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January
2004
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.
November
2003 Clarion
Headlines:
From
the Minister
"God,"
said Thomas Aquinas, "Is not a proper
name."
A
shocking idea, perhaps: a prayer group at a
Unitarian Universalist church!
Maybe
we could call it by another group: a
"connection group," maybe. Yet it is
something I will be offering – at least
experimentally (there, an "experimental
group;" that should help) – in the next
several months. Prayer for me is something other
than petition for special treatment. Prayer is about
uncovering our own yearnings, about finding a safe
place to hurt or grieve or rejoice. It is about
opening ourselves to the Other, including those in
our company, but importantly to a larger Being and
Energy that inhabits the world outside our
consciousness.
The
first meeting will be 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
January 14, and I will try limiting the time to an
hour. A snack will be available in preparation for
people getting home for dinner. The format will
include some checking in and a common reading,
followed by a period of silent and spoken prayer. We
will finish with reflection on those with special
needs in the community.
I
find the strands of joy and concern that move
through me as minister need some period for sorting,
a time in the presence of Spirit when what seems
vital – in me and outside of me – rises and
connects. To this expression of my own need, all are
welcome … particularly as you might have something
to, umm, er … connect about.
Peace
in this New Year – Jonathan
Rehmus
(Top
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Board
Notes
Next
meeting date: Tuesday, January 13, 7 p.m., at the
church. Contact any Board member (listed on the back
of The Clarion) with your concerns or
suggestions. Here are some of the highlights from
our December meeting and other developments:
1.
Finance Committee Chairperson Marilyn Lee presented
two recommendations that beg for speedy
implementation:
First,
a five-year plan for routine building maintenance
and capital improvements. The Property Committee
will be so charged. The objective is to create a
systematic and thought out program that will easily
enjoy membership support . Consequently, the
Property Committee will be scheduled to present its
plans at the January meeting.
Second,
immediate
restoration of an active Ways and Means Committee.
There is an approximate $2,500 shortfall in the Ways
and Means budget allocation. The figure could be
worse except for the spontaneous efforts of Irmarie
Jones: Christmas Tag Sale and the World Eye Bookshop
coupon day. Obviously, help is needed. Properly
constituted Ways and Means would provide leadership
and seek out other church members to run funding
events. Please consider doing something to solve
this problem. Contact any Board member or staff
person so we can all work together on this issue.
2.
The January meeting will also feature a report from
Linc Hirst, Investment Committee, on the church
trust funds. This is Linc’s second detailed annual
report to the Board which hopefully will become an
annual event. The Board may publish quarterly trust
fund reports in The Clarion. The idea is to
heighten a sense of awareness and concern for church
financial interests by the members.
3.
Regarding the holiday season at the church, the
major events went well despite the bad weather.
Irmarie Jones overcame a snowy Saturday by shrewdly
adding a Tuesday night and, presto, a successful two
day tag sale event. Attendance at Christmas Eve was
good despite heavy fog. The mitten tree was filled
to overflowing. The chorus sang well and membership
participation in the service was noteworthy. Long
live the holiday season!!
Happy
New Year,
David Bigda
Chair of the Board of Trustees
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Sunday
9AM Discussion Group Begins January 11
After
a wonderful fall series focused on New Testament
scripture, we have decided to give greater context
to our thought with a focus on Judaism. This winter
series – again led by Dan Tinan and Jon Rehmus –
will mix personal reflections based on the Book of
Ecclesiastes with video and other presentations on
Jewish history and culture. If you would like to
join the group (all are welcome!), let Jon know
whether you wish to order the book When All
You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough by Rabbi
Harold Kushner.
Welcome
to New Member Pam Kelly
All
Souls Church celebrates its newest member Pam Kelly,
who signed the membership book on December 14. Pam
is previously a member of the Acton, Massachusetts
UU congregation but also has a long history of
activity in Quaker circles with her husband Lauren
Kramer. Pam is also Co-Director of UUs for a Just
Economic Community (UUJEC), our denominational
organization committed to just and sustainable
economic policies here and overseas. Pam and Lauren
have recently moved to Greenfield. If you are
interested in joining the church or know someone who
is, look for our regular orientation sessions in the
spring or seek an appointment with minister Jon
Rehmus. As with all newcomers to All Souls, please
extend Pam your hand of fellowship!
RE:
R.E. Notes from the DRE
As
I write this, we are still in throes of the Holiday
Season. So I’d like to share with all of you two
gifts of wisdom that were recently shared with me.
The first is a sonnet that All Souls member Renate
Wolff Goepp wrote some years ago. It is certainly
fitting for this time of year, but its message is
timeless.
Christmas
In
stores and squares the trees are lit again.
Above canned goods canned choral voices blare
Again the lie of peace, goodwill to men.
Again we rush to buy for those we care
Or do not care for, gifts they do not need.
Again
we stock, while millions starve and riot,
Our larders for a hearty Christmas feed –
And waste on fourth, for we must watch our diet.
That’s
Christmas for as long as I remember.
Each year I dread it more and wish it past.
And yet a hope awakens each December:
Perhaps this year will bring the hour at last,
Rising above the gloom, the greed, the din –
That one sweet hour of peace and joy within.
The
second gift is an essay written by twelve year old
Charlotte Aldebron of Presque Isle, Maine. I was
deeply moved to read the profoundly perceptive
thoughts of this six grader who her teacher branded
as "unpatriotic."
What
the American Flag Stands For
The American flag stands for the fact that cloth can
be very important. It is against the law to let the
flag touch the ground or to leave the flag flying
when the weather is bad. The flag is to be treated
with respect. You can tell how important this cloth
is because when you compare it to people, it gets
much better treatment. Nobody cares if a homeless
person touches the ground. A homeless person can lie
all over the ground all night long without anyone
picking him up, folding him neatly and sheltering
him from the rain.
School
children have to pledge loyalty to this piece of
cloth every morning. No one has to pledge justice
and equality and human decency. No one has to
promise that people will get a fair wage, or enough
food to eat, or affordable medicine, or clean water,
or air free of harmful chemicals. But we all have to
promise to love a rectangle of red, white and blue
cloth. Betsy Ross would be surprised to see how
successful her creation has become. But Thomas
Jefferson would be disappointed to see how little of
the flag’s real meaning remains.
In
this New Year may we heed the wisdom of our elders
and of our children.
In
Peace & Hope –
Eve
January
has a fifth Friday! That means it’s time for a
Fifth Friday Family Fun Night!!! Bring the family
and join us for a night of casual family fun on
Friday, January 30th starting at 6 p.m.
in the Parish Hall. We’ll provide pizza and
beverages. Bring a simple dish or snack to share and
your favorite games. See you there.
(Top
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Wheel
of Life
Congratulations
to graduates finishing their degrees! Janice
Sorensen completed her final courses towards her
B.A. from the University Without Walls program at
the University of Massachusetts.
Zack
Bates and Hanna Hilliker of our church were among
those who testified at the December 4 hearing of the
Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. The
hearing took place at the Old State Courthouse in
Springfield and in part commemorated the 10th
anniversary of a law making descrimination against
LGBTQ students in public schools illegal. Meanwhile,
Christina Grinnell helped sponsor a December
workshop for Mohawk High School faculty and students
on LGBTQ awareness and the process of creating a
safer school there. Hurray to our youth in their
leadership!
Thanks
to the many volunteers, the All Souls Tag Sale,
which was in two parts because of the early December
snowstorm, earned $748 for the church. Many thanks
to all.
Leah
Garfield-Wright earned a score (of ?) on the SAT II
French Test. She is a senior at Mohawk Trail
Regional High School. Her mom, Susan, who knitted
hats all year, earned $306 for the Franklin County
Emergency Shelters and $166 for Habitat for
Humanity, selling her hats at Moonlight Madness in
Shelburne Falls. She also sold some hats during
Coffee Hour at All Souls and had over thirty left
for our mitten tree.
The
Greenfield Funding Commission has given a $400 grant
to Mid-Week Music for next spring’s series.
Jean
and Stan Cummings spent a week on the Florida Keys
early in December at the condo of their son, Bruce,
and his wife, Meg.
Mittens
an d hats for the mitten tree were also made by
Winifred Purrington of Bernardston, who joined the
church in 1945, with her husband and children. She
is housebound and unable to get to church nowadays.
Congratulations
to Sallee & Merritt Garland , who recently
celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
(Please
help keep the community informed of significant
events affecting our members. If you have any
information you would like included in Wheel of Life
please speak to Diane Dix.)
Telephone
Tree
The
Telephone Tree has been updated. We need four more
volunteers to make the calls on occasions such as
special congregational meetings. If you can
volunteer to make about nine calls to members of our
church community, please let Diane Dix know.
Ladies’
Night Out Friday, January 16
We
will gather at Lynn Lee’s house in Greenfield. For
information or to RSVP, call Lynn or Anne Hare.
Remember!!: Parking rules — please park in
driveway Or across the street.
January
Birthdays
Lissa
Greenough 1/1
Paul Hirst 1/22
Marion O’Meara 1/11
Monica Sharp 1/14
Christine Bates 1/16
Tom Hill 1/17
Max Johl 1/18
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Music
for All Souls Meeting January 6
We
are meeting at 7 p.m. at the home of Diane Dix. We
are desperately seeking more committee members. If
you can help at these Sunday afternoon concerts,
please call Marty Ortiz. As always bakers are needed
for the reception following the concert. A fresh
home-baked item equals one free admission. Please
call Marty if you are interested.
News
from the Social Action Committee
1.
Social Action Committee Meeting Monday, January 5th
in the Sunshine Room at All Souls at 7 pm.
2.
Meeting of the Subgroups from last year's Jubilee
Workshop will be Tuesday Evening at 6:30 pm at All
Souls. We would like to hear about the continuing
work of the subgroups as well as to reflect and
share about our current and future work in dealing
with racism.
3.
Anti-Racism Film Festival..Saturday Afternoon and
Evening , January 24th at All Souls. (details on a
separate page) We will be showing the following
films with the following discussion leaders. In
addition, we will serve dinner to those attending
the festival between the second and third films.
Coffee
& Soul Meeting January 4
This
meeting will take place following Coffee Hour on
Sunday, January 4, at about noon. Diane Dix will
bring soups for lunch. We have a number of policy
and financial issues to discuss. We hope to keep
this meeting short and focused. The agenda will be
e-mailed to committee members and requests for
additions can be added by e-mailing Diane and Mike
at coffeeandsoul@yahoo.com. Anyone interested in
working with us on this committee are welcome to
attend. Next show: Chris and Meredith Thompson on
January 17(details on separate page). As always,
bakers are needed. A fresh home-baked item equals
one free admission. Please call Maureen Moore if you
are interested.
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A
Welcoming Event for the LGBTQ Community
Enjoy a potluck supper at the church, Saturday,
January 31 at 5:00 p.m. (and youth especially,
bringing something is optional; do join us!) This
follows very successful October and December events
involving over 40 people! If your sexual orientation
differs from "straight," if you are an
adult or adolescent questioning your sexual
orientation, or if you are a supportive partner,
parent, or grandparent of a GLBTQ person, come and
feel the embrace of good fellowship and food.
Discussion topics will include organizing,
welcoming, and safety work in town and a February
dance. Please bring a dish to share and feel free
to invite others of the wider community. Also
welcome are All Souls members who have been actively
allied with the LGBT community.
All
Souls Church History
(This
piece was written by George Bluh)
Reflections
on a Meditation: Rev. Stephen Howard (All Souls
minister 1964—1984)
Stephen
Davies Howard came to All Souls in 1964. He brought
with him his wife Anne, and their three children,
Ekisabeth, Catherine and Matthew.
Howard
was a Franklin County man, born and bred in this
place, and he loved it dearly. Nothing brought him
more pleasure than a head-clearing, meditative walk
in the wilder parts of the county. He was educated
locally before going to Springfield’s American
International College for his B.A. He then completed
his STB at Harvard Divinity School. He then served
the UU church of Binghampton, NY, for two years. The
Harvard experience brought the young
Congregationalist closer to UU thinking and he
returned to the divinity school there for a few more
courses, and to Meadville as well. From 1961-64 he
served in Unitarian fellowships.
Howard
must have been brimming with seminarian enthusiasm
when he was invited to lead services at All Souls
after the death of Rev. Chapman. It was close on the
heels of his appearance, by request, the following
week that he received the call to serve by the All
Souls community on May 26, 1964.
It
is very likely his seminarian experience was still
igniting thoughtful, profound sermons. I make this
assumption on the basis of the depth and power of
thought evidenced in his sermons into the 1970s.
When Howard seemed to have lost his ability to
ignite and illuminate, but instead drew upon dismal
themes, the loyal devotees always looked to the
past, and not the present. It has been noted that
during the earlier phase of his tenure, Howard
refrained from bringing the war in Viet Nam to the
pulpit, causing some incredulity among some
parishioners. But, alas, he gave voice to his
feelings in a brilliant sermon decrying American
intervention in that troubled Asian country.
Howard
was, and still is, for that matter, a brilliant
thinker. He respected the intellect of his
congregation and this was commendable in a minister.
He was quite knowledgeable about what was going on
in his parish, though he did not always let on. He
certainly had the time as a full-time minister to
get around, but largely closeted himself with his
books in order to produce a stunning sermon. Among
those books he referred to were Loren Eisly’s Immense
Universe, the writings of Marcus Aurilius, two
names repeated with reliable frequency. Two other
favorites were Emerson and Thoreau.
Howard,
around fall of 1969, was turning toward Eastern
thought for insight and inspiration. By this time in
his career, his intellect honed to a fine edge
leaving many parishioners in a transcendental fog.
He challenged us, and that was good. Marcus Aurilius
and Loren Eisly continued to come through his Sunday
offerings. During the larger part of his tenure at
All Souls, that was the way it was. It may be noted
here that Howard enjoyed the second longest term as
minister to this congregation in its entire history.
It is necessary to make note of the attitude on the
part of the traditional parish at the time
concerning compensation of the minister. For one
thing, the basic salary was very small. The salary
package did not include sabbaticals as they do today
or one Sunday off each month. There was little lay
participation in services as there is at present.
Howard’s service bore the imprint of traditional
New England grim, superficially, not is essential
substance.
Concerning
the matter of extended tenure, it is generally
thought that ministers and school superintendents
should seek new posts after serving ten years, or
risk falling into the endemic problem of heading for
a trough in the natural life of the
minister-congregation relationship. During his
tenure were the tumultuous years of radical changes
and the war in Vietnam and his congregation went
through changes, too. Demands reflected the changes
in our congregation’s composition.
Rev.
Howard showed concern for members of the
congregation who were among the unfortunate,
striving to make them comfortable with the larger
group rather than be put off. He showed respect for
all his people, greeting everyone warmly. On rare
occasions, too rare for some, Stephen would take
members of the congregation on a Sunday afternoon
walk, bringing them into his private world, for he
was thoroughly enthralled with nature, and he relied
on his feet to bring himself closer to it. These
were very special moments for members of All Souls:
the Thoreauesque world of Stephen Howard.
As
a member of the Parish Committee, now known as the
Board of Trustees, I would call attention to the
declining membership as well as the need to reach
our parishioners. Somehow, discussion turned to the
subject of the ill-fated parsonage perpetual
distress: plumbing, leaky roof, or need of paint. It
was exasperating, especially when the most serious
leak was to be found in the membership rolls.
The
1970s, especially the later years of the decade,
were difficult due to the polarization of the
congregation, with some members for a change in
ministry, or even preferring no minister at all,
against those who wanted to retain Rev. Howard. The
sermons reflected the conditions of conflicting
views and declining membership. This state of
affairs was particularly critical and the life and
health of a church community relies on a stable and
growing membership, which was not the case at All
Souls. Rev. Howard, when asked what he though about
the situation simply responded, "It’s an easy
church to join, and it’s an easy church to
leave." The minister seemed to shrug off issues
that others regarded with concern. It was not that
Howard did not care, he preferred thinking of other
things, like next Sunday’s sermon.
On
November 30, 2003, after having departed All Souls
some twenty years past, Rev. Stephen Howard, robed
in Harvard scarlet, took the pulpit in his
perennially graceful fashion to grace old friends,
parishioners, and members of the congregation who
had not heard him before, with a moment of
reminiscences and a sermon which revealed that he
had not lost his powers, but rather has grown in
depth and scope. It was a wonderful Sunday when we
had come around full circle.
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Check
Out Shop Western Mass (www.shopwma.com)!
Lynn
Nichols and Don Krüger have just launched a new
business -- an online store devoted to products from
Western Massachusetts called Shop Western Mass (www.shopma.com).
When they're fully up and running, part of the
commission they collect from each sale will go back
into the community as contributions to non-profit
organizations like The Food Bank, CISA and NESEA.
Currently, they are setting up vendors on the site
(only a couple are represented right now) in
anticipation of a late January/early February media
launch, so if you know someone from Western MA who
makes any type of product, from specialty food and
apparel to crafts and objects of art, let Lynn or
Don know. In the meantime, check out the site and
let them know what you think!
New
Directory is Now Available!
You can pick up a copy at church. If you would like
to have it e-mailed to you so it can be stored in
your computer, call Diane Dix at the church office.
Cancellations?
Call the church phone, or tune in to WHAI (98.3 FM)
or TV channels 22 or 40.
The
Caring Coordinator for January is Gloria Bean.
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