The Beacon INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 1 Minister’s Column President’s Column & 2-3 Announcements Religious Education 4-5 Stewardship News & 6-10 UUSC News/Events UUSC Calendar Birthdays 11 A M ONTHLY N EWSLETTER OF THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND V o l um e 6 6 , I s s ue 7 F e br ua r y 1 , 2 01 5 NOTES FROM OUR MINISTER 12 Surely as cometh the Winter, I know there are Spring Violets under the snow. - Robert H. Newell. February seems a brutal month in the winters of the Midwest. The charm of newly fallen snow has worn off weeks ago, and yet the temperatures are not yet warm enough to melt away the snow that lies everywhere, sometimes packed like ice where we walk, sometimes dirty and gray where we drive. Happily, February is the shortest month of our calendar, and soon we will be able to see the brave first sprigs of green growing up through the snow. The things that grow need a fallow period, too. The freezing of the soil allows the bulbs of tulips and other flowers to rest and with the warming of the soil, they begin to awaken. So while many of us do not experience the cold of February perhaps we can do as the tulip bulb does, learn to rely on the cold. Make it a practice to find the beautiful and the remarkable in the harsh landscape of February. See if you can catch the very first beginnings of Spring. As you’ll see further in this month’s Beacon, we’re having our annual stewardship campaign in February and March with dinners and conversations. Vice President Nina has been very busy with the help of many other hands, getting our church ready for the Spring; our front walkway will be fixed for one thing. Last month we got to welcome three new members to our Society, and our members have been active in Social Justice. This month there’ll be an opportunity on February 3rd to go en masse to a Greater Cleveland Congregations event. We’ll be car-pooling, and the caravan will leave the Society at 6. Spring isn’t here just yet. Those Spring Violets that Mr. Newell tells about are not yet peeping out from under the snow, but they will. Take heart in this, the brutish month of February. Better times are on their way. In Faith, Rev. Joe T he U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a nd Page 2 FROM OUR PRESIDENT Greetings UUSC Members and Friends, Last March our community lost a long-time member and dear friend, Betty Lau. A few weeks ago the Society received a gift of $1000 from her estate. The board has voted to use this gift to establish a leadership development fund in her name. Her presence is deeply missed, but we hope that this can provide a small reminder of all of the time, creativity, wisdom, and friendship she gave to the Society while she was still with us. District Assembly is March 27-28 in Niagara Falls, NY. We can send 4 voting delegates. Rev. Joe will be attending and may be able to carpool. If you are interested in attending, the Betty Lau leadership development fund can be used to assist with the cost of registration, housing, and transportation. Please contact Rev. Joe for more information. Finally, I must apologize for my very short article this month. As you may have already heard, I broke my ankle while attempting to walk to my car in an icy parking lot. If you need to get in touch with me, the best option is to email me at [email protected] or call my cell phone at 330-338-8026. And please remember to be careful this winter! Barbie Jones, President, UUSC Board of Trustees TREASURER’S REPORT I don’t have pledge numbers for you this month, because of all the end of the year flurry, but look for updates in the next Beacon. The special collection for Edwin’s Restaurant in December raised $318 and we raised $161 for the Home Repair Resource Center in January. The past couple of months, I have been working with the Stewardship team (Peggy Lagodny and Mariamne Ingalls), Steve Doell, Glenn Solomon, and Rev. Joe to figure out how to best monitor and guide the financial health of the Society. We have been meeting to talk about both the big picture and the nitty-gritty of our finances. For this group, Rina Shere, DLFD, and Rev. Joe have been facilitating the adult Religious Education curriculum, Wi$dom Path. It’s very interesting and helping all of us look at money from practical, value-driven, and spiritual aspects. What’s your relationship with money? I hope you will consider taking this class. As always, keep those pledges coming in to support the life and work of our community, and please don’t hesitate to come to me with any questions or concerns about our finances. Dana Bjorklund, Treasurer T he U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a nd Page 3 UUSC JANUARY WORSHIP SERVICES Theme for the Month of January—Justice January 4th—Bending the Arc of the Universe Toward Justice Worship Leaders: Rev. Joe Cherry and Linda Coulter January 11th—Teaming Up to Make It Better Worship Leaders: Rev. Joe Cherry and Linda Coulter Rev. Theodore Parker, born in 1810, was perhaps the most influential American Unitarian minister who ever lived. He was renowned as a great preacher; and together with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, led the Transcendentalist movement. He was a major anti-slavery leader of his time, and his example has inspired generations of radical activists. Join us as we explore his life and writings, and his influence on such greats as Abraham Lincoln and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. January 18th—The Moral Life of Animation Worship Leader: Rev. Joe Cherry and Rina Shere, DLFD January 25th— Everybody’s Fight: Selma Alabama 1965 Worship Leader: Rina Shere, DLFD Viola Liuzzo was the only white women killed during the fateful week of the historic march from Selma to Birmingham, Alabama in 1965. How do our individual acts of courage carry social movements forward? What price do we pay for acting on our convictions? What elements of our Unitarian Universalist theology provide us with courage to act on our ethical and theological convictions? We will explore these questions as we learn about the life and death of one Freedom Marcher. “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ― Benjamin Franklin T he U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a n d Page 4 RE V UU W F E B R U A R Y 2015 February 2015 REvUUw and Sunday Calendar Sunday, February 1 Sunday, February 8 Sunday, February 15 Sunday, February 22 Sunday, March 1 Regular Religious Education Regular Religious Education Regular Religious Education Chinese New Year celebration Regular Religious Education Sunday, February 1st from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Shine and Shadow Support Group (formerly the Living and Losing group): Join us for this ongoing support group for people facing loss and change. We will meet in the UUSC library. Newcomers welcome. Tuesday, February 3rd from 7:00 – 9:00 Greater Cleveland Congregations General Assembly meeting at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church: Join us for this Public Action meeting to transform the Criminal Justice System. At this meeting GCC will publicly state our recommendations for the Consent Decree between the Department of Justice and the City of Cleveland in regards to changes in the Cleveland Police Department. U.S. Attorney Dettelbach will be in attendance to hear our recommendations. The Society has pledged that 10 members will be present for the meeting. Rev. Joe and Rina Shere will each be carpooling folks who need a ride in their vans. We will meet in the Society parking lot at 6 p.m. Sunday, February 8th 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Beloved Conversations cohort 1 and 2 meeting This meeting is to begin crafting statement about the goals of our group. This statement would be shared with the larger congregation and would serve to continue to hold us accountable to responding to the very real dynamic of racism in our world. Please R.S.V.P. if you plan to attend as lunch will be provided. We will meet in the UUSC library. Please let Rina know if you need childcare. Saturday, February 14th 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Young Adult/Adult Our Whole Lives workshop Boundaries and Boundary Violations. Sexual assault, rape and other abuses of sexuality are far too prevalent in our communities. These sexual boundaries violations – dishonoring the self-worth and dignity of both victim and perpetrator, and using sexuality as a tool to humiliate, disgrace and wield power over another person – stand in contrast to our Unitarian Universalist values. This workshop helps participants identify situations of abuse, assault and rape; and understand some of the emotional consequences for those involved. T he U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a n d Page 5 RE V UU W F E B R U A R Y 2015 UUSC Scholarships for General Assembly and District Assembly The Society has a limited amount of scholarship funding for leadership development this year. We will be accepting scholarship applications from active members who are interested in financial help to attend the Ohio Meadville District Assembly March 27-29 in Niagara Falls, NY or General Assembly in Portland, OR June 24- 28th. Please see Rina Shere for scholarship applications. In faith, Rina UUSC B O O K C L U B MEETS M A R C H 24, 2015 The next meeting of the UU Society book club will be Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00 pm at the home of Sue McKimm. The book is "The Dinner". It is a "darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives—all over the course of one meal. It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love. Skewering everything from parenting values to pretentious menus to political convictions, this novel reveals the dark side of genteel society and asks what each of us would do in the face of unimaginable tragedy." The book club is an open group for those who love to read. Read the book ahead of time and come ready to discuss. Let Sue know you're coming, please. T he U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a n d Page 6 S T E W A R D S H I P C A M PA I G N Stewardship Campaign Starts in February The UUSC Stewardship Campaign, where we pledge financial resources to the Society, will run from February through mid-March. The Stewardship Team is planning a series of dinners, and we’ve asked several members to host them. Over the next couple weeks, each member and friend will receive an invitation to a dinner. Please RSVP, and if you can’t come to a particular dinner we’ll give you some alternate dates. These are not potlucks, so all you need to do is show up. We will gather, relax, chat about the Society, why we pledge and our hopes and ideas for our future. You can submit your sealed pledge at the dinner, or later, as you choose. A quote that has inspired our Team this year is: “Giving is a response from a growing awareness of spirit in our lives.” As Sue McKimm offered from the pulpit last month: “The Society adds a lot of value to my world, and I want to do what I can to make it sustainable.” We want to continue to build, grow and sustain from a good place inside ourselves. And we look forward to what will come out of meeting together, and growing our deeper bonds of community. See you at dinner! If you have any questions, please ask one of us! Mariamne Ingalls, Peggy Lagodny, Sue McKimm and Rev. Joe Stewardship and Finance Council Update Rev. Joe and Mariamne Ingalls, here. It’s time to update you on both the activities of the Stewardship Team and related activities around the Society’s finances. First, the Stewardship Team updates. In 2014 our Board asked the Stewardship Team to adapt and grow into a year-round effort. Co-chairs Mariamne Ingalls and Peggy Lagodny were asked to consider, too, that we no longer had a finance committee. We, along with Susan McKimm and Ben Miladin ran last year’s pledge campaign. Since then: In late summer, Peggy and Mariamne met with Rev. Joe to orient him to our current stewardship process T he U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a n d Page 7 S T E W A R D S H I P C A M PA I G N In Fall, 2014, Mariamne and Peggy attended a stewardship workshop at an Ohio-Meadville district meeting. Out of that workshop, we started discussing with Rev. Joe and Rina Shere the possibility of using the UUA’s Wi$dom Path curriculum, which is sometimes called “The O.W.L. for money.” During the 2014-15 pledge campaign and since, the Team has been working to consider and expand the Society’s definition of stewardship, to include all the things we as congregants do to sustain the Society, including our volunteer work, etc. With the help and suggestions of all involved, held two meetings with Dana, our treasurer, Karin our immediate past treasurer, our bookkeeper and Rev. Joe, to review our current financial status. Out of those meetings, came a recommendation for a Finance Council: a structure to help the Board and the Society look at our financial health. The idea is that together, we collaborate from our various roles, to help the Board and Society plan for a sustainable future. It’s made up of four components / roles: 1. 2. 3. 4. Our treasurer, Dana Bjorklund, who will focus on budget Stewardship Co-chairs, Peggy Lagodny and Mariamne Ingalls Investments person, Steve Doell Legacy gifts person, Glenn Solomon Rev. Joe also attends and contributes. Peggy Lagodny and Rev. Joe serve as links between the Finance Council and Board. In January, Rina Shere, Director of Lifespan Faith Development and the members of the Finance Council started working through the Wi$dom Path curriculum. Our expectation is that the Wi$dom Path curriculum will be offered to the congregation as a whole, in the near future. As the Stewardship Team starts the new pledge campaign for 2014 – 15, we hope you will reflect upon and share your hopes and ideas for a sustainable and flourishing future with us and each other. Our community gains strength through these conversations! Please contact any of us to learn more. Rev. Joe and Mariamne Ingalls T he U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a n d Page 8 UUSC N E W S / A N N O U N C E M E N T S First Sunday Potluck—February 1: First Sunday Potluck will be Sunday afternoon, February 1st in the Fellowship Hall immediately following service. If you don’t bring a dish, the cost is $3 per person or $5 per family. First time guests are free. What Makes for Peace? - February 1: Join Dietz Ziechmann and friends in the Dao Study Group this afternoon at 1:30 PM in the sanctuary following the potluck luncheon and services to discuss the topic of “What Makes for Peace?” Men’s Annual Superbowl Party—February 1: The Men’s Annual Superbowl Party will be held at Ryan Sullivan’s pad in Shaker Heights (corner of Fairhill and North Moreland). The festivities begin at 5:00 PM this afternoon, with game time at approximately 6:30 PM. Bring your own beer or drink and a snack to share. Glenn Altschuld will again graciously prepare his famous chili (both for vegetarians and carnivores). There will be the usual wagering and immature behavior in a PC free zone. It’s always lots of fun and we look forward to seeing you there. Contact Ryan Sullivan at 216798-8292 or [email protected] for further details. Shamanic Journeying Circle— February 8: The next Shamanic Journey Circle will be held on Sunday, February 8th at 3:00—5:00 p.m. at the Society in the sanctuary. This circle is offered to provide an opportunity to explore Shamanic Journeying in a comfortable group for meditation, self -healing and personal or spiritual development. Donations are gratefully accepted to help defray facilities rental, etc. The circle is facilitated by Neal Szpatura and Michelle Gilbert. Class size is limited. RSVP to Neal Szpatura at 216-371-3433 or email [email protected]. Daytimers Meetings Your kind attention please! The Daytimers would like to announce a new meeting time. We will start this week meeting from 3-5 PM every Wednesday. We are moving to accommodate the busy schedules of our regular attendees, and with the hope of attracting an even bigger crowd to our Mid-Week Adult Religious Education Program. This week we will explore the question “What are you curious about?” and we will try to focus our efforts in the direction of those curiosities. A quick survey of this week’s group who met for lunch yielded answers such as “How does the Media affect our young people,” and “Industrial Design.” Who knows what wide and varied topics might come up if you also participate. If you can’t make next Wednesday’s meeting, worry not! You can always contact Rev. Joe, ([email protected]) and he will carry your answers to the meeting on your behalf. T he U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a nd Page 9 UUSC N E W S / A N N O U N C E M E N T S February Movie Nights Intergenerational Movie Night—February 15: Intergenerational movie night is Sunday, February 15 at 4:00 pm. The movie is “The Incredibles”, which is an animated movie about two hours long. After a string of lawsuits forces a family of superheroes to rein in their powers and go into hiding in suburbia, a mysterious source asks the out-of-shape patriarch, Mr. Incredible, for help -- but it's a trap. We will have pizza. Please note the earlier time to accommodate family schedules. All are welcome, and kids need to have an adult along who is responsible for them. Adult Discussion and Movie Night—February 22: Sunday, February 22 is adult discussion and movie night at 5:00 pm. The movie is “The Day After Tomorrow”, which is an action movie from 2004. After years of unabated global warming, the greenhouse effect is wreaking havoc all over the globe in the form of catastrophic hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, floods and, most ominously, the beginning of the next Ice Age. Paleoclimatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) tries to save the world while also shepherding to safety his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who was in New York when the city was overwhelmed by the beginnings of the new big freeze. We will have pizza. UUSC Board Meeting Minutes: To receive the minutes from Board Meetings via email, please contact the Society’s Office. Have an Announcement?: If you have an item for the bulletin or The Beacon, mail, email or fax your announcement to the Society by Wednesday morning to be included on Sunday. Pulpit announcements can be placed in the green “Announcements To Be Read” folder on the wall in the Office up to 15 minutes before the start of the service. Please indicate how you want your item announced. On Facebook? If so, check out the Society’s Facebook page. A link to it can be found on our website at www.uucleveland.org. UUSC Podcast Listen to Sunday services online, and more. Visit: http://uucleveland.podbean.com. Wheelchair Available The Society has a wheelchair available for use during congregational events. T h e U n i ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a nd Page 10 “My idea of good company...is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.' 'You are mistaken,' said he gently, 'that is not good company, that is the best.” ― Jane Austen, Persuasion T he U ni ta r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t S o c i e ty o f C l e v e l a n d Page 11 February 2015 Sunday Worship Service Musical Prelude at 10:45 a.m. Service at 11:00 a.m. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 13 14 12:30 pm 1st Sun Potluck 1 pm Shine & Shadow 2 pm The Dao 5 pm Men’s Superbowl Par. 8 12:15—1:15 pm Beloved Conv. Cohort 1 and 2 Meeting 3—5:00 pm Shamanic Journeying Cir. 15 7-9:00 pm 9 GCC General Assembly Mtg at Olivet Baptist Church 3-5:00 pm Daytimers Meeting 10 11 5:00 pm Movie Night— The Day After Tomorrow” OWL Boundaries & Boundary Violations Daytimers Mtg 7 pm Board Meeting 16 17 4:00 pm Intergenerational Movie Night—The Incredibles 22 10-12 Noon 3-5:00 pm 18 3-5:00 pm Daytimers Meeting 19 20 21 26 27 28 7:15 pm RE Com. Meeting 23 24 25 3-5:00 pm Daytimers Meeting THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND 2728 Lancashire Road Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44106 Phone: 216-932-1898 Fax: 216-932-1516 Email: [email protected] www.uucleveland.org The Rev. Joseph Cherry Minister Office Hours: 9:30 a.m.—2:00 p.m. Tuesday—Thursday Message phone: 216-264-9832 Rina Shere Director of Lifespan Faith Development Wed. &Thurs. 9:30 a.m.—230 p.m. Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Friday—By Appointment Shirley Nelson Administrator/Beacon Editor Tues. 9:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Wed. 9:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Thurs. 9:30 a.m.—3:30 p.m. Diane Spiegler Bookkeeper UUSC DEADLINES: Beacon Articles: Deadline for March is February 23rd. Order of Service/Announcements: Wednesday a.m. before the Sunday Service Board Reports: Thursday a.m. before the Board Meeting on Wednesday evening of the following week. Amy Collins Commissioned Lay Leader Warren Ronney Custodian Barbara Boyd Choir Director Rev. Peggy C. Clason Minister Emerita Birthdays and Anniversaries This is only a partial list, to make it complete, send your special dates to the Office at [email protected] or just call and leave a message on the machine. Thanks!! February Barbara Boyd 14 UUSC Board of Trustees * Barbie Jones President Nina McLellan Vice President Maureen Meslovich Secretary Dana Bjorklund Treasurer Peggy Lagodny Kristen Liviskie Board Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Last month we missed a birthday! Our custodian, Warren Ronney, celebrated his birthday on January 31st.
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