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First Unitarian Universalist
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First Unitarian Universalist
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Drew's Views
Canvass
Membership Committee
Social Justice
Congregational Meeting
Viola Liuzzo Travelling Exhibit
Calling All Card Players
May Birthdays
It's April by Lee Thume
But...It's April by Lee Thume
Organ Evaluation
I write this week from Chicago, on my way to Seattle. We enjoyed another fine day at church today (I hope you were there!). In addition to the service, which included fine music from Gwen Foss and the choir and from Todd Ballou, people enjoyed an abundance of food and conversations that were quite active when I left for the airport. Even before the service, I enjoyed seeing many people doing the many jobs it takes to get ready for the day.
When I get to church most Sundays the choir is practicing (I suspect they would welcome you if you want to sing); there is always activity in the kitchen, on a potluck Sunday many people stop in with the food they brought to share and Leonard Swint is extra busy taking care of business. In the sanctuary Eiko Takemoto is almost always busy arranging flowers and making sure things are set up just right. The team of ushers for the day takes care of their tasks outside my view, but they are always there.
Most Sundays Dan Wiest is there early opening the doors that need opening, making sure the heat is set, helping set up things for coffee hour, and in his spare time taking care of business as our treasurer. And every week there is a rotating cast of folks who have shown up early to help in one way or another. It is truly a joy to witness people participating in the life of the church, helping with our most public and most central event – our time together on Sundays. If you want to be a part of helping things happen at church, I am certain there is a place for you too!
Some of the Sunday activities are visible; much of the work of church is less obvious. Not everyone knows about Dan Kosmowski, for example. Dan moved into the third floor apartment of the church house a few years ago while finishing his degree at Wayne State. During his time here he changed the culture of the congregation in many ways and took care of much of the less visible tasks of keeping things running. We can be glad that he is interested in old buildings, and we benefited from that interest. Dan is moving on at the end of April, and it will probably take us a while to discover what we now need to do for ourselves! I see that as another opportunity for folks to pitch in.
All of the work we do here is important, because what we do as a congregation can make a difference in people’s lives. The healthier we are as a church, the more able we are to make a difference, so if you want to join in at the work of taking care of business, step right up! In fact, if you like to see immediate results from your efforts, watch for news about the May Clean Up/Fix Up day at church – I see it on the calendar for the second Saturday. See you in church!
~ Reverend
Drew
Drew did it again! I was searching for a theme for my canvass message and I once more found it in Drew’s sermon. He talked about how things change…the daffodils that looked dead in last week's cold have revived…and most of us have completed our yearly visit with the IRS. So it is a time of great hope and time to say a radical yes…to life, to relationships and to your canvasser.
We have told him in our recent conversations that we have a dream: a thriving church that is a much-needed voice in our city, state and nation. So say yes generously when a canvasser calls. Or if you really want to be radical, don’t wait, simply phone Nora Holt at 248-356-5849 with your pledge. Of course you’ll make it as generous as possible. As Drew concluded on Sunday…”Say yes with me and we will all be stronger….”.
~ Al Acker
I am planning a fundraising event at the Detroit Reparatory Theater on Saturday, June 2 at 3P.M. followed by dinner at the Traffic Jam. The play is LAPSES by Dan Aibel. Tickets are $15 with $5 going to the church. I will be selling tickets during coffee hour.
Also, I am celebrating a milestone birthday on June 3rd and instead of the party my family wanted to have I am asking everyone to walk with me and friends and family at the Mutt March and enjoy pizza and beverages afterward at the Edsel Ford Estate on Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Point Shores. The march takes place at 8:30 A.M. so there is plenty of time to get to church. If you have an Entertainment Book, there is a coupon for you and a guest to tour the Estate. The grounds are very beautiful and there are plenty of places to sit and look at the surroundings if you don’t want to participate in the March. For more information see me -- 313-882-7775 or margretbeck@comcast.net.
~ Margaret Beck
What’s happening with Social Justice Committee? The Social Justice Committee is charged with social justice activity in the name of 1st UU Church of Detroit. As each of us are busy with our individual and collective efforts, we wanted to share with the congregation what is shared at the Board meetings and how we can support this committee.
We have proposed that our congregation work through MOSES and MUUSJN to link you, our members to social justice issues that relate back to our UU 7 principles. Working with these two organizations allows you to be active while minimizing the workload of each of us. In other words, connect with these groups and grow our social justice activities as we build our future. Why these two groups? Each group offers excellent leadership and activism training as well as ideal alignment with our principles. They provide organized events and actions for our congregation to act as the community of 1st UU Detroit. Of course, you are always encouraged to participate in causes that are keen to you, as individuals.
We also proposed our MOSES core team maintain the “Social Justice” portion of the bulletin board in McCollester Hall by outlining the 7 principles and provide action items from either MOSES or MUUSJN/UUSC for any specific principle. This will help visually map our actions with our principles as a community. Look for updates!
A new incarnation of Students for a democratic Society (SDS) is having an event at Wayne State over the last weekend of July. First UU has been approached as a possible boarding site for 50 – 100 activists. Besides being a cool thing to do, this would be a good opportunity to extend outreach to WSU. If you would be interested in joining our exploratory committee for this, please contact Dan Weist, Athena Kolbe or Alicia Biggers. For more information on SDS check out the April issue of The Nation magazine or www.thenation.com and a mention of our own Carmen Mendoza-King
The meeting for congregational input to the 2007 – 2008 budget has been postponed until Sunday, April 29 after coffee hour.
Viola Liuzzo, An Exemplary Woman in Extraordinary Times traveling exhibit, presented by Davenport University, will be at First Church from May 4-15th.
This special exhibit features the story of Viola Liuzzo, a thirty-nine year old Detroiter and mother of five, who was killed by segregationists during the Civil Rights movement. Throughout her life, Liuzzo demonstrated personal commitment to civil rights causes and she also was motivated to act by her affiliation with the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit.
Her story has been a source of inspiration for many, both regionally and nationally. Following a nomination letter written by Davenport University faculty and students, Liuzzo was inducted in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in October 2006. The exhibit is a collaborative work of many Davenport University students with support and guidance from faculty. The exhibit is partially funded by a "Strengthening Michigan Communities Through the Humanities" grant from the Michigan Humanities Council. More details will follow.
Dody Brodersen and Faye Colling are looking for Bridge or Pinochle players to get together on the first Sunday of each month following coffee hour beginning May 6. Remember…”Tis said crossword puzzles and Bridge (Pinochle) help to keep your brain sharp”. For more information see Faye or Dody during coffee hour.
| Date | Celebrant | Date | Celebrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Mary Lou Malone | 11 | Joe Brimmer |
| 7 | Alma King | 16 | Rick Robinson |
| 8 | Jerry Mitchell | 17 | Andee Seeger |
| 9 | Patricia Wilkie-Adcock | 29 | Valerie Lauer |
Ed. Note…If you haven't seen your birthday listed it's because I don't have it. If you would like to be included in our birthday list please leave your name along with the month and date - year not necessary - of your birthday and leave it in the Newsletter box located outside the church office.
by Lee Thume
Our Mood is hilarious; We feel so gregarious;
Our goals? Multifarious;
It's April!
No building can cage us; We'll do
the outrageous;
Our joy is contagious:
It's April!
I could dance; I could sing; I could tackle most any old thing;
This is Life; this is Spring; What a wonderful thing,
it's April!
The whole world is aglow; All of nature is starting to grow,
And the birds singing so, That the whole world may know
it's April!
All Life is surging anew; Like the
sunshine, our dreams peeping through.
There'll be chill; there'll be rain, That the Earth in its splendor can
bloom once again
I could laugh; I could cry. If I only had wings I could fly.
I have joy that won't slip away right away; I have all Life can offer today,
And when April is done, there'll be May! What more can I say? It's April! Lovely April!
It's April!
by Lee Thume
So, expect the unexpected; this is Michigan, you know,
Where Spring is known to come in late to do her show.
But when she comes, she’ll be more fair,
With all her dazzling gifts to share:
Vivid colors, rain and sunshine, birds and flowers, balmy air.
So what if Winter needs his final say before he goes;
Just a few more chilly nights, a few more snows!
Though unpopular right now,
We must thank him anyhow
For that moisture that’s required to get earth ready for the plow.
But it’s April now; it’s Spring, yet we’re still wearing
winter coats
And we’ve yet to hear the Robin’s joyful notes.
If we want a taste of Spring,
Then together we must bring
All our longing, love, and laughter plus some wild imagining.
With this light and warmth we kindle, we can sing in our own Spring!
As you know, our Skinner organ has passed its 90-year anniversary, and to most observers must be considered in an excellent state of restoration! Most organs require a restoration after about 50 years! Within the last two decades, our organ has had some important restoration completed that has allowed it to stay operational. Most of the bellows have been re-leathered and some major repairs have been done on the blower.
I occasionally do a complete evaluation of the organ to help identify potential repairs for our organ technician, Ken Holden. We are monitoring two specific areas that are common problems for old organs: our un-restored console (the keyboard, pedals, and mess of wires inside) and the tiny “primary” leather pouches that serve pipes not located on a main bellows, which have not been restored. If you ask me, they should be called “secondaries” but they didn’t ask me. I understand that Skinner used “state of the art” mercury-cured leather that lasts longer than other types of leather at the time. I bet the same cannot be said of Skinner’s leather workers.
For those who are interested, here’s a quick summary of the completely dead notes in 2003 and in 2007. They can be caused by a number of problems, including a bad key contact at the console, wiring problems, leather problems, or pipe problems. Occasionally the same problem can take out a series of notes. Also, some pipes are shared by more than one division, and a dead note can show up twice. If you'd like to see the complete report, please take a look at this spreadsheet on our website.
Dead notes:
Pedal Division – 30 in 2003, 26 in 2007
Swell Division – 3 in 2003, 4 in 2007
Choir Division – 2 in 2003, 4 in 2007
Solo Division – 14 in 2003, 16 in 2007
Echo Divisions – 20 in 2003, 30 in 2007
I also check 22 separate couplers, which can have problems of their own. These buttons allow pipes to be played by more than one keyboard, or in more than one octave. Most notably, the evaluation in 2003 identified 7 dead connections in the Swell 4 coupler, a button that adds an upper octave to the Swell Division. This problem unfortunately affected all 18 ranks of pipes in the Swell Division. Since then, a miracle occurred, and all of those problems no longer exist. Recently, I’ve identified only 1 isolated problem with this coupler affecting the Flugel Horn.
Only a few parts of our organ are completely non-functional. Our organ has two “harp” ranks located in the Choir Division, which are actually metal bars hit by mallets. The harp ranks have been non-functioning for the past 4 years or more. Also, the organ has 4 separate trembolos, which provide a vibrato to the organ tone much like orchestral instruments or a voice would have. All of these are non-functional except for the Echo trembolo, which is still wavering after 90 years!
In the next few months, I will be working with Ken Holden to see what repairs are possible, and offering additional organ tours. I always like talking about our organ, and invite you to contact me at trballou@comcast.net.
