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January
2002
The
Clarion deadline coincides with the monthly
Friendship Potluck Luncheons on the third Sunday
of the month. Submissions can be in writing, on
disk, faxed (773-5018) or e-mail at newsletter@uugreenfield.org.
Past
issues of The Clarion can be found by clicking here.
January
2002 Clarion
Headlines:
At
the New Year, is the aim to be resolved or resolute?
There
are things to be resolved upon. The All Souls music
ministry remains exceptional, our anti-racism
commitment is appropriately under inspection, and
this fall, we responded well to people in need and
to change. Religious education sparkles. Programs
have experienced bustling success. This is an
impressive agenda, well done or begun, and
maintaining vitality has the reward of nurturing
spirit and community. It is great to serve such a
church. The church has potential bottlenecks all
over the place, however, so it seems important to
remain resolved: work lies ahead.
Then
there are things to be resolute about. I’m feeling
resolute about seeing the Statue of Liberty on a
spring Saturday afternoon. Would anyone like to go
with me? Details
inside. I’m also feeling resolutely positive
about the Earth and the truths found in the
connection between life and the total environment. Eco
means “home,” and year to year, eco-friendly
thinking stands out in providing examples for my
resolutions. Year to year, I can love our
Earth-bound home better.
Resolved
or resolute, here’s to a forward thought or
two
-
Jonathan Rehmus
(Top
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The
New Church Directory is Almost Completed
LAST
CHANCE!! The new church directory is almost
completed. If you have not submitted your name for
inclusion or any changes be sure to do it during the
first week of January either by phone to the office
or e-mail to administrator@uugreenfield.org
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Sunday
9:00 a.m. Discussion Series:
“How
Do We Know Our Values?”
Currently
scheduled for January 6, 13 & 27 (there may be
flux), the discussions are an opportunity to
exchange thought and feelings with active
participants. This month’s series will have
biographical readings as a means of asking
ourselves, “From whom or what do we derive values?”
“How do our values get reflected into our life?”,
and “In what ways is it possible to summarize or
explain our values?” Difference in perspective and
background is encouraged, and all are welcome. The
discussions take place in the minister’s study and
are led by Jon Rehmus.
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Spring
Trip to New York City
I
wish to pay respect in person to those who died in
the biggest one-day loss on American soil in 150
years. Each represents individual dignity in a world
where war or industry can make and destroy masses.
Meanwhile, the Statue of Liberty represents to me a
spirit of knowing that when freedom, safety, and
peace are true, it lights up our insides. I’d like
to see her light again.
Feel
invited to join me for a Saturday’s journey in
March or April down to Battery Park. Perhaps with a
ritual there and with observance and/or
commemoration at the September attack site, we could
then find lunch elsewhere as well as afternoons of
separately going to museum, stores, parks, etc.
Depending on interest, there may be opportunity to
have supper with city UUs before returning home.
Children will need to be fully supervised by parents
or guardians, and the cost per person I can only
speculate upon: $50-$75 maybe. Leaving at 6:30-7:00
a.m., we could arrive back in Greenfield no later
than 11:00 p.m.
Please
leave your name(s) with Diane Dix or me in the
coming month if you would like to go, and with more
information, I will circulate a firm date, an
itinerary and more ideas.
All
are welcome - Jon Rehmus.
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The
Clarion
On Line:
Did
you misplace your last copy of the Clarion?
Are you in one of the outlying towns and get yours
later than others? Can't remember when the next
special meeting is going to be held? The Clarion
is now being posted to the All Souls Website at www.uugreenfield.org.
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An
Appeal - Irmarie Jones
As
of June 30, 2002, Irmarie Jones will no longer chair
the All Souls Charity Committee, an autonomous group
whose finances operate outside the church treasury.
The committee provides gifts, up to $100 once a
year, to help needy people in Greenfield. Requests
can vary from paying electric, phone, gas, or fuel
bills, to rent, camperships, or clothing. As chair,
that person must handle the checking account,
depositing checks from stocks, calling committee
members to approve fulfillment of requests, writing
checks to the vendors, and keeping records. Calls
come to the church and requests are forwarded by
Diane. It takes time. Anonymity of the chair is
protected. Anyone who volunteers should have time to
give to it. I will not continue once my term is up.
There are four others on this committee, but none is
able to assume the chairmanship. If you would like
to volunteer for this position, please see me or
Susan Garfield-Wright, chair of the Board.
—
Irmarie Jones
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Next
Women’s Night Out
The
group will gather on January 25, 2002, at Lynn Lee’s
home, 19 Orchard Street, Greenfield, at 5:45 p.m.
Please contact Lynn for more information.
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Community
Meal
All
Souls Church will be providing the Community Meal on
Wednesday, January 9. Please call the Social Action
Chair, Mark Gregory, if you can help.
(Top
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Holiday
Fair Report from Nancy Buchanan
The
All Member Holiday Fair can be judged a success!
The
account now stands at $5700. This includes about
$300 for the bake sale and the Mystery Dinner. All
expenses have been paid. This is our most successful
fair and the response from the public was very
positive.
The
fair committee wants to thank everyone who helped us
through the year; the quilters (who even took time
to make a quilt for Monica Sharp); the flower pot
painters; the crafters; the organizers (Special
thanks to Gloria Bean and Marilyn Christian!); the
sewers; the knitters; the basket donors (Weren't
they beautiful?); the decorators (Jana Cummings came
early and made the hall a fairyland.); the food
preparers and servers (What would we have done
without Linc Hirst?); the setting up and taking down
folks and the salespeople; the plant donors (Jean
Cummings performs miracles as she takes cuttings and
keeps all those plants growing especially for the
fair. We are grateful to her and Regina Boron.); the
antiques and collectibles donors, pricers and
salespeople; and the advertisers (Russ Pirkot who
was magnificent walking the streets with the
sandwich board...and David Bigda who risked life and
limb balancing on a ladder to hang the banner!) A
wonderful group of people used their summer Saturday
mornings to sell raffle tickets at the Farmer's
Market. Thanks to them, the quilt raffle profits
were twice as much as last year.
Thank
you all for donating what we know is your most
precious commodity, your time. You really came
through. Those folks who were saying, Never Again,
are beginning to think...Well, Maybe!
Holiday
Fair Co-Chairs, Anne Hare and Nancy Buchanan
And,
since I'm the person emailing this, I have the last
word. Anne Hare has been a wonderful person to work
with; she is calm, sensible, cheerful, optimistic
and totally dependable. She was the wind beneath our
wings and we are all very grateful to her. (NB)
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The
Teddy Bear Project
Last
month, Charlotte Kitowski, a lifelong Unitarian and
a frequent visitor to All Souls, brought us a
special opportunity to share our love. On September
13, Charlotte discovered that there were three
eleven year-olds and their teachers from inner city
schools in Washington, DC, who were on Flight 77
which crashed into the Pentagon. They were on their
way to a National Geographic Award ceremony in Los
Angeles. Charlotte was heartbroken. She said, “I
could imagine how excited those children were and
how proud the other children in the school must have
been.”
“My
daughter told me that a small church in Vermont had
given teddy bears that they had prayed over to
people who were in need of comfort, so I got in
touch with them. I also contacted the UU Church in
Springfield, VT, to see if they would like to help.
Both that church and the Old Stone Church in South
Reading, VT, contributed generously, enabling me to
purchase 80 bears, 40 for each school. I contacted
the Mary Meyer Company in Vermont, which produces
teddies and other stuffed toys. I was lucky to deal
with the Chairman and son of the founder, Walter
Meyer. He not only sold me the beautiful teddies at
a discount, but said they would also and mail them.
I drove all the teddies to the churches to be
hugged, blessed, and prayed over by adults and
children.
Due
to a small glitch, in which one of the churches
received the wrong bears in their box, I ended up
with 60 bears that had yet to be hugged. I wanted to
make sure all the bears were identical. I chose All
Souls to do the final hugging and blessing because
it is such a friendly congregation. It was a
wonderful experience. The children in the 8-12 age
group were especially sympathetic. They understood
immediately that a pre-hugged bear would carry
special love and warmth to the children in
Washington who had lost their classmates and
teachers under terrible circumstances. In all the
churches, the process of hugging and praying over
and blessing the bears seemed to bring comfort to
those doing the hugging, so this was an unexpected
pleasure.”
The
principals of the schools (where the children are
pre-K through 6) say that the bears have made both
the children and their teachers felt very special.
Charlotte thanks everyone for their help. At the
suggestion of one of the children in Greenfield, a
resident teddy has been left in the office of each
church for anyone of any age who might be at the
church and in need of a comforting friend in these
troubled times.
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RE:
R.E. (notes from the DRE)
I
received an unexpected gift this Christmas — from
a friend in Burma. It came just at the moment that
is the most magical for me; When that last
tenacious, hopeful store has closed on Christmas Eve
and there is nothing left to do but exhale and let
Christmas come. It was in this exhale moment that I
finally got around to reading the email from Dolly.
She had forwarded to me a beautiful e-greeting
complete with all the electronic bells, whistles and
fabulous graphics. I can only pass along the text
here. But I invite you to imagine your own graphics.
If
you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your
back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep ...
you are richer than 75% of the people in this world.
If
you have money in your wallet, the bank, and change
in a dish somewhere ... you are among the world's
wealthiest eight percent.
If
you woke up this morning more healthy than sick ...
you are more blessed than the million who will not
survive this week.
If
you have never experienced the danger of battle, the
loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or
the pangs of starvation ... you are luckier than 500
million people in this world.
If
you can attend a religious meeting without fear of
harassment, arrest, torture or death ... you are
more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If
you can read this message ... you are more educated
than over 2 billion people in the world who cannot
read at all.
If
you hold your head up with a smile on your face and
are thankful ... you are truly blessed because the
majority of people who can, do not.
(Some
suggested "graphics" for this column might
include: the face of a loved one; the sight of your
children sleeping; the roof of your house blanketed
in snow with smoke coming out of the chimney; the
faces of friends as seen across a full dinner table;
the view out your window in autumn; and on and
on...)
As
we go into a new year, let's be mindful of the good
in our lives. And let's remind ourselves (and
others) how incredibly blessed we are.
In
Peace & Hope -
Eve
R.E.
Notes
January
is inter-session in the Sunday School. Our teachers
get a well-deserved break from teaching and other
members of our congregation come downstairs to help
Eve with special projects. During this month we will
be learning about Heifer Project International (keep
your eyes open for our fund-raising activities) and
preparing an RE service for February. If you'd like
to help out downstairs this month, please give Eve a
call.
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Coffee
& Soul
We
felt compelled to cancel our Annual Celtic Harp
Solstice Concert due to a competing event scheduled
by the Second Congregational Church on the same
night. Our next performance is January 19 with local
artist Ben
Demerath. Call Carole Groman if you want to bake
for admission. Our February 16 group is Northern
Lights, a four member bluegrass band. They are
looking for places to stay for themselves and their
sound person. Can anyone offer hospitality? If so,
please contact Diane Dix. We are hoping that our “Coffee
& Soul Support Team” can get together for
lunch at Diane Dix’s after church on January 27.
(Please mark your calendars.) We will call when
plans are solid.
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Journey
Toward Wellness Films
The
need for harmony among people of all races in our
community and in the world is greater than it has ever
been. Please join us on Saturday, January 12th, 2002,
for a film festival to promote racial understanding.
Where:
All Souls Unitarian-Universalist Church, Corner of
Hope and Main Streets, Greenfield
When:
Saturday, January 12, 2002
Events:
12:30
PM — Screening of Rosewood, directed by John
Singleton. Discussion following the film with Rev. Jon
Rehmus, Minister of All Souls Church
3:30 PM — Screening of Remember the Titans
This film is suitable for family viewing. There will
be a facilitated sharing after the film with Molly
Chambers of the Social Action Committee
5:45 - 6:45 — Family Dinner with Pizza and Salad.
Donations will be requested
6:45
PM — Screening of Blue-Eyed Discussion
following the film with Penny Ricketts, member of the
Greenfield School Committee and its Civil Rights
Commission.
Sponsored
by All Souls/Journey Toward Wholeness. Call the church
office at (413) 773-5018 for more information.
(Remember
the Titans is suitable for family viewing. The
other films are suitable for adult and teenage
viewing.)
Related
Events:
Journey
Toward Wholeness, UU Society of Amherst, Sunday,
January 20, 2002
Sunday
Sermon — “Becoming a Racial Ally” & film Skin
Deep.
Jubilee
Workshop at Unitarian Society of Northampton &
Florence Friday evening, February 8 — Sunday
morning, February 10, 2002
Joint
sponsorship of Greenfield, Northampton and Amherst UU
churches
If
people would like an added dimension to Remember
the Titans they can get a copy of a Sports
Illustrated article printed this year, Does
Anyone Remember the Titans?, from the church
office.
Please
call Molly Chambers if you have any questions about
these events or if you need transportation.
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Wheel
of Life
The
church mourns the death of members of its community
this past month. Virginia Low was an All Souls
member who distinguished herself in church leadership
including as staff and lay minister for a year. Having
taught at GCC and as a founder of its Women’s
Studies Program, Ginny enjoyed recognition in the area
as an exceptional educator and proud activist.
Ruth
Ballou was married to a member, James Ballou,
and proudly raised her sons in the generations-old
family heritage (Two Ballous helped found American
Universalism). Ruth supported the church women’s
organization back in the 1950s and ‘60s, and she
served as a volunteer at the hospital for over 50
years.
Less
well connected to All Souls was Dorothy Harris’
husband, Earl Harris, but to Dorothy and to all
loved ones and families of Ginny and Ruth, we offer
our sympathy and condolence.
Did
you hear the bells at noon on Christmas Day? All the
churches in downtown Greenfield with bells rang their
bells at that time. Bell ringers in our church were
the Max and Thomas Perham, Harlin Glovacki,
and Paul Hirst who helped out Craig Cole,
pulling on the heavy rope that makes the bell ring.
Charlene
Brown was in the play “Spoon River Anthology”
at GCC and has a part in “Under Milkwood”
presented by another theater group.
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From
you I receive, to you I give….
Thank
you to Susan Schillmoeller, Caring Coordinator
for December, and the many other members of our
community who supplied support and the hospitality for
the reception in the Parish Hall that followed Ginny’s
memorial service. Everything looked beautiful and the
food was delicious and ample to satisfy the almost 200
people who attended that day. Ginny’s daughter,
Barbara Keith, was very grateful and said many people
had favorable comments about everything.
Dan
Tinen is a huge asset to this church thanks to his
considerable talents and skills, specifically with
sound systems. He has frequently bailed us out of
distressful equipment glitches during Sunday services
and other public events. Recently he, Rocky Perham
and John Walters consulted and the result is a
new speaker in the Nursery so that parents can hear
the services while tending to their babies downstairs.
Many thanks! Also, Dan has brought the Coffee &
Soul series a level of professionalism not possible
before with his ability to provide theatrical lighting
in the sanctuary for some of our larger concerts.
Lynn
Nichols and Don Kruger (Starstruck Design)
have designed an amazing web site for us at
uugreenfield.org. It is attractive and informative.
Check it out — and if you have time, compare it with
the web sites of other churches. All Souls Church,
Greenfield, rules!
And,
our monthly gratitude to Erin Rice of
Collective Copies in Amherst for her expert copying
and collating of the Clarion every month. We
have received numerous compliments about our new
appearance.
Max
Johl rightly pointed out the missing credit on
Christmas Eve: he was the puppeteer who guest-starred
the Chinese dragon. To go with his bass playing and
stellar involvement at Greenfield High, extra applause
is well deserved!
...together
we share, by this we live.
(This
column was put aside last summer and forgotten until
recently. Our community is large and generous with the
time and talents shared. It would be next to
impossible to mention everyone and everything each
month, but please feel free to submit any recognition
in this regard to Diane Dix for inclusion in this
column. )
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