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.

April 2002 Clarion Headlines:

• Message from Rev. Jonathan Rehmus
• The spring tag sale is April 27
• Friendship Potluck Lunch Guidelines
• About Lynn Thomas, CBD Consultant and April 7 Guest Speaker
• Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light presents
• Wheel of Life

Message from Rev. Jonathan Rehmus

Have you heard of the proposal at All Souls to reface the coinage from the penny to the $100 bill? The first stage is over, and with results in from both children and adults, those formally nominated (based on multiple nominations):

Eve Brown-Waite and Christine Perham respectfully decline despite many nominations! After an April-May education phase, these 19 above will contend in church-wide voting for 14 open spaces (1 penny to $100 bill). The ballot will allow write-ins. As I said to the children, campaigning is also allowed, and it’s a great conversation starter amongst the generations. “Who’s your #1 vote?” Along with Eve, (All Souls’ religious education director), children nominated a Child/Children, the Planet Earth, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in especially high numbers. King received the most nominations among adults.

Election rules will be announced, and if you have suggestions for the process, please contact Eve or me. Thank you to those who entered nominations. Those singly nominated are listed inside. Blessed be principles of conscience and democracy — Jon Rehmus

(Top of Page)

The spring tag sale is April 27

Many volunteers will be needed. If you have items to donate and would like to bring them early, they can be stored in the choir loft. Don’t forget to save your bags. Set-up will be on Friday. If anyone can help set up on Friday and work, even an hour, on Saturday morning, please let Irmarie Jones know. The first couple of hours are the busiest.

If you have collectibles you forgot to donate for the craft fair, we can use them for this sale. Also, you know those greeting cards you receive from various charities? Those will sell, too. Sports equipment is always good at this time of year.

(Top of Page)

Friendship Potluck Lunch Guidelines

1. Plastic plates which can be used in the dishwasher are now available and will be stored in in the cabinet on the street side of the kitchen. These dishes are very light in weight and can easily be taken home to be washed in the dishwasher. If 3 or 4 people take an equal share home around 20 plates can fit in one load. This option is available, if so desired, to use the china dishes, to save time and energy.

2. After the meal, serving dishes with any remaining food will be left on the serving table and not brought into the kitchen. This will give people a chance to collect their dishes and will save time bringing the dishes into the kitchen, storing the food, washing the dishes and then having them hang around the kitchen for days, or weeks, or months or whatever.

3. Please try to double food portions for the luncheons. This will ensure enough food for everyone who is attending the meal.

Luncheons have been going well thanks to the variety and good quality of the food brought. Remember to volunteer to help clean up since this is a community effort for the whole church and the committees who coordinate the lunches usually have very few members in them and would like a break with the labor involved

(Top of Page)

About Lynn Thomas, CBD Consultant and April 7 Guest Speaker

Lynn Thomas, who became Consultant to the Clara Barton District effective in September, 2001, has been a Unitarian Universalist since junior high school age, when her Girl Scout troop met at the Unitarian Church in Freeport, New York, and she would go early each week to read the literature in the racks and on the bulletin boards.

In the ensuing years, she has been a member of six UU congregations. She began attending UU services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, then in Long Beach and San Diego, California. In the early 1970’s, she became very active at the Huntington UU Fellowship in New York. In 1977, she moved with her husband and two children to New Hampshire, where she became a charter member of the Star King UU Fellowship in Plymouth. She is currently a member of the UU Society of Laconia, New Hampshire.

In her congregational work, Lynn has served on most committees, been Board President, provided sermons and Sunday worship services, led the Welcoming Congregation process, been a teacher, leader and committee member for children’s and adult Religious Education, facilitated women’s group start-up’s, and facilitated retreats and long range planning processes.

Professionally, Lynn holds an MSW from the University of Connecticut and practiced psychotherapy for 20 years. Her psychotherapy work evolved into organizational development counseling, an exclusive career focus for the past five years that was facilitated by her completing a certificate program in organizational development in 1994. Most of her organizational development work, including management and leadership development, conflict management, strategic planning, reorganization, team building, and Board development, has been with UU groups, congregations, board and committees.

On the UU District level, Lynn has been a member of the New Hampshire-Vermont District’s Board of Directors, has been NHVT District President, has facilitated a district envisioning process, been a workshop leader, co-authored a Leadership Development Curriculum for church boards that will be presented and available at the 2001 UUA General Assembly in Cleveland, consulted on a wide range of Organizational Development topics with clergy and laity, been a convener of Women & Religion activities and led an evaluation process.

Continentally, Lynn has been a Board Member of the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation, a member of UU’s for Right Relations, co-chair of the Margaret Fuller Awards Program, a facilitator of the Women & Religion Continental Conveners meeting, a GA Workshop presenter, a participant in the Leadership Development and Training Stakeholders Gathering and Secretary of the District Presidents’ Association.

Lynn looks forward to meeting members of All Souls and being our guest speaker for the Sunday, April 7, service.

(Top of Page)

Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light presents:

"Greening Your Congregation":
Presentations and Prayers in Honor of Earth Day

lease join us on April 28, 2002 (Sunday) from 2:00p.m.-5:00 p.m. at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Brookline, MA (1773 Beacon Street) Registration is FREE!

1:30-2:00 Registration/sign-in
2:05-2:35 Opening Presentations & Prayer: Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, All Saints Episcopal Church, Brookline; Reb Moshe Waldoks, Temple Beth Zion, Brookline; Rev. Msgr. Timothy Moran, St. Joseph's Catholic Parish, Medway; Prof. Mary Lahaj, Islamic Center of Boston
2:40-2:45 Overview of MIP&L and Day: Lara Hoke, Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light Outreach Coordinator
2:50-3:30; 3:35-4:15; and 4:20-5:00 Three different workshops will run concurrently:

"Demythologizing Building Equipment: How to Reduce Pollution from Your Building", Rich Andelman, Conservation Services Group;
"Aggregating Green Energy", Jen Wylde, Conservation Services Group;
"Tour of All Saints" (this parish has done wonderful work in conserving energy and becoming more "green"), Dr. Tom Nutt-Powell, MIP&L co-founder and parishioner of All Saints

Registration is Free, but space is limited. If you plan to attend, please contact by April 22

Lara Hoke
Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light
40 Washington Street
Westborough, MA 01581

800-406-5374 (phone)
508-836-3138 (fax)
lara.hoke@csgrp.com 

(Top of Page)

Wheel of Life

Sallee Garland has returned home after about seven weeks combined at Bay State Medical Center and then Buckley Nursing home. She is continuing physical therapy.

Rev. Holly Bell was made a life-time member of Rowe Camp and Conference Center, an honor bestowed in recognition of distinguished service to the camp.

Jean Cummings went to Los Angeles at the end of February. Her granddaughter, Tarla Cummings, a junior at Loyola Marymount University, had the female lead in Mozart’s opera, “The Marriage of Figaro.” Tarla is the daughter of Stan Cummings, Jr.

Cynthia and George Bluh and Irmarie Jones are making an attempt to bring the church history up to date. There should be some kind of written narrative for the past few decades, possibly a video from the older church members. At the time, the three would like any recent photographs that might have been taken of church activities, to go into the scrapbooks. Some Sunday this spring, some of the photos they found will be on display during coffee hour, in hopes that some of the people in the pictures can be identified.

Irmarie found this quote from Rev. John Moors when he resigned as minister of All Souls in 1884. “In the 25 years of my pastorate, I have said all I have to say and in the future should only repeat myself.”

Erin Rice, who has been taking care of the printing and collating of the Clarion since September, is on sabbatical. 

Also, an added note of appreciation to David Bigda and Craig Cole for the storm windows in the sanctuary

Peter Blanchette and Jean Chaine, archguitarists, were our Mid-Week Music musicians on March 27. The beautiful music transported the 71 member audience. Thanks to the well-made storm windows, the sounds from the outside were sufficiently muted that the sounds of the traffic did not invade our reverie.

(Top of Page)