UCS volunteer tutors gather during Mount Vernon Ave School's Feb 1 Reading Event. Left to right: Keith Nier, Frank Schmidt, Jess Morse, Mia Morse, Colleen Grazioso, Norm Miller, Jessica Park, Lessie Culmer-Nier, and Brian Halpin.

Social Action

Over 20 members of our congregation recently participated in reading and math “Family Nights” at Chancellor Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue schools in Irvington this January and February.  Now in its sixth year, the “adopt-a-school” tutoring initiative began after Vanessa preached a sermon about the inequity among public school districts in New Jersey and the economic hardships many students, families and teachers face who live or work in poorer neighborhoods.

As in years past, Chancellor Avenue School held three Wednesday 90-minute evening sessions in the school “cafetorium.”  The Social Action Committee funded pizza dinners for students and parents.  Mia Morse graciously provided low sugar fruit juices.  And over 70 students and parents attended the event, which paired our volunteer tutors with K-1^st graders at the first session, 2-3^rd graders the second session, and 4-5^th graders on session three.  We provided the curricula, which consisted of age-appropriate language and math worksheets, story problems and skill builders.  This material was supplemented with other tools for learning – flash cards, crayons, decks of playing cards, and books.

Our main focus as “instant mentors” was to make a connection with young learners, using whatever tools are most effective.  For example, Carol Ulmer used her French language ability and a library book to help a young student, recently emigrated from Haiti, who struggles with English-based reading assignments.  It was also evident that many Irvington parents care deeply about helping their children improve their reading and math skills, based on the high turnout and their active participation during Family Nights.  Our presence and warm welcome from the two schools also demonstrated that: a) learning can be fun; b) we care about our neighbors in Irvington; and c) they appreciate the partnership we’ve developed.

On Feb 1, Mount Vernon Avenue School invited our tutors to a Pajama Party-themed heavily attended event for pre-K through 2^nd graders and parents.  We contributed books, co-led group reading sessions with young students, organized the library for their book swap, and – the big draw – set up cafeteria tables where kids made edible dessert projects based on one of the four children’s stories we read them earlier.  Colleen Grazioso deserves special praise for her surprise appearance as The Cat in the Hat, which caused much joy, laughter and spontaneous hugs of affection.

For anyone interested in additional tutor opportunities, Dean Nielsen leads a weekly Saturday morning tutoring session at Chancellor Avenue School, which helps at-risk students prepare for the standardized NJ-ASK exam.  This program will continue until May.

Charles Huschle (center), Senior Associate for Foundations and Corporations of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, presents the UUSC Collective Giving Award to our church. Receiving the award are Rev. Kim Tomaszewski, Assistant Minister for Congregational Life, and Gary Nissenbaum, chair of the Social Action Committee.

Our denomination’s social action arm, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, recently presented The Unitarian Church in Summit with its Collective Giving Award “in honor of exceptionally generous support” of UUSC development projects in the developing world.

Charles Huschle, the UUSC senior associate for Foundations and Corporations, visited Summit on February 5 to deliver the 2010-2011 award and discuss current projects.  Receiving the award were Gary Nissenbaum, chair of our Social Action Committee, and Rev. Kim Tomaszewski, Assistant Minister for Congregational Life.

 UCS is one of only 17 UU congregations nationally to receive the Collective Giving Award, Huschle said.  There are about 1,000 UU churches and fellowships in the United States.

The UUSC is a nonsectarian organization that advances human rights and social justice in the United States and around the world through advocacy, education and partnerships with grassroots aid groups.

For the past several years, our congregation has dedicated its offering plates for four weeks in January and February to worthy UUSC projects.  Each time, social action leaders choose specific projects so the congregation knows just where the money goes.

Three years ago, the money we raised helped build a women’s shelter in a refugee camp in Darfur.  Two years ago, we bought oxen for farmers in war-torn Uganda.  Last year, we built a girls’ boarding school in Haiti.

This year, the Social Action Committee set an unprecedented goal of $10,000 to fund two projects simultaneously, one in the forested Kakemega district of Kenya and the other aimed at helping ethnic minorities in the Shan border area of Myanmar, formerly Burma.

In Kenya, the program aims to preserve the forests and water supply by helping plant trees, provide seeds for nutritious food crops and offer skills training in marketable crafts that can be made from non-tree materials.  The $5,000 would fund about half the project’s total cost.

In Myanmar, the Self-Sufficiency program provides revolving loans to farmers of ethnic minorities to cover their expenses until harvest time.  Otherwise, to survive, these farmers have to sell their crops at the time of planting at far lower than market price.  Our goal of $5,000 will provide loan funds to 10-11 communities with a total population of more than 3,000 people

In the four Sunday-plate collections completed February 12, the congregation actually exceeded the $10,000 goal.  In all $10,782.62 was raised.  This is the fourth year in a row that The Unitarian Church in Summit has exceeded its goal to fund a UUSC international project.

As you may have heard, yesterday the New Jersey Senate passed the marriage equality bill 24 to 16. This is a significant change from the 14 to 20 defeat that happened in those same chambers in January 2010. And it is a huge step forward for guaranteeing equal rights to citizens in what is most certainly one of the leading civil rights issues of our day.

The full Assembly will vote on the marriage equality bill this Thursday, February 16 at 1:00 PM. You can weigh in on the vote in person, showing up in Trenton on Thursday as many are, but we are also asking you, if you haven’t already to email your Assembly members.

Garden State Equality offers this link which will help you find your representatives easily (or copy and past the following into a new tab on your browser) http://equalityfederation.salsalabs.com/o/35022/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=828

Happy Valentines to all of you and the protections of marriage be made universally available to all who are courageous of heart enough to enter into that covenant and contract.

Love, Vanessa Southern

Our December plate collection (which included part of the monies collected during the Christmas weekend) raised approximately $8,100.00.  Accordingly, we will be remitting the full $7500.00 committed to HomeFirst. We will also be remitting the balance of $600.00 (plus an additional $10000 from the Social Action Committee’s budget) to Habitat for Humanity. This aggregate $1600.00 donation to Habitat will complete the $20,000.00 commitment our congregation promised to Habitat for 2011.

At a time of diminishing expectations and retrenchment, this is a striking example of our congregation living its Unitarian Universalist values. It is a testament to our collective commitment to put those values into action.

Two Important Meetings to Stop Fracking Pipelines:

When:  Thursday, February 9th, 7:00pm

What: Bergen County Open Space and NJ DEP open comment on sale of public lands for the pipeline

When:  Thursday, February 16th, 3:30pm

What: Rally before regular Highlands Council meeting to get them to reject the project

Where: Highlands Council Offices, 100 North Road, Chester, NJ 07930

There is a vote on the fracking ban on Thursday, February 9 by the NJ Senate Environment Committee.

An opportunity for men to meet as a group for fellowship and exploration of topics. Offered on:  Monday, February 6th in the library at 7pm. Contact: Arthur Perkins, artperk@msn.com, (administrative leadership; no group leader).

Drumming Circle: February 7th at 7:30 pm

The Drumming session is held on the first Tuesday of the month. The Drumming Group is prepared to assist with Shamanic Healing. Please call John Foord at 973-263-2567 to schedule a healing. We deal with physical, mental or spiritual problems particularly when traditional medical solutions have had limited success.

SIP Circles

Spirit in Practice (SIP) Circles is being offered next on February dates and times are:  Tuesday, February 7th at 7:30pm; Wednesday, February 8th at 10:00am; Sunday,  February 12th at 6:30pm; Thursday, February 16th at 7:30pm.

World Religions: February 7th & 21st from 1-3 pm.

This month we will meet on Tuesdays, February 7th & 21st from 1-3 in the library.

We’ll be continuing the DVD lecture series, Exploring the Roots of Religion. First we’ll learn about the farm community of the 9,000-year-old Neolithic site of Catalhöyök in southern Turkey, its communal rituals and beliefs, cult of the dead, and a Mother Goddess. Next we’ll look at megaliths raised 7,000 years ago on the coasts of Portugal and Brittany, France, in commemoration of the dead. In Madagascar, Indonesia and New Guinea, they might also honor famous warriors, ancestors or peace treaties. Then we’ll explore the towers and tombs discovered in Ur and Eridu of Sumeria in southern Mesopotamia, dating to the 3^rd millennium B.C. Along with the religious rituals surrounding death and burial, we’ll learn about the Epic of Gilgemesh preserved on cuneiform tablets. Finally, we’ll learn about the terracotta army of the tomb of Qin Shihunangdi, first unifier and emperor of China, who died in 210 B.C. We’ll discuss this attempt to achieve immortality, influenced by traditional Chinese ancestor worship. Come join us! For more information call Glory Bowen, 973-335-5590.

Alliance: February 9th at noon

Alliance will meet February 9th at noon in Fellowship Hall for lunch and fellowship. Bring your lunch, dessert and beverages are provided.

Our talented congregation member Dean Nielsen, a World Bank education expert, will speak on his 20-plus years working on the challenge of “Extending Education To All The World’s Children.”

About 10 years ago, developing countries and development agencies forged an “Education for All” agreement, with a pledge to reach universal completion of basic education by the year 2015. This pledge became one of the UN-supported 2015 Millennium Development Goals. Currently, about 50-70 million children (about 60% of them girls) still remain “out-of-school.”

Dean says he has seen many extraordinary breakthroughs (and a few breakdowns) in pursuing this goal, based on his experience with UNICEF, the World Bank, USAID and various NGOs. His stories come from diverse places like India, Rwanda, Indonesia, Yemen and East Timor (Timor Leste). They suggest that “education for all” can be a reality but that it takes time, money, creativity, capturing local initiative and spirit, and throwing away old models.

Come hear Dean’s presentation. Please let the office know if you plan to come, so we can prepare enough coffee and dessert.

The 2030s Group:  February 12th

The 2030s Group is a group for UCS members and friends who are in their twenties and thirties. It doesn’t matter if you are single, partnered, with children, in school, working, or most/none of the above, you are welcome to join!

The 2030s Group meets for “Third Service” (attend 10:45 am service and lunch afterwards) on the 2nd and (sometimes) 3rd Sundays of every month. This month we’ll meet only on February 12thfor Third Service. Please meet at the Welcome Desk in the lobby at 12:15 pm. We’ll head to a local Summit restaurant, or you can bring your own lunch.

Join our e-mail list and Facebook group by contacting Emilie Boggis, emilie@ucsummit.org.

Great Bios: February 15th at 7:30 pm

The Great Biography Reading Group will meet on Wednesday, February 15th in the Church Library at 7:30pm. Following Valentine’s Day, we shall discuss a romantic revolutionary named John Silas Reed (1887-1920). This is the man who inspired the movie, REDS, and inspired Warren Beatty as well. John Reed was a legendary journalist supporting revolutionary politics; the Wobblies, Pancho Villa, & Bolsheviks. John Reed touched down in Morristown, Harvard, Greenwich Village, & Paterson, NJ. John Reed died in Moscow at 33 and is buried at the Kremlin Wall as a hero. Find your information on this remarkable man, join us at the round table and share amazement. More info? call Pat Thornton 973-313-1895.

(Biographies for March are Fernando Saco & Bartolomeo Vanzetti)

Book Club: February 16th at 1:00 pm

The Unitarian Afternoon Book Club meets on the third Thursday of the month in the Church Library at 1:00pm. Our February 16th meeting is about “Mountains Beyond Mountains.” One or two copies of the book are available for loan through the Elizabeth Marsh Book Center in the Lower Level of the church on Sundays. Typically we select book club kits of 8 books that are available from local libraries of Summit and New Providence.

Green Vespers: February 18th at 6:15 pm

Seeking Right Relationship with Earth Centered on respect for the Interdependent Web of all existence. Saturday, February 18th, 6:15 pm in the sanctuary.

This month’s service is tentatively titled The Imperfect Vessel, and will probably explore the possibilities for gratitude that brokenness  presents, or maybe not. With a subject like that, you can’t be too sure.

After, we will share a potluck dinner. Our food philosophy: Keep it simple, healthy; eat low on the food chain & as organically & locally as possible.  Then we’ll clean up together.

BYOB (Bring your own beverage.) R.S.V.P to Helen Kaar

halfmoonhouse@mac.com  973-377-5757

Tell us you’re coming. We’ll set a place for you.

Dances of Universal Peace: February 3rd from 7:30 to 9:00 pm

February 3^rd, 7:30 to 9:00 pm in the sanctuary. Led by André Bernard. Details in the February issue

That’s right, his Thundershirt.  We’ve all seen dogs of all breeds and ages quiver at the sound of booming thunder; Owen’s anxiety is triggered by thunder, strangers walking by, flies and other bugs, squirrels and anything else that might move into his space.  The Thundershirt is supposed to calm these anxieties.  The e-collar is when all else fails and the poor animal won’t stop licking or biting at his paws with obsessive anxiety.  The e-collar and the Thundershirt are blessings in their own right, but deserve a blessing of their own!

When I first discovered the odd obsessions of poor Owen he was licking his quick relentlessly.  I called the vet and the woman on the other end of the phone said quickly, “You have to bring him in.  He’ll worry that into a bad situation!”

Worry something into a bad situation?  Tell me I’m not the only one who can appreciate this concern!  Owen became obsessed with licking and biting at his nail and quick; he seemed possessed.  He didn’t care about food or his toy gorilla that he likes to chase.  He didn’t care about all the great petting or new expensive treats I offered.  He just worried and worried away.  What was once just a little pink quick became red and inflamed. Soon enough came socks and bandages, and finally the e-collar cone that prevented him from making it all worse.

As people of faith, it can be our spiritual practices that prevent us from worrying something into a bad situation. I appreciate but have never fully gotten the Buddhist practice of letting go.  Owen and I are far more alike than I’d like to admit. Like Owen’s e-collar, spiritual practices create space between the obsessive worrying and us.  I have had to learn and practice, and relearn and practice much more, what it is that helps me let something heal rather than worrying it into something worse.

For me, it is the safety and comfort of our religious Principles, (namely the 1^st and 7^th), and the love and care of our faith community that works as my own personal e-collar.  I am reminded of our interconnectedness and of the goodness of all.  I am reminded of our intention and our willingness to be human.  Most days, this is enough to get my head up from my paw and up into the wider world.

How do you stop worrying something into a bad situation? I’ve yet to find a Thundershirt for my size.  Until then, it is prayer, running, reading, community and much more for me.

Our Group meets regularly for “Third Service” (attend 10:45 am service and lunch afterwards) on the 2nd Sunday of every month. This month we’ll meet on February 12th for Third Service. Please meet at the Welcome Desk in the lobby at 12:15 pm. We’ll head to a local Summit restaurant, or you can bring your own lunch.

In March one of our members has invited us to the Chatham Community Players to see Grapes of Wrath, a show she is producing. We will attend Saturday evening, March 3. Tickets are $20/person. Please RSVP by Feb 14^th if you will join us!

As spring approaches, we hope to get outside for some social action work. If you have an idea for our 2030s group or would like to lead an activity, just let Kim or Emilie know.  Join our e-mail list and Facebook group by contacting Emilie Boggis, emilie@ucsummit.org.

The 2030s Group is a group for UCS members and friends who are in their twenties and thirties. It doesn’t matter if you are single, partnered, with children, in school, working, or most/none of the above, you are welcome to join!

“I am evangelical Christian who no longer attends church,” said the 28-year-old interfaith leader who spoke at the Thanksgiving Service. I was sitting with him and other faith leaders at dinner.

“Well, not church with a building and such,” he explained. “Most of my religious journey is online. Think about it. I can hear the best religious speakers of our time whenever it works for my schedule. I can chat and even plan meet-ups with other Evangelicals or my interfaith friends. It’s expanding the very nature of congregational life!”

He went on to share a story about a minister who has started a “bar ministry” in New York. Every week the minister gathers with 10-12 people in a bar for Bible reflection and conversation. “Ten people doesn’t sound like a lot,” our speaker said, “until you realize that 50,000 people watch his online sermon weekly.” Afterwards they click on Bible passages and reflection questions. They read others’ comments and journeys. Then, they gather in their own bars (or coffee shops or homes) in their own cities with their own friends to discuss the message and share their lives through their faith journey.

I wasn’t surprised by his story. I have already seen how the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) is changing. It has always been a “church without walls,” in that it was a “congregation” for Unitarian Universalists who didn’t have a physical community close-by. Now, CLF is transforming into an online sanctuary and spiritual community not unlike the bar ministry. It is a site where people – some with UU congregations in their backyards and others who have never heard of Unitarian Universalism – attend services online, find spiritual partners and join a prison or military ministry. As you explore their website, “Talk to a Minister” even pops up on your screen.

In a recent report to our Board of Trustees, our web gurus showed how our website – with its sermon podcasts, latest reflections, and opportunities for spiritual practice – is being explored by people who will never enter our sanctuary. Yet, our community is helping them grow their soul.

Yesterday I opened a letter from Peter Morales, the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association. He is challenging Unitarian Universalists to begin thinking of ourselves as bigger than our congregations. While congregations would remain our association’s base, says Morales, we are invited and encouraged to recognize all of the invisible people sitting at their desks or traveling on a train or taking their daily walk all while listening to Vanessa’s message.

Imagine one day traveling to Australia or Kansas or Chile or Zimbabwe (you fill in the place) and striking up a conversation with a local. You share that you are from New Jersey. They smile, “That’s where my congregation is based.” Conversely, if you who are reading this blog are from somewhere else, imagine being visited by someone in our congregation!

It feels like a paradigm shift. Some of you might be shaking your heads and saying, “This is beyond me.” Others will be ready to seize the opportunity. Regardless, I look forward to seeing you – whether it’s ten of you at a bar, 300 on Sunday morning in the sanctuary, or 50,000 through our website!

Rev. Vanessa Southern Blessing Therapy Cats

It is always a surprise to see who and what shows up on this particular Sunday.  Hugo Pfaltz didn’t bring his stunning blue and yellow Macaw this year.  He said Ali had been blessed enough, so instead he brought his bearded dragon.  Some other lizards came too, out into the cold, in boxes filled with “hand warmers” and blankets.  There were no snakes or creepy spiders, thank goodness.

Included in the crowd, however, were the standard dogs howling enthusiastically along with the hymns — a mainstay of animal blessings — and so too was there an appearance by Lorene Connolly’s award-winning Borzoi, Mikhailya, who walked through the raucous crowd to get her blessing with unparalleled dignity and beauty.  There were rabbits in baskets and Bill Edwards and Margaret Bennett’s cats on leashes, including two that are due to be inducted to the New Jersey Animal Hall of Fame next month for their work as therapy cats.  Did you even know there was a New Jersey Animal Hall of Fame?!

There was a tiny mouse lifted up in a cupped hand.  I’m pretty sure I heard the family say “Escape Artist” was his name.  I guess the little guy sneaks away often and can be hard to find.  He was, however, very sweet to bless.

Finally, there were all the stuffed animals.  In fact, the last blessing of the day went to one of our stuffed animal friends.  The little boy who lifted this one up to me asked as he did so if we could bless the animal by his full name.

“Of course,” I said.  “What is his full name?”

“Peter Rabbit,” the boy replied.  Up came a sweet, well–loved stuffed rabbit and an earnest human face watching what would follow closely and seriously.

“Bless Peter Rabbit,” I began, “who teaches us the miracles of life and of love as he companions us through our days.”   A little water on the fur and Peter Rabbit was blessed, even as he has no doubt often blessed that boy who took him back.   With that, the day’s work was done.

It was a good day.  No cats pounced on any bunnies or lizards.  No escape artists went missing.  No dogs got into fights.  There was only one strange puddle on the sanctuary floor and, in the end, all the creatures we love or have loved were blessed and sent home again.

It is funny who or what finds the secret doors to our hearts.  And funny too what they open up in us from the inside.  For all our worldly sophistication, all most of us really want or need is someone or something to love that, if we are lucky, loves us back.  In the case of the lizard, we are even pretty forgiving about what loving us back looks like.  It is really a pretty generous stance of the heart and the secret ingredient present every year when we bless our animals that makes the day so sweet.

Happy Valentine’s Day!    Love, Vanessa

Preacher: Rev. Emilie Boggis

Religious Education: Social Action Outreach off site. Children in grades K-5 will travel off-site to St. Joseph’s in Maplewood to work in a food pantry.

Also,  Spring Teacher Orientation 12.30 in Fellowship Hall.

Video

Graphic Courtesy BecomingMinimalist.com

Meeting dates are:

You won’t want to miss it! Lunch and childcare will be offered. Cake, too!

Preacher: Rev. Kim Tomasweski

Religious Education: Social Action Outreach continues.  Children in grades K-5 will sort, organize and bag food donations to bring to hungry children.

The Strategic Planning Team

With great joy and no small bit of disbelief, we on the Board write to tell you that Roey Dangler has accepted our bid to purchase the property next to the church. Of course, we have much to do before that purchase is completed, including negotiating a formal contract, inspections, securing financing and major fundraising from among all of us, but we have now taken a step we never believed would happen, a step that could well be as transformative as the decision to build our sanctuary 100 years ago.

Please join us on Sunday after each service for a celebration. We can share cake, coffee, and elation. We have few enough times for celebration in life; we have to seize every single one of them.  This is certainly an event to celebrate!

All My Best,

Tom Howard, on behalf of our negotiating team (Trevor Bond, Gary Buscemi and Vanessa Southern) and the Board of Trustees

Children at UCS Waiting to Sign Adults Up for a Food Drive

Thank you to those of you who signed up to bring shelf stable meals to children on the National School Lunch program. If you did not sign up, we still welcome your generous donations of food.

Please remember to bring in your items THIS upcoming Sunday, January 15th. We will take all donations, but are looking for at least all of the following in your individual donation:

• 8 meals (Mac N Cheese, Chef Boyardee etc)
• 4 cereal boxes (in individual serving sized boxes)
• 4 juices
• 4 milks (Parmalat or Horizon; shelf-stable please)
• 4 fruit cups/apple sauce
• And any snacks of your choice.

The chef of the restaurant commented, “I have no idea why kids that young would pick on somebody. I have no idea why they would have done it.” These words seemed to echo through the community of Summit. Why? Why would teenagers beat an innocent man?

After leading the initial service for the family and the City residents, the Summit Interfaith Council came together to reflect on the event and our response to it. At that moment, I was reading Eboo Patel’s book, entitled Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. In the opening chapters of his book, Patel tells the story of Eric Rudolph, a radical Christian who bombed the 1996 Olympics, and Hasib Hussain, one of the Muslim suicide bombers in London in 2005. They are two people who chose religious extremism and terrorism in their teenage years. Patel asks, “How does a teenager come to hold such a view?” He looks at the ages of most of the terrorists and suicide bombers around the world. Most of them are between 17 – 30 years old.

Throughout Acts of Faith, Eboo Patel unpacks what is happening through the lens of his own life. He shares his story of understanding and reconciling his differing identities (Muslim yet not grounded in Islam, American but seen as an immigrant, dark-skinned in a white world).  Patel writes, “Looking back, I see flashes of the ingredients that prepared the ground for Hasib Hussain’s suicide mission in my own life: A gut-wrenching feeling of being excluded from mainstream society, in the form of a constant barrage of racist bullying. A vague sense of being Muslim from my mother without any real grounding in how that was relevant or useful to my life. A growing consciousness, through my father, that people with whom I shared an identity were being horribly treated elsewhere, often by people who looked like the ones who were bullying me here.”

Patel shares his story so that we as Americans can understand just how ordinary these young people are and how their life path might be changed. ”How does one ordinary young person’s commitment to a religion turn into a suicide mission and another ordinary young person’s commitment to that same faith become an organization devoted to pluralism? The answer, I believe,” writes Patel, “lies in the influences young people have, the programs and people who shape their religious identities.”

Consequently, Patel has created an interfaith organization for young people, ages 17 – 30, after seeing how poorly the larger interfaith community reached out to young people to teach a different way of being religious in our world. He wants to be one of many influences that show young people how people of different creeds and communities can live together.

We on the Summit Interfaith Council are taking Patel’s lead.

On MLK Day, teenagers of differing religious backgrounds from the surrounding community will gather together in Summit for the first Interfaith Youth Training. Our goal is to understand pluralism. Pluralism, as Patel defines it, “is an intentional commitment that is imprinted through action. It requires deliberate engagement with different, outspoken loyalty to others, and proactive protection in the breach. You have to choose to step off the faith line onto the side of pluralism, and then you have to make your voice heard.” They will begin this work by sharing and listening to the values of welcoming and hospitality in all religious traditions. Then, they will identify how they can play a leading role in fostering mutual respect, where strangers within our communities can become neighbors.

I am reminded of our speakers, Josh Stanton and Frank Fredericks, a Jew and an Evangelical Christian, at the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service who met in college through Patel’s organization. Now, in their mid-twenties, their interfaith actions in NYC have defined the term “outspoken loyalty to others.” They shared with us that night how they publicly stood up for their Muslim friends, Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf and Daisy Khan, in the firestorm over their Islamic Community Center near Ground Zero when few other faith leaders would. It was clear that Eboo Patel’s influence had greatly changed these young men’s lives.

I encourage you to read Acts of Faith in preparation for the January 29th services which will focus on Patel’s book and on the outcome of our training. After that service, we hope you will sign up to share your thoughts at our book discussion groups.

Preacher: Rev. Rev. Jackie Lahey

Religious Education: Social Action Outreach. Children in grades K-5 will be coordinating efforts to bring food to hungry children in our towns. Sign up with the children to commit to feed 2 children for a weekend.

Membership: Talk and Tour after the second service ( a lay-led tour around our building and grounds, offering a sweeping overview of our church and what it offers. Talk and Tours are offered twice a month on the first Sunday of the month, after the first service, and again on the second Sunday of the month, directly after the second service.)

Preacher: Rev. Kim Tomasweski

Preacher: Rev.Vanessa Southern

Preacher: Rev. Kim Tomasweski

Learn About the Transylvania Trip

To celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of our partnership with the Unitarian Church in Barot, Transylvania, we are sending a delegation from our congregation to Barot next summer (June 28-July 8, 2012). We are encouraging families, youth and young adults to attend. A majority of our time will be spent building relationships with the Barot congregation and their village. However, youth will also spend time at a local retreat center with youth from the Barot congregation. Rev. Emilie Boggis is leading this trip. Click here for more information.

If you are interested in the trip, join us for an information session at 8 pm on Sunday, January 8^th OR 7:30 pm on Tuesday, January 10^th.

Author, Mike Yankoski, in his piece, “Looking Both Ways,” writes,

 “I have a vivid memory of a crisp autumn morning when my mother grasped my hand at the side of the road and warned me firmly that I must “always look both ways before crossing the street. … Advent is all about looking both ways, because during these four weeks, we take time to slow down and look behind us to Jesus’ first coming and ahead of us to the Second Coming.  The important thing Advent helps us remember is that we are located between these two arrivals, seemingly stuck somewhere after the “already” but still within the “not yet”.”

Though many Unitarian Universalists were not waiting or preparing for Jesus’ second nativity during this holiday season, I can’t help but pause on Yankoski’s Advent practice of looking both ways as we enter a new calendar year; of wondering where, or rather when, I am in the somewhere after the “already” but still within the “not yet”.

The already and the not yet are, of course, different for each of us.  Perhaps your already and not yet is marked by a birth, death, move, job, or countless other possibilities; countless other pivotal moments in our histories, and our only imaginable futures, that will change the course of our present in-between.

This is where we each live isn’t it?  In some small or large capacity, we all live somewhere in the in-between, somewhere anticipatory or waiting, somewhere in a season (no matter if that is a holiday season or personal season) of longing.

Yankoski later concludes his article writing, “Again and again in the New Testament, Jesus gives us parables that suggest that waiting must be active. This waiting is less like watching a sunset and more like preparing for winter:  The wood must be chopped and stacked, the harvest brought into the barn, the leaky roof mended. … The intentional practices of Advent frame our responsibilities and help us take a good, thoughtful look at our lives during the in-between times.

When are you?  And what kind of preparation might encompass your season of longing?

What is before you and what has already come?

Advent, despite what you might remember, is not only about the sweets found behind each door.  It is about the active waiting, and the reflection that acknowledges what came before, what is still to come, and where, or when, we are in the in-between.  If this is not a New Year’s ritual, I don’t know what is.

Blessings on your New Year ahead.  May you look both ways, and also know the joys of where you are.

“Trevor, why are you missing tomorrow’s practice?”

Trevor answered (maybe a bit meekly), “I am visiting my family for the New Year’s holiday.”

The coach then turned to Charlotte: “Why are you missing tomorrow’s practice?”

“I am feeding the poor in Newark,” Charlotte replied.

How could the coach argue with that?

Charlotte is a member of our Youth Group, and she did indeed give up fencing practice to feed the poor. For the last few years, our Youth Group has spent their New Year’s Eve delivering brown-bag lunches to people living on the streets. It involves raising $1,000 for supplies, making 300 bagged lunches, and traveling to sections of Newark and New York City in order to hand them to people in need. While they are handing out the lunches, hot cocoa and soup, and much-needed supplies like toiletry kits and winter-wear, our teenagers also get a chance to talk with people. Sometimes it is just a smile and a hello. Other times we learn their names, share stories, and discuss basketball.

The Youth Group works in partnership with Bridges Outreach. Bridges is a Summit organization whose mission is to “bring the housed and the homeless together in community.”

Preached by Rev. Emilie Boggis on 01/01/12

UCS member and educator Dean Nielsen, acting as a community member of the Chancellor Avenue’s School Leadership Council, forged a UCS partnership with the School’s after-school tutoring program starting in 2009, to help prepare at-risk students for the NJ-ASK statewide exam, in the school’s computer resource lab.

This year, the NJ-ASK prep program will be run weekly on Saturday mornings from January until May.

To sign up to tutor on Saturdays, just click here.

The more than 100 members assembled had a lively discussion of the impact on UCS of expanding our facilities and exercising our ability to more fully fulfill the mission and dreams of the congregation, as well as the anticipated challenges, including zoning approval and an ambitious capital campaign. Keith Nier moved an amendment to place authority with the Board to determine the most appropriate price to offer for the property, to facilitate effective negotiation in this time-sensitive process.

The Congregation adopted the two resolutions circulated before the meeting, without a single “no” vote, to authorize the Board to pursue the purchase of and secure financing for the Dangler property.

First Resolution: Resolved that the Congregation authorizes the Board of Trustees to enter into negotiations with the William R. Dangler Funeral Home, Inc. for the purchase of the adjacent property at 309 Springfield Avenue, Summit, NJ and authorizes the President of the Board, subject to the resolution of zoning, environmental and structural issues to the Board‘s satisfaction, to enter into a contract for the purchase of that property an amount they deem reasonable and prudent, plus commissions and fees, and to engage an attorney and appropriate consultants as deemed necessary, and to incur such necessary expenses incidental thereto.

Second Resolution: Resolved that the Congregation authorizes the Board of Trustees to obtain financing from commercial and private lenders in order to purchase the Dangler property and to embark on a capital campaign, including the hiring of a campaign consultant, to further purchase the Dangler property and to further develop it.

Kimi Nakata, Corporate Secretary, UCS Board of Trustees

It was a crazy Sunday.  It was our annual “Hanging of the Greens” celebration, when people wander around the building with different colored Orders of Service, wondering where they’re supposed to go next, and which staircase goes up, and what they’re supposed to do with the wet ornament they just made that is by now stuck to their fingers.  It was one of those Sundays.

During it all, one person had an allergic reaction to the greens, so we were watching her to make sure it did not progress to a point where we needed to call an ambulance.  Someone else forgot to ring the bell for us to change places.  The announcements went on too

Preparing greens to hang in the sanctuary

long (we are very busy people with lots going on that we want to share).  If we turned the sound up, the main microphone was strong but the handheld sang like a wounded skylark; if we turned it down, no one could hear the person speaking from the pulpit.  It was one of those Sundays.

We went downstairs for sandwiches.  I bought one, but it turned out I paid for two.  Oh well.  The Youth Group was selling pies, but when I got there, time was up and all that was left was the kind I don’t eat.  Does anyone really eat key lime pie?  Or is it like fruitcake, nice to look at but not so great to actually tuck into?  It was one of those Sundays.

People were registering for a special congregational meeting.  I am sure some folks did not realize they had not actually sent in their pledge card (I expect it is still on their nightstand, signed and ready to go) and were disturbed that they were not allowed to vote.  Other folks probably pretended they were a couple of different people so as to multiply their voting muscle, but we saw through their disguises.  (I mean, come on, the Groucho Marx glasses and mustaches don’t cut it anymore.)  It was hot in the room.  It was one of those regular Sundays.

And then the president of the board, Tom Howard, talked about our history.  And pointed to the building next door and reminded us of how long we had imagined being able to move in there and spread out and make room for some more folks.  And how our children needed a place to worship where they could make joyful noise.  And how our adults yearned for spaces they could relax in for their small group meetings.

Concerns were raised in the hour — all the ones that are important to consider, some of which need a lot more consideration.  The people spoke, and listened.  Someone called the question; another seconded it.  A vote was taken, and the people decreed that we should take a step forward, across the threshold and into the next chapter.  And it was unanimous.

Outside of our Church circa 1960. Dangler Funeral Home can be partially seen to the left

We Unitarian Universalists don’t “do” unanimous.  In that hour, I did not have the heart to point that out.  It is almost unprecedented in our 2,000-year history of heresy and questioning.  We are the folks who like (or perhaps are predisposed) to disagree.  But apparently there are exceptional moments even in that.  I don’t think I was the only one a little choked up.  Miraculous!

It was that kind of Sunday.

In faith, Vanessa

For the third year in a row, The Unitarian Church in Summit will present a reading of a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King in observance of MLK Day 2012. The program begins at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 16, at the church, 4 Waldron Ave. (at Springfield Avenue).

This year’s reading features the speech “Paul’s Letter to American Christians,” first given in 1956 during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The 4:30 service is child-friendly with a pageant. All services include singing of traditional Christmas Carols and lighting of candles.

Unitarian Universalists believe in common decency and in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and in the democratic process.  Therefore, the Economic Justice Task Force of the UU Legislative Ministry of NJ has issued a statement in support of the Occupy Wall Street Movement and recommends how to take action.  Read the full statement OWS, follow the imbedded links for more information or contact Lorraine Wearley, Chair of the Economic Justice Task Force.  UCS members Kathryn Werlein and Lee Roberts were key authors of this document.

This past Sunday, December 11th, we welcomed into the Unitarian Church in Summit’s membership, Gillian Aldrich and her children Alethea and Miles, Amanda Cowell and her children David and Emily, Nicole Miceli and her son Joey, and Jessica and John Park and their children Miles, Antonia and Tyler.

The Litany of Welcome that was read aloud included a charge to our newest members to walk with us as they come into depth and fullness of this, our religious and spiritual home;  a hope that they will make every effort to feed their spirit and ours by worshiping with us every Sunday, and by participating in all the meaningful and rich opportunities available to the community; an invitation to connect with others, to ask questions and find answers, to volunteer and make a commitment.

May we all feel the embrace of this congregation who seeks to know one another better, to know each others’ dreams, hear our ideals, and see our good works for the ministry of one another and to the larger world.

It is a blessing to be a part of this ever-growing and enriching community!

Welcome, all!

Facilitators Gathered for Training

 “provocative proposals” for shaping a more extraordinary version of UCS—proposals that we’ll bring back to the congregation in the spring for further refining and brainstorming about additional possibilities.

The Discovery Meeting participants ranged in age from 15 to late 80’s and had been associated with UCS from less than a year to 60 years.   Of the adults, 37% came to Unitarian Universalism from a Protestant denomination, 30% from Catholicism, 13% from Judaism, and 8% were raised UU.

Strategic Planning Team from back left to right, Susan Kuney, Becky Sinden, Ellen Boylan, Paul Belliveau, and sitting Marty Rothfelder, Karen Damato and Rev. Vanessa Southern. Missing is Roger Anderson.

What follows is a preliminary compilation of the most frequently cited responses to give the UCS community an initial indication of the inputs gathered.  It is by no means exhaustive, nor does it represent the sum total of what the Strategic Planning Team is taking away from the Discovery Meetings.

Many of you expressed how much you value the nature of the UCS community both in terms of the intelligence, enthusiasm, and thoughtfulness of the individual members and in the warm, welcoming, tolerant, and inclusive atmosphere of the community as a whole.  There were many of you who expressed appreciation for the opportunity for free inquiry in the context of a chosen faith.  We also observe that members of our community move through various stages in their relationships with UCS as the circumstances of their lives change and that the role UCS plays in their lives often changes over time.

Many of you value worship – sermons, music, and special services.  Religious Education also provides many meaningful and memorable experiences — the joy and excitement of teaching in the RE program; the value of RE, OWL, and Youth Group experiences for our children; and the intellectual challenge and richness of discovery in adult RE programs like Build Your Own Theology and Spirit in Practice.

Social action also holds a valued place in the life the UCS community and is a key facet of our identity.   Respondents cited tutoring, working with the homeless, and racial justice among other areas of social action important to participants.

The youth also cited the openness, warmth, and inclusionof the UCS community as most meaningful to them.  Youth Group is one place in their lives

Responses From Facilitators to the Question of Why They Stayed at UCS

where many of the youth feel that they can be themselves.  They also value the Youth Group’s covenant and self-governance including the many opportunities for leadership.  Youth mentioned cons, YAC, Bridges, and their Sunday night worship among the activities important to them.

Meeting participants wished for many, many things for UCS.  This is not an exhaustive list of wishes or all we are analyzing, but only those most often mentioned.  We wish for:

•          More opportunities for UCS to be a force for social justice and healing in the community
•          More spiritual depth in worship and sermons
•          All to be able to find community at UCS
•          Continued focus on efficient operating structure & financial stability
•          More diverse membership in terms of race, ethnicity, economic status, etc.
•          Maintaining the strength of our RE program for children and more RE for adults
•          Continuing the open atmosphere of Youth Group

 We have some tensions as we dream

• Tension between a desire to grow our membership and yet maintain intimacy of the community
• Tension between affection for our current building and recognition of its drawbacks
• Tension between a desire for change in spite of the tumult that goes with it vs. maintaining congregational cohesion

 In closing, what moved us most was that we heard many deeply-felt emotional connections to UCS from people who drew on their experiences over many decades and from people who were just discovering our community and starting to build their ties here.  Over and over we heard stories of people who were searching for a spiritual home, carrying doubt that they might ever find a place that would truly fit, and yet who found that spiritual home at UCS.   May we continue this work to strengthen our spiritual home.

Thank you, The Strategic Planning Team

Preached by Rev. Vaness Rush Southern on 12/11/11

If you became a member of the Unitarian Church in Summit sometime between August 2010 and December 2011, you are invited to the Newest Member Brunch on January 8^th from 12-2pm!

Hosted by the Membership Committee, come enjoy some home cooked food, an opportunity to meet church leaders, other new members, and a space to share your experience, ask questions or offer feedback.   Childcare will be provided.

Please RSVP to Assitant Minister, Kim Tomaszewski, at Kim @ ucsummit.org, or to the office staff before December 26^th.

Can’t remember when you signed?  Personal invitations will be coming in an email and to your home address!

The trip to Boston gives us a sense of our roots as a faith. Some of us only know Unitarian Universalism through our congregation in Summit. Others think it’s a new religion (after all, didn’t we just celebrate our 50th anniversary?). Our experience of our religion in Boston changes all of that. Some of our UU congregations in Boston and the surrounding area date back to the 1600s. Boston was the center of both Unitarian and Universalist activity in the 19^thcentury.  Many of the sites look as they did then, and others have changed dramatically through the years to stay relevant.  Boston also continues to be the site of our UUA Headquarters and the UU Service Committee.

Look familiar?

Tiffany Window

Our group mostly travels within one square mile (give or take) in Boston, all around Beacon Hill and Boston Common. In that small space, there are four different Unitarian and Universalist congregations. By the end of the weekend, as we walk down the street with our luggage heading home, I can point to a building or a statue and yell, “What/who is that?” And our youth can yell back its connection to our history. For teenagers who are the only Unitarian Universalist youth in their high schools, this experience of choice and relevance has an impact.

On Friday and Saturday, our youth are engaged in a scavenger hunt on our history. They are challenged to scour Beacon Hill and Concord for the marks of our faith. How are the statues that flank the MA State House related to Unitarianism? Sing the chorus of (Unitarian) Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic” in front of her former house. Get a receipt from the convenience store where our headquarters once stood. Find the religious education building of King’s Chapel and tell us how far away it is from the sanctuary. How is the Blue Man Group related to Universalism? What did one of our printing companies publish that had a profound effect on American history in the 1970s?

Dim Sum in China Town

While the trip centers on our history, it’s also an experience to be remembered. Our group travels by public transportation so we take NJ Transit to NY Penn Station and Bolt Bus to Boston, followed by a weekend on the subway. Our teenagers learn how to navigate public transport. They stay in an international youth hostel and meet people of all ages traveling the world. We eat Dim Sum in a restaurant in China Town where very few people speak English. We sample pizza, root beer and pastries in Little Italy near Paul Revere’s church. We enjoy the holiday lights in Quincy Market.

Normally, by Friday evening, our adult chaperones turn to me and say (emphatically), “This is a great trip! I am having so much fun and learning so much about who we are. I think I’m enjoying it more than our youth. Why don’t you offer this trip for adults?”

Walden Pond with Thoreau

Our adults love this trip. Think about it. In three days time, you get to see and touch the world’s largest collection of Tiffany windows, hike around Walden Pond and talk philosophy with Henry David Thoreau, climb the windy tower steps of two different Unitarian churches in order to ring the bells, climb through a crypt, pump your fist to the Blue Man Group at the former Universalist church, shop in Quincy Market, dine in a posh restaurant in Concord, and enjoy Boston’s history and theater. And that’s just the stuff we do with the youth. Imagine what we would do on an adult trip! So, if you are interested, let Tuli or me know. We can make it happen.

But you’ll have to wait until the first weekend in December 2012!

At the top of their list, they suggest giving the gift of time. I like this idea. I explored the blogosphere for experiences of time-gifts. One woman shared that her friends had given her and her husband a four-day trip to San Francisco (using their unused miles), and another woman gave her the gift of free babysitting. She shared that the trip helped revitalize her marriage.

That said, she almost turned both gifts down. Her reasoning? How could they accept such a gift! How could they inconvenience their friends? What could they give in return?

I can relate. Like many of you, my family was without power for five days after the October snowstorm. Several people invited us to stay with them which was a huge gift. But I hesitated. How could I accept such a gracious offer? How could I bring my two small children with our needs and idiosyncrasies into their house? What if we get on their nerves? How could I ever thank or repay them? That said, wouldn’t I do the same for others? Happily. But it seems far easier to offer help than to accept help.

Likewise, a few weeks ago our congregation offered to connect people for meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had two lists: hosts and people needing hosts. We had a mile-long list of hosts and empty list of receivers. Maybe everyone had somewhere to go. Or maybe it was just easier to spend the holiday alone than accept a place at someone’s table.

During the holidays, there is a lot of advice given on how to give meaningful gifts and very little written on how to accept meaningful gifts. Especially gifts of help. Especially in times of need or crisis. Yet all of us have stories – especially after this fall – of people who helped us when we needed it. They are events that shape our life stories.

I ended up accepting someone’s offer of hospitality, and we had a wonderful week together. It was actually so much fun for both families that we decided to stay an extra night. And it was lonely when we returned home!

So, let’s create a little experiment. Throughout the month of December, I invite you to look and listen for all of the moments when others are giving you a gift of time, assistance or care. Do you hesitate or even decline their offer? How can you graciously accept and enjoy their generous gift?

Feel free to share your experiences in our comments section below!

Preached by Rev. Vaness Rush Southern on 12/04/11

MULTI-GENERATIONAL TRIP PLANNED IN SUMMER 2012 TO VISIT  

SUMMIT’S PARTNER UNITARIAN CHURCH IN BAROT, TRANSYLVANIA

Members of all ages of The Unitarian Church in Summit are warmly invited to travel  to Romania next summer celebrating 20 years of the partnership between The Unitarian Church in Summit and the Unitarian Church of Barot, Transylvania (Romania).  We are specifically inviting youth (ages 14-18) and young adults to participate.

Most of the June 28-July 8 trip will be spent in the Barot area, staying in the homes of Barot members and experiencing the unhurried pace of small-town life.  Summit Youth Minister Emilie Boggis will accompany us.

For three days during our Barot stay, youth from Summit and Barot will share in joint activities at the nearby Dark River retreat facility in the beautiful Transylvanian woodlands.

Other Summit travelers will spend those days in the small town, enjoying the hospitality of Barot’s Unitarian families, visiting local crafts people and, if they want, participating in service projects, such as visiting children in the Barot orphanage.

We will fly to and from Bucharest, Romania. The UU Partner Church Council Pilgrimage Service will provide transportation to and from Barot along with two overnights and some visits to Romanian tourism sites.

Registration is limited to 15, and participants must be members of the Summit congregation. Land package is $825 with all overnights and most meals (NOT including airfare).  Single-room supplement $50.

Information sessions are planned for interested travelers on Sunday, January 8^th 8-8:30 pm and Tuesday, January 10^th 7:30 – 8:30 pm at the church. Registration Deadline for the trip is February 14^th.  Click Register and then, click on Travel button at end of 1^st paragraph.  Trip ID# is 1952233.

For travelers with more time, there will be two optional extensions departing from Barot on Saturday, July 7:

•A 6 day/5 night tour of the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina and the Wooden Churches of Maramures (along the Romanian-Ukrainian border), ending Thursday morning, July 12, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

•A 7 day/6 night tour of Unitarian Transylvania and Budapest, Hungary.

Detailed itineraries of the basic trip and the two extensions will be posted next week.

For more information, contact Emilie Boggis atemilie@ucsummit.org.

Preached by Rev. Vaness Rush Southern on 11/27/11

Preached by Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern on 11/20/11
Download the text here: Radical Hospitality

For members, we now have an additional feature – comments! For this, you will need to create your own login and password, and you must be a signed and pledging member of UCS. To sign up in order to log in, click here.

Comments will be turned on for specific posts, and will be moderated. Please use your best selves when commenting.

Aging Gracefully -- Photograph for 11.17.11

At a service’s auction years back Helen Kaar, a member of the congregation, offered people daily photos that she would email to them, photos taken in New Jersey in real time.  The bidding would secure folks a year’s worth of photos of nature, alive, right now.  That year came and went and the practice continued for Helen and for the folks who stayed on her list, and others got added.  At some point I asked to be added.

I must confess, I am someone who finds email a constant reminder of my failure to keep up with life.  More often I try to get off as many email lists I can, often feeling even as I do so like the woman with the bucket trying to toss water off the Titanic.  So adding a daily email could seem mad, but I was curious what it would be like to get these photos.  I assumed I would try it for a month and then ask to be removed, having experienced it for thirty days.

The photos come, you should know, with a title, but nothing else.  Every day when you open it you get a bright photograph that fills the screen and a title.  It is simple and at first lovely.  It is particularly lovely to know that what you see is happening right now, right near you, in your own proverbial back yard.  And the title is often provocative too, adding a layer to the processing you do to the image – sometimes ironic, sometimes underlining one aspect of the image, always thought provoking.  It is simple and lovely at first.  This was the part I expected.

What I didn’t expect, however, was the effect over time.  I did not expect how, over time, every day, there would be this cumulative effect.  How each day the image would yank me out of my computer and into the world, the natural world, and not some world half a world away, but MY world, here and now.  Every day it said, “This is the day you are given – THIS – this beauty, this unfolding, this mystery of growth and blossoming and death.”  Every day it reminded you of a bigger connected world outside and what it was doing while you were typing away.  It beckoned.  It recalled.  It blessed you.  It woke you up for a moment.

I didn’t expect any of that.  So, with 1300 emails currently in my in-box, I still am subscribed for Helen’s image and she still generously goes out into the world to gather them up and share them.  It is a kind of Visio Divina (or practice of sacred looking) you might consider adding to your daily rituals. 

If you want to sign up, go to the Adult Education: Spirit in Practice Page.  You will see a button for signing up to receive Helen’s images.  And you can unsubscribe anytime, but my bet is you won’t.

 In faith, Vanessa

The event came at the end of a very trying week, as so many people were without power at their homes.  This event only took place because the church and church members generously made work and living space available to those of us scrambling to cope.  As I said that evening, there has never been a time in my years with the church that I have appreciated more the value of being part of a religious community, and, in particular, what a supportive and compassionate church community we have in Summit.

This event could not have happened without so many people’s generous contributions of time before, during, and after the event, as well as the donations and the bidders.  Special thank yous to our always lively and humorous auctioneer Tom Howard, our sharp live auction support team, our meticulous checkout people, the friendly group who handled the check ins, the creative decorating crew, our long serving bar tenders, our wonderful children’s party group, the sharp eyed silent auction crew, and of course, the incredibly hard working food team headed up by Brian Halpin and Pat Obst.  Dave Gordon, as always, put together an interesting, organized, and highly descriptive catalog, which drove the evening to the fabulous heights that we achieved.

Thank you again to everyone, and already looking forward to next year!

-Karen Jackson

On behalf of two UU organizations – the Church of the Larger Fellowship and the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign, we invite you to a special service commemorating the Transgender Day of Remembrance—a service that can be attended by anyone with a computer and internet access.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice, but we really want this to celebrate life as well as honor the dead, and the incredible strength and beauty of the diverse trans community.  We want to provide a prayerful space where together we may mourn those are no longer with us, while also offering hope and beauty and celebration of the living.

“Caring for an elderly loved one can be a demanding and stressful responsibility.  Help is available at P.R.E.P., a monthly caregiver support group led by a professional eldercare specialist. P.R.E.P. provides opportunities to:

• • Meet others with similar concerns.  • Share common problems and solutions.  • Find available community resources.  • Learn effective problem-solving and coping skills.  • Receive emotional support from other caregivers. • Attend educational programs throughout the year.

For folks caring for someone with Alzheimers, SAGE also offers an Alzheimer’s Association Support Group that meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10am.  

This support group provides an “opportunity for family members and caregivers to discuss the frustrations and trials of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s with others who understand.  Meetings will be led by Erica Mason, LSW, social worker in SAGE’s Spend-A-Day Adult Care Center.  The group will provide caregivers with emotional and educational support and will discuss topics such as coping with uncertainty, financial planning, gentle self-defense, improving communication, using humor and laughter to help with behavioral problems, safety issues, stress management and activities for persons with dementia.  The meetings are free and open to all those who are interested.”

If you would like to attend either of the above support groups with the support of the Assistant Minister, Kim, please contact her directly at 908.273.3245 x129 or Kim @ ucsummit.org.

Preached by Rev. Vaness Rush Southern on 11/13/11

Raised on New England Congregationalism, as well as the social justice-oriented folk music of the 1960′s and  1970′s,  Shawn Garvey brings a rich heritage of music and message with him wherever he goes. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Shawn has served churches in Vermont and Massachusetts, and is currently the pastor at the Stanley Congregational Church in Chatham.   With his music, Shawn has led retreats, workshops, forums and special events, and was given the honor of being the first “Resident Artist” of the New Jersey Association UCC in 2011-2012.

Shawn has arranged, composed, produced and performed three albums: “Rise” in 2002, “Cape May” in 2004 and “Eleven Rooms, Eight Colors” in 2005. He has performed with Livingston Taylor, does John Denver tribute concerts with his friend Steve Weisberg (John’s former lead guitarist), is one half of “The Ragamuffin and The Rev” with his friend Rick Elias, as well as doing his own solo shows.

Tickets are $10 for adults, with children free.  They will be available after the December 4 and 11 Sunday services, and at the door.  We hope that you’ll consider this event an opportunity to take a break with your family during the busy holiday season, and share this soul filling musical experience together.

Preached by Rev. Kim Tomaszewski on 11/06/11

What Divides Us? The first in a series.

Preached by Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern on 10/30/11

Download it here: What Divides Us? The Uneasy Peace with Class in America

The first person to call it to my attention was actually a long-time member, who is largely homebound but was disturbed that the press was ignoring  intentionally, she thought, this grass roots movement.   It was after her call I started watching, albeit from a distance.  I will be honest too that my knee-jerk reaction was annoyance. 

I was annoyed about the fact that, as I understood it, those gathered downtown appeared to be there largely to point the finger at Wall Street and its high-paid executives.  That felt like naiveté to me.  As I shared in my sermon on September 25th, Rebecca Costa warns us against the meme of blaming or scapegoating.  Big problems are rarely to be left at the feet of a few people or a simple solution.  Big problems are a sign that big complicated and unobvious systematic issues lie ahead.   It made me feel more despairing that this was the response to our problems.

However, what seems to be happening in this de-centralized movement is that people’s voices – those involved — are raising larger concerns.  Sure, a piece of what is being said in city squares around the nation is still about the top 1% of earners yielding too much power and having too much sway and having more than their fair share of the pie.  In addition, though, there is the possibility and hope that is present in these gatherings about citizens reclaiming some more democratic voice for setting the nation’s priorities. 

Part of the message being heard is about wanting some fair hold on our representatives in office – “I can’t afford my own politician” one sign read.  It is about concern for our larger economic health, even among those doing well – “I do have a job.  I’m here in my spare time.  I am the 99%” another sign read.  It is about wanting to be heard and making a difference and it is about a concern I share about where we are headed as a country – “Where is the change we voted for?” read a third.

No one should be deluded into thinking a millionaire’s tax or some corporate shaming will turn our nation around.  We are too big a ship for such a slight course correction to be the full measure of what is needed.  Yet, I do think none of us want the rich to get richer if that comes at the price of the poor and lower middle class being left to slide further downhill (to try to survive there).  Neither do I think that the promise of class mobility we have had faith in for generations is worth any “freedom” that leaves some without medical care and others in poor schools and with too little to eat. 

There was another sign in the slide show I saw.  It was hardly a new motto but one that resurfaced written in marker on cardboard this fall, held up in city squares across the country.  It said, “People before profits.” I think most of us would be among the 99%-plus who, if pushed, would agree to put people first on principle and who would be willing to spend time figuring out what that meant in practice for our nation.

So if this occupation of cities gets a conversation off the ground that is about re-setting priorities, then bless the folks camping out.  As for the rest of us, it is time to prepare to push the hard conversations about priorities forward once the occupation clears out.

In faith, Vanessa

When I first came to the United States, I had just turned 23. It was the late 1980s. Beginning a master’s degree in a small liberal arts college in New England was far easier than figuring out which side of the street to stand on to catch the bus home or what the percentage sign on a carton of milk meant. My enculturation was rapid and not particularly hard. Harder to adjust to was what seemed to be a diaspora – Indians coming over to this brave, new world escaping not necessarily persecution, but the tethers of poverty, limited education, censored libraries, and economic hardship. The promise and pursuit of a better life beckoned. I was immediately cast in the minority – I had nothing to escape from; no reason to be here that involved escaping something; I was here because of a hunger to learn, to round out my education, and take back to my birth-land what I had learned and so transform the world. I ended up staying, but that story is for another time.

Everywhere I looked, my fellow Indians having chosen to fly half way across the planet, seemed to be re-creating the very worlds they were trying to get away from. They gathered not only as Indians, but within that nationality, by ethnic group; chattering in local dialects, humming tunes from Hindi films, cooking up aromatic feasts that evoked for them not just a country left behind, but the warmth, acceptance and love of a close-knit family.  They were drawing a circle bounded by all that they were familiar with and longed for. Before my very eyes a graduate-student-from-India ghetto was emerging. I was witness to an emerging culture that I wanted no part of but yet was somehow bound to, not out of choice, but simply because of my background.

In the face of this attempt at preserving ethnic bonds, I did the only thing I knew – I rejected this emerging world outright. “That’s not for me!” I said with indignation, “I’ve come to America to study and widen my horizons. Why would I want to spend time with anything or anybody that I am already familiar with?” I drew a circle, bounded by a hard line, around me and my “American” world. There was no place within that boundary for anything that might hark back to my birthplace.  I stepped with the conviction of my superiority and elite world, into the circle of welcome extended to me by Americans, by Unitarians, by fellow non-Indian students.  What I failed to acknowledge, was what it might take for a stranger, one from a far-flung corner of a country left behind, to extend a hand to me, that aloof and arrogant Bombay chick, who seemed to think she knew it all and had it all.  I also did not see that there might be a world that was wonderful, and full of love, warmth and acceptance and that it was being handed to me; that it was mine to claim if ever I wanted it; that the circle drawn by my fellow country mates was permeable while mine was dense and impenetrable.

In the Ramayana, Ram and Sita are banished for 14 years into the forest by a jealous step mother. When he steps out to hunt for food, Ram draws a draws and circle around their hut, to keep Sita safe. Sita is warned to not step over the line, to cross the bounds of that demarcation etched in sand. She is lured by evil and steps over the line, and so ensues a battle of good versus evil and although it turns out more or less ok in the end, Sita is somehow tainted by the risk she took in crossing over that line.

And so this Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, I will light a lamp and as I do I will join many other Indians, for once-a-year food and firecrackers, lights and worship offerings, in a celebration that I am invited to be part of, and will no longer turn away from.

As I do so, I am reminded of these words by A. Powell Davies:

Here we are – all of us – all upon this planet, bound

together in a common destiny,

Living our lives between the briefness of the daylight

and the dark.

Kindred in this, each lighted by the same precarious,

flickering flame of life, how does it happen that we are

not kindred in all things else?

How strange and foolish these walls of separation that divide us.

Namaste and Happy Diwali! May good triumph over evil and may your year be abundant.

Tuli

Onlookers stand beside lit earthen lamps during celebrations on the eve of the Hindu festival of Diwali in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh October 16, 2009. (REUTERS/Ajay Verma) #

Discovery Meetings Where you Get to Shape the future of UCS

This past Saturday, October 15^th, 30 Discovery Meeting Facilitators met with our Strategic Planning Consultants to prepare to launch the first part of our strategic planning process. Over the next few weeks these facilitators will host over 25 Discovery Meetings that will provide the first round of input from members of the congregation in our year-long effort to listen for and lay out a five-year strategic plan for our congregation.

Response to Discovery Meeting sign-up has been great with many of the sessions filled to capacity.  The Strategic Planning Team, however, is committed to finding room for interested people.  Right now our Religious Education families are under-represented so outreach to them is continuing so that our perspective is balanced across ages and interests.   

More about the Retreat

Margaret Benefiel and Debora Jackson

The planning team and facilitators received guidance from Executive Soul consultants , Margaret Benefiel and Debora Jackson.  Margaret Benefiel is Executive Officer at Executive Soul and also a member of the adjunct faculty at Andover Newton Theological School in Boston.  Debora Jackson is Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Needham.  Prior to her ordination, however, she spent decades as an engineer and senior executive, including her stint as CIO and COO of SmartEnergy, Inc., an Energy Services Provider.  She also worked at a supply chain consulting firm, in the professional services sector and ran her own consulting firm, The Renewal Group.

Strategic Planning Team from back left to right, Susan Kuney, Becky Sinden, Ellen Boylan, Paul Belliveau, and sitting Marty Rothfelder, Karen Damato and Rev. Vanessa Southern. Missing is Roger Anderson.

Those gathered for Saturday’s retreat got to experience Appreciative Inquiry first hand.  Appreciative Inquiry will be the framework for the Discovery Meetings.  As part of that experience, the group was asked to recall times that they had felt most connected to the congregation and times they felt the least connected.  In a creative exercise, the facilitators collectively attempted to re-tell the story and history of the congregation, realizing what different hands we had on this institution’s full story.

In addition, facilitators were given guidance on how to conduct the Discovery Meetings including a role play and time for feedback, questions, concerns and input.  The day closed with facilitators being led through their own Discovery Meetings, offering input of their own into the future of the congregation. 

Discovery Meeting Facilitators in the Sanctuary

Preached by Rev. Vaness Rush Southern on 10/02/11

Rev. Vanessa Southern Connecting with Members

Come join us for a new program of spiritual depth and maturity……..

Spirit in Practice is a year long program of Spiritual Maturity and Depth distinct in both goals and structure. The goal is to engage both individually and collectively in a process of spiritual discovery, depth and maturation. The course is a collective effort by the program staff, and encompasses small group ministries, membership and Adult Education.

Each group meets once a month at your preferred time of attendance. All members and friends of UCS are invited to participate. We want all of you to be there.

Each SIP Circle will be co-led by a lay-leader and a member of the Program Staff. Participants are expected to attend one session a month.  We also hope you will attend or listen to the podcast of the theme sermon each month (almost always on the first Sunday of the month) and avail yourself of additional reflection and study resources that will be posted on the web as part of the program.

Preached on September 25, 2011.

Preached by Rev. Vaness Rush Southern on 09/18/11

For Adults, there are many exciting programs and events, listed below.

We encourage ALL Adult members and friends of The Unitarian Church in Summit to participate in our new program of deepening Spirituality – Spirit in Practice. For further information about the program click here.

To register and sign up for SIP Circles, please fill out this link by clicking here.

Other Groups and Classes Meeting in November & December:

World Religions

Green Vespers

Men’s Group

Great Biography Reading Group

Alliance

Meditation Retreat With Laura Alper

Drumming Circle

Dances of Universal Peace

Adult Boston Trip

Click here to read the full charge.

Preached by Rev. Emilie Boggis on 08/21/11

Preached by Rev. Mary Tiebout on 08/14/11

Preached by Daniel Cymbala on 08/07/11

He shares his convictions and reflections in the Huffington Post article, “Immigration in Arizona, One Year Later”. He stated, “As president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I am a religious leader, not a political one. For me, joining the protest and being arrested along with fellow ministers, lay people, and local community activists was an act of religious witness.” Watch the Democracy Now! television interview with President Morales.

President Morales also called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice to stop people’s suffering in Arizona by immediately cutting the Sheriff’s access to immigration programs like Secure Communities and 287(g). You can read the letter here.

Join the Standing On The Side Of Love campaign, a public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression and is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Preached by Rev. Dr. Nicole C. Kirk on 07/31/11

Preached by Rev. Dr. Nicole C. Kirk on 07/17/11

Preached by Rev. Dr. Nicole C. Kirk on 07/10/11

Preached by Rev. Julie Newhall on 07/03/11

Preached by Mr. Carlos Martinez on 06/26/11

Claire Feingold Thoryn, accompanied by our Parish Minister, Vanessa Southern, opened the day of meetings, business and workshops in a worship service on the theme of “legacy”.  Over 4000 Unitarian Universalists from all over the nation and at least nine nations where Unitarian Universalist congregations exist are gathered for this year’s assembly. This General Assembly is an historic one that celebrates the fifty years since the Unitarian and Universalist denominations, then separate, joined together in one religious movement.

You can see Claire’s worship service, but also live streaming of the General Assembly events at http://www.livestream.com/uuaga.

Kieth Nier Carrying the Banner of The Unitarian Church in Summit

Earlier that day, Vanessa, Emilie and Susan presented for Leap of Faith (while Tuli took the photograph), a new pilot project of the Unitarian Universalist Association, for which our church was selected.

Vanessa, Emilie, Susan presenting for Leap of Faith

Unitarian Church in Summit Banner

Kieth Nier's Colorful Name Tag

At The Unitarian Church in Summit’s annual meeting on June 12^th 2011, the congregation voted unanimously to support state and federal funding for Family Planning Clinics and Planned Parenthood.

On Monday June 20^th 2011, Rev. Nicole Kirk, Joka Vandenberg, Marty Rothfelder and Carolyn Baldacchini attended a Statehouse rally, supporting funding for Planned Parenthood.  We passed out copies of our press release, announcing our support for these crucial health care services.

We will continue to keep the congregation informed of the future of funding for Planned Parenthood and family planning health centers.

A collection box has been placed in the front lobby for new or gently used children’s books.  Donations will be delivered to the Chancellor Avenue School Library on a regular basis.

In addition to books, the librarian is happy to accept children’s music CD’s, DVD and VHS films.

UPDATE: Over 400 books were collected for the Chancellor Avenue School library in the first week the collection box was out!

The Flaming Chalice, a Symbol of Our Faith

When her name and title were announced, my 7th grade son, turned to me wide eyed, and looked in his program book to see and confirm both name and title; my husband high-fived me, and my 4 year old looked confused. I asked my older son later what had given him cause for surprise and he said it was because he so rarely witnesses Unitarian Universalists in public forums.  We began listing the times we have been pleasantly surprised to hear and witness Unitarian Universalits in mainstream media and in public places; we also talked about the signs and symbols of Unitarian Universalim and the times when we have seen these.

We found in our conversation that what most delights us, is seeing in a passing flash, on a drive along a country road, a chalice, symbol of our faith. Glimpsed out of the corner of one’s eye, it comes upon us unexpectedly, unbidden, and we find our pulses quickening. We invariably slow down, turn back, and retrace our steps to confirm what we have seen.

Why would seeing this symbol bring us such joy? We think that for us, it is a sense that we are not alone in our religious identity; that others, like a Wellesley College Chaplain and those who worship in those places that are signaled by a chalice, share with us a common language and will perhaps understand our religious experiences and our expression of these.

The same quickening of the pulse is what I feel at General Assembly, the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Thousands of people, from across the United States and Canada, some from other parts of the world, gather under one roof; they know the words to the songs that are sung, they cheer on our youth, and rejoice in the collective movement in making the world a more just and equitable place for us all.  I know I am not alone; that the there are many more of us than I ever imagined, and that they are here, with me.

Teddy Bears Sent to Orphans in Haiti through Loving Hugs

As  part of our recent Principles Power program, children in grades K-5 enrolled in Religious Education classes, collected and sorted stuffed animals to send to orphans in Haiti.  We sent over 200 animals to Loving Hugs, a 501c3 non-profit organization. Our children also made cards with messages of hope and love to accompany the stuffed animals. Principles Power is our Outreach/Social Action oriented values based program, inspiring children to direct action in improving the world we live in.

To find out more about Religious Education Classes at The Unitarian Church in Summit, click here.

Enjoy and happy clicking!

On Monday, June 20 at 1:30 pm, members and their friends will join the rally on the steps of the NJ State House in Trenton to support funding for family planning.

Vanessa wearing her Clergy Build T-shirt!

This Wednesday, June 15th, was the “Clergy Build” day at 39 Morris Avenue where six units of affordable housing are being built with Habitat for Humanity.  Ten members of the Interfaith Council in Summit (a local interfaith group of all the houses of worship in Summit that meets monthly) met at the work site. The Interfaith Council, a long-time supporter of affordable housing, advocated for the six units and is responsible for coordinating $300,000 worth of fundraising for the effort. 

Wednesday was a chance to see the progress on the six units and put in some sweat equity!   Emilie Boggis, Youth Minister, was seen on the roof and survived to tell about it.  Vanessa Southern, Parish Minister, was spackling.  “It’s a messy job, but someone has to do it.  And we clergy are used to being the cement that holds it all together,” said Vanessa, tongue firmly in cheek.

Plans are already afoot for raising the additional approximatley nine thousand dollars outstanding on the $20,000 pledge that The Unitarian Church in Summit made toward the build.  Anyone interesting in working on the Habitat project is invited to call the office and get connected to our Congregational Coordinator.

Preached by Mr. Carlos Martinez on 05/29/11

Preached by Rev. Vaness Rush Southern on 05/22/11

Proudly displayed outside the front entrance of our church is a new banner, with the words, “Religion is No Spectator Sport.”  The banner was commissioned by our senior minister, Rev. Vanessa Southern.  Designed to inspire members and friends to direct action and engagement as a means to deepen their spiritual selves and find purpose in life, the banner references a recent sermon delivered by Vanessa, entitled, the same, “Religion is No Spectator Sport.” Listen to it below.

Father and son

Parents are their children’s primary educators. At UCS we seek to deepen and extend the conversations you may already be having in your homes. Weekly topics and themes introduced while at church, can be the perfect platform for deepening the conversation with your children.

This Sunday, May 1st, in grades K-6, we continue with our social action program, Principles Power. We will be holding a stuffed animal drive to send to earthquake victims in Haiti. We will talking about loss, comfort and the sacrifices we sometimes have to make for others. To learn more about the organization with which we are working, click here: Loving Hugs

Talk to your children about what you do that to help others. What do you sacrifice? What does it feel like when you do this? Ask your children to consider what they could be doing. Ask them if there is a difference between a “need” and a “want?”

Kim is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary and most recently served as intern minister at The UU church of Annapolis.

Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern on 03/06/11.