UUCNH Newsletter

UUCNH is the place to be as we celebrate completion of our building project and Earth Day with a weekend-long barn warming. Bring your friends Friday and Saturday as we learn and have fun together while showcasing our space. Come back Sunday afternoon with the whole family for our Service of Celebration and Dedication. All events are free, although some performers will be accepting donations.

Jim Scott in concert–UU activist singer, songwriter, and poet, Jim is an internationally renown recording artist whose profound lyrics and catchy melodies delight young and old. What a treat to have him at UUCNH!

Sunday, 4:00pm: Dedication Service For All Ages followed by a reception with appetizers upstairs, a supper buffet in our new Friendship Hall, and architect Ken Doyno’s UU quartet playing acoustic and folk music with a mix of instruments and vocals.

Hopefully by now you’ve seen the Brochure, heard about the Potluck dinners, and know that we are trying a new approach to our annual stewardship campaign this year.

We are certain that this new approach will be fun and rewarding for all who can attend one of our Potluck dinners. We UU’s love to get together around a cup of coffee. It’s even better when food is involved. The conversation will focus on our shared love of UUCNH and the realities of what it takes to keep us going. Please join us in groups of 5 to 6 families by signing-up for a potluck dinner that fits your schedule.

New this year is a “Pledge Array” to show you just how much is pledged by our members and friends. If you have ever wondered how your pledge compares to your fellow supporters, this will tell you. You will find this in the Step-Up brochure that you should have received by now. It is fascinating to see the generous support we receive from the many who contribute at a level that reflects both their ability and commitment to UUCNH. This additional information when combined with the “Fair Share Giving “ guidelines ought to give you a better idea of what is required of each of us to support UUCNH. Please know that the leadership of UUCNH asks only that we give based upon our ability and understand that sometimes our individual circumstances prevent us from pledging as much as we would like. Only you can know what level of support is right for you.

If you are able to determine your level of support but are not able to come to a pot luck dinner, please find the enclosed pledge form and send it back to UUCNH or bring it to church on Sunday. Your early reply will be greatly appreciated and allow you to get pledging off your “to do” list ASAP.

YES WE CAN!

UUCNH can do amazing things when we all pull together and do our part. Evidence of this truth abounds these days. Every time I walk into our glorious new space, I’m reminded of the power of our religious community. Together we formed a vision of improvements to our barn that would support our mission to be a loving community, to support lifelong learning, to grow Unitarian Universalism, and to serve the wider community. Together we committed ourselves to realizing our vision. Together we persisted through over seven years of ups and downs, curves and straight-aways to make our vision a reality. Thanks to so many contributing in so many ways, our church now has dramatically improved facilities for religious education and other programs, for socializing, for preparing and serving the food that draws us together and so enriches our communal life. Thanks to so many so generously sharing their time, talents, and money, we have completed a project costing well over half a million dollars. We have created a vibrant aura of prosperity and well being that envelops everyone who enters our building.

Can we make our dreams come true? Clearly, there is only one answer. Yes we can! And now the time has come to realize another vision–the vision of having sufficient financial resources to do and be all that we want to do and be as the UU Church of the North Hills; the vision of creating a living reality of abundance for our church, rather than continuing to cut, contain, and worry about operating expenses

Imagine our church with sufficient annual income to fund new program ideas as they arise, to hire musicians to enliven our Sunday services with different kinds of music, to pay delegate costs for representing our congregation at District and General Assembly, to support leadership development, to bring a rich variety of preachers and speakers to our pulpit, to publicize and market our church, to maintain church buildings and grounds as well as we do our homes, to undertake major social justice initiatives, to plan for extraordinary expenses like a new roof or a ministerial search process. Did you know that nowadays our church leadership struggles instead with issues like finding the money to purchase a new software package when our membership data base stops working, a new rug for the nursery, or to fully funding even the most modest budget requests from committees such as Sunday Services? Imagine our church unencumbered by budget realities that stifle our creativity and vision while consuming volunteer time and energy.

Imagine our church with sufficient annual income to compensate staff fairly according to the UUA’s published guidelines for churches of our size in our geographic area. Did you know that church staff salaries have remained essentially flat for several years now? Did you know that staff salaries are many thousands of dollars below fair compensation guidelines and have been falling progressively further behind? Imagine how it would feel to know that your church has the income to compensate staff fairly, to do what is right now, and to be positioned to attract highly qualified candidates when the time comes for current staff to move on.

Imagine our church being recognized by the Ohio-Meadville District and the UUA as a fair-share congregation, a church that pays its fair share to support the mission, ministry, and services of the larger communities of which we are a part. Did you know that UUCNH budgeted zero dollars toward paying its dues to the OMD and the UUA this year? Did you know that UUCNH is the only Pittsburgh cluster church that does not pay its full fair share? Did you know that fair-share churches have to contribute even more to make up for churches like ours that do not contribute their fair share?

Imagine UUCNH as a fair-share, fair-compensation church with no financial worries and enough income to do all that our combined time, talent and energy could sustain. Imagine UUCNH living out of abundance rather than scarcity. Imagine how attractive and compelling such an atmosphere would be to newcomers, how vibrantly it would speak to our collective commitment and dedication, how richly it would attest to our valuing of our church, how contagious all those good vibes would likely be.

Can we realize such a vision? Yes we can! If each one of us steps up to pledge at the fair-share level, or commits to moving toward pledging at the fair-share level. We may not get all the way this year, but we can surely make a giant stride in the right direction.

I personally made the decision to pledge at the fair share level during my first year here as your minister. I have contributed my fair share every year since, and I can tell you that doing so feels good. My conscience tells me that contributing my fair share is the right thing to do. Right because I believe in Unitarian Universalism, and want to see our church, district, and movement thrive. Right because the North Hills, our nation and the world, now more than ever, need our voice in the public dialogue and our presence in people’s lives. Right because I believe in giving back to a religious movement that has given me so much. Right because I know that our church makes an important difference in many people’s lives, and could embrace so many more. Right because I feel so blessed to have discretionary income enough to be able to choose to give at the fair-share level, to make UUCNH a priority in my personal budget.

Will you join me? Will you add your voice to the UUCNH chorus answering, “Yes we can!” and stepping up to fair-share giving? Will you help make this the year UUCNH leaves the land of scarcity and budget woes, the year we begin taking giant strides toward becoming a fair-share, fair-compensation church? Will you do your fair share to help our church realize a new vision of doing and being all we can? Sure would be wonderful if we all answered yes, Yes,Yes, and YES!

Not just a problem in the city of Pittsburgh anymore; featuring vignettes on gun violence by the Social Action Committee

“Growing Up UU”

Our eight Coming of Age youth will lead the service they have specially designed. Hear about their experiences growing up UU and moving personal statements from each of the youth. A Soup Sale/Bake Sale/Talent Show will immediately follow this service.

The youth are sponsoring the soup sale/bake sale/talent show as a fundraiser for the Woodlands Foundation, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children and adults with disabilities and chronic illness in Western Pennsylvania. The youth will charge $5 for adults and $3 for children for you to enjoy a bowl of soup and watch the show. If you would like to share your talent, sign up in Friendship Hall or contact Greta Porter and she will put you in touch with the youth talent scout. You are welcome to bring a crock-pot of soup or baked goods to support the Coming of Age youth in their fundraiser.

World Community

This week we focus on our Sixth Principle, which calls us to affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.

Journeys of Liberation

On this Passover Sunday, we join with Jews around the world in connecting with the ancient story of liberation recorded in the Hebrew Bible’s book of Exodus, the journey out of slavery into freedom. What enslaves us post-moderns? What might freedom look like? How can we liberate ourselves?

We join together as a congregation of all ages on this historic occasion to celebrate the completion of our building project; to offer thanks, appreciation and recognition; and to dedicate our new spaces and ourselves to realizing the ongoing mission and vision of our wonderful church. Young and old will be participating in this lively, fun and poignant service. Reception with appetizers, supper buffet and entertainment follows.

Make No Mistake

Make no mistake; this Sunday is about mistakes. Yet another working title might be “Mistake-Free Living,” even though we won’t be talking perfectionism. Far from it. We’ll be focusing on mistakes.

Summer Institute has set up a special email address -- omdsi2008@gmail.com -- for people to contact to request the SI 2008 brochure online. The goal is to be friendlier to the environment as well as save a bit of postage rather than print and mail hundreds of the large Summer Institute brochures as has been done in the past. Summer Institute will feature Rev. Meg Barnhouse this year as well as some fabulous workshops.

When you are thinking about your faith and commitment to UUCNH, there are three things that you should consider. Here's the UU holy trinity; Time, Talent and Treasure. At the risk of a bad pun you should see if yours are in balance.

Lots of you show your commitment through time. You're at church on Sunday. You attend a religious education class, Appreciative Inquiry, Round Robin or community circle during the week. In other words, you show up and participate. You'll be there for a canvas potluck, the Jim Scott concert, Earth day, the dedication and the Service Auction.

Many people commit their talents. They teach youth or adult religious education classes. They are lay leaders, sing in the choir, greet, usher or handle the microphones. Other folks get the Intercom written and mailed, the bills paid, the kitchen organized, publicity arranged, electrical and plumbing problems solved, bulletin boards and flowers are arranged. Look around; we have a lot of talent.

Do you give your treasure? Twenty-nine generous folks signed up to be Chalice Lighters and give $10 when the district needs to help a particular congregation. Members regularly donate food staples to the North Hills Community Outreach and we just recently took NHCO $400 in Giant Eagle gift cards. We also need to give generously to UUCNH and take care of our wonderful building, our denomination and our staff.

Do you realize we have not given the minister or the DRE a true cost of living increase in a few years? Greta Porter is paid $6,400 below the fair compensation level for a credentialed DRE with 9 years experience in our geographic area. Carol Meyer's salary and housing are $28,140 below the fair compensation guidelines for a minister with 14 years experience in our area. Before you dismiss these numbers, please understand that the UUA guidelines are adjusted for congregational size and geographic area (cost of living). Have you pledged a fair share of your treasure so that UUCNH can be a fair compensation congregation?

If we all give generously of our time, talents and treasure, think of all the wonderful things we as a faith community can accomplish. Is your giving in balance? Together let's move UUCNH up!

The next regularly scheduled Board meeting is April 21, 2008 at 7 p.m. All are welcome.

Smoking Policy: The Board passed the following smoking policy at the March 17^th meeting. There is to be no smoking in the building or grounds except for the lower parking lot.

A coffee hour host is needed for June 15 to partner with Peg Reidy & Ira Handler. If you can help host coffee hour that Sunday, please let Patrice know by email. Thanks.

During our UUCNH's Annual Meeting (this year on Sunday, June 1 after church,) we will elect 3 new members to the Board of Trustees for 3-year terms.

"The first time I was approached about serving on the Board, I hadn't even joined the church yet! We had to check the BY-Laws to confirm that - yes - Board members had to be church members. So... I signed the book, anticipating, correctly, that this would be a wonderful way to learn more about the ins and outs of my new religious community.

I was inspired by the thoughtful and thought-provoking discussions we had every month over the next few years. This church is home to so many intelligent, compassionate, worldly, peace-loving individuals. Being part of the important work that can be done by such individuals serving as part of a community is truly an uplifting experience."

Won't YOU consider fulfilling this important role for this church we love so much?

* Call Janine Brobst (7240935-7078) to be sure no one else has offered flowers for that Sunday. Otherwise she will provide them.

* Call 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 the secretary.

*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 10:55am.

I can use all kinds of help with food prep and food service for the Church Celebration April 19-20. If you are "food-friendly" and willing to donate your services, please contact me by email or home phone. Not only will you get to nurture through nutrition, I promise to make the experience of helping in our brand new kitchen fabulously food fun too--obviously an opportunity not to be missed--including learning trade secrets such as Recipes for The Promised Land! -- Sybil Baumwell

At our annual meeting last Spring, several church members suggested that we bring back the Goods and Services Auction as a fundraiser. Mary Doubleday has agreed to organize this event and will be calling on all members and friends to help create a convivial and exciting evening!

What can you donate to the auction? Almost anything. Furniture, frequent flier coupons, weekends at a summer cottage have been among the high-end items donated in the past and would certainly be welcome.

But you can also offer to host a dinner party, a brunch, a picnic – for 2 or 4or 6 -or more! You might donate 2 hours of Spanish tutoring, or help with setting up new computers or TVs. Church members have offered to provide a pie for each summer month; they have donated hours of house cleaning, painting and organizing. You can also ask your favorite restaurant or local business to donate a coupon.

So please, mark your calendar and think about what you will donate to make our auction a success. If you are willing to help with the Auction itself (set-up, clean-up, harassing the congregation for donations), please contact Mary Doubleday. Thank you.

It has been exciting and gratifying to look around at coffee hour and see our guests and first time visitors being welcomed by members. There is an energy around Friendship Hall. Keep it going! If you see a face that you can't put a name to, introduce yourself. Find out what brings other people to our church and share your enthusiasm for UUCNH with others.

The membership committee is looking into other ways to reach out to the community. Many events are coming up that will allow us to spread our good cheer around the neighborhood. Get involved! The North Hills Interfaith Gathering April 13 and our Barn Warming Celebration April 18 to 20 are coming up very soon. This summer (June 28) we will be presenting some activity for children at the Festival in the Park at Blueberry Hill Park. If you have an idea for that festival for a booth-something fun for the kids and families, something that reflects our Principles, contact Kathy Miller or Kathy Ke.

The campsite at the Allegheny National Forest for our annual UUCNH camping trip has been reserved. The dates will be Wednesday, Aug 6 through Sunday, Aug 10. Mark your calendars now for this annual fun-filled event! For more information, contact Kathy Ke! Directions are available here.

The DownUnder Coffeehouse

On Saturday, April 19 at 7:30pm, the DownUnder Coffeehouse will feature Pittsburgh folk legend, Jack Erdie and the Insubordinates. Jack is a great songwriter drawing inspiration from John Prine, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, among many others. He recently toured with Anne Feeney and has been featured on WYEP. This concert will feature his full band featuring Doug Wilkin - lead guitar, Mark Perna - bass, Art Gazdik - fiddle and mandolin, and Jeff Berman - percussion and dulcimer. This is a rare opportunity to hear Jack with his full band.

The DownUnder Coffeehouse is open the third Saturday of each month in basement of Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church, 416 West North Ave. Suggested donation for this month's show is $5. Desserts and coffee will be available. Call 412-322-4261 or see www.alleghenyuu.org for more details.

SPRING 2008 ADULT RE

I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

PSI Group - Part Three of "Verbal Self Defence." So we've identified the bad guys, now we'll see what you do to defend yourself in an abusive situation. Part one involves self-confidence, part two, seeing yourself as others see you, part three, doing conversation right. Now you're covered. If you get zapped anyway, well, that's what the tips we'll discuss are for. See you after the service, April 6th, in the East Room. See Tony Palermo for details.

We've introduced the concept of Gospel writing, a curious mix of editorial, myth and history, and, though we'll return in later sessions to the pictures of the religious founder they portray, it's time to describe the Historical Jesus. We'll reconstruct what can be known of his life and teachings. In addition, we'll discuss in detail the criteria used by scholars to arrive at these conclusions. We'll meet in the East Room after the service, Sunday, April 20. See Tony Palermo for details.

SPIRIT OF LIFE: Exploring Spirituality For Unitarian Universalists: A Tapestry Of Faith Program.

This program offers participants the space, time and community to explore their Unitarian Universalist spirituality by focusing on different aspects of the spiritual life framed by the lyrics of Carolyn McDade’s song “Spirit of Life.” The workshop is designed, like the song, to welcome Unitarian Universalists of many spiritual sensibilities and theological persuasions.

Tapestry of Faith, "Spirit of Life" Class will hold its last two sessions upstairs in the RE space at 7:00 p.m. on the Sunday evenings of April 6th and 13th. All are welcome.

This will be the third session of the “Low Carbon Diet”. Carol Ballance will facilitate.

Tip for the month: Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the tank is half full; use low speed setting if available. For an explanation check with the Low Carbon Dieters!

Milwaukee in the summer of 1959, a murder and molester are lurking in the neighborhood while 10-year-old Sally O'Malley and her sister Troo are left to fend for themselves. Their mother is in the hospital and the other adults in their life, their stepfather and older sister both desert them. This coming of age story tells how Sally and Troo go from girlhood innocence to facing the darker sides of life.

Please come and join the other UU's in the book discussion group for an interesting and thought provoking evening while we discuss Whistling in the Dark.

North Hills Community Outreach’s Millvale Satellite will host the 2nd annual Spaghetti Dinner on Friday, April 4, from 4-7 PM, at the Millvale Community Center, 416 Lincoln Avenue. Take-out available! Tickets are $6 in advance or $8 the day of the event, and include delicious pasta, bread, salad, beverages and desserts. For tickets, call (412) 487-6316, option 2, or visit the calendar page at www.nhco.org for an order form.

Come join us as we participate in a wonderful experience of cultures and traditions for people of all ages. Some of our youth will be participating as greeters. Ben Kepner is preparing an audio-visual presentation to be shown at the beginning of the closing program showing photos of our diverse religious communities.

Each faith community represented will present a short interactive presentation. Attendees will be able to select 3 presentations to attend.

The North Hills Anti-Racism Coalition sponsors this event. If you have questions, please contact Joyce Kepner, Rev. Carol Meyer or Greta Porter.

Pete McQuillin, member of the Allegheny UU Church, is part of Green Burial Pittsburgh, a group of environmentally concerned citizens who have formed a non-profit cemetery association to work with land conservation groups to establish Green Cemeteries in Western Pennsylvania.

“Green burial” or “natural burial” is a burial method that supports the earth's ecosystem by using no toxic chemical embalming fluids or concrete burial vaults. Caskets are made of biodegradable materials. The body is buried relatively close to the surface of the ground (about 24 to 30 inches down), so it nourishes plant growth as it decomposes. Grave markers, if they are used, are either native stones, flat on the ground, or plants such as shrubs or trees.

LOFT (Living Our Faith Team): In celebration of Earth Day, Arbor Day, and our 7th principle (respect for the interdependent web of life), for April we will be helping out at Latodami Nature Center, in North Park, on April 26, time TBA. The youth group will be joining LOFT this month, to help transplant saplings that have outgrown their space in Latodami’s nursery. Depending on the number of people participating, we may work on one or two other projects as well, such as litter pickup or trail maintenance. Please contact Karen Wood-Campbell to sign up.

Learn how you can take action to help stop global warming, with presentations by national, state and local experts and leaders:

There will be ample time for networking with other global warming activists and groups.

This is a free event for all PennFuture members and students; there is a $10charge for others. Become a PennFuture member and receive free or reduced rates for most PennFuture events for a year. Space is limited, so register today by calling PennFuture at 1-800-321-7775 or online. www.pennfuture.org

This event is co-sponsored by La Roche College and the Pennsylvania Interfaith Climate Change Campaign.

Because we are meeting on the Jewish Sabbath, we have set aside time and place for Shabbat Morning Prayer. Please let us know by calling 1-800-321-7775 in advance if you will be participating.

The Annual Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) Banquet will be held April 24. Tickets are $50 and are available from Peggy Redding or Sue Broughton. Let’s fill at least one table, maybe two.

The banquet speaker is Dr. Iva R. Carruthers, General Secretary of the DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. Dr. Carruthers is Founder and Director of Lois House, an urban retreat center and a Trustee of the Chicago Theological Seminary. She is Professor Emeritus and former chairperson of the Sociology Department at Northeastern Illinois University and a former president of a computer technology firm. Her publication, The Church and Reparations: An African American Perspective, was distributed by the United Church of Christ in several languages at the 2001 U.N. World Conference Against Racism.

The ads in the banquet program book are a major source of PIIN funding. Please see Sue Broughton about making a really needed contribution to the church ad or placing an ad for a business, institution or individual

Diane Hull is interested in gathering a group of 35 volunteers who are willing to travel to New Orleans to help rebuild homes for families that are still struggling to return to their homes after the Katrina and Rita Hurricanes. Our focus will be on construction projects. We will be helping families from the St. Bernard Parish, as well as helping Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans. Dates for the trip are April 27th through May 4th. (A Sunday-to-Sunday week). We will arrive on Sunday and begin working on Monday through Saturday, and then leave on Sunday, May 4th. We plan to stay at the New Camp Hope building. The cost to stay at the facility will be 150 dollars for the week, and covers meals, and a place to shower and sleep, dormitory style. Airfare down can vary from 200 to 300 dollars, for a round trip ticket from Pittsburgh airport to New Orleans. We will be organizing car pools to the St. Bernard Project where we will work at rehabbing homes, the first four days of the week. The remaining two days, Friday and Saturday will be spent working with Habitat for Humanity. Social and site seeing activities after work hours will be up to each individual. A fifty-dollar deposit is necessary to reserve a space for this trip. You may send your check to: Unitarian Universalist Church of the North Hills, 2359 West Ingomar Rd. Pittsburgh, Pa. 15237 Attention: New Orleans Trip.

Diana can be contacted for questions and information by e-mail or by calling after 7pm.

North Hills Community Outreach has a program for distribution of donated cars to people of low income. NHCO will accept cars in any condition. Those that are drivable are sold to clients for a purchase price typically between $1500-$2200. If you have a car you wish to donate (and receive a tax credit for charitable donation), please contact Randy Murchak at Community Auto in Gibsonia at 724-443-8300. See Diane Hutchins.

We are starting up our alkaline battery recycling again. They can be placed in the container on the Social Action table. Once we collect enough, we can take them down to the eHouse store on the South Side. The owner collects them until he has a pickup truck full, and then drives them up to Inmetco where the battery components are recycled. He does ask for a contribution to cover his gas of $1/lb. A pound works out to be about 3 D cells or 6 C cells or 15 AA cells or about 25 AAA cells.

o Other types (rechargeables or 'button'/watch batteries can be recycled at Batteries Plus on McKnight road or other places. (These batteries are higher value, so they have more market outlets.)

o PLEASE - no leaking batteries. If they've started to leak, they're too dangerous to handle in the recycling process.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania HHW Task Force has announced their schedule of collection dates.

The first one is Saturday, April 26, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Settlers Cabin Park Wave Pool.

You can bring most old liquids, like cleaning products; auto maintenance products, home environment and improvement supplies, hobby products, personal care & pharmaceuticals, and lawn & garden care products. The cost is $2/gallon-CASH ONLY. See the information on the Social Action table, or talk to Chris Hill at coffee hour.

TerraCycle, in conjunction with Stonyfield Yogurt, has developed a program to recover and reuse yogurt containers. This includes the 6/8 oz and the quart sizes. They will be painted and then used as pots for plants sold at Home Depot and other places. We could also make some money off this, as they're willing to pay 2 cents for the small and 5 cents for the quart containers. We have to collect them until we have a full box of 50 large or 400 small. So, if we started this program, how many people would be interested and how many containers would you contribute annually? Please send an email to Chris Hill or leave a note with name and quantity in his mail slot in the office.

Thanks to all of you that participated in the North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO) Citrus Sale. We sold about 60 cases this year for over $1,300. Thanks to all for supporting NHCO!

For April: Peanut Butter & Jelly

Please don’t forget to contribute to the "Donation Station" for the NORTH HILLS COMMUNITY OUTREACH (NHCO) Food Pantry, now located near the church entrance. The April NHCO request is to bring Peanut Butter and Jelly 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 bring your extras to the church, drop them off at the NHCO Donation Station where they can be used to sort food at the food pantry.