February 2017

Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church 70 West Emerson Street, Melrose, MA 02176-3128

781-665-7504 office@melroseuu.org www.melroseuu.org

The Lightbearer

Reflections from Rev. Anita

“Love is as relentless as evil is heartless.” Rev. Dr. Kirk Jones

February is the month of Love. By mid- January the hearts and flowers were on display, lest we forget. And I’m okay with that. Being reminded to tell people they are loved is a

good thing. Being reminded to love them is even better. And, February is Black History month. How interesting that a nation with such a troubled story around race relations chose the month of love to consider the history of African Americans within our American story. Could it be that at some level, we have actually acknowledged that love is hard, and requires staying through uncomfortable situations and engaging in difficult conversations? We will be challenged as a nation in the years ahead to step into the difficult conversations that love requires. And who better to engage the initiative than the religious community that is committed to Standing on the Side of Love- we Unitarian Universalists. I think it is our time. Be encouraged, friends. Love is not always hard! Some conversations are exhilarating, mending, even bonding. We have all kinds of conversations planned for the month of February. House meetings! Yes, for you. Please come. We want 100% of the congregation engaged in conversation about who we are and where we want to go. You get to meet folks and hear what they have to say. You get to be heard. And we get a meaningful sounding about the identity and desires of MUUC- before you search for a minister. Be sure to find a house meeting for you! New Unitarian Universalist Discovery classes! We have so many friends of the church, and new and curious folks visiting us. And maybe some longer timers who still are not sure how the church works or who would like a better grasp of UU history, or how their spiritual journey fits into the UU community of faith. Join us for a three session explore and an invitation to engage. I am excited. (More info elsewhere in this issue.) These are interesting times. For our world, our country, and our church. Some wish it were not so. But for me, these interesting times, times of uncertainty and transition, are also incredibly rich opportunities to shape our future and make a difference, by speaking up, by listening compassionately, by casting vision and by signing on to be the change for which we dream. Sign on folks. It is our future, together. Yours in faith, in love and in courageous aspiration,

Rev. Anita

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Music Notes Tara Tresner-Kirsch, Music Director

“In today’s North American society, music has become largely com-mercially oriented toward perfor-mance by the few for the many. The deeper promise of music for all has been forgotten. Many people

who loved singing as children haven’t sung since. Others were designated “non-singers” by thought-less adults, and have carried this musical wound-ing all their lives. We believe singing is every-body’s birthright, and holds a key for the healing of the world.” - from “The Power of Group Singing” on the web-site of Community Choir Leadership Training (CCLT) I will be away for a couple Sundays coming up to travel to Victoria, British Columbia to attend a gathering I have been looking forward to for a long time. Every two years, graduates of the Communi-ty Choir Leadership Training Program (CCLT) in-cluding me, convene together for a week-long cel-ebration of community singing and to teach and learn from each other through workshops, presen-tation, and informal gatherings. CCLT is a highly-intensive two-week program that I attended in the October 2014 at the beginning of my second year here. It draws participants from around North America including many UU’s; in 2014, in a class of just a dozen people, I met UU’s who traveled from California, Indiana, and Sas-katchewan! The participants are also wide-ranging in backgrounds and musical careers, but all have taken what they learned into their communities to start new choirs, lead existing ones, or simply join friends or audiences informally in song. For me, participating in CCLT radically trans-formed how I think about music and music leader-ship. This trip, I look forward to learning from my peers. I also anticipate returning to you on Febru-ary 12th with fresh inspiration and a great breadth of new songs swirling in my head. See you then!

In Song,

Tara

Music Sunday: Planting Seeds

March 19, 2017 at 10:30 a.m.

Save the date for Music Sunday this year! Singers and instrumentalists of all ages will present a music-filled worship service centered around the idea of planting seeds both literal and metaphorical as the season turns from win-ter to spring. Children’s Choir will resume February 19th to beginning practicing singing “From the Seed in the Ground” by Connie Caldor for this year’s Music Sunday. Rehearsals are noon-12:20 in the Sanctuary. Big Thanks to Our MUUC Musicians! Thanks to everyone who is sharing and leading music on January 29th while I’m away: Alastair Moock, Paul Rutz, Marie Svoboda, our brass players (Austin Frakt, Dominic Thomas, John Pustell, and Tom Kurz) and everyone who sings in the choir! MUUC Music Calendar Every Week: Sunday 9:00 a.m. - Adult Choir (unless other-wise noted) All events are in the Sanctuary. Sunday, January 29

th

Tara away Choir sings “One Voice” led by members Alastair Moock accompanies February 5

th:

Tara away - No Morning Song or Choir February 19

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noon-12:20 - Children’s Choir February 26

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noon - Children’s Choir March 5

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9:30 a.m.- Morning Song, No Choir noon - Children’s Choir

We will be singing an upbeat Hallelujah song and will practice in the Sanctuary noon-12:20ish

Where are we on the Spiral of Life? And by now the congregation understands that life on earth was all about microbes-microbes-microbes for a long, long, long (long) time -- exponentially longer than our human existence. Last Sunday the Supper Room was all abuzz with excitement and engagement. In case you missed it, the 4th and 5th grade RE class presented an interactive Evolution of Life on Earth. This experiential presentation began with standing in line, being greeted and then welcomed by an alert, capable and friendly young guide. He took my hand and guided me to the center of the spiral -- the begin-ning of life on earth as we know it. What is most striking about this experience is that it corrects our perception that whatever is going on in the world right now, it is no more significant than other points of natural, species and human history throughout all time. It simply takes blurring our vision to behold the spiral. Interspersed throughout this rope spiral are watercolor paintings, by the children, representing the introduction of life forms into existence. The effect of walking the spiral is aptly a little dizzying, but not as disorienting as arriving at the end when the timeline of life is "now," which represents all of human history. Staggering. Humbling. Wondering. Changing our location is one of the most effective and simplest ways we can add perspective to our own sense of knowledge and aware-ness. Sometimes we know it's important to be on the ground, or in the field, to know what's really going on. And sometimes it's important to "get up on the balcony," so to speak, to see what a bird's eye view re-veals to us. These macro and micro locations are not mutually exclusive. Over the weekend, I did not miss the Women's Marches just because I was not physically present on the ground. As I sat beside my waning Dad and his grandchildren, we all took in the expanse of interconnected-ness. It was not about Boston. It was not about DC. It was not just about this country. Marching was happening in many, many places all over the world. What was most striking was to see images and footage of the marches where there were 3 people, or where the ratio of march-ers to residents was a majority in a small city, town, or village. Astound-ing. Statistics estimate between 3.5 and 4.5 million people around the world showed up to be counted on Saturday. How many more were there in the way they could be, who were not counted? as they worked? as they watched TV? as they couldn't risk to others they were watch-ing? I saw them. In congregational life and especially during a dedicated interim time, when every person intention-ally taking in all views from all vantage points is profoundly dynamic. When we do this, it becomes possible to know each other just by moving in their shoes. This is important to do. Otherwise, we contrib-ute our care and time to making decisions that are deeply well-intended yet based on the scope of our own experience. I am fascinated and dedicated to this process of learning how to look and listen to see how the whole of congregation life and community impact is a result of and much greater than the sum of its parts. Taking a tour of parts allows us to see small bits of magic, but magic nonetheless. On the journey with you, Anne

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Religious Education (RE) News

Anne Principe Interim Director of Religious Education 781-665-7504 DRE@melroseuu.org

A Special Meeting of the Church will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, in the Sanctuary after the service, to discuss a proposed change to the MUUC Bylaws. Article 3 – Membership Section 2. The current language is: A Voting Member of the Church is a Member who is entitled to vote at an Annual or Special Meet-ing of the Church (both hereafter collectively, “Special Meeting”). A Member is a Voting Member if they have made a recorded financial contribution within a period of twenty-four months preceding the Special Meeting and prior to that Special Meeting by at least four months. The proposed language: A Voting Member of the Church is a Member who is entitled to vote at an Annual or Special Meet-ing of the Church (both hereafter collectively, “Special Meeting”). A Member is a Voting Member if they have made a recorded financial contribution within a period of twenty-four months preceding the Special Meeting. Some background: We now offer classes each year for our new Members to learn about Unitarian Universalism and MUUC. The classes generally begin in January or February and end in March or April. After com-pleting the classes, our new Members will sign the book, and hopefully make their first financial contribution to MUUC, if they have not already done so. It is important for the new Members to be eligible to vote at our Annual Meeting. We have some important events coming up. In May 2017, at our Annual Meeting, we expect to be voting on a Search Team for a new Settled Minister. In May 2018, we hope to be voting on a Settled Minister Candidate. Currently, with the four month wait after the first financial contribution to the Church, the new Mem-bers would not be eligible to vote. This will be a discussion only. We will not be voting on the change at this Meeting. We plan on having the Special Meeting immediately after the Service. We will then have a short Coffee Hour followed by a Finance Forum in the Sanctuary.

Congregational Meeting and Finance Forum

Relying on Change Though it may seem hard to believe given our recent spate of wintry weather, spring will be here sooner than we know. While we don’t know exactly how it will unfold, we can rely on the change in season itself, and upon many of its features—buds that will once again dot the trees; flowers that will burst forth in reds, yellows, and blues; days that will grow long, and longer still. We too are on the cusp of our own new season at MUUC, as we search for our settled minister. We do not know exactly how the next eighteen months will unfold, but there are many things upon which we can rely, such as our community’s continued commitment to tolerance, justice, and com-passion for all. We also know that in order to ensure the long-term health of our endowment, we will be relying upon it less to support our budget, and relying more upon ourselves. To that end, we wanted to share a few important dates with you: Finance Forum, Sunday 2/26 – The forum will provide a YTD update on the current budget a

preliminary draft for next year’s. . to review where we are with this year's budget and preliminary draft for next year's budget plan.

Leadership Reception, Sunday, 3/5 – Church board and committee leaders will be invited to

an evening reception to learn about the upcoming pledge drive. Pledge Sunday, Sunday, 3/26 Pledges Due, Sunday, 4/9 No matter how you connect to MUUC—through the pulpit, from the choir, in a classroom, rallying around a cause—our support for our faith community and to each other is something upon which we can all rely as we continue on our path together.

Stewardship

From the Sanctuary

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Giving Beyond Our Wal l s Melrose Emergency Fund is the recipient of December’s Collections

Nine years ago the MUUC Board proposed an initiative titled "Giving Beyond Our Walls." By donating half of our non-pledge plate offerings, we have supported the work of many worthy causes in our greater community.

Community Legal Services and Counseling (CLSACC) is the recipient of February’s Collections CLSACC provides free civil legal assistance and affordable psychological counseling for people with low in-comes. Since their inception, they have been sustained by the commitment and dedication of volunteer law-yers and mental health professionals. Their services combat the effects of poverty and violence by helping clients and their children meet basic human needs for safety, income, health and housing. For more infor-mation or if you would like to donate to them directly: http://www.clsacc.org/

The recipients of the 2016-2017 Giving Beyond Our Walls Program are:

September– UUSC/UUA Refugee Crisis Fund February– Community Legal Services and October- Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV) Counseling November- Bread of Life March– Change is Simple December– Melrose Emergency Fund April– Homes For Our Troops Christmas Eve– Minister’s Discretionary Fund May– Immigrant Learning Center January- Housing Families June- UU Ministry Bethany House

Did you ever have to leave in the middle of worship? Sometimes you might find yourself needing to leave in the middle of wor-ship. It might be a coughing fit, or taking an urgent phone call, needing to use the restroom, or for comforting an unhappy little one. And then the need is over. The service is still going on, and you are out in the Parish Hall, feeling a little awkward about coming back in and maybe disturbing peo-ple. Worry no more! Be left out no more! We are beginning an experiment with closed circuit televising of the ser-vice, so that you will be able to watch and hear the service on a large high

definition screen mounted in the Parish Hall. Our first experiment with this was Christmas Eve. Folks who needed to leave in the middle of the service were able to enjoy the rest of it with clarity and comfort watching it on the big screen in the Parish Hall. It was well received. We may eventually tape the services for the purpose of reflection and learning to help us enhance the worship experience. Some day we might explore putting the taped services on the website for the homebound, or the UU curious to watch, but that is for the future. Right now, we are just creating a closed circuit system so that the worship service is more accessi-ble on site. One step at a time…

Our year of transition is entering a new phase! By now you should have received an invitation in the mail to attend a House Meeting hosted by a member of the congregation. Please let one of us on the Transition Team know if you have not received an invitation and we will make sure that you do. The House Meetings are an integral part of this interim year, as we determine who we are and where we’d like to go as a congregation. This process of “Setting Our Course” will put us in a better position to find a new settled minister and religious educator who can support our vision and priorities. We want to hear from everyone, so our goal is 100% participation. Your voice matters!

Your host will follow up to make sure you can attend, and if not, help you find another House Meet-ing that fits with your schedule. The meetings are structured conversations and discussions in re-sponse to a series of questions. Your host will be paired with a facilitator, another member of the congregation, to lead the discussions. After all the House Meetings have been held, we'll compile the results to determine a shared set of priorities or direction for our church. The Sr. Youth have been invited along with adults and our Interim DRE will lead discussions with the younger children.

Also, the Worship Service on January 29 will be led by the Transition Team. Our theme is "Why We Need Each Other." We look forward to sharing our reflections at this point in the journey, and hope you will join us!

The MUUC Transition Team

Mike Aldrich, David Bliss, Mary Beth Griscom, Rebecca Mooney & Dominic Thomas

By the end of January everyone who has made a pledge contribution to the church, or has placed a recognizable donation to MUUC in the plate, should have received a statement of their tax-deductible contributions for 2016. Cash in an envelope with your name on it will be recorded under your name. This is a good time to remind friends and members that loose cash placed in the plate is not identifi-able and is not counted towards voting qualifications. In fellowship, Mary Delahanty, MUUC Collector collector@melroseuu.org

Transition Team Update

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From the MUUC Collector

A Presidential Election? Embrace a Positive Campaign For Our Next UUA President

Just for a moment let’s think about three qualified candidates running for office and they all have strong positive messages. Yes, it can happen and this year we have three individuals seeking the office of Unitarian Universalist Association President. The President is the chief executive of the UUA and its public spokesperson. Reverend Peter Morales will be completing his term and we will have a new woman president since all three candidates are women – a first in the history of the UUA. The President will be elected at General Assembly to be held in New Orleans on June 21-25, 2017. Official delegates from congregations will be casting their votes at that meeting. The Presi-dent serves one six year term and is effective immediately upon the vote. Please click on the links to view the backgrounds and qualifications of the three candidates: Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray http://susanfrederickgray.com/ Rev. Alison Miller http://www.alisonforuuapresident.org/ Rev. Jeanne Pupke http://www.jeannepupke.com/ The candidates will be participating in a forum hosted by the New England Region at the Woburn Hilton on Friday evening, April 21, 2017 and moderated by Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti. There is no charge for attending and you may register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-england-regional-assembly-2017-registration-28581951386. The candidates forum is the kick off of the Re-gional Assembly “Awaken Your Spirit” which will be held April 21 and 22. The Assembly registra-tion is $125 and I will be sharing more information under separate cover. Please let me know if you plan to attend the forum or are interested in the Assembly. You will find more general information at these links: http://uua.org/ UUA http://www.uua.org/new-england NE Region

In fellowship, Nancy Nichols Denominational Affairs

Denominational Affairs Corner

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Women’s March January 21, 2017

MUUC Marchers heading into Boston!

Liz Foulser & Reverend Anita heading to Washington DC!

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Fellowship News

The Fellowship Committee and Anne Principe, interim DRE, invite you to our February social event -- the Birthday Bash, with a twist! Saturday, February 11, 2017 Kids-Only Pizza Party and House Meeting 5 - 7:00pm. children are welcome to this super fun time of pizza. Our Interim DRE, Anne Principe, along with Jr. and Sr. Yootes, will lead eating, creating, and playing activities in the Supper Room. This is the kid-only version of our House Meeting Campaign. RSVP to let Anne dre@melroseuu.org know if your child has any dietary/special needs. 7 - 8:00pm. all are invited to join the children in The Supper Room for our beloved Birthday Bash Celebration. What is a Birthday Bash? It is a time to celebrate that we were born! Twelve cakes and cans of frosting will be provided. Bring decorations that represent your birthday month (edible for the cake and non-edible for the table), and join others who were born in the same month for decorating fun! Hope to see you there!

The New UU Discovery Sundays, Feb. 19, March 5, March 19 at 12:00pm.

We are offering this three session course for folks who wish to explore Unitarian Universalism, are curious if it is the right fit for you and are interested in the possibility of membership, or for folks who just want to learn more about UUism. Designed for exploring your journey, we will learn about Unitarian Universalism, the historical, the contemporary and the practical (here at MUUC) and how it relates to your story. It will offer a chance for those new to the faith or to this congregation to get grounded, get your questions answered, and have some time with the minister, along with other folks who are interest-ed in the explore. In addition, if you are someone for whom such an opportunity was not available when you joined, or it was not offered when you could attend, please do consider this a personal invitation to join us. If you are interested please contact me, Mary Beth Griscom, Jane Foley through the church office. This is a great pathway to membership, and should you decide to join upon completion of the course, you will have the opportunity to share in our celebration and welcome of New Members at a worship service.. Hope to see you! Rev. Anita

Save the Date We welcome and encourage all women in our Congregation to join us on our Annual 2017 Women's Retreat. More details will be coming your way but in the meantime, please note the following: Date: Friday, April 28th - Sunday, April 30th (departure @ noon) Place: Craigville Retreat Center, Centerville (Cape Cod) - carpools arranged. Cost: $195. (see Rev. Anita for financial assistance, if needed) We welcome your input at any or all of our Retreat Planning meetings. If you'd like to be involved in a much valued mini project, we need someone to coordinate (or co-coordinate) our Annual Valentine chocolate fundraiser. A bit about the women that participant in the

retreat: some of us attend quite regularly, many

come intermittently and we're particularly

energized by first time attendees. There's a

delightful range of ages and church affiliation.

If you want to learn more, please contact anyone

on the Committee.

In Fellowship,

Co-Chairs: Beth Yourgrau and Cathy Sang

Kathy Foulser

Kathy Keleher

Rebecca Mooney

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Women’s Retreat

Our next dinner for Bread of Life is Friday, Feb-ruary 3, at the First Baptist Church in Main Street in Malden. Please contact Kathy Foulser (kfoulser@gmail.com) if you can help with: Food Shopping from 9:00-11:00am. Cooking at MUUC 1:00-4:00pm.

Final prep and serving 5:00-7:00pm.

Equal Exchange products will be available for sale during Coffee Hour on Sunday February 5. Our goal is to tempt you with Fair

Trade products that benefit the farmers, the UUSC and MUUC. If you have a request for our next sale you can reach us at equalexchange@melroseuu.org

Equal Exchange

Bread of Life

Help Hungry Kids: Donate a Vacation Food Box Imagine that instead of looking forward to school vacations, your children worried that they would be hungry all week. Families whose children receive free breakfast and lunch in school do not get that assistance during school vacations, and that stress is felt by both parents and children. Thanks to your generous donations of time and money in April 2015 and April 2016, MUUC provid-ed Vacation Food Boxes to families served by Bread of Life who were living in temporary housing in Melrose and Malden. Each box contained enough nutritious breakfast, lunch, and snack items for 2 children for 5 days, at a cost of $30. This year, we are doubling down on hunger! Our goal is to provide the vacation food boxes for both February and April vacations. With support from the Social Justice Committee, MUUC will col-lect funds, purchase food at volume discounts, compose the boxes, and distribute them in conjunc-tion with Bread of Life staff during the vacation weeks. For additional financial support, we will be reaching out to the wider community via the interfaith network, Melrose Patch, Mayor Dolan’s blog, GoFundMe, etc. Please consider sponsoring a Vacation Food Box for a family in need. Tax deductible donations may be made via GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/vacation-food-boxes-2017) or via check to MUUC. (Please write “Food Box” in your check’s memo line.) Volunteers will also be needed to help with shopping, filling the boxes, and delivering them. For more information, contact Kathy Foulser at kfoulser@gmail.com.

Social Justice

FOOD IN PARLOR The MUUC Property Committee wishes to communicate some carefully-considered guidelines on a most divisive topic among the Congregation: Food in the Parlor. We wish to welcome the use of food in the Parlor during relatively small, contained meetings such as those of church committees, covenant groups, etc. During those times, the people with the food will easily recognize any food or crumbs that fall on the furniture, carpet or floor and be responsible for its cleanup. Our desire is that the Parlor always remain clean and welcoming for the next group’s use and that the furnishings don’t deteriorate. After any such meeting, please ensure that the entire group takes responsibility for identifying and cleaning up any crumbs on the carpet or furniture. It’s important that liquid spills are addressed swiftly and completely when they occur. Spills of liquids and greasy or messy foods should also be reported promptly to the Church Administrator. Property will then be able to ensure they are cleaned thoroughly so the carpet and upholstery will remain in excellent condition for the long-term. The Property Committee asks that you do not bring food or drink into the Parlor during Coffee Hour after Sunday Service or during other large events. In those situations, it’s too difficult to monitor spills that may occur and ensure they will be cleaned up well before someone else uses the Parlor.

“FADS” COMMITTEE

There is a new Subcommittee of the Property Committee called the Furnishings, Aesthetics and

Decorations Subcommittee (FADS J) – This committee will meet infrequently, but will be charged with an ongoing inventory and review of the furniture and decorations in the church to ensure they meet any criteria of desirability the committee can actually agree upon. The FADS Subcommittee will also be charged with specifying and procuring such new or replacement items (without ongoing funding) and evaluating the suitability of potential donations of property to the church.

Property Committee News

Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church 70 West Emerson Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176-3128 Address Service Requested Please note: If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please let us know.

The Lightbearer Published monthly.

DATED MATERIAL

Spiral of Life Sunday,

January 22

The 4th-5th grade class presented the Evolution of Life on Earth in the Supper Room. Pictured is partici-pants walking the spiral as the students explain the mi-

raculous story.