THE FOREWORD -  September 2010 

(Part One: listing Sunday worship activities, religious education for all ages & Notes from the Minister)

To read our monthly newsletter in its entirety as a .pdf file, please click on the links below.

 February 2010 // March 2010 // April 2010 // May 2010

June 2010 // July 2010 // August 2010 // September 2010

Sunday Services:
Upcoming Sundays at 10:30 am

September 5, Water Ceremony
   Our water ceremony is a time to “reunite” after the summer changes of schedule. And do be assured, our water ceremony is not about distance traveled or exotic locations visited. No, the water ceremony is about continuity and connection that we experience wherever we may have been.
   On the day of the ceremony bring a little water with you whether from your travels or the tap in your kitchen sink. After you pour it into the common bowl, share with us briefly a thought, insight; something beautiful, something touching, something important, to you.
   After the service is the time to talk at length; indeed, this is just what brief sharing should inspire.
Children as well as adults are invited to participate. - Rev. Tim Ashton

September 12, The Bar-room Buzzards

   As initiated by our late minister, Rev. Carl Thitchener, the “Buzzards” return to call us together for our annual celebration of the new church year.
    The Buzzards’ early to mid-twentieth-century, popular music selections define a pillar of our American, multi-cultural experience. We are a diverse people who are interconnected and integrated through music.
Unitarian Universalism is a multi-cultural and multi-faith religion; Carl’s choice of a musical experience to start our new year is perfect.
    Kids are welcome at this service during which they will have a special time to meet the “Buzzards.” As well, child-care will be available. If your children want to come to the service, but later become restless, feel free to get up and take them to child care. – Rev. Tim Ashton

September 19, The Founding Fathers
      What would our Founding Fathers say about the controversial “ground zero” mosque? Rank-and-file Christians of the late 18th century accept the ideas of these deists and free-thinkers and affirm their mandate for the separation of church and state. Why does that separation remain controversial? Is Unitarian Universalism, the religion most like the faith of the founders, main-line or side-line?

September 26, Resilience
      The market is up; the market is down. GM collapses into the hands of the federal government; GM turns a billion dollar profit. Antibiotics cure the plagues of the past; death tears loved ones from our arms. Marlana Barry, for her Fantasy Auction sermon subject, asks “How do we develop the resilience necessary to live in this up-and-down world?” – Rev. Tim Ashton

Memorial Service - Sunday, September 26 - 4 pm
      Cindy and Ralph Baumgartner are heading up a committee to create a memorial service for Ilse and Richard Terry at our church. If you have ideas for the service such as readings, remembrances, music, stories, and bits of our history, please talk to Ralph and Cindy. They will gather up these materials and work with the minister to create the service order. We also need volunteers to help with the coffee hour to follow. Please see members of the women's group or Marge Marcille, the convenor, who are working on this effort.

INVITATION TO MEMBERSHIP
If you are eager to consider religious questions with others who are not always certain they have all the answers, but who are determined to keep searching with an open mind, and acceptance of other peoples' beliefs....

If you are looking for a religious community in which to seek spiritual growth...

If you would like the fellowship of others for celebration and worship, discussion and education, friendship and mutual support...

If you want children to be helped to develop their own religious beliefs...
If you wish to preserve and extend the traditions of personal freedom and human dignity against the dangers they face today, you may find this church fills your spiritual and human needs.

If you wish to know more about us as you consider membership, talk to our minister.

OUR LEADERSHIP
Minister: Reverend Tim Ashton ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Music Director: Marie Zak
Interim Religious Education Director: tba
Church Administrator/Newsletter Editor: Margot Shoemaker ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

You can see UUCA activities listed in
our monthly events calendar.

Join us on Facebook and Twitter!

Religious Education Sign up:
1) Please click here to register your child(ren) for Religious Education during the 2010-11 church school year.
 2) Please click here to sign up as an RE Teacher this year.

From our Mothers' Day service: a special song from the youth in Religious Education. Video Link

Additional Worship Services 

Our Sunday church services are 10:30am.
Childcare is provided on Sundays as well as religious education for youth. Coffee hour follows the service -- a perfect time to continue sharing!

Men's Circle - Friday at 7:30 pm
Men's Circle will reconvene in the fall. – Scott Harrigan
 

Religious Education; Adult

The New U.U. (Unitarian Universalist) a two-session orientation program for newcomers and any one else who might be interested. The purpose of the program is to help new people become part of our church community, intellectually, socially, and personally.
New UU addresses this purpose in three ways. Participants will:

• Create a time line of religious turning points in their lives and share these narratives with others in the New UU group. This is a great way to begin new friendships and see how much we have in common in our religious journeys.
  
• Explore Unitarian Universalism by looking at the local church and the larger movement.
  
• Identify and talk about important issues such as theological position, approach to tradition, the tension between intellect and feeling, and the importance of money, involvement and volunteering.

Please check our newsletter or monthly events calendar to confirm dates and do let us know your schedule preferences. Tim Ashton, Minister; Karen Kuhn, New Member Development Committee

VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY
“To live more simply is to live more purposefully and with a minimum of needless distraction” – Duane Elgin

   This fall a discussion course on “VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY" will be offered by the Green Sanctuary Committee. The course was developed by the Northwest Earth Institute and was successfully completed here at the Church last fall. We are offering it again for those who missed it last year. There is a cost for the notebook; it consists of 8 weekly sessions; one hour of reading is needed each week and there is shared facilitation each week. Please call me or E mail if you are interested and let me know what days and evenings are best for you. – Carol Wells

WOMEN'S CIRCLE
This discussion group meets each 1st, 4th and 5th Tuesday of the month, at 1:30 pm in the church living room. Here's what we will be doing:

August 31 - This is our Fifth Tuesday meeting with Rev. Tim Ashton. We will be able to catch up on his news from this summer!

September 7 - What better way to start out the new church year than with the latest edition of the UU World which you should be receiving in August. There are always very interesting, thought-provoking articles for us to discuss.

September 28 - We'll be discussing the novel The Help today as a follow-up to March.

October 5 - We'll watch the DVD "The Heretics" today about a group of women artists who had an impact on American culture in the 60s and what they are doing today.

- Marge Marcille

LAY WORSHIP COMMITTEE needs new Chairperson(s)!
Shortly after joining this church, we formed the Lay Worship Committee.
Basically, this committee is interested in creating spiritual or worshipful moments outside of Sunday morning church services. We feel that we would like to retire from heading this committee because our energies have become tied up with so many other church activities, mainly Religious Education.
If anybody is interested in joining or chairing this committee, please let us know. – Scott Harrigan & Hella Jacob

The CAMPUS MINISTRY COMMITTEE is looking for volunteers interested in working with this student ministry. We are looking for people who have daytime ability to sit at a table and talk to students 

about UU faith issues. If you are interested, please contact Scott Harrigan.- Scott Harrigan
 

Liberal Religious Hour - Podcast
For music and interviews on topics of interest to religious liberals, including peace, justice, interfaith communications, fair trade and labor practices, environmental concerns, etc., go to UURadio.org

Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF)
CLF brings Unitarian Universalism to religious liberals throughout the world. Looking to explore your own spirituality? The Church of the Larger Fellowship offers online classes and email discussions. Go to clf.uua.org (Click on Resources), or call 617-948-6166.

Welcome to Spiritual Life
     In the now classic book Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life, the Rev. Scott Alexander makes this seemingly simple statement:

"In our faith every individual is expected, with the help of clergy and community, to nurture and tend the garden of his or her own religious life each and every day."

     There's a lot in those thirty-one words—ideas of expectation, the involvement of others, and daily discipline, for example—that might surprise some Unitarian Universalists (UUs) and yet which others have greeted with gratitude. Certainly there is nothing there that is not recognized by the other great religious traditions we humans have developed to respond to, as Forrest Church put it, the challenges of being alive and having to die. The "spiritual life" takes work, and we cannot do it alone.
But just what is "the spiritual life?" What is "spirituality?" The Rev. Barbara Merritt once wrote, "Whether or not you believe in God, you need to realize that you yourself are not God." For some it takes a lifetime to achieve that realization; for others it's a daily discipline to remember it. This may be one way to understand what is meant by the term, "spirituality"— the task of discovering, and then remembering, that we are not god.
               – Excerpt from a page on Spiritual Life on the UUA website

This on-line publication will give you the big picture perspective:
UUA World

UU World on Tape
Our UU World magazine is available at free to people with
eyesight impairments.

Contact Identity-Based Ministries, 25 Beacon Street, Boston MA 02108-2803 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (617) 948-6475.

You can see UUCA activities listed in
our monthly events calendar.

Religious Education; Youth
 

From the Top of the Stairs 

   Thanks to everyone who completed a parent or teacher survey. We look closely at these to see what we can do to improve. Previous survey results, for example, have led us to change the time of the Christmas Eve service, drop the Open House, and increase e-mail communication. This year’s survey is directing us to change the “Second Sunday” program to a less frequent and more worship-focused “Children’s Chapel” and to offer more options for teachers.

Religious Education Sign up:
1) Please click here to register your child(ren) for Religious Education during the 2010-11 church school year.
 2) Please click here to sign up as an RE Teacher this year.

   Starting this September, teachers can choose to teach for one, two or three trimesters instead of having to commit to a full year. This will make it easier for those with schedule limitations (like seasonal sports), newcomers who want to ‘try it out,’ veterans who want to attend more services, and pare

nts who would like to teach in more than one child’s class. We will be offering a teacher orientation / dessert party at 7pm on Wednesday, Sept. 1, for incoming teachers and those who would like to get more information before signing up. Please see the Teacher Registration Form to see how you can get involved.

Youth RE Updates

We are very excited about starting a new church school year this month! You may have read about the new lifespan religious education program, entitled Tapestry of Faith, developed by the UUA.
This program consists of a variety of curricula for different age groups, each incorporating Ethical Development, Spiritual Development, UU Identity, and Faith Development. We are pleased to be introducing a  Tapestry of Faith curriculum into each of the elementary grades this year. These fun, but thought-provoking, classes will take up approximately two-thirds of the sessions. The other third will cover World Religions, the topic that would ordinarily be occurring this year as part of our traditional approach, in which each year has a different focus. This promises to be a very interesting year!

Now that we have the curricula, all we need is teachers! We certainly can't  do it without you. We have tried to make it as easy as possible by shortening the teaching terms into trimesters. You are welcome to sign up for one, two, or all three. Please fill out a teacher registration form to indicate your preference as to times and grades and we will do the rest. The curricula really spell out what you need to do each week, but we will also try to pair inexperienced with experienced teachers wherever possible. If you e still not sure about teaching, perhaps you could sign up to assist with a class or special event. Most parents end up helping out in some way, much like a co-operative school, but we also welcome other congregants to help with this ministry. It is so rewarding, you won't  regret it!

As part of the ongoing church mission to become more of an Intergenerational Congregation, the RE students will be attending more of the services in the Main Chapel. They will learn about our church and can also share what they have been doing with the congregation. 
**We need adult parishioners to work with some of the youth to produce music either instrumental, vocal, or recorded or each First Sunday, when the choir is off.
**In addition, we would like to invite an adult parishioner into each classroom periodically as an adoptive grandparent. The visit doesn't  have to last long, just enough to relate an experience or read a story. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any interest in either (or both) of these positions.

The RE Brochure, including the student registration form, will be mailed to each home, and will also be available at church in September. We hope to have an Interim Director of Religious Education by that time. The plan is to have an Interim DRE for this church year and possibly the next, in order to allow time for the Board to fully define the role of, and find a suitable candidate for, the DRE. 

We are pleased to welcome Shannon McGrath to the RE Committee. Michele Beiter is taking on the role of Recording Secretary to relieve Darlene Digati, who has been doing it for the last two years. Thanks to them and also to Hella Jacob, who has been hard at work preparing the calendar and online forms (despite her broken arm), and to Tammy Ulrich, who did a super job with the picnic.
***Thanks also go out to the Summer Committee (Shannon McGrath, Amanda Crotty, and Lynn SantaLucia) and all the volunteer speakers who shared fascinating stories of their World Travels . . . it was a fun and informative program that the kids really enjoyed.

Upcoming events:
Wed., 9/1, 7pm: Teacher team-building/orientation

This will be an informal gathering for experienced, inexperienced, and prospective teachers to review how the church school operates, learn about Tapestry of Faith, share tips for a happy classroom, and get to know each other. We will be meeting on the patio of the Emerson Room and then roasting s'mores by the fire. If the weather is bad, we'll meet inside the Emerson Room and enjoy a chocolate fountain dessert. RSVP and let us know ahead of time if you'll need child care.

Sun., 9/5, 10:30am: Water Ceremony (Intergenerational Service) in the Main Chapel; or, for kids who have participated in the summer orld Travelers program, their Welcome Home party in the Channing Chapel; RE registration in the Main Lobby. We'll be needing nursery volunteers for this day.

Sun., 9/12, 10:30am: Barroom Buzzards (Intergenerational Service) in the Main Chapel; RE registration in the Main Lobby. We'll need nursery volunteers for this day, too.

Sat., 9/18, 10am: RE Wing Clean-up. Please come and help spruce up the classrooms, check on supplies, and make sure everything ready for the first day of classes. RSVP. We'll provide lunch!

Sun., 9/19, 10:30am: First Day of RE! All students and teachers start in the Main Chapel and then proceed to their classrooms to start a great year!! Can't wait to see all of you!

Rosalind Sulaiman, Chair, RE Committee  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

RE Team Building
    The RE Committee will be having a RE Team Building program on Wednesday, September 1 at 7pm. This will be for teachers and prospective teachers to meet the people who will be on your RE Team this year. Coffee and dessert will be served. The Youth group will be hired for babysitting in the Channing Chapel.
The program will end at 8:15, at it which point the children will rejoin their parents and we will have a campfire and s’mores in the back nature preserve In case of rain we will have a chocolate fountain indoors.

You can see UUCA activities listed in
our monthly events calendar.

 
Minister's Notes

Rev. Tim's Bits . . . September 2010

      In some politically liberal circles, the closure of the Bush years has left a gap. Before that departure, it was so easy to blame everything on the Bush administration. During those years, political liberals comforted themselves that everything would be better when he left office. I know that I succumbed to it. Surely, I thought, we will have a rational, economically beneficial, shared boarder management with Canada when . . . he leaves office. . . . . But it didn’t happen.
      Beyond political concerns, we all know how blaming works. It is comforting to know who did it. It is reassuring when arrests are made after terrible murders. Well, he won’t be doing that any more.
Unfortunately, the reassurance of having someone to blame can lead to irrational behavior, especially when fear and insecurity grow deep and are unresolved. Hatred, bigotry, prejudice, witch-hunts, and the search for a scapegoat can emerge even among people who appear unaffected in a direct way.
      Concerns around building a mosque two blocks from “ground zero” may be rationally countered with affirmations of equality and religious freedom. And clearly I believe we should hold to what those principles wisely advise us to do.
     However, we will fail to understand what is going on unless we consider the emotional content of the arguments. Fear is among us, and prejudice against obvious minorities is the result. In the paranoid chemistry of the brain it goes like this: if we can just get those Moslems under control, such a terrible attack will never happen again.
     But what happens when we keep thinking about all these fear-filled and hate-filled people? Fear typically sneaks into our own hearts. What do we do?
     I found it intriguing and wonderfully reassuring that New Yorkers, perhaps among the most diverse people in the world and so frighteningly near the disaster, are the most affirmative of this new mosque in their city. ‘The mosque is “in many ways . . . a fitting tribute,” said Colleen Kelly of the Bronx, who lost her brother Bill Kelly Jr. in the attacks. “This is the voice of Islam that I believe needs a wider audience,” said Kelly, who is Catholic. “This is what moderate Islam is all about.”’ (Buffalo News, August 15, page A7)
     How did Colleen Kelly create this affirmative view. I believe that she continues to love in the face of loss, fear, and hate. For love is the agent that casts out fear. Her solace comes from connecting together with other caring people and feeling their support. She is not alone. She is not afraid.
And then a bible verse came to mind: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (I John 4:18) - Rev. Tim Ashton

Things You May Not Know About the Network of Religious Communities -
Mission statement: The Network facilitates interreligious, ecumenical and interracial cooperation among congregations and religious organizations in WNY. Because our humanity is deeper than our divisions, we promote dialogue, facilitate the sharing of spiritual resources and work together for justice, peace and the common good.

Did you know . . . ?
1. The NRC operates a food pantry staffed by volunteers from area congregations. The pantry is open Monday - Friday each week from 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM and provides 3 days of nutritious food to over 14,000 persons a year.

2. The NRC is responsible for promoting and resourcing the Food Stamp program in Erie County. We provide current food stamp information to all agencies and organizations in Erie County, promote food stamps through various broadcast and publishing media and maintain a hot line to assist persons who desire to apply for Food Stamps.

3 The NRC undertook the challenge of working with UB to organize and hold an Interfaith Service with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

4 The NRC shares its facilities at 1272 Delaware Avenue with several organizations. They include the League of Women Voters, Indigenous Women's Initiatives, Immigrant Legal Services, Interfaith Peace Network, Outside the Box, etc.
 

Church Website Volunteers / contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it