I remember singing in the Children’s Choir of the First Unitarian Society of Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. Mrs. Allen was the director. She was a saint. How she managed to control that rowdy bunch of elementary school-age kids for an hour at our Saturday morning rehearsals is beyond me, but she must have managed to pound some music into our heads, because I can still remember the songs we learned.

The Children’s Choir sang at the weekly children’s chapel services (attended by all children fourth grade and under). We wore voluminous pale gray cotton choir robes with long puffy sleeves, and over them white surplices which were supposed to be pristine and starched, but were occasionally wrinkled and stained. I always felt like an angel in my choir robe, wrinkles and all.

The church I grew up in was proud of its music program. Our organist was a well-known musician in the Boston area, and the adult choir (which sang at every service) was superb. When I stopped attending Sunday School and started going to the adult services, the hymns were my favorite part of the service. I learned to sing the alto part by training my ear to listen to that line in the accompaniment and singing along. (Of course, this was back in the days when the public schools taught sight-reading in their music programs, so I had some weekday coaching as well.) Singing the hymns is still one of my favorite parts of the service.

The Unitarian Children’s Choir was my introduction to choral singing; it marked the beginning of a life-long love for making music in a group of blended voices. Seldom since then have more than a few years passed when I wasn’t singing in some choral group. And it all started with Mrs. Allen and a gang of squirmy kids gathered around the piano in the social hall at my childhood church.

I am drawn to reminisce about the music program of my early church as I daydream about the brand new Yamaha baby grand piano which will arrive any day in our meeting house sanctuary. Don and Sally Beaver, recent Unitarian Universalist transplants back to this area after living in Florida, have given this amazingly generous gift to UUCV to help enhance our music program. Thank you, Don and Sally! Our gratitude to you is boundless!

I see the new piano standing in shiny splendor near the chancel. Our accompanists are delighted to have such a fine instrument under their fingers, and they go to new lengths to perform appropriate and exciting music for our services. Inspired by the piano’s rich tones, the choir challenges itself to sing more frequently, and the congregation is likewise inspired to sing hymns and other songs with growing confidence and enthusiasm. Melody is a particularly powerful vehicle for remembering important ideas and spiritual principles in the lyrics it accompanies, so that as we sing together, our worship experience is enhanced. Being a co-creator of a beautiful music event contributes to each individual's self-esteem, and collaborating on a beautiful music event attunes congregants to one another emotionally.

As UUCV moves closer to maturity, it is altogether appropriate that we pay attention to the development of a serious music program. Church growth is more than numerical; we will grow in depth and spiritual maturity as we bring more music into our shared experience. What a wonderful, thoughtful gift the Beavers have given us! Its affect will be felt for years, in ways which even I can scarcely imagine despite my daydreams.

See you in church! Love, Judy

Sunday Service Topics

REMEMBER: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME STARTS APRIL 3!

April 3 “The Free Common School: An American Institution Under Siege”

Presented by the Rev. Duane Fickeisen and Judy Marti, Worship Associate

We'll examine the liberal religious call for universal access to excellence in public education and the ways Unitarian Universalists have worked to build public school systems. Those schools are under siege now. The quality and availability of education is threatened by the No Child Left Behind Act that was supposed to fix things, but has made them worse. We'll ask what would really help advance the quality and accountability of public schools.

April 10 “Liberal Religion/Liberal Politics: Is There a Difference?”

Presented by the Rev. Judy Welles; Richard Ellis, Worship Associate

The short answer is “yes.” The longer answer involves looking closely at assumptions about the meaning of these words, the purpose of religious institutions, public vs. personal power, and how various priorities stack up. It’s time to address this hot topic openly in the hope that we can end up on common ground.

April 17 “The Upanishads”

Presented by Brian Stolley and Don Hoffman, Worship Associates

The Upanishads are ancient oriental scriptures which vividly describe the Truth of Reality that can be repeatedly realized directly in this life, not via faith or ritual, but by practice of the "Divine Science." Wait a minute! Scientific proof of God? Really? A personal commentary on the validity of this claim.

April 24 "Freedom From Fear"

Presented by Kathy Ellis, Worship Associate, and Rev. Duane Fickeisen

Two recent books about fear have seemingly contradictory titles: Freedom from Fear by UU Minister, Forrest Church, and The Gift of Fear by Gavin deBecker. How could both be true? "Be Not Afraid" was the most frequent message of Jesus to his disciples. We'll explore the basic emotion of fear, the ways in which fear hurts and limits us, and how we might "Be Not Afraid."

Preparing for Long-range Planning

By Priscilla Laws, President of the Board of Trustees

At our January 30^th congregational meeting we approved a new set of mission and vision statements that the Board of Trustees hopes to use as the basis for developing long range plans that help us realize our mission as an enduring liberal religious community in the Unitarian Universalist tradition to transform lives and care for the world. As members of the board, we need your ideas about how to transform the visions that accompany our new mission statement into concrete actions.

We plan to use the collection time during each service starting on April 3 and ending on May 8^th to have you consider each of the six vision statements. You will find a colored paper inserted in your order of service on each of those Sundays that invites you to answer questions about a particular vision. These visions include: worshiping together, practicing hospitality, encouraging self-development, valuing wisdom, promoting justice, and fostering stewardship.

We’d like you to pencil in ideas for new activities or the revamping of existing activities to better realize the vision being addressed. Even though putting your name on the sheet will be optional, we’d love to know which of the visions is most meaningful to you and which of your ideas you might be willing to help the congregation implement. For example, the vision that excites me most is the one involving the promotion of justice by working for the fair and compassionate treatment of all people and supporting the interdependent web of creation.

(For instance, to foster the promotion of justice I would like to work with the Social Action Committee to examine our current activities and assess which ones have the most impact on the World – an impact that leads to human scale sustainable development. Raising funds to allow a young girl to attend school in rural Mozambique will improve her life and the lives of her children and others in her village. It can benefit the lives of her children’s children. On the other hand the benefit of sending the girl clothing wears out when her clothing does. I would like to have us use our energy, time and money as wisely and humanly as possible.)

As we get feedback from most of you, we will summarize your ideas in upcoming Newsletters. The Board is planning an early retreat this summer to consider how you can all participate in a congregation-wide Long Range Planning process starting in September. I hope you’ll start thinking about new ideas that can be implemented to help us realize all of our visions.

“Whan that Aprill with hise shoures soote”

This is not a lesson in Chaucer, but a report from the Pledge Canvass Committee! Like Chaucer’s characters in his Canterbury Tales, we continue on a pilgrimage seeking to enrich the lives of all who find a home in UUCV and go outside to help others. By now, many of you have attended a soup supper, and have told or heard from others stories about the ways UUCV has changed lives. Many have already made their financial pledges for the coming year, and our progress will be measured and displayed on a chalice display at the meeting house. So make a pilgrimage to the social hall and check it out, and help our chalice flame grow by giving generously.

If you were unable to attend a soup supper, you will receive a call from one of our one-on-one canvassers to schedule a convenient time to get together. Please invite her or him to come to your home, to hear your tale, and to tell you the story of where UUCV’s pilgrimage plans to go in the next year.

We need to have all pledges in by April 17^th at the latest so that the Finance Committee can prepare next year’s budget. Pledging now will help us grow the chalice flame both on the poster in the Social Hall and in the life of UUCV. Together we can assure that the showers of April are sweet, and that our UUCV pilgrimage will bring us to inner peace and outer love and justice.

Religious Education News

From UUCV’s Director of religious Education, Kevin Snow

March will have come and gone by the time you read this newsletter column and with it a month that marked two very important milestones for your DRE, both of which have me thinking long and hard about life. The first one is personal; I turned thirty years old in March. The second one is job related; March marked my two year anniversary as DRE at UUCV. Both of them have made me sit up and pay attention. I find myself rather surprised that so much time has gone past on both anniversary fronts and I feel the need to evaluate my life. Granted, to some neither amount of time may be a big deal, but hey, thirty is a big deal for me!!! So is the two wonderful years that I have spent with UUCV.

But, this isn't a death notice or anything of the like. Religious Education is alive and well, as am I. I am looking forward to some exciting, new ideas brought to you by your friendly RE Committee who are hard at work on a plan to actively re-energize RE at UUCV. This is especially good news for our students and faithful teachers. I don't want to spill the beans just yet, as the paint is still fresh so to speak, but keep your eyes and ears attuned for some new things. Hopefully, everyone at UUCV will be as excited about the new ideas as the committee. It isn't too late to be a part of this new venture. If you have an interest in becoming a part of the RE Committee please speak to me or our chair Heather Woodward. We would be happy to talk with you.

And since I mentioned fresh paint in the previous paragraph, has anyone checked out the Youth Room anytime soon? The remodeling job is finally completed thanks to hard work on the part of our young adults and especially to the "floor elves" from the Building and Grounds Committee, who we owe a big debt for their help during the whole project. I promise not to remodel anything else for at least a few years!!!

For those of you who may have noticed a missing DRE column from last month, chalk that up to my 30 year old senility setting in. Apparently, I slid right on past the newsletter deadline without even so much as a twinge of a reminder in my head. Sorry about that. If you didn't notice my column was missing, then shame on you : ) See you on Sunday!!!

Building & Grounds News

The next monthly meeting/work session will be held Wednesday, April 6^th at 7:00pm. There are high hopes of finishing the closet restoration project that evening! It’s coming – SPRING! With the arrival of spring B&G turns its attention to caring for our outside grounds. We need your help.

Lawn Mowing Volunteers – Volunteers are needed to mow and trim the yard each week. Consider signing-up with a friend or as a family – the work is more fun and completed more quickly. The more people who volunteer the fewer turns each person has on the rotation schedule. All equipment is supplied. A “Lawn Mowing Volunteers” sign-up sheet is located on the sign-ups table in the social hall. For information contact: Paula Terry (#258-1928 or loons@pa.net)

Lawn Mower Needed – UUCV needs an additional lawn mower. B&G is looking for a used, light weight, self propelled, easy start mower in excellent running condition. Not meaning to sound picky, but we need a mower our volunteers with aging backs can manage and which will start faithfully when they arrive to mow. Before we invest our limited funds to purchase a mower… does anyone have an extra mower you could donate to UUCV? Contact: Paula Terry (#258-1928 or loons@pa.net)

Spring Clean-up - Keep your eyes open in Pre-views for a spring clean-up day. It will probably occur on a Saturday in May. B&G will need helping hands for planting, trimming and mulching.

Social Action News

From Social Action Committee member Tania Werry

Church World Service Health Kits When the Social Action Committee decided to take on this project (as a suggestion from First Church of the Brethren,) we set a goal of 20 health kits. Based on the generosity of the UUCV congregation, we delivered a total of 40 kits, double the goal we were shooting for! On behalf of those so hard hit by the tsunami, I would like to thank everyone who donated items to this worthy cause, Gene Walker for delivering all of the kits & most especially, the RE kids and Ann Berger-Knorr for putting the kits together.

Social Action Meeting in April If you’ve ever wondered what those Social Action people really do, come to one of our meetings! We will be holding our monthly Social Action meeting on Tuesday, April 5, at 7:30 pm at Priscilla Law’s home. We plan to discuss upcoming Dickinson lecture discussions, the Mozambique project, future movie nights, and Change for the World. If you can’t attend this meeting, but would like to attend in the future, we meet the first Tuesday of every month. Feel free to email me for an agenda or directions to Priscilla Law’s home at swantail@comcast.net.

Congregational Happenings & Interest Groups

All events at the Meetinghouse unless otherwise noted. Get your May happening to kivana@pa.net by April 18.

April 1 First Friday Potluck All are welcome to the Potluck at 6:30PM. A great way for new friends and members to make new friends in the Congregation. Bring a dish to share!

April 3 Passover Planning Everyone interested in helping to plan this year’s UUCV Seder is invited to gather after the service (say noon) in the downstairs kitchen to plan the menu and divvy up jobs for the April 24^th dinner. No prior experience is necessary, and the more hands the lighter the tasks. The Seder we held two years ago was a wonderful night, and it was only through poor planning that we missed holding one at UUCV last spring. Let’s make this Second UUCV Seder the first of many annual celebrations!

April 3 Unwrapping Your Gifts Workshop This 3 1/2 hour workshop will be offered on Sunday, April 3 from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m., led by Liz Hoffman and Judy Welles. This workshop can help you to discern the personal gifts you already have that can bring you joy and satisfaction. Registration deadline is March 31; sign up on the sign-ups table or call/e-mail the office at 249-8944/uucv@pa.net. This workshop will be offered one more time this year, on Sunday May 22.

April 3 The UUCV Serious Stuff Bookgroup will meet from 6:30-8:00pm on Sunday April 3rd in the Meetinghouse library. The book for this April meeting is God After Darwin by John Haught. There are two meetings of the bookgroup in May 2005--one on May 1st (The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness, by Karen Armstrong) and one on May 29th (Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone). Anyone interested member or friend is welcome to attend the meetings. Happy Reading! Questions? contact Leslie Carr at lgcarr22@yahoo.com

April 7 & 14 Roots and Branches Workshop This two-session workshop is designed for anyone who wants to deepen their relationship with UUCV and with Unitarian Universalism. It is especially recommended for those considering membership or who have recently joined. Classes will be Thursday evenings, April 7 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting house Library. The deadline for signing up is Sunday, April 3, minimum enrollment is six. Look for the sign-up sheet on the Sign-Ups Table or call/e-mail the office at 249-8944/uucv@pa.net.

April 8 Film Night On Friday April 8, 7:30 p.m. in the Meetinghouse Board Room we’ll view “Dancing on the Edge,” a film portraying the tough rural world of Mozambique in the area where UUCV is sponsoring girls’ education, where gender roles and poverty influence the fight against AIDS. Discussion follows; refreshments will be served.

April 10 Leadership Academy: Volunteers Sunday, April 10. 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Volunteers are the most important and valuable resource in many organizations. It this session, we'll focus on stewardship of volunteers: how to find, recruit, train, nurture, and thank the people who get things done. UUCV's Leadership Academy is open to anyone who wishes to increase competence and confidence as a leader. Bring a bag lunch and join us in the Board Room downstairs in the Meetinghouse for our monthly leadership training session.

April 15 Sharon O'Brien will be giving a talk on "Memoir and Memory" and reading from her recently-published memoir, THE FAMILY SILVER: A MEMOIR OF DEPRESSION AND INHERITANCE, at UUCV on Friday, April 15, at 7:00. This will be a dessert "pot luck" event. Her book, an exploration of her Irish American family past, has been called an "extraordinary combination of social and personal history" by the Chicago Tribune reviewer, who also observes that the writer "provides the grateful reader with a marvelous companion, a great wit, and an excellent hostess." In addition to reading some selections, Sharon will talk about the creative process and give people suggestions for writing their own stories.

April 17 S.H.A.R.E. Ingathering During the month of April the Feinstein grant program continues. This means for every item donated the Foundation contributes $1.00 to S.H.A.R.E. In March, UUCV gave 61 items and an equal amount was donated; total pounds was 52. Way to go! Can we do better this month? All donations are gratefully accepted. Thank you for your support.

April 23 The Writer's Group will meet on Saturday, April 23 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the home of Joan Campbell, 524 Carol Street, New Cumberland. Call or email Joan if you plan to attend -- 774-2268;jjcampbel@aol.com. Come join us in a casual atmosphere to share some prose or poetry written by you or others. New members most welcome!

Sunday April 24 UUCV Seder at 5:00PM All are welcome to participate in the Seder Dinner, the traditional Jewish holiday celebrating the exodus of Jewish slaves from Egypt and commemorating the struggle for freedom that continues around the world. All are invited to participate in this family celebration, which consists of a traditional meal and a series of readings. There will be a small charge to defray the cost of the full-course dinner. Please SIGN UP in the Social Hall or contact Kim van Alkemade (530-5427) or Amy Farrell (245-9512) by APRIL 17 so we can plan appropriately.

April 25 The Social Action Committee will sponsor a discussion following a public lecture at Dickinson College. On Monday, April 25, the lecture will be by Karen Armstrong, author of several books on religion including A History of God and The Spiral Staircase. The lecture is at 7:30 p.m. in Anita Tubin Schlechter Auditorium. After each lecture, UUCV members and friends are invited to Room 227 of the Tome Scientific Building on the Dickinson campus for a discussion facilitated by a UUCV member.

Annual Yard Sales Coming in May

Spring is around the corner, and it's time to plan the annual multi-location yard sale. For those of you who are new to UUCV, the yard sale is an annual fundraising event. It is a progressive sale, taking place in various locations, including Carlisle, Boiling Springs, Mechanicsburg, Newville, and anywhere else that might seem to be a good site for attracting yard sale buyers. The sale items are donated by UUCV members, and are moved from site to site by volunteers. This year's kick-off site is Ann Sheehan's home, at 206 South West St in Carlisle, and will be coordinated by Pat Dietz who can be reached at 243-2022, or at lapat775@epix.net. Other sites and dates will be announced. Spring cleaning? Please consider donating your unwanted items to the yard sale (we will not be accepting clothing). Please contact Pat Dietz to arrange a drop-off time at Ann's home, and PLEASE do not bring items to the church. We are also in need of volunteers to move items, work the sales, and, of course, to sponsor a yard sale at their home. Saturday sales will continue through May, as well as early June. What a great way to get outdoors, meet your neighbors and fellow UUCVers, and support UUCV at the same time! Please consider volunteering your time and energy to this fun annual event. Feel free to contact Cindi Butzer at 240-2651 or at CBU50@earthlink.net, with any questions.

Nominations Committee Announces Slate for Board of Trustees

At our congregational meeting in May, all members will be able to vote for three nominees to fill seats on the Board of Trustees that will be vacated in June. The Nominating Committee has asked Kit Franklin and Ed Glasgow, each of whom is currently serving on the Board, if they would be interested in running for a second term, and each said yes! Nominations updates will be sent through PrE-Views as they become available. Our by-laws, which call for the Nominating Committee to publicize the nominees before the Annual Meeting, allow for additional nominations from the floor.

Kit Franklin has been serving on UUCV's Board of Trustees for the last three years. She says, “I was first asked to serve because it was felt I could ‘represent the interests of seniors’ and it's true that my age qualifies me for that! I have been on the Welcoming Congregation Committee, am a member of a Small Group, and enjoy all my contacts with members of the church community. My basic interests are in the areas of social justice, environmental quality and religious liberty. I have been a Unitarian-Universalist for over 50 years and a member of UUCV since its founding. I feel strongly that the UU messages of inclusively, rational thinking, love and justice in human relations, and stewardship of our planet must be spread throughout the world.”

Our slate for next year’s Nominating Committee so far includes Ellis, a current committee member, and John Bloom, another former UUCV Board president. Kim van Alkemade and Christopher Lemelin are ready to step down from this committee, but again, two possible new members were still working out some details at press time and had not yet given a definite answer.

Change for the World

The April Change for the World will go toward two sustainable development projects in Northern Mozambique : First, the Woman's Small Group Ministry Children's book Project in which books are collected, translated into Portuguese by the Dickinson College Portuguese Club, and shipped to the Primary School in the Namarroi District School in the Zambézia province. Funds will be used for shipping the books. Second, the remainder of the funds will be used for the SAC Bursary project that will enable girls from rural villages to attend upper primary school in the town of Namarroi in the Zambézia province during 2006.

All in the UUCV Family

Congratulations to Nancy Romano and Keith Bittinger, who will be married in our sanctuary in June. And loving condolences to MJ Phelps, whose mother died in mid-January after a battle with brain cancer. We are so glad that Carole DeWall is on the mend after her second shoulder surgery. Stephen Politzer-Ahles was named to the Merit List his first semester at Kenyon College. With the help of Trish Myers as her real estate agent, Geneva Politzer has sold her house and bought another, still in the South Middleton School District so that Michael can continue at his present school. We greet this news with mixed feelings: Liza Baker has been admitted to Mercersburg Academy, where she will begin as a boarding student next year. Liza, we’re proud of you, but we are sure going to miss you! Hooray for Sharon O’Brien, whose recent book, The Family Silver, has won one of the annual awards given by NAMI (National Association for the Mentally Ill). See related article in this issue regarding Sharon’s reading at UUCV on April 15.

Eckles Lecture 2005: Recognizing Same-Sex Marriage

E. J. Graff, author of “What Is Marriage For?” will be speaking at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, April 16^that 7:30 pm. She will be speaking about recognizing the life commitment between individuals of the same sex, as well as why same-sex couples need/want marriage rights - not civil unions, not domestic partnerships, but the big M-word.

Although this lecture is being sponsored the Eckles Trust for Social Justice, the Freedom to Marry Lay Led Ministry of the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg is actively involved as well. This is a perfect opportunity to learn how we can do more in the community to raise awareness of this issue. If you are undecided about the issue of same-sex marriage, this is a perfect opportunity to explore the issue from a non-emotional, logical perspective.

If you need additional information, directions to the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg or have questions about the lecture itself, please contact Alanna Berger at 361-2992 or alannaberger@hotmail.com or visit the UCH website at www.uchuua.org.

Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg

UUG holds weekly Sunday services at 3:00 PM at Trinity UCC, Stratton & High Sts., Gettysburg, PA. Religious education for our young people is a top priority. "In Our Hands," a peace and social justice program will be the focal point for our K--6th graders; the older youth group will explore what they believe they stand for. Nursery care. Everyone welcome. For more information, call 717-334-5141, or visit www.uugettysburg.org.

*Apr 3: The Central Pennsylvania Womyn's Chorus will present a free concert. This hour-long performance will feature some pieces from their upcoming spring concert “Voices of Women,” focusing on music composed and sung by women throughout the centuries and from many musical styles and cultural traditions, as well as some of their greatest hits, Everyone welcome. Refreshments follow service.

* Apr 10: Rev. John T. Morehouse, Minister of the UU Congregation of Frederick; His topic is "Where on Earth is Heaven?" Rev. Morehouse looks at the possibility of heaven right here and now. Potluck follows service.

* Apr 17: Dr. Gary Collison of the Pennsylvania State University campus in York will be speaking. A member of the English Department, he specializes in American Studies. His topic is "Our Shakespeare and our Luther: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)." Refreshments follow service.

*Apr 24: Rev. Ron Crawford, Pastoral Minister of theUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. Refreshments follow service.

UU Bed & Breakfast Directory

The UU bed and breakfast directory UU’re Home (formerly Homecomings) can help you fulfill your dream. For 25 years, we’ve provided a network of hosts in North America (and a few abroad) who enjoy meeting new friends and who are happy to open their home to like-minded people.

The directory is published every year in April. For a copy of the 2005 directory, please send a check for $18 to UU’re Home, 43 Vermont Court, Asheville, NC 28806. UU’re Home has just launched a new web site at www.UUreHome.com <http://www.UUreHome.com> , which includes about half of the listings. Entries are updated whenever changes are made or new hosts are added.

From U to U

Thank you to the anonymous, random helpers who shoveled walks and spread ice melt when needed. You kept our entrances safe for everyone. From the Building & Grounds Committee

A thousand thanks to Margaret Jacobs for coordinating our Caring Circle for the past two years! Margaret has turned over that responsibility to Sylvia Hardman; thank you, Sylvia, for saying yes! If you need some help with rides or food, or know of a UUCV’er who does, please let Sylvia know by calling her at 766-7417. Be sure to check out the newly painted Youth Room, a project of this year’s Coming of Age class (Liza Baker, Emily Miles, Nick Bloom and Alex Hovet). Thank you, COA class (and thanks to the Building and Grounds committee for their backup support).