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Covers of Unwritten Books
Collages by Bettina Turner
in the Tiny Gallery for June
(click picture for larger version)
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THE STEEPLE BIWEEKLY
of The First Religious Society in Newburyport,
a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association,
26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
Office hours: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (M - F)
Web Site: www.frsuu.org
e-mail: frsuu@netway.com
Church Phone: (978) 465-0602
Minister's Line: (978) 465-6504
Fax: (978) 462-0384
The Rev. Harold E. Babcock, Minister
The Rev. Bertrand H. Steeves, Minister Emeritus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deadline for next Steeple Biweekly: Friday, June 18 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Worship
Service - June 13, 10:30 a.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Up
and Coming UUs Worship Service
Over the past year, twelve FRS teenagers have taken
part in Up and Coming UUs, our coming-of-age
program that engages them in the questions: Who am I? What do I believe?
What is my place in the world? Please join us this morning for what is
certain to be a thoughtful service led by this dynamic dozen.
There is no Young Church this morning.
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been
donated by Swift and Virginia Barnes in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Swift
Barnes, Sr., and Mrs. William Simonds.
Flowers: The flowers for today's service are donated by Susan
Ricker and Bill Zarakas and family in memory of
Susan's sister, Janet Ricker.
Ushers: Anne McCrae and Phil Loring.
Coffee Hour Hosts: Stephen and Ellen Sheehy,
Mary Miles and Ray Rigor da Eva, Thomas and
Melinda Sheehy, and Maura and Kevin Moore.
Current Events Forum: 9:30 in Lower Meetinghouse Conference Room.
Collection for Cause: One half of the loose plate contributions
for June will go to Emmaus House, a family emergency shelter in Haverhill.
Guests benefit from a structured family environment, counseling, referrals to outside agencies, and housing search
assistance.
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Worship
Service - June 20, 10:30 a.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Closing Sunday
Rev. Harold Babcock
"Alpha and Omega"
As we come to the end
of another regular church year, a reflection upon beginnings and endings.
Alicia Robinson will offer her journey of faith. We will say good-bye for
the summer. Hope to see you before our annual hiatus begins!
- Harold Babcock
Steeple
Lighting: The
steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Barbara Burnim in loving memory of her father, Joseph A.
O'Neill.
Flowers: The flowers for today's
service are donated for Dad, Poppy and Bubba with Love from Matthew Finbury and Patricia Reeser.
Ushers: Jack and Jim Dyer.
Coffee Hour Hosts: Anne Comeau and Ned
McClung, PJ Goddard, and Paula Renda.
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Joys and
Sorrows
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There will be a memorial service for FRS member Marion deParolesa
in the church on Saturday, June 19, at 1:00 p.m.
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The
Minister's Summer Plans
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Monday, June 21, I will be leaving for the UUA's
annual General Assembly, to be held this year in Minneapolis.
Following GA I will be spending a few days in Hanska,
Minnesota, location of my first church settlement. The good folks
in Hanska are planning a reunion of their
former ministers who will be attending GA, which should be a lot of fun.
During July, I will be on vacation, but I will not
be idle. From July 9 to July 13 I will be attending an
international UU minister's conference in the Netherlands.
Sponsored by the International Council of Unitarian Universalists (ICUU),
this conference will bring together 60 ministers from around the
world. It will be immediately followed by the third ICUU
Theological Symposium on the topic, "Belonging: Our Unitarian
Identities and the Nature of our Relations."
On July 17 Sabrina will join me in Amsterdam.
From there we will travel to Freiburg, Germany,
to spend a couple of days with German friends, and from there on to Kolozsvar/Cluj in Romania for the 20th anniversary of
the restart of the UU Partner Church movement in 1990. Then it will
be on to our Partner Church village of Ujszekely
and the wedding of our friend Denes Jakab (brother of our partner church minister Zsolt) to Annamaria Kollos, in which I will preach the wedding
sermon. (Denes and Annamaria
have both visited Newburyport, and during the summer and fall of 2006 Annamaria worked at Russell Orchards in Ispwich.) Following a day or two in the
beautiful Harghita Mountains of Transylvania,
we will return to Newburyport on July 31.
During August I will be on call in the event of
emergencies, conducting a wedding, and getting ready for my son
Benjamin's wedding on August 28. I will be preaching in Hampton
Falls on August 15. I know that this very full summer will pass
quickly, and I look forward to our re-gathering in September. In
the meantime, I wish you all a safe and relaxing summer, with warm gentle
breezes!
- Harold
Babcock
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Journeys
of Faith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from the FRS Worship Committee
You may have noticed a brief addition to our
worship service called Journeys of Faith. This new program was started by
the Worship Committee in direct response to our vision and mission work,
which asked us to consider ways to increase lay participation and to
include a wider diversity of congregational voices to our worship
services. We will be asking you for your feedback as the program
progresses. Several of our members have prepared their Journeys of Faith
on what brought them to FRS, and will be sharing them at worship services
over the coming weeks. We are hopeful that you will find this innovation
meaningful and enriching. The second Journey of Faith was given by
Abigail Bottome at the May 30 service.
When I was a girl, all Sundays, not just religious
holidays, meant: Sunday School, church, communion, confirmation
classes. As a teenager I began to question the beliefs of my
church-I couldn't have explained it at the time but it was the trinity
itself that I had begun to doubt. I struggled with my loss of faith
and even wrote to my parents during my first year in college to explain
to them that I could no longer take communion because I really didn't
believe in the sacrament. I thought it wrong and disrespectful of
their faith to continue. I learned from Harold years later that
Ralph Waldo Emerson came to a similar belief.
I was born in Brooklyn, grew up in New Jersey and
have lived for almost forty years in an old salt box house on a narrow
lane in Amesbury. Yet when I consider my spiritual journey my
thoughts turn to New Orleans, Louisiana, my grandmother's girlhood
home. Her father, Gottfried Wegener, was
pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in NO for nearly half a century and
for me New Orleans is an iconic place. Since that oil rig accident
the city and the fragile salt marshes along the Gulf Coast have been much
on my mind.
Before I joined FRS Plum Island and Great Marsh were where I went for
spiritual renewal and reflection. They still are, but much as I
love the herons and ever changing hues of the grasses, I learned that I
need human interaction. It was to this church that I turned after
my husband's death and where we held his memorial service. A short
time later I became a member. This community nurtures my lifelong
quest to understand how we should live and why are we here anyway? A
brief anecdote may reveal more about me than I should. Years ago,
somewhere in my thirties, I used to carry around a book I was reading-Does God Exist? by Hans Kung. It's a big book and it was taking
a long time to read-I don't think I ever completed it. One day I
was in a low mood, feeling unfulfilled as we used to say. My dear
husband asked me, "Who are your role models?" I thought
for a moment and answered: Hans Kung, William Sloan Coffin, and Howard Zinn. My husband laughed out loud and ever the
feminist said, "You need a few women as role models not those old
white guys."
I relate this story because remembering it confirms how I came to this
church. In this post Katrina, post "drill baby drill"
time we are living I know people here who share my connection to the
natural world and especially the magical salt marshes that are so very
crucial to the survival of so many species including our own. But I
also encounter here a community where the social and political
commitments and the spiritual beliefs of such a disparate group as Zinn and Kung and Coffin will be
welcome.
-
Abigail Bottome
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First
Open Stage set for June 19th
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The last First Open Stage of htis church
year is scheduled for Saturday evening, June 19th, from 7:00 to 9:00 in
the Upper Parish Hall. This is a youth-centered gathering where friends
perform for each other in the tradition of the church coffee house and
open mic. All forms of performance art are
welcome. Youth and adult performers are welcome, provided that the
performance is geared to the young audience. For details contact Mark Snelling at mark.snelling@ymail.com.
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"Covers of Unwritten Books"
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Collages by
Bettina Turner in The Tiny Gallery
"Before I had a studio, I needed to work in
small formats. For some years I made collages, mostly using magazine
images. I always felt that they told stories, therefore the title.
Occasionally they have prompted my own writing of poems or stories. This
selection has been photocopied and mounted on black paper for a more
unified appearance without the cost of framing. If any of the images
speak to you and you would like to own it, I will gladly make you a free
copy. Just ask!"
Bettina Turner is a member of this church. She is a
self -taught artist. She has exhibited some of her sculptures and mixed
media pieces in this space last fall.
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Summer
Services
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The last service in this church year for the First
Religious Society is on Sunday, June 20, and the first of the next church
year is on the Sunday after Labor Day, September 12. In the summer, many
of our parishioners attend, regularly or occasionally, The First
Congregational Society (Unitarian) in Hampton Falls, NH. Services there
are at 10:45 a.m.
The First Congregational Society (Unitarian) is a separate church from
the First Religious Society. While our own minister, minister emeritus,
an FRS member, and our former ministerial intern are among the speakers
and many of the other speakers will be familiar to FRS members, the forum
is an open pulpit and thus will likely include a broad range of views.
The church is on Route 88, just past Applecrest
Farms: take Route 95 North to Route 107 East to Route 1 North. Go through
Seabrook to Hampton Falls. Turn left on Route 88 at the center of
Hampton Falls. Go about 3 miles down Route 88 to the church just past Applecrest on the right. Parking is in the rear
of the building.
June 20 - Rev. Henry Stonie, Affiliate
Minister, Hampton Falls UU Church
June 27 - Rev. Deborah Knowlton, First Congregational Church UCC, Hampton
July 4 - Rev. Janet H. Bowering, Minister Emerita,
UU Church, Haverhill MA
July 11 - Rev. Thomas Wintle, First Parish
Church, Weston MA
July 18 - Miss Kimberly Luck, D.R.E., First Parish, Lincoln, MA
July 25 - Rev. Christina Sillari, First Parish,
Portland, ME
August 1 - Rev. John Burciaga, member, First
Religious Society UU, Newburyport MA
August 8 - Rev. Bertrand H. Steeves, Minister
Emeritus
First Religious Society, Newburyport MA
August 15 - Rev. Harold E. Babcock, First Religious Society UU,
Newburyport MA
August 22 - Rev. Pamela Barz, UU Chaplain,
Wellesley College, Wellesley MA
August 29 - Rev. Edward Hardy, First Parish, East Bridgewater, MA
Sept 5 - Rev. Joseph Bassett, Minister Emeritus, First UU Church, Weston
MA
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FRS Summer Book Group Invitation
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From the
Stirring Committee: Stir the Pot
If you are interested in joining a book group to discuss Francis Moore Lappe's Diet For A Small Planet, the 20th year
edition, and Independence Days by Sharon Astyk,
please contact Susan Manning at susanashtonmanning@gmail.com. Says Susan, "Both of these books would be great to
begin a dialog about the 'Food Industrial Complex'. Is anyone else interested?
These books really caught my attention and I would love to read them with
other people."
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FRS
Theater Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from
Anne-Laurence Dodge and Chuck Kennedy
Hi everyone - We went last week to see Johnny
Baseball in Cambridge at the American Rep Theater, and really loved it.
Jon March's youngest son is in it. It is a musical that shifts between
2004 and the fourth game of the American League Playoffs, and the early
1920s. It's funny, poignant and political in that it covers the issue of
racism in baseball. The Red Sox were the last major league team to
integrate. With the code below, you can get $10 taken off the price of
your ticket. This is an adult play, though teenagers would be fine.
Playing until June 27th. [JBRETURN for $10 OFF]
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Congratulations
to The Rev. Christina Sillari!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the First
Parish in Portland Maine
http://www.firstparishportland.org
"On Sunday, May 23rd, 81 members of First Parish entered the meeting
house to decide on whether to call Rev. Sillari
as our next settled minister. There were 80 yes votes, and one
abstention. Rev. Sillari was informed of
the vote and was asked if she would accept the call. She answered
that she would. Rev. Sillari will start work on
August 1st, and come fall, we all look forward to a new era in the long
and storied history of First Parish."
From The Rev. Christina Sillari to Vicki Dyer:
"It's over. It was wonderful. It was exhausting."
Christina was ministerial intern at the FRS in the 2007 - 2008 church year.
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Retired
Ladies Lunch
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Next meeting on Wednesday, June 16, at Michael's Harborside
12:15 - just come any and all.
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Coming
This Summer
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First-ever FRS Barbecue
Plans are afoot for the FRS to run a barbecue
concession during Yankee Homecoming. Jay Iannini,
Finance Committee Chair, has been exploring the possibilities and sees a
potential to raise a significant amount of money in presenting this as a
three-day event. The single greatest need will be to have enough
volunteers to serve the hungry public. This will probably be run on the
same days as the Book Sale described below. If you think you could
volunteer for a shift of two hours or for several two-hour shifts, please
call Vicki Dyer at (978) 465-0602, X401.
The FRS Book Sale Needs You and Your
Donations!
The FRS will again be having a book sale during
Yankee Homecoming, from Thursday through Saturday, July 29 through July
31. To make this a success, we need two kinds of donation:
- Your used books, DVDs, magazines, CDs,
and vinyl - drop these at the church office starting on June 21.
- Your time. We generally work for
two-hour shifts from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday (setting
up) through Saturday.
To
volunteer your time, please call Vicki Dyer at (978) 465-0602, x401.
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Gay
Pride Celebration and Dance
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Two Cape Ann congregations in Rockport, MA, The
Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport and the First Congregational
Church in Rockport, a congregation of the United Church of Christ, are
collaborating to host a first jointly sponsored Gay Pride Celebration and
Dance. Everyone is Welcome! This gay-friendly LGBTF celebration is an
event for all of us, intergenerationally, young
and old! Friday night, June 18th 2010, 7-10 pm FREE ADMISSION Where:
First Congregational Church of Rockport 12 School Street Music: Blues *
Disco * Hip Hop * Rock * Gay Pride * R & B Music This event is
co-sponsored by the First Congregational Church and the Unitarian
Universalist Society of Rockport For more information call: 978-546-6638
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FRS
Congregational Survey
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Summary
May 26, 2010
The Committee on Ministry conducts a general survey
about the church and its programs every 5 years. The results of the 2010
Congregational Survey have been tabulated. The survey was completed by
108 members and 9 nonmembers. About half the respondents have been
associated with the church for between 1-10 years, and the other half for
10 years or more. Only 6% of respondents were under the age of 40 and
about 30% had children in Young Church. Here are some highlights:
- 99% would rate the well-being of the
church as either excellent or good and 96% would characterize the
overall worship experience at FRS as great or good.
- 78% rate highly the services involving
guest speakers, 14% rate them fair. Similar ratings were given to
services led by lay members of the congregation.
- 86% rate their level of fulfillment
from non-sermon elements of the worship service (Joys and Sorrows,
chalice lighting, readings) as great or good.
- 93% rate the Adult Music Program (choir
and special concerts) highly. 90% give similarly positive ratings to
the Youth Music Program.
- About 50% of the respondents had no
opinion about the Youth Curricula. However, of those who did
respond, 91 % rated the program great or good. 98%of those who
responded gave the same rating to the special RE programs (OWL, Up
and Coming UUs, parent breakfasts).
- 95% were pleased with the Adult Ed
program.
- 92% liked the Membership activities
(circle dinners, picnics, mid-winter party)
- Of those who expressed an opinion 72%
were satisfied with the involvement ofthe
church in Social Action and 98% were happy with our work in
Community Human Services.
- 93% are satisfied with church
facilities and 88% with how they are maintained.
- 76% of those who expressed an opinion
thought that our level of involvement with the greater UUA and
Denominational Affairs was good or better.
- 97% were happy with how the church
communicates with the congregation (website, Steeple Bi-weekly) and
83% rate our work in financial stewardship highly.
- The ministerial functions of the church
that are most important to people include (in order) meaningful
sermons; rites of passage (marriages, dedications, funerals);encouraging the spirit of fellowship;
participation in action for social change.
- The areas in which our minister was
rated most highly were: meaningful sermons; encouraging the spirit
of fellowship; rites of passage; participation in the social life of
the FRS; and involvement in adult religious education.
If you would like to see a more detailed version of
the results, one will be posted on the FRS website and a hard copy will
be available in the church office.
The
vast majority of specific comments offered were very positive; however, a
few respondents expressed individual concerns. If you would like to
discuss a particular concern further, please contact one of the members
of the Committee on Ministry.
- Peg Nicol,
Chair; Nancy Crochiere; Bill Zarakas; Stan Barrett; Anne Verret-Speck
incoming
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Trustees'
Report
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Performance
Update for FRS as of April 30, 2010
January through April 30th, 2010: The entire
portfolio had a positive return of 3.54% over the first four months of
2010. At the end of April, the asset allocation was approximately
70% stocks and 30% Bonds/Cash. By way of background, we had set the
asset allocation at 70% stocks and 30% bonds/cash per the board's
decision after our third quarter meeting of last year. On May 21st of 2010, we sold a number of stocks for net
proceeds of approximately $38,000 and placed these proceeds in
short-term, money market vehicles (please see the Recent Stock Trades
Report from January through May 2010 for additional details). As
far as a breakdown of asset class performance, please note the
following. The equities in the portfolio had a positive return of
4.66% year-to-date, compared to the S&P 500 Index which returned
7.05%. Bonds in the portfolio returned a positive 1.31% compared to
the Barclays Aggregate Index, which returned 2.84% year-to-date. In
terms of valuations, the entire portfolio was worth $1,464,000 at the
beginning of 2010 and then the portfolio had grown to $1,474,000 by the
end of April. During this time period under discussion, there were $43,000 of distributions from the
portfolio. Please keep in mind that there are distributions at an
annual rate of approximately $70,000 to $100,000, as measured on average
over the past 3 years.
For point of comparison, the entire portfolio had a positive return of
23.77% over the past full twelve months. The asset allocation
averaged approximately 68-73% in stocks and 28-32% in bonds/cash over
this time frame. The equities in the portfolio had a positive
return of 34.76% over the prior 12 months, compared to the S&P 500
Index which had a positive return of 38.84%. Bonds in the portfolio returned
a positive 4.44% compared to the Barclays Aggregate Index, which returned
a positive 8.3% over the past 12 months. In terms of valuations,
the entire portfolio was worth $1,309,000on January 1st, 2009 and then
the portfolio had increased to $1,474,000 by April 30th, 2010 (or the 15
month period of time). Again, please keep in mind that there are
distributions at an annual rate of approximately $70,000 to $100,000.
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Journeys
to India
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Like Water for
Spices:
A Unitarian Journey to South India, from the Bay of Bengal to the
Arabian Sea
March 11 - 17, 2011
Experience fabulous temples, meditate in captivating locations, attend a
Sunday service at the Unitarian Christian Church in Chennai, visit an
ashram in Pondicherry, cruise the backwaters of
Kerala, learn about Tanjore
painting, enjoy a Kerala cooking demonstration,
and watch a Kathakali Dance presentation. Led
by Rev. Wayne Walder.
From the Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Toronto: Neighbourhood's
minister, Wayne Walder, and member Beverly Carr
are leading journeys for UUs to various parts
of the world - journeys with a difference. These trips are fundraisers
for Neighbourhood while at the same time
providing an opportunity for UUs to travel
together to learn about and experience different cultures and traditions,
while gaining insights to take back home. See all details at www.nuuc.ca/Journeys/india2011.htm
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Calendar
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SANC =
Sanctuary
PH = Parish Hall (1 = lower floor, 2 = upper floor)
LMH = Lower Meetinghouse Hall
MH = Lower Meetinghouse classrooms (A, B, C, and D)
CONF = Conference Room
Friday, June 11
10:00am - Friday Morning Discussion Group (CONF)
5:00pm - Up and Coming Planning (LMH & SANC)
Saturday, June 12
5:00pm - Junior Youth Group Auction (PH-1&2)
Sunday, June 13
9:00am - Adult Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
9:30am - Social Action Forum (CONF)
10:30am - Up & Coming UUs Worship Service
No Young Church
11:30am - Up & Coming Reception (LMH)
Monday, June 14
7:30am - Contemplation/Meditation (PH-2)
10:00am - Shared Ministry: Turner (CONF)
6:30pm - Buddhist Meditation Group (LMH)
Tuesday, June 15
12:00pm - Alliance Meeting Picnic
12:00pm - Retired Old Men Eating Out
7:00pm - Committee on the Ministry (HB Office)
7:00pm - R. E. Meeting (off site)
7:30pm - Creative Writing (MH-D)
Wednesday, June 16
12:15pm - Retired Ladies' Lunch (Michael's Harborside)
5:00pm - Parish Committee Retreat (Offsite)
Thursday, June 17
Wedding Rehearsal: Wood/Nicol
5:00pm - Voice Lesson (Choir Room)
6:00pm - Tai Chi (PH-1)
7:00pm - Amnesty International Meeting (CONF)
7:30pm - Adult Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
Friday, June 18
10:00am - Friday Morning Discussion Group (CONF)
12:00pm - Deadline for Steeple Biweekly
12:00pm - Staff Meeting: Year in Review (CONF)
5:00pm - Wedding: Wood/Nicol (HB off site)
Saturday, June 19
1:00pm - Memorial Service: Marion Deparolesa
(SANC)
2:00pm - Memorial Service Reception (PH)
4:00pm - Private Yoga Class (LMH) J. Menin
6:00pm - Open Stage (PH-1&2) Contact Mark Snelling
Sunday, June 20
9:00am - Adult Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
9:30am - Current Events Forum (CONF)
10:30am - Closing Sunday and Father's Day
11:30am - Strawberry Shortcake Sunday
12:00pm - Child Dedication (SANC)
Monday, June 21
7:30am - Contemplation/Meditation (PH-2)
6:30pm - Buddhist Meditation Group (LMH)
Tuesday, June 22
7:30pm - Creative Writing (MH-D)
Thursday, June 24
5:00pm - Voice Lesson (Choir Room)
6:00pm - Tai Chi (PH-1)
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