The UNIGRAM
Monthly Newsletter of
the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento
Vol. 32 No. 5
January 2002
Unitarian
Universalist Society of Sacramento
2425 Sierra Blvd., Sacramento CA 95825 (916) 483-9283
Activities/Information 483-9283 ext 208 Fax 483-4934
Minister: The Reverend Douglas Kraft
Director of Religious Education: Kate Throop
Business Manager: Clay Nelson
Organist: Barbara Lazar
Music Director: Mary WillAllen
Bookkeeper: Carole Petracek
Office Coordinator: Bobby Stewart
Office Assistant: Cynthia Creter
Building/Grounds Maintenance Mgr: Robert Hosley
Custodian
Elaine Cooper
A MONTH OF SUNDAYS –
JANUARY 2002
1/6
9:30
a.m Auditorium Forum: “Afghanistan.” Shahla Mokhtarzada was raised in Afghanistan, having
been born in New York City where her father was in business. After high school,
Dr. Mokhtarzada returned to the US for study at UC Davis. She holds a PhD in
Sociology from UCD and currently teaches at American River College. Her
doctoral dissertation was on state building in Afghanistan, in which she
explained why it is difficult for Afghanistan to establish a solid centralized
political system given its tribal, ethnic and religious make up and its position
within international political relations.
11
a.m. Auditorium Service: “Spirituality of Despair,” Doug
Kraft. The sociological and political problems in the world can be overwhelming
and leave us feeling powerless and despairing. Even if we try to ignore the
despair and go on as if everything is normal, a heaviness of spirit lurks at
the edge of awareness. Our society has a taboo against despair. Yet it may in
fact be the beginning stages of a deeper awakening. This awakening feels the
suffering of humanity and the planet, it recognizes our deeper interconnection,
it ultimately can energize us and bring forth creative thinking. But first we
have to be willing to embrace despair as a natural process.
1/13
9:30 a.m. Auditorium Forum: “What's Happening With Handgun Legislation?” Speaker Teresa Stark
is the President of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Million Mom March. In
her “day job” she works at the State Capitol as the Legislative Director for
Assemblyman Paul Koretz, a long-time gun control advocate. She will provide an
update about recent gun control legislation in the state and tell us what's on
the legislative agenda for 2002. She will also give us the latest information
about the Million Mom March and their recently announced historic partnership
with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, formerly Handgun Control, Inc.
11 a.m. Auditorium Service: “To Live a Conscious Life: One Buddhist’s
Perspective.” Speaker Dennis Warren is a healthcare attorney who has been
practicing Insight Meditation for 20 years. He is a member of the Dharma
Leaders Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
2 p.m. “Violence in Religion” talk. (See
“Series of special talks continues at 2 p.m.” below.
1/20
9:30 a.m. Auditorium Forum: “Solar Cooking & Solar Water
Pasteurization in Developing Countries.” Speaker Bob Metcalf is a professor of biological sciences at CSUS. For over 20
years he has used solar cookers and promoted their use in developing countries,
where 2.5 billion people depend on ever diminishing fuel wood for cooking. He
was a founding member of the Sacramento-based Solar Cookers International in
1987. Most recently in Tanzania, he has extended the use of solar cookers to
pasteurize contaminated water.
11 a.m. Auditorium Service: “Working Poor,” Rev. Kraft. In
Medieval Europe, the peasants were dependant on merchants, towns, and nobles,
and scarcely had resources of their own. In times of famine, all they could do
was come into town and beg. The towns, to protect themselves, turned the
beggars out. Bourgeois sentiments eventually hardened against the poor. Five
centuries later many of these same attitudes persist: poverty is often seen as
a sign of moral weakness despite overwhelming evidence that points in a
different direction. On Martin Luther King Sunday we will look at some of the
stigmatization of the poor and what we might do about it.
1/27
9:30
a.m. Auditorium Forum January 27: “Making Work Pay for Sacramento Workers” will be
presented by Bill Camp, Executive Secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor
Council.
11 a.m. Auditorium Service: “Lines in the Sand,” Rev.
Kraft. One way we create a sense of self is to draw a boundary around a set of
experiences and say, “everything inside this line is me, everything outside is
not me.” Where we draw the line turns out to be more arbitrary than one would
first suspect. Nevertheless, any boundary line is a potential battle line: just
consider Bosnia, the Middle East, the U.S. Congress or your personal struggles.
This morning we will question some of our deep conditioning to think of each of
us as a separate, independent being.
12:15 p.m. Special Congregational Meeting. (See
Notice below.)
To: All Members
Date: December 17, 2001
Re: Special Congregational Meeting on
Sunday,
January 27, 2002
There will be a special
congregational meeting on Sunday, January 27, 2002 at 12:15 p.m. in the
Auditorium to vote on the two issues below. UUSS members who joined the Society
before November 29, 2001, are eligible to vote at this meeting and all eligible
members are urged to attend. It is essential to have a quorum to conduct
business so please plan to spend a little extra time after church on the 27th.
I. Amendment to Article VII, Sec. 2, Paragraph
5 of the UUSS Constitution to make the Treasurer the Chair of the Finance
Committee. This change would implement a recommendation made by Peter
Henrickson, the speaker at the Financial Summit conducted at UUSS on September
22.
No officer or
member of the Board of Trustees, Nominating or Endowment committees, or the
Chair of the Communication and Conflict Management Committee may serve
concurrently in any other elected position within the Society, nor as chair of
any other standing committee, with the exception of the Finance Committee
which will be chaired by the Treasurer.
II. Yes or no vote on the question:
Commencing
in September 2002, shall the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento
schedule two religious services on Sundays during the normal church year, one
at 9:00 a.m. and the second at approximately 11:00 a.m.?
AT THE
MOMENT…
Rev. Doug Kraft
Pollution is
killing the plankton in the ocean. Plankton are our major source of oxygen.
Sheep are going
blind in Australia due to holes in the ozone.
Deforestation.
Desertification.
Global warming.
Population explosion.
Nuclear proliferation.
Intentional terrorism.
There are many reasonable scenarios by
which we might be the last human generation.
If you are still reading and if you have
let those words in, you may have felt the urge to turn away. Or you may have
felt annoyance or anger at those who contribute to our dilemma. You may have
felt hopeless or powerless. You may have felt a heaviness of spirit, a sadness
or pessimism. It is also possible to have felt some peace at recognizing the
impermanence of everything. It is possible to have felt deeply and creatively
energized to play a role in helping.
In short, you may have felt despair. All
these feelings from denial to anger to powerlessness to creativity are some of
the many faces of despair.
Several decades ago Elizabeth Kubler Ross
did pioneering work on grief. She articulated its many faces: denial, anger,
what-if thinking, depression and acceptance. She helped lift the aura of shame
from grief and encouraged people to embrace it as a life giving, healing
process. She brought grief out of the closet.
Despair about the state of humanity has
similarities to grief. However, it is still in the closet. In our society,
despair is taboo. We’re supposed to take control of our lives, think
positively, turn lemons into lemonade and get out there and shop as if
everything is just fine.
But it’s getting harder to pretend things
are fine. The effort makes us exhausted, frantic, numb, interested in disaster
movies for psychic release. Suppressing despair is making us crazy.
I believe the despair many felt after
September 11th was not just about terrorism. It stimulated the
despair about the whole of humanity that lurked at the edge of consciousness.
I believe that, like grief, despair is
something to be embraced. At its core is compassion: empathy for the suffering
of others. At its core is the destruction of narcissism. At its core is the
recognition of our profound interdependence: none of us can solve these
problems alone, but each can play a role.
I believe that a new consciousness is
trying to emerge in the human species: a consciousness that identifies less
with independent organisms and more with our communal interdependence; a
consciousness that can open new creative energies; a consciousness that sages
have been telling us about for thousands of years.
Despair about our communal plight may be
the birthing pain of this consciousness. We need to come together and support
each other in this birthing.
As we move into the new year, these are
some of my thoughts and some of the themes I hope to be touching from the
pulpit and perhaps in workshops.
Hope to see you there. .
Doug
Finding
Doug
I can usually be
found at the church between 3 and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and between
1 and 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and other times by chance or appointment. Feel free
to come by or give me a call (483-9283x201).
_______________________________________________________
"And the survey says…”
Survey results
reveal that we care
The 264
returned surveys have been reviewed and tabulated. Since a return of 10-15% is
considered a success, this return of almost half of the surveys sent out is a
reflection of how much you care about the congregation and the future of UUSS.
For example, while 25% of those who
responded preferred no change to the Sunday morning schedule for personal
reasons, only 13% thought it best to maintain the status quo. Similarly, your
many thoughtful comments remind us that statistics alone cannot provide all of the
answers.
As this announcement goes to the office for
the January Unigram, the Services Task Force is preparing its
recommendations to go to the Board of Trustees along with its final report.
Those recommendations will be discussed at an open congregational meeting on
Sunday, January 27, immediately following the 11:00 service. All members are
welcome.
Tami Buscho
Roads to the Future
From Maps Drawn in the Past
UU History class begins
January 30, 7 p.m.
Eric Ross and John
Abbott will lead an Adult Religious Education discussion group on the history
and traditions of Unitarianism and Universalism for five consecutive Wednesday
evenings, January 30 through February 27, 7-9 p.m. in the Fahs Room. Included
in the discussion will be readings from original writings of various important
UU individuals over the last five centuries from Michael Servetus to the
present. Participants will purchase the short book The Epic of
Unitarianism (available at a discount if ordered by January 6) and read
brief selected portions for the meetings. If you are interested in
participating, please contact John Abbott or Eric Ross.
John Abbott
_______________________________________________________
RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION NEWS
Kate Throop,
Director of Religious Education
On New Years’ Eve
when I was a girl, my parents, usually rather strict about bedtimes, relaxed
their guard and said we could stay up as long as we wanted to – we could stay
up all night, yessiree, we could just not go to bed at all. On New Year’s Eve
we set out a brand new jigsaw puzzle on the wobbly card table, my mother made
oyster stew or clam chowder, we ate all the remaining holiday sweets that had
accumulated on the wide counter in the kitchen, we played Monopoly and
Scrabble, we watched Guy Lombardo on our black and white television, we
listened to my father’s beloved Louis Armstrong records, and we wrote down our
New Year’s resolutions (“I will not tease my sisters”, “I will make my bed
every day,” “I will help Mom fold the laundry,” etc.) The resolutions were
fairly benign, outwardly focused as opposed to introspective, and earnestly
adhered to until at least the first of February. Usually the younger children
fell asleep on the couch about 9:30 p.m., and my mother would cover them with a
blanket. We lived in a cold old house, and there was always a fine selection of
afghans and blankets strewn about the living room – an antidote to those drafty
winter nights. Those of us who managed to stay awake (or woke up just in time
from our drowsy warm nest in the big green chair) watched the lighted ball fall
down the pole and proclaim “1956!” We sang a spirited chorus or two of Auld
Lange Syne, although I was absolutely in the dark as to the meaning of the
words. I knew that the song made my parents’ eyes glisten, just like “White
Christmas” and “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.” I was too
young then to know the significance of those songs, that each parent had
listened, alone, during the winters of 1943, ‘44, ‘45, and ’46 - my mother in
Connecticut, caring for a new baby girl, and my father at Fort Lewis,
Washington, then in England, then in the Philippine Islands fighting in World
War II. For as far back as I could remember we were a family, intact, living in
that big drafty red house, and being the oldest gave me certain small
privileges on New Years’ Eve.
When I was 18, I flung off the bonds and
bondage of family and went to New York City on New Year’s Eve. My boyfriend’s
parents had invited me to go to a Broadway Show (the original “How to Succeed
in Business…”). We ate dinner at 10:30 p.m. (unheard of in my ordered and
orderly life), then walked to Times Square to join thousands of other shivering
people in celebrating the arrival of the new year. After the long ride home
that night I decided I liked my parents’ way of celebrating much better - I
still do.
This year, I have been drawn
time and again during November and December to the most simple yet profoundly
satisfying pleasures. The fireside, a game of Scrabble, tea and cookies, a
blanket tossed over my lap, a long phone chat with an old friend or a
getting-to-know-you visit with a new one, the late afternoon sun pouring in the
front windows illuminating every dust mote…this year, these are more than
enough.
There was a time when I thought that old
Perry Como song, “Count Your Blessings,” was incredibly sappy and trite. I
don’t think it is anymore. I count each of you among my blessings as the new
year unfolds. May your days be filled with satisfying work, joyous play, and
the love of family and friends. If you do make resolutions, make the kind that
include firesides, cookies, warm blankets and new and old friends – you won’t
be sorry!
Peace and love,
Kate
Special Friends
In search of a new
friend? Special Friends will begin on January 6. Adults, youth and
children (ages 4 up) who would like to be or have a Special Friend (SF) must
sign up January 6 or 13. For four or five weeks, you and your SF will exchange
clues as to your identities and give each other small home-made gifts, pictures,
poems, tokens of friendship. The “older” Special Friends will know the names of
the younger SFs, so if you are between 4 and 14 you can enjoy the mystery of
having a friend whose name you don’t know! On Sunday, February 10, you will
meet your Special Friend at a celebration lunch in the Auditorium. UUSS adult
members who are not actively parenting or whose children are grown up are
especially encouraged to sign up and get to know our terrific UU kids. Sign up
at the R.E. Table or in the R.E. Office on Sunday Jan. 6 or Jan. 13.
Calling All
Campers! Mark your
calendars now for UUSS Camp at Lake Oroville, Friday June 7 through Sunday June
9. Watch this space for details and registration information.
Religious Education Calendar
Sun. 1/6 Religious Education classes begin for Pre-school
through 7th grade.
(Watch for yellow flyer in the mail, on R.E. Table
and posted in various locations).
Sign up for
Special Friends!
Thurs. 1/10 7:00 p.m. Religious Education Committee at UUSS
Sun. 1/13 12:30 p.m.
5th-6th Grade “Our Whole Lives” (OWL) mandatory
meeting for parents and students - Room 7/8. (“OWL” begins Sunday January 20.)
Last chance to sign up for Special Friends!
Sat. 1/26 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. R.E. Committee Retreat with Nada
Velimirovic, PCD Lifespan R.E. Consultant (off-site)
Childcare provided at UUSS
from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Room 11 & 12
Many thanks to Janet Lopes, Alexis
Inamine, Mary WillAllen, Barbara Lazar, Barbara Gardner and the UUSS choir
and children for all of their hard work on the Dec. 23rd Pageant
“Would You Like to Hold the Baby?”
During December, UUSS children and youth
raised $120 (sale of Peace Books) for UNICEF, to provide emergency food
supplies for children in Afghanistan. Thanks to the generosity of the entire
congregation, we filled 15 stockings for the Mustard Seed School with a value
of $25 per stocking, and we delivered more than 12 large bags of new clothing,
personal care products, baby diapers, toys and books to Maryhouse shelter for
women and children.
____________________________________________________________
CABBAGES
& KINGS
By the time you receive your Unigram and are reading this, the
news that I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer has probably already
reached you via the grapevine. In fact, you will probably already know that I
had a radical prostatectomy on December 19th. You may even know what
I can only hope at this moment--that it was successful.
All this came to pass because
I moved to Sacramento and needed to get established with a new primary care
physician. I chose well and he was thorough. On November 2nd I was
told my PSA blood test for prostate cancer came back very high. This led to
biopsies, various scans of my body and numerous rude exams. The end result
learned today, December 11, is that the cancer (an unfortunately aggressive
form) does not appear to have spread, but the procedure should be done as soon
as possible.
While I will be in the
hospital for three days, I am told full recovery will take 4 to 6 weeks. I
will, however, be continuing as many of my duties as can be conducted by phone,
voice mail, email, and computer from home. I expect only to miss some meetings
during that time. I am certain that I will welcome the diversion from the
discomfort and indignities that come with this experience, so please don’t feel
you need to protect me. I find comfort in serving.
As difficult and scary as this
has been for me and my family, the blessing in it is a renewed and deepened
appreciation of that which brings true joy into my life: my family, my friends,
my colleagues, my work, my faith, the prayers of friend and stranger, a
gorgeous fall day and a round of golf. May this holiday season nurture this joy
in you that it might enhance the good times and brighten the bad times that lie
ahead.
Clay Nelson
____________________________________________________________________________
Theater One Plans “2X3”
Spring season
features two plays
Theater One invites
all who are interested in play production to attend our planning meeting
Thursday, January 17, 7 p.m. in Room 7/8. Actors, stagehands, designers are
welcome. There’s a lot to do.
Over six dates around the last weekend in
April and the first weekend of May we will present three performances each of Amy’s
View by David Hare and Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha
Christie. Each play will have a dinner performance and each will have a
matinee. We hope that you will plan to come both weekends so you can see both
plays.
Amy’s View is a well-crafted play that presents
telling glimpses of humor, tragedy, and conflicting values in a contemporary
family’s life over 16 years. Amy’s View was first performed in London,
then on Broadway in 1997 to critical acclaim.
Witness for the Prosecution is a
first-rate courtroom drama filled with tension and suspense and plot twists. A
few of the parts are already cast, but several more parts for intriguing,
colorful characters are available. Witness is considered the best of the
plays adapted from Christie’s prolific output of mystery stories.
_________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S
LETTER
Happy New Year
and Welcome to 2002!
I am having trouble
keeping all my years straight. Between the calendar year, the fiscal year, the
various sports’ years, the legislative yea, and of course the church year, it
is hard to remember where one starts and another ends. I know life can be
understood as a circle, but sometimes all the beginnings and endings seem to
overlap.
Regardless of this confusion, I am happy to
see 2002 arrive because for me this year is going to be a very significant one,
and it is one I have been looking forward to for a long time. This is the year
I retire from state service, so as one circle ends for me, another one begins.
As many of you know from personal experience,
retirement is a significant transitional event and as “My Generation” is fond
of advising me, it requires a great deal of planning and preparation. Well, to
be honest, I am not doing that much planning; but I am enjoying the final
months of my employment and relishing the various “last” events of my career
(e.g. last round of holiday parties, last budget cycle, and especially my last
staff meetings). I am trying not to gloat around my colleagues (many of whom
express their envy on a daily basis, I might add) but I have to admit I do
smile more than I used to at work.
But as exciting as retiring from 30 years
with the Department of Motor Vehicles can be, it is more exhilirating to think
about the opportunities ahead of me. This year will be an awakening for me, a
time to focus on my family, my friends, and my own health – physically and
spiritually. I hope to have the time and the luxury to think about HOW I want
to live and not WHAT I have to do. And I know being an active member of UUSS is
a very important part of that how.
As we begin this New Year and reflect on
the end of 2001, I know I speak for many of us when I hope 2002 is a more
peaceful and joyful time for all of us.
And thank you for allowing me a little self-indulgence in this month’s
column.
Peace be with you,
Linda Clear
___________________________________________________
Do You Know an Unsung Hero?
Decision time is
February 7
Each year the
Property Management Committee (PMC) gives an Unsung Hero award to an individual
who has done a lot of volunteer work for the church. The award is given to
someone who is not in the “leadership,” not on the Board, not on staff, not a
chair of a committee.
PMC asks that people in the congregation
suggest names—there will be a box in the office to receive your nominations.
Then the PMC will select the Unsung Hero at their meeting on February 7.
Notes from the Treasurer
Did you know?
We are already
working on next year’s budget?
That Committees are
asked to present a budget request each year by December 31?
Our staff is paid
every other week?
Financially yours,
Dennis Riechmann
Job Openings at UUCC
The Unitarian Universalist Community Church (UUCC) on Florin Road is
seeking to fill two positions. Both positions involve opening the church,
setting up, providing child-care during the service, cleaning up after a
potluck, and closing the church. Hours are 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. Pay
is $30 per shift per person. For information or to apply call 731-8298 and ask
for Jackie.
Jackie Wales
______________________________________________________
UUs GET
TOGETHER
Women’s Ritual Group
Plans a Croning/Saging
Ceremony will be
on February 3
Women’s Ritual
Group invites all to attend and anyone over 50 to participate in their
Croning/Saging ceremony February 3. If you participate, you will be asked to
give yourself a ceremonial name, present a life review (photo album/display),
art work, sacred objects, etc. Please call me if you have any questions.
Laurie Jones
Gap Group in January
Gap Group is a
loosely organized group of middle-aged people, both married and single, who
enjoy getting together for social occasions. New people are always welcome.
Please call or email me for more information.
Sunday January
6. See the sandhill cranes
that winter in the Sacramento Valley at the Cosumnes River Preserve as they
gather at sunset. Call me for more information.
Saturday January
19. Join the season ticket
holders for Bee-Luther-Hatchee at the Chautauqua Playhouse at 8 p.m. Call the
theater for ticket information at 489-7529.
Saturday January
20. Judy Bell will pick
another great movie for us to see. Call Judy for time and place.
Cathy George
Ministry Circles Expand
Because of the
growing interest in joining a Ministry Circle and the need for more convenient
locations, we have made a few changes. Julie Heston’s evening Ministry Circle
will now meet on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at UUSS. We have
also added a daytime Ministry Circle (Eileen Karpeles, facilitator) to our
schedule.
We are planning an additional daytime group
in the near future since we had more applicants than spaces available for the
daytime time slot. A waiting list is available. Please check the application
forms for more details or call the church office (483-9283 ext. O).
Fran Oyafuso
UU Young Adults in January
UU Young Adults
are Unitarian Universalists in their 20s and 30s. Some of us are single, some
are married, and some are in between. Newcomers are always welcome! We meet on Sundays
at 7 p.m. in the UUSS Library unless otherwise noted below. For more
information on the group, please contact Carolyn Wiggin. To join our e-mail
collective, send a message to Dean Baird.
Sunday 1/6: 2001 was certainly a year to remember. On
the first Sunday of 2002, we will sit down and see what wise and insightful
reflections everyone has made about the previous year, and maybe give some
predictions on what 2002 holds in store.
Sunday 1/13: Not thrilled by the idea of another
discussion? How about GAMES! We are going to have a game night at the group
meeting. Board games, dice, maybe even some magic tricks will find their way
into the UUSS library for all those who attend. If you have a particular game
that you want to play, bring it along. Steve will coordinate this event.
Special Date
and Time – Monday 1/21: To
celebrate the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the group is going to
get on their feet to join the Martin Luther King Jr. March throughout the City.
The March begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Oak Park Community Center (3425 MLK
Boulevard) and proceeds to Sacramento City College (3835 Freeport Boulevard).
At 8:30 a.m. the march will continue to the west steps of the State Capitol
Building, for the program at 10:30 a.m. Please join right in at any step along
the way, or contact Daniel Hamilton for more information.
Special place:
Sunday 1/27: It is said that
nourishment of the soul cannot come without nourishment of the body. With this
in mind we are headed out for a group dinner at the Great Wall restaurant, a
Mongolian style BBQ joint receiving rave reviews from event planners. We will
meet at the restaurant, 2342 Sunrise Boulevard, at 7 p.m. for some fine dining
and finer conversation. For directions or information, please contact Carolyn
Wiggin.
Daniel Hamilton
________________________________________________________________________
Friday, January 25 7-9 p.m.
UUSS Auditorium
No need to go to Salt Lake City - come join us
in the UUSS version of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games!
Participate in your favorite winter sports in
the “Faux Olympics.” Wear comfortable
clothes and join the fun!
Make your own sandwiches and we’ll provide the
food, dessert and beverages.
All ages welcome Donation: Adults $3
Under 12 $1
TAKE TIME TO RELAX
COME! ENJOY!
“Make Your Own Band” a Success!
Thanks to the following members who participated in the Sandwich Supper
Social “Make Your Own Band” on November 30! We had a great turnout of adults,
children and musicians. These people made a great band:
Jack Armstrong, Anne Bartle, Taylor Carey, Doug & Betty Dempster,
Doug Kraft, Pam & John Martin, Mike Reynolds, Richard Reinerson, Katherine
Young.
Dream Group is Open to All
Our UUSS Dream
Group (Daydreamers) meets every Wednesday morning from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in
the Library. Our group is always open to anyone interested in working with
their dreams. No experience is necessary. Just walk in and join us and bring a
friend if you wish. Call me for more information.
Fran Oyafuso
A Portrait of Your Authentic Self
Create a Gift of
the Real You on 2/9
What better
valentine to you or a loved one than a gift of the real you! Join Heather Reed
and Autumn Wagner on Saturday, February 2 for a two-hour facilitated workshop
using intuitive art activities to create a “portrait” of your authentic self.
No art experience needed! Workshop fee of $15 includes all materials. The
workshop will be 2-4 p.m. in Room 11. Call me to register.
Heather Reed
Women’s Alliance to Discuss
Governor’s Election
Bud Lembke
speaks on January 10
The Women’s
Alliance is looking forward to their January 10 meeting, when at 10 a.m. Bud
Lembke will speak about the contenders for the office of Governor of California
(Richard Reardon, currently the Mayor of Los Angeles, and Gray Davis, current
Governor). He will also discuss several of the propositions to be voted on this
year.
Bud has been an outstanding journalist in
the State of California for 52 years, 21 years of which he spent with the Los
Angeles Times as political writer. Here in Sacramento he founded the paper
“Political Pulse” and served as editor and publisher for 17 years. Currently he
is co-publisher of that paper and continues to be well known for his active
interest in politics. He is the author of “Ups and Downs in a Flying Fortess,”
based on his life during World War Two, which is available in our Beacon
Bookstore. Bud’s wit and way with words is enjoyed by members of our
congregation. The Moment of Inspiration will be provided by Joyce Miller. The
meeting is open to all who want to become more politically aware. Those who
wish to stay for lunch should remember to bring a bag lunch. Coffee and tea are
provided and desserts will be available for two dollars.
Pat Moore-Howard
Servetus Club Meets Jan. 6
Annual
Membership Party free to members
Servetus is a
social club for older singles. We gather on the first Sunday of each month for
monthly potlucks, 6 p.m. in the Fahs Room, and we plan occasional trips and
parties.
Sunday, January 6, Servetus Club will hold
their annual membership party at a member’s home. Free to members who are
paying their annual dues ($12); $3 for guests. Main dish and beverages
provided; please bring a side dish or dessert to share.
Dorothy Engelstad
_________________________________________________________________
OUTREACH
Social Action Marketplace
To see how you may
serve our community and the world, please refer to www.uuss.org, or look at the
UUSS Directory page 29, or Annual Report page 21.
Last Wednesday Club on 1/30
Last Wednesday Club
views award-winning documentaries on international issues. This month we will
watch Bill Moyers’ “Constitution in Crisis” on Wednesday, January 30, in Room
6.
Nancy Gilbert
_____________________________________________
COMMITTEES
AT WORK
Partner
Church Activities Grow
We’re invited to a
Wedding
Season’s greetings
from our partner church in Debrecen, Hungary. And tidings of good joy as
Debrecen Unitarian minister, Katalin Miklosi-Vari, announced her marriage to
her long-time sweetheart on November 26, 2001, in Switzerland. The happy couple
will participate in a formal Unitarian marriage ceremony on February 2, 2002,
at the Unitarian church in Budapest. We are invited! So pack up your warmest
gear and enjoy the sights and sounds of the most beautiful city in Hungary.
Budapest is a “must” on any trip you may plan to our partner church. Seriously,
we encourage you to add Debrecen to your travel itineraries. Ask for travel
advice and tour assistance from the North American contact for Partnership
Church Tours, Emery Lazar, or direct through Mrs. Miklosi-Vari, who speaks very
good English.
Partner Church
Materials: Visit the UUSS
Library for books and magazines about the country and area of our partner
church These books are not for sale, but you may check them out for a week on
an honor system and peruse them at leisure.
Partnership
Sunday: The UU Partnership
Church Council (PCC) has designated the third Sunday of every March as
“Partnership Sunday.” Ring the bells
and celebrate the family of Unitarian Universalists around the world.
For more information about our partner
church, contact me.
Dixie Owens
Endorsement Policy to be Presented to the Board
It’s time for a
new policy
UUs are
inclined to want to stand up and be counted. We are free to do so as
individuals, but how about as a congregation? Can a committee independently
decide to endorse a local or national cause or campaign? For example, we might
want to be listed in a full page ad or on a flyer with other community groups
speaking out against hate crimes. The current policy, on the books for more
than 10 years, is very restrictive, does not allow it, and in fact is generally
ignored. It’s time for a new policy. Based on input from the Council of Leaders
and an Agenda Book meeting, the policy (a condensed version appears below) will
be submitted to the Board of Trustees on January 24. Since the Board now wants
all action items to be presented in a pre-analyzed fashion, our new policy asks
for endorsement requests to be in writing and “decision-ready.” Endorsing
political candidates remains a no-no. Comments? Problems? Speak now!
1.
Board approval must be obtained before the UUSS name or name of any UUSS
group is displayed in public, publicly announced, or otherwise used in such a
way as to give the appearance of UUSS support or endorsement of causes,
campaigns, positions or actions external to UUSS.
2.
UUSS groups desiring to use the UUSS name as described above shall
submit requests in writing to the Board.
3.
Requests shall include: information on the issue, rationale, consistency
with our principles, etc.
4.
Requests for the use of the UUSS name for sponsorship or endorsement
that come directly to the Board from an outside group or that originate with
the Board or staff may be referred to the most appropriate UUSS group, or if no
relevant group exists, to several designated persons, for their review and
written recommendation. Their recommendation shall cover the same items as in
#3.
5.
Nothing shall prevent the Board from declaring by majority vote that
there is an immediate, compelling need to lend the UUSS name for an external
purpose such as an “action of immediate witness,” and to condense or waive the
above procedures on an emergency basis.
6.
None of the above policies should be interpreted as applying to the
dissemination or display of information or literature at UUSS, or sponsoring
speakers or events on UUSS premises.
7.
Recommendations against Board approval shall include comment as to
whether any further action, such as a written response declining the
endorsement, should be taken.
Tiffany Urness, Vice President, Board of
Trustees
Thank You
On behalf of the
congregation, the Board of Trustees offers a huge “thank-you” to John McMillan
and Mike Inamine, co-leaders of last summer’s R.E. building painting project,
and to their intrepid crew members: Janet Lopes, Carol Doehne, Pete Larsen,
Tina Chiginsky, Jack Davidson, Dan Ford, Christopher Jensen, Carol McKenzie,
Russ Denney, Judith Granada-Dewey, Ruth Van Unen, Campbell Ingram, Steve
Chiginsky, Hill Snellings, Chris Cioni, Chris Webb-Curtis, David Libby, John
Martin, Pam Martin, and Terry Throop.
Thanks also to Delmar Janson and Pete
Larsen for putting their carpentry skills to use on the repair and replacement
of fascia trim, as well as doing lots of painting.
All of these volunteers worked in the
hottest part of the summer to scrape, prep and paint the entire exterior of the
building—truly a labor of love!
Kate Throop
LUUNA Chapter Organized
On Saturday,
November 17, 13 persons met in our Library to start the process of forming the
Valley chapter of the Latino/a Unitarian Universalist Networking Association
(LUUNA). LUUNA is the national UU organization dedicated to Latino/Latina
concerns, and local chapters are needed to more effectively advance its goals.
We were greeted by UUSS president Linda
Clear and led in song by Rev. Doug Kraft. Rev. Patricia Jimenez, president of
the national LUUNA, and national treasurer Ramon Urbano, who drove from Los
Angeles, aided us in our work.
Special thanks to Barbara Amberson, Joyce
Chadd, and Joan Osborn, who cooked and served a delicious lunch, and to Ruth
Davis Barr who registered the participants. Representatives from Stockton to
Lake Tahoe attended.
Frank Winans
“Violence & Religion” Talk Jan.13
Series of special talks continues at 2 p.m.
“Violence and
Religion,” the third in our series of special talks on Coming Together in Spite
of Our Differences, will be presented Sunday, January 13, 2-4 p.m. Admission is
free. Speaker John Hall, Professor of Sociology at U.C. Davis since 1989, is
the Director of the Center for History, Sociology and Culture. He has a Ph.D.
from the University of Washington. He specializes in the study of religious
violence and has written a number of books on the sociology of religion. His
most recent book, Apocalypse Observed, includes prominent instances of
religious violence--Johnstown, Waco, tunnel poison gas in Japan. Everyone is
welcome to come and bring your questions.
On February 24 we will have a speaker from
the F.B.I on the subject of violence.
Thelma White
AMONGST OURSELVES
After
the December Unigram was mailed we were saddened to learn that Mary Jo
DeBuse and Earl Fraser had died in November. Our sympathies are extended to
their families. We will miss Mary Jo and Earl very much.
Mary Jo DeBuse succumbed to
cancer on November 26. Mary Jo first joined UUSS in 1988. She was raised in
Grants Pass, Oregon, and graduated from the University of Oregon. She lived in
the Cleveland area for several years, taking postgraduate courses at Cleveland
State and Kent State. She described her “three careers” as teaching English and
History at the junior high level, raising four children, and working as an
interior decorator. At UUSS Mary Jo was a frequent volunteer for our bookstore
and a founding member of the Book Club. A memorial service was held at UUSS on
November 29.
Earl Fraser, a member of UUSS
since 1965, died on November 16. Earl served for many years as County Planning
Director for Sacramento. Earl was a native of Montana. He graduated from
M.I.T., and earned a Master’s from Harvard. After serving in WWII, he worked as
a Planner in Michigan and in Southern California, then moved to Sacramento with
his wife Elizabeth, who died in 1996. At UUSS Earl was a regular volunteer for
the office and an enthusiastic member of the bridge group. A memorial service
was held at UUSS on December 6.
We were sad to learn from the PCD that
Eve Gilmartin was killed by a car while walking near her home in November.
Eve was the widow of Aron Gilmartin, who served UUSS as interim minister on two
occasions. Eve was active in conflict management services and in our
denomination in the Bay Area and we have fond memories of her time with us.
The deadline for the December Unigram is
Sunday, November 10.