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	THE REPRTER Newsletter of St. John’s Unitarian Universalist Church December 17, 2006
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK “The nicest gifts people have given me have been enabling, confirming gifts, bestowing understanding and self-esteem, help in time of trouble and delight in ordinary days.” --Clarke Dewey Wells		SUNDAY SERVICES Sunday services and Children’s Religious Exploration classes at St. John’s begin at 11am. Child care is available. Church Parking: The Clifton School parking lot behind St. John’s will be CLOSED for the near future because of construction on the site. Parking is available behind the Clifton Mosque (located across Clifton Avenue from the Clifton School lot) or in the Clifton Recreation Center lot on McAlpin Ave. The church parking lot is reserved for visitors, families with small children, our older members, and those with handicapped permits. Sunday December 24^th at 11am “Carols and Memories” the Rev. Frank Carpenter an informal morning service to help get you in the sprit Sunday December 24^th at 7pm “Family Candlelight Service” the Rev. Frank Carpenter our traditional Christmas Eve service for the entire family Sunday December 31^st at 11am “Daddy's Sour Grapes” Fathers long dead leave a mark on our lives and sometimes that mark is a scar. Joan Robinson and Karolyn Schalk will talk about how they have looked back at their own and their father's stories, then moved on to a deeper understanding of their own and their father's lives. During the service you will be able to participate in a ceremony of letting go and beginning again. Sunday January 7^th at 11am “Wise Men (and Women) Know Humility” Unitarian Universalism presents us with very lofty goals for living our lives. On this Sunday of Epiphany, Bruce Beisner will talk about the spiritual importance of acknowledging the limits of our vision and the dangers of seeing ourselves and our liberal faith tradition as somehow superior to others.	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 through Friday 7:30am to 2:30pm Church Website www.stjohnsuu.org Next Reporter Deadline will be Thursday January 4^th at 5pm. Send articles to Bruce Beisner via email

FRANKLY SPEAKING by the Rev. Dr. Frank Carpenter The prophet Muhammad was orphaned at the age of six. Widows and orphans in Mecca at the time were at very high risk as they could not inherit. If they had no family protection, the only option was to borrow money from the rich at excessive interest rates, which inevitable led to debt, which in turn led to cursing poverty and finally slavery. Fortunately for Muhammad, his uncle, Abu Talib, offered him a home. Yet Muhammad learned the lesson. Out of this came Islam’s strong sense of social justice, which to this day does not permit Muslims to charge interest on loans. So too was Jesus born a marginalized child. His was born in a barn; his father was a carpenter, not all that lucrative. His was a poor Jew in the Roman Empire. In the tradition of the Hebrew prophets he championed widows and orphans, and preached that whatever you did for the least of these, you did for him. The early church held all property in common. Helping people through economic hard times is an old spiritual practice. Here at St. John’s we do this through the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. This fund is only for church members. Through it you have helped your friends attend funerals of loved ones, pay utilities bills, make a deposit on an apartment, make a down payment on a car, allow a youth to attend a UU conference. All confidentially. The past year has been a hard one and the Fund is low. I am calling for you to help out. The Discretionary Fund is not in the budget and the only way to fund it is through messages like this and the offering at the Family Christmas Candlelight Service on December 24^th. If you won’t be attending the Candlelight Service, I hope that you will mail a check to St. John’s, made out to the church, with a memo for the “Minister’s Discretionary Fund.” Legend has it that the wise men and shepherds brought gifts to the baby lying in a manger in Bethlehem that night. Please, but your friends here at St. John’s who have hit a rough spot on the road on your gift list this year! -- Thank you! 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 December 17, 2006

CHURCH CALENDAR Tuesday December 19^th 9am- Staff Meeting 10am- Meditation 10am- Yoga 7pm- Adult RE Class: World Religious Traditions Thursday December 21^st 7:15pm- Choir Rehearsal Sunday December 24^th 11am- Sunday Worship Service: “Carols & Memories” Rev. Carpenter 7pm- Christmas Eve Family Candlelight Service Tuesday December 26^th 10am- Meditation 10am- Yoga 7pm- Adult RE Class: World Religious Traditions Wednesday December 27^th 6:30pm- Open House at the home of Joan and Bill Robinson 6:30pm- Tech Committee Sunday December 31^st 11am- Sunday Worship Service: “Daddy’s Sour Grapes” Joan Robinson & Karolyn Schalk 8pm- Family Fun New Year’s Party Monday January 1^st Noon- Soups On Party at Carol and Dick Fencl’s Tuesday January 2^nd 10am- Meditation 10am- Yoga 7pm- Adult RE Class: World Religious Traditions Wednesday January 3^rd 7pm- Membership Committee Thursday January 4^th 5pm- Deadline for the Reporter 7:15pm- Choir rehearsal Friday January 5^th OWL Overnight Retreat Saturday January 6^th 5:30pm- EarthSpirit Council of All Species Sunday January 7^th 11am- Sunday Worship Service: “Wise Men Know Humility” Bruce Beisner 5pm- EarthSpirit Full Moon Circle 6pm- Men’s Group 7pm- A Course in Miracles

Tuesday January 9^th 9am- Friends of the Collaborative 10am- Meditation 10am- Yoga 7pm- Chalice Group (J. Cirillo) 7pm- Adult RE Class: World Religious Traditions Wednesday January 10^th 5:30pm- Executive Board Meeting 7pm- Chalice Group (B. Luerssen) Please note: The Church Office will be closed from December 22^nd to January 2^nd. Josie will be checking voice mail but will be on vacation. Sunday Coffee Hosts Schedule Here is the list of coffee hosts for upcoming Sundays at St. John's: Dec. 24- Tracy Flanagan & Winnie Goodwin Dec. 31-Cliff Shisler & Linda Heath Jan. 7- Debbie Combs & Martha McLeod Gifts from The Heart Looking for UU gifts? The Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) has chalice themed jewelry, not cards and other gifts for sale on its website at www.clfuu.org. All proceeds from the sale of these items goes directly to support the many ministries of CLF in promoting Unitarian Universalism throughout the world. -Church of the Larger Fellowship A New Look for The Reporter? For this last issue of 2006, we decided to try a new type face. Some members and friends of St. John’s have expressed that they sometimes have difficulty reading the smaller “Times” serif type face usually used in each issue of the newsletter. So what do you think? Is it more readable? Do you like the way it looks? Or should we go back to the regular look for the Reporter? Please email Bruce Beisner with your comments. -Bruce Beisner The Reporter, December 17, 2006 __ PAGE 7

YRUU Teens to Serve at The Drop Inn Center Starting December 31^st, the YRUU (high-school youth) will begin serving lunch the last Sunday of each month at the Drop In Center in Over-the-Rhine. We will be asking YRUU families to join us the first few times and then open to the invitation to others in the congregation. If you are interested in sharing in this service experience with the youth, please let one of the YRUU advisors know. They are Alicia Rosselot, Kathleen Smythe, and John Fanselow -Kathleen Smythe Green Sanctuary Events Green Sanctuary Partners are preparing two paradigm-shifting presentations at St. John’s next month. On January 21^st we will view and discuss Al Gore's brilliantly chal-lenging film "An Inconvenient Truth" Have you changed your thinking and your doing?? What are your "green ministry" offerings for St. John’s in the new year? Meet on January 21^st , 15 minutes after the Service. Simple, healthy food offered. On Saturday January 27^th at 3pm at St. John’s all are invited to participate in a forum and reception with the gifted authors found in IMAGO's spectacular new book * edited by IMAGO founder Jim Schenk. This timely and multi-faceted treatise provides us with inspiring, intelligent and creative resources we can employ as we mend "...the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part"...(part ners!).....Thus equipped with a deeper comprehension of ecology and the effects of each one of our actions--we may truly achieve enough of the vital and sustainable future which will be required for all beings on our beloved Mother Earth Questions? Call Mira Rodwan. -Mira Rodwan PAGE 6 The Reporter December 17, 2006

Addition to Church Staff “Celebrate Life Together!,” our contemporary service, is scheduled to begin on a monthly basis on March 18, 2007. By October we intend to make it a weekly service at 9am on Sundays. Because the increased frequency of services will require more extensive planning, we wish to hire a part-time Worship Coordinator by August (pending approval of a Young Adult Ministry Grant from the UUA). This person will be either a UU minister or a layperson skilled in contemporary type services. St. John’s Board of Trustees will make the final decision on the candidate. We are recruiting in southwestern Ohio, but if you would like to recommend someone for this position, please contact George Dershimer or any member of the Program Planning Team. A job description is available to anyone who is interested in making a referral. -George Dershimer RE JOYS By Barbara Hadden & Mary Darner St John’s Directors of Religious Education Holiday greetings! We send best wishes to each one of you for a joyous holiday. Our lives and work are enriched by all of the families involved in RE and by all the volunteers who give so generously of their time and talents to our child-ren and youth. Thank you for the many gifts you bring to RE all year long.

OPPORTUNITIES & INVITATIONS New Year’s Day “Soups On” Party Time to mark your new 2007 calendars for the first day of the New Year! Come be a part of a St. John’s tradition of a mid-day “Soup's On” Party in Madeira at the home of Carol and Dick Fencl. We’ll gather from noon to 3pm on Monday January 1^st. Children are welcome. Guests should bring something to go with soup (salads, snacks, desserts, etc.) For more information, call Dick or Carol Fencl. -Carol and Dick Fencl Women’s Book Group The women’s book group won't be meeting in December. Our next gathering will be on January 19^th at 7:30pm at the church. We'll discuss the nonfiction book Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller. The book is about Fuller’s childhood during the Rhodesian civil war. All women are welcome. For newcomers, this is a great way to meet others in an informal, relaxed setting. Call Debbie Combs for more information. –Debbie Combs Give the Gift of Service If you have not filled out (or updated) a “Gifts Survey” with the Shared Ministry Committee, please do so soon. The Gifts Survey allows us to know what skills, interests and service avail-ability each member has. When a St. John’s committee needs volunteers it can search for people with skills sets to match the job. This increases the likelihood that members will find meaningful and empowering ways to contribute to the ministry of St. John’s. To fill out a new surveyor update your old one, look for the red gift-wrapped box on the table in Haehnle Hall. -Shared Ministry Committee

Holiday Tex Mex Open House Joan and Bill Robinson will host a Holiday Open House on Wednesday December 27^th at 6:30pm at their home. It will be a Tex-Mex Pow-Wow. All St. Johners are invited and asked to bring a dessert to share. -Joan Robinson Art Sale to Benefit St. John’s Vivian Kline will have a sale of her enamel pieces with prices as low as $10 on Friday December 29^th from 6-9pm and Saturday Dec- ember 30^th from 2-4pm at Pendleton Studios on Pendleton Street in downtown Cincinnati. Money raised will go to St John’s. When you come you will also be able to see 80 other studios showing paintings and crafts as well. All this is free to all. Need help in finding it? Call Vivian. -Vivian Kline Interweave House Party On January 20^th there will be an Interweave House Party at the home of Robert Piccard and Jason Blackard. Robert and Jason are looking forward to welcoming all GBLT folks AND friends to a fun filled evening. Bring a dish and a friend. The good times start at 7pm. Call Robert if you have any questions. Street parking only. –Peggy Vaughn Lively After Fifty Gathering Share a midwinter evening with our LAFS gang. We'll dine at the Blue Gibbon Chinese Restaurant on Friday January 12^th at 6:30pm. It's located on Tennessee Ave. near Paddock. Please make your reservations by January 10^th by contacting Ted Chism. Let's be true to our name and have a lively gathering to kick off '07! -Jan Hay The Reporter, December 17, 2006 __ PAGE 3

AMONG OURSELVES Minister’s Vacation Rev. Carpenter will be on vacation from January 1^st through January 28^th. In case of pastoral emergencies, he may be reached through the church office or through Board President Frances May Brooks. -Frank Carpenter Board Nominations for 2007-2008 The Nominating Committee is presently accepting nominations for three Board positions (Administrative Council, Religious Development Council and Vice President) and three Nominating Committee members. If you are interested in being nominated for one of these positions, or if you wish to suggest someone else, please contact any member of the Nominating Committee. They are Mary Ball, Dick Fencl, Richard Hadden, Monica Pellman and Cliff Shisler. -The Nominating Committee Chalice Groups Update The Chalice Groups have begun again this fall. We are pleased to report a number of different groups have been formed. The purpose of the Chalice Groups is to provide an opportunity for friends and members of St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church to develop deeper connections, foster individual growth, and encourage service within the church and beyond through small groups. We encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about the Chalice Groups or is interested in joining a Group to contact Josie in the office, or Frank Carpenter. -Jim Nunn PAGE 4 The Reporter December 17, 2006

The Finance Corner As of November 30^th the St. John’s coffee fund has a $208 deficit. As part of our social conscience, the church invests in “Fair Trade” coffee, which can be pricier than a can of Folgers. Personally, I’m still learning about the fair trade market and why it is so important to support. Impoverished coffee farmers invest a great deal of time and money into their crops, many without proper compensation. Fair trade coffee stems from agreements in which farmers are paid fairly, have market leverage, and take into account the environment, among other things. An increase in profits to the impoverished farmers has already been realized. We, as consumers, can perpetuate a positive impact by using and requesting fair trade coffee from our merchants, including Starbucks. So, next time you’re enjoying the coffee and conversation in Krolfifer, think about that farmer in the mountains. Maybe a dollar more can help send one of his children to school. If you would like to participate in the Finance Council, please contact Jonena Jones. -Jonena Jones Influence What Happens at St. John’s Interested in helping with our website? Or raising funds? Or planning Sunday morning services? Or matching members with volunteer opportunities? Or governing the church? Come to a meeting on Sunday January 14^th immediately after church in the Chapel to explore these oppor-tunities and others. We’ll have people there to answer your questions and get you started in working with our various Committees and the Board. Childcare for this short meeting will be provided. -Cliff Shisler

More Adult RE Programs Starting in January We will have registration for new classes on the first three Sundays in January. Some of the classes will be based on books that can be purchased from Beacon Press at group rate if desired. (Please see the display at church on Sunday mornings). Waist High in the World: A Live Among the Nondisabled - This discussion group will be based on the book by Nancy Mairs. The program encourages the reflections and contributions of all people, whatever their experience with disability. Three session class on Mondays from February 5^th to 19^th. Living with Racism: The Black Middle-Class Experience by Joe R. Feagin and Melvin P. Sikes. On Sundays February 4^th and 11^th before church. Emerson as Spiritual Guide- As a follow-up to last year’s Thoreau class, this will be a discussion of Emerson’s Essays, based on Barry Andrews’ discussion guide. The Spiritual Emerson published by Beacon Press may be purchased or use another collection of his writings. This five session group will be offered twice: Monday evenings from March 5^th-April 2^nd and Wednesday afternoons March 7^th-April 4^th. What is Marriage For? The Strange Social History of Our Most Intimate Institution. by E. J. Graff. “Participants investigate past and current marriage laws and customs and develop personal definitions of marriage.” To be on two Sunday evenings in April. -Carol Fencl News in the Church Office I will be out of the office from Friday December 22^nd through Monday January 1^st . I will check the answering machine on a daily basis. Happy Holidays!! -Josie Arens St. John’s Office Administrator

MUSIC VIVACE By Dr. Catherine Roma St. John’s Minister of Music On Christmas Eve the St. John's Choir will collaborate with tenor John Wright on two beautiful and unusual Christmas Carol settings. We will bring back one of the delightful pieces from Carols and Lullabies we did this past week. "Alegria" will again feature Ed Jones, Tom Darner, and Manuel Sussaret. Mari Muni and Jessie Muni will add their glorious voices in a Christmas spiritual. The choir will take a break and return for rehearsals on Thursday January 4^th. Please don't hesitate to start out the new year with the St. John's Choir. We are open to all voice parts--especially tenors and basses (always). We have a lot of fun together, and work on some terrific repertoire. I will be putting together the whole service for Martin Luther King Day Sunday. I especially would like to "swell" the choral numbers in order to do an African Welcome Song and several African American spirituals with John Wright. MUSE will join us to sing several works on King Day, January 14. The choir hopes you were pleased with our Choir Service Sunday last week. Let us know what you thought about our all-Spanish program. A reminder that on Saturday January 20--the young and young at heart are welcome to the third concert in our St. John's Music Series "Monkey See, Monkey Do," by the Madcap Puppet Theatre. Start out you day with us at 10:00 for a really animated event!! The Reporter _December 17, 2006 __ PAGE 5