Circle of Fellowship
The First Universalist Church of Central Square
A Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Rev. Margaret Hart, Minister 625-4485Rev. Libbie Stoddard, Assoc. Minister 343-4352
Tim Hart, President 625-4485
Ronna Schindler, Religious Education Coordinator 623-7685
Rita Thornton, Organist & Choir Director 669-6961
Our Church Building Is Handicapped Accessible
P. O. Box 429 Routes 49 West & 11 Central Square, NY 13036 (315) 668-6821
July 2006
The mission of the First Universalist Church of Central Square is to be a welcoming, diverse congregation, which values spiritual growth and service to the local and world communities.
MINISTERIAL MUSINGS
Dear friends,
Happy Interdependence Day!
As I write this, we are about to celebrate Independence Day. I finally
watched the movie Bowling for Columbine last night (it will be added to the
church video collection). In the context of these two things, I got thinking
about the place of "independence" in our lives.
The United States seems to have a strong history of struggling for independence, often at the expense of other people (those who were native to these lands, and those we chose to fight here and in other lands.) Some of our history isn't too pretty. Have we really fought for religious freedom? If so, was it for ourselves alone, or for others who believe differently? And what are we fighting for today? In one of the principles of Unitarian Universalism we covenant to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
As we honor our past and those who have struggled throughout history for
our independence and freedom, let us also honor the larger web of all existence,
and recognize our infinitesimal and integral part in it, seeking always to keep
it whole.
With Love & Respect,
Margaret Hart
IT’S A GIRL!
Michael and Cheryl DiGiovanni proudly announce the arrival of their daughter, Marra Katherine DiGiovanni. She was born on Tuesday, June 27TH at St. Joseph's Hospital at 7:16pm. At birth, Marra weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces, was 20.5 inches long and has a full head of black hair.
Proud Grandparents are Chet & Mary Perkins and John & Gina DiGiovanni. Mom, Dad and Marra are all doing great. Marra can't wait to meet her new church family.
UNIRONDACK
Some UUs from the churches in CNY typically gather for the Labor Day
weekend at Unirondack. You will need to register in advance if you would like to
be a part of this fun weekend this year. Please ask Margaret and she'll help you
get more details.
WHAT’S A COMMITTEE DO?
We have several committees that help with the workings of our church and community outreach. Did you ever wonder just what each of these committees do?
Buildings and Grounds - Routinely assesses and identifies the physical needs of our buildings and grounds, solicits estimates and makes arrangements to meet identified needs.
Finance - Collects, manages and reports on finances, conducts the annual canvass activities, works with fundraising and memorial committees.
Living Memorial - Provides a means of paying tribute to our deceased members and to honor our living loved ones in an ongoing, useful and meaningful way that perpetuates the memory of those individuals and gives comfort and satisfaction to the donor of gifts.
Publicity - Provides photos and news items to media including paid advertising when appropriate.
Religious Education - Determines available resources, plans, coordinates and administers the Religious Education program. Supports Sunday school planning of special events such as field trips, parties and Children’s Day and works with the Religious Education Coordinator.
Social Justice - Determines issues of interest to the church, arranges awareness group meetings, creates alliances with outside groups.
Worship/Music - Arranges for guest ministers and speakers, facilitates the service when needed and works with the Music Director.
Altar - Takes care of altar flowers, candles, orders of service etc.
Ministerial Relations - Provides support for the ministers and a communication channel between the ministers and the congregation.
Denominational Affairs - Keeps the congregation informed about what is happening in other UU churches and the denomination.
Centennial - Prepares and plans our centennial year.
Random Acts of Kindness - Oversees the Ministerial Discretionary Fund.
Many of these committees are looking for volunteers. If you are interested in helping one or more of these committees please contact Mary Perkins or any Board member.
YOU ARE IN OUR HEARTS
Heartfelt thoughts and loving prayers go out to Kara Perkins and her family as she undergoes treatment for her illness. May the process be kind to her.
CHOIR TO PRACTICE
Our choir rehearses Sunday mornings starting at 9:30a.m. On July 8th 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
Choir Director
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE AUGUST 5th
Please have items for the next newsletter to me by no later than Noon on Saturday, August 5TH. If you can send your articles to me at dartfrog@usadatanet.net early it would be a big help.
Ellen LaPine
Newsletter Editor
SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE
July 23rd is our summer Adopt-a-Highway day. We will meet at 8 a.m. and plan 2 hours or less to accomplish this project. We should have plenty of time to wash up, eat a bagel and drink some coffee before the service. Please call me if you want to participate and have not yet talked to or emailed me.
We made $65 selling duck certificates. The Interreligious Council thanks all who bought ducks for this worthy cause. This $65 will be the start of a treasury for the SJC. Also thank you for donating to and distributing white ribbons to stand up against domestic abuse.
In October there is a National Day of Doing Good. This is called Make a Difference Day. It was discussed last year and I would like to hear from anyone with suggestions for a church project this year.
Judy Linder stays in contact with the Lost Boys from Sudan that visited our church last year and assists them with setting up speaking and volunteer events. Please contact her if you know of a group that would like to meet them and hear their story.
Packages of Equal Exchange Coffee are available at $6 each, Organic cocoa mix and Organic baking cocoa at $3.80 each. They can be found in upstairs lounge and Janie Garlow will collect the payment.
Thanks for your cooperation in keeping this committee busy. Hope you are enjoying the summer.
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, July 21st. Those attending will view and discuss the first episode in the PBS series "Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason." Moyers interviews celebrated novelist, short-story writer and essayist Salman Rushdie who gained international notoriety in 1989 when Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini demanded his execution for his portrayal of the prophet Mohammed in the novel "The Satanic Verses." During the series, Moyers will explore the ideas of leading thinkers as to whether religion and reason can peacefully co-exist. Each program features a conversation with one of the writers who attended the PEN World Voices Festival in New York last April.
All are welcome to attend.
Bob Haskell
HI-LITES OF THE JUNE 12TH EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
Treasurer Judy Linder reported that she is in the process of computerizing our church finances and is almost finished.
President Tim Hart gave an overview of information received at the recent Stewardship Workshop hosted by our church. We will be following up with some ideas from that Workshop with other churches.
Mary Perkins has agreed to chair a task force to work on the organization and purpose of committees. Acting as a liaison, Board members will be giving brief reports at future meetings on activities happening with committees that they also serve on.
It was decided to hold an all day summer Board retreat on August 5th. Please see the article from the Board President for more information.
Ellen LaPine
Recording Secretary
BOARD PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
At our last meeting we talked about the many great accomplishments of
our church over the past three years and how grateful we are for the outstanding
leadership provided by Janie Garlow, Nancy Hallock, and Chet Perkins. The new
Board will do its best to try to continue the good work.
The new Board decided to hold an all-day retreat/meeting on Saturday
August 5th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to create some goals for all of
our committees. The Board will have a liaison to each of the committees in order
to facilitate communication. We would like each of the committees to meet before
the August 5th Board meeting to brainstorm goals for the next 6
months, year, and 2 years. The chairperson of each committee will report their
committee goals to the full Board on August 5th. Our tentative
schedule for the meeting is as follows:
10:00-10:30 Executive Board
10:30-11:15 Membership Committee
11:15-12:00 Religious Education Committee
12:00-12:30 Lunch (bring your own)
12:30-1:15 Buildings and Grounds Committee
1:15-1:35 Worship/Music Committee
1:35-1:55 Social Justice Committee
1:55-2:15 Finance Committee
2:15-2:25 Break
2:25-2:45 Publicity Committee
2:45-3:00 Ministerial Relations Committee
3:00-3:10 Living Memorial Committee
3:10-3:20 Denominational Affairs Committee
3:20-3:35 Centennial Committee
3:35-3:40 Altar Committee
3:40-3:45 Random Acts or Kindness
3:45-4:00 Wrap-up
If you are a Board member or a committee chair and are unable to attend,
please prepare a report and contact either Steve Garlow or Tim Hart. We would
like to hear from all the committees.
This is an open meeting, so anyone is welcome to listen in on any of these sessions.
Thank you.
Tim Hart
President
COFFEE AND CHAT
Coffee and Chat will be held on July 19th 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.
WISE NOTES
Watch for new WISE and Herbal living classes to be held in the church kitchen in the Fall on Thursday nights 6:30 to 8:30.Have a great summer!
Cynthia Schell
CNY CUUPS TO HOLD RITUAL
BOARD MEMBER BIOGRAPHY
Mary Perkins came up with a great idea of having all our board members and committee chairs introduce themselves via a brief bio in our newsletter. Tim Hart, our current Board President, has volunteered to be the first to give a brief biography of himself.
Tim was born and raised in Hamburg, NY (a suburb of Buffalo). He
attended SUNY Oswego for 2 years after high school and then took 9 years off
from school. During that time he held many jobs including: working with
emotionally disturbed kids, camp ranger, carpenter's helper, 4-H worker,
deliveryman, garbage collector, and even a vacuum cleaner salesman. He spent
time in Oakland, Miami, and in the Catskill Mts. studying meditation before
returning to college at SUNY
Fredonia where he earned his B.S. in elementary education. He taught 6th grade
for 5 years while earning his master's degree, then switched to teaching 5th
grade for past 19 years.
His hobbies include: golfing, rock hounding, kayaking, nature, most all
sports. He loves watching S.U. sports, the Bills, and the Eagles. Tim has been a
UU all his life, has served on the St. Lawrence District Board, the N.Y.S.
Convention of Universalists Board, Gem & Mineral Society of Syracuse Board,
and the APW School Board.
SUMMER HOSPITALITY HELPERS NEEDED
Especially during these summer months we need volunteers to sign up in the East Room of the church for hospitality and greeter duties for our Sunday morning worship services. Hospitality duties include providing a snack and juice and hosting the social hour. Greeters welcome people at the door, pass out the orders of service and take up the collection.
We also need people to sign up to bring flowers for the altar. Rita says the price for her to get the flowers has been lowered to $20. Those bringing flowers are asked to sign the sheet on the table in the East Room stating in whose honor or in whose memory the flowers are provided.
IT’S SUMMER - WE WANT YOUR COLD DRINKS
Actually, we want the bottles and cans those cold drinks came in. Our church has a bottle account with the North Country Redemption Center in Central Square near the corner of routes 4 and ll next to the gun shop. Take your returnable bottles to the center or if you prefer, Larry Linder will return them for you if you bring them to him at church. The value of the bottles redeemed will be credited to our church.
The center's hours are Mondays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and the first and third Saturdays of the month, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The center is closed on Tuesdays and Sundays, and on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.
WATER CEREMONY
This summer, please remember to collect a small vial of water with particular significance to you, and bring it to our in-gathering service on Sunday September 10th.
CALENDAR
Tuesdays: *6:45 p.m. Chanting & Meditation
July 8: * 9:30 a.m. Extended Choir Rehearsal
July 9: * 9:30 a.m. Choir Practice.
*10:30 a.m. Worship service, Rev. Margaret Hart.
July 16: * 9:30 a.m. Choir Practice.
*10:30 a.m. Worship service, Centennial Committee.
July 19: * 9:30 a.m. Coffee and Chat
July 21: * 7:00 p.m. Video Discussion Group
July 23: * 8:00 a.m. Adopt-a-Highway cleanup.
*10:30 a.m. Hymn Sing, Rita Thornton.
July 30: * 9:30 a.m. Choir Practice
*10:30 a.m. Worship Service.
August 5: *10:00 a.m. Board Retreat.
*12:00 noon. Newsletter deadline.
August 6: *9:30 a.m. Choir Practice.
*10:30 a.m. Worship service Rev. Libbie Stoddard
August 13: *9:30 a.m. Choir Practice.
*10:30 a.m. Worship service Rev. Margaret Hart