UU PEACE LABYRINTH OASIS

Transcription

1 May 2018 Please join us to Celebrate the CEREMONIAL GROUNDBREAKING of our UU PEACE LABYRINTH OASIS on World Labyrinth Day 2018 Saturday, May 5th from 12:30-2pm Walk in unison with many throughout the world IN MEDITATION FOR PEACE on our small, indoor, canvas labyrinth at 1PM in the Sanctuary light refreshments will be served RSVP TO JONI PADDUCK, OUR BLESSING AND OUR LOSS The Rev. Dr. Charles William Wilhelm III (Chuck) passed away on April 21st 2018 at the age of 68. Rev. Chuck had been part of our UUCOD Community for a good part of the last decade often filling our pulpit. He became our Assistant Minister in February 2017, preaching regularly and helping to serve our pastoral care needs. When his health declined, he returned to Albuquerque, where he had worked and been involved with the community for many years. Chuck spent the last days (continued on page 7)

2 Sunday Services 10:00 AM Located at Via Vail, Rancho Mirage Send Mail to: PO Box 2853 Rancho Mirage, CA website: UUCOD.org Rev. Julie Forest, Interim Minister Rev. Dr. Kenneth Torquil MacLean, Minister Emeritus Upcoming Services May 6 The Power of Music in Our Lives and Its Affect On Us Music! What does music mean to you? The power of music permeates every part of our lives. We will look at various types of music, its use, and discover the effect it has in our lives. The sermon will take on a very different feel... come explore and enjoy it with me! Children s Religious Education, grades K-5 is available Worship Leader: Dorian McWain Worship Associate: Bryna Bloom UUCOD Choir; Kurt Jordan, accompanist; Turner Blatchley, bass; Nathon Parrot, drums May 13 Children s Religious Education, grades 6-12 is available Worship Leader: Rev. Julie Forest Worship Associate: Denise Janssen-Eager Kurt Jordan, accompanist Board of Directors President Sarah Gonzales 1st V. Pres Shirley LeMaster 2nd V. Pres Roger Beaman Secretary Jane Zaun Treasurer Marty Gronewald At-Large Bruce Elwood At-Large Susan Hannon Membership Information Randy Steele randy_steele@yahoo.com The June Newsletter Deadline Is May 28 Published Monthly by The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert Children s Religious Education Schedule for May May 6 Grades K-5 May 13 Grades 6-12 May 20 Grades 6-12 May 27 No CRE

3 M A Y E V E N T C A L E N D A R Sunday, April 29 Annual Congregational Meeting 11:30a Facilities Committee Monday, April 30 5:30p Meditation Tuesday, May 1 5:15p DOS Choir 5:30p Membership Committee Wednesday, May 2 Thursday, May 3 5:15p Girls Night Out Friday, May 4 8a Men s Breakfast Saturday, May 5 12:30p Peace Labyrinth Groundbreaking Sunday, May 6 10a Food on the First 11:30a Ideas for Fundraising Monday, May 7 5:30p Meditation Tuesday, May 8 Wednesday, May 9 Thursday, May 10 6:30p Social Justice Committee Friday, May 11 7:30p s2s2s presents 1 Nut Shy of a Fruitcake Saturday, May 12 7:30p s2s2s presents 1 Nut Shy of a Fruitcake Sunday, May 13 10a Socks on the Second 11:30a Finance Committee 11:30a CRE Committee Monday, May 14 Evening Book Club Tuesday, May 15 6:30p Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday, May 16 Thursday, May 17 Sunday, May 20 10a Share the Plate 11:30a Social Justice Activity 11:30a Facilities Committee Monday, May 21 5:30p Meditation Tuesday, May 22 Wednesday, May 23 Thursday, May 24 Friday, May 25 1:30p Afternoon Book Club 6p CRE Sleepover begins Saturday, May 26 9a CRE Sleepover ends Sunday, May 27 Monday, May 28 5:30p Meditation Tuesday, May 29 Wednesday, May 30 Thursday, May 31

4 Among Us Out the Move Maxine Ziebarth was seen boarding a jet bound for Florida to visit friends and family. Tom McCanne and Lynn Fisher McCanne have returned to their summer home. Many of our wonderful Snowbirds are on the move back to their lovely summer homes. We have so enjoyed each of you during our winter months. We will miss you and look forward to your return. On the Mend Linda Davis Brede is in the Rehab unit at Eisenhower Medical Center where she is recovering from a sudden illness. Marilyn Cavanaugh is in rehab at Rancho Mirage Rehab Center recovering from surgery. Since he is at home with arm and leg pain, LeGrand Velez says he misses seeing everyone at UUCOD. Pamela Cole is very pleased to be back at work following her recovery from surgery. Our On the Mend folks expressed their appreciation of the support from UUCOD friends/members. Auction Bid Items We hope everyone has enjoyed socializing with old friends, meeting new friends and generally having a great time from their successful Auction bid items. Some of us know from our fun time that what happened at Chris and Pamela s Game Night stays at Chris and Pamela s Game Night!! Congratulations!! are in order to Michelle Fiori for winning the Audience Favorite at 2018 Open Call at the McCallum!! She gave an awesome performance and certainly was our favorite as a large group of UUCOD folks were loudly cheering her performance! We are so proud of you Michelle!! Birthday Calendar In the Lobby is a Birthday Calendar. For those who would like to see your name in a monthly Happy Birthday wish, we invite you to add your name to our calendar. We have plans to include a Happy Birthday section in our Among Us. Add your name and be included!! Remember, if you want something mentioned here, you have to tell us. Have a great month, everyone. Please contact Jane Zaun with your information at jnzaun@yahoo.com.

5 We have more new members who wish to share their biographical information with you: Sheryl Eaton Sheryl is happy to finally join UUCOD after 3+ years of lurking in the shadows. Sheryl, a widow from Portland and Seattle, came to the desert as a snow bird 18 years ago and every year spent more time until she succumbed to the desert lure of sunshine and golf and became a Californian. She is fortunate to have a floating home in the Columbia River at Portland and enjoys the best of both worlds. She has a son, Darik, in Seattle and two rambunctious grandchildren, Greyson, age 5, and Addison, age 3. She misses her active social life of her summers in Portland. She would love to have company for music, dinner and a drink or a movie partner. Give her a call. Sheryl is here from October through May. Sally Weitzel New Members! Welcome Sheryl! I was born and raised in Rutland, Vermont. I attended Framingham State College in Massachusetts as well as Ohio State University and Capital Law School in Columbus, Ohio. I was employed as a Paralegal and a Real Estate Broker during my working years and am now retired. I was married, divorced and raised my three daughters from the age of 2, 4 and 5 years. Two are now registered nurses and the other a teacher. We all live within 10 miles of each other in the Palm Springs area. Welcome Sally! Our GNO for May 3 will be at El Paseo, # 3 at 5:30 pm Happy Hour is from 4-6 pm so you will have a choice of ordering from the Happy Hour or regular menu. There are plenty of choices for vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike! They will also do separate checks. As usual, please RSVP to Joni Padduck so she will have an accurate count. Newsletter and Weekly Deadlines: The deadline for publication is always Wednesday morning. If your are going to be late, call or Geoff asking to reserve space. Newsletters need to be on the website by 3 pm, Fridays. Monthly newsletters are published on the Friday that is closest to the first of each month.

6 One Person s Perspective: Motivational Meandering Many years ago, when we were the wandering UU Fellowship of the Desert, with no building and changing locations; frequently maintaining connection by the thread of the liberal religious alternative, I experienced a profound and unexpected walk through a labyrinth while on vacation. I was astonished and uplifted by the time I spent meandering, receiving, releasing and cherishing those moments within that circle. It provided an experience that encircled my mind and connected to my heart. I was hooked, and returning home researched the history and use of labyrinths. Feeling fierce with desire, together with Treasurer, Geo Chapin, we created a line in the budget to hold the space (the YES) that, with hours of committee help, financial support and Board approval would one day become our very own UU Labyrinth. Digression: In March of 2014, Rev. Suzanne invited me to be worship associate for a Sunday Service on the topic. Joni Padduck, Dan Spencer and Joaquin Galeano presented their remarkable labyrinth experiences helping to generate more enthusiasm for the project with Denise Janssen-Eager sharing her agreement. So, it happened that we and the Labyrinth Project took a leap out into the world, more confident to gather more resources and to make a now-shared dream a reality. Labyrinth experiences can be hard to put into words but can also forge deep bonds among us. It s kind of amazing. I m quite touched to link this history to our own actual sooncoming labyrinth. In the best of worlds, our personal dreams and pathways lead to creating assets for the bigger community. I feel such gratitude and grace to see that finally happening here and now. Our UU Peace Labyrinth can awaken mindfulness, inspire, attract new members, while also providing increased rental funds from workshop presenters or special events. Imagine the possibilities! Each of us has the freedom / choice / power to use our creativity, energy and understanding to contribute, whether to our interconnected web and our Earth, a cause close to our heart, or taking leadership. Our talents vary, as do those who inspire us. Fred Rogers gently cautions, Be kind. Louis Armstrong reminds us, What a Wonderful World and Dave Brubeck says, Take Five combining their unique talents into something greater than one could do alone as did Team Labyrinth. Listening to our gifted speakers at the UUCOD inspires me to maintain my YES & BOTH / AND philosophies-- especially if I am feeling discouraged. When I m feeling fierce, I say focus on your YES. Be fierce with determination and gentle, compassionate and loving with your evolving self, remembering that every single one of us is doing the best we can one step at a time. We will soon witness the shifting sands making way for the UU Peace Labyrinth Oasis, from experience, to dream, to vision into hard work and reality--one more example of what our UU congregation can do when we join energies, asking for help with challenges and focusing on solutions as we grow into who we are becoming. Leslie Gebhart

7 1 Nut Shy of a Fruitcake by Jason Hull May 11 & 12 7:30pm Tickets: $10 at the door For tickets and information: or Script2Stage2Screen.com In true Jason Hull style, you will be entertained with his funny, clever characters and situations. Help close our season with this wacky comedy directed by Jason Hull. script2stage2screen A performing arts project of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert Food on the First May 6th This monthly food collection at Sunday Service expands the supply of healthy, non-perishable food items to the farmworker families in the eastern Coachella Valley whose children attend Oasis School. Even when parents work in the fields or in produce packing, they may not be paid enough to buy sufficient amounts of protein, fruits, vegetables and other basics for their families. Key items needed are bottled cooking oil, canned fruit, tomatoes, tomato sauce and vegetables, dry pasta, canned (or pouch) tuna, salmon or chicken, jars of peanut butter, bagged corn masa flour for making tortillas, dry pinto beans or rice. The next collection will be May 6, in time for the final weeks of Oasis School's current school year. Your generous food pantry donations mean a lot to the families and are appreciated! Reverend Chuck, continued from page 1 of his battle with cancer surrounded by his friends and family who encouraged and loved him to the end. We all mourn the loss of this important man in our congregation s journey. He supported us in a time of great need. We will miss his inspiring sermons, his gentle humor, compassionate listening and, of course, his wonderful voice that some of us called the Voice of God and others called Voice Candy. He and his family have requested that in lieu of flowers please send donations to the American Cancer Society, Modern Men - Coachella Valley Men's Chorus, or the NMGMC chorus via their websites. A celebration of Chuck s life will be held on Sat. May 5th at 10am. at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 2801 Lomas Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106

8 Friday, May 8 am Country Club Dr, Palm Desert Contact Tim Hill at timothy.hill.713@gmail.com or (760) Socks on the 2nd May 13 Your donated socks are delivered to Well in the Desert in Palm Springs to give to local homeless persons. New socks cushion footsteps during long treks on foot, provide a sense of comfort and dignity, and keep feet warm and dry at night. The Well in the Desert staff and clients count on us given our consistent record of bringing in socks each month. Reminder: we have limited space to store and to transport all these socks, so we ask socks only. If you have any other items to donate, please contact the Well in the Desert or another local charity and transport those items yourself. Thanks so much! 6:30pm Contact Dorian musicdirector@uucod.org for more information Flower Sign-Up Sheets for May & June are now on the clipboard in the foyer