HighLights

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (UUCA)
333 Dubois Road, Annapolis, MD 21401; Phone: 410/266-8044; Fax: 410/266-6910
mailto:newsletter@uuca-md.org Web site: The Home Page at: http://www.uuca-md.org

Staff:
Reverend Dr. Fredric J. Muir, Parish Minister

Reverend Amber Beland, Assistant Minister
Francoise H. Ateto, Director of Religious Exploration
Betsy Jo Angebranndt, Minister of Music
Christol Medley, Church Administrator/Editor

Theresa Novak, Intern Minister

Susan Eckert, Members Services Coordinator

Lori Frederick Office/DRE  Assistant

Stephanie Meredith, Coffee Server

 

Church Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Next News Deadline: midnight, 04/04/2007

Next Mailing: 04/10/2007

Volume 50, Issue 6

March 27, 2007

 

 

All-Church Retreat, T-shirts AND Special Workshop!!!

 

The All-Church Retreat (April 27-29 in Westminster, MD) will be here before you know it.  We have more cabins, more fun in store, and more opportunities to deepen our relationship as we strive for our version of the “Beloved Community.”    Please hurry because we only have room for 144 people total.  Also, this year we have an added bonus of making t-shirts available for purchase to those who register early.

      That’s right, this year we have made plans for a UUCA All-Church Retreat T-shirt!   Sue Bupp has worked with our idea for a logo (a roasting marshmallow over a chalice flame) and with the help of her designer is turning it into a great full color design, royal blue t-shirt.    For only $15 a shirt we will offer adult and child sizes.   Sizes available include adult small through XL as well as, 2XL and 3XL (extra charge for 2X & 3X).  Child size small through large will also be available.   However, you need to get your t-shirt order in by Sunday, April 8th.  The t-shirts turned out so wonderfully we decided to offer them to everyone!   So even if the retreat won’t work for you this year, you can get one of these beautiful royal blue shirts.  Those attending the retreat will receive their t-shirts as they arrive, others will have to wait until the following Sunday at church.

      This year is also a first in that we are offering a special 90 min. Partnering workshop offered ONLY AT THE RETREAT!   This experiential learning session is a unique blend of physical exercises and group discussion to explore the concept of "partnership."  Terri Werner as graciously offered to facilitate this workshop for the first 40 people who sign-up for it.   This will be useful for both work and play, family situations and church activities.   Contact Terri for more info at (terri_werner@hotmail.com  or   410-455-1767)

      Wonderful fun and deep connection await you at the Hashawha Environmental Center April 27-29, 2007.  Come play with us.  May we all be enriched by the experience!

      The costs are $55 per adult, $50 for children (5 – 16) --those 4 and under are free.  This price includes two nights accommodations (in heated dormitory-style cabins), all meals Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday.   Limited scholarships will be available as needed.  Please contact Debbie Cole (debcole@cablespeed.com or 410-969-7986), Lisa Combs (lisacombs@verizon.net or 410/267-6987) or Robert Cole (especially for the egg-citing stunt show-- robertcole.email@yahoo.com) for more information or to sign up for our information e-list.  Be brave, come share yourself at the 2007 All-Church Retreat –we’d love to spend some time with you!

 

 

 

               

Upcoming Sermons

 

April  1

One service at 9 am

“The Only Reason”

As we gather later for UUCA’s Annual Meeting, which begins at 11:00, I want to reflect with you on why we bother – with meetings, polity, church.  As my senior colleague John Wolf has said, “There’s only one reason” why.  Join me Sunday at 9:00. 

 

April  1

Annual Congregtional

Meeting

The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday April 1st, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.  20% of the voting membership constitutes a quorum at all congregational meetings.  Voting rights are restricted to those who have been members for at least thirty days.  It is important that voting members of UUCA attend this Annual Congregational Meeting. Child care will be provided. A congregational brunch will begin at 10:15 am, members are asked to bring "Heavy" finger food to share with others. The business meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 am. Childcare will begin immediately following the R. E. program, and members are asked to also provide "heavy" finger food for the R.E. children.

April  8

Easter and Flower Communion

This Easter Sunday we’ll observe our annual Flower Communion in an intergenerational service. So remember to bring a flower or a favorite sprig of nature to share with others.

 

 

April  15

Young  Religious  Unitarian Universalist

(YRUU) Sunday

Please join us for this annual service celebrating our Young  Religious  Unitarian Universalist (YRUU).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Our Beloved Community

 

It’s Coming: Plant and Hanging Basket Sale Sunday, April 22!

 

Start potting up your extra perennials and shrubs and see the next newsletter for more information about this annual event.

 

R.E. Flections

 

Life is full of choices, and as a result it can sometimes be full of predicaments.  Take our Religious Exploration program.  At best, children and youth spend an hour a week in church – how can we make the most of that short time?  Expectations have to be defined and decisions have to be made.

What matters more: content or setting?  In another issue of Highlights earlier this month, Fred Muir said: “…you may not think religious literacy is that important, but I would urge you to reconsider.”  Because our children learn about our Jewish and Christian heritages and about world religions, they are better prepared to live in our multicultural world than the previous generation (or even than many of their peers).  On the other hand, I always like to stress during R.E. facilitator training, the primary goal has to be that children and youth feel welcome here.  If they do not sense that they are part of a warm community of friends and caring adults – the implicit curriculum - they will not want to come to church.

How should the children be organized:  by age, one or two grades at a time, or in mixed-age groupings?  Pros and cons in each situation have to be weighed.  We have to take into account the level of comfort and experience of our volunteer facilitators, the time and funding factors for additional training, plus the limitations imposed by the configuration of our space.   And we have to consider the many benefits of mixed-age groupings which offer opportunities to nurture others, to accept different abilities and ways of learning, to model and emulate...

When will we evaluate what changes are to be made?   In the next couple of months, the brochure listing the R.E. program options for 2007-2008 will be published.  The descriptions will include, in addition to the traditional curricula we’ve been using for a long time, a pilot program for a multi-age group.  Parents will immediately have an opportunity to express their preference by choosing one or the other option when they register their children.  Anyone may leave a note in the R.E. Idea Box in the narthex or talk to me.  If you want to make a longer-term commitment, you could sign up and serve on a committee which will study new trends and ideas, and start exploring ways to update our Religious Exploration program.

So many choices, so many responsibilities – aren’t we fortunate?                              

 

Fran

 

For All That is Our Life

 

Theresa Novak, Intern Minister

I spent the week of March 10-17 in Biloxi, Mississippi at a Unitarian Universalist Service Committee work camp doing Katrina recovery work.  Six members of UUCA (Randy Astheimer, Scott Eden, Peter Lamb, Darrel Nash, Anita Ramundo, Marta Uribe) joined me.  Check out the photo! The experience was difficult, exhausting, and heartbreaking in many ways, but I will always feel very grateful that I had the opportunity to go.  We worked with local community groups trying to rebuild after the devastation left by Katrina. So much remains to be done there, particularly in the already marginalized African American and immigrant communities.  What we did felt in some ways like a mere drops in an enormous bucket.  We worked on a few houses on a street filled with vacant lots and falling down buildings.  It was hard not to feel like we weren’t doing enough when the need is so great.  But the work did our hearts good and it also, I believe, helped give at least a bit of hope to those who have suffered so much.  They could see that at least a few people cared and it might help give them the courage to go on.

You will have the opportunity to hear more about our trip over the next few months.  The sermon that I will write for the May 6th service will be inspired by it, and the group as a whole is planning at least one presentation on what we did and what we learned.  This faith is definitely about open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands.

 

Strategic Planning Actions & Resource Committee news

 

The new year has been busy for SPARC--UUCA’s Strategic Planning Actions & Resource Committee.  Many of you will have noticed co-chair Margaret Martin’s intriguing story-boards outside the sanctuary.  You will be able to resume viewing both the SPARC story-boards and Margaret--outside, as the weather improves!  We have visited additional UU churches in the area that have recently undergone expansions or constructed new buildings, and have surveyed the members of those churches who were most closely involved to assess what they did, how they did it and how it worked out for those congregations.  We still have two more local churches to visit, as well as a few long-distance congregations we also want to contact.  

SPARC has been working on a web-page to keep the congregation informed and this should be up and running in the near future.  In the meantime, you can look for updates via the newsletter.  In the very near future the church property will be surveyed.  The survey will identify all the physical features of the property (plat, all man-made improvements, etc.), identify specimen trees, critical areas and buffers, identify potential sites for a building, show us where our boundaries are, and also re-set the boundary markers where needed.  We have received all the proposals and selected a Surveyor and very soon the survey will be underway—watch for those little flags and markers to appear!  

We are working on a 'survey' of our own to get your feedback on current church usage and future building and improvement needs.  That survey form will be ready by St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) and we hope everyone will take the opportunity to respond and be heard.  

On Friday, April 13th, 6 p.m. we will hold another social hour to talk with you and address any questions or concerns you may have about the work SPARC is currently doing and plans for a new building!  We hope to repeat the SPARC social-hour approximately every six weeks.  In the meantime, if you have questions or would like more information, you can send an email to: sparc@uuca-md.org or speak with any of the current SPARC members:  Art Hansen, Bill Curtis, Bill Irwin, Cindy Hackett, Danielle Kinkade, Debbie Cole, Diane Ratcliff, Kirk Albright (co-chair), Margaret Martin (co-chair), Pinto Soin and Sandi Roddy.

 

UUCA Outdoor Club

 

UUCA Outdoor Club is open to all members and friends of UUCA who wish to enjoy the fellowship of UU’s in the setting of an outdoor activity. 

April 7, 2007  Bike ride of about 20 miles on the Northern Central Railroad Trail. Fairly flat, gravel and dirt trail off I-83 north of Baltimore. (If trail wet, we will ride on the B&A trail. Cancelled if rain on April 7.) Meet at 9am at the Park and Ride at I-97 and Benfield   Blvd. (by Severna Park Racquetball and Fitness Club). Late lunch at local restaurant near beginning of trail. For information or to sign up for ride, contact Jacque or Al Pulsifer, 410-626-1163 or ajpulsifer@verizon.net

 

UUCA Book Club

 

The Book Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the church library.

For April 17 we have chosen The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. Thus is  a moral-dilemma tale crafted around a lie.

Our selection for May 15 is Noah Feldman’s Divided by God: America’s church-state problem and what we should do about it.

If you have questions, contact Jackie Rocca at 410-349-8351. All are welcome to join us.

 

 

 

 

Welcoming, Caring & Connecting

"Come to the "Cabaret"Come to the Cabaret

 

UUCA Choir & Friends Present

“Songs from

Broadway”

Saturday, April 14 at 7:30pm

Sunday, April 15 at 3pm

Tickets $15 each

 

Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis

333 Dubois Road

Annapolis, MD 21401

410-266-8044

www.uuca-md.org

 

 

 “The New UU”

Saturday, March 31

8:45 AM – 12 Noon

“The New UU” is designed for newcomers and new members.  It offers an introduction to Unitarian Universalism’s theology and history and provides an opportunity to learn more about the programs and activities of this congregation – the UU Church of Annapolis.  Anyone thinking of becoming a member of the congregation is strongly encouraged to attend.  We will meet in the Sanctuary and a continental breakfast will be provided.    It’s a wonderful way to learn more about Unitarian Universalism as well as a chance to meet church leaders and staff.  Please call Susan Eckert, at 410.266.8044 x110 to let us know that you will be attending and/or to request childcare.

 

 

 

 

 

YRUU Newsletter

What can you expect to see in the next few weeks involving a bunch of teenagers and an alien? That’s right, the annual YRUU Service! We've been occupied planning it and hope that everyone will join us in the sanctuary to see what we’ve cooked up. The YRUU also hosted another interesting Kawfee House. All the performances went over well and maybe next time the talented remainder of the YRUU will come prepared to express themselves, too. We have also purchased food storage containers, in accordance with the recent YRUU Food Protection Act.

 

2008 Youth Trip to Transylvania

The Partner Church Committee is sponsoring a trip for UU Youth from Annapolis to Transylvania in the summer of 2008. It's not too early to begin planning and budgeting for our trip.  An informational meeting will be held at the church on Tuesday, April 10 at 7:00pm in the MacLean Room.  A proposed itinerary will be available.  Come with your questions and enthusiasm.  Contact Lynann Rudert at 410-267-0461 for further information

 

 

 

 

Who am I?

 

Following my inclination toward an agricultural pursuit and the lure of Hawaii, then recently annexed to the United States, I landed in Honolulu on November 16, 1899; and within two weeks found the town quarantined for six months by an outbreak of bubonic plague.

 

 

 

Faith Development

 

Religious exploration News

Religious Exploration Calendar:

 

Ÿ    Sunday, April 1: Roots and Wings at 9 AM - all groups will meet as usual; at 11 AM there will be no F.L.A.M.E. session, but childcare will be provided during the congregational meeting.

Ÿ         Sunday, April 8: Religious Exploration groups will not meet.  Children are encouraged to sit with their family in the sanctuary for the Easter Intergenerational Celebrations.  Nursery coverage will be available as an option for parents who wish to use this service for their young children only (6 months-5 years).

Ÿ          

Guest At Your Table will be ending soon!  If you wish to participate in the annual fund-raising campaign of the UU Service Committee, please remember to bring back your boxes and envelopes on Sunday, April 1 (or the following week).  The U. U. Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, NY will match individual or family gifts of $75 or more, and $40 ($20 for seniors and $10 for students) or more will make you a UUSC member.  You may want to count the coins that you have already collected and, if you are close to those amounts, to add enough money to qualify.  We would also be thankful if you could write a check (payable to UUSC) for the total amount instead of bringing in all change.  Thank you in advance for your participation and your cooperation.

 

Religious Exploration Idea Box: do you have comments and suggestions about the RE program?  Want to be part of a team to review the R.E. curriculum, and make recommendations for coming years?  Interested in joining a R.E. Futures Committee to make a long-range plan with our children and youth in mind?  Let us know by dropping a note into the “R.E. Idea Box” (found in the narthex and by the downstairs entrance).  Although the notes could be anonymous, it would be helpful to have names and contact information to facilitate further conversation.

 

Spiritual Practice and UU’s

Tuesday, April 10

from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

This course offers a one-day exploration of the diverse array of activities or attitudes that constitute a Unitarian Universalist’s spiritual practice.  It will include hands-on learning experiences, utilizing Scott Alexander’s book Everyday Spiritual Practice.

 

Our Unitarian Universalist Story

Tuesdays Starting April 3 from 7:00-9:00 pm

Have you wanted to know more about our Unitarian Universalist roots? Come join us for this 4-session course where we will be exploring the roots of Unitarian Universalism to see how we got here and where we might be heading in the future.  Our discussion will include history as well as talk about our own experience as UUs. 

 

 

 

The Joseph Priestly District of the UUA Presents:

The all new

Intergenerational

2007 Spring Conference

Spreading the Faith

April 27-29, 2007

 

Harrisburg Hilton

One North SeconD Street

Harrisburg, PA 17101

 

Featuring:

Keynote Speaker

Rev. Stefan Jonasson

UUA  Director for Large Congregations

 

Online registration available at; www.jpduua.org

 

 

 

 

 

Resource Stewardship

 

Finance Notes

About a year ago, UUCA converted to new accounting software.  That probably sounds about as exciting to you as the bolts that hold your microwave oven together.  But let me tell you what’s in it for you.

      The new system is from ACS Technologies, so it’s known simply as “ACS”.  One of its important capabilities is that it handles both expenditures and member contributions.  In the past, the details of member contributions went into one database, and only the total amount of contributions was entered in QuickBooks (our old accounting program).  ACS makes it easier for the Management Team to keep good records and get key information when it’s needed.

      The convenient access to data extends all the way to you, because you can look up your contributions online.  Our ACS software includes an “online companion” that you can access from the UUCA website.  If you go to www.uuca-md.org, right at the top center you will see “Access ACS”.  Click here, assign yourself a user ID and password, you can see a record of your contributions.  ACS also allows the Management Team to define groups, and Access ACS lets members view the Church Directory and lists of group members.  You can also update your email or phone number in your profile.  Wow, 21st-Century technology comes to our Church!

      I suspect most of us prefer to have person-to-person interactions with UUCA rather than through a computer.  For those not anxious to jump online, ACS makes it easier to generate statements of member contributions for mailing.  ACS has other capabilities – which we may implement in the future, so it may allow UUCA to save money in those areas.  Watch for changes to come, especially as we update and streamline our website in the near future.

 

Dick Roop, Finance Chair

 

UUCA ENDOWMENT FUND REQUEST FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

The Endowment Fund is again requesting proposals from individuals and organizations interested in applying for funding for projects that further the mission of the church. The fund has $14,000 available to grant to projects that support the mission of UUCA.

 

Proposals should include:

 

1.   A description of the proposed activity or use of the funds and the expected result;

2.   A time schedule and budget for accomplishing the expected result;

3.   Resumes or similar documents indicating the qualification of those who will receive the award to accomplish the proposed objectives;

4.   References who can attest to the capabilities of the proposed awardees;

5.   Applicants should be prepared to make an oral presentation to the Board if requested to do so.

 

Grant applications are available at the office or at www.uuca-md.org

 

The Endowment fund has recently funded a comprehensive women’s development program in the Philippines, which was a call to women to “know their rights and their capabilities in order to strengthen their lives and their families”.

 

Additionally, the Endowment Fund awarded grants locally. One is promoting prison ministry, focusing on those individuals preparing to reenter the community. Another is funding an at risk youth in school program that promotes a healthy and educational after school experience for several local middle school children.

 

The Board will review applications and announce awards in April and May. Special consideration will be given to individuals/organizations that apply for grants that will have an impact locally. Grants generally range from $500 to $5,000 depending on the project.

 

 

 

 

 

Social Justice  & Outreach

March is UUCA’s month to stock the Lighthouse Shelter Pantry!

Please note that guests most often carry grocery bags by hand; we can get more variety if canned foods are around 15 oz. and peanut butter and spaghetti Sauce jars are no more than 25oz. in size.                                                         — The Lighthouse Committee

 

Cold cereal(16-23 oz boxes)

Powdered milk--(1 qt envelopes)

Spaghetti sauce (15-25 oz and spaghetti noodles

Canned spaghetti or ravioli

Tuna or hamburger helper

Pork and beans

Peanut butter, large (18-28 oz)

Jelly, small jars

Pasta, spaghetti & macaroni

Canned meats (Tuna & Chicken)

Canned stews, chili, hash

Cornbread  or other bread mix

 

Canned vegetables, (green beans, peas, corn)

applesauce & fruit

Canned soups

Crackers

Tea bags or hot chocolate mix

Pork and Beans or Baked Beans

rice, potatoes & pasta (plain or box mixes)

Dessert items (jello, cake mixes, instant puddings)

 

 B items usually in short supply

 

Thank You!!
While this is the suggested list, please know that anything that you bring will be used and greatly appreciated by the Shelter.

 

UU Affordable Housing

 

The Unitarian Universalist Affordable Housing Corporation invites you to help honor Gary Mummert, Sunday, April 22, 2007, 5:30 p.m. at Maggiano's Little Italy, 5333 Wisconsin Ave., Washington, DC. Gary will be presented with the UUAHC Legacy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community and Affordable Housing Development. Tickets for the event are $100 per person, and all proceeds or donations will support the UUACH Green Building Fund in Gary's honor. The fund helps nonprofit developers purchase energy-efficient materials and appliances that make home maintenance more sustainable for the environment and homebuyers. Please contact Terrie Barr at terriebarr@comcast.net for more information or to RSVP. Checks or donations made out to UUAHC should be sent by April 13 to Terrie Barr, 11801 Hayfield Ct., Potomac, MD 20854. For more information about UUAHC please visit www.uuahc.org.

 

Habitat Home Complete!

Except for the final landscaping, to be performed by the youth of the sponsoring faith communities on 03/31, our Cornish-Hatch home-build is complete!  Dedication of the home and presentation of the keys to the family will be held on Saturday, 14 April, at 11:00 am.  We thank our entire UUCA community for their wonderful support during this project.  We hope everyone can come out and celebrate this wonderful event with us.  Please contact Pat Fleeharty at 410/268-9038 or pfleeharty@hotmail.com if you have any questions.

 

Light house Shelter News

 

May is approaching, and it is again time for members of UUCA to staff the office at the Light House Shelter. We, along with volunteers from the Annapolis Friends, provide office staff during the day on Saturdays and Sundays in May; shifts run from 9am to noon and noon to 4pm. Work involves answering the phone and checking guests in and out. If you would like to volunteer for a shift or have questions, please contact Al or Jacque Pulsifer, 410-626-1163 or ajpulsifer@verizon.net. An orientation session is scheduled for April 21 at 2pm at the Shelter. Also, an information table will be available in the Narthex on April 8 and 15 between 10 and 11am.  

 

RIDE FOR SHELTER

 

Support the Light House Shelter by kicking off your spring with a family bike ride. The third annual Bike Annapolis ride is a family-friendly bicycling event with routes from 5-40 miles, free food, fun and games for kids, and even a 1-mile ride around the stadium for the youngest riders. If you don’t wish to ride, you can assure it is a great event by helping during the ride. All funds raised are donated to the Light House Shelter

WHEN: Sunday, April 15th.

Where: USNA stadium, Gate 5 (by the blue angel). Carpooling is encouraged as a fee is  charged for each and every car.

To register to ride or to volunteer to help, go to www.rideforshelter.com If you would like to get a group of UUCA members together to ride, contact Carrie at ckotcho@verizon.net.

 

 

ARTT Movie & Discussion Night

 

Monday, 16 April 2007, 7:00 p.m., the Sanctuary:  "Race To Execution" With an emphasis on the capital punishment system, this gripping 2006 documentary probes how race discrimination infects our criminal justice system.  Tracing the fates of two death row inmates, the film highlights how critical race becomes; the race of the defendant, the jurors and the victim deeply influences the entire legal process from how a crime scene is investigated all the way to sentencing.

 

Wednesdays, 25 April to 23 May, 6:30-8:00 p.m., the RE Sanctuary:  "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong" by James Loewen
James Loewen spent two years studying and comparing twelve widely-used American history textbooks. His findings were published in "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong." This book focuses not only on alleged errors or deliberate omissions in history textbooks but also on the lack of controversy that Loewen claims believes would make learning history exciting.
Join ARTT for a five-week book discussion series of "Lies My Teacher Told Me" in the RE Sanctuary on the lower level.
Contact Lisa lisa@malibuonline.com or Kathryn Hopecrownsville@aol.com for more details.

 

Monday, 14 May 2007, 7:00 p.m., the Sanctuary: