Roots and Wings s1

Roots and Wings

November 2014

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens On My Mind… 147-54 Ash Avenue Flushing, NY 11355 Phone: 718-353-3860 www.uucq.org e-mail: [email protected] Board of Trustees President: Runita Sutton-Toomer

Vice President: Laura Ventola

Treasurer: November is upon us! The December holidays are close to follow. But before Lisa Attias they come along with their seasonal excesses, we have Thanksgiving to celebrate. I think of Thanksgiving as the quintessential Unitarian Universalist Trustees: holiday. Here in November, in the midst of our disgust with political processes, Jules Stein with failed or marginalized public institutions, and with the excesses of “it’s-all- Hilda Kapeles about-me” individualism, comes this rather secular holiday that celebrates Irwin Cohen community, kindness to one another, and our national health and well-being. Indeed, it’s a spiritual time. Like Unitarian Universalism, Thanksgiving Newsletter Editor: emerged here in the northeast, a distinctly American phenomenon. At this Carine Darnell holiday, we make time to share our experiences and our togetherness despite the myriad distractions that fill our daily lives. It’s a simple time…after all, turkey and mashed potatoes are hardly haute cuisine. And we come together as families or as friends to be thankful for our connections with one another. Therein lies the spiritual dimension, I believe. I remember, as a kid, the extended family gathering at my aunt’s home near Detroit. We traveled there from Cleveland nearly every year. The Macy’s parade was on TV in the morning. Then we dutifully stuffed ourselves and settled in to watch the Detroit Lions play football. I was never a Lions fan, but the TV with its three channels had little else to offer that Thanksgiving afternoon. Then came the naps, followed by the ubiquitous cold turkey sandwich. “Rye bread for me, please!” And then it was over. The next day eventually came to be called “Black Friday,” the start of the annual holiday crazy period. 1 We take comfort in predictability; I don’t remember it ever being different. Many of us expect the pattern to persist for decades to come. But let’s savor that one day, Thanksgiving Day, a day when simple community, being in relationship with one another, is what it’s all about. May it be so…Blessings,

Rev Jim

P.S. Carol Mooney-Hevesi and I are planning a brief version of “UUCQ 101” for prospective new members on November 9th, after service. This is meant to meet the bylaw requirement for a UU introduction prior to

2 signing the membership book. On November 23rd, we will have a new-member signing within the Sunday service. A bit later in the year, we will follow up with a longer, three-session program for new and not-so-new members to brush up on their UU credentials…stay tuned!

Brightest blessings, Rev. Jim

A Few Words from the Worship Committee Mary Anderson, Chairperson

This year, the Worship Committee decided to create themes for each month, so preachers and speakers could devise a sermon around the theme. The monthly themes are:

September: Renewal; October: Letting Go; November: Gratitude; December: Peace; January: Justice; February: Mercy; March: Nature; April: (your chair cannot recall - I'll include in a later newsletter); May: Grace; June: Home.

We hope to have many good services led by Reverend Jim, visiting ministers, and guest speakers. If you are interested in preaching or serving as the lay service leader (who assists the minister or speaker), please let me know. We hope to have Reverend Jim assist the committee in helping volunteers prepare for being able to serve as a lay service leader.

In November, Damon Governa will visit our pulpit on the 2nd and our own Director of Music, Jed Levine on the 16th. Reverend Jim will preach on the 9th and 23rd.

On November 30th, we will have a lay-led service, where we invite members and guests to share around the topic of the month: Gratitude. You can share a memory, a story, a poem, or a song. Maybe you'd like to show us a work of art for which you are grateful. Whatever your style, feel free to share with everyone attending the service.

Multigenerational Fun Saturday Our November Fun Night will be on Saturday the 22nd at 7 pm in the studio. Look for an email from the UUCQ office in the coming weeks, letting you know what fun event we have planned. Don’t forget to bring family and friends and also a snack/beverage to share. From the President Runita Sutton-Toomer

Finding Our Vision:

This past spring, members of this community met for two Saturdays to create a new mission statement. Mission and vision statements are guideposts. Ideally, congregations should revisit them every five years. I hope that everyone is aware of the mission statement that came out of the two workshops: To Learn…To Serve… To Celebrate… 3 The next step for this community is a vision workshop. How will this help the community? First, we must understand the difference between mission and vision.

Mission: A concise statement of what the congregation wants to be known for, or known as, within the wider world; what the congregation wants to signify to the community. Vision: A carefully defined picture of where the congregation wants to be in five or more years. It is the dream of what the congregation can become.

What will a mission and vision statement mean for this congregation? In the process of creating these statements, each individual should ask themselves the following questions: Who are we? What do we want to be? The goal is to help this congregation understand more deeply the reasons we gather, the reasons we exist in the world, and what we want to contribute to the world. According to the Unitarian Universalist Association document, “Vision, Mission, and Covenant: Creating a Future Together”, congregations without a compelling and shared vision may too easily lose track of what they should be doing and consequently, struggle to determine how to allocate their human and financial resources. On the opposite end, also from this document, “studies have shown that the congregations that have living vision, mission, and covenant statements are the ones that are growing—not only in numbers, but also in the depth of membership commitment”.

On Saturday, January 31, 2015, we will continue defining ourselves. In the upcoming vision workshop, we will reflect on what we want the congregation to look like in five or ten years as a result of our efforts in ministry, programming, and outreach. We will also ask ourselves how we will get there. According to “Vision, Mission, and Covenant: Creating a Future Together”, the vision needs to be empowering and more than a cherished possession of just a few. It needs to be a shared vision, created among and by the people who are in the congregation. A shared vision enables a congregation to move from the status quo toward a new reality. A shared vision can create new ways of thinking and acting, and it should be broad enough to provide growing room for the congregation.

Our vision will help us to determine how we want to be, but it is only a beginning. The next step will be to make sure our mission and vision are fully lived. To do this, the vision will need specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals and objectives. Everything we do should flow out of our mission, vision and covenant. “Healthy congregations consciously articulate their mission, and this mission paints a path of how to move from the present reality to the dreamed-of vision”.

Please make every effort to attend this important workshop on Saturday January 31, 2015 (time to be determined). Snow date is February 7, 2015.

Sunday Service Schedule Services begin at 11:00 am Please join us for Coffee Hour immediately following

November 2 It Might Have Been Otherwise - Worship Leader: Damon Governa

4 The greatest hindrance to gratitude is the taking of things for granted, and this most often comes simply through a lack of reflection on our part. Let us take some time to deliberately turn our attention to the blessings in our lives.

November 9 Veteran’s Day: Soldiers Old and Young - Worship Leader: Rev.Jim Macomber

Veterans Day is this week, on Tuesday, the eleventh. Let us reflect on the veterans we have known and what they have sacrificed in order to heed their call to serve

November 16 The Thankful Jar - Worship Leader: Jed Levine

It is so easy to focus on what we don't have and how our lives are not what we "want" them to be. Yet, when we shift our perspective, and focus on what we DO have, we start to experience true fulfillment in the journey of life, rather than our imagined "destination." We will begin to fill our own UUCQ Thankful Jar during the service.

November 23 Giving Thanks – Worship Leader: Rev. Jim Macomber

Thankfulness and gratitude represent spiritual practice that is probably necessary for us to pursue in order to achieve true community among ourselves and in our wider social circles. Let us share what we are thankful for in our lives. We will celebrate the annual Cornbread and Cider tradition this Sunday, and we will have a new- member signing ceremony within the service.

November 30 Gratitude - Your Style – Lay-led Service

Coffee Hour Hosts Hilda Kapeles has offered to host Coffee Hour on 11/3, Curtis Anderson on 11/16, Lisa Attias/Wendy Moscow on 11/23 and Carol Mooney-Hevesi/George Schwartz on 11/30. November 9th is currently unfilled. We still have a whole two more months to schedule before the end of this calendar year. Remember, you can always sign up months ahead of time! If you are interested in signing up for Coffee Hour, please contact Irwin Cohen and let him know your availability.

Small Group Ministry at UUCQ

We come together with purpose: to bear witness, to listen to each other and to our deepest selves, to the silences as well as the words and what lies behind the words. - Frederick Buechner, adapted

5 Small Group Ministry is a rich opportunity to gather with UUCQ members and friends for reflection, deep listening and sharing from our life experiences on specific themes. We will be creating a welcoming space for spiritual connection and growth. Participants form relationships across generations and affinities, strengthening our community and helping members and friends find belonging in our congregation. Small Group Meetings are open to members, friends, and guests of the community who are ready to commit to a group experience.

Schedule of meetings for 2014-2015 Second Sunday of every month at 12:40pm

November 9 Boundaries December 14 Trust January 11 Resilience February 8 Shadow March 8 Prayer April 12 Blessings May 10 Endings

*Themes may change to reflect Sunday Worship topics

Contacting the Minister

Rev. Jim is available for pastoral consultation both in person and via phone or e-mail. Most weeks he is in his UUCQ office on Wednesdays, from about 10am to 3pm. (Due to jury duty, Rev. Jim will not be in the office on October 29th or November 5th). However, the day and hours may vary some weeks because of his position as a Trustee on the Middle Country Board of Education. Thus, it’s best to call for an appointment.

Phone numbers: 631-471-1205 (Home) 631-807-6333 (Cell)

Home address: 17 Graces Way Centereach, NY 11720 e-mail address: [email protected]

What’s New?

UUNIQUELY QUEENS

We created a Meetup group called UUniquely Queens to invite the larger community to join us for weekly meditations and monthly book discussions. Please join us on Meetup and “like” us on Facebook.

6 MEDITATION GROUP

The weekly meditation group continues to meet every Wednesday evening. Many of you have joined us on Meetup and “liked” us on Facebook. We have a couple of new people who have joined us on Meetup, too! Each week, we vary the type of meditation we practice. So far, we have practiced mindfulness, compassion, loving kindness and guided meditations. We set an intention or dedication before each practice. At the end of the practice, we select one of the UU Seven Principles to focus on during the coming week and share our experiences the following week. Afterwards, we often go out for coffee and a nosh. Everyone is reporting that this mid-week break is helpful in bringing relaxation, awareness and a clearer focus to their daily lives. Om.

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Unitarian Universalist Association Common Read

We will be joining with Unitarian Universalists around the country to read and discuss, Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square by Paul Rasor. In this important book, leading Unitarian Universalist theologian Paul Rasor, dispels the myth that conservative Christianity is the only valid religious voice in national debates on social policy. Showing that religious liberals are more numerous than many realize, Rasor calls them to embrace their prophetic heritage and bring their religious convictions to bear on the issues of our time. Please join us on November 20th at 7:30pm.

Denominational Event

Ninth Annual Leadership Day - Defying Gravity – November 15, 2014 from 9am to 4pm at UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhasset, NY

Register on-line at https://www.formdesk.com/uuforms/DefyingGravity

Please join us for this wonderful event!

7 November 2014

1 Meet & Greet the Minister/Potluck Dinner – 5pm-7pm

8 Community Kitchen – Noon-2pm

9 UUCQ 101 – Following services Small Group Ministry – Boundaries - 12:40pm

11 Veteran’s Day

15 9th Annual Leadership Day at Shelter Rock – Defying Gravity

19 Board Meeting – 7pm

20 Book Club - Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square by Paul Rasor – 7:30pm

22 UUCQ Fun Night – 7pm

27 Thanksgiving Day

30 Advent Sunday

*Weekly Wednesday Meditation Group at 7:30pm

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens

8 147-54 Ash Avenue Flushing, NY 11355

Meet and Greet the Minister Potluck Dinner Saturday, November 1st 5 pm to 7 pm