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First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit4605 Cass AvenueDetroit, MI 48201Phone 313-833-9107Fax 313-833-0127December 5, 2004 |
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First Unitarian Universalist Church
Organizational Chart 2003 - 2004 Officers Moderator Colleen Dolan-Greene Vice Moderator & Strategic Planning Jim Harvey Immediate Past Moderator Lynda Smith Board Secretary Kathe Stevens Treasurer Bob Lauer Staff Interim Minister Rev. David B. Park Minister Emeritus Rev. Larry Hutchison Director of Religious Education Jennifer Teed Music Director Todd Ballou Choir Director Lyle Brown Church Secretary Wendi Winston Building and Grounds Joe Brimmer Trustees Charlotte Allen Mark Bendure Linda Darga Carolyn Ludwig Kathleen Rock Irene Schultz Dan Secrest Ruth Seifert Dan Wiest Newsletter Irene Schultz |
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Newsletter Deadline The next deadline is Sunday, December 19 2004, no later than 12:30 P.M. Newsletter Articles Please leave legible contributions in the Newsletter box located outside the church office. Please include your name and a contact number should there be any questions.Articles may also be emailed to me, by the deadline date and time, at ieschultz1945@yahoo.com If you email items, please specify they are for the Newsletter. Please do not write articles on little pieces of paper or contribution envelopes, the ones that don't get lost are very hard to read. |
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From the Interim Minister
As we complete the first third of this interim year, I want to thank those I have worked with most closely.
Joe Brimmer, our maintenance person, welcomed me to First UU last May and has been a valuable comrade all these months. Wendi Winston maintains our church office, performing diverse tasks within her 16-hours-per-week schedule. Jennifer Teed, DRE, is in charge of our program for children and youth and meets with the Adult Education Committee in planning our UU University.
Todd Ballou, Music Director/Organist, and Lyle Brown, Choir Director, maintain a high standard in their leadership of our music program. These cherished colleagues--Joe, Wendi, Jennifer, Todd, and Lyle-- give the full measure of their devotion to First UU.
Please join me in thanking them for their excellent work for the UU cause.
The "voice" of First UU last April, when the church first contacted me, was that of Colleen Dolan-Greene, Moderator and Chairperson of the Interim Ministry Screening Committee. Colleen and I have worked closely ever since, on myriad tasks and lines of growth. Her long experience in organization development, much of it in academia, is a superb credential for her leadership at First UU.
Dan Secrest, a Board member, and Colleen and I constitute the Steering Committee for the three task forces--Building and Finance, Growth and Outreach, and Worship and Ministry--created by the Board in August to provide input for our strategic planning process. Dan is also chair of the Finance Committee. In this role he and others are laying the groundwork for our annual giving campaign in March.
I have contact with other members of the Board in such areas as worship, communications, adult education, and social justice.
Gwen Winston, chair, and Arlene Teed, past chair, of the Worship Committee are my closest comrades in planning the church's worship program, along with Charlotte Allen, Lay Leader Coordinator. At its meeting 4 December the Worship Committee voted to join forces with the Worship and Ministry Task Force, at least until the end of this church year.
Please join me in thanking Colleen, Dan Secrest, Gwen, Arlene, and Charlotte, among many other volunteers, for their superlative work at First UU and in the larger cause of Unitarian Universalism.
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My thanks to all of you who expressed concern about my recent auto accident in Massachusetts while on Thanksgiving holiday. I include a brief description of the incident in my Board report (posted on the Board bulletin board next to the ramp exit). Bruised ribs were my only injury, but I was shaken up. I am back at work full time and welcome your call, 313-833-9107 (church) or 313-396-5228 (home). Holiday greetings to each, to all! David.
Dear First UU Members and Friends:
May you and yours have a wonderful Holiday Season! And may the Church, its members and friends have a prosperous and healthy New Year.
The Church got a great start on a healthy New Year when twelve new members were officially welcomed on November 21. All the smiling faces on our visitors and the wonderful music they enjoyed in the sanctuary and parlor boosted the feeling of new growth potential on Noel Night December 4, 2004.
If your weren't able to make this wonderful event, mark your calendar now so you can enjoy it in 2005. This potential will be present again on December 26 when more visitors will return for the Kwanzaa Concert. I would like to encourage everyone to come and bring your friends for this wonderful jazz event.
Again, Happy Holidays!
Colleen Dolan-Greene
First UU Church of Detroit Moderator 2003-2005
The next meeting of the Women's Book Club will be on Sunday, January 9, 2004 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM in Memorial Hall. Please note date change for this meeting only. We will be discussing Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugendes. All are welcome. Contact Maria Majer at 313-899-1694 or maria_majer@yahoo.com for more information.
Choir
Our choir is open to all who enjoy singing and being with some really nice people. Rehearsals are in Memorial Hall, unless otherwise noted, and begin at 9:30 A.M. The schedule follows:
December 12, 19 with performances on the 19th and 24th (Christmas Eve)
December 26 - off
January 2, 2005 - off
January 9, 16, 23 with performance on 23rd
January 30 - off
February 6, 13, 20 with performance on 20th
February 27 - off
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Attention Lay Leaders
Will you help the Worship Committee complete its 2004-2005 Sunday Service Schedule by signing up today to serve on the Sunday (or Sundays) of your choice? The sign up sheet is posted on the bulletin board next to the memorial flowers sign up sheet. Charlotte Allen is coordinating lay leaders' activities. If you have any questions or want a little coaching - see Charlotte or Rev. Parke. Thank you
'Tis the Time for Toys and Trinkets
The sale table is back for the season, for gifts and self-gifts. Look in the corner during coffee hour, each Sunday from November 28 until New Year’s. This is a church fund-raiser; all profits go to buy things for the church that we couldn't otherwise afford.
Andee Seeger
A L S O
Beginning November 28 through December, Linda Barton and Marianna Snyder will be selling used videotapes to benefit Religious Education. Anyone else with an excess of videotapes is welcome to contribute to the sale. Tapes will sell for $1.00 each.
Eighteenth Annual Kwanzaa Jazz Concert
You are cordially invited to attend the Eighteenth Annual Kwanzaa Jazz Concert at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit on Sunday, December 26 at 4:00 P.M. The church is located at 4605 Cass Ave. at Forest in Detroit's Cultural Center. This concert has become an annual event. Each year the concert is attracting more people who love jazz.
We are very proud to again present Detroit's own world-renowned pianist Barry D. Harris. Barry has become a living jazz legend, a master of the Bebop idioms. Because of his dedication to the true art form of jazz, Barry received an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in 1995.
Featured with Barry will be the eminent saxophonist, composer, educator Donald Walden along with James Wendell Robinson on drums. Barry's long time friend, award winning jazz radio personality, Ed Love, will be the Master of Ceremony at this Eighteenth Annual Kwanzaa Jazz Concert.
The concert is a fundraiser for the church, sponsored by the Black Concerns Working Group. Donation includes an afterglow. For more information please call the church office at 313-833-9107 Monday - Friday from 9:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. or 313-869-2508 from 6:00 - 8:00 P.M.
Becoming a Member
(See Charlotte Allen if you are interested)
DRUUMM (Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries)
In 1997 a racially diverse group of approximately 30 religious professionals (ministers, religious educators, seminarians, UUA and UUSC staff) responded to the growing need to affirm and strengthen the racially diverse community within Unitarian Universalism. An organization that would bring Unitarian Universalists who are People of Color into religious community with one another was created. Today, DRUUMM members include religious professionals, adults of all ages, youth, and children. DRUUMM's mission is to provide support and advocacy for People of Color as well as leadership for creating an anti-racist Unitarian Universalist identity and practice. This is accomplished through a variety of programs, services, and relationship building. A Ministry Working Group addresses the needs of ministers and seminarians.
Specific programs and services provided by DRUUMM are an annual business meeting at General Assembly, General Assembly workshops, and social events to which all UU People of Color and their families are invited. DRUUMM also facilitates regional People of Color Gatherings in partnership with UUA staff. The DRUUMM Multiracial and Families of Color Network also provides regional events in the form of Family Retreats. Recognizing that many UU persons of color are youth and children who are bi/multiracial, or who are persons of color adopted by white parents, the Family Retreats are designed to provide programming and support for all members of these families. DRUUMM's newest program is a weekend youth conference to support and develop youth of color leadership. Held annually in late summer, this conference focuses on identity issues and other issues important to youth of color. We are a volunteer-led organization and have had several wonderful successes:
*Active Email Listserves
* Website
* Intergenerational Conference at Murray Grove, NJ
* Workshops and Networking at General Assembly
* Advocacy
* Youth and Young Adults of Color Conferences in Atlanta, Chicago and Washington DC
* Youth of Color Leadership Development Conference
We encourage you to visit our website to learn more about our organization, meet the Steering Committee, read the by-laws and sign-up online if you wish to become a dues-paying DRUUMM Member. You are also invited to renew or join anew. We are excited with the growing energy and expanding network of Persons of Color in the Unitarian Universalist Association, Canadian Unitarian Council and beyond into the International Council of Unitarian Universalists. We hope you will seriously consider becoming a dues-paying annual member of DRUUMM.
White Anti-Racist Allies/Friends of DRUUMM
DRUUMM offers programs and opportunities for people who do not identify as "people of color" - Member Allies and Friends. Examples include the DRUUMM Multiracial & Families of Color Retreats, White Youth-Young Adult Anti-Racist Identity Conferences which are held parallel (in the same location) with the DRUUMM Youth & Young Adults of Color Conference. Each DRUUMM Caucus has its own policies and activities to involve family and friends of DRUUMM Members which vary. Thank you
Charlotte Allen
Wanted
Volunteer with experience working with City of Detroit Building Inspectors to join Colleen Dolan-Greene and Earl Harvey on December 29th when our church will be inspected. The volunteer will need to assist us in knowing how to implement the results from this inspection. If you have such experience or know someone you can persuade to volunteer, please contact Colleen.
Experience Tropical Paradise
Enjoy a Bed and Breakfast experience in sunny Florida, staying with a UU host family. Call 239-561-2700 for an information packet, or check out their website hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers.
Welcome New Members
Alecia Audrey Becks
Alicia Biggers
Dan B. Fitzgerald
Kathleen S. Fitzgerald
Richard D. Jones
Erin E. Knowles
Nicole Kozub
Robert E. McCabe Jr.
James Oliver Newman
David B. Parke
T. Lenise Whitman
Robert E. Wicke
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