Editor: Steve Botts, stbotts@texas.net
Nosotros, las congregaciones miembros de la Asociación UU, convenimos en afirmar y formentar el valor y la dignidad propria de cada persona.
Here we are starting another new year. Another fiscal year, that is, for the moons and seasons have nothing to do with out arbitrary choice of beginnings. Still, there is something about encircling the year, reviewing how far we've come in the last twelve months of excellent church leadership, dedicated guidance, and churchmanship education from Rev. Barbara Coeyman and generous and persistent lay contributions wherever I look.
We have two active covenant groups, the Spiritual Parenting Group and the Simplicity Circle; both are busy creating bonds among members who have an important purpose in common. ÊWe have a new pre-toastmasters club, formed with an eye to attracting visitors and educating ourselves in the finer points of leadership and presentation. Our Remarkable Films Group does its subtle outreach and inreach, feeding our needs for art, intellect, and thoughtful conversation. Our longstanding Women's Support Group continues its faithful covenant, and our Men's Group has regained a sense of purpose and commitment. As a body, we have gone through a several months-long process toward viewing ourselves as a community with a covenantal commitment to one another and to that indefinable unit that is us yet is something more thasn the sum of all of us, that thing we call Community Unitarian Universalist Church.
What a gift to come into leadership at a time like this!--under such circumstances as these! This year's board and I are launched from solid ground, untethered by conflict or doubt, and for this we are truly grateful. We promise to be faithful and ready.
By the way, it is my plan to stay in touch with you as best I can--in good faith--through each month's newsletter as well as "standing by" for communication through mail or phone.
Submitted by Mary Grace Ketner, President.
mgteller@yahoo.com (210) 271-0628 ÊÊÊ
CUUC has the tradition of holding short services and a brunch on alternate Sundays throughout the summer. Short services include many of the same elements (music, readings, joys and concerns...) as a regular service except there is a brief meditation instead of a sermon and lasts about 30-45 minutes.
This year, instead of an elaborate brunch after the service, we would like to offer more simple, morning refreshment snack at 10:00 before the service. There will be a sign-up sheet for hosting the brunch in the coffee room.
Here are the responsibilities for a Sunday brunch host:
Short services dates are June 19, July 3 & 17, and August 1, 15, and 29. Hosts are still needed.
The RE class did the June fifth service and everyone participated, including visitors.The service dealt with Judaism, Christian, pagan, and Native American traditions. We appreciated the help of Henry Halff, Joan Bradshaw, and the congregation. Also thanks to Nancy and Laurie for helpiong top untangle the yarn after the congregation had been "spun" into the web of interconnectedness.
RE class will be held every other Sunday. The first lesson on 6/12 will be "The Sneetches" and will deal with prejudice. The second will be 6/26. It will be on "Horton Hatches the Egg" and will deal with responsibility.
We will be having a reading contest for the kids this summer. I have prepared reading lists, and for every four chapter books, Cuuc and Joan Bradshaw will be providing movie passes.
Kids - See me for a list or a form if you've finished reading a book. Ê This fall we will be continuing our study of world religions and also studying tolerance.
Submitted by Glenna Jones Kachtik, RE Director
The CUUC apartment is under renovation: the ceiling has been painted, the 30-year-old carpet has been removed, the walls have received a first coat of primer, and need a second coat. Estimate for total cost of new carpet and repaint is $800 to $1200. Ops and Maintenance Budget for the year is $2000. We currently have a contract with Jani-King, a professional cleaning service, for last week in May and four times in June at $75 per week.
The Board considered a set of proposed amendments to the current apartment contract offering options for trading work for rent and other refinements which may help in selection of the future tenant. The proposals were not voted on as a group but one provision about pets drew very strong reaction toward taking this opportunity to clearly state,"No Pets" in our facility.
It was agreed that selection of a tenant or expanding the search could be delayed while the Growth Committee begins, as soon as possible, to look at future hopes and enthusiasm for some fundamental changes, which might involve the apartment.
The meeting acknowledged that extension of the time to fill the apartment would require change in professional cleaning to twice per month, but that if members were careful to leave kitchen and coffee room clean and use the lavatory hand towel to wipe the lavatory, pick up generally, etc., our probable lower attendance in July and August would make less frequent cleaning satisfactory with member cooperation. Operations and Maintenance will plan to schedule opportunities for usual participation in window washing and grounds work and seeks help now in remaining apartment painting, pool cleaning and yard mowing. The Apartment Committee is June Kachtik, Mary Grace Ketner and John Bradshaw
Submitted by John Bradshaw
As is our custom, we will celebrate the holidays with a gathering at the church on Monday, July 4th. The swimming pool will be available for "children of all ages," beginning at 3 p.m. The grill will be ready to go at 6 p.m.
The Parental Covenant Group is making arrangements to invite some of the kids from The Bridge - a facility for youth in transition. Many of you have been involved with family events that we have held at our church in the past when the kids and their counselors were part of our festivities. We will send around another announcement to let you know if we are able to complete these arrangements - and you can bring an extra meat and potluck item.
Submitted by Sally Wiesen
The Parental Covenant Group will be going to Kerrville to the Guadalupe River after church on Sunday, July 3. They invite you to join them for an afternoon of relaxation and fun. If you are able to come, please bring a lunch and your bathing suit. Oh, yes, and inner tubes if you have any.
To get there, take I-10 W, exit at Kerrville, turn left, and follow the signs to the VA Hospital and the park. If you need further information, contact Reg Vielleux - regveilleux@yahoo.com
Submitted by June Kachtik/Reginald Veilleux
I'd like to thank the congregation for the beautiful flowers that you gave me the other week. I have much pleasure from their glory.
June Kachtik, past board president
Henry M. Halff, Programs Co-Coordinator
Stephanie and I are now co-coordinators of the Programs Committee. ThereÕs a lot to coordinate. The Programs committee takes care of the Sunday morning program, the childrenÕs program, the joint CUUC-FUUC youth group, adult programs (including the Remarkable Films Group), social justice activities, and covenant and support groups.
The Programs Committee has a short history. There was a time when the committee had meetings, and at those meetings we heard from Religious Education and even from Social Justice on occasion. In fact, we made sure that we heard from those folks first, before talking about worship. But, at some point, Social Justice faded away and RE stopped coming. We never heard from the MensÕ group, the WomenÕs group or the Film Group. At some point, we stopped calling Program Committee meetings ÒProgram Committee Meetings;Ó we started calling them ÒWorship Committee Meetings,Ó which is what they had become. This was before Simplicity Circle and the Family Covenant Group, both of which, pretty much sprung up on their own. Some of their members may not even know that there is a Programs Committee. At this point in time, whatever the churchÕs programs are, they could not be called coordinated.
What would it mean to ÒcoordinateÓ all these programs? Here is what I think. In a healthy church, every program is aware that it is part of the church as a whole and takes seriously its responsibility to contribute to that whole. In a healthy church, programs interact synergistically. Each program makes it its business to know about the other programs and work with them as opportunities arise. In a healthy church, weak programs find ways of using strong programs as a tool for growth, and strong programs look for ways of supporting weaker programs. Coordination, if it means anything more than working out scheduling conflicts, means helping programs become part of a healthy church.
The Programs committee has taken a modest step towards coordination in arranging this summerÕs services. We have asked each of our active programs to put on one of our short summer services. The ChildrenÕs Program took the first service last Sunday and did a great job of giving us a sense of and appreciation for their program. The menÕs group will present on June 19. We are hoping to schedule the Simplicity Circle and the WomenÕs Group in July. The Remarkable Films group and the Family Covenant Group will present in August.
We hope that this series of services will give all of us a better sense of what each our programs is about. It should help our programs grow as more of us see the rewards in participation. The pulpit also gives each program the opportunity sharpen its sense of itself, to see itself as it as the larger church sees it, and to return, in a modest way, the support that the church gives to it. We can all hope that this small step leads to larger ones, the re-awakening of dormant programs like social justice and adult programs, the expansion of existing programsÕ missions, and productive interactions among programs.
ummer vacation is upon us, and many of us are taking off for distant parts. Mary Grace was kind enough to remind me of the Water Communion service an ingathering ritual at SummerÕs end that is a tradition at CUUC. In her words (and I hope that she does not mind me using them because they are very good),
We ask people to bring back water from their summer travels (or whatever). Then, at the last summer service, everyone is invited to bring their water and, by turns, come to the front and tell their summer travel story then pour their water into a big bowl. Maybe y'all can think of something good to do with the water. We once used it to dedicate the ground where the new sanctuary was going to be built; that was good. ... Even without having a good use for the water, the ingathering/homecoming nature of the service is a meaningful one to many members.
Henry Halff
The next series selected for the Remarkable Film Group will feature works of Gena Rowlands in collaboration with her famous writer/director husband and son. The first film selected in this series will be ?A Woman Under the Influence?. The 1974 film, written and directed by her husband John Cassavetes, established Ms. Rowlands as an actress of major talents. The film will be shown at 6:00 PM on Sunday, May 22 at the church.
The Remarkable Film series will take a break during the month of June.
The second film in the Gena Rowlands series for the Remarkable Film Group will be ?Gloria?. This 1980 film was also written and directed by John Cassavetes. The film will be shown at 6:00 PM on Sunday, July 17 at the church.
The Remarkable Film Group will conclude its Gena Rowlands series with ?Unhook the Stars?. This 1996 film was co-written and directed by her son, Nick Cassavetes. The film will be shown at 6:00 PM on August 21, 2005 at the church. Ê
Submitted by Clem Chow
From: Herbert Vetter hfvetter@post.harvard.edu
Date: May 21, 2005 2:39:12 PM CDT
Subject: UU Notable News May 2005
Your comments on our Harvard Square Library website are much appreciated. They help us to make corrections and additions, as well as encourage the pro bono ministry in retirement by Dorothy and me. Here are some quotable quotes from you:
"On your page about Emily Greene Balch, it reads: 'She became the second woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946. Her close friend Jane Addams had been the first.' In fact, the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize was Bertha von Suttner in 1905. So Jane Addams was the second and Emily Greene Balch was the third woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize." -Anne Glatz, International Peace Bureau, Geneva, Switzerland REPLY: Thanks. The correction has been made.
"I am absolutely delighted with the additions over time to the website. I am curious, however, about Olmsted. I couldn't find him in my 1902 edition of Cooke. He seems to have courted a Unitarian girl at one point." -Wes Hromatko REPLY: The archivist of All Souls Church in New York reports Olmsted was not a member, though he worked closely with its minister. He has been removed from "Notable American Unitarians," but is now celebrated in our series, "People of Power." Thanks for the correction.
"I've been looking over the website... It is just fabulous! I see a great source of material for a series of biographical vignettes as part of the Sunday services... It will enable the enrichment of our services." -Bill Chess, treasurer and member of the worship committee, Nature Coast Unitarian Universalists
"Especially pleased to see your Hartshorne material... I certainly will put your website on my favorites list, and thanks again for your decades-long efforts to allow the world to discover our religious response to the wonders of the real world and the marvelous creative power of the human spirit." -Dwight Brown, Fort Worth, TX
"Your website is very impressive." -Bill Sinkford, President, Unitarian Universalist Association
"We can't help mentioning Herb Vetter's fantastic online resource for notable 20th century Unitarians and Universalists." -UU Historical Society News
"What an extraordinary project this is!" -Bruce Southworth, the Community Church of New York
"I want to ... offer my deepest appreciation for the splendid Harvard Square web page. It is truly a gift to all of us who care about Unitarian Universalist history, but even more, it is a repository of information about the lives of heroines and heroes perhaps recognized in no finer way." -Richard Venus, Miami Valley Unitarian Fellowship, Dayton, OH
"How would you feel about our including a link to the Notable American Unitarians page? I think it would be a great asset, both for our existing members and for the seekers who come across us." Please do! -Kendyl Gibbons, First Unitarian Church, Minneapolis, MN
"We will certainly be relying on this valuable resource for years to come!" -Janet Hayes, Information Officer, Unitarian Universalist Association
"I love your geometric symbols about God and your online library." -Sarah Voss, Sioux City, IA
"I am the webmaster of www.unitarians.co.za in South Africa and plan to put a link to your power symbols on the site." -Peter Mansfield
Herb Vetter, Minister at Large, Emeritus, The First Parish in Cambridge, MA
Submitted by Margaret Batschelet
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