Peter Mayer in Concert at WBUUC Saturday, November 26, 7:30
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WHITE BEAR UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH January 2011 Newsletter Vol. LVI, No. 1 Theme for January — Soul Work: the practice of prayer The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star, hath had elsewhere its setting, and cometh from afar.—Wm. Wordsworth Sunday Services and Religious Education at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Coffee and Conversation at 10:00 a.m. January 2 Visible Signs of Inward Grace David Schwartz hosts speakers Ken Stewart, Claudia Poser, Glen Riddle Music from Joe and Roxy Cruz: Pure Imagination First Sunday Welcome for visitors, newcomers and new members—see inside January 9 The Soul Sits Down Victoria Safford Music from the Choir, directed by Thaxter Cunio, with Carol Caouette, piano Potluck Supper at 5:00 p.m. — see inside January 16 Dr. King, Unitarian Universalism, and the Pursuit of a Manufactured Utopia Jack Reuler, Guest Speaker Jack Reuler is founder of the Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis. Music from Carol Caouette Monday, January 17 at 7:00 a.m. Martin Luther King Day Breakfast—see inside! January 23 Theology of Border Victoria Safford Music from the Choir, directed by Thaxter Cunio with Carol Caouette, piano: Journey Home by Abbie Betinis and Today will be warm: A Story Cloth in Sound by Catherine Dalton. January 30 This I Believe: Hope Safford and Dan Castle This I Believe is an old tradition in our congregation, when members are invited to share their deepest beliefs, their passions, principles and cherished questions. Come with open mind and heart—these services are among the most powerful and moving of the year. Music from Nicole Warner, mezzo soprano and Margaret Humphrey, violin From the Minister Victoria Safford I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I still believe that we shall overcome. … We are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born. -- Martin Luther King, Oslo, 1964 Rejoice – Reclaim –Renew Community Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast Monday 17 January 2011 at 7:00 a.m. You read that right: 7:00 in the morning. For the second year in a row, our congregation has the distinct honor of hosting the Northeast Area Community Breakfast to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our doors will open wide to welcome neighbors, friends, and activists, youth, children and adults from surrounding congregations and the entire community. Hundreds of MLK Breakfasts take place all over the country every year, as the nation gathers to consider what of Dr. King’s prophetic dream is ours to carry forward in the present moment. In 2011, no less than in King’s own lifetime, this is somber, celebratory work, the work of a beloved community still struggling with what he called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism.” Our morning will feature a fabulous hot breakfast with thoughtful, lively table conversation, music and singing in the sanctuary, a focus on area youth working hard for social change right here in their own neighborhoods, and a live simulcast of the breakfast program at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This year’s honored speaker is The Honorable Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, whose bold vision and action have set a national standard for urban transformation. An internationally known speaker and powerful young leader, Booker is a finalist for the 2010 World Mayor Prize. 7:00 a.m. may seem pretty early in the morning to be up and out on a holiday, but Martin Luther King Day was never intended to be a day off. As he himself reminded us so plainly: There can be no gainsaying of the fact that a great revolution is taking place in our world today. It is a social revolution, sweeping away the old order… The wind of change is blowing … and the idea whose time has come today is the idea of freedom and human dignity. There is nothing more tragic than to sleep through a revolution. So set your clock! Get your tickets! Bring your neighbors, friends, colleagues and children! Rise and shine, shine, shine! It’ll be a beautiful morning. -- Victoria [email protected] 651.426.2369 office 651.587.8481 mobile Among Ourselves Bill Lamb and Karen Dahl are both recovering at home from surgeries this past month. Our hearts are with Jerry Yanz, whose mother died in November, and with Jane Harper, whose aunt died in November. Jay Dedrick is recovering from successful eye surgery. Congratulations to David Schwartz; he and his wife, Teri, are expecting their second child in June! Mary and Steve Bolton are living in Panama working at a remote island resort until next summer. Mary wrote to say they miss everyone and look forward to being back. 2 White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church January 2010 From the President Richard Haskett In January, sermons, meditations and many of the conversations at WBUUC Board will dwell on soulwork: the practice of prayer. Fittingly, January is also the month when seed catalogs start arriving. Dick Haskett, President It must have been only shortly after we humans began to cultivate crops that Klay Eckles, Vice President gardening and soulwork became companions. Who could not have seen the Sara Wolff, Secretary miraculous in shriveled seeds that germinated, grew, flowered, fruited then Brian Naegeli, Treasurer fulfilled the cycle by again producing seeds? Is it surprising that the earth was Marcia Yanz, Past President seen as a fecund mother from whose womb flowed good and sustaining Mara Coyle offspring? Why do rituals of planting and harvest often involve touching soil Philip Williams or pouring water while kneeling? At what point did we begin to crave and Dale Anderson harvest beauty and wonder for our souls along with the beans, gourds and Ron Ofstead grain? Jocelyn Stein Daniel Castle, Youth Rep And when did the labor of gardening, the physical exertion needed to dig, hoe, weed, tend and harvest become its own soulwork? Many gardeners Victoria Safford, Minister readily admit that a minute spent leaning on the hoe handle is as satisfying as one when the hoe is actually moving. The beauty of sunshine and birdsong are nurtured crops as surely as tulips and turnips. Oliver Wendell Holmes once remarked, “There is a little plant called reverence in the corner of my soul's garden, which I love to have watered once a week.” That’s what we do here; water each other’s gardens. Theme for January: Soul Work — the practice of prayer Questions for contemplation and conversation on your own, around the dinner table, in your journal, in Sharing Circles here, and with each other What can I imagine is the work of my soul - even if I don't believe I have one? What is my earliest memory of what I believed about my soul-spirit? What did I learn about or practice early on regarding prayer? What is my definition of and relationship with prayer as a practice in crafting my life? Is creativity prayer? Is meditation prayer? Is doing nothing or walking in the woods a kind of prayer? Or is prayer something to be approached with a more disciplined intention? What if I create 'soul' by my very cultivation and crafting of an intentional life? And what is my short list of important things to cultivate? What if everything I do in my life is a visible expression of my inward creative force? How can I use my life to nurture that creative force in everyone I encounter? As I wait without waiting for the end of my life, what material and immaterial things do I hold onto that might stand in the way of a free, original, and authentic expression of my soul's work? January 2010 White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church 3 DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Janet Hanson January Theme – Soulwork – the practice of prayer This month’s theme may produce a variety of reactions for parents, depending on your background and the meaning you attach to the words soul and prayer. The essential question here may be: How shall I live my life? If the term soulwork does not appeal to you think of inner self or spirit – that which makes each of us unique and different. In your family you may or may not use the term prayer. Perhaps meditation or creativity more fits your idea of the inner life. Many of our parents are raising their children differently from their own childhood. If you are interested in some family prayers or meditations you might try reading A Grateful Heart or Rejoice Together, or if a more secular approach fits you better try Raising Freethinkers. All three books are available at our church bookstore. Secret Pals Secret Pals is due to start on January 2. If our signups are slow in December given the weather dilemma, we may need to postpone by a few weeks! Watch the order of service and announcements for any changes! Social Action for January Our project for this month, January 16th, will be for the Simpson Housing Services – an overnight shelter for homeless men located in Minneapolis.