February 5, 2020
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February 5, 2020 Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock We aspire to be a loving, religious community where we can grow spiritually and build a more just and joyful world. —UUCSR Vision Statement February Theme: Resilience See the Program and Event List Here Touchstones Upcoming Worship Services The Rev. Dr. Natalie M. Fenimore Sunday, February 9, 2020, 11:00 am As we struggle to build personal resilience in a world where anxiety, disaster, and fear seem evermore present, it can be helpful to develop spiritual practices which enable us to bend but not break in the face of the negative reality around us. A gift of Unitarian Universalist theology is the belief that human beings are capable of making changes in the world without supernatural assistance. Each of us can build the strength and resilience to weather the storm and to work for the good. Unitarian In his gospel song, Donnie McClurken sings, "We Fall Down but We Universalists can find many avenues for the spiritual growth which Get Up... for a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up." We supports resilience. all fall down but what enables us to get back up? What supports our resilience? Unitarian Universalist minister, Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom lists Eight Spheres of Spiritual Growth: Friday Evening, February 14, 2020 1. Personal Spiritual Practices: These are practices done alone and perhaps, daily—such as meditation, journaling, or prayer. This is what people most often think of as “spiritual practice.” 2. Communal Worship Practices: Unitarian Universalists affirm the unique and individual nature of each person’s spiritual path but our faith includes a belief in the deepening of individual journeys through regular engagement with communal worship. 3. Spiritual Partnerships: Most faith traditions affirm the usefulness of companions on the journey. A spiritual partnership Where music lies at the heart of religious experience with the Rev. can happen in a small group ministry, with a minister, spiritual Jennifer L. Brower and The Cosmic Orchestra director, in a one-on-one relationship with an congregant or Dinner 6:30 PM ($5); Worship 7:30 PM; Free Coffee House afterward friend. This is a relationship of mutual intention and mutual features Duke Levine with Kevin Barry. commitment. 4. Mind Practice: This is the role of adult religious education: UUCSR offers transportation assistance to Worship Services book studies, film discussions, lectures, adult forums, scripture for members who are unable to travel studies, courses in UU history, and other RE offerings in a rich due to physical or financial limitations. and integrated program. Contact Kimberly Rossiter, Assistant to the Ministers, at krossiter@uucsr. org, or at 516.472.2941 for an application. 5. Body Practices: This includes physical practices like yoga, tai chi, running, gardening, and almost anything that keeps us in touch with the miracle of our physical selves. Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 The Quest 1 Upcoming Worship Services Touchstones Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 6. Soul Practices: These are practices that exercise our creative Sunday, February 16, 2020, 11:00 am selves—like drawing, painting, sculpting, music, poetry. 7. Life Practices: We eventually need to take what we do in private and in our congregations out into the rest of our lives—in our relationships with our extended family, in our workplaces, into our interactions with strangers. 8. Justice Practices: Movement toward a fully mature spirituality does not stop at the goal of transforming ourselves, but extends to care for others' well-being and includes a vision for transformation of the world. The justice work of feeding the poor, struggling for workers' rights, advancing voter registration, There are events in life that hollow us out, like an old tree that has a prison reform, grant-making for social change—these actions hole in its trunk. Yet somehow the tree continues to live, and even can be seen as kinds of embodied prayer. to thrive. Resilience is the ability to adapt in the face of adversity. To recover from trauma, to heal, to thrive, requires relationships— May we remember that we are more powerful—and more resilient— supportive, engaged, life-giving relationships. Creating loving than we know—both as individuals and as a community. religious community is grounded in relationships. The Rev. Dr. Natalie Maxwell Fenimore Sunday, February 23, 2020, 11:00 am Meditation Thursdays Offered through UUCSR Pastoral Care and Lay Chaplaincy Off ered through UUCSR Pastoral Care and Lay Chaplaincy Meditation Thursdays Monthly Every Third Thursday FEBRUARY ONLY: Second Thursday of the month 6:00 PM • Chapel Next Session: February 13, 2020 No one wants to experience heartbreak and suffering—rather, they are experiences we often hope to avoid. According to empathy Facilitated by PAUL CARBONE expert Dr. Brené Brown, however, our capacity for sincere, full- Lay Chaplain at UUCSR hearted living is the same as our capacity to experience heartbreak. If we harden our hearts to avoid paying attention to pain, we stop connecting to our hearts. Since our own connection to our hearts is Paul Carbone creates a space for centering and meditation essential to building a more compassionate world, our heartbreak that varies to include guided meditations, stories, music, sound, visual prompts, or other techniques which may be from at the state of the world, as well as our willingness to pay attention a number of diff erent religious or spiritual traditions. to it, gives us the grace to bring into being more empathy and more One’s own authentic experiences are all that matters to justice. So: how do we receive the grace of heartbreak? determine what practice(s) work best for you. Sunday, March 1, 2020, 11:00 am Paul Carbone is a Lay Chaplain at UUCSR, Associate Chaplain at NYU Langone Medical Center, co-Chair of The Guild for Spiritual Guidance, and Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor through the Chopra Center. He has given workshops on meditation and stress reduction Worthy Now techniques, He is currently in the One Spirit Interfaith Ministry program. Paul Carbone creates a space for centering and Questions? Contact Kimberly Rossiter, meditation that variesThe to includeRev. Meg guided Riley, meditations, Guest Minister Assistant to the Ministers stories, music, sound, visual prompts, or other techniques 516.472.2941, [email protected] which may be from a number of diff erent religious or spiritual traditions. One’s own authentic2 experiences are all that matters to The Quest determine what practice(s) work best for you. Board of Trustees Mark Hartman, President of the Congregation Congregational Meeting Of January 12, 2020 Membership Information Congregational Years 2014–2020 On Sunday, January 12, the Congregation held its first meeting of as of 1/10/2020 the new calendar year. At that meeting, the Congregation approved five grants that had been recommended by the Veatch Board of For CY14– # of # of # of Governors totaling $485,000. These grants were brought to the CY20 members members members Congregation in fulfillment of the requirement in the Veatch on 6/30 on 12/31 on 1/1 (of Program Resolution that "grants to a single grantee in one fiscal (prior to (of fiscal fiscal year) year in excess of $75,000 shall require the prior approval of the the fiscal year) (reported Congregation." year start) to UUA) As I noted in my Report at the meeting, the $75,000 threshold is CY2014 670 680 632 one that has remained unchanged for more than 30 years and the Veatch Board of Governors has started to discuss whether changes CY2015 682 709 665 in that provision are appropriate. CY2016 666 688 645 I would like to lift up two other matters that were presented at the Congregational Meeting. These two items are related to each CY2017 667 673 596 other. CY2018 640 657 553 As our Treasurer, Brian Muellers, noted, pledges and other contributions in general support of the Congregation that were CY2019 627 629 560 received as of 12/31/2019 totaled $240,149. This means that the Spending Limit adopted by the Congregation last November will CY2020 606 615 554 be increased by $20,785. Because this was the first time that pledges and contributions have been used directly to supplement the Spending Limit, there is no real basis to compare the amount of $240,149 with amounts Caring Committee that have been pledged and given in previous years. Nevertheless, Diane Lombardy, Chair I would like to think that this change in how we conduct our pledge drive was successful and that the Financial Development Committee will build on this model in the future. The second matter that I would like to lift up relates to our membership. On 1/1/2020, our membership consisted of 554 individuals. As you can read from the chart opposite, this figure is virtually indistinguishable from the lowest membership figure of the past six years. I will leave it to others to analyze the chart and decide whether this measure of our Congregation is half-full or half-empty. I have seen the list of the names of those 60 or so members who dropped off the list on January 1. In some cases, I see they are not in our area and I hope they have continued their religious pilgrimage elsewhere. In other instances, I am confident that their departure Sunday, February 9, 2020 was inadvertent and they will return. But there are others whom I have not seen in quite some time and now their last connection 1:30 PM • Art Gallery with this Congregation has been severed. And I am saddened. Speaker: MELISSA KATZ Director of Caregiver Services and Grant Management Until next time, An in depth discussion about the programs and services o ered at the Long Island Alzheimer’s & Dementia Center for the diagnosed Mark and the caregivers.