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First Unitarian Church NewThes BeaconJune 2016 The BeaconJune 2016 1 First Unitarian Church of Baltimore HOPE, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND LIBERAL RELIGIOUS VALUES Corner Charles & Franklin Streets Membership Corner June 2016 Services Welcome Janita Everhart! Services at 11:00 A.M. in our historic sanctuary Janita is a recent Baltimore implant from Buffalo, New York. She is a bud- June 5—Festival of Flowers ding entrepreneur in herbal skin care and “To Reteach a Thing Its Loveliness” oral remedies. She began making natural Rev. David Carl Olson, Pete Fontneau, and James products out of her kitchen (a family tra- Houston dition) to offset her daughter’s symptoms A celebration of the season of flowering: In a from autism, ADD, and eczema. She now tradition established by Unitarian leaders Maya and sells her products at outdoor markets and Norbert Capek of Prague, each person is asked to health and wellness vending events. Jani- bring a flower to share in an arrangement that will be ta and her daughter Willow moved to Janita Everhart made by children, youth, and adults in our Religious Baltimore in the spring of 2015 to have Education program. We bless the flowers, and then Willow treated by the Kennedy Krieger Institute and find a welcome over a dozen new members of our congre- school where Willow’s needs could be met. After attend- gation. ing a week long Restorative Justice training, hosted by the Unitarian Universalist (UU) church of Buffalo, Janita felt June 12—“Traditional” LGBTQ Pride at home with the welcoming kindness and social activism that she experienced. Wanting to learn more about the UU Service commemorating the Stonewall church after relocating, Janita sought out the First Unitari- Riots of June 1969 an Universalist church of Baltimore. Here, Janita found Rev. David Carl Olson the same spirit of openness and service and decided to “LGBTQ Pride: How Radical Our Welcome?” make First UU of Baltimore the spiritual home for her and With special musical guests: The Baltimore Men’s her daughter. Janita has volunteered in the church’s office, Chorus helping out with the Beacon and Order of Service. She and A welcoming congregation like ours hopes to her daughter also assist in teaching yoga and meditation at become a diverse people by recognizing the gifts and Dayspring on Saturday mornings. Janita has earned a B.A. interests of many people. Simply including more in communications from the Canisius College of Buffalo, people, changes who we are. But including people which included a semester abroad studying journalism in requires either that new people assimilate into our London, England. She will be graduating on May 14, congregational culture, or we begin to practice a cul- 2016, from the State University of New York with a mas- ture that has the means to be transformed by the inte- ter of science in adult education and instructional design. gration of new interests, varied gifts, and people whose cultures are in some ways unlike our own. This celebratory service celebrates the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning people among us, and the INSIDE cis-gender, transgender, and gender nonconforming, Page queer people who are finding a home at First U. We June Book Group ................................. 2 especially celebrate the gift of song shared by the Green Mount Cemetery Tour ............... 2 Baltimore Men’s Chorus. (Note: while Baltimore Our Daily Bread ................................... 2 Pride will be marked in July this year, we have cho- Coffee Cabinet ..................................... 3 BRIDGE Maryland .............................. 4 sen to celebrate during June as well.) Universalism in Baltimore .............. 5-12 Income and Expense Report ......... 13-14 June 19 Shop on Amazon ................................ 15 Rev. David Carl Olson We conclude our year of Sunday morning ser- vices in our historic sanctuary with a reflection on View the church calendar. (Continued on page 2) Go to: http://tinyurl.com/ztn94zg 2 The Beacon June 2016 First Unitarian Church News (Continued from page 1) the past year and some thoughts about the summer ahead. First U Gravesite Tour We are grateful for the leadership of many trustees and of- BY CATHERINE EVANS ficers and the chairs of church committees and ministries. We thank our volunteers and staff, and give a grateful bless- A walking tour of the 19th century Unitarians bur- ing on all in our church relationships. ied at Green Mount Cemetery took place on May 7, 2016. This was the sixth tour of Green Mount led by Church Histo- Service at 10:00 A.M. in Enoch Pratt Parish Hall rian Catherine Evans since the first in October, 2013. Since the begin- June 26—Poetry Sunday ning, the tour has included the “Feet of Clay” gravesites of ministers Rev. George Helen Szymkowiak and Laurel Mendes Washington Burnap (1828–1859) In our annual lyrical service, we consider humanity and and Rev. Charles Richmond Weld human relations—and even a little bit of politics in an elec- (1873–1898), founders Susannah tion year. What kind of a city and nation do we want to help and Amos Adams Williams and create? William Mayhew, and prominent members Enoch Pratt and the Eaton family—George Na- Thomas Whitridge, one thaniel, Charles James Madi- of the newly-identified son, Hooper C., and Frances. Unitarian gravesites Gradually, others have been located and added. Newly discovered since the tour in May of 2015 and added to this year’s tour were Wil- liam Child, Nathaniel Williams, Nathaniel F. Williams, Nathaniel Morison, and Thomas Whitridge. The gravesites of other notable Baltimoreans are All Are Welcome to Join also visited, including Johns Hopkins, A.S. Abell, Robert and Mary Elizabeth Garrett, William and Henry Book Group Walters, Ross Winans, Theodore McKeldin, and BY MIKE FRANCH Betsy Patterson Bonaparte. Not well known but a fun The Book Group meets Thursday, highlight is the grave of Elijah Jefferson Bond who patented the Ouija board. Because of the continued June 23, 7:30 P.M.–9:30 P.M., in Mt Washington to discuss Your Heart Is a interest, the tour has become an annual event in the Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Ypa. spring. Catherine’s research continues as to where First The setting for this novel is the 1999 Unitarians are buried in Baltimore. She has identified World Trade Organization protest in Westminster Burying Ground, Baltimore Cemetery, Seattle. An ambitious novel, although and Loudon Park Cemeteries as locations and plans to not without flaws, asks important ques- Mike Franch offer opportunities to visit these in the future. If you tions. As the New York Times reviewer would like to join her in a preliminary visit to a ceme- put it, “At the center of the novel is the same question tery to ascertain where the gravesites are located, con- posed by the protests themselves: What kind of world do tact her at [email protected] we want, and what must we do to get it?” This book should make for a great discussion when the Book Group meets. The Book Group meets in a home in Mt. Washing- Our Daily Bread ton. Contact Mike Franch at [email protected] for BY HELEN SZYMKOWIAK information. Yes, July is the heart of summer You don’t need to be a regular Book when many of us take vacations. But Group member to attend and participate in hunger never takes a vacation, so the lively and friendly discussions. New consider volunteering to prepare food people are very much welcomed. The New for the guests of Our Daily Bread on York Times review is at http://tinyurl.com/ Helen Szymkowiak July 30. Come at 8:30 A.M. if you’d hym7vmp and the National Public Radio like to get things started, a little later to cook. There review can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ will be coffee and a snack to sustain us. Please let me j7pjdwa. The author’s biography is at know if you’ll be able to help. http://tinyurl.com/havk6gp. First Unitarian Church News June 2016 The Beacon 3 part of forming a new organization with new levels of ac- Coffee Cabinet countability, including a national affiliation with the Ga- BY REV. DAVID CARL OLSON maliel network. MINISTER There is a core of people who want us to explore affili- ation with the new BRIDGE Maryland. Lauralee Humph- Dear congregation, dear community, rey, for example, talks about the transformative experience of being equal partners with African-American people of There is so much happening in Bal- faith who seek the transformation of their neighborhoods timore! A primary election for city of- in East and West Baltimore. Andrea DeUrquiza is sure that fices, events marking the anniversary of the kind of ethical and moral leadership a liberal religious last spring’s Uprising and all the work community like ours is called to do can best be done in an of bringing the community together, organization that is class-diverse, multilingual and multi- and now the announcement of a huge cultural. I, myself, can testify to how working in a broad- development in Port Covington. So David Carl Olson based interfaith organization challenges my sometimes much happening! hidden personal biases—and requires that I face them, and How does a congregation like First Unitarian Church change. address these events, their energy and promise, and their Let’s look at this opportunity with fresh eyes. Let’s go challenges? Sometimes, as a church we are able to be clear to the public action on the afternoon of June 11 with a about what we think needs to be done. We were clear “beginner’s mind.” Let’s participate in the training work- about what our faith taught us about marriage equality, and shops (still to be scheduled) over the summer to learn so we were able to act.

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