The Board in brief (Doug MacCleery)

At our regular meeting on March 1st, the Board considered the difficult issues surrounding whether Fort Hunt Preschool (FHP) could remain on-site during construction of the Meeting House addition next year while still assuring safety for preschool students. A board subcommittee will be working with FHP on the issue. Ron Brandt reviewed the results and recommendations of a Baltimore/Washington UU growth initiative on how to grow Metro area UU congregations. Also discussed was a Program Council proposal to make three visitor parking spots available on Sunday.

The Board received and discussed reports from the Minister, Director of Religious Education, and the Business Administrator, Program Council and Treasurer.

For details, see the minutes, which will be posted in the Commons and on our website after approval at our next Board meeting.

From the Treasurer ... (Joan Wamsley)

The February 28, 2005, financial report shows:

Coming up in RE (Barbara Gay Stoddard)

March 27, 2005 – Easter Intergenerational Service – “Weaving Hope for a New Tomorrow”

EASTER EGG HUNT, Sun. March 27, 10:30-11:00 am - JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!

Easter is March 27th this year. We need your donations of bagged, and wrapped candy—please place in the box you’ll find in the Commons beginning March 13. You can bring those decorated “real hard-boiled eggs” on March 27. 7th and 8th graders will hide the eggs and candy for the younger children to find. One hunt—between services. So come early or stay late—just send a UU prayer for good weather!

PRESCHOOL (Preschoolers meet in the Carriage House) — Mar. 20: Pussy Willows; Apr. 3: Block Sunday

WAY COOL GOINGS ON: (For grades K – 8 at 9:30 and grades K-6 at 11:15)— Apr. 3: Thank you Joseph Priestley!

NEIGHBORING FAITHS 7th & 8th Graders (11:15) — Apr. 3 - Meet in Hollin Hall

CHAPEL FOR GRADES K—8 (Both Services) — Mar. 20: Way Cool Chapel: We act out a play about Esther, ”The Queen Who Saved her People.” What is Purim, and who celebrates this holiday?

YRUU — March 18 - 20: PUTSDAD (People United to Sit Down and Decide) con at Bull Run UU Church, Manassas. Business meeting for JPD YRUU to elect DYSC members.

Apr. 3: Meets as usual – Sunday Morning; Apr. 3: Youth Forum, 4:00 – 6:00 pm. For youth (8th-12 grade) and interested adults.

See the enclosed flyer for more details – PLUS: LOTS OF FOOD.

Good Friday Tenebrae Service

On Friday, March 25th at 7:30 PM, Rev. Lou will lead a Unitarian Universalist style Tenebrae Service in the Chapel. This Tenebrae service is adapted from the Christian tradition and commemorates the life and spirit of Jesus of Nazareth. It reflects on the solemn side of Easter Week and the resiliency of the Human Spirit through the Passion Story. All are invited to come to the Chapel and share in a time of biblical readings, special music, and candlelighting.

Be a leader... (Karen Tyson)

The Nominating Committee is seeking your suggestions for several church leadership positions. We are looking for 3 adult Board members to serve 3-year terms, a youth Board member to serve a 1-year term, a Property coordinator for the Program Council, a member for the Endowment Committee, members for next year's Nominating Committee, and several General Assembly delegates. To make known your interest in any of these positions, please contact Bonnie Brandt, Nominating Committee Chair.

Movie night (Marty Bredeck)

March 18: Koyaanisqatsi 1983

Koyaanisqatsi is a documentary of sorts. Essentially wordless, it is a visual concert of images set to the haunting music of Phillip Glass. The film uses extensive slow motion and fast motion photography to make comparisons between different types of physical motion and subjects. It progresses from purely natural environments to nature as affected by man, and finally to humanity's own artificial environment — following the patterns of natural flow depicted in the beginning of the film, yet in chaos and disarray. Several of the sequences will have different meanings for audiences seeing them today than when they were filmed. Not rated.

So many books, so little time! (Joan Wamsley)

Tell your neighbors, friends and relatives about the BOOK SALE. We have books, records, compact discs, cassettes, puzzles, and videos for sale. We will be open Thursday, March 24 from 1-3; Friday, March 25 from 10-3; and Saturday, March 26 from 10-3. Individually priced books, including lots of children's books, will be in the Commons (half-price on Saturday from 1-3). The Hollin Hall Mansion will have flat-rate pricing (half-price or $5/bag all day Saturday). The income from the book sale goes to the operating budget.

Wisdom Years (Bev Southerland)

On Tuesday, March 29, we will have a speaker, Marty Corso, from Edelman Financial Services. He will give us advice about making the most of our finances after retirement, including Long-Term Care. We hope you will all come to this special lecture and invite your neighbors to join you. As always, this will be held from 10:30 am til noon, in Hollin Hall.

Sufi event at MVUC April 1-2

If you have always been intrigued by Sufism but have not yet experienced the reality and beauty of this ancient tradition, don’t miss this weekend! With sohbet (spiritual discourse) stories, music, whirling, humor, much love and heartfelt joy, Baba (M. Sherif Catalkaya, a revered Sufi Sheik, the “Universalist of Sufi”) will lead us in search of the true human being within. This weekend has the potential to change your life by connecting you with the love, passion and haqq (truth) that is latent inside each of us!

On Friday night at 7:30 pm, there will be a performance of “Dances of Universal Peace.” Saturday afternoon, there will be a Whirling class, 2-5 pm, and Saturday night at 7:30 there will be Zikr with whirling (rarely seen; don’t miss it!) As practiced by the Rifa’i, Zikr uses movement, music, prayer and recitation to draw the worshippers together.

Attendance at Saturday night Zikr service is free to MVUCers; reduced MVUC prices for other events: DUP ($10), Whirling class ($25), Sohbets ($35). Sohbets will be held Saturday and Sunday mornings at the Roeslers’ home.

Sufis will be coming from all over North America for this event, and housing is badly needed for them. If you'd like to get to know the Sufis better, and you have an extra room (or even a spare couch---these are very undemanding people!), please consider offering hospitality for the weekend. We'd be so grateful! Anyone wishing to volunteer housing, or for more information, please contact Stacia Roesler. Contact information is in the printed and members-only versions of this newletter.

Affordable housing needed for MVUC Nursery caregiver (Dolores Fielding)

Farhi Chaudry, our Nursery Caregiver, is in need of affordable housing. She has lived in a small apartment in my home for almost ten years, but I plan to move in June. I have seen Farhi raise her daughter, who had a full academic scholarship to Hopkins pre-med, and I know her as a caring, helpful woman. Her need is mainly for herself, but there will be visits from her daughter and her mother.

Fahri works full time at Ft. Belvoir in their special needs nursery, but she may be available for child or elder care.

You can meet Fahri in the nursery on Sunday mornings or when there are special events or you can call me for more information.

Pajama Party a hit (Suzanne McDonnell)

Pitter-pattering of little pajama-clad children's feet as well as those of PJ clad Moms and Dads were heard in the "decorated with kids tents" Chapel last Saturday night(2/28) as the annual Little Persons Night Out was attended by 25 children and their parents. A delicious potluck was enjoyed which included the always present pizza! An array of people from new and current members, friends and friends from Ft. Hunt Preschool. Warm thanks to Jim Kerr, Asst RE, for his help with organizing, as well as Maggie Jeng, for her innovative craft projects ( we learned how to decorate "pillows, teddy bears and slippers) and Gigi Delima, from Ft. Hunt Preschool for her generous donation of pizzas!

An extra hug goes to Cheryl Sabo, a new friend to the church, who along with 7 month old baby Sam, got the families dancing, clapping and playing instruments as she played flute and had a singalong. Our evening ended with soft lullabies and agreement that we would all like to do this again soon!

Music library needs file cabinets (Sandy Rutiser)

Do you have any old file cabinets in need of a new home? We need 24- or 26-inch deep, two or four drawer file cabinets for the MVUC music library. If you can help, we’ll be glad to pick them up. Call Sandy Rutiser.

Upcoming Events, on and off the Hill

March:

18, 7:30 pm
Movie night: "Koyaanisqatsi" 1983
Meeting House Commons

24-26
Book Sale
Hollin Hall and Meeting House

25, 7:30 pm
Good Friday Tenebrae Service
Remington Chapel

27, between services
Easter Egg Hunt
MVUC grounds

29, 10:30 am
Wisdom Years
Hollin Hall Fireplace Room

April:

1, 7:30 pm
Sufi Dance of Universal Peace
Remington Chapel

2, 2 pm
Sufi Whirling class
Remington Chapel

2, 7:30 pm
Sufi Zikr service
Remington Chapel

5, 11:45 am
Good Companions: Becky Witsman
Hollin Hall

8, 9 pm
Friday Nighters Dancing Club
Remington Chapel

9, 3 pm
Helen Lee Wasson Coulter Memorial Service
Memorial Walk

9, 4 pm
“Give Me the Roses” concert and party
Meeting House

Good Companions (Bev Southerland and Elaine Bronez)

11:45 to 12:45 - BYO lunch; program - 12:45 to 1:45 in Hollin Hall

APRIL 5 - BECKY WITSMAN - GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING ON ROUTE 1!

Becky’s job is Executive Director of a Fairfax County office where she works to get new and renovation projects on Richmond Highway. The aim is to improve quality, appearance and safety in the area. She will show slides before-and-after changes and also talk on coming future changes.

Memorial service for Helen Lee Wasson Coulter

Longtime MVUC member Helen Lee Wasson Coulter, who died in Minnesota last October, will be remembered in an informal service by the MVUC Memorial Wall on Saturday, April 9, at 3 pm. The service will be conducted by the Rev. Jean Wallis, a close friend of Helen’s during her final years. Rev. Wallis will also conduct a service at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, April 8, as Helen’s ashes are laid to rest. The Saturday service at MVUC will give those who knew Helen a chance to speak their remembrances of her at the church where she was one of the first members. Her first husband, Robert Wasson, was a founding member.

In case of bad weather, the service will be held in the Hollin Hall Fireplace Room. Those attending are also invited to stay for the 4 pm concert in the Chapel, honoring the birthday of Helen’s cousin-by-marriage, Mimi Stevens.

Remembering Eleanor Bodkin (Leila Goodman)

Former MVUC member Eleanor Bodkin died on February 2nd. She was 88 years of age. She suffered her third and final stroke two days before her death and was not able to take medications, food, or liquids. Until her death she was aware of herself, her two children, both with her to the end, and had made implicit to all that no service be held for her. This is in keeping with Eleanor's very independent spirit. Son John mentioned in his letter that Eleanor found reason to laugh in her final days despite the realization that she would probably die soon.

As many MVUC friends will recollect, Eleanor immigrated to New York City from Ottawa, Canada and became an American citizen. She was a gifted pianist and concertized during the time she taught at the Diller-Quaile School of Music in New York City, living a very independent life until she married John L. Bodkin after WW II. Her children, Lindsay and John — also known as Odds Bodkin — were born in the early l950s.

John's work brought him to Washington after the children were born and they lived not far from MVUC which they soon attended. Eleanor made many friends during her years at MVUC, giving concerts, participating in MVUC programs: the Women's Group (now Every Thursday) and Good Companions with John, and also the Sunday services. She always looked forward to seeing her friends. After her husband, John, died, she moved to New Hampshire to live with her son, John, and his wife, enjoying a rich life with them and their three sons. When she suffered her first stroke, she was admitted to the Pleasant View Nursing Home where she was well cared for and dearly loved. She was cremated, as was John Bodkin, and sometime in the spring, son John wrote, their ashes will be "cast together in a place they both loved."

Caring Community (Betsy Stephens)

Our sympathy extends to Anne Ulm who recently lost her mother and to Gloria Logan who lost her father. Barbara Morrill and Jes Foster, both recovering in Mount Vernon Nursing Center, hope to go home soon. Congratulations to Sandy Rutiser on the birth of her granddaughter Stacia. Proud parents are Sandy’s daughter Sylvia, who attended RE at MVUC, and her husband Robin. We send good wishes to Heather Harts’horn, recovering from knee surgery.