Christmas Pageant 2011

Halloween Celebration at First Unitarian

Task Force Appointments

Prudential Committee will be appointing two task forces later this month, to work through the winter gathering information and framing recommendations on two key areas of concern in the church. Each task force will have six members who should bring a diversity of perspectives. The work will be organized and done according to the preferences of the task force members, with the goal of presenting thier findings and recommendations to Prudential Committee in March or April of 2012.


If you are interested in potentially being appointed to serve on either one of these task forces, please email David Spanagel by Wednesday October 12, 2011. davidspanagel@comcast.net

Brief descriptions of the two task force areas:

Caring Community Task Force - To review how we as a church currently provide care and outreach to the hospitalized, shut-ins, the suddenly or chronically ill, the injured or convalescant, and/or those among our community who are feeling physically or emotionally overstretched. One important consequence of halving our ministerial staff has been to shift the burden of hospital visits and parish services to volunteers, but our existing committee structures have not sufficiently made up the difference. This task force will gather congregational input and information, discuss alternatives, and recommend what systems or structures we might institute to better address this need. Note: six  women have already indicated some interest in serving on this task force; men, members of young families, and youth are highly encouraged to step forward and offer to participate in this important planning effort.

Building our Vision - A Vision for Our Building - To review and assess the current capacities of our church property and building, in terms of what we foresee as the requirements needed to fulfill our Vision for 2015 and beyond. The church building is overdue for some important deferred maintenance issues (steeple painting, etc.), but before we plunge into expensive repairs and capital improvements, it makes sense to dust off recent capital campaign project proposals, consult with the congregation thoroughly, and determine what the priorities should be for plans to reconfigure or otherwise improve our building and physical infrastructure, in order to support all the activities and programs that our Vision requires. Recommendations of this task force will feed directly into the case to be made for the next capital campaign. Note: so far, two men (one longtime member and one from a young family) have indicated some interest in serving on this task force; women and youth are highly encouraged to step forward and offer to participate in this important planning effort; more male volunteers are also welcome.

Opportunity Fair

Get Involved in Building Liberal Religion in the Worcester Area.

After church this week, there will be an Opportunity Fair in Unity Hall. There will opportunities there for you to get involved in building the Liberal Religious movement in Worcester for the future.

There will be opportunities to work with others to meet the three goals for the church that have been identified:

1. Becoming more visible and active in the Worcester Community.

Do you want to work with our Homeless Ministry, which supports the Interfaith Hospitality Network and our Skilled Volunteer Program, which works through Jericho Road Worcester.

How about an outdoor community-wide event to be held in the Spring. This project is just in the dreaming stages, so we need your ideas.

2. Building our First Unitarian Community.

Do you want to work on our programs for growing faith for all ages, everything from our Sunday Morning programs for children and Youth to all of the offerings for spiritual practice and learning during the week? Work with Jessica Gray, Lesa McWalters and lay leaders to make First Unitarian a center for spiritual growth and faith development for the whole community.

Do you want to help make the church a more welcoming place where people can grow together: We need volunteers in the Membership process, hosting our many visitors on Sunday morning, facilitating people sharing their lives. 

How do we become a caring community which helps each other in times of trouble and need? A comprehensive planning process is starting for this all important question. Get involved at the Opportunity Fair.

3. Making our beautiful building a powerful asset for furthering liberal religion in Worcester.

How do we use our building? How does it help us reach our goals? How does it get in the way? How should we use it differently? A comprehensive review and planning process about the building is getting started. You can get involved at the Opportunity Fair. There are also lots of volunteer opportunities in caring for our building and grounds right now. Meet members of the Building and Grounds Committee and the Garden Committee at the Fair. 

Groups and organizations throughout the church will be at the Opportunity Fair to talk with you about your interests and answer questions about how the church works.

There will be coffee and food, too. 

www.firstunitarian.com 

Mt Wachusett Climb, Sunday, October 9th After Worship

On Sunday October 9 we’re climbing Mt Wachusett after Church. We’ll use Mountain House Trail -- an easy trail, about a mile long, on the easterly side of the mountain. Little ones, senior citizens, and everyone in between can do this walk, which is a gradual trail with lots of stopping places for anyone who needs to catch a breath. It takes about 30 minutes, or a little longer if you stop frequently to admire the view on the way up. The other option is to take the chair lift from the ski area, but there’s a fee. In the past, some folks drove to the top, but the road is being reconstructed, and is closed at the moment.

When we get to the top, views of the countryside should be magnificent. Fall foliage should be at its peak. If you bring binoculars, you’ll probably see migrating hawks, and possibly eagles. Little ones (and others) will enjoy hunting for garnets that have eroded out of the rock – not gem quality, but still fun to find.

Mt Wachusett is in Princeton, about 25 minutes north of Worcester. I-190 to Route 140 is the quickest route, but Route 31 through Holden is also an option. Maps will be available. We’ll start from the parking area for Mountain House Trail, on Mountain Road at the intersection with Gregory Road.

The plan is to leave the First Unitarian Church shortly after noon in individual cars. Pack a lunch and eat it when you’re hungry – before leaving the Church, on the way to Mt Wachusett, or on top. The Church will provide cider and cookies on top of the mountain.

Wear boots or sneakers. Dress in layers, with sweaters or sweatshirts and windbreakers. A small backpack is handy for carrying extra coverings, a water bottle, and lunch. If it’s a really chilly day, you may want a hat and gloves. It can be windy and chilly on top. Mt Wachusett is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River, so the wind comes sweeping up the westerly side. Princeton’s Municipal Light Department has two wind turbines on the westerly slope, which supply about 40% of the Town’s electricity.

For those who want a more rigorous climb, there are many other trails up the mountain. Don’t feel that you have to take the short route, but look for us on top when you get there.

Rain Date: We’ve been blessed with good weather this fall, but if it rains on October 9, we’ll push the mountain climb to the following Sunday, October 16.

Questions? Call John Mirick 978-464-2313

Summer Music News

Changes and transitions in my life are often difficult for me. I was raised in an academic environment but also, over the years, much of my adult employment has been subject to the school-year calendar. What always affects me the most is the uncertainty that looms with the transition into the summer and back into the fall. Finding a way to fit myself back into the old and the new routines, after the stimulus of the new experiences and travels of the summertime, fills me with a sense of anxiety. What will my life look like now? Will I like the new people that are appearing in my life? Will they like me? Or perhaps, even more importantly, will I like my self?


This summer I had the opportunity to explore a part of my self that makes me happy and makes me feel fulfilled. With the gracious encouragement and support of Rev. Schade, Will Sherwood, the Prudential Committee and the church community, I attended the U.U. Musician’s Network Conference held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA) for a week.

Over 300 Unitarian-Universalist music leaders gathered. We shared our experiences and expertise as well as talked about our visions of the future. We welcomed newcomers and to reconnected with friends and colleagues. We sang together for hours at a time: reading through new songs, hymns and music for choirs, and new compositions by Unitarian composers. We even read through a wonderful ‘Mass’ composed to express our own Unitarian beliefs, written in Latin, no less.

I was one of fourteen music leaders that arrived two days early, for a specific purpose. We were enrolled in the UUA Music Leadership Credentialing Program. Our course of study consisted of two workshops: Tools and Techniques for Leading A Successful Choral, Ethics and Care, and a lecture entitled “Lyric Theism”. In his talk, the Rev. Robert Hardies outlined his views of the important role that preachers, poets and, yes, musicians must play in shaping a compelling Unitarian Universalist theology. The week in Virginia was inspiring and I look forward to next summer for round two.

Speaking of rounds, on the third Monday of each month, as part of the MNAC programs, we will have multi-generational sing-alongs. The first one, September 19th, will be an evening of singing UU rounds. Subsequent third Mondays will feature other song repertoires such as spirituals, “Sing Out!” folk songs and seasonal caroling. “Come, come whoever you are!” And bring your vocal chords.

We also should recognize the wonderful group of singers and musicians that brought their energy, talent, and enthusiasm to lift up the summer worship services. The following participated in the Court Hill Singers reaching out with spirit, song and love: Cindy Bizzaro, Dave Blodgett, Brenna Ewing, Kris Johnson, Donna Lamura, Marcia Leonard, Kim McCoy, Phil Nigro, Ellen ONeall, Rosel Patton, Susan Peckitt, Deb Veraneau, Linda Wyatt, David Spanagel. Deepest thanks to all of you!

…Jerry Bellows
Music Director for Summer Services

"An Early Morning Reflection" by Linda Pauline Chatalian Wyatt

I have received many blessings since April.  July 10, 2011 was particularly exhilarating with a shower of them.

That Sunday, you permitted me to comfortably request, as if a close family member, to keep my daughter in your mind since “as we prayed she played tennis” toward a goal  in Dallas she’d strived to attain for two years.  In the early afternoon, she accomplished her goal, winning her tennis tournament!  I jumped up and down, congratulating her profusely, clutching the phone. It felt like she was beside me, not 1500 miles away. Joy defied distance. This accomplishment opened the door for her to play tennis at a more advanced level.  She had “champed” in the TX USTA lingo!

That afternoon, I hosted a party for the Court Hill Singers.  They gifted me with laughter, song, assistance, play, good food—let your hair down appreciation of each other.  We revived our love of the Beatles in our voices and musical instruments.

And you, the congregation, that morning, cheered me on with your gleaming eyes and beaming smiles, as I read three poems by a personally meaningful author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

And yes!  We were propelled by the Court Hill Singers’ rendition of Building a New Way by Martha Sandefer.   The words confirmed Longfellow’s urging to: Act—act in the living Present!  Heart within, and God o’erhead! Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.

The music and poetry lingered in me early the next morn, leading me to two poems I’d written for my grandparents.  First, I read Musical Transcendence, a warm, sweet memory of attending an Armenian concert with my grandmother on Sunday afternoon long ago.  Then I read The Candle of My Soul, composed and read to my grandfather the day prior to his passing.  I had wanted him to know the non-materialistic gifts of his life were gold.  As I had read to him by his bedside some twenty-nine years past, I gave my best dramatic performance-- to an audience of one—but an extraordinary one.  I was determined he’d be absolved of any guilt he had about leaving his grandchildren with meager material wealth.  In the poem, he lauds his wrinkles as “a testimony to the struggles I outwitted and outlived.” 

Outwitted and outlived--an orphan, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide; a brilliant, self-educated, hard-working man; progressive before his time in his treatment and respect of women.  He was not afraid to be an equal partner and share domestic responsibilities.  He had already liberated the women in his family.

 

I recalled your compliments of the day.  I wept tears of joy and gratitude.  What had you given me?  You, like my grandparents, had complimented my inherent talents—writing, speaking, singing, dancing, my work ethic.  You had augmented a void of the past when I received minimal compliments—compliments limited to looking good in an outfit and excelling at making some Armenian foods.  You outshined what I’d expected in the most sacred bond between a man and woman.  What a gift!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!  Longfellow shouts at us. If my voice left no other message to you as I resounded A Psalm of Life, I wanted it to be this one.  I planned for it to jolt and permeate the very atoms of your being.

You and my grandparents had reminded me the non-materialistic entities of life endure.  We spoke thus in our Common Prayer by Jacob Trapp:  Grant us to see the things that bear the mark of the eternal…loving kindness…wisdom and understanding…the divine impulse given and received.

To conclude my morning reflection, in vogue with the Court Hill Singers, I turned to a holy book of Beatles songs.  There's an Armenian tradition that whatever page you open to of a publication-that's what you are supposed to read. I opened to the tune, Tell me What You See. We can interpret the song as an intimate romantic request, or also, for this purpose, a general “I acknowledge the light in you summons”.

Big and black the clouds may be, time will pass away. If you put your trust in me, I’ll make bright your day.  Look into these eyes now, tell me what you see.  Don’t you realize now, what you see is me.

 

You told me what you saw and brightened my past, present, and future.  Shnorhagal em--"Thank you" in Armenian.

July 14, 2011