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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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January
20 2007
Volume XLVI, No. 6
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Marsha
Albright,
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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Beginning
September 10, Sunday
Services
run from 11:00 A.M. to 12:15 P.M. Nursery
Care is provided and the religious education program is held concurrent
with the service. Coffee and conversation for adults and children
immediately follow the service. Parents should supervise their
children during coffee hour.
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 Carol’s
Column:
PEACEMAKING
Last June the 2006 General Assembly of the
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (the GA of the UUA)
adopted a new Congregational Study/Action Issue (SAI) Process and
selected Peacemaking as the first SAI to be considered under the new
process. You can read the full text of the SAI on the web at uua.org/csw, the Commission on
Social Witness website. Here let me simply quote the opening
paragraph of the Peacemaking SAI, which frames the issue as follows:
“Should the UUA reject the use of any and all kinds of violence and war
to resolve disputes between peoples and nations and adopt a principle
of seeking just peace through non-violent means?”
As I said in my sermon on January 14, the Peacemaking SAI poses a huge
question. At one level, it asks whether our religious movement
shall join with the Quakers, the Church of the Brethren, and the
Mennonites by formally declaring UUism to be a pacifist religion.
Answering in the affirmative could lead to passage of a UU Peacemaking
Statement of Conscience (SOC) that eschews any and all kinds of human
violence, including the death penalty, so-called “just war,” torture,
service in the armed forces, killing in self-defense, and euthanasia.
At another level, the Peacemaking SAI invites us as
individuals and communities of faith to engage a rich variety of
far-reaching and potentially transformative issues. What do we
mean by peace? What are the hallmarks of peace? What means
are wholly non-violent? What does peacemaking ask of us in our
personal lives and relationships? How can individuals be
peacemakers? How can UU churches? What actions can we take
to promote peace and eliminate verbal, physical, psychological and
emotional abuse in civic, church, family and personal lives? How
might a heartfelt commitment to non-violence transform congregational
life? Does a commitment to non-violence preclude the possibility
of choosing to have an abortion? The list goes on.
Think about the Peacemaking SAI for a few minutes, and you will realize
why our movement needs several years to study this issue before taking
a collective stand on it. In fact, we’ll have three or four
years. For two years, the new process invites congregations to
use the Study/Action Guide prepared by UUA Advocacy and Witness staff;
and to begin programs of education, reflection, service, community
organizing, and advocacy related to the SAI. Until March 1 of
2007 and 2008, congregations can also submit written comments on the
SAI to the UUA Commission on Social Witness. The Commission will
use these comments to inform creation of GA workshops on the SAI in
2007 and 2008. By Nov. 15, 2008, the Commission is charged with
preparing a draft Statement of Conscience on Peacemaking. Through
Feb. 1, 2009, congregations can submit written comments on the draft
SOC, and vote on whether or not to place the SOC on the Final Agenda
for the 2009 GA. Finally, by a two-thirds majority of delegates
voting, the 2009 GA can either approve the Peacemaking SOC, or refer it
for an additional year of study.
For longer than most can remember, UUCNH has not participated in our
movement’s SAI Process, has not contributed to shaping our movement’s
public stand on the quintessential social justice issues of our day,
has not benefited from deep engagement with either the issues or the
democratic process by which our movement clarifies its identity and
commitments, articulates what it means to be UU. The time has
come for our church’s historic non-involvement to end. What
better or more timely issue than peacemaking? What better time
than now, when our nation is waging war in Afghanistan, war in Iraq,
and a global war against terrorism?
A group gathered after the service on January 14 to begin planning
opportunities for you to participate. Look for an invitation to
see the movie Freedom Writers
at Showcase North and gather afterwards at the church for pizza and
conversation. Look for an upcoming, monthly Friday night movie
series at the church, which will focus on films related to
peacemaking. Look for a Peacemaking Study Circle forming to
explore the issue at many different levels through reading and
conversation. Look for an upcoming fundraising event sponsored by
our Social Action Committee to benefit Crisis Center North, which helps
victims of domestic violence. Look for Sunday services on themes
related to peacemaking and non-violence. Look at the Peacemaking Resource Guide on the
web at uua.org/uuawo and use it
to identify study questions for your Community Circle to consider, or
books you would personally like to read. Let me know if you would
like to attend the next meeting of our Peacemaking Planning Group, and
get involved in helping to create further opportunities for
involvement. Make a personal commitment to engage this
multi-faceted and complex issue of peacemaking deeply yourself over the
next several years.
As Vietnamese Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in his excellent book,
Creating True Peace, “Peace is not simply the absence of violence; it
is the cultivation of understanding, insight, and compassion, combined
with action.” Peacemaking calls us to action, not to wishful
thinking or passivity. Both individually and collectively, we can
make a difference. Let us begin by setting a goal of preparing to
submit our congregation’s informed comments on the Peacemaking SAI to
the UUA Commission on Social Witness before March, 2008. Welcome
to the new Study/Action Issue Process!
Blessing,
Carol
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February
4:
Reflections On Parenting
Greta Porter
Greta Porter, our
Director of Religious Education, will share reflections on parenting as
a transformative experience from a humanist perspective. Greta
will share thoughts on how church community can play an invaluable role
in the lives of our families. This service precedes a four-week
Thursday evening parent discussion group.
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February
11:
When is Killing Just?
Rev. Carol Meyer
preaching
This Sunday we
consider the death penalty in light of our first and third UU
Principles. How does capital punishment fit with inherent worth
and dignity? With our affirmation of justice, equity, and
compassion in human relations?
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February
18:
Common Ground
Rev.
Carol Meyer
preaching
Religions differ
greatly in many ways, but also have much in common. Today we
focus on what Unitarian Universalism shares with other world religions,
looking for universals in religious life.
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February
25:
The Dis-ease of Our Time
Rev. Carol
Meyer leading the service
This service on addiction and recovery focuses on the spiritual malaise
of our time, the dis-ease that affects every American either directly
or indirectly. We share our strength, hope, and experience around
addiction that doing so might help to abet healing and eliminate
suffering. |
FEBRUARY COFFEE
HOUR HOSTS
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February
4:
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Abel &
Shope Family
Sue & Dick Broughton
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February
11:
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Miles &
Bob Family
Bob Burkinshaw
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February
18:
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Ballance
Family
Degregorio Family
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February
25:
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Newhill &
Leahy Family
Feingold Family
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UUA CONGREGATIONAL STUDY
"Let there be peace on earth and let
it begin with me," says the song. If You’d like to
begin: Come be a part of the discussion, exploration and study of
"Peacemaking" - the new UUA
Congregational Study/Action Issue as introduced in Carol's January 14th
sermon.
The topic is vast, the issues and choices not always obvious, but the
Resource Guide has much to suggest for study and discussion.
Whether your interest is for personal growth and/or in helping our
congregation develop our understanding and practice of peacemaking -
come and explore!
Our first discussion question will be "Where
Shall We Begin?" Come on Sunday, February 18 at 12:30 pm
to share your thoughts and desires.
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Considering
Ministry? Meadville Lombard Theological School announces the
Spencer and Susan Lavan Scholarship for Excellence--a full, merit-based
scholarship for an incoming residential student in our Master of
Divinity Program in the Fall of 2007. Application deadline for
the scholarship is March 15, 2007. Please see the Meadville
Lombard Website (www.meadville.edu)
for more information on the scholarship and the Master of Divinity
Program. (More information on the scholarship can be found on the
UU World website.)
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Marsha's MUUsings
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Happy New
Year! I hope you had an enjoyable holiday season filled with just
the right amount of peace, joy and love. If you felt
disconnected, reach out to others, especially someone at UUCNH.
It is amazing how your own problems shrink, as you get involved in
helping others. Join a group, take a class, volunteer to serve on
a committee, help out in the nursery. There are ample
opportunities to get involved. There are many Adult Religious
Education classes starting this month. Check your December
Intercom for details.
Excitement is building for our renovation project. Committees are
meeting, contractors are being interviewed and bids will soon be
collected. We have pledges for over $500,000.00 of the
$550,000.00 goal that we have set to make our space more usable and
more pleasant to spend time in together. We have less than
$50,000.00 to go to meet our goal! If you have not yet pledged
and wish to contribute to improving our space, please let John Brobst,
our treasurer, know or talk to anyone on the Board of Trustees,
Facilities Planning Committee or Capital Campaign Committee to answer
any questions you may have. If you don't know who to talk to,
check the bulletin boards in Friendship Hall for pictures and names of
people who may be able to help you.
The Board of Trustees welcomes Carolyn Hrach to serve the remainder of
Katie Head's term as trustee as Katie is away much of the time with the
Red Cross helping disaster victims recover from the many events of the
recent past. Thank you Katie for the help you were able to give
to the Board and thank you Carolyn for your willingness to serve.
The Board has been busy developing a survey, which will reach you at
the end of the month by mail and/or e-mail. We ask that you only
fill out one survey. You will be asked to identify yourself for
tabulation purposes only. Your name and responses will be
separated upon receipt and not associated with each other unless
otherwise requested. The results of the survey will be used to
evaluate where we are doing well and where we need to make changes or
improvements. It is meant to be used as a screening tool to take
the pulse and temperature of the congregation to help us to see where
we need to concentrate our efforts. It is the next step in our
ongoing efforts to meet the needs of our members and friends and to
keep our church vital and healthy. Please return it within a week
so that we can move forward in a timely fashion.
Thanks to everyone for all that you do to make our church work so
well. May we all continue to enjoy it's blessings. Stay
warm and enjoy winter which has finally arrived. It's not
too late to attend Winter Institute at Salt Fork State Park in Ohio on
President's Day Weekend, February 16-19, 2007. Call Amy Kent at
412-563-0326 or John Rodeheffer at 740-369-9659 for information and
registration. Let's get together and have some fun together
Peace, Marsha Albright
UUCNH Board President
(Board meetings are the Third Monday of month at 7 PM in the
East Room. Input is always welcome.)
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Welcome to
Winter/Spring Adult RE! Please contact the class facilitator
regarding questions about the class. Sign up by contacting Sheila
McCall, our church secretary, at uucnh@nauticom.net
or by signing up on the UUCNH Adult RE bulletin board. If
childcare is needed for classes, please contact Anne Van Cott and it
will be arranged for those specific nights.
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Sunday classes:
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Facilitator:
Dan Moore
Contact: danrmoore@netscape.net
Sundays - February
4
The class is for anyone interested in meeting other newcomers and
learning more about our church and Unitarian Universalism.
Participating in the series does NOT imply a commitment to join the
church, only an interest in learning more. Classes will
meet from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the East Room.
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Facilitator: Karen Bryant
Sunday evenings 7-8:30pm; 12/10
Next: 2/11; 3/11; 4/15;
Every woman is on a journey, no matter her age or life situation.
We each have much to learn and much to teach. Come together with
others to celebrate and explore important issues from a woman's
perspective - relationships, parenting (and grandparenting),
creativity, spirituality, our place in the world, our place in the
universe, and more. We'll explore through discussion, activities
and field trips and draw from movies, books and the combined wisdom of
the group.
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Co-facilitators: Rev. Carol
Meyer
Barry Tupperman.
Contact: 412.366.0244
Sundays - 12:45 pm. Monthly through May - Tentatively scheduled
for 2/25, 3/18,4/22 and 5/20.
Study Circle for The Left Hand of God
by Michael Lerner beginning January 28 after church at 12:45.
This program will be co-facilitated by Carol Meyer and Barry Tupperman,
a local member of the National Spiritual Progressives, and is open to
anyone in the North Hills interested in being part of such a NSP Study
Circle. We'll use Michael Lerner's study guide.
Participants need to get their own copy of the book and commit to
reading appropriate sections for each circle. The circle will
meet monthly through May. Tentative dates are Feb. 25, March 18,
April 22 and May 20.
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Facilitator: Rev. Carol Meyer
Third Sunday evening of the month from 7-8:30pm; 2/18.
Rev Carol: “One of my goals for sabbatical was to think about how
a uniquely UU spiritual practice might look. Then it came to me,
at the winter OMDUUPRL retreat. The practice already
exists. It's called Living By
Heart, a "devotional practice" created by UU minister Harry
Scholefield. "Sitting attentively" and "wisdom words" (sayings,
poetry, etc. that you personally have found especially meaningful) are
key elements of the practice. If you love words and have
struggled to find a spiritual practice that works for you, this just
might be exactly what you've been looking for.
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Facilitator: Tony Palermo
First Sundays of Month after service:
Next: 2/4; 3/4; 4/8; 5/6
For February: Evil: Inside Human
Violence & Cruelty - In this installment, we grapple with
the problem of how Evil begins. What goes so terribly wrong with
the human psyche and/or condition that the unthinkable becomes
reality? Our guidebook's author, Roy Baumeister of Case-Western,
suggests that the seeds of violence are inside all of us and that the
necessary breakdown of moral restraints happens slowly and
surreptitiously. We'll discuss the details on the first Sunday of
February after the service. |
Facilitator: Tony Palermo
Third Sundays of Month after service
Next: 2/25; 3/25; 4/22; 5/20.
We’ve explored the origins of Afterlife Thinking [no, the next
existence wasn’t conceived as blessed relief for the downtrodden – it
was reserved for noblemen and other dignitaries], the contributions of
early Judaism [including those of Jesus] and the idea that Science,
surprisingly, doesn’t forbid the possibility. Conclusion:
historically, confidence in a pleasurable afterlife arose [sic] with
the belief in the value of the individual and a creator who empowers
that belief.
Next we’ll tackle What Comes Next. Just because one survives
death
doesn’t insure an eternity of consciousness, or, for that matter, how
one might fill such an infinity. Our source book, Death & Eternal Life
by John Hick [Clairmont College], suggests that the best insights might
be gleaned by examining concepts common to all religions and including
a generous helping of reserve, respect and open mindedness. See
Tony
Palermo for details. |
Non-Sunday
classes:
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Facilitator: Carol Ballance
Monday evenings 7-8
Next: 2/7; tentative dates: 3/5; 4/2; 5/7;
We are a group of like-minded folks who are trying to reduce the
clutter in our lives! Clean out the physical, mental and
spiritual mud! If you find it difficult to reduce your impact on
the earth and would like support in living simpler please join
us. We will meet Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the church. We will
start Choices for Sustainable Living
by the Northwest Earth Institute. Please keep a list this month
of anything you purchase new! (Food doesn't count) Please
see Carol Ballance if you have question. (email)
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Facilitator: Greta Porter
Dates: Thursdays on 2/8; 2/15; 2/22; and 3/1 from 7-9 PM at UUCNH
Parents will have an opportunity to reflect on their own childhoods
while sharing thoughts on the special challenges that face parents
today. Topics will include handling children’s religious
questions, nurturing our children’s religious journeys and imparting
strong values and principles in our children. We will use the
small sweet book, The Gift of Faith, by Jeanne Nieuwejaar, as a spring
board for conversation, which celebrates the importance of religious
community, both as a support for parents and as environment in which
spirituality of children can flourish. The book will be available
at the first class for $8.
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Facilitator: Chris Hill
Dates: Thursdays on 2/15, 3/1, and 3/15 from 7-9 PM at UUCNH
The Gnostic Gospels
is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity. In
1945, an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic
Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different
view of the life and teachings of Jesus. Pages explores a range
of recently discovered gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the
Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of "Christianities"
emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some
Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and
taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual
search. Many others sought enlightenment within. Such
explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood
symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in
masculine form, or feminine as well? These early Christians dared
to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed -- and their
explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his
message. The Gnostic Gospels
is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian
faith. Participants will need to purchase the book
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Facilitator: Carol Ballance
Friday evenings, 7pm at Members’ Homes:
Next: 2/16; 3/16; 4/20; 5/18.
Members pick the books a month or two in advance. Our interests
vary widely so keep watching to see what we're reading next! In
February, we will be reading Mountains
beyond Mountains by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Kidder.
Dr. Paul Farmer, who has been working in Haiti since 1982, founded
Zanmi Lasante (Creole for Partners in Health), a nongovernmental
organization that is the only health-care provider for hundreds of
thousands of peasant farmers in the Plateau Central. He did this
while juggling work in Haiti and study at the Harvard Medical
School. This book shows how radical change can be fostered in
situations that seem insurmountable, and it also shows how a meaningful
life can be created. We will meet Feb. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in Kathy
Miller's home. Please RSVP to Kathy Miller (email).
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Facilitator: John Bernhard
EYKIW will restart on February 2/28/07 after service in the
library. We will discuss the chapter of Tellinger’s book Slave Species of god on the human
brain and its infinite complexity, its interface with the physical and
spiritual worlds, its dramatic increase in size 200,000 years ago, and
why we use only a faction of our brains.
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***
We are working on setting up a CPR class, but details were unavailable
at press time. Please watch the bulletin boards, Orders of
Service and the UUCNH website for more information on the CPR class,
which will be posted as soon as we have more information.
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PLEASE HELP STOP GLOBAL WARMING IN
PENNSYLVANIA!
It's high time that Pennsylvania became part of the solution rather
than adding to the problem of global warming. Pennsylvania alone
contributes one percent of the word's pollution that causes global
warming, more than 105 developing nations combined. We are also
the third worst emitter of greenhouse gases, behind only California and
Texas.
Fortunately, bipartisan legislation is being introduced in the both the
Pennsylvania House and Senate to do just that. But these global
warming bills need broad support from all corners of the state to turn
the legislation into meaningful action. Please act now to contact
your State Senator and State Representative and ask them to co-sponsor
bipartisan legislation that creates a global warming strategy in
Pennsylvania to protect our state's heritage, our health and our
economy. Ask your state senator to co-sponsor the Pennsylvania
Global Warming Act and ask your state representative to co-sponsor the
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act.
Get more information by going to this Website: (http://capwiz.com/pennfuture/issues/alert/?alertid=9235146)
Please pass on this information to others. Thanks in advance for
your help!
Sharon Pillar
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FROM THE UUCNH TREASURER:
THANKS AND A REQUEST
I’ve been receiving checks from many of you for the Capitol Campaign
(Building Fund). Thanks so much for these timely payments.
We are holding this money temporarily in a money market account until
checks need to be written to the various contractors. To earn a
larger percent of interest, the money market account is in a different
bank from the one we use for our checking account.
For that reason I need to ask a small favor of you. When paying
your pledges, whether to the Building Fund or the Annual Operating
Fund, would you please write separate checks? When you put your
annual pledge payment and your Building Fund payment on one check it
complicates my work considerably.
I first have to deposit the cash into our checking account, and then I
must write a check for deposit into the money market account. In
addition, there are several remaining steps that I must take in our two
computer programs to make your mixed payments work for our system.
Of course we will gladly take your payments, however they are presented
to us. But please consider my request. It will surely
simplify the process for me. Thank you.
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THE CARING COMMITTEE
We are looking for ANYONE who would like to help members of our
congregation in times of need. If you would like to be a part of
this loving group, contact Susie Wood.
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HEAR THE ROAR! FEEL THE MIST!
SEE THE MIGHTY FALLS!
July 15-17, 2007
Come experience the wonder of Niagara Falls including some great
educational opportunities while being taken care of like royalty.
The UU Church of Niagara is conducting a four day UU Niagara Experience
which is a lifetime opportunity to encounter the Falls up close from
every perspective, even safely riding beneath a tethered balloon.
Spend four days with us exploring the rich historical and natural
wonders around the Falls. For more information visit our web
site: www.uunex.net/ or contact us
by email at info@uunex.net or by
phone at 716-791-4453
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UU're HOME
Do you dream of inexpensive vacation travel to interesting destinations
where you can stay in the homes of friendly people who share your
ideals and are happy to provide directions and advice for their
area?
The UU bed and breakfast directory UU’re
Home (formerly Homecomings) can fulfill your dream. For 27
years, we’ve provided a network of hosts in the United States who enjoy
meeting new friends and who are happy to open their home to like-minded
people. You can also become a host and be listed in the
directory. Contact us at 828-281-3253 or at info@uurehome.com, and we will
gladly send you information about listing your accommodations.
Host listings on the UU’re Home
website at www.UUreHome.com are
updated whenever changes are made or new hosts are added. The
paper edition is published every year in April (and has many listings
different from those on the website). For a copy of the 2007
directory, please send a check for $20 (or $25 and your e-mail address
for both the book and a year’s access to the website) to UU’re Home, 43
Vermont Court, Asheville, NC 28806.
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E-NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND
GUIDELINES
All eNewsletter submissions must be received by noon on Wednesdays for
inclusion in the Thursday issue. Submissions received after noon
on Wednesdays will be included in the eNewsletter for the following
week. Please write the announcement as you would like it to
appear. However, keep in mind that the Publicity Team may edit
the submission and shorten it, if necessary (so please be brief).
Please submit all eNewsletter requests to Brandee Abel (email). Please keep in
mind that the eNewsletter serves as a brief reminder for church-related
events and announcements.
If you have any questions about the eNewsletter or its content, feel
free to contact Brandee anytime. Thank you!
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WHY I DECIDED TO BECOME UUCNH’S LOCAL
REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE UUSC AND MY HOPES FOR OUR CONGREGATION
By Kathy Gorka
I would like to introduce myself to those of you that I don’t know
before explaining why I decided to take on the role of Local
Representative for the UUSC, for UUCNH. My name is Kathy Gorka
and I have been involved with this church for about 6 yrs now. My
husband and I started coming in September 2001, the Sunday after 9/11
happened, and then became members in the spring of 2002. Being
born in New York City, I felt like this tragic event brought out
something in me that yearned to find meaning and a sense of community
in this life. That is what motivated my husband and me to come to
UUCNH. However, I also believe I have always been a lifelong
Unitarian Universalist. I grew up in a family that did not really
go to a UU church or any church for that matter, but I always felt like
I was raised with UU values. I started going to First Unitarian
Church of Pittsburgh in Shadyside when I was attending Pitt for my
Master’s degree in Social Work in 1993. Like many of you I read
the back of the Order of Service and immediately connected with the
principles and ideas of UUism. For once in my life I could sit in
a church and not feel like I was pretending to believe something I
truly did not; I could actually connect with the principles because a
lot of how I was raised had to do with respecting the integrity of ALL
people, regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation,
etc. Plus, I was striving to be a social worker so a lot of
social work values and UU values are very similar. So, as many of
you do, I try to live my life using UU values/principles because it is
simply just a “good fit” for me and for what is in my heart.
As many of you may already know, the Unitarian Universalist Service
Committee (UUSC) defends basic human rights, by advocating, and
educating through upholding the worth and dignity of every person and
the interdependence of all life. Historically, the UUSC dates
back to 1939, when the founders helped to rescue the victims of Nazi
oppression in Europe. Nowadays, the UUSC continues to work
towards long-term solutions for human rights’ issues through
partnerships with grassroots, community based and regional
organizations in the USA and around the world.
So why would I want to take on a role of Local Representative for
the UUSC? Well, I have a passion for working towards basic human
rights for EVERYONE and the UUSC does that. I believe that we
really can change the world one person at a time and it is important to
me that I work at doing this and encouraging others to do that
too. That is where you all, our congregation comes in. As
the UUSC Local Representative, my hope is that I can encourage you all
to become more aware of UUSC work, activities and ways in which UUCNH
can get involved. I hope we can become a church that isn’t afraid
to participate in humanitarian efforts such as going on “mission” trips
to places like West Virginia’s Appalachia area, where we really “feel”
what it is like to be poor for an afternoon or weekend, or on a larger
scale heading down to New Orleans and “feeling” what it is like to be
displaced from ones’ home after something as devastating as
Katrina. I want us to become a congregation that looks outward
into the “real world” more and recognizes injustices and does something
about it. I want our church to truly live our UU principles by
putting them into action; let’s not just say we are UU’s, let’s truly
act like it by doing some of the great works of UUSC. We have a
church I am already very proud to be a part of, and with involving the
congregation in more UUSC-type activities my hope is that we can become
even more proud of who we are and what we stand for. I look
forward to talking to you all more about UUSC and what motivates me to
become involved with them. Happy New Year and Peace to all!
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February
Social Action
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- PIIN BANQUET SET FOR APRIL 28, 2007
Rev. Carol Meyer and Sue Broughton recently attended a planning retreat
of Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) leaders. The
accomplishments of 2006 were reviewed, including a successful
fundraising banquet, a wonderful national training with an appearance
by Governor Rendell, and a well-attended public action meeting at which
the Governor also appeared along with several local officials, all of
whom made public commitments related to the five issues PIIN is
currently addressing: health care, public transportation,
housing, civil rights for immigrants, and work force development.
The next major event is the 2007 banquet, which will be a little later
this year than in previous years. The date is April 28. A
special training for those willing to sell ads for the banquet program
will be planned, probably for a date near the end of February.
Most of the funds raised by the banquet are from the ad sales. We
need a few good people from UUCNH to help with this task. Call or
email Carol or Sue if you are interested.
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North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO) is holding its annual Citrus Sale
fundraiser to benefit local families in need and UUCNH is participating
again this year. The fruit is freshly picked-only 100 hours off
the tree-and every piece is hand-checked by NHCO volunteers to ensure a
quality product.
This year we have:
- Temple Oranges or Indian River Ruby Red
Grapefruit ($18 small/$24 large)
- Honey Tangerines ($18)
- Citrus Sampler of 24 naval oranges* and 12 Ruby
Red grapefruit ($26)
- Fresh Trio, 12 each of navel oranges*, Ruby Red
grapefruit and Anjou pears ($26)
*Please note that we’ve recently been
informed that they will be substituting Temple Oranges for the Navel
Oranges.
Look for order forms in Friendship Hall. Order deadline is
Sunday, February 4th and delivery is the weekend of March 3-4,
2007. For more information, see Chris Hill or Sue Luebbert at
Coffee Hour.
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- PAPER-RETRIEVER RECYCLING RESULTS
For 2006, we collected and recycled over 17 tones of paper in our
PaperRetriever bin. This raised $86.22 for UUCNH, but more
importantly, it saved over 52 cubic yards of landfill space.
That's the same as filling a room 10 feet by 17 feet with an 8-foot
ceiling!
Again, we can recycle all these kinds of paper: Newspaper, magazines,
catalogs; paperbacks and soft cover books, (even hardcover books, if
you tear the covers and binding off), office paper and junk mail.
Remember - no phone books or cardboard in this bin. We can take
flattened corrugated cardboard in the left dumpster by the trash.
We do still have folks bringing in their paperboard-cereal boxes and
such. However, the only outlet for this material is Construction
Junction in Point Breeze. It's close by Whole Foods and Trader
Joe's, so if you're heading down there, please consider taking a bid
and dumping it at Construction Junction.
If you have more questions, contact Chris Hill.
Thanks again - we ‘re making a difference!
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- FAIR TRADE
GIFTS FOR YOUR VALENTINE!
This Valentine's Day, give your sweetie (and others!) a gift with a
social conscience. We have Equal Exchange Fair Trade Chocolate
Bars in Milk, Dark, Dark with Almonds, Dark/Mint, Espresso Bean, and
Cocoa Nibs (only $4 each or 2 for $7), Cocoa for drinks or baking ($6
per can), and Coffee in French Vanilla, Hazelnut Crème and
Toffee Caramel flavors ($8 for a 12 oz. bag of drip grind). We
also have our regular assortment of tea and coffee.
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- REMEMBER TO
COMPOST THOSE COFFEE HOUR GROUNDS!
We have several plastic bins to collect the coffee grounds from coffee
hour. Our From The Ground UUp
Gardeners will take these down to our composting containers. So
if you have coffee hour, don't throw those valuable grounds into the
trash.
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UUCNH's recent contribution to North Hills Community Outreach was a
check for $860. Thanks to all of you who contributed to this
worthy cause.
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- YOUTH GROUP SOCIAL ACTION BLOOD DRIVE -
FEBRUARY 24TH
The youth group is sponsoring a blood drive on Saturday, Feb 24,
2007. Following the service during coffee hour, we would like to
ask members of the congregation to sign up. Please help us be as
successful as we were last year. Questions? Please Call
Libby Powers or Jillian Strayhorn.
Thank you for your support, The Youth Group
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- NHCO FOOD
PANTRY "DONATION STATION”
For February:
Meals-In-A-Box
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 February
NHCO request is to bring Meals-In-A-Box
to church. AND laundry
detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo and bar soap are
always needed. Thanks to all who have contributed lately.
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- PLEASANT
VALLEY MEN'S SHELTER
Dates available now for 2007!
Many thanks to everyone who volunteered at the Pleasant Valley Men’s
Shelter last year. The shelter has a list of 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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MARCH INTERCOM SUBMISSIONS
The next Intercom will be published on February 18, 2007. Thus,
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
will be the DEADLINE for the March 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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