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Circle of Fellowship Newsletter The First Universalist
Society of A Unitarian
Universalist Congregation www.geocities.com/centralsquareuu/
OUR The mission of the First Universalist Society of JUNE 2007
MINISTERIAL
MUSINGS
PRAYERS
TO THE
FLOWER COMMUNION
Mad Agnes Mad Agnes is returning to our church on Friday, June 29 at Admission is $15, Seniors $12, children 12 under free. Come and
enjoy the experience. Their harmony-driven performance offers an eclectic mix of
contemporary singer-songwriter material with influences of classical, Celtic,
folk/rock, PDQ Bach, and a touch of street theatre. Their lyrics, vocal
intricacies and instrument prowess make for a joyful evening. Visit their website
at http://www.madagnes.com/
GREEN MINUTES Very soon you'll see more containers to use for recycling
showing up at church as we move to a green sanctuary. Besides recycling
at church here are some other ideas you can use to reduce waste. - Give books to someone else, a library, used book store,
childcare facility or a nonprofit organization. Some organizations have
fund raisers selling used books - Reuse packaging materials such as Styrofoam
"peanuts" and bubble wrap, or give to a local ship-it or office
supply store. Know an eBay seller? They can always use packing
material. - Buy beverages in refillable/returnable bottles.
Buy a refillable water bottle and bring your own water from home. Much
cheaper than buying water. - Bring your own mug if you stop at the local convenience
store for your morning coffee. Many stores have a lower refill price
for using your own mug. - Bring your own bags when you shop. Many stores now
have reusable bags for $1 each. Every small step becomes a giant leap as more and more of us
chose to reduce the amount of waste we create and in many cases it can save
us money too! The Social Justice Committee "Green Team
SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE The White Ribbons will be available at church during the month of
June. Wear a white ribbon to show your support to end abuse against women. The next SJC meeting is Friday, June 15 at MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE We would like to thank Cherie and Mike Digiovanni, Janie Garlow,
Pam and John Landers, Larry Linder and Bob Haskell for serving as greeters
and /or hostess at the coffee hour. Volunteers are needed for June and July.
See Chet Perkins or Larry Linder if you would like to help. An interesting E-mail was received from two of our visitors to
the service on May 20. “My daughter and I want to thank you for making us feel very
welcome while we were at your church today for Dave’s talk. We had a nice
conversation about how everyone was eager to introduce themselves and it was
very pleasant and that is what life should be more of. Thanks Again” Submitted by
VIDEO AND DISCUSSION GROUP The Video and Discussion Group will meet at church at
HOLISTIC WELLNESS FAIR Last year, Claudia Jenks and I took over the
annual Marketplace Craftfair. For this fall, as many of you now
know, I have changed the Craft fair to a Holistic Wellness Fair
since the craft fair is no longer as successful as it once
was. I think this will be an exciting and rewarding change for the
church and for the community. It is tentatively planned for
November 3rd. The fair will encompass numerous wellness
related things including: free blood pressure checks, anxiety &
depression screenings, massages, psychic readings, chiropractics,
exercise, reiki, tables with items for sale within the theme, such
as handmade soap, crystals, herbs, healthy food and goodies, etc.
Claudia will continue to work on this fair with me--thank goodness!
You can contact either her or myself if you have more ideas, connections or
contributions of your talents and skills. Any ideas related
to the holistic wellness theme are welcome! We have just begun organizing it
and will begin contacting potential contributors soon. Submitted by Ginny Glahn ~ Marketplace Committee
COFFEE AND CHAT Coffee and Chat group will meet on Wednesday, June 20th, at
Panera's Bakery on Route 31 in Clay. All women of the church are
welcome to join us for casual conversation, coffee or tea, and
goodies. Contact Nancy Haskell for further information. The men
will also meet at that time, contact person is Chet Perkins. Hope to
see you there.
LOOKING FOR A VCR Does anyone have a VCR they would consider selling or
loaning? Chris Squires is in need of a VCR to do some detective work as
soon as possible. You may contact Chris at 532-6714 or piedcat@earthlink.net . Thanks
MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL The date to see
B&B RESOURCE IN Want to visit
FROM
THE PRODUCER OF THE GROUND TRUTH “I just wanted to say thank you so much for your support, your
belief that my film can make a difference and just for all the hard and quiet
work that goes into showing up and making this happen and filling the room-
when people ask me how the film is doing – I always smile and say – it lives
on – it has a life of its own” – Best, Patricia Foulkrod The process did take on an energy of its own. We had 210 at the
show who will continue to carry the message. Thank you!
MEN'S GATHERING When: June 8th-10th Where: Unirondack In a rare opportunity, men of all ages, colors, creeds, and
sexual orientations gather each year to share our experiences as men and
explore what it means to be a man. We find ourselves renewed and
reinvigorated as we talk openly about our lives and hopes. There are
workshops to partake in and hiking or canoe trips to join. In all of our
activities, from preparing meals together to sharing at the campfire, we
enjoy the fellowship of other men. For more information contact Kurt
Schindler or Winfield Ihlow A
MESSAGE FROM OUR OUT GOING PRESIDENT I thought last month’s article was
going to be my last, as we would have Many members of our congregation
probably are not familiar with the guide lines that the Unitarian
Universalist Association (UUA) sets forth for retired ministers. I think it’s
important for all of us to be aware of at least some of them, so I will share
a little of what I know to try to clarify the situation. When a minister
retires they break contact with their congregation so that the interim or
replacement minister can fully take over ministerial duties in the church.
This happened to Max Coots in Thanks to all of you who make our church so great.
MESSAGE FROM OUR INCOMING PRESIDENT Chet and I agreed that we would run if
they couldn’t find anyone else. Guess what? No one is waiting in line for
this opportunity. With that said, I am honored and proud to serve as
your President again with Chet as the Vice President. Libbie’s retirement is bitter sweet for
all of us. We are happy for Libbie but change is difficult. We certainly are
going to miss her quiet unassuming ways, her nurturing, her steadiness,
patience, her intellect; the list could go on and on. In preparing for
this, a covenant agreement was proposed between Libbie and the church. Libbie’s original covenant proposal
struck many of us as very negative and restrictive. Several members
rewrote it in an attempt to make it more positive. They did not find it
necessary to spell out the restrictions but to rely on Libbie's integrity. Tim wrote in his President’s Message;
“When a minister retires they break contact with their congregation so that
the interim or replacement minister can fully take over ministerial
duties." This may be true when the retiring
minister is replaced by the incoming minister. Margaret is not an incoming
minister replacing Libbie. Margaret's role remains the same as our part
time minister, (part time Minister being an oxymoron). We may not need
a restrictive agreement and we probably will not agree on this issue.
Time will tell. This is a decision for the congregation and the new board
with guidance from the District. Thank you and namaste, Janie Janie Garlow and Chet
Perkins to Lead the Congregation in 2007-2008 The annual Congregational Meeting was held on June 3 and
as a result, Janie Garlow and Chet Perkins will be our President and
Vice-president respectively for the 2007-2008 church year. They have
decided to approach the job of President as a joint effort to lessen the
workload placed upon the President. Judy Linder is Treasurer, Recording
Secretary Ginny Glahn, Corresponding Secretary, Kurt Schindler, 3-year
Trustee Arne Hook and Registrar Mike DiGiovanni. Mary Perkins will
begin a 3-year term on the nominating committee. Thanks to all of the
outgoing officers for their hard work and another thanks to the new officers
for agreeing to take on these important positions within our church. With a belief that The Rev. Stoddard's 9-years with us merits
special designation, the following resolution was made and approved:
"The First Universalist Church of Central Square, New York, in
gratitude and appreciation for the Rev. Libbie Deverich Stoddard's dedicated
service, reflected in her preaching, her teaching and her counseling, is
hereby awarded the title of Minister Emerita of our church, and is afforded
all the rights and privileges therein. The rights and privileges for
Minister Emerita include voting rights at all future General Assembly
sessions of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and the
ability to include the "Emerita" title on her personal
correspondence. The honorific is also intended to honor Libbie's entire
ministerial career, not just her time with us." Arne
Hook noted after the vote that Libbie's long time friend and colleague, Rev.
Robert Hadley, once declared when describing Libbie's work in Central Square,
"Lucky parishioners!" We couldn't agree more. Thank you
so much Libbie. There were several committee reports given as well as updates
and suggestions. Briefly, Buildings and Grounds
summarized the painting and door replacement projects that have been
completed. Arne Hook will be contacting the contractor that was to
refurbish our front doors to see if his health has improved so he can do the
job or if not a new contractor will be sought. This year's projects
include repair of water damage to the downstairs ceilings and replacement of
carpets. There may be need of a committee to work on some handicapped
access issues. Religious Education had a very active
year with a very active teen program. Ministerial Advisory
is working on fulfilling the UUA Ministerial Advisory Committee's evaluation
requirement for Rev. Hart. Membership noted that 5 new
members joined this past year fulfilling their goal. Chet Perkins
emphasized that the most important thing is to be a friendly congregation.
The Worship Committee will be meeting once a month and said
the biggest challenge facing the committee is Rev. Stoddard's
retirement. It is proposed that Rev. Hart will conduct 2 services a
month, Andrea Abbott as a divinity student will conduct one per month and the
4th will either be lay led or a guest speaker or minister. Social
Justice will be setting up a library and bulletin board with
information on how to live our values and principals and one specifically for
Green Sanctuary. The Organizational Task Force has been
working with committees, defining goals, and looking for efficient methods of
accomplishing them. They send a special thanks to Bob Haskell for
completely revising the bylaws. They will be offered to the Board as
soon as a lawyer OKs them and then it is planned to offer them to the
congregation at a special meeting in the fall. Chet Perkins and
Winfield Ihlow reported that they have to possible candidates for the Administrative
Assistant position and will take action to hire that person in the
very near future. Kurt Schindler suggested that the Annual
Picnic be held the 3rd weekend in September at JUNE
June 5 Chanting & Meditation Cancelled If you would prefer a hardcopy of the newsletter please let me
know and I will be happy to send it to you. Janie at mjgarlow@aol.com |