The Grapevine Newsletter

March 2010

Published by:  Pullman Memorial Universalist Church  Albion, NY

Member of The Unitarian Universalist Association                           www.pmuc.org

 

Opening Words

 

 

I think that one of our most important tasks is to convince others that there's nothing to fear in difference; that difference, in fact, is one of the healthiest and most invigorating of human characteristics without which life would become meaningless. Here lies the power of the liberal way: not in making the whole world Unitarian [Universalist], but in helping ourselves and others to see some of the possibilities inherent in viewpoints other than one's own; in encouraging the free interchange of ideas; in welcoming fresh approaches to the problems of life; in urging the fullest, most vigorous use of critical self-examination.

Adlai E. Stevenson (February 5, 1900-July 14, 1965)

 

American politician and diplomat, Adlai Stevenson was twice the Democratic Party's candidate for President of the United States.  He signed the membership book of the Bloomington Illinois Unitarian Church in 1952.  He later attributed his "insulation from any religious feeling of partisanship or religious prejudice" to "the liberal influence of the Unitarian church on me from my infancy." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date	Minister	Notes	Coffee Hour
Mar. 7	Rev. Donald Reidell
Mar. 14	Rev. Kelly W. Asprooth-Jackson		Kris Dibelka
Mar. 21	Rev. John Rex		Chris Loss
Mar. 28	Rev. Kelly W. Asprooth-Jackson
Apr. 2	Rev. Kelly W. Asprooth-Jackson	Good Friday 7:00PM
Apr. 4	Rev. Donald Reidell	Easter

 

 

 

 

 

Winter and Its Discontents

It happens often, when I travel in the winter. I’ll be introducing myself to some new person, on a train, in a coffee shop, or at some event. And in short order I’ll try to explain quickly where I’m from; most people I meet these days who live even just one or two states away from New York seem to have a pretty poor mental map of it. Nevertheless, I do my best. “Well, New York looks a little like a dog’s head in profile. Buffalo is right on the tip of the snout, and I live halfway back on the bridge of the nose.”

After they indulge my amateur geography instructions, what comes in response is usually some variation on the following: “Oh. I bet you get a lot of snow there, huh?” This is invariably said with an air of sympathy by other North Easterners and most Mid-Westerners. From Southern and West Coast folks, it usually sounds more like pity. Sometimes, the stranger’s eyes widen just a bit, broadcasting a fearful awe. I was thankful, recently, to meet someone from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, one of the few area of the United States that gets consistently more snow than Western New York. Finally: a person who would not apologize or brag to me about having “better weather”.

A native son of the snow belt, I chafe against the idea that all ice is misfortune, and the winter a thing to be feared and mistrusted. The difficulties and challenges, even the dangers of the season are many. But there is something to love in it too. So as we enter the final weeks of winter, here is a meditation on it, and all the challenging blessings of life:

 

Let us give thanks at this time, for all the gifts of life,

Not only for those wonders which are easily received.

May we find gratitude, at this chilly hour, for the winter time,

That most unpopular of seasons,

Whose cold and ice are so often invoked,

To give voice to grief and discontent.

When the gauzy veil of snow rests heavy on the world,

And the trees, now naked of their leaves, are buffeted by winter’s wind,

May the fire of our wonderment burn on just as brightly,

Among the frost and squalls.

Each human heart, like the land itself, knows winter in its turn.

And as without, so too within.

The snow piled high on a frigid soul

Will melt and flow when spring returns to feed new flowering buds.

And the water which seeps into cracks in the heart

Will freeze and expand, in water’s greatest miracle, breaking us open

Leaving us more caring, more compassionate, more human

For having lived in winter.

It is hardly a simple season, but it may yet prove worth the shivers and the icicles.

So let us give thanks at this time for all the gifts of life

Not only for those wonders which are easily received.

Amen.

 

Each of us has some piece of our lives that has had enough of winter. And whatever that part of you may be, I hope that spring may come for you, and quickly. But I also hope that some grace lies hidden for you, under all that snowy white. Perhaps enough to redeem the cold; perhaps not. Whatever the blessing of your winter this year, may it find you soon.

 

In Faith,

Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson

March 6 is the first PMUC ladies luncheon. The ladies will be meeting at 1:30pm on Saturday at Mythos on Main St. in Brockport for eating and chatting. 

 

New date for spring cleaning at church is Saturday March 13^th, 10:00 – Noon.  Please bring a bag lunch.

 

Soul Matters  -Small Group Ministry

Meets on the 2^nd Sunday of each Month. Next meeting is March 14, after worship. 

 

The book Club will meet March 28 after services to discuss “Here If You Need Me” by Kate Braestrup. It is about a woman whose husband is a trooper who is killed in an car accident at work and the process she goes through with her children and the life decisions she makes along the way.  This is a true story and is written with humor, love and some sadness.

 

Our Good Friday service will be on, April 2^nd at 7:00PM.  This year Rev. Kelly WAJ will officiate. 

 

Monday, April 5 – 6:30 PM Potluck Supper, Program to be announced.

 

Directory Update

We are currently passing around the directory and holding it in the social room for updating prior to the annual meeting, so if you are not around right now please email or call a contact to update your address, email, or phone. Thank you!

Annual Meeting

Committees begin to formulate your reports for the annual meeting- It is upon us!  Sunday, April 25, 2010, is the next annual meeting for PMUC.  It is very important to the congregation and the church that everyone be present for input, communication, voting, and knowledge.  Immediately following the service we will join together with our agenda for the meeting.  Food will be provided.  Please plan on coming and staying this Sunday - Thank You!

 

Thursday, April 22nd is Earth Day!!!  We are planning an event for the day.  Please join us in wearing you PMUC shirts, and walking the town wearing them to clean up the town.  We are planning on an event afterward, so please save this date!  More will follow in church and in the next Newsletter.

Strawberry Festival

Every year for several years PMUC has participated some way in the Strawberry Festival in June.  This year- we intend to do the same!  An idea that is being discussed is having a strawberry pancake breakfast!  We may also do the rummage sale for a third year if we have enough interest.  If you are interested in helping this year, or have any input or ideas that may help, please see Amanda!

 

 

 

 

 

UUA General Assembly

Registration Opens March 1 for the UUA General Assembly 2010.  This year’s GA is set for June 23-27 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More info at:

(http://www.uua.org/events/generalassembly/registration/index.shtml)

 

? Susan Daiss – on Feb. 21 she told the congregation that during this week, she would be meeting with a committee at the First Unitarian Church in Rochester to discuss her possible ordination to the UU ministry. This is a huge milestone for Susan, and she added that “in my heart of hearts, this community has really sent down taproots, and you will all be there in spirit with me at this meeting, as you have been all along”. And yes, Susan, we are all rooting for you. Much luck!

 

? Jean Bistoff – has been doing well at The Villages of Orleans, and sends her love. She would welcome cards and visits.

 

? Rich and Eileen DellaCosta  are celebrating an anniversary on Mar. 7^th.

 

Oh so many thanks to Craig Smith, and to Gay and Tyler too, for all the work put in on the sanctuary's sound system. Even if the project is still ongoing, tremendous progress has been made, and everyone who uses our pulpit or listens to it has reason to thank you.

 

A great big thank you to Doris Brown for her donation to the church of a large number of cleaning supplies.  How greatly needed and appreciated!!!

 

Diana Dudley – sang and played guitar on Feb. 21.

 

Mark and Kris Dibelka are celebrating the birth of their newest grandson born on Wednesday the 24th of February.  Gabriel William Marble weighed in at 7 pounds and 3 ounces and of course is as cute as can be.  Blessings abound. 

 

Monica Beck sang the Beatles song Imagine with Tyler Smith  on Feb. 28^th.  And on Mar. 14th Monica and Rich DellaCosta will be doing Over the Rainbow.

 

 

Time Share

Many thanks to those who participated in Time Share on Sunday, February 21, 2010:

 

Rich Della Costa – who read some comical readings from the ‘Sun’ magazine.

 

Chris Loss – shared the poem ‘Solitude’ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

 

Jim Knight – was happy to report that he had been at a function where the subject of gays in the military came up and Jim talked about how the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy should be abolished. Someone in the audience said “why are you so damn tolerant” and Jim stood up and said “Because I’m a Unitarian Universalist!”. Way to go, Jim!!!

 

 

On Jan 31 we had the first book discussion for this year, Twain's "HUCKLEBERRY FINN". In attendance were Dennis & Janet Seekins, Craig, Gay & Tyler Smith, Andrea Rebeck, Chris Loss, Diana Dudley and Gerald Lombardi. Dennis illustrated the book's current relevance by referring to a book about the current threat to our country by the religious right. It is Chris Hedges' 2004 "American Fascists" and the book's summary quotes a whole page from "Huck" to make the author's point.  Gay & Andrea were particularly knowledgeable about Twain. We quickly progressed from the problems Huck's America faced back then to the problems the country faces now, which is as it should be.

 Dennis Seekins

 

  

The book discussion group met on Sunday, Feb. 28 to share our thoughts about ‘Crazy For God’ by Frank Schaeffer. Everyone who read the book said they enjoyed it. Frank Schaeffer is the son of evangelical leaders Francis and Edith Schaeffer, who were very popular in the 60^’s and 70’s. Frank grew up in Europe (mainly) with his parents focused on their ministry and paying scant attention to him. When Frank grew up and married, he decided to collaborate with his father on a book/film series entitled ‘How Should We Then Live’ and then, ‘Whatever Happened to the Human Race’. When Frank convinced his father to add some footage on anti-abortion views, it seemed to be the trick that catapulted them to fame and glory (despite the fact that his father didn’t really oppose abortion). People of all walks of life flocked to their conferences, and Frank often took to the stage and was considered a very gifted speaker. Soon, they were working with other big-name evangelists such as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Gary North, Dr. Dobson, and others.

 

Before long, they were shocked by the true state of American mainstream evangelicalism. Where they were used to self-selecting, open-minded believers in the past, this new crop of evangelicals were “flakes, madmen and charlatans”. Evangelical Christianity became more about winning elections than about winning souls. He says, “The so-called evangelical leadership - Dodson, Robertson, Falwell, and all the rest – also played the pro-life community for suckers. While thousands of men and women in the crisis pregnancy movement gave of themselves with tremendous and sincere sacrifice (to help women and babies), their evangelical “leaders’ did little more than cash-in on fund-raising opportunities and stir the pot so they could keep their followers motivated. That way, the evangelical leaders could represent themselves as power brokers to the politicians willing to kowtow to them.” Frank apologizes to his readers for not exposing the true intentions of many of these evangelical leaders who attached themselves to greater fame on their coattails, who sincerely actually wanted to see America fail to generate more need for people to be ‘saved’.

 

Over time, Frank made the decision to walk away from fame, money, and success because he couldn’t anymore be a part of what was being sold to the public. His views on abortion changed over time, also, and now he believes that abortion is an issue that is complicated and has many facets, many shades of gray. Frank felt that his early work with the religious right has been the cause of many people being elected to office who have not helped Christians or America, and he is deeply sorry for that. It was a very interesting discussion, and many thanks to those who read the book and participated.

Christine Loss

 

Youth Group

 

The youth group and some Pullman church members went to lunch at Cams Pizzeria and then went bowling at the Spencerport bowl.  Four youths from the teen group with parents and Chris Loss, her daughter Joann and her grandsons.  As you can see from the pictures, a good time was had by all. 

 

Craig and Gay Smith bowled as well as paid for the youth RE classes expenses!  Thank you for the support and joint fun.  One of our next adventures will be to go roller skating at fun fx.  We will see how many hearty soles will join in that trip. 

 

Again, thanks to the Smiths and Mikayla, Tyler S., Tyler D., Fiona and all the adults for a fun afternoon.  And there was a surprise visitor in the group picture.  Can you figure out who it was? 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Daiss’s sermon on 2/21/10 involved “five humbling questions” about our faith. In case anyone missed it, here are the questions-

1). What Do We Most Deeply Trust?

2). Who Are We?

3). What Gets Us Through the Night?

4). What Holds Us Together As a Religious Community?

5). Where Are We Going?

Here were her answers. 1). The interdependent web of which we are a part.  2). We are a gentle, angry group of people in transition, a place of refuge for many. 3). Living and loving thoughtfully in preparation for the dark times we inevitably face. 4). We covenant freely with each other as a choice/all our lives we are in need. 5). Ours is a message that is needed in this world and we can’t be resigned that we are in decline. We need to courageously open our doors to the millions of religious seekers.

What would YOUR answers be??

 

 

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Eye on the Board of Trustees

 

The Board of Trustees is currently looking into what an energy audit of the building would involve/cost to assess the building's use of energy and where it's lost.

 

Kelly and the board are currently composing new visitor cards to keep in the sanctuary for contact information to follow up with new visitors.

 

The Board received the first suggestion from the suggestion box that they have spoken about during the board meeting as well.  Please remember that the suggestion box is there for members of the congregation to anonymously let their suggestions be heard by the board. Thank you!!!

 

Note: The UUA Administration has decided that the Annual Program Fund Fair Share request for fiscal year 2011 which begins on July 1, 2010 will remain at the current level of $56 per member.

 

 

"So who is God? No one can finally say. That is not within human competence. All we can ever say is how we believe we have experienced God, doing our best to dispel our human delusions. Let me try to do just that. I experience God as the source of life calling me to live fully and thus to respect life in every form as embodying the holy."

John Shelby Spong (b1931) retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church

 

 

 

 

GET TO KNOW

 

Jean Bistoff

 

Jean Helen Bistoff is an important member of our church and was born November Sixth 1918  and is now ninety one years of age.

 

Hobbies That She Enjoys

-Bird Watching

-Gardening

-Puzzles

 

Family and Home

Miss Bistoff was raised in a farm house in Albion where she enjoyed her childhood.  Her parents were Fred and Josephine Brown and she had three brothers; Abel, Gordon and James.  Unfortunately James died at an early age.  But even so, they had a large and happy family.

She started high school living with her parents in order to be able to attend the Albion high school.  She then graduated with her Regents diploma and went to college.  She received a degree in business at the Bryant and Stratton College in Buffalo when she then met Clarence Bistoff.

Jean married Clarence Bistoff in 1936.  She had four girls and raised the children in Lockport.  Clarence died at the age of 49 so Jean raised her children as a single mother after his death.  She then moved back to the farm house where she grew up.  She was a social service worker and president of their union until her retirement in 1981.

 

How the Pullman Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church is important to Jean

Miss Bistoff attended the Pullman church when she was a child and came back to the church when she moved back to Albion.  She has been the chairman of the board, Sunday school teacher, on committees, and organized dinners for the church.  She has also been a member of the Cobblestone Society.  Her favorite services of the year are the Christmas Candle Lighting and the Easter Good Friday Services.   Attending church has been and is very important to her life.

 

 

Tyler Smith interviewed Chris Loss to get information about Jean.  We will be including a biography of at least one church member each month as part of one of our Small group ministry goals.  The teen group is working on these biographies.