THE NUUSLETTER UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF CHATTANOOGA 3224 NAVAJO DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, TN 37411 423-624-2985 FAX 423-624-0519 NOVEMBER, 2014 A LIBERAL RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY WWW.UUCC.ORG MORNING WISDOM In the middle of October, when the nights grew cool and there was a hint of fall in the air, I slept with my window wide open for the first time since moving to Chattanooga. It was a delight to smell the fresh, cool air and snuggle under the protective warmth of my comforter. Just before dawn, I was wakened to the sound of crickets. I love crickets! When I lived in Alaska and California, there were no crickets and I missed Minister them terribly. No crickets or fireflies. Can you imagine living without them? But, instead Rev. Cathy of recognizing that I was hearing real crickets, I fumbled for my iPhone, thinking that Harrington someone was calling me. Yes, my ringer is set to the sound of crickets. Board President Welcome to the 21st century, where your phone ringer can play music (any song you Leslie Brock like if you are willing to pay for it), church bells, jazz guitars, motorcycles, dogs barking, and, will wonders never cease, a telephone. I once set my phone to sound like a dog barking for when my older son called, but the problem was that I rarely answered in Religious time because it sounded too realistic and it took time for me to register that it was not Education a dog, but my phone! My son thought I was avoiding him so the bark had to go. Director Kay McCurdy My favorite time of day is an early-morning walk with my two dogs, Sophie and Luzy. The freshness of the morning invigorates as I listen to the birds while the dogs energetically sniff their usual objects of interest as if the landscape had somehow Church changed during the night. This particular morning, I heard a familiar honking sound Administrator overhead and looked up to see a gaggle of Canada geese migrating in their typical Chris Tregaskis "V-formation.” It was lovely! National Geographic reports “Geese can cover 1,500 miles in just 24 hours with a favorable wind! By flying in “V-formation” rather than in isolation, the whole flock adds 70% greater flying range. When the “leader” tires, he the nUUsletter falls back to rest and another takes his place. Teamwork and shared responsibility Editor pays off! But the wisdom of the morning doesn’t end here… Wendy Sapp Just as the geese crested Signal Mountain, I heard an owl hooting in the distance. As I paused to savor the moment, I thought about the noise study being conducted by the Hwy Department at church. I once tried to open my office window to enjoy some fresh air, but the noise from the freeway was so deafening that I had to close it. When I moved from Seward, Alaska to Berkeley, California I experienced a jarring culture/noise shock. I couldn’t fall asleep without earplugs for weeks. But, after a while I adapted and the noise didn’t bothered me as much. Adapting is a remarkable tool of survival, but what have we lost in our adapting? Everywhere I look, I see people with ear buds or headphones, listening to music, or talking on the phone, even when they are walking in nature. It seems that technology/progress has become both the problem and the solution. We should resist! The 21st century doesn’t have to mean that we cover our ears, close our windows, and lose our sensitivity to noise and nature. I would like to propose that we schedule UU meet-up times and places where we can share moments of grace together. Brainstorm some ideas with me! Send me an email at [email protected]. See you in church! Cathy THE NUUSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2014 SERVICE TITLES & DESCRIPTIONS ~ NOVEMBER, 2014 Connections, a time for personal sharing, meets every Sunday at 10:30.The worship service begins at 11:00 am. November 2 ~ The Good Samaritan ~ Rev. Cathy Harrington The story of the Good Samaritan, like all the parables of Jesus, offers a twist on the way we view life. This is a “Good” Samaritan story that will bring that twist full circle. Some of my experiences with the Faithful Fools Street Ministry of San Francisco. November 9 ~ Taking Charge of Your Future ~ Sandy Kurtz, UUCC member Everyone wants to live a rich and long life. Just how that is done is a matter of choice although Life itself may deliver some surprises as plans are made. Chattanooga Collaborative Senior Housing is made up of “cultural creative” modeling steps to fashion a mutually supportive and sustainable lifestyle in an urban setting November 16 ~ Rediscovering Prayer ~ Rev. Cathy Harrington This sermon traces my experiences as a chaplain at a major trauma hospital in Greenville, South Carolina. The “liberal” in a conservative Christian Clinical Pastoral Education class, my assumptions and preconceived notions about God, prayer, and life in general were reconstructed and rediscovered during this ten weeks of intensive training with the harsh realities of life as a classroom. November 23 ~ Love is the Spirit of this Church ~ Rev Cathy Harrington Our Universalist ancestor, Hosea Ballou, wrote, “If we agree in love, there is no disagreement that can do us any injury, but if we do not, no other agreement can do us any good. Let us endeavor to keep the unity of spirit in the bonds of peace.” A covenant is different from a mission statement. A mission statement is the reason why a congregation exists whereas a covenant (promise or commitment) speaks to the relationship of those who choose freely to gather in religious community, of how we will be with one another in our individual and collective spiritual journeys. The Salem Covenant of 1629 is foundational to congregationalism and congregational polity. A covenant says, “We unite,” as opposed to a doctrine or creed that would read, “We believe.” (Conrad Wright, Walking Together) November 30 ~ Living Advent ~ Rev Cathy Harrington Advent, a time of waiting, begins four Sundays before Christmas. It is a time of waiting for the sun to be reborn at solstice or waiting for the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Another way to understand the season of Advent is, “To wait in hope is to have what we hope for already come true in us through our hoping.” (NPR, Advent a Season for Hope from Darkness) BOARD MINUTES To help the board communicate the events of the board meetings in a timely manner, the minutes will be posted on the church website. Minutes from the current and previous board meetings can be found at http://www.uucc.org/about-the-uuc/board-meeting-minutes/ Page 2 of 14 THE NUUSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2014 FORUM Forum meets at 9:30 each Sunday downstairs in the last room on the left. All are welcome! November 2 ~ Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter. Phil Accord will update us on the status of Tennessee’s children November 9 ~ The Sunflower, Amish Grace and Forgiveness. Blake Moore will facilitate this discussion. November 16, 23, and 30 ~ To be announced. Check the Friday UUpdate. POETRY CIRCLE by Nancy Beel Eve Ensler writes: Poetry is the language of our time. It is a verbal excavation, digging us into and under that which is inarticulate, that which cannot be said but can be felt, that which cannot be stated but can be conjured. Poetry is a form of revolution. It rearranges our thinking, our perception, our dialogue. It takes us out of the literal so that we can see what is real…. By bringing poetry deeply into our lives, our hearts, and our bodies we strengthen our muscle for care, our capacity for intricate metaphoric thinking, our appreciation for ambiguity. Please join me for a Poetry Circle, Sunday, November 23rd at 10 AM in the Sophia Fahs room, downstairs, first door on the left. Bring poems you would like to read out loud. Or just come to sit and listen. Questions? Email me at [email protected]. CONNECTIONS Connections Yellow Barrels on our roadways indicate improvements are in process. We don’t have Yellow Barrels, but you may have noticed that Connections is ‘under construction’. The Wowzers’ committee has been considering how the way we conduct Connections can be improved. Can Connections be held in the sanctuary and the doors to the sanctuary remain open? If the sanctuary doors remain open, will visitors to our church feel more welcomed? Is there a structure to Connections that would allow for both solace in sitting in quiet contemplation and a sharing of our joys and concerns? If Connections starts at 10:30a.m, will this set the mood for the worship service that follows? These questions have led to experiments in ways to conduct Connections the past few Sundays, experiments that will continue in the weeks to come. Please be patient as these ‘experiments’ are in progress. We will end with a better ‘road’ to follow. FACEBOOK AND TWITTER Find us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unitarian-Universalist-Church-of-Chattanooga/301318569903599 Or search Unitarian Universalist of Chattanooga Follow us on Twitter @UUofChatt Page 3 of 14 THE NUUSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2014 PRESIDENT’S LETTER by Leslie Brock, President, Board of Trustees Things are really booming here at the UUCC. In October we held a revival of the Back to the Earth Handcraft fair. We had eleven vendors sign up and the layout of the space received a great number of compliments. The response for volunteer help was overwhelming.