The Beacon-February 2007
February Worship Services
(Service is held each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary..)
February 4 – Darwin’s Religion. With the birthday of Charles Darwin approaching, the Rev. Bill Metzger will consider the religious convictions of the man. How does evolution speak to the question of the truth of religion? Rick Womer will be worship associate.
February 11 – Aging and Values. The Rev. Libby Smith, chaplain at UU House, will be pulpit guest. Of her sermon, she says, how we treat our elders speaks volumes about our values. If we really applied our Unitarian Universalist values and principles to the issues of aging, perhaps we could learn to appreciate aging, even in the midst of a culture that fears and fights it. Bill Sternman will be worship associate.
February 18 – The Rev. Chester McCall, minister at UU Church of the Restoration, will be pulpit guest, in an exchange with the Rev. Bill Metzger, who will be at Restoration. Luana Goodwin will be worship associate. Young Adult service will be held at 7 p.m.
February 25 – Who Are the UU Christians? The Rev. Bill Metzger will reflect on the the place of a UU Christianity in our religious movement in the twenty-first century. Sharon Tomalin will be worship associate.
INTERIM TIMES
(A monthly column from our Interim Minister, The Rev. Bill Metzger)
Now that the congregation has authorized moving ahead with policy governance as our model of organization, and the search committee has narrowed the field of prospective ministers to four who are scheduled for pre-candidating weekends, we have reached a turning point of some magnitude for the board and ministry teams.
This is also a turning point for this interim ministry, as we begin a transition time in which, increasingly, members of the church take charge of (dare I say?) “the way ahead.” So much energy is flowing in the church these days, with a rapidly-moving search process, a revitalized membership team, a surging (we might say) young adult movement with launch of an alternative worship service and the search for a part-time paid young adult coordinator.
During our remaining months together, we will be working to prepare ourselves for the call of a settled minister and the refinement of the governance system. I will be interested to see and hear from as many of you as possible during this period of time about your hopes and dreams for First Unitarian Church and its place in the larger community. Of course, Diana and I will be also looking for “what’s next” in our own lives. We have a pre-candidating weekend set up with a Texas church in February—actually for a settled ministry, not an interim. We are looking for an opportunity to be co-ministers, sharing a position with the expectation of a four to five year ministry before we retire. Should that not manifest, we will have the interim search period beginning in April to see what might be possible for a shared interim.
Congregations that have experienced a successful interim, it is said, (and I quote here from Philip Porcher, an Episcopal priest and church consultant), are prepared to engage not only a new minister, but a new ministry. Bear in mind that the work of the church is ministry—not just of the individual who is the called minister, but of all those in the congregation who make the ministry of the church dynamic. You all have a part to play in this, and when you install your new minister, you are also embracing a new sense of mission and an invigorated leadership of laity and the new minister. May it be the beginning of a powerful period of new programs, new vision, and growth.
With love,
Bill
CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS EDUCATION UPDATE
Greetings from your CRE Director
With the winter holidays safely behind us, it is time to look forward to the spring and summer months. The CRE program is building excitement with a children’s concert on the 25th of this month and a parenting class in the planning stages. I have proposed to the board, ministry leadership team and Reverend Metzger that I be hired at my current rate for an additional 6 weeks during the summer to give me time to do the following:
• Provide a religious education program during the summer
• Increase the attendance of summer services.
• Plan for the new CRE year
• Have the CRE pamphlet ready a month earlier
• Continue teacher recruitment
• Catch up on lower priority tasks, such as office organization and completing the CRE
library database
I am looking for feedback on an idea to conduct a multi-age CRE program with an infant/toddler class available, similar to All-Together Sundays. I hope to use puppetry to tell stories, have the children make puppets, and put together a puppet show to perform to the congregation. I need to know from parents the likelihood of your child attending the class and how often.
With affection,
Jansen Wendell
Special CRE Events
Sunday afternoon, February 25
The CRE program will host a special musical concert with the duo, Two of a Kind. They are a husband and wife group that is well known in children’s music circles for their messages of tolerance, friendship, fairness and environmental care. Tickets will go on sale sometime this month. Two of a Kind will also be performing for the children at that morning’s All-Together Sunday.
Storytellers/Homilists Needed for Children’s Chapel
Storytellers are needed in children's chapel from 11:00 -11:20 a.m. It is a one time commitment (more if you just love it). It involves reading or telling a story, sharing a talent or life experience. You can coordinate with the theme of the adult liturgy or come up with a theme of your own. For more information contact Kate Connolly, kate.connolly4@verizon.net.
Guest At Your Table Reminder
If you haven’t already, please be sure to turn in your Guest At Your Table donation boxes as soon as possible!
CONNECTU:
A New Membership Program
Hey all, just wanted to let everyone know that we’re starting a new membership program called ConnectU. Our mission statement: To enhance the feeling of welcome and belonging that visitors experience at First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia by creating a network of official newcomer greeters.
While it is wonderful and important to have two official ushers and two official greeters each Sunday, four people is often not enough to handle the number of newcomers on any given Sunday. Newcomers, if they are not greeted and engaged immediately, often tend to just leave after services, and we want them to feel welcome. To that end, we’re going to provide orientation sessions every two weeks to train official ConnectU welcomers, so that there are many, many greeters available each and every Sunday.
During the twenty-minute orientation, we will provide you with some basic information sheets, including a “Basics” worksheet, a “Sample Questions To Ask” worksheet, and a “Church Information” worksheet. We will also do some brief role-playing, and have a Q&A session, all with the goal of making greeting visitors a pleasurable experience for both the greeter and the greetee. If you are not comfortable just walking up to someone and saying hello, that’s ok, that’s what orientation is for. If you are already an active visitor greeter, come to orientation anyway (to get your special nametag!) and help us with suggestions for those who are less experienced.
What special nametags you ask? Once you’ve been through orientation, we’ll print a bright yellow nametag for you, and every Sunday during the welcoming, the Worship Associate will ask all ConnectU greeters to stand and identify themselves so that newcomers can seek you out. Not feeling up for greeting that week? No problem, you’ll still have your old regular nametag available, you can take a pass on greeting any time you want. Orientation sessions will be held Feb. 11th , Feb. 25th, March 11th and March 25th at 12:30pm in the Fahs room. See you there!
Submitted by Seth Carrier
GETTING TO KNOW UU
There is much Unitarian and Universalist history to be found in many of the small towns of New England. Exeter, New Hampshire is home to the First Unitarian Society of Exeter, also known as FUSE. With its origins as a splinter group from the religious dissenters (of the Mass. Bay Colony) who had established the village back in 1685, they started out in 1831 as a small, but struggling Universalist congregation. They built a two-story building in 1841 so that they could rent out the first floor to businesses and use the second for their meetinghouse. Alas, it could not adequately provide income to support the group, so they found it necessary to make amends with some of the Unitarian-minded folks from their original church, and in 1854, the merged group became FUSE.
Over the ensuing years, they saw several times of growth, then decline, and then regrowth, which necessitated various changes to their buildings. The close proximity of the famed boys’ prep school Phillips Exeter Academy, which is still adjacent to the church, added to their numbers, since Sunday worship attendance was mandatory for all students until the 1960s. Serious decline followed into the 1980’s, and by 1985 they were down to just 39 members and were lay led. But with determination, and a renewed social justice fervor, they were able to draw more and more visitors through the 1990’s, and now are back up to a healthy 180 members. Their church space is such that they need two services to accommodate all their attendees. Part of the New Hampshire/Vermont District, they are now served by Rev. Kendra Ford as minister, and their website is www.exeteruu.org.
While it may not have been the only impetus to growth, their social justice efforts in the town brought visibility to FUSE, and undoubtedly aided in their rebirth. We must never lose sight of the importance to do good works outside of the walls of First Church. We have many opportunities to serve others. You can still help with Winter Shelter, and don’t forget the Church team’s Rebuilding Together work on refurbishing low income housing, coming up in April.
Submitted by Ken Olin
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
WinterShelter
On December 22, just before Xmas, we had three of our volunteers hustling and serving the men. Because of some communication problems we used some of the neighborhood lasagna with newcomers Christina Castellino bringing greenbean casserole and Finy Hansen bringing ice cream with chocolate sauce. Experienced chef Tricia Way was in charge of the team. For January 3, some more problems were surmounted thanks to Virginia DeRolf and her crew. She cooked TWO lasagnas for the men (vegetarian and meat) as well as homemade cookies. Luckily they found some fresh salad and dressing in the refrigerator. The men were especially pleased to be greeted by David Tatgenhorst and his son Elijah (aka PacMan) as well as Virginia and Mike Coyle. Sign up sheets are in the back of the church to sign up to be part of a team to cook on the first Wednesday and the fourth Friday of every month until the end of April. At least three people are needed and must be there by 5:45 p.m.Call Ginny Beier at 215-545-7831 or vhbeier@hep.upenn.edu to confirm.
Recycling
Recycling at Trinity Memorial (22nd and Spruce) continues every first and third Saturday between 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Bring all mixed paper, cardboard and No. 1 and 2 plastic bottles cleaned and crushed.
Prison Programs:
What are the Possibilities?
A public presentation by the administrator of Riverfront State Prison will be given at First Unitarian Church on March 25 at 3:00 p.m. This will be part of a city-wide observation of Justice Month in Philadelphia during the month.
Dr. David Parrish’s career in corrections has spanned more than 30 years, and he has said he has come across few approaches to behavioral change that seemed truly innovative, with actual potential to produce deep sustainable change in criminal behavior.
He will outline a proposed program designed to reduce recidivism in the city of Philadelphia. The city spent $263 million in the 2005 fiscal year on its criminal justice system, and recidivism is almost 70 percent. Furthermore, roughly 40 percent of prisoners suffer from HIV, Hepatitis C, tuberculosis, or are acutely mentally ill, and 70-percent of the incarcerated are non-violent offenders.
The Council of the City of Philadelphia has designated March as Justice Month, lending its support to a month-long “festival of justice.”
Dr. Parrish will outline “The Impact Project,” which seeks to provide effective, transformational programming for a prison population. The program would be implemented using existing staff and volunteers who would receive orientation and training. The core curriculum, “The Breakthrough Course,” has been developed by teachers and consultants in the fields of education, psychology, and organizational dynamics. It seeks to work with selected inmates in a supportive learning community to build a new model of behavior change.
Racial Justice Workshop
Join us on Saturday, February 17 when a Jubilee Workshop will be offered by the Rev. Chester McCall. The workshop will engage participants in discussion about racism as it continues to exist in our church, community and world. It will prepare us to identify some areas for our own growth as well as enable us to develop some shared perspectives on community issues. It will also equip us to better collaborate with our sister UU churches, who have preceded us with this training. The timing of the workshop is likely to be 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
A House With No Walls
On Saturday, February 10, First Church will again host a gathering of UUs from area churches centering on a play containing issues of race and ethnicity. We will see a 1:00 p.m. performance of A House With No Walls at the nearby Interact Theater, then return to Griffin Hall for discussion and supper. The price for the theater and supper will be $25 per person. Tickets can be reserved by signing the sheet on the bulletin board or e-mailing Luana Goodwin at lugoodwin@msn.com. Questions about the event can be directed to Luana as well. Reservations should be made by January 28. We are hoping that First Church will have at least 15 participants.
Martin Luther King Day of Service
Many members of our congregation volunteered for Martin Luther King Day. Amy Hillier Fraatz, Jim Fraatz, Arthur Salter, Beth Goodell and Janet Scannell were with Rebuilding Together; Elijah Tatgenhorst volunteered with his father, David, at Books Through Bars. Elizabeth Terry, Jennifer Shyrock and Luana Goodwin were with the team at Unitarian Society of Germantown. Jansen Wendell reports: “My daughter, Rosalee, and I arrived at USG in time to greet people and to attend the worship service. We piled into my Volvo with Tracy Jastrzab and her two school friends (already filled with painting equipment) and went to the youth project at Stenton Family Manor. After a while we returned to USG to help make bag lunches for homeless shelters. Rosalee decorated bags, and I filled boxes with the finished lunches. The goal was to make 1000 lunches and we succeeded.” The People's Emergency Center was happy to receive them.
Books Through Bars
A donations bin is located in our lobby, ready to receive contributions for this national program providing reading material to prisoners. Call Nicole at the A-Space, 215-727-8170 to find out more.
ADULT PROGRAMS
The New UU.
What does Transylvania have to do with Unitarian Universalism? What do UU's believe? Is it true that Martin Luther King, Jr. visited First Unitarian? What's First Unitarian's position on social justice? Learn the answer to these questions in this class designed to inform new members and friends about the activities of the church and explore Unitarian Universalism. The group will meet on Sundays, February 11, 18 and 25, from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., in the Fahs Room. Please sign up on the sheets in the back of sanctuary to reserve your space or contact Rev. Metzger at 215-563-3980, ext. 303.
Great Decisions
Great Decisions is a series of eight foreign policy discussions based on a briefing book published by the Foreign Policy Association. Topics for 2007 include: The Middle East, Climate Change, Mexico, Migration, South Africa, War Crimes, Central Asia, and Children. We will meet at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings to discuss a new topic each week (based on a 10-page briefing read in advance). All internationally-minded individuals, friends and guests are welcome to participate in any or all of the discussions.
Early Christianity Book Club
So far 15 people have signed up for a new book club concerning Early Christianity (the historical facts and presumptions of the early years before Emperor Constantine and the Nicean Creed quashed unitarian as well as gnostic Christianity). The group would meet monthly at times that the most people would be able to attend. Our first meeting was held in the evening of Saturday, January 27. With 15 people enrolling, we may have to split into 2 discussion groups, and perhaps rejoin for summaries at the end. Please contact Gerry Parchman (lib2uus@comcast.net) for information.
Second Sunday Drumming Circle
Join Marcy Francis, Minister of Healing through Music, Movement and Touch at the Christian Association at Penn, as she leads a healing drumming circle in the Parish Room on Sunday afternoon, February 11th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and every second Sunday thereafter as possible. Bring your own drum, flute, recorder, sékeré (shakeray), hand-held percussion instrument, or use one that Marcy will bring with her. Wear loose clothing and comfortable shoes. Bring your bottle of water! Enjoy two hours of drumming, dancing, and movement designed to imbue you with a happy, healthy spirit. This is appropriate for movers and shakers of all ages, but is specifically planned for adults. There is a $10 fee payable at the door. Space is limited, so please call Anne Slater (610-896-6468) or email (Slater.Anne@gmail.com) as soon as possible.
Women's Book Club
Thanks to the participation of 11 members and the graciousness of our hostess, Sharon Tomalin, we chose the 11 books to be read for 2007. Members - PLEASE let me know if you can facilitate or be a hostess in your home. The book to be discussed on Monday, February 5 is Interpreter of Maladies by Jumpha Lahiri at 7:30. We will meet at the home of new member Diane Rukavina. Please call her at 215-732-1828 or 301-806-6462 or email dianeruk@aol.com for directions and to let her know you are coming. The March 5 book will be Kim by Rudyard Kipling.
Depression Support Group
The group will continue to meet on the first Sunday of each month at 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact Arcenia Rosal at 215-561-6506, or Lynn Rubin at 215-837-3371.
President’s Commentary
By Debby Schultz
The January 7 Congregational Meeting was noteworthy in two respects. The first is obvious in that the congregation made the decision to adopt the Ministry and Governance model providing the go-ahead to modify the By-Laws making it truly official once the revised by-laws are approved. The second is more subtle but may have a significantly greater impact on the long-term success and health of our congregation. In this meeting we dealt with a difficult decision in a very respectful, caring manner. We acted as a faith based community. We started out with a responsive reading that guided our actions reminding us of the importance of “understanding” and “caring” as we listened to many thoughts and ideas and we ended in a “unifying spirit” in song with hands clasped.
Before the meeting I imagined that I would feel great relief and perhaps even a sense of victory with a positive decision to adopt the Ministry and Governance Model. I can’t say that I did. Instead I was purely encouraged and more committed than ever to move forward. I must admit that the prospect of all of the work to be done took on a greater intensity. The policy items on the January Board agenda seemed more critical in terms of the Board’s and my accountability and the need to strengthen the Ministry Leadership Team and its lay-leader from a By-Laws and functioning perspective took on greater importance. But most of all I felt the challenge of helping the congregation as a whole to embrace this concept as comfortably as the Board has.
I can’t remember being on a Board which was as united, committed and comfortable as the current Board is regarding such a major change as the Ministry and Governance model. How did the Board get to this point? I can tell you that at the first meeting in June the four new members of the Board found this whole notion as confusing as some of you may find it today. In fact I would say that some were uncomfortable with the notion. The three returning Board members understood and in principle agreed with the Ministry and Governance model but were still anxious to see it truly “put to the test.” At the August Board meeting it suddenly started to come together. By October the Board (all but one of which were previous First Church Board members at some time in the past) was well convinced that the model worked, feeling like their time spent was far more productive and contributing to the current and long-term strength of the church than it had been in the past.
So if you’d like to get more comfortable, the Board’s experience may work for you. Get engaged and put the Ministry and Governance Model “to the test.” Join a Ministry Team if you are not on one already. Discuss and document the mission and procedures of the Ministry Team. Think about how the mission and procedures fit into the Ministry and Governance model. Try new ways. Ask questions or brainstorm with the other members of the Ministry Team or with a Board or Ministry Leadership Team member when processes are not clear or something just doesn’t seem to work or getting involved seems too hard. Recommend to the Board a policy addition or change. Attend a Board Meeting or Breakfast with the Board and Ministry Leadership Team. As the Nike ad from several years ago told us “Just do it!”
And in the end may we “just do it” as a faith based community who cares very much about our immediate congregation and the world at large.
With great love for this church community,
Debby Schultz
Congregational Meeting Highlights
An important Congregational Meeting was held on Sunday, January 7 to vote on the adoption of the Ministry and Governance model as the church’s official model for operating. The adoption of this model provided the go-ahead to modify the ByLaws to reflect this new structure for Ministry and Governance within First Church. The church has experimented with this model since November, 2005.
The Congregation actively engaged in the discussion of officially adopting the Ministry and Governance model.
o An amendment to the motion to extend the policy governance experiment for one year resulted in significant discussion. The motion to amend failed with 13 votes in favor and 37 opposed.
o The original motion to “end [on January 7, 2007] the policy governance experiment, adopting the Ministry and Governance model as our official underlying model for church operations” passed with 43 votes in favor, 5 opposed and 5 abstentions.
Thanks to the many members of the Congregation who contributed to this discussion and/or voted. Special thanks goes to Kate Connelly, Moderator, and Elizabeth Terry for ensuring a caring and open environment for this important discussion and vote.
FLOWERS
February 4 – In memory of my father. Arcenia Rosal.
February 11 – In loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Somers, Jr. Given by bequest of their son, William E. Somers, III.
February 25 – In memory of George de Benneville from the Weigley family
We are still in need of a donor for our February 18 service. If you are interested in donating flowers for a Sunday service, the cost is $45. Please contact Connie Mast at 215-496-0840.
BEACON BITS
Church Directory
The updated directory of church members and friends will be reprinted in the next week or so, and will be mailed to you. If you have any changes or updates to your directory information, send it to the church office ASAP. The directory will include names, addresses, phone and email, names of children of all current members and friends.
2007 UUA General Assembly
Interested in attending GA this summer in Portland Oregon? Let’s make sure First Unitarian Church is well represented. Please speak with Debby Schultz, schultzd@comcast.net, this month if you are interested. This will be her first GA and she’d be delighted to have you join her.
Parking at First Church
The Central Parking System has issued vouchers for parking at the Ambassador Garage (21st and Chestnut) on Sundays and weekday evenings for $5. Pick up vouchers from the ushers or by contacting the church office. Free parking is still permitted on the east side of 22nd Street from Walnut to Market Streets on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
First Church Needs You!
The annual Services Auction is our major fund-raising event. It's also a terrific way to meet and make new friends. It's also a marvelous source for your social calendar for the whole year. All this in one evening, from one big party!
The 2007 Auction (our 21st - we're of age!) is scheduled for Saturday, May 12. We have a silent auction, and during the evening a live auction as well. Attendees enjoy a Happy Hour, dinner and lots of socializing in addition to bidding on the many and various goods and services offered. Then we spend the rest of the year enjoying the items we bought and providing the services we donated.
We will need lots of helpful hands, before and during the Auction itself. We'll want coordinators for: Planning. Donations. Publicity. Catalogs. Decorations. Kitchen. Checkout. Etc.
How about one of these jobs? You'll find sign-up sheets starting the first of the new year, so you can join the happy crew producing the 21st Auction.
Got questions? Contact Phebe Shinn, at 215-382-1691, or pandgshinn@verizon.net.
All-Church Seder, March 30
Save the Date!
The UU Seder is an event for the whole congregation, with ritual and history, dinner and song. It is based on the ancient Jewish rite commemorating the exodus from Egypt and the release from slavery. It resonates not only with Jews and Christians (the Last Supper was a Seder meal) but with all who value freedom. Our updated service is UU-friendly and inspiring for all ages. There will be a fee (price dependent in part on number who plan to attend) as the main portion of the meal will be catered. And LOTS OF VOLUNTEER HELP is needed. So keep your eyes open for sign-up sheets and further information in the Order of Service. Also feel free to contact me with questions or if you can help organize this special First U. event: Dea Silbertrust, 610-667-5328 or dcsilbertrust@comcast.net.
Ministry and Governance Policy Change Highlights
At the January 16 meeting of the Board of Trustees, a preliminary discussion of seven potential areas for addition to the Governance and Ministry Policy Manual took place. Work on defining policy statements for five of these areas will begin with discussions between board members and key paid and volunteer staff. Your input is appreciated so please share your thoughts with the lead(s) of each of these areas.
o Communications: Web, Beacon and Publicity content, use of photos and directory information (Board Leads: Gerry Parchman and Mike Dorn)
o Rentals: Use of space by the Church and others, restrictions on types of rentals and use of assets such as musical instruments, treatment of tenants and renters, rental procedures, security, insurance (Board Leads: Virginia DeRolf and Shirley Steele)
o Safety: Initial focus on children leading to a broader focus on the congregation, property and general use of space (Board Lead: Debby Schultz)
o Ministry Leadership Team: Membership requirements, terms and approval of members (Lead: Rev Bill Metzger)
o Board Authority vs Responsibility for Minister’s Performance (Board Lead: Debby Schultz)
o Access: Scheduling of Congregational Meetings and other key church events; Safety (Future Work)
o Investments: Types of investments in terms of social responsibility, defining the annual “draw” percentage (Future work based on the current study underway by the Endowment Working Group)
Submitted by Debby Schultz
MINISTRY LEADERSHIP TEAM
Your Ministry Leadership Team last met on January 8. All members were present including: Rev. Bill and Dan Widyono (co-chairs), Connie Baker, Luana Goodwin, Carol Peterson, Phebe Shinn (members), Norman Fouhy, Christopher Barnard and Jansen Wendell (staff). The MLT is responsible for assisting the minister with assuring the healthy ongoing life of the church and meeting goals set by the Board and MLT for each program year. Each member of the MLT has oversight responsibility for assigned ministry teams and reports monthly on the activities of the various teams.
After hearing reports from the various ministry teams, group proceeded to other business. Prominent on the agenda at this meeting was a proposal by Jansen regarding summertime CRE. He was asked to gather further input from CRE parents regarding their interests. The need for a Personnel Committee was acknowledged and flagged for the Steering Committee. The process to be pursued with ministry team leaders to arrive at budget and an integrated plan for the next program year was discussed. A sub-committee will consider this further and the group will make decisions at the February meeting.
If you have proposals or concerns that you think should be brought to attention of the MLT, please contact Rev. Bill
Submitted by Luana Goodwin
BYLAWS COMMITTEE
At the January 7 Congregational Meeting, a question regarding the process for selecting the ByLaws Committee was raised. My response of suggesting the need for a congregational vote to reappoint the current ByLaws Committee was incorrect. As stated in the Governance and Ministry Policy Manual, the ByLaws Committee reports to the Congregation. However, I was mistaken in suggesting the need for a vote as there is no requirement in the current ByLaws or in the Governance and Ministry Policy for a congregational vote on the members of the ByLaws Committee.
Diane Frey and Dea Silbertrust will continue the good work which they began last year to streamline and bring the By-Laws up-to-date. Your input to them is important. Your awareness and understanding of their recommended changes is even more important as the congregation must vote on these ByLaw changes at the Annual Congregational Meeting in May.
Submitted by Debby Schultz
On January 7, 2007, the congregation voted to adopt policy governance as the on-going governance system for our church. Therefore, the bylaws need to be completely rewritten in order to reflect this change. What follows is a timeline for this process. Look for future announcements in the Order of Service and The Beacon for more information. For information, please contact myself or Diane Frey.
Now-2/20/07: Obtain samples of bylaws from
other UU churches who use policy
governance; other consultation;
write first draft of bylaws.
2/20/07: Meet with Board to get their input
on bylaws.
2/21-3/10/07: Continue working on first draft of
bylaws.
3/18/07 Draft of bylaws available to
congregation.
3/18-4/8/07: Period for comments and input on
bylaws from congregation
3/25/07: Congregational information meeting on
bylaws only
4/1/07: Second congregational information
meeting on bylaws and other topics
4/9-4/23/07: Last draft of bylaws finalized.
End of April: Final bylaws mailed to congregation
5/20/07: Annual congregational meeting, vote on
bylaws
Submitted by Dea Silbertrust
MINISTERIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE
When our committee started the search process last summer, the thought of actually selecting candidates seemed very far off. It is no surprise that time has flown by and we are now conducting the most exciting part of our search!
Last week, we selected four well qualified individuals to be our pre-candidates. Each accepted our invitation enthusiastically. All have expressed an acute interest in urban ministry and our historic church. We will now spend the next two months meeting these candidates in person, interviewing them and observing them at neutral pulpits. We are also looking forward to showing off our church and our wonderful city.
The search committee will meet again towards the end of March to make a difficult decision: Which of these stellar pre-candidates shall we choose to be our candidate? No doubt it will be a hard choice, but we are confident that the candidate we present to you will be the right person to energize our church and lead us to be the vibrant voice of liberal religious values in Philadelphia that we all want to be!
Submitted by Christine Carlson
Your Search Committee is All Ears!
We want to hear your ideas (and concerns) about our next settled minister in order to find the person who is the best possible match with our congregation. Members of the committee will be available in the SE corner of the sanctuary during coffee hour on February 11 and February 25.
MINISTRY FOR THE ARTS
Theater Discussion Group
If you are interested in participating in this Theater Series as a part of the new Ministry of the Arts, please sign up at the table in the rear of the sanctuary. You can also sign up or direct questions to Val Sandberg at valsand@earthlink.net .
Caroline, or Change March 8-April 8, 2007
ARDEN THEATER
The Life of Galileo April 11-May 13, 2007
WILMA THEATER
A House With No Walls
Join us February 10 to attend the 1:00 p.m. performance of A House With No Walls at the nearby Interact Theater, followed by a supper in Griffin Hall. Contact Luana Goodwin at lugoodwin@msn.com for more information.
A LETTER FROM FURNESS
The following are excerpts from the much fuller and more interesting narrative I told the children on Sunday, January 14. If you’d like to have the full text, please call or email me.
This typed letter is clearly a copy of a handwritten one. From the context, especially where the writer speaks of his excitement in hearing his “father’s name” among the exalted at the courthouse gathering, I am sure that the letter was written by Wm Henry Furness (jr) (1828-1867), not Wm Henry the father.
William Henry Furness the artist, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 21 May 1828; died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 4 March 1867, left school at the age of sixteen, and entered a counting house, but a year later devoted himself to art. After spending two years studying in Dusseldorf, Munich, Dresden, Venice, and Paris, he settled at first in Philadelphia, but afterward removed his studio to Boston, residing in Cambridge. (Virtual American Biographies)
Submitted by Anne Slater
Boston, April 12, 1851
Dear Father:
I have seen it out. The man Sims is gone.
…. it was determined .. to sit up at an antislavery office. They were rough Christians who were to do it but they were men who were earnest. The man who was appointed commander-in-chief or captain was a man named Kemp … [who] is a Romanist.
He is one of the 2 or 3 who were willing to die in any forcible attempt to resist the law…..
I then went to the courthouse & there were between 200 & 300 watchmen & police armed with clubs and cutlasses drilling. ….. I found all our party about [at] the courthouse….. Mr Parker, Dr Bowditch, Mr Wm F [sic] Channing [and others]
At a little before 5 o’clock a hollow square was formed by the police in front of the courthouse door & the prisoner was brought out to the center of it between two officers. His appearance was the signal for hisses, groans, & cries of “Shame” & “Coward” at the police & this was the only music they had all the way to the vessel but they had a constant flow of this. The vessel started almost the minute that he got on board and as it left the wharf, the Rev Mr Foster made a prayer after which we sang the missionary hymn & went up street singing Old Hundred.
…. I confess also (I am afraid I ought to be ashamed of it) to a feeling of pride that my father’s name was represented with the great names there……………
After I finished writing here last Sunday as I was going home to dinner Dr Bowditch overtook me. He said that he had been much impressed with the scene on Saturday morning. He said that it was a scene in History. ……
The country is said to be wide awake. I must say that if this Fugitive Slave Law is not repealed soon that there will be more danger of disunion that there ever has been. No stone has been left unturned, no legal means have been left untried to keep the man Syms here. It is said that he was a man who did not care much whether he returned or not. This cannot be true for before he left the courthouse a colored clergyman went in to see him & took his hand & he burst into tears. As he left the wharf he said “And this is Massachusetts liberty!”*
[signed WHF]
[*] this may be apocryphal: the same is attributed to Theodore Parker in another book I read.
YOUNG ADULTS PROGRAM
The first weekend in January, spurred on by a question to the list-serve if anyone wanted to catch a movie, we had twenty young adults attend either dinner or the movie “Blood Diamond”, or both (we lost six people leaving dinner on the way to the theatre, but gained six people at the theatre). We also had fourteen people go out for drinks afterwards at the Irish Pub, so it was a fun night all around. Our January happy hour was also a success, spanning two floors of the Good Dog Bar & Restaurant in Center City.
Our first Sunday Evening Worship service, an alternative worship service oriented to young adults, will have successfully been held by the time the Beacon comes out, and we are looking forward to many more successful services. Keep on eye out in the order of service for the February date for Sunday Evening Worship. We are also in the final stages of selecting a Young Adult Ministry Coordinator, an announcement on that front should be forthcoming soon!
We have exciting new activities on the horizon, like an intergenerational, all church games night for February and an intergenerational dance party for later in the spring. Lots of good things are happening.
Submitted by Seth Carrier
MEMBERSHIP MINISTRY TEAM
The Membership Ministry Team is launching a special project in February that we hope will result in more membership involvement as greeters, and an enhanced feel of welcome for visitors. Read more about this project, ConnectU, elsewhere in The Beacon, and plan to attend a session on Sunday, February 11 to learn more. Also read more in this issue about the organizers of ConnectU, Seth Carrier and Virginia De Rolf.
At the January meeting, the team went over the status of continuing projects that include Circle Dinner Groups, a reception for new and prospective members, plans for The NewUU class and for Orientation sessions, an updated Directory. Sharon Tomalin reported six circle groups have organized with more than 60 persons counting children. Anne Slater and Ginny Beier are editing the new Directory. Assignments were made to Karin Tetlow and Phyllis Belk to write profiles of new members for February Beacon. The list of formers members and friends whose names will be dropped from the next issue of the church directory was reviewed. The team considered samples of correspondence sent by the church office to visitors, to persons who have been absent for a length of time, and to persons moving away. The team still has concerns about coordination for Sunday morning hospitality, and for greeters and ushers. Sarah Smith is coordinating refreshments two Sundays a month.
A volunteer is needed to help her, and another volunteer to coordinate greeters and ushers.
The new member reception will be held in early March at the home of Mark and Carol Peterson.
The next meeting of the Membership Ministry Team is Tuesday, February 13, at 6 p.m. at the church. Anyone is welcome. Refreshments are served. The MT will discuss requirements for membership and recommend to the Board.
Submitted by Phyllis Belk
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