What’s going on... March 2009

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Sunday Services

Sunday, March 1 – Rev. Fred Howard, "The Eighth Principle."

Discernment, especially in spiritual matters, is difficult.  Those who discern well when it comes to choosing the right path, the right friends, and the right community are said to possess the "divine eye."  Join me in sharing some insights that may serve us well as we seek to find the right path and to live life well. 
                We welcome Fred and his wife Kathy to our community for more than just a visit once a month.  They moved into a condo here in Valdosta in February where they will be living several days each week helping with the care of their grandchildren.  Fred has indicated a willingness to be available to members of our congregation.  Feel free to speak with him. 

Sunday, March 8 – Dr. Michael Stoltzfus, “Corporate Consumerism:  Buddhist Values for Moderation”

We will outline how the rise of colonialism is closely linked with the rise of corporations and the ingenious economic notion of limited liability.  Many traditional Asian values like cooperation and social well-being are being challenged by international economic markets, the quest for individual profit, and the rise of consumerism.  Basic Buddhist values like moderation, impermanence and spiritual cultivation rooted in human development will be applied to the contemporary economic context. 

                Dr. Stoltzfus is a faculty member in the VSU Philosophy and Religion Department and a regular speaker at our services  

Sunday, March 15 – Rev. Jane A. Page, “Shall We Pray?”
Rev. Jane will explore the meaning of “prayer,” the types of prayer used in various world religions, and how prayer may affect us and others.

Sunday, March 22 – Rev. Al Hunt,  “The Rule Book: A Meditation on Koans, Proverbs and Rules

We welcome Rev. Al Hunt to our pulpit.  You have probably met him over recent months as he has attended our services.  He recently moved to Valdosta with his wife and family in order to help care for her elderly parents.  He is a recent graduate, with a M.Div., from Andover Newton Divinity School near Boston .  He is a candidate for ordination as a UU minister, working with the Mass Bay District.  Right now he works with the chaplain service at SGRMC.

                Interested, while in college, in history and anthropology, Hunt has a B.A. in Human Services, and for the past 25 years has worked as a substance abuse counselor.  Considering himself a Buddhist in his teens, he became a UU twenty years ago, and confesses to being somewhat new to life as a Universalist Christian.  His approach, he says, is scholarly, and he studies the Bible for its historical and ethical significance.  Concurring with Marcus Borg, Hunt believes that to truly appreciate our Christian roots, we must apprehend and appreciate the historic context of Jesus as well as Buddha and Mohamed.  Hunt explains that his “original intent was to become fluent in Christian studies in order to defend myself as a UU against individuals who suffer the idolatry of Jesus and other fundamentalist types who twist the Bible or hold a static view of it.”

                Al completed his ministerial internship at First Parish in Weston , MA and his CPE at Massachusetts General Hospital .  He has preached and led worship in various Massachusetts locations, including: Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Medford , Lancaster , Essex, Athol, Mendon-Uxbridge, Salem , Palmer, Nottingham , NH , and also Providence , Newport , and Burrillville , RI .  

Sunday, March 29 –  David Rodgers, “An Artist's Path”

We welcome David Rodgers to speak at our service this Sunday.  He has been attending our services regularly over recent months and always is an active participant in our discussions.  No doubt you already know that he is an artist.  He plans to discuss his sculpture commissions this Sunday. The theme of the presentation concerns the process and purpose of commissioning a work of art, including narratives of collaborating with patrons as co-creators of sculptures and places.  In addition, he will provide illustrations of the physical process of producing and installing some of the projects in order to illustrate the creative contributions of tradesmen. 

                After completing a Master of Fine Arts Degree in art at Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington in 1968, David Rodgers launched his career path as a sculptor thinking of himself as an independent artist who originates creations.  However, he began to acknowledge hopes, beliefs, values, and imaginative possibilities patrons shared with him to describe, as he says, “the purpose and meaning of commissions they envision emerge from the same wellsprings of creativity and inspiration I tap.”  Gradually he underwent a metamorphosis from an ego-driven independent artist to a multi-disciplinary artist-designer-maker capable of co-creating with other people sculptures, gardens, and spaces based on his ability to transform the language of natural forms and mathematics into visual metaphors and environments having a unique sense of place. In 1979 Rodgers incorporated Metaforms, Inc. as a landscape architecture business to create site-specific sculptural metaphors and outdoor places with which to reinforce institutional, corporate, and personal identity.   He returned to IU in 1989 to earn an MS in Interior design and learn research methods needed to improve his ability to predict how people will likely respond to the contextual whole of spaces and their contents.  After completing a final project in 1991, he began a career of teaching interior design.  He writes, “My path as a collaborative artist-designer-maker at the present stage of my journey includes researching how cues in health care environments influence client healing, health, safety, and well-being, and how the same elements affect the ability of care givers to respond to client needs.  A goal of this research is to produce and apply outcome-based performance requirements for creating socially responsible designs that serve purposes of social justice and sustainability.”

Rev. Jane A. Page, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro, serves our congregation in Valdosta each month.  She is available for conferences and special services when she is in Valdosta .  Contact information: Web Page: http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/~janepage/ Some of Rev. Page’s sermons are posted at http://uustatesboro.uuism.net/sermons.html

 

 

 

 

 

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Religious Education for Children

The children in our RE program have just finished examining creation stories from different religious traditions. They played games and did crafts and activities with the creation theme. Susan Bailey says, “We even pretended to be Creators.  We formed our own animals, plants, volcanoes and other things out of play dough.”  They are now discussing the story of Noah and the Flood and finding related themes in other religions.

                The RE program for children meets at 10:45 AM concurrent with the Sunday morning service.  Volunteers to help in the classroom are needed. Contacts: Mya Storey; Susan Bailey.  Thank you Susan and Mya for all of the wonderful things you are doing.  It is so exciting to see all of the children each Sunday and to see their excitement  as they participate in the RE activities.  

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INVITATION TO MEMBERSHIP If you are interested in becoming a member of our fellowship, we encourage you to talk with our President, Doug Tanner , or Membership Director, Lars Leader.  We welcome your questions, and we extend an open invitation to all who want to join our liberal community of faith.          Rev. Jane Page and Rev. Fred Howard also welcome your questions about UU membership.

 

 

 

 

 

MINISTERIAL MUUSINGS Rev. Jane Page

Last month we had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate two important birthdays.  Two hundred years ago, on Sunday, February 12, 1809, two babies arrived who would change the world.  One was born in Shrewsbury , England and joined the family of a wealthy physician.  The other was born in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky to a family of limited means.  Both of these men would liberate entire classes of people a half century later.  These special births of English naturalist Charles Darwin and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln are being heralded in bicentennial celebrations this year.

 

Because I have a special interest in science, I have always been intrigued with the work of Darwin , his struggles and his success.  As a minister, I’ve often been surprised at how often I use evolution as either a metaphor or as an explanation in some sermon topic that I’m exploring.  I’ve also more recently been engaged in reading more about Abraham Lincoln, probably because of the comparisons with our current president.  Darwin and Lincoln may have had very different circumstances in birth and very different careers, but both of them have been emancipators.  Of course we automatically identify Lincoln as an emancipator because of the Emancipation Proclamation.  This was Lincoln 's declaration of freedom for all slaves in the areas of the Confederacy not under Union control in 1863.   Darwin ’s emancipation was one of people’s minds.  In 1859, after more than 20 years of study and note-taking, Darwin finally published On the Origin of the Species.  It was an instant best seller and was instantly controversial, for it challenged the teachings of the church that the creation story in Genesis was literal.  And it encouraged readers to think beyond the church’s teaching and look to scientific evidence as a source for understanding the natural world. 

                Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, I often was given very hazy information regarding these transformations.  I was told by some that the Civil War was really not at all about slavery, but about states’ rights.  And I was taught in my church that the creation stories in Genesis were literal (which I later could not reconcile since the two stories conflicted).  Thankfully, I loved to read and study.  And the more I read and studied the Bible, history books, science books, biographies, and even historical fiction, the more I became convinced that these two men were, indeed, great emancipators.

                On February 12, 2009, I gave thanks for the contributions of these two great men.  Then I had the opportunity to attend another celebration of emancipation:  The Vagina Monologues.

                Ah Yes!  Freedom of the body, mind, and spirit!  May it be so for all.  

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Let’s Have Some Fun!!  

Games Night- At the church

Saturday, March 21   7:00 PM 

Bring some finger foods and munchies to share, libations if you’d like, the kids, a friend, a favorite game and let the games begin.  See Sue Bailey for further details.  Come enjoy the fun! 

Book Discussion and Potluck:  Our last book discussion occurred after the March newsletter went to press.  Watch for announcements about the next book and date for the next discussion---most likely not until April. We have been selecting books which deal with different cultures, religions, and life styles.  Let us know your suggestions.  Contact: Betty Derrick.  

Newsletter Editor:  Betty Derrick Website:  Carol Stiles Local Publicity: Dee Tait March 13: Deadline for the April newsletter. (!!!!Please note the early deadline!!!!  Your editor must complete the April newsletter no later that March 18.  Thank you for your assistance in accomplishing this.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

We recently heard from

v Rev. Angie Theisen, who served our church some years ago when she was the part-time minister of the Tallahassee UU Church.  Angie is back in Florida now.  You might be interested in checking out her recent book, Season's Readings.  Rev. Suzanne Meyer says about the book, “When you stop laughing, you realize that you have been crying. There is vulnerability and a poignancy to Rev. Angie’s words that is both personal and universal” Those of you who remember Angie’s sermons may recall them also in this way.

Keep in your thoughts....

Our members and friends experiencing family health difficulties or the loss of loved ones…  

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Social Action Activities

Break Bread Together

Our date for meal deliveries with the Break Bread Together program is the 2^nd Monday (and 5^th when there is one) of each month.  If you would like to help deliver meals beginning about 11:00 AM, please contact Frank or Rosie Asbury.  

Accepting Difference Project

Causes II Mini-film Festival:  This second annual festival was held on the evening of January 24, after the February newsletter had gone to press.  Through the Accepting Difference Project and our Restoration Fund, our church provided funds to VSU Professor Matthew Richard s for this project.  The short videos Dr. Richards says “combine critical thinking with creativity and passion with compassion.  The topics are things that concern us; things we would change right away if we could. … We believe that change can start with the raising of consciousness, and with the videos … we’d like to think that some of our dreams could begin right here, right now.”  Eleven UUs along with an auditorium full of VSU faculty, students, and others viewed 50 videos which ranged over topics from drug addition and domestic violence to mono-cropping, partisan politics, and the elderly.  Prizes were: 1.Daniel Nabers, “Church Segregation”; 2. Tim Hilgert, “Fine Arts in Georgia Schools ”; 3. Katie Hauser, “Death of Languages”; 4. Kelly Murray, “Bottled Water”.  Perhaps we UUs should consider making our own 30 second video on what we would like to change if we could.  Think about it for next year.

VIGIL FOR PEACE:  CANDLELIGHT PRAYER AND REFLECTION   Discussions are ongoing for plans to hold interfaith vigils for peace…. If you are interested, please contact Carol or Betty.

Injustice in Valdosta/Accepting Difference – Even we have differing opinions!

This sign in Valdosta provoked different reactions in some of our members.  The recent e-mail discussion, in some ways, was as provocative as the sign itself.  How should we react to signs, sayings, issues that we find offensive, since some may find the same sign, saying, issue non-offensive or not worth reacting to or even humorous?

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At the Church-in-the-Woods

New Hope Christian Community Church- Sunday evenings: Choir practice at 4:30 PM. Service at 6:00 PM.  http://www.newhopeiccc.org/home.htm

Taoist Tai Chi – Monday and Thursday: Beginners Class: 5:30-6:30 PM; Continuing Class:6:30-8:00 PM  Contact Dennis Bogyo or Luana Goodwin 

PFLAG Meeting – 4th Tuesday each month, 7:00PM

Contact: Doug Tanner.   The web page for PFLAG Valdosta:
http://pflag-valdosta.web.officelive.com/default.aspx   

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UU Church of Valdosta Board of Directors 

February 4, 2008  Attendance: Doug Tanner , Rosie Asbury, Lars Leader, Jim Ingram, Bill and Valerie Webster and Kari Wells

Old Business:

·         Jim found someone to repair the roof.  That project will now move forward.

New Business:

·         Discussion about showing film clips from “The Cause” film festival at VSU at the church.  Not sure if it would be on a Sunday, or some night during the week.  More information to come.

·         Renters Agreement:  We need to look at the current agreement and see if it needs any modifications, then go over it with our current renters to make sure everyone understands the terms of the agreement.

·         Lay Leaders duties:  Reminder that when someone is the Lay Leader, they need to contact the speaker for the week they will be leading and get all of the speakers info and see if they need anything for the upcoming week.

·         Azalea Festival- March 14-15, $30 fee. If you would be interested in working the booth for a few hours, let a Board Member know. 

·         Congregational Annual Meeting.  May 17 after services.  We will be voting on the budget and voting on Board Members.  We will need to have budget and nominations by April Board Mtg.  We are also looking for volunteers to serve on the nominating committee.  If you are interested, see a Board Member.

·         Discussion about a community prayer and reflection vigil as a part of the Accepting Differences Project.  This would be a follow-up to the National Day of Prayer.  

Next meeting with be March 4 at 6:00 PM.  

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Treasurer's Report

Rosie Asbury - January  2009

Receipts                January                                       July ‘08-present

  Plate                     $  662.00                               $ 1384.00

  Pledge                      625.00                                  8040.00

  Rent                         140.00                                  1600.00

  Contribution               0.00                                     575.00

Total Receipts    $ 1427.00                            $ 11599.00

Disbursements  

  Speakers’ Fees   $  900.00                           $   6150.00

  Repairs & Maint.       0.00                                     960.16

  Newsletter                   0.00                                     212.28

  Postage                        0.00                                      25.49

  Supplies                       7.28                                     183.84

  Utilities     211.96                                  1629.99

  UU Dues                      0.00                                    700.00

  UU Conference          0.00                                   1232.78

  Advertising                  0.00                                     145.80

  Donations                   0.00                                     500.00

  Others                          0.00                                     176.00

Total  Disbrsmts.$ 1123.44                           $ 11920.54

Net Receipt           $  303.56                             $ - 321.54

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President’s Corner

Doug Tanner                                            March 2009

As the cold of winter recedes and longer days return it is a good time to look forward to the coming spring and hope for a brighter future.  Every day is a little longer than the last and the temperatures gradually climb during the warm day between cold snaps.

                Organizations like our beloved little church in the woods also go through these cycles of increase and decline as well.  Lately, you may have noticed that a few more chairs are filled with returning friends and with visitors.  These visitors are much like spring flowers which come out on a warm day and must be nourished so that they might become friends and eventually maybe a few even members of our little band.

                While not all visitors are cut out to UUs we do have to be careful not to give people the wrong impression.  We know that we are all loving and generous people but outsiders really have no idea of our true nature.  They only know what they see when they visit us for a moment or two. 

                One of our most treasured times together is when we join for discussion and we are free to share our views on many subjects.  I would not give up this time for anything and suspect it is what keeps many of us returning for more.  I do however fear that visitors may not get the best impression from some of our discussion.  I encourage everyone to share freely but keep in mind that first impressions count very much and our visitors are our very special guests.

See you Sunday!  

Did You Know?  (Borrowed from the Flaming Chalice, December 2000.)   Edith Hunter, a former curriculum editor for the Beacon Press series in religious education said: “Many of us religious liberals have not given sufficient thought to what we believe.  We recite no dogmatic creed.  We have no finished faith, once revealed, and now neatly packaged and sealed.  Are we in danger of the opposite extreme of being hopelessly vague about what we believe?   Perhaps we should realize that our need is not to find something to believe but rather to discover what our lives indicate that we believe right now. …To bring our attitudes, our convictions, our practices, out into the open and to look at them systematically is to find out what we actually believe.” Marshall, Challenge of a Liberal Faith

 

 

 

 

 

 

UU Activities and Announcements

Further information is posted on the bulletin board in the R.E. wing at the church.  Also check your Sunday Order of Service for announcements.

March 1: Deadline for congregational feedback on Ethical Eating CSAI

March 7- Southwest Cluster Meeting and Stewardship Workshop with UUA’s Director of Stewardship Wayne Clark, Ft. Myers, FL  In these challenging economic times, this is one workshop you won’t want to miss.

March 7- Southeast Cluster Green Spirit/Green Space Workshop, Ft. Lauderdale ,, FL

·         Green Spirit - Green Space  will feature the two top, exciting green speakers in the area: Captain Dan Kipnis trained by Al Gore He will present a dynamic and energetic talk on the causes and impacts of climate change on the ocean; and Barry Heimlich, a Senior Fellow at FAUs Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions, He will discuss local, state & federal policy to address mitigation and adaptation to climate change.  Find out what you can do about Climate Change during the afternoon workshops and displays. The Conference is for youth as well as adults.

March 1-2 Humanities Series - Our Place in Nature, Vero Beach , FL

March 13-14- Unitarian Universalist Allies for Racial Equity, Kansas City  

March 14- Joint Northeast/Southeast Clusters Workshop with UUA Director of Advocacy & Witness Rev. Meg Riley, Vero Beach, FL
March 19 -Third Thursday Leaders’ Webinar – Conflict? Oh, We Never Have Any ….

March 20-22-Florida District Annual Assembly:

 The Arc of a Moral Universe ... Bends Toward Justice

Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota

 

 Each year the congregations of the Florida District come together in common Assembly to celebrate, to meet and to learn from each other. We also come to conduct the District's shared business. The notice of our District Assembly Annual Business meeting and delegates' credentials will come to you separately. For now, suffice it to say we have new officers to elect and a budget to adopt.

                Meanwhile, the District Assembly is a great moment of shared ministry. We welcome Dr. Charlie Clements, head of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, as our theme speaker. Additionally, we have nearly 20 workshops and other meetings focused on our theme and congregational life. After our Awards Dinner Saturday night, Geoff Kaufmann, renowned Unitarian Universalist folk singer, entertains us in a concert for delegates and others.

                We thank our friends at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota for hosting us this year [including offering B&B accommodations].

Registration deadline is: Friday, March 6th.

Child-care is provided for children 1-12 years at no cost. You must return your request no later than March 6th.

Late-registration deadline is: Monday, March 16th.

On-site and/or registrations received after March 16th are welcome, but we cannot guarantee your meals.

                We are eager to welcome youth and young adults to our Assembly. Note there is only a modest cost for their participation.

March 21- Celebrated Speaker Series - David McCullough, Vero Beach , FL

March 26 –29- Living from the Inside Out, The Mountain, Highlands , NC

April 17- 19-Women's Retreat Weekend, The Mountain, Highlands , NC

May 15-17-UNIVERSALIST CONVOCATION 2009: Celebrating the religious heart of Unitarian Universalism, UU Church of Birmingham , Alabama   www.nmuc.org/Convo

June 24-28- UUA General Assembly, Salt Lake City , UT

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UUA TRUSTEE TIDBITS                    Joan Lund

A newly forming UU affinity organization, Equual Access, is the topic for March. The Equual Access mission includes promoting equality and access for UUs with disabilities and comprehensive accessibility throughout our faith community. In addition, Equual Access pledges to advocate for full inclusion in our faith community by identifying, countering, and dismantling ableism and will advocate for people with disabilities throughout our larger world community.

                We live in an ableist society that devalues persons based on various physical, sensory, mental health, and intellection disabilities, and vies privilege to those who are not disabled. Equual Access will be an anti-ableist group of folks with a variety of disabilities and their allies. It is known that each disability is affected by ableism in different ways and persons with disabilities have their own unique identities, challenges an solutions, ableism potentially can unite oppressed persons in a group dedicated to resistance. This does not diminish the challenges and solutions of each specific disability identity; instead it is an affirmation of the multiple layers of identity of every individual.

                Some of the actions planned include: Creating an atmosphere of openness and acceptance of persons with physical, sensory, mental health, and intellectual disabilities; educating all UUs about the social justice implications and impact of disabilities on our denomination and in our culture; affirming the spiritual needs of congregation members and friends with disabilities; developing and adopting accessibility policies and practices that endorse and ensure the full inclusion of members, friends, and guests with disabilities in a non-discriminatory manner; working with our UUA, the Journey Towards Wholeness Transformation Committee (JTWTC), and districts on disability-related social justice policy issues of non-discrimination and access; and encouraging all persons with disabilities and their allies within the denomination to join in this effort.

                All of us are welcome to be part of this new transformative organization. It essential that we work together to take responsibility to create a community of encouragement, compassion, and hospitality and to be sensitive to possible conflicts…willing to work toward solutions, accepting that some of our differences may not be resolvable. Most important, all of our decisions must be democratically.

                I encourage you to be a part of our annual District Assembly in Sarasota later this month and LOOK FORWARD to being with many of you. It will be a great meeting, entertaining, and fun! Please introduce yourselves when we are together. Stay in touch: jlund@uua.org.  

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Greetings Florida District Friends and Leaders

Kenn Hurto , Florida District Director

"It's been a very long time since I cried with joy in church!" I said this to a friend after worshipping at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Washington , DC , just prior to the Presidential Inauguration last month. "Cried with joy!"

                Yes! Here is one of our thriving, vital congregations. All Souls has come a very long ways since falling into a deep despair some years ago. Now, it is among our fastest growing, and most racially and culturally diverse. That Sunday, the Reverend Rob Hardies [who greets everyone at the front steps before the service] preached powerfully on the "Joshua Generation," calling us no longer be Moses' nomads but to settle in on the task of building the beloved community.

                Worship is the first and continual draw for people of faith. It is the one time in a week and among a people to stop, to get out of our personal self-interests and recommit to life-transforming values and to the common good. My joy was stirred by the excellence of the service that day. In addition to a great sermon, children were present and participating, even helping to lead the service. The liturgy flowed seamlessly, never once calling attention to itself by a faulty sound system or miscues. Lay participants shared readings and personal faith witness, all well-rehearsed and genuine. There were five choral presentations of a most diverse array -- traditional, folk, American, European and African, in English and other languages. There was the magnificent organ, along with cello, piano, drums, and brass. Three stellar solos were icing on a beautiful cake.

                Most simply: This worship rocked!

                Normally, I detest the way congregations single out "visitors" [see rant just below] by asking them to stand up and be identified. All Souls affirms newcomers by inviting the members to actively welcome guests during an extended "say hello" moment. It was long enough to engage, short enough not to become disruptive.

                But, perhaps more than an excellent theme and capable presentation, it was the members' active engagement. We were not an audience. The community, the people worshipped! We sang! We laughed! We applauded. You could see tears in eyes other than mine, some evidently of sadness, others of gladness. My heart filled with joy.

                There is no "trick" to good worship. But there is discipline, sadly not often evident among too many congregations. Excellence in worship means all coming and being prepared. It demands all pay attention to pacing and timing. Good worship requires excellent music, and thoughtful, genuine preaching -- not a "talk." And it needs to express the faith of the gathered community who actively worship.

                So, I ask you: when next I come to your congregation: will we worship?

                Now the promised rant: Can we drop "visitor" from our vocabularies? "Visitors" go to monuments, museums, and libraries. "Guests" come to your home. If you want to grow your congregation, then you'd better work on creating a "mi casa, su casa" atmosphere. Let no one [including existing members] leave your worship feeling they are anything less than an honored guest whose return will gladden your heart.

                All blessings and may there be joy in your ministry. Nurture spirits, heal some part of our world.  

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UU Southland Leadership Experience

July 19 - 25 at The Mountain, Highlands ,NC

This is an opportunity for congregational leaders to deepen their understanding and develop their abilities with other UU leaders. This Leadership Experience is a natural evolution from Leadership Schools of the past. Please consider sending more than one leader ;check on certain requirements; Ministers are not only welcome but encouraged to attend; Youth over 16 are encouraged to attend .  We will ask that each leader sent have the backing of the Congregational Governing Board and that the checks come from the congregation not the participant.  There will be expectations that participants read material and prepare before they attend

 The model for this Leadership Experience is the Dwight Brown Leadership Experience in The Southwest Conference. The cost is $750 for each participant. More information will be available shortly.