the_week@horizonuu a publication of horizon unitarian universalist church * June 22, 2014.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
VOLUME 14, ISSUE V.6.22.14.
The_Week@HorizonUU Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church Carrollton, TX 75010 FOR SUBMISSIONS EMAIL: the_week @horizonuu.org
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Every Wednesday
TO SUBSCRIBE OR TO SEND QUESTIONS, CONTACT: EMAIL Administrator @horizonuu.org
PHONE: (972) 492-4940
WEB SITE: www.horizonuu.org
PHOTOS: Horizon Staff STOCK PHOTOS: www.123rf.com
Weekly Service: Sundays 10:30 AM
Future Sundays Building Community Through Conflict Rev. Vickie Johnson
Rev Vickie Johnson identifies with the Unitarian Universalism because, like many of you, she has lived it. She began her spiritual journey as an enthusiastic United Methodist. After graduating from Duke Divinity School, she was ordained in that church in 1989. She became saddened when their policies became something she could no longer support. Rev. Johnson has been a social worker for 20 years, becoming an LCSW and has continued her journey through social work. She had her partner of 15 years moved to Texas 3 years ago and she has begun her journey toward ordination in the UU Church. Rev. Johnson is glad to worship with you this Sunday. Join her as she provides a way for conflict to enliven a congregation rather than tear it apart.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church is Welcoming GALA Youth North Texas GALA Youth is a program of a nonprofit, volunteer run organization (GALA North Texas) and dedicated to serving and assisting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) and allied youth by providing the youth with tools to improve self-esteem and selfacceptance. This group is going to meet at Horizon every Sunday from 6:00— 7:30 pm.
Horizon Book Club will meet at the library this Tuesday at noon. If you would like to join this group of avid readers, please contact: bookclub @horizonuu.org.
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LAY MINISTRY NEWS by Marianna Seaton dlm@horizonuu.org Director of Lay Ministry
Coffee, Coffee, Coffee Horizon’s choir library has a parody of “Holy, Holy, Holy”, a familiar hymn from my Catholic childhood. It is entitled “Coffee, Coffee, Coffee”. This song is part of our inheritance from the sometimes-irreverent Rev. Dennis Hamilton, and one of the first welcoming signs I received as an early visitor to Horizon. I think of coffee as the Unitarian Universalist version of holy water. Our entering in to holy space is preceded by the human act of connecting over a cup of hot brew. There is no dis-connection between expression of the flesh and expression of the spirit. In Unitarian Universalism we are called to be an open vessel to wholeness, leaving none of ourselves behind when we walk through the doors of our church, or anywhere in our community. Throughout Unitarian Universalist history, we have put our faith in to action, affirming and promoting ethnic, racial and gender equality, and a compassionate response to pain and suffering. Check out this current video about our Standing on the Side of Love campaign: http://youtu.be/LIN4VSM5K2Q I know that many of you enjoy the coffee hour before service begins on Sunday. Some of you have even sung the song I reference. Did you know that we have a coffee crew who lives out this ministry week to week? Please join me in thanking the folks who help create the welcoming environment that fosters people’s enthusiasm for putting their whole selves in. The Coffee Crew: Helena Ulakovic, Bhaskar Padakandla, Jill Chenault, Ronn and Gay Cox, Marty Robinson, Jocelyn Dunham, Beth BlakeHodges, Eileen Terrell, Jane Roehl, Charles Boyd, and Katie Barnes.
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LAY MINISTRY NEWS
Rev. Helen Carroll
“This job is neat, tidy, and nobody gets hurt,” - says Dr. Jocelyn Dunham
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LIFESPAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS by Lauren Daniell dlre@horizonuu.org blog: www.horizonuu.org/dre/ Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/horizonuu/
Classes This Sunday:
Celebrating the Summer Solstice Preschool-rising Kindergartners: Picture Book UU (room S3) “The Longest Day” Our little UUs will celebrate the Summer Solstice by learning about different solstice traditions around the world and creating “stained glass” suns. Rising Grades 1-4: OUUr Story (room S4) The elementary class will celebrate the Summer Solstice by exploring what the solstice is, our Sixth Source of UUism (Earth-centered religions), and weaving a sun craft. Rising Grades 5-8: You, the Creator (Portable rm. #8) By examining traditional creation stories from around the world, the middle school begins the first of two classes examining world religions and creation. They will role-play a creation game and decide how they’d have designed the Earth and its inhabitants. High School: The Pursuit of Happiness (Portable rm. #9) Our high school class continues to examine the link between your spiritual life and happiness, and will further discuss the walkway restoration project for the Portable building.
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CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Calendar of Events for Children and Youth June 17-22nd: Coming of Age heritage trip to Boston July 27th: Parenting Seminar with Elaine Commins, Parenting with Love and Logic. 9 am in the Horizon Library August 24th: Fall RE Open House August 31st: Splash Day for water fun
DLRE gone in June Lauren will be gone June 17-22nd when she accompanies the COA class to Boston, and again June 2730th for a family reunion. She can be contacted via email during this time.
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COMING OF AGE: BOSTON 2014 The ninth grade Coming of Age class arrived in Boston for their heritage trip. Here they are in Boston Common on their way to visit the MA State House. Later they visited Faneuil Hall.
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NEW CLASSES by JuLane julane@judithlane.com
What We Choose:
Ethics for Unitarian Universalists An Adult Religious Education Class From the course preface: Unitarian Universalism is a faith of deeds, not creeds. We believe the measure of our religion is the way we live our faith in our day-to-day lives. But how do we decide what course of action to follow when a situation is complex and the moral course is unclear? Where do we turn for guidance that will help us fulfill our own wish to live a moral life? This program invites participants to focus attention on the moral and ethical questions that arise or have arisen in their lives, including challenges not yet perceived or acknowledged, and to explore the ethical frameworks that can help in sorting through a dilemma. Join other Horizon members and visitors for 8 sessions that will aid in our personal development, clarification, refinement and expansion of our ethical thinking. The class offers an intentional process of en-
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NEW CLASSES gagement with other seekers in examining ethical concepts, dilemmas and questions. The material covered is designed to deepen and expand participant’s knowledge and skills for a process of ethical reflection that is central to living our Unitarian Universalist faith. The class is co-led by Peter Hendee and JuLane, both members of Horizon for over 10 years, both having served on our Board of Trustees, Peter as Treasurer and JuLane as Vice-
President and President. Peter has been in multiple positions as a youth advisor with Coming of Age and our YRUU high school program and JuLane has led a class most recently on Building Your Own Theology. We ask that you commit to attending every session when you sign up for the course. All materials will be provided. There will be some reading and preparation assigned for each session. The class is limited to 12 participants so sign up early!
What: What We Choose: Ethics for UU’s When: Mondays, 7:00 PM, August 4th through September 29th, No class on Sept. 1st, Labor Day Where: The Portable Room How: Email julane@judithlane.com or sign up at the Welcome Center
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JUNE SELECTION HORIZON BOOK GROUP Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize; Fiction Finalist, 2013 National Book Award
From an interview following the National Book Award nomination: Edan Lapucki: “When I think of your work, I think of your precise, measured and graceful prose, as well as your attention to the everyday and inner lives of your characters. You’re basically the Queen of Realism. (You can’t deny it—there’s a crown on your head!) Do you think of yourself as working in a realist tradition? If so, can you discuss? If not, what tradition—if any—do you see yourself participating in?” Jhumpa Lahiri: “Everyday life and ordinary characters interest me. I believe that the mystery of life lies there. Many of the writers who have guided me over the years—Joyce, Chekhov, Cather, Hardy—depict the world in a way that feels transcendent. On the other hand, writers like Kafka or Borges render surreal situations in ways that are intensely realistic. The thing to remember is that, as three-dimensional as characters may seem, they are made of words, not flesh and blood. In the end all fiction is a dream.” http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2013_f_lahiri_interv.html Why not join the discussion at noon on Tuesday, June 24, in the Horizon library? You are welcome even if you haven’t read the book. Bring a sack lunch, something to drink, and your thoughts and impressions of this highly praised book. (The author’s first book, Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of stories, won the Pulitzer for fiction in 2000.)
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HORIZON UU CALENDAR OF EVENTS
SATURDAY, JUNE 21 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Men's Support Group - E3 - Library 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Horizon Dinners - Other - Offsite
SUNDAY, JUNE 22 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Sunday Morning Journey Group - P2 - Couch 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM Adult Religious Explorations - E3 - Library 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CAYRE - Child Care - S1 - Nursery 10:15 AM - 12:30 PM Library Ministry - Open for Browsing - E3 - Library 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Main Worship - SH - Sanctuary 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM After Church Lunch Bunch -- All Are Welcome! - Offsite 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM GALA Youth - S6 - Class
MONDAY, JUNE 23 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM SMART Recovery - FH - Fellowship Hall 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Membership Committee - E3 - Library
TUESDAY, JUNE 24 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Horizon Book Club - E3 - Library 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Buddhist Sangha - P1 - Lg, P2 - Couch 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Tuesday Wisdom Circle - E3 - Library
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Library Ministry - E3 - Library 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM WFIG (Women's Friendship in Growth) Chalice Circle - E3 Library
THURSDAY, JUNE 26 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM Worship Arts Committee Meeting - MO - Minister's Office
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FRIDAY, JUNE 27 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Candlelighters - FH - Fellowship Hall 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM UDV Setup - P1 - Lg, P2 - Couch 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM FREE MOVIE NIGHT!!! - FH - Fellowship Hall
SATURDAY, JUNE 28 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Men's Support Group - E3 - Library 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM UDV Sale All Day Event - Outside, P1 - Lg, P2 - Couch
Visit: calendar.horizonuu.org for updates and events information.
Adult Religious Explorations contact: are@horizonuu.org
Sunday Mornings, 9:00 – 10:10 am Horizon Library
June 22, 2014 ELIZABETH GUTSWICK
Joseph Priestly, much more than a scientist and theologian! As a generalist and radical thinker, Joseph Priestly and his philosophy influenced scientific studies, theological developments, and political developments. His actual impact was much broader than the historical footnote he usually granted. What can we learn from his example?
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AFTER CHURCH LUNCH LOCATIONS Visitors and members welcome! Directions are available at the Welcome Center. When we go to a restaurant, we meet there approximately 20 minutes after the service ends. First ones there please get a table for 10+ under the name “Horizon”.
June 22nd: Quaker Steak & Lube: 4109 Hwy 21 (at Hebron), Carrollton, TX 75010. Casual motor-sports themed restaurant. Private room reserved for Horizon. Sunday brunch $16.99. Less expensive items available from menu. Kids 8 and under eat free. $-$$ http://thelube.com/locations/texas/carrollton
June 29th: Cristina’s Fine Mexican Restaurant. 360 E. Round Grove Road, Lewisville, Texas 75067. Good Tex-Mex food plus authentic and traditional dishes from Mexico. $$ http://www.cristinasmex.com
GAME NIGHT
SHARE THE PLATE June 15, 2014
Please join HORIZON MEMBERS us tonight AND FRIENDS COLLECTED $1,040. (Friday, June 20th) in Fellowship Hall at Hori- The collection will be contributed to a relief zon at 7:00 pm for Games Night! fund established for Bring your favorite games to play the victims of last month’s flooding in the and a snack or drink to share. Balkans. Everyone is welcome!
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SPECIAL GROUPS If you are considering attending one of these groups for the first time, it is a good idea to contact them via email for more information and to get an orientation of what to expect in your first visit! CURIOUS ABOUT SCHEDULE? You can check the calendar at http:// calendar.horizonuu.org/ Horizon Book Group: 4th Tuesdays 12p. (bookclub@horizonuu.org) The Horizon Book Group meets at 12 Noon on the fourth Tuesday of each month in the church Library. Every June and November the group decides on the books for the following six months. Bring a brown bag lunch and join in this fun group that is open to women and men. You’ll be able to share in an invigorating conversation on the session’s book. Current selections are found in the Library information niche in the lobby/narthex. For more info, you may contact bookclub@horizonuu.org. Buddhist Sangha: Tuesdays 7 PM - 9:00 PM. (buddhists@horizonuu.org ) Buddhist Sangha ("Sangha" is equivalent to a covenant group) is a weekly gathering that studies the Dharma (the teachings of Buddhism.) This is an ongoing exploration of the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path, the essential teachings of Buddhism. It is participatory and although consistency is encouraged, sessions can be attended on a drop in basis. We welcome anyone interested in a meditation practice. If you wish to come for an orientation, please arrive by 6:30. If you wish to view materials, e-mail the group at buddhists@horizonuu.org. The UU Christian Chalice Circle (uuchristians@horizonuu.org ) The UU Christian Chalice Circle provides a forum for enriching our spiritual
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lives through personal discovery of the heart, meaning, and tradition of Christianity. We gather monthly on the 1st Sunday at 9AM in the library for discussion, fellowship, and exploration. All those seeking to connect (or re-connect) to the beauty and wisdom of Christianity are welcome to attend. uuchristians@horizonuu.org. The CineMat Group (cinemat@horizonuu.org ) The CineMat group will be meeting on the 4th Saturday every month. And it’s now a Chalice Circle!. This Chalice Circle gets together to see a movie and then goes to a coffee shop or restaurant to discuss and comment on it in a friendly circle over a cup of coffee or drink. People should call Meg Reed or Marga Gordon for more info, or email cinemat@horizonuu.org. GAMERS: 3rd FRIDAY FUN AT HORIZON! (3rdfridaygames@horizonuu.org ) Come join us for adult level games on the 3rd Friday of every month. We meet in the Fellowship Hall at 7:00 p.m. Bring a snack or drink to share!
Healthy Women Chalice Circle (healthywomen@horizonuu.org ) A woman’s support group to help achieve their goals of health and fitness. Sharing of ideas and experiences in nutrition, weight loss, exercise and stress management.
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SPECIAL GROUPS Men’s Saturday Support Group (mensgroup@horizonuu.org ) A men’s support group that includes a check-in and informal discussion of men’s issues regarding family, health, workplace, and relationships. Starts at 8AM The 2nd Tuesday Potluck Chalice Circle (secondtuesday@horizonuu.org ) This group meets for food, fellowship, and deepening friendships. They meet in the library 2nd Tuesday of most months at 12 noon. Occasionally we take a field trip instead of having a potluck lunch. Tuesday Wisdom Circle (tuesdaywisdom@horizonuu.org ) A chalice circle that offers a check-in and discussion of a weekly life issue topic selected by a group member. Parents – WE’LL give you Wings! (every other Mon, 9a) (mondaywings@horizonuu.org ) WINGS Chalice Circle is a fun and friendly group whose purpose is to support the person within each parent by creating friendships and nurturing our intellect and creativity. The Women’s Friendship in Growth (WFIG) Chalice Circle (wfig@horizonuu.org) Meets on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Wednesdays of each month from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. We welcome women of all ages to join us for fun, connection, and growth. We share stories from our lives and discuss topics that help us get to know one another better. Recent programs have included How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, a night of Board Games, and TED talks on the Power of Vulnerability, Connected but Alone, and Body Language. We’d love to have you in our group! To find out more, contact Nancy Foreman or Sarah Roye at wfig@horizonuu.org. Young Adults Chalice Circle Contact: YoungAdults@horizonuu.org for more details.
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HORIZON NEWS
Depicting the plastic pollution in the gyres --- A mural collaboration painted in San Jose, Costa Rica, 2011
Horizon UU member and Social Justice activist Aly Tharp recently joined the Viking Expedition crew on their trip, sailing from Bermuda to Iceland from June 729th . They goal is to research plastic pollution, with the 5 Gyres Institute. Here is the last communication we had from Aly just before she sailed, and the link to a Facebook site that tells about the expedition and has a picture of all the crew of the Viking Expedition including Aly: https://www.facebook.com/Support5Gyres
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The #VikingGyreEx has departed. Next stop Iceland. Photo: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/5gyres
In Bermuda now! Our ship departs on June 8th, to explore the Sargasso Sea and onward. Thank you all for taking interest in this project and supporting me through my fundraising phase. It is happening! Tomorrow morning, much of the crew will be working with Bermudian volunteers to survey multiple beaches for a study of the plastic abundance on beaches here. The work to clean up the ocean will never end, and we are just getting started. I'm thankful to you for staying in tune, and living with compassion for this issue. Community is a beautiful, restorative thing. Until next time: Love, Aly
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SUMMER SOLSTICE by Mira DeShazer administrator@horizonuu.org
Building Our Own Stonehenge How Unitarian Universalism Allows us to Assemble our own Beliefs This Saturday at 5:51 AM, we are going to witness another beautiful summer solstice. This is the moment the sun shines directly from north of equator, the imaginary line also known as 0째 of tropical Cancer. Because our planet is slightly tilted on its journey around the sun, we are able to enjoy four different seasons here on earth. Tropical Cancer marks the beginning of summer at the northern hemisphere while people on southern hemisphere experience first day of winter. On December 21, we observe the opposite, with 0째 of tropical Capricorn. The Summer solstice usually happens around June 21. This is the longest day of the year: the daylight lasts more than 14 hours. Stonehenge, a well known monument in Wilshire, England, was built by our hardworking ancestors who were also fascinated by this natural phenomenon. The famous one in England is not the only Stonehenge in the world, though. There are similar monuments in Thailand, in Georgia - Tbilisi, and there is one
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in New Mexico. There is a pretty replica of the English monument built in Odessa, Texas, in the University of Texas of Permian Basin's garden. Visit Odessa! “My personal favorite Stonehenge look-alike -- at least in concept -- is in northern New Mexico, where in the 11th century, the Chaco culture built hundreds of miles of processional "roads." Rather than rings of giant standing stones, the Chacoans erected enormous masonry temples known as
great houses. Many of these great houses are aligned to view celestial events through portals and windows,” writes Craig Childs for Los Angeles Times in 2007. Childs is the author, most recently, of "House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest.” Wikipedia says: “More recently two major new theories have been proposed. Professor Geoffrey Wainwright OBE, FSA, president of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and Professor Timothy Darvill, OBE of
A photograph taken on 31st October 2007. Matthew Brennan.
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Photo copyright: Vaclav Volrab http://www.123rf.com/profile_vencavolrab78. All rights reserved.
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Bournemouth University have suggested that Stonehenge was a place of healing – the primeval equivalent of Lourdes. They argue that this accounts for the high number of burials in the area and for the evidence of trauma deformity in some of the graves. However they do concede that the site was probably multifunctional and used for ancestor worship as well.”
own Stonehenge" means that, within the boundaries of our physical world, we are able to exercise our free will, we are capable of doing anything, building our base for a greater and happier life. In Unitarian Universalism, as I see it, we are able to seek and build our own theology while observing history and faith of our ancestors through the prism of our own beliefs. We do it with no guilt, free from “The ancient Chinese participated in a ceremony on the summer solstice to honor any fear.
My daughter and I have an internal joke the earth, femininity and the force known The summer solthat we came as yin. It complemented the winter solstice s t i c e which up with the day ritual, which was devoted to the heavens, represents the we visited one masculinity and yang. Ancient Northern principle of the of the local and Central European Tribes Many Gerhighest natural b o o k s t o r e s . manic, Slavic and Celtic pagans welcomed potential and the There was a summer with bonfires, a tradition that is still most powerful small gift box enjoyed in Germany, Austria, Estonia and energy that we near the cash- other countries. Some ancient tribes pracreceive from the ier's register, ticed a ritual in which couples would jump sun, is an addiavailable for through the flames to predict how high that tional confirmapurchase, and year’s crops would grow.” tion of the bless"Build your own (History.com) ings we receive Stonehenge" from nature. was written on it. We were amused by Now, when life circumstances arise and the idea and we pretended we had so we have to deal with issues that might much strength that we may “build our seem hard, obstacles that require work, own Stonehenge”. Does this mean that my daughter and I remember these we can also build our own home, our words: Build your own Stonehenge! life, and our beliefs too? In reality, noth- We can do it. If our brave and curious ing stops us from doing so. ancestors were able to do it, so can we. For me, the symbolism of "building your