Second Congregational Meeting House Society
Unitarian Universalist 11 Orange St. ~ P.O. Box 1023 Nantucket, MA 02554 (508) 228-5466 (Office)
Nantucket Unitarian Universalist Newsletter
~ September 2011
WHERE LAND AND SEA MEET
Reflections on the life and lives of a religious community by Rev. David M. Horst
Now the work begins. You, the members and friends of Nantucket’s Unitarian Universalist congregation, begin the process of preparing to call a settled minister in two years. Beginning this month I want to invite you to engage in a process called “covenanting.” Covenant is an old biblical concept, but one that has fresh currency in today’s liberal religious context -- especially in congregations that profess no creed and promote no religious dogma. Instead, “we covenant to affirm and promote” the principles of “inherent worth and dignity” of all, “acceptance of one another” in congregational life, and “the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process” both within the congregation and in our public lives. Covenant is the bedrock of our Unitarian Universalist faith. As you may have noticed, I have asked you to read in unison the current congregational covenant at the beginning of Sunday worship in recent weeks. I wish to re-introduce to you the idea of covenant and the process of covenanting at the September 4 service. Come hear, and then let me know if you feel this could be a useful tool as you begin envisioning the next chapter of your history. Speaking of history, now is the time to begin taking stock of your history both recent and past. Without judgement or worry, I invite you to “tell your stories” of success and set backs, joys and disappointments, and hopes and fears. I will ask a cross-section of congregational members and friends to share their thoughts and feelings at the September 18 service. I have already spoken to some members individually and will continue to do so. My hope is to paint a picture in words of what you’ve been and who you are now. With this portrait you can move forward confidently in a series of developmental tasks during this time of transition. Yes, there is work to do; but it is work filled with new hopes and exciting possibilities. The future of liberal faith on Nantucket looks bright as it does across the Unitarian Universalist movement in America. Please (continued on page 5)
JOIN US AT 10:45 A.M. FOR SERVICES EACH SUNDAY “UNDER THE GOLD DOME”
Bring a friend or neighbor!
Sunday, Sept. 4
“The Covenants We Keep” Rev. David M. Horst
Sunday, Sept. 11
“A Decade of Pain” Rev. David M. Horst
Sunday, Sept. 18
“Telling Your Stories” Rev. David M. Horst
Sunday, Sept. 25
“The UU Church of Jazz” Fourth Sunday Lay Led Service with Guest Speaker, Rev. Tom Stites
Children’s Sunday School Each Week at 10:45 a.m.
Attending the Nantucket Preservation Trust’s 2011 Annual Awards Luncheon on July 29 at the Great Harbor Yacht Club, where the South Church Preservation Fund (SCPF) received the highest honor for historic preservation of the Meeting House were (seated left to right) Marina Sutro, Joan Ottinger, Libby Oldham, Penn Austin and Mary Beth Splaine. Standing left to right were David Barham, Brian Pfeiffer, Sandy Kendall, Adam Zanelli, Michael Burrie, Craig Spery, Les Ottinger and Jack Weinhold.
SOUTH CHURCH PRESERVATION FUND NEWS
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION UPDATE
This winter we expect to complete the work on the auditorium. This includes:
With the new school year about to begin we have put together a wish list for our supply cupboard. If you are wanting and able to make donations we would very much appreciate it!
by Sally Ure and Lizie Hagenstein, RE Co-Directors
by Dr. Leslie Ottinger, President SCPF Board
• Installing new fixtures and supplementary lighting. • Refinishing the lectern, pew caps and pew doors. • Installing new runners and carpeting. • Carrying out the final restoration of the triple hung windows. A special SCPF fundraising committee is moving ahead with plans to establish and fund a Permanent Maintenance Fund for the Meeting House. The goal is to complete this by the end of the year.
NEEDED: • Microwave Popcorn • Packs of washable markers • 12” x 18” construction paper of assorted colors glitter glue • Elmer’s school GEL glue (light blue) Reminder: While we will be having Sunday School through September our Sunday School Registration and Pancake Brunch will take place on October 2. We are getting very excited about the new year!
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT by Craig Spery, Board President
There’s an air of excitement at 11 Orange Street with the arrival of the new interim minister, Reverend David Horst, his wife Alyson Horst-Loy, and their two wonderful children, Domnica and Darly. David brings his enthusiasm and the knowledge from the recent interim training held in Minnesota in which he participated. The board of trustees looks forward to working closely with David as the congregation works together to bring liberal religious excellence to Nantucket. Many thanks to the following volunteers who helped prepare the parsonage for the arrival of David and his family. Special thanks to Bob Lehman, chair of the building and grounds committee, for bringing in his crew of professional painters and doing a beautiful job in giving the interior and front stairs a fresh coat of paint. Island Carpet installed new carpet on the second floor, as well as new linoleum in the kitchen and laundry room. All in all, it was a major effort on a very tight time schedule and it yielded successful results. Additional thanks to Patrick Beaugard and Marty Eerhart for joining me when we drove the moving truck to Boston to retrieve the Horst’s family possessions. My apologies for anyone I may have unintentionally omitted. Joan & Les Ottinger Chris Lohmann Bob Hall Dan Ross David Hall Barbara Elder & Jim Sulzer Bill Schutt Mimi Jones Dennis Santangelo Bob Lehman and his painting crew Jack Weinhold & Mary Beth Splaine Jack Reindel Debby Merritt Marty Eerhart & Eve Shevalier Patrick Beaugard Karin Glockel Linda & Craig Spery Brad Fair Joanne Polster Susan Cary & Cris O’Reilly Brian & Sissy Girard Jim & Anne Sutherland Mark Delay Catherine Nickerson To give our associate members and friends a chance to meet and greet Reverend Horst before the end of the season, the welcoming committee helped organize an informal get-together held at Jack Weinhold and Mary Beth Splaine’s studio on Sunday, August 21. We were happy to welcome the following associate members and friends: Margaret & John Ruttenburg, Mary Geissman and Jerry Koenig, Paulette and Fred Boling, Anne Rosen, Mariann Appley, Phil Lindsay & Maggie Casterline, Rene & Irma La Pierre, Margaret & Patrick Fox and Jeff & Judy Norkin. We’re planning additional opportunities for members, both year-round and seasonal, to meet and greet David at similar small group get-togethers in the months to come. Information on those dates will be forthcoming. For more information regarding upcoming events or activities or if you want to volunteer, please contact me via phone at 508228-7892 or e-mail at craigspery@aol.com.
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MUSIC NOTES
by Marcia Hempel, Music Director and Jack Reindel, Music Committee Chair Coming up in September we will have some special benefit concerts for the church performed by Bob and Diane Lehman. Bob sings “the repertoire of our favorite American tunesmiths...stories and songs, all delivered with a smile in 45 minutes or less.” The concerts will take place at noon in the sanctuary on Mondays in September and early October. The schedule is as follows: Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3
Songs of Fred Astaire Standards from the American Song Book (Porter-Gershwin-Berlin-Rodgers and Hart) Songs of Nat King Cole Broadway Favorites with Singalong
The next Fourth Sunday Lay Led Service will be Jazz Sunday, September 25, featuring guest minister Rev. Tom Stites and jazz pianist Matt Hutchinson. These two have collaborated twice before to bring us lively services demonstrating how jazz, America’s original contribution to the world of music, can have strong spiritual ties to both creator and listener. To support the message being brought to us by these uniquely gifted musicians, a full-blown jazz concert fundraiser, with additional instrumentation, is being considered for presentation on Sunday afternoon following the service. Watch the church website for more information as plans develop. The Adult Choir rehearses on Thursdays from 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. Please join us even if you can’t make it to church every week. We need you, we want you, we appreciate you! The Children’s Choir will start its Saturday Choir on Saturday, October 15 at 2 p.m. This is for children who are age 7 and up, so that we can work more intensely on the music. When we work on songs that the very youngest children can sing (under age 7), I will rehearse with them after church. On October 2, I will present another Ragtime Organ Concert at 4 p.m. I am especially excited about this year’s concert because I am playing my ragtime pieces “swing style,” which I think is great fun, and I think you will like it, too. I especially like the ragtime music of Joseph Lamb. The big three from that time were Scott Joplin, and James Scott (both African-America) and Joseph Lamb (who was Caucasian).
SAVE THE DATE! 2012 Pledge Campaign Kickoff Luncheon Sunday, October 2 More details to come....
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know that the work you do is not for yourselves alone but for the larger world. In their recent book A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the 21st Century, John Buehrens and Rebecca Ann Parker urge us to “recover and reconsider the hope-filled religious frameworks that inspired generations of activists to work for women’s rights, racial equality, economic justice, and peace. These frameworks embody reverence for the sacred, nourish community life, and carry forward the aspirations of our forebears and respond to the legacies of violence and injustice that harm our bodies and souls.” Everything you do, every hope you fulfill, every relationship you nurture does make a difference on the island home you love and the planet home we all share. “Where land and sea meet” is my Nantucket analogy for congregational life. A church lives in a tidal zone where our private and public lives meet and converge like the meeting place of the land and sea.
fyi.... Rev. Horst’s open office hours are on Tuesday mornings from 10 a.m. until noon and Friday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Meeting House activities room. You can also call him at 508-228-5466 to arrange another time to meet. The deadline for the monthly Weathervane newsletter is noon on the fourth Sunday of each month (for the following month’s publication date). Please e-mail newsletter items to Linda Spery, linda@sonnpr.com and put Weathervane on the subject line. For an announcement for the website, send it to Georgen Charnes at curiositykeeper@gmail.com. To put an announcement in the Sunday bulletin or reserve space for an event, please call the Church Office at 508-228-5466 by noon Thursday. The Church Office hours are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - noon. If you know of someone who is interested in booking the beautifully restored Meeting House auditorium for a wedding ceremony, there are further details on the church website at www.unitarianchurchnantucket.org. The Church Office is also happy to provide information at 508-228-5466.
THE HARVEST FAIR NEEDS YOU! The annual Nantucket Community Harvest Fair will be taking place on Saturday, November 5 in Bennett Hall at the Congregational Church. Once again we will be selling “collectibles” to raise money for our church’s operating budget and programs. It’s not too early to begin setting aside your contributions for the Harvest Fair AND volunteering your time for this project. We need everyone to participate to make this a big success! To find out more, contact Debby Merritt at 508-228-6540 or see her at church to sign up!
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september 2011 CALENDAR Thurs., Sept. 1 6:30 p.m. Youth Group (Activities Room) Sun., Sept. 4 10:00 a.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary) 10:45 a.m. “The Covenants We Keep”- Rev. David M. Horst (Sanctuary) Unitarian Universalism is a religion of covenants, not creeds; of relationships, not a higher authority. A covenant is a mutual pledge members of a congregation make with each other to wor- ship and learn, celebrate and mourn, love and care, and manage the affairs of the church together. At this time of transition, the covenanting process can be a crucial tool in creating and sus- taining good relationships in your church community. Come learn what it means to be in “covenantal relationship.” Wed., Sept. 7 5:15 p.m. Building & Grounds Committee (Activities Room) 6:15 p.m. UU Staff Meeting (Activities Room) Thurs., Sept. 8 4:15 p.m. Fundraising Committee (Activities Room) 5:15 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal (Hendrix Hall) 6:30 p.m. Youth Group (Activities Room) 7 p.m. Women’s Chorus (Hendrix Hall)
Sun., Sept. 11 10 a.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal (Hendrix Hall) 10 a.m. Silent Meditation in Memory of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 (Sanctuary) 10:45 a.m. “A Decade of Pain” - Rev. David M. Horst (Sanctuary) On this 10th anniversary of 9/11, we reflect on the legacy of the criminal acts inflicted on the United States’ citizens in 2001 by a group of Middle Eastern extremists. How have we, as an Ameri- can people, changed in that time? What have we learned? Will peaceful resolution ever be possible? We gather to remember the victims and the heroes, to honor their memory and embrace hope again. During the service we ring the church bell in re- membrance. Mon., Sept. 12 Noon Bob Lehman Concert “Songs of Fred Astaire” (Sanctuary) Tues., Sept. 13 5:15 p.m. Board Meeting (Activities Room) Wed., Sept. 14 6:15 p.m. Welcoming Committee (Activities Room) 6:30 p.m. RE and Music Program Staff Meeting (Activities Room)
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(continued from page 6) Thurs., Sept. 15 5:15 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal (Hendrix Hall) 6:30 p.m. Youth Group (Activities Room) 7 p.m. Women’s Chorus (Hendrix Hall) Sun., Sept. 18 10 a.m. Adult Choir Practice (Sanctuary) 10:45 a.m. “Telling Your Stories” - Rev. David M. Horst ( Sanctuary) As you begin your two-year transition period in preparation for the next settled minister, we take look at the history of this his- toric congregation. What have been your greatest successes? Where have you fallen short? The process of self-reflection is an essential first step as you prepare to settle a permanent minister two years from now. Long-time and newer members of the cong- regation are invited to tell their stories of involvement with the congregation. Mon., Sept. 19 Noon Bob Lehman Concert “Standards from the American Song Book” Sanctuary) Thurs., Sept. 22 5:15 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal (Hendrix Hall) 6:30 p.m. Youth Group (Activities Room) 7 p.m. Women’s Chorus (Hendrix Hall) Sun., Sept. 25 10 a.m. Adult Choir Practice (Sanctuary) 10:45 a.m. Fourth Sunday Lay Led Service “The UU Church of Jazz” – Guest Speaker and Musician Rev. Tom Stites, joined by pianist Matthew Hutchinson and friends (Sanctuary) Noon Weathervane Newsletter Deadline Mon., Sept. 26 Noon Bob Lehman Concert “Songs of Nat King Cole” (Sanctuary) Tues., Sept. 27 5:15 p.m. Board Meeting (Activities Room) Wed., Sept. 28 5 p.m. RE Committee (Activities Room) 6:15 p.m. Welcoming Committee (Activities Room) Thurs., Sept. 29 5:15 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal (Hendrix Hall) 6:30 p.m. Youth Group (Activities Room) 7 p.m. Women’s Chorus (Hendrix Hall)
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Second Congregational Meeting House Society 11 Orange St. ~ P.O. Box 1023 Nantucket, MA 02554
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Second Congregational Meeting House Society Unitarian Universalist 11 Orange St. ~ P.O. Box 1023 Nantucket, MA 02554 (508) 228-5466 (Office) www.unitarianchurchnantucket.org uuchurchnantucket@verizon.net Rev. David M. Horst, Interim Minister / Rev. Edward B. Anderson, Minister Emeritus Marcia Hempel, Music Director and Organist - 508-228-3802 Lizie Hagenstein & Sally Ure, Lifespan Education Co-Directors - 508-228-0188 Craig Spery, President, Board of Trustees - 508-228-7892 Sissy Girard, Vice President, Board of Trustees - 508-257-9982 Jack Weinhold, Treasurer - 508-228-5242 Mimi Jones & Dennis Santangelo, Sextons Board of Trustees: Craig Spery (President) Sissy Girard (Vice-President) Bob Hall (Clerk) Jack Weinhold (Treasurer) Bertrand I. Briere III, Larry Miller, David Hall, Joan Ottinger, Christine Sanford