February 1, 2015 10:30am Guest Preacher Hollis Huston Forgiving Our Fathers (and Mothers) Worship Associate Carrie Mason Draffen Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Nicki Barry & Andrew Spatt Board Member on Duty: Ellen Zaehringer Gach Welcome: Membership Team & You! February 8, 2015 10:30am Transition Minister Laurie Stuart Ministry: Today and Beyond Worship Associate Anne Olsen Laurie Stuart, Transition Minister -- [email protected]Laurie will be in the office at various times throughout the month and works from home on other days. You can schedule an appointment with her by emailing [email protected]. She is available by phone at 845/701-9127. Director of Religious Education, David Silver Hours by appointment [email protected]Office Manager Lisa Bryson-Brockmann – [email protected]Office open each 3rd Monday & every Tuesday through Friday 9-1 Coffee: Youth Bake Sale to benefit Midnight Run Ushers: Doris Brass & Andrew Spatt Board Member on Duty: Paul Sherrock Welcome: Membership Team & You! Coffee: Joe Pignataro and Eric Shefferman Ushers: Anne Fleming & Jayne Davison Board Member on Duty: Selina Benson Welcome: Membership Team & You! Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Robin Norris & Andrew Spatt Board Member on Duty: Steve Lester Welcome: Membership Team & You! February 22, 2015 10:30am Transition Minister Laurie Stuart The Promise Worship Associate Laura D’Angelo February 15, 2015 10:30am Guest Preacher Rev Linda Anderson Falling Short Worship Associate Selina Benson Phone: (516) 623-1204 Web: www.SNUUC.org E-mail: [email protected]President, Steve Lester Vice President, Ken Bellafiore Secretary, Selina Benson Treasurer, Ellen Zaehringer Gach SOUTH NASSAU UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION
Transcript
February 1, 2015 10:30am Guest Preacher Hollis Huston
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Nicki Barry & Andrew Spatt Board Member on Duty: Ellen Zaehringer Gach Welcome: Membership Team & You!
February 8, 2015 10:30am Transition Minister Laurie Stuart
Ministry: Today and Beyond Worship Associate Anne Olsen
Laurie Stuart, Transition Minister -- [email protected] Laurie will be in the office at various times throughout the month and works from home on other days. You can schedule an appointment with her by emailing [email protected]. She is available by phone at 845/701-9127.
Director of Religious Education, David Silver Hours by appointment [email protected]
Office Manager Lisa Bryson-Brockmann – [email protected] Office open each 3rd Monday & every Tuesday through Friday 9-1
Coffee: Youth Bake Sale to benefit Midnight Run Ushers: Doris Brass & Andrew Spatt Board Member on Duty: Paul Sherrock Welcome: Membership Team & You!
Coffee: Joe Pignataro and Eric Shefferman Ushers: Anne Fleming & Jayne Davison Board Member on Duty: Selina Benson Welcome: Membership Team & You!
Coffee: Volunteer Needed Ushers: Robin Norris & Andrew Spatt Board Member on Duty: Steve Lester Welcome: Membership Team & You!
February 22, 2015 10:30am Transition Minister Laurie Stuart The Promise Worship Associate Laura D’Angelo
February 15, 2015 10:30am Guest Preacher Rev Linda Anderson
At this time of amazing global turmoil, I am reminded of the old saying, “In every cloud, there is a silver lining.”
It’s not exactly a Polly Anna or naïve attitude that everything always turns out great . For me, it’s more of a life attitude that there is opportunity that exists in every situation and that, if we can remember, we can find a place of comfort and possibility.
Take Freeport, for example, particularly the school district. Freeport is categorized as a low-income school district. Nearly 75% of its students’ families qualify for free or reduced lunches. While this program is truly a blessing, utilizing it, particularly on the high school level, often comes with the odd American value that it is somehow diminishing that families might need assistance in feeding their children.
The good news, or the silver lining, is that there is a USDA program, administered through New York State, that will provide free breakfasts and lunches for the whole of the school community if 62.5% of those eligible for food assistance (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP) are enrolled.
This is amazing, and this an opportunity that Island Harvest, a not-for profit organization whose mission is to combat hunger on Long Island, wants to make a reality for the Freeport School District. Once the threshold of 62.5% enrolled is reached, the school district no longer has to do the administrative work to keep track of who is receiving the free or reduced meals. All they need to do is count the number of meals served. There is no stigma for eating meals; everyone is made equal. Additionally, once the school district is certified, the certification is in effect for four years.
Island Harvest is determined to reach this threshold in Freeport and use it as a success story as it moves to eventually enroll more low-income school district across Long Island.
Currently, Island Harvest has 48% enrolled and needs an additional 1,000 students to be enrolled by April 1. This is a goal that they believe is achievable. It has reached out to communities of faith to make this happen.
Beyond providing nutrition and sustenance for students so that they can pay more attention to learning, this program and this initiative has an amazing opportunity to bring community cohesion. SNAP benefits are based on income levels, and while it might not be beneficial to an individual to sign up for the program if they were to receive, let’s say, $10 a month, because of the 62.5% threshold, it is important for them to sign up for the good of the community.
Interestingly enough, everyone benefits. This program is a saving for both the families who need assistance and those who don’t. In a most perfect world or, perhaps, in a community with vision, the savings could conceivably be donated to a community fund. I know, I get ahead of myself. One thousand students need to be registered by April 1.
We have placed a flyer advertising the program at the Thrift Store. We are attending the Island Harvest meetings; we are publicizing the program and helping to make connections in the community.
I am imagining that in Freeport, the home of our beloved congregation, all students in the school district receive
nutritious breakfasts and lunches. If you'd like to get involved, contact Jim Hawkins or me.
In this time of global turmoil, I am bolstered that we take care of our children, within our congregational walls and beyond. In every cloud, there is a silver lining. And in the Freeport School District, no one is hungry.
Jojo Granoff, left, and Martha Chamberlain peruse congregational memorabilia at the History Night on December 13, 2014.
5th Sunday Giving
The 5th Sunday Giving Committee asks you for information about worthwhile non-profit charities who will benefit from our Sunday Collection in months with five Sundays. Someone from the charity or the person submitting the application must give a short talk before the collection describing the charity and who benefits. Please speak with Mary Brower to submit information about your favorite charity for March’s 5th Sunday giving. [email protected] .
Your Board of Trustees continues its hard work during this time of transition. Our balance sheet – SNUUC’s level of assets – has stabilized since the current Board took office. The Board passed a new policy on who is a member of SNUUC for our official UUA membership count. Trustee Paul Sherrock worked diligently over the last few weeks to bring our official membership list in line with the reality we see at SNUUC on a weekly basis. We expect our official membership count for 2015 to be slightly above 100 active members, down from the 130s figure it has been. This more accurate membership count will reduce our denominational dues and enable us to plan appropriately for the true size congregation we are. In addition, the Board adopted a “Safe Congregation Policy”, which is required for our liability insurance. The Board considers this new policy a work in progress that will be updated in consultation with SNUUC’s committees. And we continue to plan for the 2015-2016 year.
Transition is never easy, especially in one’s religious home. We expect stability, cheer and comfort at SNUUC. During a transition between settled ministers, it may not be easy to maintain those characteristics all the time. That is especially true where, as here, we have changed from a full-time ministry to a part-time ministry. This is a time when we will be coming to terms with our unique identity. We will analyze our strengths, needs and challenges for the future. We will work on renewing our vision, strengthening our stewardship (both financial and lay leadership), and preparing for our new settled minister.
I have heard there has been some confusion regarding whether we will be looking for a full-time or part-time settled minister. At our current level of pledging, we will be charging the search committee with finding SNUUC a settled part-time minister. As everyone knows, we live in a high cost-of-living region. Our pledge base would have to increase by at least 40-50% for us to consider searching for a settled full-time minister.
Finally, I thank Jay Gach and Jean Smyth-Crocetto for their dedicated and productive work on the Board for the last three years. Their wise counsel and good humor will be missed on the Board.
In service, Steve Lester, President Board of Trustees
Sign up now for “Soup for the Soul”
The Rev. Will Feinberg, in conjunction with the Caring Team, will present “Soup for the Soul: Of Elephants and Angels” after worship on Feb. 8. A light lunch will be served followed by a program exploring how to be a spiritual companion to congregants in the hospital or at home when they are ill. Please sign up in the foyer or email Rosemary Olander-Beach at [email protected]; if you have questions, please contact the Rev. Feinberg [email protected] or email [email protected]. This event is the first of two programs the Rev. Feinberg will offer as part of his ministry which focuses on helping to deepen the spiritual life of the congregation.
Please support our Thrift Shop
Did you know that our Thrift Shop's yearly income contributes money each year to the operating funds of the congregation? For our Thrift Shop to do this, it needs donations, which it sells at a low cost, to keep these funds coming in. Without donations from people like you, there is nothing to sell. Remember to think of the Thrift Shop as you go thru your clothes and straighten up around your home! Particularly good sellers are hard goods (small kitchen appliances, pots, pans and other house wares) and new-in-the-box items that you received as a gift and don't need or want. Trinkets, costume jewelry, and decorative items all sell very well. Our Thrift Shop is located at 22 W. Merrick
Road, on the north side of the street between Church and So. Main. It is open Tuesday thru Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. The phone number is 223-3974.
Live Music, up close and personal… at the UU Congregation of Central Nassau Garden Stage. Come on February 6 to see Brooks Williams and Josh Joffen. Ranked in the Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists,
Brooks Williams is one of the most versatile and entertaining performers on the acoustic roots music scene today. Josh Joffen describes his songs as upbeat, introspective, emotional, humorous, and poetic, just not all at once, in a style that weaves traditional and modern folk, jazz, and pop influences into a
tapestry of tunings and guitar voicings. The 8:30 pm
show is preceded by an open mic at 7:30 pm Tickets are $20 in advance/$22 at the door. For tickets and information contact [email protected]
The Freeport Recreation Center is running a Veterans information day on Wednesday February
11, 10 am -2 pm.
Save the Date! The Covenant Feast will be held March 22.
Please mark your calendars for this important date, when we renew our spiritual and financial
Thank you to all the SNUUC Christmas carolers who entertained residents at the South Shore Healthcare Nursing Home in December. Attending were Mary Brower, Ilene Corina, Stephen Corina, JoAnn Fassman, Kyle Schuessler, David Silver and our Transition Minister Laurie Stuart with Peter Larsen and Joe McAuley accompanying on the piano. Ilene brought trinkets for the residents which put smiles on their faces as they enjoyed listening as well as singing to the songs of the season.
The Freeport INN was chosen to receive half of the money that was collected at the offering during our Christmas Eve service. A check for $231.50 was sent to the Freeport INN, thanking them for all that they do to serve the community.
The new movie Still Alice with Julianne Moore and
Alec Baldwin was filmed in Addi Quinn's house in Lido Beach. Check it out!
Thanks to all who attended our Holiday Lunch in early December. There was delicious food and drink to enjoy and wonderful holiday gifts to purchase. We made a profit of $731 to contribute to the SNUUC coffers!
SNUUC Committees meet regularly and most encourage attendance at their meetings even if you are not a member of the committee. Speak with a Board member if you would like to learn more about a committee.
The RE Committee will meet on Sunday, February 8 at
noon in the RE wing. Speak with DRE David Silver for more info.
The Thrift Shop Committee will meet on Sunday , February 8 at noon. Please speak with Joe McAuley or Doris Brass to find out more about this important committee.
The Board will meet on Wednesday, February 11 at 7:30pm in the foyer.
The Membership Team will meet on Thursday, February12 at 6:30pm in the foyer.
Thank you to the people who recently donated flowers for our chancel!
On November 9, the Bryson-Brockmanns gave flowers in celebration of Lillian and Gene Bryson’s 66th wedding anniversary. On January 11, Anne Olsen gave the flowers in celebration of community!
Flowers on the chancel can be donated for any reason; in memory of a loved one, to honor or
celebrate a special event or just because you like flowers on the chancel! Your commemoration will be listed in the order of Service and the Open Line. Please sign up on the Chancel Flowers List on the bulletin board in the foyer and donate $25 to pay for the flowers. Speak to Lisa in the office for more details.
Ken Lawson, left, admires the Bake Sale table staffed by Robin Norris and Doris Brass at the December 7 Annual Holiday Lunch.
Kyle Schuessler, left, Mary Brower, Laurie Stuart,
JoAnn Fassman, Steven Corina and Ilene Corina pose
at the South Shore Healthcare facility following a carol-ing event on December 11.
Compassionate Communication - Based on Marshall Rosenberg’s book “Nonviolent
Communication – a language of life”, the compassionate communication practice group meets in the foyer for 13 weeks every spring and fall to learn and practice Rosenberg’s process of listening empathically and speaking honestly. Since 2005 over 60 people have taken the class and found it a transformative experience. Contact Anne Olsen or Barbara Singer to learn more or to register for the current session which began on Saturday, January 24.
If you need some quality “me-time”, we hope you will consider nurturing your body, mind,
and spirit with healthy activities through a series of “Gentle Yoga with Spirit” classes in the SNUUC foyer. Classes are usually offered on Tuesday or Thursday mornings and are taught by licensed yoga teachers Linda Cucurullo and Ivy Greenburg. Please see Anne Olsen or email her at [email protected] for more information on either series.
SNUUC’s drumming ministry, the DrUUmatics, practices every Thursday at 6:30pm in the RE wing.
You can check on their website for info about where they are playing: www.druumatics.org, or find the DrUUmatics page on Facebook. If there is enough interest, they will offer drumming workshops too! Speak with Sharon Nanos or Laura D’Angelo.
Pilates classes at SNUUC take place on
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5-6pm only $12 per class - no contracts to sign, no
commitment, just come and stretch! Questions? Please contact Leslie Farrington.
Spontaneity, Creativity, Fun! Improv
classes continue at SNUUC on Sundays 2-4pm in the foyer. No prior experience is required. Beginners are welcome. A series costs $80 for returning students, $100 for new students. For more information, please contact Michael Rock, [email protected]
Wake up a little earlier on Saturday and join the Meditation Group. Our
group practice meets at 9 am in the RE wing on Saturday mornings. This group is open to beginners. All you need to do is take a seat. For more info please contact Brian Larkin, [email protected]
Membership Committee
News
Be the Smiling Face at SNUUC's Front Doors! Greeting members and visitors is one way we take care of everyone who enters SNUUC's doors. To this end, the committee will be hosting a Greeter Training Breakfast at 8:30 am Feb. 1. Please speak to a committee member if you're interested in helping us create a warm, welcoming environment.
The Membership Committee, which is seeking new members, will meet at 6:30 pm on Thursday, February 12. If you're a SNUUC booster -- or would
like to be -- please join this fun-loving group! For more information, speak to a committee member, Bill Bryson-Brockmann, Julie Buckley, Eric Shefferman or Rosemary Olander-Beach, chair, or email
Committee has formed a Caring Team to provide support to members in need. If you or a member you know needs compassionate help during a time of stress or would like to share during a time of celebration, please contact a committee member (Bill Bryson-Brockmann, Julie Buckley, Rosemary Olander-Beach or Eric Shefferman) or mail [email protected].
Ellen Zaehringer-Gach, top, organizes the storage space and Jim Hawkins assists in storing the holiday decorations on January 3, 2015. Eric Shefferman, not pictured, made sure that everything was meticulously labeled for the Hanging of the Greens next year.
Are you up for a night of drumming and dancing? Want to have fun without any formal training? The Rhythm Jam Drum Circle, which ran for five years in Rockville Centre, now meets at SNUUC! Interfaith Minister Rev. Tracy Hamilton, will lead the circle the last Saturday of every month, February 28, at 8pm. The cost is $10 for teens and adults and $5 for kids 5 to 12 years old. 30% of the proceeds are donated to SNUUC.
“While I relish our warm months, winter forms our character and brings out our best”
- Tom Allen
The cold weather certainly will not dampen the enthusiasm and commitment of our religious education program as our new semester of classes commences on February 1. There is new energy in the RE Wing with changes to the teaching rotation for the Winter/Spring semester. New teachers Rita Hines, Steven Corina, Sharon Kennelty-Cohen and Phil Kennelty-Cohen will be working with our youth this semester along with our returning teachers from last semester- Jim Hawkins, Ilene Corina and Harriet Arnold. Bob Granoff will continue to offer ‘Snack Daddy’ services and Rosemary Olander, Selina Benson and John Bilello will continue to step in as needed to serve as substitute teachers. Special thanks to our teachers who are rotating off the teaching schedule, Brian Larkin and Bill Bryson-Brockmann, for their dedicated work in the RE Wing this past semester. And we are especially thankful for the time and energy that Diane Hawkins gave to the RE Wing this past semester, working with our Senior Youth on the art exhibit currently on display.
Themes for the program this semester are: Stories from the Bible curriculum for our youngest class, Unitarian Universalism and Girl Scouts for our Junior Youth program and a Social Action/World Events curriculum for our Senior Youth. Special events planned so far is a Senior Youth Bake Sale to raise funds for homeless initiatives, a Social Action Sunday to support the Smile in a Bag foundation on February 22, World Water Day activity on March 22, a Midnight Run to New York City on March 27, an Intergenerational Luncheon on April 12 and Earth Day themed activities on April 19. Our annual Bridging Ceremony/Coming of Age Recognition Service is scheduled for June 14.
Look for our youth to be more visible in the Sanctuary this semester as we look to bring the good work done by the children and youth to the rest of the congregation.
So, if you have not been involved with our RE program lately, or you are interested in volunteering in the program, please come see us in the RE Wing. The cold weather is not affecting us at all.
David Silver, DRE
Put Your ♥ in Books Reach Out and Read for Winthrop Hospital
The Senior Youth are sponsoring a book drive for Reach Out and Read, a program where pediatricians stress the importance of reading to children and give a new book to all birth through 5-year-old children who come in for a check-up. Please donate a new book appropriate for a birth to 5-year-old child, by Sunday, February 8. There is a box in the RE wing for your donations. Books will be delivered to the hospital in time for Valentine’s Day. For more information contact any of the Senior Youth.
Midnight Run - Senior Youth are now collecting donations for their 2nd
Midnight Run this year on March 27.
The Midnight Run www.midnightrun.org is a volunteer organization dedicated to finding common ground between the housed and the homeless. Volunteers distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.
Please come to a meeting on February 15 to learn what we need and how you can help. There is a
variety of products needed such as soft cookies, juice boxes, bread for sandwiches and bags to pack them.
Can you donate 10 travel-sized toothpaste, shampoos or soap? Toothbrushes, razors and travel-sized shaving cream are all helpful to people who live on the streets of NYC. We can also use new and gently used Large and XL sweatshirts, t-shirts, men’s sweaters, socks and clean blankets.
Donations need to be in the SNUUC RE wing by March 22. Participants must register by February 15.
See Ilene Corina for more information.
In the RE Wing
Rosemary Olander Beach, left, and Diane Hawkins, chair of the Art Committee, make ready to hang the Senior Youth Art Show, Life Flows in Us like Water in a River, which is on display until February 22 in the foyer.
