Plan now to join your friends at the DISTRICT
ASSEMBLYCircle of
Fellowship Newsletter
The First Universalist Society of Central Square
A Unitarian Universalist Congregation
www.geocities.com/centralsquareuu/
The
mission of the First Universalist
Society of Central Square is to be a welcoming, diverse congregation, which
values spiritual growth and service to the local and world community.
March
2007
Dear
Friends,
Together.... we
are walking together, rejoicing together, singing together, worshipping
together, struggling together. Even when we seem to be far apart, we are
still together.
There has been a
lot of serious illness this fall and winter among the members and friends of
this church... especially proportionate to the size of the church...Diane,
Betty, Rita, Reily, Sheila, Judy...and others I may have neglected to name.
Cards, flowers, visits, and loving thoughts and prayers have been extended....
we are all together, even when we are apart.
This has been a
rough winter, weather-wise. We canceled church on two Sundays, and many
people have been stressed by trying to clear the huge amount of snow that kept
coming and coming. Even our church roof was stressed, sustaining some
damage which caused leakage into the community room. We had started out
with a mild winter, and the snow came upon us quite suddenly and overwhelmingly.
We hadn’t even established a snow-closure system in the newsletter, but we
attempted to phone everyone about church closings and get it listed on Channel
9. Sorry to those of you who didn’t get the message and showed up to a
closed church. It’s tricky in a geographically dispersed congregation
such as ours, where the weather varies a lot even within 10 miles, to know what
the
weather will be like coming to church for all of you. If you are in doubt,
please feel free to call me on my cell phone (439-8375). We are all
together, even when we are apart.
And then there
has been the controversy about the piano.... this has become more of a struggle
than I had anticipated. Emotions have run high... it’s become downright
political at times, with talk of proxy voting and absentee ballots, which are
not addressed in the church by-laws. But the church is a democratically
run institution, and by-law revisions can be proposed before the next annual
meeting on June 3. By the time you receive this newsletter, we will have
already had the March 4 congregational meeting and the vote on replacing the
piano. I hope that we will all remember that the church is much more than
its musical instruments, and much more than one congregational meeting. It
is how we are
together... our hopes and beliefs ... it is a timeless entity which depends on
how we treat each other today.
When I spoke of
struggling together, I also thought about how the last month or so
has been a struggle for me, physically, with Multiple Sclerosis. I had intended
to establish regular office hours, but at this point, it makes more sense for me
to work by appointment. This means that I need your help to let me know
when you want to talk, or if
there
is someone else in the congregation you think would like to hear from me.
For urgent matters anytime, or in the evening, call me on my cell phone at
439-8375. If it’s not particularly urgent, e-mail works well for me, marghart@a-znet.com
(different from the address in the
church directory) and I usually check my e-mail every morning. We are all
together, even when we seem to be struggling alone. May it be so.
With love and respect,
Margaret
SPECIAL
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING MARCH 4, 2007
A vote via secret ballot was held regarding the motion to purchase either
an acoustic
or a digital piano. When the votes were tallied it was
decided to purchase the acoustic piano. The result of the member’s votes
was 23 for an acoustic piano, 10 for a digital piano with 1 abstention.
It was decided during the pervious meeting on January 28, 2007, that no more
than $4200 would be spent to purchase the piano with half coming from the Vernon
Goettel Memorial Fund and half coming from congregational donations. If
you are planning on donating towards the purchase of the piano please contact
Judy Linder, Mike DiGiovanni or Tim Hart.
In the second vote, members approved a motion to allow the Board
to spend no more than $5000 in purchasing new floor coverings for the church
with first priority being the dining room. The results were 30 approving,
0 disapproving and 1 abstention. The Board will now obtain estimates to
start this project.
Ellen LaPine
Recording Secretary
MINISTERIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Rev.
Margaret Hart, who has received Preliminary Fellowship as a minister in the
Unitarian Universalist Association, is going through a probationary period
before receiving Full Fellowship. This is typically a three-year process for
ministers but can take as long as nine years.
She is now
seeking the First Renewal of Preliminary Fellowship. If successful, she then
must seek a Second Renewal and, if successful, a Final Renewal before entering
Full Final Fellowship.
As part of the
process of seeking the First Renewal, the Ministerial Fellowship Committee of
the UUA requires that a church’s Committee on Ministry complete an evaluation
of the Reverend Hart’s ministry. The evaluation covers the areas of counseling
and pastoral care, practical arts, congregational/organizational ministry,
personal and professional growth, teaching, worship, denominational activities
and prophetic outreach. Our church’s committee is asked to evaluate the
Reverend Hart’s ministry in each area as a strength, satisfactory, an area for
growth or un-satisfactory.
Our church’s
committee asks that anyone in the congregation who wishes to comment on the
Reverend Hart’s ministry to speak or write to a committee member before March
15. Members are Kate Stanton, chair person; Chet Perkins; Janie Garlow and
Robert Haskell.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
COMMITTEE
SJC did not meet in Feb. We are in the process of scheduling our spring,
summer, and fall highway pickup dates. Please contact me if you prefer Sat. AM
or Sun. AM before church.
We will be coordinating the Pot Luck Lunch with the UU Circle on Sun.
3/11.
Please
bring a dish. Hopefully we can brain storm about future projects for both
groups.
There is a wonderful website to find out about the UU Green Sanctuary
Program at www.uumfe.org. This
is a project I would like our congregation to embrace.
Is anyone interested in becoming a
UU UN rep? Is anyone willing to help in building support for the UUSC's Drumbeat
for Darfur campaign? I have some materials to get us started.
Sun. April 1st is the
annual Strike for Peace Bowling Party, as a fund raiser for the Syracuse Peace
Council. We have participated the last two years and had a fun time doing so. I
will have signup sheets starting 3/4 for bowlers and sponsors.
Please checkout the poster in the dining room, How
to Build a Community. This month’s focus is to ~ Listen before you react
to anger
Submitted
by Nancy Hallock and the SJC
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Wow, so much has
happened since our last newsletter! Our little village of Parish
has received 150+ inches of new snow, Governor Spitzer and Senator Schumer came
with empathy and $4-5 million of aid for Oswego County, and Mike DiGiovanni and
the music committee have been quite busy showing us instruments that we may
purchase to replace our aged piano. Many thanks to Mike, Nancy Haskell,
and Jody Brown for playing for us while Rita was unable to play (it’s nice to
see that Rita has been well enough to play the past couple of Sundays).
Last, but not
least, we have been fortunate to have many visitors to our church in
the past month or two. Our new member, orientation meeting on
Saturday was well attended, and hopefully we will have some new people signing
our membership book soon.
At the recent
congregational meeting we decided to purchase a piano (I don’t
know which yet, as I am writing this article). My hope is that all of
us will accept the
majority decision with grace, and exhibit empathy for those who are somewhat
disappointed by our choice. It is very important for all of us to keep in
mind that
regardless of the type of piano we ended up purchasing, our church will end up
with a very fine (and much needed) instrument.
The Board
requests that Committees meet in the next week or two (if they haven’t
already) to develop goals for the next 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. We
ask that we receive your goals ASAP so we can become familiar with them before
the upcoming extended Board meeting on Saturday, March 31(9-noon). You can
e-mail them to timhart@a-znet.com
or give them to Tim at church.
Do you think
it’s about time we had an article about inclement weather church
closing? Sorry, it’s slipped my mind in the past few newsletters,
here’s how we will
deal with it. If there is or recently has been, blizzard like snow and/ or
icy weather,
check TV channel #9 for church closings or call Tim Hart, Chet Perkins, or Steve
&
Janie Garlow for information. We will decide by 9 AM at the latest,
whether to cancel church or not.
Upcoming Events:
* Herkimer Diamond collecting trip on Saturday, April 14th.
* Service and Merchandise Auction on April 22nd.
* Lifetime Screening (medical testing) on Thursday, May 17.
* Plant sale (thin out your garden & enhance someone
else’s)
- some Sunday in early May.
There will be more details on these great activities in the next newsletter
however, I am including a donation form we used last year for the auction so you
can
start thinking about what you might
like to donate now.
Service & Merchandise AUCTION DONATION FORM
Name _________________________________Phone #____________
Address __________________________________________________
I/We would like to offer following services or items:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Approximate value of item$_______ minimum bid (optional)$_______
Immediate church family bidders only? yes___ or no___
Please return by April 7, 2006 to the Auction Box at the Church or to Tim
Hart, or to timhart@a-znet.com
(he'll forward it to the correct person)
Skiers
& snowmobilers, enjoy the weather and the rest of us will think Spring.
- Tim Hart, Board President
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VIDEO
DISCUSSION GROUP
The Video Discussion Group will meet at the church at 7 PM on
Friday, March 16. As time permits,
the group will view and discuss: C-SPAN
2: “BookTV: After Words.” It features John Danforth, author of "Faith
& Politics: How the Moral
Values Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together." He is
interviewed by Charles Haynes, senior scholar at The First Amendment Center.
CNN “THE
SITUATION ROOM”: Wolf Blitzer interviews David Kuo, author and former special
assistant to President Bush. Kuo is also the former deputy director of the
Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Kuo's book “Tempting Faith”
is a political and spiritual memoir of his time in Washington.
CBS “60
MINUTES”: Lesley Stahl interviews David Kuo.
NOVEMBER 17,
2006 – PBS “RELIGION AND ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY”: Cover story: “Men in
Church.” Host Bob Abernethy also interviews biologist E.O. Wilson and the Rev.
Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention about Wilson’s new book,
“The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth.”
FEBRUARY 23,
2007 – PBS “NOW”:
● NOW investigates the controversy over Gardasil, a new vaccine
developed by the pharmaceutical giant Merck that blocks certain high-risk
strains of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) which cause 70
percent of cervical cancers.
● Host David Brancaccio sits down with Seth Moulton, who served two tours
in Iraq as a Marine Lieutenant, to talk about America's quandary in Iraq.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
WELCOME to our new church members. John and Pam Landers, Daniel and
Cheryl Newmen and Pat Hellinger joined our church on March 3. There will be a
formal introduction and welcome for them and others that may be joining on New
Members Sunday March 18.
We would like to thank Sean Tennant, Ellen LaPine, Ann Peterson,
Janie Garlow, Nancy Hallock and Bob and Nancy Haskell for serving as greeters
and/or hostess for the coffee hour during February. We have several volunteers
for March but more are needed. See Chet if you would like to help.
Give our guest a warm welcome to our church and get to know them better
during coffee hour.
COFFEE AND CHAT
The coffee and chat group will meet as usual at 9:15 on March 21st.
This is a chance for the women of the church to join together for
fellowship goodies in a casual setting. Please contact Nancy Haskell for more
information at 635-2594 or email at nhaskell@twcny.rr.com
Hope to see you there!
Several of the men have decided to get together for coffee at that time,
too. Check with Chet Perkins if you are interested in joining them at 668-6719
or at marychet@earthlink.net
CNY CHAPTER OF CUUPS
The CNY Chapter of CUUPS will be holding our Spring Equinox Ritual at
First UU in Syracuse on Sunday March 18th at 10:30AM in the Sanctuary. All
are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Jody Brown at
476-0447. Our business meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of the
month. The location has been changed to my home. Please call for
directions.
UUA
PRESIDENT HONORED
February 9, 2007 ~
UUA
President William G. Sinkford was honored for the second consecutive year by www.Beliefnet.com
as one of the nation's Most
Influential Black Spiritual Leaders. Sinkford was singled out by the
editors for his work in support of marriage equality for same-sex couples and
for his prophetic leadership in opposition to the Iraq war. Upon learning of the
award, Sinkford said, "It's an honor to be recognized within such a
religiously diverse group. The richness and variety of African American
spiritual life is a joy to behold."
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CARES AND CONCERNS
Sheila
Emborski is still recovering from pneumonia. I know your prayers, cards and get
well wishes are appreciated. Send them to 6485 Long Point Rd, Brewerton, NY
13029
Betty
Figie is recovering from hip replacement surgery at Community General Hospital.
The address is 4900 Broad Rd, Syracuse, NY 13215. Her room number is 425.
She is a determined lady and doing well. I
know your get well wishes are welcomed.
We
have had a little angel in church recently. Her name is Christiona. She was born
on Christmas Day 2006. When she was 5 weeks old she sustained a severe brain
injury. She will need extensive
medical care for the rest of her life. There
is a benefit April 21 and donations are welcome.
Information is posted at church. We are hoping to help in other ways, as
well. Her grandma, who has custody,
said, she is looking for a miracle. I know your love and prayers are welcome.
EVENTS SPONSORED BY THE
ST LAWRENCE DISTRICT OR BY THE UUA
March 10 ~ Growth
Workshop for Mid Sized Congregations (Amherst, NY)
Linking Purpose to Possibility: Finding Your Untapped Potential to Thrive
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Sam Trumbore of the First UU Society of Albany
Flyer
and Registration on line
March 17 ~ Social Justice
Workshop: Being the Change We Want to See
(Utica)
Flyer,
Registration on line
April 27 – 28 ~ St Lawrence District Assembly/YAC Meeting (Utica)
June 20 – 24 ~ UUA General
Assembly (Portland, OR)
Plan now to join your friends at the DISTRICT
ASSEMBLY
hosted
by UU Church of Utica. Join in thought provoking workshops and panel
discussions. Keynote speaker, Gary Kowalski, author of Science
and the Search for God, tackles the question: Which is more dangerous: science or religion? For more information,
click on the SLD icon above or go to http://www.sld.uua.org/
LIBERAL RELIGIOUS HOUR NOW AVAILABLE AS PODCAST
at www.uuradio.org.
SPLINTERS FROM THE BOARD
We will be having an extended Board meeting on Saturday, March
31, 2007. During that meeting we will be checking in with committees to
see what they have planned in the next 6 months, year and what long term goals
they have for the next 2 years. If you are a committee head you are
invited to attend this meeting which takes place from 9 a.m. noon. If you
are unable to attend please speak to your Board liaison about your committee's
plans so that that person can give an update. The Board liaisons are:
Publicity Committee - Janie Garlow, Altar Committee - Sandy Harned, Living
Memorial Committee - Ellen LaPine, Membership Committee - Chet Perkins,
Ministerial Relations Committee - Chet Perkins, Music Committee - Tim Hart,
Buildings and Grounds Committee - Steve Garlow, Social Justice Committee -
Nancy Hallock and Finance Committee Judy Linder.
Judy Linder will be stepping down from the Treasurer's position
at the beginning of next month. We are looking for two people to serve as
Treasurer to help lighten the workload this important job requires. Judy
has computerized all of our finances to help in keeping track of income and
expenses. If you are interested or know someone who might be interested
please contact Judy or Tim Hart.
Ellen LaPine
Recording Secretary
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