The Board in brief (Jim McGovern)

At its regular monthly meeting on December 2, the Board received reports on the Long Range Plan and Hollin Hall repairs. Reports were also made on the upcoming Canvass as well as the search for a Business Administrator.

For details, see the Minutes, which are posted in the Commons and on MVUC's website..

The September 30, 2003, financial report shows:

The finance committee will be working on a proposed mid-year budget adjustment to be presented to the Board.

If you want to claim your pledge contributions on this year's tax return, get them in to the financial records manager as soon as possible.

The finance committee will be starting work on a budget for the 2003-2004 fiscal year. Requests from committees, groups, staff, and individuals, should be in the finance committee mail box by Jan 30. Requests for operating budget funds (ongoing routine expenses) and for Property Major Maintenance funds (one-time expenses for equipment, repairs, and upgrades) should be as detailed as possible in explaining needs and costs.

The Board has submitted a request to the Susan B. Anthony Committee asking that the profits from the Holiday Shop go to the Property Major Maintenance Fund. The preliminary estimate is that $10,000+ will be realized this year. A final number should be available before the end of the year. There are still a few outstanding bills. There were sales of chutney, beans, and holiday decorations at the December luncheon and a special "Kids Only" shopping opportunity was scheduled for December 14.

The Winter Solstice celebration at MVUC has always been a unique and special event. We look forward to the end of the old year and begin welcoming the new. Though winter will still be with us for some months, we make a celebration of looking to the new growth of spring. We bang pots and pans to drive away darkness. We write wishes for personal change on paper and toss them into the bonfire. It celebrates our ancient earth-centered roots and affords a time to turn our thoughts to renewal of spirit and friendship.

At our Board of Trustees retreat, we talked of ways to bury old animosities and to celebrate our desire for a commitment to our convivial relationship with each other. What better way but to do this at the Solstice bonfire?

Therefore, the Board of Trustees invites you to join with us on Saturday, December 20, 6:00 - 7:00 pm to meet in the Commons and then proceed to the Meadow for the bonfire to renew our spirit of community and to revel in the promise of change in the New Year. Hot cider, cocoa and cookies will be served.

We have very special music planned for both services on December 24th. A talented harpist and MVUC neighbor, Lucinda Caldwell, will be joining us as Guest Artist for the evening. We will be offering a treat at both services — caroling with choir, harp, piano, and congregation! At the 5:30 service, the children from "Pageant" will perform, and little ones will be invited to the stage to enjoy the harp "up close" during the offertory. A rare treat for young people to watch and hear a beautiful instrument. Our 7:30 service features selections with Adult Choir and harp. Traditional candlelight caroling closes our evening together. Many of you no doubt have family and friends visiting for the holiday. I do hope you will invite them to attend with you for this very special night.

On Wednesday, December 31st at 5:30 PM, Rev. Lou will lead a special New Year's Eve Service. All are invited to come to the Chapel and share in a time of readings, music, and meditation.

On December 6, MVUC kids broke down the "prison walls of oppression" as embodied in this year’s piñata. The piñata was once again created by Mike Walker, " in recognition of scores of people, including US citizens held in US jails and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for more than 25 months without access to any lawyers, a right to a speedy trial or even notice of their charges. The USA Patriot Act has expanded the government’s ability to wiretap without court supervision and monitor cable and internet conversations. As with the Japanese internment during World War II, the haste to abandon Constitutional protections erodes the safeguards guaranteed by a free society to each one of us."

During the month of December, the Wisdom Years will not be meeting. It was decided that "there's just too much going on". But Bev and Ginny would like to remind you that on January 27th, a representative from the Police Department will speak on "Identity Theft" and on February 24, our own Doctor Bruce Tinker will answer questions pertaining to health which should be submitted by February 12th to Ginny or Bev. The Wisdom Years is scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of the month, in the Fireplace Room, from 10:30 AM til noon.

Jes Foster is at home, recuperating from a recent hospital stay.

Our sympathy to the family of former member Mark Spangler, who died November 21.

Dust off your bongos, practice those pirouettes and work on your arpeggios--the 2004 edition of the MVUC Variety Show is coming! Due to the heavy schedule of events in March, the annual Variety Show will be held Saturday, February 21, at 7:00 pm in the Chapel. This will follow the Lasagna Dinner which benefits the 8^th grade Coming of Age trip to Boston over spring break.

Adults and children, young and old--all are welcome to perform. Contact Linda Jemison (the emcee).

For those of you interested in reading informative and/or literary books about gay, lesbian, bi- or transgender lives, there is a collection of books available in shelves on both sides of the fireplace in the Fireplace Room of Hollin Hall. You are welcome to borrow any of these books at any time.

Also, for teens, there is a weekly support group sponsored by the Sexual Minority Assistance League of Northern Virginia held Sundays at 5:30 p.m. at Clarendon Presbyterian Church (Purple Parlor) 1305 Jackson Street, Arlington (near the Clarendon Metro stop). Phone 202-546-5940.

But first know that we have had great response to the calls that a good number of volunteers did. Twenty volunteers have completed at least 200 of the calls. These responses have been recorded and show a healthy congregation. (More on this in the new year!)

The true intention of the Fall Call is to reach out and make a personal connection with all the participants at MVUC. The interview is actually only the structure by which we do that. It provides valuable feedback to the lay and professional leadership of the church. So the intention was to make calls to each of the participants at MVUC.

But calling the 600 participants is an enormous task and needs very focused recruiting to get all those calls made. Due to numerous circumstances, I was personally unable to recruit volunteers as effectively as I had anticipated. My time and focus was not there. Therefore, the Fall Call 2003 is being concluded this week. I will be mailing out all the interviews that calls have not been made on as well as all on which one or two messages have been left.

So if you have not responded to the interview, watch your mail for a purple sheet from MVUC. Your response will be appreciated as soon as possible. We are interested in your answers. You will find that there is a metered return address format on the back of the interview. Please use this to return your response as soon as possible to the church office. If you would like to make a personal connection with me, please contact me by telephone. I will complete the recording of the feedback and report to the Board of Trustees, the Program Council and the professional staff in the new year. I will also report to the congregation through an article in one of our newsletters.

Good Companions (Bev Southerland and Elaine Bronez)

January 6 - Michael Miller: a Seaport Saga; a Portrait of Old Alexandria

There will be a brief overview of 200 years of Alexandria history. It will cover the city's significant role in both state and nation, and include outstanding architecture and people. For example, did you know Alexandria was part of D.C. from 1804 to 1847? Michael Miller is a research historian for Alexandria and formerly worked in the city's Archeological Center and the Lee-Fendall house.

As Stirrings goes to press, it is not known for sure what will be happening on January 11. Because of the renovations of Hollin Hall, the venue will need to be moved, and it may or may not be possible for lunch to be served. What we do know is that the speaker will be Katherine Jesch from the UUA Green Sanctuary Committee. (Some of you may remember her as a summer service speaker in 2002.) Watch for updated information in the January 1 Windmill and in the Sunday announcements.

The winner of the Gingerbread House Raffle at Holiday Shop was Hope Barrett! But she has not be contacted because her telephone number was lost as we set up for Sunday Services on November 22^nd. So we are asking if you know how to contact Hope Barrett. Call me, Sally Joy Remington, with her contact information. If I haven’t heard of how to contact her before December 20^th, I will donate the gingerbread house to the Mondloch House.

Congratulations to Erin Walker, the happy winner of the "Finnish Coins" quilt. The Holiday Shop again this year was a wonderful success. Financially its revenues was over $11,000. The Susan B. Anthony Fund members will recommend to the Board of Trustees in January how this money could be allotted. As a community outreach, we enjoyed a steady stream of shoppers from our nearby neighborhoods. The vendors were pleased by their sales.

Holiday Shop provides a community building opportunity for our church participants. Each of our shops are being encouraged to find the staff which makes the Holiday Shop such a success. We are trying very hard to include participants of our church community who have come more recently while continuing to involve those who have enjoyed their role in the Holiday Shop for many years. In order for the Holiday Shop to continue to fund our other than Operating Budget needs, and continue to be a wonderful event for our church community and the wider community, we need to involve those who have new ideas and new energy to share.

Early in the New Year, we will be celebrating our success with a Saturday afternoon tea at which time we will evaluate how we can continue our wonderful winter bazaar, the Holiday Shop. Please watch for this event and consider sharing with others how to proceed.

Time to start a new shopping list: not Christmas gifts for family and friends, but gifts to the friends we have never met and the members of the family of humanity. What should go on this list? FOOD! United Community Ministries is always in need of food donations, and now more than ever. The economy is improving? If you believe this, talk to the homeless. UCM is in urgent need of donations of staple food items such as canned goods (meats, soup, fruit and vegetables), pasta, rice, sugar, jelly or jam, dry cereal, and peanut butter; baby items such as diapers and baby food; personal care items such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, feminine care products, deodorant, shampoo and razors, and individual-size food items such as applesauce, cereal, juice, raisins, and puddings for homeless care packages. Please bring your donations to MVUC or drop them off at the UCM food bank on Fordson Rd.

As many of you know, last year at holiday time the children from our Partner Church village sent us some lovely artwork they had done. The MVUC Partner Church Committee used some of these drawings to make greeting cards, which have been sold on Sundays and at Holiday Shop. The cards are still available, but there are only a few left. Let’s sell out! Proceeds benefit the village school.

for more information on these and other activities, please check the bulletin boards

If you or your congregation was one of those who have helped us in the past - MANY, MANY, thanks.

The UU movement in South Africa is selling greetings / Christmas cards - the profits are used to promote the development of UU in Southern Africa. All income (less only printing and credit card costs) goes into a fund to promote the Unitarian Universalist movement in Southern Africa.

WE ASK ONE THING OF YOU. We ask you to draw the attention of your congregation to these Christmas cards and tell members that they can buy them at the following web site: http://www.unitarian.co.za

Thank you very much for reading this and considering support for the development of the UU in Southern Africa.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Mansfield, UU, Durban, South Africa

Next year, one of the popular UUSC holiday cards that help make our work possible could be designed by you or a member of your congregation!

This year's UUSC holiday cards by contest winner Carolyn Planakis of the UU Congregation of Marin in San Rafael, California, have been a great success in congregations nationwide.

We urge creative UUs of all ages who are passionate about human rights and social justice to submit a design for a new UUSC holiday card for the 2004 holiday season. The winning card designers' names and congregations will be printed on their cards, which will be purchased and shared by UUs nationwide during the 2004 holiday season.

Submissions must be received by UUSC on or before April 15, 2004. UUSC will soon mail submission guidelines and a colorful flyer to all congregations and volunteers, and post both pieces on our Web site, www.uusc.org.

Mail submissions to: UUSC Holiday Card Contest, 130 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139-1845

E-mail submissions to: volunteerservices@uusc.org

Thank you in advance for your participation in this program, and good luck!