Race and Recism Through Page and Screen

Race and Racism
Through Page and Screen

Led by the Rev. Sarah C. Stewart
The First Unitarian Church in Worcester

What can we do about racism today? It is clear to us that the struggle for racial equality and justice in our country continues. Especially if we identify as White people, we need more opportunities to understand racism and explore what steps we can take to become anti-racist allies.

This book and movie discussion will invite us to explore race and racism in America through novels, essays, feature films and documentaries. We will explore historical moments and our present realities. We will follow themes from work to work: What is beautiful? How are dark-skinned bodies treated in America? How can racial equality be pursued and achieved? What has changed since the Civil Rights Movement, and what work remains to be done? As people of faith, what can we do?

These discussions are for all members and friends of First Unitarian Church, of all racial identities. Feel free to bring your friends—no formal connection to the church is needed. They are open to adults and youth, although youth will need permission to watch R-rated movies. You can attend one or all of the discussions. Of course, the more sessions you attend, the fuller your experience will be.

We’ll meet in the Landers Room. All discussions take place at 7 p.m. on Monday nights throughout the church year. Feature films will be screened the night before their discussion, on a Sunday night at 7 p.m. Feel free to attend the movie screening (popcorn and some themes to think about overnight will be provided) or to watch the movie on your own.

At the end of the year, we’ll conclude with a worship service and an opportunity to think about next steps. I look forward to gathering with you for these important conversations.

Race and Racism
Through Page and Screen

All gatherings begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Landers Room

September 28               Book Discussion           The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

October 25                    Movie Screening           Do the Right Thing (rated R)

October 26                    Movie Discussion         Do the Right Thing

November 9                  Book Discussion           Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates

December 6                  Movie Screening           Slumdog Millionaire (rated R)

December 7                  Movie Discussion         Slumdog Millionaire

December 14                Book Discussion           Faces in the Bottom of the Well
by Derek Bell

January 10                    Movie Screening           West Side Story (Unrated)

January 11                    Movie Discussion         West Side Story

January 25                    Book Discussion           The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

February 7                    Movie Screening           Caesar Chavez (rated PG-13)

February 8                    Movie Discussion         Cancelled due to snowstorm

February 22                  Movie Discussion          Caesar Chavez

March 13                      Movie Screening           12 Years a Slave

March 14                      Movie Discussion         12 Years a Slave

April 11                        Movie Discussion         The Death of Josseline

April 25                        Documentary Screening and Discussion
                                     Race: The Power of an Illusion: The Difference Between Us

May 9                           Documentary Screening and Discussion
                                     Race: The Power of an Illusion: The Story we Tell

May 23                          Documentary Screening and Discussion

                                     Race: The Power of an Illusion: The House We Live In

June 6                            Closing Worship Service    

HYGIENE KIT PROJECT

HYGIENE Kit Project for Pledge Day

We at First Unitarian are planning a service project of making HYGIENE KITS for refugee children/families facing disaster or crisis.  Each kit contains a toothbrush, a bar of soap, a hand towel and a fingernail clipper.  The kits are packaged and distributed in a useful, double-drawstring cloth bag (11" x 16").  We will be sewing the bags and collecting the contents on Saturday, October 3, 2015 from 11 AM to 3 PM.  They will be distributed by Mennonite Central Committee, a non-profit agency providing relief, service, and peace services to people facing disaster or crisis.

Last year MCC distributed 45,167 hygiene kits to people in Jordan, Syria, Honduras, Lebanon, Haiti, Ukraine, Iraq, the U.S and other countries. See

http://mcc.org/get-involved/kits   There is still an urgent need for hygiene kits to offer comfort to families in crisis around the world.  This is a great project to do with children!

Please bring kit contents (dark-colored hand towel, 1 toothbrush, 1 bar bath soap, 1 nail clipper, all in original packaging) to the Bancroft Room Kit Display Board anytime from now until October 3.  Also bring lengths of material (unfinished size is 38" x 12 ½") for sewing the cloth bags on October 3rd.  You may also bring $12, if you prefer, and we will shop for the kit contents.  The Hygiene Kits are a tangible way to share God's love and compassion, reminding people that they are not forgotten.   

Thank You!

Please contact Cindy Cordova (cgrnc2@yahoo.com) or Marjorie Ropp (508-752-8373) for more information

Sisters,

Summer is winding down and it’s time to get back to our regular activities.  Our Sisterhood ingathering meeting is just around the corner.  As we do every year, we will use this meeting to catch up with old friends, reminisce about our summer activities and most importantly get to the task of setting our calendar for the year.  Many of you have probably sent ideas to Madeline already and she will let us know what those were.  In addition, we will be rounding out the calendar with ideas from the floor.  Please come to share your good ideas.

So far we have:

- Christmas Caroling to area Nursing Homes (Gini Johnson, December Date to be determined)

- Cream Puff Making Demonstration (This was DJ's Allen-Rice's Auction Item that the Sisters bid on and won and DJ was gracious enough to agree to do at the church!) No date set yet.

  

- Pumpkin Pie Filling Making Field Trip to Flavor First Foods in West Bridgewater. Fun day to make and package our delicious pumpkin pie filling to sell as our fundraiser for our Annual Retreat. Suggestions have been made to expand our selections to other pie filling!! Date TBD but before Thanksgiving.

As always we will have a bountiful potluck dinner with fellowship and program to follow.

- Tour of Swissturn/USA  - world class manufacturing plant owned by Ken and Diane Mandile

We will meet on Friday September 18^th.    People begin to gather around 6:00  and dinner is served at 6:30.  Please bring a dish to share.  All women of the church are welcome to attend.

Garden News

GARDEN FRIENDS  Thanks to everyone who weeded and watered our gardens over the summer—from the colorful pots on the front porch, through the side gardens, and all the way up the hill to the tree line, everything looks alive and reasonably loved, cared for, and lived in.  Many of our neighbors have reported enjoying our front porch and side gardens, and it’s great to know we’re providing greenery and respite to the local community too.  Also thanks to everyone who hosted and attended this year’s garden tours—these weekly Sunday afternoon events have become a great new traditional way to celebrate nature and share community in an amazing variety of beautiful settings.  So thanks to all the many unsung but much appreciated heroes who have supported these gardening activities. 

AND now, please join us on Saturday, September 12th , 9 am to noon, for some grounds up-keep and to help get ready for the opening day of our regular church year on the 13th.   Bring your ideas, gloves, and favorite trimming tools, and we’ll provide some light refreshments.  If you have suggestions or questions before that, please contact Mary Mcalister maryalmc@gmail.com or Kate O’Dell odellkk@gmail.com, this year’s Friends of the Gardens co-chairs. And thanks.

Summer 2015 Weekly Events

Church Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Closed on Fridays

Please call the church office in advance if you need access to the
building. Staff takes vacation during this time. 

Every Monday throughout the summer: 

5:30 p.m. Meditation Group will continue to meet throughout the summer in the Chapel.  

On Wednesdays throughout the summer: 

7:30 p.m. Tibetan Teachings 

In the Bancroft Room.

On Thursdays throughout the summer: 

6:30 p.m. Kundalini Yoga

In the Chapel.

Sundays throughout the summer:

9:00 a.m. Court Hill Singers Rehearsal

In the Bancroft Room.

10:30 a.m. Worship

In the Bancroft Room

Summer 2015 Garden Tours
July through August

Summer Sunday tours of church members' and friends' gardens are back! This year they will be 4 to 6 pm, when gardens aren't quite to wilted-should be really lovely and a nice chance for community. They'll occur any week it isn't storming. Questions? Call email Kate O'Dell at odellkk@gmail.com.

  

Sunday, July 5 - HOLIDAY Weekend - no Garden Tour

Sunday, July 12 -Margery Connelly, #30 Sherbrook Ave., Worcester. From church take Belmont St. up and down hill to just before bridge: turn right onto Lake Ave. Take second right onto Sherbrook, cross Lake View and find #30 (4th house on right.)

Sunday, July 19 - Mary McALister, 53 Navasota Ave, Worcester. From church take right onto State St, then right onto Harvard St, then left onto Highland. Follow Highland St and Pleasant St to Mower St. Continue on Mower St, drive to Navasota Ave.

Sunday, July 26 - Diane and John Mirick, 160 Mirick Rd, Princeton. From church get to Lincoln Sq. and take 290 East briefly to 190 North. Take exit 5 and turn left onto Rt. 140. Follow winding country road to blinking light and turn left onto Rt. 62 and later right into Rt. 130 (before Princeton Ctr.)  Go past Merriam Rd. to 2nd left onto Mirick. Go approx. 1.5 miles, past Beaman Rd. and uphill to house with big red barn on left. Park by barn.

Sunday, Aug. 2 - James and Linda Tartaglia, 6 Old Colony Road, Worcester. From church, turn right onto State St. then turn right onto Harvard St. Continue onto Tuckerman St. and turn left onto Salisbury  St.. Old Colony Road is a right off Salisbury St. (heading west) about 3 blocks BEFORE Flagg Street. 

Sunday,  Aug. 9 - Helen Turano, 12 Somerset Street, Worcester. (Friend of the church) Suggest parking on Williams St (Somerset is technically "Residents Only" but probably not enforced Sundays).

Sunday, Aug. 16 - Jim Dolan. 769 Grove St., Worcester. From church take Harvard St. past the Art Museum, turn left briefly on Salisbury St. and then first right onto Grove. It winds around past Indian Lake and becomes Rt. 122A. 769 is almost in Holden directly in front of the St. Peter's-Marian High School.

Sunday August 23, - Huck and Jo Truesdell, 19 Wheeler Ave. Worcester. From church parking lot take right onto State St. then right onto Harvard St. Continue onto Tuckerman St. Turn left onto Salisbury St. Continue straight to stay on Salisbury St. Turn right onto Wheeler Ave. Destination will be on the right.

Sunday, Aug. 30 - 1-4 PM

Garden Tour with freshly picked melodies
every half hour
Sherwood-Bershad Residence, Sterling
www.SherwoodPhoto.com/gardens
Freewill donation for 1st U Encore Fund & WorcAGO Scholarship Fund
RSVP requested for planning refreshments
(directions by return email)

Concert Series

YOUNG ARTISTS SHOWCASE SERIES  at First Unitarian, 90 Main St Worcester  (Will Sherwood, Dir of Music)

Each year First Unitarian features top-tier musicians both to offer them performance experience/exposure, and to introduce our community to fresh and exciting new top talent that’s headed onto the concert scene.  This year we feature two (classical) organists and  Joy of Music Program’s Jazz Trane  jazz quartet.

Friday April 24 7PM

Jonathan Wessler, organist   (organ performance degrees from Oberlin and Eastman)

Innovative Transcriptions and Works by Beethoven (Leonore 3), Vaughan Williams, and Guilmant

Worcester Debut

Jonathan is an accomplished improviser and arranger as well as standard repertoire performer.

Somewhat unusual for organists, he has a great skill for transcribing orchestral works for the organ – capturing the textures and timbres   of the full orchestra ensemble while “soloing-out” (emphasizing) important themes/melodies by various individual instruments.

Orchestral transcription has been somewhat of a lost art, although in recent years younger organists are starting to embrace transcriptions (which prior to the modern era of technology and frequent live concert availability, large orchestral works could only be heard live on the pipe organ by a local organist).

Jonathan grew up in the Midwest (Illinois) and began improvisation somewhat out of necessity for church service playing.

He adapts his repertoire and playing style based on the instrument at hand (so to speak) –

“You have to work with the instrument to perform the piece the way the instrument likes it played” (the optimal sound for that particular instrument).   Most organists do not have a wide swath of experience as orchestrators, rather just playing existing organ repertoire note-for-note.

Jonathan is no stranger to orchestras:  both his parents were members of a symphony orchestra, and his father was an orchestra conductor,  so Jonathan had early exposure to fine symphonic works.

For his Beethoven Leonore piece on the program, he learned it from the orchestra full score (one staff per instrument, yielding 20 or more staves per page, and your eyes have to “yodel” up and down to scan all the notes to assemble in your mind the full texture of the orchestra).  For practical purposes, he has condensed his organ arrangement to three staffs for less stressful real-time performance.