INCLINATIONS
DECEMBER 2005
Monthly Newsletter
from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Eastern Slopes
Calendar
Services:
Dec. 4: Poetry Service, Dick Cary presiding
Dec. 11: Love Incarnate; Celebrating Every Gift.
What does it mean to call ourselves a Welcoming Congregation?
Dec. 18: A
Dec. 21:
Dec. 24: Traditional Christmas Eve: Lessons and Carols
Dec. 25: An informal service of Quiet Reflection. No childcare this morning.
Events:
Following the coffee hour on December 18th, we will have a
showing of the Breakthrough Congregation presentations from General
Assembly last June. This
At
Holiday Pot Luck Dinner at the Meeting House on Saturday, Dec.
10th beginning at
Minister’s Schedule for December:
General Schedule: Mondays off
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, by appointment
Friday, writing at home
Vacation: December 26 - January 3
When you are trying to keep in mind what to give that
special someone for the holidays keep in mind the UUFES account at White Birch
Books in
(1) Go shopping at White Birch Books
(2) Charge your purchase to the UUFES account
(3) They
will give you a slip telling you the full cost of the book; place a check made
out to UUFES-
Happy shopping! Jo Anne Rainville
Religious Education & Exploration News:
A few weeks ago I attended my first Renaissance Module in
Our Stepping Stone kids have spent the last few weeks
learning about the many ways in which scientists see the world. The
titles of some of their lessons have been Stories in the Stars, Stories in a
Drop of Water, Stories in Rocks and Bones and Stories in Animals. Soon
they will be moving on to birth stories - their own, Jesus' and Buddha.
Sharing is a big part of this. When asked what his favorite part of the class was one participant said, "getting to see fossils and pictures and other cool stuff that people bring in." We would like to share this opportunity with you. Sign up to be a class helper and you can see cool stuff too!
“We Are Many, We Are One” is the program for our youngest religious explorers. They are having a lot of fun as well. The holiday season is going to be particularly festive for them. Their lessons revolve around Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Chinese New Year!! Do any of these occasions have special meaning to you? Want to share? We'd love to have you.
Peace,
Joy
Message from Mary:
Greetings!
As we move into December - a first layer of white already laid down - we
find ourselves planning for a variety of festivities around
the Meetinghouse, not least of all our first Solstice, Christmas Eve, and
Christmas Day services in our own home. Make sure you check out the calendar
for the tree lighting, the holiday potluck, and other happenings.
This is always such a rich time of year, rich with memories - some happy,
some melancholy. It is also a time of year rich with symbolism.
Whether you celebrate the Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or no
particular holiday, it is hard to escape the sense of longing for
community, for light, and love made real.
I still keep Christmas in my own home. All the metaphors work for me. The
poor, non-traditional family, made holy. The baby in the
stable, the star in the sky, the humanitarian challenge of the ages,
waiting still to be met. Out of my own childhood Universalist
tradition, I find myself pondering the twin themes of advent and
incarnation. Advent: waiting for the birth of justice and love within us
and among us, and Incarnation: embodied promise, embodied hopes and
ideals for our world.
I hope that in everything we do this month we will touch upon or at least
glimpse some aspect of this very special time of year. From the
poetry service - a gift to ourselves and each other - to an examination of what
it means to call ourselves a Welcoming Congregation, to the sharing of holiday
stories and rituals and food and singing, we will embody a promise to be
present for the miracle that is this precious
life.
Happy Holidays!
With love,
Mary
The Book of UUFES?
Rod Forsman and Bob Young are
compiling material for THE BOOK OF UUFES (working title) which
will contain original sermons, children’s stories and other material that
have been part of a UUFES service and that are deemed to be worthy of
memorializing for one reason or another. Pending compilation
decisions are yet to be made on extent of audience, method of printing and
publishing, extent of distribution, etc.
If you would like to be part of this historical endeavor in the publishing world and/or have editing, production or marketing skills, or just have a suggestion to make, contact R. or B.
Also, Rod and Bob propose to compile a collection of original readings submitted by members or friends. So when you are in a reflective or creative mood jot down your thoughts in a few sentences and submit them for the collection. These could be for any of the regular readings from welcoming words to extinguishing the chalice and be for special occasions or seasons or for general use. The collection would be available for Rev. Mary or other service planners to draw from. Please note that this project is separate from THE BOOK OF UUFES, but the readings may be considered for THE BOOK if included in a sermon before its printing.
Membership Committee
NEW MEMBER WORKSHOPS
The Membership Committee hosted a series of three New Member
Workshops during the month of November. These workshops explored the personal
spiritual journeys of the participants, the history of Unitarian Universalism
and the current work being done by UUFES through its committee structure. The
program will be repeated early next year and new and old members are encouraged
to consider attending. The current attendees worked to fashion their own
definition of "Faith" and may share it with the fellowship in the
future.
"SHARING YOUR GIFTS"
It is almost holiday time and many of you may be in the
gift-giving mode. If so, we have an easy solution for those shopping woes. How
about "Sharing Your Gifts" with UUFES this year? Here’s how it
works: pick up a form either from the Bulletin Board at our Meeting House or
visit the UUFES website and download the form; fill in the information and
decide how you wish your gift to UUFES to be used (General Fund, Social
Concerns Committee, Building Fund); submit your form according to the
instructions and that’s it, you’re done and you have also earned a charitable
tax deduction! A lovely card announcing your gift to the honoree will be sent
as well as an acknowledgement letter for your records.
Join your UUFES friends for a Holiday Pot Luck Dinner at the
Meeting House on Saturday, December 10th beginning at
MEMBERSHIP BREAKFAST
The Membership Committee hosted a New Member Breakfast
(recall "new member" loosely defined!) on Sunday, November 13th. The
purpose was to allow newer members to meet and greet one another in a smaller
venue than the usual after services coffee hour. The committee intends to host
such events on a quarterly basis or more frequently if there is sufficient
interest.
More Chalice Lighter Details
The new Chalice Lighter Program invites NH/VT District
members to pledge $15 or more, twice a year, in support of its Grant Program.
Each semiannual call is to support the grant to a "targeted"
congregation that has been selected by the Extension Committee. UUFES is the
first congregation to receive a grant under this new model. We applied for
funding last spring, but there were grossly insufficient funds ($2716) to help
all three of the applicants. The Extension Committee chose to fund a
substantial portion of two congregations, and selected UUFES as the sole
recipient of the fall/winter appeal. All the monies that are pledged and
collected by
The District’s Chalice Lighter Program gives all
Please consider becoming a Chalice Lighter. Look for the
bright yellow brochures at the entrance to the sanctuary.
Roderick Forsman, Chair
District Extension Department
Inclinations
Rod Forsman is a JP and will have
his stamp with him at Sunday Service for anyone who needs a document notarized.
Check to see if he is attending that day,
***********
Please send changes of address, notices and requests to be
added to or removed from the mailing list to:
UUFES—Inclinations, K. Burnell,
Editor,
Deadline for January issue: Tuesday, Dec. 27