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June
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.
June
2004 Clarion
Headlines:
The
Caring Coordinator
for
May is Susan Fentin.
From
the Minister
Along
with the year-end picnic and meeting, two June
services have special meaning. One is New Member
Sunday, when we welcome and celebrate those who are
joining All Souls.
The
other is the annual service – this year on June 13
– to celebrate the religious education program
along with the children and teachers. A good reason
to come to this service is to recognize our
children. As a parent, professional, and volunteer
in the school and youth networks locally, I join DRE
Eve Brown Waite and Youth Advisor Martha Eliot in
believing out children embody some of the best
qualities of our church. Their activities, voice,
and presence in the wider community are truly
significant. They deserve appreciation.
Our
teachers, however, are still more reason to
celebrate! I have worked in 6 churches – 3 as a
DRE or youth staff – and in 3 schools as a
teacher: All Souls’ teaching cadre is pretty
astounding. Many of our teachers are experienced
teaching professionals, serving our children after a
week of work in one of 6-7 public and private
schools. Some who teach our children have 20 years
of experience adapting UU curricula, and others have
grown up in UU religious educational environments.
Working with our children are graduate students and
parents deeply involved in education. Working with
them are people who draw from deep experience in
realms like the Peace Corps and environmental
studies. And we have the most experienced (and in
regional terms, best-connected) youth leadership
teams I have ever seen in a small church.
So
please come to this service and other important June
occasions! Before summer’s dispersal – like
seeds we are – please be reminded of our important
times for recognition and celebration.
Peace
– Jonathan Rehmus
(Top
of Page)
Board
Notes
Next
meeting date: Tuesday, June 8, 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 May meeting and other developments:
- Our
June 8th meeting is our last regularly scheduled
prior to the Annual Meeting of June 21st.
Ordinarily, the next regularly scheduled Board
meeting is in August at which time the new Board
Chairperson is formally elected.
- The
main business of the May meeting which virtually
consumed all the time was the tentative
settlement of the FY ‘05 Budget Proposal. The
results are published separately on the next two
pages are there for your examination and
comment.
- Please
know that all of the numbers will be subject to
change at the June 8th meeting when the Board
will attempt to finalize the proposal for
submission at the Annual Meeting. Members should
expect further changes, but for the most part is
appears that the general picture has been
established.
- Regarding
the income totals: Item #4011 is a projected
figure short by $5K from unfulfilled pledges
which are anticipated by June 21st. Item #4997
is new; item #5800 has been raised substantially
which means a vigorous round of fundraising
activities will be necessary in the coming year.
Finally, item #4998, has been exhausted.
- On
the expenses side simply examine the Delta
Column to see where the expense cuts were made.
- In
short, our budget still requires an additional
$5K from outstanding pledges to be truly in
balance. Further cuts would weaken the quality
of service severely. Therefore, fulfillment of
outstanding pledges is crucial. Of course, any
additions to "made pledges" would be a
big help.
- Another
happening, the Second All Souls Yard Clean-up
Festival was a joyous success. The following
revelers took part: Kate Wadleigh, Carole Groman,
Don Weld, Suzanne Gluck-Sosis, Pam Kelly, and
David Bigda. They delighted in refurbishing both
the front and side areas of the church. Don Weld
merrily carted the "clean-up" away to
his private landfill. Next year more should
participate for more fun.
- Also,
the flower gardeners merit recognition. Children
from R.E. planted flowers in the front of the
church. On the Hope Street side, Bill Buchanan
revitalized the rhododendrons and Jean Cummings
replanted petunias in the large size half
barrels she donated last year. I’ll bet they
had fun, too!!!.
- Finally,
and , members, PLEASE show up fro the Annual
Meeting Monday June 21st. Getting a quorum (25%
of the membership) often is a problem; so be
there and besides, a fun time is guaranteed.
David
Bigda, Chair of the Board of Trustees
(Top
of Page)
Notes
from the DRE
I’ve
been thinking a lot about a young American woman by
the name of Lynndie England. I’d like to think
that at one time, Lynndie England was a person with
some sort of internal moral compass. I’d like to
think that there was a time when she could tell the
difference between the way you treat another human
being and the way you wouldn’t even treat a dog.
But
Lynndie England is one of the American soldiers
accused in the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. Pfc.
England says she thought it was funny when Iraqi
prisoners were stripped naked and piled up on top of
one another with bags over their heads. She didn’t
think it was the least bit out of bounds when she
was told to put a strap around a man’s head and
force him to crawl on all fours up and down a
corridor for five hours. I still believe that once
upon a time Pfc. England and her co-defendants once
knew right from wrong. They don’t seem to know
right from wrong now though. And that’s something
that should concern all of us.
As
the evidence of abuse of Iraqi prisoners comes to
the surface, we ask How did this happen? Who knew
about this? and How high up the chain of
command does this go? We will continue to react
with shock and indignation as more and more evidence
is revealed.
But
let’s be honest with ourselves: we knew this was
happening. Or at least, we should have known.
Violence begets violence. Savage acts beget
savagery. This is a story as old as the bible. Why
is it that we haven’t learned that yet?
When
we train our children to kill – they will act like
killers. When we put them in brutal situations –
they will react with brutality. When we dehumanize
our enemy – they will be treated inhumanely.
History has proven that over and over and over. So
why would we even think that this latest horror
would lead to anything but more horror?
When
will we ever learn?
In
Peace & Hope – Eve
Mentors
& Mentees -
PLEASE SAVE THE DATE
The afternoon of Saturday, June 19 for our first
ever Mentor Program Picnic! All Mentor program
participants will receive a personal invitation with
details soon.
(Top
of Page)
Wheel
of Life
Irmarie
Jones is home recovering after a stroke on May 1 and
is receiving phone calls and visits. She says,
"A sincere thank you to everyone who brought
wonderful meals to me and my family during my
recovery from a stroke. I enjoyed every card and
happy wish that was sent to me. I am very
appreciative of my All Souls friends. You have
filled this time in my life with much joy. Thank
you.!". Prepared meals will continue to be
welcomed during this time while she and Brud regain
their bearings.
Our
deep sympathy to Marion Yetter for her loss. Her
husband, Frank, died on May 22. The couple was
married here at All Souls Church in 1943.
Leah
Garfield-Wright graduated from Mohawk Trail Regional
High School with high honors. She was a straight A
student and will be attending McGill University in
the fall. Congratulations!
Christina
Grinnell has dropped out of high school and is very
happy to be attending North Star in Hadley, an
organization devoted to supporting home-schooled or
"un-schooled" youth.
Congratulations
also to Christine Jean Chambers, Molly’s daughter,
who graduated on May 15 with a B. A. in English from
the University of Virginian in Charlottesville. She
will continue her education at Columbia University
in NYC to get a MFA in Playwriting.
(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.)
(Top
of Page)
Tag
Sale June 12 — Help Wanted!
The
All Souls' Rummage Sale has been re-scheduled for
Saturday, June 12, from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. The
stash of donated items has been growing, but you're
cast-off treasures are still welcome! (Please save
your winter clothing items for the holiday bazaar.)
You may leave your donations in the lower entryway
of the church, preferably after June 5th. Pricing
suggestions for collectibles and vintage items will
be much appreciated.
In
addition to merchandise, we need volunteers to sort
and price items Friday, June 11, and to assist
customers Saturday, June 12. If you have worked on
previous Rummage Sales, please step forward and join
the fun! (Your experience is greatly valued and
desperately needed!!!) If you're new to All Souls,
tag sales, or both, don't be shy! We welcome your
enthusiastic participation!
We're
considering adding baked goods to our list of things
to sell. If you are interested in contributing
breads, cakes, pies, etc., and/or would be willing
to organize this aspect of the sale, please let us
know. Bake sale or not, it would be great to have
some sweets (brownies, cookies, etc.) for the
volunteers, so if you're baking treats, please
consider setting some aside for June 12th!
For
more information and to volunteer for any aspect of
this important fund raiser, please contact Peggy
Kennedy.
(Top
of Page)
Membership
Committee Meeting Wednesday, June 2, 6:30 p.m.
Mid-Week
Music for June
June
2 — Falltown String Band
June 9 — Althea Wilson-Berkowitz, 14 year
old pianist who will perform at Helen Hills Chapel
in Northampton for the third year to raise money for
the Dakin Animal Shelter.
Perhaps
we can include these Energy Park concerts in our
summer schedules and sit with other All Souls
friends to enjoy the concerts and stay connected
with each other:
"Sundays
in the Park"
All concerts 6:00-7:30 p.m. Suggested donation
$3-$5.
July
11: 6:00-7:00 Pioneer Valley Symphony Chorus
"American Idylls" concert.
7:00-7:30 SING American folksongs with Alice
Parker (internationally-acclaimed composer and
director)
July 18: The Mammals. Boston Globe calls
them, "the hottest young stringband to emerge
from the Northeast in years." The Washington
Post remarks, "The Mammals don't suffer from
multiple genre syndrome, they celebrate it, as if
gleefully aware that the sound barriers separating
old-timey music, vintage pop and contemporary folk
are as permeable as cotton. [The Mammals] are
acoustic traditionalists, to be sure, but the
subversive sort."
July 25: Zoe Darrow and The Fiddleheads. Zoe,
a 15-year old fiddling phenomenon, She is amazing to
watch--you can't sit still watching her and the
band. Her show is plain old fun, toe-tapping great
music. "Massachoochoos" open for
Zoe performing traditional train songs with great
vocal harmonies (Joe Graveline, Pat & Tex
LaMountain, Russ Thomas)
July
6, 13, 20, 27: Greenfield Military Band will
present summer evening "POPS" concerts
on stage. 7:00-8:00. Bring a picnic supper and
stroll our gardens before the music starts!
July 31: 5:00-8:00 p.m. "Greenfield Military
Band Celebrates 100 Years of Music" Special
Anniversary concert with Shelburne Falls and other
community bands giving additional concerts. Cake
with 100 candles, & ice cream, and more!
Thursday Summer Concerts: June-July-Aug 5.
"COOP Concerts" has formed to offer
2-hour concerts early Thursday evenings. Audiences
will enjoy 3 different acts each night by musicians
who live in Franklin County. Box lunches from area
restaurants will be available.
(Top
of Page)
AS
THE END OF THE YEAR
APPROACHES. . .
IMPORTANT
MEETING FOR COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES
Sunday,
June 6 from noon - 1:00 p.m.
Come
to a brief, after-service meeting with Jon and Board
member Angel Russek to get program and calendar
coordination underway for the 04-05 church year.
With so many wonderful efforts underway at All
Souls, let's check
in now to pave the way towards a successful year!
FOLLOW-UP
WORSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING AFTER CHURCH JUNE 13
New
members are welcome to this second meeting where we
critique this past year’s services and plan
worship services for 2004-05.
CHURCH PICNIC SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M.
The picnic will be at the Northfield Mountain
Recreational Area on the Connecticut River this
year. It is a lovely area with a pavilion and an
open field overlooking the scenic river. Directions:
Take Route 2 East to Route 63 North (left just past
the bowling alley). The entrance to the picnic area
is about 2 miles up the road, a left opposite the
Visitor’s Center. Picnic area is all the way to
the right. Apologies to our West County friends for
the added distance. The usual picnic grounds at
Buckland or Camp Keewanee were not available on this
date.
There
is no swimming, but a nice open area for Frisbee,
softball, soccer, and other games and there are
woods and a stream for the young naturalists to
explore with their parents. Drinks, condiments,
paper plates and other paper products will be
provided. There will be a hot grill and a volunteer
to barbeque the meats and grillable foods you bring.
Please
bring a dish to share, such as garden and summer
salads, casseroles, pasta dishes and desserts.
Please label foods as vegan, vegetarian, or meat if
it is not obvious.
ANNUAL
MEMBERSHIP MEETING, JUNE 21, 7 P.M. —
PLEASE give
your annual reports to Diane Dix as soon as
possible, no
later than June 12!
DEADLINE
FOR SUMMER ISSUE OF THE CLARION: JUNE
25
As
is our custom, we suspend formal services during the
summer. However, if any members of the congregation
care to plan an optional activity or two please
discuss this with Jon Rehmus or Diane Dix and be
prepared for the June 25 deadline for the summer
issue of The Clarion.. Past summer activities
have included informal Sunday services in the Parish
Hall, picnics or dinners at member’s homes, groups
attending baseball games or whale watches, a
Quaker-style meeting group, a book discussion group,
a hiking group, etc. Give some thought to an
activity or two you would like to generate for
informal gatherings of the church community this
summer and get that information to Diane Dix before
the June 25 deadline. Also, if committees are
planning meetings during the summer, those dates
should be included as well. Elsewhere in this issue
of The Clarion is a listing of concerts
happening this summer at the Energy Park. Perhaps we
could sit together and enjoy the concerts and the
companionship of each other.
(Top
of Page)
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