The Windmill
	Online
	September 1, 2004

 

Mark Your Calendars

Good Companions

Elaine Bronez and Bev Southerland, coordinators
Meetings will be held in Hollin Hall.

11:45 to 12:45—BYO Lunch; 12:45 to 1:45—Speaker

Are you a Daytimer or a Retired Person? Come and enjoy Good Companions, a group that has been going for twelve years now. We have no officers or standing committees. Come get acquainted with other UUs before hearing speakers on a great variety of subjects. We will be offering programs the first and third Tuesday of each month, beginning September 21 when our speaker will be Peg Bartel with An Update on Iraq and the Middle East. Peg has just returned from a long stay in Baghdad and will fill us in on what she saw and learned there. (If she must be out of the country on that date, she has promised to provide us with an associate to speak for her.) Now that the renovations of Hollin Hall have been finished, we will be meeting at 11:45 am in the Dining Room for lunch (bring your own) prior to the program. At 12:45 we will move into the Fireplace Room where the speaker will make a presentation.

Ingathering Picnic—September 10

On Friday, September 10, please celebrate ingathering with us at a picnic sponsored by the Board of Trustees. There will be hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 pm, with dinner following about 6 pm. A donation of $5 per person is requested to cover your choice of grilled chicken breasts, hot dogs or veggie burgers, drinks, and paper products. Please bring a salad or dessert to share potluck. And please sign up in the Commons to let us know how much to buy.

9/11 Memorial Service—September 11

On Saturday, September 11 at 11:00 am, Rev. Lou will lead a special service in memory of the tragic events of 9/11/2001. All are invited to come to the Chapel and share in a time of readings, meditation, music, and candlelighting.

Water Communion Sunday—September 12

Don’t forget that MVUC’s annual Water Communion services will be on September 12. Collect a sample of water from your summer travels and bring it to the Water Communion.

The Wisdom Years—September 28

After a lazy summer, the Wisdom Years will be up and running in September. Our first program of the year will be a speaker from The Prevention of Blindness Society. Our “aging eyes” may be telling us something that these people can help us with. We’ll be in the Fireplace Room in the newly refurbished Hollin Hall on Tuesday, September 28, from 10:30 ‘til Noon. Join us there!
          —Bev Southerland and Ginny Endicott

It is such a pleasure to have this opportunity to say “Hi” to everyone involved with MVUC. Yes, your new Interim DRE has arrived. My name is Barbara Gay Stoddard. I was the Acting DRE in Ridgewood, NJ last year and the Director of Religious Education in Andover, MA for four years prior to that. I actually am a southerner (born in Georgia) but lived in NH for almost 25 years. I have a daughter Dayna Himot who lives in Boulder, CO with her husband Philip and my two grandsons Peter (5) and Isaac (3). I have that grandparent disease that just won’t let a day go by without mentioning those two boys as often as I can—so forgive me this year if I employ some of their wisdom in my columns.

I have had some meetings with members of the RE council, our new DRE Assistant, Jim Kerr, the youth group, and Anne, Donna, and Lou. I have to tell you that I have walked into a wonderful place. The volunteers and youth that I have had the pleasure to meet are so committed to MVUC and give so lovingly of their time and talents. I hope you’ll join with me and thank this year’s RE Council for the great work they have been doing, even during the “slow” summer months.

I hope you all will look for a way to become involved with RE this year even if you have no children in the program. We will be exploring our UU Identity and Heritage. Come join us—where else can you learn about Empty Bowls, Moses, Queen Esther, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Clara Barton, Joseph Priestley and Earth Day all in one year and all in one place. If you want to find out how we got our name (Unitarian Universalists) then join us in the Way Cool Sunday School on September 19. Come, come whoever you are, join us in the joy and wonder. You will make a difference in a child’s life.

How Easy is it to Teach RE?

How easy is it to teach RE? Very. For one thing you never have to worry about gathering supplies. Everything you need is magically (thanks RE Admin!) in your class box when you walk in the classroom. You also don’t really need to know anything about being a UU. Rather it takes an interest in what we are all about and an enthusiasm to learn and teach it. It is actually a great way to learn more about being a Unitarian Universalist.

The curriculum for each class is already laid out and text and other supporting material are provided. This year the focus is on the roots of Unitarianism and the classes will be learning about how our faith was shaped by the Old and New Testaments and our European and American heritage. The class preparation is easy because all your materials are provided. Basically you walk into your classroom and your RE class box is full of the materials you asked for the preceding week. You never have to worry about finding stickers, project material, or a book because the RE assistant does that all for you. All you have to do to prepare is read the lesson ahead of time and think through how to present it in a way that works for you and your co-teacher.

There is plenty of support for you as a teacher too. The help starts with a thorough training session which will include both curriculum and classroom management tips. Our new RE director Barbara Stoddard is full of helpful ideas and knowledge and can answer all your questions whenever they come up.

So no one should think that they can’t teach an RE class – all it really takes is a willingness to teach children and an open mind to learn how to do so. The hard stuff is taken care of for you. Please contact Barbara Stoddard if you are interested in teaching an RE class.

RE Announcements

Teacher Orientation—Saturday, 9/11
Teacher orientation will be provided on Saturday, Sep 11 from 9 am to 2 pm. Teach two times a month. Need lovers of K–7 graders for 9:30 and 11:15.  Senior High Youth welcome to apply. Contact Barbara Stoddard at 703-765-5950 or email at re@mvuc.org. Or contact Georgia Pourchot.

FYI

RE programming for Preschool through 7th grade will be at 9:30 and 11:15 am. The 8th grade (COA group) and Senior Youth will meet at 11:15 am only.

Registration Forms Needed

Registration forms completed for children and youth preschool–Sr. High. Parents please complete ASAP and return to the RE office.

It’s really hard to consolidate lessons and impressions from General Assembly into a suitably-sized Windmill piece, especially for a first-time youth attendee. But I’ll do my best. I was totally overwhelmed by the GA program book—as many as 20 or 30 things were going on at the same time! This was my introduction to continental UUism. I was amazed by the things I read in the youth packet about youth from all over the country coming together to join in friendship, fellowship, and accomplishing social change.

At the youth orientation the youth staff pointed out the fact that the workers at the convention center weren’t unionized, so we should keep that in mind and clean up after ourselves. This really struck me. It never would have occurred to me to look into something like that. It reminded me just how socially conscious UUs are and challenged me to live up to that ideal.

Youth Caucus had its own programming designed especially for youth. Particularly interesting and educational was FUN TIMES, or Folks Unanimously Networking To Imagine, Manage, and Execute Sessions This is where the youth make decisions, including which study-action issue (SAI) to support in Plenary Sessions(GA-wide business meetings). From what I’ve heard, traditionally the youth as a whole can dominate Plenary by standing together in support of one issue. This year in FUN TIMES we heard presentations about each of the four possibilities (civil marriage equality, working to end oppression of women worldwide, stopping mass extinction, and battling global warming). Using formal consensus, we decided to support the global warming SAI. Youth heavily supported this during plenary the next day, and guess what the SAI for 2004 is?

I think the secret to our success was the formal consensus process! I learned about it last year at a leadership development conference and thought it was simply awesome. UU youth use it routinely, as do some (but way fewer) adult boards and committees. The youth staff somehow managed to bring C.T. Butler, the architect of this beautiful process, to GA. I believe we as a church should look into using this process. It really does take everyone’s feelings into account and, believe it or not, it does work, even for large groups. Butler is planning to write a book about how it could work for entire countries!

Another aspect of Youth Caucus that I really enjoyed and learned from was Identity Groups. These were very well-attended. Youth of color met in one room while white youth met in another, each divided into small groups for discussion. At first I thought, isn’t this counterproductive? Shouldn’t we all be working together to combat racism? I quickly realized I was wrong. We talked a lot about the power whites have over people of color in this country; so had we all met together the people of color would not have had equal footing. It was an atmosphere in which we were able to discuss racism and prejudice without fear of offending anyone or abusing power unintentionally. ID groups are offered both by youth and young adult programming, and I definitely recommend attending them-even if you don’t fit into either of those age categories.

There’s so much more I could say, but I’m running out of space. I’ll never forget my first GA in beautiful downtown Long Beach, California. I am extremely grateful for the scholarship money I received, left by founding members Saul and Betty Baran. I’d really like it if we came up with some kind of long-term fund, maybe via a special collection or two, not just for youth but anyone who would like to experience General Assembly firsthand, but who otherwise couldn’t afford to attend. I hope to return next year—I’m applying to be on the youth staff!

          —Katie Tyson

Memorial Society of Northern Virginia—October 10

Activities, On and Off the Hill

Renovation $ Still at Work

While the bulk of the renovation projects authorized way back in April last year have been essentially completed there is still work underway. At the July 2004 BOT meeting the following additional projects were authorized:

1. Replacement of the thirteen old original steel casement windows in the Carriage House with new vinyl double hung energy efficient windows. These were all replaced on August 13. Cost was $7,150.

2. Replacement of two deteriorated doors and one window on the east end of the Carriage House. Contracts have been let in the amount of $5,185 for these replacements. Installation will be done this fall.

3. Hollin Hall Wisteria Patio floor leveling, window well masonry repairs and drainage work in new HVAC condenser unit area. Initial contract in amount of $3,700 was let for this work. Some additional work might be necessary. Up to $6,000 was authorized. Some work has been done and it is anticipated that work will be completed in September.

4. Walled Garden Walls brick replacements and mortar joint pointing. $12,000 has been authorized for this work. It is anticipated that work will start this fall.

          —Your Building Committee

UU Minister Retiring

Sat, 9/25, 4–6 PM at UU Church in Reston VA, a celebration of the ministry of the Rev. Betty Jo Middleton upon her retirement. RSVP 703-892-9061 or rev.linda.peebles(at)uucava.org

Book Sale

The Book Sale is coming September 23–25! Income from this important fundraiser will go to the operating budget. Donations of books, records, videos, puzzles, cassettes and compact discs may be left now in the white book box at the edge of the parking lot. We will need help with setting up for the sale, cashiering, and cleaning up after the big event. We will have lots of books because Hollin Hall was not available for the Spring sale. Ginny Endicott is recruiting set-up & clean-up workers. Dotty Ann McClelland is scheduling cashiers. Call now to reserve your spot. Watch store ads for more information about this program.

Playreaders

Playreaders is off to a new start with a list of 26 interested participants and a lot of enthusiasm as the summer “vacations” draw to a close and we begin thinking ahead to the formation of a disciplined, active dramatic readers (and actors) group open to all interested would-be thespians. Chuck Morrisey has agreed to head the group for now, and he’d like to set up a schedule that would be agreeable to all participants. Contact Chuck with any suggestions.

Social Justice Programs at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church
Love is the Teaching of this Church ... And Service is its Prayer

Transylvania Trip 2004 was a special experience for all 32 MVUCers who traveled as a group in July to visit MVUC’s partner village, Szentháromság/Troita Romania. Szentháromság (Hungarian name)/Troita (Romanian name) has been MVUC’s partner church since 1997. This year’s trip was the fourth group trip.

Following are excerpts from comments made by some of the travelers. Stay tuned to hear and read more at the October 17 church service:

“What an extraordinary journey! We traveled across centuries and worlds and found friends, not only in the village, but among fellow MVUCers from age 2 to 80.” Jim Kerr

“This trip gave me the opportunity to reconnect with the deep friendships I have with several individuals and families in our partner church village and Koloszvar [Cluj]. Spending time with people in our village is my favorite part of the trip. You cannot imagine the warmth, kindness and love of these people.” Lisa Gillispie

“I was very happy to have the opportunity to return to Romania. Ever since my first trip, last year, Romania has become an important part of my life.” Erin Walker

Travelers were: Alice and Bob Bagwill, Suzanne Cleary, Sue De La Camp, Tamara De La Camp and Jim, Lachlan, and Malcolm Kerr, Esther and Rob Dickinson, Janice and Gary Fitzpatrick, Beth Frind, Lisa, Mike and Ilene Gillispie, Lucy Hentges, Elliott Jernigan, Carl Lohmann, Jane Nelson and Grant Loth, Sandy Peterson, Danica Priest, Raleigh and Jessica Romine, Bob and Katie Sargent, Bob Schultz, Vern and Max Torney, Erin Walker, Susan Watkins. Angela Fitzpatrick organized and led the tour.

Scholarship information for the 2004–2005 school year will be available soon.

          —Janice Fitzpatrick

National Memorial Procession

On Saturday October 2, 2004, a coalition of groups including Iraq Pledge of Resistance, Military Families Speak Out, Veterans for Peace, Action and others will be organizing a National Memorial Procession in Washington, DC. “The Trail of Mourning and Truth, From Iraq to the White House,” will honor those killed in the war—Iraqis as well as Americans—while calling for an end to the military occupation. As people continue to die on a daily basis, this memorial procession is intended to emphasize the ongoing war as a central issue in the upcoming election.

Route: Procession to begin with memorial event at 12 Noon at the Women’s Memorial courtyard at Arlington Cemetery. Begin at 1pm to proceed east over the Memorial Bridge, clockwise around Lincoln Memorial up to Constitution Ave., east on Constitution to 17th, and then up 17th past the White House to Lafayette Park, arriving at 2 pm for program there. It was also agreed there would be a smaller, pre-event vigil at the Pentagon at 8am that morning.

UUA Joins the Save Darfur Coalition

For the first time in its history, the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has declared a “genocide emergency” in the Sudan, indicating that genocide is imminent or is actually happening in the Darfur region. Tens of thousands of people have died in Darfur and well over a million have been driven from their homes. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates that 350,000 people or more could die in the coming months.

In response to the genocide emergency, the Unitarian Universalist Association has joined the Save Darfur Coalition, a group of 70 religious and humanitarian organizations formed last month to raise awareness of the massive crisis in Darfur. The Coalition has just released a Unity Statement to alert the world to the gravity of the situation in Darfur; UUA president William Sinkford is one of the signers of the statement. The full text of the Unity Statement is posted on the Coalition’s website at www.savedarfur.org/go.php?q=unityStatement.html. You may read the full press release at http://www.uua.org/news/2004/040805.html.

To contribute to OLW News, please contact Bill Alsmeyer-Johnson, billals (at) earthlink.net

Chips from the Board

Karen Tyson, Chair, MVUC Board of Trustees

What do I want to take home from my summer vacation? Time. The wonderful luxury of being at rest….

The days when you stop planning, analyzing, thinking and just are. —Ellen Goodman

Ahhhh…. Let’s not lose that beautiful feeling of being at rest, even as the dog days of August end. I love September, when kids pull on new shoes and fill their backpacks with fresh supplies, and we all assemble for a new church year.

There are several new faces on the hill—Lisa Billingham, our new music director; and Jim Kerr, our new RE assistant; and Barbara Stoddard, our interim DRE.

This month we begin a series of newsletter articles by our General Assembly attendees. While there were some plenary sessions, GA often has 20 or more workshops going on at any given time. We each had profoundly different experiences, and there are many things we want to share. Our first writer, Katie Tyson, obviously learned a lot there.

General Assembly reinforced my yearning for a stronger connection with other Unitarian Universalists. Exchanging information with other church leaders was an invaluable part of the GA experience.

Outreach is another area where denominational connections are important. The Baltimore Washington Growth Planning Committee is already active at the district level—check out www.uucava.org/UUGrowth/StakeholdersAug04.htm. (Our own Ron Brandt co-chairs the Media/Public Relations task force.) The group’s co-chairs, Reverend Rebecca Cohen of Accotink and Gregg Forte of Arlington, write: “Our history is rooted in both independent thought and a reaching out to heal the world. So for reasons of our past, but also of our present and future, our UU congregations must go beyond ministering to themselves.” Several of you have expressed interest in reactivating our outreach committee, and we’ll be meeting soon to discuss how we want to proceed.

For over 20 years, I was lost—a frustrated ex-Catholic, angry at organized religion, but trying to live a good life. I found here a community that affirms my individuality and encourages me to live a principled life. There are lots of other folks out there who need us. Did you know that UUs are not even one-tenth of one percent of the US population? There are only 220,000 of us in the whole country-and that includes kids in RE! What we have here is too good to keep to ourselves.

MVUC Welcomes Dr. Lisa Billingham as Music Director

Our new music director is Lisa Billingham. Lisa is an Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at George Mason University. She has a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Arizona. Lisa has extensive experience in choral direction and in conducting, including a post as Choir Director of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson. Thanks to our search committee-Carolyn Slenska (Chair), Ron Brandt, Alan Bunner, Mike Gillispie, Leila Goodman, and Sharon Roberts, and Katie Tyson-for their hard work. Lisa, we're delighted that you are with us!

Empty Bowls Project

Once again it is time to be creative and help those who need it in our community! The Empty Bowls Project will be held for all RE students on Ingathering Sunday, September 12 at both the 9:30 and 11:15 am services. All profits from this program go to United Community Ministries. In 2003 we sent $624 to UCM. All RE students should be dressed to paint. Adults can reserve their child's work of art on September 12. Plates that are not reserved will be sold to the congregation. The plates are $10 each which is due on delivery. If you would like to help us or have any questions, please call Kathi McNeil. We will have a second painting opportunity for adults and families in October.

Grocery Scrip

Using “Grocery Scrip” from Giant or from Shoppers Food Warehouse is an easy way to help the operating budget. These stores sell us certificates at a discount and we sell them to you at face value. You use them like cash. Shoppers gives us a 5% discount and $10 certificates are available. Giant gives us 4% and we have $20, $50, or $100 cards. Scrip is available at the Welcome Table on Sundays between services, or by other arrangement with Joan Wamsley.

Safeway purchases will help the operating budget if you register your Safeway card for contributions to MVUC. Our group ID is 1046574. Safeway makes direct deposits to the church’s checking account.

Holiday Shop

It’s September, and that means that planning for Holiday Shop moves into high gear. The initial mailing to potential vendors has gone out. The kitchen crew is making some serious chutneys, and the floral stationery designers are creating beautiful note cards. Holiday Shop this year will be on Saturday, November 20, as always, the week before Thanksgiving.

Stirrings From Windmill Hill

Deadline for the mid-month newsletter, Stirrings from Windmill Hill, is the 5th of each month. Material should be submitted to Mimi Stevens by email (mimis(at)erols.com) or left in the Newsletter box by the Church Office.