focus..
on the future
From the Minister
November Theme: Covenant
With the approaching season of family gatherings and Thanksgiving
meals comes the dance. It can be a complex and challenging time.
I am just returning from Fayetteville today, attending a family systems theory class. Along with clergy from different denominations, I
spent the day studying the ideas of Dr. Murray Bowen. He pioneered
viewing the whole family as a unit to understand human actions.
We watched a video of a man trying to sort out his mixed impulses
toward his new wife. While recalling family history and stories he began to locate repeating
patterns across generations. Some were destructive strains while others provided strength
and guidance. The ultimate goal for him and all of us gathered in the classroom is to begin
to find new choices in a decision or action rather than being stuck in old habits.
Bowen family systems theory claims we are always in overlapping human systems:
family, work, friends, and church. Stepping back to view the larger picture across time
changes perspectives and possibilities.
Biology is a helpful metaphor here. A cell cannot exist or operate alone. It is always
in relationship and influenced by nearby cells. Our human body is made up of individual
cells. Only together do they keep a heart muscle pumping, nerve synapses firing, and food
digesting. The push-pull of an individual cell working in a group is the same tension of being
part of a family, or church, or workplace. How do we maintain our identity and integrity
while cooperating and collaborating?
Bowen calls navigating this pressure differentiation—the ability to be in emotional
contact with others while still being autonomous. “The goal is to rise up out of the emotional togetherness that binds us all,” claims Bowen.
Hope Church began similar work, searching its history looking for patterns exactly a
year ago. Our Southern Region support staff, Rev. Susan Smith, came and walked us through
highlights of the church’s history.
The point was not to air dirty laundry but to find responses that serve the church
very well and others that keep it stuck. Participants could see repeated events across decades. For example, the church has periods of growth followed by a crisis where one group
leaves the church. The catastrophes differ across time and different clusters leave but the
results are the same. The church system returns to a more comfortable stasis, a smaller size.
Armed with this information the church and board can look for sources of anxiety to interrupt this rollercoaster ride.
This healthy self-examination is ongoing work both for the church for all of us wondering why Thanksgiving dinner with or without your family turns out the way it does.
Gratefully,
The Rev. Cathey Edwards
[email protected]
Volume 20
No. 11
November
2014
In this issue:
Upcoming
Sermons p. 2
Children’s
Religious
Education p. 3
Music p. 4
Outreach
p. 5 & 6
Adult Religious
Education p. 8
Events
p. 8, 9& 10
Sunday Mornings
November 2014
Sunday Religious Education for
Children and Youth
10 am - RE Wing
Sunday Adult Religious
Education
10 am - Sanctuary
Sunday Worship
11am - Sanctuary
Sunday, November 2
“A Thin Veil”
The Rev. Cathey Edwards
Sunday, November 9
“Enemy as Teacher”
The Rev. Cathey Edwards
Sunday, November 16
“Teaching Tolerance”
The Rev. Cathey Edwards
Sunday, November 23
“Why Thanksgiving?”
The Rev. Cathey Edwards
Sunday, November 30
“What Unifies UUs?”
Steven Williams
Student minister
UU Church of Bartlesville
Page 2
November Theme: Covenant
A covenant is different from a contract. While both describe the
boundaries of a relationship and both can be broken, a covenant includes
a commitment to renew the relationship.
Our religious ancestors considered a covenant a three-way relationship. One of the parties was God. Today, I would say the third party in
our church is an ideal, something bigger and beyond us. We aspire for our
covenant to include empathy, compassion, and clarity. The connection
must be flexible and encompass change. When we bring our best selves
then the glue that holds us together contains all the words we say in our
Sunday morning covenant: Love, Service, Peace, and Truth. You cannot
write these higher values into a contract.
During the month of November the whole church, all ages, will
explore covenant. We will look at what it means to be in covenant, what
it means to break our covenant, and how to get back into right relation. I
look forward to this work together.
About Our Monthly Themes
Our monthly themes express Hope Church’s openness to theological exploration. They are not an endorsement of any particular creed or belief. Instead, they provide a monthly opportunity
to examine in common a religious doctrine or idea.
Hope Church is a questioning community. It is a safe place to
bring doubt and new ideas. This month we are exploring mystery
together. Join us!
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Religious Education for Children & Youth
Sundays 10:00 am—noon
“Covenants for Children/Youth”
Youth Fellowship
The children and youth have created a covenant that we
repeat each week. This covenant gives the children
ownership of their program, as they have decided how
they will work and play together. It is important for children to be aware that they are part of a community here
at Hope, and we place a high value on friendship.
Youth Fellowship is a time for youth in grades 6 – 12 to
gather and share their stories with each other. Youth
are encouraged to bring friends to the group.
Children/Youth Covenant
Help each other.
Listen to each other.
Be kind to each other.
Care for each other’s precious stuff.
Leave your phone at home.
Introducing new Nursery Supervisor
We have a new Nursery Supervisor. I am pleased to welcome Sharon Giefer to our staff. Sharon is a warm,
loving, person who always has a smile for the kids. Sharon has experience working in a church nursery, and she
is busy sprucing up our facility.
At Hope, our staff must be flexible – Sharon loves the
multi age concept we have in our program, and she
loves to do crafts with the kids.
Youth Fellowship will meet
Wednesdays, November 5 and November 19.
from 6:30 – 7:30 pm
A light dinner will be served. Topic for the Month is
“Words of 21st Century Music”. Be prepared to share
your favorite song!
Hope UU Parent/Grandparent Group
Sunday, November 9 at 9:00 am in the Log Cabin
All are invited to join our discussion about the joys and
concerns of parenthood.
Childcare is provided at the
church for this event.
Sharon has two children, a teenage son and eight year
old daughter, Julianna, who comes to church with her.
Please come down and introduce yourself to Sharon –
she would love to meet you!
Jackie Portman
Director of Religious Education
[email protected]
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Visitors’ Corner
Our Sunday program begins at 10:00 am with
crafts, music, or outdoor play. At 11:00 am, we
hold a short children's chapel before religious education classes. We provide nursery facilities for
infants and toddlers. If you have questions,
please contact Jackie Portman.
Page 3
Music Notes
When I think of “Covenant,” I think of the promises we make to ourselves and to one another,
and the song “Step By Step,” by Joyce Poley, which has become a UU classic, has inspired
many to continue to stay with the promise to keep working for freedom, justice, and peace.
The stirring simplicity of the lyrics and the tune can serve as a mantra for our service to one
another and to the world. We frequently sing this song together as a congregational hymn,
and the choir will sing another version in a jazz harmony arrangement by UU composer and
musician Jim Scott.
On November 9 we will host touring musician and speaker Cindy Novelo, who visited us earlier this year on Palm Sunday. A singer-songwriter who grew up in the UU tradition, Cindy describes herself as “a contemporary singer/
songwriter who plays the guitar and sings, but is also a classically trained violist, who infuses her music with the deep
tug-on-your-bones beauty of classical music while also calling up the hauntingly soulful sounds of Appalachia.” Her impressive musical gifts range from classical to folk and indeed encompasses many musical styles, and she is a superb
songwriter. As a cancer survivor, yoga teacher, and workshop director, she offers healing and holistic perspectives
through her music and workshops. In addition to performing for services, she will also lead an Adult Forum class on
November 9, and will also be leading a workshop at Osage Forest of Peace in Sand Springs the day before.
As we enter into the season of Thanksgiving our music will begin to reflect more the season of gratitude and thanksgiving, for our community and loved ones, for the beauty around us, and for life itself.
Meanwhile, the Hope Singers continue to prepare for our “Sing, Noel” service on December 14—but more about that
next month. We rehearse on Wednesday evenings this month (with the exception of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day), beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the church. Those who wish to sing with us for the “Sing, Noel!” service can join
us at 7:00 p.m.
Joseph Rivers
Director of Music
[email protected]
Meet the Minister
Sundays, after church at 12:15 pm in the Minister’s Study
Newcomers and their families are invited to meet with The Rev. Cathey Edwards
after the service. Get your coffee and cookies and come get to know each other
and about Hope.
Page 4
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Hope Outreach
Generosity Offering
Each month, we give away ALL of the undesignated
funds from our Sunday Offering. The Outreach Committee chooses organizations that support the mission of
Hope Unitarian Church.
In October we raised $1057.50 for
the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless
November Recipient
The Community Food Bank
of Eastern Oklahoma
Feed the Homeless
Volunteers from Hope prepare and serve a meal for the
folks at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless every
third Saturday of the month.
Thanks to everyone who helped in September
Shopping: Keith Hamilton
Pre-cooking: Mary Newman
Saturday cooking/preparing:
Maureen Gilliland, Richard Jackson, Alice Van Wormer, Eddie Humphreys, Anne Steiner
Serving at the Day Center:
Hap Lowry, Janet Nobles, Anita Ward, Marcia
Schaefer , Sherrill Womeldorff, Laura and Shaden
Reiman, Elaine Dodson
Next Feed the Homeless date is:
Saturday, November 15
2:30 pm at Hope to help cook and prepare food.
5:00 pm at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless
to help serve the meal.
You can sign up for the months ahead. Sign up sheet is
in the folder on Administrator’s desk.
Cereal Sunday
Sunday, November 9
Our Generosity recipient for November is the
Community Food Bank of Tulsa. Their mission is
to feed the hungry of eastern Oklahoma through
a network of Partner Programs and to engage our
communities in ending hunger. They are the largest private hunger-relief organization in eastern
Oklahoma.
Eileen Bradshaw, Executive Director of the Food
Bank will do a presentation at our Adult Forum
10:00 am, Sunday, November 2.
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Please bring cereal for the homeless. There’s a large
basket in the Fellowship Hall where you can place your
boxes/bags. This cereal, along with several gallons of
milk, is taken to the Tulsa Day Center every month
when we prepare their meal.
Coming Soon!
Christmas Outreach Tree
We are adopting 10 teens from
Tulsa Youth Services.
Stay
tuned to find out how you can
help them.
Page 5
Tulsa Sponsoring Committee
On October 11 and 12, Hope was wellrepresented at the conference on grassroots,
broad-based organizing conducted by the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) and the Tulsa Sponsoring Committee (TSC). It was exciting to have
so many Hope participants.
Janet Nobles,
Vanessa Torluemke, Paula Haight, Ken Jones,
Cathy Sleezer, Lavon Boeck and I participated in
this weekend of learning.
We discussed why building relationships is not
only important, but essential to the success of
building the organization’s power, finding common ground and working together on critical issues. Building these relationships is not something we can do overnight, and that is something
many of us have trouble with. We live in a world
where we want everything right now, but these relationships take time to build. Without them, without doing our
ground work, we won’t have the effective and powerful organization that we want and need.
A lot of time was spent discussing the concept of “broad-based” or “institutional-based” organizing. Our focus will
not be limited by a specific purpose or goal of an individual organization, but will encompass the common concerns of the varied member organizations, with that broad base giving us our power. TSC will be built by a variety
of organizations who find common ground and work together despite the different beliefs they may have. It is a
non-partisan and non-political organization and will never endorse a candidate for office.
Seventeen congregations and organizations were represented at the workshop. The weekend culminated with the
announcement of the first five official members of TSC. In addition to Hope, the other members are Church of the
Resurrection, Church of the Restoration, Bethany Christian Church and Fellowship Congregational Church. We
were very excited by the announcement of a $40,000 contribution from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Although this is a one-time contribution, there is a very real opportunity for it to be repeated. This contribution along with the contributions of the five member congregations, totaled $48,300, a very good start for
TSC.
There will be an opportunity for those of us that attended this workshop, as well as others that have indicated interest in being involved, to study and learn more about what we can do as a congregation being part of this organization. If you would like to be involved, please let me know. Here are a couple of comments from other participants.
See details about November’s TSC meeting on Page 8 . All Hope folks are invited
“The idea of taking social action is energizing.” Cathy Sleezer
“Educational and promotes communication. Hopeful helpful tool in future for social justice work.”
Vanessa Torluemke
Claudia Vandiver
Chair of Hope’s TSC Group
Page 6
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Adult Religious Education
Adult Forum
Sundays at 10:00 am in the Sanctuary
Digging Deeper
November 2—Generosity Sunday. Presentation by
Eileen Bradshaw, Executive Director of the Community
Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, our generosity recipient for November.
November 9—“Lessons from Abroad” by Cindy Novelo,
singer/songwriter, speaker, educator, and workshop
facilitator. A native of Lawrence, KS, Cindy lived overseas for 17 years and was a member of the Proyer
String Quartet. Her international experience has broadened her world view and influenced her musical and
spiritual understanding. She will be talking to us about
cross-cultural experiences.
November 16—“Let’s do Geography” presented by
Paula Haight, winner of an Oklahoma Outstanding
Teacher Award. This will be an intergenerational program, designed to entertain and educate both youth
and adults.
November 23—“Exhibits from the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art” presented by curator Dr. Karen
York. A native Tulsan, Dr. York began her career as
Associate Curator of Campus Art for Indiana University. With her Ph.D. in American Art History, she worked
at several other museums before coming back to Tulsa
in 2006 to join the new Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. Her presentation today will showcase two of
her most recent original exhibits.
November 30—Current Events! Everyone is invited to
participate in the lively discussion.
A discussion
class that
provides the
opportunity
to delve more
deeply into
our monthly
themes.
November: Covenant
Thursday, November 20, 7:00-8:30 pm
Free childcare with 48 hour advance reservation.
Contact Jackie Portman for childcare.
[email protected]
Rev. Cathey serves as the facilitator for this monthly
class. With an agenda that includes readings, questions and time for sharing, this smaller group allows
for dialogue and reflection.
“To listen is to lean in softly with a willingness to be
changed by what we hear.” - Mark Nepo, poet
Roots Class
Saturday, November 15, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (Brown bag lunch)
An informal, adult religious education class, that meets in the
Minister’s Office. It introduces the ideas, people and history of
Unitarian Universalism and Hope Unitarian Church. It’s a step
further into this community dedicated to religious freedom and
seeking.
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Page 7
November Board Highlights
Notes from the Office
Board highlights were not available at time of Focus
publication. They will be placed in the folder on the
Administrator’s desk.
Staff time away
The Rev. Cathey Edwards will be out of the office Monday, Nov 24 Monday, Dec 1. Pastoral care will be provided by Rev. Debra Garfinkel. Please call Maggie Scott
during office hours or Paula Haight at other times and
your call will be directed to Rev. Garfinkel.
Maggie Scott, Church Administrator, will be out of
office Monday, December 1—Monday, December 8
Church office closed
November General Meeting
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2014 7:00pm-8:30pm
Fellowship Congregational
2900 S. Harvard Avenue , Tulsa, OK
Within, Among, Beyond
All Are Invited. Tulsa Sponsoring Committee is an institution-based organizing to develop civic engagement,
grass-roots democracy, overcome barriers, and improve the lives of families and individuals in Tulsa.
Election night will be an interesting time to be with
fellow citizens concerned about the status of our city
and state. Join us before the full election results come
in to hear about last month’s weekend training and to
have additional mini-trainings.
If you have questions contact Claudia Vandiver
[email protected] or the Rev. Cathey Edwards
[email protected]
Nov 27 & 28 for Thanksgiving and Monday, December
1—Monday, December 8 when Maggie is away.
Rev. Cathey will in and out of her office during the
week. Probably best to call her first before you come
up the hill.
Focus date changes
Because of Thanksgiving holiday and staff vacation, the
Focus deadline will be a week early Wednesday, November 19 and will be published November 25.
Magnetic Name Badges
If you would like a magnetic name badge you can order
them from the church office or put your name on the
sign up sheet on the Administrator’s desk. Cost is $15
for one or $25 for two (of same name). Payment is required in advance. Please place check in an envelope in
Administrator’s mailbox.
Tulsa Sponsoring Committee at Hope
Sunday, November 23
10:00 am Discussion Group
Caregiving for Elders
We have come across this website:
If you are interested in knowing more about broadbased organizing, a group of Hope members plan to
meet and discuss short readings one a month. Contact
Claudia Vandiver to get a copy of the November reading.
Page 8
www.carecrossroads.org
…..which is extremely informative and helpful
for caregivers of those individuals with dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. Check it out.
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Events
Breakfast on the Hill
Sunday, November 2, 9:00—10:00 am
$5 for adults, free for children
Prepared by Lynn Rivers
and Fred Pottorf. On the
menu—egg & sausage casserole, egg & veggie casserole, fruit, biscuits, oatmeal and more!
Lunch Bunch
Wednesday, November 19, 11:30 am
The Women’s Lunch Bunch will meet at Platt College
(“Foundations” Restaurant). It is located on the east
side of Sheridan, at 38th.
If you wish to attend, please contact Jane Brumley.
______________________________________________
Hope’s Annual Auction
______________________________________________
“Autumn on Hope Hill—Change is in the Air!”
Women of Hope
Thursday, November 6
Social time at 6:00pm, Dinner at 6:30pm
and program at 7:00pm
The Women of Hope are offering a unique program for
November. We will have some hands-on learning from
Stable Ridge Vineyards. They are located on Route 66 in
Stroud and will provide a wine-tasting for us led by our
own Janet Nobles. You'll want to consider purchases for
your holiday hostess gifts and Christmas gifts. We'll
have our potluck dinner, so bring a dish or dessert and
your checkbooks! Invite your friends.
Anita Ward and Deborah Whittaker
______________________________________________
Movie Night
Saturday, November 8, 6:00 pm
Dinner, drinks and bid card for $20
Make your reservations for this very entertaining evening of great food (roast turkey and trimmings) wine, and
bidding.
We already have some wonderful items— beautiful
artwork, jewelry, home made food, theme dinners, vacations and more.
Keep those donations coming!!
Please bring in your completed auction donation forms
or email your descriptions to Maggie Scott
[email protected]
Tuesday, November 11, 7:00 pm
Movie title TBA. Watch a movie on the big screen in the
Sanctuary, followed by discussion. Popcorn and soft
drinks provided.
______________________________________________
Deadline for forms/descriptions is
Sunday, November 2
See Page 10 For more information
Hope Men’s Group
Tuesday, November 18, 7:00 pm
In the Log Cabin
All men are invited to our monthly gathering. Bring a
snack and drink to share if you wish. Newcomers welcome.
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Page 9
“Autumn on Hope Hill—Change is in the Air!”
6-6.30 pm—Drinks and Fellowship
HOPE’S
ANNUAL
AUCTION
Saturday
November 8
6.30-7.30 pm—Dinner
7.15 pm—Silent auction closes
7.30 pm—Live Auction

$20 includes dinner, drinks and
bid card

50/50 raffle

Parking Space raffle
We need your donations!
Do you have an item or service to donate to the auction? How about a theme dinner, a
vacation, artwork, jewelry, handmade craft items, theme basket, personal services …….
Fill out an Auction Donation/Dinner Reservation Form and turn it in at the Auction Table
on Sundays. Also, you may email descriptions and photographs of donations to Maggie
Scott at [email protected]
The deadline for handing in your reservation/donation forms is Sunday, November 2.
You may begin bringing in your auction items from next Sunday, October 5. Deadline for
bringing items is Saturday, November 8 by 10 am
(Please note: Payment for auction items is required on the night of the auction and
this year you will be able to pay by credit card!)
Pg 10
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Key People
When no one is at the church, the
building is locked and the security
system is on. A committee of key
people have keys and security
clearance to open and close the
building for church events. Each
takes a one-week turn of duty.
Weekly Events
Hope Singers Choir Rehearsal
Wednesdays 6:30 pm (No rehearsal Nov 26)
Sing Noel Rehearsals
Wednesdays 7:00 pm
Oct 27—Nov 2
Jim Sleezer
Brown Bag Lunch and Discussion Group
Every Friday from 11.30 am to 1:00 pm
Nov 3-9
Fred Pottorf
Nov 10-16
Sherrill Womeldorff
Women of the Thread
Nov 17-23
Lary Vandiver
Meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 11:30 am in the
log cabin. Bring your projects and enjoy the companionship. All are welcome.
Nov 24-30
Jim Sleezer
Carrie Muzika and Deborah Whittaker
Policy for function organizers
1. First, determine if someone attending your function can open the
building;
November
Birthdays
Ken Jones
Linda Tracy
Nancy Sahler
18th
25th
25th
2. Find out if church will be open/
closed for another event at the same
time as yours;
3. If no one is available and you need
entry, contact above volunteer Key
Man a few days in advance of your
event.
For Hope’s November
Calendar—see Hope’s website
www.hopeuu.org
Focus Deadline
Submissions to the Focus should be sent to [email protected] with “Focus” in the subject line and are due 9 am
the 4th Wednesday in the month. Submissions are subject to editing for length and content. Next Focus will be
published a week early on Wednesday, November 25. Next Deadline: 9 am, November 19
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Page 11
8432 S. Sheridan Rd
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133-4137
(918) 481-0999
[email protected]
PERIODICAL POSTAGE
PAID AT TULSA
FOCUS Issue October 27, 2014 (USPS 009-016) is published monthly
by Hope Unitarian Church, 8432 S. Sheridan Road., Tulsa, OK 741334137. Periodicals postage paid at Tulsa, OK. POSTMASTER: send
address changes to FOCUS, 8432 S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 741334137
TO:
Hope's Vision
Seeking Truth, Sharing Love
Within - Among - Beyond
Hope's Mission
Supporting the free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
Teaching the history and traditions of Unitarianism;
Promoting and defending freedom of thought;
Celebrating life's passages;
Serving the larger community with justice and compassion.
Hope's Values
Reason - Integrity - Tolerance
Our Staff
The Rev. Cathey Edwards, Minister, [email protected]
Maggie Scott, Administrator, [email protected]
Jackie Portman, Director of Children’s Religious Education, [email protected]
Joseph Rivers, Director of Music, [email protected]
Our Board of Trustees
Paula Haight, President
Janet Nobles, President Elect
Ken Jones, VP of Finance
Alice Van Wormer, VP of Programs
Fred Pottorf, Treasurer
Vanessa Torluemke, Secretary
Claudia Vandiver, Past President
Trustees: Carmen Kinsey, Gale Luria, Carrie Muzika, Cate Potter
Hope Unitarian Church
8432 S. Sheridan Road
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133-4137
(918) 481-0999
www.hopeuu.org
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/
HopeUnitarian Church
Office Hours
Mon –Fri 9:00 am—3:00 pm