We hope you’ll join us in these newly-listed activities and check previous This Week, This Month announcements for additional upcoming events. Some are educational, some are purely social and some are both. Inter-generational activities include children of all ages, while other activities are for adults only. Check the details to see if childcare is provided.

• Friday, Oct. 24, 2008 – potluck @ 6 p.m., workshop @ 7 p.m. – Clara Barton Lounge — Building a relationship with our new minister The whole congregation is invited to attend. When a new minister is welcomed into a UU church, the congregation and the minister have an obligation to make certain that expectations are clear – expectations of the minister to the congregation, and expectations of the congregation to the minister. Tom Chulak, St. Lawrence District Consultant Minister, will facilitate.

Here are some events and activities you might like to put on your calendar. See our previous Outside 1st Universalist announcements for other upcoming events.

• Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 – 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Shults Center Forum (Nazareth College) — What Religious Values Do You Take into the Voting Booth? During this political season, you are invited to an evening of comfortable table talk on common ground, discussing “What Religious Values Do You Take into the Voting Booth?” This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.  Sponsored by CISD and The Interfaith Alliance of Rochester (TIAR). Need more information? Call CISD at (585) 389-2963 or contact us by email.

• Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 – 7 p.mm at Third Presbyterian Church — Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (RAIHN) training. New to RAIHN? You’ll want to attend this volunteer training session. Please contact Matt Comeau.

• Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008 – 3 p.m.  – at Washington Square Park, Rochester, NY — Veteran’s Day Peace Observance and Ceremony. The Observance starts 3 pm, there will be a Ceremony at First Universalist at 4:30 pm, followed by food and community-building.  Contact: kcastania@frontiernet.net

We hope you’ll join us in these newly-listed activities and check previous This Week, This Month announcements for additional upcoming events. Some events are educational, some are purely social and some are both. Inter-generational activities include children of all ages, while other activities are for adults only. Check the details to see if childcare is provided.

• Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008 – 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. — Eastman @ Washington Square concert. The concert season starts with Just Another Tuba Quartet. See the Eastman @ Washington Square listing in our Upcoming Events section for more details.
• Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 — Social Justice Plate Offering during service. Money collected will benefit the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. This fund is used to provide critical assistance to church members, friends, or others who are facing a crisis or a specific unmet need.
• Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008 – after service  — special congregational meeting in the sanctuary to vote on the Nominating Committee slate that was proposed during our Oct 12, 2008 semi-annual meeting.
• Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008 – after service — Craft Club organizational meeting in the sanctuary If you are a quilter, knitter, or crocheter (or if you might like to learn how) and would be interested in forming a group, please plan to attend this organizational meeting. Contact Nancy Gaede.
• Friday, Nov. 14, 2008 – 6 p.m. — Centennial Cookbook Cook-off in the Clara Barton Lounge. Bring your favorite recipe from our cookbook as a dish to pass!

We hope you’ll join us in these newly-listed activities and check previous This Week, This Month announcements for other upcoming events. Some are educational, some are purely social and some are both. Inter-generational activities include children of all ages, while other activities are for adults only. Check the details to see if childcare is provided.

• Sunday, October 5, 2008 – noon — Worship Associate Training in the Sanctuary.
• Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 – during the service — SEM food ingathering. See our Social Justice page under Congregational Life for details.
• Sunday, October 12, 2008 – immediately following the service — Semi-annual Meeting. The semi-annual meeting will be held in the sanctuary immediately following the service on Sunday, October 12. The agenda will include:
  1. Approval of the annual meeting minutes.
  2. Final financial report for the 2007-2008 church year.
  3. Election of new Nominating Committee.

  Please plan to attend. Childcare will be available.

• Sunday, October 12, 2008 – All Church Italian Potluck Dinner. Please bring an Italian dish to pass that serves 6-8.
  • Why: The Mirth and Merriment Ministry is kicking off the first of their “Juust for Fuun” Events!
  • What time: Set-up 4:00 pm. Dinner begins 5:00 pm. Event ends 7pm.
  • Where: Clara Barton Lounge

  Contact Marie Sidoti for more information.

• Sunday, October 19 OR November 2, 2008 (choose one) – 11:45 a.m. — RUUU? All are welcome! Introduction to Unitarian Universalism session right after Sunday service. Childcare is available. See our Membership page for more information about our membership activities. To register, please contact the Rev. Sally Hamlin.

Other announcements:

Statements for those who contributed to the Mini-Capital Campaign are available outside the Sanctuary door. Thanks to all for your continuing stewardship of our church.

“A Time To Embrace: Same Gender Relationships In Religion, Law and Politics” lecture series. This is the book by William Stacy Johnson, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. See the bulletin board for schedule.

Here are some new events and activities you might like to put on your calendar. See our previous Outside 1st Universalist announcements for other upcoming events.

• Christian Faith and LGBT Experience 2008 with William Stacy Johnson, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and author of “A Time to Embrace: Same Gender Relationships in Religion, Law, and Politics”

  Join the Rev. William Stacy Johnson for these events:

  • Saturday, October 4, 2009 – 9:00 am to 1:00 pm — Community Forum on Marriage Equality at the Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs Street (corner of East Avenue), Rochester, NY. Professor Johnson will offer a keynote address. The day will include panels, an information fair and networking opportunities.
  • Sunday, October 5, 2008 – 8:30 am and 10:45 am — The Rev. Johnson will preach at the Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs Street (corner of East Avenue), Rochester, NY.

• October 10 – 19, 2008 — Image Out: The Rochester Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival. Please go to www.imageout.org or pick up an Image Out magazine for more info.

• October 17 & 18, 2008 — Rummage Sale at First Unitarian Church on Winton Rd, Rochester. Donations will be accepted October 11 – 15. Call 271-9070 for details.

Here are some new events and activities you might like to put on your calendar.  See our previous Outside 1st Universalist announcements for other upcoming events.

• Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 – National Coming Out Day.  This day velebrates those bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender people who have braved fears of discrimination, rejection, hatred and violence to lead open lives in the community.  Take a moment to celebrate our friends, family members and others whose courage has paved the way for others by coming out.  Send a card, write a letter or email, light a candle of thanks and celebration for all of those who celebrate the day.
• Friday, Oct. 17, 2008 – daylong — Social Welfare Action Alliance conference and workshop on poverty and violence at the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, 141 Adams St., Rochester. We will have two free tickets and others cost $20. See Sarah Singal, Sally Hamlin or call Kris in the church office.
• Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 – 7 p.m. – Volunteer training for RAIHN at the Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs St., Rochester. This training is necessary before starting to volunteer in the RAIHN program. This session will be RAIHN Director Erica Vera’s last, as she leaves for a new job.

• Monday, Oct 27, 2008 at 6 p.m. – Annual RAIHN dinner at the Church of the Transfiguration in Pittsford. Keynote speakers are Joe Robach, Bill Johnson and Erica Vera. Cost is $40 per person. Order tickets by phone at (585) 506-9050 or in person at the RAIHN Day Center, 34 Meigs St., Rochester. Donations are welcomed for a silent auction fundraiser; drop off gadgets, art work, condo rental, etc. to Deni Mack at the Church of the Assumption, 20 East Ave. in Fairport, NY. For more information about the dinner and auction, contact Deni Mack at (585) 388-0400 x314 or by email.
• Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 – United Nations Human Rights Day. This is an evening event held at the Downtown Presbyterian Church (DUPC). The topic is School to Prison Pipeline. More details to come.

We hope you’ll join us in these newly-listed activities. Some are educational, some are purely social and some are both. Inter-generational activities include children of all ages, while other activities are for adults only. Check the details to see if childcare is provided.

• Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008 — Mirth & Merriment Activity Survey in today’s Order of Service. At various gatherings during our interim ministry year, many expressed a desire for more church events devoted solely to having fun together. Look for the survey in today’s Order of Service!
• Oct. to Dec. 2008 — Weekday parking will be limited due to scaffolding that will be in use while our gutters are repaired. If you plan to come to the church during business hours, please use alternative parking. Projected completion is the first week of December.
• Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 — Association Sunday will be the focus of our service today. See our sermon and the UUA Association Sunday webpage for details.
• Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 — The Semi-Annual Meeting will be held in the sanctuary immediately following the service.
• Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 — All-Church Italian Potluck Dinner. Set-up 4:00 pm. Gathering 4:30 pm. Dinner begins 5:00 pm. Event ends 7pm. Please bring an Italian dish that serves 6-8. Contact Marie Sidoti.
• Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 — Fall Clean-up . Join us as we spruce up our church building for Fall. Contact Alain Perregaux for more details.
• Friday & Saturday, Oct. 24 – 25, 2008 — Ministerial workshop. The Rev. Tom Chulak, a SLD executive, will lead a workshop on building a vision of shared ministry, planning the future and nurturing the spirit. All congregants are welcome Friday night. The Saturday workshop is for trustees, staff and congregational leaders.
• Sundays, Nov. 2 & 9 — Spare Change collection. Can you spare some spare change? If so, we’ll be collecting your spare change on these two Sundays. Last year the congregation generously gave more than $600, and we hope to top that this year. Every nickel counts! Thanks for your contributions.
• Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008 — the Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed returns to our pulpit to preach on Universalism. After the service, he will sign copies and reading excerpts from his new book, In Between: Memoir of an Integration Baby. In the book, he wrestles with racism, the death of Martin Luther King, black radicalism and his experience in an interracial family. The book is to be released in mid-October by Skinner House and will be available for purchase at 1st Universalist today.
• January 2009 — Meditation Manuals and book orders. The Library Committee will send in a book order to the UUA Bookstore, which will include the newest Meditation Manuals. If there are Beacon Press, Skinner House or other books you’d like us to order from the UUA Bookstore, please let Keith Stott and Phil Ebersole know. UUA Bookstore, Beacon Press and Skinner House catalogs are available in the Clara Barton Library, which is open each Sunday during coffee hour.

Some of our ministries would like your involvement too …

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE): School-age children are welcome to join our RE classes, which are held upstairs following the Message for All Ages. Nursery care is provided throughout the service.

Here are new events and activities you might like to put on your calendar. See our previous Outside 1st Universalist announcements for other upcoming events.

• October 4, 2008 from 9:30am-4pm — Politics and Liberal Religion in the Wake of Knoxville. This is a SLD event hosted by First Unitarian Society of Schenectady. Per the SLD website, “”Politics & Liberal Religious Values in the Wake of Knoxville” will be the focus of the third annual Social Justice Conference with an address by Blair Horner, Legislative Director of the New York Public Interest Research Group.  He has held this position for 21 years, interrupted only by a stint in Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office to create Project Sunlight, an interactive website that allows New Yorkers to learn more about state politics.  He has been a driving force behind NYPIRG’s successful campaigns to protect consumers, preserve the environment, reduce tobacco use, reform and make government more accountable, improve healthcare quality and provide the public with information on how state government works.  This will be an opportunity for social justice people to consider the implications of their faith in a critical election year.  Brochure & registration form.”

• October 10 & 11, 2008 – NYSCU (New York State Convention of Universalists) Annual Meeting, hosted by the UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie. Please see bulletin board for agenda and registration forms.

We hope you’ll join us in these activities. Some are educational, some are purely social and some are both. Inter-generational activities include children of all ages, while other activities are of interest to adults only. Check the details to see if childcare is provided.

• Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008 — Social Justice Plate Offering during service. Money collected will benefit children in the Rochester City School District with their back-to-school needs.  Sarah Singal and Santosha Kuykendall will also be collecting in-kind donations (backpacks and school supplies) after church.
• Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008 — deadline today — First U T-shirt order will be placed today. The navy blue t-shirts are $15 each. If you’d like to put your t-shirt check in the plate during the offertory, please write “T-shirt Fund” and size on the memo line of the check.  Contact: Santosha.
• Friday, Sept 26, 2008 at 6:30p.m. — in the adult lounge — Movies to Inspire and Uplift will show “Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story” followed by discussion.  There is no charge, but donations of snacks to share are gratefully appreciated.

  Dorothy Day is no saint. She lives hard, makes mistakes, endures the consequences. But the unquenchable fire burning within her cannot be contained. Dorothy wants to make a difference. During the Depression, she vows to house the homeless, feed the hungry, tend the sick. Easily said. Not easily done when her total finances amount to 97 cents in a battered canister. Yet Dorothy persists, walking on frequently stormy waters of faith.

  Popular stars and important themes combine in this compelling true story of the “American Mother Teresa,” filmed by Paulist Pictures (Romero) from a script by ER writer and executive producer John Wells. Moira Kelly plays Day, the impassioned New York journalist who launched the activist newspaper “Catholic Worker” and put the words she wrote into controversial action. Martin Sheen, Melinda Dillon and Brian Keith join Kelly in this moving saga of a faith not just believed, but lived. RATED PG-13 for a range of thematic elements, some sexuality and brief language.

  RSVP to Linda Lorenzo

• Sunday, Sept. 28 to Oct. 5, 2008 — RAIHN host week at 1st Universalist. See our Social Justice page under Congregational Life for details. There are many volunteer opportunities available. If you are able to help, please contact Matt Comeau.
• Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008 — Small Group Ministry based on the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism begins today. Please see the sign up sheet on the bulletin board in the Clara Barton Lounge.
• Friday, October 10 & 11, 2008 — NYS Convention of  Universalists (NYSCU) Annual meeting of the NYSCU hosted by the UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie. Please see bulletin board for agenda and registration forms.
• Thursday, October 16, 2008 — deadline today — UUA Principles and Practices: The UUA Commission on Appraisal has recommended changes and invites feedback. Please go to http://www25.uua.org/coa/ and click on the word “draft” in the first paragraph.
• Friday, October 17, 2008 — in the adult lounge, Movies to Inspire and Uplift will show “Iron Jawed Angels”, starring Hilary Swank  We will be viewing this movie in the sanctuary at 6:30 PM and will move to the Clara Barton Lounge for discussion directly following the movie.  There is no charge for movie viewing and discussion time. Anyone wishing to bring a snack to share will be gratefully appreciated.

  Said reviewer Bret Fetzer, “The fight for women’s voting rights has rarely been given as dramatic a treatment as in Iron Jawed Angels. Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry) and Frances O’Connor (Mansfield Park) star as second-wave suffragettes Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who led the final fight for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.  The mounting energy of the fight–and the increasingly nasty opposition–gains real momentum when a wartime picket line leads to Paul, Burns, and their sisters-in-arms being arrested on trumped-up charges and imprisoned. The actors–including Julia Ormond (Smilla’s Sense of Snow), Angelica Huston (Prizzi’s Honor, The Grifters), and Brooke Smith (Vanya on 42nd Street)–give fervent, determined performances.”

  RSVP to Linda Lorenzo

Here are some events and activities you might like to put on your calendar.

• September 15, 2008 — deadline for Chalice Lighter Grants. The deadline for filing an “Intent to Apply” form. An “Intent to Apply” must be filed with SLD in order to obtain a Chalice Lighter Grant application.
  
• September 16, 2008 – Zhaxi Zhouma Rinpoche Lecture. Zhaxi Zhouma Rinpoche will be giving a free lecture at the First Universalist Church at 150 South Clinton Avenue, Rochester, NY, on September 16, 2008 from 7-9 pm. “Anyone interested in obtaining good fortune and happiness, becoming enlightened in this lifetime, and learning more about why and how Dorje Chang Buddha has come to America should attend this presentation.” Please visit www.zhaxizhuoma.net for more information.
• September 18, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. — Let’s Get Political! – formerly Causes in Common. Location: Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Ave, Rochester NY. Open to the General Public. Interfaith Impact and the Empire State Pride Agenda will be hosting an educational forum on the position of local candidates on the following pieces of legislation:
  • Dignity for All Students Act
  • Healthy Teens Act
  • Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA)
  • Marriage Equality for Same-sex Couples
  • Reproductive Health & Privacy Protection Act

  This is your opportunity to find out where incumbents and those seeking political office REALLY stand on issues that effect your quality of life and our shared prospects for a future that offers greater freedom and opportunity for us all. You owe it to yourself and your community to attend this forum and GET THE FACTS before you cast your vote this November.

  Questions can be directed to WNY Field Organizer Todd Plank via email.

• September 19-21 – Unirondack work/play weekend. Have you ever visited Adirondack, our UU camp in the North Country? It’s a beautiful and reverence-inspiring place. Work/play weekends are a low-key way to enjoy the woods and contribute to the upkeep of the camp. Attendees spend Saturday morning cleaning and repairing facilities, and the rest of the weekend hiking, canoeing, or otherwise relaxing in the great outdoors. Cost is $15 for communal meals. Accommodations (cabins) are rustic. Contact director@unirondack.org.