Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury
1822 – 2014
Welcoming all in a spirit of compassion,
inquiry and service.
This Week at UU Danbury
October 23, 2014
The Comida Food Pantry is in DIRE need of canned corn, canned beans (red, pinto, garbanzo, black), tuna and
canned fruit (peaches preferred). PLEASE bring something to put in the basket this Sunday for our friends at
Comida!
If you have not had a chance to fill out the yellow “Where Do We Come From?” Order of Service insert, please
do so electronically here: http://tinyurl.com/UUCD-WHERE-DO-WE-COME-FROM . If you need more space,
simply complete one survey and then click on this link again to fill out another survey. THANK YOU!
Ministry of
Thank you Dean Alexander, Rik Cousens, Alex Makai, and Carl Tramontana
for taking the window air conditioners out of the House.
Thank you Suzanne Perry, who for many years, has run the Halloween Sleepover for the children. She did it
again this year. It has become a tradition that the children love and look forward to. Having done it one year
with her, I know it takes a lot of work, energy, planning and enthusiasm. Recreational events like these help
build community for our children. Suzanne has been a big part of this.
The UU Danbury Children and Suzanne Perry would like to thank the following people
for their outstanding contribution to the Halloween Party:
Vanessa Maiorino, Ali Haffner, Carl Tichler, Kristen Papucci, Inge Hill,
Bruni Edwards, and Carl Tramontana.
Thank you also to Anne Krieg and Valarie Cochrane for their food donations.
If you notice someone doing something nice at UU Danbury, let us know.
Email us at [email protected]. Leslie Miglietta, Chair, your Council on Ministries.
THIS WEEKEND at UU DANBURY
Friday, October 24th
• OWL for grades 4-6 will have its first meeting on Friday, October 24th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. This
session is for BOTH parents and children participating in the program. Please be sure to have at least
one parent/guardian attend this meeting, as there will be a special break-out for parents only. After this
meeting, the regular time for 4-6 OWL will be the 2nd Friday of every month, beginning with November
14th. If you did not attend the Parent Orientation session but still would like your eligible child to
participate in this group, please contact Darlene ([email protected]) as soon as possible!
Thank you!
Sunday, October 26th
• TWO Services – 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
•
Our Guest Speaker on Sunday, October 26th will be Ven. Wisdom. Ven. Wisdom is a Buddhist
Priest in the Dhyana tradition. Ven. Wisdom has studied and practiced Buddhism since 1988 and has
studied in the Vipassana, Tibetan, Zen, Ch’an, Pure Land and Thien (Vietnamese Zen) traditions.
Previously a Buddhist Monk he changed his ordination to Buddhist Priest to better meet the needs of the
American Public. In 2002 he became Abbot of the Middle-Way Meditation Centers and established the
Middle-Way Peace Order, an order geared towards peace and the development of Western Buddhism.
Ven. Wisdom has taught at colleges, universities and at theological schools. He has given talks and led
retreats at a variety of locales in the United States and China. He is one of the first two Buddhist clergy
selected to be part of a national spiritual response team for airplane disasters, and also is mental health
responder for local disaster relief.
•
The Auction Team will meet this Sunday, October 26th, at 12:30 in the 2nd floor Conference Room.
We are currently looking to add new members to the team, so anyone interested in working with a fun,
creative group of people is encouraged to attend the meeting. Call Lisa Greene with any questions.
•
Dining for Women - We will be having our quarterly (minus July) meeting on Sunday, October 26th,
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. This month's featured program is Bumi Sehat in Bali, Indonesia.
Please contact Judy Lacker at [email protected] to rsvp or if you have any questions.
Barbara’s Quote of the Week
From Rev. Dr. King’s “Where do We go From Here..”
Southern Christian Leadership Conference Presidential Address, Atlanta
Ebenezer Baptists Church, August 16 1967 –
“Where do we go from here? First we must massively assert our dignity and worth …power properly
understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social,
political and economic change…
One of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as
opposites - so that love is identified with a resignation of power and power with a denial of love.
...power without love is reckless and abusive and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its
best is love implementing the demands of justice and justice at its best is power correcting everything that
stands against love…
It is precisely this collision of immoral power with powerless morality which constitutes the major crisis of our
times...
“You ask the question, why are there 40 million poor people here. And when you ask the question, you are
raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth...one day we must come to
see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. …The problem of racism, the problem of
economic exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. They are the triple evils that are
interrelated…
Let us go out with a “divine dissatisfaction”. ..
...the road ahead will not always be smooth. There will be rocky places of frustration and meandering points of
bewilderment. [there will be] the fatigue of despair. Our dreams will sometimes be shattered…
Let us remember there is a creative force in this universe, a power that is able to make a way out of no way…
Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.
Don’t forget to put the MUSICIAN’S MEETING on your calendar for THIS Sunday from 10:30-11:00.
Children and youth of all ages who either sing or play an instrument are invited to come to a meeting in the
downstairs conference room between services. Parents should come too! Let’s see how we can tap into the
musical talent of our children and youth and bring more music to our congregation!
Week at a Glance
Friday, October 24th
10:30 a.m.
Caring Circle Ministry, Conference Room
6:30 p.m.
OWL, 2nd floor Conference Room
Sunday, October 26th
TWO Services – 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
Youth Music Meeting, Conference Room
12:30 p.m.
Auction Team, 2nd floor Conference Room
6:00 p.m.
Dining for Women, Fellowship Hall
Monday, October 27th
3:00 p.m.
Jill Miller Memorial Service, Fellowship Hall
7:00 p.m.
New Earth, Conference Room
Tuesday, October 28th
7:00 p.m.
Endowment Team, Conference Room
Wednesday, October 29th
6:00 p.m.
Yoga, Fellowship Hall
Sunday, November 2nd
Membership Sunday - ONE Service – 10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m.
(see details below)
Monday, October 27th
• Jill Miller passed away on October 4th at Autumn Care Nursing and Rehabilitation facility in
Marshville, NC. Jill was an active and dedicated member of the UU Danbury congregation. A
“Celebration of Life” memorial service will be held in Fellowship Hall on Monday, October 27th at
3:00 p.m. Rev. Peggy Block will be officiating. Light refreshments will follow. In lieu of flowers,
memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in Jill’s name via her tribute page at
http://act.alz.org/goto/Jill_Miller or mailed to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011,
Washington, DC 20090-6011.
Sunday, November 2nd
• Membership Sunday - ONE Service – 10:00 a.m.
Upcoming Events
Please support ARC’s 6th Annual Breakfast for “A Peaceable Home” on Friday,
November 14th from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. at the Ethan Allen Hotel. This year’s keynote
speaker will be Attorney Mark T. Johnson, Assistant Public Defender. We always fill
a table at the ARC breakfast to support their domestic violence prevention
programs. Please contact Sherry at [email protected] or 203-798-1994 ASAP to let her know if you
will take a seat at the table--$25 a seat!
Send-off Potluck for the Tarshis’s & Kimball’s on Saturday, November 15th - Come to the Send-off
Potluck for the Tarshis’s and Kimball’s on November 15th at 6:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, sponsored by the
Women’s Retreat Planning Team.*
Food: Last names beginning with A-H bring an appetizer;
I-P bring a salad/vegetable;
R-Z bring a “main dish” with a protein.
Drink: BYOB (“beverage,” whether alcoholic or not!)
Dessert: Will be provided by the Team
Setup/Cleanup: Please consider staying to help with cleanup after the Potluck, as we will need to set up
for Sunday Services the next day.
Cards: Bring a card with your special wishes; there will be a basket for each couple at the potluck.
RSVP: just the NUMBER of people attending for planning purposes to: [email protected]
*The Women’s Retreat Team has given a donation to help defray cost of use of the Fellowship Hall.
AARP Safe Driver Course - November 19th 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
UU Danbury will be hosting the AARP Smart Driver Course. This is the nation's first & largest
refresher course designed specifically for older drivers. This course provides research-based information to
help you update your driving knowledge and skills. By participating in this course, you are taking advantage of
an important opportunity to learn how to drive more safely and confidently.
The 4-HOUR course is intended for people 50 and older but anyone can attend. The course is FREE,
however, each participant is required to purchase the driver's manual ($15.00 for AARP member, $20.00 for
non-members). Upon completion of course a certificate will be issued. There are no tests, written or verbal,
associated with this program. It is recommended that if you are married, both partners should attend.
This class is open to all members of UU Danbury and their spouses or partners. The course will be
facilitated by Joe Gillotti. Joe is a volunteer certified AARP Smart Driver instructor. To register email the
office at [email protected] or call Joe Gillotti, by November 5, 2014.
Connecticut residents, 62 years of age and older, who are the primary driver in a household, are
eligible for a discount from their insurance company for a period of 2 years with some insurance companies
offering a discount up to 5% and time frame up to 3 years. Be sure and contact your insurance company to see
what they offer.
Women’s Retreat 2015 – Meet & Greet – Friday, December 5th, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Listen to inspiring
stories from past retreats and anticipate being a part of the next great women’s weekend retreat. Delicious
desserts provide. Please RSVP to Melody Levy.
Other Important Information
Food Offering Volunteers Needed - We are doing a wonderful job donating food during our Sunday service
Food Offering. This week Judy Lacker delivered 80 lbs. of various food items to ARC at 325 Main Street for
the Comida food pantry. We do need more people to volunteer to drop the food off at ARC during the week.
Please consider volunteering to drop our weekly food offering off at ARC. The sign-up sheet is in the food
offering basket in the front of our sanctuary. Just sign up for any Sunday that is convenient for you, then on
that Sunday weigh the food using the scale in the food basket, and drop it off at ARC during that week at your
convenience. If possible please consider doing this periodically. Thank you for your generous spirits.
Flowers brighten up the sanctuary and are a great way to remember loved ones, special events, honor
someone’s birthday or anniversary, or for any other occasion. Please sign up to bring flowers to a service this
year. A note will be included in the OOS each week with the name of the person donating the flowers and the
occasion for which they were donated. Look for the sign-up sheet in the back of the Fellowship Hall.