CUUC Newsletter March, 2010
Editor Steven Botts
(210) 275-2056
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WE COVENANT TO PROMOTE:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equality, and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning ;
- The right to conscience and the use of the democratic process;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.
IN THIS ISSUE
- Schedule of Events
- Announcements
- Upcoming Services
- Articles and Reports
- Affinity Groups
- Directory
Note to contributors and readers
Be advised that the newsletter deadline is the first Sunday after the second Wednesday of each month, and is printed in 12 point Times New Roman font. Contributors are encouraged to use that font and size.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
February 20
- Work and Maintenance Party, 10 AM
- Service Auction Gala/Potluck Dinner, 7:00 PM
February 21
- Morning Service, 10:30 AM
- Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
- Social Capital Group, 6:30 PM
February22
February 23
- Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7 PM
February 28
- Morning Service, 10:30 AM
- Fourth Sunday Soup Lunch
- Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
- Men’s Group, 6:30 PM
March 2
- Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7:00 PM
March 7
- Morning Service, 10:30 AM
- Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
- Social Capital Group, 6:00 PM
March 8
March 10
- Committee for the Ministry, 4-5 PM
March 16
- Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7:00 PM
March 14
- Second Sunday Culinary Food Exchange
- Morning Service, 10:30 AM
- Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
- Men’s Group, 6:30 PM
March 15
- Committee For Growth and Development 7-8 PM
March 21
- Morning Service, 10:30 AM
- Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
March 22
March 23
- Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7:00 PM
March 27
- Work and Maintenance Party, 10 AM
March 28
- Morning Service, 10:30 AM
- Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
- Fourth Sunday Soup Lunch
- Men’s Group, 6:30 PM
April 4
- Morning Service, 10:30 AM
- Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
April 11
- Morning Service, 10:30 AM
- Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
- Men’s Group, 6:30 PM
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CUUC Service Auction and Dinner
February 20, 7:00 PM
Glenna Jones-Kachtik
ANNUAL CUUC SERVICE AUCTION…Already there are many, many items up for the taking. The first of which is for a minimum bid of $7.50 there is a scrumptious dinner cooked by Joan Bradshaw & Heather Lidowski… Religious Education is offering some great rubbings for sale to the highest bidder. I know there is an Italian Dinner for sale and some great basil infused oil. Bring your checkbook & don’t miss out on the fun!
UPCOMING SERVICES
February 21
Sharing Our Gifts With Each Other
Peter Van Dusen
Let’s explore what we have and how we can share to enrich our lives as a community.
February 28
Rev. Phil Schulman
Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You are!
Acceptance and radical hospitality is essential for UU faith to flourish. It provides the environment for us to discover our true selves. Our churches have become home for many GBLTs and allies, but we have seen not enjoyed such success along race and class lines. What might be our spiritual solution?
March 7
Being in Community
Sister Alice Holden
Sister Alice Holden, CCVI, has spent her adult life as a member of the religious community of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word. As we reflect on our own efforts to grow our own liberal religious community, she will offer her reflections from a lifetime of experience and thought about the challenges that we must face in order to BE in community with one another.
March 14
Lay leadership, Elders and the Holy Spirit
Rev. Phil Schulman
In his penultimate sermon, Phil will reflect on some of the changes CUUC has made in his tenure, as well as lessons he has learned with us.
March 21
Who is Green Tara?
Veronica Gard
A Bodhisattva, in the Buddhist tradition, is an enlightened being who could enter Nirvana, but has taken a vow of compassion, to remain in the world until all sentient beings have entered that blessed state. Veronica Gard is a practicing Buddhist, and will talk about Bodhisattvas and their role in Buddhism.
March 28
The Art and Spirituality of Good-bye
Rev. Phil Schulman
With gratitude for what has been given, and an eye to the future, Phil will share some thoughts from his heart, about ministry, his, ours and the big Ours.
April 4
All-Musical Easter Service
Peter Van Dusen
With a little help from his friends, Peter will present a service of inspirational music appropriate to the Easter season.
April 11
The Reasons for Reason. The Reasons for God. The Reasons for Church.
Henry Halff
Unitarian-Universalists are nothing if not rational. So we are out after the truth of the matter when it comes to such things as God. We might do better by asking ourselves not just what is true, but also what we need
ARTICLES AND REPORTS
From Our Pastor
Rev. Phil Schulman
Worship Leaders and Associates Wanted
Sunday morning worship is arguably the most important hour in the weekly life of a religious community. It's when we express and experience who we are. We place our values into the light, and reveal what we hold as sacred and most meaningful. Worship shapes the congregation's identity and contributes to a sense of belonging. By setting a tone, it influences the nature of the relationships within a congregation.
One appeal of Unitarian Universalism is that meaning and inspiration are not set in stone or handed down from on high. Ours is a living tradition that incorporates the insights and responds to the challenges of each new generation. Our ministers and leaders encourage personal responsibility for development of faith. They encourage examination of our beliefs, and responsibility to live in away that affirms and supports life.
Our emphasis on personal responsibility for beliefs, our traditions of the free pulpit and free pews should not lead us to a laissez-faire attitude toward worship. We are not an “anything goes” religion. We devalue ourselves and our mission when we ignore the accumulated wisdom of our tradition or forget the extensive preparation and effort made by our ministers and leaders.
Worship offers something different than an academic lecture, a variety show, a business meeting, a concert, a therapy group, or a purely social gathering. These communication formats can add to the quality of a service, but only if used intentionally. Training, and practice can help us to become clear on the intentions that make for quality worship services.
Worship leaders can draw on insights from performance arts. Many thriving congregations use skits or "Performed Parables" to give a “Dramatic Emphasis” to the message of the day. Just as skilled actors remain in character, skilled worship leaders strive to maintain an atmosphere of worship. The goal is to achieve the depth and connection needed to "nurture our souls and help us to participate in the healing of the world."
Consider the tradition of "Sharing the Peace.” Some congregations experience this as a break in the service, like a seventh-inning stretch. For other congregations, "Sharing the Peace" is a ritual that brings a sense of sacredness to personal encounters. Done with intention, this ritual invites a heightened awareness of the inherent worth and dignity and interconnectedness of all people. People report that they carry the memory, the energy and the power of the ritual into the week and into relationships with intimate companions, total strangers and everything in between.
Such rituals grow in power with repetition. We UUs have tended to forgo the power of repetition choosing instead to insist on new or fresh material for each service. Variety may be the spice of life, but food, not seasoning, is the substance of the meal. While awakenings can happen on any given Sunday, education grows week upon week. Consistency can enable us to achieve depth. Benefits come not only from intellectual messages, but through nonverbal communication, from the entire experience of worship and it's cumulative effects upon us.
Each person who speaks, sings, plays an instrument, or steps up to the altar to light the Chalice participates in the performance of ritual. Ministers and leaders make use of the elements of the service in order to invite a worshipful experience. They guide the congregation and influence the energy, attitude, and consciousness.
When you go up to the pulpit to participate in a service, beware of the tendency to become overly chatty or conversational. Giving a small amount of background information about a piece draws attention to the source; talking about your experience will draw attention to you. Sharing your personal association to a reading may foster connection with the congregation, but it also tends to diffuse the energy and power that has been built for worship. Sometimes less is more: skip the chatter and go right into the reading.
Addressing the congregation during worship invites you to take seriously the breadth and depth of what is being held sacred by the congregation. This by no means prohibits play or humor. Used wisely and perhaps sparingly, these can really enhance the sanctity of the gathering. It may be easier than it sounds. Remember the elements of the service usually speak for themselves. If planned well, they will flow together and be experienced as a journey.
Set and remember your intention to lead a religious service. Appreciate the journey as well as the destination. Will the service offer an experience of knowing the inherent worth of every person? Will it invite reverence for the interdependent web of existence?
Worship helps us to become who we want to be as individuals and as congregations. It reminds us of our power to choose perspectives on life that give us satisfaction. It encourages us to open our minds and our hearts, to dis-cover or re-member who we are and how we want to live. It asks us to discover or remember a sense of the sacredness of life. _Worship leaders and associates help the congregation to experience the treasure of our UU inheritance and the power of our living tradition. Worship touches and transforms lives. Take the honor to lead or participate in worship seriously, and you will find joy and fulfillment therein.
RE NEWS
Glenna Jones-Kachtik, DRE
Stephanie Walls, RE Chair
We finished our first month of exploration of a new format for Religious Education and are well into our second one and it is working pretty well. The number of parents per Sunday for weeks 1, 4 & 5 (if there is one) has been reduced and parents have been able to participate in Sunday services.
Last weekend, I received my pin in recognition of having attended 5 Renaissance Modules. I and two other DREs were “pinned” in front of the other DREs & Ministers and applauded. It was a wonderful Midwinter Conference. I rode to the conference with Dr. Sheri Phillabaum from 1st UU and Penny Burnett of Wildflower in Austin. About halfway, I woke up and there was SNOW!!! Everything was white. The Marriott, DFW was large & spacious and snow was everywhere one looked. Friday night afforded supper, small group activity & a wonderful worship service, with DRE Susan Caldwell and a story about a lost toupee.
Saturday brought the keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Laurel Hallman and “What Is Faith & Can We Teach It?” It included the stages of Faith by James Fowler & Laurel's comments on these stages… as well as a presentation after lunch by Jennifer Nichols of the SWUUC office on Trends for 2020 – what will our denomination be like in 10 short years…
The sun came out about midmorning and most of the sidewalk snow melted and it was soon followed by some of the snow on the golf course. I took a story telling workshop and one on song leading. Song leading was done by Paula Gribble who is the music leader of 1st UU Little Rock. One of the best experiences was the combining of 3 songs from the teal hymnal –‘Ancient Mother’, ‘The Earth Is Our Mother’ & ‘Mother I Feel You’ – and adding drums to it.
The harmony was incredible and I hope that our band of ragtag ‘choir’ might work it up and sing it sometime for you. Paula has also written a small song for children called “Draw the Circle Wide”. She & her husband provided entertainment for the evening. The worship service that evening was an exercise in the sacred. We entered in singing ‘Come Come Whoever You Are' and walked around the chairs set up several times before we sat in a circle. We sang ‘Gathered Here’ and ‘Spirit of Life”.
The lights were off and the only light source was about 8 battery powered tea lights and the chalice. At one point we each took a river stone from a glass container. We sang ‘Meditation on Breathing’ (When I breathe in…) & the harmony was incredible. We left feeling peaceful.
Sunday the worship was brought by Jennifer Nichols who talked about Standing on the Side of Love…and it was superb. I always come away from these conferences feeling refreshed, and renewed and with ideas for RE and worship. This time was no different. I believe I have some ideas to address the problem of some of our smaller kids being "antsy" during the time we are in the big service that I will be using beginning this coming Sunday – so, look for it!
So far this month, we have done a Children’s Chapel on Valentines and the children made picture frames for their parents. We had class last Sunday and Valentines was revisited by Pre K K; Laura learned about the Prodigal Son and Amazing Grace dwelt a bit longer with Cain & Abel.
Plans for the rest of the month include: Sounds II, Talking with Laura about Mardi Gras; Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday & Lent; Lesson 5 of Amazing Grace and Social Justice Sunday will talk about Peace & Justice – With a God Image lesson, the making of a lion & lamb sculpture and a visit to Standing on the Side of Love where some of the kids might write letters of thanks to Mayor Castro for his stance on not ducking out of being Grand Marshall of the Gay Pride Parade.
Thanks to Robert & Heather, Pierce & Kelly, Von, Vicki, Joan B & as always Steph & Mark for volunteering in RE. We especially thank Marilyn DeKing for spending some time in our classroom to help the kids make rubbings that will be sold at the auction on 2/20!
Glenna Jones-Kachtik, DRE
Social Justice
Glenna Jones-Kachtik
Well, we have finished Guest At Your Table for another year. Mary Beth & I thank each and every one of you who supported UUSC by sending in your donations to them, putting a check into the offering or by dropping coins into the GAYT boxes. When I counted all the money in the boxes it turned out to be over $75. So, thanks very much.
The big thing this month (February) is our Standing On The Side of Love campaign. The UUA asked that we “Re-imagine” Valentine’s Day. RE will revisit this lesson on 2/28. If you would like more information about it, go to: http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/reimagining-valentines-day/
To see the video from GA & hear the Amy Webb song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEwEB8F4aGs
We need to remember to stand in solidarity with our GLBTQ brothers and sisters. So, write letters if you are so inclined or sign some petitions – speak out about repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” or Same Sex Marriage.
In March these things are on the UUA Calendar:
3/6-3/10 - End Mountaintop Removal Week - http://www.ilovemountains.org/wiw
3/8 - International Woman’s Day
3/19 - Anniversary of the Iraq War
3/19-3/22 - Ecumenical Advocacy Days (A Place to Call Home: Immigrants, Refugees & Displaced Peoples) - http://advocacydays.org
3/22 - Sex Education Advocacy Day - http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issues/healthfamily/comprehensivesex/index.shtml
3/22 - World Water Day - http://www.worldwaterday.org
Remember that YOU must be the change you wish to see for the world. So, take a stand. Lend a hand.
- Work in a soup kitchen
- Blanket drives for homeless
- Use fair trade products
- Look for ways to reduce your carbon footprint
- Reduce, reuse, recycle
- Speak out for gay rights
- Work to end inequality
- Food baggies for the homeless
- SAMMs Shelter
- Food Bank
Mary Beth & I thank you for supporting CUUC and UUSC and the UUA.
Glenna Jones-Kachtik, Social Action Co-Chair
AFFINITY GROUPS
Socrates Cafe
Marilyn DeKing
The Brown Bag Socrates Cafe will meet at 12:15 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month at Community Unitarian Universalist Church. Bring your lunch and join us for a satisfying philosophical session.
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.
Women's Group
Jean Halff
The Women's Group is open to CUUC women and 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.
Men's Group
Steven Botts
The CUUC men's group meets every second and fourth Sunday from 6:30 - 8:30 PM All CUUC men or male visitors are welcome to join us.
Group leadership rotates from meeting to meeting in alphabetical order of the members. 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.
DIRECTORY
Officers:
President -Peter Van Dusen, 210 - 724 -1614 –
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Treasurer - June Kachtik, 210-342-0135 -
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Secretary – Pierce Presley-
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Member At Large, Veronica Gard, 210 - 499 4118 -
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Coordinators:
Programs Committee - Nancy White, 210 - 650 4785 -
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Member Services - Mark and Stephanie Walls 210 - 681-8188 -
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Operations Committee - John Bradshaw, 210-341-8506,
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and Mary Beth Romeo, 210 - 694 5233 -
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Staff:
Minister - Phil Schulman, 210-614-2014,
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Director of Religious Education, Glenna Jones-Kachtik, 956-451-5925,
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Other E-mail Addresses:
Messages to the Board of Trustees may be sent to
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Calendar additions and changes should be submitted to Glenna Jones-Kachtik
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.
Suggestions for and comments on the worship program may be sent to
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Requests for special assistance and pastoral care may be sent to
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Requests for use of the church facility and reports of maintenance problems may be sent to
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