First Unitarian Newsletter

VOL. 56 NO. 1

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2002

FALL IN-GATHERING SUNDAY

September 8, 2002 at The First Unitarian Church
There are no Church Services on September 1st - Have a Wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

9:00 a.m.
	*	*Prayer Group*, led by Rev. Schade, will meet in his office at 9:00 a.m. (See inside for details)
	*	*World Religions: Stories of Transformations* will meet in the Chapel, led by Rev. Merritt. This week's topic: "Islam: The Judgement." (See inside for details)
	*	*Choir Rehearsal* in the Bancroft Room.
	*	*Early Childcare* will be available in the Dining Room for children whose parents are involved in church programs.
		Caregivers: Mari Lopez, Monica Lopez, Amanda Sprow, Jennifer Comeau
9:30 a.m.
	*	*BYKOTA* will hold its first meeting of the season in Room 1 in the Sunday School. All 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders are welcome and urged to attend.
10:15 a.m.
	*	*Nursery Care* (for children under the age of 3) will be available in the nursery during the worship service.
		Care Givers: Mari Lopez, Monica Lopez, Amanda Sprow, Jennifer Comeau
	*	*Chalice Children (for children who are already 3 years of age, but not yet in kindergarten):* This class will open at 10:15 to allow parents time to settle their children before worship begins.

Sunday Worship - In the Sanctuary
10:25 a.m.	--	*Prelude*
10:30 a.m.	--	*Church Announcements*
10:35 a.m.	--	Sermon: "Spiritual Mathematics and September 11^th"
		The Rev. Barbara Merritt, Senior Minister ¾ preaching
		The Rev. Thomas Schade, Associate Minister ¾ liturgist

		What ultimately matters? What counts in our lives? Especially after the terrible events of last September, how do we add up the worth and purpose of human existence? On this Sunday, we are currently on schedule for the first wonderful notes from our magnificent organ. This is a chance to greet old friends and make some new friends. The choir will be singing, a new year of religious education for our children and youth will begin, and the Prudential Committee will be hosting an especially welcoming Fellowship and Coffee Hour after the service. We hope you can join with us this Sunday!

		Faith has nothing to do with what is usually called optimism. The faith is...that by staying, and only by staying, we will learn something of the truth, that the truth is good to know, and that it is always both different and larger than we thought."-
		-Wendell Berry


10:30 a.m.
	*	*Ushering: Susan Peckitt* and Harold Stevens--head ushers
	*	*Flowers* arranged this week by Meredith Pasky
11:30 a.m.
	*	*Fellowship Hour* in the Dining Room. *Hospitality* provided by the Prudential Committee.

Sunday School Notes

When is the best time to join the Sunday School? While children and youth are welcome to join the Sunday School at any time, this is the BEST time to join. If you have been thinking of making a commitment to bringing your children to Sunday School, this is the week to do it!

Sunday School Registration: Parents, please stop at the table in the Bancroft Room to register your children for the 2002–2003 Sunday School year. We ask that every child be registered anew each fall so that we have current information on each child. This is also YOUR opportunity to volunteer for a task in the Sunday School Program this year. The registration table will be in place for the month of September, both before and after worship. Please speak with Diane Mirick or a member of the RE Committee if you have questions about the proper class for your child.

Children’s Choir Registration: Parents may register their children (age 7-14...see page 3) for the Children’s Choir at the Sunday School table in the Bancroft Room. Rehearsals begin on the 15^th.

Sunday School for September 8^th: Babies and children younger than kindergarten age will find their teachers ready to greet them in their classrooms by 10:15 a.m. All children and youth, from kindergarten through the Senior High, are invited to begin the morning in Worship in the sanctuary with their parents and other members of the congregation, as we gather formally for the first time since mid-June. When the children, youth, and teachers are dismissed from the service, we will all go to the Bancroft Room. From there, children and youth will be divided into class groups and sent off to their classrooms with their teachers. Parents are, of course, welcome to accompany their children to help them get settled. This first morning (in fact, for the first month or so) can be confusing to young children. Parents are then able to rejoin the worship service. This Sunday, all classes will be involved with "getting to know you" activities, with plans for the coming weeks, and with creating classroom covenants to guide them.

Parental Pick-up: Children who are in the nursery, Chalice Children, and Feeling at Home must be picked up by their parents at the end of the worship service. Please pick up your children promptly -- the teachers may have to pick up their own children! Older children are dismissed at the end of class. Please make arrangements to meet your children outside their classroom doors or in the dining room.

M I N I S T E R ' S M E M O

"The Imperfect Vacation"

Nature worshippers? Keep your distance! Animal lovers? Don’t share your enthusiasm with me... This summer has found me at war with both nature and our “furry friends,” and I’m in no mood to hear how restorative the wilderness can be.

The wilderness moved into our cottage in Maine over the winter. We estimate about 10 large raccoons took up semi-permanent residence. They came through a ventilation opening into the space under the house. They then chewed through wood to gain access to the crawl space between the walls. They then chewed through thick wooden beams to get into the crawl space between the first and second floors. And one day they scratched through the plaster in the ceiling. They broke through walls and made themselves at home. Their middens were everywhere. (Midden, a vocabulary word I’d just as soon not know, means a dunghill or refuse pile.) Whatever spin doctor the raccoon species hired to give them the reputation as clean animals should have as his or her punishment to clean out the piles of refuse they left in our kitchen, hall and bedroom. I would really like one of the spin doctors to walk a mile in my shoes. But that won’t be possible. You see, a raccoon also deposited their droppings in one of my shoes.

My husband and I spent almost all of our time in Maine attempting to repair the massive damage the raccoons inflicted on our house. We had to replace a ceiling, patch walls, and replace mattresses, blankets, pillows and bedspreads. (Why do raccoons love to shred foam rubber and newspapers??)

I am dumbfounded as to how they managed to chew off the top of a black dry-marker pen, get the ink on their feet, and leave dozens of raccoon prints on my bedroom floor. Were they mocking me? Autographing their work? Bored? In any case, no amount of scrubbing will remove those prints. I washed every inch of the cottage, sterilized every dish; cleaned under and behind and on top. Perhaps this is my way of “marking” my territory?

Probably, from the raccoon perspective, our house (which they spent months turning into a nest) suffered a catastrophic human invasion. Now the question is, “Who will ultimately prevail?” In August we left our house surrounded by 30 small coyote urine dispensers. Coyotes are the natural predators of raccoons, and a Maine-owned company called “Leg-Up” sells all kinds of interesting natural, scented biological controls. The message we’re attempting to send to the raccoons is, “Yes, the humans have gone back to their winter habitat; now a large pack of ravenous coyotes have moved in! Leave!! Quickly!!”

I’m left in a quandary. Yes. The natural world can be messy, invasive and destructive. At the same time, nature continues to provide me with peace, beauty, and consolation. Likewise, even a “vacation from hell” has moments of laughter, renewal, and relaxation. Sometimes the world is utterly delightful. Sometimes the world is heart-breaking and immensely challenging. Sometimes the life of the spirit will give you comfort and assurance. On other occasions, your religious life will ask you to change in ways that are deeply threatening. So what are we human beings to do, when confronted with a creation so full of unpredictability, contradiction, and constant change?

– Roll up our sleeves: The poet Carl Sandburg imagines God as doing no less:

“God gets up in the morning

and says, “Another day?”

God goes to work every day

at regular hours.

God is no gentleman, for God

puts on overalls and gets dirty

running the universe we know about

and several other universes

nobody knows about but Him.”

We have work to do…sometimes even when we’re on vacation. We have opportunities to engage in new kinds of work. Houses need repair. Relationships need mending. Our souls are hungry for attention.

– Stick around. In this place. In the reality that presents itself to us today, there is grace. Even in

circumstances that don’t look too promising, there are probably opportunities and possibilities that we can’t now imagine. Even when tempted to walk away, to seek some better, different reality (over the next hill, raccoon free, perhaps) always remember that most aspects of reality are going to go with us, wherever we go.

– Forgive. The etymology of the word forgive means to “completely give.” I’m not quite ready to do that with those raccoons...but I know eventually I must reconcile myself with the fact that what I want, is not what other creatures necessarily need or want. And still, we have to share the planet and the neighborhood. So there’s work to be done in both offering to give as completely as we are now able to give and, even more critically, to be willing to ask to be forgiven – to learn to accept fully and completely what God/truth and reality wants to give to us.

The imperfection of vacations and human beings and, of course, the church is simply a given. But it is a privilege to work here with you. It will be good to gather again on September 8^th.

~Rev. Barbara Merritt

News Articles

Remembering September 11, 2001
One year after the Al Quaida attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we will gather to touch again that day of smoke and blue sky in memory, and to remember all those who were lost, and to consider the dizzying turnings of the world we have seen since then. As we grieve, we both "remember" and "move on" at the same time, working and re-working the meanings we have drawn from events which seem to be, at first, beyond comprehension.

On Tuesday evening, September 10th, we will gather for a brief service of remembrance in our Sanctuary at 6 p.m. There will be readings, prayers and organ and choral music. The congregation at Wesley Methodist has been invited to join us, and the Rev. Vicki Woods will lead the service with Revs. Merritt and Schade.

At 6:30 p.m., we will process to City Hall, and join a community-wide interfaith gathering for a religious observance in City Hall Plaza. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Bahai and Buddhist prayers will be joined to mourn the dead, seek discernment, create unity and hope for justice and peace. Rev. Schade, as this year's President of Worcester's Downtown Clergy, will preside at thhe service.

At 8:46 a.m. on September 11th, we will join other churches in ringing our bells to mark the beginning of the attack.

New Sunday Morning Programs
In the Chapel: World Religions: Stories of Transformations - Facilitator: The Rev. Barbara Merritt. The topic on September 8^th: *"Islam: ‘The Judgement."* Using the wonderful format developed over years by the "Transformation" group, our Sunday morning discussion will invite conversation about how spiritual teaching stories from around the world speak to our own condition.

In Rev. Schade Office: Prayer Group—Every Sunday at 9:00 a.m., Rev. Schade will convene a contemporary prayer group in his office. We will share the circumstances of each other’s lives, praying for and with each other, using a variety of devotional materials from the Jewish and Christian traditions.

Visitors…Welcome!
There will be ‘Welcome To First Unitarian’ sessions, led by one of your ministers, for the first five Sundays of the church year, September 8 through October 6. They will be held in Classroom 1 of the new Sunday School immediately after the church service. Childcare will be available until 12:00 noon. Coffee and snacks will be served in the classroom for participants. Bring your questions.

1^st U Music Program Welcomes the Return of an Old Friend
They are revered as the "king of instruments" and the grandfather of all synthesizers. With an ancestry tracing back before the Roman Empire (and earlier in the form of bamboo flutes and Pipes of Pan), the pipe organ has maintained its noble presence in Western music, constantly re-establishing its dominance through the music of great composers, fine performers, and exciting instruments.

First Unitarian has had a long and fine heritage of music programs and instruments. We have had pipe organs made by prestigious builders throughout the years: Hook (1855, predating Mechanics Hall); Steere (1901); Cassavant (1922, surviving the Hurricane of 1938); and currently our Aeolian-Skinner (1963, a revered Boston builder that closed its swell shades in the late 1960s). Severely water damaged from the church fire of June, 2000, we have taken great care in directing the restoration and the opportunity for improvements to return it for many more decades of services. Typically the scheduling of a new instrument or restoration work must be planned years in advance (sometimes up to an 8-year(!) wait) and get "in line" for an organ builder's long waiting list. We were fortunate that Russell and Company of Vermont (who along with Ted Gilbert & Associates of Massachusetts had been our technicians over the years) were willing to accelerate our place in line such that we can have half of our instrument operational in September, and the remaining around the first of 2003. It's seemed like a long wait even for our relatively short 2-year period, but we've been fortunate to have two fairly new Steinway B pianos (untouched by the water due to quick thinking and moving) to carry us through. When the congregation returns in September, you can expect the return of organ music to our services, choir processionals, and more festive hymn accompaniments. For some, it may take some adjustment time; for others, it will take time for all the rejoicing to cease! We'll be welcoming our instrument in two phases: in September we'll celebrate the first half's return locally within the church, and then after the first of the year, we'll officially rededicate the completed instrument with the community invited, and celebrate Opus 1433's 40th anniversary.

The choir will now be in our new balcony arrangement. The centered location was actually the original position for the choir (and organ console) when the current Sanctuary was built in 1851. The choir and console were moved to the corner of the balcony in 1963 when the current Aeolian-Skinner organ was installed, due to space requirements of the pipe chambers (the Positiv division was situated in front of the façade, in the balcony space). The new choreography will allow all the pipes to be placed back inside the chamber. Several people have expressed anxiety over the fear that the restoration and changes would result in increasing the volume of the organ. The perception may be that it may seem louder at times because:

*	Remembrances of the "old" instrument fade in our minds (and it's really about the same volume);
*	The acoustics of the Sanctuary space have improved in terms of reverberation (but not necessarily loudness);
*	The piano we've grown accustomed to for two years definitely is softer than any pipe organ;
*	It's often human nature to dislike "change" of any kind, especially in our current national culture's need to fall back to what is comfortable and safe.

But in reality, the tone of the instrument is being made clearer (pipe voicing regulation), and most importantly, now the organist is seated directly in front of the pipe chambers to hear the sound directly (not off to the side), and s/he will be able to hear the sound up front and close! If you are still hesitant about the loudness, the best place to sit is in the rows under the balcony, where the sound is somewhat muted. We'll have several months to grow accustomed to having half of our friend back with us, while the remaining reconstruction is being completed at the organ builder's shop. In summary, our silver lining to the fire damage came in the form of:

*	Complete re-leathering (which we would have had to do in another 10 years anyway), and new blowers (supplying the wind for the pipes)
*	Completely new solid state switching for key, coupler, and stop actions (allowing MIDI playback to free the organist to direct, or go on vacation!)
*	Replacement of a few pedal ranks, whose pipes were beginning to fail, with "digital voices" (not synthesized, but digital playback of "perfect" organ pipes selected from around the world)
*	Complete overhaul of pipe regulation and minor tweaks for voicing (we suspect that some final voicing was hurried due to the financial state of A-S approaching its final days)
*	Better placement of chests for tuning and sound egress
*	Placement of the console and choir back in the center of the balcony for better sound and logistics

We are continuing the fine tradition at First Unitarian for preserving our heritage and commitment to fine music, as well as joining other Worcester venues who are also keeping their instruments alive and well, with the various other renovations at First Baptist (Russell/Gilbert), St. Paul's (Russell), Wesley (Czelusniak), and coming this fall, Mechanics Hall (Maier).

Wheel of Life
On July 28th, Sally Dewey and Douglas Jensen were married at Tower Hill Botanical Center, Rev. Schade presiding. Sally is the daughter of *Harry and Jane Dewey.*

On August 3rd, Seth Hamilton Mirick and Rebecca Genevieve Lurz were married at Johnson Chapel, Amherst College. Seth is the son of John and Diane Mirick. Rev. Merritt officiated.

On August 10th, Dr. James Carlisle Smith, Jr. and Nancy Harwood Shaner, both members of First Unitarian, were married on Cuttyhunk Island. Rev. Merritt officiated.

On August 17th, Nathaniel McCarter and Anna Letkowere were married at the church, Rev. Schade presiding. Nathaniel is the son of *Dan McCarter and Julie Cornell, and the brother of Nick.*

Ministerial Review Committee
The Ministers’ annual review will be conducted on September 5^th at 3:00 p.m., according to our by-laws. Vivian Shortreed, our current Moderator, and two former Moderators, Worth Landers and David Rynick, will be conducting the reviews with Rev. Merritt and Rev. Schade.

Symbol Committee Summary
The Symbol Committee has met every week this summer. Members of the committee were chosen because of their professional training in design, and their active participation in the spring listening sessions. (Committee members are Don Sansoucy, lead architect of our church restoration, Don Varney, owner of an advertising and design firm, Bunny Guerrin, life-long member of First Unitarian, former co-chair of Adult Education, and current coordinator of Elm Park School mentoring program, and David Blodgett, long-term youth advisor to our Senior High, and recently serving as Member-at-Large on the Prudential Committee.) The Rev. Tom Schade met with the committee regularly, and The Rev. Merritt met occasionally.

While the initial idea to place the symbols of our Jewish and Christian tradition on the altar table was approved in principal, the committee did not like the design implications of cluttering the table with small objects. Thus, what developed is the current design; to have the symbols beside the table, hanging on simple, narrow banners. This accents the vertical lines of the columns and the candlesticks. In addition, the maroon banners, which will be fabricated in the same material as the docile curtain in the pulpit, provides a frame for the carved cross on the pulpit. The cloth panels also balance the horizontal velvet on the lectern. Please note the theological importance of having both symbols together on each panel, no longer visualizing our traditions as being in opposition.

This prototype, now in place, carries a traditional fabrication of the star and cross. The fabric for the panel should be ready by September 8^th, with the symbols added and finished by mid-September. (The firm that made the docile will be making our banners.)

In addition, Don Sansoucy has designed a more contemporary expression of our symbols. This will be fabricated as soon as we find a fabric artist who is willing to accept our commission.

On September 8^th, the opening Sunday of our church year, we hope to have a bulletin board in the Dining Room showing more complete drawings of both designs.

The ministers would like to express our gratitude to the members of the Committee for developing the current placement and design of the symbols of our Jewish and Christian tradition.

Gardeners’ Sunday, September 22
Despite an always dry and often hot summer, our Memorial Garden remains an oasis for this parish and Main Street pedestrians. Roses, chrysanthemums, boltonia, an upstart datura, and stunning Japanese anemones are in bloom only because of care and watering from our loyal garden volunteers and some special attentions from our new sexton. Thanks to every one of you. Our garden group, ever open to new recruits, will meet in the garden after church on September 22^nd, to admire, assess, and talk over some interesting options earned by our splendid spring plant sale. Please join us.
--The Voice of the Turtle
October Quest! Church Auction
Please set aside the evening of Saturday, October 5^th, for our first annual auction of talents and services. We have already received some interesting items: A Kennybunkport boating cruise; an evening at the Foothills Theatre, Dinner at Aigo Bistro, Massage, Professional Belly Dance, Tutoring in Math & Science, and Golf Lessons from yours truly, to name a few.

A haughty and lofty bunchof auctioneers will be making themselves known to you; they will be co-mingling in a very approachable fashion -- tey are not a bad bunch really!

Tickets for this occasion cost $20. This will include a nice three course meal. Tickets will be mailed to members and friends of the church at the beginning of September and need to be paid for by September 22^nd.

Don't hesitate to offer your talents or treasures or services. They are being collected by Kathleen, who can be reached by contacting the church office. Feel free to discuss any questions with Committee members Renee DesRosiers, Vivian Shortreed, Katherine Kowaloff, Joan Wieczorek, Mark Glenny, Kathleen Walker and yours truly, Mike Lally.

Zen Meditation
The Worcester Zen Group welcomes anyone who has an interest in Zen or in meditation to come and join us. We meet every Monday night in the First Unitarian Chapel, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. If you are coming for the first time, come at 5:15 and someone will orient you to meditation practice. The hour includes silent sitting and walking meditation, as well as traditional Zen talks and opportunities for individual instruction. We also meet one Saturday a month, usually at First Unitarian, for all-day meditation practice. The schedule for Saturdays is on our web-sit: www.worcesterzen.org and the next one is Sept. 14^th, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Melissa Blacker and David Rynick by calling the church office..

Construction Updates
Elevator, Elevator Where Art Thou?
The elevator is on schedule to arrive any day now. But it is like a "kit" (some assembly required). Weeks of assembly...followed by inspections, permits, and finishing details. We are hopeful you will be able to ride from the Sunday School to the offices by the end of October.

Newly Refinished Unity Hall Floor
We will be walking on it for the first time on September 8th. Until then, please walk around. Thanks!

Interfaith Hospitality Network
First Unitarian will again be welcoming homeless children and their families this Fall, from October 13-20. Our IHN representative this year is Liz Gustavson, who can be reached through the church office. As in the past, volunteers from the church will be needed to host our guests. Further information is forthcoming.

*Worship Services are held each Sunday* *at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary.* *Church Office Hours:* *Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.*

Mon. Sept. 2		LABOR DAY - Church Office Closed
	5:30 p.m.	Zen Meditation in the Bancroft Room
Tue. Sept. 3
	7:00 p.m.	Covenant Group Meeting in the Bancroft Room
Wed. Sept. 4
	2:30 p.m.	William Wordsworth Poetry Roundtable in the Chapel. For further information, please contact Inger Gilbert by calling the church office. All are welcome.
Thu. Sept. 5
	7:00 p.m.	Sunday School Teacher Orientation in the Landers Room
		Adult Choir Rehearsal in the Bancroft Room
Sun. Sept. 8
	9:00 a.m.	Prayer Group in Rev. Schade’s office
		World Religions: Stories of Transformationin the Chapel
		Adult Choir Rehearsal in the Sanctuary
	9:30 a.m.	BYKOTA Meeting in Classroom 1
	10:30 a.m.	Worship Service in the Sanctuary
		YRU2 Meeting in the Chapel following youth dismissal from the Sanctuary
	11:30 a.m.	Fellowship Hour in the Bancroft and Dining Rooms
Mon. Sept. 9
	5:30 p.m.	Zen Meditation in the Chapel
	5:30 p.m.	Adult Choir Rehearsal
	6:00 p.m.	Service of Remembrance in memory of attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
	6:30 p.m.	Procession to City Hall for community-wide interfaith gathering for religious observance.
Sun. Sept. 15
	9:00 a.m.	Adult Choir Rehearsal in the Sanctuary
		Children’s Choir Rehearsal in the Bancroft Room
	11:45 a.m.	Affirmation Program Meeting in the left classroom on the Unity Hall stage
Sun. Sept. 22		GARDENERS’ SUNDAY AT FIRST U
	12:00 p.m.	Prudential Committee Meeting
Sat. Oct. 5		OCTOBER QUEST! Church Auction
Oct. 13-20		INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK

R.E. (Religious Education) Notes
@ Sunday School Teacher Orientation: All Sunday School teachers are urged to attend the orientation meeting on Thursday, September 5^th, from 7-9 p.m. in the Landers Room in the Sunday School, (rather than the Chapel due to the refinishing of the Unity Hall floor). Curricula will be distributed and teaching teams will meet to schedule the teaching assignments for the first 3 months of the season. If you cannot attend, please call Diane Mirick with a list of dates on which you will be available to teach and make plans for picking up your teaching materials. @ BYKOTA (Middle School youth group) meets on the first Sunday! Yes, the first meeting for BYKOTA will be on September 8^th, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 1 in the Sunday School. If you are a 6^th, 7^th, or 8^th grader, you are welcome and urged to attend. It doesn’t matter if you attended the induction meeting in the spring or not. You are a member (if you want to be!) simply by showing up. We will be making plans for the fall, so this is a good time to get involved. @ YRU2–Senior High Youth Meets on September 8th: All Senior High youth are invited to join the Young Religious Unitarian Universalists, our Senior High youth group, whether or not you went to Craigville in May. Our first meeting will be held on September 8^th during Sunday School time, in the Chapel. Youth should begin the morning in the worship service. Each year, our activities consist of fun and fellowship, service, education, and worship. Because the Senior High is mature enough to have some say in their program, we take the opportunity on this first Sunday to consult YOU before making the plan. Be sure to be there! There will be an Officers and Advisors meeting before worship on the 8^th. @ Welcome to Children’s Choir! We’re back! The Children’s Choir will have its first rehearsal on Sunday, September 15^th at 9:00 a.m. in the Bancroft Room. I will provide a fall rehearsal and performance schedule at that time. There are no auditions. The choir is open to ages 6-14. Our goal is for everyone to stretch their abilities at the right level. So don’t worry about being “too old” or “too young.” We’ll all work together to find a fun, safe, and challenging place for all our members. Got questions about the choir? Please speak to me before or after the service on September 8^{th, or by calling the church office}. Here’s to a supersonic season! -Nathaniel Needle, Children’s Choir Director @ Affirmation Program: The Affirmation Program, for youth in 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grades, begins with its first meeting on Sunday, September 15^th, in the left-hand classroom on the Unity Hall stage. This will be a short meeting as we plan for our retreat to Camp Harrington on September 20^th.