I searched the UUA website and found that we are not the only congregation who struggles with how to negotiate a time honored tradition.

Done well, they show that we’re a caring and reverent religious community. Done poorly, they embarrass us. Joys and Sorrows, or Joys and Concerns, our Sunday morning sharing of the highs and lows of our lives, can be a rich and rewarding experience that builds community. Or it can start the week on a sour note as speakers take off on political and commercial tangents, give too much vacation detail, and share their weight-loss successes.

The article continues  If done well, joys and concerns can serve as the UU equivalent of what more liturgical traditions call ‘the prayers of the people,’” says Rev. John Buehrens, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) president. “The problem is that we have little sense of liturgy – a word that just means ‘the work of the people’ – little sense of how worship needs to have a shape and tone that is reverent rather than self-indulgent.

I am not suggesting that we change where in the service it falls. I am not asking that it all be written before hand, which many churches have started to do. Is there a way we can make the symbolism more reverent? I truly appreciate Reverend Gowdy and her way of hearing and reframing in a responsive closing. Many churches have a candle lit as each one shares, some keep it to one sentence, or perhaps have a standard prelude everyone needs to read “Today we are grateful for many things. Here in community we call them to mind and speak aloud some of the things that bring us joy. ‘My daughter’s graduation…Our wedding anniversary…etc.’ “Today we have concerns and prayers for loved ones and friends. For Christine’s operation.. .For Ed’s loss of his mother…”

There is a Buddhist story of  a king who had six blind men gathered together to examine an elephant. When the blind men had each felt a part of the elephant, the king went to each of them and said to each: “Well, blind man, have you seen the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?”.

Perhaps we need to understand what our Elephant is not just from our own point of view, but the benefit of all.  

Respectfully submitted,
Terrill M Ploss                
President

Please sign up in the Social Hall, for any time you are available to organize, tag and clean up
Thank you Terrill and Sue

New Curriculum Started for 1st through 6th Grades

An expanded Three Cups of Tea curriculum has been started in February and will continue through May.  Teachers Donna Piaggi and Sue Langman will follow and develop the story of Greg Mortenson’s amazing journey over the past 20 years to build schools and thus, create peace, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The children will look at the geography, history, culture, religion and Greg’s personal story to understand more fully the diverse peoples who live in the remote areas of these two countries.  They will be inspired by Greg’s story and the collective peace and social justice opportunities that are presented as well as be moved to take action as individuals.

Their study hopefully will lead to understanding, empathy, and action, a beautiful fit with our UU values.  Thanks to Adelle Michaud who used her personal connections to Greg’s non profit institute to obtain the young reader’s version of Three Cups of Tea.

• Name and address
• Account Name, e.g. Brown family or just your name
• Email address
• Password specific for this site, must be five characters or more.
• Type in the password a second time to confirm

You can either have the setting saved on the computer from which you registered, or blank that out. The same with getting emails from Catalog Choice, and getting email notifications when a retailer acknowledges your request.
Then click on “Submit” to sign up.

You probably have to log in after you have registered.  Once logged in, go to Find Catalog. The catalogs are listed alphabetically, so you should click on the first letter of the catalog you want to stop, and all those beginning on that letter will show up.  If the second letter is at the end of the alphabet, skip to one of the later numbers on the bottom of the screen in order to find it.

When you have found your catalog, click on it and provide as much of the information requested as you can, i.e.

• Name as it appears on the address label
• Customer number (or click “not available”)
• Source or key code (or click “not available”)

You can then click on the reason for wanting to stop, or just leave it as “prefer not to answer”
Then click “Submit”  and you’re done!

Too complicated or you would like help?  I’ll be glad to help you.  Let me know and we can do it from the office some day before or after the service!  Bring the cover page of the catalog you want to stop that has your address and other info. And be sure you know your email address!! I’m going to be away from March17 through the 31st, so pick a date & time when I’m here.
Elske Smith, for Green Sanctuary Committee

First Prize Winner will be published on the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society website, may be published in the Journal of Unitarian Universalist History, will receive a one year membership in the Society and special book prizes, including an autographed copy of Mark Harris’ Historical Dictionary of Unitarian Universalism.

Second Prize and any additional Honorees will be mentioned in our Newsletter, may be published on the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society website, and will receive a one year membership in the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society.

Submitted essays become the publishable property of the Society. Entries which are published may be edited, excerpted, and posted in electronic media as well as printed.

Contact Sue Langman for additional information and specifics.

Meditative Study is held on Sunday evenings:

March 7: Choosing the next book to study for the Sunday night Meditative Study: If you are interested in joining the Sunday night meditative study, what text or book would you be particularly interested in reading together? Please email back any suggestions. Some current ideas are:

• The Vimalakirti Sutra (Vimalakirti is known as the first Buddhist lay teacher)
• The 4 Noble Truths by Kyabje Dalai Lama
• Roaring Silence by Nagk Chang Rinpoche
• The Tibetan Book of Living and Dieing by Sogyal Rinpoche

March 11: Lama Tsondru Sangpo: Contentment, The Most Precious Treasure in Human Life. Born in Tibet and fully trained to teach in the Nyingma Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Lama Tsondru also is a renowned wall-hanging painter with a Thanka painting monastery school in India.

April  8: Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo. Born in Tibet, she is a long time Dharma practitioner, Director of Zang Zung Medical College, and a Tibetan Medical doctor.

April 10: (Saturday) 2 benefits (413-358-2626 for information): Tibetan medical consultations with Dr. Wangmo for the Zang Zung Medical College  Acupuncture sessions with Ryan Less–for Lama Dawa Rinpoche’s center in Ohio.