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.
There are a few changes this month. Out of consideration for those who want a quick read to see what's happening when, I've put the schedule of upcoming events first, followed by announcements; with matters of less immediate concern further down.
The Woman's Support Group meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the church. This would be: June 26th July 10th July 24th August 14th August 28th
Patty Gullick will be our host for the CUUC July 4 picnic. She will be announcing her request for volunteers and details of the picnic through CUUCAnnounce. Please look for details. Swimming is usually part of our Summer picnic events, so bring along your swim suits, an item for the grill and a side dish, a salad or a dessert item and join us to celebrate our nation's birthday.
The Member Service Committee has changed its monthly meeting format to that of an evening pot-luck social. In addition, four times a year, the committee will invite visitors to our church to participate in these dinners.
The first of such dinners is scheduled for Thursday night, July 13 starting around 6:30. The committee will have a short meeting from 6:30 till 7:00 when dinner will be served. After dinner, everyone will be invited to a general discussion about member services and other issues of interest. Rev. Phil Schulman and other church leaders have also been invited to join us, if able so the discussion can take on a boarder scope.
All church members who are interested in serving on this committee are invited to attend. This is also a good opportunity to invite a friend or two to our church. If you have a specialty dish, be it a main dish, a side dish, a salad or a dessert item, feel free to bring it along to share. Joyce Chow has agreed to make a main dish, probably with rice.
If you have any questions about this dinner or wish to discuss what to bring, please contact Clem Chow or Jeff Ketner. Hope to see you there to help us make this a successful and fun format while we also take care of some member services items.
The next director the group has chosen to showcase will be Alfred Hitchcock. We are going to feature three earlier films from the Master of Suspense. The first film selected is "The Lady Vanishes". The 1938 film features Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave and is often considered as the best film ever directed by Hitchcock. This film will be shown at church at 6:00 PM on Sunday, July 16
The second film in the Alfred Hitchcock series for the Remarkable Film Group will be "Notorious". The 1946 film features Ingrid Bergman and Gary Grant who are favorite collaborators of Hitchcock's. This film highlights a number of camera techniques made famous by the master. This film will be shown at church at 6:00 PM on Sunday, August 20.
The Remarkable Film Group selected "The Trouble with Harry" as the third in the series of films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The 1955 film is set in a small New England town and is the only film shot in color in this current series. A young Shirley MacLaine is featured in this rare attempt by the master at comedy. This film will be shown at 6:00 PM on Sunday, September 17.
The Brown Bag Socrates Cafe will meet at 12:15 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month at Community Unitarian Universalist Church beginning July 2, 2006 Bring your lunch and join us for a satisfying philosophical session.
Len Wheeler will moderate this questioning discussion group with the assistance of Marilyn DeKing.
At the beginning of each session, participants submit and vote on the question to be discussed. Resolution is not the goal of the discussion. We usually end with more questions than we began with.
Everyone is welcome to participate in Socrates Cafe or to visit and see what it is about.
The worship committee will hold a worship retreat on Thursday, July 27, 2006, 6:00--9:00pm (fireplace room). Food will be provided, and all interested church members are invited. We will implement a new system for evaluating the overall quality of our services, and brainstorm other ideas for improving our worship experience on Sunday mornings.
The social justice committee met on 5/21. We discussed UUHAC (Unitarian Universalist Housing Assistance Corporation), and decided that June Kachtik would do a service on it. The service will be on July 16, and she will show the video that the congregation helped to finance.
Glenna volunteered to write an article on UUHAC for UUA/UU WORLD. We also discussed: Ways that we could help Phil with the 10 Tree Challenge. He sent us a list of things he needed help with and we are discussing that in our "virtual" meeting. A letter writing campaign to urge Senators to oppose amending the Constitution to narrowly define marriage - based on a narrow religious interpretation. Joining the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance.
The Social Justice committee at this present time is scheduled to meet on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 9:30 AM. We will be discussing - issues from the UUA that we think the church could support and also some service projects that would involve the children. Come join us!!!! Glenna Jones-Kachtik Social Action Co - Chair PS: On another note, if you have the chance, go to see AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. Go to the website: http://www.climatecrisis.net.
How the wisdom accumulated from the experience of a long life enables the elders in our society to make a unique contribution.
Marilyn DeKing is a prominent member of CUUC and a practicing artist. She has led and participated a number of Sunday morning services. Some of her presentations have involved her art and others that are drawn from her life experience.
Five feet of heaven in a ponytail? Perhaps there's something more to love than a warm, cozy glow we feel for those we're close to emotionally. It could even make sense to love people we despise.
Steven Botts is a longtime member of the worship committee and is the present editor of the CUUC newsletter. He has done a number of services on religion and religious thought.
June Kachtik is a past president of CUUC and has a long history of involvement with UU Housing Assistance Corporation.
Margaret Batschelet is a member of the Communication Department at UTSA, specializing in Web Design and other topics related to new media. She serves as CUUCSA's Webmaster.
America loves the Vince Lombardi philosophy, "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing." Sorry, Vince, but all the great wisdom traditions teach otherwise. We all like to have out way, but inability to cooperate is ruining it for everyone. This Sunday we will consider a different philosophy, the Universalist notion that good works are their own reward.
Phil Schulman, the consulting minister at CUUC, has been a lifelong advocate of ecological awareness and social justice. At age 11, he first petitioned the citizens of his town to save the forest behind his home. Since then there he's written editorials, served as a board member of a national human rights organization, participated in myriad campaigns for peace, ecology and social justice., spoken at rallies, vigils and demonstrations, walked on peace pilgrimages across the US, France and Palestine. He says he's delighted to share his passion with us all.
It is not easy to rear children in today's world - but one thing that I remember when teaching your children is the old adage - "Children learn by observation." So, I want to teach them to be ethical in their dealings with all their peers and how to chart the course in the perilous seas of today's world. One way that I think that I can do this is by helping them with critical thinking skills - something all to often lost in the classroom of today's "No Child Left Behind" world. This program all to often leaves most children left behind, with no support - and a teacher who teaches to the TAKS test and then the young adult arrives in the real world not able to "think outside the box." We have talked about gossip so far. We discussed what happens when someone spreads a rumor - how affects all the persons involved.
The story was read about a man who spread awful rumors. He decided he wanted to change his ways and went to his rabbi - the rabbi tells him to bring him a chicken -but to pluck all the feathers out before he gives it to the rabbi. The man does as asked; plucking feathers all the way back. When he gets to the rabbi's door, the rabbi looks the chicken over and then tells the man to bring back all the feathers. The man is sure that he can not find all the feathers that some may have been picked up by the wind and scattered in other towns and villages. The rabbi replies - "So it is with rumors."
We will be taking a sort of break on 6/25. We will be talking about the summer solstice: What is it? How did it come to be? We will be working outside in the sun and will be making summer wreaths, clay sun figures and God's eyes; as well as making oceans in a bottle. The children will be able to choose one activity - complete it and hold it up to the sun for a bit of 'radiant' light-giving energy. I will be talking in the next few weeks with the parents and finding out what they want their children to learn about. We have the 'Simpsons", "Hogwarts", and Teaching Tolerance. I will look into other curriculums such as Dr. Seuss and let you know what has been decided. Until then, teach your children well - I will try to do the same. Glenna Jones-Kachtik DRE/CUUC
Membership and Treasurer's reports last March set off an alarm to the board. Henry Halff asked the painful question "would CUUC continue to be a viable church?" A Membership Task Force was formed, and some very difficult questions and discussions have ensued. A consensus agreed that something would have to change for CUUC to survive.
In my sermon of 5/25, "Opportunity in Adversity", I shared my knowledge that many UU congregations have faced situations similar to ours and have survived and thrived. No body likes to be forced to change, but sometimes necessity is the mother of invention. As the Evolutionists remind us, survival requires adaptation. Fortunately, we often look back at important junctures with gratitude for the changes they bring.
In my sermon, I neglected to mention my personal knowledge of being pushed to change. It took hitting bottom at age 20 with depression and substance abuse to cause me to make major changes. Today, I am grateful for the fulfilling paths I've traveled as a result. Several times since then failures, frustrations and embarrassments have provided me with the incentive to face something about myself in order to make important changes.
In my sermon and in my report to the MTF, I made several recommendations and issued several challenges to our membership. Of course, I haven't escaped the "heat" of evaluation and challenge. The attempts to agree on a plan of action have provided me with opportunities for personal growth. Like many of us, I do best or "shine" when I am appreciated. However, leadership is not primarily about being appreciated. In fact taking leadership frequently involves being criticized, even attacked. Leaders have to learn how to respond rather than react to criticism. We have to learn not to take it personally.
I am honored that many of you are looking to me to help us move toward a bright future. Several people have suggested that having me lead more than one Sunday service per month would be a key way to attract more members. I was gratified that a majority have placed such faith in me.
Of course, any significant change in a congregation's life is likely to be met with resistance. I appreciate that we are by nature, a "think for ourselves" kind of people. We would never establish one book, or one person as our religious authority. I agree with Peter Van Dusen who has cautioned the congregation not to expect that any one person can ensure our success.
Together, we will shape our future. I'm grateful that members are able to discuss, have disagreements, but maintain a singularity of purpose. We are a people who celebrate and appreciate diversity. I am moved by the dedication so many have shown to this congregation. I have faith that the will of the majority will lead CUUC to many wonderful days ahead, and I encourage us to find victory IN the struggle. I encourage us to celebrate and appreciate each other as we find our way together.
Last month I asked for your opinions on whether we should continue to print weekly orders of service or replace them with a whiteboard at the front of the sanctuary. Here are your responses. I appreciate your taking the time to express your thoughts.
Steve
I love the idea of a board, just put a really big dry eraser board up front, or one of those felt things with the grooves that you can slide the letters off and on. If people want a hard copy of the order of service to save like your dad did they can just print it off the internet on Saturday and use it on sunday. And it would be much more in keeping with the environmentalist aspect of U.U. social action, just tell people how many trees we're saving, not to mention the cost of printer ink, that stuff is outrageous. So that's my opinion, thanks for asking.
Aubriella Thompson
Steve, I'm still in favor of keeping the printed order of service, although I'm open to discussion that might persuade me otherwise. Here are my current reasons:
1. Putting a white board at the front of the sanctuary will not look professional.
2. To look good, a white board would have the effect of standardizing the sequence of all services (if, for example, we have an artist do up the order itself, so that we can just write in hymn numbers). 3. Visitors have a memento to take home with them.
4. We often use them for making notes re: the topic of the service.
5. Coordinators often put creative, relevant artwork on the cover.
6. The making up of the order of service forces me, as a coordinator, to think carefully about each of the elements of the service.
Making up the order of service often seems like an unnecessary, time-consuming chore. I often experience this myself. Perhaps, though, we could think of some creative changes to how we use the order of service that would make it a more essential, integrated part of the service itself, and therefore worth putting some time into. I will tentatively put this idea on the agenda for our next retreat.
Peter Van Dusen
Steve,
I have referred to the Orders of Service for phone numbers and calendars. But I guess I could just as well look it up on line.
Vickie Mattern
Hi Steve
Sorry I took so long to reply. This has been on my to-do list for days.
Please continue to print the Order of Service for several reasons:
People DO take them home, for future referral. (I do almost always. Events, future comments, etc.)
It is more professional. Being a small church I think we have to avoid the appearance of over-casualness.
Perhaps it makes us seem like a "real church." Like we didn't plan the service five minutes ago.
A hand lettered bulletin board will always look amateurish. We should avoid that.
Thanks for all you do and for asking for input.
Phyllis Katcher
Steve - I'd yes to keeping the program. Not only a reminder of what has happened, but often includes interesting and thought-provoking artwork and other features.
- Allen Lawrence
Steve,
I guess I am just a traditional sort of person; but I like having an order of service. It contains the announcements, concerns and items such as that. I refer back to mine. I know that they "waste" trees - but we use 100% recycled paper in our printers at home. We can also take them to recycling centers so that they can be reused. It just seems to me that having a big white board with the order of service (sort of) on it would be very impersonal and there would be no room to have a welcome or anything about how to join the church.
Glenna Jones-Kachtik
Music has always been an integral part of the church experience, and I think everyone enjoys singing hymns on Sunday morning. Sometimes however, I wonder about the likes and dislikes of the congregation and what your thoughts might be about the music service leaders select.
Probably everyone has heard the joke about why UUs are such bad singers: They have to read ahead to make sure they agree with the words.
Of course there are other reasons we have trouble with music occasionally: Sometimes the melody is hard to follow, sometimes there are a lot of high notes that we can't quite reach, sometimes there are a lot of foreign words that are hard to pronounce, and sometimes hymns are set to tunes that have unpleasant associations for some members of the congregation.
When I select hymns for a service, I generally select songs I'm familiar with which have some relevance to the topic of the day, but for me, singability trumps relevance. Of course, it could well be that some members of the congregation get tired of hearing the same music over and over.
I'd like to hear some of your thoughts on church music to publish in the next newsletter. Please send responses to stbotts@texas.net.
Steve
The Women's Support Group is open to CUUC women and female friends of the church. We meet every 2 weeks, on a Monday night at the church, starting at 7 p.m. and usually finishing before 9 p.m. Each woman usually talks for about 10 minutes about anything she wishes. However, you don't have to talk if you would rather not. What is divulged is kept confidential unless otherwise stated. It is a great way to get to know the women in the church on a more personal level in a safe environment. We invite you to come and join us and let us get to know you. 6/12, 6/26, 7/10, and 7/24 are meeting times for the current period.
The CUUC men's group meets every second and fourth Sunday from 6:30 - 8:30 P.M. All CUUC men or visitors are welcome to join us.
Group leadership rotates from meeting to meeting. The leader for each meeting is also the host, and he is responsible for furnishing snacks and drinks.
We usually start off meetings with a clearing, in which each member is allowed to talk about recent events in his life, if he wishes to, for as long as he sees fit. Next, the facilitator introduces the topic for the evening. This may involve a short reading - a poem, an article or other text. The subject could be just about anything that the facilitator would like the group to address: What's going on at CUUC, religion, economics science, health, family, friendship, etc.
Around 8:30, we wind things up by deciding who is going to facilitate the next meeting, declare this one finished, clean up, and leave.
The Remarkable Film Group consists of members and friends of CUUC who gather each month to view one feature film and discuss it afterward. Everyone is welcome to attend. The films are usually shown at church at 6 PM on the third Sunday of each month. Films are shown in a series. The attendees select the theme and content of each series normally compose of four films of a common theme, directed by the same person or featuring a specific actor or actress. Past film series have carried such themes as Women Messiahs or include films directed by John Sayles or those featuring Peter Sellers. Current leaders of the group are Clem and Joyce Chow. Any questions about this group may be directed to Clem or Joyce,
If you'd like to receive the e-mail version of this newsletter every month, send a message to Henry Halff, the mailing list administrator.