Advance. TO DO LIST by The Reverend Lee Reid ( ) Newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau

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1 Advance Newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau 223 Stewart Avenue Garden City, New York Fax: Volume 10, No. 5, January 2013 HIGH HOPES A Note from the Reverend Hope Johnson, Minister TO DO LIST by The Reverend Lee Reid ( ) Mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Offer encouragement. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you are wrong. Try to understand. Flout envy. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate. Be kind; be gentle. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still once again. Nov-Dec 1996 Newsletter, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palisades Dear Members, Dear Friends: At the start of each New Year, I recall the lessons I ve learned over the past year. Memories often turn to Reverend Lee Reid, one of my dear mentors, friends and colleagues. She was on the faculty of UNI-Lead a Unitarian Universalist (UU) leadership school when I was a new UU. She led the spiritual side of our formation. Rev. Lee was a co-founder of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palisades, in Englewood, NJ (UUCP) the congregation where I first formally practiced the art of ministry as Intern Minister. Soon after that I was co-ordained by UUCP and the Community Church of New York. Rev. Lee wrote a wonderful column titled To Do List in November, Little did we know that this would be the last newsletter article that she would write for her beloved UUCCP... Through this column, Rev. Lee continues to offer what is often a gentle reminder, and I ll admit, at times a nagging nudge, challenging us to be in right relationship with ourselves individually and collectively with Others, and with our world. We are offered practical examples of how we might live our faith by bringing to life the UU principles that we hold dear. Rev. Lee s column expresses much of what I will continue to strive for as we continue to journey together, you and I. So, once again, I defer to Rev. Lee. Enjoy! Yours, Hope The Reverend Hope Johnson

2 2 A Word from the President New Beginnings... My personal wish for this New Year is the same as it has been for many New Years in the past - that my life is filled with love and joy. I think my wish for our congregation is that we continue on our path of compassion and understanding for each other which is a hallmark of UUCCN. I think our members openly express the love we have for each other. I like the UU covenant that begins with, "Love is the doctrine of this congregation..." It explains who we are. We do have a few congregational agenda items that we are currently working on and I hope we will have some of them resolved by the end of this congregational year. We are working on our becoming a recognized "Welcoming Congregation" by our denomination, members and visitors. This has been in the works for the past year or more, and I know most of our members already hold this in their hearts as a positive justice issue that expresses our inclusive Unitarian Universalist values. I look forward to helping and supporting this initiative as part of our goal this year. Another goal this year is to increase our membership as we did last year. Last year we grew by 16 new members. Fran Heiz, our Membership Chair, has been the cheerleader in this department but it has become contiguous as many members have stepped up to help make newcomers feel welcomed here at UUCCN. We all should remind ourselves what it was like to walk into a UUCCN worship hall for the first time. When you see a new person engage them with a welcome you would like. It is not difficult and takes little practice. As we grow in numbers our financial responsibility is shared by more, and we will require less fund raisers. As a "First Sunday of Every Month Collection" our December collection was sent to the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center of Long Beach-Sandy Relief Fund. We continue to be a kind and compassionate congregation and our decision to be 2 generous to outside causes in our own community will continue through this congregational year. This was the first of our collections that will help make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. Thanks to each of you for your generosity. Our sadness and shock continue to plague us as we try to deal with the tragedy of the Sandy Hook, CT shooting. On December 16 we held a short candlelight vigil in memory of everyone who perished as well as for the survivors. On December 23rd another service was planned to try to come to terms with this terrible tragedy. Our hearts are saddened over this as our prayers and thoughts go out to the families and friends who are directly involved. Let us hope that we as a nation can make changes that will help prevent future tragedies. Our Board of Trustees has spent time discussing our fundraising and programs to see how they can be improved to better benefit our congregation. All members are encouraged to join in the process. The Board of Trustees would love to hear from you if you have an idea you'd like to share and/or one that you'd like help lead. UUCCN offers many outreach programs that have benefit to members and to our community. A new Adult Religious Education class is being led by David McClean based on the spiritual book, "The Choice is Always Ours." Classes started December 30th after service. This Adult Education class will take place once a month as an on-going discussion group after service on Sunday. The book can be purchased online at Amazon( please use our UUCCN connection on our website to connect to amazon.com. It will benefit UUCCN and does not affect the price you pay. Please speak with David if you have any questions or would like to join the discussion. Peggy Lyons has been actively working with Movingon.Org.'s Educational and Informational Division this year. We have had a couple of movies that concern social justice and environmental issues that affect all of us. Please see Peggy for upcoming events and she can also tell you how you can support these efforts.

3 3 There are many things going on here at UUCCN and your help and support is appreciated. I wish you all the best for a happy and healthy New Year. Dave Coddington, UUCCN President Do one good deed every day. And show some kindness. REmarks from RE I often hear people open a service or speech by saying, "it's good to be here." Usually, I don't think twice about that sentiment, but lately, I feel more compelled by it. Every Sunday morning, I get to enter into this warm community, and it's good to be here. It's been a tough couple of months for me, personally. I live in Long Beach, so my house, my car, and most of my possessions were destroyed in Hurricane Sandy. Worse was seeing that kind of devastation happen to my neighbors, my hometown, and other communities all over the Northeast. My family moved in with my grandfather in Queens, which can feel like a whole world away from what I know. I am grateful to have UUCCN in my life, as a little slice of normal in my now-chaotic world. My college chaplain, John Williams, used to say "it's good to be us, now." This once made me imagine the lives of cavemen who barely had tools, or even folks in the 1920s who had roaring parties, but no cell phones or internet. Now, it reminds me that the only reason we can lose so much is because we have so much. It's good to be here. In that feeling of abundance, we have a lot of fun stuff to expect this month in RE. Coming up is Surprise Friends, a special Teacher Bash for our volunteers in the classrooms, a President's Day activity, and a return to our RE curricula of Faithful Journeys and Toolbox of Faith. I look forward to seeing you all this month. It'll be good to be here. In Faith and Service, Coral Kennelty-Cohen, Religious Educator 3 THE HOLIDAY FAIR The Holiday Fair met budget expectations and there is still revenue coming in from the Silent Auction and Holiday table. The booster placemat is posted on the bulletin in the back of Frantz Hall. If your business card or name is listed and you have not yet given the $25 or $10 please give your check to Dave Coddington or Anna Lea Smith. Working together at the Fair, builds a sense of community. Hopefully there will be more participants to lighten the workload next year. Your comments and observations are most welcome. n meeting to evaluate the fair is expected to be held after the service on January 6, the first Sunday in the New Year. PUMPKIN PATCH The Pumpkin Patch was a wonderful success again this year despite the visit from Hurricane Sandy causing us to batten the hatches 4 days earlier than expected. The pumpkins superseded this year s budget as well as last year s total; income including the mums is still being calculated. Thank you to all for supporting this outreach to the community by helping to keep this project going seven days a week during the month of October. Evaluation and ideas related to this endeavor will be welcome at a meeting in January or anytime by e- mail. VICTORIAN TEA Save the date January 26 at 2:00 pm for the Victorian Tea at UUCCN. Calls began coming in early December to reserve seats for this popular event. You can reserve seats for yourself and your friends now by calling Anna Lea or Patsy, or you can volunteer to donate and/or prepare food, as well as to serve it. Last year we had over 100 guests. Reserved ticket prices are $19 (seniors $17); At the door $21 (seniors $19).

4 4 Raffles add fun and funds to the event. Please donate any holiday gifts that you can offer which just might be perfect for someone else! Enhancing the ambiance of the Victorian Tea will be Joe McAuley from South Nassau UU Congregation who again donate his musical talent at the piano. Getting to know Coral Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Coral Kennelty-Cohen, the new Religious Educator at UUCCN. Many people have come in contact with Coral s warm, open nature, but few know much about her. Coral recently graduated with a double degree in Psychology and Sociology from Austin College in Sherman, TX. While in college, she became very involved with Habitat for Humanity, as well as a club called Activators, which designed, planned, and ran a series of "Youthquake" weekend retreats for Presbyterian youth in the north Texas area. Recently, Coral spent a month in Kenya, volunteering in a school in Kibera, the second largest urban slum in Africa. In her senior year of college, she was honored to receive the Oscar C. Page Servant of the Year award. During my interview with Coral, we discussed the journey she has traveled from child UU to congregation leader, as well as her goals for the RE program here at UUCCN. As many of Coral s fondest childhood memories stem from her time in Unitarian Universalist congregations through RE, Halloween parties, Coming of Age weekends and service projects, Coral has found a perfect home here at UUCCN. We met in her office on a Sunday after service. - Terri Muuss Terri: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. Coral: Sure! T: So, tell me about how you came to be here at UUCCN. C: Well, I just graduated college in May and I d gotten really into the Religious Life Department at our school and found that I really liked doing weekend retreats with youth groups and elementary school groups. It was something that was fun and 4 came really naturally to me. My parents actually said, Well, you could be a DRE. There are some openings on Long Island. I was like, Hmm. That could work. So I started applying to different ones. I got an interview at this congregation and it just kind of fell together really nicely. T: Did you study World Religions or Theology on campus or was it extracurricular for you? C: I had taken a couple of classes on different religions and theology, but it wasn t my major. I had a double major in Psychology and Sociology. So I ve mostly been focused on how different people view the world in different ways. Religion fits into that, but mostly I got into the practice of religion with youth and children by doing the weekend events. T: Talk to me about your background and where you sit in terms of Unitarian Universalism faith. Where are you in the cosmic scheme of things? C: I was actually raised a UU. I grew up in Long Beach and went to the South Nassau Congregation of Freeport, so the seven principles were drilled into my head as a young child. I have actually found myself becoming more UU the older I get. When I was little, it was more like a place where I had friends and liked going to RE, but the older I ve gotten the more it resonates with me. I love that in Unitarian Universalism we really focus on how you live rather than what you think about God or the afterlife or any of those big questions. Most of those we can t know, so it s important to focus on how we treat other people and the earth and what we do here, now. That s my theology in a nutshell (smiles). T: Nice! How has being raised UU defined or informed the way you fit into or see the world? C: One of the things I value most from my childhood education as a UU is the broad understanding of other religious traditions I received, because I found that a lot of my friends in college were just starting to learn about Islam and Hinduism and other traditions that they d maybe heard of but didn t really understand in terms of what that faith was like. I felt lucky to already have a base of knowledge to draw from, from going to

5 5 Sunday School and one week learning about Christian traditions and then spending a while talking about (the) Baha i (Faith) and now we re going to spend a while talking about Jainism it s really valuable to me to have that general understanding. So when you meet someone for the first time and their religion comes up, which it sometimes does, to be able to actually say, Yeah, I know a little about that I m not Jain but I understand a little bit about your traditions, is valuable. Especially with some of the lesser known religions, people tend to feel like no one understands what they believe or knows what their traditions are, so I find it really helpful to kind of have that broad base to assist in understanding where other people are coming from. T: What s your favorite thing about this new position? C: There are so many interesting people here. I ve gotten to meet many of them but there are so many more I am looking forward to meeting and hearing their stories. I just love that everyone here has such a rich personality and background with infinite stories to hear. I just love all the new faces. T: Have you felt fully welcomed and embraced here? I mean, is this a new UU home for you or do you still feel like you re feeling your way through the waters of this new congregation? C: I think I have to say both. I felt very welcomed and when I sit in the services part of me wants to just stay and listen to the rest but then I say, Oh no no no, I have other things to do here, so it s a balancing act of making it partially my home but also keeping somewhat of a distance in order to remember that this is my job, too. T: Is there anything that people don t know about you that you wish they did know about you, or something that might be important for someone to know? C: I don t know if it s important for them to know, but I m very crafty. I love knitting and crocheting and doing decoupage things, so I imagine that will come up over the next few months of doing crafts with the kids. That s one of my favorite ways to spend time just making silly little things that are decorative and fun. 5 T: Was there ever a moment when you were a kid, being UU, that you realized in a good way, or maybe not such a good way, that you were different from other kids with a traditional Long Island Judeo-Christian background? C: When I was little, yes, I had my Christian friends and my Jewish friends and I was the weird one. But the older I got, the more I started to realize I m not that different, because we all just want to be good people and figure out why we re here and what we need to do with our lives. So when I was little I thought it was really weird to be UU, but getting older, and even explaining Unitarian Universalism to people who didn t know about it, 9 times out of 10 they would say, Well that makes sense. So it turns out we re not that weird (smiles). I think I spent a long time thinking it was weird but then realized it s actually pretty cool. And most people can get along with it. T: Last question- having been raised a UU and now coming into this position, what is your biggest goal as Director of Religious Education? C: I would love to see the youth program grow and thrive. Right now we have a couple of youth who are really committed to the program but I d love to have a slightly bigger youth group that could really sustain itself in the congregation. I know when I was in a youth group in high school, the most fun thing to do on a Sunday morning was to get together and plan whatever project we were going to do next. So I d love to see something more vibrant here. I d also love to see the younger kids be able to look up to the older kids and say, That s what I want to be someday. I really value the way I was raised and the things that I learned in Sunday School as a kid and so I d like to be able to offer that kind of education back to these kids. UUCCN is very lucky to have Coral with us, doing just that. If you haven t had a chance yet, please do try and officially welcome her or just say hello.

6 6 UPCOMING EVENTS 1-4 8:30 pm Garden Stage Concert 1-5 1:00 pm Soul Collage :00 pm Chamber Music Concert :30 pm Board Meeting 1-20 Surprise Friends begins :00 pm Victorian Tea Dear Members of UUCCN, The youth group would like to thank you for your generous donations to our Sock to Sandy collection and the Share the Light Program. We hope that we spread some hope to the many in need this Holiday season. We appreciate your support. - UUCCN YUUTH GROUP January SERMONS 06 Epiphany 13 Seven Principles 20 Friends in Deed 27 Fellowship Reiki & Meditation Led by Renee Morelli Wednesdays at 7:00PM Telephone: AA Meetings Thursdays at 7:30PM Contact: Joel Post, telephone Postlaw@aol.com Tai Chi & Chi Gong Led by Joe and Lili DeLuise Fridays at 6:40PM Advance The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau 223 Stewart Avenue Garden City, New York Tel: Fax: Dave Coddington, President Patsy Kaplan, Vice-President Rev. Hope Johnson, Minister Coral-Kennelty-Cohen, Religious Educator Veronica Goldberg, ADVANCE Editor Diane Turcic, Administrator, ADVANCE Production and Layout 6

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