The Companion
P.O. Box 817 Finksburg, MD 21048
June 2015
From the Minister:
The Princes of Serendip
It’s best not to make a big decision before sleeping on it. My worst decisions are those that I
have acted upon immediately. Somehow, taking time
lets whatever I know to seep into the particular situation I’m dealing with.
A fairy tale from the early
1300s tells of three princes from
the land of Serendip, which is Persian for the country now known as
Sri Lanka. The princes went off on
missions which might not have been successful.
But in the process they made discoveries that
turned out to be better than what they had been
looking for. Hence, our word, “serendipity” (which
is said to be one of the most difficult terms in English to translate into another).
When there is controversy, everybody
is right. That is, everybody has a point of view that is
valid. So trying to figure out who is right and who
isn’t is usually beside the point.
Pay attention to where the energy is. That
“energy” is the universe talking, calling us, drawing
us toward what we are meant to do and be.
As I conclude my time with you at Cedarhurst—and as I conclude my years as a parish
ministry—I think of those princes and the discoveries they made along the way. I’m not sure what exactly I was looking for as I started off on this journey, but what I have found continues to surprise
me.
In the projects we undertake and the
work that we do, what endures are not the results but
the connections made with each other. The relationships are what matter; the work sometimes seems
what we do to fill the time.
We’re all in this together. It comes
down to that. What happens to one of us happens to
us all.
A few discoveries I have made along this
journey called ministry.
Insight helps but presence is what matters. I
agree with Woody Allen: “80% of success in life is
showing up.” It’s the same in most situations of
human need. Just being there makes a stronger
statement than anything we might think to say.
As I head off on the journey which is
retirement (a fellow UU minister who retired a few
years back says she conceives of it as “graduation”), I
do have plans, maps to follow, things I’d like to
achieve. But I suspect that the Princes of Serendip
will have a thing or two to say about what really occurs.
There are a lot of people who are smarter
than I am—but it doesn’t matter. There is more to
life than being smart.
I look forward to my journey ahead as
I also wish you well on yours.
Each of us knows more than we know. We
absorb information in many ways which becomes
available to us if we have the patience to become
quiet, to listen, to wait.
Bruce
1
The Companion
June 2015
Sunday Services
CUU Annual Meeting
June 7, 2015
June 7: Letting Go of W hat Y ou K now
How we relate to knowledge is one of the
defining characteristics of Unitarian Universalism.
Rev. David Pyle, District Executive of the Joseph
Priestley District will share with us on the power
of how we know.
The Cedarhurst UU Annual meeting will be
held on Sunday June 7 at 12 noon. We will be voting
on next year's Trustees, Endowment committee member, and Nominating committee members. We will
also be voting on a by-law change, as well as a new
budget for next year. Your vote is very important!
The Rev. David Pyle has been minister
for UU congregations in Midland, Michigan and
Ventura, California before taking the position of
District Executive. He is also a chaplain in the
U.S. Army Reserve and has served in Latin America and in Sarajevo, Bosnia-y-Herzegovina.
***CUU Annual Meeting follows the service.
The ballot, proposed budget and by-law
amendment are on their way in a mailing to your
home.
Additional ballots and budget information will be
available the day of the meeting, as well as copies of
the Annual Report.( The Annual Report will be posted shortly on line, as well)
June 14: Flower Communion and Reflections on Compassion
Rev. Bruce Marshall
I’m not much of a bumper-sticker guy, but
I came across one that I might actually put on my
car. It’s a quotation from the Dalai Lama:
“Compassion: the Radicalism of Our Time.” I
would like to conclude my time with you with
some thoughts on compassion, as we also observe
our flower communion. Please remember to bring
flowers to share with others in the congregation.
If you cannot attend the meeting, you can
drop your ballot off in the Clerk's box at CUU or
mail it to CUU any time BEFORE 12 noon on Sunday June 7. It must be received by this time. If you
are not a member of the congregation( i.e, signed the
book in the last 60 days) you may not vote. If you
send in your ballot as an absentee, be sure to print
and sign your name at the bottom of the ballot, so
your vote will count. Unsigned ballots cannot be considered.( Names are removed after checking membership status, and before the vote is tallied, to keep voter confidentiality)
**************************
Summer services begin—services will continue
to be held at 10:30, not 9:30 as in previous years.
June 21: TBA
Hope to see you at the meeting!
Lisa Galuardi
President, CUU Board of Trustees
June 28: J ovonne Lewis
2
The Companion
June 2015
community, representing CUU and our commitment
to equality and justice. He was one of the speakers at
the recent Unity Sunday service at the Baltimore UU
church. Lastly, we have savored his wonderful sermons, which are insightful and inspiring.
From the President
When I decided that my
article for the Companion
this month would be the
approaching departure of
our interim minister,
Bruce Marshall, I wanted
to find one word that
would describe him. As a
person that loves to read
and as one that really
loves crossword puzzles, I dug out my Merriam
-Webster crossword puzzle dictionary. Unlike
a true dictionary, the words are defined by synonyms only, and these synonyms are sorted by
number of letters contained in the words (so
important for solving a challenging crossword
clue).
As Unitarian-Univeralists, we may not use the word
“blessed’ as often as our Christian friends, but I do
feel that we have been blessed to have had Rev. Bruce
with us these past two years. He has helped us redefine our mission as a UU congregation and guided us
to finding our soul as a member of the greater community. With his leadership, we have created a comfortable, spiritual place of community and worship.
He will be with us long after he departs on August 1,
in our worship space and in our hearts. We will continue to serve the community, and ourselves, because
of the strengths and heart he has given to us.
Come to a farewell luncheon/cookout on Sunday
June 14 after our flower service, to wish him and
Amy well in their future plans, and to thank him for
all he has done for CUU.
After tossing around many possible descriptive
words, I decided on “gracious”. Here are the
synonyms in order of letter number: kind, genial, amiable, cordial, tactful, charming, generous, merciful, obliging, sociable, congenial,
courteous, good-natured and compassionate.
Yes, this absolutely describes our interim minister!
Lisa Galuardi
_________________________________________
Committee Meetings
Are you looking to share your talents? Get involved
with a committee. All are welcome.
Membership Committee
- First Tuesday, 6:30 PM
Worship Committee
- First Sunday, after service, except holidays
Finance Committee
- First Tuesday, 5:00 PM
Board Meeting
- Second Wednesday, 7:00 PM
Social Justice Committee
- Third Sunday, after service
RE Committee
- Last Sunday, at 12:30 PM
During his stay with us, Rev. Bruce has been
kind, genial and amiable when chatting with us
after service, taking comments after his sermons, at committee meetings and at our beloved dinners. He has been tactful, generous,
and perhaps even charming in guiding us
through the rebuilding of our congregation and
of ourselves in the past two years. He has been
merciful and good-natured with his insights of
our strengths and weaknesses, always stressing
our strengths, and our ability to move ahead
with needed changes and forgiveness from past
indifferences. He has helped us to become a
“Can Do” congregation that has risen above
past attitudes, and made real physical, social
and spiritual changes. He has been and continues to be compassionate, having formed a sincere bond with us, and even now, near the end
of his term with us, guides the Board of Trustees in our final steps to find a replacement
minister. His knowledge and experience has
been vital in this long and difficult process. He
has been active in social justice activities in the
___________________________________________
OUR IMPROVED WEBSITE IS UP!!
Our updated and vastly improved CUU website is
now up and functional. It is user friendly, with improved links for mobile devices and is more secure. It
has more information, photos, past sermons and Companions. Check it out!!! www.cedarhurstuu.org
3
The Companion
Adult Religious Education
June 2015
News:
Tai Chi (Taiji) Study Group
Three Treasures Taiji @ CUU will continue to meet
on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 PM. The form is: Old
Northern Yang form and Chi Gong as taught by
Grandmaster Yin through Dr. Frances Gander. We
have 3 qualified teachers who are capable of teaching beginners and continuing students during the
same session. We are offering a taiji sword form
training from 8:30 to 9 PM to those who are proficient in the form. The cost will remain at $5.00 a
class. For more information, phone 410-795-3117 or
410-370-4516 after 6:00 PM every day except Monday.
Carroll County Rhythms Drum Circle
The Carroll Rhythms community drum circle meets
on the third Saturday of every month from 7:00 p.m.
to 9:00 p.m. at CUU. Bring a drum or just yourself!
Some drums and percussion instruments are provided. All instruments are welcome. In the past, we've
accommodated banjos, harmonicas, trumpets, keyboards, flutes, harps, saxophones, mandolins, electric bass, tongue drums, and more! We often have
people singing, toning, or reciting poetry. Dancing
is encouraged! Open to the public.
All levels of experience are welcome. This is a family event, so no alcohol or drugs. No pets. Our goal
is to have fun by connecting with rhythm. This
event is free. Goodwill donations are accepted to
help with the church's expenses. Suggested donations are between $2 and $5. For more information,
contact Laurie Precht at [email protected]
4
CUU Silverbacks
We are a small gathering of men of the church
which meets for a couple of hours on the 1st and 3rd
Wednesday of the month 7:30 pm . The Silverbacks
provides a venue to address changing issues of contemporary men within our culture, be they religious,
political, social, familial or of a more individual nature. For more information [email protected]
__________________________________________
The Companion
June 2015
Religious Exploration
June Calendar of
Events
Imagine. Inspire. Nurture.
Believe. Create.
A Message from the DRE
Summer is here! It seems like just last
week that we were cleaning up snow. Time
really does fly when you are having fun.
I want to take a few minutes to thank the
volunteers who worked in classes and on
the religious exploration council this year.
You are so precious to me, and I couldn’t do
what I do without you.
To the students, you teach me so much.
Each of you are the “sunshine” on my
Sunday mornings. Your smiles, your
anecdotes, your joys, your concerns, your
laughter...all of it, combines, to bring me
great happiness. I hope to see you over the
summer for our summer program.
We will be working to paint the downstairs
over the summer, so please consider volunteering your time and energy to getting
things looking awesome for September. If
you think you can help, please contact Jennifer Harvilak at [email protected]
Please be on the lookout for sign up sheets.
Be safe, and enjoy the
beautiful weather.
Namaste’,
Jennifer Harvilak
5
6/7/15 - Religious
Exploration
Volunteer
Appreciation
Ceremony, during services.
6/28/2015 - RE
Council Meeting, in
the Sanctuary, from
12:15 - 2:15
6/21/15—8/30/15
Summer Religious
Exploration Classes
The Companion
June 2015
A very Happy Birthday
goes out to:
Religious Exploration
Volunteer Appreciation
Ceremony
Christopher
Quentin
June 7, 2015, During
Services
Cedarhurst is blessed to
have Religious Exploration
Volunteers who are
committed, caring, and creative.
Summer Religious
Exploration Classes
This year, we will have a summer of
fun, games, water balloons, and
chalk drawings.
Summer RE runs from June 21st,
to August 30, Sundays at 10:30
a.m.
Students should come directly
downstairs.
6
It is our tradition that we
honor the dedication of our
volunteers, thanking them
for the time and energy that
they have committed
throughout the year.
Please come and celebrate
with us.
The Companion
June 2015
With Great Appreciation, we
honor the following
Religious Exploration
Volunteers
2014 - 2015
Christine
Bob
Bill
Jenn
Jovonne
Barbara
Maria
Kurt
Bruce
Cindi
Thank you for all you do!!!
7
The Companion
June 2015
And most of all, a huge thank you to the congregation for their generous donations of items requested
for the Family Shelter and monetary donations to the
Social Justice lunches and Eviction Prevention/
Security Deposit plate collections that allow us to
continue CUU’s social justice work.
As the church year soon comes to a close,
I want to thank all of the Social Justice Committee members for their time, ideas, participation
and support. Thank you to the Cold Weather
Shelter team, Terri and Don Ebaugh, Barb Bradley, Maria Warburton, and Jovonne Lewis, who
volunteered once a month checking clients into
the shelter. Our volunteer hours contributed to
the many volunteer hours needed to keep the
shelter open for those seeking shelter on cold
winter nights. Thank you Maria for creating the
holiday Angel Tree that collected warm clothing
items for the Cold Weather Shelter. The congregation’s generous plate collection on Christmas
Eve allowed Maria to purchase more warm clothing and other items needed at the shelter. Thank
you Sharon Kennedy and Dee Ruppenthal for
helping with the Courageous Love Award event.
Thank you Patty Koch and Barbara Brown for
helping to make the SJ lunches delicious and to
the committee members for their contributions.
Thank you to choir members for providing their
lovely voices at the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Two new programs were added this year
to the CUU Social Justice Program. Thank you
Lynne Gilliland for making us aware of the situation in Honduras causing the country’s children
to make the long, dangerous trek to the U.S. and
for involving us with the Association for a More
Just Society that is making a difference in the
violence and corruption in this country.
The Eviction Prevention/Security deposit program was new this year. The congregation’s
generous plate contributions once a month allowed us to help prevent 8 evictions and contribute to the security deposit of a family leaving the
Family Shelter for permanent housing.
8
The Companion
June 2015
Membership Committee
FAREWELL-THANK-YOU LUNCHEON FOR
BRUCE AND AMY – SUNDAY, JUNE 14TH
FLEA MARKET/FLOWER
MART THANK-YOUS
Although Rev. Bruce Marshall’s official last day is
not until July 31st, folks tend to scatter during the
summer and we want to give Bruce and his wife
Amy Dibner a proper lunch, CUU style (modified)
to let them know how much we appreciate the two
years they have been with us. Lunch will be after
the service and we will have a coordinated pot luck
with upgraded meats and vegetarian options on the
grill. CUU will buy the grill items and the pot luck
is what the rest of us bring to round out lunch. The
pot luck part is modified because we would like to
know in advance what each person is bringing so the
menu is somewhat balanced.
Beth Schilpp will coordinate the food and drink so
please call her at 443-904-1304 or email her at
[email protected] with what you would like to
bring. If you have a great food idea that is not listed,
let Beth know. WE need:
Hot or cold sides/salads
Rolls - butter
Juice/beer/wine (think we have enough soda)
Ice cream
Cookies
Ice
Some music would add just the right touch for this
event so calling all musicians – please come with
instruments. We love to listen and sing along.
Thanks.
It definitely takes a village to have a
flea market and flower mart. In addition to those who brought items for the flea market, volunteers put up and took down the flea market
sign, posted flyers, brought food, worked setting up
the flea market, worked on the day of our event by
setting up, staffing the flea market and flower mart,
cooking and cleaning up.
A very big thanks to JoAnn Barlow, Barb Bradley,
Barb Brown, Alan Bogage, Dean Camlin, June
Clarke, Shirley Eatmon, Don and Terri Ebaugh, Corinthia Elkins, Ben Garber, Lynne Gilliland Garber,
Michele Guideman, Francine Hahn, June Horner,
Linda Joy, Bonnie Kauffman, Peggy Kern-Payne,
Patty and Henry Koch, Nan Nelson and her friend
Hal, Christine Pilson, Dee Ruppenthal, Ron Schilpp,
Maria Warburton and her sons, Michael and David,
Zann Wasiljov and Becky Zimmerman.
Many of you did many jobs to make this a successful day – a very special thanks. We truly appreciate
each effort that made this day a fun, community
building event. An extra thanks to whoever controls
the weather – what a gorgeous day! We made
$2214!!!!
Sharon Kennedy and Beth Schilpp
CUU HIKE- SUNDAY, MAY 31 – 12 NOON
The hike this time will be at Sandy Mount which is
also an easy hike. Meet on the CUU porch at 12
noon to caravan to the park. Bring water and any
snack you wish. It is a relaxing and fun time with
CUU friends. See Barb Bradley or Beth Schilpp
with questions.
Support Your Church
When You Shop On Amazon with Amazon Smile
You can access the link on the church website or
here. Any time you buy a product or gift card from
Amazon, CUU gets 0.5% of the price of
your purchase donated by Amazon-- at no additional
cost to you.
PLEASE use it!
Joys and Concerns Table
Don't forget that we have cards to send to our CUU
friends for many occasions and a notebook to write
joys and concerns. Both are on the table by the entrance to the back porch. Please use this resource.
9
Sun
Mon
Tu e
1
7
11:30 Worship com.
We d
2
6:30 membership
Committee
5pm Finance
8
9
15
16
Thu
Fri
3
4
10
11
17
18
7pm CUU Board
Sat
5
6
12
13
19
20
7 Bridge Club
7 Bridge Club
7pm Tai chi
Letting Go of What
You Know Rev.
David Pyle
14
Flower Commun- 7pm Tai chi
ion and Reflections
Companion Due
on CompassionRev. Bruce Marshall
21
Father’s day
Summer Solstice
28
7:45 Silverbacks
22
23
29
30
7pm Tai chi
Companion Final Deadline
Companion Sent
Out
7pm Tai chi
24
25
7 Bridge Club
26
7 Bridge Club
Cedarhurst Unitarian Universalists
7pm Carroll
Rhythms Drum
Circle
27
The Companion
To Reach Us—
Telephone
410-861-8820
Email [email protected]
Web address http://www.cedarhurstuu.org
Minister
President
Vice President
Religious Services
Membership
Religious Education
Dir. Religious Education
Finance
Social Justice
Operations Manager
Treasurer
Pledge Secretary
Clerk
Communications
Webmaster
Administrative Assistant
Rev. Bruce Marshall
Lisa Galuardi
Shirley Eatmon-Creager
Becky Zimmerman
Barb Bradley
Bill Clarke
Jennifer Harvilak
Terri Ebaugh
Shirley Eatmon-Creager
Dean Camlin
Sharon Kennedy
June Clarke
Zann Wasiljov
OPPORTUNITY!
Richard Witte
Dawn Doran
Cedarhurst Unitarian Universalists
P.O. Box 817
2912 Club House Road
Finksburg, Maryland 21048
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]