President’s Letter - April 2008


Dear Members and Friends,
I love being a member of this religious community, do you?

Granted, this brief period of being president has required a sharper focus than I had previously. But I still remember the day Clare and I first visited a UU church. After 5 years we came to this Fellowship and I have never looked back. We became UU’s initially to give our children a religious identity, one that fit our value system. The boys are in college and we are still here.

So we started for the religious education of our boys. I asked my 21 year old what he thought of RE, and how it helped him. Martin is certain that it helped him be the adult he is now. His interest in ethics started with RE discussions. Being in RE broadened his view of the contributions of many faiths and cultures. He was not sure what his 19 year old brother will say. Eric still reminds us of his discomfort at taking the UU course in sexuality (OWL, Our Whole Lives for 7th, 8th and 9th graders) taught by his parents! (Dr. Clare, Midwife Kathy Herron, and I will be teaching OWL again next year, you will begin to hear more in April and May.) Bottom line, the boys are doing fine, and they did RE from age 2 to 16. Not bad. And reports are that our current RE program is nurturing a fine group of value-driven young adults. Be sure to congratulate our current teachers, our RE Committee and RE Director. They hold our future in their service.

And then there is the worship. Reverend Jim, the music, the hymns, the community. It is where I need to be on a Sunday morning. Today (3/23), Easter Sunday, Rev. Jim talked about Hope. In his inimitable way I heard reference to all that we do and all that we hope to be at this little fellowship in Croton. Erika and Spirits lifted me up. I know we are not supposed to clap in a religious service, but it was so hard to resist acknowledging the seemingly magic way their voices blend and take me to a spiritual place.

Speaking of “Spirits in Harmony”, I hope you came to their concert on March 15; it was beyond our (high) expectations. Entertaining, uplifting, awesome! I have spoken to enough of the Spirits to know that there is a lot of practice and preparations to bring us their Sunday performances. I cannot fathom how much time they put in prior to the concert. And we need to thank more than these wonderful vocalists directed by Roberta Kosse. The Fundraising Committee, chaired by Ginny Stillman, the donors of the auctioned items, and the Buildings and Grounds Committee members. What collaboration! What a great evening! And we raised more than planned. And what did Ginny and company say? We have more work to do on this building! (You see, all proceeds from Fundraising goes to the maintenance and improvement of our building and grounds.)

And if you like the music, we can have even more. If we raise more money in the annual pledge drive and if the congregation approves funding for a part-time music minister, there can be even more singing for all: In RE, during the week and on Sundays. This is called “music ministry” and we got some exposure to the potential when the singers from the UU church in Westport entertained us on February 3rd. Is it worth the money? We get to decide.

The Green Sanctuary Global Warming class is fully enrolled and the participants are enthusiastic. And now we have begun composting much of our kitchen waste right outside our kitchen. If we learn environmental responsibility at all levels, we will bring such practices into the mainstream! And have you noticed all the “green” in our “sanctuary”? Erika Schenker announced with pride and appreciation all the individual donors who made this possible.

Social Events hosted a family game night that participants declared to be both fun and a wonderful opportunity to get to better know some fellow congregants. Social Action continues to serve the surrounding community. Monthly they prepare a midday dinner for a hundred residents of the local shelter (Susan Peter coordinates); second collections go to programs that support some special programs we could not otherwise reach (Bearni Croft coordinates). And, coming on Social Action Sunday, will be guidance for those that want to be allies of GLBTs. Learn how to support your loved ones as well as how to take an appropriate role in those awkward/embarrassing/revolting moments when anti-gay words or behaviors need a response. Mark your calendars, Sunday April 27, 9 and 11am. Lastly, Social Action hosted a “community dialogue” on safety in our neighborhoods. On Thursday, March 27th Town officials, police and neighbors came together in our sanctuary to talk about the recent abduction and sexual assault in our neighborhood, while we learn what to do individually and as a community to make this a safer area for all. This is a bold new role that I am proud to say was put forward by Social Action and supported by the Board. We have much to discuss about our evolving role in the community.

Does all this enhance the experience of a “beloved community”? I hope so. So much going on… I hope there is something sufficiently alluring to draw you in. I love being a member of this religious community. I hope you do too.

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