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October
2005
The
Clarion deadline
is 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
Clarion
Headlines:
The
Caring Coordinators for October are George and
Cynthia Bluh.
October
All Souls
Calendar of Events
Sunday,
Oct. 2:
Adult Discussion & Sunday Service (9 & 10:30
a.m.)
Wednesday,
Oct. 5:
Mid-Week Meditation (7:15 a.m.)
Mid-Week Music (12:15 p.m.)
Sunday,
Oct. 9:
Adult Discussion & Sunday Service (9 & 10:30
a.m.)
Youth Kick-Off Party (12:30 p.m.) Small Group
Ministry (5-7 p.m.)
Monday,
Oct. 10:
Board of Trustees Meeting (7 p.m.)
Wednesday,
Oct. 12:
Mid-Week Meditation (7:15 a.m.)
Mid-Week Music (12:15 p.m.)
All Souls Church provides the Community Meal
Saturday,
Oct. 15:
Coffee & Soul Concert with Tracy Grammer and Jim
Henry (7:30 p.m.)
Sunday,
Oct. 16:
Sunday Service (10:30 a.m.)
Crop Walk (see Amy Swisher)
Drumming (4:30— 6 p.m.)
Wednesday,
Oct. 19:
Mid-Week Meditation (7:15 a.m.)
Mid-Week Music (12:15 p.m.)
Thursday,
Oct. 20:
Worship Committee Meeting (7 p.m.)
Friday,
Oct. 21:
Anti-Racism Film Preview and Potluck (6 p.m.)
Saturday,
Oct. 22:
Winterizing/Weatherizing Day (9:30 a.m. -12 p.m.)
Sunday,
Oct. 23:
Adult Discussion and Sunday Service (9 & 10:30
a.m.)
Fall Feast following service. Please bring potluck
dish to share.
Youth Group meets at 12:30 p.m. Enchanted Kingdom
set-up begins.
Wednesday,
Oct. 26:
Mid-Week Meditation (7:15 a.m.)
Mid-Week Music (12:15 p.m.)
Thursday, Oct. 27: Our
Town/Choir Rehearsal (7 p.m.)
Friday-Saturday-Sunday,
Oct. 28-30:
Enchanted Kingdom
Saturday,
Oct. 29:
Worship Workshop (9 a.m. to noon), Clara Barton
District Fall Rally
Sunday,
Oct. 30:
Sunday Service (10:30 a.m.)
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Behind
the Rose Window
Greetings!
Here we are at the beginning of Autumn. Marching
Spiritedly in the Franklin County Fair parade was a
great way to kick off the new Church year. Already
the church is abuzz with a variety of activities.
Before you know it the Enchanted Kingdom will be
among us.
All
Souls provided a Musical Sanctuary by hosting a
benefit to raise funds used to alleviate sufferings
associated with Katrina. The benefit was initially
proposed the Tuesday after the hurricane and took
place on the Friday. This benefit raised over
$650.00. For me this is an example of the social
action and commitment which has been a staple here
at All Souls. During the September meeting the Board
of Trustees voted to earmark the collection from the
October 2nd service to the Gulf Coast Relief Fund
organized by the Unitarian Universalist
Association of Congregations. There is much
information available on the fund and the intended
uses at uua.org. Pledges on that day will count
towards your pledge so long as they are clearly
marked Pledge, otherwise, it will be assuned to be a
contribution to the fund. Our gifts are what we
bring to the Welcome Table so that all may share in
the bounty of this earth.
I
would like to inform our community of two events
which also took place at the September meeting of
the Board. The Board accepted the resignation of
Kyle Weaver from the Board. Kyle acknowledges his
need to be an active member of this Community and
feels he can be of most help behind the scenes; as
such he continues on with the Property committee
(and in other ways will continue to serve All
Souls). At Bob Cummings request the position of
Treasurer can be best served by another at this
time. Bob, indeed, has more than enough on his plate
at this time. To honor both Bob and this
congregation the Board has voted to acclaim that
John Waite is the Acting Treasurer at this time.
John has agreed to step up to the plate and help us
all out. I applaud this kind of Spirit and hope to
see it infectiously spread throughout our
Congregation; yay, even throughout the world.
Change
pervades us all, both in large and not so large
ways. I would like to close with words of Emily
Greene Balch: “We have a long, long way to go. So
let us hasten along the road, the road of human
tenderness and generosity. Groping, we may find one
another’s hands in the dark.”
In
faith, love and service
Mark Gregory
P.S. Next Board of Trustees meeting: October 10th @
7:00 pm in the Sunshine Room
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Greetings
from the DRE
The
RE program has gotten off to a great start. The
children have been all together playing community
building games and will be splitting into their
separate groups Oct 2nd. Each group will be working
on their own projects while continuing to work on
understanding self and community. I want to thank
all of the wonderful people who have volunteered
their time and energy to get the RE program off to a
great start. I especially want to thank those people
from the community without children in the RE
program who are volunteering their time and talents.
First I would like to thank Elizabeth Bonney for
being an extraordinary board liaison to the RE
committee; thank you, I couldn’t have gotten off
to such a good start without you;. Thanks to Amy
Swisher and Lynn Nichols for agreeing to work with
the Junior Youth this fall and Marcia Zatautas for
volunteering time with the youth and Mark Gradijan
for not running away (too fast) when I cornered him
this past Sunday and agreeing to see where he can
best help out. Thanks to Eve for being a great role
model and putting together all the info I needed to
start the year; thanks to Christine Bates, Cliff
Daniels, Chris Perham and Carol Flandreau for
agreeing to be on the RE committee; to Diane Dix for
sending Hero of the Week reminders this year. Thanks
to Meg Baker for volunteering to lead a group all
year and to Tony Derricotte and Kathy Hale for
working with her this fall and Rhiannon Carlton for
helping out on opening day. Thanks to Julia
Ellingboe who has agreed to help get a mentor
program going and also to Andrew Baker, Mark
Gregory, Diane Dix and Susan Schillmoeller and Robin
for coming in to clean the classrooms and to Susan
and Barbara Zaccheo for their enthusiasm and help in
creating a plan for the Nursery. All these people
have given of themselves and it’s only September,
it truly does take a village. There are still
opportunities to help out in RE; you can talk to me
or any of the wonderful people I have just
mentioned.
I
feel privileged to work with all these people and I
am sure our young people will appreciate all this
giving as they learn about community.
Please
join us!
Martha
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Other
RE News
CBD YAC Homeless Sleep-out Saturday
October 15 — 16
This
is an annual YRUU social action event. Youth will be
asking for donations which will buy them boxes for
shelter, blankets for warmth, a place by the trash
can fire, etc. All profits go to help shelter
homeless people.
Great
opportunity to play and be silly!!
The RE program is looking for a
few people who enjoy playing games and having fun to
volunteer once or twice a month with our 2-6 year
old children. Please call Martha if interested.
We
are looking for the OWL books! If you have
them or have any idea who does please call Martha at
774-5601
Ministry
Programs and Notes
For
those who would like to take part in the Oct. 30
service focusing on Act III from Our
Town: come have fun putting on a soulful
mini-play (no experience necessary)! Parts can be
read rather than memorized, and I will be giving out
scripts in early October. Our rehearsal will be Thursday,
Oct. 27 from 7-9:30 p.m. Those who would
like to form the graveside choir should also come
that evening. Please contact me if you would like to
participate: jrehmus@mtdata.net or 413-624-3025.
Sunday
Adult Discussion meets October 2, 9, and 25th: our
topic continues to be “Who Are We As UUs?” using
segments of the “Our American Roots” video. All
are welcome.
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Community
Meal: October 12
All
Souls is responsible for the Community Meal on
Wednesday, October 12, to be served at the Second
Congregational Church in Greenfield. Toni Eaton is
coordinating this effort for the church and she will
need help from members and friends who would be able
to help in one of the following ways:
•
Prepare
a hot dish, salad or dessert,
• Purchase bread and butter or beverages,
• Pick up the above donations and deliver to the
site on that evening,
• Help serve on the night of the meal,
• Donate to the purchase of meat, or to reimburse
those who are cooking.
Those
of you who have helped in the past will receive a
note from Toni this week. If you are not “on her
list”, but would like to contribute, please give
her a call or email her.
Property
Committee Report
Various
bids submitted for the proposed heating and
insulation projects were scheduled to have been
evaluated by the committee on September 28. From
there, hopefully, we will proceed with the actual
working phase of the project. News of any immediate
decisions of any significance will be announced in
church and in the next issue of The Clarion.
Winterization
Day, October 22, 9:30 am
PLEASE...UNITARIAN-UNIVERSALISTS
UNITE! Contribute some of your time. Save $$$
Men
and women, children of all ages: an hour or more.
Work is not heavy. Pay off is enormous. Last
year’s work saved an estimated $1,000 in heating
costs. Contact David Bigda (774-7446). Or Diane Dix
or Rev. Rehmus at church. OR, JUST BE THERE!
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Wheel
of Life
Our
sympathy to Linc Hirst whose mother, Gertrude
H. Hirst, died on September 4 at age 93. She leaves
three children and six grandchildren.
Jean
Cummings spent two weeks, along with her whole
family, in Hawaii to attend the wedding of her
grand-daughter, Jennifer. It was a lovely beach
wedding on the Island of Maui. She also visited
Kauai and Oahu, enjoying swimming, snorkeling,
sight-seeing and, most of all, being with her
family.
Val
Axton is back home from Charlene Manor and has
her cast off after foot surgery. She welcomes
contact from church members and is seeking a tenant
for her downstairs apartment on Power Square. Give
her a call (774-3814)!
Former
All Souls intern Manish Mishra is being
ordained to UU ministry at All Souls Church of
Washington D.C. on October 15. Manish welcomes any
Greenfield All Souls community member who would like
to make the trip down: he is very grateful to our
community for turning him on to parish ministry.
Amy
Swisher was highlighted in the Greenfield
Recorder for organizing “First Day”
activities at area schools. “First Day” programs
bring parents to school as the year gets underway:
reports have it that the effort was marvelously
successful!!
Max
Perham and Ayla Booth-Daniels joined
Rhiannon Carlton-Bates as students at the Four
Rivers Charter School this fall.
Sue
Blauner has bought a new house in Turners Falls
and will be moving soon.
Su
and Morgan Hoyle-Combs both have roles in The
Sound of Music being produced by the Arena Civic
theatre at the Shea Theater October 14, 15, 21 and
22 at 8 p.m. and October 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. Su will
be the “mean nun” Sister Berthe and Morgan plays
young Rolf, love interest of Leisl.
Ric
Towle, Diane Dix, Loren Kramer, and Jon
Rehmus joined Dorothy McIver and Howard Clark
in staffing the very successful “People’s
Harvest” on September 18. Held by the side of
Barton Cove, this celebration of Native American
presence and culture in New England was attended by
nearly 700 people.
Tom
Gajewski has become Program Director and acting
Head of School at the Berkshire Hills Music Academy
in South Hadley. Congratulations!
(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.)
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Room
for Rent
...in Greenfield home for $350/month including
utilities (may be slightly higher depending on how
much Berkshire Gas raises their prices this winter)
Close to downtown and I-91. Share kitchen, washer
and dryer, dining room, living room, full and half
bath, with access to greenhouse, garden and small
back yard. Off street parking but no garage.
Security deposit required and would prefer a 12
month commitment (9 months if a student) but would
do a monthly lease. Responsible for own phone (and
cable if more than basic).
We
are two 60 yr old Pagan activists (male and female)
and a 2 1/2 year old sweet kitty. One more cat might
be acceptable but no dogs. Must be a non smoker and
willing to use fragrance free cleaning and personal
care products as one of us has chemical
sensitivities. Unfortunately there is not really any
available storage space. Call Dorothy or Howard.
Membership
and Hospitality
The
Fall Feast will be on October 23rd, right after the
Sunday service. We’re asking people to bring a
dish to share, made from locally grown seasonal
foods, if possible. We are looking for a couple of
people to set up, several to serve and a few more to
help cleanup. If you can offer your assistance,
please call Kate Wadleigh or Margo Campbell. It
should be fun and I’m sure the church will smell
wonderful that morning!
Is
anyone willing to serve as Caring Coordinator for a
one-month period? As Caring Coordinator, you might
be sending out a get well card to fellow member or
perhaps calling or visiting someone, if you are
willing. If someone needs temporary assistance
preparing food or getting to an appointment, you
might need to make a few phone calls to arrange
that. We have a list of people who have volunteered
for that (and will be updated soon). Most months,
the Caring Coordinator just sends out a card or two.
I’m looking for someone for December, February,
May and June. Again, please call Margo Campbell.
By
mid-October, I hope to have sign up sheets ready for
a Circle Dinner in early November. These were a
great success a few years ago and I think many of
you would like to see them start up again. There
will be a sign-up sheet for those who would like to
host a dinner and another for those who want to be
guests. Then I randomly match guests to hosts and
provide the host with names and phone numbers. The
host decides what they want to serve and what each
guest should bring.
We
should have new name tags ready for those of you who
requested them by early October. Please remember to
wear them as it also helps visitors and newcomers
feel more comfortable among us. Also, just another
reminder for everyone to try to remember to make
visitors and newcomers feel welcome, especially at
Coffee Hour when we all tend to talk church business
with our friends.
Faithfully
yours,
Margo Campbell, Chairperson
Enchanted
Kingdom is Coming!
Friday,
October 28, 6-8:30 pm
Saturday, October 29, 4-9 pm
Sunday, October 30, 2 – 5 p.m.
The
All Souls R.E. Committee will again create this
event as an alternative to scary haunted houses. We
will be charging admission so this is a fundraiser
as well. These will be our enchanted spaces:
-
Fairy Land
- Elf Forest
- Magical Castle
- Under the Sea
- Outer Space
- Any ideas??
The
fantasy spaces are not only fun to be in, but
provide interactive entertainment for people as
young as two.
We
need volunteers to set-up, clean up and participate
in this event and to volunteer to provide and sell
food for a bake sale in the Parish Hall during the
event. We will begin our work immediately following
the Fall Feast on October 23 and continue throughout
the week. We are asking for people to help create
the spaces and to sign up for 1-1/2 hour shifts
during the event. Please see or call Elizabeth
Bonney to sign up.
We
need materials to decorate each of these rooms.
Please search your homes for items, such a solid
colored sheets, plants, artificial flowers, costumes
for play in any of the rooms, “precious” items
for the treasure chest, duct tape, lava lamps,
strobe lights, mirrors or other reflective items,
black lights, holiday stars, glittery or gauzy sheer
fabrics, and any other items you think might fit
into our themes and bring to church as soon as
possible.
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Worship
Committee
The
Worship Committee will meet on October 20th in the
Minister's Study from 7 to 8:30 PM. Plans will be
made for a series of meetings in the fall to set up
the rest of the Fall, Winter, and Spring schedules.
Members, please contact Paul Flandreau to confirm
your attendance. New members welcome.
Worship
Committee Workshop
Pastor
Jon Rehmus and the Worship Committee will present a
Worship Workshop from 9 am to 12 noon on Saturday,
October 29th, at All Souls Church. The workshop
topics will include the philosophical and practical
aspects of designing and presenting a Sunday
Service. All interested congregants of All Souls are
most welcome. Further information will be provided
as the date nears.
Drumming
Workshop October 16
Ellen
Clegg will again be offering drum classes. The first
will take place on Sunday afternoon, October 16, in
the Parish Hall, from 4:30 — 6 p.m. All drummers,
experienced or brand new, are welcome. Bring your
own drum if you have one. Ellen brings drums and
other rhythm instruments for people who do not own
any.
Please
call Ellen to let her know that you need a drum to
use. The fee for the class is $10.
Clara
Barton Fall Rally October 29
The
rally, hosted by the Unitarian Fellowshiop of
Storrs) will take place at Nichols College in
Dudley, MA, beginning with registration/continental
breakfast from 8—9 a.m., opening worship from
9—9:30 a.m., and after welcome and announcements
the keynote speaker will be Deb Levering, the first
CBD District Program consultant for Lifespan
Religious Education. A lunch will be provided. There
are workshops scheduled. They are: “ Articulating
(Y)Our Faith “ (How do you explain UUism?;
“Saying What We Believe” (How do we, as
religious liberals, respond to conservative
arguments?); “Time with Thompson”, (Meet a pet
partner team with the Delta Society and the READ
program, two national programs recognizing the
importance of the human/animal bond; “Singing Your
Way Through Life” (finding joy through harmony,
singing favorite hymns, and other vocal selections);
“DRE Workshop “(curricula development,
administration, learning styles, faith development,,
etc.); “Prison Reform” (A presentation of the
documentary “The Empty Chair” and afternoon
workshop: the 1000th death penalty execution will
happen in late winter 2006. This session will
discuss what you can take back to your congregations
and local faith communities.); “Family Matters:
Creating Sacred Space for Our Elders” (Bring your
questions and stories for a lively conversation
about growing and grown UUs.). Ask Diane Dix for
more detailed information and registration forms.
Advanced registration is $35 by October 17. Child
care requires pre-registration. If you plan
to attend, please let Jon Rehmus, Mark Gregory or
Diane Dix know.
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Mardi
Gras Dinner and Auction at All Souls –
February 25, 2006
Seafood
and Sausage Jambalaya…Vegetarian Gumbo…Bananas
Foster…are you hungry yet??? Plans are just
beginning for a follow up to last year’s
successful Holiday Auction and Dinner. This year,
we’re moving the event to Saturday, February 25th,
2006 (snow date: February 27th) with a Mardi Gras
theme. We’ll have Creole and Cajun food, jazz, a
children’s Mardi Gras parade through the church
and a silent and live auction. A portion of the
proceeds will go to the UUA Gulf Coast Relief Fund,
which is collecting money to help UU churches
distressed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita (and the
rest will go to help us meet our budget goals at All
Souls). It should be a really fun evening!
Can
you help plan this event? We need:
-
people to solicit auction items from community
businesses
-
decorators (to turn All Souls into the French
Quarter for the night)
-
people to help the children make Mardi Gras masks
and costumes
-
musicians to entertain and lead the children’s
parade
-
cooks and cooks’ helpers
-
set up and clean up crew
Call
or email Lynn Nichols if you can help.
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Update
from the Finance Committee
Finances
may not seem all that spiritual, but they are a
reality at All Souls. Just like our family budgets
and the finances at our places of employment, we
need to know the financial health of our church as
well. The Finance Committee monitors the financial
health of All Souls and periodically we will provide
an update.
First,
we are delighted that Barbara Weeks has stepped
forward to be the bookkeeper this year. After
reviewing the budget in the summer and determining
there were no funds for a paid bookkeeper, Barbara
volunteered and has been doing to terrific job. In
addition, John Waite has changed roles from
Assistant to Acting Treasurer.
Keeping
in mind that there are 2 new people in these roles
there are a few important things you all could do to
make life a little easier for them:
•
When submitting a check to All Souls please write a
note in the memo section describing what it is for:
pledge payment, donation, building use, etc…
•
All
expenses need to have invoices clearly marked as to
what the purpose was and they should be approved by
the appropriate committee chair.
•
Many
of the annual bills come in during the fall so if
you can “front load” your pledge payment it
would be greatly appreciated.
The
budget that was approved at the Annual Meeting has
already changed. Some pledges will not be realized
and at least 2 new expenses have been discovered.
This could leave a shortfall of approximately
$6,000. We welcome any input people may have about
how we could make this up.
Thank
you,
Margo Campbell, Rocky Perham, Lynn Lee and John
Waite
All
Souls Anti-Racism Film
Festival Preview
Help
continue All Souls Anti-Racism work. Join us at 6
p.m. on Friday, October 21st, at Toni Eaton’s home
in Gill to preview possible films for our annual
Anti-Racism Film festival. We will share a potluck
supper while we preview the film. Questions? Call
Molly Chambers or Toni Eaton.
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Study
Group in Buddhist
Precepts to be held at All Souls
From
late November 2005 through June, 2006, Jean Erlbaum
will be offering a weekly study group based on the
Buddhist Precepts (ethical code). This course is
sponsored by the Worship Committee of All Souls, and
will be open to members of All Souls and the general
community.
Jean
has been studying meditation since 1967, and has
been teaching in the Pioneer Valley since 1972. She
studies Buddhism with James Ford, teacher of the Zen
Community of Boston and Senior Minister of the First
Unitarian Society in Newton, Ma.
The
Buddhist precepts start with the assumption that we
are all connected, each a jewel in "Indra's
Net," each shining and reflecting the same
essence. Violating the precepts is seen not as
"sin" but as a violation of oneself as
part of this One Being. Jean hopes to read all or
part of four books: The
Mind of Clover, by Robert Aitken, Waking
Up To What You Do by Diane Rizzetto, The
Heart of Being by John Loori, and Being
Upright by Reb Anderson. Jean would like
the group to not just be for study, but also a
support group for bringing the precept values and
practices into our everyday lives.
There
is no charge for this group. There is a request for
a commitment to read 20-40 pages a week and to
attend at least eight consecutive weeks of the
group. Jean plans to start the precept group on Mon.
Nov. 28, 7:15 - 8:30 PM, at All Souls Church in the
Chapman Room. The group may need longer time to
allow for discussion. Preregistration with Jean is
requested, so that she can give participants their
first reading assignment in advance.
To
register, and for more information, please phone
Jean Erlbaum.
Midweek
Meditation this Autumn
On
Wednesday mornings at the All Soul's Church (on the
corner of Hope and Main streets) there will be a
non-denominational meditation held with the
following schedule:
7:15 - 7:35 sit
7:35 - 7:45 walk (or optionally continue to sit)
7:45 - 8:05 sit
8:05 - 8:15 walk (or optionally continue to sit)
Invitations
are extended to the All Souls Congregation, as well
as a list of our neighbors who have had experience
with regular sitting practice in other locations.
The sittings will be in the Chapman Room, which is
at the left side of the foyer as you enter the
church from Main Street. There are seats or floor
space available for sitting. No cushions are
provided, so please bring your own if you want. The
meditation space is handicapped-accessible, however
the bathroom unfortunately is not. Walking
meditation will be in the main sanctuary. Please
enter through the front door on Main St. You are
welcome to join or leave the meditation at the
beginning or end of any sit or walking period. A box
for voluntary contribution (dana) to the support of
All Souls Church will be on the table by the
sanctuary door. Paul Flandreau will be leading the
meditation.
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Church
History
All
of the church history segments that have appeared in
The Clarion are being compiled and perhaps someday
be published in book form. If you have a story to
share, please let Irmarie Jones know. Pictures would
enhance our collection. If you have pictures that
you think would be of interest, please put them in
Diane’s folder in the church office. They will be
scanned into the computer and returned. Thank you..
The
Clarion deadline for the November issue is
October 24th. 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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