Dear friends,

                                                                                                                                                                                        Margaret Hart

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for volunteers to be part of a rotation of people who provide care to children 3 years and younger during services and coffee hour so that their parents have a better opportunity to attend the services. Please see Winfield Ihlow if you would like to help.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

A membership committee consisting of Janie Garlow, Larry Linder, Lisa Harter and Chester Perkins has been formed. The goal of the committee is to increase church membership by 10% a year with a 50% increase in five years. The initial emphasis will be on publicity and visitor’s "first impression" of the church. If we are to meet these goals your help will be badly needed.

We need two greeters to pass out bulletins, get the names of visitors, take up the offering and welcome every one to church and two hostesses for the coffee hour each Sunday. See someone on the committee with your offer to help.

A "Invite a Friend to Church Sunday" is being planned for September 10.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Chet Perkins Chairperson

UNIRONDACK LABOR DAY WEEKEND GATHERING

The annual Unirondack Labor Day Weekend gathering is right around the corner. For those of you unfamiliar with this, here is an overview:

The area UU churches gather together from Friday to Monday at the beautiful, woodsy, unspoiled Camp Unirondack for the summer's last hurrah!

Camping is rustic, in cabins with bunks - some with a bathroom attached, some use the main bathroom facility. Meals are family style, in the large community building. There's hiking, canoeing, kayaking for those who bring their kayaks, swimming in the gorgeous lake, birding... you will hear loons first thing in the morning and owls at night. There is generally a campfire one of the nights, plus gathering in the lodge for singing, playing games, ping pong, getting to know other UUs... plus plenty of time to relax.

Meals are family style - a menu is sent out, and you bring your family's portion of food to contribute to that meal (ex. - if we're having spaghetti, your family brings one box of pasta, and one jar of sauce - it gets cooked together with all the other families' boxes and jars, and it all adds up to one great meal).

Each day, people age 13 and up will have one chore that they will sign up to do - a cooking chore or cleaning up, dishes, eetc. - this way meals get cooked and cleaned up as a community, to share the workload. We wrap things up on Monday, clean up our cabins and the camp, and head home.

If you have any questions you could ask some of the people that have gone in the past: the Hart’s, Garlow’s, Linder’s, Moore’s and Ellen, to name a few.

It would be great to see some new faces this year. If you would like to register, please contact Amy Gamboa at abw5@earthlink.net of (FUUSS) First UU Society of Syracuse who is helping to organize this event.

CHOIR TO PRACTICE

Our choir rehearses Sunday mornings starting at 9:30a.m. On August 5^th we will have our ususal second Saturday of every month extended choir rehearsal from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Anyone interested in singing is welcome to join us.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Rita Thornton

ASSISTANT TREASURER

We are looking for someone to fill the position of Assistant Treasurer next year. Chet Perkins is our current Assistant Treasurer but will not be filling that position next year. As anyone such as Chet (former Treasurer for many years) and our current Treasurer Judy Linder knows, this is an important job so if someone is interested in becoming an Assistant Treasurer in training please contact either Chet or Judy for more information.

   ***** EARLY NEWSLETTER DEADLINE THURSDAY. AUGUST 31^st *****

I must move the newsletter deadline for September up to noon on Thursday, August 31^st to allow me time to put the newsletter together, copy it and get it to all of you via email and the good ole US Postal Service prior to Labor Day. Please have items for the September newsletter to me no later than noon. I’m sorry, but to allow me time I must stick to the deadline this month. If you can send your articles to me at dartfrog@usadatanet.net prior to August 3^rd it would be a big help.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Ellen LaPine

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Newsletter Editor

SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

A Social Justice Committee meeting was held Sunday morning July 23^rd. At that time we did some brainstorming to plan the next year or two. Presently we are collecting school supplies to support the United Way’s "Stuff a Bus" program. To participate, bring a variety of school supplies or even backpacks to church before August 18^th. If you would rather make a monetary donation, we will use that money to purchase more items for our collection box. These will be distributed to schools in Oswego County.

I would like suggestions from the congregation on how we can work together on a project in our community as part of October’s National "Make a Difference Day". It should be a project where we are contributing our time and talent to help the less fortunate. I welcome your ideas.

Please consider attending the next Social Justice Committee meeting, date to be announced.

                                                                                                                                                                                        In Peace,

                                                                                                                                                                                        Nancy Hallock,

                                                                                                                                                                                        Social Justice Committee Chairperson

VIDEO DISCUSSION GROUP

The Video Discussion Group will meet again at the church at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 11. Those attending will view and discuss the second episode in the PBS series "Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason." During the series, Moyers explores the ideas of leading thinkers as to whether religion and reason can peacefully co-exist. Each program features a conversation with one or two of the writers who attended the PEN World Voices Festival in New York last April. In this episode, Moyers interviews author Mary Gordon and British philosopher Colin McGinn. Gordon is widely regarded as one of the leading chroniclers of contemporary Catholic life in America. Her literary oeuvre - novels, short stories, essays, and personal memoirs - paints a rich picture of the complexities of faith, morals, politics, and religious and cultural heritage in the modern world. McGinn’s work focuses on philosophy of mind, ethics, and philosophical logic. McGinn is perhaps best known for championing the New Mysterianism, a theory that human consciousness can never be explained because the mind is fundamentally incapable of comprehending itself fully. In his book, "The Mysterious Flame: Conscious Minds in a Material World," McGinn argues that humans can still take solace in this inexplicable mystery because, by acknowledging their limitations, they are then free to explore other areas of human intelligence that are open to their understanding. He teaches at the University of Miami.

All are welcome to attend.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Bob Haskell

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Shunryu Suzuki

HI-LITES OF THE AUGUST 5^TH EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING

This meeting was devoted mainly to reports and projections given by each committee on successes and goals. A few hi-lites other than those mentioned throughout this newsletter:

The Membership committee will be generating more publicity as it strives to increase our membership. The Publicity Committee reported that they will be working closely with the Membership Committee and that Marcia Burrell-Ihlow now has updated our website. In the future they hope to have the updated weekly announcements, the newsletter and other information on the website as well as links to other important sites such as the UUA.

It was decided to obtain a third opinion on the church’s piano since the other technicians originally disagreed on the feasability of fixing it. Prices for digital pianos are also being explored.

Treasurer Judy Linder reported that we are on track with pledges at this point but are behind in pledges for the Building fund.

RE Chairperson Winfield Ihlow reported that they need up to 3 people to be back up for RE Director Rhonna Schindler and that someone is needed to take over the teen program. RE will be working on registration forms for students including an information sheet to be kept in a locked file. A letter will go to parents in the future asking for suggestions on how to keep children coming regularly and what thoughts they might have to make the RE program even better. The focus for teens this year will be toward community service projects and RE is looking for teen input on what project(s) to become involved in. A nursery room for ages 3 and under will be established and space will be set aside for this room so parents can attend services without concern for their small children.

Centennial Committee Chairperson Mike Digiovanni reported that on August 20^thNYSCU Archivist Karen Dau will speak as well as other special speakers through to our November Centennial. He needs assistance in planning and organizing the event for our November 4^th true 100^th anniversary and then on November 5^th Rev. Dr. Thomas Chulak will speak. He reports that they are still deciding where to display the Centennial Quilt. They are also working on archiving our important historical documents and items.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Ellen LaPine

                                                                                                                                                                                    Recording Secretary

If you have been spending you summer outdoors, a little closer to nature, this is an opportunity to think more about your relationship to other living things and you place in the interdependent web. There will be an Adult RE work shop on Saturday, September 30^th from 11a.m. until 1:30p.m. Look for a sign up sheet in the East Room. A second workshop is planned for Saturday October 28^th. The topic is "planning a funeral or memorial service." If you have questions about either one of these workshops, contact Libbie Stoddard or me.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Ann Peterson

THE CALENDAR

Coffee and Chat will be held on August 16^h at Panera Bakery in Clay, starting at 9:30 a.m. All women of the church are invited to join us. For further information please call Nancy Haskell.

BOARD PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

We Are Blessed.

Our church is so blessed with an abundance of wonderful members who are so willing to donate their time, talents, and treasure. I'd like to acknowledge a number of these special people.

Janie Garlow, who just finished serving as our Board President for the past 3 years, sends out our weekly announcements, served as treasurer for several years, greets people at the door, makes sure we have refreshments, and serves on numerous committees deserves to be nominated for sainthood, for the monumental amount of work she does for our church.

Chet and Mary Perkins have constantly served our church for over 5 decades. They have held every major office on the Board, presided over the UU Circle, published our newsletter, baked a gazillion cookies & pies, served on or led most every committee in the church, taken care of our building & grounds, watched over our finances, and made our church their 2nd family. Chet presently serves as our Membership Committee Chair, Assistant Treasurer, and serves on 2 or 3
other committees. Mary has recently accepted the challenge of reorganizing and defining the duties and responsibilities of each church committee.

Betty Figie is another person who has been constantly giving to our church over many years. Betty helps out on most any activity we hold at our church, usually being in charge of the dining room for dinners, and has hosted the church picnic at her home for quite a few years. She has served on our Board for decades as Registrar. She also is Chairperson of both our Altar and Living Memorial Committees and helps out on a couple of other committees. She usually has a bright disposition and a smile that will warm your heart. However, recently, she been
experiencing a fair amount of pain. It would be wonderful if you could send a loving thought or
prayer to Betty.

If you have a child in our Religious Education Program, then you are aware of two more members of our church that give an incredible amount of service - Ronna and Kurt Schindler. These two do so much to support our church. Any meal we have at our church is probably coordinated and/or cooked by this couple, and they have been responsible for our church earning several hundred dollars each year picking up litter at the Apple Fest.

All of the afore-mentioned people are very generous pledgers and enthusiastic bidders and donators to our service and merchandise auction. We are so fortunate to have these great people as members of our church. I will continue thanking all of you for creating such a special spirit within our church in future newsletters. We are truly blessed to have each other and "The
First Universalist Church of Central Square" (1906-2006).

                                                                                                                                                                                                Tim Hart

                                                                                                                                                                                                President

CHURCH PICNIC RESCHEDULED

The annual church picnic has been rescheduled for September 17^th after church at the Meldrims farm. This is always a fun event. What a wonderful way to get back together after our busy summer’s.

CNY CUUPS TO HOLD RETREAT

The CNY Chapter of CUUPS will be hosting a Pagan Retreat Weekend at Camp Unirondack the weekend of September 22-24.  More information will be posted on the Unirondack websidt www.unirondack.org as it becomes available or you can call Jody Brown (476-0447) for a brochure.