rev. catherine torpey - snuuc
TRANSCRIPT
December 1, 2013 10:30am Rev. Catherine Torpey The Inner Sanctum: A Hanukkah Celebration
Coffee: Pot Luck Coffee Hour, please bring something for the table, Volunteer Needed to coordinate Ushers: Nicki Barry & Andrew Spatt Lock-up: Ken Bellafiore
December 8, 2013 10:30am Rev. Catherine Torpey
Everyday Miracles
Rev Catherine Torpey, Minister - [email protected] Catherine is in the office several times a week and works from home on other days. Monday is her day off. Please feel free to call her at
any time to talk or to make an appointment.
Allison Palm, Ministerial Intern Thursday 11-4 [email protected]
Director of Religious Education, David Silver Hours by appointment [email protected]
Office Manager & Editor, Lisa Bryson-Brockmann Office open each 3rd Monday & every Tuesday through Friday 9-1
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Doris Brass & Andrew Spatt Lock-up: Brian Larkin
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Anne Fleming & Jayne Davison Lock-up: Peter Larsen
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Robin Norris & Andrew Spatt Lock-up: Jean Smyth Crocetto
December 22, 2013 10:30am Allison Palm
The Longest Night: A Winter Solstice Celebration
December 15, 2013 10:30am Rev. Catherine Torpey
Let Your Life Speak
Phone: (516) 623-1204 Fax: (516) 771-9308 Web: www.SNUUC.org E-mail: [email protected]
President, Brian Larkin Vice President, Steve Lester Secretary, Selina Benson Treasurer, Peter Larsen
SOUTH NASSAU UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION
December 24, 2013 5:30pm Rev. Catherine Torpey
Christmas Eve
Ushers: Volunteers Needed Lock-up: Board Member
December 29, 2013 10:30am Kwanzaa Service led by Selina Benson
Coffee: Pot Luck Coffee Hour, please bring something for the table, Volunteer Needed to coordinate Ushers: Andrew Spatt & Volunteer Needed Lock-up: Board Member
See page 2 for
January Sundays
William Cullen Bryant wrote this "Song for New Year's Eve":
Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay— Stay till the good old year,
So long companion of our way, Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
Oh stay, oh stay, One little hour, and then away.
The year, whose hopes were high and strong, Has now no hopes to wake;
Yet one hour more of jest and song For his familiar sake.
Oh stay, oh stay, One mirthful hour, and then away.
The kindly year, his liberal hands Have lavished all his store.
And shall we turn from where he stands, Because he gives no more?
Oh stay, oh stay, One grateful hour, and then away
I don't know about you, but too often, I am eager to move onto the new year, the next thing, without sufficiently taking a moment to appreciate where I've been and the blessings I've received. For many, 2013 was a year of recovery from Sandy, and for some a year of constant frustration trying to recover. For others, there were changes in the family for good or ill, or changes in employment. Whether we received what we would have hoped from our lives in 2013, may we take a moment to "stay one grateful hour" for this past year, which has been our companion lo these twelve months.
May your holiday season and the dawning of the new year be all it is meant to be.
Yours in faith, hope and love, Catherine
January 5, 2014 10:30am Jef Gamblée Ministry of Relationship
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Nicki Barry & Andrew Spatt Lock-up: Jay Anthony Gach
January 12, 2014 10:30am Allison Palm In Defense of Anger
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Doris Brass & Andrew Spatt Lock-up: Selina Benson
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Anne Fleming & Jayne Davison Lock-up: Ken Bellafiore
January 19, 2014 10:30am Rev. Catherine Torpey Freedom from Fear part of the “What’s the Big Idea” sermon series
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Robin Norris & Andrew Spatt Lock-up: Steve Lester
January 26, 2014 10:30am Rev. Catherine Torpey The Artist inside Us
All Members are encouraged to attend the Bi-Annual Meeting at noon
Working with Jesus Is Jesus an important part of your spiritual or religious identity? Would you be
interested in exploring your personal relationship with Jesus? If so, please join Rev. Torpey on Sunday morning, Dec. 22 at 9:30am for "Working with Jesus." We will pray together and read from the New Testament, and discuss the meaning of Jesus in our own personal spiritual lives. In UU fashion, there are no right or wrong ways to incorporate Jesus into our lives, but for some of us, it is important that he be there. This is not intended as a chance for debate about his importance, but an opportunity for spiritual growth for those who consider themselves UU Christians or who think they might be or who otherwise have a special place for Jesus in their hearts. Please contact Rev. Torpey if you think you'll attend.
President (1 year term) & Trustee (continuing) Steve Lester Vice President (1 Year Term) & Trustee (continuing) Jay Anthony Gach Treasurer (2 year term) & Trustee (3 year term) Ellen Zaehringer-Gach Secretary (2 year term) & Trustee (new 3 year term) Selina Benson Trustee (3 year term) Paul Sherrock Youth Trustee (1 year term) Lisa Weingarten
Continuing Trustee: Jean Smyth Crocetto
Mary Canada has resigned from the Board
2014 Nominating Committee: Lorrie Bellafiore, Mark Bennett, Brian Larkin, Rosemary Olander-Beach, Dana Reinecke
Submitted by the 2013 Nominating Committee: Rosemary Olander-Beach, Lisa Sobel, Mark Bennett and John Bilello.
All SNUUC members are invited & encouraged to attend this meeting
Snow date for the Annual Meeting is February 2
Many Thanks
As this is the December-January Open Line, by the next issue my term as president of the Board of Trustees will be completed. I would like to share my feelings of gratitude and to give thanks.
Over my four years on the board of trustees I have learned much and received much. I am very grateful to the board members I have had the pleasure of working with. I am very grateful to our minister, Catherine Torpey, for her energy, humor and creativity. I also am grateful to all the board members who have served our congregation before me, and I’m especially grateful at this time to the person who will succeed me as board president.
I would urge the next board president also to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Practicing gratitude helps me to relax with change, to not feel stuck, to see things in a more balanced way. With gratitude, I am able to see not just the problems we have (ie, balancing our budget) but I can bring to mind the creative energy, talent and connectedness that our faith community is blessed with.
We, as a congregation, are facing challenges. And it has always been so. We are changing in our membership, and we are no longer as UU’s a sanctuary from another faith tradition but a new kind of home for people seeking a spiritual, but not necessarily religious, community.
Whatever it will mean for SNUUC to be a 21st Century church, I am sure there will always be space for the practice of saying and feeling gratitude. And so, to each of the members of SNUUC, please accept my thanks for allowing me to serve as board president.
Here is a meditation on gratitude from the teacher Jack Kornfield:
With gratitude I remember the people, animals, plants, in-sects, creatures if the sky and sea, air and water, fire and earth, all whose joyful exertion blesses my life every day. With gratitude I remember the care and labor of a thousand generations of elders and ancestors who came before me. I offer my gratitude for the safety and well-being I have been given. I offer my gratitude for the blessings of this earth I have been given. I offer my gratitude for the measure of health I have been given. I offer my gratitude for the family and friends I have been given. I offer my gratitude for the community I have been given. I offer my gratitude for the teachings and lessons I have been given. I offer my gratitude for the life I have been given. Brian Larkin, Board President
TED Talks - Join Us!
TED Talks are brief lectures on fascinating topics given by experts in their fields. At SNUUC, we will periodically offer a chance to watch a TED Talk and have a discussion of the ideas presented. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, but over the years, the topics such talks cover have become nearly infinite. Please join us in watching these videos (never longer than 18 minutes) and enjoy conversation and fellowship afterward.
December 15 at noon we will watch Victor Wooten speak on “Music as a Language”.
January 19 at noon we will watch Joshua Prager speak "In Search of the Man Who Broke My Neck."
Please join us! All are welcome. Grab your coffee and come back to the RE wing for an engaging video and an enlivening discussion!
Proposed Slate of Nominations
to be voted on at our
Biannual Meeting on
January 26, 2014 at noon
Thank you to the Junior Youth for their inspiring and energetic Guest at Your Table worship service on November 24. It's wonderful to see these young people on the chancel. Please participate again this year in supporting the U.U. Service Committee.
Thank you Rita Hines and her helpers for organizing SNUUC's annual Holiday Fair on Sunday December 8!
December 15 is the annual Holiday Trip where we meet at the festive Hicks Nursery on Jericho Tpke in Westbury at 3pm, for amazing holiday photo opportunities and fun gift ideas. At 4pm meet at Old Country Buffet on Hempstead Tpke Levittown and at 6pm head over to the Rex Corp Plaza (formerly EAB Plaza) in Uniondale to see the Christmas tree. Bring friends and family. It’s a lovely time for everyone to enjoy the holiday spirit and keep to tradition. Speak with Mary Brower for more information.
Don't spend Christmas Eve in the kitchen! Come to Chen's Buffet City at 3056 Hempstead Tpke, Levittown (516 520-0888) for dinner immediately following our Christmas Eve service. No reservations required. Bring your friends and family and spend time with your SNUUC family. Speak with Ilene Corina for info, and to tell her you’ll be there.
SNUUC Committees meet regularly and most encourage attendance at their meetings even if you are not a member of the committee. Speak with a Board member if you would like to learn more about a committee.
The Thrift Shop Committee will probably meet on Sundays December 8 and January 12 at noon. Please speak with Joe McAuley or Doris Brass to find out more about this important committee.
The Board will meet on Wednesdays December 11 and January 8 both at 7:30pm in the foyer.
The Membership Team will meet on Wednesdays December 18 and January 15, both at 7pm in the foyer. Contact Allison Palm at [email protected] if you want to get involved!
The RE Committee will next meet on Sundays, December 15 and January 19 both at noon in the RE wing. Speak with Ilene Corina or John Bilello to find out
more info.
A Caring Committee has been formed to help ensure that the congregation is being attentive to
the pastoral needs of all its members. We meet monthly to identify needs in the congregation and find support for those who need it. The committee is led by our minister, Catherine Torpey, and our Ministerial Intern, Allison Palm, and is currently seeking new members. Feel free to be in touch if you know of a pastoral need, or if you are looking for support.
Chancel Flowers
Thank you to the people who recently donated flowers for our chancel!
On November 24 Anne Fleming gave “In gratitude for all I’ve been given.” Flowers on the chancel can be donated for any reason; in memory of a loved one, to honor or celebrate a special event or just because you like flowers on the chancel! Your commemoration will be listed in the order of Service and the Open Line. Please sign up on the Chancel Flowers List on the bulletin board in the foyer and donate $25 to pay for the flowers. Speak to Lisa in the office for more details.
We need volunteers if we are to continue to have refreshments during our Sunday Coffee Hour.
Most Sundays are available! It does not have to be elaborate, just bring 1/2 gallon of milk and come at 10am and make coffee. Any additional snacks are
simply a nice treat! Ask a friend or a new member to do it with you. Also watch for “pot luck" Sundays,
December 1 and 29, where you can bring one thing to share. Please choose a date and sign up
on the sheet or contact Mary Brower [email protected] Thanks!!
COME TO OUR HOLIDAY FAIR
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8th 12–4
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!
There will be a delicious lunch and refreshments of all kinds for sale, as well as a groaning board of home-baked goods. There will be in-house and outside vendors selling unique and unusual holiday gifts, from jewelry to pottery and crafts. Why trek to the mall when you can do it all here, and have lots of fun and food besides?
If you have questions or want to help, please contact Rita Hines. Let's make this a truly memorable holiday festival and a real moneymaker for our congregation!
We are in great need of volunteers to set up and decorate our dining room for the Holiday Fair from 11:30am on Saturday, December 7. There will be pizza! We also need strong arms to set up vendor tables in the foyer. Please call or email Rita Hines at [email protected]. Thank you!
Please join us at our Annual Christmas Caroling at South Shore Health Care at 275 West Merrick Road in Freeport on Wednesday December 11 at 6pm. We enjoy an intergenerational choir and singers from our Choir for this event. This is a heartwarming time to help cheer up our elders at holiday time. We often go to Friendly's afterward to extend the good cheer. There will be a Christmas Caroling rehearsal on Sunday Dec. 8 at 9am If you want to participate please contact either David Silver or JoAnn Fassman.
Please bring your wrapped and numbered Share the Light Gifts to the SNUUC RE Wing by Sunday, December 8.
You have a few weeks to contribute to your Guest at Your Table. Please bring donations by January 12. Questions? Please speak to Catherine Torpey or David Silver.
As the seasons of Thanks and Giving come upon us, why not give yourself the serenity and ease of a Gentle Yoga with Spirit series to relax, restore, and re-energize? We would love to
see you continue if you've been a regular and we would also love to reconnect with anyone who has gotten caught up with life and other activities! Deep breaths and calm...sound good? Next series dates are as follows: Tuesdays - 5:30-6:30pm Nov. 19, Dec. 3, 10 and 17, Thursdays - 4:30-5:30pm Nov. 21, Dec. 5, 12 and 19. Pre-registration is requested so please contact Anne Fleming ([email protected] ) to sign up.
SNUUC’s drumming ministry, the DrUUmatics, practices every Thursday at 6:30pm in the RE wing.
You can check on their website for info about where they are playing: www.druumatics.org, or find the DrUUmatics page on Facebook. If there is enough interest, they will offer drumming workshops too! Speak with Sharon Nanos or Laura D’Angelo.
Pilates classes at SNUUC take place on Mondays , 5-6pm and Wednesdays 6-7pm, only $12 per class - no contracts to sign, no
commitment, just come and stretch! Questions? Please contact Leslie Farrington.
Spontaneity, Creativity, Fun! Improv classes continue at SNUUC. Newcomers, you’ll find it
easier than you’d expect! Classes continue January 5, Sunday afternoons, 2-4pm. Beginners are welcome. A series costs $80 for returning students, $100 for new students. For more information, please refer to Michael Rock ([email protected]
Start 2014 Mindfully!
A lay-led meditation group commences Saturday, January 4, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. at SNUUC. The group is to gather in the foyer for four Saturday mornings. The benefits of meditation, such as greater compassion, less anxiety, and more happiness, are widely written about. But, as one wise teacher said, why listen to someone tell you about an apple, when you can taste it for yourself? Whether you want to strengthen your current practice, or are new to meditation, please come and take a seat. For more information please contact Brian Larkin ([email protected]).
Did you know that our Thrift Shop's yearly income contributes more than $25,000 a year to the operating funds of the congregation? For our thrift shop to do this, it needs donations, which it sells at a low cost, to keep these funds coming in. Without donations from people like you, there is nothing to sell. Remember to think of the Thrift Shop as you ready your winter clothes and straighten up around your home! Particularly good sellers are hard goods (small kitchen appliances, pots, pans and other house wares) and new-in-the-box items that you received as a gift and don't need or want. Trinkets, costume jewelry, and decorative items all sell very well. Do you have some free time? Our Thrift Shop is also a great place to volunteer! You can help out at the shop or perhaps drive to homes and pick up items to be donated. This can be a one time, weekly or monthly trip. Please contact Joe McAuley or Anne Fleming at the Thrift Shop. It is located at 22 W. Merrick Road, on the north side of the street between Church St and So. Main. Tuesday thru Saturday, from 10am to 4 pm. The phone number 223-3974.
January will give us another exciting Foyer Art exhibit. Join us on Sunday January 12 at 11:30 for
photographer Blaga Dimitrova. The Opening Reception on that day will also
feature a concert from Lush Life Jazz. Light food and refreshments round out this
fun event. See you there!
Upcoming Holiday Themed Events
December 1 Intergenerational Hanukkah Service
December 11 Christmas Caroling at the South Nassau Nursing Home December 24 Christmas Eve Service
December 29 Intergenerational Kwanzaa Service
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love”- H.W. Mabie
As we begin another holiday season, it can be very beneficial to our spiritual well being to focus on the true meaning of the holidays and not get caught up in the commercialism of the Christmas season. Focusing on unplugging the “Christmas Hype Machine” can create a more joyful, meaningful celebration. Make a few simple changes to your holiday traditions and you will enjoy a more meaningful, less stressful holiday season.
A recent workshop I took suggested this Christmas Pledge for those who wish to discover a different type of celebration inside of them. The workshop was developed by Jo Robinson and Jean Staeheli
The Christmas Pledge
Believing in the true spirit of Christmas, I commit myself to:
∞ Remember those people who truly need my gift
∞ Express my love in more direct ways than gift
∞ Examine my holiday activities in the light of my deepest values
∞ Be a peacemaker within my circle of family and friends
∞ Rededicate myself to my spiritual growth
This is a transforming workshop that I highly recommend. Please let me know if you would like me to share the workshop contents with you.
Have a wonderful holiday season. Please be mindful that our blessings are always greater than our burdens and we have so much to be thankful for. Especially being a part of this special community.
Every day is a gift. David Silver, DRE
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee reminds us “your purchases through UUSC’s online store help you live your commitment to ethical eating — and they support our struggle to advance workers’ rights at the same time.
All proceeds from shop.uusc.org support UUSC’s human rights work around the world. UUSC offers ethically sourced products for sale that are sweatshop-free, union or cooperative-made, and environmentally sustainable.
At shop.uusc.org, we’ve added hundreds of new food products. These delectable offerings were fairly traded or directly traded; meaning workers all along the supply chain are provided a living wage. We support a number of worker-owned, local producers, including many small cooperatives. These companies are in danger of being replaced with multinational corporations that have little respect for workers' rights.
So what’s new and tasty? Southern Alternatives pecans, Sweet and savory spreads from the Jam Stand, Fair-trade spices from Fair Seas Spice Company. As always, we’ve got Equal Exchange chocolates and coffee to soothe your sweet tooth and give your morning a buzz. You’ll want to check out all of our new fair foods — but don’t wait. With the holidays approaching, these yummy treats won’t last long!
Thanks for choosing compassionate consumption, Eric Grignol, Marketing and Multimedia Manager, UUSC
PS. Want to get a head start on finding the perfect holiday gift or ordering holiday cards? Our new cata-log is online! Start shopping now at shop.uusc.org.”
Like the Guest at Your Table program, this is another way to support the UUSC.
In the RE Wing
PULSE of NY is offering Family Centered Patient Advocacy Training on February 7, 2014 at 8:30am-1:00pm at SNUUC. Train to be a patient safety advocate for your friends, family and community. Bring your family so they can learn to be your advocate. Don't wait until someone is sick, injured or in need of care. Get the training now.
SNUUC members and family $25 per person . Classes are small and fill fast. Must be registered and paid by January 25, 2014. Speak with Ilene Corina forcmore information or go to www.pulseofny.org
Shopping online? Click through amazon.snuuc.org & SNUUC gets 5-6% of your Amazon purchase. It’s easy and doesn’t cost you a penny more!
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The mission of the South Nassau Unitarian Universalist Congregation is to provide a sanctuary
of beauty and harmony where: We search in freedom for meaning and truth; we draw inspiration
from many religious and philosophical sources while acknowledging the Judeo-Christian heritage of
Unitarian Universalism; we embrace diversity and welcome people of all ages, races, and
orientations; we affirm that our children and youth are an integral and important part of our religious
family; we strive toward a social awareness that leads to transformative action in our community
and to living in balance with the environment. Ours is a nurturing congregation where children and
adults find acceptance and fellowship, feel empowered and grow spiritually.
SNUUC South Nassau
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
228 South Ocean Avenue
Freeport, NY 11520
COME TO OUR HOLIDAY FAIR
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8th, 12–4
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!
Christmas Caroling Wednesday December 11, 6pm Christmas Caroling Rehearsal Sunday December 8 at 9am
Biannual Meeting Sunday January 26, 2013 at noon. All members are asked to attend.
Shopping online? Click through amazon.snuuc.org & SNUUC gets 5-6% of your Amazon purchase. It’s easy and doesn’t cost you a penny more!