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INTERCOM
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The
Unitarian
Universalist Church of the North Hills
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Carol
Meyer
Minister
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July
15, 2007
Volume XLVI, No. 12
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Carol
Ballance,
Board President
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Dawn FitzGerald-Swidal,
Editor, email
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CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Carol Meyer,
Minister:
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10:30 - 12:30pm, Thursday; Any other
time by appointment
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Greta
Porter, DRE:
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T, TH: 10:00
am -
Noon |
Sheila
McCall,
Secretary:
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9:00 - noon, Monday
through Friday |
Website:
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www.uucnh.org,
contact the website manager
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Dear Friends at
UUCNH,
Are you ready for dust, disruption and general upheaval for about 3
months? After all our work of the last years - architects
drawings, congregational meetings and fund raising - we are actually
ready to start construction. I don't know about all of you, but
I’m so excited that I can hardly stand myself.
We, the committee, are in the final stages with the architect and
builder - Final construction drawings, contracts with the architect and
contractor, and then final construction estimates by the
contractor. The contractor knows that we will remain fully
functional during construction. But there will be inconveniences,
which can't be helped. Keep in mind that they are
temporary.
Chuck Berry and Susie Wood are working to coordinate moving and storage
before and during construction.
Caroline Hrach and Tom May will be our contacts between the builder and
the congregation and professional staff.
Pending completion of all the contracts, the contractor is prepared to
start work on July 23.
What an exciting time to be a member of UUCNH! Let's give
ourselves a collective pat on the back. And once again a huge
thank you to all the committee members for their amazing work.
Dorinda Depp, Chair,
Facilities Planning Committee
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 CAROL’S COLUMN:
THE POWER OF GREEN
Perhaps 200 people weathered torrential rains associated with a severe
thunderstorm to attend the public talk at UUCNH given last month by
American Zen Buddhist teacher Cheri Huber. It was a wonderful and
fun evening, wisdom and laughter co-mingling to create a typically
Cheri learning experience.
I had spent the day at Kearns Spirituality Center with other volunteers
and two monks from The Zen Monastery in Murphys, CA helping to prepare
for the retreat scheduled to begin the following day. It was a
day of practicing awareness in the silence of the "privileged
environment" that prevails at the monastery itself.
Translation: I tried to keep my attention focused on
present-moment awareness as I washed fruit, peeled and chopped and
sliced and diced and prepared fresh ingredients for the delicious
recipes that the monk who serves as "cook" was planning to make for the
30-something retreatants needing to be fed for the next 3.5 days.
As always, my attention wandered while I worked on whatever task the
cook asked me to do. Remembrances of my time at the monastery
last year came calling. As I diced 16 cups of fresh tomatoes, my
mind also offered up a rich variety of futuristic things to think
about--everything from what I needed to pack for the retreat and do at
church to set up for Cheri's talk to what I might like to do during my
retirement years. How the mind/ego does love to call us away from
now! It’s like a waitress with a dessert cart persistently
offering up a bevy of delectable and irresistible goodies. From
time to time I would catch myself wandering, and call myself back to
the present moment, to awareness of my breath, of what I was seeing and
hearing and feeling and smelling and touching and doing, to the now
where every moment truly is perfect and all is well. And then I'd
be off again on the wings of thought, creating endless opportunities
for myself to experience the truth of wisdom often repeated at the
monastery: "The quality of your life depends on the focus of your
attention."
At the workshop on day one of the retreat, monk David offered the
following suggestion to help us focus our attention on our breath, on
present-moment awareness as we went through our day. "Every time
you see the color green, come back to your breath. Let green be
your reminder to place your attention on your field of awareness."
What a brilliant reminder! Green was everywhere I looked, both
outside and inside. The retreat center's walls and rugs were
green. People were wearing green. I was wearing green
sneakers. Green food was served at every meal. It seemed my
eyes could not be open without spotting the color green--at least at
this time of year. And every spotting reminded me to call myself
gently back--to my breath, to now, to paying attention to my field of
awareness in the moment. As I did so, again and yet again, my
spirits soared. My happiness expanded. I developed a whole
new appreciation for the power of green in spiritual life.
On day two, monk David suggested using a piece of masking tape as our
reminder, coming back to the breath and smiling every time we noticed
it. People made rings and bracelets and necklaces out of masking
tape, placed it on their shoes and clothing, eyeglasses and
noses. I put it around my thumb, but found myself still way more
focused on noticing the omnipresent color green. See green;
notice my breath; come back to now; smile. Green as an invitation
to smile makes for a lot of smiling, I quickly noticed.
On day three, monk David suggested practicing with gratitude.
Every time you notice your reminder, return to your breath and say
"thank you," either aloud (if no one else is within hearing range) or
to yourself. Another wonderfully uplifting practice, I quickly
discovered. Green as an invitation to say thank you makes for
feeling a whole lot of gratitude, which immediately improves our
quality of life.
So, while green yet abounds this summer, I offer you the suggestions
offered at our retreat. Let green be your cue to return to your
breath and present-moment awareness, to smile, to say thank you, to
take a mini-break from thinking and notice how doing so impacts your
spirits and quality of life.
August 5-15, I’ll be away enjoying the ocean at Rehoboth and Dewey
Beach, Delaware. Think I’ll switch from the color green to sand
or water that week…
Gassho,
Carol
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REV. CAROL’S ANNUAL LEAVE
This summer, Carol’s annual leave is through August 22. So please
feel invited to email or call her at home as needed.
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* NOTE ON SUMMER
SERVICE HOURS*
Starting with the July 1st Sunday Service, UUCNH will be observing our
usual Summer service times. Services will start at 10:00am
through August and possibly Labor Day.
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August
5:
"Keeping Faith"
Reverend Cliff Foster
The Hill District is a
community with a culturally rich heritage but struggles now with
poverty, drugs and violent crime. Come hear Reverend Cliff Foster
talk about Central Outreach Ministry and the chronic drug users they
help. Reverend Foster is highly respected by neighborhood leaders
and also by the community of providers dealing with addiction and the
AIDS epidemic in the African American community.
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August 12:
"Don't Blame the Devil"
Tony Palermo
Evil is real. A
30 second glimpse of the evening news reminds us of the awfulness that
visits the Earth every day. But after we've finished with the
prerequisite outrage, we're left with the very human question,
Why? What is wrong with this species? In a landmark book, Evil: Inside Human Violence &
Cruelty, Case Western professor Roy Baumeister, suggests that
Pure Evil is a myth, that Evil's true basis is situational, and, most
surprisingly, that Evil is in the eyes of the Beholder. We'll
discuss these concepts along with the roots of Evil, how it begins
& grows and why the Innocent Bystander isn't always so innocent.
Tony Palermo first visited UUCNH in 1990 and never left. He
served 4 years as Sunday Services chair, has taught RE, 4th thru Youth
Group, for 11 years and has led the Jesus Discussion Group since 1992
and the PSI Group since 1995. Tony's been a PPG Industries
research chemist for over 38 years, and lives with Pat, his wonderful
wife since 1969. They have two great offspring, Lynne, who with
Bob Stalnaker put together their first grandchild, Aiden; and Dave, who
married Wendy in UUCNH just a few months ago.
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August 19
"We Must Be the Peace We Wish to See"
The Mountain Quartet
Through music and
reflections, humor and a sense of the sacred, The Mountain Quartet will
give voice to their passion around the inherent possibility within each
of us to be instruments of Peace. Inspired by Gandhi's famous
"you must be the change you wish to see in the world," this service is
meant to inspire, motivate and energize participants to work for peace
and justice each and every day.
In the early 1990's The Mountain Quartet began as a vehicle for four
colleagues to share a mutual love of singing. But it soon became
apparent that their music was a meaningful way for them to convey their
convictions - and inspire others to explore their own.
Quartet members Ian & Shelly Denham, Jane & Tom Warth, have all
served on staff of The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Inc.,
Highlands, NC, since 1989 and 1990, respectively. Shelley Jackson
Denham currently serves as Director of Program & New Initiatives at
The Mountain. She has four tunes and five texts in "Singing
the Living Tradition" hymnbook of the Unitarian Universalist
Association, and a number of published songs and anthems (including the
recently released Hymnbook Supplement, the UU Musicians Network
Children’s Songbook, etc). Jane Warth is part of the Technical
Applications Group and, in that capacity, manages all information
systems for The Mountain. Ian Denham is
Facilities Director at The Mountain, which includes coordination of
construction projects, and technical engineering required for the
management of the waste and water treatment systems.
Tom Warth is President and Chief Executive Officer
of The Mountain and is responsible for overall strategic vision and
planning, development and resource acquisition.
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| August 26
"Learning to Fall"
Rev. Peggy
C. Clason
Minister Emerita, UU Society of Cleveland
Sometimes
the difficult times in life bring us
tremendous learnings and moments of amazing grace.
This
service draws from a book by Unitarian Universalist Philip Simmons, a
professor who at the age of 35 was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's
disease. But if you think this means self-pity, a depressing
read, think again. Simmons' two fundamental sources are humor and
religious language. His eye for nature reminds me of Henry David
Thoreau.
Reverend Clason was
raised Universalist in Hartford, CT. She served as DRE at the
East Shore UU Church in Mentor, OH and as District RE Consultant.
She retired from 17 years of ministry at the UU Society of Cleveland in
2005. She is married to Don; and they have two grown children and
3 lively grandchildren.
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The
Ballance Sheet
I had a great experience going to General Assembly (GA), the annual
national gathering of Unitarian Universalists. Imagine attending
a worship service with 5700 other UU's! Imagine spending 5 days
talking about common concerns with people who share the same
values. It's really overwhelming and uplifting. I had never
gone before but I am sure I'll go again.
I attended all the workshops I could that related to growth. The
denomination as a whole is committed to growth. The UUA has been
field testing marketing in four areas around the country and they have
some strategies they know will work. As this marketing spreads
outward we will get more visitors. We need to be ready to welcome
them.
Think about what it would be like to visit our church. As you
arrive in the parking lot is there an obvious place to park? Some
visitors turn around and leave before they ever get in the
building. Keep the entrance to the parking lot open; try to leave
a few spaces near the steps open so folks see there is a spot. We
know there's plenty of overflow parking beyond the recycling bin but it
isn't obvious to visitors.
As you enter the building are you greeted? Can you figure
out where to hang your coat, get a drink and go to the bathroom?
Where is the service held? I think our formal greeters handle
this pretty well. Greeters catch most newcomers and get them a
nametag and answer any questions they have. Most visitors today
have checked us out on the web and have some idea of what UU's stand
for, so having an elevator speech is probably not a critical
factor. People want to see a reflection of themselves; they are
looking for community. They had to be pretty brave, and
motivated, to walk into a totally new environment.
According to what I learned at GA the critical time is after the
service. Now they want to know if they fit in here.
Generally they are looking for someone like themselves; young families
are looking for other young families, retirees for other retirees and
so on. The key here is that when you see someone you need to talk
to them, find out why they came and whom they need to meet. Ask
general, open-ended questions. We are all responsible for
welcoming and helping the visitor find where they can fit in. The
social time after the service is very important, most visitors decide
in the 10 minutes after the service if they have found their
church! (This is not a good time to conduct business.)
We have a plaque that says proclaims that we are a "Welcoming
Congregation". Let all of us truly welcome all who come through
our doors.
In fellowship,
Carol Ballance
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AUGUST COFFEE HOUR HOSTS
Aug 5 -- Carolyn and Paul Hrach
Aug. 12 -- Pam and Jim Weaver and Family
Aug. 19 -- Bill and Donna Moul
Aug. 26 -- Bill and Nancy Kimpel
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Choose Your Coffee Hour!
For the past two years, the hosts for coffee hour have been assigned to
ensure we have food and drink for our time together after
service. If you would like to choose which Sunday you host or
which household you partner with, sign up on the yellow coffee cup sign
hanging in Friendship Hall. We need two households per Sunday,
except during the summer months, when we need only one. If
everyone does his/her part, it works out to less than one Sunday per
year for each household.
Coffee hour is a vital part of our church. It has been described
as "UU communion." Thanks for doing your part!
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Thought is subversive and revolutionary,
destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege,
established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks
into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and
swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man.
- Bertrand Russell
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THE "CONSTRUCTION ZONE"
Preparation for the construction work on the Church will begin the week
of July 23rd and the actual demolition will begin the week of July
30th. We will then have at least three months of dust and debris
to contend with. During this time there will be opportunities for
Church members and friends to pitch-in and help with the project.
From time to time we will need some strong backs and arms to move
things from one area to another. We also plan to make
improvements to the existing R.E. space on the first floor - new doors,
paint, bookshelves, carpeting which will require some talented man and
woman power.
I am putting together an e-mail list of volunteers that we can reach
out to when these needs arise. If we can get a large list and
everyone can respond to one or two requests, we should be able to make
this a very smooth and efficient operation. If you think you
could help (some projects might need muscle, some may need an artistic
eye) please contact Chuck Berry.
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Non-Sunday
classes:
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Facilitator: Carol Ballance
Monday evenings 7-8
Dates: 8/5
Simplicity Circle
will meet on Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. at the church. We'll be discussing
everyone's favorite topic "Food". This is actually Chapter V in Choices for Sustainable Living.
Peggy Trevanion will facilitate.
Tip for the month - Buy local whenever possible!
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Facilitator: Jill Mockenhaupt
Friday evenings, 7pm at Members’ Homes:
Next: 7/20, 8/17
On July 20,
we will discuss Sue Monk Kidd's The Dance of the Dissident
Daughters: A woman's journey from Christian tradition to the
Sacred Feminine.
Please join us for book discussions on the 3rd Friday of the month for
an opportunity to socialize with other UU book lovers. We have
great fun and lively discussions offering different viewpoints.
The books we read are from many genres, and we will vote on books for
August through December at the July discussion. Look for the
posting on the bulletin board to see what we choose.
For more information, please contact Jill Mockenhaupt .
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Mark your calendars
for the annual camping trip to the Allegheny National Forest, which
will take place August 1-5. Come for all or part of the time – a
good time is always had by all. Please sign up with Kathy Ke.
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* Call Janine Brobst
to be sure no one else has offered flowers for that Sunday.
Otherwise she will provide them.
* Call Kim the church secretary (412-366-0244) by the preceding
Thursday morning so that your name can be printed in the Order of
Service. If your flowers are in memory of a loved one or a
special event, tell Kim.
*Flowers may be home-grown, or purchased or wildflowers from nature’s
bounty or artificial arrangements. Branches trimmed from blooming
shrubs are nice, too. Large vases are available at the church.
* Have your flowers in places before the pianist starts playing the
prelude. The prelude starts at 9:55am in the summer.
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August
Social Action
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- EQUAL EXCHANGE
TEA -BIG DISCOUNTS & CLOSEOUT SALE.
It seems that we either don't have many tea drinkers here at UUCNH, or
they don't like or want to buy the Equal Exchange tea. So, if you
would like some, it's now on sale for $1 per box-a 75% savings.
Choose from English Breakfast, Earl Grey or Green. Hurry-Sale
ends September 30th.
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- NEW EQUAL
EXCHANGE PRODUCTS
Equal Exchange is now offering Fairly Traded Snacks! They have 5
oz. packages of Organic, Tamari roasted almonds from California,
Roasted, salted Pecans from Georgia and Organic, dried, sweetened
Cranberries from Massachusetts. If you are interested in trying
one of these snacks, please let Chris Hill know. We need to have
some estimate of interest before we send in an order.
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We can recycle almost all types of paper products, as long as they go
in the proper locations:
- Corrugated Cardboard-Flatten and put in the
left dumpster. If you don’t want to hassle with the doors and
lid, leave the flattened boxes in the kitchen by the black recycling
bin and someone will take them out.
- Paperboard (non-hollow cardboard, like cereal
boxes, etc) goes in the plastic bins under the tables in Friendship
Hall Luckily we have several folks who regularly go down and drop it
off at Construction Junction. If you travel that way, consider
taking a bin occasionally.
- Telephone books-Please use the special
dumpsters put out by the phone companies during the distribution of new
ones. If you have a few left, they can come in and be placed in a
separate bin or bag in Friendship Hall. They can also be taken to
Construction Junction. Please DON'T mix them in with the
paperboard or other items.
- Paper - all other kinds, like newspaper,
magazines, ad inserts, softbound books, etc. These go in our
PaperRetriever bin in the parking lot. Yes, I know it's been full
for a awhile now. They’re short on drivers and way behind. We've
been on their list for several weeks. Hopefully they've picked it
up by the time you read this.
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Several of you have asked about recycling your household batteries,
including alkalines, button cells, and rechargeables.
The E-house on Carson Street on the South Side will take all kinds of
batteries. So, we'll set up a box in friendship hall to collect
them and take it down to E-house whenever it gets full. We can
take any kind of household batteries except leaking ones or large car
batteries (i.e. no lead acid). Since they must pay $1 per pound
to send them out, E house would appreciate a contribution, but it's not
required. For reference, 1 lb is 3 D cells or 6 C cells or 15 AA
cells or about 25 AAA cells. If you have questions, or could help
with a monthly (?) run down to E house, contact Chris Hill.
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What does Fair
Trade mean?
Fair Trade means that farmers are guaranteed a
minimum price for their crop before planting. Sort of like
knowing what your salary is before you start a job. In many
cooperatives, they can take out an advance to pay for their supplies,
thus avoiding going into debt. These small farmers that receive a
fair payment for their products are able to afford basic necessities
like medical care and education for their children.
So buy some of our coffee-whole bean or drip grind; from Breakfast
Blend to French Roast to Decaf and flavored. Only $8 per bag. How
about some cocoa to ward off the cold of this resurgent winter?
Only $6 for a can of Baking or Drink Mix. Or try some of our
chocolate in six (6) flavors (Milk, Dark, Dark with Almonds, Dark with
mint, Dark with espresso beans or Dark with cocoa nib chunks). $4
per bar, $7 for 2 or $10 for 3.
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- NHCO FOOD PANTRY "DONATION STATION”
For August: Canned
Fruit & Apple Sauce
Please don’t forget to contribute to the
"Donation Station" for the NORTH HILLS COMMUNITY OUTREACH (NHCO) Food
Pantry, located in Friendship Hall near the entrance to the RE
Hallway. The August NHCO request is to bring Canned Fruit and Apple Sauce
to the church. AND laundry
detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo and bar soap are
always needed. Thanks to all who have contributed lately.
Plastic bags needed by North Hills Community Outreach: If you're
inundated by plastic bags, bring your extras to the church and drop
them off at the NHCO Donation Station where they can be used to sort
food at the food pantry.
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- PLEASANT
VALLEY MEN'S SHELTER
Dates available now for 2007!
Many thanks to Lowell and Rachel Swarts and Chuck Berry and daughter
Megan for volunteering to prepare and serve dinner at the Pleasant
Valley Men’s Shelter in July! The shelter has a list of other
dates available for 2007 for all UUCNH members and friends able to
prepare and serve dinners to shelter residents. Please consider
planning ahead for one of these dates. If interested, contact
Greg Jarold.
The UUCNH Social Action Committee sponsors our participation in this
worthwhile program.
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~SUPPORT UUCNH ~
BUY GROCERY GIFT
CARDS
You can help balance the church budget by buying groceries! If
you shop at Giant Eagle, Festival or Kuhn’s, consider joining your
fellow church members by purchasing gift cards for these stores.
For every $100 in groceries you buy using the gift card, the church
gets $5. They are simple to use, convenient and cost you no extra
money. If you are interested in purchasing the cards, please see
Jim Noel during coffee hour.
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The next Intercom
will be published on August 19, 2007. Thus,
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
will be the DEADLINE for the August Intercom. This is a HARD deadline - if your material isn’t in
by the deadline, it will NOT
be included in the next Intercom. If you need a deadline
extension, contact the editor (email)
to make arrangements.
If you email your submissions, please do it IN PLAIN TEXT ONLY; NO HTML emails -
they are NOT compatible with
the Intercom format Submissions may be submitted in the office mail
box, or emailed (preferred) to the editor (email).
HOW TO EMAIL IN
PLAIN TEXT: To go your format box on your toolbar in your actual
email and choose plain text. PLEASE,
do not format the article in any way. Thank you!
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PITTSBURGH UU’s
ORGANIZE TO HELP IN NEW ORLEANS
The Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist
Service Committee continue working together to coordinate volunteer
relief efforts in the Gulf Coast. Although it has been two years
since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed the Gulf Coast, there remains
serious devastation and great on-going need for recovery efforts.
Unitarian Universalists everywhere have contributed large sums of money
and many hours of effort, lending skills and compassion to help those
most directly affected so that they may regain their homes, their
dignity and their lives.
The Social Action Committee (SAC) of the UU Church of the South Hills,
Pittsburgh, is currently developing plans to create an opportunity for
local UU’s to travel to New Orleans to help with these reconstruction
efforts. The UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast coordinators have given SAC the
green light to come down to New Orleans the week of October 13-20, 2007
and join the on-going volunteer clean-up effort. A group of up to
40 adults will travel from Pittsburgh to New Orleans on Saturday,
October 13 and take up temporary residence at First Unitarian, New
Orleans. There the group will live dormitory-style for a week,
purchasing its own food and preparing its own meals in the church’s
well-supplied kitchen. After spending a day in training and
orientation, the group will then devote five days to the hard work of
helping victims reclaim their homes and their lives. We will be
returning to Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 20, 2007.
Although SAC is providing the impetus and coordinating the effort, the
hope is that the greater Pittsburgh UU community will join the effort
and that the ultimate group of 40 will be made up of UU’s from all of
the area UU churches. This is a wonderful opportunity for the
Pittsburgh UU’s to come together to put our values and principles into
action and to strengthen our community in the process.
The expenses of the trip will be borne by individuals and is expected
to total approximately $350 per person, including airfare to New
Orleans, ground transportation in New Orleans in the form of commercial
vans, $5/night fee to First Unitarian Church/ New Orleans for the use
of their church building, safety equipment in the form of N-95 masks
and filters, and food for the week. Of course, any personal
expenses above those basic necessities will depend on the activities
and needs of individuals. Various fundraising ideas and efforts
are being discussed and the success of those fundraising efforts may
help lower the out-of-pocket expenses of some or all participants.
Please consider joining this critically needed effort with your fellow
Pittsburgh Unitarian Universalists. If you have questions,
fundraising ideas, want to volunteer to join the group and/or help with
plans and preparations, please contact Michael Miller, Coordinator, at
412-650-9040 or at mmiller@usaor.net.
More information about the UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast efforts can be found at www.uua.org and at www.uusc.org.
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