Mid-March, 2005 / Semi-monthly
Editor: Dolores Moore
Please note: Calendar items are not repeated here in the newsletter. Please visit the Calendar page to view all Summit calendar listings.
Looking Up"Letter to One Overwhelmed"
Sometimes life seems to be asking too much of us. This is from a letter I wrote to a young person at such a time. I offer it to any who have felt -- or now feel -- so overwhelmed.
"The individual freedom each one of us has been given is an awesome gift -- sometimes a burdensome gift, sometimes a terrifying gift, sometimes a wonderful gift. The chalice lighting words we sometimes say together come to mind: 'Life is a gift for which we are grateful. We gather in community to celebrate the glories and the mysteries of this great gift.'
"Sometimes it's hard to find much to feel grateful for. Sometimes 'the glories' seem to be almost totally eclipsed by 'the suffering,' and 'the mysteries' seem more woeful than wonderful. While everyone's experience of life is his or her own, and no one knows exactly what anyone else is feeling or experiencing, I, too, have wrestled withthe angel of despair in my life.
"At such times, the love I knew others felt for me always seemed like something of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I felt totally unworthy of their love -- as unworthy of their love as I felt incapable of loving myself. On the other hand, Ii felt somewhere deep within me a longing to accept their love without reservation -- as they were offering it to me -- to accept it without questioning it -- because it was freely offered -- and to allow myself to understand that if they could love me, warts and all, maybe I could love myself, too.
"The experience of being at the limit, at the edge of the meaning of life, is a very old human experience. The ancient psalmist wrote thousands of years ago, 'Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord, O Lord, hear my voic! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! . . . I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.' (Psalm 130)
"I sense that you, too, are crying out of the depths . . . and waiting, watching for some help, some relief, some comfort, some hope. God, or whatever you might choose to call the greatest mystery in the universe, has called each of us into being for a reason -- or reasons. Our tas in living is to figure out what this reason might be -- or perhaps better stated, to construct this reason with God.
"A friend of mine once took pains to remind me in my bleakest moods, 'You know, Ned, God don't make no junk.' I've had lots of chances to think of his words since then -- and his words apply to you as much as to me: 'God don't make no junk.'
"I trust that you will somday be able to embrace love and hope with the same intensity that you have been embraced by hopelessness and despair. It may take some time -- and a willingness to stay on the difficult path of self-examination and personal change that you have set out on by agreeing to seek help. All of us who love you will continue to hold you in our thoughts, in our prayers, in our hopes -- and in our hearts."
--In love, Rev. Ned
From the R.E. Director's Chair"Coloring is Good for Everyone" Recently we explored Mandalas. We offered the children a chance to color pre-designed Mandalas or to design their own using markers and colored sand.
Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, community and connection. A mandala is a complex circular design intended to draw the eye inward to the center. They are used as meditative tools. Traditional Mandalas may contain many spiritual symbols and geometric shapes with outer rings leading into the center focus. Pre-designed Mandalas are also used in Coloring Therapy. It is a meditative therapy as you clear your mind and focus on the patterns and the colors you choose to use. Coloring Therapy is used with adults as well as children.
In our group, most adults chose to color the pre-designed Mandalas and most of the children designed their own. From the youngest to the oldest, each Mandala was an inspiration. Choosing to honor peace, ying and yang, balance, nature and love, their designs were terrific! Their center focus and protecting rings were not limited by cluttered minds and restrictive thoughts but by creativity and freedom of expression. Oh, to be a child again . . . well, pick up some crayons and markers, and let your mind be free!
Coming of Age Update: We are pleased to remind you of our ongoing Coming of Age program. This important program is offered to our youth in grades 7-9. We currently have 6 youth participating. They explore and discover different beliefs and a search for their own. They are attending thought-provoking classes taught by Rev. Ned, view movies together and have fun! Each youth is also paired with a mentor -- a fellow Summitarian adult. It is a chance for our youth to connect with an adult member, to get to know the views of another UU. Upcoming activities include a camping trip, a ropes challenge course and a retreat. Thank you to the mentors, the parents, and to Rev. Ned. and we are proud of our participating youth. You will all be part of our Coming of Age celebration later this spring.
--Together Hand in Hand, Karen Hagberg, DRE
Capital Campaign UpdateGreetings, Summit Members and Friends. Here is an update to inform you of our progress. We have sent out RFPs (Request for Proposal) to hire a Capital Campaign Director. The RFPs have been sent to both in-house (UU fundraisers) and local non-UU fundraisers. As the bios and resumes return, an interview committee made up of five people from the congregation, Capital Campaign Committee, and UU Board reads over the packets and interviews each candidate in person or via phone conference. Frank Placone-Willey has assisted us in developing interview questions to increase the probability of hiring an excellent candidate. We already have some very interested and qualified candidates. We feel confident that we will have a Campaign Director by early April. If you have any questions, concerns and/or ideas, please feel free to bring them to any one of the Capital Campaign Committee members. Some of you have already done this, and it has been very helpful.
Sincerely,
Jamie Cleland
Rod Orth
Mary Braunworth
Pilar Placone-Willey
Circle DinnersCircle dinners are potlucks where we dine together in each other's homes (8 per home). It's a chance to meet new people and learn more about the people we've already met. The next Circle Dinner will be Saturday, March 19. If you'd like to attend, e-mail Toni Rogers at
tonir@cox.net
New Library BooksThe Library Committee has purchased copies of several books relevant to what some of our classes and study groups are discussing. These books can be checked out from the Summit Library (it's in the Office) as soon as they get checked in. Some of these are already in the hands of readers. The new books are "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins; "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It" by Jim Wallis; "Peace is the Way" by Deepak Chopra; "Be Here Now and Still Here" by Ram Dass.
Rev. Ned's March Travel ScheduleRev. Ned will travel to Boston for meetings of the Panel on Theological Education from Sunday, March 13 through Wednesday, March 16. During this period, please contact Summit Intern Chris Smith for emergency pastoral needs.
Easter Vigil ScheduledThe next ecumenical communion service will be the UU Christian Fellowship's annual "Easter Vigil" on Saturday March 26. It will begin at 6 p.m. in Clark Chapel at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, 4190 Front Street (across from UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest). A potluck sharing of desserts will follow.
Sponsored by the Sn Diego chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship (UUCF), this inclusive service will include readings from Genesis, Exodus, Ezekiel and the Gospels, as well as song, and sharing of bread and wine. Ken Herman, director of music at First UU Church of San Diego, and Chris Smith, Summit intern, will share leadership responsibilities with Rev. Ned. All are welcome.
Summary of Board Meeting February 24, 2005Web Site Committee: Rex Graham, Deena Tuttle and Diane Slagle. Summit Web site in progress. Seeking pictures, biographies of board members and information on committees.
Pledge Committee: Rex Graham, Janet Dixon, Connie Henry, Suzanne McQuaide, Debbie Wingard. Pledge breakfast scheduled for April 17, 2005. Theme is "Summit - Touching Hearts and Souls - Activities that Hold Us Together." Program planning in progress.
Capital Campaign Committee: meeting every 2 weeks. Pilar will submit regular updates for newsletter.
Nominating Committee: Al Mork, Virginia Natwick, GiniSchmitz, Jack Shu, Diane Slagle. Submitted names of nominees for officers and directors. Congregational meeting scheduled for May 22, 2005.
--Submitted by Patricia Suymmers, Secretary
Ned's Regular Office HoursExcept when Ned is away (from 3/12 through 3/16), he plans to be in the office every Tuesday afternoon from 1-4 p.m. and every Wednesday morning form 9-noon (immediately following the 8 a.m. meditation group). During these times, you can call him or drop by to visit. Of course he welcomes calls to schedule meetings or visits at other times. Monday is his day off, and he appreciated being contacted only for significant pastoral emergencies on that day.
Women's RetreatOur annual Women's Retreat will be at Questhaven in Vista April 8-10. Come share a weekend away (but not too far away) with other Summit women. The weekend is a wonderful opportunity to connect with yourself, others and nature. Registration forms will be available at services or can be sent through the mail. If you have questions, catch a member of the committee: Liz McHugh, Vivienne Jacobson, Teresa Palombo, Katy Orr, Pat Bryning, Karen Cleland or Barbara Gates. (Whew!) We hope you can join us there.
News from the "New Home Research Committee"VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
This new corner in the SUUF newsletter is meant to keep you informed and involved. We look forward to your suggestions and ideas as we begin looking for our new SUUF home. As you may already have heard, this committee has reorganized itself into three teams. In order for this congregation to make an informed decision on what kind of home we will purchase, we are casting a wide net. Our goal is to have a new home that will be something we can afford while meeting the needs of our congregation. We feel the following teams will bring the depth and breadth of knowledge to our congregation that it deserves. There will be a presentation given by each team sometime this summer to share this knowledge with you. The following is a brief description of each team:
1). Building Search Team: Jeff Garvey, Team Leader. Jeff's team will work with a real estate agent to find a building that will work hard tomeet the dreams and needs of our congregation within our agreed budget. Jeff is looking for a few volunteers to help him in this search. All business building or home type structures will be looked ito as possibilities but must fulfill the needs of our congregation including a large enough parking lot. If you are interested, please contact Jeff.
2). Building Construction Team: Pilar Placone-Willey, Team Leader. Pilar's team will work with the same real estate agent for the purchase of land while researching all the costs, county/city requirements, permits, etc. necessary in the building of a "Green Building." Much research has already been done on the construction of straw bale buildings and other energy efficient structures. A tour will be organized this summer of the straw bale buildings and homes here in East County and of the new sanctuary downtown. This team is already in place, but they will be looking for volunteers for subcommittees down the road. If you are interested, please contact Pilar.
3). Shared Building Team: (Position for team leader open!) This team will search for other organizations with whom SUUF can share the purchase of a building. This will take a lot of research and connections. If you are interested in the position of Team Leader or would like to help the team, please contact Pilar.
We are on our way to Home Sweet Home!
Social Action CornerTHANK YOU to all to donated supplies to fill hygiene packs for the homeless. Laurel Bernstein will coordinate the filling of the packs. They will then be donated to Crisis House. Once again, Summitarians responded swiftly and generously to the call for assistance!
HOW CAN WE HELP?
*Financial: As always, the first Sunday of the month is when $45 of the plate collection goes to sponsoring our Esperanza student. So on April 3, don't forget to put a little extra on the plate. Thanks.
*People Power: Please join us at our next Social Action Committee meeting at 8:30 a.m. Sunday March 13. Your input and energy are always welcome. Remember, if you have a social action idea you wish to become a reality, it probably won't happen without you!
"Other Helping Hands"
*Kudos to covenant group members Joan and Philip Chan, Merle Hagberg, Liz McHugh, Lois Davies, Pat Summers, Deena Tuttle, Pat and Mark Bryning, and Janet Dixon for cleaning the closet off the stage.
*Liz McHugh continues to volunteer once a month at the downtown Salvation Army but now Karen Hagbeg and Lynn Nelson are joining her. Dorothy Greene has been volunteering once a week at the El Cajon Salvation Army. Way to go, folks!
*Over 3,800 valentines were made by 64 UU congregations and sent to the state house in honor of UULM's Standing on the Side of Love. This effort is to back the state proposal for civil marriages. If you go to UULM's Web site, you can see the valentines, including ones from Summit. http://www.uulmca.org/programs/marriage/photo_album_valentine.html
*FYI: If you are interested in the formation of a federal Department of Peace at the cabinet level, visit http://www.afdop.org or talk to Tara Hands.
Gather the Spirit -- District Asembly in Prescott, ArizonaGather the spirit, harvest the power
Our separate fires will kindle one flame . . .
These words from the UU hymn by Jim Scott are the theme for 2005 District Aseembly. April 22-24 in scenic Prescott, Arizona. We'll be meeting at the Prescott Resort and Conference Center on a high bluff above the city, where every room has a view of either Prescott or the surrounding mountains.
The keynote speaker is Carol Hepokkoski, associate professor at Meadville-Lombard, who writes and lectures on subjects of the environment, eco-justice, ministry, ethics and feminist studies. Her address is "Spirituality and the Land: Lessons for a Sustainable Practice."
The registration price this year will again be $110. Room price is $75 a night. Jim Scott will take part in the Friday evening Opening Celebration. We'll have a Saturday evening banquet, Saturday afternoon business meeting and 24 workshops earlier Saturday on everything from making your congregation more environmentally aware to CPR for your spirit. If you can find a few spare minutes, there's a pool, health club and salon with raquetball, tennis and aerobics.
Book early! Reservations must be made by March 25 to get this exceptional room price. The resort's usual prices are much higher.
--Ardis Coffman
