THE UU-LINK January Services January 2015 DonSense –byRev.DonGarrett January 4 Our Theme for January: Possibility Happy New Year 2015! Ofallourtopicsthisyear,possibilityisarguablymostcentraltoourfaith.It hasdistinguishedUnitarianUniversalistsfromthestart.Whereasothers sawdepravityandsinatthecoreofhumanidentity,wesawpotential– sometimeswithhardlyanyboundaries.Whenmanywerepreachingthat thisworldwasfallenandweshouldlookinsteadtothehopeofanafterlife, wefoundourselvesfallinginlovewiththepossibilityofheavenonearth. Theologically,youmightsaythatwewerethepeoplethatbelievedthat Godhadn’tgivenuponanyofusandsoweshouldn’tgiveuponlife.Ioften liketothinkofusasthereligionof“Whynot?!”Butwhataboutus personally?Howopenhaveyoubeento“Whynot?” How’syourfaithinpossibilitydoing?Thesearethequestionsour discussionthemeisaskingthismonth.Consideringpossibilitycanhelpus thinkofthings,people,andopportunities,onwhichwemightotherwise haveclosedthedoor,automatically.Suchas,“Iwillneverseeeyetoeye withmysister.”“Icouldn'tpossiblyleavethisjobtostartmyown business.”“Iwillneverhaveclosefriendslike...”“Iwillneverreallymakea difference,sowhybother?”“UU’swillalwaysbeasmallselectfaith,why evenconsiderthatwecouldchangetheworld?" Wetellourselvessomanysmallthingsaboutwhoweareandwhatwe arecapableof,thatwecandrownoutthepossibilityofanythingelse.I inviteyoutoconsideraspiritualjourneythatasksthequestion,“Areyou willingtoconsiderthepossibilitythatyouarenotwhoyouthinkyouare?” AbettersummationofourUUfaithishardtoind! (ContinuedPage2…) Rev. Robin Capoor Joininthefun!Relectand releasetheoldandwelcome thenewinourlivesfor 2015. January 11 Keeping Our Eye on the Prize Rev. Robin Capoor Howdowemoveforward inthebelovedcommunity in2015?Comeexplorethe issues. January 18 Birth of a New Nation Rev. Don Garrett We’llhonortheRev.Dr. MartinLutherKingJr.by revisitinghis1957speech concerningpower,privilege, andrevolution. January 25 The Meaning of Membership, Part 2 Rev. Don Garrett Whatcouldmembership meaninlighttoouranswer tothequestion“Whatis churchfor?”Thisservice willbefollowedbyour secondcongregational workshopon“TheMeaning ofMembership.” Special Congregational Workshop THE MEANING OF MEMBERSHIP: The Next Step! JoinusaftertheserviceonJanuary25forournextworkshopaswego furtherintoourexplorationofthemeaningofmembership.Lasttimewe lookedbacktowhatwas.Thistimewe’llbelookingforwardtowhatmight yetbe.Lunch&childcarewillbeprovided,andwe’llallbedoneby1pm. The Link January 2015 F ROM T HE P RESIDENT InNovember,Ihadthepleasureto representUUCLVattheJosephPriestly District"presidents'roundtable"heldinat theUnitarianUniversalistCongregationof Columbia,MD.Abouttwodozenofthe71 congregationsinJPDwererepresented.Co-leaderswere Rev.DavidPyle(newJPDExecutiveDirector)andMark Bernstein(UUCLV'snewlydesignatedprimarycontact, or"PC").Rev.Pylehasexpressedhisdesiretovisit UUCLV,perhapstopresentasermonandmeetwiththe Board.MarkalsoservesonthestaffoftheCentral EasternRegionalGroup("CERG"-seebelow).I'dliketo shareafewofthesubjectsdiscussedandideasoffered thatseemedpotentiallyapplicableorbeneicialtous. TheCERGwillcombineJPDandthreeother districts.Aftersomefouryears,aproposedplanofthe CERGorganizationisexpectedtobe"rolledout"in Spring2015.Aspecialconferencetoconsiderthe proposedplanwouldbeheldeitherinFall2015or Spring2016.Allcongregationswillbeaffordedvoting representationatthatconference.(Forinformation aboutCERG,visitwww.cerguua.org.) Thedesirabilityandbeneitofhavingall congregationsactivelyparticipatinginintercongregational"clusters"wasemphasized.UUCLVhas beenassignedtoa"NortheastPA"clusteralongwith threesmallercongregationstoournorthandwest,but thisgrouphasnotbeenactive.(Clustersareactivein theothersub-areasofJPD.)Markacknowledgedthe needtohavesomeclustersstraddledistrictboundaries; thismayallowustoclusterwithsomecongregationsin NewJerseythataremoreoursize,andrelativelycloser. Nearlyallcongregationsrequireainancialcommitment ofrecordformembership.Ofthoserepresented,weand alargeVirginiacongregationweretheexceptions. Shiftingto"year-roundStewardship"maybe advantageous.Iwillsharesomesupportiveinformation withourStewardshipCommitteefollowingour campaignthisyear. Likewise,itmaybeneitUUCLVtoextendthe responsibilityoftheNominatingCommitteetomore broadlyaddress"leadershipdevelopment." Finally,anon-line(24/7)UUleadershipcourse"Healthy Leadership101"willbeofferedrunningJanuary throughApril.Thecoursewillconsistofweekly sessions/webinars.Thecoursefeeis$60.Visit www.cerguua.org/huulti/forinformation. Cheers!--Jan Phillips, BoardPresident Page 2 DonSense –byRev.DonGarrett (continuedfromPage1) So,again,whataboutyou?Areyouwillingto considerthepossibilitythatyouarenotwhoyou thinkyouare?Areyouwillingtoconsiderthe possibilitythatyoumightbemore?Thatlifecould bemore?Thatthisverydaycouldbemore?! Ihopeso.Ihopethatinsomesmallway–and maybeeveninsomeunexpectedlargeways–our discussionsthismonthmightleadyoutoanswer “yes.”Yestomore.Yestothenew.Yesto“why not?” Seeyouinchurch. –Don P LEDGE D RIVE 2015-16 “TakingtheNextStepTogether”isthethemeforthis springs’pledgedrivefor2015-16.Thecampaignwill beginMarch1andendApril5.Acampaignpackage willbemailedtoyouinJanuary. Pledgeincomerepresentsabout70percentofthe moneyneededtokeepthingshummingatUUCLV.It’s nottoosoontothinkaboutyourpledge.Ifyoubelieve wehaveagoodthinggoingatUUCLVandcanenhance ourprogramsandcommunityoutreach,pleaseplanto pledgeasgenerouslyasyoucan.InthewordsofLarry McGinety,aformerinterimministeratUUCLV,“Give untilitfeelsgood!!” Wealsoneedadditionalcanvassers.Pleaseletme [email protected] youarewillingtohelpwiththecampaign. THE UU-L INK TheUU-Linkispublishedandmailedmonthly, andisalsoavailableonourwebsite. The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley 424CenterStreet,BethlehemPA18018 OficePhone:610-866-7652 OficeEmail:[email protected] TheLinkemail:[email protected] SundayBulletin&OOS:[email protected] TheeNews:[email protected] We’reonthewebatwww. uuclvpa.org The Link January 2015 N OTICE OF S PECIAL C ONGREGATIONAL M EETING ON J ANUARY 18, 2015 Aspecialcongregationalmeetingwillbeheldat11:45 onJanuary18,2015,intheSanctuary.Thesolepurpose ofthemeetingwillbetoapproveanapplicationtothe JosephPriestlyDistrictChaliceLighterProgramfora $20,000granttohelpuspurchaseandinstallthewheel chairliftsystem,akeycomponentofourcapitalproject plan. ApprovalbytheCongregationisnecessarytogive ourapplicationprioritystatusatJPD.Apreliminary estimateofthecostofthewheelchairliftsystemis $125,000. Adraftapplicationhasbeenpreparedbythe CapitalProjectTeamandtheFinanceCommittee.The Boardwillconsidertheapplicationatitsmeetingon January8. Theapplicationhasbeenpostedonthewebsite (www.uuclvpa.org).Fromthehomepage,clickon "MembersandFriends"(upperright),thenlookunder "DocumentLibrary"(right-hand-side)forthe "Application."IftheBoardamendstheapplicationon January8,thepostedapplicationwillbeimmediately amendedaccordingly.Also,CeaseBlockerwillhave limitedpapercopiesoftheapplicationavailableat church. Pleasenotethatweneedaquorumof approximately35membersatthemeetingonJanuary 18.Pleaseplantoattend. J ANUARY SHARED PLATE Therecipientofthesharedplatecollectionforthe monthofJanuaryistheBethlehem Emergency Sheltering held hereonWednesdaysfromDecember throughtheendofMarch.Wehavebeeninvolvedin thisimportantministryforseveralyears.Weprovide careandhospitalityforthehomelessmeninour community.Themoneyisusedtosupplementneeds thathavenotbeendonatedinkind. Page 3 JANUARY BREAKFAST FORUM January 4 January Worship Theme: Possibility Rev. Don Garrett, Facilitator There will be a brief presentation, followed by a small-group discussion format and a reuniting later to share what we’ve learned on the topic of “Possibility.” Join in this adventure in speaking, listening, thinking, reflecting and sharing together in a new way; another way to live our values of compassion, nurture, and justice in our beloved community. January 11 3 The Biology of Memory Frank Stone, Presenter As unreliable as it often is, memory is what makes us who we are and it is what enables us to navigate the world without continuously having to start from scratch. Let’s look at what we know and be surprised at how far we have gotten and be amazed at how much more we need to learn. January 18 Sacrifice and Bliss Dan Hazleton, Facilitator In his fourth interview with Bill Moyers in the acclaimed PBS series “Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth” Campbell discusses the role of sacrifice in myth, which symbolizes the necessity of rebirth. He stresses the need for every one of us to find our sacred place in the midst of today’s fastpaced technological world. – DVD January 25 Deism: The Religion of Tom Paine Victor Madeson, Presenter An officer in the Thomas Paine society, will give his views on Deism, the religion of Paine and a host of other founding fathers; prominent among them Thomas Jefferson. The Link January 2015 FROM THE LIFESPAN EDUCATION COORDINATOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE) FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH Thanks to those who participated in the Holiday Pageant: ManypeopletoldmeafterthepageantonDecember14 howmuchtheyenjoyeditandhowmovingitwas.Iwas alsomovedbytheexperience.Thechildrenreadtheir partswellandconveyedthestorymeaningfully.They alsosangthetwosongswithenergyandjoy.Icouldtell theywerehavingfun.Itwasatreatformetohavea frontrowseat.Thankstotheparentsforhelpingyour childrenrehearseathomeandforhangingaroundfor ourrehearsals.ThankstotheReligiousEducation Committeeforhelpingtoorganizetheplayandstepin todowhateverwasneeded.Mostespeciallythanksto thechildrenforstayingengagedandreallydoingyour best. What to look forward to in the New Year in RE: • Thelong-awaitednewOurWholeLivescurriculumis inthehandsofour7-8thgradeteachersandtheyare thrilledwiththechangesandadditionstoit.They startedusingitinDecember. Page 4 ADULT RE PROGRAMS COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION: (ContactRobinCapoor/AnthonyGazzilloformeetingdates). BasedonPrinciplesofNon-ViolentCommunication,this class,orpracticegroup,meetsweeklytolearnanduse thefoursimplestepsdevelopedbyMarshallRosenberg inthe1960’s.ItisledbyAnthonyGazzillo.Contacthim [email protected] [email protected]. MINDFULNESS PRACTICE GROUP (Tuesdayeveningsat7pminRoom304) Withthehelpofconsciousbreathingweareableto touchandbenourishedbythepeaceandjoythatare availablewithinandaroundus,inthehereandnow. Withcontinuedpractice,weshalltouchandunderstand therootsofthepainthatliedeepwithinus,suchasfear, anger,despair,thusmakingtransformationandhealing possible OTHER PROGRAMS: Therearemanyopportunitiesforfaithdevelopmentfor adults,includingtheBreakfastForum,BookDiscussion Group,Men’sandWomen’sGroupsandothers.Consult ProgrammingforAdultEnrichmentfordetails. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CALENDAR: • FebruaryBarnDanceandpotluck:Whetherornotyou JANUARY & FEBRUARY haveattendedtheBarnDanceinthelastthreeyears, youwon’twanttomissthisevent.JohnKrumm,our dancecaller,isthePiedPiperoffolkdancing.He’llget youmovingonthedanceloorandmoreimportantly laughing,whetheryouthinkyoucandanceornot.Once again,you’llbedancingtolivemusicbyJansenWendell, ElisaLang,JannGlider.AtthebreakJohnleadsthegroup insinging. Jan4:Storyforallages,followedbyregularREclasses •Multi-generationalGamesnights:Saturdayevenings, March7andApril18.Markyourcalendartogatherin thegymnasiumtoplaycardandboardgames,ping pong,sharesnacks,orjustcometobetogethertochase thewinterdoldrumsaway. Infaith, Jansen Wendell,LifespanEducationCoordinator Jan11:Storyforallages,followedbyregularREclasses Jan18:SocialActionFestivalinthegymnasium Jan25:Storyforallages,followedbyregularREclasses Feb1:Storyforallages,followedbyregularREclasses Feb8:Storyforallages,followedbyregularREclasses Feb15:Storyforallages,followedbyregularREclasses Feb22:Multi-generationalYouth-ledworshipservice The Link January 2015 Page 5 EMERGENCY SHELTER IS OPEN LAY LISTENING COMES TO UUCLV December3wasthedayUUCLVbeganit’s6thyear providingsheltertohomelessmeninBethlehem.We had15guests;thosereturningfromlastyearreveledin allthespaceandoptionstosetuptheirsleeping gear.Thingschangedthesecondnightwhenwehad15 additionalguests.Therewere27mentakingadvantage ofourshelter.Thenumberswereincreasingateach men’ssite.Thethirdnight28menregistered.Evenwith therapidincreaseinparticipants,thereisstilladequate spaceforgueststospreadoutalittle.Timewilltellifwe willreachthenumbersattheendoflastseason,55.The volunteerteamisadjustingtosomeofthesituational changeswehavemade.Withtheonlyentrancethrough thehandicapentrance,theSignIntableisnearthe piano.Iunderstandthatchangediscombobulatedsome ofourguests.WenowhaveaWallSt.doorstewardwho directsgueststothehandicapentranceandensuresthat thedoorstotheCommunityRoomremainclosed. Anotherbumpforourguests.FinallyallBESsleeping gearisstoredintheBride’sRoom...norunningupand downtotheGym.Wedeterminedthatvolunteersonly shouldhaveaccesstothisroom.Againablowtosome guestsastheyfoundthatapreferablespacefor sleeping.Afterthreeweeksallaregraduallybecoming accustomedtothechanges.Eachshiftteamseemsto havefoundthingsmovingsmoothly.Weareofftoagreat beginningwithonly14weekstogo! Thefollowingpeoplehelpedthismonth:EllenBell, CeaseBlocker,LindaBrown,LorraineBujnowski (Shopper),Nancy&BobButow,Tomchurch,Stephen Curtis,MichelleDougherty,SimonDougherty,Cecilia Eberhard,Bob&MargieEnsminger,Barbara,Forry(Food Coordinator),LindaHammel.MaddieHammel,Dan Hazelton,GeneHunter,KerryJones,HaroldKreithen,Josie Miserendino,RenaeOrban,BrynnOrban,TaraRedding Quinlivan,Jim&KateRanieri,PhilReiss,GinnySchimmel, ElianaSekkidou,NeffieSekkidou,JackieSimone,Dave Style,TomUlrich(Recruiter),BrianUlrich,SueWeber, TomZimmerman,AllenZinnes,Elizabeth Griner, Mike Muller, Molly Trimble, Tara Stephenson Wealsothank everyonewhohasgivenmonetary,clothingorpersonal caredonations.Wefindthereisaneedforlong(boot) socks,longunderwearandwinterjackets.You’ve exceededourneedsforpersonalcareitemsandlinens. BES Committee: GinnieBlocker&AnnGastinger, co-chairs,EllenBell,LorraineBujnowski,BarbaraForry, DanHazelton,KerryJones,JosieMiserendino,Jim&Kate Ranieri,TomUlrich. Everhadoneofthosedays?Thosedayswherenothing seemedtogoaccordingtoplanandyoujustneededa littlehelpsortingouttheremainsoftheday.Justneed someonetohearyouwithoutaskingforidentiication numbersandpasswords? Beingacompassionatelistenerispartofour commitmenttobeingamemberofUUCLV.Atthemost crucialtimesinourlives,ourminister,Rev.Donwillbe there.Thereareothertimeswhenjustknowingthereis amemberofUUCLVwhoisatrusted,conidential listenermakeslifemucheasier. LayListenerswillprovidethisadditionalsourceof supportwithinourcommunity.Inordertoplanand createtheirstgroupofLayListeners,theLayListening TaskForcewasgatheredinthefall.RobinCapoor,Jan Force,SuePhillipsandJanetWarrenbeganlookingata modelforLayListenersfromtheCommunityChurchof ChapelHill,UnitarianUniversalist.Ourgoalisto recognizetheirstgroupoftrainedLayListenersbyJune 2015.Trainingisplannedforearly2015.Ifyouare interestedinmoreinformation,pleasecontactRobin Capoorthroughthechurchofice. JANUARY HOSPITALITY DoraDavenportisbringinginthenewyearwithherEast HospitalityTeam.Ifyouliveinzipcodes07016,08848, 08865,18013,18020,18040,18042,18045,or18064, pleasesay"Yes"whenaskedtoserveasaGreeter,Usher, FlowerorSnackprovider.Youwillbewarmedbythe experience,andyourcongregationwillbegratefuland appreciative,whetherornotweshowit.Staywarmwith service! UUCLV SNOW INFO Incaseofinclementweather,UUCLVchurchclosingswill bepostedonwww.wfmz.comandwww.uuclvpa.org, announcedonWAEBAM790,andpossiblyannounced ordisplayedonWFMZ-TV(Channel69). Churchactivitywillbecancelledonanydaythatthe BethlehemSchoolDistrictisclosedforweather,orany dayasnowemergencyisdeclaredbytheCityof Bethlehem. The Link January 2015 UUCLV NIGHT AT THE IRON PIGS Okay,weknowit'searly...butit'sreallynevertooearlyto reserveyourticketsforthe2015 UUCLV Night at the Iron Pigs. OurdatethisyearisSaturday,June20against theScranton-WilkesBarreteam,theAAAafiliateofthe NewYorkYankees. Thegameisscheduledtobeginat6:35p.m.Tickets cost$10andaregoodfor$2offatmoststadiumvendors. Thereisasmallparkingfee.Formoreinformationorto signup,pleasecontactFrankClapsat [email protected] ticketsordered. BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP January11-TheBookDiscussiongroupwillmeetinthe RELibrarybehindRoom208at12PM.Formore informationpleasecontactusat: [email protected] January'sbookisTheInvisibleWallbyHarry Bernstein,amemoirofhisyouthwrittenwhenhewas 93.ThememoirbeginningjustbeforeWWItellsof working-classlife,andoftheboundariesthatcanbe overcomebylove.Itcentersaroundaworkingclass neighborhoodinanEnglishmilltownwhichexistswith aninvisiblewalldownthecenterofhisstreetseparating theculturallydifferentJewsandGentiles.Hissister overstepsthatlineandfallsinlovewithaChristian givingrisetoaconlictofemotions-followingmoral upbringing,loyaltytohismotherandwhatheknowsto betrueinhisheart. InFebruarywewilldiscussTheSexLivesofCannibals byJ.MaartenTroost. S UPPORT THE UUCLV W HEN Y OU S HOP ON A MAZON Support the UUCLV when you shop on Amazon ShoppingonAmazon?Amazonwillcontributea portionofyourpurchasestotheUUCLVwhenyouaccess Amazonthroughthelinkinthewww.uuclvpa.org website.Scrolltothebottomofthehomepageandclick ontheAmazonlink. Page 6 “LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE” "IfEveryonelit justonelittle candle,whata brightworldthis wouldbe!" OnDecember13, alongwithmany othersinthe downtown Bethlehemarea, DoraDavenport, RobinCapoor, CeceliaColluraEberhard,Nancy Dora Davenport lights UUCLV luminarias Weston,Margo DixonandAnthonyGazilloilled,placed,andlit50 paperluminarias(yes,thatisthepluralof"luminaria" seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminaria)around theperimeteroftheUUCLVchurchbuildingtojoin manyothersitesindowntownBethlehem'sannual "LightUptheNight"holidayevent.Nextyear,youcan beapartofthefun! Bethlehem’sLuminariaNightevenhasitsown Facebookpage,withphotos,includingourneighbor‘s yellowhouse,here:https://www.facebook.com/ luminarianight Moneyraisedby salesoftheluminaria kitsgoestosupportthe NewBethany Ministries,inSouth Bethlehem,andtheir workwiththe homelessandthe disenfranchised.Join usnextyear.Itwas fun.TherewasMexican food(andMexican hats)becauselighted Luminariasarea holidaytraditionofthe countryofMexico. Ola!andOle'! Anthony Gazillo helps at “Light Up The Night”. The Link January 2015 FOURTH FRIDAY FILM SERIES TheUUCLVFirstFridayFilmSeriestakesplacemonthlyin thechurchCommunityRoomat7pm. January 23 Film: I AM IAMisthestoryofilmmakerTomShadyac,who emergesfromacyclingaccidentwithanewsenseof hispriorlifeofexcessandgreed.Hesetsoutto investigatehowheasanindividual,andweashumans, couldimprovethewayweliveandwalkintheworld. February 27 Film: THE WISDOM TO SURVIVE: CLIMATE CHANGE, CAPITALISM AND COMMUNITY Thisilmacceptstheconsensusofscientiststhat climatechangehasalreadyarrived,andaskswhatis keepingusfromaction?Itexploreshowunlimited growthandgreedaredestroyingthelifesupport systemoftheplanet,thesocialfabricofsociety,and thelivesofbillionsofpeople.Willwehavethewisdom tosurvive?Thoughtleadersandactivistsintherealm ofscience,economicsandspiritualitydiscusshowwe canevolveandtakeactioninthefaceofclimate disruption.Theyurgeustoopentothebeautythat surroundsusandgettoworkonensuringitthrives. March 27 Film: PARK AVENUE: MONEY, POWER, AND THE AMERICAN DREAM AcademyAward-winningilmmakerAlexGibney(Taxito theDarkSide,Enron:TheSmartestGuysintheRoom) presentshistakeonthegapbetweenrichandpoor AmericansinParkAvenue:MoneyPower,andthe AmericanDream.GibneycontendsthatAmerica'srichest citizenshave"riggedthegameintheirfavor,"andcreated unprecedentedinequalityintheUnitedStates. April 17 Film (3rd Friday) A FIERCE GREEN FIRE: BATTLE FOR A LIVING PLANET Thisilmisanexplorationoftheenvironmental movement-grassrootsandglobalactivismspanning iftyyearsfromconservationtoclimatechange.It chroniclesthelargestmovementofthe20thcentury andoneofthekeystothe21st.Itbringstogetherall themajorpartsofenvironmentalismandconnects them.Itfocusesonactivism,peopleightingtosave theirhomes,theirlives,thefuture-andsucceeding against.allodds. Page 7 UPDATE FROM CAMP UNIRONDACK Aswearecompletingthenew2015campbrochure, wewantedtotakeamomenttothankeveryoneforall yourloveandsupportinthepastyear.2014wasa yearofchallenges,fromthecompletionofthe renovationoftheshowerhousetothere-launchingof theFoundationCampaign.Itwasalsooneofthemost gratifying,exciting,andsweetyearsever.This communityissorichinsomanyways. Thepaceofcamperregistrationforthesummerof 2015hasbeenintense.Pleasedotwothingsforus. First,tellyourfriends,youngerpeopleinyourcircle, andfamilieswhoyouthinkwouldloveUnirondackto registersoon.Second,getyourregistrationinsoonand remembertobecomeamember!Registerhere:http:// www.formstack.com/forms/UnirondackCamper_Registration. UUCLV The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley 424 Center Street Bethlehem, PA 18018 Address Service Requested The UU-Link is mailed free of charge to members and pledging friends. Subscriptions are available for $20.00 NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID LEHIGH VALLEY PA PERMIT No. 546
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