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December
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.
December
2004 Clarion
Headlines:
The
caring coordinator
for December is Martha Elliottl.
From
the Minister
Welcome
the Yule: a time of gladness and reflection. Allow
this reflection on a post-election question (but a
Nativity motif), "What good is a UU church in
the face of fear?"
A
church community cannot be the sole vehicle to
address fears sparked by the larger political and
global set of threats. A church like All Souls is at
best only a cellular part of a much larger organism
of people and organizations. Our
"activism" is but a need to cooperate –
in a way best for each of us and for the church –
in resisting forces that seem antithetical to truth,
justice, and a healthy, peaceful community. When the
imperial or global situation provokes fear,
participation in an active church is but one
response (sometimes a good one, but not often the
most politically efficacious!).
What’s
amazing are those areas of fear – soulful,
existential, theological, even psychological –
that a wholesome congregation addresses in full.
Even the smallest and most isolated of churches –
wherever two or more are gathered, it is said –
can offer curative. Fears regarding meaning,
purpose, and identity, anxieties around dying or
being disabled, worry as to the resources for
gratitude, forgiveness, and groundedness… all these
fears are big enough to fit inside the very smallest
of UU churches!
Along
with singing and rejoicing, laughing and crying.
When you look at the gifts offered this season,
recall church community and UU theology in this
light: the bigger and more embedded the fear, the
more to be released by the gifts of a truly free
spirit and religion. Peace on Earth -
Jonathan
Rehmus
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Ministry
Notes and Programs
The
first several weeks of December are a good time for
me to meet with you if you would like to raise
general pastoral or church concerns. I am delighted
by the opportunity just to talk of life’s journey
and by the chances I have to get to know each of you
better. From December 24 – January 2, my
availability will be limited to an on-call emergency
basis. I know the holidays can be difficult for
many; you can call me. Jon
If
you are concerned that:
-
All Souls and society become a more multicultural
place
-
All Souls and society become more free of sexism,
racism, homophobia, ageism, ableism, and other
limiting oppressions ("attitude is the only
disability" reads one button)
-
All Souls and society have more soul, more
liberation, and a freer release of energies,
particularly worshipful energies reflecting all our
cultures
…
then come to the Wholeness Circle meeting and
mellow holiday social hour (total), Thursday,
December 16 at 5:30 pm. We’ll meet in the
Parish Hall. Julia Ellingboe (775-9110) and Jon
Rehmus (624-3025) co-facilitate this on behalf of
the Board of Trustees and the ministry. Even if you
can’t make it, registering your support with one
of us would be great!
-
Due to our oil bills, the January intercession set
up for the Religious Education program will be
expanded to include adults (that’s putting a happy
face on it)! January 2, 9, 16, and 23 Sunday
Services will be intergenerational programs held
downstairs in the parish hall so we can keep the
sanctuary at a minimum, steady temperature for as
much of the month as possible. Sorry to those who
may miss the sanctuary services, and thanks to those
who give so we can have heat at all. We are planning
a special Brigit’s warming service in the
sanctuary on January 30. Watch February then be the
much colder month! Thanks to all of us for being
conscious and going with the flow of conservation
(and not oil).
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Board
Notes
Here
we are at the end of another calendar year. Many of
us are busy with various holiday and family
celebrations, which can be stressful (such as
writing this letter this month). Our November
meeting was busy as usual. We started by hearing
from our Ways and Means Committee chairs Lynn
Nichols and Don Kruger about the upcoming dinner
auction scheduled for December 4, 2004 (yikes this
coming Saturday). I hope many of you will be able to
attend. The committee is well organized and it
promises to be an exciting event. I’m sure
you’ll read more about this later in this edition.
We
then formally welcomed Annie Winkler to the Board.
She is definitely a welcome addition and we look
forward to her input and participation.
Bob
Cummings gave us a brief review of our current
finances and then dove right into our investments.
We had a long discussion based on his preliminary
review. It is our hope that once he is able to meet
with the Investment Committee we will be able to
make some changes. One of the areas we are looking
into is to have more "Socially Acceptable
Invested Funds". You will be hearing more about
this in the months to come.
We
also discussed the over all maintenance of the
church and want to thank Dan Tinen and several
others who devoted most of one Saturday to buttoning
up the church for the winter. I’ve already noticed
a difference in the over all warmth and reduction of
drafts through out the church and am grateful to for
another job well done by our members. I continue to
be appreciative of the many talents we have in our
small community.
Our
next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14,
2004. All are welcome to attend our meetings or if
you have questions please do not hesitate to ask one
of the board members. We always look forward to your
input.
Have
a joyous holiday season in whatever way you observe
this time of year and may 2005 be one of peace in
our hearts and in our world.
Marty
Ortiz, Chair for the Board of Trustees
If
anyone is willing to assist in decorating the church
for the holidays with the traditional wreaths and
mitten tree, plese
speak to Jon Rehmus.
Notes
from the DRE
For
the second time in less than four months, our
community is grieving the violent death of a
teenager. Both of these teens were killed by other
teens. In both cases, there are multiple victims as
young lives were cut short for both the dead and the
perpetrators. Once again, we have families and
friends whose lives are shattered. And once again,
we have a community that is asking itself why? Why?
It’s a good question. Why do young people today
feel that violence is an appropriate way to solve
disputes? Why do teenagers tell me that violence is
expected and acceptable in their lives?
So
once again, our community will look into itself to
identify the problem. We’ll have debriefings and
circles and conversations. We’ll appoint panels
and committees and draft a plan. We’ll teach our
children to use non-violent communication,
problem-solving and mediation. I have two thoughts
on the problem of violence among our young people.
One,
is that perhaps the root of the problem lies not
only with the teens themselves, but also with the
adults who are raising them. What are we teaching
our children? What are we letting them learn from
the media? What are our nation’s leaders modeling
for them? How can we possibly expect children to
reject violence if we rely on it or accept it when
others do?
My
second thought, is more controversial. Maybe, just
maybe, violence is an inevitable part of human
nature – more pronounced in males and especially
keen in adolescent males. Maybe we need to learn to
channel that urge. Could that be why men have always
been the hunters and defenders in more traditional
societies? Perhaps that was the community’s way of
controlling the violence. I wonder, if teen violence
is much of a problem in societies where initiation
into manhood involves a "kill" and where
hunting is an expected way of life.
None
of this is intended to propose a solution to our
problem here in America, in Massachusetts, in
Franklin County. I just think it might be worth
talking about.
In
Light – Eve
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Community
Meals
The
October meal was a great success! We had the largest
number of guests that I have seen to date, about 75
people and this time some children in the mix.
Everyone received a slice of ham, a helping of
turkey loaf, scalloped potato with spinach, a wedge
of butternut squash and some salad, as well as bread
and butter, milk or cider, and a choice of brownies,
cookies or cupcakes. It was gratifying to see so
many satisfied "customers" who look
forward to the evenings when All Souls is in charge.
Thanks
to everyone who helped, with special thanks to:
Those who called their neighbors to line up the
contributions, The stalwart few who dared to tackle
the large recipes, Our "angels" who funded
the purchase of the hams and some recipe
ingredients, gardeners who donated butternut
squashes, those who helped serve (especially the
carvers) and wash dishes, and my ever-reliable
pick-up and delivery crews.
Our
next meal is scheduled for Wednesday, January 12,
and I hope we can repeat our success. Since this
is so soon after the holidays, I’ll try to get my
notices out in mid-December, so everyone can plan
ahead. To anyone who wants to participate but is not
yet on my mailing list, please contact me. You’ll
get a warm welcome.
Toni
Eaton
New
Directory to Be Produced Next Month. Get Your
Corrected Information In!!
New
members were welcomed last month and many members of
the community are at new addresses, so our current
church directory is already becoming obsolete.
Assisted by computers, the internet, the office
copier, digital cameras and scanners available to us
we will be creating a directory that will include
pictures of individuals and/or families (if you
submit them) . It would be nice to have a listing of
people’s hobbies and interests, including church
activities. Please contact Diane Dix (773-9818,
endia2020@yahoo.com). January is the perfect time to
tackle this project since there will be no Mid-Week
Music or Sunday services to fill Diane’s office
hours. Submissions, corrections, scanned or digital
photos can be sent to administrator@uugreenfield.org
or in the church office. Loose photos can be
submitted but we will need a volunteer with a
scanner to make these photos ready for reproduction
in the directory. Please deliver pictures and other
information to Diane on or before January 9, 2005.
Mark
Your Calendars: Anti-Racism
Film Festival January 22
The
Fourth Anti-Racism Film Festival will take place on
on Saturday, January 22, 2005. We will be showing
the following three films in this order: "Get
on the Bus", "I Sit Where I Want To"
and "Mississippi Massala". More details
will be in next month’s The
Clarion.
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Wheel
of Life
Isabel
Cole returned home on the Tuesday before
Thanksgiving after a heart attack and 18 days in the
hospital. She maintains her gift for good questions:
visitors are welcome along with calls to Craig.
After
a stroke, Brud Jones recovered at Charlene Manor and
is also home. He with Irmarie would appreciate
visits, calls, or cards.
Irmarie
Jones and Jean Cummings sold antique All Souls
plates and house plants during two Sundays last
month to raise money for the church. Added were a
few baked goods donated by Mirling’s Bakery. The
total raised was $545!
Former
All Souls member Donna Dusell has opened her own
restaurant in Boscawen, NH. It is called "Blue
Moon Café" and serves breakfast and lunch.
Stan
Cummings is living at Charlene Manor.
We
welcomed three new members in November: Linda
McMahan, Rebecca Otis and Marcia Zatautas. Welcome!!
This
was the tenth year All Souls Church created the
Enchanted Kingdom! It was also the most profitable,
bringing in about $650. New additions to the
Enchanted Kingdom props are two friendly monsters
donated by Seismic Scenic. These enchanting
characters are left from a 30 year old stage
production in Tel Aviv of "Hansel and Gretel"
. They are currently in the front foyer waiting for
a ride to Martha Elliott’s house where they plan
to reside until next October. If you have a vehicle
large enough to carry them there, please call
Martha.
(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.)
Membership
Committee to Meet December 19th
The Membership Committee will be meeting December
19th in the Chapman Room after Coffee Hour. Please
join us or contact Martha Elliott (774-5601) or
Margo (773-8664) with any info or concerns or if you
are interested in joining us.
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Attention
Committee Chairs!!! :
Please
sign up for a Friendship Luncheon soon!!!!!
Youth
Group Overnight: Adult Chaperone Needed!!
The
Youth Group will be having their first overnight at
the church on December 11. We still need a second
adult to make this possible (or a night owl and an
early riser). This is a wonderful opportunity to
experience another side of being UU and to help
"Mind the Gap".
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 http://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!
ABOUT
THIS MONTH’S FRIENDSHIP
LUNCH:
Instead
of our usual potluck fare, we are hoping for a more
holiday party type event. Please bring "finger
foods" such as hors d’oeuvres, cheese and
crackers, chips and dip, holiday cookies, etc.
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.
Superman
Was a UU
This
is an excerpt from an interview with Christopher
Reeve which appeared in the October 2004 Reader's
Digest shortly before he died:
RD
-- You went nearly 50 years without religion in your
life. What made you recently join the Unitarian
Church?
Reeve
-- It gives me a moral compass. I often refer to Abe
Lincoln, who said, "When I do good, I feel
good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that is my
religion." I think we all have a little voice
inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don't
know. But I think that if we shut out all the noise
and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice,
it will tell us the right thing to do. The Unitarian
believes that God is good, and believes that God
believes that man is good, inherently. The Unitarian
God is not a God of vengeance. And that is something
I can appreciate."
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Music
for All Souls December 5 , 3 p.m.
On
Sunday, December 5, at 3 p.m., Music for All Souls
presents "Menage a Trois Trios", a triple
trio menegarie of great jazz music. Featuring: The
Avalon Swing Trio with Chris Devine, violin, Andrew
Lawrence, guitar and Guy DeVito, bass; The Opus One
Trio with Bob Cummings, piano, Chris Devine, violin,
and Greg Snedeker, cello; The Bob Cummings Trio with
Bob Cummings, keyboards, Joel Gordon, bass, and Gary
Rzab, drums The performances will conclude with a
grand finale combination of all three trios
performing a tribute to the music of jazz piano
great, Chick Corea.
Admission
is at the door, $10, $7 seniors and students, $5
children 12 and under. For more information call
413-773-5018 or visit uugreenfield.org.
Mid-Week
Music
Wednesdays,
12:15 — 12:45 p.m.
December
1 — Lisa
Woods, mezzo-soprano and Nikki Stoia, pianist
December
8 — Flora
van Wormer, cellist
December
15 — Greenfield
High School Select Chorus, directed by Paul Calcari
*
December
22 — Mohawk
Trail Regional High School Select Chorus,
directed
by Nick Waynelovich *
*Profits
from these concerts will go to The Recorder’s "Warm
the Children" fund
Volunteers
Needed
Coffee
& Soul and Music for All Souls would welcome a
few more volunteers. These once a month concerts are
wonderful but require a lot of work to be
successful. We have a great Coffee & Soul
committee who have been working together for several
years and are very professional in their approach to
these productions. We ask for a commitment from all
volunteers on both teams to help for every show in
the season so that we have consistency and don’t
have to put out requests every month; more
importantly, in this way, everyone is familiar with
their particular jobs and things tend to go smoothly
and efficiently. If you think you might be
interested in helping for one or both series,
contact Diane Dix to find out what jobs need filling
or assistance. We always call for bakers on a
monthly, show by show, basis. If you want to bake
for Coffee & Soul (value $10) contact Maureen
Moore. Music for All Souls, contact Diane Dix or
Marty Ortiz.
The
Clarion deadline for the January issue is
December 19th. Submissions
can be in writing, on disk, faxed by using the
church number or sent to "newsletter" or
"administrator" or "music" @uugreenfield.org.
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