Unitarian Universalists of the
Online Newsletter for March 2004
In This Issue:
About our Visiting Ministers for March
UUCV Coffeehouse with Paul Zavinsky
Congregational Happenings and Interest Groups
What’s are the Advantages of Membership?
Prelude Players—Ready, Willing and Able?
Change for the World Doing Well and Doing Good
Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg
Plus March 2004 UUCV Calendar
Sunday Services begin at 10:30am at the Boiling Springs Meetinghouse
March 7 “To Be Loving During Our Stewardship
Campaign”
Presented by Dan Fancher, UUCV Board
President, assisted by Ellis, Worship Associate
Having listened to UUCVers talk about money for three-plus years, Dan offers
some provocative thoughts. This sermon kicks
off our 2004 Stewardship Campaign.
March 14 The Rev. D. Michael Smith will present the
sermon, assisted by Kathy Ellis, Worship Associate. Sermon topic not available
at press time. Watch for more information in weekly Order of Service announcements
and PrE-Views.
March 21 "Spiritually Incorrect"
Presented by The Rev. Bob Renjillian
assisted by Laurel Belding, Sabbatical Committee Co-Chair
This sermon theme takes its cue
from a new book of the same title. In
Unitarian Universalism, we have the freedom to do things differently.
March 28 “The Unitarian Universalist
Billboard”
Presented by The Rev. Dave Hunter assisted by
Unitarian Universalism has been
called a "donut religion" –– sweet but not nourishing, and without a
core. The Rev. Dave Hunter disagrees and seeks to identify the core of our free
faith, the good news that we might proclaim on billboards along our nation’s
highways.
Wednesday Evening Silent Meditation
Worship Associate Kathy Ellis
leads silent meditation services on Wednesday evenings at
The Rev. D. Michael Smith (March 14) is a part-time minister with the
Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware.
The Rev. Robert Renjillian (March 21) moved to
The Rev. Dave Hunter (March 28) is a 2003 graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary. Dave serves as the consulting minister for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Greater Cumberland, Maryland. In a prior career, Dave was an attorney in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice for a quarter century.
by Board President Dan Fancher
We are at about the halfway point
of Duane and Judy’s well-deserved sabbatical, so I’d like to offer some
thoughts on how things are going from my perspective. This is not a thorough analysis. Rather, my intention is simply to hit some of
the random highlights and challenges that have become evident to me over the
past three months.
I love the music! The genesis of the “Prelude Players” program
has been one of the delightful developments of the sabbatical period. I never knew how much talent sat around me on
Sunday mornings! My gratitude goes out to Dan Bechtel for originating the idea,
and to Marilyn Zatinsky for coordinating the
program. The children’s choir is another
great program which has warmed my heart during recent months. Ken Laws has done a superb job with the
kids. I’m also pleased that the adult
choir, always stellar, has made a comeback. Thanks to all who have done the
work and summoned the courage to put their musicianship on display.
Worship Associates, solid as
ever. The quality of our worship has
been very good, and that is largely because of our Worship Associates, coordinated
by Laurel Belding. This has been a
strong program over the years and continues to function at a high level in our
ministers’ absence.
Attendance is down a bit. Our attendance has been down 10-15% this
winter compared with previous years. It’s
difficult to say if this is related to the sabbatical, the unusually harsh
weather, or other factors. I hope that
it picks up as the weather warms because, gosh, I miss some of you folks! We continue to draw a steady flow of
visitors, although we have had few friends commit to full membership while the
ministers have been away.
Our financial performance is
uneven. Our pledges and capital campaign
contributions are a bit off pace, but this is not unusual for this time of
year, as some folks tend to catch up right at the end of the fiscal year
(June). Miscellaneous offerings are down
a bit, probably because of our light attendance this winter. The auction was a blockbuster again under
The Social Action Committee is
well organized under Tania Werry and forging ahead
with some spring projects. In
particular, plans to assist Peter and Ruth Bechtel’s park in
The RE program needs teachers and
helpers. Kevin Snow is doing a great job
organizing our RE program, but he’s had some trouble getting enough teachers
and helpers. I finally got myself into
an RE classroom as a helper and found out what excitement I’ve been
missing. We have some awfully bright and
imaginative young people in our congregation, and you will be thrilled to get
to know them a little better. Please let
Kevin know if you can help.
That’s my overview for this
month. I know I’ve missed some things,
so if you’d like me to mention any positives or negatives of the past few
months, please let me know and I’ll feature them in next month’s column. Thanks to everyone who’s put in the extra
effort to make things run so smoothly while Duane and Judy are away.
Don’t miss what promises to be one of 2004’s most enjoyable auction
events as Bruce Henrickson and Diane Reed transform
the Meeting House into a cozy coffee house with music by folk-rock artist Paul Zavinsky. Paul has opened shows for John Prine,
Steve Goodman, Pure Prairie League, David Bromberg and Tammy Wynette. Bring your folk-rock requests and be
treated to fine music, coffee, wine, beer, munchies and sweets. $20.00 per
person; adults only please. See Auction
Event Corner article in this newsletter for instructions on how to sign-up.
From UUCV's Director of Religious Education Kevin Snow
First off, I want to thank
everyone who helped make the Valentine's Day party in RE a success!!! A special thanks goes to Three Crows, Julie Miles, Lisa Dorrill, Tricia Myers, Chuck Folsom, Julie Ham, Ann Berger-Knorr, and Dave Mooney. Without the dedicated staff of
RE teachers and helpers nothing would get accomplished. If I missed anyone's
name, I apologize, but give yourself a pat on the back
too!!! I am greatful for the help and support UUCV's volunteers so generously give me. So far, we
have had a great RE season all because of you!!!
Second, even if it might not
feel like summer yet, although these warm days lately are starting to fool me,
it is not too early to begin planning your summer schedule. To that end I would
like to announce the dates for this year's Peacemakers Summer Camp:
Thirdly, I want to keep everyone
informed of some events coming up for RE. In March, I will be attending the
Joseph Priestley District's Spring Conference in
From Chuck Folsom, Leadership Council Chair
Hello all. As you saw from last month’s report, one of
the missions of the Leadership Council is to promote leadership in UUCV. I can
tell you that the nascent Council is not yet ready to promote new leaders. We
are still in the organizing stage. I will also tell you that UUCV is in a bit
of a leadership crisis. We need several leadership positions filled. Currently,
we have no Communications leader, no Fundraising leader and also, no Stewardship
leader. People that are already heavily tasked are covering some of these
activities or they just are not being done.
It seems to me that UUCV needs to
work on that consumer mentality that Judy has so eloquently described
previously. We sometimes wait for someone to plead with us before we will
grudgingly accept a leadership role. We need everyone to be proactive; look for
those projects that are of interest and step up. I have heard several people comment
that there is generally no problem getting help for a project; it is getting
someone to lead that seems hard to accomplish.
Those of you that have helped with a couple projects could find one of the church leaders and tell them that you would like to try a small leadership role. Those of you that have had some leadership in the past, consider trying a bigger project or better yet, team up with someone and be co-leaders. You will not be alone in taking on a new challenge and you will gain a confidence that you can use throughout your life’s work. I know that taking a leadership role at UUCV has made a difference for me and I encourage you to join me as we help to shape the future of this congregation.
IT'S FOR THE BIRDS AND UUCV
The beautiful birdhouses decorated at our birdhouse workshop and by
some of our young people will be available through a silent auction from
Sunday March 7 through Sunday March 28 in the Social Hall. They are
beautiful, whimsical, and just plain fun, and they will grace your yard or
your home. Bids will be accepted until
Newsletter deadlines are the 3rd Saturday of the month. Submit
your April Happening or Group Meeting to the editor, Kim van Alkemade, via email to kivana"at"pa"dot"net by March
20.
March 3 Joint meeting of the Social Action Committee and Mozambique
Planning Group on Wednesday March 3rd at
March 5 First Friday
Potluck Supper at
March 23 Welcoming Congregation Revisited In
the lead-up to the vote that made UUCV a Welcoming Congregation, the Welcoming
Congregation Committee (WCC) worked very hard and was very active. After
the vote, things calmed down and the urgency was allowed to lapse. But
much still remains to be done to lift the anti-glbt
prejudice and discrimination that is still rife in our society. It is
time now for us to re-establish a working group and begin to work on these
problems. To this end, an organizational meeting is planned for Tuesday,
March 23, at the Meeting House at
March 27 The Writer's Group
will meet on Saturday, March 27 from
March 28 The March meeting of the UUCV Serious Stuff Bookclub will take place on
Sunday March 28th from
Not able to attend the
auction? Wish you’d signed up for a
certain event on auction night? Here’s
your chance to join other members and friends at various functions throughout
the coming year. To reserve a spot, just
send a note including names of participants and mail along with your check
payable to UUCV to Laurel Belding,
Mar 6 (
Mar 6 (
Mar 14 (
Mar 27 (
Spring Date TBA: Senators game
with Julie Ham. $10
May 1 (
Jun 19: Learn all about herbs
while you enjoy herbal refreshments at Pat Dietz’s home in Walnut Bottom. $10
Jun 27 (
Oct 2 (all day):
From
Janet Lutz-Folsom, Membership Committee Chair
Many of you may wonder about the differences
between members and non-members of UUCV.
There aren’t many differences and we do not discriminate or even really
go to great lengths to point out whether someone is a member. Yes, we do introduce new members to the congregation
and when someone joins, he/she receives a little green smiley face sticker on
his/her nametag. Did you ever know that
you had one or what it means? Certainly,
it benefits UUCV to welcome new members and it is a happy event, but let’s look at membership more closely.
I’d like to ask you to consider a shift in
perception if you like to think about what you get from coming to UUCV (the
consumer approach). If you find spiritual
nourishment or have children that enjoy our Religious Education program, or if
you like the social life that can come with being in this community, then you
keep coming back because you have found something that interests you. So why join or why did you join in the first
place?
A UUCV member can chair a committee, serve on
the Board of Trustees and most importantly perhaps, can vote at congregational
meetings. These are responsibilities for
sure and imply greater expectation than non-membership. I’d like to point out that we have many
non-members who contribute their time, talents and treasures just as generously
as our members. This is not a slight directed
at those who have chosen not to join UUCV’s
membership rolls. Membership comes with
the added benefit of using the facitilites free from
additional cost. The services of our
ministers for weddings, child dedications and memorial services are also
offered complementary as membership benefits.
Leaders of UUCV are encouraging us all to
take a view not so much of consumerism but one of ownership. Becoming a member is a way to exert your
power in affecting the future life of this congregation. By helping in any way, you are working toward
the betterment of UUCV but by voting, chairing a committee or serving on the
Board, you can step into a place that will allow your ideas to be the ones that
shape us as an entity. UUCV, like other
UU congregations, uses a democratic process and that makes co-creators of those
who vote at congregational meetings and of those who serve in leadership roles.
Members and non-members alike are
co-ministers of this community. Our being
together in worship and social times, in classes or workshops, or by attending
auction events creates something positive that we project to one another, to
visitors or to recipients of our social action or monetary collections. Congratulate yourself for the work that you
do and continue with that commitment to build a future with UUCV. If you have not yet signed the membership
book, perhaps now is the time to do so.
What is your commitment to being a co-creator, a co-owner and an active
participant in this valuable community that we call UUCV? Rather than going with the say of the
majority, maybe you’d like to make some of your own ideas a reality. If you are considering joining or have questions
about your membership, please feel free to contact me at 486-7988 or janetlfolsom@cs.com.
Considering membership? We will be having an Ingathering ceremony to
recognize new members during the service on Sunday March 7th. Want to know more about us? UUCV Newcomer Orientations will be held after
the service on March 7 and March 21.
To the January & February
Prelude Players who have brought us such pleasure with guitar, voice, recorder
and piano music -- Dan Bechtel, Keith Bittinger, Nick
Bloom, Leslie Carr, Chuck Folsom, Margaret Jacobs, and Judy Marti -- THANK YOU
ALL, SO MUCH! WHY WE DO IT: Carole Knisely
races over to us from her earlier Sunday job at Dillsburg Lutheran.
Prelude Players was started to give Carole time to arrive at UUCV safely. Now,
however, the diversity of music the Players provide serves not only that original
practical purpose but is very much appreciated by the congregation as a
whole. We continue to increase our base of "local talent," the
UUCV members and friends who give us early music on Sundays -- Music For Gathering (the 15 minutes before our
PASTORAL CARE REMINDER
If there is a pastoral
care need for yourself or for someone you know in the congregation, please
bring that to the attention of Leslie Carr (249-3400) (lgcarr22@yahoo.com) or any of the other
seven Pastoral Associates (Jan Ruby, Janet Spencer, Janet Folsom, Dan Fancher, Alan Franklin, Andy Petit, or Susan
Walker). We urge you to let us know about situations in which
someone needs a little extra support or attention or could benefit from regular
visits from one of us. Thus our community grows stronger. We're weavin'!
Submitted by Carole DeWall for the Board of
Trustees
Attention, Future Coffee Makers!
Your job just got easier – far easier. To ensure there is an ample supply of
volunteers willing to set up for coffee and tea after services, you are no
longer expected to make snacks as well. In fact, we don’t want you to! The
board of trustees would much rather have our coffee sign-up list filled instead
of our stomachs – and our Coffee Chairperson, Ellen Lyon, will be happier, too.
Please make Ellen’s day and list your name on the sign-up list for some future
Sunday.
On the other hand, if you’d
rather not prepare coffee but love to bake or cook, this is an open invitation
to donate your goodies on occasion. No sign-ups are needed, but when the
culinary spirit moves you, feel free to bring in some snacks. Consider Sunday
morning social hour to be a potential potluck, but if not, the main ingredients
of coffee and conversation will still be there.
Our Sunday mornings together are
a wonderful community experience, and the coffee, conversation and possible
snacks are just one more way we can share our time, talents and treasures
together.
Our recipient of Change for
January was
For February the collected change
will be turned over to The Helen O. Krause Animal Foundation, Inc. This is a
non-profit, no-kill animal shelter for dogs and cats located in
Dillsburg. The shelter keeps approximately 135 cats and 7 to 10 dogs at
any one time., and depends on private donations in
order to function. There is no veterinarian on staff, so the money we
have donated may be used for medical bills as well as food & litter.
Volunteers run the entire organization, and are always needed for cleaning, feeding
and walking the dogs. They ask for about 1 to 2 hours per week either day
or night, and would like each volunteer to spend about 30 minutes socializing
with the animals to make sure they are getting loving attention. Any who
would like to volunteer, please contact Tania Werry
for a contact name. They also offer a Guardian Angel program. If
you are not able to have a pet in your home, you can sponsor a specific pet at
the shelter.
In March we will be donating to a special project run by 3 area organizations
in the mental health field, the Cumberland/Perry NAMI chapter, the Northwestern
Human Services Stevens Center, and the Cumberland/Perry Mental Health Services
(NAMI is the National Association for the Mentally Ill). The project is
the publication of an anthology of the writings and art, all the work of
consumers of mental health services, coming out of an art exhibit and
performing arts event held in
The Sixth Annual 'Day of Sharing'
church choir concert, for the benefit of the Project SHARE Food Bank, will be
held Sunday, March 7, at
Project S.H.A.R.E. is in need of
baby formula, baby food, spaghetti sauce, and of course UUCV's
food of choice, baked beans. Please bring
food donations to UUCV by the second Sunday of the month. Sylvia Hardman,
who is an active volunteer for Project S.H.A.R.E. and our new Project
S.H.A.R.E. food delivery person, will deliver food donations to Project
S.H.A.R.E. on the second Tuesday of each month. Project S.H.A.R.E. distributes
food on the third Thursday and Saturday of the month. A special thank you
to Andy Pettit and his son Grayson for all the work they have done over the
past two years delivering food to Project S.H.A.R.E. And a special
thank you to UUCV for your continued support of Project S.H.A.R.E.
START SAVING STUFF FOR YARD SALES!
There will be a series of yard
sales in April and May to
benefit UUCV. Please start saving up items that you would
like to contribute to the sales. There will probably be a series of four
sales on four Saturdays in a row. Unsold "stuff" will be moved
from the first to the second to the third, etc. There are two considerations:
(1) Please no clothes. (2) If you would like to contribute furniture
items you must pick them
up if they don't sell. Please call Janet Spencer at 249-3915 with questions
and/or if you would be willing to help with the sales.
The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that long-time
member Leslie Carr has been appointed to serve on the Board through June of
2004. She fills a seat recently vacated by Kathy Ellis, who was Clerk of
the Board. Our warmest thanks go to Kathy for her years of devoted and effective
service as a Board member. Leslie was also voted and agreed to assume Kathy's
duties as clerk. We look forward to Leslie's leadership and recording
skills.
This year's Nominating Committee,
which consists of Ellis, Christopher Lemelin, and Kim
van Alkemade, is pleased that Prescilla
Laws has accepted our nomination for a three-year term on the Board of Trustees
beginning in July. Prescilla
is currently serving on the Board by appointment to fill the seat vacated by
Teresa Shaffer's resignation.
The Nominating Committee looks for potential Board members
among UUCV members who have acquired leadership experience on other committees
or projects and who have been active in the congregation for at least a
year. We take suggestions for nominees
from our ministers, from board members, from those involved with membership—and
from you! The Nominating Committee welcomes
your suggestions, and if you yourself would like to be considered, don't
hesitate to contact us! We would be
especially interested in hearing from/about people with some financial
management experience. The Nominating
Committee chair is Kim van Alkemade: email <kivana"at"pa"dot"net> or call
530-5427.
GLOBAL BOOK NOOK UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
Marilyn Zatinsky has taken over UUCV's
global book nook which has been so successful for UUCV by turning your donated
books into money for the congregation. If you have books to donate, you can
continue to bring them to the Book Nook in the social hall at the meeting
house, or call 218-9818 or e mail marazat@earthlink.net.
Marilyn could use some volunteers to help her carry books from time to time,
please let her know if you can help. She could also use someone to help
keep the book nook corner tidy.
Katie McFarland had her best vacation ever in January with friends
in the
UUG meets twice a month, the 2nd
and the 4th Sundays at 3:00 PM. UUG meets at Trinity UCC, Corner of S. Stratton
& E. High, (Stratton St. entrance), Gettysburg, PA. Children’s religious education
program. Potluck follows the 2nd Sunday’s service. Refreshments follow
the 4th Sunday’s service. Everyone welcome.
March 14: "Stressed Out? Come In" How can we find
relief from the pressures of life? The solution
starts inside each of us. Rev. Morehouse will talk about just how it
begins. The Rev. John Morehouse is the
minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation
of Frederick, MD. Potluck follows service.
March 21: Musical Concert by the Unisingers of UU Harrisburg. Join us for an afternoon of
music: show tunes, a little bit country—a little bit rock and roll, standards,
classical, and spiritual. At Trinity UCC, 3 pm. Free will offering.
March 28: "The Historical
Jesus Comes to Church" Rev. Crawford relates how continuing scholarship
concerning the humanity of Jesus is impacting liberal churches. The Rev. Ron
Crawford is the Pastoral Minister, UU Congregation of
Stephen Politzer-Ahles has been named a
National Merit finalist and he has been accepted at and will attend Kenyon
College in Gambier,
Thanks to Gene Walker for changing our "wayside pulpit" signs in
front of the Meetinghouse occasionally. One of them was getting a little
stale out there toward the beginning of the sabbatical, and Gene saw the need
and began to rotate them for us. Thanks, Gene!