JANUARY 2020 ALL SOULS A Unitarian Universalist Congregation Connect with All Souls: Sunday Services Services at 10:00 & 11:15 a.m. Facebook: January 5 Galen Guengerich www.facebook.com/AllSoulsNYC January 12 Galen Guengerich Our Website: January 19 Multigenerational www.AllSoulsNYC.org MLK Day Services Led by Audette Fulbright January 26 Lay Sunday Sermon Podcast: Led by the Board of Trustees allsouls-nyc.org/worship/sermons/ or search iTunes! Twitter www.twitter.com/RevGalen January Bulletin Contents Email Message from the Associate Minister 3 [email protected] Message from the Board 4 New to All Souls? 5 Phone Worship and Music 6 (212) 535-5530 1157 Lexington Avenue The Adult Forum 8 New York, NY 10075 Religious Exploration 13 Congregational Life 16 Congregational Groups: 20 Here are ways that you can send us your comments, Fellowship concerns, questions (and praise!) about All Souls: Congregational Groups: 22 Email the entire Board at [email protected] Service Send suggestions to management at [email protected] January Events Calendars 24 The lines are always open. We want to hear from you! JANUARY 2020 2 Reverence Road The turn of the sun this January contribute. Contribute financially -- give generously, ushers in not only a new year, because this is the one place where a vast array of but a new century for All Souls. good in the world is being done. Contribute time, It is also a critical election year. because it takes a village to be a village. Contribute Without question, 2020 is a year in action -- because we cannot change the world of import, a time when we should when only a very few of us show up when the world all take very serious stock of what needs us. we consider most important in our lives, and in the world we want to The President of my seminary, the Rev. Dr. Rebecca build for our children's children. Parker, would talk about giving in a powerful way. In her wonderful article, “A Spiritual Practice for Our You and I already have chosen something crucial for Time,” Parker shares what Steve de Groot told her such a time. We are part of a community of faith, a about his own practice of tithing to his church: religious community dedicated to the principles of justice and the work of Love. It is a place where we "The people I loved and admired most tithed: craft our moral code, and where we bring our gifts to my parents and leaders in our church. Their lives the altar of humanity, becoming stronger together. We challenged me by their goodness. I wanted to be like have the power to be a transformational community. them, so I tithed to model my life on theirs. As the (literal) dust settles around us, what will be "But then I matured in my faith: I came to my own revealed in this coming year will say so much about reason for tithing. This is why I do it now: I tithe us: that we care enough to make strong the walls of because it tells the truth about who I am. If I did our faith, and that we are serious about the work of not tithe, it would say that I was a person who had beloved community. nothing to give, or I was a person who received This year, at All Souls, you are called to Great Work. nothing from life, or I was a person whose life's You are called to be centered in spiritual practice meaning was solely in providing for my own needs. -- weekly worship, meditation practice, small group “But in fact, who I am is the opposite of all those reflection, theological conversation. You are called to things. I am a person who has something to give. I serve - those who are hungry or homeless, the care am a person who has received abundantly from life. of those who are lonely or hurting, the blessing of I am a person whose presence matters in the world. guiding children and youth along a meaningful path I am a person whose life has meaning, because I am into adulthood. And, you are called to set forth beyond connected to and care about many things larger than these walls to change the world. This year, we will: myself alone. If I did not tithe, I would lose track of • work with the UUA's UUtheVote program, to these truths about who I am. By tithing, I remember register and encourage voters; who I am.” (from “A Spiritual Practice for Our Time” • engage in dynamic climate change work— by the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker. In Everyday Spiritual between ourselves, and also with other New Practice, Scott M. Alexander, ed. Skinner House York UU congregations and local environmental Books, Boston.) organizations; The world needs us, and we need you. This year could • connect our immigration work to the work of not be more important. I hope you will be bold in helping those who have escaped sex trafficking showing up with and for your All Souls community— build safer lives; we need each other more than ever. • do the important and sometimes hard work See you in church, of being an anti-racist and trans welcoming congregation; • become a Red Ribbon congregation, prepared to help defeat the spread of HIV/AIDs. To do any of this -- indeed, to continue on our centuries-long journey, we need every single person to JANUARY 2020 3 From the Director of Growth The Board of Trustees Friends, January 2020 marks the end of the year It has been a special privilege to experience my in which we celebrated our Bicentennial first holiday season at All Souls. An event that while enduring the stresses of being particularly sticks out is our Cocoa, Cookies, and out of our sanctuary as it undergoes its Stories for All Ages event in early December, restoration project. We can now see light which closed with an enthusiastic, multigenerational at the end of this tunnel of construction, carol sing. and although there will be exterior scaffolding on the building until early I am a former choir kid who would sing descants in church with my summer, we hope, at this point, to be sister to try to impress those standing near us in pews. Surely, I don’t back into the Sanctuary by Easter. While need sheet music to recall the lyrics to the second verse of “Hark! The we are almost able to see the light of our new dawn, often the Herald Angels Sing”! Or so I thought... until I began belting out the darkest part of night is just before those rays of light appear – so lyrics to the version I grew up with in Presbyterian church, “Christ by please continue to keep your patience and good humor. highest heav’n adored,” while the All Souls community had moved to verse four, “Come Desire of Nations come!” Luckily, I was in the back, At our Annual Meeting next month, you will elect new Trustees, where my cheeks could burn in solitude. and we will say farewell to Carol Kirkman and Elizabeth This isn’t the first time I have brazenly assumed that I knew the Hutchinson. It is a privilege to work with such talented and lyrics to other hymns that the Unitarian Universalist church sings industrious people, and they will be missed – although the differently. There are many times when a single word differs between friendships formed during this time together will certainly a Unitarian Universalist hymn and the hymns I grew up singing. endure. I hope you take the time to thank them for their service Words are powerful. Even one word can completely change the to All Souls when you see them. meaning of a hymn. As we head into our own “Roaring Twenties,” let’s rededicate In the same way I should not have assumed I knew the hymn’s words ourselves to strengthening All Souls, both in membership by heart, I cannot assume that I will understand the needs of the All numbers and in financial health, to live up to our magnificently Souls community right away. That is why it has been a pleasure to sit strengthened sanctuary! down with so many of you and listen to your incredible histories with All Souls, while receiving feedback on what you feel our needs for Julie Brannan growth are moving forward. As many of you know, we are conducting a President communications audit with the consulting firm, Vandersall Consulting, who count numerous churches across the country as their clients. With their help, we are expecting to implement many changes in the ways All Souls communicates in the upcoming year. Words are powerful, whether sung in a hymn, hung on a sign on our gate, or advertised on our website. I hope you will “watch this space” for SAFETY AT ALL SOULS exciting changes to come in 2020 and beyond. In the meantime, I In the past few years, the issue of making our congregations promise to study Singing the Living Tradition! safe places has become more prominent. Congregations are Cecily Millen carefully and intentionally putting into place policies and procedures around a variety of safety issues. These safety issues range from where to go in case of an emergency to how people should be treated as a participant in this community. Our commitment, as Unitarian Universalists, to the inherent worth and dignity of every person and to justice and compassion, compels us to create a safe and nurturing environment that protects children and adults from harm and promotes their spiritual growth while part of our community.