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Volume 2, No. 12 March 26, 2010 Hello, here is an ENews for the week. If you have any interest in printing a copy of this please go to http://www.cedarlane.org/enarch09/en032610.htm where it has been posted as a web page. This ENews has been bookmarked to allow fast access to sections. To jump to the bookmarked sections please press control and click on the following to access these bookmarks. Thanks, Sara sdeshler@cedarlane.org. Sunday’s activities From the Ministers We Care Music Notes Education for all Ages Upcoming Sundays Around the Church Board of Trustees Denominational Affairs Leadership, Development, and Nominations Committee Partner Church Committee Pledge Drive Committee Social Justice Council Beyond Cedar Lane Calendar
Service this Sunday 9 & 11 a.m. March 28, 2010
March 28, 2010 In the Passover story, eternal themes of departure, wandering and arriving invite us to consider what it means to leave and discover home. This service will reflect on the shared experiences of wandering and arriving in life, on letting go of the familiar for something new and on the faith it requires to live in the desert for a time. Forum: Finding a New Way Forward in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a country, but it is not a nation as it is composed of four distinct national groups. Three are tied by ethnicity and/or religion to one of the country's neighbors and divided from the fourth by Hindu Kush; the fourth is a collection of loosely confederated tribes. Just as it did not work in Viet Nam or Algeria, General McChrystal's "new" counterinsurgency of "clear, hold, build" is unlikely to work because it cannot be executed on behalf of another government (particularly a weak, corrupt government) by a foreign army. Also, the Muslim world does not want the United States to be its savior; or to be "Westernized " through military occupation regardless of the material benefits American-led Westernization offers. Dr. Douglas Macgregor, retired army colonel, will elaborate on why he believes it would be best for us to withdraw from Afghanistan. Music Notes: Thomas Guthrie begins our Palm Sunday musical offerings with two brief selections, the second being the classic tune that is synonymous with this day, The Palms, by Jean Baptiste Fauré. Call to Worship is an a capella setting of What Wondrous Love, drawn from the collection of hymns called Southern Harmony. This setting, prepared by Clif Hardin, Director of Music at River Road Unitarian Universalist Church, is poignant in its simplicity, yet the power of the message matches the intensity of the singers as they move through the verses. The harmonization of All Glory, Laud, and Honor that was prepared by J. S. Bach is sung in churches throughout the world on Palm Sunday. Framed by verses in four part harmony, the second verse features voices singing in unison, around which is woven a delightful organ filigree. Calling My Children Home was composed by Doyle Lawson and his fellow musicians in The Country Gentlemen bluegrass band, based in Winchester, Virginia. It has been interpreted in as many ways as there are artists who have sung it, including Emmy Lou Harris, Dolly Parton, and the popular men’s chorus, Chanticleer. This morning’s rendition by the Adult Choir will be sung in a straight forward fashion in which we rely on the precision of the rhythms and the color of the harmonies to paint the picture, “I’m lonesome for my precious children, they live so far away. Oh, may they hear my calling, and come back home some day.” Welcome, Visitors to Cedar Lane. We invite you to stop by our Visitors Center in the Lounge service to say hello, find out more about Cedar Lane and Unitarian Universalism, sign up for our mailing list, and/or pick up pamphlets about our faith.
IN THE LOUNGE-
◊ Adult
Programs Registration ◊ Concerts at Cedar Lane ◊ Environmental Task Force ◊
Volunteers for the Service:
Roger Fritts At the April 11 annual meeting, our congregation will vote on whether or not to ordain Kristen Grassel as a Unitarian Universalist Minister. If you vote yes, the Ordination Service will be sometime in December. Ordination is a significant event not only in Kristen’s life, but also in the life of our church. A system called congregational polity governs our church, as it does all Unitarian Universalist congregations. Congregational polity means that all power arises from congregation. In contrast, in Episcopal polity, the chief authority rests in a bishop, and in Presbyterian polity, each local church is governed by a body of elected elders, and groups of local churches are governed by a higher assembly of elders. Like other Unitarian Universalist churches, our own church has a modified form of congregational polity. We have a board that acts for the congregation in the monthly management of the church. However, certain powers, such as the ordaining of a minister, are reserved only for the congregation. An ordination is a ritual in which the proper authority formally confers on an individual the right and power to be a minister. In our association, the authority to ordain a minister rests solely with each local congregation. We should not take this power for granted. For forty years during the communist rule of Romania, Unitarians in Transylvania were permitted by the government only to ordain a new minister when an older minister retired. Ordination recognizes not just one person’s abilities, but the power, sovereignty and tradition of the congregation as well. If you are a voting member of the congregation, I would like you to reserve 12:30 Sunday, April 11 on your calendar to attend the annual meeting of our church, so that you can participate in this important decision.
The We Care program is a network led by volunteers who reach out to address short-term needs – food deliveries, rides to doctor’s appointments, a listening ear in the event of a loss. The Cedar Lane congregation is organized geographically by “neighborhoods”; each neighborhood has at least one chairperson to coordinate support. Look at your nametag or the map in the church office to find your neighborhood.
Our hearts go out to
Laurence Sage, John Haber and Hadrian and Sophie Haber-Sage
(Neighborhood Should you know of a member of our community in personal need, you are encouraged to reach out to them. If you learn that this person wishes to receive a response from the church, please contact Heather Janules at x204 or hjanules@cedarlane.org. All ministers offer pastoral care to our members so you are also encouraged to contact any member of the ministerial team.
Music Notes from the Director of Music March 28 - We celebrate the music of Palm Sunday and Heather Janules’ final service prior to her sabbatical leave. The Adult Choir will be singing a familiar tune from Southern Harmony, What Wondrous Love, arranged by Clif Harden, Director of Music at River Road Unitarian Universalist Church. The Choir will also sing the familiar melody arranged by J.S. Bach, All Glory, Laud and Honor, with Thomas Guthrie contributing an intricate organ accompaniment. The Choir completes the morning with a wonderful a capella selection in the Gospel tradition, Calling My Children Home. The Congregation will sing “Come, Come Whoever You Are” and “The Lone, Wild Bird.” April 4, “Easter Sunday” - The Sanctuary will come alive with music on this great morning as we celebrate the arrival of spring and the many wonders of life! A brass ensemble, organ, piano, handbells, tympani, youthful singers and the Adult Choir will gather in the choir loft to lead the music of the day. Following prelude selections by the organ and brass our young singers will proclaim Hear the News This Easter Morn. The Adult Choir will sing the Kyrie from Puccini’s “Messa di Gloria.” Later in the service the Choir will again be joined by the brass and timpani for This Is the Day and the jubilant anthem, People Arise. The Congregation will have the pleasure of singing along with the brass ensemble in the hymns, “Lo, the Earth Awakes Again,” Lo, the Day of Days Is Here,” and Beethoven’s favorite: “Hymn to Joy.” Come early to get a good seat and hear all the Preludes! April 11 - Gruppo Piccolo and the Intergenerational Handbell Choir will be on hand to support Minister Emeritus, Rev. Kenneth Maclean on this special morning. The IG Handbell Choir will ring an energetic and joyous selection titled Praise Ostinato. Gruppo Piccolo will sing the hymn “Eternal Father Strong to Save” a capella from the front of the Sanctuary. The ensemble will offer additional chamber selections during the service. The Congregation will sing “Spacious Firmament On High” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” April 18 - Our Children’s Choir and Youth Choir join together for a very special moment during this Worship Service. You’ll have to come and see it for yourselves because it’s a secret (shh!). April 25 - We will celebrate Earth Day with songs that remind us of the beauty and sacredness of our planet. The Adult Choir leads the morning’s music with a setting by contemporary composer Frank Tichelli titled EarthSong. The Congregation will sing “For the Earth Forever Turning.” Don’t forget to check out all the extracurricular music happenings at CLUUC this spring! “Round Singing” is part of Adult Programs. Spring B will include both a class called “Everything You Need to Know About Handbells (but were afraid to ask...)” and a Coffee House project led by Steve Jones. Check them all out on the website.
Education for all Ages Religious Education Notes HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL! As Unitarian Universalists we have a variety of religious heritages from which we draw and which we continue to enjoy. The next two weeks may bring one (or two!) that many of us grew up with: Passover and Easter. This is a great time to experience the richness of both traditions from our own UU and interfaith perspectives. As families we encourage you to consider attending the following events:
Passover, March 28
Easter Morning,
April 4,
Options (NO RE)
Cedar Lane Seder,
April 11,
5 p.m.: The RE Council and Adult Programs Committee invite Cedar Laners to
participate in our FAMILY-FRIENDLY and EDUCATIONAL Seder. For those for whom
this is a NEW experience as well of those for whom a Seder is a long experienced
tradition. This will be a Seder recalling an age-old tradition, guided by our
UU Principles. Save the Dates!
May 2–23 Spring B
Donate Used
Clothing!
Youth Notes Youth Activity Group (Grades 7 and 8) Manna Food Packing! We will be participating in our 5th Tuesday Manna Food Packing this coming Tuesday, March 30. New Location! Meet at Zio’s on Gaither Rd for pizza at 5:30 p.m., bring $7 for pizza and drinks. OR Students needing a ride from the church, let John Daniel (301-946-5509) know AND be at Cedar lane by 4:45 p.m. Packing should end by about 8:00 p.m. and students should get back to Cedar Lane about 8:30 p.m. Call the church at 301-493-8300 to RSVP by Tuesday noon, March 30! Be sure that John knows if you will meet us at Zio’s OR you need a ride from the church! We always need lots of packers, so join us and bring a buddy. Don’t forget your Activity Permission Form that was sent through the mail, AND your SSL forms if you need them!
Below is the upcoming schedule—make your plans to join us.
Senior High Youth Group
(SHYG)
Upcoming Events:
Young Adults (Ages
18-35) Adult Programs Notes More than a dozen marvelous new Spring 2010 classes will soon be popping up along with the spring flowers. Don’t miss the chance to grow your mind and tone your body. Sign up NOW! Detailed descriptions and fees are in the robin's egg blue Adult Programs Spring 2010 brochure (online at http://www.cedarlane.org/ap/springtext2010-3.pdf). Call the RE office for updates, to register, or if you have questions.
April Classes:
Brochure Corrections
Sunday Morning Forum
April 4, 2010 Easter
Sunday
11 a.m. “Alive!” April 4 Forum: Food, Fuel, Water, and Climate Change: Agriculture's 21st Century Challenges. By mid-century, the world population is expected to be 9 billion. Significant challenges face us to provide food, fuel, and water; uncertainties around these are exacerbated by climate change. How does this factor into nation security and ethical eating? Exploring the nature and extent of these issues with Dr. Shafer, USDA-ARS, may help decide what we can do and what policies make sense.
April 11, 2010 Kenneth Torquil MacLean was minister of Cedar Lane from 1972 to 1992. This year he will speak at the UUMA worship service for the ministers who were ordained fifty years ago. He will also be Minister of the Week at the Star Island International Affairs Conference. He is minister of the Church of the Desert in Rancho Mirage, California. The Annual Meeting will follow the second service at 12:30 p.m. Food will be served. April 11 Forum: Kakenya’s Dream. Kakenya Ntaiya was predestined to live the life of a traditional Kenyan Maasai wife and mother, but she rebelled in favor of getting a good education. Now a graduate student working on her dissertation in international education, she is fulfilling her dream of enabling girls in her home community to get their own education at a school she founded that opened last year.
Concerts at Cedar Lane presents the Snark Ensemble, Saturday evening, April 17, 8 p.m. View the silent films of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chase, and Harry Langdon while listening to the live, New Orleans style original music of The Snark Ensemble. Great entertainment for the whole family. We’ll have popcorn, just like at the theatres. Come early to get a good seat! See more details at cedarlane.org/Concerts.htm.
Donate Clothing! Grounds Spring Clean-up TOMORROW
Join the grounds committee after their meeting on Saturday, March 27 to help clean up after our damaging winter. General clean-up, mulching paths, cutting up downed limbs are other jobs. Those with a special interest in invasive removal will have plenty to choose from. We’ll wrap up our meeting at 10AM, get right to work. If you arrive a bit early, look for us in Rm 30-31. Otherwise we’ll be out on the grounds. Everyone is welcome. Bagels, muffins, and beverages will be provided. Hope to see you then!
OpenDoor Housing But how do Cedar Lane’s loans look in this economic climate? The fact we are being paid 3% interest on these loans and that our capital is intact certainly beats the returns over the last several years on almost all of our other investments. What about the financial turmoil in the housing markets and the generally weak economy we are experiencing? OpenDoor has received a clean bill of health from the auditors for the last fiscal year, is well managed, and has not been threatened by these difficulties. In fact, as we come out of the current recession, there will be even better opportunities to help provide financing for affordable housing due to the reduction in the costs related to these housing projects. I want to urge congregations and individuals to consider a safe and socially responsible investment in OpenDoor Housing. These investments allow OpenDoor to continue to provide critical early stage funding necessary to help create affordable housing for working families and residents with special needs. They can’t do that without your help.
Jay Schneider
Census Day is
Thursday, April 1!
Dear members and friends of Cedar Lane, Cell Tower proposal: As you have likely heard the board rejected the proposal to build a cell tower on our property at a special meeting on January 17. The motion which rejected the proposal was made by the Cell Tower Study Group, and passed unanimously by the Board of Trustees. Reverend Roger Fritts has been asked by some members of our congregation why the board chose to reject the proposal without calling a vote of the entire congregation. Had the board felt that the proposal was worth considering, the congregation would have been asked to vote on whether or not to move forward with the proposal. After extensive study by the Cell Tower Study Group, the board, and Reverend Fritts, including meetings with church members and neighbors, the study group and the board did not feel the proposal was worth consideration. Why is best expressed in the motion itself. There were two congregational meetings to discuss the proposal. Regarding these the motion states: “Views presented were mixed with some opposition views strongly stated. A review of written and oral comments to the Study Group might indicate a majority support for the proposal, but no strong consensus has yet formed to proceed with the proposed tower.” Regarding neighborhood views the motion states: “A petition presented to Rev. Fritts December 9, 2009 had signatures from 258 people opposing the tower.” Regarding a meeting with the neighbors on January 11: “The recent open meeting with neighbors was a show of force of opposition to the tower. Thirty or more speakers delivered their opposition views and it appears that all of the 200 or so neighbors attending oppose the proposed tower.” And finally from the motion: “From the beginning of this process, the Board and Study Group established a benchmark that this matter could not proceed without input from and broad support of the congregation and church neighbors. Out of respect to and in the interest of harmonious relations with our neighbors, the Board of Trustees makes the following decision. “BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: The Board of Trustees hereby determines that it will not call a congregational meeting to vote on the cell tower proposal, and will not proceed to negotiate a lease with T-Mobile or any other carrier to place a cell tower on our property.” Members of the Cell Tower Study Group who worked diligently and thoughtfully for many months and deserve our special thanks and appreciation are: Bob Pechacek, chair, Jim Laurenson, John Daniel, Deborah Scott Goodwin, Charlie Kaylor, and Peter Lowenthal. Cedar Lane Stage: The board has been in discussions with Cedar Lane Stage (CLS) to examine how to move forward with our mutual relationship that would best suit the needs of both the church and CLS. As a result CLS is in the process of developing a charter to become a formal church committee. The charter will need to be approved by the board. The board feels this approach will assist in reconnecting CLS with the church and will help the church control costs and better coordinate the use of our church building. Safety and Security: A new ad hoc committee has recently been formed to look broadly at church security and safety. This action was taken in part in response to several thefts at the church over the past year. The committee will broadly review and propose updates to church policies and procedures and will work with existing committees with the goal of improving the church’s ability to prevent and respond to safety and security issues of all kinds. Peacemaking Statement Of Conscience (SOC): The Board recently abstained, at the recommendation of the Denominational Affairs Committee, in response to the UUA’s request for a vote on whether the proposed Peacemaking SOC should be on the agenda for General Assembly (G.A.) this year. The board agreed that abstention was the best way to send a message to the UUA that there are inadequacies in the SOC. Farewell to Reverend Heather Janules: The board wishes Heather the very best during her upcoming sabbatical, which starts on April 1, or thereabouts. Heather: go in peace, relax, learn, have fun, recuperate, and return to us with your thoughtful and bright spirit! Annual Meeting on April 11 at 12:15 in the sanctuary. I encourage you all to attend. We will be Electing new members of the board as well as of the Social Justice Council, discussing the state of our finances, and there will be an update from the Breakthrough Task Force regarding their exciting process to of soliciting church-wide input into creating an inspiring new vision for our church and goals and action items that support that vision. We need a quorum to make any of our votes valid. Please attend! I would also encourage you to read the board’s annual report that will be published along with all of our committee’s annual reports for distribution at the annual meeting and later posted on our website.
Respectfully,
General Assembly, A Meeting of UU Congregations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 23-27, 2010 Read all about GA 2010 at www.uua.org/ga You'll experience wonderful and uplifting worship services-morning and night-led by some of our best worship leaders, with glorious music and inspiring messages. General Assembly is the way that our faith does business. Actions of social witness are passed at GA, elements that make up future policies are discussed… and YOU have a voice in the discussion. You'll hear terrific speakers. There will be hundreds of entertaining programs and informative workshops, offering excellent support and learning for leaders in our congregations. You'll be able to join the witness for our faith and values, in moving and exciting ways. Minneapolis is an ideal setting for GA. It is a progressive, culturally diverse, LGBT friendly city that is rich in cultural arts and has a stunning natural environment. There are 900 lakes and 170 parks within the Twin Cities area. The Local Volunteer Committee has put together four pre-GA tour packages ideal for singles, couples and families. Tour #1 visits 3 local UU congregations and Sculpture Gardens; Tour #2 is a narrated boat ride down the Mississippi River. Tour #3 is an ethnic cook's tour of Minneapolis and St. Paul (if you like to eat this tour is for you!) and Tour #4 is shopping and dinner (on your own) at the Mall of America. There are many housing options at GA this year and at a variety of price points. The GA Planning Committee offers some scholarships. Air fares deals abound at this time of the year as well. The Denominational Affairs Committee hopes that Cedar Lane will be well represented. If you think you might like to attend, please notify Dino (drudi.dino@bls.gov) or Nancy (nancyjanssen@peoplepc.com). We have some funds available to partially subsidize attendance at General Assembly.
Leadership, Development, and Nominations Committee Just a reminder that members of CLUUC will be voting on the following nominees at the April 11 Annual Meeting:
Candidates for Board
of Trustees:
Candidates for the
Leadership Development and Nominations Committee:
Cedar Lane’s Partner Church Committee oversees and facilitates Cedar Lane’s partnership with the Unitarian church in Dicsoszentmarton, Romania. Transylvania, in northern Romania, is where Unitarianism took root with Francis David’s preaching in the 16th century. Because of the hardships the Unitarian churches faced during communism, many are now paired with a North American UU partner church. We facilitate cultural exchanges between the United States and Transylvania, including making visits to Dicsoszentmarton and arranging for them to visit us. We also provide important financial support to their congregation. One way we help is by providing college scholarships for their young people. Though college tuition is usually free in Romania to students who do well on the entrance exams, it is very costly to live in the cities where the universities are located. Our “Joseph Priestly Scholarships” make attending university feasible for the young people of the Dicsoszentmarton congregation. Soon we will begin fund raising for next fall’s group of young scholars. Here is some news from five of our current scholars. Attila Magyari graduated last summer in computer science engineering and is now studying for a Masters in computer science. He is trying to find a job to work while a student, but is finding it hard for there is much competition. Salaries are low (about $200 - $300 per month) for the job market is “flooded with lots of grads”. But he is hopeful, and that keeps him motivated. Zsuzsa Miklos is in his second year at Kolozsvar’s Technical University, studying civil engineering. He says that since he was a child he has had a “passion for houses and buildings and how they are made”. After college he will probably go to grad school where he will decide on his specialization. One problem he had was that in high school the language used was Romanian. In college, the language is Hungarian. This is a problem for many of our scholars. Oszkar Laszlo first received our scholarship in 2007 as a student in cultural anthropology. Fluent in Hungarian, Romanian, English, and French, Oszkar worked as a tourist guide in Hungary for three years before entering college. He now has an MA in sociology. This past year he has been involved in research, fieldwork, and translating data from Romanian to English. He reviewed a book by an American sociologist, Ross Haenfler, “Straight Edge: Clean-living youth, hardcore punk, and social change”. He worked for the Association for Promoting Romanian Business, conducting interviews of company managers and owners about how they became businessmen or women. He found this a most interesting experience, and received “good money for the job”. Lenke Kertesz is studying Finance and Banking and just finished lots of exams and is happy with her good grades. She will be taking prelims for a two year Masters program in July, and is considering Financial Auditing as her major. She would like to be able to work while attending school, but says there are not many jobs for young people without experience. Lenke spent the last two summers here, working on the Eastern Shore. Izabella Magyari also just finished a long exam period. She is a third year student in Economics with a major in Marketing. She wants to continue her studies in this field. She is now staying in the Unitarian hostel, and has met many nice people there. Photography is one of her “passions”. All are very grateful for the financial help our congregation has provided.
How do we compare? We have said throughout this pledge campaign that we wanted to raise more money to compare favorably to with other UU churches in the area. So..…how do we really compare? The chart below, while not comprehensive of all local churches, does give a snapshot of how we stack up. The mean pledge is the average while the median pledge shows where the midpoint in a group of pledges is. Congregation Pledge units Mean pledge Median Pledge
Annapolis 249
$2218 $1800 The numbers speak for themselves and we don’t look as good as we should. We are capable of so much more. We need to raise our average pledge by at least $250 for this year and more next year. Please be as generous as you can. The Pledge Drive Committee
Social Justice Council Fifty – Fifty Collection to Benefit Rebuilding Together
Montgomery County Community Based
Shelter Needs Your Help Environmental
Task Force Celebration To sign up to come or to help, come to the Environmental Talk Force table in the lounge, or contact Molly Hauck at mollyhauck@gmail.com or (301) 949-0178.
Help Take Back “Tap Water” Let’s reclaim our tap water and stop buying expensive and environmentally-unfriendly bottled water. By boycotting water in a plastic bottle, we help sustain our environment and reduce the amount of water that is actually used in producing these hyped products. According to a recent report by Food and Water Watch, for every liter of water that goes into a plastic bottle of water, two liters of water were used to make the plastic bottle and bottle the water. In honor of March 22, “World Water Day,” let’s start drinking our refreshing tap water and work to ensure that tap water remains safe and healthy for all Americans and for all countries around the world.
Please plan on joining St. Luke’s House for an evening of great food, music, an entertaining wine-tasting presentation with Mark Phillips, host of PBS "Tasting Wine with Mark" series, Silent Auction, raffles and more at Chevy Chase Cars for the St. Luke's House Annual Spring Event on May 12 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, please call 301-896-4266. Your support is very important to St. Luke's House and directly helps adults with serious mental illness live and work in their community through integrated mental health services and connection to community resources. Thank you.
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