|
January
2005
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.
January
2005 Clarion
Headlines:
The
caring coordinator
for January is Amy Swisher.
From
the Minister
"Deal
positively and forthrightly with the triple evils of
racism, extreme materialism, and militarism."
-
Martin Luther King
Dear
All Souls community members,
The
new year opens with opportunities to reintegrate our
sense of mission. On the horizon this month is our
Fourth Anti-Racism Film Festival. Two years ago,
nearly 50 church members spent a weekend with UUA
trainers opening up issues around ethnicity, race,
privilege, and the power to change. With new folks
since then, how wonderful could that as many as 50
community members attend one of the three excellent
film/discussions scheduled for Saturday, January
22! Help applaud this annual program (along with
Molly Chambers, Toni Eaton, Mark Gregory and other
Social Action Committee organizers) but more
importantly, try to attend a film. The 4:30 p.m.
documentary about a high school is appropriate for
children of many ages.
With
a view to the Winter-Spring as a whole, the Board of
Trustees has also approved work with consultants to
better assess and make steps towards All Souls
thinking organizationally in multicultural terms. As
UUA President William Sinkford puts it, whatever
doorway we might choose – towards addressing
sexism, classism, racism, homophobia, ableism, or
ageism – we enter space that naturally links our
vision of a less oppressive world (for us and for
others) together. As opportunities arise to let your
perspective on and hopes for the church to be known,
please seize them!
This
month we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King;
locally, on MLK day at the community college, we
will also honoring leaders like activist Juanita
Nelson and educator Chip Wood. They deserve it in
company with King’s challenge, having made way of
life and effective communication a type of moral
force (MLK day at GCC – another opportunity!).
Somehow, step off with 2005 recommitted. Peace,
keeping better times ever in sight –
Jon
Rehmus
(Top
of Page)
Ministry
Notes and Programs
The
Adult Sunday Discussion Group meets again
Sunday, January 9 at 9:00 a.m. in the Minister’s
Study. We continue our examination of
fundamentalism and issues around religious culture,
history, the meaning of authority, and more. We will
have a multi-month focus on Christianity and start
with the very local, historical opposition of
movements led by Northfield evangelist Dwight Moody
and the influence of the Universalist Ballou family
of this region (and of this church!). Drop-ins are
welcome. Come and share, learn more, and enjoy the
early-morning stimulation.
Note
from the Board Chair
Dear
All Souls Members,
It really feels strange to be writing for the
January 2005 Clarion, especially since it is only
December 22, 2004. I’ll be leaving for the next 6
days, which required my writing this letter a little
early. By the time you receive this most of the
Holiday will be over and we’ll be settling in for
our usual New England winter.
2004
ended with our raising over $3,000 during our
auction diner. This definitely helped us take care
of some bills. Now it’s upward and onward to the
coming year.
Our
Board meeting for December had another full agenda.
The treasurer’s report was insightful. Bob and I
have been mandated by the Board to meet with the
Investment Committee prior to the next Board
meeting. I tentatively scheduled a meeting date of
Thursday, January 6, 2005. Location is yet to be
determined.
We
went on to have the liaisons give their reports.
Kyle Weaver reported that the Property Committee has
some concerns regarding the responsibility and
liability when others are utilizing the Parish Hall.
It seems that some users have not been cleaning up
sufficiently after their functions requiring
additional time from our custodian Dave Woods, which
we cannot afford. Keeping this in mind we will be
instituting some guidelines in the near future.
Angel
Russek is looking forward to having another Calendar
Committee meeting in January. Last summer all the
various committee chairs met and discussed what they
have planned for 2004—2005 year. This meeting was
well received as it gave everyone the opportunity to
have first hand knowledge on what would be
transpiring during the coming year.
The
balance of the evening was spent hearing from Dwayne
Brewington and LaWanza Let-Brewington on an exciting
program starting in January 2005. The program will
be "Multi-Cultural Organizational
Development" (MCOD). I know that people who are
better communicators than I will be informing you
about this program.
As
always, your Board members are here to serve you. We
need your input for a successful meeting. Please
feel free to contact anyone of us regarding your
concerns and wishes for church community. Our next
meeting will be January 11, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.
May
we all have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2005.
Marty
Ortiz
(Top
of Page)
Notes
from the DRE
To
Crèche or not to Crèche – that seemed to be the
question in Greenfield this past December. Over the
years, I too have wondered if such a large and
obvious display of Christianity in the center of
town is, indeed, appropriate. It’s not that I
question the message that is being sent by the
people who erect it each year. What I question is
the message that is being received by all who
witness it.
The
intention of a message, and the message that is
received can often be two different things. Those
who erect the Crèche may simply want to remind
others of the origin and true meaning of Christmas.
A practicing Christian may receive exactly that
message from seeing the Crèche on the Town Common.
But a lapsed Christian may get a message of guilt,
shame or discomfort depending on that person’s
reasons and the circumstance of their leaving the
church. A non-Christian may get an even more
negative message. To that person the display might
serve as a warning that says ‘you are an outsider.
Tread lightly here.’
As
Unitarian Universalists we may not be all that
concerned with the Crèche. But there is a lesson
there we might want to heed: Messages – both sent
and received – are filtered through lenses of
race, culture and experience. If we want to be truly
welcoming and affirming, we need to pay as much
attention to what might be heard as we do to what we
say.
With
that lesson in mind, I’d like to ask you to
consider this: Why do we use the word church
to describe who we are as a congregation and to
denote the building in which we worship? Look in the
dictionary and you will find that the word church
means a building used for public, Christian
worship, or the whole body of Christian believers.
Dictionary definition aside, the word church may be
a loaded one for many people. Certainly for me, as a
Jew, it is uncomfortable for me to apply that word
to my affiliation and myself. I suspect it is for
others, too and for a variety of reasons.
If
you are asking yourself why I never spoke up before
about this, the answer is simple and symbolic, I
think, of the problem of oppression in our culture.
As a Jew raised in a Christian culture I have spent
a lifetime learning how to read and interpret the
subtle and not-so-subtle messages that remind me
that I am other. I have learned, by
necessity, to tread lightly. Even here, in my
church.
About
the word we use to describe who we are, and about
everything we say and do, we need to ask ourselves,
‘what message are we sending? What message is
being received?’
In
love and hope – Eve
The
New Directory is Now
Being Produced
We
Need Your Information As Soon As Possible
In
the spirit of helping us get to know one another
better we will be trying two new features for
inclusion in our revised directory which will be
updated this month. In addition to the information
requested below, please submit a photo or photos
(black and white, if possible). These can be of
individuals, couples, families, etc.
If
you are able to scan and e-mail the picture, please
send to administrator@uugreenfield.org AND
endia2020@yahoo.org. Otherwise, leave the photos in
the church office and they will be scanned and then
returned. If you do not have a photo and would
prefer, submit a graphic to represent yourself.
Name_______________________________________
If
you are listed in the current directory and your
information is the same, check here ____
Address_____________________________________
e-mail
address _______________________________
Please
finish the following sentence with words describing
your hobbies, interests, religious beliefs, etc:
Examples: (knitting, mystery novels, Scrabble,
Buddhist meditation, long walks, cats, building
sandcastles, playing piano…use back of paper if
needed.)
I
enjoy ______________________________________
Please
fill this in and leave it in the hanging file folder
just inside the church office door or mail to ASC,
P.O. Box 542, Greenfield, 01302, before January 9.
We have only received a few so far. This could be a
valuable asset to help us learn more about each
other as we continue to build community among
ourselves.
(Top
of Page)
OWL
Adult Program
The
first meeting of OWL for adults will be held on
Sunday, January 16,2005 at noon the Sunshine Room
downstairs. I propose sessions meet the first and
third Sunday of each month for 2 or 3 hours. We will
together decide if this works for everyone. Please
call Suzanne Gluck-Sosis at 413 -774-3585 for
further information.
Wheel
of Life
Essie
Chambers, daughter of Molly Chambers, was featured
on a special TV Program on the Noggin Children's
Network about the filming of the forthcoming "Miracle"s
Boys" miniseries. ""Miracle's
Boys" , which is based on a novel of the same
name, is the first TV series for a teenage audience
which centers on an African-American/Puerto Rican
family of three brothers whose parents have died and
who are struggling to be family for each other.
Directors for the series have incluced Spike Lee and
LeVar Burton and the theme song is composed and sung
by Nas, a popular musician. This series, which has
been filmed in Harlem, has utilized teenage advisors
from the community to assure its accuracy. Essie as
been working on this series as Executive in charge
of production for the Noggin Network. Essie also
helped produce the documentary "I Sit Where I
Want:The Legacy of Brown v. The Board of
Education" which is featured at our Fourth
Annual Anti-Racism Film Festival.
Hannah
Garfield-Wright is engaged to be married to Taso
Apostalidis with the wedding planned for sometime
after November 2005. Both Hannah and Taso will be
graduating from Temple University in February 2005.
Gloria
Bean’s new address is: 9425 Fleming Grant Rd.,
Micco, FL, 32976-2709.
Mary
Burke is recovering at home from surgery, and the
whole family appreciates everyone's prayers and
support.
We
apologize for wrong information given last month:
Isabel Cole was suffering from heart arrhythmia and
not a mild heart attack. And most importantly, is
doing better at home!
Monica
Sharp, who celebrates her 97th birthday on January
14, sends Happy New Year wishes to all of her
friends at All Souls Church from her retirement home
in sunny Pacific Palisades, CA.
Jean
Cummings has been inducted into the Greenfield
Kiwanis Club. Stan has been a member for years.
Greenfield mayor Christine Forgey was inducted at
the same time.
Mid-Week
Music donated $507 to the The Recorder’s "Warm
the Children" fund, the profits from our two
popular high school chorus concerts on December 15
and 22.
(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)
Copier
Codes
Sometime
this month, the copier will be programmed with
numerical codes. . This will be an attempt to audit
more specifically how many copies are used by
particular groups and for regular administrative
copying. Once Diane has had a chance to create the
codes, they will be posted on the wall above the
copier. The copier will not run without inputting
the appropriate code.
Knitting
Circle
Because
of upstairs heating and weather considerations the
informal knitting circle on Sunday mornings will not
be a regular feature during the month of January. We
will resume at 9:30 on Sunday mornings in the
Chapman Room in February. (However, there is nothing
to stop folks from the pleasure of knitting. Perhaps
the January intergenerational services will be
flexible enough that knitting could happen DURING
the services downstairs - although the additional
fun of chatting would have to be curtailed.) And -
we may even have fallen into a name for our little
group when Jon stopped by the Chapman Room one
morning in December and he mentioned the
"clack" of the needles. Do we "Clack
and Yak?" (This is similar to the more familiar
name for groups that combine needlework and talk -
also rhyming but not as church-appropriate!)
All
Souls Holiday Dinner and Auction a Great
Success!
More
than 60 people joined us on Saturday, December 4th,
for our first annual Holiday Dinner and Fundraiser.
The event was successful beyond our expectations,
providing a much needed opportunity to break bread
with our All Souls friends and raising more than
$3,200 for the church! Thanks to everyone who helped
make the evening possible, including Bob and Jana
Cummings, Peggy Kennedy, Tom Hill, Steven Hill, Liz
Hill, Janice Sorenson, Toni Eaton, Ann Hare, Marty
Ortiz, Rocky Perham, Ellen Clegg, Susan Fentin, and
Cassie and Annie Walker. Grateful thanks also to
everyone who donated items for the auction. You are
all tops in our book!
Additionally,
the church earned $158 from All Souls Sunday at
World Eye Bookshop and $600 from the sale of antique
plates. There are still a few $20 plates left; if
interested, speak to Irmarie Jones.
Lynn
Nichols and Don Kruger, Ways and Means Committee
Finance
Committee Meeting
The
Finance Committee will meet on Monday, January 31, 7
p.m., at Lynn Lee’s house, 19 Orchard Street in
Greenfield.
Coffee
Hour Hosts
Please
sign up to host a Coffee Hour. The sign-up sheet is
in the Parish Hall.
(Top
of Page)
Membership
Committee Meeting
The
Membership Commmitee will meet regularly on the
third Sunday of each month following Coffee Hour.
This month the meeting will take place on January
16.
NO
FRIENDSHIP LUNCHEON THIS MONTH DUE TO
HAVING SERVICES
DOWNSTAIRS & HAVING A "HUNGER BANQUET"
ON
JANUARY 24
Long-Time
Dream Realized
Shrub
protectors, a long-time wished for improvement
promoted by Irmarie Jones, will be installed to
preserve the rhododendrons along the Hope Street
side of the church from snow damage. Tom Burke
engineered and constructed the devices and painting
was done by David Bigda. Long
live the rhododendrons!!!!!!!!!!!!
Music
for All Souls
January
9th - Robin, Trudy and Gretchen Stone with
Richard Loomis. Classical and jazz. 3:00 PM. Adults
$10 at the door, seniors and students, $7; children
under 12, $5.
Coffee
and Soul
January
15 - Viva Quetzal - High energy music from
across the Americas and beyond. $10 in advance, $12
at the door, $5 for age 6 and under.
4th
Annual Anti-Racism
Film Festival at All Souls
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Schedule
of Events:
2:00
- 4:30 PM — Get On the Bus, directed
by Spike Lee. Rated R for language. Genre: Drama.
This powerful film follows the cross country bus
journey of a diverse group of black men traveling to
the Million Man March in Washington, D.C.
Facilitated by Jon Rehmus
4:30
- 6:00 PM — I Sit Where I Want: The Legacy
of Brown Vs. the Board of Education,
Executive Producer, Tonya Lewis Lee. Genre:
Documentary. Not rated, but this documentary is
meant for high school students and older.The film
follows a diverse group of high school students as
they grapple with social segregation in their
school, and participate in a project to take action
to change it. Facilitated by Molly Chambers
6:00
- 7:00 PM — Dinner (Donations will be requested)
7:00
- 9:30 PM — Mississippi Masala,
directed by Mira Nair. Genre: Romance/Drama.
Director Nair concocts a fascinating picture of
Mina, an Indian woman whose father pines for his
native Uganda, where his family lived prosperously
until the evil Idi Amin took power. Transplanted to
rural Mississippi, the family struggles to make ends
meet by running a string of motels, but they don't
yet feel at home. When Mina falls for an African
American entrepreneur, complications arise.
Facilitated by Angel Russek
The
Clarion deadline for the January issue is
January 23rd. 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)
|
