eNews: October 5, 2012

In the Lounge: Adult Programs Committee ◊ Alliance Books ◊ Beacon Books Cart ◊ Environmental Task Force ◊ Fair Trade Coffee & Tea ◊ Get Active at Cedar Lane ◊ Palestinian olive oil for sale to support peace in the Middle East ◊ Senior Minister Search Committee ◊ Social Justice Council ◊

This Sunday's Morning Forum: Label GMOs - It's Our Right to Know, with Alexis Baden-Mayer, Political Director for the Organic Consumers Association.

First Sunday Smart Sacks collection for Manna is this Sunday! Drop off donations into either the blue or red bins. Thanks.

The Bog Band performs this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Let's fill every seat in the auditorium for this fine band of teenagers who have developed their skills in performing Irish reels, jigs, and hornpipes. Pete Moss leads the band and he has said, "It will be a great concert and a memorable event for all." The Shannon Dunne Dancers will appear with the band so whether you fancy music or dance, there'll be something for everyone. Admission is free. We hope to see you there!

Pick up a flyer in the lounge and click here for a line-up for this year's Concert Series.

Weekly Devotional · October 5, 2012

"The manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured."

- Dean Acheson (attrib.)

We are accustomed to regard a person's circumstances when we consider his or her level of suffering. Certainly certain conditions are more conducive to despair than others. Inmates in a concentration camp, survivors of a cataclysmic tsunami or a person trapped in a horribly abusive relationship can hardly be blamed for succumbing to hopelessness and nihilism. However, the reality is that regardless of circumstances, there are three things that can make human life unbearable:

A sense of aloneness. James Joyce noted, "It relieves us to see or hear our own distress expressed by another person." The sense that someone else understands what we are experiencing can be enormously encouraging and liberating for us. Conversely, the feeling that no one understands what we're going through, that no one cares, that no one will help us, is universally regarded as one of the most horrible and terrifying experiences a person can endure. Our species is hard-wired to seek support and caring from others.

A sense of meaninglessness. We need to feel that our lives matter, that our personal energies and abilities are dedicated toward something that has a constructive purpose. We also are constantly seeking to understand our suffering in some context that will give it meaning. It never surprises me that so many people believe that a benevolent deity is responsible for their pain; it gives many comfort to think that their otherwise meaningless anguish is part of a benign cosmic purpose, however mysterious or incomprehensible to us it may be.

A sense of hopelessness. When my wife and I were expecting our first child, we met an obstetric nurse who remarked, "One of the things that makes pain bearable is knowing when it is going to end." (This may be a good thing to contemplate during contractions.) The feeling that things will never get better, that misery is the permanent state of the universe, is not endurable to the human psyche. People who struggle with suicidality often report these kinds of feelings.

We are religious for many reasons; among these is our need to overcome these three horrors. We come together in religious communities so that we may escape the sense of aloneness, and that we might help others to know they are not alone. We come together in religious communities to make meaning out of life, even life's most dreadful miseries. We come together in religious communities to find hope, and to try to give others hope.

Prayer

Compassionate Lord, give us the wisdom and the strength to seek others, to find meaning, and to live in hope. Guide us that we may help others to know that they are not alone, for we are with them; that life has meaning, because we love; and that there is hope for all of us. Amen.

Follow Rev. Keely on Twitter @evanvwk and as part of the UU Collective of bloggers at Patheos.com.

Upcoming Sundays

Oct 14, 2012, 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

"Emboldened by Faith"

The Rev. Evan Keely

Worship Associate: Travis Ploeger

Vote FOR Question 6! As a Welcoming Congregation, Cedar Lane UU Church celebrates the possibility that Maryland could be among the first states to affirm marriage equality by referendum -- and we reflect honestly on the challenges ahead.

Forum:
Montgomery County Questions on the Ballot

for the November Election,

with County Council

Member, Nancy Floreen.

Click here for future Forum info!

We Care

The We Care program is a network led by volunteers who reach out to address short-term needs - food deliveries, rides to doctor's appointments, a listening ear in the event of a loss. The Cedar Lane congregation is organized geographically by "neighborhoods"; each neighborhood has at least one chairperson to coordinate support. Look at your name-tag or the map in the church office to find your neighborhood.

Note: The We Care chairs will be contacting each household in their neighborhood between now and December 1st, just to remind our members and friends about the We Care program and to see how folks are doing. Please anticipate these calls and welcome them!

Should you know of a member of our community in personal need, you are encouraged to reach out to them. If you learn that this person wishes to receive a response from the church, please contact Heather Janules at hjanules@cedarlane.org. All ministers offer pastoral care to our members so you are also encouraged to contact any member of the ministerial team.

From the Associate Minister

Heather Janules' Whereabouts: Heather will be away from Cedar Lane from 10/2-10/16 to participate in the International Convocation of UU Women in Marosvasarhely, Romania and an out-of-town wedding.Interim Senior Minister, the Rev.Evan Keely, is available to respond to pastoral care concerns in her absence. He can be reached at 301.493.8300 or ekeely@cedarlane.org.

Blessing of the Animals:

Cedar Lane will hold its annual Blessing of the Animals service on October 21. The 9 a.m. service will welcome only virtual animals (stuffed animals, photos and drawings) to honor the needs of the allergic while the 11 a.m. service will welcome (vaccinated, contained/leashed, well-behaving) live animals. Stewards of live animals should gather in the courtyard by 10:45 to line up for the animal parade. Anyone who wishes to include a photo of an animal who has died or is best left at home in the service should email the photo, including the name of your animal friend,to Heather Janules at hjanules@cedarlane.org no later than Friday, Oct. 19.

We Ordain

Glenn Coleman Farley

Sunday, October 28, 4 p.m.

WHAT GLENN LEARNED AT CEDAR LANE

Glenn writes: I recall very little of what I learned explicitly at Cedar Lane. But what I learned implicitly is seared in my heart.

I was encouraged to reach out for the stars.
I was taught that humans have agency; that our choices matter.
I learned that silence was okay.
I learned that not knowing was okay.
I learned to include the excluded.
I recall being constantly encouraged to question, to figure things out for myself.
I knew that this congregation of adults and my parents cared about me; they wanted me to be happy, healthy, safe and successful.
I grew up in a congregation where it was normal for women to be among our strong religious leaders.

Come to participate and celebrate as we ordain this young man into the Unitarian Universalist ministry on Sunday, October 28, at 4:00 p.m.

More next week.

This Sunday, October 7, is the last Sunday to become a member in order to be able to vote in the April 2013 election. Come to the library following the 9 and 11 a.m. services to participate in Cedar Lane's Monthly Special Signing Ceremony! We will be voting to decide whether to call a new senior minister at our annual meeting in April. The Board of Trustees wants to make sure you are aware of the formal voting requirements for new members so that you are eligible to vote at the April 2013 meeting. To be a voting member of Cedar Lane, you must be at least 16 years of age on the day of the vote, have engaged in the worship and work of the church, and both signed the membership book and make a recorded contribution of at least $100 at least six months before the vote (which in this case is October 7, 2012).

(The required minimum contribution can be waived. Please contact a minister before October 7, 2012 if this presents a hardship for you.)

Be sure you can participate fully in the April 2013 congregational meeting and vote by:

Continuing to participate in the work and worship of Cedar Lane! You may do so in any way that meets your spiritual needs.
Sign the membership book by October 7, 2012. You may contact the church office anytime to make an appointment with a minister and another church leader to sign the book. Your last chance to sign the book in order to vote for the new minister at the April 2013 congregational meeting will be on October 7, 2012. The Member Services Committee will be hosting the October Signing Ceremony on October 7, 2012 in the library following the 9 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services.

Make a recorded contribution of at least $100 before October 7, 2012. You can do so giving on-line at www.cedarlane.org or by putting a check in the collection plate during any of the Sunday services. If you are making a cash contribution, make sure you put it in an envelope with your name on it before you put it in the collection plate.

Not sure how to join? Talk to any minister or member of the Member Services Committee (at the Visitors' Center after every Sunday service) and they will help you out!

Join Cedar Lane's 6th annual rebuilding trip to New Orleans!

Our work week to help rebuild NOLA's much needed housing tentatively is

scheduled for Saturday, January 19 - 26, 2013. 1000s of New Orleans home owners still are out of their homes 8 years after Hurricane Katrina. Personal livelihoods and NOLA's economic recovery depend on having viable housing to live in. For info, look for trip veterans in the lounge on Sundays, or email team leader extraordinaire Mike Burski: mga1960@earthlink.net. Make this your year to be in NOLA.

Kiplinger Lecture, November 3

Civil Conversations: Bridging the Divide over Life and Choice

Save the Date: Saturday, November 3!

The Kiplinger Committee is proud to present the Annual Kiplinger Lecture, Civil Conversations: Bridging the Divide over Life and Choice, with Frances Kissling. Ms. Kissling is a lifelong woman's rights advocate, and a recent scholar a the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. The lecture will be an intelligent approach to civil discourse about women's health rights and practices. The cost is $10; students free, and Cedar Laners can bring a friend for free! Visit our website for more information.

Around the Church

CLARITY & the LGBT Committee are co-hosting this month's Community Lunch! Members and visitors are welcome to join attend Community Lunch on Sunday, October 7th in the Chalice House around 12:15 p.m. following the Sunday Service. Plan to come for fellow-ship, enjoy delicious food, and learn more about the great work of these two important CLUUC committees! No RSVP required.

Getting Active at Cedar Lane

Our church has repeatedly affirmed its position as a welcoming church - we welcome all people regardless of their beliefs, nationality or sexual orientation or any of the many other traits human beings use to separate themselves and others into groups. Never-the-less, new members often say that after they have joined Cedar Lane they haven't gotten involved or formed meaningful relationships. At the same time, there are committees, clubs, and projects that are anxiously looking for the help and enthusiasm of new members. Cedar Lane is like life - you get out of it what you put into it.

With that in mind, we are trying something new to help put those desirous of being more involved and connected at Cedar Lane, in touch with the various groups that would welcome their participation.

Check out the lounge this Sunday for info about church groups that you may like to join, and that would love to have you!

Join us for the Alliance Luncheon this Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. All are welcome! Please bring a main dish, salad, or dessert to serve six or eight. This month's program is a report by Philip Farah and William Simonds, two members of a human-rights delegation of 20 US citizens, about their May 2012 trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank of Palestine. The trip was sponsored by the Interfaith Peace Builders. For additional information, call Jean Thompson, Alliance President, at 301-589-3390.

Sunday Parking

Please remember that the back parking lot is reserved for RE teachers on Sunday mornings!

Farm Market Stand Open this Saturday, September 29!

Saturdays, 9-1 p.m.

in the upper parking lot of Cedar Lane

Stop in, look around and take home some fresh greens, vegetables, berries, and baked goods!

Check out their website for more info :)

Don't forget to check out Cedar Lane! Find us on...

If you would like your event posted on our Social Media, please e-mail us at socialmedia@cedarlane.org.

Religious Education

for All Ages

Karen Lee Scrivo, Interim Director of RE

Vanessa Steck, Senior High Youth Coordinator

Gale Ginther Luce & Jeannette Wilson, Administrators

For information and to register for classes and programs call 301-493-8300 x207 or e-mail

RE@cedarlane.org.

READ ALL the RE News Here...

Upcoming Calendar:

Sun, Oct 7 First Sunday Smart Snacks

Sun, Oct 14 Yes, there is RE!

Sun, Oct 21 Blessing of the Animals

service, No RE

First Sunday Smart Sacks: Sunday,

October 7 is our First Sunday Smart Sack collection. Please help this important

Manna Food program continue helping

feed hungry children during times when

they can't get meals at school. Donation suggestions can be found on-line at http://www.cedarlane.org/rep/

FoodWishList.pdf. Have your children help decide what to purchase, and place your donations into the red bins outside the chapel, and in the downstairs lobby. Thank you!

Bagels, Donuts and Muffins, oh my!
Our 9th graders are starting to offer home-made goodies on some Sundays! And the goodies are actually MADE by the 9th graders, not their parents! Please show your support, for their spring trip to Boston, by purchasing goodies. If you'd rather not eat a goodie, they'll happily accept donations!

Youth Notes (Grades 7-12)
Young Adults (Ages 18-35)
Adult Programs (AP)
18 Classes begin in October!

Register in the lounge this Sunday, October 7!
AP Brochure Corrections & Additions
The Sunday Morning Forum
Connection Circles - No Fees!
Save the Date: Saturday, November 3!

From the Music Director

Dr. Henry Sgrecci

Gruppo Piccolo returns to the sanctuary to sing a host of lullaby songs. Joseph Barnby was an 18th century British composer who was educated at the Royal School of Music and followed Charles Gounod as conductor of the prestigious Royal Albert Hall Concert Society. His output of compositions for choir and organ was impressive but few held the delicacy and intimate harmonic quality of his lullaby Sweet and Low. Billy Joel's original lyrics to his song Lullabye dealt with a man who was losing his faith. Joel had the lyrics translated into Latin and intended that the song would be sung in the style of a Gregorian Chant. One evening while tucking in his seven year-old daughter, Alexa Ray, she asked, "Where do we go when we die?" Suddenly Joel knew what to do with the song, recasting it as a lullaby that would allow the child to drift off to sleep and into a river of dreams (which was the title song of the album that featured Lullabye). The Lion Sleeps Tonight is another song that has twice been popularized through pop culture but that originated in quite different circumstances. The Zulu singer Solomon Linda wrote and recorded the song with a choir called "The Evening Birds" in the 1920s. With an indigenous a capella style appreciated by South Africans, it became a hit song in the country, selling more than 100,000 copies by 1948. The song was covered by many American artists in the 1950s and 60s including The Weavers, Jimmy Dorsey, and the pop group, The Tokens. Of course in contemporary times we know the song from the hit Disney movie, "The Lion King."

Special thanks to Gruppo Piccolo, who are thrilled to continue singing for services as a mixed group (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), because the ensemble has added a new bass singer. Ideally the group would like to add one more baritone or bass to its membership. Gruppo Piccolo has great fun singing together, and the commitment is not a huge one! If you enjoy singing in a small group, and would like to learn more. Please contact Henry Sgrecci at hsgrecci@cedarlane.org or Ariel Mora at ariel_mora1@hotmail.com.

Calendar

Please visit the church calendar here.

Celebrate Social Justice Awards for Cedar Lane

Please join area UUs in honoring nine 2012 awardees at the UUSJ's 5th Annual Social Justice Awards Benefit Gala on Sunday, Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m. Honorees's congregations: Accotink, All Souls, Arlington, Bull Run, Cedar Lane, Columbia, Fairfax and Rockville.

A three course dinner will be served at Positano Ristorante, 4948 Fairmont Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814 - free parking. Tickets are $75.00 ($39.60 is tax deductible - receipt will be available at the Gala). The Cedar Lane's CLARITY won the Journey Toward Wholeness group prize for their antiracism work. Let's support them by attending the UUSJ Awards Gala.

While the cost of the tickets is $75.00, $39.60 of the cost is tax deductible. This is a great way to show your support for UUSJ.

- Catherine Scott, Cedar Lane UUSJ representative

LGBT Task Force

Faith, Social Justice & Marriage Equality

Join us at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church for an evening in support of marriage equality in Maryland.

Saturday, October 13 at 7 p.m.

9601 Cedar Lane

Bethesda, MD 20814

301-493-8300

lgbtcedarlane@gmail.com

The evening includes, a film screening, a panel discussion, and a photo text-exhibit.

Click here to view the flyer.

Greetings from Cedar Lane's New Membership Coordinator, Allison Cox

What brings me to Cedar Lane? After twenty satisfying years spent raising my daughters and volunteering in the community, I recently decided it was time to get back to regular paid employment. I felt I had much to offer after my volunteer work in the public schools, as a Girl Scout leader, at Gaithersburg Help, as an Long Term Care Ombudsman for Montgomery County and in numerous roles at my congregation the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville.........

Click here to continue learning about Allison!

Environmental Task Force

Fall 2012 Rock Creek Clean Up!

Sunday, October 14, Noon -3 p.m.

Rain date: Sunday, October 21

Organic picnic lunch 1-2 p.m.

Note: We will start later than we used to so that the clean-up will not conflict with the 11 a.m. service.

Come for as long as you can. Wear old shoes, and rubber boots if you might get in the creek. Come to Charlotte's car (a gold Honda) in the teachers' parking lot on the Beach Drive side of our church for gloves and bags provided by the Montgomery County Parks & Planning Dept.

Click here to view the full flyer!

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Check out our page on the church website for Green Tips!

Two Important Messages about Items from the Rummage Sale!

*Important Notice*:

We received a donation for the rummage sale of several pieces of jewelry that appear to be of some value. We did not include these pieces in the rummage in case they were donated by mistake. If you believe that these pieces could be yours, please contact Sara Deshler and let her know what you are missing. If no one comes forward to claim these pieces, we will have them appraised and included in the spring auction.

Sally and Norm Lauben have found a large box of additional goodies that accompany the children's slide provided for the rummage sale. We would like to deliver the box to whoever is the proud possessor of the slide. Included in the box are a complete scale model to make different toys out of the slide parts, additional full size parts for additional toys, tools and instructions. If you are the new owners or know who they are, please call Sally or Norm at 301-384-0348.

Phone banking at Cedar Lane related to the Maryland marriage equality referendum vote in November!

On Tuesdays, from September 18 through October 30 (the Tuesday before the election), Cedar Lane will be hosting weekly phone banking sessions. These sessions will continue until the November election, and they will be organized and supervised by staff members from Marylanders for Marriage Equality (MDFME). The phone banking sessions will take place in Rm 32-35 (downstairs) from 5:30 to 8:30 PM. LGBT Task Force liaisons will be helping with the sessions. If you are interested and available to help with this work, please plan to join the phone banking sessions whenever you can. Volunteer callers are asked to bring their own cell phones to the sessions (if possible). Refreshments will be served.

Beyond the Church

Check out this photo of Evan and Cedar Laners in Dicsoszentmarton, Transylvania, Romania this last week!

Early Voting and Voter Registration Deadline

Montgomery County will open five Early Voting Centers from October 27 through November 1, from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (Sunday hours noon-6 p.m.) at these locations:

~ Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville

~ Germantown Recreation Center, 18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown

~ Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville

~ Montgomery County Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville

~ Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veteran's Plaza, Silver Spring

If you want to vote in the 2012 Presidential General Election you must register by 9 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16. Get your application by calling 240-777-VOTE or by visiting a county library, regional services center, any office of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the Motor Vehicle Administration, or any U.S. Post Office. You can also download the application at 777vote.org or register in person at the Board of Elections.

Celebrating Indigenous People's Day: Together Next Monday, October 8, the United States will celebrate Christopher Columbus. Here at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), we invite you instead to join other Unitarian Universalists in honoring Indigenous People's Day. Our shared faith calls us to respect indigenous peoples and support their struggles for social justice and religious freedom. This recognition is particularly meaningful this year as Unitarian Universalists recently voted to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. To learn more about the Doctrine of Discovery and Indigenous People's Day, read this recent Standing on the Side of Love blogpost from the Rev. Dr. Michael Tino.

Camp Fire USA scouting Club: Cedar Lane continues to host the Bethesda-DC Camp Fire USA Family Club which meets on the 1st Sunday of the month from 4:30-6:30 PM. The club has 3 levels: Starflight for Gr 1-2 and Adventure for Gr 3-5 and Discovery for Gr 6-8. The first meeting is Sunday, October 14 from 4:30-6:30 PM. We have a hike planned for Nov 4. For more information and to join, please contact Eileen Kane at Ekane98@aol.com or call her at 202-686-4152.

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Click here to learn about some events sponsored by friends of Cedar Lane.

Sara Davidson
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church www.cedarlane.org 301-493-8300