Unitarian Universalists of
the
Online
Newsletter for August
2006
September
Newsletter Deadline is Monday, August 21. Submit
items to kivana“at”comcast.net
Congregational Events and Happenings
Update on the GLBT Justice Initiative
Project S.H.A.R.E. In the News
August 6 "This I Believe."
Dot Everhart and Bev
Motich, Worship Associates.
As UU's
we commit ourselves to a free and responsible search for truth and
meaning. We'll explore the wisdom traditions from scriptures, what we
believe personally, and the role of beliefs in our daily lives. What
is it that YOU believe and what do you KNOW for sure?
August 13 “How
To Take a Spiritual Sabbatical”
Kim van Alkemade, Worship Associate.
Between our commitments to work,
family, community and congregation, how can we find time to experience a
spiritual sabbatical? This summer service
will explore ways of giving ourselves permission to take some time off to renew
our spirits, and ways to make time for special projects that contribute
something special to others.
August 20 “Converting to Unitarian Universalism”
The Rev. Judy Welles;
Bev Motich, Worship
Associate.
Paul was knocked off his horse on
the road to
August 27 “Atonement for All: Hoseau Ballouâ’s Universalism and Us.”
The Rev. Duane Fickeisen and Kim van
Alkemade, Worship Associate. Carole Knisely
and David and Virginia Jackson, Musicians.
Does an early 19th century
Universalist whose theology of universal atonement was derived from Holy Scriputure have anything to say to us today? Hear about Hoseau Ballouâ’s life and work as
we explore whether his theology is simply an interesting piece of our heritage
or a source of inspiration and meaning for us.
Remember to Gather Water!
Our annual Water Ceremony
celebrating the return to community will be held on Sunday, September 10. Please
remember to gather some water this summer from a place that is important to
you, whether it’s off the dock at a lakeside cottage, from a river overseas, or
from the drinking fountain at the local library.
Our monthly minister’s column, this month
from Rev. Judy Welles.
As I have been quietly (but
impatiently!) recovering from minor surgery in mid-July, I’ve had plenty of
time to think about all the issues associated with being somewhat
incapacitated. There is nothing like a
personal illness or crisis to deepen one’s understanding
of the universal experience of vulnerability and imperfection.
I had a blocked salivary gland
removed on a Tuesday in same-day surgery at the
Silly me. I had planned to go ahead with my scheduled
service on the following Sunday, with the able assistance of Virginia Jackson
as my Worship Associate. We both were
excited about the topic, and I was looking forward to sharing some inspiring stories
and exciting ideas with you. I was sure
that I’d be fine by Sunday.
But by Thursday morning I
realized that not only did I look awful (a secondary but not insignificant
consideration), I was incapable of focused thought. There was no way I could have put together a
service worthy of your time and attention on that Sunday. I am deeply grateful to Duane for taking over
with my idea and my research, and putting together what sounds like a very good
service! Thanks to
Instead of attending church that
Sunday, I stayed home and did the most spiritual thing I could think of, which
was to have a long, long phone conversation with a friend who has recently been
diagnosed with a fatal, incurable, untreatable disease: amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s
disease. Our conversation has stayed
with me ever since, helping me understand what it feels like to have a horrible
diagnosis like this while living in the public eye (as she, too, is a minister)
– and helping me to understand my own situation.
She had been at General Assembly, but I saw her only
briefly at one event. She left shortly
after she arrived, and I was worried about her.
On the telephone she told me that it was just too difficult to be there,
not for any physical reasons, but because the choice of whether or not to
discuss her illness had been taken away from her. Everyone knew of her diagnosis, everyone
loves her, everyone is sad, everyone wants to tell her how sad they are and how
concerned they are for her. And as you
might expect, some people (yes, even ministers) said some thoughtless things to
her, even with the best of intentions.
With a disease which progressively takes away one’s motor capacities, it
seemed especially ironic that the choice of talking about it had also been
taken away from her.
I’ve been reflecting on the way I handled my own
situation, telling as few of you as possible about my pending surgery and
arranging to stay away from the meeting house as much as possible
afterwards. Though I knew it already,
what came into sharp focus for me is how protective I am of my private life,
how I want to maintain the choice of whether and when to talk with you about
anything that is deeply personal to me.
This is tricky.
As your minister, it’s part of my work with you to be involved in your
crises, your big decisions, your disappointments, your difficulties. Of course you get to choose how much to
involve me, but I think it’s understood among us that this is what a minister
does, and it’s what I want to do for you.
Yet because ours is a professional relationship and not a friendship
(even though it often feels like one), it’s not
appropriate that it be fully reciprocal.
As one member wrote to me in an e-mail, “You'd have no private
life if you interacted with all of us as family or close friends!”
It’s tricky because I deeply
appreciated the person who showed up on the porch with flowers (and gracefully
refused my invitation to come in) and the notes I received from several of
you. It feels very good to be cared for,
to know that people are rooting for me and sending me healing thoughts. Certainly our care for each other is reciprocal; Duane and I are very
aware of your affection and concern for us, and we seldom pass up the
opportunity to tell you how much we love you.
Robert Frost wrote “good fences
make good neighbors.” My version of this
wisdom is “good boundaries make good minister-congregant relationships.” Duane and I are so glad to be working among
you to bring the Good News of Unitarian Universalism to the
Love, Judy
By UUCV’s Director of Religious Education,
Kevin Snow
As I had imagined it would, Summer has positively been flying along and before you know it the Water Service will be around the corner. That means I have lots to get finished for the start of the new RE season, but for now I am being lazy and relaxed. As I write this column today, I am on vacation and if not for the diligence of our newsletter editor, Kim Van Alkemade, who was kind enough to give me a gentle email nudge, there wouldn’t be any August column. It surprises me how quick responsibilities fall out of my mind when I am in the relax mode. I only hope that you have been able to relax and enjoy the Summer and I look forward to hearing how everyone spent their vacations in RE!
There are several things that need to be mentioned this month. First of all, I want to say a big thank you to all who helped make the 2006 Peacemaker’s Camp a success. At my last count, we had sixteen campers, a record if I am not mistaken. Once again we had great assistance from Jim Freeman, Chuck and Janet Folsom, Janet Mooney, Mary Lynn Lynch, and some guest appearances by Kathy Bell and Ken Laws. There were probably others who assisted and they deserve recognition too, so please make yourselves known to me. My work schedule and some unforeseen events interfered with my full participation this year, but from what I witnessed at the beginning of camp the kids were in store for a fantastic time! Swimming, canoeing, hiking, journal making, singing and, of course, eating were just a few of the campers’ fun events. Join us next year, won’t you?
The other thing that must get
mentioned is a reminder for all parents of our Coming of Age kids that we will
be having a very active RE year this season. Your kids will be moving into
phase two of the Coming of Age program and this means much more responsibility
on their part as they prepare to become active members of our congregation.
Soon, you will be getting a letter from me detailing some of these requirements
and informing you of a meeting to discuss the season. We will need a lot of
commitment from your children both for attendance and completion of
assignments. That’s right, the COA program includes some homework this year,
but not the typical kind. All this will be explained in the near future, so if
you have questions you can either contact me or wait for the meeting. The COA
program is very special and we already know you have some wonderful children
that we hope to encourage even more as they become young UU’s.
Enjoy your vacations, those of you that still have some planned. See you on
Sunday!!!
August 4 Pot Luck Meet, eat, and beat the
heat as we gather in the cool UUCV dining room at
August 19 The Writer's Group will meet on Saturday from
August 27 Serious Stuff’s
August book will be "Buddhism Without
Beliefs," by Stephen Batchelor. In it, he lays out the major tenets
of Buddhist wisdom, telling us that the wisdom in Buddhism is independent of
the theology and is informative not only to believers but to everyone.
Meeting time on Sunday is
Sharon O'Brien, professor of
English and American Studies at
By Kathy Ellis
The path to ordained Unitarian
Universalist Ministry is an amazing and transformative adventure. I continue to
be grateful for this wonderful privilege as I take my next steps. My next step
has come more quickly than I expected: I will retire as a psychotherapist on
WellSprings is an innovative
new congregation, a daughter church of the
I will work with Rev. Ken Beldon, the congregation’s dynamic lead minister, and with
all the people of WellSprings as the “Director of
Equipping.” Here is my basic job description, “WellSprings
empowers people to find their true sense of calling, not just to do what they
are good at, but to live out what they do best and the world needs most. . . . The Director of Equipping works
to develop people who have the capacity to flourish, to realize their spiritual
potential, and, in so doing, be of caring and committed service.” I will be
helping people to identify their gifts and passions, leading groups and
retreats, teaching classes and sometimes leading worship. I am thrilled that I
will be able to use my psychology and teaching skills in a UU congregation, I
will be able to use my new theological learning, and I will continue to learn.
This is a position that will use my own gifts and passions.
I am also pleased that I will be
working half-time for WellSprings because this means
that I am not leaving you. I am not leaving UUCV. I am not leaving
Currently, the major effort for
the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Justice Initiative is to
persuade the Carlisle Borough Council to adopt an antidiscrimination ordinance
protecting GLBT people. At present, in most of
In the face of this injustice to some of their people, a number of local jurisdictions have enacted their own statutes protective of GLBT people. These include Erie County, the towns and cities of Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, New Hope, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, York, State College (housing only), recently the boroughs of Swarthmore and Lansdowne, and in the last two months the City of Easton.
Here in
We held a public forum on the topic in May, bringing in Stephen Glassman, Chairperson of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and Katie Eyer, attorney from the Center for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights, to tell us about similar efforts and ordinances throughout the State. In attendance were two members of the Borough Council, Tim Scott and Don Grell. Now Tim Scott has announced that he will introduce our antidiscrimination ordinance in a month or two for Council approval. Already the Council solicitor has reviewed and approved the legality of such an ordinance for the Borough. The newspapers reported that to a question about possible costs Tim replied to the effect that it was important to do the right thing.
We are now at a pivotal
point. It is imperative that we gather sufficient public support for the
ordinance to convince the Council to adopt it, possibly over vigorous objection
from those who put prejudice above justice. For those who are
Home Hospitality Fundraiser
UUCV will once again offer the
Home Hospitality Project to the families of
As a host family you will provide
two nights lodging and breakfast both mornings. In return, the guest family
will make a monetary donation to UUCV. You get to share your home, participate
in interesting conversation, make new friends and help the church raise money.
If you are interested please contact Ann Marie Wolf at 486-7793 or by e-mail at
kresswolf@paonline.com.
This has the potential to become
a very lucrative fund raising event with enough hosts. You do not need to live
within walking distance to
eBay sales
Thanks for everyone's donations
to our ongoing eBay sales. This last month we sold $63 worth of items for
UUCV. Look around the house for any trinkets that have lost their charm,
toys that are ready to be passed on, vintage items
collecting dust on the shelf. One man's trash is another man's
treasure. Drop off your items in the bin located in the auction room
behind the stage of the social hall. Any questions, call Carol McAnulty 249-4433 or paulandcarol913@earthlink.net..
It’s never too early to mark your
calendars for this year’s UUCV Auction: November
11, starting at
This year, the auction committee
is dedicated to making the auction a family-friendly event. A special program is being developed for
children, who will find fun, lots of food, professional entertainment and friendly
supervision downstairs while the auction proceeds upstairs. Come as a family, and everyone is sure to
enjoy the evening! Please contact Bob and Wendy Hankes
at galt1627@cs.com if you think you’ll be
bringing your children along so they know how many kids to expect! Parents are needed to help Wendy and Bob
plan the details of the children’s program.
Start thinking now about what you
can contribute to the auction: an event? an item? a service? Why not
something in each category? Watch for donations
forms in the mail in August. Geneva Politzer (258-8715) will be coordinating donations; you can
fill out the form and return it to her at UUCV, or simply email the information
on the form, including a detailed description of your item, to
There are also lots of ways that
you can help to make the auction our most successful annual social and
fundraising event. Volunteer to bring
some food, help to set up and decorate, or assist during the auction
itself. The donation form will list all
volunteer opportunities. Auction booklets
detailing all the wonderful offerings will be ready in October, so you can plan
your bidding strategy before arriving at the auction in November. To ensure that all auction information gets
to your mailbox, be sure your contact information is correct; address or zip
code changes should be sent to uucv@pa.net.
Another change this year is
advance notice of the theme. Are you
ready? Are you sure??? Here it is:
JUNGLE SAFARI!!! One of the best
features of the auction is DRESSING UP, which is optional but strongly encouraged. Begin planning now for your jungle safari
costume, mark your calendars, and start getting excited. On November 11, YUU’LL GO APE for the UUCV AUCTION!
In May we collected $232 for the
Clean Air Board of Central Pa and in June we collected $229 for STARR, a
psychiatric rehabilitation of the
August Change will go to
UUCV contributed 65.6 pounds of
food to the Project S.H.A.R.E. food bank for July distribution. Included in this total was 16.5 pounds of pork’n’beans, our signature item! Thanks for your generosity.
August sees the emphasis shift to
back-to-school. A gala party is planned
for the children on August 27 when school supplies will be distributed. Donations of any school related items, such
as pens, pencils, binders, paper, rulers, calculators, back packs, etc. would
be greatly appreciated. These items can
be taken directly to the food bank or brought to UUCV to be included with our
food donations. The food bank is also in
need of plastic and paper grocery bags.
The next ingathering will be Sunday, August 13.
We send our sympathies to Katie McFarland, whose mother died last
month after a long illness. Yulia Van Doren,
our former accompanist, continues to develop her astonishing career in vocal
music, recently winning third prize in the International Young Artists competition
of the American Bach Soloists. More
information is available at http://www.americanbach.org/competition/index.htm. We send loving condolences to Sherri Holsten
and Teresa Shaffer, whose beloved bunny, Lucy, died recently. Big congratulations to Lexie Abeln, who graduated from the nursing
program at
Much gratitude
to Missy Molino for the beautiful hand-pieced, hand-quilted altar cloth which
has graced our altar table since early June. Missy is a masterful quilter and fabric
artist, and her skill is evident in this lovely cloth with its inset chalice
and UUCV quilted into the fabric. Thank
you, Missy! From Judy Welles
The Marilyn I meant to thank in the July newsletter was Marilyn Zatinsky, who was a huge help during my recovery. Also thanks to Elwood Williard, Genieva Politzer, Pat Dietz and Joanne Storch. Thank you. From Carolyn Hocker
Many thanks go to Jim Freeman for
his wonderful care when Alex Hovet’s dad, Kevin, was
brought into the
The UUA is seeking
qualified candidates to supervise office operations for the Washington Office
and provide administrative and bookkeeping/financial support for the Directors
of two UUA staff groups. This is an exempt Grade 9 position (minimum $34,200,
midpoint, $42,300). Applicants should have at least 5 years of administrative
experience, possessing excellent computer skills, primarily Microsoft Word, and
a high level of proficiency with Excel, Outlook and web research. Applicants must
be highly organized, detail-oriented, with excellent written and oral communication
skills, a high level of customer service and strong basic math and financial
bookkeeping skills. Human Resources and some supervisory experience would be
helpful. People with disabilities and candidates who identify as a person of
color, Hispanic/Latino/Latina and/or BGLT are encouraged to apply. Send resume
and cover letter to: Taquiena Boston at tboston@uua.org.
A full description of the position is available at http://www.uua.org/hr/openings.html.
Ministers Rev. Duane Fickeisen & Rev. Judy Welles Email
ministersATuucv.net. Home study telephone: 241-0410
Office Assistant Elena Yarlett Hours: Thursdays from
Dir. of Religious Ed. Kevin Snow,
249-8104, dreATuucv.net
UUCV Board of Trustees
Kit Franklin (president), akfrankATepix.net
Ed Glasgow (vice-president), edwinglasgowATaol.com
Leslie Carr (clerk), lgcarr22ATyahoo.com
Larry Berger-Knorr (treasurer), bergerknorrATgmail.com
Priscilla Laws, lawspATdickinson.edu
Tom DeWall, thdewallATpapsy.org
Carol McAnulty, paulandcarol913ATearthlink.net
Jon Tarrant, jwtarrantATcomcast.net
Sue Roberts, b.s.roberts.ivjlATstatefarm.com
Committee Chairs and Other Leaders
Building and Grounds Committee: Rick Heckman, heckmanrATcomcast.net & Paula Terry, loonsATpa.net
Music Committee: Ken Laws, lawsATdickinson.edu
Finance & Fundraising Committee: Bob & Wendy Hankes, galt1627ATcs.com
Membership Committee: Doug Spencer, jbsandmsATepix.net
Committee on Ministry: Liz Hoffman, hoffpsychATmindspring.com & Joan Bechtel, bechteljoATaol.com
Religious Education Committee: Ann Berger-Knorr, annabellejATcomcast.net
Social Action Council: Priscilla Laws, lawspATdickinson.edu
Caring Circle: Sylvia Hardman
Coffee Coordinator Jeb Boyd, jeb101904ATearthlink.net
Sunday Music Coordinator Nancy Bittinger, nbittingerATcomcast.net
Newsletter Editor: Kim van Alkemade, kivanaATcomcast.net
Flowers Coordinator: Mary Lynn Lynch, marylynn_lynchATyahoo.com
Potluck Coordinator: Tom Vernon, tlvernonATblazenet.net
Small Group Ministry: Ed Glasgow,
edwinglasgowATaol.com