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From The Pastor's Study Eric Kelley "We Need You!!" The summer of 2005 will go down for me as the summer of the big read. After adjusting to the fact that a ruptured bicep is not something one bounces back from but requires months of healing, I decided to make the best of my time. The Chicken Soup books might say, "If you are given a lemon make lemonade." Well, I did. Of course you will be hearing reflections from my reading in many sermons, but here I want to tell you about the most important book I read. Interestingly enough it is a book I read for the first time over twenty five years ago. It’s interesting how differently the book impacts one at age thirty-five and age sixty-one. It has a lot to do with the perception that a thirty-five-year-old has forever to live while a sixty-one-year-old is hoping for twenty-five more years of reasonable productivity. The book is The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker, published in 1973 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974. It is a powerful book which helps one to look at the meaning of human life through the insights of the author, with his masterful synthesis of the works of some of the greatest thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. At times the book may seem hard and cruel but that is because it is truthful. Wars and rumors of wars mercilessly rip away human life, innocent people suffer, injustice seems to be the rule, and Mother Nature (Katrina & Rita) has nothing to do with the Walt Disney version of life. All of humanity has developed countless mechanisms in every culture to deny this truth because it is too painful to face. Bill Gates, in addressing a high school group, spoke of eleven rules about life they did not and will not learn in school. He talked about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality. Rule number one is, "Life is not fair – get used to it!" However you regard Bill Gates, he says things we should listen to and his rules of life are a kick in the pants for any of us. Becker makes it clear that it is in the facing of the uncomfortable truths of life that we may come to a place of the acceptance of reality in such a way that we know the meaning of inner peace. It is indeed liberating to be able live comfortably without simplistic answers to complex questions. It is most liberating to live with the questions that fire the imagination and give vitality to existence. If any of you out there in newsletter land would like to devote an evening together discussing this book I would be delighted to spend that time with you. Blessings to you in this wonderfully amazing journey where the questions we raise are always more important that the partial answers that leave us hungry. Blessings to you all, Eric
 Spiritual Growth and Committees Ted Malette "Every time I feel the spirit moving in my soul I will pray..." Recently I had a conversation with a member of our church family that was both troubling and thought provoking. That person told me that they came to Williston West for spiritual reasons and that for a time the spiritual needs were fulfilled but for them things had changed. The member told me that their committee work was overshadowing the spirit, and that withdrawing from committee work seemed to be the only answer. As a congregational church, we are for the most part the masters of our destiny. We, as members, are responsible for all aspects of church life. We need to raise the money to pay our staff, heat and maintain our building and do all the things that make us the unique small urban church that we are. We govern ourselves through our committees and our council. The role of each of our committees and boards is essential to a positive church experience at Williston West. There is no spiritual life at Williston West without the valued work of each member. No board or committee is superfluous. All are essential to the life of our church. The work of each member is also essential. We ask each of our committees to begin their meetings with a prayer. We do this because it is important to recognize that our work is part of the spirit of God. We not only ask for God’s help in making the right choices for Williston West but also to help our committee members feel God’s spirit in their volunteer work. Our church experience must be more than Sunday morning or we will fail to survive as a family. We are the sum of all of our parts, and your contribution is valued at every level. If you are on one of our boards or committees, please continue to do your part. Show up for the meetings and enjoy the fellowship that comes from doing the work of God. If you are not active, please find the time; we need you. Your ideas are fresh. Your spirit will be filled with the spirit of God, your faith family will be richer, and so will you! In closing, I ask you to dig deeper into your life’s journey and share more with us. Make time for God in all you do, at home, at work, in the community and at Williston West.  Upcoming Speakers Tanya Anderson The Deacons are hosting several exciting programs this fall!! First, we are co-hosting with Faith in Action a speaker, Marvin Ellison. He will be speaking about Homosexuality, the Bible, and same-gender marriage. The program is set for October 14, 2005 and promises to be enlightening. You can read more about this topic in Sam Saltonstall’s article in this edition of the Newsletter and listen for more to come! The second program that we are featuring is one that will be conducted by Eric Kelley. As you may know, Eric completed his doctoral program in psychology. He will lead a study regarding psychological development and theology. Look for more to come in the next few weeks about the topic and dates! Finally, the Deacons are hosting a Comparative Religion Program on October 20, October 27, November 3, November 10, and November 17, 2005. These are each consecutive Thursday evenings and the program will be from 7:00pm – 8:30pm each night. The program is designed to provide a high level understanding of various religions or denominations. The representatives are as follows:
Each speaker will present information about his religious affiliation such as background/history, basic tenets of their faith, sacraments/rituals, and other important religious information. There will be time for question and answer sessions following the presentations and refreshments thereafter, all between 7:00 and 8:30 pm each evening. Please feel free to invite friends and extended family to the Comparative Religion Program. We are opening the presentations to the public and hope to draw a variety of people from the community!!! Our focus is to provide a variety of educational, interesting, and faith-based programs that will inspire you and make you think!!! We encourage you to participate in these events as they are organized and presented with you in mind! We also want to be visible in the community and be the welcoming congregation that we aspire and work to be! - Tanya Anderson Head Start Re-authorization Judy Reidt-Parker The Head Start funding bill is scheduled to be re-authorized every five years. It was due for re-authorization in 2001, and the Congress has yet to arrive at agreement for this funding. Head Start, as many of you know, is the federal early intervention and child development program for families living at or below the poverty line. As a Head Start Director, I see this program also as an economic development program. We often hire parents for jobs in our program, ranging from food service, to assisting in the classroom, to clerical supports for the administration of the program. We take the charge of helping families move to self-sufficiency very seriously, and I know that is not unique to our Head Start program, but this value placed on supporting families out of poverty is prevalent with all Head Start grantees. How that is accomplished does look different from program to program. The House of Representatives has before them this month their version of the new Head Start re-authorization. There is one amendment that is particularly challenging. This is an amendment that would allow Head Start programs to use religious belief/practice as grounds for not hiring someone. This same amendment will next find its way into the Senate version of Head Start reauthorization. My experience in working with adults living in poverty is that either their faith in God is awe inspiring or they have very little faith in anything. Perhaps that true in other economic status groups, but I don’t know. How that faith is expressed is not solely limited to Judeo-Christian paths. We employ a number of Muslim women and men who seek a prayer space for each day, and do not work during the Islamic holidays, but do work when others are celebrating their religious holidays. It is not always easy to assure staff coverage, but it generates rich and productive conversations between staff, children and families. And our staff is culturally representative of the children we serve. If Head Start programs have the option to ignore the federal employment rights laws, it will be the children in their community who will suffer. I find this amendment reprehensible as it will in effect disallow a number of parents from job opportunities. If you feel the same, I would encourage you to call your Congressional delegation and express that opinion. Farm Worker Food Drive Barbara Ginley As autumn has officially arrived and the harvest season is in full swing, it is fitting that the Williston-West community will continue its food drive for migrant farm workers and their families. Over the past three summers the Williston West congregation’s contributions has insured that the Maine Migrant Health Program (MMHP) is able to meet basic needs amongst migrant and seasonal farm workers. The food collected through the end of this year at Williston-West will be distributed through worker camps for both the apple harvest and the Christmas wreath-making season. Many of the farmworkers and their families have expended all of their financial resources to make it to Maine. As in the past, the Williston-West Missions Committee will be collecting non-perishable foods. Our request list varies slightly, as the apple harvest is made up of a diverse population of workers: Latinos, Haitians, and Jamaicans. In many instances these are foods that are more culturally acceptable and familiar, and therefore easier for workers to prepare. Our wish list includes: bags of red beans (pinto), bags of rice, tea, as well as canned fruits, and soups. On behalf of the MMHP, I am incredibly grateful to all of you who contribute to the food drive, as your assistance and generosity makes a tremendous difference in the lives of the workers and their families. Trustee Notes Judy Reidt-Parker As we move closer to the time of developing budgets and setting goals for stewardship, I thought it would be a good idea to identify some of the unique circumstances we need to assure are addressed in our fiscal plan this upcoming year. First, as we are all so aware these days, the costs associated with keeping our beautiful, old and somewhat drafty building operating will increase dramatically due to oil and gas prices. We expect that in addition to the oil costs, related utilities will be very high this year as well. Many thanks go to Carol West, who researched oil prices and locked us in with Union Oil at the best price possible. The other priorities Trustees will focus on include personnel costs, building maintenance and improvements, as well as general the costs of the business side of our spiritual home. At the Church Council Meeting in October, the committee chairs will receive a budget format to submit to the Trustees prior to their November meeting. Committees are being asked to base their budgets on the spiritual intent of their work. Trustees will then work at their November meeting for completion of the budget prior to the annual meeting.  The Book Corner Sumner Moulton The "paper" version of last month's Navigator contained part 1 of "The Eve of St. Agnes," by John Keats. This month we brought you part 2. Here I orrfer you a link to a wonderful site (The Poets' Corner) which displays the entire poem. Church life was rather austere in those days, but in this story there was something brewing in the sanctuary and parish buildings... and thequestion is asked: Neighbors in Need Offering, 10/16/05 Imagine…another world is possible! Neighbors in Need is an annual offering that our church participates in along with UCC churches across the country. Neighbors in Need reinforces our common commitment to justice and compassion and contributing to it is one way of belonging to the UCC and of committing to the broader church—it is an expression of loving others as we love ourselves. Several crucial UCC ministries get most, if not all, of their financial support from NIN. One-third of the overall offering supports the Council for American Indian Ministry, a ministry that serves twenty American Indian congregations in the UCC. The other two-thirds of the offering supports justice advocacy and direct service projects. The work of the United Church of Christ’s Justice and Witness Ministries deals with issues such as: poverty, economic development, human rights, peacemaking, violence, racial and economic justice, environmental concerns, and advocacy for public education, multiracial, multi-cultural implementation and public policy. The offering we take at Williston-West will be multiplied by hundreds and will mean that the UCC can continue to offer support to millions of people. The NIN offering supported ninety-eight nonprofit organizations and congregations in 2004! Neighbors in Need is about making another world possible! Please be as generous as you can when we take our Neighbors in Need Offering on Sunday, October 16. Thanks, Faith in Action Takes on a Fresh Appearance Sam Saltonstall "Marvin Ellison to Speak" At our retreat last spring there seemed to be enthusiasm for a meeting time when people could share their faith concerns about the world around us. Whether a local need, a national political issue, or an international crisis, Faith in Action would be a time when people attending church could bring their concerns and leave feeling unburdened and maybe empowered and more determined as well.
The Mission Committee decided to hold these meetings after church about fifteen minutes into the coffee hour. For a variety of reasons, this plan did not seem to appeal, and meetings have been poorly attended. We still believe in the concept, however, and think maybe we have a better approach. From now on, Faith in Action meetings will…
The first Faith in Action meeting will be held at 7-8:45PM on Friday, October 14th. Sponsored by the Deacons, our guest speaker will be Dr. Marvin Ellison, Bass Professor of Christian Ethics at the Bangor Theological Seminary. His timely topic will be Same-Sex Marriage? Weighing the Objections, Making the Case. The location will be in the Parlor and Clark Room. No matter what your views on this question, we hope you’ll attend. Further topics and dates are as follows. The programs scheduled below will all start at 7 PM and take place in the Memorial Hall. Tuesday, Nov. 15th: Plight of the Maine Migrant Worker - Barbara Ginley Tuesday, Dec. 6th: Ending World Poverty: Problems & Their Solutions - Sam Saltonstall Tuesday, Jan. 10th: The UCC Honduras Partnership Program - Jeff and Priscilla Armstrong Tuesday, Feb. 14th: Issues around Local Poverty - Judy Reidt-Parker If you have suggestions for other topics of interest for the spring, see a Mission Committee member and share your idea. We hope very much that many of you will choose to come to these evenings! New Orleans - A Family View Bill Whelan I have never been to New Orleans and must confess - a little selfishly - I am glad I have no family in that area. But that does not make me any less concerned for the safety of the residents. My story here is not about me, but about my brother, Steve. Steve is a bus driver in New York City. He was only a few blocks from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, when the planes first hit. A year later he wrote an article recounting his experiences (see it on the web at http://www.willistonwest.org/newsletters/steve2.htm). Now, with the devastating hurricane in the Gulf Coast, Steve felt obliged to help some of those who helped New York in its time of crisis (" Firefighters and workers from Louisiana were some of the first to arrive in New York after 9/11", he told me). Steve volunteered to drive one of several busloads of NYC Police officers to New Orleans to help with the needed security. Steve tells me he didn't do much, but I believe we survive as a people because of our willingness to put ourselves out to help others, no matter how great or small the effort. That willingness goes a long way in defining our humanity. I am proud of my brother. I believe his commitment to do what he feels is necessary is one of the tenets of Williston-West. We are a church with a mission outreach that begins with our own Portland neighborhood and extends to the Middle East and many parts of the world. I can only pray that we each will be willing to help our brothers and sisters when our time comes to be tested. Steve's story of his trip to New Orleans can be viewed online in our October newsletter ( http://www.willistonwest.org/newsletters/steve_New_Orleans.htm). Why Helping Katrina Recovery Through Williston-West UCC Gets Great Results From Your Donation Phil Crane The United Church of Christ is actively responding to the destruction and human suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed. UCC leaders announced Sept. 6, 2005, the goal of raising $3 million from members and congregations to support long-term hurricane relief, recovery and rehabilitation phases of this disaster. A 5-10 year response is projected based on past experience and the magnitude of this catastrophe. UCC congregations are hosting evacuees and assisting them in resettling in new communities; pastors and lay leaders of New Orleans area congregations are reaching out to one another and beginning to plan for their future; Back Bay Mission and Dillard University are working diligently to re-establish their community and educational ministries. The major role of the church in this disaster, as in all disasters, is long-term recovery. The UCC has trained Disaster Network Coordinators and Church World Service (CWS) staff who are working with devastated communities to organize, identify and meet the "un-met" needs of their communities - to catch the folks who might otherwise fall through the cracks. The UCC promises to walk with communities that have experienced disaster and to stay with them on the long, long road to restoration. 100% of each gift made to the Hope Shall Bloom - UCC Hurricane Recovery Fund goes to support hurricane recovery programming. This is possible because church member's gifts to Our Church's Wider Mission basic support provide for the infrastructure necessary to enable the UCC disaster response. One Great Hour of Sharing funds ($25,000) were immediately made available to begin the UCC response. Over $400,000 has been received to date for the Hope Shall Bloom-UCC Hurricane Recovery Fund. The following disbursements have been made:
How you can help: Bowling Alleys, Beaches & Backyard BBQs Amy Partridge-Barber I had this great idea, to write an article about adding a little fun and spontaneity to our Sunday School. But after writing a while it felt a little too Pollyanna-ish (is that even a word?). I wanted to say, "Let’s all just have a little more fun doing the things we have to do, and maybe we can reduce our collective stress and create for ourselves a little peace." Well, this idea sort of flopped (you know, due to the Pollyanna thing), and I decided to focus instead on something a little more realistic….community. In Sunday School last week we taught the children about the house churches of Jesus’ time. We told them that people have always gathered to worship together, and it has not mattered so much where people meet, but the fact that they have had a safe place to share their experience, to feel loved and supported. Some of our children, our friends, and maybe even our partners, don’t get too excited about heading to church Sunday morning. I have a neighbor who sits on her porch drinking her coffee and reading the paper every Sunday morning as I pass by on my way to church. She raises her mug to me, and I smile at her. We are each happy in our own Sunday rituals. But, there is one small problem with this. If coffee and a paper are so appealing, how on earth is our church to compete? How can we grow our Sunday School and our church if the masses are glued to their porches and family rooms? So, here are my ideas (and as you read this, remember that these ideas are just the thoughts of an overworked but hopeful mother who just happens to have a venue to spout on about her dreams and passions). I say we go bowling, we go hiking, we have pool parties, we have Halloween parties, we have progressive dinners, we have breakfast buffets at each other’s houses. Why not bring our church into our lives? Let’s have Sunday School at the playground, on the beach, in the cemetery, in the woods. As we bring our church into our communities I bet we will see our communities coming into our church. I don’t think it is God that people object to when they avoid church on Sunday. I think they object to being told they have to do one more thing. They have so many ‘shoulds’ in their lives they want to puke (sorry to be crass, but I’m on a roll…). They want to sit and read their papers and drink their coffee. They want it easy. But to their credit, that’s only because their lives in general are not easy. They are ‘on’ all the time. They have so little time to just ‘be.’ We know this, and this is what brought many of us to church in the first place. We go to Williston West because it is the "Come as you are" church (thank you, Linda Riddell). We know that if they just get off their Lay-Z-Boy they will find a place that is easy. They don’t have to get dressed up. I don’t even care if they take a shower (okay, well some of you may, but a little deodorant can work wonders). They can walk in our doors, plop down on our (sorta comfortable) pews and be touched. Their day will be alighted in a way it would never be after reading that depressing book we call the newspaper. So, how do we do it? For starters…bowling alleys. Now, there are those of you who do not see the appeal in visiting a dark and slightly mildewy smelling basement wearing out of fashion shoes worn by countless others over the course of the past 25 years and throwing two ton balls at these big white pillars that just won’t budge, but to some of us bowling is an art. The bowling alley is a peaceful place where all kinds of people gather, support each other and have fun regardless of how bad we actually are at knocking those ever-loving pins down. But, we laugh. And, truly, we stink. But, we really don’t care that much, so we laugh some more. We have fun and before long, we are loving each other. We are creating a church in a bowling alley. Why not decorate our communities with big ol’ posters… …Join us at the park to feed the ducks…. …Come to the beach for an evening picnic... …Bring your pillows and wear your pajamas to Sunday School and we will read books together and snuggle (Yes, the adults can wear their pajamas too!). We started doing things a little differently this summer when Harvard and Pierre invited our Sunday School families to their home for an informal pool party following church. If we continue to bring our church and our home lives together, before long those coffee drinking, paper reading people will see how easy our church can be. They will know that Williston-West is not akin to the giant corporate party you have to attend but would rather avoid. It is like the dinner party with your favorite friends which you look forward to all week. GETTING TO KNOW YOU.... Carol Witham, Thanks for wearing your NAME TAG. Penney Armstrong has made new ones for everyone and will continue to do so. They are on a board near the sanctuary entrance. Name tags may be returned there, or, to save you a trip upstairs, in a basket in Fellowship Hall. Please leave your name tag at church. When NEW MEMBERS join the church, Ann Worster will gather brief information about each one for the Navigator. There will also be pictures of the new members in Fellowship Hall. By the time you read this, there should be a WELCOME TABLE by the sanctuary entrance. Each Sunday Sumner Moulton and Carol Witham will make sure that everyone, including visitors, is offered a name tag. – Membership Committee |
