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Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
www.cedarlane.org
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eNewsletter Volume 5, Issue 30
March 8, 2013
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Daylight Savings starts this Sunday, March 10.
Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour
before you go to sleep on Saturday!
March 10, 2013, 9 and 11 a.m.
"Our People"
Rev. Evan Keely, Interim Senior Minister
Worship Associate: Duncan Ferguson
Many religious communities (including ours) strive to strike a balance between all who would partake of the journey while also seeking a sense of coherent communal identity.
Volunteers for the Service:
Ushers: 9 a.m.: Norman Grossblatt, Tod Chernikoff, Joanne Evans, Bob Harrison
11 a.m.: Phil Schwartz & Lyn Peters, Nancy Janssen
Coffee Servers: 10 a.m.: Mike Benefiel; noon: Kate Curtis
Audio: Rick Lohmeyer
Board Member at the Office Desk: 10 a.m.: Michael Murray; noon: Debbie Goodwin
Visitors' Center: 10 a.m.: John Gubbings; noon: Marlene Berg
The flowers in the sanctuary were arranged by Cindy Meredith. The flowers in the chapel were arranged by Cindy Meredith.
In the Lounge: Alliance Books ◊ Beacon Books Cart ◊ Concert Series ◊ Donuts & Bagels ◊ Environmental Task Force ◊ Fair Trade Coffee & Tea ◊ Palestinian olive oil for sale to support peace in the Middle East ◊ Passport to Adventure Auction ◊ Social Justice Council ◊ UU Legislative Ministry of Maryland
This Sunday's Morning Forum
:
Repealing the Death Penalty in Maryland,
with Delegate Heather Mizeur.
Don't forget to find Cedar Lane on Facebook! Click here to find us :o)
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Join us this Sunday at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary for a performance by the Washington Saxophone Quartet!
Friends,
John Daniel, longtime member of Cedar Lane UU Church and an avid fan of our concert series, writes the following:
"As one who has been to at least three performances of the Washington Saxophone Quartet, I must say that Cedar Lane is in for a treat. You will find their musical performances to be outstanding on the full range of SATB saxophones and their repartee with the audience and among themselves is equally entertaining. The Quartet plays well whether at a church venue or in concert at Wolf Trap Barns. Their music will sound magnificent in our sanctuary."
Admission is free and parking is abundant. Plan to attend and bring at least one friend from each side of the street on which you live. We look forward to seeing you!
A simple reception of cider and cookies will follow the performance. We will gladly accept cookies, cider, or your help with light set-up and clean-up after the performance. Please notify Leslie Backus with your offer at backusle@verizon.net. "Many hands make light work!"
All performances free. Donations support Concerts at Cedar Lane.
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Upcoming Sundays
March 17, 2013, 9 and 11 a.m.
Senior High Youth Group
Worship Associate: Kathleen Reedy
Our youth will be exploring the issue of connected-ness and the ways in which we connect to our spirituality, our relationships and our purpose as a church. We will also celebrate our amazing religious education teachers!
Forum: Naomi Kaminsky, co-founder of Chevy Chase at Home, will talk about the process of establishing an aging-in-place village.
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We Care
We Care is a network for short-term pastoral needs, led by lay volunteers. Examples are food delivery, a ride to a doctor, or listening during a difficult time. Cedar Lane is organized by geographic
neighborhoods, with chairpersons who coordinate support. Neighborhood numbers are listed on name tags, and shown on a map in the church office. Contact the church to determine chairs in your region.
We celebrate the youth of Cedar Lane, and the many talents that produced Holy Musical, B@man last weekend. Much appreciation as well to the many adult guides who made this work possible!
Glad to hear that Wanda Van Goor (N2) was able to attend the concert by David Meredith, on February 23. She continues to improve at home, with health aides assisting.
We are thinking of Patrick Howell, partner of Kathleen Reedy (N7), recovering from serious flu at home, along with other ongoing medical challenges.
Thoughts and prayers to all those living with the challenges of mental illness, and their families. We accompany those in the Friday support group with our hearts, and appreciate the able leadership of Pastoral Visitor Janet Cromer (N5).
Our sincere condolences to Frances Dearman (N8), whose daughter Kathleen died March 1, after long-term respiratory issues. We mourn this loss with Frances, and extended family and friends. A celebration of Kathy's life will be held today, Friday, March 8, at 2 p.m. in the Cedar Lane chapel.
Many thanks to the Alliance for the Dearman memorial reception on March 8, particularly coordinators Arlene Goldman and Helen Pechacek.
If you learn of a congregant in need, please do offer assistance, asking how you might support the situation. If the person would like church response, or you have a concern to share, please contact Louise Green, lgreen@cedarlane.org, Sabbatical Minister for Pastoral Care. You may also contact Evan Keely or Karen Lee Scrivo, as all members of the ministerial team offer pastoral support to the congregation.
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From the Administrator
Sara Deshler
Here's what our new phones look like!
Hurrah! The new locking system and the new telephone system came online in the same week. So much change the staff is reeling but we are happy to say goodbye to our tired, outdated phone system. Now, if we can only figure out how the new ones work....The electronic locking system will automatically lock the Chalice House and lower level doors at 9:30 p.m. and the chapel and front doors at 10 p.m. All doors will unlock at 8 a.m. This means that the Security Team will not have to lock the outer doors in addition to their other duties and may be able to complete their duties at an earlier time of day. We still need volunteers to help with security, so if you are interested in learning more about what is involved please contact Terry Hoffeld, jterrellhoffeld@gmail.com.
Sara Davidson and I have also been working with a web designer on our new website and look forward to being able to share it with you. It is SO COOL! Questions? Contact Sara Deshler, sdeshler@cedarlane.org
Thanks to those of you who have completed the communications survey online. If you have not completed it yet, please take a few minutes to fill it out. Click here to view. For those who prefer a paper copy, we will have those available in the back of the sanctuary.
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Upcoming Events at Cedar Lane!
This Sunday! Newcomer Brunch today after each service in the library
New to Cedar Lane? Join us in the library after the services. It's an opportunity for us to get to know you, for you to get to know one another, and to ask questions about Unitarian Universalism, Cedar Lane and the membership process. Light brunch of bagels, muffins, fruit and juice. Children welcome.
Alliance Day is Thursday, March 14 at 11:30 a.m. All are welcome. Join us for a potluck lunch: please bring a main dish, salad/vegetable, or dessert to serve six or eight. Our speaker is Beach Carre who retired from the Navy in 1991. He will be describing the Road Scholar/Elderhostel program, having completed trips to Russia, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealang, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. He has taken many more trips throughout the U.S. For additional information, contact Jean Thompson, President, 301-589-3390 or jptjpt@verizon.net.
Saturday, March 16, Welcome Workshop
from 10 - 1 p.m.
With the help of ministers Rev. Evan Keely and IDRE Karen Lee Scrivo we will explore the themes of lifelong learning, caring for one another and our UU faith. Lunch will be served. RSVP to Membership Coordinator at membership@cedarlane.org Childcare available; include children's age with RSVP.
Have YOU attended a Congregational Conversation lately? This is an ongoing series of monthly meetings hosted by the Board of Trustees whose goal is to encourage discussion of the governance change process and transitions at Cedar Lane. If you haven't made it to one in the past, or would like an update, please come this month! Conversations are scheduled for Sunday, March 17, in the chapel following both services. Do you want to read up on current actions before the meeting or you can't attend but want to be informed? Click on BOT/Governance by Policy
Cedar Lane's Spring Equinox Labyrinth Walk is Sunday, March 17, from 2 - 4 p.m.!
SAVE THE DATE:
Sunday, May 19 at 4:00 p.m.
Ordination of Nancy Pellegrini
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Meet the Moderator Candidates for the UUA!
(chief governance officer &
highest volunteer position)
Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m. at Cedar Lane
Reception follows.
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Help Make Cedar Lane's
Annual Auction a Success!
Cedar Lane's Passport to Adventure auction is on Saturday, May 4. We need your help to make sure that there are many wonderful items for attendees to bid on. An online donation form is now available. Just click here. Paper forms also are available at the church office.
Wondering what to donate? Consider a dinner in your home, handyman services, gardening, a ride to the doctor or airport, baked goods on demand, a delicious company dinner delivered, or some other item that you think would appeal to our generous bidders. The deadline for submissions is April 1.
Questions? Just ask the auction chairs, Kate Harrison (301-652-5018) or Kathie Bryant (301-587-4615).
Thank you for your support of the 2013 Passport to Adventure Auction.
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Around the Church
Holy Musical B@man: What a great show, and HUGE audiences! The group made over $700 and are hoping to have one more show before many of them head off for college; the money will be used for that show, and (in the past) they've donated extra to charity. Thank you from the whole group; this is what the directors, Claire Bergey and Cary Spector, said in the program: "And finally, please take a moment to look around you. The beautiful windows, those glimmering lights..., the piano in the corner-this is Cedar Lane. It's the building that gave us space to rehearse and the shelter that keeps us from performing outside, but it's much more than that. It's a community that brought the two of us together as friends, the bunch of us together as a company, and all of us together for this performance. We would be nowhere....if the generous staff had not given us this space, and this community had not welcomed us in its arms."
Remember Committee Chairs - the deadline for submissions for the 2012-13 Annual Report is Monday, March 25. Please send to sdavidson@cedarlane.org. If it is helpful, please click here to refer to last year's report.
Notice about submission deadlines:
Please note that the deadlines for submissions are as follows:
eNewsletter: 12 p.m. each Wednesday
Order of Service: 12 p.m. each Thursday
Paper Newsletter: Click here for the schedule. Please submit to
sdavidson@cedarlane.org.
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, March 17: Senior High Youth Service - Time for All Ages, Teacher Recognition
- Sat-Mon, March 23-25: 9th Grade Boston Trip
Boston Trip
Youth Service and Teacher Recognition
Model Church
The Downstairs RE Bookcart
Got Eggs?
Casting Call
Youth Notes (Grades 7-12)
Young Adults (Ages 18-35)
Adult Programs
Sunday Morning Forum
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Calendar
Please visit the church calendar here.
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From the Music Director
Dr. Henry Sgrecci
Our country has been blessed with a host of singer/songwriters who have been able to size up the impropriety, the hurt, and the indignity of society's various social injustices, and mold those images into songs. Some have become part of the fabric of American society and others have more singularly focused on a particular issue. This Sunday we feature the compelling music of several such songwriters who have used their powerful voices to move the social consciousness of America. We begin with a familiar gathering song, Together Again, composed by Director of Music, Henry Sgrecci, and intended as a welcome to all and a reminder of how great we can be as one.
Click here to continue reading music notes...
Special thanks to our many guest musicians: vocalists Liz Brinker and Jane Moore, guitarists David Meredith and Jonathan Watkins, Eric Durland and his mandolin, Chris Mauro on percussion and Steve Jones at the piano, and special guest Tony Jannotta on bass. They, along with our fantastic choir and soloists; Susan Clark, Tracy Esho, and Kevin Miller, have provided depth, meaning, and beauty to this Sunday's music service.
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From the Senior Minister Search Committee
WHAT ARE THE TOP CHARACTERISTICS YOU SEEK IN OUR NEW SENIOR MINISTER?
Friends,
As members of the Senior Minister Search Committee we have greatly valued your participation in the journey to identify an outstanding candidate to be our new leader. Through surveys, cottage meetings, hundreds of conversations and emails, you have indicated that you especially hope to see a new Senior Minister who is:
- An outstanding spiritual leader and motivator for all ages.
- A highly effective speaker possessing passion and a sense of humor.
- A person who demonstrates a strong intellectual capacity.
- Someone who has an engaging, accessible and sympathetic personal style...is a good listener.
- Someone whose ministry champions religious education and life-span learning for all ages.
- A person whose preaching and worship services will incorporate our exceptional music program and the new Worship Associate program in ways that inspire and uplift us.
- A minister who has a sense of our church's history and an encompassing understanding of the history of Unitarian Universalism.
- A leader who collaborates well with lay leadership and facilitates the effective contributions of staff.
- An experienced professional who has the flexibility to journey with us in implementing a Governance by Policy model of shared ministry, as affirmed recently by the Board of Trustees.
- A minister who is thoughtfully involved in the stewardship efforts of the congregation.
- A leader who can help us, individually and collectively, to fulfill Cedar Lane's mission: 1) To "explore the eternal" by nourishing our spiritual journeys; 2) To "nurture community" within the congregation, the neighborhood, the DC area, and the greater worlds of Unitarian Universalism and the larger interfaith community; and 3) To "build a more just world" through vigorous engagement with and support of our passion for Social Justice.
The Search Committee expresses our profound gratitude to all of you who have assisted us with our important assignment. We have held your hopes and dreams for this individual in our hearts throughout the search and are excited to be close to the time when we can introduce the final candidate to you.
Reminder: Please plan to attend services during Candidating Week: Sunday, April 7 - Sunday, April 14, 2013, to meet and hear the Senior Minister Candidate who best fits the description above. The Candidate's name and background information will be provided at least a week prior to April 7.
Next Week's eNews will review the process the committee has followed to identify outstanding candidates and include a few words about who is eligible to vote for the candidate at the Annual Meeting following the second service on Sunday, April 14, 2013.
SMSC members: John Gubbings, Bob Harrison, David Hawver, Emily Mellgren, Ann Meyer, Carolyn Morrissey, Lyn Peters
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Leadership Development and Nominations Committee
The Leadership Development and Nominations Committee is required, by its charter, to announce the candidates for the next year's Board of Trustees by March 1. We are pleased to present the following slate of candidates. The election will take place at the Annual Meeting on April 14 at 12:45 p.m. in the sanctuary.
The Candidates for the Board of Trustees are:
- Assistant Secretary (2013-2015): Susannah Vesey
- Assistant Treasurer (2013-2015): Paul Strella
- At Large candidates (2013-2016): Maryann Dillon, Lyn Peters and Michael Thoryn
- At Large candidate to replace unfilled term (2013-2014): John Wing
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Environmental Task Force
Recommended Green Event:
It's crunch time in Annapolis and we need your help to send a loud and clear message to our lawmakers: We need a fracking moratorium and we need it now.
Will you join us next week? RSVP: Join the biggest fracking rally Annapolis has ever seen on Wednesday, March 13th.
Polling shows that 78 percent of Marylanders are on our side -- they want protections from fracking now, while careful risk studies are carried out. But we also know that API favors the do-nothing approach. They represent, in the words of 83-year-old, life-long Western Marylander Ina Hicks, "humongous corporations who can bring in tons of lawyers to do whatever they want with my home."
That's why, last week, Ina and her neighbors in Western Maryland drove across the state in an ice storm and waited for over six hours to testify for the moratorium bill during the Senate committee hearing. One after another, they made one simple plea to legislators: We deserve a vote. We deserve protection.
On March 13, we'll stand together at the State House to repeat that message with one voice -- and in bigger numbers than ever before. If we're going to pull this off, we need you with us.
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Stewardship Dates for Spring:
Please enter them in your calendar now
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April 26 - stewardship dinner @ Cedar Lane to begin raising funds for FY14
- May 4 - Annual church auction to supplement the current fiscal year
- May 5 - The auction committee celebrates meeting and exceeding their goal
- May 31 - Pledge drive is over and we enjoy the fact that all members and friends have pledged on time and with great generosity
- June 1 - The Finance Committee begins working frantically on the FY14 budge to have it ready by July 1, 2014 and they are gratified that everything we want will be fully funded.
- July 1 - The new church year begins and for the first time in 6 years, we have exceeded our goals.
- August 1 - We welcome our new Senior Minister and he or she is delighted that Cedar Lane enjoys much generosity from its members and friends.
Giving is a joyous process. It has the potential to help us grow spiritually. Please help us support the good work of this church and its staff and members with your generosity during the pledge drive and at the annual auction.
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Beyond the Church
Cedar Lane's Denominational Affairs Committee matches grant for youth at General Assembly
March 31 is the deadline for the GA Planning Committee's Matching Grant Program and the Youth and Young Adult Scholarship Program. This pays registration costs and up to $250 to send a delegate to GA. CLUUC's Denominational Affairs Committee is pleased to match this grant. Priority is given to congregational leaders, delegates from new congregations, and congregations that have not recently sent delegates. Grants for youth and young adults will pay registration plus up to $500.
March 31: Applications to be volunteers at GA
are due. Adult volunteers are required to work 24 hours over GA. Youth and those who qualify for reduced registration rates are required to work 14 hours. Online applications will be available March 1.
April 30: Applications are due to the UUA's Stewardship and Development group for scholarships from the Davidoff Fund, which subsidizes the attendance at GA of lay leaders who have not been to GA in the past three years.
"From Stardust We Come, To Stardust We Return," a Weekend Retreat
March 15-17, 2013
Theme: FROM STARDUST WE COME, TO STARDUST WE RETURN. The creative energy of the universe has been unfolding for 14 billion years. Each atom in our bodies, in our food, in the earth beneath our feet was forged in the furnace of a star and traveled untold miles and years to become life here today. We do not stand on top of this planet. Rather we grow out of it like the grass. Together we will explore the transcendent mystery of creation that pulses beneath the visible world through silent ritual, meditation and relationship. Click here for more info.
You are invited to be a delegate to GA'13!
Keynote Address: The Welcome Table!
Rev. Dr. Rob Hardies & Rev. Dr. Susan Newman, All Souls Church, Unitarian
Fri., April 12, 6 p.m. - Sat., April 13, 6 p.m.; University of Delaware, Wilmington DE
Register NOW at www.jpduua.org to be a delegate!
(advise Denominational Affairs drudi.dino@bls.gov or nancyjanssen@verizon.net.)
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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