Northern Light

The North Unitarian Universalist Congregation Newsletter

February 2008

Page 1

This kind and gentle congregation has held me in its caring embrace while I have gone through several spiritual transformations…the most dramatic of which involves my developing attitude towards Martha Stewart. I am humiliated to say that once I poked gentle fun at Martha during a Christmas sermon—suggesting that her modeling of perfectionism was not helpful for mere mortals who just needed to survive the holidays. Her gingerbread replica of her own home was over the top. But over the years, I have changed. Middle age has domesticized me, and now I realize that while I will always fall short of the mark, I would indeed love to be a Domestic Goddess. And then there was my huge and foolish project: the summer vacation I spent building a brick sidewalk for the front of the house, the easiest part of which involved hand carrying the (literally) tons of gravel, sand, and bricks up the steep driveway. Only in Martha’s magazine did I find instructions on how to do this work relevant to me as a rank amateur and as woman. Martha’s women may still be undertaking their work primarily within the home, but now we are doing so with power drills, messy construction materials, and serious bicep-building labor. I was grateful to Martha even as she went through her insider trading problem—the truth of the matter is no celebrity has ever served time in a classier way than Martha. So, now I pass on to you a suggestion from her January magazine that is not only fun, but good for the environment. Did you know the average American gets over 41 pounds of junk mail a year? I’m sure we recycle a lot of that, but how much better to cut it off at its source. With a few stops at a few internet sites, you can put an end to most of that waste. Check out www.optoutprescreen.com to stop getting those ridiculous unsolicited credit card and insurance offers. Visit www.dmachoiceorg/mps to get off most direct mail lists, and www.coxtarget.com/mailsuprresion/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm takes the Valpack coupons out of your life. Cancel unwanted catalogs at www.catalogchoice.org. OR, you can just make one visit to www.41pounds.org, and pay a fee of $41 for them to cover all of the bases for you and your household for five years. Part of that fee can be directed as a donation to an environmental group. I had a great time removing myself from the junk mail lists this New Year’s day. Not only is it a good thing to do for the environment, but it gave me the illusion that I get from a lot of Martha projects: the notion that I might actually have some control over my own life. To Life! Rev. Susan Ritchie

Worship Schedule Feb. 3 Another Possibility. Why living fully asks us to embrace that which is literally unthinkable. Feb. 10 The Half Life of Sin: What Goes Around Comes Around. Does what you put out in the universe really come back to you? How the principle of karma, like Universalism, is more about forgiveness than punishment. Feb. 17 Jim Dunn speaks on Buddhist teaching and practice. Feb. 24 Recommended Reading. 19^th Century Unitarians shocked many Americans by equating literature and scripture. How we too can benefit by looking through the world with a literary eye. March 2 Commissioned Lay Leader Teri Cornell offers a service on accepting brokenness.  Religious Education Topics in the Explorers Class Feb. 3 Children start off in main worship today for the dedication of Miryam Carreno, and then go to Nielsen House for Children’s Chapel led by the Youth Group. Feb. 10 Cain and Abel…what happens when someone does something bad? Feb. 17 Who was Jesus, really? Feb. 24 What did Jesus teach, really? March 2 Jesus as social revolutionary. Also in this issue Page 2  Events & Activities.  Find out what's happening this Month! From the Committees and Board.  Page 3 News from the Board and Committees Page 4 A Call to Action!  See how you can support your congregation and your world!