A Note from The Rev. Peter Boullata The Chalice MAY 2018 My mother was raised in a Christian tradition that observed the Sabbath which she remembered as a time of thou shall nots no movies, or comics, or anything frivolous. There were morning church services, church school, evening church services, and church youth group meetings. All church and no play! The practice of Sabbath-keeping, whether Christian or Jewish, is actually grounded in one of the two stories of creation found in the book of Genesis. It is a liturgical song or poem that narrates the six days of divine creativity each strand of the great tapestry of the cosmos coming into being, and God delighting in it, seeing that it was good very good. The seventh day was not merely a time of rest, a time for ceasing and refraining from work. (Like God was pooped from all that hard work and needed to put His feet up!). It was a time to savour what had been created, to be pleased with what is, to enjoy life. Some Jewish traditions say that making love on the Sabbath is a mitzvah a good deed for this very reason. What might our lives look like if we religiously and regularly took time out for delight, savour, creativity, and pleasure? What if we put firm boundaries around time we have set aside for play? Playtime is something for children, most might say, unproductive and therefore unimportant. At best, in our current economic order, time off is seen as a good practice in order to have a well-rested work force keeps them productive, which is the ultimate measure. We are not, as the great rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel reminds us, beasts of burden and Sabbath-time is not for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency of [our] work. (From his highly recommended book, The Sabbath). Sabbath time is for recreation, to literally create ourselves anew. Your former consulting minister, the Rev. Linda Thomson, understood well this truth when she advised you, as a congregation, to have more fun together. I am glad to see members of the UFL taking this counsel to heart aren t movie nights fun? The congregation that plays together stays together! - continued Unitarian Fellowship of London May 2018 1
From Rev. Boullata cont. There is a lot of work that goes in to creating community and maintaining a congregation. But some of that work is not work at all. Some of it is simply taking delight in one another s company laughing together, eating together, playing board games together, watching movies together What are some of the ways that you engage playfully with other participants in this congregation? If you can t think of any, I invite you to find some! Let the building up of beloved community not be an onerous task or duty among us, but one of delight, encouragement, and full bodied participation. Playfully yours, Peter Boullata Sunday Worship Schedule 10:45 a.m. May 6 - First Sunday Potluck Brunch Facilitators - Kat Proctor and Judith Warren May 13 - Play: an Integral Part of Living Unitarian Universalism Service Leader and Worship Leader - Bill Ratcliffe The concept of play has traditionally been difficult for religious faiths. The importance of play to our radically inclusive Unitarian Universalist faith will be explored. The shifting perceptions of what play is, complicates the issue. The same activity can be interpreted as play or work depending on the perception of it being a source of joy or drudgery. Striving to balance our lives of faith can be a playful or taxing matter. May 20 - Whole Church Service Service Leaders: Lori Turner Otte and Children and Youth of RE Care Team Contact for May Bob Harrington 519-472-3066 May 27 - Learning to Play Worship Leader - Rev. Peter Boullata I used to be one of those people who claimed to be spiritual but not religious. I no longer say this about myself. What might be the role of community, practice, and institutional life for a Unitarian Universalist? What might the freedom to improvise and play have to do with the discipline of learning and practicing? Unitarian Fellowship of London May 2018 2
From the President It is hard to believe that we are already preparing for the Annual Congregational Meeting on May 27th after the service. A light lunch will be available. We have a lot to celebrate this year. Plans are underway for the second children s day camp this summer. A garage sale will take place on May 12 to help with the costs. In April we welcomed four new members and three new babies. We have held the first three of our movie nights and are hopeful these will become a regular feature for the enjoyment of our members and their guests. Feedback about the worship services is positive and people seem genuinely interested and engaged in congregational life. In terms of social action, we have helped with the community dinner hosted by Trinity United Church and in December we held a successful fundraiser for Indspire. We have plans for a table in Victoria Park and will march in the parade during the annual Pride Festivities in July. The first seeds have been planted in the UFL garden and we are investigating the possibility of holding cooking classes in the fall. These are all signs of congregational health. There is lots of positive energy at the UFL. The budget this year will show a projected deficit. This is not a surprise. Some of our more generous donors have died or moved away. We have also lost one of our long -time renters. A deficit is not a cause for alarm but rather a signal to us that we need to make some changes. The board has not been ignoring the situation and in fact we have been exploring and beginning to implement a number of ideas to attract new members and become better known in the wider community. We are also looking at more aggressive advertising for the rental of our space. At the Annual Congregational Meeting on May 27 th, our treasurer, Alastair Henry, will present the budget and there will be time for the brainstorming of ideas from the congregation. Board members have worked hard this year but we would like to engage the congregation more. Bring your ideas! We can t blindly eat away at our resources indefinitely but we do have reserves and that gives us some time and space to make reasoned and informed decisions about our future. The fact that we are self -sustaining gives us autonomy but also demands more responsibility. We are a small but resilient congregation with passion, energy, talent and great ideas among our many resources. Together, let s make the best use of these resources. Judith Warren Unitarian Fellowship of London May 2018 3
The UU Garden Project Your board of trustees and minister have agreed that a focus of our social action should be "Food Security in East London". Thus, we have initiated a UU vegetable garden project. The 45-foot by 45-foot plot has been tilled repeatedly, and an animal resistant fence is under construction. We hope to grow potatoes, beans, peas, spinach, lettuce, kale, carrots, beets, summer and winter squash, tomatoes, cabbage Spanish onions, some annuals for cut flowers, and possible a row of sweet corn. The present plan is to offer produce first to members of the congregation for a donation of whatever the purchasers can afford and consider fair. If there are folks who cannot afford to make a donation, the produce will be free. We also hope to offer produce to the general public in a similar manner. After covering most of our input expenses, which will be higher in this initial year than in future years, we hope to use the net proceeds to purchase nutritious food for the local food bank. If some produce, such as fresh tomatoes, can be used for the Trinity monthly dinner project, we will donate them to help support that project. We do not anticipate that there will be any expenses, nor any net revenue, for the general fund of the congregation. No doubt, the project will evolve and change as time goes on. Constructive suggestions will be welcome. VOLUNTEERS TO HELP ARE WELCOME. Several have already signed up. If you wish to be added to the list, please submit your name, phone number, and email address to me at lloyal8@gmail.com. Thanks! Allan Grose Projector Co-ordinator Honouring our Founding Members Nearly 65 years ago five families attended the first organizational meeting of what is now the Unitarian Fellowship of London. We would like to recognize the UFL s five founding families by dedicating an area of our building in their honour. On May 27, after the UFL Annual Congregational Meeting, we will take time officially dedicate our front sitting area and library as the Founders Reading Room. Unitarian Fellowship of London May 2018 4
Garage Sale Fundraiser Saturday May 12, 8 am to noon, at the UFL, rain or shine. We are planning a Garage sale to help fund the UFL's summer day camp. Here's some ways you can help: Rent a table for $20. We will take care of the advertising and have your table ready. Help our camp and make a little cash for yourself. This is an open event so your neighbours and friends are welcome to buy a table. To reserve your table please contact Jane Cameron at jgristey@yahoo.com. Donate your gently used items or baked goods to the RE tables at the sale. Please bring items to the UFL on any Sunday morning before the sale and drop them off in the RE Area. (You can also drop off items and baked goods on Friday, May 11, from 6 pm to 8 pm. Bring your friends to the sale and shop! Note: If anyone would like to make a monetary donation to the UFL Day Camp and receive a tax receipt, please contact Lori Turner-Otte at lorisotte@gmail.com. Unitarian Fellowship of London May 2018 5
To Reach Rev. Boullata I am available to meet and visit with you primarily on Sundays that I am at the UFL, (generally, but not always, the second and fourth Sunday of the month) between 3 and 6 p.m. It is best to email or call ahead, and to arrange with me in advance if you d like to make an appointment or have me visit with you during those times. I am sometimes available at other times, so check with me. Email: rev.peter.boullata@gmail.com Telephone: 519-451-0424, press 2. Allergy Alert Please be reminded that the UFL is a peanut free zone. No cookies or squares with Peanuts or Peanut Butter can be served at any time. The Unitarian Fellowship of London 557 Clarke Road, London, ON, N5V 2E1 Minister: The Reverend Peter Boullata Sunday Services 10:45am The Board President.....Judith Warren Vice President & Congregational Health Trustee...Kathleen Proctor Past President.....Ann Klinck Treasurer....Alastair Henry Living Tradition Trustee.. Allan Grose Secretary...Vacant Youth Rep... Vacant Lay Chaplains Christine McKinlay-Smith and Joyce Orchard Director Children s Religious Exploration Lori Turner-Otte Child Care Provider Melissa Phillips Office Manager Patricia Daly Pianist Eric Charbonneau and Alex Chen Contact us Telephone (519) 451-0424 Email ufl@execulink.com www.unitarianfellowshipoflondon.org Office Hours Please telephone the Office Manager (519-451-0424) to arrange a time to accommodate you. Unitarian Fellowship of London May 2018 6