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News from our Partner Church - January 2012 Thank you, friends and members of Cedar Lane, for your continued generosity! Last fall we were able to send $10,365 in funds to our Partner Church in Dicsöszentmárton, located in the part of Romania known as Transylvania. These funds were raised through our scholarship program, Alternative Giving, and various fund-raisers including our 4th of July brunch and concerts of traditional Hungarian folk music. These funds, together with funds raised by the Dicso community itself, have been used for: · Ongoing repairs to their historic church building. This past summer they replaced the roofing tiles on the church and bell tower, and were able to purchase a second heater for the main church building. The Reverend Endre Nagy says, “we can be quite optimistic that the heating of the church will be significantly better during the winter.” · Scholarships to assist with the cost of University education. The ongoing generosity of Cedar Laners over the years has enabled dozens of young people in our partner church congregation make the dream of getting higher education a reality, allowing them to receive the training and skills they need to compete for jobs in the European market. We will be starting our official fund-raising for scholarships for the next school year later this spring. · Support for the elderly: Endre Nagy informs us that because of recent budget cuts, medical expenses in general and costs of prescription medicines in particular are absorbing an increasing amount of the quite limited monthly pension income for the sizable elderly population in our partner church community. Our support helps alleviate this hardship. Note: contributions to aid the Dicso elderly are welcome at any time – just leave a check in the church office with “PCC fundraising” in the memo line, and include a note this contribution is earmarked for support for the elderly. Reverend Nagy writes “We are very grateful to the Partner Church Committee and to all members of the Cedar Lane congregation for their support and for their care for us. It is also very important for us and it is significant for each member of our congregation that in addition to the material help, we could always feel and experience the spiritual support and spiritual connection with the members of our Partner Church. We are very thankful and appreciative to our sisters and brothers, and may God bless their lives and work. Please convey our thanks on behalf of the whole congregation, my family, emeritus minister Endre Fazakas, and on behalf of our students and their families. It is a great help for everybody.” Also, thank you to all the RE classes who made Halloween cards for Lenke Kertesz, our Partner church visitor last fall, to take back with her – Mrs. Nagy (Dodi) writes “We gave them to the children in R.E. class -- they were very happy to get them, they took some of the drawings home with them. They will do some drawings too and we will find a way to send them to you.” Come visit our partner church! Have you thought about traveling to Transylvania – learning about the roots of Unitarianism, experiencing the joys and challenges of Unitarians in Romania today, and making personal connections with our partner congregation? We are planning a very special trip this fall! We are hoping to make this a “work trip” where in addition to sharing worship with and enjoying the gracious hospitality of our partner congregation, we will join their members in a project to benefit their community. We are currently in communication with Endre and Dodi Nagy on what this project could entail – but it’s fair to say that no particular skills or talents will be required – simply willing hands and an enthusiastic spirit. When: Tentative dates for this activity are roughly September 25 to October 4. We are planning this trip to facilitate attendance at the 2nd annual International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women, in nearby Marosvásárhely starting the evening of October 4 to October 7. This is an opportunity to make connections and learn about how UUs are working to improve the lives of women around the globe. (Note: although Convocation attendance is for women only, don’t worry -- we will plan activities for any male Cedar Laners who have partners who want to attend!). For more information about the conference, see the information at the ICCUW website: http://www.icuuw.com/transylvania2012.html Keep tuned for more information as we plan our trip – or feel free to contact Charlene Zellmer or Carol Bertaut for more information. There is also an opportunity to extend your visit beyond October 7 and join travelers from other UU congregations on a special tour to the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina and Wooden Churches of Maramures: For more information, see the brochure on this extension at this link: http://www.uupcc.org/trips/12ICUUWBucovinaMM.pdf Partner Church Committee is actively seeking additional members We need your help! The partnership between Cedar Lane and the Dicsöszentmárton congregation is just that: a partnership between both congregations. We’re looking for additional members to help us carry out our mission of promoting a mutually supportive relationship, learning from the wisdom of the centuries-old Transylvanian tradition of Unitarian worship, and helping the Dicso community overcome challenges posed by Romania’s struggle to modernize and compete in the European market. We typically meet the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 in the library, but we welcome help with any of our activities and events. For more information, see the committee’s website link http://www.cedarlane.org/Partner%20Church%20Committee.html or contact PCC co-chairs Carol Bertaut (carol.bertaut@gmail.com) or Ibolya Ignat ibolyai@yahoo.com).
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Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist
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