UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
The First Universalist Society of Hartland
DECEMBER 2019
PHYSICAL ADDRESS: Hartland Four Corners • 8 Brownsville Road, Corner Rte. 12 • Hartland, VT
WEBSITE: www.hartlanduu.com • E-MAIL: [email protected] • PHONE: 802-436-2592
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 75 • Hartland Four Corners, VT 05049
LOVE IS THE DOCTRINE OF THIS CONGREGATION
REVEREND PAUL S. SAWYER802-299-7530 [email protected]
Director of Religious Education: SAMANTHA CRONIN [email protected] Music Director: PATTY TALBOT 802-436-2085 [email protected] Office Administrator & Assistant Treasurer: NANCY WALKER In the office on Fridays Sexton:
GLENN WALKER Governing Board
President/Chair: DAVID MORIN Vice President: ROB FOOTE Treasurer: HILARY HAMILTON Clerk: COLLEEN LANNON At Large Members:
CORAL LYDON OVITT MICHAEL METIVIER MELINDA MEYERHOFF Trustees: ROBERT JAARSMA KEITH MULLANE TODD LLOYD Newsletter
Design: DAVID & SARA MORIN [email protected]
Printing: LYDIA JOHNSON & PHYLLIS TUCKER
Copy Editors: JOAN FARIEL & CYNTHIA THOMPSON
International Hour of Peace
December 31—6:45 am—International Hour for Peace
Join in this special gathering, celebrating a world-wide time for meditation, prayer, poetry, and music, all in the cause of working to build a lasting and real spirit of peace in the world. This event takes place annually, all over the globe on New Year’s Eve Day at noon-time Greenwich Mean Time (thus the very early hour here). Our gathering begins with a time of meditation in the sanctuary, followed by a sharing of poetry, music, and inspiration, with an excellent pot-luck breakfast in the Fellowship Hall at the end.
Can you help coordinate the International Hour for Peace this year?
Our usual coordinator for this event, Michael Denmeade, will be out of the area for New Year’s Eve this year, so we are in need of some organizing and leadership energy in order to make the International Hour of Peace happen this year. It isn’t a complicated task, but it does take a bit of planning, communicating, and then setting up on an early winter’s morning. Please contact Paul Sawyer if you are interested in helping coordinate this event this year.
SUNDAY SERVICE SCHEDULE
December 1Reflections on a Buddhist Practice—Guest Speaker Jennifer Talbot
In this service, our guest speaker Jennifer Talbot returns to our congregation to offer an introduction and some reflections on a branch of Buddhism that is her spiritual practice, and has become the significant grounding for her living. The collection will benefit Seeds of Peace.
Jennifer Talbot grew up in Hartland and in our congregation and is the daughter of our beloved Music Director Patty Talbot and Patty’s late husband David. She is a graduate of Woodstock High School and Haverford College, and holds a PhD degree in Italian Literature from Harvard University. She currently teaches in various settings and operates Talbots Creative Gardening in Cambridge, MA with her brother Dan. Jennifer lives in Cambridge with her husband Gordon Webster, and sons Benjamin and Toby.
Jennifer’s Buddhist practice is in the tradition of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). The name means, literally, “Value-Creation Society” and SGI is a Japanese Buddhist movement based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese priest Nichiren. Jennifer writes: We base our practice on chanting a phrase from the Lotus Sutra which taps into the law of cause and effect of the universe and allows us to polish our lives and transform our negative tendencies. We believe that all humans possess a “Buddha Nature”, a state in which we are capable of wisdom, compassion and courage, and that we can access this through practice, study and action.
December 8
Compassion, Healing, Peace
In the midst of a busy season, a simple service, sharing prayers for peace, healing, and compassion from across time, faith, and location. The collection will benefit The FCCH/Mission Trip Alumni Puerto Rico Service Trip
December 15
Annual Multigenerational Impromptu Holiday Pageant!
In the spirit of the season, we’ll warm our hearts by singing and sharing in acting out a lovely holiday story for all ages. This year our story is The Last Straw by Fredrick H. Thury and Vlasta van Kampen, a story that emphasizes gift-giving, humility, service, and a light-hearted take on the story of the birth of Jesus. The collection will benefit The Junction Teen Skills Center.
Saturday, December 21—7:00 pm
Welcome Yule! Celebration of the Solstice
Our annual celebration of Yule and the Earth-Centered New Year! A brief service followed by a bonfire and fellowship. Come help us welcome back the sun! You’re invited to bring a dozen holiday cookies to share!
December 22
Mark My Footsteps—The Spirit of Compassion
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, a service for the Christmas Spirit, whatever your faith, with reflections inspired by the old song, “Good King Wenceslas” and the apocryphal story of the generous monarch and his unfortunate page. The collection will benefit the Minister’s Discretionary Charitable Fund.
December 24—7:00 pm & 9:00 pm
Christmas Eve Candlelight Lessons & Carols
Join us for our annual spirited celebrations of Christmas Eve. We hold two traditional evening services of Lessons, Carols, Candles, and Joy— one at 7:00 and another at 9:00 pm.
December 29
NO REGULAR WORSHIP OR RE!
We take one Sunday off from worship each year, the Sunday after Christmas. We invite you to take this opportunity to worship with any of our neighboring communities, or to celebrate the season in your own way at home.
Our regular collections during Sunday morning worship are dedicated each week to an organization doing good work in our local communities or in society as a whole. Checks for the collection can be made out to “FUSH” and we will consolidate donations to pass on to the organization.
For those wishing to make a pledge payment, or a donation specifically to support our congregation’s budget, there is a box on the welcoming table at the back of the sanctuary, or you can use the small manila envelopes available on that same table, or simply mark “for FUSH” in the memo line of your check.
Please contact Paul if you have nominations for organizations you feel would be good choices for our support. December 1—Seeds of Peace
Seeds of Peace began in 1993 when some visionary founding leaders brought a group of 46 Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, and American teenagers to a camp in Maine with the goal of building relationships and inspiring friendships that would be “seeds of peace” that could grow even in the midst of entrenched conflict and long-standing violence. Since its founding, the program has expanded to 27 countries all over the world, and to include educators as well
as teens, and the program currently has more than 7000 alumni who continue to work for peace, including many that have gone on to create effective peace initiatives in their home nations. In its present work, Seeds of Peace remains true to its founding vision, to inspire new generations of leaders in communities divided by conflict. The heart of the program continues to rise out of the camp program in Maine, where leaders and educators and youth work together to use personal growth and connection to bring about societal change for peace. You can learn more at
http://www.seedsofpeace.org
December 8—FCCH/Mission Trip Alumni Puerto Rico Service Trip
Several members and friends of our congregation are among the mission trip alumni who will travel to Puerto Rico January 4-11, 2020 to work in disaster recovery efforts on the island. Many of those who will be on the trip are returning after a challenging but successful effort in January 2019 that opened our faith communities’ eyes to the extensive destruction and limited attention and support experienced in this American territory. This trip was organized by the Rev. Lucia Jackson through the United Church of Christ’s Disaster Relief and Recovery Ministries program. For more information you can speak with Lucia, or with Jill or Todd Lloyd, who will be part of the group.
December 15—The Junction Teen Life Skills Center.
In operation since 2006, The Junction is a program of LISTEN Community Services that offers a safe and substance-free space for Upper Valley youth ages 15-20. More than 50 youth currently participate in programs at The Junction, where thoughtful professional staff offer learning experiences, quality role-modeling, and support in a fun and encouraging environment. You can learn more through their tumblr page: http://junctionteencenter.tumblr.com/about or on their active Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thejunctionyouthcenter December 22—The Minister’s Discretionary Charitable Fund
The Minister’s Discretionary Charitable Fund is used by our minister to support those in need in our congregation and wider community. It is funded entirely by donations from members and friends of our congregation and allows Paul to offer small, targeted, meaningful support in times of need. For more information, please speak with Paul Sawyer. December 29—No Regular Service
THE CIRCLE DINNERS ARE BACK
Want to host a dinner? You provide a main entree or whatever you choose and your guests sign up to bring the rest. This is a great way to build community with attendees of the UU. Dinners will be held whenever you like between January and April. Just sign up and provide the details:
• Date of dinner (if you choose a date in January, February, or March, please provide a second date for a snow day) • Time for guests to arrive
• Type of dinner if you choose to be specific (for example a vegetarian dinner) • Number of guests you are inviting to your dinner
Provide this information to Victoria Davis at [email protected] or 802-299-5496. A guest sign up sheet for your dinner will be created and placed at the back of the church.
As we get ready for the usual “interesting” weather of winter in our region, here’s a reminder that, in general, we do not cancel services because of storms.
It’s not that we never would cancel, if significantly extenuating circumstances made that the best choice. But since several of our members and our minister live very close by, unless something is wrong with our church building or grounds, we will likely hold services whenever they are planned.
Also, in the case of weather that keeps guest speakers, or Patty and other musicians away, we may adjust and/or simplify the program as needed.
However, if you have any concern about the weather and your travel, PLEASE STAY HOME! We don’t believe in salvation by attendance, and in the good free faith tradition of Unitarian Universalism, we leave the decision of whether you should come in the snow up to you. We love to see you in worship, but not at the expense of safety.
ADULT CHOIR
The Adult Choir will rehearse at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, and Sunday, Dec. 22, to sing in the service on that day.Please note:these dates are a week later than the usual second and third Sundays.
DECEMBER IS 2020
PLEDGE MONTH!
Please join us in our annual
pledge of support for our beloved
community. We need to replenish
the pot that will feed us all in the
year ahead and we need to do
it NOW so that the Board can
prepare an accurate budget for
members to vote on at the annual
meeting in January. This year,
we have created a goal of 90
pledge units (households) and will
be tracking our progress with a
visual representation in Fellowship
Hall. No one has to do it all,
but everyone can do something! All pledges are vital to our
beloved community’s continuing ability to nurture us.
Thank you,
Dianne, Pat, Colleen, Don
Where are we in our own
community of giving?
PLEDGE LEVEL 2019 # OF 2019 PLEDGES
$0-249 15 $250-499 9 $500-699 12 $700-999 8 $1,000-1,999 7 $2,000-2,999 5 $3,000-4,999 4 $5000+ 7 Total Households 67 Total Pledged $112,144.21 Pledging Households 67
Mean Pledge
—
$1,673.79
Median Pledge
—
$ 650.00
Median is the total amount pledged divided by the total number of pledging households.
Mean is the point where the number of gifts above and below this amount is the same.
For the work of the Church, I pledge $________________ for the year 2020
This pledge will be paid as: $________________ Annually Quarterly Monthly
Signed: ______________________________________________ Date: __________________
First Universalist Society of Hartland Four Corners
Please note that pledges may be paid in cash equivalent donations, such as stock shares or bonds. Please return this card to: Nancy Walker, Administrator, First Universalist Society of Hartland, PO Box 75, Hartland Four Corners, VT 05049 Or bring to Church on your next visit.
Name: ___________________________________________ Street: ___________________________________________ City/State/Zip: ____________________________________
We’d like to use automatic payment for this pledge
Your signature above is authorization for direct payment. You need only complete the above information, check the box for monthly or quarterly, and provide the following: Bank Routing Number ________________________________ Bank Account Number ________________________________ Once your pledge card has been received, the treasurer will initiate automatic payments as you specify on this card. If you need to, you can cancel automatic withdrawal at any time by notifying the treasurer. THANK YOU!
First Universalist Society of Hartland can accept your payment of your pledge as recurring monthly or quarterly payments directly from your checking account. Authorizing direct payment has a number of advantages for you as a donor:
• Saves cost and inconvenience of writing checks and mailing them. • Regularizes payment, making planning and budgeting easier. • Eliminates difficulties of remembering when and how much to pay.
You need only check the appropriate box, sign the card, and provide the routing number and account number for the checking account from which the payments will be made. The treasurer will initiate automatic payments as you specify. Automatic payments can be canceled at any time by notifying the treasurer.
Thank you very much!
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THE RED APRONS
Red Aprons is the hospitality service of our Church. It provides support service for all kinds of gatherings. Our services include:
• Event Planning
• Kitchen and food management • Buffet and serving
• Clean up
Now in its fourth year, Red Aprons is a big fund raiser for the Church
and a fun way to be together while promoting FUSH to the wider Upper Valley community.
If you know of someone planning a dinner party, reception or birthday please visit the web page at www.hartlanduu.com/ redaprons or call (802) 738-0255.
This is a great way to meet new people and serve our congregation. Please consider participating in this work. For info please contact Joan Fariel or Chuck Fenton at (802) 738-0255. We always need more volunteers. And for those who have volunteered, a BIG THANK YOU!
Upcoming Events
December 21—Winter Solstice Service December 24—Christmas Eve Services December 31—International Hour for Peace January 11, 2020—All Upper-Valley Climate Church EventFebruary 9, 2020—Chocolate Auction
April 24-25, 2020—Northern New England District UUA Meeting in Nashua, NH
June 7, 2020—Love Saves Service June 14, 2020—Flower Ceremony and Children’s Sunday
June 19-21, 2020—Twin Valley Pride (Windsor-Claremont and Beyond!)
June 24-28, 2020—UUA General Assembly in Providence, RI
July 26-August 2, 2020—Youth Mission Trip September 25th—VT Climate Caucus, Hartford Town Hall
October 10, 17, 24, 2020—Turkey Suppers and Silent Auction
Planning for our December
Holiday Services 2019
It’s only November, but good celebrations take good planning, attention, and time, so we’re already beginning to prepare for next month’s special Holiday services. In addition to regular seasonal observations and reflections during the December Sundays, we’ll also have a special Earth-centered Winter Solstice celebration the evening of December 21, and two services on Christmas Eve, one at 7:00 and one at 9:00 pm.
So please contact Rev. Paul Sawyer now if you would like to sign up or learn more about:
• Serving as a reader on Christmas Eve
• Offering special music or artwork for any of our services
• Joining with your family or a friend or small group to light the Advent wreath on a Sunday morning or on Christmas Eve
• If it’s a point of connection with your heritage, joining with your family or a friend or small group to light the Hanukkah menorah when appropriate
• Learning about opportunities to support our Winter Solstice service and celebration
• Or to share anything else that’s on your mind related to this festive season in our congregation and community!
SOUUPER SUNDAYS BEGIN
November through April, the second Sunday of each month we will have home-made soup in pints and quarts ($5 and $10) for sale during coffee hour as a church
community fund raiser. From French onion to seared broccoli, carrot and cauliflower to creamy mushroom, and spicy corn chowder! Even duck soup! That means we need people to make soup and people to buy soup! Please let us know if you would be willing to make soup and we will send a reminder the weekend ahead. Plastic and glass soup containers are available in the fellowship hall for soup makers to use!
Thank you for Souuper Sunday’s success in past years, Pat Whitney, Rickey and Dan Poor. Please contact [email protected] if you will be making soup!
RESPONDING WITH 2020 VISION
TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Hi, fellow friends and members of FUSH!
The message went out earlier to SAVE THE DATE, Saturday, January 11, 2020, for an event on the Climate Crisis, sponsored and organized jointly by our 4 UU churches in the Upper Valley.
We, organizers, are excited: Here’s what the Conference will be to start off the new year, and you’re, we’re, all invited to participate in a conference on the key moral issue concerning survival, along with other faith organizations in the Upper Valley, and individuals.
“Responding with 2020 Vision to the Climate Crisis.”
Saturday, January 11, 2020, 12:30–-4:30
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley
320 Route 5 South, Norwich, Vermont
Our keynote speaker is Rev. Jim Antal, a public theologian, climate activist, denominational leader and author of Climate Church/Climate World.
Three workshops with highly qualified leaders represent this intention at the national, state, and church/community levels:
• Advocacy for the Green New Deal led by Rev. Jim Antal; • Effective Legislation at the State Level led by
Representatives Zachariah Ralph, VT, and Lee Oxenham, NH • Actions In Churches And Communities, Strafford and
Exchange of Ideas, led by Rev. Tom Kinder and Rev. Telos Whitfield
Each of the workshops will choose 2-3 actions and commitments to propose to the whole group in the concluding Wrap-Up and Conversation led by Rev. Antal. It is our hope that churches and other faith organizations will consider individual and collaborative responses..
Ariel Arwén from the Sierra Club, Sarah Woods from Extinction Rebellion, and possibly two other organizations will be present and participate with us.
Mark your new calendars! On Sunday, we’ll have “Save the Date” cards for you to take home to put on your frig or your own spot.
Children and RE leaders making thank you cards for Todd Lloyd and the Building & Grounds Crew. We love our yurt and are grateful for the repair work
that you have done!
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
As we move into the final month of the year, we are presented with various opportunities to gather and share the wonders of the season together. In a child’s eyes, this season is filled with magic--- so many fun things to do and so many loved ones to see! The togetherness is what really counts. I think back on the holidays as a child and remember the warm hugs of loved ones, singing carols loudly, dancing around, listening to traditional stories, playing in light-hearted board games, crafting, decorating, and munching on an assortment of yummy food. Wait, I still do that! How about you?! Here at the First Universalist Society of Hartland, it is a blessing to be present and to find family in community.
Reflected in the schedule of events below, we have some lovely traditions that will be continued this year. On the 8th, Sara Morin & Katie Sawyer will be leading the children in building a sweet Gingerbread Church. Every year it turns out so beautiful and we are grateful to Sara & Katie for carrying on this tradition--- the kids love it! The following week, on the 15th, the whole congregation will gather together for our annual Holiday Impromptu Play. This play is fun for all ages and sure to bring on the laughs! You won’t want to miss this meaningful holiday story, the silly costumes, and the unrehearsed acting skills. Come ready to sit back and enjoy the show...or if you are feeling bold, join in the fun!
The children in the Religious Education program are always weaving their bright ideas into the fabric of our curriculum and it is “a comfort and a joy” to hold a space for them to do so. In one of our brainstorming and planning discussions, the children expressed that they would like craft handmade gifts and infuse them with compassionate love. We will make these gifts during Children’s Chapel on the 22nd and then be sharing them, along with cheerful caroling, with the residents of the Historic Homes of Runnemede. Please sign up with Sam if you’d like to join us on our caroling field trip after service on 12/22.
We hope to see everyone at our special holiday evening services as well! Nursery care will be available for Solstice and Christmas Eve. Service begins at 7 PM. K-5 children will be in service, but come a bit early and check in with Sam (in the yurt) for some special gifts for the children.
Looking forward to our Winterim production, in January/February/March, we will be focusing on our ancestral roots and our UU history, to deepen our faith in the present moment. We will need some enthusiastic volunteers this year! And perhaps some history buffs! As a reminder, our RE Mission is:
To build community
To nourish children’s sense of spirit and deepen their faith
To help make the world a better place
Our Religious Education Program, December 2019:
Sunday, December 1st—Faith in Action: Impromptu Prop Prep
Sunday, December 8th—Guest Artist: Gingerbread Church
Sunday, December 15th—In Service: Holiday Impromptu Play (All ages)
Saturday, December 21st—Solstice Celebration, 7 PM
Sunday, December 22nd—Children’s Chapel: Crafting Compassion
Sunday, December 22nd—Caroling at Historic Homes of Runnemede (Assisted Living Homes)
Tuesday, December 24th—Christmas Eve Candlelight, 7 PM
Sunday, December 29th—Holiday Break: No Service
**RED text indicates that we need volunteers for RE activities.**
Volunteers are welcome and encouraged. Please contact Director of Religious Education, Samantha Cronin, in person or by email to discuss participation:
DEADLINE FOR JANUARY NEWSLETTER CONTENT: DEC. 18
If you have photos of people or places in our church community, please send
them to David Morin at [email protected] for
possible inclusion in the newsletter.
