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, 07/18/2007

Next Mailing: 07/24/2007

Volume 50, Issue 13

July 10, 2007

 

 

 

Keeping the Faith

Each June Unitarian Universalists gather for the General Assembly (GA).  This year’s GA was in Portland, OR and our church sent 25 of its members and staff.  A great turnout!  I’ve attended over thirty GAs and this one was unlike all the others, as they will be until 2010.  This is because I was elected to a three year term on the Executive Board (Exec) of the UU Minister’s Association (UUMA), which is the professional organization serving about 1200 UU ministers.  Each of the Exec’s members carries a portfolio; mine is Good Offices.  Let me explain:

      Each chapter of the UUMA has at least one Good Offices Person (and as many as four) who is selected by their colleagues to be their minister.  The GO Person is there for counsel and support and to help interpret collegial behavior and relationships as well as minister-to-church and minister-to-staff relationships as referenced in the UUMA Code of Professional Practice and Guidelines.  In my new work, I am the continental GO Person and will work with local GO colleagues to facilitate their work in any way I can.  Consequently, most of my time at GA was spent in meetings connected to my new work.

      Some of you might be wondering why I might have chosen to do this.  Isn’t there enough going on at UUCA to keep busy?!  Of course there is and the challenges of serving our congregation don’t appear to be lessening.  But I was compelled to say “Yes” to this opportunity for at least two reasons:

      First, I care very much about the UU ministry – about the ministry in general and specifically about my colleagues.  I wasn’t sure if an opportunity like this would come again and chose to seize it before it was too late.  I’m at a point in my career – as I’m sure many of you have felt about those people and groups closest to you – where I want to give something back, where I felt I have something to give back.  This was a chance I couldn’t pass up.

      And second, all the indications are that the UU ministry is at a place of transition.  Ministers and congregational leaders are asking some very interesting and hard questions about ministry: Changes of governance ask for a different kind of ministry, ministers are wrestling with traditional expectations (“teaching, preaching, marrying and burying”), what does it mean to be called and ordained, who does a minister serve (people, members, UUism), and there is much more being discussed.  Just as interesting as these challenges is the background question of Why now – Why are these issues surfacing at this time?  I want to be part of this discussion.  Serving on the Exec., and especially while holding the portfolio of Good Offices, will give me a front row center seat in this show (and I never get to sit this close!).  The only admission price is my presence, experience and commitment to do the work.

      So, it was an extraordinarily busy GA for me.  I’d love to tell you more about my work on the UUMA Exec.  Feel free to ask me (and feel free to tell me when you’ve heard enough!).

      I hope you are having a good summer.  See you soon,

            Fred

 

 

 

 

 

 

               

Upcoming Sermons

 

July 15

“The God Confusion”

Rev. Fred mUIR

Is atheism and agnosticism making a comeback? Have religions and faith communities corrupted us and detracted for healthful and helpful living? Is theism destroying hope for a civilized world? Join me this morning as I explore some of the issues and challenges from some of those who would say “yes” to these questions.

 

July 22

Now is the Time 

Theresa Novak

What can happen when almost 6000 Unitarian Universalists get together? Energy, inspiration, and transformation can all take place.  Attendees will share some personal highlights from this year’s General Assembly.  Now is the time to share our message more fully with the wider world.

 

July 29 

Islam, a Faith of      Liberation

Theresa Novak

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. This is not necessarily a cause for fear and consternation.  We will look at the influence of Islam in African American history to learn some of the reasons why. 

 

August 5 

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

Theresa Novak

When we reject the concept of original sin and embrace the inherent worth and dignity of all, it is important to remember just who and what we are as humans, living in an imperfect and glorious world.

 

August 12

TGIF

Theresa Novak

 Thank God it’s Friday.  Time flies when you are having fun, but it is not always helpful to live only in the moment. 

 

August 19

Etched into my Heart

Theresa Novak

This will be Theresa Novak’s last sermon here at UUCA before she leaves for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden, Utah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Our Beloved Community

 

DIGNITY PLAYERS TO PRODUCE                 PERMANENT COLLECTION

UUCA’s Dignity Players will partner with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Fund Committee to help promote their next production, Permanent Collection, to the African-American community.  Written by playwright Thomas Gibbons, and directed by Terry Averill, Dignity Players will present seven afternoon and evening performances of the play during the first two weekends in August.  According to Los Angeles Times theater critic, Kathleen Foley, “Gibbons’ intellectually charged drama is a beautifully balanced dialectic that treats a complicated and emotional issue without cheap conclusions . . .”

Loosely based on an actual controversy at Philadelphia’s famous Barnes Foundation when it faced charges of racism while under the leadership of a black director, the play examines heated racial controversy instigated by insensitive comments.  In the play, the marketing director, African-American Sterling North clashes with art historian Paul Barrow about the director’s desire to display some of the museum’s previously unexhibited collection of African art.  While the dispute between North and Barrow begins with art, the dispute soon demonstrates unspoken resentments between the two. The UUCA Anit-Racism Transformation Team (ARTT) will lead an audience discussion following the Saturday, Aug. 4 matinee.

Permanent Collection will be performed Aug. 3 at 8:00 pm, Aug. 4 at 2:00 pm, Aug. 5 at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 9, 10 and 11 at 8:00 pm, Aug. 12 at 2:00 pm.   Ticket prices are $20 for Friday and Saturday evenings; Thursday and Sunday evenings, $15; Saturday and Sunday matinees, $10.  Senior Citizens and Students receive a $5.00 discount off any performance.

 

 

Web of Life

This month we celebrated Independence Day, the Fourth of July as a time to remember that we were once a young country who took the amazing leap to declare that we were no longer going to be governed by the British but we were, “free and independent states.”  This declaration and the history of our countries move towards freedom is familiar to us and many of us stand firmly on the side of independence.  As a liberal faith we declare that we are free to search for what is true and meaningful in each of our lives.  As members of this congregation you each get to have a say in the decisions we make as a congregation, who we are, what we stand for, what we support with our time and money, how we will be in community together.  Indeed, it is this last piece that I have been thinking about this past month.  Our independence is very important to us and indeed it is something that we value highly in our Unitarian Universalist religion but it is equally important to balance this love of independence with an understanding of interdependence.  Hazrat Inayat Khan, a Sufi teacher from India says, “Mankind is interdependent, and the happiness of each depends on the happiness of all, and it is this lesson that humanity has to learn today as the first and last lesson.”  The definition of interdependence is a dynamic of being mutually responsible to and sharing a common set of principles with others. Like the web mentioned in our seventh principle we are independent people connected, often invisibly, to each other.  I might suggest that it is how we live, love, laugh and work in community together that makes us strong and able to also be independent.  This country of ours could benefit from celebrating both the independence that we gained and all that we have embraced of independent ways and balancing it with a celebration of interdependence.  What we do in one place affects all others.  It is when we forget that we are connected that we often make our biggest mistakes.  What would a declaration of interdependence look like for this church, for this nation?  How can we balance these two equally valuable pieces of who we are as a community and as a world?

 

May this month be one of connection and independence for each of us,

 

Amber

 

Who Am I?

She was a founding member of the Community Action Committee of Cape Cod, and the Fair Housing Committee on Cape Cod. She was also active in the Unitarian Church of Barnstable, becoming a founding member of the Social Responsibility Committee, and the first woman to chair the Prudential Committee; the governing body of the church. She was also on the boards of the Cape Cod Section, Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands.

 

UUCA Book Club

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

Our upcoming selections are as follows:

July 17            Reading Lolita in Tehran    Azar Nafisi

 

Aug.21            East of Eden                          John Steinbeck

Reading Lolita is a memoir set against a background of world-shaking conflict and change. East of Eden, a classic novel, follows the intertwined destinies of two families in California’s Salinas Valley.

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

 

 

UUCA Outdoor

Evening Kayak - Saturday, July 21 5:00-8:00pm  Meet at the Patuxent Wetland Park Landing (Route 4 just north of Jug Bay, AA Co).  Launch at 5pm; return to landing at 8pm.  We will paddle downstream towards Jug Bay.  Must provide own kayak or canoe, paddles, PFD.  Bring water, snacks, bug spray, flashlight (just in case).  For more information and to sign up, please contact Eloise Hoyt, ehoyt@toadmail.com or 410-768-4932.

 

For All That Is Our

Theresa Novak, Summer Minister

As many of you may have heard by now, my partner Anne and I will be moving to Utah at the end of August.  I will become the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden, a congregation with about one hundred adult members and twenty five children and youth. We have an agreement for two years of fulltime ministry and after the first year will decide if it will become a more permanent settlement.  Of course I wrote a poem about it…

 

As the mountains rise

Above the salt flats

In majesty and wonder

We will listen

For the quiet call,

The still small voice,

A guide with measured steps,

Scouting out the trail.

 

And we may be amazed

By the thunders’ clap

The chance encounter,

A wild and crazy shout,

Rhythms that will make us dance.

 

And within it all

The precious beat of human hearts,

Of hopes and fears and dreams,

Open now in anticipation.

Live with patience

Grace, I must believe,

Awaits us all.

 

As excited as I am to begin serving our congregation in Ogden, I am also looking forward to the rest of my time here in Annapolis.  As the air begins to thicken around us in the damp heat of summer, may we remember that we are held in love, and that it matters that we are together.

 

 

Welcoming, Caring & Connecting

 

Hey UUCA-ers

It’s been a great three years working here at UUCA, but I’ll soon be leaving for England. I Will be entering a one year master’s program at the University of Sheffield and may continue to stay in England for a PhD as well.

I have enjoyed interacting with the people of the church and have made many friends. Thank you all for being so friendly and welcoming, and for making my time here so special.

My last day at the church will be Sunday, July 22, feel free to stop by the kitchen and say good-bye!

Stephanie Meredith

 

Sharing with the wider community:

We began our First Sunday Outreach Collection program in April of this year, where the offering basket is shared between the support of UUCA and a community organization doing work that reflects our religious values.  So far we have contributed the following amounts to these worthwhile organizations:

April – Beacon House- $717

May – Turkey Creek Community Initiatives - $908

June – Haven $805

July - Equality Maryland - $547

 Thank you for your generosity.  

 

ORIENTATIONS & INTRODUCTIONS FOR NEWCOMERS

 

Please join us for these opportunities to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and the UU Church of Annapolis.  The New UU – Sunday, July 29, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. covers UU theology, UU history and the UU Church of Annapolis.  Anyone thinking of becoming a member of the congregation is strongly encouraged to attend the New UU class.  The “Newcomer Talk & Tour”– Sunday, August 26, after the morning celebration, provides an introduction to the programs and activities of the church as well as how to find your way around the buildings and grounds.  Please contact Susan Eckert for further information or to request childcare 410-266-8044, x110

 

The Lighthouse Shelter – A New Beginning

 

On June 29, 2007, Annapolis Area Ministries, Inc, operator of the Lighthouse Shelter, acquired a 1.4-acre site on Hudson Street in Annapolis as a location for a new shelter. The new facility will be approximately 20,000 square feet, with 40 to 50 beds and several apartments for families. The living quarters for the guests will be on the second floor of the shelter, while offices, including an employment center, will be on the first floor. AAMI is currently searching for an architectural firm to design the building, with construction scheduled to begin in the spring of 2009. It is hoped that the building will be finished by the end of that year.

 

A Spiritual Journey to Peru

 

Imagine a trip to Peru visiting Machu Picchu, the Nazca lines, Markawasi!  Now add experiencing these sites more deeply because you have been taught about their cosmology during the trip and you meditate at each site in order to touch the energy of Peru even closer.  Michele Porzel, member of the Accotink UU church in Burke, VA,  is leading her third tour of Peru on October 17-30, 2007.  This is a unique opportunity to both be a tourist but also to give back to Peru through your energetic service.   See www.seedsofcosmicconsciousness.com or contact Michele at sccds.retreats@gmail.com for more information

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith Development

 

Religious Exploration News

 

The Summer Religious Exploration Program Continues!

Every Sunday 10:00 AM-11:15 AM through September 2

 

Nursery for children 2-4 years old and younger: children may be left in the Nursery at 10 AM and picked up by 11:15 AM.

 

Picture Book World Religions , a multi-age program for 3-4 to 10-year olds.  Children sit with their family in the sanctuary for the first part of the service, then go to the R.E. sanctuary downstairs.  Parents are asked to pick up their children by 11:15 AM.  All sessions will be led by Katie Michaelson or Anne Scholle, Children’s Program Facilitators, assisted by adult volunteers.

 

July 15: Ahmed’s Secret – the story of young boy in Cairo as prepares to tell his family his secret. Come find out what it is! Led by Anne Scholle.           

 

July 22: Sitti’s Secrets – An American Muslim girl misses her “sitti”, or Palestinian grandmother, who lives across the ocean. Led by Katie Michaelson.

                       

July 29: Tenzin’s Deer – The Tibetan tale teaches us to listen to our intuition and be courageous in the face of loss. Led by Anne Scholle.

 

Tweens (for 11 to 13-year-olds) will meet three time for programs on July 22 and August 5 (plus an afternoon-long Middle School Cluster Event on August 19). The July 22 program is “Dances of Universal Peace”, with Carol Schenker assisted by Patricia Wagner.

 

YRUU (for youth in high school) will meet most Sundays; a special activity is planned for August 19.  Contacts: Phoenix Geimer (410-562-3520) or Kristina Korona (410-990-1625).

 

 

 

A Spiritual Retreat for

How will you spend the later years of your life?  Do you have a gift to give?  Michele Porzel, of the Accotink UU Church in Burke VA, has created a weekend retreat where participants focus on their soul’s journey and its message for the rest of their life.  Michele offers meditation, intuitive sounding, crystal bowls, chi kung as activities which assist participants in their inner focus.  There are two retreats scheduled in 2007:  August 17-19 and Oct 9-11 in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.  For more info, see www.seedsofcosmicconsciousness.com

 

Social Justice  & Outreach

 

Gallery at 333 

On display at the Gallery at 333 is the Members and Friends Summer Show featuring works on paper by all levels and ages of artists.  Come discover what surprises your friends have kept secret!  The show is up from July 2 to the end of August.  In September Nancy Ostroff will display watercolors, oils, pastels and acrylics.

 

Who Am I? (answer)

Margaret Moseley (1901-1997) A community peace and civil rights activist, Moseley was born in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1901, and graduated from high school in Dorchester in 1919. Unable to pursue a career in nursing or business because of racial discrimination, Moseley was a founding member of a consumers' cooperative in Boston in the 1940s, served on the board of the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and Freedom House in Roxbury. She was president of the Community Church in Boston, and Massachusetts legislative chair for the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, which established the Margaret Moseley Memorial Peace Education Fund in her honor in 1989. After moving to Cape Cod in 1961, she helped form local chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and WILPF.

 

Restorative Justice Update

Our Restorative Justice effort was put on hold because of a pending program sponsored by the Office of the Governor that will fund the development of an Anne Arundel County Program Plan and implementation of a program to help reduce the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) with the Juvenile Justice System. Art Hansen and Tatiana Johanning are on the DMC planning committee that reports to the Local Management Board. We are trying to get Restorative Justice and After School Programs included as part of this program. This plan should be completed by the end of August and implemented a few months thereafter.

The Anne Arundel County DMC Committee involves key stakeholders, such as a Circuit Court judge, a Master in Chancery, members of the Department of Juvenile Services, county police department, the Office of Public Defenders, and representatives of the county Executive Office, as well as several non-governmental organizations.

As a consequence of being on the committee, we have learned that there is an ongoing Restorative Justice program in the Department of Juvenile Services, called the “Neighborhood Youth Panel”. We have contacted the Coordinator of this community program and we are invited to receive volunteer training in September to help with this Restorative Justice Program at no cost to us. We have the opportunity to work with at-risk minority juveniles, their families and communities in the Annapolis area. By being part of the “Neighborhood Youth Panel” program, we will be able to help juveniles be productive members of their communities as an alternative to detention or other court-ordered alternatives.

A meeting of the UUCA Restorative Justice Team is set for 11:15 AM, Sunday, July 22, in the Wright Room. Art Hansen will discuss the county DMC program and the a proposal to increase the scope of the current Restorative Justice program to assist in the reduction in the DMC (with the juvenile justice system) in the Annapolis area, and the role of the UUCA Restorative Justice Team in this program. Anyone interested in participating is invited to attend. For further information please contact Art Hansen.

 

 

 

Tips from Green Sanctuary

I know that often in this space you’re used to seeing a dizzying array of new concepts and advanced technology.  We’ve dealt with CFLs, LEDs, PVC, BYOB (not yet maybe, but we’ll get to that one).  Today, we’re going to keep it very simple.  Nothing fancy or dazzling, just one of those simple “duh” thoughts.

Our environmental, save-the-earth-and-yourself-while-you’re-at-it tip is… walk.  Just walk.  Whenever you possibly can, keep the car parked and walk.  And just from my personal observations in my own neighborhood, many people are driving places they could easily have walked (or biked) to, but it just didn’t occur to them.

Here’s what’s in it for you (and all of us):

Better health – you can burn 100 calories a mile, even at a slow pace, and the consistent exercise can help reduce your risk of heart disease.

Better air quality – eliminating 10 1-mile trips in the car each week can save 500 lbs of CO2 emissions in a year.

Connect with your neighbors – pause in your walk to chat with your neighbors instead of just waving at familiar cars going by.

Save money – walking a mile instead of driving will save you about 15 cents on gas (OK, but it adds up!).

      So set the example in your neighborhood.  When people see you “self-propelling” to that swim meet, barbecue, or party down the road, they notice.  And next time, maybe it’ll occur to them to do it themselves.

 

 

 

Save the Date

It’s a JUUbilee!

UU’s join together OCTOBER 13, 2007 at All souls Church

Service: 4:00-5:30 (refreshments to follow)

 

Saturday, October 13, 2007 will be a JUUbilee celebration for Unitarian Universalist in the Baltimore Washington region. On this day, Unitarian Universalist from around the region will join together in worship to celebrate the social legacy of A. Powell Davies and the last 50 years of UU growth in the region which he initiated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rain Garden

With the help of Zora Lathan, designer, and a grant from Unity Gardens of AACo, the Green Sanctuary committee has planted a rain garden in three parts outside the fence of the playground.  Besides dealing with storm water runoff from our parking lot, it is also a demonstration of what we can do at home to deal with our own storm water.

Now we know that instead of rushing water from our downspouts to creeks and rivers by the means of curbs and sewer grates, it should be slowly percolated through the soil to clean and cool before it reaches our creeks and rivers.  The native grasses and perennials that we’ve planted can thrive in both these wet conditions and the drought.  They are switch grass, foxglove beardtongue, Cardinal flower, Seaside goldenrod, Joe-Pye weed, Turtlehead, Blue flag iris, Blue-eyed grass, and Cinnamon fern, all native species that will be happy at UUCA.

With a little tweaking, watering, and weeding, we hope this garden will be with us for many years.

 

 

 

 

333 Coffeehouse at the UU Church of Annapolis

Friday, July 20, 2007, 8:00 PM

 

 

Geoff Kaufman

 

Acoustic music…

with a pinch of salt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Admission $10 ($8 senior/$5 student) Web site: www.fsgw.org/333
Coming Friday, August 20, 2007: Scurvy Crew, high spirited high schoolers in pirat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis is to serve the congregation and the community and to affirm the universal spirit of human dignity by creating an environment that challenges, inspires, encourages and supports the quest for religious fulfillment.

We are committed to the church as an institution, to social justice, to liberal religious education, to mutual caring and support, and to the value of diversity.

We invite all persons of every faith and background to engage in a search for truth. We believe in the dignity and worth of every human being and in freedom of expression. We strive to care about each other and the health of our community and the world.

Some material in the Newsletter is added during the printing process and not available electronically. In addition many of the names and phone numbers have been removed.

Send an electronic Newsletter Entry

Go to the UUCA Home Page

Send Mail to the Church.

 

 

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