Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson

NUUSLETTER

 A Newsletter for our Members and Friends

April 2006 - 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

April 2

Forum:  Listen to Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett. 91.3 FM from 9:00 - 9:30 AM with discussion to follow at the forum.  Coffee will be ready by 9:00 AM, so you can listen at church if you like.

Service:  If Yes is the Answer, What is the Question? The Reverend J. Luck, speaker.  What does it mean when one answers yes? What do those of the UU Church of Jackson want- what do they answer yes to? What is important to you? Also, the Installation of Board of Trustees for coming year.

 

April 9

Forum:  Humor forum:  Bring one or two of your favorite jokes or stories to share.  We will have donuts to go with our coffee!

Service:   Palm Sunday, Oh, Brother Jesus,Good and Kind.  The Reverend J. Luck, speaker.  Unitarians and Universalists so seldom speak of their brother Jesus, his life and his death. There is much that is said from pulpits that is rejected by them this time of the liturgical year, but that is not all there is of the story. Special offering for Habitat Interfaith Peace House will be taken this day.  Potluck Lunch will follow.

 

April16

Forum:  "The Cost of Health Care"    Jack Hammond will lead the discussion.

Service:  Easter Sunday Inter-generational Celebration of Spring and Renewal. Dary Shenefelt will lead.

 

April 23

Forum:   "Entropy"  Bill Gressett will lead the discussion.

Service:  Bill Gressett - Humanitarian Readings

 

April 30

Forum:  Are you a "free thinker"?  If so, how?  If not, how?  Come to share yourself a little.  Steve Bollinger will lead the discussion.

Service:  Peter Haik will speak.

 

Deadline for submissions to the May UUCJ NUUSletter: April 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

This is an amazing time for Unitarian and Universalists in Mississippi!

First the UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund Panel (Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and the UU Service Committee) has been very busy funding hurricane relief work in Mississippi and Louisiana. These are the Panel's funding objectives: 1) to address the needs of the most disadvantaged and marginalized communities in the affected areas as they rebuild their lives and livelihoods, and 2) to support Unitarian Universalist congregations as they rebuild their ministries in the region of the hurricane. It was decided to fund grassroots organizations already in place and to work effectively toward the above funding objectives rather than to attempt to reinvent the wheel, so we don't hear much about what the Unitarians and Universalists are doing. There is too much to record here, but if you go on-line to the UUA website, select the Gulf Coast Relief Panel button for a list of funding as well as  more information.

Second, our legislature is likely to pass an abortion ban this week. Its not that I love abortions, I don't, but I do think the legislature has no business legislating personal, very private and moral decisions, and you are welcome to disagree with me. With medical and values-based sex education like the UU’s Our Whole Lives curriculum, with easy to obtain contraceptives and pregnancy tests, and with the availability of emergency pills, or day after pills, the need for abortions could diminish drastically it seems. I have written an op ed to that effect as a MS clergy woman, and as a Unitarian Universalist. Did you know UU congregations voted for a general resolution at the General Assembly of congregations in 1973 to support a woman's right to choice per Roe v. Wade? Since then there have been other resolutions affirming the original one.                 

Third, before we the citizens of the State of Mississippi executed John Nixon, I was asked to speak as one among other MS clergy at the press conference opposing the death penalty. I found that Unitarian and Universalist congregations voted to oppose the death penalty at the 1961 General Assembly. I have no doubt that every UU does not oppose the death penalty in every case, and that is as it is. As an association of congregations, we vote democratically on our public stances while embracing the diversity that we are. "It  is not necessary for us to think alike in order to to love alike."

And fourth, some of you may remember that we participated in the Clergy Letter Project, a petition signed by 10,000 clergy stating their preference that evolution be taught in science classrooms and not creationism, or intelligent design, which I signed. In February you heard an "Evolution Sunday" sermon as I had indicated on the Clergy Letter website I intended to do in support of this effort. And, here is where it gets amazing: I just received an email from a Methodist minister in England who has "a particular interest in the rise of creationism in your country and mine." He noted that I was the only clergy in Mississippi listed on the website. UUCJ and Our Home were the only MS congregations listed as participating in Evolution Sunday. He is coming to Mississippi for his sabbatical and hopes to talk with us in June.

After Katrina, I received messages of concern for our Mississippi and Louisiana congregations, as well as all on the Gulf Coast, from English Unitarians. I have become aware of how much focus there is on Mississippi. This is where it is happening, and where it is not happening. We are reminded how others care about us. And we are reminded that what we do as religious progressives in this state is tremendously important. I am very glad to be here, not as a political person, but as one attempting to live the values and ethics of our religion. I am honored to have a voice for such religious values and ethics as the inherent worth and dignity of all people in Mississippi, and I thank you for giving me that opportunity. “We were not put here to see through each other, but to see each other through.”  (anonymous graffito)

Jacqueline

The President’s Corner

This month a new slate of officers takes over to negotiate the path this next year with Rev. Jacqueline Luck in fulltime clergy leadership for our church.  Those with asterisks by their names are the new board members or people who are changing position on the board.  We are grateful for such experienced leadership. Those with no asterisks are continuing their position on this board.

• President - Waverly Liles*
• Secretary – David Voisin
• Treasurer - Ray Shenefelt
• VP Building & Grounds - Steve Bollinger*
• VP Programs - Brian Heffner*
• VP RE - Trina Cameron*
• VP Communications/PR - Tom Head*
• VP Membership – Natalie Maynor
• Trustee – Bill Gressett

I want to thanks all those who have served on the board with me this past year, especially Dary Shenefelt and Fran Leber who are leaving the board.  Both have offered years of service to this church and I am sure will continue to in the future.

Our new nominating Committee voted in at the March 19^th Congregational meeting is:

• Fran Leber (I said she’d still be around.)

• Mary Margaret Bollinger

• Barbara Scobee

This has definitely been a year of growth for me, as I have always resisted taking a president position.  I never got called at midnight as I expected, but with Katrina, I got more calls than I ever thought I would.  I realized that, like many folks, I function less well under stress, such as offered by Hurricane Katrina. 

Before I leave for Hawaii in August I will put all my contact information in the newsletter for those who want to keep in touch.  Thanks for many lessons this year.

 Margaret

Children’s RE News

On the three Sundays preceding Easter the children will be working on songs and a puppet play for the inter-generational service on April 16. We'll be talking about the meaning of Passover, Palm Sunday, and Easter for our Jewish and Christian friends, as well as exploring the Pagan and Unitarian Universalist contributions to the Easter season.

On April 23 Rick Gagné and Elise Morse-Gagné will be doing a lesson entitled, "Pete Seeger - Singing for Justice and A Clean Environment" and will be performing a few of Pete Seeger's songs for the children

Dary Shenefelt

Board Meeting for April

 

The new and old Boards of Trustees will meet together immediately following the potluck on April 9^th.  This is the time for the handing over of the reins.

On Easter Sunday, April 16 we shall have an inter-generational Celebration of Spring and Renewal. We invite you to consider the significance of the arrival of the Easter/Spring season for you and your family and to create a symbol to represent your idea. It could be light-hearted or serious. For example, a symbol of a flower or a seed package might be selected by a gardener. A sports lover might choose a symbol of a baseball or tennis racquet. Someone else might write a poem or create a song. Each person or family unit will have an opportunity to hang their symbol on our egg tree, or display it, and to briefly explain its meaning.

Youth Detention Center Collection

Third Sunday of each month.  Please help clothe and keep clean our incarcerated youth who come to the Detention Center with only the clothes on their back. The collection box is in the hallway inside the entrance.   

Needed are:

Crew neck white T-shirts in large sizes

White under shorts in large sizes

White socks

Irish Spring and Dove soap

 

Calendar Notes

April 9: The offering this day will be the UU Church of Jackson's donation to Habitat to buy building materials for the Peace House, a house being built for a local family by the members of the Interfaith Community of Jackson. This will be a time you will want to consider making your check for a special amount for this high and noble cause. There will be an interfaith community festival on May the 6th at Northminister Baptist Church, and the members of the interfaith congregations will build Saturdays and from noon on Sundays beginning in May for eight weekends. This is a very important opportunity for you and this community to work alongside our brothers and sisters of faith in service.

April 30: This is a fifth Sunday, and JL will be out of the pulpit.

May 5-7: The Universalist Convocation, a national event, hosted by Our Home Universalist Unitarian Church in Ellisville. The Reverend Jacqueline Luck will lead the Sunday morning Worship Service, and the Reverend Gordon Gibson, former UUCJ minister, will speak about Judith Sargent Murray, wife of John Murray, founder of American Universalism.

We will have a fund raiser on April Fools Day, Saturday April 1.   Elise & Rick Gagné’s music group will start playing at 7 pm.  Come and join us as we listen to their repertoire of Irish dance tunes and traditional songs from the British Isles and North America.   Bring snacks if you like and wine and soft drinks will be provided. 

The following items have been offered for auction at the personal services auction on April Fools Day, Saturday April 1:  

• Our minister has offered one of her works of art.
• Fran Leber offers a pair of Ballet tickets.
• Science Fiction books donated by Ray Shenefelt.
• Margaret Drake offers to write a short story about you or about someone you choose.
• Margaret will also offer to come to a place of your choice and sing three songs accompanying herself with her autoharp.
• Natalie Maynor offers a guided tour through a cemetery.  The buyer and Natalie will negotiate which cemetery, the date and time.
• A duet by Elise & Rick Morse-Gagne’ to be played at a time and place to be negotiated.
• A calligraphy scroll to be hand lettered by Rick Morse-Gagné.  You choose the text, the lettering style and illumination.
• Fran Leber will guide you through the process of getting a bill through the MS legislature on an issue you think is very important.  This would be for the 2007 session.
• A collection of Mary Margaret Bollinger’s favorite recipes
• A cake of your choice by Three Sister’s chef Monique Champagne
• Dinner for six by Mary Clayton.  Time to be arranged.
• Eye exam and prescription for glasses if necessary from Dr. D. E. Magee
• One 33 1/3 RPM LP transferred to compact disk by Ranjan Batra.
• Pizza Supper by Peter Haik.  Time to be negotiated.
• Two pottery lessons by Susan Haik
• 1 Piano lesson by Maureen McGuire
• Guidance for an amateur archeological dig – arrowheads & pottery shards