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St. John’s UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH 320 Resor Avenue, Cincinnati OH 45220-1698 |
. Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage P
A I D Cincinnati, Ohio Permit No. 2429 |
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THE REPORTER Newsletter of St. John’s Unitarian Universalist Church of Cincinnati, OH November 12, 2006 |
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Thought of the Week “Only
the grateful are able truly to receive.”
–Ernest Kurtz |
Upcoming Sunday Services Sunday services and
Children’s Religious Exploration classes at St. John’s begin at
11am. Child care is available. “All Family Thanksgiving Service”-the Rev. Dr. Frank Carpenter Our young people along with our full St. John’s staff will parti-cipate in a service of thanksgiving for the abundance of our lives. “Celebrating Native
American Spirituality” -Earth Spirit (St. John’s Covenant of UU Pagans) The Pilgrims were only a part of the Thanksgiving story. “Holiday Family
Concert & Children’s Service” |
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Minister The Rev. Dr. Frank Carpenter Affiliated
Minister The Rev. Bonnie Meyer Minister Emerita The Rev. L. Annie Foerster Minister of Music Dr. Catherine Roma Assoc. Director of Music Rachel Kramer Directors of Religious Exploration for Children Mary M. Darner Barbara Hadden Office Administrator Mary Jo (Josie) Arens Caretaker J. Michael Skaggs Newsletter Editor Bruce Beisner Church Office 513-961-1938 FAX 513-961-4008 Church Office Hours Monday thru Friday. 7:30am-2:30pm Church Website Next Reporter
Deadline will be Thursday November 30 at 5pm. Send articles to Bruce Beisner via email. |
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Frankly
Speaking…..
by the Rev.
Dr. Frank Carpenter We are entering into the holiday season: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, New Years, Kwanzaa. For whatever reason, I find myself feeling differently this year, By this time, I am well into the fifth year serving as your minister. This year feels differently to me. We’ve gotten to know each other. I know many of you, what you like to do. When I heard from Emily Hodges that Esther Wagner had died, the image that came to my mind is of Esther sitting in the sanctuary, of visiting her in her home surrounded by books. You know me. I feel settling in. I’ve done this before, having spent two long term ministries one in NH and the other in RI. Perhaps the difference is having spent the past five years before coming here as an interim minister, serving three congregations, attending a couple of training workshops analyzing congregations each year. I’m doing things differently as a result: more goal setting, visioning work with people. The Committee on Ministry asks me as your minister along with all committees to set goals. For the next two years, I told them I would focus on leadership development. For me this focuses on volunteer requirement as well. I’m in conversation with the Caring Circle and Community Council Director Greg Terhune about some of this, as well as the Committee on Ministry. The week of Nov 13, I’ll be attending an Alban Institute workshop for some training. At the Board and the All Council gathering we have been deepening our appreciation of what shared ministry means: asking ourselves what make us come alive. I’ll continue these conversations, asking us what gifts we bring to each other, to our congregation. Reflecting upon the gifts we are to one another is an excellent theme for this season of gratitude, a time set apart to be grateful for the gifts we have received, and the gifts we offer. -Peace,
Frank ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Mission: St. John’s is committed to creating a
safe and caring community,
working for social
justice and celebrating beliefs that respect freedom of thought.
We are
pleased to be designated a “Welcoming
Congregation” by the Unitarian Universalist
Association, and as such
we honor and value the racial, cultural, economic, religious, physical
ability,
sexual orientation and gender diversity of our members and
visitors, young and old.
PAGE 2 The
Reporter November 12,, 2006 |
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St.
John’s Church
Calendar
Monday November 13 7pm-
Adult RE Class: Our UU Story 7pm- RE Advisory Committee 7pm-Friends of Szentlaszlo Tuesday November 14 10am- Meditation 10am- Yoga 8pm- Adult RE: World Religious Traditions Wednesday November 15 6pm- Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm- ACLU Program Thursday November 16 7:15pm- Choir Rehearsal Friday November 17 7:30pm- Women’s Book Group 8pm- Music Series Concert with MUSE Saturday November 18 9:30am- Dream Group 8pm- Music Series Concert with MUSE Sunday November 19 9am- Chalice Group 11am- Sunday Worship Service 12:15pm- Voices of Variety Rehearsal 12:30pm- Green Sanctuary Partners 3pm- Music Series Concert with MUSE 4pm- Breaking Free 6:30pm- New Member Thanksgiving Potluck Tuesday November 21 8:30am- Staff Meeting 10am- Meditation 10am- Yoga 7pm- Adult RE Class: World Religious
Traditions Wednesday November 22Church
Office Closed (Josie on Vacation) 6:30pm- Tech Support Committee Thursday November 23 Happy Thanksgiving! Church Office Closed Friday November 24 Church Office Closed Saturday November 25 4pm- Nina Tolley Art Reception Sunday November 26 11am- Sunday Worship Service 12:30pm- Voices of Variety Rehearsal 12:30pm- Social Action Committee |
4pm- Breaking Free 7pm- A Course in Miracles Tuesday November 28 10am- Meditation 10am- Yoga 8pm- Adult RE Class: World Religious
Traditions Thursday November 30 5pm- Deadline for The Reporter 7:15pm- Choir Rehearsal Saturday November 2 9am- UU Council Meeting 9am- Voices of Variety Rehearsal Sunday December 3 11am- Children’s Holiday Service 4pm- Breaking Free 6pm- Earth Spirit 6pm- Men’s Group 6pm- A Course in Miracles Monday December 4 7pm-RE Advisory Committee -------------------------------------------------------------------- Northern
Hills UU Fellowship Seeks
Office Administrator The Northern Hills
Fellowship, a Unitarian Universalist church, located in Springfield Twshp.,
is looking for a part time Office Administrator. Basic computer and good
communication skills needed. $10/hr, 20 hrs/wk. Please send resume to: UUNHF,
460 Fleming Rd, Cincinnati , OH 45231.
-Vivek Choudhury Next
Reporter Deadline Because of the
upcoming Thanksgiving holiday the deadline for the next issue of The Reporter
will be on Thursday November 30 at 5pm (and NOT on
-Bruce Beisner The
Reporter, November 12, 2006 __ PAGE 7 |
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RE Joys by Barbara Hadden
and Mary Darner Directors of
Religious Exploration The next few weeks are
filled with lots of holiday activities so get out your calendars. Please make
note of what programming is available on each special Sunday for your
children. Rehearsals for Voices of Variety will be held at 12:15pm on Sundays, Nov. 19
and 26. Sunday November 19th is the annual Thanks-giving service at 11am and
many of our young people in the elementary, junior high and high school program
will be participating. Thanks to all who have volunteered to make this a
special occasion. Children under 1st grade will go to their classes in Pre/K
and Growing Times and child care is available downstairs for Infants and
Toddlers. Sunday November 26th- No RE Classes. Child Care for young children
only. Saturday December 2nd -The final rehearsal for Voices of Variety
will run from 10am until noon. Lunch will be served after the rehearsal for
all the participants. Sunday December 3rd at
11am. Holiday Family Concert is held featuring the Voices of Variety
children's choir. All children in Pre/K and above will attend to either sing
with Voices or sit with their families. Children under Pre/K will be cared
for in Growing Times and the Infant and Toddler rooms downstairs. Saturday December 9th - The seventh annual Pizza and Gingerbread
House Party starts at 6pm. All families are invited to share food and fun as
we make Gingerbread Houses. We provide all the supplies; each family
contributes $10.00 to help with the costs. Sunday December 10th at
11am- The adult choir presents Spanish and Latin American holiday music.
Classes will be held for all PAGE
6 The Reporter November 12,, 2006 |
children under 1st
grade, older children will attend the service or
activities in the Rosa Parks Room downstairs. Please take time now before the holidays are upon us to think about how
to make your holidays more meaningful whether in family gatherings or in
serving others. If we can help you think about readings and family rituals,
we'd be glad to do so. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A reception is planned
for Saturday November 25th
from 4 to 6pm at St. John’s to celebrate the works of Nina Tolley.
Original works including pastel and pencil drawings with live music by
pianist Rachel Kramer. All are welcome including friends and family. Exhibit
on display through November 30, in-cluding during the MUSE Concerts on Nov.
17-19, and by appointment arranged by contacting
Nina.
-Howard Tolley “Bring a Friend to Church” Sunday Rev. Frank Carpenter
and the Membership Committee invite you to "Bring a Friend to
Church" and the enjoy the fellowship of St. John's on December 17. This
special Sunday has been set aside for you to introduce friends to St. John's.
Your friends may already know we are committed to the practice of free
religion. We |
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Opportunities
&
Invitations Exploring World Religions –Buddhism Beginning November 14,
the World Religions Study Group will take up Buddhism. Meetings are Tuesday
evenings, 7 to 8:30pm in the Library. We will continue with Buddhism until
the group decides to move on. Huston Smith’s The World’s Religions (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991)
is recommended, esp. Chapter III (pp. 82 to 153). Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught (New York:
Grove Press, 1974) is also useful because it contains a representative selection
of Buddhist’s texts. The class is open to all interested members and friends
of St. Johns. For more inform- ation, please contact
Charles Seibert
-Charles Seibert Women’s
Book Group The Women's Book Group
will meet on November 17 to discuss In the Company of the
Courtesan by Sarah Dunant . We're departing from our usual format and
meeting at 6:30pm at the cafe at Joseph Beth for a light meal followed by a
discussion of the book. Please call Debbie Combs by Wednesday November 15 for
a reservation. The book group will not meet in December but will meet at St.
John's on Friday, January 19 at 7:30pm.
-Debbie Combs Entertainment
Books Now on Sale Looking to save money
and support St. John’s? Entertainment Books are now on sale for $35. This
great book is full of money saving coupons for air fares, hotels, meals
at local restaurants, theater, movies, entertainment, and more. $5 of each
book sold goes to support the St. John’s Flower Fund. Books are on sale every
Sunday after church. Oh, and they make great
holiday stocking stuffers!
-Barbara Hadden |
Potluck to Welcome New Members Voices of
Variety Choir to Kick Off
Holiday Season
at St. John’s
Mark your calendar - Sunday, December 3, at 11am Join the
Voices of Variety and guest musicians Alex Thio and Marcia Gallas as we
explore the holiday season with "It's December in Our Town". Now in
their 10th season, the 25+ singers of Voices of Variety have been rehearsing
since September and would welcome you to the service as they welcome the
holiday season through song. Traditional events like the now-famous singing of the
"12-Days of Christmas", carol singing and the arrival of a
"special guest" - will round out the service and bring us all into
sprit of the season.
-Rachel
Kramer UUSC Guest at Your Table Program -Wanda Crawford The Reporter, November 12, 2006 __ PAGE 3 |
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Among
Ourselves A Taste of St. John’s Wrap Up
The Fundraising
Committee would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who helped
make the Taste of St. John's a success! We had people help with set-up,
clean-up, selling tickets, donating items and food, etc. and--of
course--everyone who came and purchased the many great items and services. We
could not have done it without you! The event raised a total of approximately $8,500 which will go directly into the operating budget
of St. John's. Please contact Rick Prairie if you still need to pay for
auction items. Call Josie in the church office (961-1938) with questions
about dates of dinners you signed up for and who bought the items you
offered.
-Karen Miller Fall
All-Council Meeting On October 28 board
members, committee members, and staff gathered to set goals for the coming
year. In August, the Board defined goals based on the Strategic Plan and the
congrega-tional survey conducted in the spring. At the meeting on Saturday we
broke into working groups to review those goals and obtain input from the
wider knowledge and expertise of those participating. Those working groups
came back to the assembly of the whole with goals and objectives for
committees. Since goals for the year are based on the congregational survey,
we encourage you to review the survey data results on St. John’s web site or
the full survey in the church office.
–Debbie Combs The Finance Corner So what happens at Board retreats and All-Council breakfasts? This year, a great deal of effort has been put forth by each council to set goals and add to our strategic plan. The Finance Council’s goals are as follows: PAGE 4 The Reporter November 12, 2006 |
Incorporate financial responsibility into all areas of church life and develop a dialogue to articulate financial expectations; Conduct a well-planned, successful stewardship campaign; Diversify fundraising events by involving groups, i.e. chalice, social; Develop a business plan for growth and other strategic plan items; Develop a long-term plan for stewardship; Develop an ongoing financial plan for property improvements/maintenance; Write manuals for each Finance position; and Update the Chart of Accounts to be more efficient and relevant. You don’t have to be a numbers cruncher or money buff to take part in any of the exciting opportunities these goals offer. If you have thoughts and comments for this council and would like to participate, please contact Jonena Jones, Finance Council Director
.-Jonena Jones Upcoming Adult RE Classes Registration for the
following new classes will be held on the first two Sundays in January: Mindfulness Meditation - This experiential class will explore what
mindfulness meditation is and will teach participants different ways they can
be aware of their senses to be in the present moment. Nina Tolley will lead
this group on Sundays afternoons starting Jan. 14 Building Your Own Theology- This is the intensive workshop on
what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. We say we are each responsible
for our own beliefs. St. John's mission statement says we celebrate freedom
of belief. You will be expected to share your thoughts about God, suffering,
vocation and death, among other topics, and then come up with a 'credo' or
personal statement of belief in this work-shop. Rev. Frank Carpenter, will
lead this ten week workshop on Tuesday nights starting on Jan. 30 Who Is This Diety?- This discussion group will talk about how our
understanding of ourselves is shaped by our unconsciously held beliefs about
the Divine. This is a participative group with no preparation time required.
No new members will be added to the group after the first meeting. Karen
Heaster will lead this five week workshop on Thursday nights starting January
18. -Carol Fencl, Adult RE Committee |
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Planning for the
Contemporary Service
The Worship Opportunities Task Force has
received news that St. John's has been awarded a $500 Special Project Grant
from the Young Adult office of the UUA. This money will be used toward the
electrical upgrade work that is necessary in Krolfifer Hall for the equipment
to be installed for the Contemporary Service beginning in March 2007. Other
major grant applications are being submitted to the Heartland District Chalice
Lighter program and to the UUA Young Adult & Campus Ministry Professional
Grant Program. We are hoping that our new Contemporary Service will be
supported for the first year by the UUA, the Heartland District, and of
course, the members and friends of St. John's. Meanwhile the Program Planning Team is hard at work making plans for the start of contemporary worship services on March 18, 2007. The first service will be at the regular 11:00 am time. After that they will continue on the third Sunday of each month at 9:00 am, and the regular service will follow at 11:00. These services will be held in Krolfifer Hall. Special audio visual and sound equipment will soon be installed there for the service. The service will be called Celebrate Life Together! It will include contemporary style music and musicians and will be using power point messages and videos. The worship design will be innovative, participative, and stimulating. We would like your suggestions on music, songs, videos or films that you like and might be included. Please send your ideas to Sherry Tippey. -George Dershimer and
Carol Fencl News of Szentlaszlo We want to thank
everyone who helped with the lunch including those who made soup, baked
bread, washed dishes, served food, and helped with setting up. We want to send a
special thanks to Melanie Marsh for coordinating
the event and to our teens o
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who helped with the
set-up and clean-up. Let us know if you'd like to see more soup and bread
lunches. We'd also like to hear from anyone who would like to make soup and
bread or otherwise help with the next lunch. Travel to
Transylvania: Remember to mark
December 3rd on your calendar for the information session for those of you
who might be interested in traveling to our partner church and Transylvania
next year. We'll meet after church (12:30pm) in the library. Possible dates
for the trip as well as the itinerary and activities will be discussed. Next Friends
Meeting: The next meeting of
the Friends of Szentlaszlo will be Monday November 13th starting
at 7pm at the church. -Tom Darner,
Friends of Szentlaszlo Music Vivace by Dr. Cathy Roma,
Minister of Music The second concert in the St. John's
Music Series is coming up Friday November 17 (8pm), Saturday November 18
(8pm), and Sunday November 19 (3pm) MUSE Cincinnati's Music Choir will sing and
feature a simply moving, unique, uplifting work called Where
I Live, a breast cancer oratorio. It is emotionally rich
and direct. Written for seven instrumentalists, soloists, women's choir and
narrator (Dale Hodges and Claire Slemmer), the work, by Diane Benjamin, moves
through a wide range of emotions into self transformation and healing. The short second half will feature
several new works and a few MUSE "chestnuts." Please visit www.musechoir.org or call 513-221-1118. Please join us as we
join together for an incredible musical journey in community with one another. The St. John's Choir will perform
"Can You Hear?" on Sunday November 19. We will colla-borate with
some of the YRUU singers, and Jesse Muni will lead as soloist. This new,
exciting little piece reaches out to ask the question "how responsible
am I for the well-being of others?" Do we have the courage to feel
responsible? The work is from the project “Sounds of a Better World.” The Reporter,
November 12, 2006 __ PAGE 5 |
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The Wheel of
Life
marker events in the life of the St. John’s community Esther Wagner passed away on the
evening of November 5. She was one of St. John’s longest term members. Esther
served our congregation in a variety of ways and continues to be an
inspiration to many women in the courage which she brought to living her
life. A memorial service for Esther was held on the morning of November 10 at
St. John’s. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to St. John’s Memory
Fund or the Shriner’s Burn Institute. Bruce Beisner and his partner Jim Wiggins
will be traveling to Canada over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend to get
legally married. Bruce and Jim had a big wedding ceremony and reception here
at St. John’s six years ago but have decided to take the extra step of making
it legal (at least in Canada). They will have a small private ceremony at the
Two Hearts Wedding Chapel in Niagara Falls, Ontario on Friday November 24. The Rev. Dr. Clarke Wells died at his home
in Bloomington, Indiana on November 8. Clarke was the minister at St. John’s
when our sanctuary was designed and built. He was 76. Dr. Wells was born in 1930 in Plainwell,
Michigan and was the son of a newspaper editor and a city librarian. A
graduate of the University of Chicago and Meadville Lombard Theological
School , he was ordained in 1956 and served actively in ministry for over
fifty years in Oklahoma City ; Cincinnati, OH ; Portland, OR and Newton, MA
.As interim minister he served churches in Bloomington and Muncie IN,
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