Compassion lies at the core of all our religious traditions, and it is a primary goal of spiritual practice. How can we increase compassion in our lives and in the world?

July 8 “Joy and Woe Are Woven Fine.”

Rev. Judy Welles; Kim Van Alkemade, Worship Associate; Julie Moffitt, Musician; incidental music by The Question Marks and Virginia Jackson. In this service, members of the congregation will be invited to participate in a variety of ways as we share tuning points, celebrations, and regrets in our lives in addition to our traditional joys and concerns.

July 15 “No God Worthy to Preside Over This Art”

Presented by The Rev. Duane Fickeisen and Dot Everhart, Worship Associate; Music by Drew Thompson and Carole Knisely

When no God could be found worthy to preside over the arts, the muses were appointed, according to myth. We¹ll examine how to invite their collaboration as a source of inspiration to your inner creative self and thus to grace your life. We begin with the conviction that everyone has innate creativity. When you step out of its way, your creativity just might generate some surprising results.

July 22 “Religious Literacy”

Rev. Judy Welles; Dan Cozort, Worship Associate; Carole Knisely and Ken Laws, musicians. Choir to sing the anthem“Filled With Loving Kindness”

Quick! Name the four Gospels; name the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism; name a holy scripture of Hinduism. Stumped? So is most of the American public. Why is it important that we be religiously literate, and how might we achieve that goal?

July 29 “Separate Magisteria: Resolving the Science and Religion Conflict?”

The Rev. Duane Fickeisen and Bev Motich, Worship Associate; Music by Sally Beaver

Stephen Jay Gould defined a magisterium as “a domain where one form of teaching holds the appropriate tools for meaningful discourse and resolution.” We'll explore the differing realms where the tools of religion and those of science inform discourse and epistemology and whether or not they intersect or overlap.

What’s This?

Our monthly minister’s column, this month by Rev. Duane Fickeisen

Last month’s annual meeting of delegates and observers in the annual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in Portland, Oregon, included a new opportunity for conversation outside the rules of procedure that both help to manage debate and at the same time restrict open discussion in huge plenary sessions.

The Board of Trustees is in a discernment process about the mission of the UUA. They asked delegates to talk about why the UUA exists, whom or what it serves, and how it should focus its resources. At the same time, the separately elected Commission on Appraisal is studying the part of the UUA bylaws that describes the purposes of the UUA and includes the seven principles that espouse our values and the six sources that describe the traditions from which we draw inspiration.

The approach used to engage the delegates in conversation at GA is called Open Space Technology. It’s a process designed to facilitate multiple conversations in small groups, consolidate the wisdom of the many groups into a few simple statements, and set priorities among the statements.

More than 1400 of the nearly 5700 people who attended GA participated in one or more of the 100-plus small group conversations. Each of the small groups addressed a particular topic — the titles of which were suggested by anyone who had an idea and was willing to convene the discussion and report on it. The groups met at several different times and the schedule of topics was posted. Delegates were encouraged to go to any of the group discussions that piqued their interest and if they were in one that wasn’t interesting to them, to leave and try another one.

Each of the groups was instructed to summarize their work in fewer than 25 words that described what excited the group in their discussion. From those summary statements 30 other statements were derived that were meant to suggest elements of a possible mission statement. Each delegate was then given five votes to rank the relative priorities of the 30 statements.

The process was somewhat chaotic, though the team that managed it had planned well to provide some structure and just enough order to guide the chaos toward the objective.

As you might imagine, the topics covered a wide range of issues, some of them very specific, like how to establish a program to support disadvantaged students with college aid, and others much more global, like examining how fear keeps us immobilized.

Before you read any further, consider what topics you might have proposed to talk about with fellow UUs in the context of what your association should be doing. What’s on your mind? How can the UUA better support its member congregations? Go ahead, make a list.

The 30 potential mission statements included statements that call us to more effective ministry to youth, to stewardship of the earth, to peacemaking and living in right relationship with each other. They included anti-oppression work and personal transformation through deepening faith and spirituality. One addressed preparation of effective ministers and one explicitly supported strong congregations.

The results of the priority setting won’t be available until the voting sheets are tallied next fall, but we might each consider those big questions: Whom does the association serve? Why does it exist? What are the most important things it should do?

The UUA is an association of its member congregations. It exists to serve them. I feel very strongly that its purpose should be to support healthy, thriving congregations. The most important things it should do include training and support of effective lay and professional leadership, credentialing clergy, and providing access to services that are best done collectively. For example, the UUA should publish hymn books and curricula, provide advice and assistance to keep congregations healthy, make access to health and disability insurance and a retirement plan available for the staff who serve and work in congregations, promote our movement, and keep records. It should also work toward the development of liberal theologies and toward a deeper faith and spirituality. Because justice making is often more effectively done collectively, it should facilitate our collaborative quest for understanding and ending injustice and for making our espoused values manifest through care for the earth and its inhabitants.

The mission should not be, in my opinion, to overcome fear, to send kids to school, to end racism, or to support youth. Those are worthy objectives, they deserve our attention, and the world would be a better place if they were accomplished; but none of them should be our primary mission. Rather we should seek to support thriving congregations that will be the locus of actions to bring about the transformation that leads to justice making.

You’ll have an opportunity to participate in a process later this year to consider the purposes of the UUA, the language of the seven principles, and the six sources that are in the bylaws as part of the Commission on Appraisal process as we convene a conversation at UUCV.

See you on Sunday!

Glad to be UU

From Kit Franklin, President, UUCV Board of Trustees

Many years ago I heard Rev. A. Powell Davies preach a sermon about measuring out our lives with something bigger than a "coffee spoon." As I remember, he wanted our lives, our dreams and our aspirations to be big, inclusive, to have no barriers to exclude ideas or people. That is one of the visions that makes me so glad to be a Unitarian/Universalist.

Today, May 5, I felt again, as I often do at UUCV, the gratitude and pride that comes to me with being a UU. Judy had made me think - she keeps interrupting my complacency that way - making me examine yet again my values and how well or poorly I am living up to them. She was advocating kindness, fairness, justice and basic decency for undocumented workers in her sermon I Was a Stranger. Of course! We are UUs! That goes with the territory. Right? Well, not always for me. English is the only language I have bothered to learn, and how often am I patient enough to try to understand someone who does not speak English. Would I share my water dish with a stranger who had not bathed in weeks, as Berry and Sappho did? How much of my comfortable life would I be willing to risk; how much time would I give to help the cause of justice for those who must struggle to feed families they have had to leave behind?

Yes, I’m happy to be a UU. Maybe I need to do something to earn the right to be a UU.

From the DRE

By Kevin C. Snow

Have you taken your summer vacation yet? I just got back from a week in Kitty Hawk, NC and I was actually happy, on some levels, to return. Sure, the sand and surf was nice. Yes, the sites were interesting. And the food! Wow, the food was great! And that is part of the problem. Everything was too great to experience on a regular basis. I never thought about it before, but even vacations have a yin and yang relationship with “normal” life. I wouldn’t appreciate them as much if I didn’t have the daily grind to return to and if I wasn’t staring out my window at concrete prison walls most days. I do love to eat, too much, and that poses other problems. I’m getting older and my body just isn’t as stainless as it used to be. I had to invest in some antacid to make it through the week and for a rare change I was actually happy to come home and return to my usual eating habits which don’t include two meals out every day or fried things every other night. Vacation is only vacation if we experience it in small doses, I suppose. A lifestyle built around living like I was on vacation would not suit me at all, at least not my waistline.

But, I don’t suppose most of my charges at UUCV have to worry about such things on their summer vacations. The young are privileged to be more carefree in this regard; at least I was when I was younger. Speaking of vacations, where are you and your family going this summer? I hope wherever you go, be it beach or backyard, foreign soil or familiar terrain that you will take lots of photos and bring back memories to share with your fellow RE classmates. Especially, if you and your family are doing something unique this summer that may involve helping others in the world or learning about new cultures or taking care of the environment in some way, please tell us all about this. There is a growing trend in socially conscious vacationing on the planet and UUs strike me as the perfect group to lead the way in this new approach to leisure.

Please don’t forget that you can have a vacation through UUCV without much effort through our RE and summer camp programs. The kids who have been coming to church on summer Sundays so far have had a lot of fun. Last Sunday they even made ice cream by hand! I was very jealous as there was none leftover for the DRE. There are more fun-filled summer camp themed sessions to come so please join us Sunday mornings for Sunday Summer Camp.

Also, I know there are lots of folks and families who have expressed an interest in attending Family Peacemakers’ Camp this year, but so far I have not gotten a single registration form back! Forms are available every Sunday on the RE table beneath a big sign. Please grab one, fill it out and return it to me in person or place it in the mail box on the RE table. We need to know all your vitals and how many people are attending soon. Also, just to clarify, we are promoting the camp as a family event this year, but individual children may still attend without their parents attending so please don’t see the “family” as excluding you or your kids. We want to include everyone in on the fun this year!

I also have an announcement to make that is good news and sad news. Shortly after RE Sunday our faithful Youth Group Advisor Wendell Smith told me that he had to resign from his position. I am sad to see him go but I wish him well on new endeavors. Wendell has been an important part of RE at UUCV in his role as Youth Advisor and deserves a big thank you for his help! This resignation had me initially biting my lip with a bit of worry, but like the great UUs before her, Jill Kachmar has stepped up to the plate and agreed to be our new Youth Group Advisor! I know that the youth will love Jill and that things will be great under her guidance. Thanks for saying yes in a time of need! There are several other adults who have shown an interest in assisting with the Youth Group next year so stay tuned for some upcoming activities. That’s all folks . . . see you on Sunday!

On a Musical Note…

UUCV’s music committee wishes to thank Tom DeWall for his contributions as he steps down from the committee as its Board Liason. We also welcome Janet Lutz-Folsom to the crew which currently also consists of Nancy Bittinger, Ken Laws, Mary Lynn Lynch, Geneva Politzer, and Gene Walker with Judy Welles as our staff representative. Keep in mind that a sub-committee is currently in the process of looking for a Music Director and hopes to have the position filled by the fall. With this in mind, please keep on the lookout for the committee’s suggestion box located in the social hall. An official Music Director may just be able to help fulfill some of your ear’s desires but the committee is eagerly looking for input. So far, we have received one message saying, “You rock” and one message with a request for “Shenandoah” to be performed at the water service. We’ll keep you posted.

Also, take note that we are preparing for a Talent Showcase planned for Saturday, January 19^th at 7:00 pm. We invite those who are interested in participating to consider what they might like to showcase and children are strongly encouraged to take the stage. There will be trios and duets and solos of various kinds with or without our beautiful piano to accompany. Instruments of all kinds and their players are being sought out for this concert event. Perhaps you have a talent that you would like to share and don’t be shy. The committee is also looking for volunteers to present music for gathering by instrument or voice or a combination of both. Please contact Nancy Bittinger if you can help out by signing up for an upcoming Sunday morning.

Attention to all kids wishing to sing with the adult choir in July! The UUCV choir is looking for extra help on Sunday July 22^nd to help with an anthem and we appreciate all the help we can get. The more kids the better! We had great success on Father’s Day when the choir was joined by Clara Cozort, Madison Folsom, Michael Politzer and Drew Thompson. Rumor has it that the kids really enjoyed themselves singing with the adults and great thanks go out to them for participating. The choir will definitely meet on Sunday July 22^nd at 9:30 am for a final rehearsal of this upcoming anthem. Please contact Janet Lutz-Folsom at 486-7988 with questions and /or Ken Laws for other rehearsal times. We’d love to hear from you.

Farewell From Your Student Minister

By Kathy Ellis

You, the members and friends of UUCV, have been an important part in making me the minister that I am today and the minister that I will be. As I work with other congregations and in other settings, you will always be with me.

This congregation agreed to sponsor me as a ministerial candidate, one of the many requirements of the Ministerial Fellowship Committee. You have listened to my sermons, come to workshops, and voted me as a delegate to General Assembly. We have laughed together, cried together. We have played silly games and we have worked together. You’ve told me when you appreciated something that I did and said, and you’ve told me when you did not, when I had made a mistake. You have allowed me to help you, and to know you, and you have helped me. You have allowed me to receive. You were incredibly supportive to me and to Rick when we lost both our fathers in the same month. You have told me your hopes, dreams and sorrows. You have allowed me to be me with you.

In other words, you have been a community. You have been my community. We have been community together. Good ministers come from community and help to grow community. In our hymn, Spirit of Life, we sing “Roots hold me close, wings set me free.” We need both. Community is the “roots” of ministry. The congregation is foundational for ministry. But to be good ministers, we need wings, too. We need to search, learn, explore. We need to grow our spirits so that we can help you to grow your own spirits.

June 30 will be the official end of my student ministry at UUCV. Since January, you have seen me less and less. I have been at WellSprings for worship on most Sunday mornings. I am leaving the active community life of UUCV, but I am not moving. Rick will still be a member of the congregation. You may see me in town or at social events. I will be an occasional visiting Student Minster, but my ministry won’t be at UUCV.

Next year I will continue to work half-time at WellSprings and I will be doing Clinical Pastoral Education at Gettysburg Hospital. I still have to be in Chicago for 2 more full Januaries.

I want to say thank you. Thank you to you all for being who you are. Thank you for your support of me in this ministerial formation process. Thank you for your support of Rick as he has had to deal with my absences and changes. I want to thank Judy and Duane who have met with me, encouraged me, and challenged me.

Especially, I want to thank the members of my student ministry committee. They have met with me monthly since February 2006. They asked questions, offered suggestions, and supported me. They did an extensive and thorough evaluation of my work at UUCV. The committee included Dan Bechtel, Nick Bloom, Dan Cozort, Liz Hoffman, Dave Mooney and Janet Spencer. I give you my deep gratitude. You have helped to grow UU ministry by helping to grow a minister. I will miss you and will be glad to see you. Wherever I go and whoever I serve, a piece of you will go with me.

Farewell. Love and Blessings to you.

Project SHARE In The News

Good news! Elaine Livas, Dir of Project SHARE, is back to work following a three month absence to recuperate from an auto accident in early March. She is in a wheel chair but continues therapy to learn to walk again.

Help wanted: Pam Bream is looking for volunteers to help glean crops from local farms. This usually takes place on Wednesday evenings, from 5:30 till about 8:30pm. It can be a fun time. If you can help please call Pam at Project SHARE 249-7773.

Thanks so much for the 70 pounds of food and the $10 cash contribution in June. What a wonderful testament to UUCV’s commitment to our wider community. Next in-gathering will be July 15.

Change For The World

Another wonderful month in donations for Change for the World. In May we collected $248 for the West Shore Humane Society as suggested by Madison Folsom. Our recipient of March's change, the Cumberland Valley Rails to Trails Council wrote extending their "heart-felt thanks" to UUCV for the generous donation. They will use the donation "to advance our mission of developing and maintaining recreational trails in South Central Pennsylvania."

The YWCA Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis services received our change for the world in April. They also sent a note of thanks for the donation. They wrote, "Last year, we presented 343 prevention/education programs to 9,268 students in Cumberland County schools. Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Services staff and volunteers responded to 530 Hotline call and provided counseling and support services for 552 victims and their significant others. SA/RCS does not charge a fee for services so your support makes it possible for us to help those in need in our community. Thank you very much for this gift."

In July our loose change will go toward the Pride Festival of Central Pennsylvania. This group is a volunteer 501 (c) 3 organization that puts on the annual Pridefest in Harrisburg. Pridefests occur all across the country to celebrate the Stonewall riots marking the birth of the gay rights movement. Gay and straight together gather to witness the progress being made in bringing the gay community into the mainstream of society, and to witness the continuing need for much further effort. It is each year a joyous confident, and hopeful day in Harrisburg of remembrance and celebration, in which we at UUCV play an important part.

Pridefest July 28

Pridefest this year will be on July 28. Sign-up and information sheets are on the Welcoming Congregation table. UUCV will be marching in the parade as part of a larger UU group, including Harrisburg, Gettysburg, and York, and perhaps, maybe, Lancaster. We'll have a part of a larger UU booth, disseminating propaganda and providing a little water and shade for passersby, we'll be providing some of the Silent Witnesses, and we'll be providing volunteers for the Festival itself. If you want more details, contact Alan Franklin.

New Newsletter Editor!

Please welcome Laura Rumley as your new Newsletter Editor! Laura will be taking over starting with the August newsletter. Continue to send your submissions to newsletter@uucv.net. Laura will be the fourth newsletter editor in UUCV’s history, following Bruce Hendrickson, Ellis, and Kim van Alkemade.

Congregational Happenings

July 1 On Sunday July 1 at 12:15 in the UUCV Library, there will be a further discussion of The Jesus Mysteries. Bring a sandwich or other snack if you wish. This is an extra meeting of the Book Group, in addition to the regular June and July meetings.

July 6 The Pot Luck Supper will be held on Friday, July 6, at 6:P.M. Music for the evening will be Great Male Vocalists of a bygone era. Bring a dish to share, dine by candle light, and join in the festivities.

July 9 “What Is Religion?” That's the title of Dan Cozort's summer school course at Dickinson. If that's something you'd like to explore, you are invited to sit in on any or all class meetings. The course will meet from July 9 to August 10 on every weekday from 9:30 to 11:20, although there will be fieldtrips on some days that will go beyond the listed time. If interested, e-mail Dan at cozort@dickinson.edu.

July 21 The Writer's Group will meet on Saturday, July 21 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the home of Joan Campbell, 324 Carol Street, New Cumberland, PA. Call or email Joan if you plan to attend in case of changes to the schedule: Tel. 774-2268; jjcampbel@aol.com. Come join us for a fun and creative afternoon. You can share prose or poetry you've written or read something written by a favorite author. As always, new members most welcome.

July 22 The Serious Stuff bookclub selection for July 22, 2007 is Freedom in Exile by the Dalai Lama. We will meet at 6:30 PM in the library of the UUCV meetinghouse for a good discussion. Please join us; all are welcomed. If you have questions, notify Leslie Carr at lgcarr22@yahoo.com.

Look Ahead to Fall: Peace Walk, Mozambique and Arts Festival

CARC PLANNING 9/11 COMMEMORATION EVENT

The congregations of the Carlisle Area Religious Council are planning a Peace Walk to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11. This event is in the very earliest of planning stages. More details will be available soon, in this newsletter, Social Action Matters, and other announcements and bulletins.

Mozambique Bursary Project to be Reviewed this September

The Social Action Council has set a goal of reviewing the Bursary project every two years. Priscilla Laws and Virginia Jackson are scheduled to arrive in Quelimane, Mozambique on Thursday September 13^th and spend about a week traveling to locations throughout the province of Zambézia. Our on-site Mozambique Bursary Project coordinator, Karen Butt, is organizing the trip, and she and Adelia Raul who works with her will accompany Priscilla and Virginia. They will have an opportunity meet with girls who are attending schools in Nicodala, Namarroi, and Molumbo. In addition they will be observing some of the activities undertaken by younger girls in rural villages as part of the PEDRA program for AIDS prevention sponsored by the Christian Council of Mozambique. They will also have an opportunity to watch a rehearsal of the dance troupe that created the Sonho Nocturno production that many congregants saw in December. They will attend a service at the tiny Methodist church outside of Namarroi called La Igreja Metódista de Namurauane. At that time to proceeds from UUCV’s August Change for the World collection will be presented to the church.

Plan Ahead for the October Arts Festival

UUCV & Muncy Artisans to exibit at Carlisle's Harvest of the Arts Festival, Saturday, October 13th, 2007, from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

UUCV annually invites original creations to raise funds at the auction. This year for the first time, UUCV will be a vendor at Carlisle's premier arts festival. Any and all hand creations are invited. The more artisans who contribute the more variety and fewer items each artist will need to contribute. This event will provide UUCV a public forum that in addition to promoting our congregation & its principles via hand-out materials spotlights our creative artisans; publicizes our Social Action Initiatives via table displays; and allows a venue for the women at SCI Muncy whose creations also will be sold. Of the income generated by sale of UUCV artisans 50% will go to UUCV's general fund and 50% will support the Social Action Council's Iniatives. Items not sold will be contributed to the UUCV auction for bidding. While, 100% of the income generated by the sale of Muncy creations will go back to the women for their personal needs. Sponsored by the Social Action Council. Contact: Kathy Bell 243-4123 or kathybell@pa.net

All in the UUCV Family

Alex Hovet, daughter of Kim Van Alkemade, will travel to Japan this summer on an exchange program. Nick Bloom will also be traveling — in the other direction, as he goes with a school group to France. Char Klein is now a Professor Emerita at Shippensburg University – congratulations, Char, and welcome to retirement! Congratulations to Kathy Ellis as she completes eighteen months of student ministry with us, and best of luck to you, Kathy, as you continue on your path to ordination and ministry. Congratulations to Ken and Priscilla Laws, who celebrated their 42^nd wedding anniversary on June 3, and to their daughter Virginia Jackson, who celebrated her tenth anniversary with husband David just a week earlier. We are so happy to see Janet Spencer healing from her broken arm, incurred when a horse kicked her.

We would love to share your news with the UUCV family, but we won’t know what it is unless you tell us! Please send news for this column to Judy Welles, jcwellesATearthlinkDOTnet.

From U to U

From Marilyn Durr: My thanks to everyone who contributed food, helped set up, and just generally saw to things before, during and after the Memorial Service for Don. My sons and I much appreciate your help.

On Sunday, June 3, the UUCV Choir had a wonderful experience singing for the Gettysburg UU Church. We were invited to help inspire that group to start their own choir. We sang a processional, a Chalice Lighting response (“Listen!”), helped the congregation sing the children’s recessional as a round, and sang “You Are the New Day” as an anthem. The following response from our Gettysburg liaison was frosting on the cake for us! “I know I expressed it several times Sunday, but I just wanted to reiterate - I was thrilled to have all of you come and expend lots of positive energy to sing for us. . . . . so needless to say, it was a huge success; one that I hope will be repeated soon. Thanks again to all, Linda Miller”

Joseph Priestley District

Want to know what’s happening in our UU district? Just click on http://www.jpduua.org/ and check our the Packet 2007 for monthly information, or browse the site for happenings at our neighboring congregations.

UUCV Contacts and Resources

This information is meant to facilitate participation and communication among friends and members of UUCV; please do not share information without the person’s consent. Our ministers, staff and trustees have made their emails available to facilitate communication.

Ministers Rev. Duane Fickeisen & Rev. Judy Welles

Email: ministers@uucv.net. Home study telephone: 241-0410

Office Assistant Elena Yarlett

Hours: Thursdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Phone: 249-8944 Address: PO Box 207 Boiling Springs, PA 17007 Email: uucv@pa.net

Dir. of Religious Ed. Kevin Snow

Phone: 249-8104 Email: dre@uucv.net

UUCV Board of Trustees

Kit Franklin (president), akfrank@kuhncom.net

Ed Glasgow (vice-president), edwinglasgow@aol.com

Larry Berger-Knorr (treasurer), bergerknorr@gmail.com

Priscilla Laws, lawsp@dickinson.edu

Carol McAnulty, paulandcarol913@earthlink.net

Jon Tarrant, jwtarrant@comcast.net

Sue Roberts, b.s.roberts.ivjl@statefarm.com

John Kallmann johnkallmann@earthlink.net

Bev Motich bmotich@yahoo.com

Committee Chairs and Other Leaders

Building and Grounds: Letty Kress kresswolf@paonline.com

Music Committee: Ken Laws, laws@dickinson.edu

Finance & Fundraising Committee: Bob & Wendy Hankes, galt1627@cs.com

Membership Committee: Rachel Teates, willowtrek23@yahoo.com

Committee on Ministry: Liz Hoffman, hoffpsych@mindspring.com & Joan Bechtel, bechteljo@aol.com

Religious Education Committee: Ann Berger-Knorr, annabellej@comcast.net

Social Action Council: Priscilla Laws, lawsp@dickinson.edu

Caring Circle: Bee Miller beemiller@sprylearning.com

Coffee Coordinator Joyce Lukima joycelukima@hotmail.com & Gail Witwer

Sunday Music Coordinator Nancy Bittinger, nbittinger@comcast.net

Newsletter Editor: Laura Rumley lmrumley@yahoo.com

Flowers Coordinator: Mary Lynn Lynch, marylynn_lynch@yahoo.com

Potluck Coordinator: Bill Vernon, wwvernon@earthlink.net

Small Group Ministry: Ann Gero, annegero@mac.com & Margery Andrews