 purple chairs to supplement red ones.
1996 - Growing congregation continues to use red, purple and now old folding chairs to make a total of 136 chairs, plus some of the original pews to seat congregation.
2008 - Campaign to buy 136 matching blue upholstered, wooden chairs.
***********************************************************************
First Parish of Watertown
Pledge for the 2008 Chair Campaign
Note: The cost of purchasing a new chair is $150.00. We are grateful for any amount that you can contribute either by check or by a pledge that you plan to pay in installments.
Name___________________________
Pledge Amount______________________
Address__________________________
Phone___________________________
I am enclosing my check for $___________
I intend to pay:
__ monthly__weekly__other
Signature:
_______________________________
Date_____________
Thank you for your contribution to the First Parish of Watertown Chair Campaign
Pledges are due by December 1, 2008
Change and Choice
from Debra Zagaeski, DRE
October – the air is clean and crisp tinged with the aromas of apple pie, wood smoke and change. Many of us have been focused on the glowing blue screens of our television sets and the presidential debates. Who will our country choose? What changes will follow this election? We Unitarian Universalists are all about choice and often at the forefront of change. We pride ourselves on our liberal attitudes and involvement in socially responsible activism. It is the potential of this powerful heritage which leads me to pose the question: How do we measure up with our children and youth here at First Parish in Watertown? How does this community of concerned and caring adults show our children and youth what it is that we believe?
Well, we do have dedicated and thoughtful individuals who volunteer to teach in our religious education programs and who serve on the religious education committee. I am certainly fortunate to have inherited a well established religious education program peopled with these dedicated volunteers. But… and as a brand new DRE I now go out upon the slimmest of limbs and up onto a soapbox (too much election zeal). We need more! The children and youth of this First Parish community need the whole village!
I have some concerns regarding the continued health and growth of the religious education program at First Parish. I am concerned that our volunteer teachers and committee members not feel over committed and “burn out”. I am concerned that the children who show up on Sunday mornings are having a positive experience and feel connected to their church home.
I hope to help to create an environment at First Parish in which all of our children can feel safe, respected and cared for as individuals. I hope to help to create an environment in which more members of the First Parish community will feel comfortable enough to step up and offer to share their talents and time with our children and youth.
So, here it is my platform - I am campaigning for change! I am interested in revisiting the way we currently teach our children. I hope to provide more choice for both our children and our volunteers to find connection and meaning at church. I hope to encourage some of you to change your minds and volunteer with our children. I propose that we try a less traditional classroom model and move toward areas of interest in workshop stations. The children would choose ahead of time an area of interest and participate in that workshop for the morning. There is much to discuss and the implementation of such change may take some time. And I know that change is hard. But change is also a vital part of life and growth.
I will be working with the religious education committee during this fall to create some opportunities for more of you to participate with our children. I would like to create some intergenerational workshops in specific interest areas such as: wood- working, knitting, cooking, photography, or just about anything. The values which we share through our actions are far more powerful than any written curricula. More information to follow soon!
I would like to bring your attention to several upcoming events:
1. Sunday, November 1st “Bikes Not Bombs” bike collection at St. John’s Methodist Church, Mt. Auburn St. Watertown. First Parish Youth Group will be assisting with this event. Any and all bicycles are accepted. see Flyers at church.
2. Sunday Night Film Series begins! November 9th “Arranged”
Namaste, Debra Zagaeski
Director of Religious Education
Green Sanctuary is for everyone!
Whether saving postage and printing costs or saving trees, we’d like to remind you that the Arbella is able to be emailed. There is no delay waiting for the mail! If you have an email address and are receiving the newsletter by snail-mail, please consider this green option and email the church at fpwatertown@comcast.net to switch over to email.
UUA Mass Bay District Events
(see www.mbduua.org)
UU New England Fall Conference
"The Future of Unitarian Universalism" featuring the candidates for UUA President
Rev. Laurel Hallman, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church, Dallas, TX
Rev. Peter Morales, Senior Minister, Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, CO
The DCU Center
Arena & Convention Complex
Worcester, MA
Saturday, Oct 18, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Go to conference website for details and to register: UU New England Fall Conference
Beyond Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship
Saturday: November 1st, 2008
Location: Bentley College, Waltham, MA
A Learning Congregation program
with Wayne Clark
9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Cost: $350 per congregation team of four or $90 per person
Wayne Clark will share a coming-of-age story designed to move congregations beyond the restrictive myth of scarcity that pervades so many of our Unitarian Universalist faith communities. Wayne will help participants focus on the reality of abundance as he provides specific resources to help participants lead their congregation. Teams of lay leaders are encouraged to attend the workshop.
Creating and Leading Dynamic Lay-Led Worship - Saturday, November 15, 2008
A Learning Congregation program with Rev. Sue Phillips - 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Cost: $350 per congregation team of four or
$90 per person
Location: Bentley College, Waltham, MA
Come explore the worship theory and theology that lie behind your congregation’s Order of Service. Learn to create high-quality, thematically-integrated lay-led worship services with compelling readings and singable hymns. We’ll reflect on the qualities of great preaching and share tips for sermon writing and preaching for lay people of all experience levels. This will be a hands-on workshop for worship committee members, lay worship leaders and preachers, and we especially encourage leadership teams from worship committees to attend. Cost includes breakfast, lunch, and materials.
UUA Principles and Purposes”
The UUA Commission on Appraisal is going to recommend changes in Article II, usually referred to as “the Principles and Purposes” in the Association’s By-Laws. We invite you to review a draft and comment on the changes we are thinking of proposing. Article II of the By-Laws includes other important sections on the Sources of Unitarian Universalism, Non-discrimination, and Freedom of Belief.
The UUA By-Laws require that a review of Article II take place every 15 years, and in 2006 the UUA’s Board of Trustees asked the Commission to consider conducting such a review. Part of that process included receiving feed back from Congregaitons, including the results of a meeting here in Watertown.
Now, it’s our turn to consider what they propose, and respond.
We hope to hear from as many UUs as possible. Go to www25.uua.org/coa to look at the draft, and respond to the survey.
Haiti Clothing and Other Basics Collection
Cornelia Janke manages a project that serves out of school youth in Haiti. These youths were hit hard by the recent hurricane.. many lost everything. In the coming weeks, Cornelia will be organizing a ‘Clothing and other Basics” collection for these youth.
Any donation of pants, t-shirts, socks, shoes, toothpaste, tooth brushes and other such items are welcome. Cash to cover shipping costs is also welcome. Stay tuned for more details next week. In the meatime start setting aside any extra gently used clothes and supplies for men and women ages 15-24.
Survey for Parents
Kris Goodrich, a doctoral candidate in Counseling and Human Services at Syracuse University is doing her dissertation research exploring the experiences of heterosexual parents with lesbian, gay or bisexual-identified sons or daughters. A participant's letter which explains the project in greater detail is posted on the bulletin in the social hall.
The survey can also be found at this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=klSmOZak3Vr7k9esEuaVBg_3d_3d
Columbus Day Weekend
on Martha's Vineyard
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha's Vineyard invites you to join us over Columbus Day Weekend, October 11-13, 2008. Fall is the best season of all on the Vineyard. Just ask any year-rounder. The crowds are gone, the air is crisp, the water is still plenty warm for a swim. Birdlife is on the move along with the striped bass and the blues. There's no better time to hike and bike our unspoiled trails and backroads. So come on over. We'll put you up with host UU families, treat you to a seafood supper and entertainment, offer an Island tour and welcome you to Sunday service at historic Stevens Chapel. For complete information, see our website at www.uusmv.info (B&B Weekend link) or e-mail us at cdevito@comcast.net. We'd love to see you on the Island.
Arbella
October 2008
for calendar of events please go to our website: fpwatertown.org and go to the member page for the calendar
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday, October 5 at 11:00 a.m.
“Making Up is Hard to Do”
Mark W. Harris
Thinking of the old Neil Sedaka song that “breaking up is hard to do”, this will be a few reflections on “making up” or how we all seek forgiveness. Religiously, we might call it reflections on atonement.
Greeters: Randy Rhoda and Kathy Warren
Social Hour: Carole Katz and Beth Parsons
Sunday, October12 at 11:00 a.m.
Carmen Emerson
"Self-Culture: A 19th Century Legacy for 21st Century Unitarian Universalists”
FPW member and seminarian, Carmen Emerson, explores the disciplines of Self-Culture, and ways they may be applicable to contemporary religious life.
Greeters: Martha Scott and David Morrison
Social Hour: Neil Zarin & Ginger Burns,
Judi Fitts
Sunday, October 19 at 11:00 a.m.
“Counterfeit Ways”
Mark W. Harris
Most of us would like to be honest and straight forward in our dealings with others, but it is often a crooked world out there. This can be a difficult concept for liberals to grasp. In what ways must we use the gift of guile in order to survive and prosper.
Greeters: Norah Mulvaney and Paul Day
Social Hour: John Portz and
Meredith Montague
Sunday, October 26 at 11:00 a.m.
Music Sunday
This service will be a very special celebration of music at First Parish. We will share some reflections on how important music has been at the church over the last generation or so. This service will feature many of our FPW musicians, former guest musicians, and Patty DeVore will return to help celebrate her years as music director. Our children’s, youth and adult choirs will sing.
Greeters: Carmen Emerson and Raz Mason
Social Hour: Julie Miller and Paul Dansereau
Captain’s Log
We are underway as fellow shipmates on the Arbella. The church year is afloat. I think for many of us the economy feels like it is afloat, or maybe adrift. These are anxiety producing times. The election is before us and the world is full of problems.
Discussing the economy leads to interesting questions on the issue of responsibility. Initially the bail out plan was placed squarely on the back of taxpayers. In other words we were going to pay for everything while the companies that got us into this mess got off scot free. Shouldn’t they take some responsbility ?
As I write this there is no solution to the crisis at hand, but it is an perplexing situation. Here we have lived under extreme laissez-faire economic doctrine, and now suddenly the laissez faire advocates suddenly want to act like socialists. It is government bailout all over the place. But once the government intervenes, do we then go back to laissez faire again? Which is it going to be? If this works so well, how did we get into such a mess in the first place? I applaud those Massachusetts Democrats who stood up to the initial bail out plan and voted against it. They asked why should we accept all the responsbility, and they also asked if you have principles shouldn’t you live by them?
This is what religion is suppose to remind us of. Do we believe in this or not? The larger issue is the principle. Politicians spend too much time on trivialities and worry about how the electorate will respond. We can do the same. In every walk of life, I want my leaders to lead. To make decisions. To make stands, and show resolve. How about you?
I usually share with you some general information aobut my schedule in this October newsletter. First, you should know that all sermons are posted on the FPW website. (This includes Andrea’s sermon last month). When am I here? Office hours: I am generally in the office Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and try to make Tuesday my off day. I am usually here from 9:30 - 3:30 p.m.
(more or less), but there are some days when I have meetings elsewhere.(Nancy is here on Tuesday, but not on Wednesday). However, I am available to meet with you at any time about any kind of issue pertaining to the church and/or personal, family or religious issues. Let me know. There seems to be some confusion about my sabbatical. I am taking three months this church year (2009) and three months next church year (2010). The minister is given one month for each year of service, so I will have had two sabbatical periods of six months each by the completion of fourteen years. I think it is easier for the church if I split the sabbatical into three month segments, and not do six months all at once. The sabbatical in 2009 will be in April, May and June.
This year I have the privilege of being one of fifty people who will participate in a special summit on excellence in the ministry, as our denomination considers who, how where and why ministers will be educated in the future. This will take place in December, and I will be spending three days in Seattle. It should be a fascinating experience. I was selected because I am the UUA’s Representative on the St. Lawrence Foundation Board. This group gives funds to theological schools and students and is funded by the money from the old Universalist seminary at St. Lawrence University, which closed in the 1960’s.
Mark
Among Us
Congratulations to Mark Caggiano, our former student minister, who received a Category 1 (the highest) from the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee
Thanks for Summer services
We neglected to say thank you to our wonderful cast of worship leaders over the summer months. We generally had 15-20 people here with interesting topics and stimulating leaders. Thanks to Roberta Altamari, Kyle Hart, Peter Cudhea, Chris Johnson, Beth Tappan-deFrees, and Charlyn Bethel.
Mt. Auburn Cemetery Tour
Mark Harris will lead a tour of Mt. Auburn Cemetery featuring a vast array of graves and monuments for Famous Unitarian Universalists. People include Dorothea Dix, Julia Ward Howe and Samuel G.Howe, Margaret Fuller, Robert Gould Shaw, Fannie Farmer, Henry W. Longfellow, and early religious leaders Hosea Ballou and William Ellery Channing. The tour will be on Saturday October 4 at 10:00 a.m. We will meet at the cemetery entrance. Please RSVP to Mark. It is a walking tour of about 11/2 hours.
From the Interim Music Director
We have much to celebrate in the musical life of our church! All three of our choirs are rehearsing and will be prepared to sing for the Music Service on October 26th. Our retiring Music Director, Patty DeVore will be playing with soloists that day as well. At that service, we will be honoring Patty and her many years of service to First Parish.
As we are preparing to search for a new Music Director, we are fortunate to have pianists, Guy Urban and Rita Moershel with us.
We are hoping to hire a new Music Director to begin in January 09. Before the search committee can advertise for a new Music Director, we need to connect and share our visions of a music program at church. You will be receiving an email survey soon and we hope you will take the time to participate. This is the time to tell us what you would like to see in the musical life at FPW. In addition to the written survey, following the church service on Oct. 19th, members of the search committee will be holding a forum to discuss all issues about this new position. If you know you will not be in church that day, you may want to contact any of the people on this committee: Charlyn Bethell , Guy Urban, Sue Demb, Elizabeth De Frees, Marilyn Boenau, Chris Johnson and Mark Harris (ex officio) We value and need your input!
Musically yours,
Charlyn Bethell
Thanks for Fall Start-up
A number of members helped us spruce up for fall, especially in the wake of summer rains that made our weeds grow, and summer painting that made us look new, but resulted in all our wall pictures being taken down. Thanks to Michael McCarthy and David Morrison and Kathy Button for outside labors (along with David Benson and Nancy Dutton and Nick Haddad for flood control!). Then thanks to Izzy and Beth Tappan deFrees for arranging our fall cleaning, Will Twombly for picture hanging, and David B. again for inside projects.
Bicycle Collection for Community Development at Home and Abroad
A bicycle collection for Bikes Not Bombs will take place on Saturday, November 1. As you may recall, Bikes Not Bombs is a Roxbury based non-profit organization working for alternative transportation and community development. They operate a full service bike shop in Roxbury where they achieve the goals of training inner city youth to become bicycle mechanics, learn good business skills and become effective community leaders. On Sunday, October 26 they will be the recipient of our monthly charitable offering. A representative from Bikes Not Bombs will be at the service to explain more about their programs.
Please note our September charitable offering for Solutions at Work was a grand total of $379.75. Thank you for your generosity.
Bikes Not Bombs works both locally and internationally to promote peace and social justice. Over the years they have shipped 33,000 bikes to community bike projects in Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Central America and Nevis. For the working poor in developing countries, bikes are an inexpensive means of transportation and provide a reliable way of commuting to school, to work, and to market.
As mentioned above, the bicycle collection this fall will take place on Saturday, November 1 from 1 – 4 p.m. at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 80 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown. The First Parish youth group will once again co-sponsor the drive, and will be helping on November 1 to prepare the bikes for transport.
Please help Bikes Not Bombs achieve its mission of working towards alternative transportation and community development by donating your used bike in reparable condition. A monetary donation of $5 per bike is requested to help defray the cost of repair and refurbishing.
Information about Bikes Not Bombs can be found at www.BikesNotBombs.org For more information about the Watertown collection see Will or Sue Twombly or Sue Kuder.
Volunteer at the Boston Food Bank
On Saturday, October 18, from 8:45 am – 12:00 pm the First Parish of Watertown has signed up to be one of the groups sorting food at the Boston Food Bank. We will inspect, sort and repack donated grocery products that are then distributed to hunger relief agencies. With the help of volunteers, the Food Bank is able to provide meals for over 83,000 people each week! If you can volunteer, please sign up on the bulletin board downstairs, or let the church office know. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Please wear closed shoes (open-toed shoes not allowed). We can meet ahead of time, and leave from the church parking lot at 8:00 a.m.
October Giving Box
Our Church Community Connects to its Neighbor Organizations!
The Giving Box transitions from September to October: from More Than Words to Solutions Wear!
FPW members and friends collected more than 400 books during September in support of More Than Words, a multi-level educational/support program for area adolescents. We thank the children in our church school who decorated bookmarks in support of this Giving Box collection. FPW has been supportive of More Than Words for several years and the administrators are appreciative of our sustained assistance. When/if you drop in to the Waltham storefront bookstore to buy books, do mention your church affiliation---a suggestion by the Director and adolescent liaison! A big thank you for your response to the first month of the 2008-2009 Giving Box!
October brings transition from waning warmth to goose bump chilly. Our October Giving Box speaks to transition too. We will be supporting Solutions Wear, a non-profit agency with the overall goal of ending homelessness in our greater community. The program is located in Cambridge and services the people of Watertown who are dealing with the direct or related issues of homelessness.
We will be collecting seasonal clothing and accessories for both men and women to be used by people transitioning from homelessness to connectedness through work. Free clothing is selected by clients in need of appropriate outfits for job and housing interviews as well as court appearances. All clients availing themselves to this free clothing program will have had a written referral from a case manager, employment agency or other provider.
Please bring in gently used, clean, seasonal articles on coat hangers. We will provide a clothes tree for you to hang the clothes. Other articles such as shoes or accessories can be put in the Giving Box (in either the upstairs or the downstairs box). This may be an impetus for you to streamline your closets.
Check the bulletin board at Coffee Hour for expanded detail of a program which provides paid employment, tangible resources (like CLOTHES) and economic support essential for independent living!
Your enthusiasm for the Giving Box in September was such a collective expression of what we can do locally together that we all can move into October's efforts for Solutions Wear with hope for another successful joint effort. We truly thank you.
Barbara Farrell and Jill Shaw
Money matters!
Happy fall First Parish members and friends! The Finance Committee has reconvened for the fall. Our primary role is to oversee the annual church budget which includes running the annual canvass. We work in coordination with our co-treasurers Jean Merkl and John Gorman.
If you made a pledge last March and are unsure what you pledged or have other questions about the annual pledge, please contact John Portz (jportz@rcn.com). For the purposes of best closing out our church fiscal year, please try to complete your annual pledge payments by 2/28/09. If you are the chair of a committee, your Finance Committee liaison will be contacting you in the next month to make sure your budget questions are answered. As the fall continues, we will also assist you in developing next year’s budget. Committee members are: Paul Danserau, Carole Katz, Bob Shay, Michael Collins, John Portz and Beth Tappan-deFrees. Please contact any of us if you have questions.
Social Hour Hosting Schedule 2008 – 2009
Here is the 2008-2009 list for hosting social hour. We appreciate each of you for your generosity in doing this. If you are unable to make the date assigned we would appreciate it if you would find a replacement from the list and let the office know of the switch. You can find contact information in our First Parish directory or at the First Parish website under members. The directory requires a user name of fpwatertown. If you don’t know the password call the office. It is important that the office know who will be doing social hour so it is accurate in the Arbella and on the social hall bulletin board. The office will notify you 2 weeks in advance of your assigned time. Please reply back to Nancy in the office by email(fpwatertown@comcast.net) or phone, 617-924-6143 so that we are sure that social hour is covered.
Thanks to all for hosting Social Hour.
The Fellowship Committee
OCTOBER
5 Carole Katz, Beth Parsons
12 Judi Fitts, Neil Zarin and Ginger Burns
19 Meredith Montague & John Portz
26 Julie Miller & Paul Dansereau
NOVEMBER
2 Carole Berney, Virginia Howe
9 Kathy Warren, Jan Klein
16 Kelly & Kyle Morton and Valy McDonald
23 Johanna Swift Hart & Kyle Hart
30 Jim Felty, Michael McCarthy
DECEMBER
7 Charmian Proskauer, Bobbie Brown
14 Katherine & Matt Calabro
21 Beth & Izzy Tappan-deFrees
28 Theo Ellsworth, Randy Rhoda
2009
JANUARY
4 Djalai Babazadeh & Steve Gustin
11 Paul Montesino, Wendell Refior
18 Nancy Dutton & David Benson
25 Elizabeth Strekalovsky & Brian Hebeisen
FEBRUARY
1 Tesi Kohlenberg & Tom Goodwillie
8 Ken Repp & Chris Johnson
15 Kathy Button, Sue Demb
22 Norah Mulvaney & Paul Day
MARCH
1 Jean Merkl & John Gorman
8 Karen Allendeorfer, Cornelia Janke
15 Anna & Mike Anctil
22 Sarah McSweeney & John Chamberlain
29 Martha Scott & David Morrison, Joani Mountain
APRIL
5 Charlyn Bethell & Guy Urban, Martha Urban
12 Judy & Roger Kamm
19 Jill Shaw & Barbara Farrell
26 Gretchen Brown, Johanna Erickson
MAY
3 Sue & Will Twombly
10 Linda Letourneau, Maryellen Howe, Patricia Fox
17 Jeanne Cleary & Barry Greess
24 Sue Kuder & Channing Mendelsohn, Anna Knight
31 Anne Harrington, Susan Lind-Sinanian
JUNE
7 Raz Mason, Carmen Emerson
14 Diane Shephard, Paula Carnese
21 All-church picnic
FIRST PARISH GREETERS 2008-2009
The list of greeters for the church year follows. Your willingness to take on this task is very much appreciated by our entire congregation! Your children and/or other family members are welcome to join you as greeters. If you are not able to attend church on your assigned date, please switch with another person by consulting the First Parish directory or on our online directory at the First Parish website. The directory is under members and the user name is fpwatertown. If you don’t know the password call the office. Please confirm with Nancy in the office of any switch made so it can be accurate in the Arbella and the social hall bulletin board.
Thank You,
The Fellowship Committee
OCTOBER
5 Randy Rhoda, Michael McCarthy
12 Martha Scott & David Morrison
19 Norah Mulvaney & Paul Day
26 Carmen Emerson, Raz Mason
NOVEMBER:
2 Tesi Kohlenberg & Tom Goodwille
9 Ken Repp & Chris Johnson
16 Jean Merkl & John Gorman
23 Ginger Burns and Neil Zarins
30 Sue Kuder & Channing Mendelsohn
DECEMBER
7 Katherine & Matt Calabro
14 Cornelia Janke & Goyo Carvajal
21 Gretchen Brown, Brigitte Bender
28 Lynn Bratley & Chuck Dickinson
2009
JANUARY
4 Jeanne Cleary & Barry Greess
11 Kathy Warren, Eileen Ryan
18 Susan Flint & Nick Haddad
25 Beth & Izzy Tappan-deFrees
FEBRUARY
1 Paul Montesino, Wendell Refior
8 Bobbie Brown, Mathilde Duffy
15 Jan Klein, TBA
22 Charmian Proskauer, Beth Parsons
MARCH
1 Carole Berney, Virginia Howe
8 Elizabeth Strekalovsky & Brian Hebeisen
15 Judi Fitts & TBA
22 Marianne & Michael Collins
29 Peter Cudhea, Anne Harrington
APRIL
5 Paula Carnese, Holly Cachimuel
12 Meredith Montague & John Portz
19 Fatima Hussein & Habis Obyat
26 Djalai Babazadeh & Steve Gustin
MAY
3 Lee Pierce, Dede Dussault
10 Charlyn Bethell & Guy Urban, Martha Urban
17 Sachie Karmacharya, Carole Katz
24 Julie Miller & Paul Dansereau
31 Judy & Roger Kamm
JUNE:
7 Katrina & Larry Carrasco
14 Youth greeters
21 Barbara Hansberry & David Leon
Service Auction is coming in November
Do you have something to donate?
It's time to start thinking about this year's Annual Service Auction, which will be held on Saturday, November 15. What’s a Service Auction? It’s when members and friends of First Parish donated services or items, such as making a dozen cookies, a pie, gardening help, computer help, knitting a scarf, a sermon of your choice, and then we bid on each others items! It’s a great way to get to know each other and raise money for the church.
We will conduct a silent auction on the two Sundays prior to the 15th. Bid sheets for all services and goods will be available for review and bidding, at tables set up during Social Hour.
On November 15, the Service Auction Potluck Dinner will be held in the Social Hall. After the dinner a variety of the items (about 20) will be auctioned off live, all other silent auction items go to the highest bidder on the sheet.
Children are welcome, and childcare will be available throughout the evening. While we hope you can attend the Auction and Potluck, you do not need to be present to be the winning bidder.
To begin with, though, we need services and goods to be auctioned. If you have a service or good to contribute to the auction, please complete the following form and leave it in the office door. If you have any questions, please talk to Jean Merkl or Kelly Morton, or
or e-mail FPW!
Service Auction Donation
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Name ________________________________
Phone Number _________________________
Email _______________________________
Minimum Bid (if any): ___________________
Item or Service to be auctioned (Please describe exactly as you would like it to appear in the Service Auction Brochure): ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Music Service and Potluck Luncheon
All members and friends are invited to a Potluck luncheon after church on Sunday October 26. Please bring main dish, salad, or dessert items to share. Drinks will be provided. We also hope to have some munchies available for those who cannot stay
too long.
Buildings and Grounds Clean Up Day
Please join B&G for whatever time you can spare on October 25 between 9 and 1pm.
We hope to do some projects that will help us save energy inside the building.
First Parish of Watertown -2008 Chair Campaign
Our campaign to raise funds for the purchase of new, blue chairs for our sanctuary has begun! We welcome any and all contributions from all who wish to help us finish the beautification process of this special space. Over the years you may have found inspiration, friendship and solace during our worship services or you may have enjoyed attending or participating in outstanding musical events here, Whatever your experience has been, we hope that you can help us enhance the welcome we extend to all visitors to our sanctuary.
Our goal is to raise funds to purchase a minimum of 136 new chairs by the end of December 2008. Chairs will cost $150 each. If you wish to write a check, please make it out to First Parish of Watertown, and specify “Chair campaign.” All contributions are tax-deductible. If you prefer to contribute in weekly or monthly installments, please fill out a Chair Campaign Pledge form. Please call us with any questions: (617) 924-6143.
First Parish Chair History
1630-1975 - Benches and Pews
1975 - Old church torn down while the congregation moved to the Unitarian Building, now our 8th meetinghouse. The congregation purchased 60 red chairs, because “we could never have more than 60 people in church.”
1994 - Growing congregation purchases 44 purple chairs to supplement red ones.
1996 - Growing congregation continues to use red, purple and now old folding chairs to make a total of 136 chairs, plus some of the original pews to seat congregation.
2008 - Campaign to buy 136 matching blue upholstered, wooden chairs.
***********************************************************************
First Parish of Watertown
Pledge for the 2008 Chair Campaign
Note: The cost of purchasing a new chair is $150.00. We are grateful for any amount that you can contribute either by check or by a pledge that you plan to pay in installments.
Name___________________________
Pledge Amount______________________
Address__________________________
Phone___________________________
I am enclosing my check for $___________
I intend to pay:
__ monthly__weekly__other
Signature:
_______________________________
Date_____________
Thank you for your contribution to the First Parish of Watertown Chair Campaign
Pledges are due by December 1, 2008
Change and Choice
from Debra Zagaeski, DRE
October – the air is clean and crisp tinged with the aromas of apple pie, wood smoke and change. Many of us have been focused on the glowing blue screens of our television sets and the presidential debates. Who will our country choose? What changes will follow this election? We Unitarian Universalists are all about choice and often at the forefront of change. We pride ourselves on our liberal attitudes and involvement in socially responsible activism. It is the potential of this powerful heritage which leads me to pose the question: How do we measure up with our children and youth here at First Parish in Watertown? How does this community of concerned and caring adults show our children and youth what it is that we believe?
Well, we do have dedicated and thoughtful individuals who volunteer to teach in our religious education programs and who serve on the religious education committee. I am certainly fortunate to have inherited a well established religious education program peopled with these dedicated volunteers. But… and as a brand new DRE I now go out upon the slimmest of limbs and up onto a soapbox (too much election zeal). We need more! The children and youth of this First Parish community need the whole village!
I have some concerns regarding the continued health and growth of the religious education program at First Parish. I am concerned that our volunteer teachers and committee members not feel over committed and “burn out”. I am concerned that the children who show up on Sunday mornings are having a positive experience and feel connected to their church home.
I hope to help to create an environment at First Parish in which all of our children can feel safe, respected and cared for as individuals. I hope to help to create an environment in which more members of the First Parish community will feel comfortable enough to step up and offer to share their talents and time with our children and youth.
So, here it is my platform - I am campaigning for change! I am interested in revisiting the way we currently teach our children. I hope to provide more choice for both our children and our volunteers to find connection and meaning at church. I hope to encourage some of you to change your minds and volunteer with our children. I propose that we try a less traditional classroom model and move toward areas of interest in workshop stations. The children would choose ahead of time an area of interest and participate in that workshop for the morning. There is much to discuss and the implementation of such change may take some time. And I know that change is hard. But change is also a vital part of life and growth.
I will be working with the religious education committee during this fall to create some opportunities for more of you to participate with our children. I would like to create some intergenerational workshops in specific interest areas such as: wood- working, knitting, cooking, photography, or just about anything. The values which we share through our actions are far more powerful than any written curricula. More information to follow soon!
I would like to bring your attention to several upcoming events:
1. Sunday, November 1st “Bikes Not Bombs” bike collection at St. John’s Methodist Church, Mt. Auburn St. Watertown. First Parish Youth Group will be assisting with this event. Any and all bicycles are accepted. see Flyers at church.
2. Sunday Night Film Series begins! November 9th “Arranged”
Namaste, Debra Zagaeski
Director of Religious Education
Green Sanctuary is for everyone!
Whether saving postage and printing costs or saving trees, we’d like to remind you that the Arbella is able to be emailed. There is no delay waiting for the mail! If you have an email address and are receiving the newsletter by snail-mail, please consider this green option and email the church at fpwatertown@comcast.net to switch over to email.
UUA Mass Bay District Events
(see www.mbduua.org)
UU New England Fall Conference
"The Future of Unitarian Universalism" featuring the candidates for UUA President
Rev. Laurel Hallman, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church, Dallas, TX
Rev. Peter Morales, Senior Minister, Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, CO
The DCU Center
Arena & Convention Complex
Worcester, MA
Saturday, Oct 18, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Go to conference website for details and to register: UU New England Fall Conference
Beyond Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship
Saturday: November 1st, 2008
Location: Bentley College, Waltham, MA
A Learning Congregation program
with Wayne Clark
9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Cost: $350 per congregation team of four or $90 per person
Wayne Clark will share a coming-of-age story designed to move congregations beyond the restrictive myth of scarcity that pervades so many of our Unitarian Universalist faith communities. Wayne will help participants focus on the reality of abundance as he provides specific resources to help participants lead their congregation. Teams of lay leaders are encouraged to attend the workshop.
Creating and Leading Dynamic Lay-Led Worship - Saturday, November 15, 2008
A Learning Congregation program with Rev. Sue Phillips - 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Cost: $350 per congregation team of four or
$90 per person
Location: Bentley College, Waltham, MA
Come explore the worship theory and theology that lie behind your congregation’s Order of Service. Learn to create high-quality, thematically-integrated lay-led worship services with compelling readings and singable hymns. We’ll reflect on the qualities of great preaching and share tips for sermon writing and preaching for lay people of all experience levels. This will be a hands-on workshop for worship committee members, lay worship leaders and preachers, and we especially encourage leadership teams from worship committees to attend. Cost includes breakfast, lunch, and materials.
UUA Principles and Purposes”
The UUA Commission on Appraisal is going to recommend changes in Article II, usually referred to as “the Principles and Purposes” in the Association’s By-Laws. We invite you to review a draft and comment on the changes we are thinking of proposing. Article II of the By-Laws includes other important sections on the Sources of Unitarian Universalism, Non-discrimination, and Freedom of Belief.
The UUA By-Laws require that a review of Article II take place every 15 years, and in 2006 the UUA’s Board of Trustees asked the Commission to consider conducting such a review. Part of that process included receiving feed back from Congregaitons, including the results of a meeting here in Watertown.
Now, it’s our turn to consider what they propose, and respond.
We hope to hear from as many UUs as possible. Go to www25.uua.org/coa to look at the draft, and respond to the survey.
Haiti Clothing and Other Basics Collection
Cornelia Janke manages a project that serves out of school youth in Haiti. These youths were hit hard by the recent hurricane.. many lost everything. In the coming weeks, Cornelia will be organizing a ‘Clothing and other Basics” collection for these youth.
Any donation of pants, t-shirts, socks, shoes, toothpaste, tooth brushes and other such items are welcome. Cash to cover shipping costs is also welcome. Stay tuned for more details next week. In the meatime start setting aside any extra gently used clothes and supplies for men and women ages 15-24.
Survey for Parents
Kris Goodrich, a doctoral candidate in Counseling and Human Services at Syracuse University is doing her dissertation research exploring the experiences of heterosexual parents with lesbian, gay or bisexual-identified sons or daughters. A participant's letter which explains the project in greater detail is posted on the bulletin in the social hall.
The survey can also be found at this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=klSmOZak3Vr7k9esEuaVBg_3d_3d
Columbus Day Weekend
on Martha's Vineyard
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha's Vineyard invites you to join us over Columbus Day Weekend, October 11-13, 2008. Fall is the best season of all on the Vineyard. Just ask any year-rounder. The crowds are gone, the air is crisp, the water is still plenty warm for a swim. Birdlife is on the move along with the striped bass and the blues. There's no better time to hike and bike our unspoiled trails and backroads. So come on over. We'll put you up with host UU families, treat you to a seafood supper and entertainment, offer an Island tour and welcome you to Sunday service at historic Stevens Chapel. For complete information, see our website at www.uusmv.info (B&B Weekend link) or e-mail us at cdevito@comcast.net. We'd love to see you on the Island.