|
November
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.
October
2004 Clarion
Headlines:
The
caring coordinator
for November is Margo Campbell.
From
the Minister
"We
gather together…," goes a seasonal hymn. The
harvest sings. The leaves sing. We all sing,
everything sings, the moons and planets and stars
hum resonantly.
How
do we release the incredible quality and power of
our vocal gifts? This year a set of choices has been
devised. One, we can pinch in with our best on the
hymns. Hums, drones, and a baby’s good outcry are
always welcome. One of the reasons we gather is to
sing, however "good" our voices. In good
song, all voices are good.
Two,
if you feel like you want to sing with a choir, we
are borrowing from the children’s RE: we are
having a choir module (now you know you’re in a UU
church). After church on Nov. 7, we will look at 3-4
pieces and come up with an easy and a hard one. On
Thursday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. will be the rehearsal.
There will be a warm-up and run-throughs before
church on Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. followed by the 10:30
a.m. service. You don’t even have to sing both -
it would be fun to have a large group for the easier
piece!
Three,
if it’s challenge with fun you’re after, we have
a small-group option, e.g. duets, trios, etc.
Initial efforts are underway. By giving Carol
Flandreau, Music chair Barbara Weeks, or myself a
nod that you’re willing (maybe at a rehearsal?),
we’ll make that beautiful music happen as well.
This is for chorally-trained people.
Finally,
there’s always your solo, meaning your unique song
to the cosmos. If you want to bring this to
performance level, even better! This is a year of
problem solving at All Souls. How to release our
vocal gifts is a question or problem easily
addressed. With all the spectacular music already
resounding, we simply need to come and sing!
Peace
to us all this Thanksgiving,
Jon Rehmus
(Top
of Page)
Message
from the Chair of the Board
Dear
All Souls Friends,
I was not able to attend the October board meeting
as I was in Washington D.C. meeting my new
granddaughter. As usual it was an important meeting
especially since it was a week after our emergency
congregational meeting. As most of you know Bob
Cummings was elected treasurer for the next three
years. There will be some changes to the position
with the assistant treasurer taking on additional
responsibilities. We are also in the process of
hiring a bookkeeper to take on the day-to-day check
writing and pledge posting responsibilities. If you
have suggestions for someone qualified and available
for this position they should contact the personnel
committee.
We
are pleased to announce that Annie Winkler has been
asked to and accepted the open position on the board
for the remainder of this term through June 2005. I
will remain as chairperson for the same time frame.
I
would like to take this opportunity to invite all
members to have conversation with your board members
so that we can continue to serve you to the best of
our ability. Our next board meeting is Tuesday,
November 9, 2005, the week after the elections.
Don’t forget to vote!
Sincerely,
Marty Ortiz, Chairperson
ALL
CONCERNED AND WILLING…
Help
Winterize the Church on
Saturday, November 6
9:00
am – 1 PM (lunch provided)
Bring gloves if you have them and otherwise, just
the zeal to close every unneeded leak and heat loss
area in the church until Spring. Weatherizing
materials and people to support will be on hand.
Help bring that $10,000 heating bill down!
Questions? Contact Property Committee chair Craig
Cole.
(Top
of Page)
Notes
from the DRE
According
to the religious education workshop that I recently
attended at the recent Clara Barton District Fall
Rally, the purpose of RE is to teach the history of
UU’ism as well as the history and beliefs of the
Christian religions from which UU’ism springs.
This caught me by surprise, mostly because I had a
hard time believing that UU’s agreed on anything
– much less the common purpose of RE programs
district-wide! But I can also see that this could be
a commonly-held belief – maybe even among folks at
All Souls. And if this is the case, then I’m sure
our new approach to religious education might make
some people uncomfortable. So let me try to clarify
my thoughts about what UU religious education ought
to be and how I’m trying to accomplish this.
I’ve
long been concerned that our RE program taught more
about the history and practices of other faiths than
about what it actually means to be Unitarian-
Universalist. I think our program should help launch
children on their search for truth and meaning,
model various pathways to explore and then support
them as they embark on their own spiritual journeys.
For me, teaching bible stories and holidays from
other religions, doesn’t accomplish this. But I do
think having adults from our community share their
own spiritual practices and model their own beliefs
can help to accomplish this. Hence, the theory
behind our new elective system.
I
believe that in the near future, more and more UU
congregations will adopt RE programs similar to
ours. Perhaps one day the "agreed upon"
purpose of UU RE will be to help children assemble a
spiritual "bag of tricks" to see them
through their journey. I am aware, however, that not
everyone in the community shares my beliefs or my
goals. Some of you may disagree with my beliefs or
my methods. We are, after all, a congregation of
Unitarian- Universalists!
So
I welcome your feedback. We need the feedback –
especially of those of you who are concerned or
confused – if we are going to take this idea and
shape it into a program that works for all of us. So
if you are a fan of the new age-integrated elective
system, if you are not a fan, or if you just have
some ideas for modifications, share these with me.
Feel free to call me at home or catch me at Coffee
Hour.
Alternately,
anyone may share their feedback with the RE Council.
This three-member committee has been instituted to
both supervise and support the DRE and is an
appropriate place for bringing grievances,
criticisms or concerns about the DRE or the RE
Program. The RE Council consists of Cliff Daniels,
Suzanne Gluck-Sosis and Elizabeth Bonney. So if you
are not comfortable talking to me, please talk with
one of them.
I
am excited about our new program – and I sense
that many of you are excited too. I look forward to
growing this program into something that works for
all of us. But I need your feedback in order to do
that.
The
program is outlined below:
Elective
Cycle #1: September 26, October 3, 10 & 17
Hiking
John
Waite, (Mark Gradijan, Dan Tinen)
Service
Project: Helping the Food Bank
Eve-Brown
Waite
Knitting
Julia
Ellingboe
Multi-Media
Art Making
Janice
Sorensen
Sunday
Surprise offered by:
9/26--Mary
Beth Forton
10/03—jordan funke
10/10—Jana Cummings
10/17 — jordan funke
Elective
Cycle #2: November 7,14,21 & 28
Holiday
Cookie Making
Toni Eaton
Guided
Meditation
Julia Ellingboe
Singing
jordan
funke
Making
Prayer Beads
Peggy Kennedy
Sunday
Surprise offered by:
11/7
— Suzanne Gluck-Sosis
11/14
Lynne Lennon
11/21 — Kathy Hale
11/28 — Kathy Hale
Elective
Cycle #3: February 27, March 6,13, & 28
Creative
Thinking
Amy Swisher
Drama
and Improv
Janice Sorensen
Journal
Making & Writing
jordan
& Eve
Working
with Fabrics and Color
Susan
Garfield-Wright
Sunday
Surprise offered by:
2/27 — You?
3/6 — Who?
3/13 — Any ideas?
3/20 — hmmmm...If you would like to fill in a
blank, speak to Eve
Elective
Cycle #4: April 10 & 17; May 15 & 22
Ethnic
Cooking
Karen Rehmus(Mary Beth Forton)
Dance/Creative
Movement
Charlene Gatker
Life
as an Open System
Paul Flandreau
Bread
Baking
Mary
Burke
Friends
of Wissatinewag
Howard Clark and Dorothy McIver
Sunday
Surprise offered by:
4/10
— You?
4/17 — Who?
5/15 — any suggestions?
5/22 — hmmmm...If you would like to fill in a
blank, speak to Eve
(Top
of Page)
Ministry
Notes & Programs
A
Low-Key, Nothin’-Fancy Election Eve Open House
Tuesday, November 2 from 7:30 – 11ish pm at the
Rehmus’ house
Popcorn, NPR, some games and puzzles out, a map to
color, sitting around talking politics. Need to be
with a minister on Election Eve? Drop on by.
Directions from Greenfield: 4 miles on Rte. 2 West
from rotary, turn right on Colrain-Shelburne Rd. Go
2 miles, take first right on Brook. Go 150 yds, take
first left on Fiske Mill Rd. (our road). Go .8 mile
to #269 on the left, across from barn.
New
Member Orientations: Sundays, November 7 &
14
Join
me -- All Souls minister Jon Rehmus -- and others
for two breakfast and discussion sessions, Sunday,
Nov. 7 from 8:30-10:00 am and Sunday, Nov. 14 from
8:30-10:00 am. These sessions on the church, UUism,
and our own journeys are designed for those who are
becoming All Souls members (the New Member Service
is at 10:30 am on Nov. 14). If you’re drawing
closer to the community and just want to know more,
also feel welcome. It does help to know if you’re
coming, since breakfast is on us: contact Membership
co-chairs Margo Campbell, Martha Elliott, or me. All
souls are welcome at All Souls!
Hiking
Tour of the Ancient Wissatinnewag Village Site
Saturday,
November 6 at 2 pm; Video at 4 pm
This ancient living and resting place of First
Nations has seen unbelievable bounty and beauty
mixed with woeful massacre and desecration. This
site in Greenfield is understandably a holy and
healing place in the eyes of many. It is also a
locus of raging, ongoing division in Greenfield over
what degrees protection vs. development. Howard
Clark and I will lead a tour of the site looking at
its human history – which goes back 12,000 years
before present -- and its natural history, which
includes huge glacial deposits and ancient lava and
shore beds. Wear appropriate shoes/cold-season
apparel for easy-moderate, 90-minute hiking tour.
Directions from Greenfield: come up High St./French
King Hwy to light at Rte. 2. Turn right and then
next immediate right (before you go down and around
bend) up rough driveway into sand area. Directions
from Rte. 2 E/W: From West, make right turn past
light at French King Hwy. Dangerous turn into
driveway from East: make right on to Adams Rd. (at
French King Hwy intersection with Rte. 2). Do a safe
turn-around, turn left (east) on Rte. 2, and then
immediate next right up driveway of Wissatinnewag.
After the hike at 4 pm, the Friends of Wissatinnewag
video explaining Native Americans’ effort to
protect the White Ash Swamp 10 acres will show at
All Souls. Questions about tour, contact Jon Rehmus;
about video and current effort, contact Dorothy
McIver.
Wheel
of Life
On
October 15th, the Service Project group, comprised
of Ayla Daniels, Tess Forton, Colin Flandreau and
Sophie Rehmus, hosted a wonderful "Nacho
Supper." More than 40 people enjoyed great food
and good fun. The People's Pint, Green Fields
Market, Foster’s, Big Y, Food City, Mirling’s,
The Barn and All Souls members donated the food for
our supper so that ALL the money we raised could be
given to the Center for Self Reliance. On Sunday,
October 17th, our children brought $249 and 100
items of non-perishable food to the Center for Self
Reliance.
Anna
Walker had an emergency appendectomy on October 23.
She is recovering at home.
Susanae
and Jim Glovacki and family have a new address: 7
Madison Circle in Greenfield. Julia Ellingboe’s
new address is 73 Devens Street.
(We
extend concern and appreciation for all of you
taking care of family members and friends in times
of illness and need. If you would like prayers, a
healing contemplation, or just good vibrations
offered, feel free to make a recognition or prayer
request of the minister, the Caring Coordinator of
the month (see the Clarion) or through Joys &
Concerns. 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)
Knitting
Circle
This
will continue into the foreseeable future. Sunday
mornings join Susan Garfield-Wright and other
knitters, novice and expert, any time from 9:30 –
10:20 a.m. for knitting, conversations, and
friendship. Anyone is welcome for a few minutes or
for the whole time.
Social
Action Committee Meeting
Mark Gregory, Chair 773-8664
The next regularly scheduled meeting is on Nov.1 at
Toni Eatons house (335 W.Gill Rd., Gill 8639582) at
7:00 pm. The December meeting will be on Dec. 6 at
7:00 pm, meeting place yet to be determined.
With
a Thankful Spirit,
Mark Gregory
Worship
Committee Meeting
Announcement: The Worship Committee meets at 5:30
p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16 in the minister's study.
Please come with your ideas and desires for this
coming Winter-Spring. Newcomers welcome!
All
Souls Holiday Dinner and Auction December 4th
Mark
Your Calendar for the December 4th Holiday Dinner
and Auction!
The
Ways and Means Committee is busy planning our
special holiday fundraising dinner and auction on
December 4th. We'll have cocktails and hors
d'oeurves accompanied by the piano stylings of Bob
Cummings (children's activities downstairs), then
head to the Parish Hall for a scrumptious dinner.
After dinner, we'll have an auction. It'll be a
festive event for all -- so mark your calendar to
join us! More details will be announced soon.
Speaking
of the auction -- we need auction items! If you have
a special item that you can contribute -- such as a
piece of artwork, a quality craft item, a gift
certificate, a stay at your vacation home, etc. or
if you would be willing to supply the contents of a
holiday theme basket (wine lover, pasta lover, pet
lover, coffee lover, tea lover, you get the idea) --
please contact Lynn Nichols or Peggy Kennedy.
Shop
at ShopWesternMass.com
and Benefit All Souls!
You've
read about it in the Recorder, now check it out
yourself! Lynn Nichols and Don Kruger have developed
a new online shopping site devoted to art, crafts
and products from Western Massachusetts. It's called
Shop Western Mass and you'll find it at www.shopwesternmass.com.
From now through the holiday season, if you purchase
something from the store, Shop Western Mass will
donate 10% of the purchase price to the All Souls
General Fund. Just type allsouls in the Fundraising
Organization or Code box at checkout. It's the
perfect way to shop local for the holidays and help
All Souls too!
Antique
All Souls Dishes and
Plants For Sale Sundays, November 14 and 21
Last spring Irmarie Jones, David Bigda and Jon
Rehmus were going to have a project to make a little
money for the church. Now, they are planning it
again as a holiday giving event.
High
up in the kitchen cupboard are plates, bought when
the church was built in 1895. The are the ones with
pictures of the church on them. They were made in
England and are valuable because, according the
antique dealer, Doug Bilodeau of South Deerfield,
the company went out of business 100 years ago.
There
will be 27 small plates for $20, 6 large plates for
$30 and and seven Victorian plates for $5 each. They
will be on sale after the service on November 14 and
21.
Jean
Cummings will have plants for sale on these days and
the proceeds will benefit the church.
(Top
of Page)
All
Souls Day at World Eye Books
Try
to Wait Until Next Month to Buy Books, etc. as
Gifts!! It’s early…..but put it on your
calendars. Save all your book, calendar, holiday,
etc. purchases for Sunday, December 5th, when it
will be All Souls Day at World Eye Book Shop. We
will receive 10 percent of gross sales for that day
! -- with the All Souls coupon which will be
distributed next month. We made over $200 last year
and past years.
Please
Note!!! The Friendship Luncheons will be held on the
SECOND Sunday of each month.
Membership
& Hospitality Committee
Martha
Elliott and Margo Campbell, Co-chairs
1) The Caring Coordinator for November is Margo
Campbell.
2) A potluck Thanksgiving Dinner is in the planning
stages. If you would be interested in attending
and/or helping plan this, please call Martha.
3) Our next regular meeting will be Sunday, Nov. 21
after Coffee Hour (12 noon). Please join us!
Orphan
Plates in Church Kitchen
When
a small crew cleaned the kitchen on October 16,
there were dozens of random dishes left on the
counter opposite the sink. Please, stop in and see
if any of the dishes are yours….. If they are not
picked up by November 14, they will be collected and
put up for sale at the spring tag sale.
Survival
Center Needs Donations
Cold
weather clothing is now needed for children and
adults. Non-perishable food items are also needed.
Put donations in the basket in the front hall and
they will be delivered to the Survival Center.
(Top
of Page)
Charity
Committee
When the All Souls Charity Committee met this past
month, one of the members suggested that it might be
a good idea to give the members a little history of
the fund.
Charles
Allen, long time member of the church and once
Attorney General for Massachusetts gave $10,000 in
1906 (a huge amount at that time) to establish the
All Souls Charity Fund in "loving commemoration
of my two brothers, William Henry Allen and Franklin
Ripley Allen, and of their life-long association
with this society." The income was to be used
to furnish relief for "the immediate needs of
poor residents of Greenfield, without restrictions
on account of creed, color or race." The kind
of relief he had in mind was food, clothing,
shelter, field, medicines and other personal care
needs.
"My
hope is to increase the usefulness of this society
as a center of charitable work." Are we a
center of charitable work? I think so.
Allen
asked that it be called The All Souls Charity Fund
and invited others "who at any time might be
inclined" to make additions to it.
I
don’t know whether anyone ever added to it. At
this time, the investments which someone (who?) made
in the past bring in very little money. Even with
the new income of $350 a month from our new addition
of $70,000 we have about $3,000 or a little more
every quarter. The find has been so extensively used
that it dropped to almost nothing over the years. By
a vote of the Trustees two years ago, the money is
allocated by Franklin County Community Action for
Greenfield residents only and they give the
committee an accounting of what has been spent. The
ceiling now is $100 per person, only once a year,
since the fund is called upon for help so often. It
is the only Greenfield fund with no strings attached
for those needing assistance (and all Souls people
have used it.).
The
Charity Fund is not a part of the church budget. It
is autonomous.
Irmarie
Jones, chair
Music
for All Souls — November 7, 3:00 PM
This
month we will be presenting a Celtic Music
Celebration with Rosemary Caine and Friends. The
ensemble will perform a program of Celtic music as
well as offer selections from their new production
"Wilde Irish Women" (which includes a few
good men!). This high-spirited performance will give
a sampling of instruments including harp, tin
whistle, flute and guitar. Admission at the door is
$10, $7 seniors over 65 and students, $5 children
under 12. We are always looking for volunteers to
help with the reception, either by helping to host
it or by providing a food or beverage to serve
there.
Mid-Week
Music: Wednesdays, 12:15 — 12:45 PM
November
3 — Dick Hurlburt, clarinet and tenor sax, and
Gene Clark, piano, jazz
November 10 — Jamie Goodnow, piano and Laura
Doughty, vocals, classical
November 17 — Gretchen Saathoff, classical piano
November 24 — NO PROGRAM
Coffee
& Soul, November 20th, with the Sonya
Kitchell Band and All About Buford
On Saturday, November 20, the Sonya Kitchell Band,
featuring Miro Sprague, will be at Coffee &
Soul. Opening will be Boston-based a capella group
All About Buford. Sonya Kitchell is only 15 years
old but is a rising star. She is currently touring
with Tuck and Patti as their opener and has a new CD
on Velour Records. Come see this local phenomenon
before her success puts her out of our reach!
Openers All About Buford have to be heard to be
believed. Admission, $12 in advance, $14 at the
door. $8 in advance for students and seniors over
65, $10 at the door. Children under 6 will be $5.
Buy tickets at the church (see Diane Dix), on line
at www.uugreenfield.org/coffeeandsoul
or a World Eye Book Shop in Greenfield. As always,
bakers are needed. Please contact Maureen Moore (thepriorhouse@aol.com)
if you would like to bake in exchange for admission
(plus $2).
Church
Bookkeeper Needed
See Bob Cummings, Toni Eaton or Molly Chambers for
specifics.
New
Directory Proposal
New members are being welcomed this month and many
members of the community are at new addresses, so
our current church directory is already becoming
obsolete. At a recent Board/Staff meeting the
subject of a new directory, possibly with pictures,
was tossed around. Assisted by computers, digital
cameras, and scanners available to us we are
considering creating a directory that will include
pictures of individuals and/or families. We also
liked an idea Nancy Buchanan suggested years ago
that each entry include a bit of description or
history of the individuals, such as hobbies and
interests. If you are willing to assist in this
project please contact Diane Dix. This will require
a team to organize and accomplish it effectively.
The
Clarion deadline for the October issue is
November 21. Submissions
can be in writing, on disk, faxed by using the
church number or sent to "newsletter" or
"administrator" or "music" @uugreenfield.org.
(Top
of Page)
|
