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May
2005
The
Clarion deadline coincides with the monthly
Friendship Potluck Luncheons on the third Sunday
of the month. Submissions can be in writing, on
disk, faxed (773-5018) or e-mail at newsletter@uugreenfield.org.
Past
issues of The Clarion can be found by clicking here.
May
Clarion
Headlines:
The
caring coordinator
for May is Cynthia Page.
From
the Minister
By
comparison, keep in mind what spiritual leadership
and even what being a Christian means in light of
just one example:
Although
the particular inclination of the homosexual person
is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency
ordered to an intrinsic moral evil, and thus the
inclination itself must be seen as an objective
disorder.
— Joseph Ratzinger; Roman Catholic Pope
The
moral values of our liberal religion call us to work
toward the beloved community. They encourage us to
love our neighbor as ourselves, always widening the
circle of who we mean by “neighbor.” Morality
… is about “holding up the best experiences we
know, recognizing the relationships that make them
possible, and then choosing to live in a way that
will extend those experiences to everyone.”
— William Sinkford; UUA President
Here
Bill Sinkford quotes another – altogether equal
(as we are to each layperson) – UU minister. Our
religious and spiritual leadership as UUs becomes
more and more meaningful given the world as it is.
Ever the protest-ant, I remain yours in faith —
Jon
Rehmus
(Top
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Dates
to Remember As We Approach the End of the Church
Year
Sunday,
June 5—New Member Sunday (see inside about new
member orientations this month)
Sunday, June 12 — R.E. Sunday
Sunday, June 19 — Annual Church Picnic at
Northfield Mountain Recreation Area
Monday, June 20, 7 p.m. — Annual Meeting
Annual Reports will be due on or before June 10.
Your cooperation in meeting this deadline will be
appreciated.
Traditionally,
All Souls Church suspends regular Sunday services
during the summer and then we re-assemble for a
Water Communion on the Sunday after Labor Day
week-end (September 10, this year). We welcome plans
for activities which give our community members
opportunities to meet informally during the summer.
If you would like to organize an activity such as a
hike, a picnic, Circle or Round Robin dinner,
informal Sunday brunch, book discussion, lay led
services in the Parish Hall, etc., please contact
Jon or Diane . The schedule will be published in the
summer issue of The Clarion which covers July and
August.
Ministry
Notes and Programs
•
Join All Souls!! And join us for New Member
Orientation, Sundays, May 22 & 29 from
8:30-10:00 a.m. These two sessions lead up to New
Member Sunday on June 5. The orientation sessions
are opportunities to share our life journey as it
has led to All Souls as well as to learn in detail
about the church and the history and current issues
of our movement. Those interested in a refresher or
in connecting better with our newest members are
welcome, and a light breakfast is served gratis. If
you plan to attend the orientation sessions, please
contact minister Jon Rehmus (413-624-3025) or one of
the Membership Committee chairs, Martha Elliot
(774-5601) or Margo Campbell (773-8664).
• Sunday Adult Discussion Group meets at
9:00-10:00 a.m. in the minister’s study before
Sunday worship. Our focus this spring is Lao Tse’s
Tao Te Ching, the 2500 year-old text that has been
so influential on Confucianism, Buddhism, and
contemporary views of nature. We use a study
aid/personal reflection approach focusing on a
“chapter” (usually 12-15 lines) each Sunday, and
the discussions have been rich. Contact Jon Rehmus
or Paul Flandreau if you have questions or want to
make sure the group is meeting (the group does not
meet on Sunday, May 1). No background or reading
required; all are welcome!
• Along with All Souls activity, important
interfaith events take place in May, and all are
welcome. One is the annual Holocaust Remembrance
Service on Thursday, May 5 at Temple Israel in
Greenfield (27 Pierce St.) at 7:30 pm. Efraim Eisen,
the Temple’s spiritual leader, points out that
this is the only community he has ever been a part
of where this service is conducted on an interfaith
basis. Efraim is using this year’s remembrance to
focus prayer on behalf of the people of Dafur in the
Sudan. A second event is the annual Peace Awards
Ceremony at Greenfield High School at 7 pm on
Sunday, May 15. These awards are given by the
Interfaith Council to youth who have demonstrated
involvement, organizing, mediation skills, and other
forms of leadership to address conflict and violence
locally and in society at large. All Souls youth are
previous recipients of these awards. Please consider
attending!
(Top
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Notes
from the DRE
What
does All Souls mean to you? Maybe you’ve thought
about that very question as you’ve been canvassed
or considered your commitment to the church. I’ve
thought a lot about this question lately, too.
When
our family moved to the valley in 1999, we didn’t
know anyone here. It was folks at church who we met
early on and it was folks from church who helped us
feel at home. Since then, our circle of friends has
widened and grown. But among our closest friends are
still folks from church. It is from these people
that I have learned about good parenting,
spirituality, simple living, organic farming and
making holiday centerpieces. It is often with my
church friends that I make my political stands.
There are friends from church that I know I can call
on in an emergency, in a pinch or at the last
minute. And more recently, I have learned, that
there are friends from church with whom I can suck
down Margaritas and laugh ‘til I can’t breathe!
I
guess for me – even more than Sunday Services, or
spiritual growth – All Souls is about community.
And maybe that’s why I’ve felt sad – and even
a bit angry – at the absence of many of my friends
at church recently. I thought about this at last
month’s Dessert Kick-Off for the Canvass. What a
wonderful evening it was – delicious and decadent
desserts, fabulous music, even childcare! What a
wonderful evening it would have been – if more of
our friends had come.
Sometimes
it seems as if we are all so busy with the business
of running the church – serving on Boards and
committees, working the canvass, fixing what’s
broken, forever plugging the holes that threaten to
drown us – that we are too burnt-out to just come
to church! But community – like life – requires
showing up. And though it’s easy to forget,
sometimes just showing up is the most important
thing any of us can do.
I
hope to see you soon.
In love & Hope, Eve
On
Sunday, May 8, we have planned a special visit to
Wissatinnewag for the entire Sunday School. Please
have your children at the church by 10:30 sharp –
and dressed for the weather (we will be working in
the gardens if the weather permits). There will be
no Sunday School classes at the church for children
who are late.
Parents
willing to drive, please contact Eve.
And
please mark your calendars and plan to be at church
on Sunday, June12 – for a very special RE Sunday.
(Top
of Page)
Body
Language: Devorah’s Door to Safety Fund
Benefit Concert
May
7, 7 p.m., at All Souls Church. Call Eve Brown-Waite
(772-0043) for ticket information.
Help
Wanted: Director of Religious Education
R.
E. Director for our church, 10 hours a week.
Application Deadline May 1. Speak to Mary Beth
Forton ( 625-0080) to learn about specifics.
Wheel
of Life
Welcome
to five new All Souls members: Kevin and Maria
Maroney, Thad Cowen and Peg Wherry, and Amy Swisher.
Bethany
and Moriah Sterling are among the 17 talented high
school musicians who make up this year’s Mohawk
Dance Band. They performed for Mid-Week Music on
April 6, two days after returning from a competition
in Myrtle Beach, SC, where the band took first
place. It was an outstanding performance and greatly
appreciated by the audience.
Eve
Brown-Waite has been named a Finalist for The Iowa
Review Award in Nonfiction for 2005.
Maia
Porter, daughter of Diane Dix, was elected president
of her class at Smith College. Maia is one of 215
Ada Comstock scholars at Smith. She is currently
taking a video class and filmed Diane telling the
story of the dove tattoo she had put on her wrist in
1968. Maia’s film was one of only four Smith
College pieces accepted into the Five College Film
Festival that took place on April 29 at Hampshire
College..
The
tag sale on April 23 was successful We earned
$684.50!! Irmarie Jones expresses “many, many
thanks to everyone who donated items and to all the
people who helped set up on Friday and worked
Saturday morning. It’s that kind of cooperation
and dedication that makes All Souls such a friendly
church.
The
new church directories are printed and ready to take
home. Of special interest is our new section which
features pictures of some of our members and
statements from community members about their
interests, hobbies, beliefs, etc. It is a new
concept and it came out very nicely so we hope in
the future more people will feel comfortable in
sharing more about themselves. Thanks to Julia
Ellingboe for scanning photos Diane could inserted
into the directory. If anyone would like to have the
directory in their computer, please let Diane Dix
know and she will e-mail the directory (names and
addresses only) as an attachment to you.
Ellen
Carville and her partner Melissa Ziemer are moving
to Kent, Ohio. Melissa has acceoted the offer of
candidacy there. Ellen is excited to be near the UU
Church in Akron which has a large yound adult
population. Ellen will be part of a national team of
trainers that do consultations and trainings on
young adult and campus ministry.
(We
extend concern and appreciation for all of you
taking care of family members and friends in times
of illness and need. If you would like prayers, a
healing contemplation, or just good vibrations
offered, feel free to make a recognition or prayer
request of the minister, the Caring Coordinator of
the month (see the Clarion) or through Joys &
Concerns.
Please
help keep the community informed of significant
events affecting our members. If you have any
information you would like included in Wheel of Life
please speak to Diane Dix.)
(Top
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Choir
Announcement
Jim
Scott will be leading the worship and providing the
music on Sunday, May 15. If you would like to sing
with him and other members of the choir, please call
or talk to Carol Flandreau. Rehearsals will take
place at the following times:
Thursday
May 5th at 7 P.M.
Sunday May 8th at 9:30 A.M.
Thursday May 12th at 7 P.M.
Sunday May 15th before the service at 9:00 A.M. with
Jim Scott
Community
Meal May 11
It
is our turn again to provide a Community Meal at the
Second Congregational Church on the common. Call
Toni Eaton to find out how you can help.
Small
Group Ministry Starting Soon!!
The
Membership committee has been talking about creating
a small group ministry. We have decided to give it a
trial run starting this summer! We hope to create
1-3 small groups that can meet from June thru
September.
Small
group ministry is intended to:
• Deepen spirituality thru shared practice
• Create a place to explore important issues
within a UU context
• Strengthen our connection to the congregation
• Connect across age gender ethnic economic and
other differences
• Help new members connect with the community
• Be a safe and nurturing environment to listen
and be heard
We would like to form groups that can:
• Have 6-12 members
• Meet once or twice a month, 1 1/2 or 2 hours
• Support spiritual growth
We
will be creating groups based on the times people
are available to meet. Each group will have two
co-facilitators and each session will have a
specific format, determined by the group, and a
topic of discussion that is shared by all the
groups. If you are interested in being a part of
this please let us know all your available times. We
will have sign up sheets available at church. Please
connect with Martha Elliott if you have any
questions.
Property
Committee Proposal:
Major Insulation and Heating Project
A
package proposal for the installation of insulation
into the space above the ceiling in the sanctuary to
include related repairs; and replacement of existing
boiler system with a more energy-efficient heating
system will be presented for action to the Board of
Trustees at the May meeting. Total costs are
estimated to be in the $30-35 K range. Conceivably,
funding would be available from endowment funds. A
majority of the Property Committee views the
situation as a critical need which merits prompt
consideration. Assuming acceptance by the Board of
Trustees, the project would require financial
approval at the June Annual Meeting.
— David Bigda, co-chair Propery Committee
The
Azaleas are Blooming!
The Hostas are Sprouting!
Anyone Interested in Spring Cleaning of the Gardens?
Let’s
connect and plan a day and time. .. An hour or two
on different days? Two hours one day? Maybe you are
willing/hoping to do some garden tending throughout
the summer. Please contact Kate Wadleigh on Sundays
at the church or by phone.
Help
Wanted: Bookkeeper
Bookkeeper
$12/hr, ~12 hour/month, QuickBooks competency
required.
Last fall, a Special Congregational Meeting approved
hiring of a part-time Bookkeeper for FY05. No action
has been taken on this, but the Finance Committee
intends to recommend that we pursue a similar plan
for FY06 where the incumbent would likely focus on
Accounts Payable.
The job description is evolving, but we want to find
out if anyone in the All Souls community is willing
to step forward. Any interested individuals should
please speak with Margo Campbell or Bob Cummings at
your earliest convenience.
Mid-Week
Music
May
4 — Berkshire Hills Music Academy
May 11 — Four Seasons Chamber Ensemble, conducted
by Robin Stone
May 18 — Academy of Charlemont Senior Chorus,
directed by Garrett White
May 25 — Limited Edition
Wednesdays, 12:15 — 12:45 p.m., free, donations
appreciated
Coffee
& Soul 2nd Annual Celebration of Peace and
Justice May 14th
Remember,
We Have the Corner on Hope!
This
final concert of the Coffee & Soul season is a
fabulous triple bill with Jim Scott, Charlie King
and Karen Brandow and Peter Siegel.
Jim
Scott, a fellow UU, is an exiting acoustic
guitarist, singer, and composer of powerful music
that furthers the ideals of ecology, justice and
peace. He makes an impact on hearts and minds across
the world from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Jazz
Festival with the Paul Winter Consort. He
co-composed the monumental choral work Missa Gaia/Earth
Mass and has many other accomplishments to his
credit.
Charlie
King and Karen Brandow are musical storytellers
and political satirists whose central vision as
entertainers is to leave audiences with a sense of
optimism and possibility abouty the future. “We
try to cover a broad emotional landscape...The
stories we collect and the songs we write take the
listener on a journey of humor, heartache and
hope.”
Peter
Siegel is a singer of hard-hitting, hilarious
and sometimes controversial and compelling songs for
minds of all ages. He plays blues, swing, hip hop,
traditional fiddle tunes (you might know him from
the contradances at the Guiding Star Grange) and the
folkiest of folk on guitar, banjo, bodram, mandolin
and his two clogging feet. His songwriting and
performances are what can only be categoried as
“Space Age Vaudeville.”
Peace
and justice groups from throughout the Pioneer
Valley, including Traprock Peace Center, Western
Mass Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice,
Western Mass Jobs with Justice, American Friends
Service Committee, Friends of Wissatinewag,
Greenfield Bill of Rights Defense Committee, YES
(Young Entrepreneurs Society), CAN (Citizens Against
Nukes) will have table displays set up in the Parish
Hall for viewing before the show, at intermission
and after the show.
The
Hope Street door opens at 6:30. The sanctuary will
open at 7:00 PM for concert seating and the show
begins at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17
at the door ($12 in advance, $14 at the door for
senior 65+ and under 18). Tickets are on sale at
World Eye Bookshop, online at uugreenfield.org/coffeeandsoul,
or reserve by calling 413-773-5018.
The
Clarion deadline for the June issue is May
21st. Submissions
can be in writing, on disk, faxed by using the
church number or sent to "newsletter" or
"administrator" or "music" @uugreenfield.org.
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