This Week at UUCD

Thursday, May 8, 2008

 

The Board of Trustees received eight applications for the Ministerial Search Committee, and we are placing all of them as candidates for your vote on May 16th.  All of the candidates would add their unique talents and commitment, but the by-laws require that the committee consist of only seven members.   Their applications will be posted in the Fellowship Hall to help in making your decision.  We have also recommended that the person not elected be available to serve as an alternate, if he or she wishes.  The nominees are:  Gale Alexander, Dennis DiPinto, Carol Huckabee, Judy Lacker, Bill McWilliams, Charlie Schott, Charley Stark, and Joanne Wells.

 

Absentee ballots for this vote, the budget vote, the New Sanctuary Movement, and Mission Statement are available on the website www.uudanbury.org and must be turned in or emailed to Carl Tichler, Barbara Myers, or the church office at secretary@uudanbury.org by May 15th. 

The Special Congregational Meeting and the Annual Meeting on Friday, May 16th will be preceded by a FAMILY POTLUCK beginning at 6 p.m.  Please bring your own beverages, and the following (according to the first initial of your last name in the alphabet) to share with approximately 8 people (take-out or store-bought is fine):

A – K   Main dish

L – R   Salad

S          Bread

T – Z   Dessert

 

FLOWERS again! Our children will be planting impatiens again by the back of the house. If you would like to donate a 6-pack of impatiens - the color of your choice – please bring it NEXT Sunday, May 18th.  Planting will be on Memorial Day weekend.

 

Thank-You notes are being collected for our Religious Educators at an interactive display in the kitchen of the House.  There are markers and note paper there in a basket.  When you’ve written or drawn your note, please place it in the appropriate paper bag.  Notes will be collected through May and given to the RE Leaders at the June 8th Intergenerational Flower Communion/Thank You Service.

 

Videotaped copies of the 9:00 a.m. April 13th sermon by Reverend Craig Hirshberg are available on DVD in the congregation’s office for members and friends who missed this service about the ministerial search process.  Thanks to Gale Alexander for taping this service.

 

TONIGHT (MAY 8TH)

The RE Committee will meet at 7:00 p.m. in the second floor Conference Room.

The Non-Fiction Book Group will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Conference Room to discuss the topic, how geography influences history, using the book, The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography From the Revolution to the First World War, by Graham Robb.   “The notion of ‘the French’ as one nation is relatively recent and – historically speaking – quite misleading; in order to discover the ‘real’ past of France it’s not only necessary to go back in time, but also to go at a slower pace than modern life generally allows.  This book is the result of 14,000 miles covered by bicycle.”

 

SATURDAY (MAY 10TH)

Women out to Breakfast will meet on Saturday, May 10th, at Elmer’s Diner on Padanaram Road across from the North Street Shopping Center (exit 6 from I-84W, turn right; exit 5 from I-85E, go straight 2-3 miles.)  Please notify Karen Gillotti via email if you plan to attend. 

Volunteers needed to set out food and clean up on Saturday, May 10th at 6:00 p.m. for the Coming of Age family and friends dinner.

 

SUNDAY (MAY 11TH)

Rev. Linda Hansen will lead the services on Women Shaping Unitarian Universalism.  We hear often about the famous men who founded or profoundly affected the future course of Universalism or Unitarianism, and we hear about famous women whose Unitarianism or Universalism influenced their work.  But who are the women who helped to shape our UU traditions themselves?  On this Mother’s Day, we’ll explore and honor the lives and work of several of these lesser-known figures to whom we owe our gratitude. 

“Reflections Corner” – Continue the conversations begun during Sunday Services in an informal setting during coffee hour.  People interested in discussing the sermon are invited to pick up a snack and head to the front corner of the Hall near the chimes.

 

MONDAY (MAY 12TH)

Rebels with a Cause Poker Group will meet at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room.

Mary Alice Kimball’s Chalice Circle will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Youth Room.

 

TUESDAY (MAY 13TH)

Maredith Spector’s Chalice Circle will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Conference Room.

Daniel G. O’Hare, Ph.D. will present a lecture on Advanced Directives and End-of-Life Issues in our Fellowship Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13th.  Dr. O’Hare is the consultant ethicist to several hospitals (including Danbury Hospital) and health care agencies, and previously held the position as the first institutional ethicist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.  He currently lectures in Medical Ethics at New York Medical College, at the Graduate School of Social Service of Fordham University in New York, and in the Anesthesia Education Program at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.  He has published in the areas of Ethics, AIDS, and Physician-Assisted Suicide. 

Dr. O’Hare will focus his remarks on Advanced Directives (living wills) which have recently changed in Connecticut, and on his long experience of the difficult situations that arise when individuals have not discussed their end-of-life wishes with their families and physicians.  He will also be glad to take your questions on any area of medical ethics.

If you would like to attend and need a ride, please contact Rev. Linda Hansen at 203-798-1994 or minister@uudanbury.org.  We want everyone who wants to attend to be able to do so!

 

The UUCD Hikers, Ross Fenster and Bob Bollinger, usually hike four times a year.  Want to consider joining us sometimes?  Contact Ross Fenster.  Our next hike will be on Tuesday, May 13th, in Kent, CT.

 

WEDNESDAY (MAY 14TH)

The Board of Trustees will meet at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and the Board Meeting in Fellowship Hall.

 

FRIDAY (MAY 16TH)

Two Important Meetings on May 16th

Call for a Special Congregational Meeting to Elect the Ministerial Search Committee

7:15 p.m., May 16, 2008

From our bylaws: “When a vacancy occurs in the ministry, a Special Congregational meeting of the UUCD shall be called to elect a Ministerial Search Committee. To that effect the Board will submit a list of nominees; however, additional nominations from the floor will be accepted at the meeting if approved by a majority of those members present and voting. The Committee shall be comprised of seven members.”

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 Call for the Annual Meeting of the UUCD

7:30 p.m. (or whenever the Special Meeting is over), May 16, 2008

Every May, as specified in the bylaws, we hold the Annual Meeting of the UUCD. The order of business is specified in the bylaws, and includes Reports, Adoption of the Budget, and New Business, as well as Elections. Nominations from the Nominating Committee:

1) To be elected to the Board of Trustees:

President: Carl Tichler                            1 year term until June 30, 2009

Secretary: Barbara Myers                       1 year term until June 30, 2009

Treasurer: Marie Dupree                        2 year term until June 30, 2010

Trustee: Jean Bowen                             3 year term until June 30, 2011

Trustee: Eva DeFranco                           2 year term until June 30, 2010

                                                               (to fill out remainder of Marcia Brooker’s term)

Remaining on the Board:

            Anne Krieg                                 Term ends June 30, 2009

            Andrew Bloch                             Term ends June 30, 2009

            Nancy Tramontana                     Term ends June 30, 2010

            Valerie Cochrane                        Term ends June 30, 2010

2) To be elected to Nominating Committee:

            Lana Wallace                             2 year term until June 30, 2010

Remaining on Nominating Committee:

            Jane Leff                                    2 year term until June 30, 2009

            Carol Huckabee                         2 year term until June 30, 2009

Andrew Bloch                                         2 year term until June 30, 2009

 

Our bylaws state that nominations may come from the floor if the group agrees.

A vote on the New Sanctuary Movement and our new Mission Statement will also take place at the Annual Meeting.

Our bylaws allow Absentee Ballots. To vote by Absentee Ballot, you must submit it to Carl Tichler or Barbara Myers on or before May 15th, 2008.  Ballots are available in the back of the Fellowship Hall or on the website.

Robert’s Rules of Order prevail at all Congregational Meetings. Our bylaws also state that there must be a quorum of at least 15% of the membership. At an official membership of 145, this means there must be at least 22 members present at both of these May 16th meetings for the meetings to proceed.  Voting rights extend only to those who have been members for at least 60 days, which, for this year’s meetings, means anyone who signed the membership book prior to March 17, 2008.

 

Childcare will be available during the two meetings.  Please look for the sign-up sheet at the back of the Fellowship Hall or call the office ahead of time if you will need childcare.  Childcare reservations must be made by Sunday, May 11th.

 

SATURDAY (MAY 17TH)

Men Out to Breakfast is an organization of men seeking fellowship and spirituality and meeting for breakfast and discussion on the first and third Saturdays of each month, at the Windmill Diner, Mill Plain Road in Danbury, convenient to exits two and four.  Our next meeting is Saturday, May 17th, at 9:00 a.m.  All are welcome.

Linda Hansen’s Chalice Circle will meet at 10:00 a.m. in the Youth Room.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

The date is now reserved from Friday, May 30th, to Sunday, June 1st, at Camp Jewell for the Intergenerational Retreat.  All congregants are welcome.  If you plan on attending, please contact Nancy Tramontana, Carl Tichler, or Suzanne Perry.  Please send in a deposit of $20 (per person).

 

The Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee of our UU Metro-New York District invites us to their 9th annual conclave called “Spirit, Vision and Participation.”  The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 31st at Community Church of New York UU, 40 East 35th Street (between Madison and Park Avenues).  The Rev. William Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, will be the keynote speaker.  Registration is $25 until May 15th, $30 after; children under 16 are free.  There will be a special workshop track for Multiracial Families and Families of Color.  For more information, see www.antiracism.net. 

 

Are you seeking a more spiritual life?  Would you like more balance in your life?  Or would you just like some time away to deepen your inner connection?  If so, come to Murray Grove, July 11-13, for "Ways to the Spirit:  A Weekend of Spiritual Practice for Unitarian Universalists."  Explore meditation, prayer, art, music, yoga, reiki, labyrinth and silent time. For more information and registration, contact the Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center in New Jersey, murraygrove@murraygrove.org, www.murraygrove.org or call 609-693.5558.

 

If you do not wish to receive these weekly e-mail reminders of upcoming events, please let our Secretary, Sherry Kyriacou, know at secretary@uudanbury.org.  Thanks.