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May
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.
May
2002 Clarion
Headlines:
Message
from Rev. Jonathan Rehmus
Two people. A shared conversation. One was raised attending the first synagogue of Reconstructionism, the newest branch of American Judaism. The other was raised practicing Islam through a childhood spent as a Palestinian refugee. Both U.S. citizens, both have been government employees committed to protecting natural resources. Both are fathers. Mufeed Odeh is the Imam to the Muslim community at the University of Massachusetts. Bob Rottenberg has until recently been the spiritual leader of Temple Israel in Greenfield.
Two people. A conversation entitled, “I Pray Thee, Lord, Untie My Tongue.” This was Moses’ prayer before approaching Pharaoh; the translation is from the Qur’an. How do we respond in our hearts and with our lives to the violent and torn state of the world? With the urging of our Hospitality Committee and the sponsorship of Greenfield Community College and the Interfaith Council, I’ve been honored to bring together these fine men who will share their on-going dialogue publicly on Tuesday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. Please join us that evening at the Sloan Theatre on the GCC campus.
Let us untie our own tongues informed by our listening and yearning hearts.
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RE: R.E. (notes from the DRE)
On most Sunday mornings, when the children and teachers leave the sanctuary, we have our own gathering downstairs. Our ritual always begins by gathering everyone into a circle and lighting our chalice. But recently our ritual has been disrupted by a mystery: the children's chalice is missing! The children's chalice, in case you've never seen it, is small and brightly painted. It could easily be mistaken for a flower pot turned upside down with a saucer glued to the top of it. But our chalice is so much more than the sum of it's parts.
Our chalice carries with it the blessings of the (unknown) hands that creatively painted the flower pot part of it for the All Souls Holiday Fair. And it carries the blessings of the Uzbek artisan who made the saucer and the Uzbek friend who gave it to me. It carries the blessings of the children who lit it for the very first time during our RE Service, and the blessings of all who participated in that service. And it has been blessed many times over by the children and adults who gather in its light every Sunday morning.
We miss our chalice. And we've composed a song for it:
Oh where, oh where could our chalice be?
Oh where, oh where can it be?
Is it stuffed in a closet or under a tree?
Was it snatched by a thief or did it leave willingly?
Oh where, oh where can it be?
 Oh
where, oh where could our chalice be?
Oh where, oh where can it be?
If you just have faith,
amazing things can happen, they say.
Do you suppose it grew legs and just walked away?
Oh where, oh where can it be?
Oh
where, oh where could our chalice be?
Oh where, oh where can it be?
Was it sucked into the black hole with the paper
cutter?
I suppose with a flower pot I could make a 'nutter.
Oh where, oh where can it be?
Oh
where, oh where could our chalice be?
Oh where, oh where can it be?
We've scraped up our pennies to offer a reward.
We'll give you a dollar if you tell us where it's
stored.
Oh where, oh where can it be?
Oh
where, oh where could our chalice be?
Oh where, oh where can it be?
In the spirit of forgiveness,
there'd be no grudge to bear,
if it showed up one Sunday no worse for the wear.
I've run out of rhymes so I'm leaving it here.
Oh where, oh where could it be?
In
Peace & Hope -
Eve
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Community Meal
On May 8th All Souls again has the honor of presenting the Community Meal at the Second Congregational Church Greenfield. In the near future members and friends will be contacted by members of the Social Action/Justice Committee. You have been Warned.
— Mark Gregory, chair of Social Action Committee
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The
Paper Cutter is Still Missing
The paper cutter is still missing from the church office. If you have it, please return it. It is an essential piece of equipment for my work and replacing it would be costly.
Lock the church doors please, and check to make sure they’re closed tightly. Every event, committee, etc., should designate a person to be responsible for this. Many, many times I have found both the entrances either unlocked or ajar. The potential for theft is always there and it is really unsettling to me when strangers suddenly walk into the office because they found an unlocked door.
Thanks,
Diane Dix
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Talking
With Your Child About Racism
Teachers, Parents and Everyone are invited to a pot luck dinner and panel discussion entitled:
"Talking with Your Child about Racism" Friday, May 17, 2002 6:30-9 pm, UU Society of Northampton.
This program is presented by the RE Committee, Social Justice Forum and Journey Toward Wholeness of the Northampton Society.
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Youth Conference May
3 - 5
Care to Join Community Service Project
at Wissatinewag?
The YRUU conference, the “Voting Con”, the final conference of the year, will be held at our church on the first week-end of May. The conferees will be arriving during the evening of the 3rd and leave the church early enough on the 5th to not interfere with the earlier, 9:30 a.m., service on the day of the May Day celebration in Montague.
The organizers have arranged for a community service project to take place on Saturday morning from 9 a.m.
- 12:30 p.m. (approximately, weather permitting). They will be helping Howard Clark, caretaker of the Wissatinewag site. The work will be outdoors, turning the soil in two Native American gardens, possibly cutting saplings (although Howard plans to have them cut ahead of time) and erecting palisade fencing around the gardens. As in any outdoor activity, there is the risk of insect bites, such as from ticks, or other types of injuries. Everyone who participates and goes on the site must sign a waiver stating that they will not hold the Friends of Wissatinewag liable if any such event should occur. These forms are being mailed with the flyers and permission slips for the conference. Others will be available for anyone interested in helping.
These are the needs of the group. Are there members of the congregation willing to come to the church at about 9 a.m., transport some of the youth to the site, stay to help, and return them to the church at about 12:30 p.m.? Please call Youth Advisor Martha Elliott
if you are willing to do this.
Tools will be needed, specifically shovels, gardening forks, wheelbarrows, and work gloves. If you have any of these tools to lend for the day, please mark them boldly with your names and deposit them at Diane Dix’s
by Friday evening so they can be loaded on the truck and ready to be brought to the site the following morning. They will be returned to Diane’s that evening.
About the site:
The 61-acre Wissatinewag village site, where the Mohawk Trail and the Connecticut River converge, was long held to be sacred by many northeastern tribes. Oral histories have been corroborated by scientific evidence of elaborate ceremonial cremations and burials on the site. The village, situated around a 50-foot waterfall, was known as a neutral or “peace village” where each spring for millennia Native peoples from throughout the region came to the area and conducted diplomatic, ceremonial, and trade activities, during the massive salmon and shad runs. The land was purchased on March 30, 2001, by the Friends of
Wissatinewag, after a five-year effort to preserve the land from development by a Wal-Mart, an industrial park and a gravel operation. This garden project is the first step in restoring the land. With the site now saved for posterity, the organization plans to use the site for a variety of educational programs on Native American early life, history and culture, such as the Native gardens.
Please
Note:
Howard will set up a canopy near the parking area so everyone can be checked for ticks before leaving the site. Please wear light-colored long pants and light-colored socks long enough to tuck the pants into. Also, bring a bottle to be filled with water before leaving for the site. Insect repellant and sunscreen is also recommended.
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Wheel of Life
As their gift to the church, George and Cynthia
Bluh have had the woven runner from our
Partner Church in Romania handsomely framed. It
has been hung in the Chapman Room and has
pertinent material relating to the gift on the
mantle piece.
A
tribute to our minister, the Rev. John Moors,
given to him by the state of Massachusetts for
his service as a chaplain in the Civil War, has
also been hung in the Chapman Room.
Irmarie and
Brud Jones are completing eleven years as conversation partners with the new immigrants who are coming to our county. They meet with several partners at different times for one hour a week at Greenfield Community College. But, don’t ask either of them to speak
Uzbekhistan. They don’t speak the other languages.
Jim
and Margaret Craig visited Monica
Sharp at her home in Pacific Palisades and
had dinner with her. Monica reports that they
both are well and Jim is “much more relaxed”.
Monica still misses her All Souls friends very
much.
Please
return any stray Guest At Your Table boxes to Irmarie
Jones.
Isabel
Cole’s injuries due to a fall were more serious than a first realized.
Craig reports that she is improving slowly but
surely...
David Bigda bought Ginny Low’s condominium.
Marilyn
Christian's daughter, Bonnie, is producing a new entree product marketed under the name of Bad Ernie's Snack
Time. The entree is a Cheese Lentil Pie, is completely vegetarian, and comes in two varieties, one with BBQ sauce and mozzarella cheese and the other in a creamy, cheddar cheese sauce. They are being sold in the freezer department at Foster's and at Greenfield's and McCusker’s Markets and are produced at the CDC on Wells St. in Greenfield.
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Bakers Needed
For May Day Fundraiser
Our tradition over the last several years is to attend the May Day celebration in Montague and the money made from the sale of flower crowns, baked goods, and beverages is donated to our Partner Church in Romania. We need bakers to help with this. Please contact Mary Beth Forton
if you can contribute to this worthy event.
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Come All Souls’ Musicians!
May 9; 6:00 p.m. instrumentalists gather;
7:00 p.m. choir
The evening of May 9 is a special musical night in which all interested instrumentalists and singers are invited. Our aim is to work up a voice-instrumental repertoire for the 2002-2003 church year: we will experiment with varying arrangements and with combinations small and large. Bring your guitars, basses, flutes, drums, fiddles, mouth harps, and tubas! If you have particular pieces that you would like to try, please bring those too. Pizza will be on hand; call us if you have questions
— Jon Rehmus and Barbara Weeks.
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The Nature Spirit: Birdwatching
Sunday, June 2, 7:00 a.m.; Meet at the Buchanans
Led by veteran birdwatchers Nancy & Bill Buchanan, our group will explore the habitat niches in and around the Greenfield River Park. Last year we saw nearly 2 dozen species on a gorgeous morning walk! Dress for the weather and call if it appears too inclement. Bring binoculars if you have them, though a few extra pairs will be on hand.
Please call for directions.
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Circle Dinners, Last of the Season, May 11
Don’t miss the opportunity to do some summer activity planning, i.e. hiking, picnic/barbecue, biking. Sign up in the Parish Hall — or call Avis Ellis
or Anne Hare. We need hosts!
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Speaking of Summer…..
If you cannot make it to a Circle Dinner but have an idea for an activity for the summer while the church suspends regular Sunday services, check in with Jon or Diane. In the past, church members have coordinated informal summer services. Is there a person or group of people interested in taking this on for this summer?
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More About the Mother’s Day Service
May 12th
Molly Scott, Ed.D, is a singer, psychotherapist, educator and recording artist who has performed, lectured and taught internationally. Her music is focused on "illuminating our connections to the earth and each other". Ferne Bork and Bruce Kahn are well known musicians who performed with Molly in the recent concert at All Souls Church five days after the 9-11 disaster. The memorable recording of this event is called "Songs of Hope and Healing" and will be available at the May 12th service.
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Bill Staines at
Coffee
and Soul
May 18
The “New Hampshire Cowboy” will be our performer on May 18. Due to daylight savings time, we are starting an hour later, the open mic begins at 8 p.m., Bill Staines at 9 p.m.
While you’re cruising the spring tag sales this spring, please keep us in mind. We are hoping to find smaller coffee urns and smaller tables.
When the series first began five years ago, we purchased a dozen votive candle holders. Many have disappeared. We began using cut glass holders for the candles, and we don’t have many of those left, either. We really need them to create a pleasant ambience downstairs. If you know where these are or have some you can contribute, please help us rebuild our supply. They’re nice for other events, as well.
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Mid-Week
Music Line-up for May
May
1 — Greenfield High School
Select Choir, directed by Paul Calcari
May
8 — Greenfield Community
College Chorus, directed
by Marjery Heins, accompanied by Amy Crawford
May
15 —
Ken
Forfia, classical
piano
May
22 —
Four Seasons Chamber
Orchestra, directed by Robin Stone
May
29 —
String Trio: Catherine
Bowers, viola, Mary Carsagna, cello, &
Nancy Hoople, viola
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