BEV: June 2010 Newsletter Highlights

Bird’s Eye View

Newsletter of Foxborough Universalist Church, Unitarian Universalist Association

6 Bird Street * On The Common * Foxborough, MA 02035-2301 * 508-543-4002

Worship Service & Religious Education Classes, Sundays at 10:00 A.M.

Katie Lawson, Minister * www.uufoxborough.org * All Are Welcome!

A UUA Welcoming Congregation

June 2010

Minister’s Message

Dear Friends,

The time is fast upon us when our doors will close for the summer, and we leave the sanctuary to its own reflections. I am ambivalent about this practice, which is common in the denomination, especially in small churches with part-time ministers. It always catches me a little off guard and feels like someone is interrupting an enjoyable conversation. However, I choose to focus on my belief that there are many ways to worship, and that during the summer, the frog songs and flowers draw us outdoors into an equally significant communion with the holy.

Finding a sense of larger purpose, of belonging, and of the holy through a relationship with nature runs deep in American Unitarianism and Universalism. William Ellery Channing who proudly embraced and articulated Unitarianism in this country for the first time in 1806, found his call to ministry and his understanding of a loving and beneficient (rather than punishing) God while walking on a beach near his childhood home in Newport. Ralph Waldo Emerson saw nature not just as a metaphor for the holy, but God manifested all around us. Universalist and, later, Unitarian minister, Thomas Starr King was first and foremost a renowned mountaineer who wrote a guide book of the White Mountains that was seasoned with poetry and spiritual reflection. Throughout its history, Unitarian Universalism has been as bound to a reverence for the natural world as it has to its belief in good works and freedom of consciousness.

In an important way, it is an expression of our faith to nurture a garden, to walk a wooded path, to watch the birds at the feeder, to stay awake for a thunderstorm, and to work to deepen our relationship to it all. During the summers, when Sunday morning comes around, I often feel a particular call to pause and note the weather pattern or make time for a walk or just sit in our old row boat and drift. I hope your summer Sundays similarly call you to a Sabbath of sorts, to turn your attention to what really sustains you.

I will miss you this summer, but look forward to reuniting in the fall with all our tales of peace, beauty, communion, and service.

Faithfully,

Katie

Chairman’s Ramblings

This is the last issue of Bird’s Eye View for this church year. As you may have guessed, the title comes from our view of Bird Street, 6 Bird Street to be more specific. There was a long time that we thought we were 4 Bird Street, but the wisdom of the Post Office changed all that. I’m not sure if our perspective changed after all those years of being called 4 Bird Street, and now being 6 Bird Street. Sort of feels like the same place to me. A kind of special place which has been highlighted by this year’s Church Yard Sale. The willing cooperation to move and remove all those items, to sort them out in preparation of the sale, and to get everything ready for the Saturday event is really inspiring. The additional items brought in by townspeople is inspiring also.

As I write this, I don’t know how well we will do financially. I do know that the effort that has gone into the sale as of this point shows how great and caring our Church people truly are, and I thank you! This effort culminates a year of of change for us, as change that I believe bodes well for the future. We all spent significant time listing our ideas for a growth plan, and then the Board spent several meetings listing and prioritizing those ideas to formulate a 3-5 year plan for the Church. The results will be published shortly and will constitute the working plan for our Church for the near future. Again, thank you for all of the cooperative efforts you have made during the year.

Dick

Religious Education Happenings

On Saturday, June 5, there will be a Religious Education Sunday practice and picnic at the church. Please contact Lisa Benoit, Religious Education Director, at re@uufoxborough.org for details.

Don’t forget: We are now accepting registration forms for next year’s Religious Education classes. Please return the RE forms to Lisa Benoit.

Wayside Pulpit

Prejudice delivers instant opinions without bothering with all those facts. ~ Anonymous

First Thursdays Peace Vigils

Get involved in the ongoing Social Action project hosted from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the church the first Thursday of every month. The First Thursdays Peace Vigils community would like you to join them; candles and signs are provided. Stay for as long or as short as your schedule allows. Upcoming dates: June 3, and July 1, and August 5. Please visit events.uufoxborough.org to sign-up for the e-reminder list and find out more information about our ongoing peace work.

June 2010 Holidays

3 Corpus Christi- Catholic Christian

9 Saint Columba of Iona – Celtic Christian

11 Sacred Heart of Jesus – Catholic Christian

19 New Church Day – Swedenborgian Christian

21 Solstice

21 Litha – Wicca Northern Hemisphere

21 First Nations Day – Canadian Native People

29 Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul – Christian

Shimmy Thanks!

Thank you to Sumora, all the volunteers who helped behind the scenes, and all the dancers who performed in “Belly Psychadelli”, the 6th Annual Belly Dance Karavan fund-raiser on May 22, at the church! Belly dancers Za-Beth, Sumora, Anechka, Haleema, Goddess Delight, Anam Cara, Belly Dance Collective, Baseema, Jihanna, Neylan, Morgana, Nehira, *Samantha*, Ameena, Heather, Christina, Johara, Snake Dance Theater Company, Sadira, Dorothea, and Sabrina donated their time and outstanding talent to help in our goal of improving community accessibility to our historic building. All money raised this year and will go towards the Accessibility Improvements Fund ramp initiative.

Milestones

Annie Adams Fields, Charles Sinclair Weeks, Anna Laetitia Aiken Barbauld, Harold Hitz Burton, and Celia Laighton Thaxter.

In UU History

• On June 25, 1863, Olympia Brown became the first woman to be ordained by any denomination in the United States. She was ordained as a Universalist minister.
• In 1877, Clara Barton, a Universalist, wrote to a founder of the International Red Cross and began the creation of the American Red Cross.
• June 21, 1985, Unitarian Universalists adopted seven unifying Principles.

Restocking The Shelves

The monthly Foxborough Food Pantry drive donation box is in the vestibule – eagerly awaiting a can or box or two. All items collected will be donated to the pantry to help others in our community. Please donate if you can.

Church Yard Sale!

Thank you to everyone who helped with the annual church yard sale! Many congregants helped out by: bringing in their own items and unsold items from other sales to the church; letting their friends and family know donations were welcome; hanging flyers around town; storing some of the larger items until sale day; delivering the food basket to the raffle winner; moving items into and out of the church office; going to town hall; staffing the sale; and, performing more tasks that needed to be done to insure a successful fund-raiser! Thank you everyone who pitched in and helped!

Interested In Joining The Board Of Trustees?

If you’re interested in serving, please talk to one of the members of the nominating committee as soon as possible. The slate for the 2010-2011 Board Of Trustees And Officers will be presented and voted on at the Annual Meeting in June. The church cannot run without a strong Board. Each Officer and Trustee position is a two-year term, unless you will be serving as an interim trustee or officer/finishing the end of someone else’s term.

Building Use And Rentals

Members and non-members are welcome to use the church building and grounds for meetings, weddings, baby showers, recitals, birthday parties, workshops, classes, or other events. The sanctuary has outstanding acoustics and the first level of the church contains a social hall, kitchen, and more. Please contact us via rentals@uufoxborough.org to schedule events at the church. First come, first served; we already have reservations in June and mid-summer, so please plan your events early. Visit events.uufoxborough.org to find some secular events occuring at the church; visit rentals.uufoxborough.org for more information.

Sharing The Good News Of UUism

• Don’t forget to check out Beacon Press (including their UU Guides), Skinner House Books, and the UUA Bookstore for your summer reading adventures.
• Grab a Principles and Purposes bookmarker, pamphlet, or walletcard to keep your place.
• Share these tomes and/or UU World (or UU & Me) with a friend, neighbor, or relative when you’re done reading!!

Destination ImagiNation

To help get them to the Global Finals Competition in Knoxville, Tennessee, the South Shore Home Learners (SSHL) held a fund-raiser at the church on May 16. The SSHL team manager provided a brief summary about Destination Imagination (DI) and described the Breaking DI News challenge to the audience. The kids performed their play about the story of an unusual friendship that formed between a baby hippo and tortoise. The structure held 651 pounds. With an audience of about 30 people, SSHL put on an entertaining show and raised some money! The South Shore Home Learners team came in 16th place in the “Challenge E: Breaking DI News, Middle Level” category. Congratulations to the entire team, including two of our congregants! If anyone is interested in learning more about DI, please visit www.idodi.org.

Other Notices And Events

• June 3, July 1, & August 5: (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) First Thursdays Peace Vigil at the church. Area residents are invited to participate!
• June 2, July 7, & August 4: Men’s Group Meeting. Please contact Rick for details. Newcomers are welcome!
• June 6: (8:00 a.m.) Board Of Trustees Meeting.
• June 13: (11:15 a.m.) Annual Business Meeting.
• August: Ordination Committee Meeting. This will be a meeting during the first week of August.
• Please visit www.bcduua.org, BCD In-Brief, the BCD and UUA e-mail lists, www.uufoxborough.org, events.uufoxborough.org, and the bulletin boards in the vestibule for more event listings and details.
• Contact rentals@uufoxborough.org to reserve the church for your ceremony, meeting, or other event. Payments are made through the Treasurer.
• Don’t forget to purchase products through our Amazon.com and Powell’s Book partner programs: click through the links on the church Web site home page (www.uufoxborough.org) and shop!

General Assembly, A Meeting Of Congregations

If you won’t be in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) this year, you can kep up-to-date on the day to day activities during the meeting, also known as General Assembly (GA). If you have internet capabilities, visit www.uua.org/ga/ to find a schedule of the worship services, plenary sessions, events, and other activities that will be streamed live. On-line GA coverage will include print and photo reporting from UU World. Plenary I and Opening Worship will begin at 8:00 p.m. CDT, and Closing Celebration will be held from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. CDT. Those with slow connection speeds may find the stream choppy and you might miss some of the words, but the on-line reporting and updates usually accurately reflect the days’ activities, so you won’t miss out on much.

Social Action News

• “The catastrophic oil disaster off the Gulf Coast continues to destroy the natural environment and people’s lives. As legislation currently stands, oil companies like BP only have to pay for up to $75 million for clean up costs – less than one day’s profit – and the rest is passed on to the American taxpayer.”
• President Obama has proclaimed June as “National Oceans Month” and “LGBT Pride Month”.
• Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR 1283), the legislation regarding the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, is working it’s way through Congress.
• Visit www.uusc.org, www.standingonthesideoflove.org, and www.uua.org for more information.

In The Community

Monday – Friday – Crossroads Children’s Center at the church (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.); Wednesdays – Belly Dance classes at the church (6:30 p.m.); Tuesdays – Yoga classes at the church (6:30 p.m.); June 6 – Sumora’s & Sabrina’s Student Showcase at the church (2:00 p.m.); June 12, 13, & 26 – Events at church (afternoons); August 21 & 22 – Events at church (all day); June 5, 12, 13, 26, & 27 – Events at the stadium; June 8, 22, & 29 – Board Of Selectmen’s Meetings; June 17 & 24 – Concerts On The Common (7:00 p.m.); June 18 & 19 – Foxborough’s Relay For Life at Ahern; June 6, 19, 20, 26, & 27 – “Rock The Plaza” free concerts at Patriot Place; June 1 – 6th & 7th Grades Band Concert at Ahern (6:30 p.m.); June 3 – 5th Grade Concert Band at Ahern (6:30 p.m.); June 4 – ImprovSoup at Burrell; June 5 – BSA Troop 7 Car Wash at Town Hall; June 5 – Foxborough Against Diabetes 5k Run and Walk (10:00 a.m.); June 6 – National Trails Day activities at CRRA (Cocasset River Recreation Area at 68 Mill Street); June 8 – Choral Concert at Ahern (5th & 6th Grade, 6:30 p.m.; 7th & 8th Grade, 7:30 p.m.); June 10 – All Strings Concert at Ahern (7:00 p.m.); June 12 – Foxborough Founders’ Day; June 26 – Dragonflies And Damselflies at CRRA; The Restocking The Shelves collection box is on the church’s second level – please contribute!

Other upcoming events and opportunities: helping the Discretionary Fund by volunteering at or buying fresh, locally grown produce from the Community Farmstand, having a plot at the Community Garden, utilizing Museum Passes through Boyden Library and friends, joining or forming a town softball team, National Night Out on the common, block parties, and much more.

The Foxborough Universalist Church is a vibrant and caring congregation that welcomes all. Our mission is to nurture each other along our spiritual paths while working together for the betterment of our community and the world.

BEV: Newsletter Highlights (March 2010)

Bird’s Eye View
Newsletter of Foxborough Universalist Church, Unitarian Universalist Association
6 Bird Street * On The Common * Foxborough, MA 02035-2301 * 508-543-4002
Worship Service & Religious Education Classes, Sundays at 10:00 A.M.
Katie Lawson, Minister * www.uufoxborough.org * All Are Welcome!
A UUA Welcoming Congregation

The Foxborough Universalist Church is a vibrant and caring
congregation that welcomes all. Our mission is to nurture each other along our
spiritual paths while working together for the betterment of our community and
the world.

Chairman’s Ramblings
Hi,

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is not an organization that I always agree with, but in reading their reports of the work being done by them in partnering with other groups and local Haitians they have a much more humanitarian way of distributing aid and providing resources than a lot of the volunteer groups there. First, the UUSC through appeals to local congregations has raised more than $1,000,000 in funds – significant for us, but not nearly enough to do the work that needs to be done. Second, by using their partnerships with local community action groups, they have passed out this aid in a dignified way to those who might not otherwise get it. Many aid groups have simply driven to a site, thrown out large sacks of rice – allowing the strongest to elbow their way to the front of the line – the young and the old have been short changed in this un-humane way of distribution. Third, being a charity and using local groups, more of the donated money has gone to aid, not administration.

I urge you to continue contributing to the UUSC fund for Haiti – it will be needed for a long while: unemployment is above 60%, wages are unconsionably low, and those who work in the garment industry work for 12 hour days-6 days per week and still have no place to live cannot afford decent food for themselves let alone the rest of their families. I also want us to all appreciate the gifts that we take for granted and how quickly they can disappear. Talk to you again next month.
Dick

Wayside Pulpit

The single largest pool of untapped resource in this world is human good intentions that never translate into action. ~Cindy Gallop

UUSC/UUA Joint Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
We are still participating in this social action. As of February 19, the Fund has received 8,585 donations totalling approximately $1,130,000! If you would like to donate, please place your donation (in an envelope marked with “UUSC/UUA Haiti Fund”) in the collection plate and/or contact our church Treasurer.

The CUUPS Podcast Is Out!
The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) recently released the first issue of their new CUUPS Podcast. The first issue features an interview with British academic Michael York recorded at the December 2009 Parliament of World Religions. Basic information about CUUPS is also included in the podcast. The second issue features Margot Adler and Brian Schorr and music from Carole Eagleheart and Faith and the Muse. You can download a free copy of the podcasts either by going to cuups.libsyn.com or to the religious podcast section of the iTunes store.

Womensphere Spring Gathering
Please join Unitarian Universalist women at a Day for Women with Dharma Teacher Joanne Friday, Buddhist teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. The day’s theme will be “Listening as a Spiritual Practice, Hearing with the Heart”. The program will be Saturday, March 27, 2010, from 9:30 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth, 840 Sandwich Road, Falmouth Mass. The deadline to register is Friday, March 19. The fee of $20 includes registration and lunch. Scholarships are available. Contact dschmader@cox.net for more information and to register.

Universalist Convocation 2010
The Universalist Convocation will hold its annual convocation May 14-16, 2010, at the First Universalist Society of Rochester in Rochester, New York. The keynote presenter will be the Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed, whose talk is titled “Dragged Kicking and Screaming to Heaven”. For more information go to www.nmuc.org/Convo.

March’s Global Chalice Lighting

English

Let all nations live together in unison
And praise GOD together.
Speak with one voice
To LOVE and accept the Word.
Let LOVE create great songs of praise
For all living souls to sing together.

Yoruba

Gbogbo Eda Dapo,
E Jo Yin Oluwa.
E Pa Ohun nyin po,
Lati Fe Oro Na;
K’ ife da orin ope nla,
Ki gbogbo eda k’o si gbe.

~ Olufemi Matimoju
First Unitarian Church of Nigeria

BCD Spring Conference
The Ballou Channing District (BCD) Spring Conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on April 24, 2010, at First Unitarian Church of Providence in Providence. We will explore the developing trends in demographic and religious practice and possible congregation responses. This year we will focus the theme through three sermons embedded in an extended, dynamic, morning worship followed by five conversation workshops. Our presenters will be: Rev. James Ford, First Unitarian Church minister, Rev. Eric Wikstrom, UUA Director of Worship and Music Resources, and Rev. Sue Sinnamon, Thomas Jefferson District Director of Faith Development. Plans are also under development for a community social service project. Please chek the BCD Web site (www.bcduua.org) and our church vestibule for more information and registration instructions.

March 2010 Holidays
1 Holi – Hindu
16 Vaisaki – Hindu
17 St Patrick’s Day – Christian
20 Equinox
20 Ostara – Wicca – Northern Hemisphere
21 Norouz (New Year) – Persian/Zoroastrian
21 Naw Ruz (New Year) – Baha’i
21 Passion Sunday – Christian
24 Ramanavami – Hindu
25 Annunciation of the Virgin Mary – Catholic Christian
27 Lazarus Saturday – Orthodox Christian
28 Palm Sunday – Christian/Orthodox Christian
28 Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zaranhushtra) – Zoroastrian
29 Mahavir Jayanti – Jain
30 Lord’s Evening Meal – Jehovah’s Witness Christian
30 Hanuman Jayanti – Hindu
30 Magha Puja Day – Buddhist
30-31 Pesach (Passover) First two days – Jewish

Milestones
Alexander Graham Bell, George Mortimer Pullman, Luther Burbank , William Fogg Osgood, Vard R. Johnson, Joseph Priestley, William L. Langer, Neville Chamberlain, Sarah Billings Doolittle, Dorothy Tilden Spoerl, Thomas Hiram Andrews , Fannie Merritt Farmer, & Bela Bartok.

Summer At Ferry Beach
Registration for summer conferences at Ferry Beach is now open to everyone! The summer conference season begins with “Work and Play Week”/family week and Quilting Retreat:”You Can Quilt!” from June 20-26, 2010. Some new conferences this year are “The Ferry Beach Group: A Ministerial Study Retreat”, “Filling the Well: younger women’s mini-week”, “Exploring the Maine Coast: A Family Nature Camp”, “Grand Buddies Camp”, and “Celebrating Our Living Tradition: UU History Course and Conference”. For more information on all of Ferry Beach’s programs, visit www.ferrybeach.org or check the vestibule for the current brochure. You can register on the Web site or over the phone at 207-282-4489. There is also a registration form on their Web site to download and mail in.

UU Lobby Day
UU Lobby Day is Wednesday April 28. Join folks at the UUA headquaters, 25 Beacon Street, in Boston at 10:00 a.m. Learn how you can help make a difference on climate change in Massachusetts and fund critically needed homeless prevention programs. You’ll also meet UUMassAction partners and connect with other UUs. For more information, please visit www.uumassaction.org.

Standing On The Side Of Love News
* March 19-22: Ecumenical Advocacy Days: “A Place to Call Home: Immigrants, Refugees, and Displaced Peoples”. This year’s focus will be on Immigration. Details available at www.advocacydays.org. Please contact Kat Liu at kliu@uua.org, if you are participating.

* March 21: Join UUs & others for a March for Change for Comprehensive Immigration Reform to rally together and Stand on the Side of Love with Immigrant Families. Details and registration available via www.standingonthesideoflove.org/take-a-stand.

* June 26: UUA General Assembly 2010 attendees are invited to join in an Interfaith Community Public Witness Event at the Twin Cities’ Pride Weekend at the Stonewall Stage in Loring Park.

Volunteer To Help Haitians In U.S.A. Apply For TPS
The estimated 100,000-200,000 Haitians in the United States prior to January 12, 2010, are eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This status will allow them to legally live and work in the United States for the next eighteen months without fear of deportation. The UUA and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) are setting up and supporting legal clinics for Haitian TPS applicants. At these clinics, volunteers will provide free advice and assistance in filling out the necessary forms, as well as help in completing TPS fee-waiver applications. Volunteers need NOT be attorneys in order to participate, but do need to take part in a TPS training supervised by immigration attorneys prior to volunteering.

UUSC is hosting two TPS webinars – open to all – facilitated by immigration attorneys, to train volunteers to serve at these clinics. TPS Training Webinars will be held: Wednesday, March 3, (7:00p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EST) & Wednesday, March 10 (7:00p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EST).

Clinics where trained volunteers will help people fill out applications for TPS and fee waivers will be held: Saturday, March 6 , (11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) in West Somerville & Sunday, March 7, (2:00 p.m .- 4:00 p.m. location to be determined). Please visit www.uusc.org/resource/tps_training to register for the Webinar Trainings, then please RSVP to Nichole Cirillo at 617-301-4336 or ncirillo@uusc.org to let her know which training and/or clinic you will be attending.

Join NCTE For Lobby Days: March 14-16
On March 16, the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) will be holding a Lobby Day in Washington D.C. specifically for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). In brief, this bill stops companies from firing or refusing to hire transgender workers simply on the basis of gender identity. This has drastic consequences which have included becoming homeless, being preyed upon by those who are in the sex worker industry, and worse. LGBT people and allies from around the country who support ENDA will be at the Lobby Day. For more information about the proposed legislation, the NCTE, and how you can participate, please visit www.uua.org/socialjustice/issues/bgltequality/employment/index.shtml and/or www.transequality.org

Magha Puja
Commemorating an important event in the life of Lord Buddha, Magha Puja Day takes places on the full moon day of the third lunar month. On this day, the Buddha went to Rajagaha city where 1250 Arahats,(Enlightened saints) who were the Buddha’s disciples, without prior appointment, returned from their wanderings to pay respect to the Buddha. They assembled in the Veruvana Monastery with the two chief disciples of the Buddha, Ven. Sariputta and Ven. Moggalana. Here, Lord Buddha recited the “Ovadha Patimokkha” (the Fundamental Teaching) to his disciples.

Clean Water For A Healthy World
International World Water Day is celebrated each year on March 22. “It is still a reality that an estimated 1.1 billion people rely on unsafe drinking-water sources. Therefore the theme of World Water Day 2010 is focusing on raising awareness of water quality under the theme ‘Clean Water for a Healthy World’“. The overall goal of the World Water Day 2010 campaign is to raise the profile of water quality at the political level so that water quality considerations are made alongside those of water quantity. Visit www.unwater.org/worldwaterday, www.uusc.org, and www.worldwaterday.org for more information.

American Red Cross Month

President Obama has proclaimed March is American Red Cross Month in the United States.

Tidbits: The American Red Cross was founded in 1881 by Clarissa “Clara” Barton, a Universalist born in N. Oxford, Mass., & President Franklin D. Roosevelt began the tradition of proclaiming March as American Red Cross Month in 1943.

A 45th Anniversary
This month marks the 45th Anniversary of the Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Two UUs, the Rev. James Joseph Reeb and Viola Liuzzo, were murdered by white supremacists during this time. Rev. Reeb was attacked and beaten on March 9, 1965, and died two days later.

Viola Liuzzo, a mother of five children, had brought her car to help drive civil rights workers around the county and was shot and killed while doing so.

The police attack on the marchers and these two murders outraged many Americans and prompted President Johnson to institute the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Other March Osbervances
1 First National Park establised, 1872
2 Read Across America Day
3 National Anthem Day
8 International Women’s Day
10 First paper money issued in US 1862
12 Girl Scouts founded, 1912
14 Mothering Sunday (England)
14 Save A Spider Day
14 Potato Chip Day
14 Daylight Saving Time begins, 2010
15 American Legion founded, 1919
18 Camp Fire Boys and Girls established, 1910
19 Swallows return to Capistrano
19 Iraq War began, 2003
22 National Sing Out Day
25 International Waffle Day
27 Fly A Kite Day
27 Earth Hour
31 First US Copmbat troops ordered to Vietnam, 1965.

Weeklong Observances
Pet Sitters Week
Girl Scout Week
Poison Prevention Week
Crochet Week

Birthstone: Aquamarine, Bloodstone

Flower: Jonquil

Fundraising Ideas
Have a fundraising idea or want to help out at some of the upcoming fundraisers? Please submit your ideas to the Finance Chairman or Board Of Trustees and let the event organizer know you have time to help. You can do this in a variety of ways: in person; leave a note in the mailboxes in the church office; via e-mail; and/or on-line through committees.uufoxborough.org/Finance/.

* Don’t forget to purchase products through our Amazon.com and Powell’s Book partner programs: click through the links on the church Web site home page (www.uufoxborough.org) and shop!

A Very Brief Look At Ostara
The Spring or Vernal Equinox is also known as Ostara and will occur here at 1:32 p.m. EDT, on March 20, 2010. Ostara is the Goddess of Fertility and Rebirth and she presides over this celebration. She is often depicted standing among spring flowers and vines, holding an egg in her hand, surrounded by bunnies at her feet, and birds flying above her. Ostara and the egg are symbols of newborn life.

Eggs and seeds are an important part of this festival because of the promise they each hold of new life springing forth. Seeds are Blessed and are either planted or saved for future planting. Eggs are colored in pastels and placed in baskets around the house and altar.

Ostara is also a time to remember our balance in the greater scheme of things, we are an important part of all that happens around us, our actions and deeds have effect on the Earth, Her people, and the Universe.

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine,
food and medicine for the soul. ~Luther Burbank

Other Notices And Events

* Mar. 3 and Apr. 7: (7:30 p.m.) Men’s Group Meeting at Pike’s Peak Mining Company in Mansfield. Please contact Rick for details. Newcomers are welcome!
* Mar. 4 and Apr. 1: (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) First Thursdays Peace Vigil at the church. Area residents are invited to participate!
* Mar. 6: (9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) “Thinking Outside the Pulpit: Beyond the Hymn-Sermon Sandwich Service” workshop at All Souls Church in Braintree, Mass.
* Mar. 6-10: End Mountaintop Removal Week. Please visit www.ilovemountains.org/wiw for details.
* Mar. 7: (8:00 a.m.) Board Of Trustees Meeting at the church. All are welcome to attend.
* Mar. 20: (10:00 a.m.) Annual Meeting of The Universalist Church School Union Trust at First Parish Church in Waltham, Mass.
* Mar. 22: Sex Education Advocacy Call-In Day. Details via www.uua.org/socialjustice/issues/reproductive.
* Mar. 27: (7:30 p.m.) Kim and Reggie Harris at Javawocky Coffeehouse in Brockton. Tickets and more informatio available via www.javawockyuu.com.
* Apr. 8-10: UU-UNO 2010 Annual Intergenerational Spring Seminar “A Climate of Change: Head, Heart, and Hands Around the Planet”. Details and registration forms available via www.uu-uno.org.
* Please visit www.bcduua.org, BCD In-Brief, the BCD and UUA e-mail lists, www.uufoxborough.org, and the bulletin boards in the vestibule for more event listings and details.
* Contact rentals@uufoxborough.org to reserve the church for your ceremony, meeting, or other event. Payments are made through the Treasurer.

In The Community

Monday – Friday – Crossroads Children’s Center at the church (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.); Mondays & Wednesdays – Belly Dance classes at the church (6:30 p.m.); Tuesdays – Yoga classes at the church (6:30 p.m.); Saturdays – Yoga classes at the church (9:30 a.m.); Mar. 5-7 – “Rent” at Orpheum Theatre; Mar. 5-7 & 12-14 – Events at the stadium; Mar. 6, 9, 23, & 30 – Board Of Selectmen’s Meetings; Mar. 1 – Choral-palooza by Grades 5-12 at FHS (6:30 p.m.); Mar. 9 – McGinty Family Fun Day On The Common Planning Meeting at Public Safety Building (7:00 p.m.); Mar. 11 – Winter Skate at Patriot Place; Mar. 19 – The Un-Common Theatre Company Improv Soup at Burrell (7:30 p.m.); Mar. 23 – Bandorama by Grades 5–12 at FHS (7:00 p.m.); Mar. 29 – Apr. 9 – Foxborough Reads (tickets to related events available beginning Mar. 15); Mar. 31 – “Harriet Tubman’s Freedom Train” at Orpheum Theatre; The Restocking The Shelves collection box is on the church’s second level – please contribute!

Minister’s Message

Dear Friends,
With canvass season (a.k.a. the pledge drive) upon us, it would be so tempting to list for you the many ambitions we have for the church and the standing financial commitments we need to honor as a community. However, I trust you are aware of these–that you have looked around the place and seen the many places where money could be well spent.

Instead, I’d like to focus our attention on the things we are ALREADY doing or have done in the past year thanks to your continuing generosity with your time, energy, creativity, and money. Here are just a few things you were able to do this year:

✔ Increase the number of members and people attending the church to roughly 70 people including a robust group of children. The Membership and Public Relations Committees have been hard at work making sure word of the church is getting out and that people are properly welcomed to the community. This has energized worship and efforts to reach beyond the walls of the church to help the community.
✔ Tune and re-key the piano.
✔ Offer our children a solid religious education program featuring not just thoughtful curriculum and instruction on Sunday mornings, but also other outings to build a sense of community amongst the younger cohort of our congregation.
✔ Increase salaries. Not only are we grateful for this, but it also brings the church closer to offering salaries that would help attract quality people in the future.
✔ Paint the front entry of the church and make other improvements to the interior decor of the church.
✔ Create the “Property Improvement Committee”, which has created a comprehensive aesthetic vision for our building – inside and out.
✔ Host the International Day Of Climate Action gathering in Foxborough.
✔ Re-write the church’s mission statement and begin the development of a three year strategic plan.
✔ Create and participate in a variety of high-quality lay-led worship services.
✔ Complete the process to become a Welcoming Congregation.
✔ Regularly feature guest musicians as a part of the worship service.
✔ Carry the monthly peace vigil into its third year!
✔ Via the Sunshine Committee, care for each other during times of stress or need.
✔ Change lightbulbs, vacuum, dust, bake, mow, sweep, teach, read, greet, etc.

The list could go on and on. In the midst of our aspirations for our church to serve as a center for spiritual growth and our urgency to provide needed and relevant care to our community, I hope that we can stop every now and then and recognize what we have accomplished together. As we move into the spring, I’m so excited about what’s on our immediate horizon: welcoming more new people and their ideas and talents, having our middle schoolers participate in the OWL program, getting a couple of good social outreach ideas off the ground, and completing the strategic plan that will take us forward as we try to “grow in our ability to fulfill the mission of the church.” You continue to foster a community that reminds us all of what love looks like. Thank you so much for all you do!
Faithfully,
Katie

The 1st Annual “Put-Your-Spirit-Into-Hymn” Hymnal Fundraiser And Contest
Choose your favorite hymn tune and write words for it that express something your spirit longs to have in song. Candidates will be played after worship on April 8 and voted upon by those who volunteer to judge that day. The winning hymns will be sung during worship on “Music Sunday” on April 11. The winners will also have a hymnal each donated to the church in their names. An under-sixteen and over-sixteen winner will be chosen. Original hymn tunes are also welcome!

Pick up a registration form from the front entry of the church. Your registration should be submitted to the box on the piano in the front of the sanctuary by April 1. A separate registration is required for each entry. A three dollar registration donation is suggested.

Upcoming Worship Services
All Worship Services and Religious Education classes begin at 10:00 a.m. and are followed by a Friendship Hour.

March 7: You Are Here
by guest minister Rev. Margie Allen
A look at how we know where we are on our spiritual map and where we want to go.

March 14: It Takes All Kinds
by Lay-leader Neda

March 21: James Reeb–Minister And Martyr
by Minister Katie Lawson and Worship Associate LeeAnn
The Rev. James Reeb was a white Unitarian Universalist minister who worked with poor people in Boston. In 1965 he journeyed with other UU clergy to Selma, Alabama, to protest violence by state troopers against civil rights marchers. Reeb and two other ministers were walking back after dinner to a meeting led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when they were attacked by a group of white men. One hit Rev. Reeb in the head with a club. The blow was fatal and Rev. Reeb died. Rev. Reeb’s murder drew national attention, and is credited with helping to hasten passage of the federal Voting Rights Act.

March 28: Passover Seder
by Minister Katie Lawson and Worship Associate Steve
We join together for a Passover Seder meal, remembering the Israelite’s escape out of slavery and rededicating ourselves to freedom.

Bird's Eye View (BEV): February 2010 Highlights

Bird’s Eye View
Newsletter of Foxborough Universalist Church, Unitarian Universalist Association
6 Bird Street * On The Common * Foxborough, MA 02035-2301 * 508-543-4002
Worship Service & Religious Education Classes, Sundays at 10:00 A.M.
Katie Lawson, Minister * www.uufoxborough.org * All Are Welcome!

February 2010

Minister’s Message

Dear Friends,
As I write, I am sitting in a large log hall waiting for a group of seventh graders to return from a cross-country ski. We are at an outdoor education center and summer camp about a quarter of a mile from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. I first came here when I was twelve to go on a five-day canoe trip and then came back every summer until I was 24 years old in some capacity or another. Each of the cabins is labeled with a sign that I carved when I was twenty. I am as familiar with these old buildings and these acres as with any place on earth. When I come back, I feel like I return to a piece of myself that resides here.

It is interesting to be here with people who have never been here before, and to go out on snowshoes with young staff people who don’t know who I am and who don’t know I consider this home. This is my home, and it is being inhabited by strangers. I am watching them do things exactly as I did them 20 years ago—playing the same games, walking the same trails, sitting on the same benches—and my heart is so soft. I can almost feel time passing and time standing still simultaneously. I sometimes have to resist a proprietary feeling—like this is MY place and these new people don’t belong here the way I do. But then I remember that this is the beauty of this place: it exists beyond me. Its job is to carry ways of being forward. It is still my home, I still belong here, AND so do these whipper-snappers.

They’ve also made some changes at camp. The hall I am sitting in is twice as big and is winterized after a capital campaign four years ago. I believe I can remember when it didn’t have electricity. It looks and feels strange to my nostalgic eyes, but I have to admit, the program works much better this way.

All of this has made me reflect on the life of the church. I hope we can be true to what our predecessors built and successfully passed on, while also allowing for needed changes to be made. As the church continues to move forward and incorporate new people and new ideas, I hope we will do the work of institutions: remembering both that we are merely passing through *and* that it cannot survive and grow without us. I hope we will all imagine our predecessors watching us and believe that they could return and, in the most important ways, feel at home.

Faithfully,
Katie

Chairman’s Ramblings
It’s hard to believe – we are into February already. Daylight lasts longer, seeds and seed starter kits are appearing in the stores, and soon the Red Sox equipment van will leave for the start of spring training in Florida. Surely Spring will soon follow! I left out Groundhog Day; I’m not sure that seeing a shadow has anything to do with the seasons – but the Red Sox van leaving – that is the really hopeful sign of Spring. And, with the change in seasons, maybe there can be a change in optimism – for the economy, and for those who are looking for work so that they can get on with their lives.

One thing that will happen – as time moves along, images of the devastation in Haiti will lessen, the suffering of the earthquake victims will be shown less and less, we will think we have made a contribution, and move on – leaving aid workers to continue to try to pick up the pieces in the poorest country in the Americas. While we have made one collection for the UUSC/UUA Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, continued contributions are welcome. Just mark your contribution with “Haiti” on it in the collection plate, and we will forward them as received. By the way – I think the congregations’ choice of charity – the UUSC vs. the Red Cross – was the right one. Again, the Red Cross, in their collections in the stores, mentions that contributions go to all of their efforts, not just one particular one.

Thanks,
Dick

Newcomer’s Orientation
If you have recently started attending services at Foxborough Universalist Church or are contemplating doing so, this short introduction provides information about the church, how to
become more involved (including how to become a member), and a brief history of Unitarian Universalism. From 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. on February 7, the minister and a board member will be in the church office to answer your questions. You do not have to be ready for membership nor a newcomer to our church to attend this orientation.

Women’s Group Meeting
The next Women’s Group Meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10, in Mansfield. Please contact LeeAnn or Nancy for additional details.

February 2010 Holidays
2 Candlemas – Christian
2 Presentation of Christ in the Temple – Anglican Christian
2 Saint Brighid of Kildare – Celtic Christian
2 Imbolc – Wicca (northern hemisphere)
2 Lughnassad – Wicca (southern hemisphere)
3 Setsubun Sai – Shinto
7 Meatfare Sunday – Orthodox Christian
7 Four Chaplains Sunday – Interfaith
12 Maha Shivaratri – Hindu
14 Chinese New Year – Confucian/Daoist/Buddhist
14 Cheesefare Sunday – Orthodox Christian
14 Saint Valentine’s Day – Christian
14 Transfiguration Sunday – Christian
15 Nirvana Day – Buddhist
15 Great Lent – Clean Monday – Orthodox Christian
16 Shrove Tuesday – Christian
17 Ash Wednesday – Lent begins – Christian
21 Orthodox Sunday – Orthodox Christian
26 Mawlid an Nabi – Islam
26 Intercalary Days through March 1 – Baha’i
28 Purim – Jewish

Milestones
Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell, Adlai Ewing Stevenson, II, Pauline Agassiz Shaw, Charles Darwin, Lydia Estes Pinkham, Peter Cooper, Sallie Holley, Carroll Leander Coburn, Laura E. Howe Richards, & Linus Carl Pauling.

Sunshine Committee
January was a very busy month for the Sunshine Committee. Members attended services for Mrs. Stanley, made dinners for other members, and visited Ted. Hopefully, Ted will recuperate and be home soon! If you know of anyone in the church family that could use some sunshine, please let Lisette or Katie Lawson know.

Reception Of New Members
During our worship service on February 14, we will receive new members into the congregation with a reception of new members and an ingathering ceremony. If you are interested in joining the church, please see Membership Chairman, Chairman, or Minister Katie Lawson.

Ordination Ceremony
Due to schedule conflicts, Katie Lawson’s Ordination Ceremony has been moved to the fall. If you have any fundraising or other ideas for the event, please contact Dick.

Wayside Pulpit
Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.
~ Linus Pauling

Standing On The Side Of Love News

• National Standing On The Side Of Love Day: The SSL campaign is asking congregations to participate in a National Standing on the Side of Love Day on Feb 14, and to help them reimagine Valentine’s Day. Resources to help with worship, organizing, and getting the word out are available at www.standingonthesideoflove.org/reimagining-valentines-day/.
• Standing On The Side Of Love With Immigrant Families: During February’s SSL Web-Cast Calls, participants will learn about how their congregation can create partnerships with immigrant communities. Best practices and resources will be shared. Join the calls: Wednesday, February 10 at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday, February 17 at 8:00 p.m.
• The BCD office has a Standing On The Side Of Love banner available for congregations to display when engaging in social action projects and events such as attending a rally or march. Please contact the district office to reserve the banner.

UUWorld
UUWorld is available in several audio formats, including a magazine-on-tape service and mp3 files. If you’re a member of the church and would prefer to receive UUWorld on tape (or not at all), please let Ginger or Dick know.

Equual Access
Equual Access is a new affinity organization that promotes equality and access for Unitarian Universalists (UUs) with disabilities. The group is dedicated to ensuring that our faith community warmly welcomes all people including those with disabilities. Equual Access provides advocacy and support for their constituency through coalition building, education, creation of policies, and empowerment. To find out more about Equual Access, its caucuses (Hearing Loss, Mental Health, and Mobility), committees, officers, and structure, and the work they are doing to promote equality and access within our faith community, please visit www.equualaccess.org.

Pocketalker
The Rev. Dr. Devorah Greenstein, a member of the UUA’s Accessibilities Committee, wants all congregations to have assistive listening systems including a Pocketalker. A Pockettalker is “…a personal device that can be used with or without hearing aids that helps an individual to hear better in one-to-one and group conversations. It allows ministers to have comfortable
pastoral conversations with people who are hard of hearing. Individuals can borrow a Pocketalker from Equual Access…”

February’s Global Chalice Lighting

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
~ Matthew 5:14-16
Transylvanian Unitarian Church
www.unitarius.ro

UUA Social Witness & Action Opportunities

Congregational Poll
Thank you to all who participated during the past two months in our congregational poll. The five most voted-for proposed CSAIs and the majority vote regarding the draft SOC was recorded with the UUA.

Don’t forget that we can still submit comments about the Draft CSAI “Ethical Eating” before March 1, 2010. Comment forms for the draft CSAI are on-line at www.uua.org/socialjustice/issuesprocess/.

Award Nominations
Nominations for the Bennett Award, Holmes-Weatherly Award, Skinner Sermon Award, Donna DiSciullo Young Adult and Campus Ministry Award, Angus H. MacLean Award, and Social Witness Sermon Award are due by March 1, 2010. Please visit www.uua.org/giving/awardsscholarships for details.

Ethical Eating: Food & Environmental Justice
For the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year, the UU Ministry for Earth is inviting UUA congregations to lift up the role our faith can play in the production and consumption of food. We make daily decisions of what to eat, and every bite is an opportunity to vote for justice. Information and suggested actions on issues ranging from the field to the table are available on the UUMFE Web site (www.uuministryforearth.org), and include links to congregational stories, worship materials, and ideas for actions in our own community.

What’s Your Connection To Mountain Top Removal?
470 mountains have been blown up in Appalachia through an extreme form of coal mining called Mountain Top Removal. The process devastates the eco-systems, pollutes the water, and destroys the communities living there. Is the electricity that you use connected to Mountain Top Removal? Find out with the iLoveMountains.org tool (www.ilovemountains.org/myconnection/) and share this with your friends! If you want more information about the 2006 Action of Immediate Witness (“End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining”), please visit green.uufoxborough.org.

UUSC Justice Sunday
Every spring, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) encourages UUA congregations to participate in “Justice Sunday”. On Justice Sunday, Unitarian Universalists of all ages come together to take action on one pressing human rights issue. Justice Sunday participants gain in-depth knowledge about an urgent human-rights issue and take steps to create needed social change. This year’s theme is “Advancing Economic Justice” and the suggested date to hold the service is Sunday, March 28. To learn more about Justice Sunday and efforts to advance economic justice against the backdrop of the global economic downturn and access additional resources for educational and advocacy activities, please visit www.uusc.org/justicesunday.

Other Action Ideas

• Get Together! Attend a UUSC Economic Justice House Party and participate in a nationwide discussion with New York Times reporter Steven Greenhouse, author of “The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker”, on Justice Sunday, March 28, 2010. If you’re interested in hosting or attending a house party, please contact Nichole Cirillo, UUSC Campaign Manager, via
  www.uusc.org/get_together for more information.
• UUSC Coffee Project: Join more than 500 other congregations in this project which links UUs with small farmers and their families through fair trade. Visit www.uusc.org/coffeeproject for details.
• Look for fair trade labels on products, including coffee, tea, chocolate, and sugar. If your grocer doesn’t stock fairly traded products, ask them to do so.
• Demand that your school district, city, or state government or other institutional purchaser adopt a “sweatfree” purchasing policy to stop tax dollars from subsidizing sweatshops and abusive child labor. Find a local chapter of SweatFree Communities at www.sweatfree.org.

UUSC/UUA Joint Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
We are participating in this social action. If you would like to donate, please contact our church Treasurer. To date, our church community has donated $422 to the fund. As of 1:30 p.m. on Friday, January 29, there had been 4,701 donations to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and Unitarian Universalist Association joint relief effort for Haiti, and $471,766 has been raised. Thank you for your generosity!

Doolittle Home Support Auction
The annual Doolittle Home Support Auction will be held this fall. If you would like to get involved with and/or contribute the auction, please call the Doolittle Home at 508-543-2694.

Sacred Texts

“It is better to be alone; there is no companionship with a fool: travel alone and sin not, forgetting care as the elephant in the jungle. Good are companions in time of need; contentment with thy lot is good; at the hour of death, merit is a good friend, and good is the leaving of all sorrow. Good is reverence for mother and father: good, too, reverence for recluses and sages. Good is lifelong righteousness; and rooted faith is good: good is the getting of wisdom, and good the avoiding of sin.”

General Assembly 2010
GA 2010 will be held Wednesday, June 23, through Sunday, June 27, in Minneapolis, MN. Registration begins on March 1. During the annual meeting of congregations, there will be Worship Services, plenaries, workshops, voting on UUA policies and statements by congregational delegates, and more. Visit www.uua.org/ga for details, programs and schedules, and event updates.

February Worship Services
All services begin at 10:00 a.m. and are followed by a Friendship Hour.

Feb. 7: What Do You Do When And Why?
Whether we are aware of it or not, all of us have hourly, daily, yearly practices – habits of being that affect the focal points of our lives. What are the things that you do routinely and how do they shape your perspective and spirit? Choosing the routines that shape your days based on spiritual priorities will change the shape of our lives.

Feb. 14: The Purpose Of Marriage
We are hearing a lot lately about preserving the institution of marriage and respecting what it has always been. What has marriage always been? How does the spiritual center of marriage interface with the societal, cultural, and economic centers?

Feb. 21: Mean World, My World
The Mean World Theory describes the phenomena in which people who watch more television perceive the world they live in as more violent and threatening. How much is the world that we are living in one of our design and choosing and how much of it is the “real world”?

Feb. 28: TBA

Other Notices And Events

• Feb. 3 and Mar. 3: (7:30 p.m.) Men’s Group Meeting at Pike’s Peak Mining Company in Mansfield. Please contact Rick for details. Newcomers are welcome!
• Feb. 3-7: Interweave Convocation in Dallas, Texas. Details via www.interweavecontinental.org.
• Feb. 4 and Mar. 4: (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) First Thursdays Peace Vigil at the church. Area
  residents are invited to participate!
• Feb. 6: (7:30 p.m.) Tripping Lily peforms at the Blue Moon Coffeehouse in Rockland.
• Feb. 7: (8:00 a.m.) Board Of Trustees Meeting at the church. All are welcome to attend.
• Feb. 23: (7:30 p.m.) “Mobilizing Church Volunteers” Webinar with Peter Bowden.
• Feb. 27: (9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) “Walking The Talk” Workshop with Rev. Richard Gilbert at Channing Memorial Church in Newport. Visit www.channingchurch.org for details.
• Apr. 8-10: UU-UNO 2010 Annual Intergenerational Spring Seminar “A Climate of Change: Head, Heart, and Hands Around the Planet”. Details and registration forms available via www.uu-uno.org.
• Apr. 24: (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) BCD Spring Conference at First Unitarian Church of Providence in Providence.
• Please visit www.bcduua.org, BCD In-Brief, the BCD and UUA e-mail lists, www.uufoxborough.org, and the bulletin boards in the vestibule for more event listings and details.
• Contact rentals@uufoxborough.org to reserve the church for your ceremony, meeting, or other event. Payments are made through the Treasurer.

In The Community
Monday – Friday – Crossroads Children’s Center at the church (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.); Mondays & Wednesdays – Belly Dance classes at the church (6:30 p.m.); Tuesdays – Yoga classes at the church (6:30 p.m.); Until Feb. 12 – FHS Hockey team is collecting gently used and new hats, mittens, and gloves for Cradles to Crayons; Feb. 9 & 23 – Board Of Selectmen’s Meetings; Feb. 4 – Winterfest Concert at FHS (7:00 p.m.); Feb. 5 & 6 – 7th & 8th Drama Club presents “Macbeth Goes Hollywood” at Ahern; Feb. 11 – Combined 8th Grade Concert Band & FHS Wind Ensemble at FHS (7:00 p.m.); Feb. 12 – The Un-Common Theatre Company Improv Soup at Burrell (7:30 p.m.); Feb. 13 – Foxborough Lions Club Bottle & Can Drive to benefit FHS Swim Team; Feb. 15-19 – No School at FPS; Feb. 21 – Public Skate at Foxboro Sports Center (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.); Feb. 27 – Girl Scout event at the church; Feb. 27 – Burrell Fun Day; Mar. 1 – Choral-palooza by Grades 5-12 at FHS (6:30 p.m.); The Restocking The Shelves collection box is on the church’s second level – please contribute!

The Foxborough Universalist Church is a vibrant and caring congregation that welcomes all. Our mission is to nurture each other along our spiritual paths while working together for the betterment of our community and the world.

September 2009 Newsletter Highlights

The Foxborough Universalist Church is a vibrant and caring congregation that welcomes all. Our mission is to nurture each other along our spiritual paths while working together for the betterment of our community and the world. Our goal is to significantly improve and positively influence conditions which affect the quality of life of our members, our families, and our community. We strive to provide a place for people to explore their own spiritual beliefs as we believe that religious growth and learning is a lifelong journey.


Minister’s Message

Dear Friends,

Our house is quiet this morning as we digest the news of Senator Kennedy's death. It's a respectful quiet, like it is not right to complain or to talk about the day's mundane details in the presence of such a meaning-filled life. Regardless of our political perspectives, we can appreciate the compassion-driven life of this man and learn from his example. What Mr. Kennedy reminded us again and again was that a life lived for a larger purpose can pull a person through grief, disappointment, failure, and mistakes. A life built around a "mission" separates the wheat of our days from the chaff and shelters us from what might discourage, depress, or detour us.

However, lives like Senator Kennedy's do not exist in a vacuum. They depend on the support provided to them by family, community, and institutions. Institutions, especially, like churches. There can be no doubt that our little church serves this vital purpose to many and that it plays a role in creating a more just and loving world.

As we look forward to being together again, let us renew our pledge to buttress efforts to make the world ever more compassionate and to support each other in living lives built with integrity, energized by authentic passions, and tempered with gratitude.

I am looking forward to seeing you all at our first service of the church year. Bring your friends and family to join us in celebrating good company, casting our dearest hopes into the confluence of our combined energies, and renewing our promise to live lives directed by love. See you then!

Faithfully,
Katie



Chairman’s Ramblings
Welcome back! This year we are getting off to a late start because of the Labor Day holiday schedule, but after the Board Of Trustees meeting, everything looks good to go. We have a busy schedule, new directions to take, and plenty of tasks to go around.

For the first time in our long history we are going to work on a five-year plan to define where we want to be in five years, what it should take to get there, and individual steps needed along the way. This is building on the foundation of our Mission Statement and will help keep us focused on all of the myriad tasks needed to help a church grow. My vision is to have this work done by a stand alone group working with the Board Of Trustees and our Minister.

Meantime, RE is getting ready for the new year and we will be working on Katie’s installation, searching for a community social action project to work on, and just coming together as a church community on Sunday mornings. Whether you choose to be on a committee, do coffee hour, or come on Sundays to participate in the services and socialize, we welcome you back. I think this is an exciting time to be a member of this historic church and look forward to seeing you this fall, whenever you can be here.
Dick

Worship Services
September 13: Casting Into The Confluence
Each year we come together in the fall and celebrate our separate journeys and the joy of community. Bring a sample of water from your summer, and we will enjoy a water communion and explore the strength of our common bonds.

September 20: A Month Of Mercy: You Are What You Don't Eat
As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, we explore the meaning and gifts of fasting. During this last month, Muslims have denied themselves not just food, but many things thought to be distracting from the spiritual path. What rituals do we use in our lives to recalibrate them towards a larger purpose and meaning and how do we say sorry and move forward when we fall short?

September 27: Keepers Finders: Broken Beauty
This is the weekend of Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. It's a day when we are asked to reflect on our imperfections and renew our pledge to "begin again in love." At the same time, we acknowledge the value and beauty of imperfection and the spiritual strength that comes from reflecting upon it and ultimately embracing it.


Religious Education - Fall 2009

It's that time again! The Religious Education teachers have begun to plan and strategize for the upcoming church year. We have some exciting events in the works to welcome the kids back to church, so stay tuned for upcoming news. In the meantime, some important dates to remember:

September 13: Our first service and water ceremony. Don't forget to bring your water! For those of you returning for the first time, this is a chance for families to share their summer stories and, often, they include something that includes a body of water. People often bring a small jar of water from that lake, beach, or pool or that symbolic water from your tap will do as well! This service is a favorite among our kids!

September 20: Our first day back in Religious Education Classes. This first class will be an opportunity for the kids to meet their new teacher(s), get acquainted, and get an overview of the upcoming classes.

September 27: Corn Maze Trip

We will be bringing the kids on our annual fall hike to a local corn maze. Details to come.

Volunteers
If you have considered helping out in our program but have not yet done so, we need you! Please feel free to talk to me or one of our teachers about helping out. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. We are open to assistants who just want to help out a few times or in regular teaching positions. Our program cannot run without the wonderful efforts of volunteers!!

I hope everyone has had a fabulous summer and I look forward to seeing all the kids and families!

In Peace,
Lisa Benoit
Religious Education

Rock Climbing Expedition

At the end of the last church year, the Middle School Group had the opportunity to go rock climbing at Wrentham State Forest. Under the expert eye of FrankF, they donned harnesses, were hooked up to ropes, and climbed cliffs. They finished the day by rappelling down a thirty foot cliff wall. Everyone had a fantastic time and left with a desire to come back and climb again. Thank you Frank!

September 2009 Holidays
1 Ecclesiastical Year begins - Orthodox Christian
8 Nativity of Mary - Christian
14 Elevation of the Life Giving Cross - Christian
16 Lailat al Kadr - Islam
19-20 Rosh Hashanah - Jewish
19-27 Navaratri - Hindu
20 Eid al Fitr - Ramadan ends - Islam
22 Equinox
22 Mabon - Wicca Northern Hemisphere
22 Meskel - Ethiopian/Eritrean Orthodox Christian
28 Yom Kippur - Jewish
28 Dasera - Hindu
29 Michael and All Angels - Christian


Notices

* Sept. 14-15: UUA Fifth Principle Task Force meeting in Boston, Mass.
* Sept. 19: (8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.) Ballou Channing District Presidents Council Gathering at Unitarian Church Of Barnstable in Barnstable, Mass.
* Sept. 19: (8:00 p.m.) The 5th Annual Belly Dance Karavan fundraiser.
* Sept. 20: (2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.) Doolittle Home Annual Open House.
* Sept. 27: (7:00 p.m.) Board Of Trustees Meeting at the church.
* Oct. 1: Deadline to submit CSAI proposals to UUA Commission On Social Witness.
* Oct. 1: (6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) First Thursdays Peace Vigil at the church.
* Oct. 3: BCD Fall Conference “Leading To Become Effective Congregations” at First Parish Church in Brewster, Mass.
* Oct. 7: (7:30 p.m.) Men's Group Meeting at StoneForge Pub in Foxborough.
* Please see the bulletin boards, vestibule, Web site, calendars, and weekly Order of Service for updates.
* Visit rentals.uufoxborough.org for details about holding your event at the church.


5th Annual Belly Dance Karavan
Saturday, September 19, 2009, is the new date of this year's Belly Dance Karavan, a fundraiser I have been organizing for the church for the past several years. This year's theme is "Belly Dance Goes To The Movies". This show features some of the area's best belly dancers, who each year donate their time and talent to help raise funds for our beautiful church. I encourage all of you to attend the show, not only to support the church, but also to watch these beautiful dancers in their art; and, yes, it will be *family-friendly* entertainment. Don't take my word for what a wonderful show this is; ask around to those who have attended in the past and I think you will find that they agree!

As always, since this is a church fundraiser, I would not say “no” to anyone from the church who would want to volunteer their time to help behind the scenes (playing the music, selling tickets at the door, making baked goodies for intermission, setting up intermission refreshments, etc.). If this sounds like something you might want to help with, please e-mail or call me. Thank you and hope to see all of you at the show!!
SusanMorgaine


Fundraising Through Partner Programs
We’re Amazon.com and Powell’s Books Associates. If you click through their links on the homepage of the church Web site (www.uufoxborough.org) and then shop at either of these on-line stores, part of your purchase price comes back to us. Please keep this in mind as you shop during the year!

What Should The Commission On Appraisal Study Next?
To answer this question, take the survey at www.uua.org/coa. The UUA Commission On Appraisal (COA) is charged to "review any function or activity of the Association which in its judgment will benefit from an independent review and report its conclusions to a regular General Assembly."

News From GA 2009
The Unitarian Universalist Association Of Congregations' 2009 General Assembly in Salt Lake City, UT, concluded on June 28, 2009. General Assembly delegates elected Rev. Peter Morales to be the eighth president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Delegates approved a Responsive Resolution which calls for inquiry into African visa denials. Several Actions Of Immediate Witness were passed by delegates, including: a demand for Clean, Honest, and Fair Elections in the United States; to support America's Red Rock Wilderness Act; a commitment to work for U.S. Ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; and a Call for a Commission of Inquiry into U.S.-Sponsored Torture. The torture resolution concludes with these words: "Nothing less than the soul of our nation is at stake in confronting U.S.-sponsored torture and completely renouncing its use."

More than 35 events from General Assembly 2009, including worship services, plenary sessions, and talks, are available to watch on-line through www.uua.org/ga (click on "2009 Event Coverage-Video/Audio" link). For more information about General Assembly 2009 and our social action and social justice work, please visit social.uufoxborough.org.

First Thursdays Peace Vigils
Get involved in the ongoing Social Action project hosted from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 pm. at the church the first Thursday of every month. The First Thursdays Peace Vigils community would like you to join them; candles and signs are provided. Stay for as long or as short as your schedule allows.

The Goddess Within
Women of the Ballou Channing District are invited to the Womensphere Annual Retreat on Oct. 3 & 4, 2009, at Senexet House in Woodstock, CT. Renew your mind, body, and spirit with Marcianna during “The Goddess Within: Discovery of the Spiritual Feminine through Movement and Meditation”. Marcianna is a teacher of Yoga and numerous dance styles, an artist, and the founder/operator of Chrysalis Video. She will gear activities to allow for various physical abilities. All activities are optional. There will be time for craft projects, walks, reading, etc. Join us for a weekend of renewal with UU women. Cost is $125 and the registration deadline is September 25, 2009. For more information or to register, contact Kate Gillis at 401-823-7929 or ksgillis@netzero.net.

UU Radio Programs
A few UUA congregations around the country are trying to get the message out over the airwaves. According to Rev. Thomas Schade of Worcester’s First Unitarian Church “radio broadcasts are an experiment in reaching into the larger community with liberal religious messages”. At 6:00 a.m. each Sunday, people can tune in to WCUW (91.3 FM) and hear the previous week’s service. A few of the churches have also put their programs on-line. Check out some of them at www.lifenowradio.org, www.uucc.us/?q=audio, www.progressiveblendradio.com, and www.uuplink.org.

Men’s Group
The Men’s Group had a pre-Labor Day holiday meeting. Instead of a formal discussion, they participated in the trivia contest being held at the restaurant. A more structured meeting will be held on the first Wednesday of October; topic to be announced.

International Coastal Cleanup
Sign up for the 24th International Coastal Cleanup at a waterway near you this month! Many Unitarian Universalists live within fifty miles of the saltwater and are impacted by flotsam and jetsam. The effort is more than the usual "beach clean-up" activity. Everything collected is carefully recorded and the information is used to monitor environmental conditions and to make improvements in environmental protection programs. During last year’s cleanup, nearly 400,000 volunteers collected more than 6.8 million pounds of trash in 100 countries and 42 states in the USA - the world's largest volunteer effort of its kind. For more information, visit www.coastalcleanup.org.

UUA Green Sanctuary Program News

* A newly updated Green Sanctuary Manual will be released this month.
* The Fourth Edition of the Green Sanctuary Manual, published in 2007, is now available free-of-charge on the UUA Web site.
* In the Fall, all UUA congregations should check their mailboxes for a copy of the interfaith film “Renewal” and “Renewal: A Guide for Screening and Using the Documentary”.
* Visit www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/greensanctuary for a comprehensive review of environmentally themed books, films, and Web sites. The list is being regularly updated.


Join The March For LGBT Equality!
On National Coming Out Day (October 11) people across the country will be marching, rallying, educating, and otherwise mobilizing support for the full equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Will you and our congregation participate? The Unitarian Universalist Justice Action Network hopes so! Whether you go to the UUA sponsored National Equality March & Rally in Washington, D.C. or participate with a solidarity event in our congregation and community, please visit www.uua.org/socialjustice for all the tools we need for a successful action calling for full LGBT equality.

UUSC Values In Action: Guest At Your Table Is Coming!
For more than thirty years, households around the country have welcomed special guests into their homes and lives. This year, meet Daw San of Myanmar, Abdul Khan of Afghanistan, and others. Welcome a Guest at Your Table, and learn more about Unitarian Universalist Service Committee partners around the world. Most congregations will begin the Guest at Your Table program on November 22, 2009 - the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Visit www.uusc.org/guest for additional information and resources.



Wayside Pulpit
Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. ~ Albert Einstein

Milestones
Leverett Saltonstall, Phoebe Cary, William Howard Taft, Frank Ernest Gannett, & Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. On Sept. 30, 1770, Rev. John Murray preached his first sermon in America.

The Living Tradition: The Off-Center Cross
Combining a circle, a cross, and empty space, the off-center cross was created by four ministers during the Universalist General Assembly in 1946.

Each of the three elements used in this symbol represent different principles of Universalism:

* The circle represents that which has no beginning or end, infinity, the universe
* The empty space at the center represents the mystery at the heart of the universe that some people call "God"
* The cross represents the Christian roots of Universalism, but was placed off-center to leave room for other points of view and paths towards God

The off-center cross was first used in a public service of worship on September 29, 1946, at the ordination of Earle McKinney in Foxborough, Massachusetts at our church.

In 1947, the off-center cross was officially adopted as a symbol of Universalism in Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Universalist Convention.


September’s Global Chalice Lighting

May our coming together be a joyful moment, because we share in the spirit of life.

~ Revs. Nihal A. Attanayake & Elvira Paras Sienes
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines
www.uuphilippines.org

April 2009 Newsletter Highlights

Chairman’s Ramblings
Here it is - April already! Most, if not all of us, are hoping that warmer weather is soon to be here. Maybe time to do some yard work, or fix-up projects, and, yes, let’s not forget the church work party.

It is also time to start the process of asking for volunteers for the Board Of Trustees for next year. Each year several members come off the board as required by our bylaws, which means we need to replace those positions to keep the church functioning. As with many other Unitarian Universalist traditions, each church is a fully independent organization, governed by its own bylaws, charting its own philosophical and spiritual path. Because of this independence, it is important for each of us to consider serving on the board for a period of time. We try to keep the workload to just a few hours or less per month, and have an enjoyable experience in the process.

So, when someone from the nominating committee asks - please seriously consider serving. Descriptions of the board positions and duties are available at anytime.
Dick

Worship In April

April 5: “Your Life: Just in Time”
by Worship Leader Neda
Years ago Toyota revamped the way the car industry worked by ordering parts to the factory Just In Time rather than maintain large inventories, Just in Case. How can this management philosophy, so effective in business, inform the way we manage our own lives?

April 12: Easter Service
by Katie Lawson, Minister

April 19: Earth Day Service
by Minister Katie Lawson and Worship Associate Leah
Wendell Berry once said we should spend as much time enjoying the environment as we do protecting it. What does protecting the natural world have to do with our spiritual health?

April 26: “The Courage To Teach”
by Minister Katie Lawson
Teaching is a spiritual practice. Katie explores the rich spiritual life offered to those who put themselves in a position to teach formally and informally.

Middle School Group Happenings
This past month the middle school group has continued their exploration of world religions. They have started, and will be continuing next month, a unit on Buddhism. They also had the unique opportunity to have Neda come in as a guest speaker and talk to them about Baha’i religion. After viewing some Baha’i symbols the group’s members had the opportunity to create their own religious symbols. Many thanks to Neda for taking the time to share her knowledge with the group.
Vote For Your Favorite Poster
Over 70,000 fifth grade classrooms participated in this year’s National Arbor Day Poster Contest. The 2009 theme, “Trees are Terrific… in Cities and Towns!”, was “designed to increase student’s understanding of the importance of trees in a community”. From March 30 - April 3, 2009, you can vote on-line for your favorite entry via www.arborday.org/kids/postercontest/.

Milestones
Aurelia Isabel Henry Reinhardt, Dorothea Lynde Dix, Deborah Webster Greeley, Charles Bliss Bowles, Maja Veronica Oktavec Capek, Chester Greenough Atkins, Rev. Samuel Willard, Daniel Chester French, Abigail Williams May, Winfred Overholser, Richard Bowditch Wigglesworth, & Mary Wollstonecraft.

Ride Our Trolley In The Founder’s Day Parade!!
On Founder’s Day, Saturday, June 13, our church will participate in Foxborough’s annual Founder’s Day celebration. In previous years we have participated by chartering a trolley to ride in the parade in the morning, and by offering guided historical trolley tours of the town in the afternoon.

This year we are going to try something a bit different - we are going to tailor the tour to school aged children. Our very own Katie Lawson has generously offered to be our tour guide this year. With Katie’s energy and our new focus on families, I think this will definitely be an exciting year for this Founder’s Day tradition.

Look forward to seeing you on Founder’s Day!
Alison

Some Upcoming Events
* Apr. 1: (7:30 p.m.) Men’s Group Meeting at Pike’s Peak Mining Company (31 Hampshire Street, Mansfield, MA).
* Apr. 2: (6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) First Thursdays Peace Vigil at 6 Bird Street, Foxborough, MA.
* Apr. 5: (7:00 p.m.) Board Of Trustees Meeting at the church. All are welcome to attend.
* Apr. 13: (7:00 p.m.) Women’s Group Meeting.

International Engagement Database
The UUA’s International Resources Office (IRO) maintains a database of the many varieties of international engagement that Unitarian Universalist congregations are involved with. To date they have records from approximately 150 congregations in the database. Is our congregation one of them? If so, they’ld love to update our entry. If not, they’ld love to include information about our congregation’s international engagement. The IRO office can put congregations in contact with other congregations who are involved with similar international programs. More information is available via www.uua.org/aboutus/professionalstaff/advocacywitness/internationalresources/index.php.

May Yard Sale
Cleaning out your house or just have a few items you no longer need? Collect items to donate for our yard sale, which is tentatively scheduled for May 23. In addition to the yard sale, the public will be invited to view the photo exhibit which will be on display throughout May. Please contact Dick if you have any questions about the yard sale.

Belly Dance Karavan
“Belly Dance Goes To The Movies” is the theme of this year’s Belly Dance Karavan. This is Sumora’s fifth year coordinating the annual fundraising event for our church. All proceeds from the past two years have been earmarked for the Accessibility Improvements Fund ramp initiative. Help out on event night (Saturday, May 30, 2009) or come to see the graceful belly dancers put on a stunning, family-friendly show that’s sure to delight all! Please contact Susan to help or if you have any questions about the show.

Historical Trolley Tours
Take a fun ride on the trolley! Whether you help with the planning or during the parade, the tours afterward, or the clean-up, you can help make this fundraising effort a huge success. Please let Alison know if you’re interested in helping with this effort.

Partner Programs
If you are unable to find the book or item you want at a local store and are planning to use Amazon or Powell’s Bookstore instead, please consider doing it via our church web-site ( http://www.uufoxborough.org ). To help us out, you just need to turn your “cookies” to ‘on’ if they’re not already, go to www.uufoxborough.org, click the link to amazon.com or powells.com, and then make your purchase. You must stay within the web page linked to from our web-site and leave your cookies on until the transaction is completed. Please contact Sharon if you have questions about using the partner programs.

Crossroads
Crossroads is the Children’s Center located on the first level of the church. It operates 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday during the public school year.

Building Rentals
Community members and groups are able to use the building or grounds for their events. Tell your families, friends, and neighbors about the events being held at church and using our fantastic spaces for their events! Please contact the Board Of Trustees in person, by phone at 508-543-4002 or via rentals@uufoxborough.org to schedule events at the church. First come, first served, so please plan accordingly.

Our church is a small but steadily growing church with big ideas about how it wants to better serve our community and the world. Thank you for considering all these opportunities to help us. Whether you’re able to experience the good work of our congregation directly or not, we know that you will feel great about the ways we are putting values you hold into action.

Listen To The Latest ‘UU World’
Audiorecordings of the articles in the latest UU World are now available. Award-winning audiobook actor Dick Hill reads articles from the Spring 2009 issue. The recordings can be listened to in most browsers or downloaded to your computer for playback using an .mp3 player. The audio version of UU World is produced in cooperation with the UUA Office of Accessibility Concerns. We welcome your feedback about this audio service. Write to world@uua.org. On-line at www.uuworld.org/issues/audiorecordingsspring2009.shtml.

New Dollars, New Partners For Your Sacred Place
The New Dollars, New Partners training program, presented by Partners for sacred Places, is designed specifically for congregations with historic sacred places. It helps congregations build leadership; research and write a realistic and compelling case statement for funders, understand proven methods for reaching out to a wider community, and learn how to fund-raise effectively. The training consists of four interactive training sessions over a nine month period. In the sessions, participants from 8-15 congregations will learn with other congregations then return home to do their own planning with fellow congregants. The first workshop is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2009, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Providence. For more information about particpating in this progam, visit the Preseve Rhode Island web-site (www.preserveri.org) or contact Susanna Prull at 401-272-5101 or sprull@preserveri.org.

Massachusetts Youth Legislative Action Day
UUSC is again cosponsoring the Massachusetts Youth Legislative Action Day with Promise The Children and First Church Boston. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 21, from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough Street, Boston. It will feature a discussion of issues and how to lobby for them, a meeting at the State House with legislators and their aides, breakfast, lunch, and ice cream sundaes! It’s designed for youth (grade 6 and up) and their family, friends, and allies. One of the issues will include An Act to Promote Proper School Nutrition. To learn more about the event, visit the Promise The Children web-site (www.promisethechildrenuu.org/events/item/249/)

April’s Action Of The Month
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is partnering with Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth (UUMFE) and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) to bring you April’s Action of the Month: Environmental Justice. Leading up to and during the month of April, we invite Unitarian Universalists (UUs) to engage in environmental justice - recognizing the disproportionate impact that both environmental problems and proposed “solutions” have had on women, low-income families, and communities of color both in the U.S. and around the world. Join UUs across the country as we work on a variety of consciousness-raising actions, culminating in Earth Sunday services on April 26. You can find suggested activities and other items related to this action such as “The Water Justice Praxis Study, Action, Reflection Guide”, an Earth Day Service worship packet, additional information about the 2006 AIW End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, and more via www.uua.org/socialjustice/actioncenter/128311.shtml.

UUA Presidential Candidates Forum Video
Watch the video of the UUA Presidential candidates’ forum from the recent Women’s Convocation. You can view it at portal.icuuw.com/icuuw/video/video3.cfm. This is a good opportunity if you want to learn more about the presidential candidates, you’ll be making decisions regarding completing absentee ballots, you’ll be directing delegates how to vote at GA, or for congregation delegates going to GA undirected.

Ballou Channing District (BCD) 2009 Spring Conference & Annual Meeting
Join other UUs from our district for “Exploring Paths of Inspiration & Transformation” on Saturday, May 2, 2009. Unitarian Universalism encourages individuals to explore and find their path to discover meaningfulness, quench a “thrist”, find heart. “Come, Listen, Learn, Experience” with us at First Parish (Old Ship) in Hingham, MA. Rev. Jeffrey Symynkywicz will present “SPIRITS IN THE NIGHT: The Healing Ministry of Bruce Springsteen” during his keynote address. There will also be music (Springsteen, who else?), worship, the UU Network Mall, continental breakfast and lunch, networking opportunities, and workshops to learn about and engage in personal exploration of various paths for inspiration. The Annual Meeting will include reports about district operations, election of District officers and directors and the approval of the FY2010 budget. Deadline for pre-conference registration discount is April 29. Pre-conference registration fee is a sliding scale $22-30 (upon ability to pay.) Youth (under 18) registration is $7 (Fee includes break refreshments and lunch). At the door Conference fee is $40 for adults, $7 for youth. Call the District office at 508-559-6650 or e-mail bcdoffice@uua.org to register.

Send A Love Letter To Salt Lake City!
Can you imagine a “Marriage is a Civil Right” banner waving over downtown Salt Lake City? This year, we have a unique opportunity to hang a three by ten foot marriage equality banner on the large tower of the Salt Palace Convention Center during General Assembly in June. In 2008, Utah residents donated $2.6 million - more than any other state outside California - to support the passage of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. Displaying our banner will send a strong message that we are standing on the side of love. $6,000.00 alone will make this advocacy event possible, but the Salt Palace will not reserve the space until payment is in hand. We aim to make the reservation by May 1, so the time to act is now. Gifts of $35 or more are especially helpful. Donations accepted on-line at www.uua.org/giving/donatenow/129603.shtml.

BCD “Looking Forward” Gatherings
A series of conversations for BCD congregation leaders, members, District staff and Board to discuss opportunities and challenges will be held during the next few months. “Looking Forward - Ministry to Youth” is scheduled for April 27, at Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven. The second conversation, “Looking Forward - Young Adult Ministry”, will be held on May 4, at FirstParishChurch in Duxbury. “Looking Forward - Our Congregations’ Futures” is the final conversation of this series. It will be held on May 16, at First Parish Church in Taunton. Although the gatherings are free, we ask that you register by calling or e-mailing the BCD office at 508-559-6650 or bcdoffice@verizon.net.

In The Community
Apr. 4, 6, & 25 - Events at the stadium; Apr. 7, 14, & 28 - Board Of Selectmen’s Meetings; Mondays - Belly Dance Classes at the church/6 Bird Street, Foxborough, MA (6:30 p.m.); Tuesdays - Kundalini Yoga & Meditation classes at 6 Bird Street, Foxborough, MA (6:30 p.m.); Apr. 1: Renewable Energy Advisory Committee Meeting (6:00 p.m.); Apr. 2 - First Thursdays Peace Vigil at Foxborough Universalist Church, UUA (6:00 p.m.); Apr. 2 - Spring Concert: Symphony Orchesta, Concert Choir, and Concert Band at FHS (7:00 p.m.); Apr. 3 - Burrell Vendor Night (6:30 p.m.); Apr.3 & 4 - 7th & 8th Grade Drama Club’s “A Midsummer Night’s Western” at Ahern School; Apr. 3 - “Lhasa to Kathmandu, the Trip of a Lifetime” by Tony Gilby at Chapel Meeting House (7:00 p.m.); Apr. 4 - Spring Community Trails Cleanup Day at CRRA Nature & Walking Trail (8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.); Apr. 4 - Lions bottle & can drive to benefit Cub Scout Pack 70; Apr. 4 & 5 - All Day MICCA Concert Festival at FHS including FHS Concert Bands, Symphony Orchestra, and Ahern 7th & 8th Grade Concert Bands; Apr. 4 - Third Degree at Outlaw BBQ (9:00 p.m.); Apr. 7 - CORE Turfsup Meeting at Boyden Library; Apr. 11 - Third Degree at The Ancient Mariner (9:00 p.m.); Apr. 14 - “Choral-palooza”:Grades 5-12 Choirs at FHS (6:30 p.m.); Apr. 16: Candidates Night on FCATV; April 17-19 - “Les Miserables - School Edition” at Orpheum theatre; Apr. 20-24 - FPS Vacation Week; Apr. 23 - Mr. Suspender performs at Boyden Library (2:00 p.m.); Apr. 25 - Gypsy Dance & Zills Workshops with Zaharah; Apr. 27 - Foxborough Historical Commission Meeting at 7:30 p.m.; Apr. 30 - Ahern Strings & FHS Symphony Orchestra at Ahern School (7:00 p.m.).

February 2009 Newsletter Highlights

Calling All Musicians And Singers
We are looking for musicians and singers of any type to enhance and add variety to our Sunday services. If anyone in the congregation has any musical talents they would like to share, or knows of any musicians who would like to volunteer to share their music with us, please let Katie or a trustee know. Any type of instrument will be considered - piano, guitar, flute, and anything else. We are also looking for people interested in joining or leading the choir. Please help give our services an uplifting beat!

Doolittle Home Benefit Auction
The sixth annual auction is scheduled for February 28, 2009. The auction will be cablecast live on FCATV 8 from 1 to 5+ p.m. Donations are being solicited from anyone, so if any of our Unitarian Universalists want to, please call the Doolittle Home at 508-543-2694 to donate something. The auction will only be shown to Foxborough residents with cable TV, but there will be a way to bid on items in some other manner. Please donate something and/or your time if you are able.

Third Annual UU Lobby Day
Save the date for the Third Annual UU Lobby Day! It will take place, on Wednesday, April 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., beginning at the UUA office at 25 Beacon Street in Boston. Learn about the key issues facing Massachusetts this year and help UUs make a difference on these issues including "Poverty" and "Global Warming". Connect with UUs from around Massachusetts and learn how to be a more effective advocate for issues important to you! More information will be available in February and through www.uumassaction.org. Please e-mail Nancy Banks at uumassactionnetwork@verizon.net to register or call 978-264-4961.

New England Music Conference
The annual Ballou Channing District (BCD) sponsored New England Music Conference will be held on March 7, at Murray Unitarian Universalist Church in Attleboro. The conference is for music directors, choir members, worship and music committee members, ministers, religious education directors, and all individuals interested in music in their church. There will be presentations, classes, and the popular choral repertoire "sing-through." Please visit www.murrayuuchurch.org, www.bcduua.org, or the church bulletin boards for more details.

Milestones
Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell, Adlai Ewing Stevenson, II, Pauline Agassiz Shaw, Charles Darwin, Lydia Estes Pinkham, Peter Cooper, Sallie Holley, Carroll Leander Coburn, Laura E. Howe Richard, & Linus Carl Pauling.

News From Advocacy & Witness
The National Prayer Service held during Inauguration Week was followed by a "Coffee and Conversation" between UUs, President Sinkford, and UUA Washington staff on Wednesday. You can find coverage of some of the week’s events and more on uua.org and the Advocacy & Witness staff blog - “Inspired Faith, Effective Action” - at uuasocialjustice.blogspot.com.

UUA Releases New Study Guide For "Milk”
“Milk”, Gus Van Sant's filmed biography of the later years in the life of Harvey Milk, a great leader of the 1970s Gay and Lesbian movement and the first openly gay politician in the United States, has recently been released. Given the film's important historical content and the passage of Proposition 8 in California in the last election cycle, as well as the UUA's longstanding commitment in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights, a discussion guide for UUs and UU congregations was prepared to support faithful congregational conversations on the subject of equality for all people and related topics. This discussion guide includes a list of resources and steps for taking action, and was prepared by Rev. Mark Belletini, Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, Ohio. Rev. Belletini has taught worship and celebration, Unitarian Universalist history, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender studies, and the Gospels from a Unitarian Universalist perspective. Find out more about the new study guide and access versions in MS-Word and PDF via www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/leaderslibrary/125446.shtml .

February’s Action Of The Month
“Speak Up for Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Equality” is the theme for February’s ‘Action Of The Month’. Participating in the ‘Action Of The Month’ can be as simple as: having a conversation with your friends and neighbors; writing your legislators to advocate for LGBT Equality; blogging or posting videos or comments to blogs, forums, social networking web-sites, and bulletin boards; hosting an event such as a lunch with clergy members; or writinge a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Choose the action that works best for you and our congregation. More information is available via www.uua.org/socialjustice/.

BCD And UUA Events
* Feb. 2: (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) Green Sanctuary Conference Call - “Developing Environmental Justice Projects”. Please visit www.uumassaction.org/GreenSanctuaryConferenceCalls for details.
* Feb. 4: (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) “Tools For Intergenerational Social Action” conference call. More information is available through www.uumassaction.org.
* Feb. 7: (5:00 p.m.) "Contra Dance and Soup Supper" at Unitarian Memorial Church in Fairhaven. For more information, visit www.uufairhaven.org or call 508-992-7081.
* Feb. 8: (3:00 p.m.) Installation of Rev. James Ford at First Unitarian Church of Providence.
* Feb. 8: (7:00 p.m.) "Community Drum Circle" at Unitarian Memorial Church in Fairhaven. For more information, visit drumfish.bravehost.com.
* Feb. 23: (6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.) Anti-Racism Workshop And Discussion preceded by a potluck dinner at First Parish Bridgewater.
* Please visit www.bcduua.org, BCD In-Brief, BCD and UUA e-mail lists, past newsletters, www.uufoxborough.org, and the bulletin boards in the vestibule for more event listings and additional details.

Some Eco-friendly Tips
REDUCE - Print only when necessary.
REUSE - Turn unneeded print-outs into scrap paper.
RECYCLE - Recycle when you are through.