Joys and Concerns

Once again, we celebrate the joys and share the concerns that our members and friends have experienced during the past month.

How pleased we were to see Carol Kabler back again and without the hint of a limp: Tell us again, Carol, just how you survived that fall. It was hard to learn of Dave Manning’s diagnosis of lymphoma, and we offer all our best thoughts and willing support for the coming months of treatment. Recent news of Cathy Miller’s mother was good, and we hope it continues so.

And speaking of Cathy, she and her family, Jim and Sasha Bank, will be living just “up the road” from the Fellowship, in Beechwood. Hurrah for Patty Rubin and the Choir who joined the Jubilee Singers for the recent dedication of the Frederick Douglass portrait. Many thanks, from all of us, to our skilled, “in-house” plumbers, Dick Doughty and Jerry Fairbanks who spent 3 hard days connecting up the new well to our building! Finally, last but not least, congratulations to Dan Higgins on his election to president of the St. Michael’s Fire Department back in March.

Dwayne and I are very grateful to the Fellowship for all your loving support as we struggle through difficult health issues with my parents. The respite, meals, counsel, and help with the Newsletter have been invaluable. Thank you!

Love, Amy :o)

Star Democrat to Publish a Series on Gay and Lesbian Couples
Help Needed

Amy Reinink, one of the staff writers for the Star Democrat, wants to put together a series of articles on gay and lesbian couples living here on the Eastern Shore. She’s hoping to produce something positive that will help people realize who their neighbors are and how good it is to have them. Amy wrote the nice article about the sign problems our Fellowship had that appeared on the front page of the paper early in April, complete with a color picture of Jim Richardson. If you can help her in any way with this new task, please contact her at the Star Democrat.

Dick Doughty Awarded the 2004

IEEE Medal for Engineering Excellence

Our own Dick Doughty and his colleagues, H. Landis Floyd, II, and Thomas E. Neal, were awarded the IEEE Medal for Engineering Excellence for pioneering the development of empirical models that predict electric arc incident energy and for the development of protective clothing classes based on layering of flame-resistant fabrics. His work has resulted in extraordinary advances in electrical safe work practices, including the transformation of arc flash safety from an unknown to an embedded safety practice.

Adult Religious Education

May 5, “Thoughts for Meditation.” Rev. Jim Bank will lead us in a discussion of an article from one of the current UU Meditation Manuals. Copies of the article will be available 3 weeks in advance.

May 12, “Islam Revealed.” Tonight’s look at Islam will help you to develop better insight and understanding of this ancient religion. Leaders: Tammy Gharbi, a convert to Islam, and Fazal Khattak, Chaplin at Eastern Correctional Institute in Somerset County.

Music Notes

I thank our choir members for their time, talents, and commitment during this very busy year: Rene Bond, Patricia Ford, Frances Forster, Debra Hathaway, Eric Heath, Sandra Henry-Stocker, Laura Lathan, Cathy Miller, Dave Moore, Eric Rubin, Julie Streigel, Steve Strobeck, Mary Young, Carolyn Wickline, and especially our ever-patient accompanist, Anne Lemp. We also thank Whitney Ford for her presence and accompaniment at the 9 a.m. service since January 2003. Best wishes, Whitney, for your college adventure; we hope you keep your fingers nimble, too! In her place, we welcome her mother, Patricia Ford, starting this fall.

Please note the job posting for hymn and choir accompanist (right). Yes, our dearest Anne Lemp is resting her fingers after 12 years of dedicated and delightful volunteer service. If you or someone you know is interested in joining musical forces with both UUFE congregation and choir, please let me know!

The Music Committee welcomes Margaret Garey and Eric Heath as we plan for another busy year and thanks Dave Moore for his contributions this past year. Dave will continue to lead Song Circle on occasional Monday evenings this summer if folk are interested, as will Julie Striegel and Debra Hathaway for Drumming Circle.

The tentative date and place for the UUFE Music Folk picnic is Sunday, May 23, after the 11 a.m. service at the pavilion in Idlewilde Park. Bring a dish to share and instruments and chairs for fun, comfort, and fellowship.

Patty Rubin

Song Circle, May 17 & 31

Join us from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday the 17th, and from 6 to 9 p.m. on Memorial Day the 31st, starting with a potluck. Weather permitting, we’ll be outside and use the fire pit on Memorial Day. Bring a song to share or pick one from the Rise Up Singing songbook. For more information, contact Dave Moore (410-770-4896; dhmoore@goeaston.net).

Drumming Circle, May 21

Join us at 7 p.m. on the third Friday of the month for drumming circle. Some of the drummers have been taking lessons and are getting to be good leaders, so join us if you want to learn or just have fun. There are always extra instruments. Please contact Debra Hathaway (410-770-9057) if you have instruments to donate.

Position Open: Piano Accompanist

The UUFE needs a pianist to accompany congregational hymns and choir at its 11 a.m. service 3 to 4 Sundays a month, for Thursday evening and Sunday morning rehearsals from September to May, and for the 10 a.m. service only from June to August. The choir sings in diverse musical styles, one to two times a month; there is also opportunity for additional instrumental work. Compensation currently is under review. For more information, please contact Patty Rubin, Music Director, (410-745-2000; snug@intercom.net).

Social Action

The Social Action Committee met with like committees of Church of the Brethren and Third Haven Friends on April 6. The group publicized the presentation by Fahima Vorgetts on April 21 and will participate in the Multicultural Festival on May 1 by transporting food machines and serving food. The group will be looking at possible use of Fair Trade coffee in our respective congregations.

Summary of April Board Meeting Minutes

Minister’s Report. Plans for the installation on May 2 are proceeding, including a press release. There will be a clean up of the grounds on April 24.

Report of Search Committee for DRE. Jake Jacobs reported that the process will include three phases: candidate search in April, interviews in May, and a decision in June. The Board clarified that the 6 days off per year relates to Sundays and does not include the 2 summer months. The UUFE Child Safety Policy will be posted in the brochure for prospective members. Jake will give an update on the search at May meeting.

Treasurer’s Report. Nancy Dimond reported that as of March 31, the UUFE has received 69% of income and has spent 69% of budgeted expenses. Nancy is working on the Fiscal Year 2005 budget with Jean Rhiann, chair of the Finance Committee. There are $114,600 in requests for expenses, with a budget of $110,000 in the 5-year plan. George McManus reported that check signing has been authorized for Nancy Dimond and Janet Pfeffer. The Board approved of using $300 from the building line item to clean the brush from the grounds. An outside audit is needed for FY05. The FY05 budget will be presented at the May Board meeting and then at the Congregational Meeting on May 16. Board members should check their files in advance of the Board meeting to review a copy.

Combined Campaign. Beth Jones reported that to date, the Capital Campaign has received $302,352 for a goal of $250,000. The cost of conducting the campaign was only 3% of pledges versus the 6% to 7% projected by the consultant. This is due to many donations, including Cathy Miller’s for graphics and printing, Ann Jacobs’s for dinner preparations, and Nicole Meehan`s for desserts. Nancy Orr reported that for the Annual Campaign, 62 member units have pledged, with 11 not yet pledging, for a total of $84,415 for a $95,000 goal. Twenty-four members increased their pledges, and 9 decreased their pledges. Several strategies for the Annual Campaign were suggested by the consultant. Historically, there has been about $3,000 in new member pledges annually.

Long Range Planning Task Force. Nancy Krueger reported that the task force has brainstormed an objective for each issue and listed all of the issues and items from all of the various sources of input. This information has been sent to the relevant committee for review, further input, and prioritizing according to timing. The task force will meet again on April 22 to finalize the plan, including specific action steps for each year and assignment of responsibilities. Nancy will e-mail a copy of the plan to members before the Board meeting. After the meeting, a simplified version will be e-mailed and made available to members of the congregation for review in advance of the Annual Meeting. The plan also will be used for the application for the Chalice Lighters Grant and will be presented in a format required for that. The plan is to be a working document, reviewed quarterly by the Board for accomplishment of goals and milestones.

Building Expansion Report. Dick Doughty reported that the new well has been dug, with the water tested on April 13. Several days after the test the water is approved to be drinkable. On April 8, the architect filed the Special Exception Amendment for Zoning as well as the Site Plan Review. The next step is the mortgage process. A 3-month delay in breaking ground will occur due to the hearing; ground-breaking is now scheduled for September or October. During construction, children’s RE may be moved to the foyer, offices, and nursery to avoid the $10,000 cost of renting a trailer. A storage shed will be purchased for the tables so that the front entrance can be used. Choir rehearsal will be held at the Bank’s new home.

New Business

Plans for Annual Meeting. The agenda and slate of officers will be published in the May Newsletter. Members were asked to bring extra snacks for the meeting. The Board approved a motion to amend the by-laws as follows: The term of the Treasurer will be a 2-year term, renewable once. This amendment will be added to the agenda for congregational vote.

Becoming a Welcoming Congregation. The Board reviewed a request by Jim Richardson of the Social Concerns Committee to poll the members about becoming a “Welcoming Congregation.” Because of the time and energy and steps required to attain this designation, the survey will be deferred. The process will be included in the Long Range Plan, but in stages, which Gail Woodall will discuss Jim. Related to this, the Fellowship does not have permission to have another freestanding sign, according to the Planning and Zoning Board. We can expand the existing sign to 60 sq. ft.

Healthy Congregations Workshop Update

Our UUFE team of eight members attended the second in the series of four Healthy Congregations Workshops in Annapolis on April 10. Frank and Lois Greenburg substituted for two regular members who were unable to attend. This second workshop explored ways that healthy congregations respond to anxiety and change, which is certainly relevant to our congregation as we face issues such as the vandalizing of our sign supporting gay marriage, undergoing a combined fund-raising campaign to support the ministry and programs of our Fellowship and our building expansion, and the building process that we hope to begin in the fall that will challenge us to be flexible in our use of space during construction.

Some points made that are worth pondering include the following: Healthy congregations respond to anxiety and change (instead of react); healthy congregations manage conflict (instead of deny it); and healthy congregations act flexibly and creatively (instead of rigidly). This, then, is the challenge before us.

We are fortunate to have a committed core of individuals willing to spend 4 Saturdays this spring learning ways to help our congregation continue to grow in a healthy manner. Engage any of us in conversation about what we are learning. The attendees are Jim Bank, Nancy Dimond, Nancy Krueger, Cynthia Quast, Jean Rhian, Laverne Webb, Bob Woodall, and myself, Gail Woodall. Frank Greenburg has agreed to be a permanent substitute and will be attending the remainder of the workshops.

Seven Cedars

Cedrus libani in Latin, arz al-Rabb, “Cedars of the Lord” in Arabic have had special meaning for thousands of years for people of three religions: Jews consider them to represent the 12 friends of Solomon; Christians, the 12 Apostles; and Muslims, their Saints. Of the 12 Cedars of Lebanon, 10 remain that are 2,000 years old, the other 2 being 3,000 years old. For centuries, cedars have been planted in churchyards to represent the 12 Apostles. Would it follow then that the Unitarian Universalist property might consider 7 cedars along the highway to represent our 7 principles?