CUC Bird Walk Report: Sun Apr 20

Bird Walk Results
Sunday Morning Apr 20

Report filed by:
Rev. LoraKim Joyner, DVM

Time of observations: 8:30am - noon EST
Site: Grounds of Community Unitarian Church, 468 Rosedale Ave (approx. 8 acres)

In honor of Easter, our theme for this morning’s walk was birds arising, which we celebrated with these
opening words by Sufi poet Hafiz.

I once asked a bird, “How it is that you fly through this darkness of gravity?”
She responded, "Love lifts me."

Many are uplifted during the spring and Eastertide, for we are reminded of this fecund earth and the chance that hope and love may arise again and again despite the dark winter of our lives. We sought for glimpses of this truth as our morning’s adoration followed that known by many cultures for hundreds of years, though we were late by about 3 hours to make it a sunrise service. Like many during sharp turn of lengthening days, we were out looking for signs of fertility in the form not of eggs, but of egg-hatched birds. Though our list of birds was not super, we did add a new species for the year, a hermit thrush. This bird heralds the shifting bird populations, for in the last weeks we have said good bye to the dark-eyed juncos and hello to diminishing flock sizes as birds pair up for breeding season.

With relief we were finally able to do a bird walk where we could actually traverse off the pavement. With the undergrowth at a minimum we could walk with ease, well mostly, as we negotiated over stones, fallen trees, and creeks. Along the way we saw many budding bushes, trees, and the spring flowers arising along with the birds. We also paused in silence at the memorial garden, walked the maze, and idled at the pond.

There is so much to see and to share, and we are grateful that birds brought us together.

Do join us for our next walk – Sun May 11 at 8:30am at the Parsonage. Until then, happy birding.
- LoraKim

Today’s sightings:

2 Common Grackles
1 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Titmouse
2 Carolina Wren
1 Downy Woodpecker
3 Mourning Doves
2 Robins
2 White-throated Sparrows
2 House Sparrow
2 House Finches
1 American Crow
2 Northern Cardinals
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Goldfinches
1 Hermit Thrush

Previous Bird Walk Reports (click on date)
Sun Mar 2
Sun Feb 9
Sun Jan 5

CSA at CUC

CSA = Community Supported Agriculture

Roxbury Farm is a community supported farm. Community UU is their White Plains distribution point for produce shares from Jun - Nov.

Pick-up at Community UU, room 43, is every Wednesday for 23 Wednesdays, starting the second Wed in Jun through the third Wed in Nov (except the second Wed in Nov) -- between 3:30p and 6:30p.

The shares are currently all sold out for the 2015 season.

Sign up in spring for the 2016 season.

More info about Roxbury Farm: CLICK HERE.

How does it work?
Roxbury Farm members pick up a share once a week from June to November at a central distribution point in their neighborhood. Roxbury Farm delivers to 6 sites in the Capital Region, 5 sites in Westchester, 2 sites in Harlem, 2 sites on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and the Farm in Columbia County.

When you arrive at your CSA site you check off your name on the sign-in sheet, pick up a newsletter (or download one from the website), and read the share list. You then collect each item from the share list and place it in your own bag. If you are going on vacation you can have a friend or neighbor pick up you share. But, don't worry none of the vegetables go to waste, all the produce left after the CSA pick up is delivered to a food pantry or community kitchen.

What’s in a share?
A share provides 10-17 lbs of freshly harvested produce each week. Given an average harvest, a share provides enough vegetables to feed 2-4 adults eating a vegetable based diet (400-450 lbs of produce every season).

Each week you will receive 7-12 different varieties of vegetables. You will experience a variety of vegetables that changes with the seasons. From early spring with wide variety of greens, scallions, and radishes, through the peak of the summer with rich flavored tomatoes, freshly picked sweet corn, and green beans, and into the cool days of fall with hearty root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, and parsnips.

Fruit Share:
In addition to our weekly CSA vegetable share Roxbury Farm also offers our members the option to buy a fruit share by subscription only. The fruit provided in the share is all grown in Columbia County orchards but it is not organic. The share includes 2-4 lbs of pre-bagged fruit per week, ranging from sweet cherries, to plums, peaches, pears and a large variety of apples. We deliver fruit for 18 weeks beginning in July.

Sharing Shares:
If you would like to purchase a half share, we ask that you find someone to split the share with. We request that you indicate on your enrollment form one primary shareholder, who will be responsible for making the payments to the farm. We cannot accept checks from both parties. The share must be picked up all at once: you cannot sign in and pick up only your half of the vegetables. All splitting of shares must be done outside the pick-up site, unless you come together. (Some people divide their share by picking up on alternate weeks).

What is my responsibility as a member?
A CSA eliminates the need for a retailer, so the members not only share the harvest with the farmers, but the distribution of the harvest as well. It is important for members to help keep the sites running smoothly or they don't work. Each member or family is asked to contribute three to four hours of time, helping to set up or clean up the site, delivering leftover food to a pantry, or telephoning other members with reminders.

If you are unable to fulfill this work requirement please contact the farm to work out an alternative arrangment.

What is the share price based on?
Each fall the farmers go over the farm budget to figure out the operating costs for the next season. They then divide the costs of operating the farm by the number of members. This is the base share price. The farm adds a delivery fee to pay for the trucking costs. Then each member community adds on an administrative fee to provide for management of the pick-up site. Each site community has a different share price, see the specific site page for share prices.

Thu Apr 17: UU Christian Fellowship

On Thu Apr 17, the MNY (Metro New York) chapter of the UUCF (Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship) will have its April meeting.

In recognition of Holy Week and the end of the Lenten season, there will be a small communion service at the start of the meeting to commemorate Maundy Thursday.

The meeting is in the downstairs chapel of the Community Church of New York (40 E 35th St, Manhattan) at 7:30 pm.
This communion service is open to all, not only UUCF members.
Afterward, we’ll return to our regular programming.

From Rev. Kelly Mason:

This church year, our theme has been Moving Beyond Doubting Thomas. We’re continuing our discussions of The Gospel of Thomas, that notorious extracanonical sayings gospel. We’ve been looking closely at this occasionally scandalous scripture and also the exciting new scholarship that has been done about it in recent decades. This has been a fascinating point of discussion for both old and new attendees of our local UUCF chapter. On Thu Apr 17, we'll be gathering at the Community Church of NY from 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm, just as we will on the 3rd Thursday evening of each month through Thu Jun 19.

At the very end of June, the 2014 Unitarian Universalist General Assembly will be held in Providence, RI. At GA, the national organization of UUCF will be sponsoring a UU communion service called “The Meal for Others” on Fri Jun 27 evening. In addition, UUCF members from across the country will be attending a Sunday morning service at the First Universalist Church of Providence, where communion will be included in the 9:30 service on Sun Jun 29. More information about both those services can be found on the UUCF Facebook page.

Early in May, I will be speaking as part of a panel at the 2014 Metro NY district meeting, talking about the Christian perspective in a highly diverse UU theology. Recently, Skinner House books has published a series of books on the Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist perspectives in our faith movement. The panel will be held in Morristown, NJ on the evening of Fri May 2. Anyone interested in attending should be sure to register for the event; further information about that is available online at http://www.uumetrony.org/am14/index.htm.

Note that our reading list – while quite illuminating – is only recommended, not required. People are welcome to join the group at any time with any degree of familiarity with the material. A treasure trove of background information is online at the Gospel of Thomas website, http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/Thomas.html. At the national level, UUCF has its own rich store of resources available at its website and invites lively dialogue about alternative Christian communities and various “heresies” within the larger church at www.uuchristian.org.

Do let me know about any questions, concerns, comments, or suggestions you might have regarding our Metro NY UUCF chapter meeting. Folks from various congregations throughout the tri-state area have attended in recent years, so thank you all for your generous support of UUCF within our wider Metro New York district. You are warmly encouraged to pass on word of our regular UUCF meetings to those in your UU congregations or other Christian-curious friends who might be intrigued by what UU Christianity has to offer. During this coming Holy Week and Eastertide, people may be especially inclined to connect with our perspective on the Christian tradition.

Links for the MNY chapter of UUCF for 2013-14:

"Metro NY UUCF Flyer"
"Monthly Schedule"
"Scholars' Version of Gospel of Thomas"
"Order of Service and Resources"

For more info, contact UU minister, Rev. Dr. Kelly Murphy Mason: Rev.KMMason@Gmail.com

Perry Montrose

The DRE Search Committee and the Board of Trustees of CUC are happy to announce the appointment of Perry Montrose as our new Director of Lifespan Religious Education and Faith Development. (We'll say "DRE" for short, since even the acroynym, DLREFD, is admittedly unwieldy.)

Perry has been the DRE in Newton, MA for the last two years (2012-2014), and before that was DRE in Wesport, CT (2007-2012), and before that in New London, CT (2003-2007). Here's the UUA data on the current size of those congregations:

• Newton, MA: Certified Members as of 2013.11.21: 404. Church School Enrollment: 180.
• Westport, CT: Certified Members as of 2014.02.03: 493. Church School Enrollment: 208.
• New London, CT: Certified Members as of 2013.12.23: 220. Church School Enrollment: 85.

Perry is deeply devoted to his family: parents and three siblings. His parents live in Western Connecticut, as does one sibling. The other two siblings live in Manhattan. CUC is ideal for centrally locating him within his vital family connections.

He's also attracted to CUC because of how evidently caring our community is. While at Westport, he was part of the Metro NY district, so had a chance to hear about CUC. From what he's heard and seen directly -- including his conversations with our search committees both two years ago and this year -- he's delighted at the chance to serve such "a really nice group of people." He relishes the chance to join in the new energy at CUC, following our church's transition period, and facilitate the growing vibrancy of which our program, through many years, has established itself as ready to support.

He's attracted to the work environment our beautiful building and grounds offer (which will be all the more delightful when the roof and ceiling work is done!)

Perry sees CUC as poised for meaningful social justice engagement and he's excited about the chance to be a part of developing a new social justice presence in our community and in our hearts.

The search committee was especially impressed with Perry's track record of creating structures that make RE participation attractive and inviting for parents and nonparents alike, his theological depth, pastoral presence, and administrative attention to detail.

Perry's references raved about his work in his current and previous congregations.

For a PDF document with Perry's resume, statement of religious education philosophy, articles, and a sermon, CLICK HERE.

Journey Groups: How They Work

Journey groups are our "friends on the path" -- 5 to 12 people with whom we share the journey, the pilgrimage of our lives.

NUTS AND BOLTS
of how Journey Groups work

1. Scheduling. Journey Groups meet once a month -- some of them in a member's home and others at CUC. Some Journey Groups may have the same host for every meeting for a year. Others may rotate the hosting. Journey Groups will be scheduled to meet during the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th week of each month.

2. Facilitator. Each Journey Group has a facilitator. Facilitators agree to facilitate for one year (10 meetings) at a time. Ideally, most Facilitators enjoy and are enriched by facilitating, and want to stay at it for many years. Some Facilitators will prefer an "every other year" pattern. Others may may take off every 3rd or, say, every 10th year.

3. Facilitators Meeting. Facilitators have two meetings each month:
(a) a "Facilitators Meeting" at which they meet with all the facilitators and the minister, and
(b) their Journey Group.
The Facilitators Meeting occurs during the first week of each month. At the Facilitators Meeting with the minister, the Facilitators receive ongoing training and practice exploring the theme of the month in preparation for their respective Journey Group later that month.

4. The Monthly Packet. Each month, a Monthly Packet is produced. The minister assembles the packet with the collaboration and suggestions of the Facilitators. The Monthly Packet includes:
  (a) A column by the minister, giving an overview or "starter" reflection on the theme of the month.
  (b) A spiritual exercise to do relating to the theme of the month.
  (c) A list of "Questions To Live With." The list will include about 8-12 questions, and these instructions: "Don't treat these questions like 'homework.' You do not need to engage every single one. Instead, simply look them over and find the one that 'hooks' you most. Then let it take you on a ride. Live with it for a while. Allow it to regularly break into -- and break open -- your ordinary thoughts. And then come to your Journey Group meeting prepared to share that journey with your group."
  (d) "Recommended Resources." A collection of quotes, reflections, poems, etc. on the theme of the month, with these instructions: "This is not 'required reading.' We will not analyze or dissect these pieces in our Journey Groups. They are simply meant to get your thinking started -- and maybe to open you to new ways of thinking." The Recommended Resources will also list: online videos and podcasts, books, movies, and links to articles that pertain to the theme of the month. Some members may wish to explore some of these, but there are no "assignments."

5. Dissemination. The monthly packet is disseminated the same way the Communitarian is. It is posted on line and a link is emailed to the congregation -- in the same emailing that includes the link to the Communitarian.

6. Preaching. Generally the first Sunday or two of each month, the sermon will address the theme of the month. This further aids reflection on the theme in advance of the Journey Group meeting.

7. The Meeting Format. At the Journey Group meeting, you may expect:

1. Chalice Lighting. Facilitator lights a chalice and reads centering words. 
2. Check-in. Go around the circle for about 2 minutes of check-in from each person on "How have things been going in your life over the last month?" Others listen without comment.
3. The month's Spiritual Exercise. Go around the circle and share experience or reflection on the spiritual exercise of the month (as described in the Monthly Packet). Others listen without comment.
4. Free-form sharings and comment on issues raised.
5. Questions to Live With. Facilitator reads aloud the "Questions to Live With." Then go around the circle and each participant shares which questions most "hooks" them, and why. Others listen without comment.
6. Free-form sharing and comment on issues raised.
7. Check-out. One more time around, with each participant invited to offer a closing thought.
8. Closing. Facilitator extinguishes the chalice and reads closing words.

The Facilitator guides the process of deep listening as group members share not just thoughts, but experiences and the emotions that made them meaningful.

Signing Up

During each summer, the list of the Journey Groups will be posted for the upcoming church year (first meeting in September). The list will announce the monthly day and time of the meeting and will indicate the neighborhood it will meet in, but won't name the facilitator (since finding a day and time that works for you is the main concern.) After the initial summer sign-ups, new members, or any member who missed the summer sign-up period, may join a Journey Group "already in progress" -- as long as that group isn't full.

On-line sign-up: CLICK HERE.

Wed Apr 16: Around the UU World

Brown Bag Lunch
Wed Apr 16 -- noon (and third Wed of every month)
Fireside Area of Sanctuary

We'll discuss an article from the 2014 spring issue, "War Zone Sabbatical."

To read the article online, CLICK HERE.

"A minister visits Afghanistan and Iraq to learn about hope and resiliency in traumatized societies.

Discussion Points

1. After reading this article, what do you know or understand about Afghanistan that you didn't know or understand before?

2. After reading this article, what do you know or understand about Iraq that you didn't know or understand before?

3. Would you want to visit Iraq? Afghanistan?

4. Rev. Kutzmark concludes:

"Empires come and go. Wars are fought and peace is sought. People live and die. But something endures. Amidst that antiquity, there is something greater than the complications of this moment in time. There is something larger that can't be seen. Call it the wisdom of the ages. Call it the sweep of history. Call it the promise of the future. Call it life renewing itself. I call that hope."

What would you call it? That is, what is this "something larger that can't be seen"? How would you describe it? Is it necessary to go to ancient lands far away to perceive it? What is the benefit of traveling to far away lands?

Community Ministers

About Community Ministry

The traditions of Unitarian and Universalist ministry have included centuries of prophetic ministerial service beyond the walls of congregations. In 1991, Community Ministry was formally recognized as a specialization within Unitarian Universalist ministerial fellowship.

Community Ministers serve needs and serve Unitarian Universalism in many ways: as chaplains in hospitals, prisons, or the military; as counselors with a spiritual or pastoral orientation; as leaders of community service nonprofit organizations; as spiritual directors or teachers; as social justice activists; or other forms of Ministry outside a congregational setting. Informed by the Unitarian Universalist tradition and theology, UU Community Ministers serve peace, justice, compassionate relations, and spiritual growth and depth.

Unitarian Universalism informs, grounds, and constitutes the primary religious identification for many spiritual leaders who are providing healing and transformative service in our world. CUC celebrates these ministries as vital parts of the liberal religious movement to which CUC is dedicated.

Community Ministers are encouraged to affiliate with a congregation to nurture their spiritual maturity and keep them grounded in Unitarian Universalism. At CUC, affiliation with a Community Minister is an unpaid arrangement.

Affiliation with a congregation provides the Community Minister with:

• ongoing grounding in Unitarian Universalist faith and an ongoing home for worship, practicing Unitarian Universalism, and deepening in liberal religious spirituality -- within a context of recognition of a ministerial calling and identity. 

Affiliation with a Community Minister provides the congregation with:

• a sense of expanded ministry. The Community Minister's ministry out in the world becomes, through affiliation, in some small way the congregation's ministry. Insofar as CUC gives moral support and spiritual nurturance to the minister who carries it out, the community ministry is part of CUC's ministry. 
• Community Ministers typically also offer their affiliated congregation such services as leading adult or children's RE, offering workshops, maybe preaching a sermon once a year.

CUC's Community Ministers

Rev Deb Morra

The Rev. Deb Morra has been, since 2002, affiliated with our congregation as an ordained minister whose calling is to work in the wider world rather than in the parish. She makes her living as a therapist and social worker, and CUC provides her the context in which she can view that work as ministry. She preaches occasionally and provides other leadership.

Rev LoraKim Joyner

Rev. LoraKim Joyner, DVM, is a veterinarian specializing in wildlife avian medicine. Since 2001, she has also been a Unitarian Universalist minister (MDiv, Vanderbilt University, 2000). She served as a parish minister for 10 years -- most of them as co-minister with spouse, Rev. Meredith Garmon -- before switching to Community Ministry. Her ministry encompasses two areas: multispecies ministry (deepening understanding and appreciation between human and nonhuman species) and nonviolent communication (she's a certified NVC trainer).

Rev. Joyner entered into affiliation with CUC in 2014. See more about Rev. Joyner at her website: ONEEARTHCONSERVATION.ORG

Formerly Affiliated with CUUC: Rev Kelly Murphy Mason

The Rev. Dr. Kelly Murphy Mason is a Community Minister who now works for the Psychotherapy & Spirituality Institute, where she serves as Director of Programming and also as a clinical supervisor and a pastoral psychotherapist. She seeks to provide clients with emotionally literate, psychologically sound, and spiritually informed psychotherapy. Additionally, she teaches graduate students in psychology at Columbia Teachers College. Kelly was ordained by the Community Church of NY, Unitarian Universalist, in 2006, and since then, has held a number of different posts and leadership positions throughout this region – at Union Theological Seminary, the Blanton-Peale Institute, the Association for Spirituality & Psychotherapy, the Murray Grove Association, and the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. For the past few years, she has acted as the coordinator of the Metro NY Chapter of the UU Christian Fellowship; previously, she was vice-president for the national organization of the UUCF. Kelly lives in Riverdale with her husband, CUC member Benjamin Unger, and their two tomcats. She frequently provides guest preaching and mental-health consulting to various faith communities. Her public programs, seminars, and workshops explore the many intersections between spiritual wisdom and psychological insight. She occasionally volunteers for the Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry.

Rev. Mason was in affiliation with CUUC for two years, 2014-2016. She is now affiliated with First Unitarian in Brooklyn -- though she and husband Ben can still be seen occasionally in attendance at CUUC. See more about Rev. Mason at her website: KELLYMURPHYMASON.COM