The Communitarian Newsletter of the Community Unitarian Universalist Church August 2017

Transcription

1 Newsletter of the Community Unitarian Universalist Church August 6 "The Form and Intent of Prayer: Lessons from Shakespeare" Speaker: Miriam Kerzner Miriam will talk about the way in which dealing with a set text can both hinder and help the spiritual/philosophical journey. Worship Associate: Mike Truex Musician: Mike and Shannon 2819 W. Sylvester Street, Pasco, Washington Sunday service at 10:30am Reverend Doak Mansfield Minister@CommunityUU.org Minister Hours 10:00am - Noon Tuesday and Thursday other times by appointment office@communityuu.org CommunityUU August 13 Creation Spirituality Speaker: The Reverend Doak M. Mansfield, D.Min. Bob Pederson intrigued me July 23rd with his presentation to us of Genesis as Literature. I will share my take on Creation Spirituality. Biblical stories, the human religious heritage, scientific accomplishments and inquiry, and ethics are vital to Matthew Fox s teachings as the founder of Creation Spirituality. His work is a resource of honor. Worship Associate: Alex Emig Musician: Fran Handy August 23 "Obedience to Authority" Speaker: Donna Brown A new look at the famous experiments of Stanley Milgram and their relevance to issues of today, Worship Associate: Virginia Tomlinson Musician: Ellen Fillion August 27 "Mingling of Waters" Speaker: The Reverend Doak M. Mansfield, D.Min. and CUUC members Our annual coming together from the different pace of summer. Bring water that represents your summer experiences for mingling with water from others. (Magic water is allowed). Worship Associate: Alex Emig Musician: Ellen Fillion Joy and service right here! Right now! 1

2 Presidents Message By Alex Emig We re in the heat of the summer. If you re anything like me, you re running around from one summer activity to another. Remember to slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy the beauty of the region. In church news, the Ministerial Transition team has recommended the board extend Doak s contract one year. The board will decide this on August 1. We will be continuing the search process this fall for placement in fall Alex Please help the folks who beautify our sanctuary! Needed: 3 ft cardboard tubes, gift-wrap paper tubes. The Aesthetics Committee has fabric in the closet that should be rolled up for storage. Cardboard tubes, such as those that come with gift wrapping paper, are about the right size. We could use up to 5 tubes. If you can contribute one or two, please give it to Teri Robertson or Sandra Rosenau, or leave it in the closet on top of the stack of tables for us to find. Thank you! Fellowship & Spiritual Practice Men s Dinner The CUUC Men's Group meets on the third Friday of the month. Do not be afraid to be fashionably late! We are now primed for thought provoking debate. The world has turned, it s time to expand the conversation and get our creative juices flowing. The topics are often "out of this world." Our next meeting is August 18 at 5:30pm at the church. fjdunhour@gmail.com with questions. Women s Luncheon All women of the congregation are invited to lunch on second Monday of each month for fellowship and fun. For a change of pace (and to avoid the heat), our August 14 luncheon will be held at noon at Anthony's at Columbia Point, 550 Columbia Point Drive in Richland. We will be making a reservation, so we need to know how many will be attending. Please let Diane Reed know by Friday, August 11 if you will be attending so she can give Anthony's a count. her at ladybookww@gmail.com or call her at Gentle Yoga Weekly Gentle Yoga Classes are held at CUUC on Saturdays mornings 9:00-10:15 am. There will be classes starting up again on August 5th. Join us as we explore techniques to relieve stress and ease body and mind into improved strength, flexibility and balance. Yoga mats and props are available to use or you can bring your own. Drop-ins are welcome. Classes are $15 each session or you can purchase a punch card of 10 classes for $120. Exploring Ideas with the Minister Exploring Ideas with the Minister is an opportunity to expand ideas shared on Sunday morning as well as perennial topics in spirituality, faith, and human history with our minister, The Reverend Doak M. Mansfield. The style is casual and interactive. Bring a brown bag supper, coffee and juice provided. The next Exploring Ideas with the Minister will be Wednesday, August 9, at 6:30 pm. 2

3 Notes from the Journey The Reverend Doak M Mansfield Movie script lines dialogue - inspire me. Cheap, lazy scholarship? Maybe. As someone with poor eyesight and a bit of dyslexia, reading is a struggle. Occasional anxiety doesn t help. The ease of research with electronic/digital age has spoiled me. Nonverbal inspiration is wonderful but words are a magnificent art form for us humans. I find the inspiration of feeling needed to be vitally alive. Nonverbal experiences provide feeling but so do words, and words may express meaning and be transferable. And there is too much dullness, insensitivity, and mindlessness around. Don t you think? The movie The Natural (1984) is based on a 1952 book by the same name by, Bernard Malamud ( , a onetime Oregon State University instructor, ( ) Roger Towne and Phil Dusenberry are credited as screenwriters for the production. I am mightily moved by the following dialogue between actors Robert Redford and Glenn Close meeting as reunited lovers after years: Iris Gaines/Glen Close: You know, I believe we have two lives. Roy Hobbs/Robert Redford: How... what do you mean? Iris Gaines/Glen Close: The life we learn with and the life we live with after that. There is an old preacher quip, Thata preach! That most certainly speaks to me. What about you? Forgiveness and compassion are linked. Hurt is inherit in life because loss is inherit in living. I feel that the best one can seek is balance. Hurt with healing is a blessing, yet scars persist. Our invisible scars serve as awards for being and surviving through grace with grace. The anger will lighten if the need for joy be strong enough. May we claim joy? Love Doak Religious Education News By Pauline Schafer In our Religious Education sessions this month for elementary and middle school, we've worked together on a service project and enjoyed some fellowship games. It has been great fun watching the children create a cardboard, kid-powered vending machine to sell snacks during coffee hour after the service. And business has been good; we've raised over $40 so far, to be contributed to the ANSIL Hygiene Center. This facility in Kennewick provides homeless adults a place to bathe and do laundry. The sale will continue through August. In August we will continue our "Summer Choices" activities, where children get to choose among games, creative pursuits, and service projects during our time together. I look forward to August 27, when many families return from summer travels to join in our "Mingling of the Waters" tradition and intergenerational service. Please fill out a registration form for each of your children attending Religious Education and return to Pauline Schafer. It is essential that we have this information to ensure a safe and well-planned program for our youth. And please consider sharing your talents and interests with our children by assisting with RE classes. Ask Pauline for details on how you can contribute to our dynamic program! education@communityuu.org Contact Pauline Schafer for more information about the RE program activities and to find out how you can help: education@communityuu.org. 3

4 Community Unitarian Universalist Church CHILDREN & YOUTH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REGISTRATION FOR 2017/2018 please print CHILD or YOUTH FULL NAME AGE GRADE DATE OF BIRTH PARENT(S) OR GUARDIAN(S) STREET ADDRESS CITY PHONE (h) (w) (cell) ALTERNATE CONTACT ALLERGIES CHRONIC ILLNESS MEDICATION LAST TETANUS IMMUNIZATION PHYSICIAN PHONE MEDICAL INSURANCE CO. POLICY # NAME OF POLICY HOLDER Is there anything else about your child or youth that it might be helpful for us to know? Medical Legal Waiver I,, am the parent/legal guardian of who is under the age of 18 years. He/she has my full permission to attend CUUC outings. I authorize the adult chaperones to act as the guardians of my child in the event of medical or legal emergencies that might arise while on the outings. I further authorize him/her to incur, on my behalf, whatever expenses may be necessary in the event said child shall require medical care, and further authorize said adult chaperones to consent on my behalf, as well as on behalf of my child, to whatever medical treatment may be called for upon a physician s recommendation. Signature of Parent/Guardian Date 4

5 Community Unitarian Universalist Church CHILDREN & YOUTH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Registration (con t) SAFETY FIRST Children are one of our church s most valuable assets! Part of our job as adults is to help children learn acceptable behavior in the classroom, the church, and the world. Rough play and running in church and on church grounds threatens everyone. In order to provide a safe environment for all, we are asking for parent/guardian help in the following ways: Children in grades 5 and under will not be released after class until a parent/guardian picks them up. I agree to pick up my child no later than 10 minutes after the service. (Initials) I agree to discuss with my child or youth the importance of the safety of themselves and others; respect for other children and youth, adults and property; and the need to follow adult supervision in and out of the classroom. Any adult at CUUC has the authority to call children and youth on their behavior (as long as it does not violate the child s or youth s personal safety). Parents/guardians are expected to assist in any intervention if called upon. (Initials) Since some members of our congregation are allergic to peanuts, an allergy with potentially serious health consequences, I will do my best to make sure any snack I may bring is free from peanut contamination. If preparing snacks at home, I agree not to use peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oil, or products that may have been exposed to peanuts. (Many packaged snacks have a notice on the label if they contain or may have been exposed to peanuts. Fresh fruit is always a good choice, and many crackers are also safe.) (Initials) VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Our Religious Education Program is a cooperative effort. It works because parents and other adults share their time, talents and skills. Parents/guardians are expected to assist at least once every year (see below). Thank you! I would like to learn more about the following way(s) to contribute: Assist in my child s or youth s classroom on one or more Sundays during the year Assist with a holiday program, party, special activity or field trip Any hobbies, musical talents, social justice experiences, spiritual practices or other interests or skills you might be interested in sharing with your child s or youth s class? Attendance: Children and youth who attend regularly benefit most from the program and are able to create lasting friendships within the community. Please consider having your child attend at least three times per month. If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding our Children and Youth Program, please contact our Religious Education Coordinator, Pauline Schafer, at or education@communityuu.org. 5

6 Church News Internal Audit Completed While many of us may only see the Sunday morning activity at CUUC, there is an unseen structure which supports our work as a well-functioning non-profit organization. This structure includes the work of our Treasurer, Denise Pitts, who manages all of our financial activity and recordkeeping. Over the last several months, Denise has accomplished a complete overhaul of our record keeping and reporting practices. You ll see some of the changes in future financial reports. Additionally, an internal audit of our financial records and activity has been completed. Members, Suzi Czarnek and Dion Sunderland, audited the records and made several recommendations to fine-tune our processes. If you are interested in more information about the Internal Audit, please contact Denise Pitts. Thanks to Suzi and Dion for their work on the audit. An external audit is being planned and will be discussed at the September Board meeting. In our July Board meeting, the Board recognized Denise Pitts for her work as Treasurer and for her commitment to ensuring our financial processes are serving us well and satisfying expected requirements of non-profit organizations. Thank you, Denise. CHALICE Circles at CUUC Established groups will meet: Afternoon : Tuesday, August 22nd from 1:00-2:30 at the church Evening: Thursday, August 24th from 6:30-8:00at the church. Anyone who would like to be a part of either the afternoon or evening Chalice Circle discussion groups should contact Peggy Mansfield (peggyom1950@gmail.com or ). Currently there is room for several people in each group. It is also possible to form a new group if there is enough interest. It is a great way to get to know other church members & friends of the church. Discussion topics include areas like: " What we love", "Kindness", "Who is your family?", "A sense of gratitude", and many more that relate to both life & religion. There are 56 sessions in all and each one allows groups members to examine their own thoughts, feelings, & values. Needs at ANSIL With summer months upon us, ANSIL( A New Start In Life) which serves many homeless individuals in Kennewick & surrounding areas is in need of gently used summer clothes & shoes for both men & women. Needs include: Underwear & socks Shorts Tank tops T-shirts Flip flops or summer shoes Bagged items may be brought to church & placed in the basket at the back of the church & Peggy Mansfield will get them to the center. 6

7 CUUC Contacts Minister: Reverend Doak Mansfield Secretary: Gayle Wilde RE Education: Pauline Schafer Board of Trustees: President: Alex Emig Vice President: Mark Painter Treasurer: Denise Pitts Secretary: Barb Tarasevich Member-at-large: Larry Bolan Member-at-large: Dion Sunderland Member-at-large: Virginia Tomlinson Committees Worship Mike Truex, Alex Emig, Donna Brown, and Virginia Tomlinson are the current members of the worship committee and work with Reverend Mansfield to provide Sunday services for CUUC. A key element of our effort is collaborating with Reverend Mansfield in support of his Sunday services. We also discuss, plan, and bring in a variety of outside speakers throughout the year. We work within the congregation too, having members of the congregation lead or participate in Sunday services. Our activities include preparing each week for the elements of the Sunday service. It s quite rewarding to participate on the committee and to be involved in the genesis of service ideas and with Sunday service programming. While it may seem daunting, we have a good system in place and Reverend Mansfield is a steady guide for our efforts. If you have questions or interest in joining the committee, please contact Mike Truex at mike.shannon.truex@gmail.com. Hands & Heart The Hands and Hearts Committee would like to remind you that we are here to help, not just for big events where we all cry or laugh, but also for the little things as well. We are here to help you out in any way we can. You can seek us out at church (our name tags have the heart stickers) or call us up at home. (If one of us doesn't answer, keep on trying other numbers). If you know of somebody who needs looked in on, or if you want to discuss your own situation, please give us a ring. Bev is our card person, if you know someone who needs to receive a get-well card, sympathy card, etc. please contact her. Denise Pitts Jennifer Comstock Marla Marvin Bev & Bryan Schroeder Gail Taff Peggy Owens-Mansfield Buildings & Grounds The Building and Grounds Committee can always use a little help. We find joy in sharing the wealth... the wealth of our service to our CUUC home and our community of users. We are focused on the day-to-day maintenance and incremental improvement of our lovely CUUC facility. We seek new committee members to lend a hand, whether you're a crafty do-it-yourselfer or a born organizer, we would love for you to have just a small share of our joy and service through the Building and Grounds Committee. Please contact a Board Member for more information. 7