VIRGINIA'S
VISION
Affirmation
of UU Principle #4:
"A
free and responsible search for truth and meaning."
Past
vision statements had to do with sharing our UU faith and principles with
others. This month I want to focus on a vision for our commitment to
ourselves: to encourage each member, friend, visitor to be actively engaged in
the spiritual quest to live a meaningful life.
In
Mitch Albom's biography Tuesdays With Morrie, the discussion list of
important things in life includes Death, Fear, Aging, Greed, Marriage, Family,
Society, Forgiveness, and A Meaningful Life. What would you change or add for
your own list?
Sunday,
Oct. 8, after our service and potluck, we will have an opportunity to put the
4th principle into practice. Tom Hallock will be leading us in what
he has dubbed "UU 101." [See
separate article for details]. Whether you are a new or longtime member, a
visitor, a friend, or a curious observer, you are encouraged to attend and
participate in this class as you pick up the pace of your spiritual journey
New
Member Orientation
On Sunday, October 8, after the church potluck there will
be a program that Tom Hallock, who is coordinating the program suggests we
call UU 101, or UU & You. It
will be an introduction to Unitarian-Universalism, the Valdosta congregation,
our principles and mission. Anyone is welcome to come, but visitors and new
members are particularly encouraged to attend. The class will last
approximately 2 hours.
R.E. Program
Youth R.E. The
Youth RE will be taking responsibility for conducting the November 19th
service. The topic that they have
selected is: “Star Wars: The
Spiritual Aspects of The Force.” If
any other young people are interested in assisting Jason and Genna with this
project please contact Ann Kasun, R. E. Director
Adult
R E. There
has been some interest expressed in beginning an adult discussion group on the
historical background of the Unitarian movement. If you are interested in participating in such a group or if
you have another topic that you would like to discuss please contact Ann
Kasun, R. E. Director, and she will try to
facilitate getting people with similar interests together.
Thank
You, Thank You
For delivering Break Bread Together meals: Virginia Branan
For
posting the newsletter to the website and maintaining the website:
Earl Daniels and Carol Stiles
For
arranging Valdosta Daily Times publicity in the Church Briefs column:
Dee Tait
For
a wonderful Labor Day weekend Party!!: Doug Fraser and Molly Scholz
For
providing copying for the newsletter and other church materials at his
office: Jim
Ingram
For
a Super Fall Clean-up at the church: Doug Fraser, William and Lea Atkinson, Bobbie Dixon, Ann
Kasun, and Dee Tait
Women’s Group
Join us for good food and great
company, the 1st and 3rd
Tuesday of
each month at 7:00 p.m. Bring a snack, ideas for discussion, or just yourself!
Contact Julie Halter for more information.
Social Action Activities
Break Bread Together
Our
date for meal deliveries with the Break Bread Together program is the 2nd
Monday of each month. If you can
deliver meals on this day beginning about 11:00 AM, please contact Virginia
Branan.
AIDS Quilt in Douglas
The Aids quilt will be in downtown Douglas, GA at the
Central Square Gym September 29-October 1.
The hours will be Friday and Saturday, 8AM-8PM, and Sunday, 11AM-4 PM.
If you would like more information call Ms. Lucie Bryant or the
Wellness Center.
Blood For Life Program
We
have been asked to encourage our members to donate blood on certain weeks this
year. Our next date is the week
of October 9-13. Some of our members are ineligible to donate for various
reasons. If you can this is a
worthwhile project and you might consider letting Red Cross know you are from
our church. The American Red Cross Donor Center is located on Bemiss Road,
south of the intersection with Northside Drive and is open 11:30 AM-7:00 PM
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and 8:00 AM-3:30 PM Wednesday and Friday.
Call to make an appointment at 259-7255.
Give the Gift of Life.
Ryan
White Consortium
Would you consider being the
Ryan White Consortium Representative for our church? It is a great opportunity to join with the health care
community and representatives from other churches to address issues of
HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and service in our community.
The consortium meets about every three months on a weekday morning.
Please contact Diane Holliman, if you are interested in participating
in this community organization.
Laurel Hahlen Reports on Vigil August 29-30:
Several
members of our church participated in a vigil and march
calling attention to issues of domestic violence which was sponsored by
a newly formed group in our community, Citizens Alliance for Social Equality
(CASE). The vigil started at the
Lowndes County Jail with an hour-long program featuring music (Doug and Molly
were among the performers) and speakers and then moved to the Courthouse for
an all night vigil. Laurel says,
everyone worked so hard and it seems to have impacted and unified our
community in unexpected ways. It was definitely a success. The entire
event was powerful and I feel especially thankful for being allowed to say
victims' names. When seeing for the first time those names that only days ago
were three beautiful people, full of life, now reduced to voiceless ghosts on
a piece of paper, I was forced to realize, more so, how real and tragic
domestic violence is. How we can't let our community, our justice system,
continue to look the other way, absolving abuse and even daring to equate it
with love. Ann Kasun and her
daughters, and Viki Soady and her daughters also participated reading names
and lighting candles. Several others in our church participated in the march.
UUs Will Parade
The board
voted to participate for the second year in the community Christmas Parade.
Albert Slone has our float from last year, which celebrated diversity with
symbols from all of the major religions painted on the sides. UUs rode on the
float and one member even ran alongside to distribute treats to the children
at street side. (I'm sure René would welcome co-runners this year!) Let
Albert or Virginia know if you can participate. The parade is scheduled for
5:00 PM Saturday, December 2.
Book Discussion/Potluck
The Book Discussion Group gets a "New Style"
for the fall. Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 15 at 7 PM as we put a
"trim" and new spin on our usual book discussion. After our potluck
dinner, we'll be engaged in a Readers' Theater rendition of F. Scott
Fitzgerald's short story, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair." Copies will be
available, or if you want a headstart, look in your anthologies or check it
out from the library. Plenty of discussion is sure to follow as we revisit and
update some of the issues for the 21st century. We'll see you at Joan Cline's
home. Phone Joan or ask at church for directions. Visitors, guests and members
are all welcome to join in this fun evening.
UU Coffeehouse Returning!
Molly & Doug are planning a CoffeeHouse evening
for November 4. René Kerr has volunteered to organize the menu and service
for this popular fundraiser. Mark
your calendar and help when asked.
Games
Night!
Bring
$1.00, a dish, and your favorite game to the church on Saturday, October 7 at
7:00 PM. Call René
Kerr or Julie Halter if you need further
information.
Welcome
New Members!
This past month we welcomed four new
members and one returning member to our church.
A special welcome to Marcia Bauer, Courtney Kasun, Debi Davis, Charles
Green, and Charles Duff.
Marcia is a returning member and you
have recently learned about her in an article this summer in the newsletter.
She will be sharing some more about her life this month during a Sunday
service.
During the next several newsletters
you’ll get an opportunity to learn more about others of our new members.
“Its
not where you come from but what we become.”
Debi Davis
Debi
Davis shared these thoughts about herself during the new member welcome
service. “When thinking
about writing this paragraph about myself I realized that there was much that
could be said but very little of real importance is the overall picture. I am
an open minded and highly creative person who believes that all laws both
religious and secular could be broken down into a two-word statement, “Harm
None” (the actual quote is the Wiccan rede of “"An it harm none, do
what thou will.”). The best compliment
ever paid to me was from my son and he was unaware of the complement at the
time. We were in a bookstore in the New Age Section looking over the shelves
and a friend of his came up and started a conversation. He looked at me and
asked my son if I was pagan and my son glanced back at me and said,” Well,
maybe, you see she’s so many things.” That is how I like to think of
myself and that is how I want to be remembered.”
Charles M.
Green, Jr .is
a Staff Architect with the Ingram Parris Group, Jim Ingram’s firm.
He says he had heard about Jim’s church at the office, but first
visited when the office Christmas party was held at Jim’s church last year.
He was impressed with the building and other things he saw and decided
to come back for a service and has kept coming back.
We welcome him as a new member.
Charles
is a graduate of Waycross High School, and the Hubert B. Owens’ School of
Environmental Design at the University of Georgia.
He is active in the Valdosta Sunrise Rotary Club as club Secretary. He drew praise in February of this year for co-chairing his
club’s charity golf tournament raising $7,500 for the Breast Cancer Survivor
group at South Georgia Medical Center. He is also active in a leadership role
with the Georgia American Institute of Architecture (AIA), presiding on the
State Council 1997-1999, comprised of the eight regional AIA Chapter
Presidents in Georgia. He is one of only a dozen of the 125,000 Architects in
the nation to also hold registration as a Landscape Architect, and be a Member
of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
He
is proud of his design of the Award Winning renovations of the Dosta Playhouse
(1995) in downtown Valdosta. In October of the same year, he received the
governors’ Individual Award from the Department of Industry, Trade and
Tourism’s Main Street Program as the most outstanding volunteer in Georgia.
He also participated in several other downtown projects. His earlier design of
the four block long Downtown Park was recently approved by the City Council,
and is to be built in the Winter of 2000. The park parallels Savannah Avenue
and will add 242 new parking spaces adjacent to the central business district.
From 1971 to 1980 he helped plan and construct 23 golf-oriented communities in
four southeastern states. The first of which was the Lake Francis Golf Course.
UUA News: We’ve just received two
certificates from the UUA extending appreciation to our congregation as an
Honor Society for fully paying its 1999-2000 Annual Program Fund obligation.
We also received a certificate honoring us as a Merit society for
1999-2000 for giving at least 20% more in 1999-2000 than the previous year.
New members may be interested to know that our congregation contributes
annually to this UUA fund an amount which is based on our membership each
year. We pay similar dues to the UUA Florida District.
Georgia’s
Character Education Law
This new law requires character education to be taught in
all school districts beginning this school year.
The law identifies 27 character traits to be taught, including honesty,
punctuality, fairness and tolerance. It
also requires that students must be taught to have "respect for the
creator." An educator friend
in another county tells your editor that her county is teaching a word a week.
How is this law being handled in Lowndes County and Valdosta?
People For the American Way Foundation and the Atlanta
law firm of Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore, LLP, recently asked Georgia
Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker to inform the State Department of Education
that teaching students to have "respect for the creator" and
displaying posters laden with religious messages as part of such instruction
runs afoul of the First Amendment. PFAWF
and the Atlanta attorneys asked for a formal legal opinion concerning the
constitutionality of the new Georgia law with regard to its requirement that
students be taught to have "respect for the creator" in order to be
of good character.
Ralph G. Neas, president of People For the American Way
Foundation, has been quoted as saying: "There is nothing wrong with
character education per se. Students
can certainly be taught the importance of honesty, punctuality and tolerance.
But it is improper and unconstitutional for the state to teach students
to have a religious belief. The
Georgia Attorney General should inform the Department of Education that
character education cannot include teaching students to have 'respect for the
creator.' "
Action on this law had been prompted by the announcement
of plans by the Lumpkin County School Board, as directed by Georgia law, to
begin teaching "respect for the creator" in September and to display
throughout the school system posters prominently bearing the message "In
God We Trust" and other religious messages as part of the instruction.
Heeding the advice of its counsel, the Lumpkin County School Board asked the
State Department of Education to seek an official opinion from Attorney
General Baker as to the constitutionality of its plans.
Such issues raise conflicting thoughts among thoughtful
religious people. Readers of this
newsletter probably would agree that all of us, and perhaps most especially
our children, need and should have values education.
Often today’s world seems to be too founded on me-ism and lack of
respect for others. Many of the
problems in today's world are at bottom issues of tolerance and respect for
difference. On the other hand we
live in a country which values to the point of protection by law, religious
freedom. Historically we have
said the church and home, not the public schools, is the place for teaching
religion. And yet “In God
We Trust” appears on out nation’s coinage.
Your Editor along with quotes from the newsmedia.
Treasurer’s
Report
August Budget
Outstanding Debts:
Mortgage: $42441.18
UUA:
$ 1190.00
FL. Dist:
$ 510.00
$44141.18
Savings: $2500.00
Income:
Pledge:
$827.31
Plate: $86.00
Fundraising:
$16.50
Rent: $340.00
$1269.81
Expenses:
Mortgage:
$700.00
Maintenance:
$ 17.31
Utilities:
$150.61
UUA: $238.00
$1105.92
Your Treasurer, René Kerr
At the Church-in-the-Woods:
Gay-Straight
Network -second Wednesday each month for
a potluck social, 7:00 PM.
Cardio Karate - Tuesdays
and Fridays, 7:00 - 8:15 PM. Call
Albert and Delane Slone.
Tai Chi - Monday
and Thursday evenings, A
Senior Citizens class will start in September through continuing Education at
VSU. Contact Vicki English.
Did You Know? The
first organized UU Church was that of John Murray in Gloucester, MA in 1779.
It was a Universalist Church and called the Independent Christian
Church. Kings Chapel in Boston,
MA, the first Church of England congregation in New England, adopted
Unitarian principles when it revised its prayer book in 1785.
Joseph Priestly organized the first church in America to be
designated as a Unitarian Church in 1796
in Philadelphia. Priestly
discovered oxygen when still living in England and was also responsible for
the beginnings of the American Chemical Society after he moved to “the
colonies.”
UU
Activities and Announcements
Further information is posted on the bulletin board at the
church.
October 6-8 OWL Training (Junior High), Ovieda, FL(Canterbury Retreat
Center).
October 8-11 Paddling in the Fall Colors, The Mountain in NC.
October 13-15 YRUU All Age Con in Orlando, FL.
October 20-21 Jesus Seminar at the Unitarian Universalist Church of
Pensacola, FL. Pre-registration
is required. Cost:$50.00. For
more information call 877-523-3545.
October 20-22 Young Adult “Get Away” Con, Tallahassee, FL.
November 4 Northeast Cluster Picnic, Juniper Springs near Ocala, FL,
10AM-3PM.
November 5-11 Florida Leadership School at Canterbury Retreat Center,
Oviedo, FL.
November 18 Florida District Board meeting at River of Grass UU Church
in Sunrise, FL.
December 26-January 1 SWIM in Miami.
Other
activities of interest:
Now-January
14 "Intimate Rituals and Personal Devotions: Spiritual Art through the
Ages" display in the Harn Museum of Art in Gainesville, FL.
Newsletter Staff
Editor: Betty Derrick
Production: Virginia
Branan
Membership database: Doug
Fraser
Website: Carol
Stiles and Earl Daniels
October 15, deadline for the November issue.
Pledging
Our Time
More
than a dozen folks have signed up for various service tasks at our church.
Thank you! We still need
volunteers to:
> Clean bathrooms in R. E. Building weekly
> Coordinate Break Bread
> Coordinate Book Discussion
> Historian(scrapbook and records)
The
Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in
Highlands, NC is trying to complete several building projects by the end of
November. Financial contributions
as well as volunteer help would both be appreciated. See the bulletin board in the R.E.Building for specific work
that is being done.
