On the night before the Fourth of July, we attended a free concert performed by the Harrisburg Symphony on the grounds of the Dickinson College campus. For much of the evening, my attention was captured by a little boy about two years old, who never stopped moving for the entire two-hours. He ran up and down a small hill near where his family was sitting, experimenting over and over and over again with how fast he could go and still retain some control of his body. He looked carefully at dogs and particularly at other small children, assessing how they fit into his own world and whether they were friendly or something to fear. He explored a low concrete pillar nearby, putting his hands on it as high as he could reach, testing its texture and pushing against its solidity. When his older brother joined him, they would wander a little farther afield, and he watched his brother carefully for clues about how to move and what to look at.

Just imagine what it would be like to discover the whole world for the first time! What it would be like to encounter the unfamiliar all the time, to be confronted with things you’d never seen before and have to figure them out. Life would consist entirely of questions: What’s this? How do you do that? What would happen if I tried to do this? What I was watching that evening was a child attempting to determine what’s in his world, experimenting patiently and repeatedly, testing and re-testing his discoveries and storing it all in the big data bank of his brain.

When Berry was a puppy, I spent a lot of time on the floor playing with him. Things look different from the floor. You can see what’s under the couch, the base of the floor lamps, the detail of the chair rungs; you feel the texture of the carpet with your forearms and your knees rather than the soles of your feet. The ceiling is much farther away. It was a new world down there, and I was intrigued.

I read a book once called A Soprano on Her Head, which was written by a voice teacher who had developed some unusual techniques to help her students break through barriers and sing better than they thought they could. In working with a soprano who had lost a good part of her range, the teacher asked her to stand on her head, feet braced against the wall, and try singing that way. To her amazement, the singer could effortlessly reach notes that had been beyond her when singing right side up.

A friend who is taking drawing lessons is trying to see objects differently. When copying a picture, she sets it upside down, and then draws it that way, so that she is forced to perceive the lines and shadows for what they are rather than being distracted by the subject of the picture. Right side up, the picture is familiar, with many associations and preconceptions attached to it. Upside down, it’s unfamiliar and fresh.

So this is my frivolous summer invitation to you: change your perspective, try doing something differently, askew, upside down. Try something unusual, do the unexpected. You might surprise yourself with what you learn!

Love, Judy

August Sunday Services

August 7 "What is Compassion, Anyway?" Presented by Worship Associates Brian Stolley and Geneva Politzer

There is a major religion of our world wherein millions of individuals strive to be truly compassionate. Very few, it is said, achieve their objective despite a lifetime of dedicated effort. Can it really be that hard? Or have we weakened our concept of compassion such that we no longer know what it truly is. In order for more of us to be successful at hitting the mark, we must know where we're aiming. Perhaps it's time for us to ask, "What is compassion, anyway?"

August 14 "Balance Point" Presented by Judy Marti and Kathy Ellis, Worship Associates

Do you ever feel that there is a great war in progress, one of the Ego vs. the Eco? Will there be a 'Point of No Return" in our lifetime? Hopefully not. But there is a feeling that our culture took a wrong turn away from wisdon and the natural balance point, with regard to living on this planet. Reaching a cultural 'Balance Point' first comes from reaching our own personal 'Balance Point.'

August 21 “The Transient and the Permanent: What Passes and What Lasts in Our Faith?” Presented by the Revs. Duane Fickeisen and Judy Welles

We'll reflect on Theodore Parker's 1842 sermon "The Transient and the Permanent in Christianity," which riled up the establishment as blasphemous. Parker was a very popular Unitarian preacher and abolitionist. And we'll ask whether there is a core of our faith that withstands the ever-evolving revelation of truth.

August 28 “Life Is Just a Chance to Grow a Soul.” Presented by Rev. Judy Welles and Don Hoffman, Worship Associate

Every day we are given opportunities to deepen spiritually, to become better people, to evolve more fully into who we really are meant to be. All of these choices and more are chances to grow our souls. But wait… Do Unitarian Universalists have souls? Of course they do! Though your soul might not be what you think it is…

Gather the Waters

As your summer travels take you near bodies of water, remember to collect and bring back a small (4 oz or less) sample for our annual ingathering service on September 11. We will mingle the waters in the service, celebrating summer journeys and the returning home to the beloved community. After the service, the waters will be boiled and saved for use in ceremonial purposes, so be sure your sample is relatively clean. Some of us will have been afar--Scotland, Denmark, England, Africa, Michigan, Maine—while others will have been as close as Fuller Lake at Pine Grove or the backyard. Waters from all these journeys are welcome!

Religious Education News

From UUCV’s Director of Religious Education, Kevin Snow

. . . And so another annual Peacemaker’s Camp is completed. The kids are all home and the cabin is empty after a fun-filled week of swimming, hiking, canoeing, singing, biking, eating, and any other old "ing" that may have occurred. As always, Camp was a rousing success thanks to many campers and great staff members. Special thanks needs to go to our adult staff; Jim Freeman, Janet and Chuck Folsom, Janet and Dave Mooney, and Three Crows. Without the sacrifice of these wonderful adults Peacemaker’s Camp would never get off the ground. Thanks also to Ken Laws for his singing skills and any other adult that helped.

For anyone who was at UUCV on Sunday July 24, you got to see first hand the enthusiasm and joy that flowed from our campers. We had some new faces this year and many old timers returned for one more exciting year of camp. Thank you all for coming and thank your parents for sending you along.

In addition to reporting on camp, it is important for me to remind everyone that the Water Ceremony is right around the corner and with the Water Ceremony comes the beginning of a new season of Religious Education at UUCV. To that end I am announcing that all teachers and helpers who have signed up for fall and spring RE should attend a Teacher Training in August. There will be different dates offered for training but you only need to attend one of those dates, as it is the same training both days. Training days will be August 14 and 28 and the training will take place immediately after the service from noon to 1:30pm. Childcare and lunch will be provided. An agenda will be distributed soon, please stay tuned for this.

I strongly encourage all teachers and helpers to attend a training, even if you are a seasoned veteran. RE is implementing some new things this year and it is very important for all volunteers to have a background in our new curriculum prior to assisting in a class. Additionally, you will be asked to sign up for the weeks of RE through December that you will actually be teaching or helping at this training. Anyone who is interested in RE but has not formally notified the DRE of their interest should also attend a training if they can. I look forward to seeing you at one of these events. See you on Sunday!!!

Spirituality for Men Workshop

"Feeding the Souls of Men" is a day-long workshop from 9:30 to 3:30 on November 5 at the Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, PA to support the personal and spiritual growth of men. The workshop will be led by UU minister and former president of the UU Men's Network, the Rev. Jaco B. ten Hove, who has 20 years experience leading men's groups.

Topics include connecting with each other, family and spirit; inner and outer lives; health and religion; aging and mentoring; intimacy and ultimacy; traditions of masculinity; and a future of vision and power. It's for men of all ages. Childcare can be arranged. The cost of $35 includes lunch. Scholarship aid is available as needed.

For more information and registration, see the flyer on the bulletin board or contact Duane Fickeisen.

Music in Our Church

From Ken Laws, Co-chair, Music Committee

Music is the soul of our religion. That’s a bold statement – what might it mean? One thing that distinguishes UUs is that we don’t all have to agree to a fixed set of religious beliefs. The commonality is more subtle. Different people can hear the same message and hear different truths. So it is with music! Different people can hear the same music, and one might respond “That’s too mushy for me,” while others find that it touches them deeply. And we try to appreciate the response of others.

Many of you have commented that you would like to see music have a greater presence in our church and in its services. Well, we’d like to respond. But music doesn’t just happen; it takes people to make music. We’ve all heard “music” that is made by machines. It doesn’t have the humanity that we expect of the “real thing.”

So you humans out there are invited to contribute to the increased visibility of music in our church. Help us make music! That may mean joining one of the choirs – adult or children’s – and experiencing the joy that comes from such participation.

It may mean encouraging your children to join the children’s choir, and then helping them be dependable members of the group by helping them make it to rehearsals and Sunday Services. The congregation has always responded very warmly to the children’s choir, but it has been hard keeping it alive when the participants lead such interesting lives outside of the church.

So – the next time you hear music in church that moves you, realize that it is made by people like you, who are willing to bare their souls for the art form and for the church. Let our religion be the soul of your music.

Fantastic Facts from the 05 Fundraisers and for the Future

The last six months of fundraisers have been a great success! Here are some details on each of them. And certainly, kudos, thanks and appreciation to the organizers of these events, as well as each of you who participated.

The Pledge Campaign: Much has already been written about this, but it’s worth the repetition. The hard-working team headed by Laurel Belding – plus your commitment to UUCV – raised $140,693 from 114 pledgers. Not only was the total $7793 over our goal, but it also increased the average pledge to $1228. Yay!

The Plant Sale: The enterprising duo of Devonna Jonsson and Carol McAnulty raised $1005 for UUCV, which included an excellent system of color coding for pricing and checkout for future years. As a bonus, their creativity (and your generosity) provided over $72 in plants to the Building and Grounds crew for UUCV.

The Yard Sale: New member Cindi Butzer stepped forward to head up the multiple location yard sales and raised $1198 with the help of several coordinators, helpers and movers for this peripatetic event, which also improved the feng shui of several households.

The LTM Event: Theatre buff Susan Helm again coordinated our Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg ticket sales. Selling half the house netted UUCV $125, and a delightful evening for all participants. And Susan is already planning for next year!

Strawberry Shortcake Sale: We didn’t get to have ours this year, but almost-coordinator Virginia Jackson will do it again next year – for real – next June.

Year-round events: Corners of the social hall were meccas for continuous fundraisers. The Book Nook headed by Marilyn Zatinsky brought in over $275 this fiscal year, and she also raised $242 from online book sales through half.com. Beth Shank’s candles and bumper stickers contributed over $81 to the operating fund. Amy Farrell as the post-auction coordinator has netted UUCV an additional $580 for the auction.

Of course, revenue from these events is anticipated in our budget for next year, and it’s not too early to step forward to coordinate or assist with one or more of them. Here’s who to contact:

For the pledge campaign, check with Dot Everhart.
Devonna and Carol will mentor the next chair(s) for the plant sale.
Susan Walker and Cindi Butzer are coordinating the November 12, 2005 auction.
For all other events, speak with any member of the Finance & Fundraising Committee (Cindi Butzer, Kim Clark, Carla Claycomb, Jim Coolsen, Carole DeWall, Tom DeWall, Eric Dittenhaffer, Harold Piety, Doug Spencer).

Thanks again to all of the coordinators and their teams!

Three-Year Capital Fund Campaign a Success

From the Finance & Fund Raising Committee

In the spring of 2002, UUCV launched a three-year Capital Fund Pledge Drive. That three-year pledge drive was completed June 30, 2005, and we now can report that105 members and friends of UUCV contributed a total of $151,113 to our capital funds, making possible a very significant reduction in our mortgage balance. Of this total, about $7,000 was contributed by people who were not part of the original drive. We can all be proud of this important accomplishment.

Although the formal capital campaign is completed, further contributions always are welcome, and of course will further reduce our mortgage.

Change for the World

From the Social Action Committee

The August Change for the World recipient is Hospice of Central Pennsylvania. Their mission is to care for individuals and families who are coping with an life-limiting illness and who prefer the comfort of their own home and the support of family and friends to the impersonal setting of a hospital or nursing facility. Hospice of Central Pennsylvania is a non-profit, community-based organization that operates independent of hospitals and health care companies. They serve all of Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry Counties, northern York County and areas of Adams and Lebanon Counties. Hospice offers an extensive training program for volunteers. Volunteers are needed to hold a hand, listen, provide respite for caregivers, offer emotional and spiritual support, run errands, make phone contacts or visits, provide clerical support, and transport clients to appointments. For more information please contact Barbara Hardy, Volunteer Coordinator (Telephone: 717-732-1000 or E-mail: Bhardy@hospiceofcentralpa.org). The coins you put in the collection basket in August will go to support Hospice of Central Pennsylvania.

Hospice of Central Pennsylvania was nominated by Alan Franklin. If you would like to nominate a charity to receive the Change for the World collection, place your suggestion in the "Change for the World" basket on the Social Action Committee table in the Social Hall.

Coffee Hour Changes Brewing

Something new is brewing at UUCV! We’ll be switching to fair trade coffee in September. We’ll also begin selling coffee by the pound so you take a little bit of UUCV home with you or give it as gifts. Stay tuned for more information in next month’s newsletter.

Building & Grounds News

The Wednesday meeting on August 3^rd has been cancelled.

Saturday Work Party - August 6^th starting at 8:00am

Volunteers are needed to help with several projects: finish the scrapping and painting of the sanctuary window trim, some concrete work at the base of the bell tower, pulling weeds in all beds, trimming back the steep bank behind the hedge and painting tasks. The B&G crew can not tackle all this without helpers….. mark your calendars. We’d even welcome someone to bring cool drinks or a snack for the work crew. If you can help please contact: Rick Heckman or Paula Terry

What’s New Around UUCV?

Have you spotted the improvements? Here is a checklist: replacement windows which open in the annex, extensive work making the custom wood trim for the sanctuary windows, an air conditioner installed in the office, repainted bell tower foyer, and repaired and seal coated parking area.

B&G Stewardship – Everyone’s Help is Needed

It seems B&G is often responding to problems from bats to water leaks, but we would like to find time for some “face lift” projects. Many members of the congregation express ideas. We hear you, but a small committee can not do it alone. Maybe joining a committee is not your thing or the first Wednesday of the month meeting isn’t convenient or you just aren’t sure how you could help. B&G would like to try a different approach to recruiting some volunteers. Would you be willing to do a specific task one evening or afternoon just every now and then? No committee meeting, you just come do a specific project when asked to help. The problem is we don’t know who has what skills or interests. So… B&G is going to provide a “B&G Stewardship Sign-up Sheet” in the social hall for anyone who is willing to be an “as needed volunteer”. There will be a variety of categories and you may check which ones you are comfortable doing. There will also be a spot for you to add additional tasks not on the checklist. The concept is when B&G sees there is a need for help (such as someone to pull weeds or paint a room or fix a pipe) we will contact the appropriate people. UUCVers have stepped up to help on special work days and mowing rotations… B&G hopes we can count on you again. For information contact: Paula Terry (#258-1928) or Rick Heckman (#245-9525)

Safety Reminder

If you are in the meetinghouse during an electrical storm please follow standard safety guidelines: stay off the phone, turn off the computer, avoid touching any electrical system or other conductive item (water) and stay clear of doors and windows.

What is B&G Planning Next?

There is a rumor the dining room needs plaster work and fresh paint….. If you would like to help with this exciting possibility… contact Paula Terry #258-1928.

B&G Says “Thank You” to –

1. Kathy Shatzer, Cindi Butzer and Rick Heckman for donating lawn care equipment.

2. The wonderful lawn mowing volunteers. You are doing a great job!

3. Sue Roberts for her efforts in the new position of “Supplies Manager”. Sue is coordinating the purchase of cleaning, kitchen and restroom supplies to facilitate organization and bulk purchasing.

Project S.H.A.R.E. In The News

Your wonderful generosity netter 85 lbs. for the food bank in July. This may be a (monthly) record! Many thanks to all who donated. During the month of August, S.H.A.R.E. is requesting donations of school supplies.

On August 17, UUCV is scheduled to go gleaning. If you can help, please call Ann Flynn at Project S.H.A.R.E., 249-7773 or Sylvia Hardman at 776-7417 to register. There is a sign-up sheet on the S.A.C. table in the social hall also. We will meet at 5:00PM at S.H.A.R.E. on Orange St. to car pool to the farm, returning about 8:30. Where and what to be determined. This is a fun event for young and old alike, so please join in!

Congregational Happenings & Interest Groups

The Writer's Group will meet on Saturday, August 20 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the home of Charlotte Klein, 2624 Walnut Bottom Road, Carlisle. Call or email Charlotte if you plan to attend - 776-0132;charklein@pa.net. Come join us in a casual atmosphere to share some prose or poetry written by you or others. As always, new members most welcome!

"Serious Stuffers" will be discussing the book We Don't Die by Joel Martin at the book club's meeting on Sunday, August 28. Time is 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the church library. This book is a true story about world-renowned psychic medium George Anderson by a radio personality who worked closely with him for 12 years. Anderson's observations make for engrossing reading. The next book, for the September 25 meeting, will be Nickle and Dimed, by cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich, who based the book on her experience working at low-wage jobsin Florida, Minnesota and Maine.

All in the UUCV Family

Darlene Smith has been enjoying her new job as a Human Relations Analyst for the state Liquor Control Board. Kevin Snow started a new job as a drug and alcohol counselor/outpatient therapist for PA Counseling Services, primarily working at the Adams County Adult Correctional Facility working with the prisoners. Kevin will continue to work as DRE for UUCV. Please send loving thoughts to Carol McAnulty, Teresa Shaffer, and Janet Mooney, who are dealing with illnesses of their fathers. Welcome home to Wendy Gebb and Cheryl Parsons, who had a terrific musical tour in Eastern Europe with Cantate Carlisle in late June. Our thoughts are with Jan Ruby and her son Micahel Baird as Mike begins treatment for a serious illness. Sy Salowe is recuperating from open heart surgery, and is in good spirits.

Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg

The Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg hold weekly Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. at 136 South Stratton Street, Gettysburg. Everyone welcome. 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. For more information, call 717-334-2920, or visit www.uugettysburg.org.

August 7 "American Unitarian Origins, From Chauncy Through Emerson" Rev. Ron Crawford outlines the ideas and opinions which characterized the early development of our faith. Refreshments follow.

August 14 "Is Humanism a Religion?" Rev. Ron Crawford considers the connection between Humanism and the function of religion. Potluck follows service.

August 21 "American Universalist Origins" Rev. Ron Crawford outlines the basic tenets of Universalism and explores the significance of Universalist theology today. Refreshments follow.

August 28 "Humanism in Perspective" Rev. Ron Crawford presents an overview of contemporary Humanist philosophy and discusses its relevance to modern day UUism. Refreshments follow.