Unitarian  Universalists of the Cumberland Valley

 

Online Newsletter for September 2005

 

Click here to open the September Calendar in PDF

 

October Newsletter Deadline is Monday, September 19

 

 Submit items to kivana@comcast.net 

September Service Topics

 

September 4 “Work Is Love Made Visible”

Presented by the Rev. Judy Welles and Virginia Jackson, Worship Associate. 

 

On this Labor Day weekend, we will hear from four UUCV members whose daily work offers opportunities for them to live their religious values in the weekday world.

 

September 11 “Gathering the Waters”

Presented by the Rev. Duane Fickeisen and Bev Motich, Worship Associate.


We will celebrate our gathered community with our annual gathering of the waters as we begin the church year. We’ll also remember the effects of the terrorist attacks on this date four years ago and the impact they have had on our need for community. Bring a sample of water from a place you have recently visited and we will mingle the waters as a symbol of our coming together. After the service, the waters will be boiled and saved for use in rituals in the coming year.

 

September 18 “Too Important, Too Beautiful, Too Dangerous”

The Rev. Judy Welles and Dot Everhart, Worship Associate. 

 

Although our society is saturated with images of sex, our understanding of sexuality is often far separated from our religious values.  Today we will begin a conversation about how our liberal religious principles support responsible sexual behavior, and we’ll introduce the “Our Whole Lives” comprehensive sexuality education program that will be offered to our middle school children.

 

September 25 “Watching the English”

Presented by Worship Associate Dan Cozort.

 

They're our best friends in the world, but what are they REALLY like?  Dan Cozort, speaking from the perspective of two years living among them, looks past Monty Python and Masterpiece Theatre to try to pin down what is peculiar about the English character.  Watching the English tells us much about the English...but also much about the Americans who love them.

What’s This?

Our Monthly Minister’s Column, this month from the Rev. Duane Fickeisen.

 

It’s the sorta-annual when-to-call-your-minister column. One to clip and stick on the fridge or file electronically where you can fetch it when it’s needed.

 

We want to be helpful when you face a spiritual crisis or think you might benefit from a chat or advice. And we believe that as chaplains and pastors we can perhaps help you navigate the challenges of life transitions, difficult choices, and grieving a loss. We may not have answers to all of life’s persistent questions, and we’re not therapists, but we are pretty good listeners and sometimes we find the right questions to ask or a good resource to point you toward.

 

So don’t hesitate to be in touch with us. And don’t assume that we’re clairvoyant enough (we’re not) to know what’s going on with you unless you tell us. Given the relatively new federal rules designed to protect your privacy, hospitals won’t necessarily call us and if they do, they probably won’t tell us anything about your admission. Most of the time they won’t even verify that you’re there. So you need to be proactive.

 

Please contact us when:

• there is a death in your family

• you or a close family member is diagnosed with a serious physical or mental illness, is hospitalized, or faces surgery

• you or a family member is seriously injured in an accident

• you or your spouse has lost a job

• your primary relationship is in trouble

• you face unexpected serious financial difficulties

• any time that an emergency arises and you need assistance

• you need some emergency assistance to obtain food, get to work, find shelter, obtain medical care, etc.

• you face a spiritual crisis

• you are mad at one of us or we have disappointed you — we want to at least have the opportunity to seek reconciliation

• you have a question or comment about your congregation, its services, how to get something done, or how you can participate

• you asked us for something, we said we would do it, and haven’t (maybe we just forgot!)

• you wish we had followed up sooner about an illness, an event, or a concern

• you are happy about something and want to pass along good news!

 

Call an appropriate emergency first-responder if you need immediate emergency aid, if someone is in danger, or if you are contemplating harming yourself. Call us second in those cases.  Call us at home at 241-0410. We work at home most of the time. Messages left at the church number are only checked a couple of times a week. E-mail is a good way to reach us if your need is not immediate (messages sent to ministers@uucv.net will reach both of us).

 

If it is an emergency, call us promptly, any time of the day or night. We don’t always pick up the phone if, for example, it’s our day off, we’re meeting with someone, or we’re eating dinner. But we’ll check for messages as soon as we’re available. Our voice mail will record a long message as long as you keep talking, so you can leave a detailed message. Be sure to tell us how we can reach you.

 

If we plan to be away from the phone for more than 24 hours, we nearly always leave on our voice mail the name and number of a designated board officer who will either know how to reach us with an emergency message or how to reach another (usually UU) minister.

 

If it is not an emergency, call us at 241-0410 between 10:00 am and 10:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday. We work flexible hours. We’re each compensated for half-time work, and typically each of us works several evenings a week. We don’t have regular office hours (when we did, NOBODY EVER came by), but we will gladly make an appointment to meet you — at the Meetinghouse, at our home in Carlisle, at your home, or somewhere else. Both of us take Mondays off, and although we’ll certainly respond to an emergency then, we prefer not to conduct routine business on Mondays.

 

If you prefer to talk with one of us rather than the other, please don’t feel either of us will be hurt by your preference. It’s one of the benefits of co-ministry that you have two ministers to choose from. We normally share information with each other, but if we think your information is sensitive, we’ll ask for your permission first. If you have any concerns about confidentiality, please mention them. On the other hand, please don’t assume that if you’ve told one of us something, we both now about it.

 

Of course we will protect your privacy and respect confidentiality unless we are ethically or legally required to report information (if we believe you have presented evidence of potential child abuse, or if we think you may harm yourself or anyone else, for example).

 

So that’s about it. Call us whenever you think we might be helpful, and certainly in an emergency. It’s more helpful to call us sooner rather than later, so don’t wait until a minor crisis becomes urgent.

 

Where We Were, Where We Are and Where We’re Going

From Chuck Folsom, Board Member

 

Starting this past winter, the congregation began a journey, a journey that started with the creation of a mission and vision statement using input from throughout the congregation.  By late spring, vision in hand, the Board was ready for its yearly retreat. We met over a two-day period to start framing a set of suggested goals for the congregation to achieve in accordance with its vision; a road map if you will. One with places circled and routes penciled in. The Board came away with several good ideas and set about getting input from other elements within our UUCV community.

 

The Board’s ideas were grouped into the areas articulated in the vision statement: worship, hospitality, education, work for justice, etc. Board members were assigned to be “Vision Leaders” for each respective area. The Vision Leaders are now having conversations with committee chairs, committees, and other responsible parties to elicit further goals and shape those already articulated.

 

We have arranged to present the suggested goals attained so far in a Town Hall Meeting with all those interested on the 18th of September after the service. Mark those calendars! In this “hearing” (a description coined by Duane for voices to be heard), the Board will seek your input.  The process of paring down the list to finalize both near and long-term goals will be followed by an October congregational meeting to accept the final goals.

 

The final set of goals that you choose will become the Board’s map, telling us in which direction our journey will head and where we will lead the congregation. It will soon be time for all of us to get on the bus, to feel the excitement of the journey, and start to visit all those places we will see and people we’ll meet along the way.     

 

Please attend the hearing on September 18 if you are interested in participating in our long-range planning process.

 

Auction 2005 Kick-Off Set for September 11th

 

 

The auction committee, co-chaired by Cindi Butzer and Susan Walker, is busily working behind the scenes to prepare for UUCV’s gala social and fundraising event.  Each auction has a fun party theme to inspire the merriment, and this year’s theme will be revealed after worship on Sunday, September 11th. Information packets, including donor forms, will be available to all who attend.  Look for yours in the mail if you can’t join us in the social hall after our annual “Gathering of the Waters” service.

 

The date of the Ninth Annual UUCV Auction is Saturday, November 12th, 2005.  Festivities will commence at 5:30 p.m. and run until the conclusion of the live auction at around 10:00.  We are pleased to announce that professional auctioneer Tammy Erb will be returning once again to call the live auction.  Babysitting and a children’s program will be offered throughout the evening, and you don’t even have to worry about preparing supper before you head out.  Plenty of great food is always part of the fun!

 

In case you’re new to our congregation or have never attended our auction, here’s your primer:  The centerpiece of all of this food and music and conviviality is a blockbuster fundraising auction to benefit UUCV.  (Last year we raised over $20,000!)  The auction consists of three parts – a silent auction of items on display in the social hall, “sign-ups” for social events sponsored by members and friends of UUCV, and a live auction of donated household goods, artwork, services, vacation retreats, and you-name-it.

 

Perhaps most popular are the sign-ups, a first-come, first-served scramble to set our social calendars for the coming year.  Members and friends offer their talents and sometimes open their homes to sponsor game nights, dinners, tours, and lessons of various kinds for a limited number of UUCVers.  The ensuing events are great opportunities to indulge, learn something new, and get to know others in our congregation.  An auction catalog will be available in advance so that you can plan your strategy.  On your mark, get set, GO!

 

Some more important auction-related dates:  The deadline for “early-bird” donations will be September 25th; donate early and you’ll be entered in a prize drawing.  The final day to submit ad copy for the auction booklet will be September 29th, and the donations deadline is October 9th.  Check your information packet and weekly PrE-Views announcements for further details.

 

It’s never too early to begin thinking of what YOU can donate.  Scour not only your closets but also your skill set to see what you can offer for the benefit of UUCV. Oh, and see you there November 12th.  After all, at UUCV, everyone comes to the auction!

 

Apply Now for First-Ever UUCV Outreach Grants!

 

Remember the amazing success of our pledge campaign for the 2005-2006 fiscal year?  We smashed our goal, so at our annual meeting this past May  we budgeted $2,000 for congregational outreach projects.  If you have an idea for such a project, it’s time to apply for a grant.

 

The goal of the UUCV Outreach Grant program is to extend the congregation’s presence in the larger community.  The intention is to provide monetary support for translating the mission and vision of the Unitarian Universalists of the Cumberland Valley into concrete action.  A side benefit will be to raise the public profile of UUCV and draw new members and friends into our spiritual community.

 

Any member or group of members in good standing of UUCV or a recognized committee of the congregation may apply for a grant.  Non-member friends of UUCV are welcome to participate in any funded project, but the application must be submitted under the name of a member or recognized committee. You can even act within or on behalf of an organization outside of UUCV as long as its activities are in line with Unitarian Universalist principles.

 

Additional details are available on the grant application, which will be available on the information table in the social hall beginning August 28th.  The application deadline is Sunday, November 6th.  The applications will then be reviewed by a board-appointed task force and approved by the board at its November meeting.  Winners will be announced on Sunday, December 3rd. UUCVers always have ideas and the passion to make an impact outside the walls of our Meeting House.  Now we’ve got the funds to back you up.  Go for it!

 

Coffee Talk

 

Good news! We just found a way to live up to UU principles and indulge our favorite addiction.  This month we switch to using fair trade coffee beans in the meeting house. So what is fair trade coffee? It comes from family farmers in Latin America, Africa and Asia who are fairly paid for their product without use of middlemen. That arrangement gives the farmers a larger share of the profits to use for food, education and health care in their developing countries. UUCV joins about 500 other congregations already in the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Coffee Project, launched at the 2001 General Assembly. We’ll be buying our coffee from now on from Equal Exchange, a worker-owned cooperative founded in 1986. In 2001 Equal Exchange paid farmers almost $1 million more than what they would have earned in conventional trade.

 

Equal Exchange is committed to:

  • paying farmers a fair price, including a guaranteed minimum when market prices are low and an above-market premium for certified organic coffee.
  • working directly with democratically run co-ops owned and run by farmers.
  • providing credit to farmers between harvests so they can stay out of debt.
  • encouraging ecologically sustainable farming practices.

 

Now isn’t the coffee tasting a little sweeter already? We’ll have our choice of varieties and roasts, including shade grown coffees and certified organic coffees and teas.  We’ll also be selling fair trade coffee by the pound, tea by the box and organic chocolate (yes, I said chocolate) by the bar as a fund-raiser. So what can you do to support our new program?  When you take a cup of coffee or tea during the fellowship time after Sunday services, throw a dollar bill instead of two quarters into the money cup if you can (still cheaper than Starbucks!).  Fair trade coffee is a little more expensive than what we’ve been buying (about $10 to $15 more a case, plus we had to buy our own brewers when we ended our contract with Coffee Time).

 

Consider buying your household coffee and tea at UUCV. A pound of fair trade coffee also makes an excellent holiday or host/hostess gift.  Ask your friends, neighbors and co-workers if they’d like to order their fair trade coffee through UUCV.  If we can make enough money from retail sales we may be able to subsidize the coffee program to the point where we can provide post-service cups for free! We’ll have fair trade coffee brochures and order forms available in the Social Hall by Sept. 11. We’ll be asking for your input on what products to offer for sale. If you just can’t wait for more information visit www.equalexchange.com.

 

Building & Grounds Updates

 

B&G Committee – Fall Kick-off Meeting:   Wednesday Sept. 7th   7:00pm

It is time to regroup our regular monthly meeting/work sessions after enjoying summer vacations.  Everyone interested in working with the B&G Committee for the upcoming year please plan to attend this September meeting.  The monthly meetings are used for planning B&G work projects and to do small, regular maintenance items which keep the building functioning.  It would be very helpful in planning monthly work if we could have a group committed to attending the first Wed. of each month.   If you are interested in joining B&G, but can not attend on Sept. 7th….. please contact Rick Heckman ((#245-9525) or Paula Terry (#258-1928)

 

B&G Stewardship – Have you signed-up yet?

Everyone has something to offer toward the stewardship of our meetinghouse and grounds.  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.   We would like to see many congregation names on the Sign-up Sheet in the social hall.  Although, the checklist has some specific categories you may check…. please use the OTHER box to add your own ideas.  Look around… what could you do… clean the wood work in the sanctuary, sow and/or clean fabrics, wash a few windows….?  The idea is when B&G sees there is a need for help we will contact you.   Chores can be manageable and fun when many people help!

 

Chocolate and Wine...  in the Dining Room?

You bet!   The color scheme for the dining room project includes “Hot Cocoa” walls and a “Bordeaux” accent.   Would you like to add your name to the growing list of volunteers working on this project?   Wait to you see the action photos of UUCVers at work!   We even need people to do non-painting jobs.  Sign-up on the sheets in the social hall or contact Paula Terry (#258-1928).

 

Upcoming work dates:

Saturday 8/27 (8am-12:00) ; Tues. 8/30 (5pm - ?) ; Thurs. 9/1 (5pm - ?)

Labor Day, Mon. 9/5 (8:00am-12:00)… then off to enjoy our holiday picnics and relaxation

B&G Says “Thank You” to –

1.  The helpers at a recent work day:  Sylvia Hardman and Gene Walker (tackling the weeds and hedge trimming), Thom Marti (masonry work at the base of the bell tower), Lisa Dorrill, Susan Walker, and Beth Shank (painting primer in the dining room) and Leslie Carr (supplying refreshments)….   Rick and Paula - doing whatever is needed.

2. Deb Graeff and Grace Gross for donating a gas powered weed trimmer.

3. The growing list of volunteers working on the dining room project.

 

New Criminal Justice Initiative Kick-Off Weekend

 

Your Social Action Committee has embarked on a new adventure.  We have started putting the pieces in place for a new Criminal Justice Initiative, to be coordinated by Kathy Bell.  One of the major goals of this initiative will include working with the Pennsylvania Prison Society to breathe new life into the Cumberland County Chapter.

 

We have planned an October weekend geared toward Criminal Justice to get the ball rolling.  On Friday, October 21st, please join as at the UUCV Meeting House to watch “Dead Man Walking,” starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.  This movie chronicles Sister Helen Prejean’s experiences with a young man condemned to execution.  Our movie will be followed by a discussion afterward about the death penalty.

 

On Sunday, October 23rd, we will be joining the Serious Stuff Book Group in discussing Sister Helen Prejean’s book, The Death of Innocents.  We will be meeting in the UUCV library from 6:30 to 8 pm.  The book will be available through the Whistlestop Bookstore in Carlisle, which in the past has shipped books to SCI Muncy for Kathy Bell without any shipping charges.  The book will be released in paperback on September 30th.  The sermon that Sunday will also feature criminal justice issues. 

 

All of this is leading up to a congregational vote after Sunday’s service on a UUCV resolution for a state and national moratorium of the death penalty.  This is not a pro or con vote on the death penalty, rather a suspension in applying the sentence until it can be studied or applied fairly.  The Social Action Committee is in the process of writing the resolution and will post it when available.  To date, 48 UU congregations have passed a resolution (one from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,) and 5 other UU organizations.  We would also be joining various cities, boroughs, newspapers and other organizations throughout Pennsylvania.

 

So please take the time to come to one of the functions we have planned for that weekend to educate yourself about the death penalty prior to the vote.  If you have any questions about the various functions or the death penalty in general, please contact Tania Werry at swantail@comcast.net or Kathy Bell. 

 

UUCV is Writing and Reading

 

The Writer's Group will meet on Saturday, September 10, 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 for a fun and creative afternoon of sharing some prose or poetry written by you or others.  As always, new members most welcome!

 

"Nickle and Dimed" will be discussed when the Serious Stuff book group meets in the church library on Sunday,  September 25.  Author and cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich  based the book on her experience working at low-wage jobs in Florida, Minnesota, and Maine, in an effort to find out how former welfare recipients are surviving. Meeting time is 6:30 to 8.

The next meeting, set for October 23, will feature "Death of Innocents," by Helen Prejean, rather than John Updike's "S," the book originally scheduled.  The Prejean book will coordinate with October activities scheduled by the Social Action Committee.

 

All in the UUCV Family

Please notify Judy if you have news you’d like shared in this monthly column.

 

Welcome home to all travelers who have journeyed afar this summer!  Remember to bring water from a special place (far away or close to home) for our Water Ceremony on September 11.  An especially delighted welcome to Chris Altieri, Dan Cozort, and Harry and Clara Cozort, back home in Carlisle after two years in England.  It was good to see Lance DeMuth at a recent service; he has completed two certificate programs at Kripala Yoga Institute in Massachusetts, and will soon return there for a year-long internship.  Congratulations also to Wendell Smith and Marie Helweg-Larsen, whose July wedding in Denmark was blessed in a ceremony in our sanctuary in late August.  Anastasia Georgiou, daughter of Susan Helm, was married to Michael Bolognese, on August 13, 2005, at the Aldie Mansion in Doylestown, PA.  Mariel Martin has completed her Masters Degree in Social Science from the University of Chicago, and has taken a job as a Residence Hall Director at Skidmore College.  Her new address is 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, phone is still 717-860-2810.  Congratulations Mariel, though we’re sorry you aren’t coming back (especially a certain newsletter editor).

 

Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg Church-warming

 

Everyone is welcome to the Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg Church Warming on Saturday, September 24, at 3 p.m. at their new location: 136 S. Stratton St., Gettysburg.   We are planning a program featuring greetings and remarks; our children will sing a song.  Refreshments will be provided after the program and our children will take people on tours through the building.  Please join us as we celebrate this next step in our congregational evolution!  Charter Sunday is in the planning stage. Check our website for the date. To receive our newsletter, contact UUG via our website.  The Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg hold weekly Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. at 136 South Stratton Street, Gettysburg.  For more information, call 717-334-2920, or visit www.uugettysburg.org.

 

From U to U

 

Many, many thanks to all the painters, inspired and led by B&G Co-Chair Paula Terry, for the terrific job of painting the dining room in a spiffy and contemporary color scheme.  We are deeply grateful to custodian Jim Yarlett (and his family, who occasionally help) for keeping our building so clean and tidy.  From Judy Welles