President’s Letter — January 2007

Dear Members and Friends,

Welcome to 2007

What does it mean for you to start a new year? Is it a fresh start or just a mechanical shift from dating documents “December”, to now “January”? Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you reflect on the last year, or just move on?

I continue to be extremely busy, and I know many of you reading this are in the same mode. I would like to think of myself as somewhat introspective, but, honestly, I am usually in more forward motion than retrospective.

Something has changed for me and it has a lot to do with our Fellowship.
Everyone comes to the Fellowship with needs. For some it is a brief reprieve from a hectic life, others arrive with a raw painful injury, having tried emotional band-aids without success. The examples range with the number of people who come to this Fellowship. We have something very special to offer. And it is yours for the taking. Let me share some of the recent experiences that have made me pause, reflect, and ponder 2007 and beyond.

On Saturday evening, December 9th, I sat in the sanctuary with about 30 members of the Fellowship and about 30 visitors to watch a movie entitled, “Paradise Now”. It is a story primarily about two Palestinian young men who were recruited for a suicide attack on Tel Aviv. I was unable to discuss my experience for 48 hours. Questions were asked from the audience, and thoughtfully addressed. I now feel qualified to use the word “oppression” in my vocabulary and have the strongest sense that understanding the Middle East conflict is important UU work. What we learn can apply to many conflicts. Think about Iraq, Darfur, and the unenfranchised here in the USA. Thank you Social Concerns, Middle East Education Initiative, Michelle Celarier and Lucinda Manning.

Our Fellowship has had a Men’s Group for over six years. We continue to welcome new members.

Recently we decided to become a Community Circle. Our tradition continues, but the impact of the meetings has changed profoundly. The format helps us to make the hour special, to talk about joys and sorrows, fears and trepidations. We can support one another in dealing with life’s challenges. I get to sit in a room with men who share my values, and are willing to listen as each tells his personal story. This isn’t therapy, but it is very powerful. Last Thursday when I tried to share how important this group had become to me, I was accused of “wimping out on them”. How utterly masculine. I love them anyway.

In December I was able to sit in on a meeting chaired by Dave Morkal, our Past President. He was joined by the chairs of our ten standing committees. Let me share a secret with you. These people and the members of their committees deserve the real credit for the work of this Fellowship. Despite the obvious gravity of their work, the dominant feelings in the room were passion, commitment, necessity, and purposefulness. I was impressed by their creativity and curiosity and most important; their desire to collaborate. This month you will be given the opportunity to learn more about the work of these committees. You will be invited to share your talents, or to join with them and develop new talents. This will be an important opportunity for you to be more than a Sunday consumer, but rather an owner of this incredible community.

The last several months I have written about the most important first step in a successful congregation, being truly welcoming. For us the symbol of the blue mug identifies visitors who need to be welcomed. Blue mug bearer or not, each of us has days when we desperately need to be welcomed. With a little initiative, members can join a committee or a community circle or attend an event of Social Concerns or Social Events. Many of the people on these committees are very busy and tired at the end of long work days. Some of you may need some help to join in and become owners of this Fellowship. Consider this to be your invitation.

Make 2007 the year you increased your involvement in this Welcoming Community!

The light is on, the door is open, Please come in, we have much warmth to share.

Eddy Fried

President of the Board of Trustees