Our congregation's newsletter is called "The Church Mouse".
Here is the text version of the latest edition.
THE CHURCH MOUSE
June
2018
MINISTER'S
MESSAGE
A
perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing,
the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.
John
Dent
The
following is something I can do while relaxing in the sunshine
waiting for a lawn mower repair - if only in my head!
The
Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker served as President of Starr King School
for The Ministry in Berkeley, CA, from 1989 to June, 2014. She is an
ordained United Methodist minister in dual fellowship with the
Unitarian Universalist Association. Before assuming leadership of
Starr King School, she spent 10 years as a parish minister in the
Pacific Northwest and taught at the Northwest Theological Union in
Seattle. She has written and co-written several books which have
been gathering on my bookshelves. Oh, I’ve read passages here and
there, but my plan this summer is to read several from
cover-to-cover, so you will surely be hearing from Rebecca in the
year ahead!
The
following is from Blessing The World; what can save us now. I read
it sometimes when I am questioning my choices, my actions, my
involvements and my doubts, as it speaks to me about the direction of
my life. I make no comment, but share it with you as something to
think about when your lawn mower is waiting for repair.
CHOOSE
TO BLESS THE WORLD
Your
gifts
whatever
you discover them to be
can
be used to bless or curse the world.
The
mind’s power,
The strength of the hands,
The reaches of the heart,
the
gift of speaking, listening, imagining, seeing,
waiting.
Any
of these can serve to feed the hungry,
bind up wounds,
welcome the stranger,
praise what is sacred,
do the work of justice
or offer love.
Any
of these can draw down the prison door
hoard bread,
abandon the poor,
obscure what is holy,
comply with justice
or withhold love.
You
must answer this question:
What
will you do with your gifts?
Choose
to bless the world.
The
choice to bless the world is more than
an act of will,
a moving forward into the world
with
the intention to do good.
It
is an act of recognition,
a confession of surprise,
a grateful acknowledgment
that
in the midst of a broken world
unspeakable
beauty, grace and mystery abide.
There
is an embrace of kindness,
that
encompasses all life,
even
yours.
And
while there is injustice,
anesthetization, or evil
there
moves
a
holy disturbance,
a
benevolent rage,
a
revolutionary love
protesting,
urging, insisting
that
which is sacred will not be defiled.
Those
who bless the world live their life
as
a gesture of thanks
for
this beauty
and
this rage.
The
choice to bless the world
can
take you into solitude
to search for the sources
of power and grace;
native wisdom, healing and liberation.
More,
the choice will draw you into community,
the endeavor shared,
the heritage passed on,
the companionship of struggle,
the
importance of keeping faith,
the
life of ritual and praise,
the comfort of human friendship,
the company of earth,
its chorus of life
welcoming you.
None of us alone can save the world.
Together
- that is another possibility,
waiting.
U-U
Online
The
Unitarian Universalist Association has a lot of content online, some
of it created by authors some of us know. It's at www.uua.org
if you would like to see it for yourself.
First
Universalist Online
Your Orange U-U Congregation is online! Any website is a work-in-progress, but you are reading it.
Kitchen
“Stuff”
The volunteers who
re-organized our kitchen have found several “kitchen things”
(dishes, servers, and so on) which are not ours. If some of yours
have gone missing, stop by and see whether these belong in your
kitchen instead of ours.
It's
Picnic time!
Our annual picnic is on the last Sunday
of June, the 24th. Carlton and Janice Lanou have volunteered to host
the celebration again.
Ringing the bell on July 4th...
The gesture is part of a tradition in
honor of Concurrent Resolution 25 passed by Congress in June of 1963.
The resolution begins as follows:
“Whereas the tolling of the Liberty Bell of Independence Hall,
Philadelphia at 2 o’clock in the afternoon of the fourth day of
July, 1776, proclaimed the signing of the Declaration of
Independence; and whereas the adoption of this historic document
marked the birth of our country as a free and independent nation,”
Congress therefore proclaimed that at 2 p.m. (E.D.T.) the anniversary
be observed throughout the country with the ringing of bells, and
that civic and government leaders encourage public participation
within their communities.
David Star was a great help in upkeep
of our grounds and building and a soul very much in the spirit of
this congregation. Some of his ashes have been spread out front, and
we can say that his presence is always with us.
Again this summer, our doors will be
open from 10 to 11 on Sunday mornings. And, again, we need volunteers
to be here for that time. The
sign-up sheet
is beside the one for watering the plants. Which would fit together
very nicely...
JUNE
BIRTHDAYS
5
– Melinda (Rossi) Jones
Matthew
Herk
9
– Ruie Hall
13
– Marilyn Spooner
18
– Jean Hanlon – 101!
24
– Stephen Lanou
25
– Matthew Gibb
ANNIVERSARIES
11
– David and Leanne (Sanborn) Royal
22
– Brian and Genie (Gunn) Casey
25
– Kevin and Donna Sweeney
30
– Matthew and Rebecca (Hempel) Robinson
If you see any of these people out and
about, don't forget to offer congratulations! Or send a card if you
don't see them...
We are collecting non-perishable food
items for the Orange Food Pantry. The donation basket is in the hall,
and we hope to donate all it can hold several times each year.
To submit news or other information for
the Mouse (was a date wrong? Or missing?) call the church office and/or voicemail at
(978) 544-6501, send us a note at 31 North Main Street, Orange, MA
01364, or email Dave <ttandtboss@gmail.com>
and we'll publish it.
Or, if you prefer, we'll note it
for future reference but not publish it. Just let us know what you had in mind.
