Steeple: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Carolyn Dawson in memory of her father, Arthur Kemp.

Ushers: Chuck Kennedy and Ann Dodge.

FRS Current Events Forum: 9:30 in Lower Meetinghouse Conference Room. The topic is "Turning the Page on Iraq: Barack Obama's Plan for Ending the War in Iraq."

Steeple: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Carol Young in memory of Kenneth H. Young.

Ushers: Maureen Adams and Lee McLaughlin.

The historical address which followed these preliminary exercises was by Mr. Henry Bailey Little, treasurer of the church. Quickly reviewing the earlier events Mr. Little spoke in greater detail of the twenty-four years that had passed since the last anniversary celebration. Of this period his personal knowledge was most comprehensive.

"Then followed a delightful social hour, during which guests registered and friend met friend. Literature and photographs relating to the church and parish were distributed." [Newburyport Daily News]

A buffet supper was served in the parish dining room. The addresses which followed it were given in the upper hall. Mr. Little acted as toastmaster and introduced Alvin T. Fuller, governor of Massachusetts, Michael Cashman, mayor of Newburyport, several local and visiting clergymen, former parishioners and others connected with or interested in the society. All spoke, some of appreciation, some of memories, some of hopes for the future and all contributed a new impulse for endeavor to keep this venerable society alive.

I am hoping to get to know more of you through some of the upcoming events here that I am facilitating. The video series, Race the Power of Illusion begins next Wednesday evening October 3rd and the first Meditative Walk at Maudslay Park is on Thursday morning October 11th. I will also be attending the UU New England Conference in Worcester on Saturday October 27th, which is a wonderful opportunity to witness some of the most influential leaders in our movement. If you have never been to the annual General Assembly, this is an easy way to get a broader taste of Unitarian Universalism. I am also here to meet with you individually. Please contact me if you would like to set up a time to get together.

Thank you
to Ann Poirier, who helped clean and organize our Young Church closets.

Our condolences to Carolyn Dawson of the death of her father, Arthur, at the age of 101.

Get well soon to Eleanor Rogers who has recently had heart surgery and will be in Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital in Haverhill for a week.

Getting There from Here: Two Centuries of Change in Newburyport Transportation: 1800-2000
Tuesdays, Oct. 9 - 30, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Led by Ben Labaree
Lower Meeting House
Limited to 18 participants
Newburyport's location on the banks of the Merrimack River has given its inhabitants both opportunities and challenges in the development of transportation into the world beyond its borders. Over the course of two centuries the primary method of reaching other communities, near and distant, has evolved from the horse and buggy, to the railroad, to the inter-urban trolley, and, now for nearly a century, to the automobile.

Each change has had a profound effect on the community itself. (To focus on these major innovations is not to deny that other means have also existed for "getting there," such as walking, bicycling, rowing or sailing, and flying). Participants will meet in the church basement classroom on four successive Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. to discuss each of these major developments and its impact on life in Newburyport.

Each session will have a discussion leader and a modest amount of assigned readings. Maps will be left in the classroom for examination by the participants.

Why Even Buddhists Find It Hard to Meditate and What To Do About It
Wednesday Oct. 10, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Led by Curtis Rising, Buddhist
Lower Meeting House
This talk will focus on a central struggle so many of us Buddhists (and non-Buddhists) encounter. We've read the books, memorized the three marks of existence and the four noble truths. We've attended the weekend courses in beautiful, wordless settings and driven home committed to practicing everyday, forever. Yet, back in the familiar vortex of our daily lives, retreat mind fades. We know it is as simple as sitting and breathing but we just don't get around to it. Why is this? Do we deep down just not like sitting and breathing? Why the resistance? How do we use this resistance to spark practice? Do we have to practice formally, in a certain way for a certain amount of time, to "get credit"? Isn't there an express lane for all this?

Emerson as Spiritual Guide
Thursdays Oct. 11 - Nov. 15 (skipping Nov. 1), 5:45-7:15 p.m.
Led by Harold Babcock
Lower Meeting House Program fee $16 for the book
In this five-week investigation of Ralph Waldo Emerson you will read from Barry Andrews' book Emerson as Spiritual Guide and selected essays of Emerson.

Emerson is our mystic, our embracer of the mystery. In Emerson we find the worship of the inexplicable. In his essay "Nature" he wrote: "Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. I am glad to the brink of fear." He doesn't need to explain this feeling; it is enough to have experienced it. The experience is all the proof he needs.

The Grimke Sisters
Sunday, Oct. 14, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Lower Meeting House, tickets $5.00
Sarah and Angelina Grimke are coming to the FRS. On a whirlwind tour in 1837, Angelina and Sarah Grimke from South Carolina visited more than 70 towns in Massachusetts to tell first hand of the horrors of slavery. Speaking out in public, challenging Northerners' fears of abolition, Sarah's and Angelina's determined voices swayed the direction of the anti-slavery debate. As the first women to speak before a state (Massachusetts) legislature, their daring call to action planted the seeds for the future of the suffragist movement. The Grimke sisters visited Newburyport and Amesbury and counted John Greenleaf Whittier among their many friends and supporters. Join storytellers Susan Lenoe and Lani Peterson in this dramatic and interactive "parlor meeting" portrayal of Sarah and Angelina Grimke set in the aftermath of the Philadelphia riots and burning of Pennsylvania Hall in the spring of 1838. Susan and Lani bring to life these forgotten heroines. Call Vicki Dyer at (978) 465-0602, x401 to sign up for any of these

English Teacher and Program Coordinator for Transylvania
Entering its eleventh year, the English instruction program in Transylvania supports English language teaching for Unitarian ministry students at the Protestant Theological Institute in Cluj/Kolozsvar, Romania. The program is sponsored and administered by Meadville Lombard Theological School and is partially funded by the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council.

Meadville Lombard (www.meadville.edu) is seeking a half-time, permanent English Teacher/Coordinator to ensure English language proficiency among Unitarian ministerial students. He or she will also work with ministerial interns from North America who will assist in the work.

An ideal candidate will either be a native speaker of English or a non-native speaker who has studied the language at the highest level possible. This candidate should have several years' experience teaching, have excellent communication skills and be able to delegate responsibilities effectively.

The position opens January 2008. Review of applications will begin immediately and will be considered until October 31, 2007. For more information or to apply, please send a letter of interest and a CV to Steven Mitchell at smitchell@meadville.edu.