MINISTER'S COLUMN
When it comes to Spring, I think all of us become amateur philosophers to some degree. It can't be helped. After you've endured a long New England winter, a brilliant sunny day in April has a lot going for it! The surge of spring life force cannot be denied and we all feel it. It doesn't really matter if you bring God into it or not, the same "welter of colliding materials" are moving about and you can't miss it. At the Unitarian Society we hang our spring banner in the parlor at Easter. Sometimes I have a hard time holding back until then. This year Easter came early so it was a little easier, but usually I am so starved for color that the wait is a real challenge. I love the large flower. It is larger than life, but then again, I think that's a big part of spring's message. The irrepressible surge of life cannot be squelched. It keeps returning, stronger than ever; looking a little different perhaps, but ultimately the same cycling energy. Any amateur philosopher can experience that for themselves. You can't miss it. Just walk out your front door on an April day and I bet you won't get far before you see what I mean. In Ministry, DaveMODERATOR'S NOTES The start of each new church year always brings at least a slightly new composition of the board. At our meeting in February we noted the beginning of LT Rheinlander's 2nd term, Ann Rheinlander's return to the board, this time as trustee, and welcomed Richard Silliboy as new trustee. Aside from our on-going building concerns (handicap access, chimney repair, furnace maintenance), we have discussed the possibility of having some fundraising concerts similar to the Roll and Go concert we had a few years ago. One may possibly occur in the fall and one nest spring. There are several possible artists on the list of prospectives. We have not yet decided if we will hold a rummage sale this year but we have begun to think about summertime and what activities we will schedule to keep us having fun and connected. If you have any opinions or suggestions please let us know. LIBRARY CORNER We have added a few new books to the library in recent days, including "The Four Agreements," a discussion of Toltec wisdom and our spiritual choices. Dave gave a service based upon the four agreements a while back, and we can thank him for the book, as well. Additionally, we have added the Mahabarata and the Ramayana, which are related to Linda's recent services. They are abridged prose translations of very long Hindu mythic poems, so they give you the mythology but lose some of the beauty of language as a trade off. We have the library's small database finished and ready for use. It is really a Word table. I'll be glad to email a copy to you. A printed copy will be on the library shelves shortly. Be aware that changes will be occurring regularly as we update the library, but you will be able to research our titles a bit more easily with this new tool. Just as a reminder, if you return a book - please find the card in the box and return it to the book pocket; and if you check one out without a card, please look in the card box and don't just make a new card. We also have a number of books which have been checked out for a very long time. If you are finished with them, I would really like to redo the cards and numbers on those books for the new library number system! Debra Frazier BOOK OF THE MONTH Deepak Chopra's latest book, "Peace is the Way" is our most recent addition to the Society Library. The title is inspired from the Mahatma Ghandi quote: "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." In a world where every path to peace has proved futile, the one strategy that hasn't been tried is the way of peace itself. "We must not bring one war to an end, or thirty," Chopra tells us, "but the idea of war itself." In days like these, a book like this seems timely indeed. "Deepak Chopra elegantly cuts through all the sophisticated nonsense that keeps us locked into thinking that we have no alternative to endless war, that to be 'realistic' is to prepare for the next armed conflict, or that homeland security will be achieved by killing more and more people around the world. Chopra melds the wisdom of his own Hindu tradition with the vision of the Jewish prophets and produces a book that is at once wise and visionary and could, if widely read, contribute to the evolution of consciousness which it predicts." - Rabbi Michael Lerner Rabbi, Beyt Tikkun Synagogue, San Francisco Editor of Tikkun Magazine WORDS OF THANKS WISH LIST POETRY CORNER "Mudseason" by Debra Frazier
MONDAY EVENING CONVERSATIONS "Early Christianity and the Historical Jesus: Part Two" Mel Gibson's box-office success, "The Passion of the Christ," is just one version of what early Christianity looked like. In this session we are going to take a look at alternative traditions that were competing with each other in the early years of the Christian movement. We will be viewing the second part of the PBS Frontline special "From Jesus To Christ." 12 biblical scholars give their assorted views on this thought provoking topic. Join us on April 25th from 6 to 8pm. FLOWER COMMUNION & COOKOUT Our traditional flower communion service is Sunday, June 5th. Please bring a fresh cut flower to contribute to the communion basket. This Unitarian tradition originated in 1923 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Dr. Norbert Capek asked his parishioners to bring and receive flowers as a symbol of their shared life as a spiritual community. Please come and join us for this special service. Once again we will be blowing bubbles on the front lawn afterward. The Rheinlanders are hosting our end of the year BBQ/pot luck. Please bring lots of fun food and help us pull off the event. There are rumors of an extreme croquet course being designed on LT's back lawn. (Play at your own risk!!) CALENDAR
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