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

Joyce Palmer, Intern Minister

Susan Eckert, Members Services Coordinator

Lori Frederick, Office Assistant

Stephanie Meredith, Newsletter/DRE Assistant

 

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

Next News Deadline: midnight, 9/5/06

Next Mailing: 9/12/06

Volume 49, Issue 16

August 22, 2006

 

 

 

The one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina & fallanti-oppressive social   justice opportunities

The UUA has joined the interfaith National Alliance to Restore Opportunity to the Gulf Coast and to Displaced Persons in A Season of Prayer and Call to Action. See http://www.linkedfate.org/. The suffering of those who lived in this region prior to Katrina continues. Many residents have become part of a new American Diaspora, unable to return to their homes in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast.

Congregations are being asked to mark the anniversary on the weekend of August 25-27. One of our partners the Gamaliel National Clergy Caucus has created resources for worship. We hope that UUs might work with these materials to reflect our own worship style. See http://www.gamaliel.org/Katrina/resources.htm for bulletin inserts, prayers, candlelight vigils and more.

The Alliance has initiated the Petition for Fairness & Opportunity demanding the federal government to do much more to restore hope and opportunity to our brothers and sisters inside and outside the region.

Please bring it to your congregation - to download see http://www.linkedfate.org/documents/Petition%20for%20fairness%20opportunity-081706.pdf (petition form in pdf format).

The UUA continues to raise funds for our community partners in the Gulf and to work for a just recovery in the Gulf. For news see http://www.uua.org/ and http://www.uua.org/news/gulfcoastrelief/advocacy.html.

As fall approaches, please mark your calendar for two important anti-oppressive social justice opportunities:

1) The UUA Socially Responsible Investing Teleconferences this fall.

Mark your calendars and invite a group from your congregation to join the call. See details at http://www.uua.org/finance/sri/.

2) A searing documentary about Iraq and the experience of US troops is being released on September 15th and will be shown in major cities.

Several UU congregations in selected areas will be showing the film in as well. Additionally, all congregations will have the opportunity to host a Ground Truth Gathering on OCT 11th and show the DVD. Go to http://www.thegroundtruth.net/ for more information, to order a DVD, and to sign up for a gathering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Sermons

 

August 27

“Summer As a State of Mind”

Rev. Fred Muir

My dilemma: How to keep the summer state of mind going throughout the year.  Sound familiar?  Maybe not, but there’s a lesson to be learned by everyone as we begin thinking of leaving August for September.  Join me as I look at this transition.

 

Sept 3

Rev. Amber Beland

 

Sept 10

50th Anniversary Committee

Sunday September 10, 2006,  at the 10 a.m. service we will culminate the celebration our 50th Anniversary Year.

For the first time in our 50 year history, the day will begin with a HUGE PARADE.  All marchers will meet in the Quaker Church parking lot at 9:30 and travel to the front door of UUCA.

 

 

Sept 17

Return to two services

On September 17, 2006 UUCA will return to its Fall Church Services schedule. Services will be held at 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.. Children’s Religious Exploration will be offered during both services. Nursery Care is available during both services. For more information or to register your child (ren) for Children’s Religious Exploration Please contact Fran Ateto at 410-266-8044 ext 101 or dre@uuca-md.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Our Beloved Community

MAKE A DIFFERENCE-HOST A YES STUDENT

 

In response to the events of September 11, 2001, the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program was launched to build bridges of understanding between the United States and countries of the Arab and Muslim world.  Funded by the US government, the YES Program provides high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations the opportunity to live in the US with host families and attend high school for an academic year.  YES is looking for open-minded and thoughtful families of all backgrounds eager to share their home and culture with an exchange student. 

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Susan Eckert at the church office (410-266-8044 ext. 110). There is information about the YES program and three (3) student profiles for three young men who are in need of host families.

 

 

Reflections

The saying goes, “The children are our future”.  Having spent the past three months with the children of the UUCA, I can honestly say that our future looks bright.

For the curriculum this summer, we used a supplement reading titles “Keepers of the Earth”.  What an appropriate title for the kids of a Unitarian Universalist Church!  Of the seven UU principles taught in RE, I believe the last is one of the easiest for children to remember:”respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part”.  Maybe it’s not easy to remember in those words, but put simply, we are all responsible for taking care of this planet.

Every Sunday, Katie Michaelson or I would teach a lesson based on the topic from that week, using the coinciding Native American creation myth from the book.  Most of the topics-fire, earth, air, water, plants, and animals-provided an easy brainstorming session varying between “How do we use [topic]?” and “What can we do to protect [topic]?”  We came prepared with a list of ideas, in case the kids couldn’t think of any.  Turns out, they had more ideas than we did!!  From the mantra, “renew, reuse, recycle” to the countless uses of trees, these kids know what is best for the future of our planet.

As a college student going into my junior year, the future is the most prominent subject on my mind.  When I graduate in two years, where will I live?  What work will I have?  How soon will it be before I have kids of my own?  Working with the children of the UUCA was the perfect opportunity for me to contemplate the answers to these questions.  I am a declared English major with a minor in Philosophy and Religion, but this summer has pushed me towards a career in education.  Of course, teaching kids in any context, whether training for AP tests or making pinecone bird feeders, means facing challenges. 

This summer certainly has not been without its challenges.  Wasp nests, playground escapes, accommodating children’s individual needs and a shortage of popsicles are some of the trials and tribulations we Summer RE teachers faced.  Katie even had one Sunday class of 35 children.! But with every challenge comes the opportunity to rise above it and learn from it.

      I sincerely that the UUCA for giving me the opportunity to work with these gifted and intelligent children.  I wouldn’t want to leave our future to anyone else.                            

     

 Sincerely,

 Hallie Andrews

 

 

UUCA Choir

 

Rehearsals for the UUCA  Choir will resume on Wed, Sept. 6..  We rehearse each week from 7:30 until 9:30 and sing for our Sunday Morning Services every other week.  Our repertoire is varied and includes music from the pre-Baroque period through Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary. 

New members are always welcome.  We are particularly in need of tenors and basses.  Singers need to be able to carry a tune and maintain their part.  If you’re interested contact Betsy Jo Angebranndt at 301-464-0479.

 

 

Welcoming, Caring & Connecting

Starting Sept 1st Access ACS Goes Live.

Beginning on September 1st, UUCA members (people who have signed the membership book) will have on-line access to the membership directory. Members will be able to look up contact information for other members, view their contribution records and submit changes to their contact information.

The UUCA homepage will have a button which reads: Click here to Access On-line Members Directory . This link will take you to the ACS Members’ sign in page. To register for the first time to see your personal information, click the link that says, "Get your username and password". Please note that we must have this information already in our files for you to be able to register. Once you receive your username and password you are free to search the database, view contribution records and submit changes to your contact information.

Registered Users Sign In Here         Not Registered?

                                                                        Get your user name and password

Site Number:

User Name:

Password:

 

In the coming months, committee co-chairs will have the ability to create contact list for their groups, take attendance, and inquiry about budget lines. Please note that budget numbers have changed. New budget numbers are 8 characters long and look like such 1-XXXXXX. If you do not know your budget number please contact the office and the office assistant will be glad to provide you with this information. A copy of the Chart of Accounts can also be found on the wall above the reimbursement request forms tray.

Special thank you to Betty Crowley, for her assistance with testing the system for user friendliness. All of her responses have been very positive and I look forward to offering a training workshop later this fall.

If you have any question or concerns please feel free to contact Christol Medley, Church Administrator at 410-266-8044 ext 102 or admin@uuca-md.org.

 

 

B & B Host requests

 

With college beginning in the fall, many parents will be visiting the Annapolis area for activities hosted by the USNA and St. John’s College, among other organizations.  UUCA is looking to expand its database of B&B hosts.  Would this be something that interests you? For more information or to sign-up, please contact Carli @ (410) 266-8044, ext. 105 or at receptionist@uuca-md.org.

 

Congregation Announcement

 

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Florida!! Craig and I have moved into our new 80-year old house.  Unpacking is a slow process, but we make a little progress at a time. Craig is quite happy with his new position and has settled in nicely with the company.  I have begun reassembling the house, and am not quite ready to jump back into the workforce.  Please feel free to visit us in Orlando whenever you are here.  We miss you all!!

 

Craig and Beverly Alig

509 Delaney Park Drive

Orlando, FL 32806

Home: (321) 558-8647

Email: bevalig@gmail.com

 

 

 

UUCA Outdoor Club

 

UUCA Outdoor Club is open to all members and friends of UUCA who wish to enjoy the fellowship of UUs in the setting of an outdoor activity.  For more information or to sign up for an activity, please contact Eloise Hoyt 410-768-4932 or ehoyt@toadmail.com
Saturday, September 9, 2006  9:00am-2:00pm  Kayak/Canoe on the Rhode River from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.  Must provide own watercraft.  Bring boat, paddle, life preserver (required), water, snack, lunch.  Meet at the church at 9:00am.  

October Bike Ride – Date not yet determined
Saturday, October 14  Kayak/Canoe Tuckahoe Creek, Eastern Shore
Saturday, November 11  Hike in Glendening Preserve by Jug Bay Wetlands
Saturday, December 2  Walk in Ellicott City Historic District

 

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UUCA Book Club

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

Our upcoming selections are as follows:

August 15 The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle

September 19 Out of the Flames by Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone.

If you have questions, please contact Jackie Rocca. All are welcome to join us!

 

 

Don’t Miss the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Memorial

Dedication: Maryland’s First King Memorial

 

You are invited to attend the dedication ceremonies for the first permanent memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the State of Maryland on Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 3 PM at Anne Arundel Community College, West Campus, 101 College Parkway, Arnold, MD . This event will take place rain or shine. For directions: http://aacc.edu/locationsandmaps/directions.cfm. We look forward to celebrating the vision and dream of Dr. King with the residents of Maryland.

 

 

Faith Development

 

Parents of

Children and Youth

 

If you have already registered your children for the 2006-2007 Religious Exploration program, thank you!  If you plan to enroll your children in R.E., but haven’t yet, please look for a green form on the rack in the Info Alcove, fill it out, and leave it in the DRE mailbox today!  Forms are also available online at www.uuca-md.org.  Your prompt action will help us tremendously in getting ready for the fall.

 

Ever thought of

being a Coming of Age mentor? 

Each youth enrolled in our Coming of Age program is matched with a mentor – an adult from our congregation who offers the youth guidance and support in his/her quest throughout the year.  We may not have a compatible youth to match with you right now, but would like to get an idea of your interest, and create a pool of potential mentors who can be contacted when the opportunity arises.  Let me hear from you!  (Fran Ateto – 410-266-8044 x101 or dre@uuca-md.org)

 

 

RE News

 

Religious Exploration Schedule: here are the plans for children, youth and adults involved in the R.E. program on Sunday, September 17, when we return to two services.

 

 

RE Facilitators/Teachers and Advisors for 2006-2007: all are asked to go to the sanctuary at 9:00 AM to attend the traditional ceremony in their honor.  After the ceremony, facilitators and advisors will lead their group to the meeting rooms.

Infants and Babies: at 9:00 or 11:00 AM parents may leave their children 6-9 months to 2-4 years old in the nursery before going to the sanctuary for the Morning Celebration.  Parents may keep their infants with them through the service in the sanctuary, with the understanding that, should their baby get noisy, they will go out into the foyer, where a loudspeaker allows them to hear the service.

Roots and Wings at 9:00 AM: the Dedication Ceremony honoring the R.E. facilitators and advisors will be held at the beginning of the Morning Celebration.  Children and youth in pre-K through grade 12 are asked to stay with their family in the sanctuary for the ceremony, after which they will be dismissed and follow the adult leaders to the meeting rooms. Childcare at 11:00 AM: until our new program, F.L.A.M.E., kicks off on October 1st, childcare will be available for children 3 to 10 years old during the second service.  Children are expected to sit in the sanctuary with their family for the first part of the service, until they are sung out to go downstairs for supervised activities.

 

Trick or Treat for UNIcef

 

It’s not too early to think of Halloween! UNICEF collection boxes will be distributed to the church school on October 22 0r 29.  If your child plans to collect in your neighborhood, it might be a good idea to announce it in your community newsletter so that people know it is legitimate and have money ready.

Mention the name of the church, and it will also be good publicity.

 

 

Summer Religious Exploration Program

Every Sunday 10:00 AM-11:15 AM June 18 through September 3

 

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.

 

Keepers of the Earth , a multi-age program for 3-4 to 10-year olds. Children sit with their family for the first part of the service until they are sung out of the sanctuary to participate in activities downstairs. Parents are asked to pick up their children by 11:15 AM. All sessions will be led by Hallie Andrew or Katie Michaelson, Children’s Program Coordinators, assisted by adult volunteers.

August 27: The topic will be "What We Leave Behind (Fossils)", led by Katie Michaelson with assistant Lisa Parks.

September 3: The topic will be "The Goodbye Walk", led by Hallie Andrew with assistants Pinto Soin and Teresa Voshell.

 

 

A Tapestry of Women: Full Moon Circle 10th

Anniversary Celebration

Thursday, September 7, 7-9 PM

 

Full Circle invites all women (and teen girls with parental permission) to attend this Full Moon Circle to celebrate of 10 years of women's gatherings! We hope that women who attended early circles will join with newcomers to experience the wonderful diversity, warmth, and playfulness of a trusting women's circle. Wear colorful, festive clothing and bring at least 20 feet of ribbon or yarn of any color for our tapestry activity. Bring salad
ingredients or finger foods for the post-circle feasting.

Note: This will be the last circle open to drop-in participants until February. Any women interested in attending October-January circles need to register for
the Spinners program. There is no limit on enrollment in Spinners. Further information on Spinners will be published in the newsletter or contact Brenda Gilmore, brendagilmore13@hotmail.com or 410-729-0883.

 

HELP WANTED: Land Surveyor.

Reasonable price to survey UUCA church property, reset monuments for Strategic Planning And Resource Committee (SPARC).

Please contact Margaret Martin (nchantd1@verizon.net) at 410-923-6045 or Kirk Allbright (kirk.allbright@verizon.net) at 410-507-9939.

 

Social justice & Outreach

Peacepath in Baltimore

The Women in Black and friends of FUCB will be standing all along Charles Street in Baltimore, MD   in observance of September 11, from four to six p.m.  We hope some of your congregation will be able to join us.  Peace signs and bumper stickers are available.  Homemade signs and those who feel inclined to play a musical instrument are especially welcome. For more information contact Shirley Dempsey, First Unitarian Church of Baltimore demps907@aol.com.

 

 

Green Tips from Green Sanctuary

 

Saving money on your electric bill to offset price increases Pt. 2

by Peter Bergstrom and John Saams

Here are some suggestions to ease the pain of higher electricity prices, especially if you are a BGE customer.  For a more in-depth look at ways to save energy at home, you can visit http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/ to perform an energy self-audit.

     3. Buy the most energy efficient electric appliances you can afford.

Whenever you replace an appliance, make energy efficiency a priority in your selection.  This may have other benefits as well; for example a high efficiency heat pump makes the air colder in the summer, and warmer in the winter, than a standard heat pump.  You can do a calculation of how many years it will take to pay back the higher purchase price in savings on electricity, but if you want to save energy now, this is a good way to do it.  New EnergyStar refrigerators use 40% less electricity than conventional models from 5 years ago (2001).  If you have an older “backup” refrigerator in the basement or garage, it may make financial sense to replace it, or better yet, find a way to not use it.

4. Install a programmable thermostat.

            These can save energy on heating and cooling, especially if your house is empty most of the day, and they can cost less than $100.  They are the only kind we use at church.  Some recommend against using them with heat pumps during the winter because they can cause the heat pump to use expensive resistance heat when they raise the setting in the morning, but this risk can be reduced by programming the temperature to rise more gradually.  Also, some programmable thermostats are specifically designed to avoid using the resistance heating in your heat pump when the set point is raised.

5. Install compact fluorescent light bulbs.

            John Saams has replaced many of the down lights at church with compact fluorescents, and many of you probably have not noticed.  The new “warm white” or “soft white” models (with a 3000 K color temperature) have light almost as warm as that from incandescent bulbs, with a fraction of the energy usage.  Contact Bill Crowley or Diane Bedlin for more information; they have offered to make home visits to advise UUCA members and friends on which bulbs to use in which fixtures.  

 

Murray grove homecoming 2006

 

Over the years, hundreds of UUs have made pilgrimages to Murray Grove at Homecoming and other times of the year.  This year’s Homecoming celebration is being held on the exact anniversary  of the actual date that John Murray gave his first sermon on American soil:a sermon that inspired him to begin a journey that eventually led to the establishment of the first Universalist church in American and the Universalism as a denomination.  Murray Grove is a place of  roots and wings.  For more information, please contact  Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center at (609) 693-5558, please reference Homecoming 2006.

 

Join Us for Great Decisions discussion

 

On August 26, beginning about 11:30pm, the UUCA Global Justice Committee is bringing you another segment of the Great Decisions course as published by the Foreign Affairs Association. The subject for this month is “Turkey.” Bring a sandwich and join in the discussion which ends at 1pm. For further information, please call Virginia Frederick.

 

 

 

Arts in the Woods

Calendar of Events for the 2006 Program

 

Watch for the most current performance information in the newsletter and the upcoming Arts in the Woods brochure. All performances are held at UUCA unless otherwise indicated.

All performances are held at UUCA unless otherwise indicated.

 

All performances are held at UUCA unless otherwise indicated.

September 15

333 Coffeehouse

Andy Cohen & Jack Radcliffe

 

Needed: Reliable Vehicle

We rent a home to a family with 6 kids who were previously housed by the Lighthouse Shelter. They work incredibly hard, but when a glitch happens, they are near destitution again.

Now, they can't get to work because their donated, patchwork car finally died for good, and there is no bus service.

For a reliable car, they can piece together $1800. If you have, or know of a car that would do, please help! For more information, please contact Kari Bichell and Jamie Harms at 410-507-4903, or kbichell@som.umaryland.edu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

333 Coffeehouse at the UU Church of Annapolis

Friday, September 15, 2006, 8:00 PM

 

 

Andy Cohen & Jack Radcliffe

Come hear great acoustic country blues, boogie-woogie, and ragtime piano and guitar wizardry by two of the most acclaimed masters of these genres.

 

 

Admission $10 ($8 senior/$5 student) Web site: www.fsgw.org/333
Coming Friday, October 20, 2006: Leah Weiss & Gary Wright
(roots-Americana music, based on Appalachian old-time and country music)

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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