October 2006 Newsletter
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Circle of Fellowship |
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The First Universalist Church of Central Square |
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A Unitarian Universalist Congregation |
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Rev. Margaret Hart, Minister 625-4485 |
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Rev. Libbie Stoddard, Assoc. Minister 343-4352 |
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Tim Hart, President 625-4485 |
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Ronna Schindler, Religious Education Coordinator
623-7685 |
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Rita Thornton, Organist & Choir Director
669-6961 |
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Our Church Building Is Handicapped Accessible |
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P. O. Box 429 Routes 49 West & 11 |
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Central Square, NY 13036 (315) 668-6821 |
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October 2006 |
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The mission of the
First Universalist Church of Central Square is to be a welcoming, diverse
congregation, which values spiritual growth and service to the local and
world communities. |
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MINISTERIAL MUSINGS |
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Dear friends, |
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Autumn has come,
and with it a freshness, a coolness, and a lot of activity. It has been great
to welcome people back to church after the summer, and to have Religious
Education thriving again. We are approaching our Centennial (November 4);
mark your calendars, and stay tuned for more news as to how the event will be
celebrated. Even before that are: the NYS Convention of Universalists annual
conference (Albany, Oct 6-7) the Village Marketplace Art and Craft Fair
(Central |
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Margaret
Hart |
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FAREWELL |
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We said goodbye
to the presence of Vernon House on earth on September 11, 2006. Vernon
(August 28,1929-September 7, 2006) and his wife Rosalyn were long time
members of the First Universalist Society of Central Square. We extend all
best wishes to Rosalyn and her family. |
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We would like to
extend an invitation to you to attend our Annual Hospice Memorial Service to
be held on Sunday, October 15, 2006 at The Fulton Alliance Church, 1044 St.
Rt 48, Fulton, NY. The service, which begins at 2:00 pm, is an opportunity
for the community to gather in remembrnce of loved ones who have passed away
during the past year. Please RSVP by calling the Oswego County Hospice office
at 349-8259, Monday through Friday, from 8:30-4:00, if you plan to attend. |
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Our sympathies go
to Jo and Ralph Cleveland on the recent death of Ralph's brother Howard.
Sympathy also to Sheila and Bob Emborski and to Bob Cleveland. Our thoughts
are with you all. |
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CHOIR TO PRACTICE |
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Our choir
rehearses Sunday mornings starting at 9:30a.m. On October 14 we will have our
usual second Saturday of every month extended choir rehearsal from 10 a.m. to
12 noon. Anyone interested in singing is welcome to join us. |
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Rita Thornton |
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Choir Director |
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ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION |
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There are two new
workshops planned for Adult R.E. Both will be held downstairs in our church.
The first workshop, "Planning a Funeral or Memorial Service" will
be held Saturday October 28. The exact hours will be announced. This is
important material for people of all ages. What do we want for ourselves?
What would we want for someone else? This program will deal with worries, who
can help, costs and what decisions need to be made. We plan on covering these
as well as other relevant issues. There will be a sign-up sheet in the East
Room soon. |
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A second workshop
is planned for Saturday, November 18 from 1 PM until 3 PM. This RE program is
for adults only and will introduce material that will be included on the Our
Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum, a sexuality education program. OWL material is
for children from the age of three to adult and will discuss sexuality in our
faith. The program is jointly done by the Unitarian Universalist Association
and the United Church of Christ. There will be a signup sheet in the East
Room. |
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If you have any
questions about either workshop, please contact Rev. Libbie Stoddard. |
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WHAT’S IN A NAME? |
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Wearing name tags
helps make us a friendly congregation. If you need one please let us know by
signing up in the East room or contact Mary, 668-6719, or marychet@earthlink.net.
mailto:marychet@earthlink.net |
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MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE |
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A membership
committee meeting is scheduled for Sunday, October 8 at 9:30 a.m. The main
items on the agenda are publicity , "first impressions" and a
literature packet for visitors. The goal is to increase membership by 10% a
year with a 50% increase in five years. If we are to meet these goals your
help will be badly needed. |
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We need two
greeters to pass out bulletins, get the names of visitors, take up the
offering and welcome every one to church and two hostesses for the coffee
hour each Sunday. Please see someone on the committee (Larry, Janie, Lisa, or
Chet) with your offer to help or with any suggestions you may have to
increase membership. |
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Chet Perkins |
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OFFICE HOURS |
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BOARD PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE |
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Happy Fall to
all! Lots of good things continue to happen at our church. Our "Bring a
friend to church Sunday" seemed to fill our pews with numerous guests
and a few faces that we haven't seen in a while. The R.E. program seems to be
off to another good start thanks to the work of Ronna, |
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HELP WANTED: We are in GREAT NEED of a UU
Circle president. If you have any inclination to serve in this capacity, I
would be more than happy to assist you in all aspects of the job. We are also
looking for volunteers to help out in the nursery one Sunday per month. See
Winfield Ihlow, RE chairperson, if you would like to help in this area. |
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Worship &
Music: Andrea Abbott 635-7122 ahook@twcny.rr.com |
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Buildings &
Grounds: Arnie Hook 635-7122 ahook@twcny.rr.com |
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Tim Hart, Board President |
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Adopt a Highway
pickup is scheduled for November 12 at 8:30 a.m. before church service.
Please contact Nancy Hallock if you can participate at njh13042@yahoo.com.
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SERMONS ON TAPE AND/OR IN PRINT |
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WHAT DID YOU SAY? |
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Coffee and Chat
will be held on October 18 at Panera Bakery in Clay, starting at 9:15 a.m.
All women of the church are invited to join us. For further information
please call Nancy Haskell. |
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NEW UU |
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NEWSLETTER DEADLINE SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 4 |
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Thank you to
everyone who sent me articles for this newsletter. The deadline for the
November newsletter is Saturday, November 4 at noon. As always, any articles
that you can send to me early atmailto:dartfrog@usadatanet.net
dartfrog@usadatanet.net
would be a big help. |
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Ellen LaPine |
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Newsletter Editor |
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SMITH-PACKARD IS AWARDED SCHOLARSHIP |
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Clarkson
University has awarded the prestigious William Randolph Hearst Minority
Endowed Scholarship to Bethanny Smith-Packard, daughter of Debra Smith and
Jeffery Packard of Phoenix. The Scholarship was established in 1993 by the
William Randolph Hearst Foundation and is awarded to full-time undergraduate
students who demonstrate need and meet Clarkson University’s current academic
GPA requirement. Bethanny is a senior at Clarkson University, double majoring
in bio-mhttp://www.alzcny.orgolecular
science and psychology. She is a member of the Tri-Beta biological honor
society and the American Chemical Society. She worked on a neuro-psychology
research project through Upstate Medical Center during the summer of 2006. |
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UU MINISTERS AND PRESIDENTS |
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VIDEO DISCUSSION GROUP |
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The Video
Discussion Group will meet again at the church at 7 p.m. on Friday, October
13. Those attending will view and discuss another episode in the PBS series
"Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason." During the series, Moyers
explores the ideas of leading thinkers as to whether religion and reason can
peacefully co-exist. Each program features a conversation with one or two of
the writers who attended the PEN World Voices Festival in New York last
April. |
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The new year is
off to a great start. We have been in the process of painting bricks to help
raise funds and awareness for a school and medical building in Sudan. The
bricks will be available for sale during Marketfair and also near the East
Room table in two weeks. This is one way that even the smallest of hands can
make a big difference. |
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October will be a
busy month with our annual "angel" release (milkweed pod seeds),
our hope and wishes for a safe world to follow on the fall winds. Celebrating
Diwali, festival of lights in India, UN UNICEF Day to raise awareness for
peace and respect for all life, and our annual Halloween party. Costumes are
optional but always fun. |
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Big people are
always welcome to join us in class at any time. |
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Namesta, |
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Ronna |
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MARKETPLACE JUST AROUND THE CORNER! |
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Great news! Ginny
and Claudia have graciously offered to work with me this year and take over
for me next year. They already have some ideas of additions and changes for
next year that sound great. They'll be calling people for donations for
raffle, bake sale, and time to work on October |
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Sheila Emborski |
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I have compiled a
list of email addresses from our new church directory in order to use them
for communication and publicity. I'm finding that more and more addresses are
coming back to me as undeliverable. If you have changed your email address
and still wish to receive news items and publicity for events, please let the
church know your NEW email address so we can communicate with you. Don't be
left out of the loop! |
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Sheila Emborski |
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Publicity, 668-6419 |
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"My
grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people, those who do the
work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first
group, there was less competition there." |
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Indire Ghandi |
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AN INVITATION FOR ALL TO JOIN US |
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Michael
DiGiovanni and Cheryl Perkins-DiGiovanni would like to invite all members and
friends of the First Universalist Church of Central Square to join our family
as we ask the Reverend Margaret Hart to dedicate Marra Katherine DiGiovanni
into our lives on Sunday, October 22, 2006. |
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We also ask you
to join us after church in celebration of this day as our family will provide
light refreshments after the service. |
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COUNTING THOSE IN THE PEWS |
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Our Choir
Director and Organist Rita Thornton reports that there were 25 people at the
September 3 service, 27 at the September 10 service, 34 at the September 17
service and 62 at the October 1 service. |
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DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATION |
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During our
worship service on October 29, we will celebrate the lives of those who have
passed before us. Please bring something that is significant to you as you
remember someone special. It could be a picture, some object that reminds you
of someone special or possibly a poem or musical reference or just a special
memory you would like to share. Pets as well as people have held special
places in our lives if you wish to remember a special animal friend. |
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EMAIL LIST |
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We have weekly
e-mail announcements of coming events at the church. If you are not receiving
them and would like to, please contact Janie Garlow at 436-2238 or at mjgarlow@aol.com.
Mary Perkins has offered to print the announcements and send them to folks
who are not on line. |
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THE HOLIDAYS ARE AROUND THE CORNER AND WE’RE STILL
COOKIN’ |
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We are selling
centennial cookbooks at the bargain price of $7.00 each. Lots of time tested
recipes shared by the wonderful cooks in our congregation. Desserts and main
dishes for those holiday celebrations. Please contact Mary Perkins at marychet@earthlink.net
for your copy or call her at 668-6719. |
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DON’T FORGET TO SHOP FOR SCOTTY |
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Remember the
Downstairs Scotty as you shop. If we can remember to buy just one or two
extra boxes of tissue, some toothpaste, soap or the like we when we shop, we
can be a big help to this local program with out church’s donations of
non-food items. Our collection box is in the East Room, under the water
dispenser. |
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HI-LIGHTS OF THE OCTOBER 1 BOARD MEETING |
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It was decided
that repair and replacement of the front doors will wait until early spring.
The contractor needs warm weather for the varnish to dry. The side door will
be replaced before winter. |
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We will have a
spaghetti supper and ice-cream social on November 4 to celebrate our
centennial. More information as well as information on who will be performing
for a concert that evening will be announced soon. |
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Volunteers are
still needed to head the UU Circle. We also still need volunteers for the
nursery when needed during services. |
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Ellen LaPine |
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Recording Secretary |
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CALENDAR |
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Tuesdays: *6:45 p.m. Chanting & Meditation |
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Wednesdays: * 6:47 p.m. Men’s Group |
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Oct 5 & 6: *7:00 p.m. Film "An Inconvenient Truth" featuring Al Gore |
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Oct 6 & 7: * NYS Convention of Universalist Convention |
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Oct 8: *9:30 a.m. Membership Committee Meeting. *9:30 a.m. Choir Practice. *10:30 a.m. Worship service Rev. Libbie Stoddard, 11:00 RE. |
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Oct 13: *7:00 p.m. Video & Discussion. |
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Oct 14: *10:00 a.m. Extended Choir rehearsal. |
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Oct 15: *9:00 a.m. RE Committee Meeting. * 9:30 a.m. Choir Practice. *10:30 a.m. Worship service, Andrea Abbott. *11:00 Religious Education. *1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Conflict Resolution Workshop with Jean Crane @ May Memorial. |
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Oct
18: *8:30
a.m. UU Minister’s and Board President’s Meeting. * 9:15 a.m. Coffee and Chat |
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Oct
21: *Marketplace.
*Social Justice Workshop @ May Memorial. |
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Oct 22:
* 9:30 a.m. Choir Practice. *10:30 a.m.
Worship service, Rev. Margaret Hart. *11:00 Religious Education |
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Oct
28: *11:00
a.m. Adult RE. *Noon Newsletter Deadline |
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Oct 29:
*8:30 a.m. Board Meeting. * 9:30 a.m. Choir
Practice. *10:30 a.m. Worship service, Rev. Margaret Hart. *11:00 Religious
Education. *12:30
New Member Orientation |
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Nov 4:
*Noon. Newsletter deadline. *4:00 p.m. *
Centennial Celebration Spaghetti Supper & Ice Cream Social. *7:00
Concert. |
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Nov 5:
*9:30 a.m. Choir Practice. *10:30 a.m.
Worship Service Rev. Tom Chulak. *11:00 a.m. Religious Education. |
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Nov 11: *Roast
Beef Dinner. |
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Nov
12: *
Adopt a Highway. |
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Nov
18: *1:00
p.m. Adult RE. |