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February
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.
February
2005 Clarion
Headlines:All Souls UU Church Welcomes You - UU Greenfield MA All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
The
caring coordinator
for February is Martha Elliott.
From
the Minister
But
yield who will to their separation,
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight.
Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done
For Heaven and the future’s sakes.
Final
verse, "Two Tramps in Mud Time" by Robert
Frost
Jon
Rehmus
(Top
of Page)
Ministry
Notes and Programs
This
is a good time of year to explain and support Caring
Coordinators: the mobility and health concerns
which crop up in winter remind us how essential our
care for one another is. The Caring Coordinators are
volunteers organized month-to-month to support the
minister in responding to pastoral needs at All
Souls. This sometimes challenging, sometimes
uneventful job is so incredibly important! The
Coordinator works with the minister to make contact
on behalf of the congregation with those
experiencing trauma or crisis, to coordinate
pastoral support to those in need (as resource and
other volunteering allow), and much more rarely, to
help the minister to organize church response to
severe loss such as a community member’s death.
These volunteers deserve our gratitude: THANKS!! Yet
they are only as effective as the church as a whole
is in responding to their contacts and requests on
others behalf. We are all ministers at All
Souls, and this is especially true as we express
basic care and concern for those in our community
who suffer. If interested in taking a month a year
as a Caring Coordinator, call one of the Hospitality
and Membership Committee chairs, Margo Campbell and
Martha Elliot.
The
adult discussion group on fundamentalism
continues those Sunday mornings (9 a.m. in the
minister’s study) when I am conducting worship. We
continue our investigation of the roots of
contemporary Christian fundamentalism and the
parallel origins of Unitarian Universalist response.
All are welcome, including one-time drop-ins.
Minimal reading; call me with questions! Jon
A
Note
from the Board Chair
Dear
All Souls Members,
I’m
writing this letter in the midst of a snowstorm,
January 22, 2005. After speaking with Jon and a few
others we decided to cancel services for tomorrow
for the welfare of all concerned.
Eve
Brown Waite, Director of Religious Education, has
tendered her resignation, effective at the end of
this year, to pursue other interests. Our last
meeting was January 11, 2005; unfortunately we did
not have a quorum so we were only able to discuss
future options nor were we able to actually accept
her resignation. It is our hope that with the help
of the re-institution of a Long Range Planning
Committee that they will create a survey requesting
information from the members at large which will
include questions regarding the format of our
education program. Once the survey is returned a
search committee can then be established for the
purpose of bringing candidates for board and
congregation approval. Obviously procedures have not
been established so it is a great opportunity
for you to participate in the process by either
becoming involved with the Long Range Planning
Committee or by offering suggestions to your board
members.
Earlier
that evening, January 11, 2005, Bob Cummings and
myself met with the Investment Committee. I feel
that the Investment Committee will have much to
report at our annual meeting in June, 2005.
In
the meantime stay warm and safe,
Marty
(Top
of Page)
New
Member Dinner
There
will be a newcomers dinner on Saturday, February
12th at 6 p.m. Membership co-Chairs Margo Campbell
and Martha Elliott are planning this event.
Notes
from the DRE
I
recently submitted a letter to the Board of Trustees
notifying them of my intention not to continue on as
Director of Religious Education after the present
church year ends. I’d like to take this
opportunity to assure everyone of my commitment to
the RE Program for the rest of this year and to
explain some of the reasons behind my decision.
First,
I want to make it clear that I am not leaving
because I am unhappy with the church, my job or my
colleagues. In fact, I feel incredibly blessed to
have been your DRE for the past three and a half
years. Again and again, I have been amazed by the
support, respect and the opportunities that have
been offered me in this role. When I said I wanted
to be a Minister, you gave me opportunities to
minister — you allowed me to preach, to bless your
children and even to officiate at weddings. I hope
that these opportunities were offered, not solely
because I was the DRE, but also because you saw in
me the ability to minister. And I hope that these
opportunities will continue to present themselves
even though I will no longer be the DRE.
It
was as a brand-new DRE that I first felt a call
to ministry. And it has been as DRE that I came
out as a minister, explored what it means to
minister and started on the path to ordained UU
ministry. But it has also been as DRE that I have
felt sometimes overwhelmed by all the demands — my
own, my family’s, the church’s, and the UUA’s
— and have stepped back from pursuing UU
ordination. But rather than abandoning my call, I
have learned that there are millions of ways to
minister — and relatively few of them require an
M.Div. and ordination by the UUA. Perhaps, one day,
I will be able to juggle all the competing needs and
will fulfill the UUA’s requirements and be
ordained as a UU Minister. But until then, I know I
can still minister.
My
work through NELCWIT with battered women and with
the police, feels like ministry to me. So does my
writing. And it is in these two areas that I want to
devote more energy in the next few years. I am also
hoping that without a regular Sunday commitment, I
will have more time for my own spiritual renewal and
maybe even a few more opportunities for preaching.
I
want to thank our Minister, Jon Rehmus for seeing me
as a co-Minister and for treating me as a peer;
David Bigda for being my biggest fan and for his
undying support of the RE Program while he was Chair
of the Board; and the members of the RE Advisory
Council for truly caring about me and my needs. I
want you all to know that am ready and willing to
work with the Board to help find a new DRE and to
help bring about a smooth and positive transition.
And of course, I want all the children and the
families of All Souls to know that you can always
count on my love and care.
This
was a difficult decision for me to make, and I had
mixed feelings even as I submitted the letter of
resignation. But ultimately, I feel it was the right
decision for me. I know with this community’s love
and support for one another, we will all weather the
transition ahead. Remember, in every ending is a new
beginning.
In
Love and Light, Eve
More
from R.E.
We
still need adults to lead Sunday Surprise Activities
on March 6 & 20 and April 10 & 17. This is a
one Sunday commitment and a wonderful opportunity to
spend time with our children and to share your
spiritual practice or an activity that you are
passionate about. Interested? Please contact Eve.
Thanks,
Eve
Thanks
to all of our Heroes!
Each
Sunday, one parent or set of parents gets to be the
Hero of the Week to our Sunday School. The Hero
provides our snack and helps out if needed in any of
the classrooms. All RE parents are asked to be the
Hero at least once during the year. Please check the
schedule below and make note of your scheduled Hero
day. If you can't be the Hero on your assigned day,
please make a switch with someone else and let our
Hero of the Week Coordinator, Mary Beth Forton know.
You will receive a reminder letter with complete
instructions shortly before your assigned Hero day.
Thanks so much for taking on this important role.
January
30: Rebecca Bluh
February 6: The Rehmus Family
February 20: The Forton/Coleman Family
February 27: The Perham Family
March 6: The Booth-Daniels Family
March 13: The Cummings Family
March 20: The (Meg & Vincent) Baker Family
April 3: The Flandreau Family
April 10: The Maroney Family
April 17: Sally Freeman & Deborah Johnson
April 24: The Groman/Baskowski Family
May 8: The Burke Family
May 15: Piper Sagan
May 22: David Jackson & Mary Tyner
May 29: Kathy Hale
June 5: Diane Dix
A
Message to the Youth from Martha
Some
of our youth will be attending an OWL weekend the
weekend of Feb 11 thru 13th. Therefore our youth
group will be meeting after service on the 13th for
a somewhat abbreviated planning meeting. Lets figure
out when we will be doing karaoke bowling, snow
sculpture and add district events such as the
Spirituality Development Conference to everyone’s
calendar
Please
Note: The
New Directory Goes to
Press on February 14th
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 February 13.
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.
Staff
Member’s Responses as Examples:
Jon
Rehmus (All Souls minister): "Along with good
books, ancient things, charitable acts, and almost
any water or winter sport, I enjoy watching children
grow up and the orbit of planets."
Eve
Brown —Waite (Director of Religious Education) and
Family: "We enjoy movies, ice-skating,
sledding, and hot cocoa; our pets, helping others,
sushi (especially Sierra!), candy (especially
Jeremiah!), world travel, writing (especially Eve),
camping and hiking (especially John), international
food (cooking and eating!)
Martha
Pratt Elliott (Youth Advisor) "I enjoy playing
in the surf, walking with the dogs, photography,
reading, listening to music (all types), playing
board games. Spinning, singing, youth worship. I get
most of my spiritual needs met by being in nature
and I maintain an altar in my home. I am the Youth
Advisor, co-chair of the Membership Committee, and
work on Coffee & Soul.
Zachary
Elliott (Martha’s son): Zachary attends Greenfield
Center School, enjoys listening to and playing
music, Magic and Yogi Oh cards, science, theatre,
soccer, and playing with the dogs, especially his
dog Zelda. He is a member of Coffee & Soul and
enjoys doing tech.
Diane
Dix (Church Administrator): "I enjoy writing;
the companionship of my children; watching sunsets,
finding special stones, large or small, being in or
near the water, especially the ocean; Scrabble,
backgammon, crossword puzzles; music and words of
any genre that reach my soul; "gnowing"
and being part of a church where that’s okay.
And
from our most geographically distant member, Monica
Sharp: "Writing my Life Story so that
family members will be supplied with the correct
(and often colorful) facts."
(Top
of Page)
Wheel
of Life
The
Mid-Week Music program has been granted, again, a
$400 grant for the coming year by the Greenfield
Arts Funding Commission.
The
wonderful mittens, hats and scarves from our mitten
tree have been delivered to the Greenfield Family
Inn and the Franklin Area Survival Center. Reminder:
The Survival Center always welcomes donations of
food and clothing. A basket for that purpose is in
the narthex.
Welcome
Mason Wicks-Lim, born to Ali and Jeanette Wicks-Lim
on Wednesday, January 19 at Franklin Medical Center!
We rejoice with them and at everybody’s good
health.
David
Bigda is recovering at home from minor surgery.
As
Director of the Cooperative Development Institute,
Lynn Benander recently announced 3 new community
businesses being launched with CDI support: a
community-owned discount retailer, a bio-diesel
company, and a Northampton food cooperative.
The
church is planning its spring tag sale for late
April or early May, so begin saving any items you
might have. However, we’re are not including
clothing at this time. Sports equipment, household
items, books, jewelry (always very popular), etc.
You know what sells.
Thanks
to Tom Burke and David Bigda, the rhododendrons on
the Hope Street side of the church have their wooden
tepees covering them for the winter to prevent the
snow that comes off the roof from smashing them. Tom
built them and David painted them a nice shade of
green. Take a look at them.
The
next time you take a look in the silverware drawer
in the kitchen, notice the bright and shiny spoons,
forks and knives. Marty Ortiz and Carl Romboletti
donated the new tableware from an employee’s sale
at Lunt’s, where Carl works. (NO, it’s not
sterling but nice stainless). Marty and Carl also
donated very nice stainless serving trays and pie
servers. We can all appreciate them during the
Friendship Luncheon on February 13.
Cynthia
and George Bluh are in San Francisco for a month to
house sit their daughter Alix’s home and take care
of her dog.
Current
membership of All Souls Church is 143. We are close
to moving in status from a "small" church
to a "mid-size" church. The UUA sets that
number at 150. Will 2005 be the year?
(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)
Church
Bulletin Bloopers
A
worm welcome to all who have come today.
Don't miss this Saturday's exhibit by Christian
Martian Arts.
Next Friday we will be serving hot gods for lunch.
If you would like to make a donation, fill
out a form, enclose a check, and drip in the
collection basket.
Applications are now being accepted for 2 year-old
nursery workers.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget all His
benefits.
Wissatinewag
Benefit
The
Friends of Wissatinnewag will be the beneficiary of
the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse Saturday, February
26th 7:30 PM at the Wendell Town Hall. The evening
will be a dance party featuring the Reggae All
Stars. Support FOW while dancing away the winter
blues. Sliding scale $6-$12
Hell
Hypothesis
(submitted by Jean Cummings)
The following is an actual question given on a
Boston University chemistry mid-term. The answer by
one student was so "profound" that the
professor shared it with colleagues, via the
Internet, which is, of course, how we got hold of
it. Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off
heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the
students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's
Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is
compressed) or some variant. One student, however,
wrote the following: First, we need to know how the
mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know
the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the
rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can
safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will
not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for
how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the
different Religions that exist in the world today.
Most of these religions state that if you are not a
member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since
there is more than one of these religions and since
people do not belong to more than one religion, we
can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth
and death rates as they are, we can expect the
number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in
Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for
the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the
same, the volume of Hell has to expand
proportionately as souls are added. This gives two
possibilities: 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower
rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then
the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase
until all Hell breaks loose. 2. If Hell is expanding
at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell,
then the temperature and pressure will drop until
Hell freezes over. So which is it? If we accept the
postulate given to me by Patricia during my Freshman
year that "it will be a cold day in Hell before
I sleep with you", and take into account the
fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2
must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is
exothermic and has already frozen over. The
corollary of this theory is that since Hell has
frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any
more souls and is therefore, extinct, leaving only
Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine
being which explains why, last night, Patricia kept
shouting "Oh my God." THIS STUDENT
RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"
Music
for All Souls with Julia Bady and Jamie Goodnow
Join
us on Sunday, February 13, at 3:00 PM for a Piano
Two and Four Hands concert with Julia Bady and Jamie
Goodnow. They will be playing music by Bach,
Beethoven, Mendelssohn and a special four-handed
performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
It should be a fabulous performance!
Julia
Bady has space in her studio for some new students.
She lives in Greenfield and has students from all
over Franklin County and beyond. Sh would appreciate
any potential students we could send my way. She
teaches people of all ages/levels, and also offers
the Taubman Approach, a healthy, natural, artistic
approach to piano playing.
Chris
Smither at Coffee &
Soul on February 19th
New Orleans-bred folk and blues legend Chris Smither
will be headlining the Coffee & Soul show on
February 19. The show starts at 7:30 PM with special
guest Nick Plakias. Tickets are $20.00 in advance,
$22.00 at the door. Buy tickets online at www.uugreenfield.org/coffeeandsoul
There
are no discounts for this show. However, we need a
limited number of bakers. If you would like to bake
for this show, your admission will be $10. If
interested, contact Maureen Moore or speak to
Maureen or Diane Dix on Sunday mornings.
The
Clarion deadline for the March issue is February
20th. 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)
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