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The Steeple Biweekly
Steeple, weathevane, moon
May 4, 2004
a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association,
26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Church Phone: 978.465.0602 - Minister's Line: 978.465.6504 - Fax: 978.462.0384
Web Page: www.frsuu.org - E-mail: frsuu@netway.com
The Rev. Harold E. Babcock, Minister The Rev. Bertrand H. Steeves, Minister Emeritus
Mothers' Day
Rev. John Burciaga
"Mary as Mother, Mary as Virgin:
And Why Marriage Isn't for Christians"
Mary was useful to the early Church but too late to enjoy her status. This will lead to the matter of marriage in the early faith and to the question, 'Who is marriage for, if not for Christians?'"
We welcome to our pulpit Rev. John Burciaga. He has served UU congregations in Lehigh Valley, PA; Atlanta, GA; Tampa Bay, FL and Washington, DC; and briefly on field staff for the UUA before present settlement with the UU Congregation of Phoenix, in Paradise Valley, AZ. He is also a professional journalist and was editor for two major alternative newspapers in Atlanta, GA and Tampa, FL. Among other interests: docent and outreach volunteer for the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. He is the husband of former FRS member Linda Lu Schulz.
Flowers - The flowers for today's service are donated by John and David Dodge in loving memory of their parents, Allen and Caroline Dodge, longstanding First Religious Society members.
Steeple Lighting - The steeple lighting this week is donated in memory of Bob Tesar by his family.
Chalice Lighters - The Stock-Raschke family
Coffee Hour - Barbara Tolley and Carol Kilty
Young Church Sunday
Community Worship Service
"Love Is the Doctrine of this Church"
Come celebrate our community with special music, ritual, and a Young Church litany. As is our custom, the graduating high school seniors from our church community will be recognized.
Flowers - The flowers for today's service are donated by Florence Pearson, in loving memory of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gale Chapman.
Steeple Lighting - The steeple lighting this week is donated in memory of her mother, Anne Laurence Green, and grandfather, L.P. Dodge, by Ann Laurence Dodge, who sends her greetings from Africa.
Chalice Lighters - The Herrmann-James family
Coffee Hour- Social Action Committee
Young Church Exhibition: During coffee hour on May 16, we will hold a Young Church exhibition upstairs in the Parish Hall. Young Church classes will have a visual display of something they have done this year. Come see what our children and youth have created! All are welcome!
Young Church Social Action Term: The Social Action Term begins May 23. Registration forms will be sent out with the May-June issue of Young Church News and should be returned by May 16. Please be sure to look for it in the mail.
Nursery Meeting: A meeting will be held for all parents of infants and toddlers on May 23, at 9:45 a.m. This will be an opportunity to talk about plans for nursery care in the 2004-05 church year. All parents are urged to attend! If you cannot attend, please contact Julie Parker Amery. We want as many thoughts and opinions as possible so that we can provide the best possible service next year.
Seeking a Nursery Supervisor: We are seeking a nursery supervisor for the 2004 - 05 church year. General duties include supervising babies and toddlers in the nursery during church, as well as managing the schedule of volunteer assistants. If you are interested in seeing a complete job description, please contact Julie Parker Amery.
Up and Coming Informational Meeting: Parents and youth who will be in grades 9 and up next year are encouraged to attend an Up and Coming Informational meeting on May 16 at 11:45 in the Lower Meeting House. Further details will be mailed, but for now, save the date!
| Among ourselves: We pause in awe-filled silence at the death of our longtime member Jean C. Wilson this past weekend. Her contributions to the life of this church and the life of this community are too numerous to detail, and no listing of them would paint a picture of her energy, her care, her kindness, her humor. Our hearts go out especially to her daughters Mardi Chalmers and Karen Wilson. There will be a memorial service, presently scheduled for Saturday, May 8, at 2:00 p.m., but those planning to attend should watch the local papers for exact details of that. |  |
Services are at 10:45 a.m.
Directions are on our website (www.frsuu.org) and will be reprinted in a later Steeple Biweekly.
June 27: Rev. Holly Baylies July 4: Rev. Janet Bowering July 11: Rev. Kendra Ford July 18: Rev. Deborah Knowlton July 25: Rev. Terry Burke |
August 8: Rev. Connie Sternberg August 15: Rev. David Blanchard August 22: Rev. Bertrand Steeves August 29: Rev. Harold Babcock September 5: Rev. Joseph Bassett |
Deadline for Annual Reports: Officers and Chairpersons of Standing Committees should make sure that they have delivered their annual reports to the administrator by May 7 at noon. E-mail is preferable.
Women's Alliance Meeting: Tuesday, May 11 -- Our speaker will be FRS Administrator, John Mercer, talking about digital photography, with specific reference to, and examples from, his obsessive photographing of the FRS Meetinghouse.
Whoever you are, whomever you love, we welcome you: The next meeting of the Welcoming Congregation Committee will be Tuesday, May 11, at 7:00 p.m. in the Lower Meetinghouse. Do you have a favorite film that addresses issues of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered persons? We are planning a film series for the summer and would love your input. This program has been successful in past summers so we are hoping to revitalize it. In addition, we will also be reviewing the status of same-sex marriage, will continue to refine the design of our welcoming banner, and will check in on plans for securing speakers for our upcoming 10th anniversary as a Welcoming Congregation through the UUA. Hope you can join us. For more information, contact Nancy Sullivan at rallison@shore.net or Todd Herrmann at tgherrmann@etbio.com.
Walk Against Violence a Huge Success: Thanks to everyone who walked April 25 and for all who supported our First Religious Society Team. The FRS team contributed over $2,600 to the Women's Crisis Center. The weather was lovely, the conversation was lively, and everyone who walked had a good time.
The First Religious Society will be hosting the third annual spring lecture, given this year by Lori Heninger, Quaker Representative to the UN. The lecture is titled The Economics of War: A Foundation for Conflict. It will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, at the First Religious Society in the Upper Parish Hall.
Lori Heninger, CSW, is the Quaker Representative to the UN. Her work focuses on the relationship between international economic systems and conflict, children in armed conflict, and global governance. Lori is a graduate of Columbia School of Social Work and is currently completing her doctorate in social welfare. Refreshments catered by the Purple Onion will be served before the lecture. The lecture is sponsored by the Social Action Committee of the First Religious Society. The event is free and open to the public. For more information call 978.465.0602 or visit www.frsuu.org.
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DINNERS FOR EIGHT - CIRCLE DINNERS
You can sign up to be a host or a guest:
- Hosts will open their home and provide the table settings and something for the shared meal. The Host will also coordinate the dishes that the various guests will provide. If you have never hosted before, please consider it this year. We can adjust the number of guests if your space is small!
- Guests will bring a dish for the shared meal (hors d'oeuvres, main dish, side dishes, or dessert) plus their own beverages.
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SPRING RUMMAGE NEWS: The Spring Rummage Sale (April 23 & 24) took in over $1,000, an excellent performance that has allowed rummage for the year to have overachieved budgeted expectation of $1,500 by $230.00. The rummage mavens, Florence Mercer and Anne Verret-Speck, thank their tireless workers: Lorraine Adelman, Marj Babcock, Barbara Bell, Linda Buddenhagen, Beth Cawley, Ann Chase, Marian DeParolesa, Vicki Dyer, Wendy Ford, Pamela Herman, Janet Kalashian, Ruth Lang, Leslie Lipkind, Judy MacGregor, Nancy McCarthy, John Mercer, Judith Niles, Pat Ouelette, Barbara Owen, Marge & Jerry Peterson, Betty Pike, Cary Plumer, Leanna and Nemesia Sorcar, Pat Skibbee, Joan Smart, Forrest Speck, Anne Spraker, Maxine Steeves, Lisa Tarmey, and Anne White. Their thanks also go out to all the generous donors and eager buyers. Start planning for next fall!
Memorial Day Flea Market: Is your spring cleaning done? Why toss your clutter, when you can donate it to our Memorial Day Flea Market? Nancy Crochiere is hoping to organize another flea market similar to our successful Columbus Day sale, but needs the help of many volunteers, including coordinators for each of the three days; people willing to do a three-hour shift selling the merchandise; and big strong men/women with biceps and/or pickups to carry tables and transport leftover goods. The proceeds from the sale will benefit our Renovation Project. The flea market can happen only if we have enough volunteers. Please sign up at coffee hour or email Nancy at ncrochiere@adelphia.net.
a cappella women's vocal ensemble
Saturday, May 22, 8:00 p.m.
Proceeds to benefit the Organ Restoration Fund of First Parish Sudbury
& Olympia's Daughters GA Expense Fund
. . . bridging cultural gaps
. . . bringing people together with the healing power of music
First Parish of Sudbury Unitarian Universalist, 327 Concord Road, Sudbury Center corner of Concord Rd. and Route 27To reserve tickets, mail ticket requests to First Parish of Sudbury UU, 327 Concord Road, Sudbury, MA 01776 and enclose a check payable to First Parish of Sudbury, with "Olympia's Daughters" in the memo line. Your tickets will be held at the door.ADMISSION: $15 in advance, $20 at the door -- Advance ticket sales end May 15
From the FRS office: There are only a few Sundays left for flowers in the church, and we are accepting weekly steeple lighting memorials for the summer. Just call Vicki Dyer at 978.465.0602.
As you may have heard, this May and June the Young Church, in cooperation with the Human Services Committee, will be completing four social action projects. These projects include The Friend Project - visiting a nursing home for four weeks; The Green Project - cleaning up local parks and trails over the course of four weeks; The Bura Project - raising money for a Heifer Project for our sister city, Bura, in Africa; and The Lakota Project - collecting winter coats, hats, and mittens (and possibly other needed items) for the children of the Lakota Nation in South Dakota. It is this last project that I am writing about today.
The Lakota Project -- I am told that the Lakota people are among the poorest people in the western hemisphere, second only to the people of Haiti. As a Mid-westerner, I know that South Dakota has a cruelly cold winter, and many children do not have the proper clothing to keep them warm. Consequently, we are attempting to collect as many new and gently used winter coats, hats, mittens, and boots as possible. If you knit or crochet, why not make a pair of mittens, a scarf, or a hat for this project? If you see a warm coat or winter boots at a used clothing store or yard sale this spring, buy them for the Lakota children. Or you could donate your childrens' old outerwear (clean and in good condition, of course). Spring seems to be here, so as you prepare to put away your childrens' outgrown winter things, consider donating them to the Lakota Project.All of these social action projects will be a wonderful lesson for the children of our church community. Not just in empathizing with people in need but, as they say in their chalice lighting each week, "for the warmth of love and the energy of action". Thank you in advance for encouraging your children to participate in this endeavor, and in helping out however you can. On a final note, I would like to offer a special thanks to the Women's Alliance, who have graciously offered to donate money towards shipping what we collect to South Dakota.
The Newburyport Chocolate Tour: The FRS Parish Hall will be event headquarters for a chocolate-covered fundraiser that will take place on Saturday, May 15, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will benefit the life-saving programs of The Greater Newburyport Chapter of the American Red Cross. Ticket buyers will receive chocolate samples from each participating retailer, chocolate maker, baker and pastry chef who have donated their talent and chocolate delicacies to bring the tour to fruition.
The list of tour participants is extensive: Alden Merrell Fine Desserts, Carry Out Café, Eat Cake!, Flukes & Finds & Friends, Gram's Ice Cream, Greta's Great Grains, Hippie Chick Bakery, Interlocks Salon & Day Spa, Michael's Harborside Restaurant, Nanny's Candies, Pralines, Simply Sweet, Souffles, State Street Candle & Mug, Winfrey's Fudge and Wishbasket. The Book Rack will donate 20% of proceeds from the sale of all chocolate books on May 15th to the Newburyport Chapter of the American Red Cross. Jabborwocky Book Store is offering a 20% discount on all dessert books to Chocolate Tour ticket holders.
Tickets are $12 and can be purchased by calling the Red Cross at 978.462.8243. Tickets are also available at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage on State Street, Michael's Harborside Restaurant, One Tournament Wharf, and State Street Candle & Mug on State Street in Newburyport.
Considering that chocolate is America's favorite flavor, that Americans buy $13 billion of chocolate each year, and that Americans consume a total of 3.3 billion pounds of chocolate annually, the event should capture considerable interest.
The Newburyport Chocolate Tour is sponsored by The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.
Adult Education
| Harold's Increasingly Famous Tour of Emerson Country - May 22 (Rain date May 29) - See the Adult Ed Bulletin Board for meeting place and time. Walk in the footsteps of famous Unitarians and Universalists. Harold Babcock will lead and will share readings and anecdotes. We will carpool to Cambridge and Concord, beginning at the the Divinity Hall Chapel at Harvard where Emerson delivered his famous "Divinity School Address," then on to Mt. Auburn Cemetery, burial place of many well loved UUs (John Murray, William Ellery Channing and Dorothea Dix), then on to Concord where we will visit the UU church and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (burial place of Emerson, Thoreau and the Alcott family). |
We will finish at the Concord bridge next to the old manse. Bring a lunch for a picnic, good stout walking shoes, and a hearty spirit.
Plum Island Kayak Tour - A Saturday or a twilight tour in midweek in late May or early June Take a kayak tour from the Merrimack River into the waterways of Plum Island. A sign-up sheet for this event is on the Adult-Education bulletin board to discover whether there is interest enough. If ten or more sign up for a single time and date, they can benefit from a discounted price of $30.00 per person. So sign up today! |
The FRS Current Events Forum -- First and third Sundays of each month before church in the Lower Meetinghouse Conference Room
- May 16 -- 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Review of Recent Subjects
- June 6 -- 9:00 - 10:15 a.m. -- Special Current Events Focus -- A joint effort by the Adult Education and Social Action Committees -- We will view the film Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War. There will be a facilitator for the discussion after the film. (We will meet earlier than usual to allow time both to view the film and to discuss it.)
Knitting with Eileen -- Every other Saturday at 10 a.m. - Conference Room
The OpenBook Group -- Third Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Lower Meetinghouse
- May 19 -- Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
- June 16 -- Three Junes by Julia Glass
From former parishioner John Ogden, who was in Cambridge recently doing a poetry reading
On Saturday I visited with Bert and Maxine [Steeves] on Merrimac Street and at lunch at Bono's. Afterwards they took me on a tour of the church renovations and I was much impressed. The changes are so clean and spare, so utilitarian and beautiful at the same time. Bert's handsome portrait. The gracefully curved stair inviting an easy descent to the foundation life of the parish. The handicap access, the courtyard giving onto the Parish Hall, and the courtyard on the opposite side, in brick closely laid, and stone without mortar (metaphor, there, don't you think?) all flooded with the afternoon sun.All these images and more tell me that the First Religious Society is as solid as ever and will endure to serve the best interests and highest aspirations of the community.
Recent Views of the FRS
 Plays in a Day |
 Nancy McCarthy leads calisthenics before Walk Against Violence |
 May Breakfast |
Wide Shot of the Big House
