Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson

NUUSLETTER

 A Newsletter for our Members and Friends

November 2005 - Web Edition

Love is the spirit of this church, and service is our law.

To dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.

This is our covenant

WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Every Sunday Forum at 9:30am, Service at 11:00am

October 30

Forum: Mike Mallory, Discussion Leader.  "Natural Disasters"        

Service: UU Service Committee and United Nations Awareness Sunday

November 6

9:30 Forum:  Jeffrey S. Lowe, Ph.D. of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jackson State University will present and lead discussion on "The Potential Development of the Area North of Fondren"

11:00 Service:  “Five Wishes, Aging With Dignity,” Rev. Jacqueline Luck.  Some time ago I ordered a form, 5 Wishes, for recording one's wishes for end of life care, thinking I'd share it at this time of year. This time of pagan celebrations of All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints Day of the liturgical calendar, and the Day of the Dead celebration of Mexico, is a time for a little healthy ruminating on death!

November 13

9:30 Forum:  Luke Lundemo of The Computer Co-op will present and lead discussion on "I Pledge Allegiance to the Earth"

11:00 Service:  “Jonah, A Minor Prophet,” Rev. Jacqueline Luck.  Jonah has always seemed the most preposterous book in the Bible to me. Oh, sure it’s a fun story, a man getting swallowed by a whale and all, but what value? Perhaps you are as shocked as I was to find that the Book of Jonah is read every afternoon of Yom Kippur. Why on this Holiest of days would Jonah be read? I have that old familiar feeling I am missing something that others know, and I don't like it. Could the Book of Jonah have a message for Unitarians and Universalists?

12:00 Potluck lunch will follow service.

November 20

9:30 Forum:  Panel discussion, "Justice Deferred: The Charles Moore and Henry Dee Slayings."  The panel will be moderated by Donna Ladd, editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press.

12:00 Service:  Stone Soup Sunday

November 27

9:30 Forum:  Bill Gressett will present a "Brown Bag Forum" where participants will respond to a question drawn from a brown paper bag.

11:00 Service:  Lorie Rowlett, speaker.

 

Deadline for submissions to the December UUCJ NUUSletter: November 18.  Please make submissions to NUUSletter@uujackson.org.

If you would like to receive the NUUsletter by email, please user our NUUS subscription form.

Mississippi Musings

"Gone With the Wind" seems to be the theme in Mississippi since August 28, but much positive has also taken place at UUCJ. Two things loom large in my mind and they are the Healthy Congregations District meeting in Auburn, AL, and the work day to help the Gulf Coast Fellowship.

Ray Shenefelt, Margaret Drake, Fran Leber and I attended Healthy Congregations. Staying in relationship with our sister congregations individually and through the district level is very important: we listen to each other and experience that we are not alone in our experiences. There is talk about being a vibrant, growing congregation and what works and what doesn't. It is most importantly a time for renewal, and it is my vision that each year more and more members of UUCJ will choose to go. We had a grand time just driving over there; ask Ray. It's a shame for you to miss such a good time!

Saturday, the 15th, Steve Bollinger and his trusty chain saw, Natalie Maynor, Susan and Peter Haik, Harriet Tanzman, and Barbara Scobee, along with members from Our Home and me, shared some wonderful hours of good sweaty fun helping our UU sisters and brothers clear their lot in Gulfport. Folks at UUCJ are thinking outside of their walls, and it is a beautiful thing!  

UUCJ opened its arms to Jim Mitchell and Roberto and Ada Tovar after Katrina. All are especially grateful to Trina and Jim Cameron for the donation of a car for the Tovars! UUCJ's heart was broken the night of the car-jacking of the Tovars’ car, but it feels better now, thank you. Many of you have reached out in hospitality to these guests with food, dinners, home hospitality, and some financial help. They, as well as I, are touched.

There have been many visitors coming through UUCJ's beautiful green doors, painted by Brian Hefner, and there is excitement in the air. If you have not attended forums or the service in a while, come see for yourselves. Yes, the doors of the sanctuary are opening at 4866 N. State, Jackson, MS!

Yours,

Jacqueline

 

Please Note: The minister will be in Jackson the week beginning the 24th of October, though not in the pulpit the 30th as that is a fifth Sunday and would confuse the church's schedules. That first week of November, she will be in Jackson and in the pulpit November the 6^th, at the UU minister's meeting (SEUUMA) from the evening of the 7^th  through the 10th, and in the pulpit on the 13th.

The President’s Corner

The President’s Corner:

 

The trip to the Healthy Congregations Fall workshop presented by the Mid-South District TEACH Committee was enlightening in many ways but one of the main benefits of such a get-together was meeting with other UU’s and hearing of their successes and failures.  Four of us attended: Rev. Jacqueline Luck, Treasurer Ray Shenefelt, Program VP Fran Leber, and I.

Unfortunately, our “All Mississippi UU Get-Together,” scheduled to be held here at our church on October 22, 2005, was postponed. It was just too much when we had just attended the District workshop October 8th and had a number of our congregation members visit the Gulf Coast Congregation October 15^th to assist them in preparing their lot for their new building. We will work with the Mid-South District staff to select another date in January or February when we can invite the other five Mississippi congregations to join us for learning and fellowshipping.

This month brings us into our season of giving thanks, of harvest and thoughts about the winter holidays and winter.  We will have two communal congregation meals, the potluck and congregational meeting on November 13^th and the traditional “Stone Soup” meal the following Sunday on November 20^th.  These are truly times to celebrate together.  We will consider the issues facing our congregation on the 13^th and then have pure celebration on the 20^th.  We have many things to celebrate such as lots of new visitors to our church, a good solid church building, and members who speak out in public forms such as the Letters to the Editor.   I will be here for the meeting on the 13^th but I will be taking the week of Thanksgiving to visit my Hawaiian relatives and to check on the progress of my retirement cottage at Volcano on the Big Island.   I will miss the Stone Soup celebration. 

Margaret

 SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

November 13^th during Potluck

 

• To elect from the floor a member for the Nomination Committee replace to Ray Shenefelt. Other members are Susan Haik and Mary Margaret Bollinger

 

• To vote on adding $2,119 to the improvement line item to cover the cost of having the sewer line from the R. E. building replaced.  The replacement was done as an emergency, to make the R. E. building suitable for use in sheltering evacuees, and has been paid for.  The money would come from reserves.

 

• To vote on improvements to the driveway and parking area.  We propose this as an addition to the improvement line item.  Half the cost would be covered by an addition to their pledge offered by a church family and the other half come from reserves.  The work on the sewer line has damaged the driveway, which was already in poor condition.  We propose to blacktop the entrance and exit areas, and the existing driveway between them.  We also propose to have crushed stone installed on the current parking areas, and to extend the parking area along the south side of the building, to the tree line near our back fence.  The crushed stone would provide a better surface than our current gravel, and is better than blacktop in areas where sealing the surface might kill trees.  We are currently obtaining bids.  The first two bids are for about $25,000 and 27,000. 

 

• To vote on increasing the Sunday Service line item to allow a pianist to be paid.  We have depended on volunteer piano players in the past, but due to changed circumstances have not had enough volunteer playing to cover the needs.

 

• To discuss possibilities for recovering our sanctuary chairs.

Children’s RE News

In October the children had two lessons on Christopher Reeve, who became more of a Superman in real life than he was in the movies. They learned more about the work of UNICEF  and helped with preparations for our UNICEF/Halloween project.

In November they will consider the decisions made by Henry David Thoreau and the kinds of lifestyle choices made by different people. They'll hear about Lydia Maria Child, a Unitarian writer who was willing to take a courageous stand, even if it cost her fame and money.

On  "Stone Soup Sunday", Nov. 20, the children will participate in the first part of the adult service and will help make sandwiches and decorate cookies for our annual "Stone Soup" luncheon.

 

Annual "Stone Soup" Luncheon- November 20

Remember to bring cut-up vegetables to add to our "Stone Soup". We invite you to contribute the amount you would normally spend on lunch to Stewpot Community Services. Donations of canned goods will also be welcomed.

Dary Shenefelt

Our Evacuee Guests

Roberto & Ada Tovar, our guests from New Orleans, returned to view the flood damage to their apartment and found that they have lost all the following to either water or mold damage:

 

Dishes Pots and pans Microwave Blender

Plastic Containers Kitchen towels Kitchen knives

Bedroom furniture Mattress Sheets

Blankets Pillows Living Room furniture

If you already have any of the above items that you wish to share, you may contact Elise Morse Gagne or Rev. Jacqueline Luck.  Or you may wish to do as Fran Leber did: when she saw a good deal on stainless steel tableware, she purchased it for them.  When the Tovars are ready to move back to New Orleans, an appropriate conveyance will be organized to carry back what we contribute to refurbishing their home.

Sister Helen Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking, will be speaking on her experiences reaching out to death row inmates and to murder victims' families on November 4th at 7:00 pm at St. Richard Catholic Church (reception at 5:30).  For more information, visit www.mesj.info or email Susan Voisin