UUCNH Newsletter

I write just a few days before our Celebration Weekend, my mind full of details needing attention. Here I pause for a welcome time of reflection amidst the busyness of event planning.

Celebration Weekend marks an historic moment for our church. Planning for the building project that we have now completed began during the first year of my ministry here at UUCNH, early in 2000. We labored together for eight years to make this dream of facilities improvement come true.

Sometimes we moved quickly, more often slowly and cautiously, always tending carefully to our church’s well-being. Sometimes events far beyond our control had an impact, such as 9/11 and the recession that followed. Sometimes events closer to home loomed large, such as the decision of a few to form Ginger Hill UU Church, closer to their homes up north in Slippery Rock. Sometimes we disagreed and struggled to move forward over rocky ground. Sometimes we enjoyed smooth sailing. The speed and character of the journey varied from year to year, but the prominence of the agenda item in our communal life never really waned.

Every year for the past eight years, improving our facilities commanded our attention. Amidst the sea of change that comprises church life, this one agenda item remained constant, steadfast as the Rock of Gibraltar. Every year for the past eight years, huge amounts of volunteer time and energy have been devoted to realizing a shared vision of facilities improvements. And every year for the past eight years, I have wondered “What will we do when this vision is realized, this building project complete?”

We’re about to find out. We are in a time of transition, a time of danger and opportunity. Our old friend the building project can no longer command a position of prominence on our church’s agenda. The danger comes with allowing the hole created by the departure of one long-term agenda item to expand, or to suck up energy like a vacuum. The opportunity comes with being intentional about where we focus our attention now that one vision has been realized and so much volunteer energy freed up.

As my Buddhist teacher Cheri Huber teaches, “The quality of your life depends on the focus of your attention.” What is true for each of us individually is also true for us collectively as a church community. The quality of our church life depends on the focus of our communal attention.

So where shall we turn our attention–our time and energies, our creativity and passion–now that we have completed our building project? How shall we fulfill the promise of the facilities we have created together? How can we make UUCNH a vital force for Unitarian Universalism in the North Hills? Where shall we head and what shall we do as we venture forth into a new phase of our journey together?

We shall begin looking at these kinds of questions together on Sunday, May 18, when our District Executive, Joan Van Becelaere, comes to help us explore using “Open Space” techniques. You’ll find more information in a separate article elsewhere in this Intercom. Right now, I would invite you simply to mark your calendar and make a special effort to be in church on May 18. Make it your intention to get in on the ground floor of discerning where we’re heading next!

Our year-long exploration of our UU Principles concludes this Sunday as we focus on our Seventh Principle – respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

This Mother’s Day we remember the history of Mother’s Day and celebrate the Unitarian woman who invented the American version of the holiday – Julia Ward Howe.

Our Ohio-Meadville District Executive joins us to facilitate an experience of using “open space techniques” to explore our visions of our church’s future. Come help discern where we want to go and what we want to do together now that our wonderful building project has been completed!

All ages from 7th grade up welcome to participate. Childcare will be available for younger children. Bring something to share at our potluck lunch!

On Memorial Day, we remember those who have fought and sacrificed for their country, many paying the ultimate price of death. But every day, each one of us gives our life energy to something or someone. What are you giving your life energy to? What is ultimately worthy of our living and our dying?

A coffee hour host is still needed June 15 to partner with Peg Reidy & Ira Handler. If you can host that Sunday, please contact Patrice Noel at patrice.noel@comcast.net. Thanks.

In my driving around the county for my job I cross our various rivers often. It's wonderful to see the boats busy on the river again. It brought to my mind the analogy of our church as a boat. I've never participated in crew but I picture the skull skimming across the water, all rowers pulling together in perfect rhythm.

If one rower is out of sync it will throw others off and reduce the group's effort. If they can't agree on where they are going and who will control the rudder they will zigzag. If one side pulls in one direction while the opposite side pulls the other way they spin in circles. It takes a united team effort to move this beautiful craft forward.

UUCNH has lots of folks with wonderful ideas, talent and energy. But one person rowing alone on one side of the boat is limited in what he/she can accomplish. Two people, with two oars, working in harmony can go much, much farther. This is why it's important to work together. Committees take time; talking to one another, organizing and planning but in the end we can do so much more. It takes practice and patience to work together in a team but the results are so much greater.

We have a beautiful craft. Now we need the oars - our pledges. We need the rowers – members and friends who actively participate. We need a rudder to steer with – our staff and Board. We need to stay on an even keel – don't drop stuff and leave it lying about in the boat. Most of all we need direction – come to Open Space on May 18 and help set our course.

PIIN and other community organizations plan to hold a "Holy Ground” rally on May 10 as part of their work to reduce gun violence. The date is the Saturday before Mother's Day, and the rally will honor mothers who have lost children to gun violence.

Participating would be an appropriate follow-up to UUCNH's Justice Sunday service. There may be carpools going from UUCNH. Contact Sue Broughton for time and place and carpool information.

For more information on either of these, contact Jim Robertson or Sue Broughton.

Renown American Zen Buddhist teacher Cheri Huber will be giving a public talk at UUCNH on Wednesday, May 21, at 7:30 pm. Cheri has been a student and teacher of Zen for over 30 years. She founded the Zen Monastery Peace Center in Murphys, CA; the Zen Center in Palo Alto, CA; and Living Compassion, a nonprofit dedicated to peace and service. She has authored 15 books, all dedicated to helping readers learn to be aware and end the suffering of living in conditioned mind. She teaches with wisdom, incite, and humor. So come with your questions, or simply to listen. Most likely you’ll learn something to inspire or help you on your journey, even if you’re not particularly drawn to Buddhist practice.

MEMBERSHIP MEMO MAY 2008

Our church has been invited to take part in the annual Blueberry Hill Park Festival in the Park on Saturday, June 28. We will have a booth in which we plan to display some of our beautiful new prayer flags, and we'll be inviting all visitors to make prayer flags of their own.

This is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to our local community and to share a bit of what UUCNH is all about. We would love to hear any ideas you may have. And we welcome anyone who would like to help to staff the booth that day. (Also if you have an easy-set-up folding canopy we can borrow, that would be great, too!!)

This will be our first Goods and Services Auction in 5 years and you won't want to miss a minute of it!

Wouldn't you like to have help organizing your office? Or reconfiguring your electronics set-up? How about a 70-minute Swedish massage -or a Botox treatment? Babysitting, a green housecleaning, a cross country ski lesson and swing dancing for couples - all these services have been already been donated by the multi-talented members of our congregation; we will be gathering many, many more Goods and Services over the next 6 weeks.

The theme for the auction will be "Life's a Beach," so be sure to wear your beach hats and sunglasses. Desserts, snacks and drinks will be available for sale (but BYOB, please) and FREE childcare will be provided.

Doors will open at 6:30 for registration and the Silent Auction; the Live Auction with professional auctioneer Dave Russell will start at 7:30. The goal of this evening is both fundraising and fun raising, so invite your family, friends and neighbors to join us on the 30th.

P.S.: If you would like to donate goods or services - or help out with the auction- contact Mary Doubleday at marydoubleday@comcast.net.

The Ohio-Meadville District Office recently discovered that their server did not register those Chalice Lighters who signed up online during months of January to the present. The problem is now corrected but there is no way to reconstruct the information about those who signed up during that time.

If you tried to register online for Chalice Lighters during the last three and a half months, please return to the website and register again (you will not be duplicated) or you can send in a hard copy registration using the brochures at your church. Or you may call the OMD Office if you have any questions: 740-252-5980. The website is www.ohiomeadville.org and Chalice Lighters is noted under the Programming list.

On May 18th, we will be holding an Open Space meeting, to discuss this question:

What can we do together to make the UU Church of the North Hills the best congregation it can possibly become?

It's a meeting in which participants define the agenda with a relatively rigorous process, and adjust it as the meeting proceeds. So, beyond the question above, we, as a group, will define what topics and ideas we have, which ones we want to discuss in small groups, and what we'll do after the meeting. We'll start in our regular service and then have breakout sessions afterwards, ending with a conclusion at 2:30 PM. Can't stay that long? Or can't join us until 1:00 pm? That's fine - the Open Space process is based on the principles of: 'what happens, happens and is meant to be' and 'whoever is there, is meant to be there'. It's incredibly UUish!

Open Space has been used in international negotiations, at corporate conferences (I've participated in one at Bayer), and within the UUA. Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, District Executive of our Ohio-Meadville District of the UUA, will join us. She has been trained in this process and used it many times.

So plan to come have a unique, thoughtful, interesting time discussing this topic. If you have questions, contact Chris Hill (chill613@comcast.net, Pat McGlone or Carol Meyer.

Now is the time to put those dust-collecting used books, videos, cassettes, CD’s and DVD’s you have sitting around to good use. The North Hills Youth Ministry is having their 33^rd annual used book sale Friday, June 13th through Wednesday, June 18th at the Clayton Center, Memorial Park Church, 8800 Peebles Rd. Allison Park. This book sale provides them with operating funds to support their non-denominational Counseling Center for youths and families. Go to www.nhymcc.org for more information about this community resource.

Please bring your used items in boxes or bags to church and leave under the main entrance coat rack next to the east room. We will take it from there. The books need to be at the NHYM office by May 5th so have them at the church by Sunday, May 4^th at the latest. If you have any questions, please contact Gordon Higgins at birdies4@comcast.net.

We’re pleased to announce the continuation of the UUA’s well-received national marketing campaign. The second phase of the campaign will include 2 more ads in TIME Magazine, the most widely read news magazine in the United States, with over 3 million subscribers and 21 million readers.

The first ad ran in the April 14 issue and was on newsstands April 4. This was a new full-page ad, with the thought-provoking headline, "When in Doubt, Pray. When in Prayer, Doubt" This ad included an offer for a free copy of our popular DVD “Voices of a Liberal Faith”.

The May 12 issue of TIME (available on newsstands May 2) – the highly popular “TIME 100” issue — will carry the UUA ad with the headline, "My God is Better Than Your God," (a version of this ad ran in the Time December 31stPerson of the Year issue). This full-page ad will also include the free DVD offer. The TIME 100 issue features 100 people whose power, talent or moral example help to transform our world. It is one of the most heavily read issues of the year; it’s a perfect issue for our ad.

The UUA's national advertising campaign is supported through the generosity of Unitarian Universalist congregations who contributed to Association Sunday, held last fall. Funds earmarked for marketing are being used for the TIME print ad campaign, as well as an Internet campaign that includes Google Adwords program. A test Google Adwords campaign in Fall 2007 attracted thousands of new visitors to UUA.org and the “Find a Congregation” page.

The UUA’s national marketing campaign has energized congregations and individual UUs. Please direct congregations to the UUA website – Leaders – Leaders Library – National Marketing Campaign for further details. All updated information, sample graphics, generic ads for congregational use, and hospitality and welcoming tools for congregations are available there. For assistance with these resources, please contact Susanna Whitman at swhitman@uua.org.

It is hoped that seekers who yearn for a religious home will discover welcoming UU congregations committed to supporting their spiritual journeys

The Summer Institute Planning Committee reached a milestone with the posting of the SI 2008 brochure and registration form online at www.ohiomeadville.org and at www.omdsi.org

The brochure will also be e-mailed to more than 200 past attendees of SI who have told us they would accept a brochure online vs. the more expensive and not-so-environmentally-friendly paper brochure sent via snail mail. It's not too late to get the brochure via e-mail. Just drop a note to omdsi2008@gmail.com

Once you open the 2008 Summer Institute brochure, I know you'll be impressed with the variety of workshops, the entertainment options and the quality of our Theme Speaker for 2008 - Meg Barnhouse.

The Planning Committee also listened to your concerns. We're inaugurating The Canteen in 2008, an alcohol-free space where youth and adults can hangout after evening Vespers, drinking cool ice tea or hot java. There will be board games, card games, live music and conversation. The Young Adult dorm will also have alcohol-free rooms available. The small-group ensemble concert has been expanded to a second night, Tie-dyeing will be every afternoon, and the reader's theatre Katrina/Ultreya to benefit the rebuilding of the Unitarian Universalist Church in New Orleans.

There is so much more to experience at Summer Institute 2008 at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, from July 13 to July 19. Just double click on the link to the brochure and read all about it.

UU University at General Assembly 2008

Ministry in the Borderlands, theme of this year’s UU University, invites congregational leaders to consider the challenges and rewards of faithful engagement across the borders of religious identity. The Rev. Nick Carter, president of Andover Newton Theological School, is passionate about the possibilities and realistic about the challenges. It is a winning combination.

Keynote speaker, The Rev. Nick Carter is actively engaged in interfaith and inter-religious cooperation for action. He has been reading about us and will begin with the Unitarian Universalist experience, helping us focus on the ways we can bring our particular perspective to the world in ways that can heal religious strife.

This program continues the commitment to relevance and excellence in congregational leadership development. If your congregation is working in the borderlands or considering it, Nick’s stories, ideas and activities will help you develop a good plan of engagement. If you are looking for models to engage the religious and theological diversity within your congregation the lessons will apply equally well.

I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

This class is for anyone interested in meeting other newcomers and learning more about our church and Unitarian Universalism. Sessions will include an introduction to UUCNH; exploring our spiritual journeys with our minister, Carol Meyer; developing our own personal ministries; and any other topics in which the group has interest. Please contact Kathy Ke if interested in attending.

PSI Group - Part Three of "Verbal Self Defense." So we've identified the bad guys, now we'll see what you do to defend yourself in an abusive situation. Part one involves self-confidence, part two, seeing yourself as others see you, part three, doing conversation right. Now you're covered. If you get zapped anyway, well, that's what the tips we'll discuss are for. See you after the service, May 4^th, in the East Room. See Tony Palermo for details.

We'll continue our discussion of The Historical Jesus, emphasizing his mysterious & paradoxical Kingdom of God, which has been interpreted as everything from a personal epiphany to a separate society of outcasts. We'll meet in the East Room after the service, Sunday, May 16^th. See Tony Palermo for details.

When Kate Braestrup became a widow and a single parent, she began the long journey of building a new life. She decided to follow what had been her husbands dream, becoming a UU minister. Her calling was to serve as a Chaplin for the search and rescue missions in Main. She was able to bring understanding and compassion to the loved ones waiting to hear the fate of their lost child, sister or wife. As Kate ministers to families she creates a new life where serving others helps her to recover from her own tragic loss.

This will be the third session of the “Low Carbon Diet”. Carol Ballance will facilitate.

Tip for the month: Schedule regular maintenance for your heating and cooling systems. For an explanation, check with the Low Carbon Dieters!

1. Have you ever been locked into the belief that there are only 2 choices: "Paper or plastic"?

2. Have you ever taken a bag even when you were able to easily carry your purchase in your hand, pocket or purse?

4. Do you have a large stash of single-use bags hidden in a cabinet, closet or drawer?

5. Have you ever had purple or blue fingers from carrying too many plastic bags at once?

If you have answered YES to any of the questions you may have a single-use bag problem. (Thank you to ChicoBag.com for these questions.)

The DownUnder Coffeehouse

On Saturday, May 17^th at 7:30pm, the DownUnder Coffeehouse will feature Eve Goodman & Heather Kropf. The DownUnder Coffeehouse is open the third Saturday of each month in basement of Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church, 416 West North Ave. Suggested donation for this month's show is $5. Desserts and coffee will be available. Call 412-322-4261 or see www.alleghenyuu.org for more details.

* Call Janine Brobst (724-935-7078) to be sure no one else has offered flowers for that Sunday. Otherwise she will provide them.

* Call the church secretary (412-366-0244) by the preceding Thursday morning so that your name can be printed in the Order of Service. If your flowers are in memory of a loved one or a special event, tell the secretary.

* Flowers may be home-grown, or purchased or wildflowers from nature’s bounty or artificial arrangements. Branches trimmed from blooming shrubs are nice, too. Large vases are available at the church.

* Have your flowers in places before the pianist starts playing the prelude. The prelude starts at 10:55am.

The campsite at the Allegheny National Forest for our annual UUCNH camping trip has been reserved. The dates will be Wednesday, Aug 6 through Sunday, Aug 10. Mark your calendars now for this annual fun-filled event! To get directions and see pictures of the location in 2006 click here. For more information, contact Pam Weaver at pweaverj@earthlink.net

As I think about what I want to write about this month, I realize I have been thinking a lot about the blessings in my life and how often I am reminded of this on a daily basis. Working at Beaver County Behavioral Health in Beaver Falls as a Mental Health Intake Worker, I see children, families and adults that have so many struggles and issues in their lives, it is almost hard to believe some of what is happening in their lives truly is happening! Life seems so unfair for these families; they have so many challenges they face day to day and I imagine for them it is sometimes difficult to find the “blessings” in their lives. Working with families that are struggling day-to-day makes me feel very humble when I think of my own life. With my coworkers, I joke that our lives are “so boring” compared to some of the clients we serve. In all seriousness, I of course don’t really want a more “exciting” life if it means being a single mother who may have been in a physically and/or sexually abusive relationship, or being in a family where addiction is present, or being a person who has served time in jail for some illegal crime, and who has to serve out their probation or parole.

There is so much suffering that goes on in the world, in our own community, and sometimes in our own families I think it is easy to forget how “blessed” we are. I know I am very blessed for having good health, a nice husband, a fabulous 8-yr-old boy who keeps me on my toes, two healthy parents who are still living; my father who is 83-years-old and still kicking and my mother who just turned 66 and is more active in life than I can even imagine! She still skis during the winter, horseback rides in the spring and summer and between going to concerts, theatre and dance events with my father, still finds the time to be the Democratic chairperson for Bradford Woods!

I believe I didn’t realize how blessed my life was until my parents and I traveled to Tanzania and Kenya, Africa the summer before my sophomore year in college. There I “suffered” with three days of “culture shock” from seeing families living in cow-dung made shacks with animal droppings nearby; living in these tiny homes, fitting numerous family members. I saw flies on children’s faces, Africans begging at the marketplace for “wealthy Americans” to buy something, anything so they could make a “living”. Talk about making one feel humble!!

We all have specific times in our lives when we have thought, “I am so lucky to have the life I have” and to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. For me, when I have been lucky enough to have traveled to Africa, when I have worked as a child and adolescent therapist, when I look at the SAVE DARFUR ad hanging on my refrigerator that reads “When all the bodies in Darfur are buried how will history judge us?” and most recently when I go to work at Beaver County Behavioral Health, I am constantly reminded of the blessings in my life. I do hope you all take time to think of the blessings you have in your own life. More importantly however, I hope you all make a conscience effort to remember others who may be living lives in which they may be feeling they have very little to feel “blessed” about. It is our “UU” duty to do this, I believe!

Pete McQuillin, member of the Allegheny UU Church, is part of Green Burial Pittsburgh, a group of environmentally concerned citizens who have formed a non-profit cemetery association to work with land conservation groups to establish Green Cemeteries in Western Pennsylvania.

“Green burial” or “natural burial” is a burial method that supports the earth's ecosystem by using no toxic chemical embalming fluids or concrete burial vaults. Caskets are made of biodegradable materials. The body is buried relatively close to the surface of the ground (about 24 to 30 inches down), so it nourishes plant growth as it decomposes. Grave markers, if they are used, are either native stones, flat on the ground, or plants such as shrubs or trees.

We are starting up our alkaline battery recycling again. They can be placed in the container on the Social Action table. Once we collect enough, we can take them down to the eHouse store on the South Side. The owner collects them until he has a pickup truck full, and then drives them up to Inmetco where the battery components are recycled. He does ask for a contribution to cover his gas of $1/lb. A pound works out to be about 3 D cells or 6 C cells or 15 AA cells or about 25 AAA cells.

The first event was April 26 at Settler's Cabin Park. If you missed this one, there will be another Allegheny County event on September 27, but the location has not been determined yet. Also, the Hard to Recycle Event has not been schedule for 2008 yet. I'll let you know when it is.

We can recycle just about anything made of pulp; we just need to separate it properly:

Corrugated Cardboard (Boxes with hollow walls) should be flattened and placed in the red recycling dumpster in the parking lot.

Paperboard (cereal boxes, or other materials; usually grey inside or when torn) should be flattened and put in the recycling bins under the Social Action table in Friendship Hall. We have to take these to Construction Junction, so it you travel near them, please take your own materials and consider helping the church by taking one of our bins, too.

Phonebooks (white, yellow or grey pages) are the bottom of the chain. They must be separated out. Check with your telephone company, take them to Construction Junction, or you can put them in the large, grey trashcan by the overflow parking lot. Check for the labeled container-don't put them in the other bins!

All Other Paper Materials (office paper, newspaper, magazines, inserts, catalogs, etc. Even shredded paper-but put it in a plastic bag so it doesn't blow around) can go into our PaperRetriever bin in the parking lot. Note: Abitibi sometimes get behind in their pickup schedule, so if ours is overflowing, please take them to another bin at one of the many churches on Rochester Road.

If you still have questions, or want to help, see Chris Hill during coffee hour by email (chill613@comcast.net).

For May: Bottled or canned fruit juices

Please don’t forget to contribute to the "Donation Station" for the NORTH HILLS COMMUNITY OUTREACH (NHCO) Food Pantry, now located near the church entrance. The May NHCO request is to bring bottled or canned fruit juices to the church. AND laundry detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo and bar soap are always needed. Thanks to all who have contributed lately.

Plastic bags needed by North Hills Community Outreach: If you bring your extras to the church, drop them off at the NHCO Donation Station where they can be used to sort food at the food pantry.

Dates available now for 2008!

The Pleasant Valley Men’s Shelter has a list of dates available in 2008 for all UUCNH members and friends able to prepare and serve dinners to shelter residents. Please consider planning ahead for one of these dates. If interested, contact Greg Jarold at oldjar@aol.com.

The UUCNH Social Action Committee sponsors our participation in this worthwhile program.

You can help balance the church budget by buying groceries! If you shop at Giant Eagle, Festival or Kuhn’s, consider joining your fellow church members by purchasing gift cards for these stores. For every $100 in groceries you buy using the gift card, the church gets $5. If you are interested in purchasing the cards, please see Jim Noel or John Brobst during coffee hour.

This is your April notice requesting your May submissions for your June Intercom. Got that? Good. Explain it to me, okay? Our next Intercom will be published on May 18, 2007. That will make Wednesday, May 14, 2007 the DEADLINE for the May Intercom. If your material isn’t in by the deadline, it will NOT be included in the next Intercom unless you have contacted me to make arrangements.

If you email your submissions, please do it IN PLAIN TEXT ONLY; please, do not format the article in any way. Submissions may be submitted in the office mailbox in written or diskette form, or emailed (preferred) in plain text to me at WESDFS@nauticom.net.

PS. Website submissions go to the webmaster- that would be Bill@Swidal.com

WHAT NEXT?

MEMBERSHIP MEMO MAY 2008

UU University at General Assembly 2008

The DownUnder Coffeehouse

For May: Bottled or canned fruit juices

PLEASANT VALLEY MEN'S SHELTER

Dates available now for 2008!