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Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
www.cedarlane.org
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eNewsletter Volume 5, Issue 19
December 14, 2012
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December 16, 2012, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
"The Reason for the Season"
The Rev. Evan Keely, Interim Senior Minister
Worship Associate: Jim Laurenson
What do we expect from our leaders - in our church, in our community, in our world? What are the qualities of just and effective leadership?
Volunteers for the Service:
Ushers: 9 a.m.: Michael Morse, Jack & Judy Rodgers, Laura Pillette
11 a.m.: Glenis Bellais, Debbie Goodwin, Fred Bowen, Mary Beth Nowinski
Coffee Servers: 10 a.m.: Kate Harrison; noon: Glenis Bellais
Audio: Rich Clark
Board Member at the Office Desk: 10 a.m.: Michael Murray; noon: Rick Offner
Welcome Center: 10 a.m.: John Gubbings; noon: Maryann Dillon
The poinsettias in the sanctuary are given by the Member Services Committee. The flowers in the chapel were arranged by Betty May Cleary.
In the Lounge: Alliance Books ◊ Alternative Gifts ◊ Beacon Books Cart ◊ Creative Connections for Congo Kids (paper jewelry) ◊ Donuts & Bagels ◊ Environmental Task Force ◊ Fair Trade Coffee & Tea ◊ Fred Bowen Book Signing ◊ Palestinian olive oil for sale to support peace in the Middle East ◊ Senior Minister Search Committee ◊ Social Justice Council
This Sunday's Morning Forum: Author Dr. James Lieberman discusses his book, How Facing Death Enhances Life: Insights from Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank.
Don't forget to find Cedar Lane on Facebook! Click here to find us :o)
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Winter Solstice Celebration
Vespers Service -
Music, Readings & Poetry
This Sunday, December 16,
5 p.m. in the Cedar Lane chapel
(snow date = January 6)
Organized by:
Members of Journeywomen Connection Circle and Friends
Music Provided by:
Vera Kochanowsky, Harpsichord
Margaret K. Turner, Baroque Blockflöte
Winter solstice brings the longest night of the year and the start of the new light of the lengthening days. Join our vespers celebration with music, accompanied by readings and poetry of the mystery of darkness and the joy of light. Following the service, light seasonal refreshments will be served in the library (no dinner). Optional donations for Beacon House will be ac-cepted - hats, scarves, mittens, unwrapped new toys, or cash.
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Weekly Devotional · December 14, 2012
"...if we lose our awareness of the transcendent realms of play, beauty, and brotherhood which are portrayed in the great affirmative works of our culture, if we lose the dream of [Beethoven's] Ninth Symphony, there remains no counterpoise against the engulfing terrors of civilization, nothing to set against Auschwitz and Vietnam as a paradigm of humanity's potentialities. Masterpieces of art are instilled with a surplus of constantly renewable energy - an energy that provides a motive force for changes in the relations between human beings - because they contain projections of human desires and goals which have not yet been achieved (which indeed may be unrealizable). In Max Raphael's formulation: "The work of art hold's man's creative power in a crystalline suspension from which it can again be transformed into living energies." Beethoven was no stranger to such ideas, for he wrote: "Only art and science give us intimations and hopes of a higher life."
from Beethoven, Maynard Solomon
(New York: Schirmer, 1977) 315-16.
Nominally Roman Catholic, Ludwig van Beethoven had an unconventional approach to religion and spirituality not so uncommon in a lifetime that included the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars and the Age of Metternich. While there isn't much reason to believe that Beethoven had a great deal of enthusiasm for organized religion as it was in his time, he definitely had a strong faith in things of transcendent meaning and worth. In a sense that exceeds the boundaries of any institutionalized faith, he composed a great deal of religious music. His Sixth Symphony, the "Pastoral," is a hymn of praise in which the creation and the Creator are inseparable. The central movement of his A Minor String Quartet, composed after his recovery from a long and painful illness, is entitled "Holy song of thanks of a convalescent to the Godhead" - an die Gottheit, to the Godhead, the Divinity, and not an Gott, to God. So much of Beethoven's music is a holy song of thanks not to the God of any one tradition, but to a transcendent divinity that could be found and worshipped and experienced personally, not just in a church, but in nature, in human connections, and of course in music.
While another famous person's birthday celebrated at this time of year is questionable as far as the date is concerned, we can be quite confident that Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770. Two hundred and forty-two years later, he continues to bless the world.
Prayer
O nameless and unnamable Mystery of all that is, may our lives be devoted not to narrow concepts of the sacred, but to generously all-encompassing truths of connection, creativity and joy. Amen.
Follow Rev. Keely on Twitter @evanvwk and as part of the UU Collective of bloggers at Patheos.com.
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Upcoming Sundays
December 23, 2012, 10 a.m.
"That I May See More Clearly"
The Rev. Evan Keely
Worship Associate: Susan Clark
We will have one multigenerational service at 10 a.m., honoring the winter solstice and dedicating children new to our congregation.
Upcoming December Services:
Please note that the following two Sundays, December 23 and 30, we will have one service at 10 a.m. Our Christmas Eve services on December 24 will be at 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and music will start at 10 p.m. for the 10:30 p.m. service.
Forum: No Forum.
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Calendar
Please visit the church calendar here.
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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. A Service in Celebration of the Life of Paul Johnson (Neighborhood 7) will be held on Thursday, January 17 at 2 p.m. in the Cedar Lane Auditorium. All are welcome. Our thoughts remain with his wife, Terrie Nelson, their family and many friends. The video tribute for the life of Cedar Lane friend Elizabeth 'Liz' Gomer can be viewed at www.youtube.com. Search: TheShamanofSound (all one word).  Grieving a Loved One Through the Holidays: At their best, the winter holidays are joyous times with family and other companions. However, the death of a loved one can make the holiday season a difficult time of grief and renewed sadness. As is our annual tradition, on Dec. 23 at 11:30 a.m. in the chapel, there will be a gathering of those who wish to share their thoughts and feelings about the people they miss this holiday season. Contact Heather Janules at hjanules@cedarlane.org or x204 with any questions. 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. |
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See you there!
Good Food, Good Talk!
Sunday, Dec. 23, 11:15 a.m., Chalice House
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
DVD with discussion moderated by Sandy Shaw, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Featured on The Tavis Smiley Show, Bill Moyers Journal, Democracy Now, and C-Span's Washington Journal, The New Jim Crow sparks a much needed conversation about ways in which our system of mass incarceration has come to resemble systems of racial control from a different era.
This is free - all welcome -
no reservations needed.
*Members and friends of CLUUC committed to our work of anti-racism and multi-culturalism are encouraged to become part of CLARITY's team! Join our group distribution list by simply sending a request to CLUUC-CLARITY-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. We use this Yahoo group for CLARITY meeting invitations, minutes, email notifications of events of interest, etc.
Questions? Please contact Ariel Mora at
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Around the Church
Food Drives for Manna are Big Success!
Cedar Laners did themselves proud with their food donations for the special holiday collections. In the past 8 weeks, 2,065 pounds of food were donated by you. It is noteworthy that we exceeded a full ton of food. While our records don't go back too far, we believe that is a record. When Manna said "Hunger doesn't take a holiday," you responded. We are deeply appreciative of your generosity. The next First Sunday Food Drive will be Jan. 6.
- The Manna Food Task Force: Sophia King, Leader; Helen Strang, and John Daniel
Community Based Shelter: Cedar Lane's annual week begins on Sunday, December 30. During this week our volunteers will prepare and serve the evening meal for 35 women in the Rockville shelter. The SJC budget pays for supplies and food for breakfast and lunch. We have six slots for food preparation each day. We also need people to prepare 25 sandwiches each day. If your family would like to volunteer, please contact Sandy Shaw; 301-642-0083 or alexandersha@gmail.com, or look for the CBS poster at the SJC table in the lounge after service on Sunday. Please sign up early, as both Dec. 23 & 30 are single service days when attendance is lighter. 
Last Weekend to Provide Gifts for Beacon House! Share the spirit of giving with children and teens (ages 5-18) at Beacon House by bringing new, unwrapped gifts to church later than noon on Sunday, Dec. 16. Toys, books, puzzles, coloring books, crayons, sweaters, hats, gloves, sweatshirts and sweat-pants are needed. There are collection boxes upstairs by the front door and downstairs in the RE Administration area until the morning of Dec. 16, which will be the LAST day to bring them. If you can help with delivering gifts, contact Interim Director of Religious Education Karen Lee Scrivo at kscrivo@cedarlane.org.
What Is a Child Dedication?
Most faith traditions have a way to welcome young ones into our spiritual community. Our Child Dedication service is an opportunity for all of us - parents, family, friends, church - to promise to the child and to each other that we will love and nurture her or him, that we will teach the best of what we know, dedicating ourselves to this responsibility of raising a child and joyously celebrating the possibilities of a new life.
On Sunday, Dec. 23, we will have a dedication ceremony within the regular worship service, which will be at 10 a.m. and include all ages because of holidays. If you and your family would like to participate, please contact Interim DRE Karen Lee Scrivo at kscrivo@cedarlane.org, or
(301-493-8300) by Dec. 16.
A Win-Win Holiday Gift Idea:
Got a young sports fan on your shopping list? You can get the perfect gift and help Cedar Lane at the same time. Church member Fred Bowen, who writes sports fiction (ages 7-12), and the weekly Washington Post/KidsPost sports column has donated 100 of his books to Cedar Lane to sell during the holidays and he will be signing them in the book corner this Sunday. The books are $5 each and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Cedar Lane general fund.
Don't forget to check out Cedar Lane! Find us on...
If you would like your event posted on Cedar Lane's social media, please email socialmedia@cedarlane.org. |
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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
Upcoming Calendar:
- Sun, Dec 16: Time for All Ages: 9 a.m. "Presentation of the Animals" by the Haunting House class; 11 a.m. "Presentation of Gifts" by the Wonderful Welcome class.
- Sun, Dec 23: One Multi-generational Service at 10 a.m. only, with child dedication. No RE classes, childcare available.
- Mon, Dec 24: 4:30 p.m., A 45-minute service, ideal for young children, with IDRE Karen. 6 p.m., An hour service for older children & adults, with IDRE Karen 10:00 p.m., "That Glorious Song of Old" with the Rev. Evan Keely
- Sun, Dec 30: One service at 10 a.m., childcare available, no RE classes.
Child Dedication next Sunday, Dec. 23!
Candles for New Babies/Children
Sundays, Dec. 23 and 30
7th Grade Toiletry Drive
Gifts for Beacon House - Last day is Sunday!
Welcoming a Guest at Your Table
Needed for Our Nursery
Youth Notes (Grades 7-12)
Young Adults (Ages 18-35)
Adult Programs (AP)
The Sunday Morning Forum
New Year's Eve Labyrinth Walk
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From the Music Director
Dr. Henry Sgrecci
We welcome our younger musicians to the sanctuary to lead us in the traditional service before Christmas by sharing Christmas music from other countries. The Youth Handbell Choir begins the service with a favorite of graduating senior ringer, Claire Bergey, the Polish song, Carol of the Bells. The Children's Choir sings an energetic and enthusiastic two-part song in Latin, Gloria! Hodie! (Glory on This Day). The Youth Choir presents a spirited foot tapping three-part song based upon the Swahili phrase Habari Nzuri (Good news!). The Adult Choir introduces a festive arrangement with percussion of a popular African Christmas song, African Noel. With its dynamic shadings and terraced entrances of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, the song brings a rhythm- churning excitement to the service.
Special thanks to members of the Children's Choir - Miles Carr, Sylvia Eisenberg, Mia Ellis, Adam Falcigno, Linnea Hultman, Natalia Malinin-Dunn, and Tessa McCollum; the Youth Choir - Claire Bergey, Sam Brinker, Walter Ellis, Sarah Falcigno, Christine Green, Franny McCollum, Chris Walkup, and Kaleigh Young; the Youth Handbell Choir - Claire Bergey, Madeleine Franke, Christine Green, Dominic Manzella, Eric Rosenthal, Kaleigh Young (and senior-youth ringers; Leslie Backus, Mary Farrar, and Carole Richardson); and members of the Adult Choir and Thomas Guthrie. All have contributed significantly to this Sunday's service with beautiful and inspiring music.
The Benefit Concert is coming on Saturday evening, Jan. 19, 2013. A night of wonderful music and good friends to benefit AMCAV! Stop by the International Concerns Coalition table in the lounge today to learn more.
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From the Senior Minister Search Committee: "We're Gone Dark!"
How is your Holiday Season shaping up? In the most positive sense, we members of the Senior Minister Search Committee are having an exciting time!
We've had an outstanding response from ministerial applicants in response to the announcement of our senior minister vacancy. Despite the brightness of the Holiday Season, you won't be hearing much from us over the next several weeks. We're on a tight timetable, so we'll be "going dark" for a while as we do the work entrusted to us. We're now in the process of assessing ministerial packets from all candidates and narrowing the field by checking references, conducting phone interviews, and setting up off-site visits with top candidates in January and February. Our goal: by mid-March to identify the candidate to be presented to you during Candidating Week at Cedar Lane, April 7 - 14, 2013.
Thank you again. We are humbled and inspired by your support and encouragement. We couldn't do it without you!
SMSC members: John Gubbings, Bob Harrison, David Hawver, Emily Mellgren, Ann Meyer, Carolyn Morrissey, & Lyn Peters
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We also encourage all the check out the final 2012 SMSC Congregational Survey results. Click here to view!
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Please join us for our candlelit New Year's Eve labyrinth walk on Monday, December 31, 6 to 9 p.m., featuring live piano & harp music by Meg Baker.
The earliest recorded festivities in honor of a new year's arrival date back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. Please join us to continue New Year's Eve traditions by taking time for spiritual reflection and renewal before the coming new year by walking our candlelit labyrinth accompanied by light meditative music.
Click here to view the flyer! |
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International Concerns Coalition
The holiday gift clock is ticking, and Cedar Lane's International Concerns Coalition (ICC) is here to help:
Honor a friend or loved one or just donate to one of our 9 projects offered as alternative gifts. We'll be in the lounge after each service.
Give the unique gift of paper jewelry! ICC supports the adjoining table, which sells hand-crafted beads from Ugandan women to benefit the education of kids in DR Congo.
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Save the Date! Saturday, Jan. 19, is Cedar Lane's Orchestral Benefit Concert. The International Concerns Coalition is proud to announce that the beneficiary will be AMCAV. We are hoping to raise generous funds for tuition money in the months ahead!
Questions? Contact Annette Scarpitta (annettecedarlane@spamex.com).
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SIGN-UP DEADLINE approaching to join our 6th
annual New Orleans rebuilding crew!
There's still time to join the 17 Cedar Laners already committed to be on our New Orleans work crew in NOLA January 19-26, to help rebuild its much needed housing. Sign-up Deadline is December 19. For info, come to our 1st crew meeting between services Sunday, December 16 in the Library, or 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.
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Environmental Task Force
Recommended Green Event this week:
In Chasing Ice, Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Traveling with a team of young adventurers across the brutal Arctic, Balog risks his career and his well-being in pursuit of the biggest story facing humanity. As the debate polarizes America, and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Chasing Ice depicts a heroic photojournalist on a mission to deliver fragile hope to our carbon-powered planet.
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Green Holiday Tips from GreenWheaton
Tis the season and it's time to start thinking about what we can do to make the Holidays "Green." We found these tips at greenstrides.com.
LIGHTING: If you're opting to decorate the heck out of your home's exterior, but want to save money on the energy bills, check out the wide array of LED lights (light-emitting diodes) on the market.
GIFT WRAPPING: Wrap in the newspaper's funny pages, old calendar pictures, posters or other paper destined for the recycling bin. Kid's drawings make a cute wrapping for small gifts. Also, by wrapping the top and bottom of boxes separately, the paper will remain intact and they can be used again next year.
SHIPPING GIFTS: Crumpled magazine pages provide great padding to breakable packages instead of bubble wrap or foam peanuts.
HEATING YOUR HOME: An extra sweater will keep you warm and toasty without having to turn up the heat, so why not sport that one in the back of your closet with the big, red-nosed reindeer on front!
RECYCLE and RE-USE all that you can, from compostable food scraps, to paper, cardboard, bottles, plastic and cans.
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Beyond the Church
WhaleCoast Alaska 2013
Have you always dreamed of visiting Alaska? If so, WhaleCoast Alaska 2013 is for you! Four Alaskan UU fellowships invite you to experience our eco-cultural and spiritual program this summer! See Alaska through the eyes of local UUs in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Sitka with friendly homestays and unique tour activities. See wildlife, including moose, bear, whales, bald eagles, seals, and caribou. Visit Denali National Park. Experience Native Alaskan culture. Enjoy all that our beautiful state has to offer. Programs led by Dave Frey, a member of the Fairbanks, Alaska UU congregation, an expert in Alaska travel. To find out more about your Alaskan trip of a lifetime, visit www.WhaleCoastAK.org, email dfrey@whalecoastak.org, or call 907-322-4966. We would love to share our Alaska with you!
Click here to learn about some events sponsored by friends of Cedar Lane.
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eNews: Sara Davidson
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church: www.cedarlane.org; 301-493-8300
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