RichmondUU.org
November 2015
9:00am and 11:00am Services
Some people are your relatives but others are your ancestors, and you choose
the ones you want to have as ancestors.
You create yourself out of those values.
- Ralph Ellison, American Writer.
It is a powerful idea to believe that you can choose your ancestors and, by so doing, choose the life you live. Most of us associate our ancestors as defined for us, as immutable fact. In our
understanding, we are the children of whomsoever’s DNA we
carry. Our brown eyes come from our Mother’s people, or our
long fingers from a grandfather. We see ourselves as determined by those facts forever. Yet Ellison saw things differently. He understood our ancestry to be larger than our genetic
inheritance. You can see that difference in his life.
Ellison, African American, born in Oklahoma City, never studied
writing and yet went on to receive the national book award for
his novel Invisible Man; Ellison never believed he was limited
to his genetic ancestors. There were no writers in his family.
He felt free to be the child of many who touched his thinking
and his life. It would seem that much of his greatness arose
from the clarity of his choosing, from the specific embrace of
an identity of his own making.
What does it mean for us, to consider the question of ancestors and how we understand ourselves to be influenced by
them? Our parents, or one parent might be that person or
there may be other family members with whom we connect
more readily. Many a child is more influenced by an aunt or
uncle than by a parent. Many a teen is powerfully shaped by a
teacher or a coach who believes in them. All of us have known
an older adult who has been a model for a different way of living than we had known. We had to choose what they offered.
We have the choice still.
Continue on page 2
November 1, “Remembering the Ancestors” Rev. Jeanne
Pupke, We are the product of generations who lived and died
making it possible for us to exist. How can we remember and
celebrate their lives?
November 8, "They Are Still with Us" Rev. Sherman Z. Logan,
Jr., Throughout our Unitarian Universalist History, there were
some ancestors of our faith, who paid the ultimate price upholding their religious principles. In the spirit of remembrance, we will pay homage to their legacies.
November 15, "Who Came Before, Who Would Come After?" Rev. Jeanne Pupke, A long line of persons made our
faith possible. In celebration and thanksgiving, we remember
our religious forebears and consider who comes after us.
November 22, "Meditation on Gratitude" Rev. Jeanne Pupke, A service of remembrance music and gratitude.
Our Annual Thanksgiving Potluck will follow second service today. All are welcome.
November 29, “TBA”
First Unitarian Universalist
Church
1000 Blanton Avenue
Richmond, VA 23221
804-355-0777
Fax: 804-358-7364
www.richmonduu.org
Board of Directors
As we spend the month in consideration of the ancestors who have helped us become
who we are, let’s focus on two things…
1.
The ancestors (genetic and value providers) whom we
have received and chosen.
2.
Given who we are and the values we hold, whose ancestry
(genetic or valued) do we wish to add to our lineage for
Anne Joseph, President
the future we are facing.
Diana Donald, First Vice President
Sally Wetzler, Second Vice President
Dorothy Gerena, Treasurer
Paul Dolci, Assistant Treasurer
Ted Merriman, Secretary
James Armstrong, Member at Large
George Knight, Member at Large
Ryan Evans, Member at Large
Staff
Senior Minister
Rev. Jeanne Pupke
[email protected]
Empowering, no? To be able to stop, examine our ancestry of values and
genetics and to intentionally lay claim to whom we will be influenced by as
we move forward? This is a sort of spiritual quest, to remember and search
and amend our lives. It is about growing ourselves and making a community that is our own. As this theme follows the theme of October “Letting
Go”, we are perhaps well prepared to consider where and how we can
make this happen. I hope your reflection of these questions allows you to
reflect and construct yourself in ways that will affect the lineage you offer
others.
Rev. Jeanne Pupke
Assistant Minister
Rev. Sue Sinnamon
[email protected]
Minister Emeritus
Rev. David Hicks MacPherson
Church Business Manager
Rev. Sherman Logan
[email protected]
Administrative Assistant
Desiree Woodson
[email protected]
Director of Music
Diane Woodruff
[email protected]
This is an informal introduction to our congregation. This session begins immediately
after the first service every Sunday. Please meet us in the Library (to the right of the
front doors).
Anne Roberts ~ [email protected] ~ 804-201-5791
Director of Communications
Intern Ministers
Walter Clark, [email protected]
Catherine Boyle,
[email protected]
Vespers: Vespers is a shorter, reflective service held Wednesdays at 5:30pm.
Childcare is Provided
Director of Lifespan Religious Ed.
Rhonda Wingfield
[email protected]
November 4
“Radiance”
Cat Boyle
November 11
“TBA”
Walter Clark
RE Assistant
Stephanie Fox
[email protected]
November 18
“Family Forgiveness”
Walter Clark
November 25
“TBA”
Walter Clark
Share the Plate for November will be “From The Heart”
From The Heart began in 2001 with just several people knitting at Starbucks to make knitted hats for cancer patients. Today
this group provides all local metro cancer treatment centers with lap blankets and caps for patients. They have grown to provide premie baby hats for MCV/VCU and supply their Burn Unit, Children’s Emergency Room and Hospice Center with lap
blankets and knitted stuffed animals. They have worked with the Friends of the Homeless to make sleeping bags, bedding,
hats and mittens, and they have made items for veterans and their families, donating these items through the Veterans Association and Wounded Warriors groups.
In 2005 From the Heart became a 501C3 organization with the following mission: "Our mission is to serve our community by
preserving and promoting fiber arts, creating a spirit of fellowship and love among our volunteers and board members, and
producing handmade items which bring comfort, love and solace to others." From The Heart members range in age from six
to 99; there are 18 to 20 gatherings a month at various locations in the Richmond metro area, including coffee shops, public
libraries, churches, retirement communities and senior centers.
A specific area of focus for this organization in the next year will be veterans. Share the Plate donations will be used to buy
skeins of red, white and blue yarn to make various blankets, scarves, and hats for veterans at McGuire Veterans Hospital and
the Wounded Warriors Program.
Several members of our congregation participate and support this organization, including Kathleen VanPaasschen, Marcia
Zwicker, Janet Goin, Sally Youngs and Becky Odor. Your contributions to Share The Plate will provide materials to produce
many items that will bring comfort, love and solace to many in our community.
The Sunday before Thanksgiving is traditionally Thanksgiving at
our First UU Church. It’s a feast you don’t want to miss. A spread
is laid out from one end of the church to the other! This year we
celebrate again on Sunday - Nov. 22nd. Turkeys and drinks will be
provided; you bring a dish to share. Sign ups begin on Nov. 8th.
Cost is $7 per family or $5 per individual. Payments are due at the
entrance. Volunteers for this event are always needed. Please call
the church if you would like to help with this fun event! Please
bring family and friends! ! !
Thoughts for the Journey: Ancestry
Inside each raindrop swims the sun.
Inside each flower breathes the moon.
Inside me dwell ten million stars,
One for each of my ancestors:
The elk, the raven, the mouse, the man,
The flower, the coyote, the lion, the fish.
Ten million different stars am I,
But only one spirit, connecting all. — Nancy Wood, "Ten Million Stars,"
We have all likely heard comments similar to these: ”He has kind eyes, just like his granddad.” “Your Aunt So-and-So had a
sense of humor just like yours!” “That beautiful olive skin came from her grandmother.” “My goodness, your Uncle Henry
could fly off the handle!” “Aunt Sarah was a quiet woman, but you wouldn’t want to cross her when she cared about something!”
When we tell stories of our ancestors or relatives, we encapsulate the character of that person and help relay who they were
in the world and how they went about living. We seek to know who these people were, what they valued and cared about,
and how they may have informed our lives.
One of the main reasons there are children in the religious education program is that parents want to pass certain values to
them; in particular, the values espoused in the Unitarian Universalist principles. These are values that underlie developing
and living out an honorable, moral life.
This month, as the church focuses on the theme of Ancestry, I encourage families to make specific opportunities to talk about
your own family ancestry as far back as you may know. I have also included the suggestions of several books that open the
doors for conversation about relatives/ancestors. Finally, there is the suggestion to try a Circle of Life Walk as a way to focus
on the change of the seasons. In this visually vibrant time of year, this walk allows a child to appreciate how new things come
from that which decays and dies. It allows us to consider that which we cherish, what remains with us and what is constantly
changing.
Continued on page 5
Thoughts for the Journey continue. . . .
Books for Children and Families: The Name Jar, Yangsook Choi: Being the new kid in school is hard enough, but what about
when nobody can pronounce your name?
The Keeping Quilt, Patricia Polacco: This book is special for the values it conveys, for the family traditions and the changes to
them that it describes, and for the intergenerational love it portrays.
The Relatives Came, Cynthia Rylant: In a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came.
When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room…
Genie-alogy With Aunt Cesta, Magali Roman: As the "family historian", Aunt Cesta offers a fun twist on learning about our
personal history. A general surname question evolves into a series of genealogy books guaranteed to motivate all to discover
our ancestors lives. A great children’s introduction to geneology.
Circle of Life Walk
Go for a walk in your designated location. Look for signs of decaying life that feeds other life, such as rotting logs or fallen
leaves. Look for creatures that help with decomposition, such as insects. Explain that the minerals, energy, and nutrients in
the dead plant and animal life get recycled back into the Earth. They create rich soil that other life needs to grow and thrive.
You may want to consider conversation and wondering questions such as:
•
What would happen if nothing ever died? (Perhaps suggest that predators and scavenger animals might starve; the
Earth would pretty quickly run out of room for all the living creatures.)
•
What would happen if there were no decomposers-creatures that recycle things that have died back into the Earth?
(Perhaps suggest we would end up with a big mess.)
•
I wonder what nature teaches us about death? About remembrance and love?
•
Does this walk remind us of the seventh UU principle of our interconnectedness with the web of all life? If so, how?
See you in church school ~ Rhonda Wingfield
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Religious Education Announcement:
Mark Your Calendar for HOLIDAY FUUN Night!
Saturday, Dec. 5, 5:30-7:30
A Multi-generational Event of Holiday Celebration!
This is a perfect way to connect with your UU friends and have a very affordable night out with the family!
Our time together begins with a generous pot luck dinner, followed by games and crafts appealing to a wide age range.
We end our evening with a short time of meditation.
(Remember: Bring non-perishable foods for the Central Va. Food Bank.)
This year's co-chairs of the Stewardship Committee are Joan Lewis and Autumn Fehr. It's tough to follow in the shoes of our
former fearless leader, Ned Haley, but we are doing our best! One thing that Autumn & Joan share besides their height (or
lack thereof), is a passion for First UU and reaching out to involve our congregation in stewardship. Just as many of you enjoyed supporting the church by participating in Gallery, Stewardship can actually be a fun and fulfilling way to be involved,
too! And we could greatly benefit from your help now that Gallery is over. Here are some of the ways you can pitch in:
•
Help draft and/ or edit our communications to the congregation, such as newsletter articles, blurbs in First News
Weekly and the Order of Service, or letters to congregants.
•
Be an artistic designer for our Stewardship Bulletin Boards and other publications with photos or art.
•
Be trained as a visiting steward who has conversations with people about making their pledge for the coming year
•
Work behind the scenes running reports on our database.
•
Hand-write thank-you notes (content provided) to people as we receive their pledges (Feb-May).
•
Be a part of the production team that gets our mailings out to congregants (stuffing envelopes, etc.).
•
Volunteer to help plan, set up, staff, or tear down our big events - First UU's Got Talent (end of February) and the
Dinner/Dance (mid-March).
•
Or, if you have a passion for how we raise almost 90% of our church funds each year, consider joining our Stewardship Steering Committee which plans the Pledge Drive and all Stewardship events.
Each time you get involved in church, you get to work together with different people and learn about how our church works.
This isn't just a church that we attend, it is OUR church and we are the ones that make it what it is. So please consider how
you can be a part of stewardship this year by figuring out how your skills and passion can best be applied. It's fulfilling to be an
integral part of raising most of the operating budget for our church - something to be proud of. Contact
[email protected] or [email protected] to participate.
Autumn Fehr and Joan Lewis
On November 20th Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) will be observed worldwide including here in Richmond. It is
a day to honor the memory of transgender people who have been killed by senseless acts of hatred and violence. It is also a
day to reflect on the transgender community's strength and resilience. Globally and here in the U.S. transgender people
and especially transgender women of color are assaulted and often murdered with impunity, simply because of who they
are ~ Lara, 16 years old, stoned to death in Brazil on 2/22/15 and Lamia, 30, shot to death in Norfolk, VA on 1/17/15, are
only two of many, many horrific and senseless murders of transgender people that have occurred so far this year. Join
transgender people of the Richmond area, their allies, supporters, friends and family on Friday November 20, 2015, 7 PM at
Diversity Richmond, 1407 Sherwood Ave, 23220 for the annual TDOR ceremony of remembrance with a reception to follow.
If anyone is willing to assist with providing cookies, homemade or store-purchased, for the reception please contact
[email protected].
For more information on worldwide TDOR go to www.Glaad.org , click links for ourwork, transgender , for media , transgender day of remembrance.
The First UU Book Store is in Business
Please join our members and visitors for
coffee and conversation during the
break between services, then browse
through the variety of items on display.
.
CHECK OUT DISPLAYS
KROGER CARDS
UU BUMPER STICKERS
UU COOKBOOKS
We GROW in search of Wisdom,
We CARE in support of Community,
We ACT in service of Justice.
Please share your experience and observations
about how the church carries out its mission.
You can reach us at the Committee on Mission at
[email protected] or speak with any of the
committee members. Look for bright green on
our nametags.
UU T-SHIRTS
2015-16 members
SERMON CDs: Order Copies of Past Sermons
Emy Morris, Chair
Check to See if You Have Not Picked Up A Previous Order
Tom Norton
You may donate your unwanted books suitable for resale at the Book Nook. They should be in good condition and suitable subject material. The profits
generated from the monthly sale will go toward the
purchase of new titles.
Richard Pratt
Laura May
Leon Anderson
Jay Clarke
The next time you are in the elevator at First U.U., please watch your fingers.
In the last couple of months, the emergency button in the elevator has been pressed several times, resulting in the activation of emergency response protocols each time.
We understand that accidents can happen, but, we also want to save use of emergency protocols for when an actual emergency occurs.
So, the next time you are in the elevator at First U.U., watch your fingers and make sure you press the intended button for
where you want to go. If you press the emergency button by mistake, please let someone on staff know immediately!
Also, watch the fingers of your little ones - all of those buttons can be quite tempting during an elevator ride.
Thank you for paying attention, and using extra caution.
DID YA KNOW. . . . . The Jefferson Bells
The congregation of the First Unitarian Church of Richmond began to gather early on the morning of December 5th, 1926. As
they filled the sidewalks from parking areas and as they approached the corner of Floyd and Harrison, they could see their
new bells hanging in the belfry. In a city of churches, there were none that resembled them.
This very special service was to be one of dedication lead by the current minister and donor of the bells, Dr. Frank W. Pratt,
assisted by Rev. N. Addison Baker. Rev. Louis C. Cornish, the Administrative Vice President of A.U.A., Mr. J. Randolph
Coolidge, Jr., direct descendent of Thomas Jefferson, and the Hon. John Garland Pollard, from the College of William and
Mary, would participate in the dedication service. In the future, all three of these men would achieve greater levels of success in their chosen occupations.
One hundred years had passed since the death of Thomas Jefferson as Richmond’s Unitarian congregation gathered to demonstrate their appreciation for his work. Dr. Pratt said,
“We meet together to dedicate, one by one, the Bells of this Church to the memory of Thomas Jefferson, in recognition of his
service for religious liberty. Thomas Jefferson ever worked for the freedom of all men. Upon his family seal were inscribed the
words, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”
It is fitting that these words had been chosen and printed on each of the Bells:
On the Large bell – I ring his belief in the Unshackled Mind.
“I have sworn upon the Altar of God, eternal hostility against every
form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
On the Middle bell – I ring his love of Truth.
“And ye shall know the Truth and the truth shall make you free.”
On the Small Bell – I ring his love of Freedom.
“Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”
The journalist that covered the event for the Richmond Times Dispatch remarked;
“Note that his hostility was against every form of tyranny over the mind. There was a tyranny of law, now happily passed
away, but there remains, in all its cruelty, a tyranny which proscribes, practices, denounces and condemns those who dare
think for themselves. The spirit of religious liberty will never be completely enthroned until men have a more decent regard
for the opinions of others.”
Pat Vaughn
First Unitarian Universalist Church • 1000 Blanton Avenue Richmond, VA 23221 • (804) 355-0777 • www.richmonduu.org
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Deadline Date for Newsletter Articles are on the 15th of the month
Please check the Google calendar for church events ~ thank you.