The Windmill
	Online
	July 1, 2004

 

Mark Your Calendars

Mark Your Calendars

Good Companions/Wisdom Years

Elaine Bronez and Bev Southerland, coordinators

The Good Companions will not meet in July and August, but hope to be back in September.

The Wisdom Years will take a vacation in July and August, but will be back on September 28 with a presentation about health and care of the eyes.

Partner Church Brunches—July 11 and August 15

The MVUC Partner Church Committee thanks all who attended the first 2004 Summer Sunday Brunch. Our profit of about $650 goes a long way in our partner village in Romania. The next brunch is July 11; don’t miss it! That is two days before a group of 32 MVUC people leave for a two-week trip to Romania and Szentháromság/Troita. Committee members will be taking the donated art supplies and cash for the village school and money for the congregation to use as they need. We plan to gather some of the information for next year’s scholarship program while in the village, as well. We hope you’ll plan to hear all about this trip at the final brunch on August 15. These brunches are a great way to support the Partner Church Program—Good food, good company, and a chance to do some good in the world!

Memorial Society of Northern Virginia—October 10

The Annual Meeting of the Memorial Society of Northern Virginia, of which we are a member, will be held on October 10 at 2 pm in the downstairs chapel of the Arlington UU Church. The subject will be “What Does A Medical Examiner Do?” Mark your calendars now.

Capital Campaign Dinner—Saturday, October 23

The Kick-off for the Capital Campaign approved at the June 13 special congregational meeting will be a complimentary dinner at a restaurant in Old Town on Saturday, October 23 at 5:00 pm. (Child care, food, and a program for children will be provided at the church.) All your MVUC friends will be at the dinner and the very special Sunday service the next day, October 24, so put the dates on your calendar now.

Georgia Pourchot, Ron Brandt, Joanne Masterson

Capital Campaign Committee.

A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Members!

Tim and Cindy Irish, along with their two children, Emilie, 6, and Jack, 3, are carrying on a UU heritage. They are living in Charter Members, Saul and Betty Baran’s, old home. Tim is a graduate of Syracuse University. He went on to form his own business in Industrial design. Cindy graduated from Ohio University and did her graduate work at Columbia University then on to NYC where she worked in Education TV and organized volunteers for NYCares. They met at a NYCares fundraiser and were married by a member of the Ethical Cultural Society in NY.

Cindy is now Senior VP of Interactive and Education at PBS and Tim is a stay at home dad. Before children they enjoyed week long bike trips and look forward to the day when their children can join them on a long bike trip.

Carol Adams Rivera was active at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington before coming to MVUC. At UUCA she served on the Task Force on Racial Diversity, co-chairing for two years. Carol grew up in Fairfield, CA, graduated from UC Berkeley with a major in genetics and a minor in French, and received a master’s in English from Georgetown University. In 2002 Carol founded a business called Health Communication Connection which provides health-related writing , editing, and graphic designs. In Dec. 2003 Carol was married to Benjamin Rivera by Rev. Lou at Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington DC. Carol enjoys cooking when she has free time.

Sam Stevens is the son of recent new members Ron and Judy Stevens. A year ago the Stevens family moved here from Santa Fe, NM where they attended a UU church. Sam has just completed his sophomore year at West Potomac High school where he was involved in cross country, soccer, and technical theater. He recently helped construct the set for their last production of Les Miserable. He is an active member of YRUU and is glad that we have such a great group of students in the group here.

Chrissy Bieger, formerly Chrissy Blackwell, has been coming to MVUC off and on since she was 16. She has many connections with members here, such as: she is Herb Tyson’s niece; Rusty Claus was her drama teacher in school; and, she has been long time friends with the MacCleerys. She was born and raised in Alexandria and attended Edison High school. On April 17 she was married here at this church. She has a daughter Brooke who is 8 years old. Chrissy works as a Realtor. Although she has recently moved to Prince William county, she is still planning on making the commute on Sundays to MVUC.

Addison Tower’s roots in UU began at the UU church in his home town of Racine, Wisconsin. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in computer science and Russian, he began his service with the Air Force.

Thirteen moves in 15 years has brought him, his wife Betsy and their two children Sarah, age 9, and Preston, age 5, to this area where he is at the Pentagon. They are hoping now to stay put for at least 2 years.

Addison’s interests are reading, and of course, computers and flying.

Lisa Guide and John Passacantando grew up in northern New Jersey. Lisa is a graduate of Douglas College, Rutgers University and John graduated from Wake Forest and has his masters in economics from New York University. Lisa worked in state government and politics in New Jersey, and then served as candidate Bill Clinton’s New Jersey press secretary during the 1992 campaign. John ran a private foundation while in the Garden State, but after the 1992 election they relocated to the DC area. Lisa served at the Department of Interior for six years and spent two years at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Lisa is now associate director for the Rockefeller Family Fund which provides grants in areas such as environment and women’s rights. John started the non-profit advocacy group Ozone Action in 1993 , and is now executive director of Greenpeace US. They have two children, Sophia 8, and Mollie 6. John recently shared his thoughts about the state of the environment with us during a Sunday service. Lisa has taught RE and was involved with the art auction fundraiser we held a few years ago. For fun they like to go out on the Potomac in their small boat and fish.

Rachelle Brooks, a Cleveland native, and her husband Lawrence moved here 4 years ago from Princeton NJ where she was a member of a UU church. She did her undergraduate work at the College of Wooster and went to Rutgers for her PhD in political science. She is now director of Research for the Association of American Universities on a project to determine how to measure the quality of a university. They have an 8 month old boy, Conlin Brooks-Audenaerd, who is filling up much of their free time these days. When possible, they love to take walks, hike and go to the theater.

—Sandy Peterson, New Member Chair

Activities On and Off the Hill

Köszönöm szépen!

Köszönöm szépen (“thank you very much” in Hungarian) to all who attended the lovely retirement party for me on May 23, and for the gifts and cards. The party, given by the Religious Education Council, was very special, with lots of delicious food and good company. Georgia Pourchot made yummy special Romanian miçi (mititei). If you didn’t try these (they are “little sausages”), you will have to sign up for the next partner church trip to Romania.

—Janice Fitzpatrick

Memorial Walks “Shine!”

Please take the opportunity this summer to take a walk through the newly refurbished Memorial Walks, our enduring memorial area devoted to the remembrance of those we love. Lisa Napier, her husband, David, and sons, Dolan and Rowan, recently power-washed the entire walkways. They sparkle! All the build-up of moss and discoloration are gone!

We would also like to thank Lucy Hentges for her weekly maintenance of the walks for the past year. Her brother, Calvin, has agreed to continue this in the future.

We are looking for a few committed people to help us support the Memorial Walks. We need people who will help with an occasional interment, weed, and/or be on our committee to assure the long-term maintenance of the Walks. If interested, please call Wendy Burns or Bev Southerland. We look forward to hearing from you!

Welcoming Party for New Women at MVUC

All MVUC women are invited to a social get-together at the home of Laura Walker on Saturday, July 17 at 7:00 pm. The celebration is to welcome all new women to our church community, with a special welcome to Ji-Hae Park, Rev. Lou’s fiancée.

Each attendee can decide if she is an MVUC old-timer or an MVUC newcomer. If you are a self-described old-timer, bring a bit of local folklore or insider knowledge to share. If you are a self-described newcomer, come with a notebook and pen and take notes!

Beverages, nutritional snacks and non-nutritional desserts will be provided. RSVP is encouraged but not required. Call Laura for directions.

Clothing Needed!

Homeless Outreach Services at the Mt Vernon Mental Health Center is asking for clothes to outfit the homeless suitably in their search for jobs. Jeans, T-shirts, work boots, sweatshirts and pants, especially in larger sizes such as 3 and 4 X are needed badly. New or lightly used items will do. Towels and travel size toiletries, including soap, will help with the twice-weekly showers.

Call Tia Breeding or Trisha before taking donations to the Mental Health Center, which is behind MV INOVA Hospital.

Volunteer help is also needed to help find and then sort donations. Call Tia Breeding to help.

Creative Watercolor Media—July 10

Meade Barrington, BFA, will teach a workshop for beginners and advanced students on six Saturdays at 2:00 pm, from July 10 through August 14. Develop a new sense of creative possibilities. Work with form, color, value, intensity, and color harmony using water media, especially watercolors. Ability to draw is not required. The instructor will demonstrate techniques and give each person individual attention. A list of required materials will be provided to those who register. Call Marian Foote at 703-281-4230 ext. 24 to register.

Defending Democracy Workcamp

Attend a weeklong Defending Democracy Workcamp in Boston or New York City during the national political conventions, where you will be trained to register voters, get out the vote, monitor polls, and assist in issues education. The workshop in Boston will be held July 26–30 and the New York workcamp will be August 30 to September 3. Make this the summer you help strengthen democracy. You’ll be amazed how much you can accomplish in one week! To become part of this exciting election year experience, contact Nguyen at 800-388-3920 or visit www.uusc.org.

Outstanding New Members Recognized in June 11 Service

It is our pleasure to recognize not one, but two outstanding new members this year.

Linda Walton became a member with her husband Lauck and their two children Morgan and Erika just over one year ago. She has jumped right into helping out with the RE program. She has taught and participated on the RE counsel. When a chair was needed for the RE counsel in March, she stepped forward to assume that role. This has been a hectic few months in RE, with Hope leaving and Janice retiring, so the demands of that job have been tremendous. We want to extend out heartfelt thanks and appreciation with this recognition. Congratulations Linda!

Vannessa Anderson came to this church to find a community where she and her two sons, Allan and Mario, could feel at home. She began reaching out to us before we hardly had time to reach out to her. Her wonderful smile and infectious enthusiasm has touched us all. She was the force behind organizing the UU’s of MVUC to attend the Women’s March. She has been an invaluable help to the Greenhouse crew, and most recently she offered, without even being asked, to help with greeting on Sunday mornings. And now she has begun a drama reading group because she wants to share her love of the theater. We are so grateful for all that she has given to us in such a short time. Congratulations Vannessa!

—Sandy Peterson, New member chair

Thursday Morning Playgroup

You’re invited to Ft. Hunt Preschool’s Thursday morning playgroup at the church playground. Each week over the summer months please join us anytime between 9:30 and noon. This is a fun time and a nice way to get to know the school and build community. So come, bring a snack to share under the maple tree and meet some new folks. Please note that the Carriage House will be open for restroom use only. We ask that parents and children refrain from entering classrooms. We hope to see you and your little ones there this summer! For additional information, please contact Gioia Chilton.

Attention All Friendly People!

At least 12 people have said they would like to join in starting a Buddies program to help newcomers and guests join our community more easily. If you think you might like to join us, you can visit with Kris Rosenthal over brunch on July 11. Or give her a call. Getting a “glad you came, what did you think?” phone call in the first week after visiting, and an offer to join an activity are proven ways to encourage guests to stay.

There will be more training in the fall. We would love to have Buddies from all ages and genders. We can strive to be the place where somebody “remembers your name.”

—Kris Rosenthal, L.P.C.

Caring Community

We welcome Barbara Stoddard, our new Interim Director of Religious Education, who joins our staff on July 1.

Need temporary help with a ride to an appointment, shopping, picking up prescriptions, delivery of meals due to an emergency? Caring Associate members wear green name tags during Sunday services and there is always a member on call to respond to your needs, as noted in the Order of Service. Call Jo Jackley if interested in joining us.

Our Larger World News

Social Justice Programs at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church

Love is the Teaching of this Church ... And Service is its Prayer

Green Sanctuary Update

Following are recent Green Sanctuary activities and related news:

Welcome to new members Becky Brandt and Jerry Squires.

The committee is currently scheduling summer meeting times before resuming full force in the fall. Call Jim Wamsley for details.

Green Sanctuary is also seeking those who want to buy “shares” of produce at the local Piedmont Farm, with weekly delivery made to MVUC. Another option is using vegetables Betsy Roderick grows in Southern Maryland and kindly gives away. Contact Daria Bergen-Hill or Bill Alsmeyer-Johnson.

Velora Jernigan-Pedrick, Bea Bobotek and I participated in the Little Hunting Creek Watershed Plan Review Workshop on June 5. Robin Roberts and other committee members are exploring possibilities for obtaining grant funds to incorporate rain gardens or similar watershed management into MVUC’s planning. Paul Phelps, Chairman of the Little Hunting Creek Steering Committee is available to discuss with interested church members.

As two of MVUC’s delegates, Nance Cedar and I plan to participate in Green Sanctuary and Earth-related meetings at the General Assembly (GA) in Long Beach.

MVUC received full-page coverage of its Earth Day Fair in the Mount Vernon Gazette, which featured a photo by Pat Jackson. The article described the various Earth Day activities, the Green Sanctuary Program and the UU Seventh Principle Project. The article also covered the 2004 EcoStewards award celebration held in Alexandria on Earth Day. Jeanette Steward was selected as EcoSteward of the Year, and Co-op America became EcoSteward Organization of 2004. The talented musical ensemble EcoVoce presented A Musical Voice for Nature.

Other recent Gazette coverage outlined Fairfax County’s plans to increase its recycling efforts. County landfills are reaching capacity, which could drive up housing costs.

According to the Washington Post, “The greater Washington region is losing 28-43 square miles of green space ...” each day to builders’ bulldozers. The region lost “... nearly half as much green space to development from 1986 to 2000 as it did in its entire prior history ...”

Consider making a commitment of time or money to the Green Sanctuary Committee—united voices on behalf of Earth can and do make a difference.

—Suzanne Cleary

MVUC Supports UUAHC

Thanks to MVUC and its members, the Unitarian Universalist Affordable Housing Corporation made a record 21 loans during the program year that ends in June. These loans helped finance 670 homes in single and multifamily buildings for our low-income, working neighbors throughout the DC/Baltimore region, more than tripling its impact in just one year.

Over the past year, 14 Mt. Vernon members and friends have held investments in UUAHC. The Mount Vernon Unitarian Women’s Group held an investment of $1,000, making it one of a total of 19 UU congregations and UU groups across the country with investments in UUAHC. The impact of these can be multiplied, since investments of between $2,000 and $10,000 from UU congregations can be matched by a comparable UUA investment.

UUAHC is a unique social justice enterprise within our denomination. To continue to grow, we need to raise increased operating funds. In the coming year we will be asking church members locally and nationally to join us as substantial supporters and allies. To date, UUAHC has provided over $8 million to help finance over 1,580 units of housing and 2 childcare centers. To read more about UUAHC, visit www.uuahc.org or call (301) 588-5533 for an annual report.

To contribute to OLW News, please contact Bill Alsmeyer-Johnson.

Chips from the Board

Karen Tyson, Chair, MVUC Board of Trustees

That beautiful season the Summer!
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

By the time you read this, I will be in Vancouver, British Columbia. Katie and I will have just finished attending our first General Assembly in Long Beach, California, where it never rains! Rev. Lou, Liz Campbell, Nance Cedar, Suzanne Cleary, and Jack Hinman will also be attending from MVUC. According to UUA President Bill Sinkford, “General Assemblies are the coming together of the representatives of our congregations to do the business of the Association and to make real the covenant that binds us.” This year, the UUA has made the attendance of elected leaders of congregations a priority. I look forward to meeting and talking with people from other congregations and developing a vision and priorities for our denomination as a whole.

We are in the process of closing out our annual canvass. I’m happy to say that, thanks to your support, we can continue running the church in the manner you are used to. We also have been able to fund new initiatives according to priorities set by the Board. We have been able to enhance our administrative staff with a full-time church business administrator to enable our religious leaders to give full attention to their professional duties. In addition, we have provided increased salaries for the three key professionals leading church programs—the minister, the DRE, and the director of music. Our new minister’s initial compensation package was on the low end of the recommended financial spectrum. With a church year’s worth of performance as evidence, the Committee on Ministry believes that our minister has provided dynamic leadership that has kindled enormous energy and enthusiasm in our church community. We have also attracted an interim DRE with substantial experience, and we expect to announce the hiring of a new director of music very soon.

I’m pleased to welcome our new interim DRE, Barbara Stoddard. Barbara has served as DRE in Andover, MA and Manchester, NH and was most recently Acting DRE in Ridgewood, NJ. She is seeking Level II status in the Religious Educators Certification Program with the ultimate goal of being a Credentialed Religious Educator. She arrived July 1, but will be out for a couple of weeks leading and attending RE workshops at Ferry Beach and Star Island. I look forward to working with her in the coming church year.

Happy summer, everyone!

Summer RE: Around the World in 14 Sundays

Free Travel, No Hassles

Anecdotes and artifacts are needed for the remaining trips of our summer around the world—along with helping hands from parents and the “child-free.”

On our woven carpet, the RE class has visited the Iberian Peninsula, China, and Greece-Turkey. Now we are headed for Scandinavia, Great Britain, and the Middle East. The remaining visits depend on helpers’ schedules—Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the frozen lands, central Europe, the Pacific islands, and the Indian subcontinent. On August 22 Janice will update us on Romania as part of eastern Europe. By September 5, we will have learned about the cultures and religions of most of our world and produced related artwork. The children are ages 4 through 6th grade, the helpers are teens through senior citizens, and we are all learners. Please contact Julie Carvalho.

Caring Community

Members of the Caring Associates and their spouses gathered at the home of Larry and Jo Jackley on Saturday, June 19 for an evening of fun, food, and fellowship. Thank you Jo and Larry for a wonderful evening!

Sermons for Your Re-hearing and Reading

Each Sunday’s service is recorded on audio tape. If you would like a copy for yourself, a friend, or one of our church’s shut-ins, please speak to Raleigh Romine or Joanne Ell. The text of most of Lou’s sermons is also available in the Sermon Library.