November 2019 Newsletter
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November 2019 ALL SOULS NEW LONDON A Unitarian Universalist Congregation 19 Jay Street, New London, CT 06320 All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation is a liberal religious congregation that nurtures lifelong spiritual development. We covenant to create a welcoming, caring, justice-seeking community within and beyond these walls. Words to live by: “Home is where our story begins…” Anonymous November Ministry Theme: At Home November 3: “Home to Stay” – Daylight saving ends. Fall back! Two Services: 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. Worship Leader: Ann Kadlecek, Ministerial Intern Preacher: Reverend David Horst, Affiliate Minister Reverend David Horst is a case manager at the Homeless Hospitality Center, where he provides support and counseling to formerly homeless adults in supportive hous- ing. He witnesses how stable and affordable housing transforms lives and gives indi- viduals new hope for their future and how his own life is likewise transformed and made hopeful. November 10: “On Belonging” – Child Dedication One Service: 10 a.m. –Town hall meeting Worship Leader: Reverend Carolyn Patierno Preacher: Ann Kadlecek, Ministerial Intern We humans have an innate need to belong. When this need is met, we are happier, more connected, and have greater resilience to stress and illness. How does being part of this Unitarian Universalist community fos- ter your sense of belonging? And how might we nurture and grow our understanding of what it means to be- long? November 17: “Building Community Through Music” One service: 10:30 a.m. at Temple Emanu-El A joint service with our Jewish siblings; we will join together for worship and song. Guest musicians Or & Feliza Zohar are Israeli musicians who have brought their sacred music to congregations throughout the world. Come on Sunday and check out all of the opportunities to experience new learning and music throughout the weekend. Details are on page 19. Temple Emanu-El is located at 29 Dayton Road in Waterford Black Lives Matter PUBLIC WITNESS ON SUNDAYS November 24: Annual Bread Communion Service AFTER THE FIRST SERVICE Two Services: 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. Worship Leaders: Reverends Patierno & O’Brien Each year we pause to give thanks as a congregation. We do so with a bread communion and a litany cre- ated by the congregation itself. Bread bakers are welcome to bring a loaf to share for the communion service. Good Neighbor Offering: Opioid Action Team of SE CT see page 17. Food Pantry Offering: rice OFFICE Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. remove your cap at dinner?) or asks Telephone: 860-443-0316 A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT WEBSITE for a revisit of pronouns when we com- www.allsoulsnewlondon.org Stay at the Table: municate with each other. So let our FACEBOOK Thanksgiving meal begin… www.facebook.com/ Thanksgiving as Covenant allsoulsnewlondon Please, pass the mashed potatoes. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM Covenant can mean numerous things. @allsoulsnewlondon So can Thanksgiving. What do you call these? Is sharing a meal around a Thanksgiv- MINISTERS Brussel sprouts. Sauteed them in garlic ing table a form of covenant? SENIOR MINISTER and butter. Reverend Carolyn Patierno In June of 2018 Liz Binger was stepping [email protected] OK, I’ll try some. ASSOCIATE MINISTER down as the President of the Board, Reverend Caitlin O’Brien I don’t eat meat, but I am happy to associate.minister but agreed to lead All Souls in a cove- @allsouls.net nanting process across our congrega- pass you the turkey. Do you really eat MINISTERIAL INTERN tional community. With the Capital the neck? Ann Kadlecek [email protected] Campaign and other changes loom- Covenant can mean treating people ing, the Board agreed to put the pro- STAFF with respectful empathy, it “liberates, cess on hold until this year. DIRECTOR OF FAITH FORMATION enriches, deepens communal life” and Perry Montrose Coincidentally, the UUA New England brings us together. [email protected] Region staff started a learning com- OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR That is the spirit of Thanksgiving, cer- Tammy Barber munity on the practice of covenant- tainly the myth of the holiday: the ver- [email protected] ing. Liz, Reverend Carolyn, Board Sec- sion of indigenous folks and colonizers RE ADMINISTRATOR retary David Burnside, Ministerial Intern hanging out. Arlene Stoltz Ann Kadlecek, and I, are active par- Pass the succotash, por favor. [email protected] ticipants along with four other UU Con- CHOIR DIRECTOR gregations. Moving forward this work Can we discuss discrimination based Tonya Laymon will involve the entire congregation. on sexuality or race? Or the caging of [email protected] children who cross our border? Or the The word covenant can be defined in BOOKKEEPER crass, nastiness of the Commander… Ria Brooks various ways. Is it referencing Abra- [email protected] ham and God? Is it a real estate Whoops, better pass the cranberries. CUSTODIAN agreement? Covenant does not mean sacrificing Lizbeth Polo-Smith I have heard definitions that defined it one’s core values. But it does require ACCOMPANISTS Gery Elliott & Bil Groth as “vow” and “promise”. listening better, and not ‘otherizing’ others. AUDIO-VISUAL TECHNICIAN Here at All Souls, we will define it to- Jesse Edwards gether. I look forward to All Souls working on CHILD CARE PROVIDER the challenges of covenant, and cov- Nishante Pearson But first, will you please pass the tur- enanting. Stay tuned for details. Affiliate Minister key? Reverend David Horst So, ready for pumpkin pie? [email protected] And the arroz con gandules? I prefer sweet potato pie. BOARD of TRUSTEES The what? Co-Presidents: Maggie Clou- Got it. et and Laurel Holmes In this season of Thanksgiving, in the Vice President: Sally McGee spirit of covenant, we need to stay at Check out this mince meat pie! Treasurer: Tina DuBosque the table as we share new foods and Secretary: David Burnside new ideas. We need to stay at the ta- Bruce Cummings Peace, Denise Davies ble when someone wears a MAGA Sean Elliot cap (but, I mean could you please Maggie Clouet- Co president Brad Mock Rebecca Noreen 2 RE DIRECTOR EMERITA A MESSAGE FROM REVEREND CAROLYN I am confident that we’ll figure it out. We’ll figure After the Town Hall Meeting back in October, I it out and sure enough, in time, we’ll be cele- turned to Bruce Cummings and said, “This is one brating our shared accomplishment as we dedi- of the many things I love about this congrega- cate new space and the potential that may be tion: no one had a meltdown.” realized. To be clear, a meltdown wouldn’t have been Leaders gathered last night to untangle some of surprising or unwarranted. After all, you were the difficult features of the process at this point. told that two cost estimates for our building pro- As ever, it was an excellent conversation. It was- ject are way more than what we had imagined. n’t without disagreement, but the discussion was Yet to be clear, nothing about this project has always respectful and by the end was uplifting been left to imagination. There has been a pa- and encouraging. rade of engineers, tradespeople, construction The town hall meeting on November 10 will pro- managers and an architect at the helm design- vide a forum for further discussion and infor- ing and re-designing all in the service of having mation sharing at this important juncture of what our sacred space expand in a way that will simi- will be All Souls’ history. I hope that you’ll make larly expand our ministry and spirits while keeping every effort to be there. within our @ $1.2 budget. The Building Team will be staffing a table after The redesigns have been identified as Plan A each service on November 3. They did the same (the original), Plan B (the one that brought the last week and were swamped with Souls wanting price tag down – but not down far enough) and to learn more, see the latest revised plan (Plan Plan C (the one for which we’re waiting on a C), and offer suggestions. I’m grateful that you cost estimate at this writing). While it’s not unusu- are so invested and open-minded. al for a building plan to change several times, those changes do bring with them some stress I’m grateful to be serving a congregation that is and frustration. not risk-adverse yet approaches big decisions with practicality and care. I preached on change and transition recently. Here’s what I said about dealing with both - spe- And because ‘tis the season, I’ll say here and cifically dealing with change and transition in again that I am ever grateful and honored to be ways that are reassuring to children and youth: serving as your minister. Your generosity of spirit is always inspiring, especially in these “we’ll figure it Every article I read names one thing con- out” kind of days. sistently: flexibility. We all know that being flexible is easier said than done. Plan A is A good and heartening Thanksgiving to you, infinitely more elegant than any Plan B, C, dear Souls. or D we must face. But how often is Plan A the one that gets us to where we need or want to be? The answer is: rarely. With Love and blessings to all, Carolyn And the answer is: preparing and grace- fully accepting Plan B (or C) is reassuring to children and youth … and in truth, to grown ups, too. It’s why we say, “We’ll figure it out” so much around here. We bumble around, bump into walls, and with each toe jamb we look at each other, shrug and say, “We’ll figure it out.” And most of the time, we do.