196 Elm Street (the corner of Church & Elm), PO Box 850219, Braintree, MA 02185

May 2008

Upcoming Worship

5/4 Sermon Title: Credo Service

5/11 Sermon Title: My Mother

5/18 Sermon Title: Children’s Worship and Recognition Sunday

5/25 Sermon Title: Memorial Day

Committee News & Meetings

The Board of Trustees, the governing body of All Souls Church, meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Parish Hall. Next meeting is May 20^th. Please get agenda items to Mark Sullivan, Board Chair, at least one week before.

The Membership Committee meets the first Monday of each month at 7:30 pm in the Elliott Room. Next meeting is on May 5th. Any questions please see Rick Anderson.

The Building & Grounds Committee has not announced its regular meeting date. Please speak with John Cobble. Please sign up on the volunteer assistance sheets located in the Parish Hall.

The Worship & Music Committee – Please speak with Don Swanson for any questions.

The Social Action & Environmental Committee. This group will meet Tuesday, May 13^th at 7:30PM.

Please speak with Mary Mitchell or Diana Althouse, Co-Chairs, if you have any questions.

The Development Committee has not announced its regular meeting date. Please speak with Sal Vento.

Religious Education Committee –Sunday, May 4^th at Noon. Please speak with Carolee Fogg.

The Committee on Ministry has not announced its regular meeting date. Please speak with Rev. Ross.

The Committee on Finance has not announced its regular date. Please speak with Andy Pearce.

Coffee & Conversation – No date scheduled for May.

Buddhist Reflections – This group will meet Tuesday, May 27th at 7PM

Religious Education Happenings

There have been so many activities and helping hands to be appreciated from the past month. Melanie Bates, Emily Cain, Julie Hong, Sarah and Jessica Ellstrom helped prepare and deliver lunches to the Habitat for Humanity work site. Sarah and Jessica Ellstrom also joined with the Kingston Youth Group in Duxbury to help set up and prepare lunch for the World Water Day Event in Duxbury. Thank you to Jonathan and Jackie Flynn, Sarah and Jessica Ellstrom, Jeremy and Jessica Coco, Julie Hong and Andy Poole for the yard clean up and planting during the two days we spent outside. We had great kitchen fun creating our contribution to the luncheon for our guests from Mi Cometa, thank you Jessica and Sarah Ellstrom, Julie Hong and Jessica Coco.

The game that our friends from Mi Cometa taught us during the Story for All Ages and the gift they brought to our children will be fond reminders of our connection to this Social Justice work we support through the UU Service Committee. Thank you to Mary Mitchell and the Social Action / Environmental Committee for arranging their visit.

The month of May proves to be just as busy and fun. We have some exciting events to prepare so we will need all hands on deck each Sunday! We will come together to create some end of the year celebrations so come and share our ideas.

May 11 - Mother’s Day Brunch, Children and Youth with advisors will prepare and serve a special coffee hour treat.

May 18 - Children and Religious Education Recognition Worship Service. This is our annual opportunity to recognize our children and youth as well as the volunteer energy that is necessary for a safe and fun experience.

The next RE Committee meeting will be May 4^th at noon. All are welcome.

Carolee Fogg, DRE

Maureen Ellstrom and Angeline Graham, RE Committee Co-Chairs

Expressions of Gratitude

Linda Coco with Jeremy and Jessica share their family ritual, and a way for expressing gratitude. Each night as Linda tucks them into bed she shares her happy thought for the day. Routinely this is the happiness they bring to her. They are encouraged to each share something from that day that is their happy thought. For a moment they have an opportunity to reflect on the day and let one happening, big or small, silly or serious be a bright memory. Jessica and Jeremy are recognized as being a source of happiness and their thoughts are respectfully heard . . . silly or serious.

We have been gradually collecting “Expressions of Gratitude” from members and friends at All Souls as a project begun early in the year. If you have a practice or way in which you feel is an expression of gratitude for you, please share it with us by leaving it in the church office or giving it to an RE committee member - thank you.

Membership Committee

Save the date – Potluck supper on Saturday, May 24^th at 6PM

Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 31^st, 9 AM-2 PM for our Flea Market – Start gathering your treasures now – Give new meaning to your spring cleaning chores this year. You can bring your items to the church Wed., 5/28, Thurs., 5/29 & Fri., 5/30 at 7PM. To rent a table space is $20.00. Please remember no clothes or books. We also need people to sort & price items on those evenings & to work at the Flea Market on Saturday. See Rick Anderson for details.

“Depression & Other Related Issues”. The group meets every 1^st & 3^rd Wednesday at 7:30 PM-9:30 PM in the parish Hall. Please see Rick.

May 2008

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

4/27

4/28

4/29

4/30

5/1

6:30 PM Yoga

7:30 PM Gay Men’s Discussion Group

5/2

5/3

5/4

Noon: Budget Hearing (Sanctuary)

5/5

7:30 PM

Membership

Committee

5/6

5/7

7:30-9:30 PM

Depression Group

(Parish Hall)

5/8

6:30 PM Yoga

7:30 PM Gay Men’s Discussion Group

5/9

5/10

5/11

Noon: Prayer Group

5/12

5/13

7:30 PM Social Action/ Environmental Committee

5/14

5/15

6:30 PM Yoga

7:30 PM Gay Men’s Discussion Group

5/16

5/17

5/18

Chimes Deadline

Noon: Budget Hearing (Sanctuary)

5/19

5/20

7 PM Board Meeting

5/21

7:30-9:30PM

Depression Group

(Parish Hall)

5/22

6:30 PM Yoga

7:30 PM Gay Men’s Discussion Group

5/23

5/24

Potluck 6PM

5/25

5/26

Memorial Day

5/27

7 PM Buddhist Reflections

5/28

5/29

6:30 PM Yoga

7:30 PM Gay Men’s Discussion Group

5/30

5/31

9 AM-2PM Flea Market

Office Hours Tuesday & Thursday mornings 9AM-Noon

Social Action/Environmental Committee Notes – May 2008

"... we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered... America, the richest, most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values."
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (Riverside Church, 1968)

Quoted by United for a Fair Economy website ( www.faireconomy.org )

Green Tip – Donate your good, usable, but-no-longer-wanted stuff to All Souls Church for the

Yard Sale on Saturday, May 31, 9 am – 2 pm.

Drop CLEANED items at the church Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings on the week prior to the sale.

This is a great way to reduce the amount of stuff taking up space in our landfills!

The Growing Divide: Inequality and the Roots of Economic Insecurity” – Saturday, May 3,

2 PM – 4 PM. Thayer Public Library, 798 Washington Street, Braintree, MA 02184. This workshop will review recent trends in income and wealth distribution; examine policies that fuel inequality; and present a range of strategic initiatives to reverse the growing gap between the rich and everyone else. Presented by Jeannette Huezo, Education Coordinator of United for a Fair Economy ( www.faireconomy.org ). Two of our Unitarian Universalist neighbors, First Parish Milton and United First Parish Quincy are joining us as hosts. Each congregation is hoping to send ten participants. Lisa Nelson, a past participant and Executive Director of the Center for Popular Economics writes about this workshop, “One of the most accessible and compelling presentations about wealth and income distribution I have ever seen.” … It presents “the hard reality of our current economic situation without making you feel beaten down. With humor, determination, and concrete ideas for progressive change, The Growing Divide workshop has helped inspire me toward personal and political action once again.” Free. Donations will be accepted to provide the speaker’s fee.

Monday, May 19th - 7:00 P.M. Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston. Organizational Meeting for the Boston Chapter of the Gray Panthers. Get in on the ground floor of this unique organization which advocates for justice in a variety of areas and includes members of all ages. The Social Justice/Environmental Committee at All Souls hosted Gray Panthers representative, Justin Dobbs, at its February meeting and has discovered common interests in promoting peace and economic justice. For more information, contact Marge Kearns or visit www.graypanthers.org.

Equal Exchange Coffee.

All Souls Church continues to serve fair trade coffee distributed by Equal Exchange at our coffee hours. Fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate are also offered for sale at this time. The products are delicious, good for the environment, and provide a living wage for growers around the world. A small profit is received both by All Souls and by the UUSC’s Small Farmer Fund with every sale. See Marge Kearns after worship to purchase these products.

Next Meeting of the Social Action/Environmental Committee: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 -

7:30 P.M. All are welcome!

MAY EVENTS OF INTEREST IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

Sunday, May 4, 7 PM. - Fogg Lecture Series at First Parish Church of Norwell, 24 River Street, Norwell 02061. Lecture and book signing for author Eve LaPlante's new book, Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentence of Samuel Sewall. Free. See www.firstparishnorwell.org for more information.

Saturday, May 10, 2008 – Save the World – The Second Annual Global Climate Change Summit - 9:00 – 3:30 - - MIT – Stata Center. Sponsored by the Boston Latin School Youth Climate Action Network in Partnership with the Technology & Culture Forum at MIT. Register at http://www.blsyouthcan.org

Diane DeVanna Center

Thank you everyone who helped make our 10th annual fundraising pasta dinner a success. We raised nearly $500 for the Center. A special thanks to Dot McCafferty, Andrea Lee, John Cobble, Joe Maloney, Mark Sullivan, Justin and Katie Weitbrecht and to all of our brownie bakers. Last week we were given a list of volunteer jobs as well as items needed by the DeVanna Center. This wish list will be available at church.

Mary Mitchell and Diana Althouse; Co-Chairs of Social Action/Environmental Comm.

HELP THE DEVANNA CENTER

If you make "Goodsearch.com" your home page, every time you search the internet (you don't even have to buy anything) about 1 cent can go to the Dianne DeVanna Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect! Just click on "Start", "Control Panel", "Internet Options", the "General " tab and type the following into the Home Page address: http://www.goodsearch.com exit out and go into the internet and goodsearch will come up as your search engine then put Dianne DeVanna Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect in the space where it asks who do you goodsearch for. It is a free and easy way to help the center. Any questions please call Diana Althouse

Notes from the Board of Trustees

Each year All Souls makes a “Fair Share” contribution to help provide for the cost of the services available to us from the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Ballou Channing District. The “Fair Share” cost for this year is $72 per member. Any contribution you can make to help meet the per member cost this year would be greatly appreciated. Please make your check payable to All Souls Church, and clearly mark it as a “Fair Share Contribution.” Thank you for your co-operation and generosity in support of the UUA and the Ballou Channing District.

Raise the Roof! Make a Joyful Noise!

For the first time in a long time, come join other New England UU’s in a Unitarian Universalist Revival on Saturday May 17, 2008 from 10 am-3 pm at the Canton UU Church in Canton, MA. This event, sponsored by the Ballou Channing and Mass Bay Districts, will feature great preaching, great music, great food, RE activities for kids and discussion groups. For a schedule of the big day’s events and to register, go to www.bcduua.org.