MURRAY NOTES Murray UU Church 505 North Main St Attleboro, MA 02703

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1 MURRAY NOTES Murray UU Church 505 North Main St Attleboro, MA VOLUME 5 * ISSUE 26June 29, 2017 IN THIS ISSUE CLICK BELOW: Summer Services Work Session Men's Lunch Bunch Help Needed CranberryCoastConcerts Food Pantry Needs Fellowship Hall Yoga at Murray Bill Harley Performs THIS SUNDAY "An American Musical Journey" Ruth Debrot Music reflects a great deal about the origins of our country and the immigrants who settled here in search of a better life. Traditional American music is a confluence of the shared and varied African, European, and Native American influences that make up the musical ethos of the United States; specifically those sounds that merged from folk, country, bluegrass, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, jazz, and other external influences. Come celebrate! SUMMER SELECTIONS Beyond the Fence by Roger Boucher There were nine of us growing up, four boys and five of us girls. We lived in a big old two story house with three bedrooms, an attic and cellar for storage. We lived in an ethnically mixed neighborhood, with our house at the end of the street. There were a couple of empty lots bordering our property for us to play in, a fence, a short grassy field and woods. I guess we were poor but we never thought of ourselves as poor. We always had food on the table, maybe not what we wanted or as much as we wanted but we were never hungry. Pa worked long hours in the woolen mill, he was an on call maintenance man and ma, she ran the house and did everything that needed doing of any importance. We were all happy kids, played outside and helped mama with our assigned chores. When one of us kids acted out or misbehaved, she would fold her arms over, look over the rim of her glasses, tilt her head to the left once like she had a tic or something; that meant the guilty party was to follow mama. She would look at the rest of us kids, telling us all to mind ourselves till she got back. I remember once being summoned and following mama out the backdoor, across the two empty lots, squeezing through the fence and walking beyond the short grassy field; disappearing into the woods. There was a stream there, tumbling over some rocks with sticks and leaves caught up in the flow. We each sat on a big rock. I remember it being peacefully quiet. Mama would start out after a long silence. "I do not want you telling of anything that happens here. This is your punishment." All the time mama talked the pauses she made seemed to give a great weight and importance to what she said and why I was there. It wasn't like Bible stuff that I don't remember anymore. I-it was mama wanting me to be the best I could be and treating everyone with respect; and all that practice started at home with my sisters and brothers. We would be out there for better than a half hour, our meeting closed with thoughtful silence. Then mama would rise, look down at me and tell me not to talk of this meeting. She wasn't preachy or anything like that; it was just about life. I knew what mama expected of me and I felt disappointed that I had let myself down. I never told anyone what happened beyond the fence and I don't know what my sisters and brothers were told but, I know we all grew up close to one another and to this day we check in with each other and get together for big family days. Mama is gone now and I miss her terribly. Our family was so big and mama never got to go to church on Sunday. But she still managed to instill in each one of her kids... what life was all about. Mama was kind, thoughtful and understood that punishment wasn't about leaving scars, but about encouragement. When mama passed we had her cremated, just as she had instructed, and all us kids went out beyond the fence and scattered mama to rest where she taught us kids to love and keep the family beliefs close to each one of us. The front page of our summer newsletters will feature select written work from the Murray Writers' Circle and Roger Boucher. Pledge Reminder: FY This week is the end of our fiscal year, the last day being June 30, 2017 and we need to do a final reconciliation on all of our accounting. Please check to make sure your supporting Pledge for the fiscal year is paid in full by the end of the month. If you are not sure how much you have paid to date, please contact our new Treasurer Linda Millard or LaChelle in the church office. Your financial support is greatly appreciated and graciously received. It helps to guarantee that the church can continue to meet its obligations and commitments. Our mission and ministries depend on the generosity of our Members and Friends! Summer 2017 Pledge Payments Reminder: Many thanks to all those who made a

2 NEXT SUNDAY "Murray History All Around You" Rachel Killion Every time you sit in the sanctuary you are surroundedby over 140 years of Murray history. We'll take a closer look at the architectural elements, memorabilia, and stories that have shaped Murray into the church you see today. generous Pledge for FY which begins on July 1, Please remember that even though we are operating on our summer schedule for Sunday services, we still have all of our regular operating bills to pay. We really need all possible Pledge payments made during this late June, July - August, first week of September period. Paying ahead on your Pledge if possible is very much appreciated. If you are not able to attend the summer Sunday services, you can mail your Pledge payments to the church office or set up automatic check payments from your checking account. Nursery School Cookout Thank you so much! Jim Richardi & the Executive Board SERMONS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE! If you missed a service, or simply would like to listen to a particular sermon again, our sermons are now available on our website and are downloadable as MP3 files. Use our website link below and click on the sermon link at the top of the page and either listen or download the sermon of your choice. You can also access current and back issues of Murray Notes. Just click on the Church News link. Thanks to Bill Jones for working on these projects! Nursery parents and their children had a wonderful time at the Connolly's cookout. Thanks to the Connolly family for hosting! Quick Links Our Website Us on Facebook Follow Image from canstockphoto.com Donations Needed for RE The RE Program is in need of the following for our September Bake Sale: 2 bags of large marshmallows 4 bags of chocolate chips 1 box of Chex cereal or a generic type 2 bags of M&Ms 2 boxes of brownie mix 3 13x9 foil pans Thank you for your support! We are a Welcoming Congregation Click here to viewour Calendar: 2017 Summer Services Murray Unitarian Universalist Church Produced by the Religious Services Committee Murray Church Office

3 JUL. 2 An American Musical Journey Ruth Debrot Music reflects a great deal about the origins of our country and the immigrants who settled here in search of a better life. Traditional American music is a confluence of the shared and varied African, European, and Native American influences that make up the musical ethos of the United States; specifically those sounds that merged from folk, country, bluegrass, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, jazz, and other external influences. Come celebrate! JUL. 9 Murray History Around You Rachel Killion Every time you sit in the sanctuary you are surrounded by over 140 years of Murray history. We'll take a closer look at the architectural elements, memorabilia, and stories that have shaped Murray into the church you see today. JUL. 16 People to People in Cuba Monica Staaf Periodic travel bans and a trade embargo by the U.S. Government made this tropical island off-limits to most Americans until recently. Decades after the Cuban Revolution, Cuba is a country in transition. Is Cuba a mecca for music and dance, a socialist paradise, a country of strong family ties, a tourist destination, or a repressor of free speech? A recent traveler to Cuba will share her experiences and conversations with Cuban people. JUL. 23 Let's Go Fly A Kite David Laferriere We will probably be the first people to fly miniature kites in Murray UU Church. These miniature kites are made for the great indoors so we won't have to worry about wind or rain. Miniature kite plans can be ed so you can make and decorate your own miniature kite and bring it to the service. I will also bring some miniature kites for others to fly. JUL. 30 What's On Your Altar? Marguerite MacLean If you could create your own altar, what would it look like? Come and join us for a presentation and discussion on altars and their significance in religion and spiritualty. If an altar represents what we hold most sacred, we will explore the question... What's on your altar? AUG. 6 Resistence David Calusdian There are countless times in history when people of faith have stood up for their beliefs and resisted oppressive or opposing political regimes - even when faced with dire consequences for their actions. UUs are certainly no exception and have taken sometimes unpopular stands to live their social action convictions. In a time of divisiveness and political turmoil in Washington and throughout the country, what does "resistance" mean? And how do we stay true to our core UU values in today's political climate? AUG. 13 Faces of Forgiveness Richard & Janet Plumb Who needs it? What is it really? Where does it fit in the human experience? Why is it so important? How do we get there? These are the questions Richard and Janet Plumb will explore in their Summer Service on Sunday August 13th, They will present their perspective of forgiveness through personalexperiences, Lessons from The Course in Miracles, Simon Wiesenthal's The Sunflower and others. AUG. 20 What Would Will Rogers Do? Len Yutkins Service description to come.

4 AUG. 27 Service TBA Rev. Gretchen Weis Service description to come. Grogan SEP. 3 Building Interfaith Bridges Caleigh In such a polarized country it can seem impossible to make progress and produce change in line with our UU principles. I believe interfaith work is one way we can begin to overcome this feeling. There are people of different faiths who share our passion for justice, and building bridges across faith boundaries allows us to harness more energy to use for progressive transformation. Jul. 1 Work Session We are planning a work session for the grounds in back of the church on Saturday, July 1st (weather permitting). Work will begin at 9 am and continue throughout a good part of the day. We will have a dumpster on the premises to collect all debris. Our activity will focus on the back exterior of the church. Here is what we hope to accomplish: Finish wood repair and replacement (which will be going on prior to this work session). Stain the back wall and window frames Remove the playground Fix and stain the picnic tables Pick up debris and place it in the dumpster Clean up area around the perimeter so the cedar siding is not sitting in the dirt. Fix rear entrance The success of this work depends on the number of people who show up. Lunch will be provided. Please consider joining us. If you are able to assist or need more information, please contact Tom Stuart at tstuart@ximedica.com. Jul. 11: Murray Men's Lunch Bunch Inviting all Murray men to join us for lunch, the second Tuesday of each month throughout the summer, at Morin's Diner in downtown Attleboro. This is a very informal gathering for conversation and fellowship. No reservation required, just come as you are. If you need a ride, please call Rob Hasselbaum at , a few days in advance, and transportation will be arranged. The next luncheon is on Tuesday, July 11th at noon. Look for us in the back room of Morin's, if you don't see us -- just ask!

5 Jul. 12: HELP NEEDED to Unload Food Delivery Trucks We receive food twice a month, and we need help receiving the delivery. Food pick-up times are the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays each month. The trucks need to be unloaded requiring some lifting. This is one way Murray reaches out and is visible in the community, but it takes many volunteers to receive and distribute the food. If there are any strong bodies available on those days who would like a light workout, please contact: Roger Boucher at , or at cedarzin@comcast.net Thank you! Image from johnlund.com 2017 Summer Concert Series Thursdays at 7:30 pm JULY 6th With A Song In My Heart A history of Broadway Musical Theater starring Mike Duarte. JULY 13th CCC Cool Jazz Concert Kirk Whipple, piano, Tom Casale, bass, Randy Cloutier, drums. SPECIAL GUESTS: Kara Casale, vocals & Marilyn Morales, piano. AUGUST 3rd Whipple & Morales: Duo Pianists & Composers Husband and wife duo perform a virtuoso 'tour de force' concert of works for 1 piano/4 hands, including their internationally acclaimed interpretation of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." AUGUST 17th CCC Chorale -- Our Tribute" A concert in honor of lost loves & veterans.

6 TICKETS: Adults $25, Seniors & Students $20, Children are FREE with paid adult, limit 2 children per adult. Murray members & friends $15! Tickets available 30 minutes before concert. For more information, please call: , or visit our Facebook page at: MURRAY FOOD PANTRY DONATIONS NEEDED... We have a great need for the following items: - Personal Care Items i.e., shampoo, bath & hand soap, lotion, deodorant, etc. - Dental Care Items, i.e., toothpaste, floss, mouthwash - Paper & Plastic Grocery Bags All donations are greatly appreciated, but, our clients are particularly grateful for the feminine care & personal care items. Thank you for your continued support! Murray Church Food Pantry Team Refurbishing Fellowship Hall The Property Committee is looking for people to help in developing a plan for refurbishing Fellowship Hall. This will include things such as lighting, entrance ways, windows and floors, and developing a cost estimate and time frame for completing the work. It is the Property Committee's hope that Fellowship Hall can become one of the 'jewels' of Murray Church. Please contact Tom Stuart at tstuart@ximedica.com, or Rob Hasselbaum at robert@hasselbaum.net, if you are interested in participating with this team. Yoga at Murray The yoga group will meet intermittently during the summer. If you aren't a regular participant please contact Barbara or Karla to make sure we're meeting on a particular Monday: Barbara Clark at barbjclark@gmail.com, through July 11th, then from August 28th -- September 4th. Karla Bassler at klbassler@verizon.net from July 11th -- August 21st. Aug. 1: Bill Harley performs at Slater Park Tuesday, August 1 at 6 pm Slater Park is located at 825 Armistice Blvd in Pawtucket A fun FREE concert for the whole family.

7 It's outdoors, so bring your own seats. Join you Murray members & friends for an entertaining evening! Sponsored by the Pawtucket Parks & Recreation Department