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Roots and Wings

November / December 2013

Unitarian Universalist

Congregation of Queens

147-54 Ash Avenue

Flushing, NY 11355

Phone: 718-353-3860

www.uucq.org

e-mail: office@uucq.org

Board of Trustees

President:

Marty Rowland

Vice President:

John Reeves

Treasurer:

Lisa Attias

Secretary:

Julio Torres

Past President:

Runita Sutton Toomer

Trustee:

Jules Stein

Newsletter editor and

designer:

Laura Joh Rowland

UUCQ at the 5th Annual

Queens Interfaith Unity Walk

We visited Saint George’s Episcopal Church, the Taoist Temple, the Sikh

Center of New York, and the Tenrikyo

Buddhist Temple and learned about their religions. UUCQ was the final

stop, and we welcomed our fellow

walkers into our church. The Reverend Brugnola spoke and we hosted a

collation. Thanks to all our members

who helped make the event a success.

Runita and Lisa lead the march; John, Bridget, and Rev. Brugnola at the Taoist Temple

Rev. Brugnola tells our guests about Unitarian Universalism; collation in the studio

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From the President by Marty Rowland

So many new faces in our pews! It is pleasing to me that in my second year as

President of the Board of UUCQ Trustees, we are doing the things we need to do to

make new friends and attract new members.

Our Community Kitchen, held on the second Saturday of each month, needs

volunteers to keep it going. Although the Hindu Temple provides the food, we are

short of people to open and close. That means coming early and unlocking the door,

staying until the end, and locking up. We need volunteers for November and

December 2013 as well as for 2014. If you are able to open and close, let me know.

Without your help, the Community Kitchen will have to shut down.

I ask all UUCQ members to attend the Congregational Meeting on November

17 after the Sunday service. At the meeting we will vote on modifying the size of

the quorum required for voting on motions. Our current quorum rule requires us to have 19 members present

during votes. That rule, which was established many years ago, doesn’t reflect the size of our congregation.

Sometimes we are unable to vote on important business because there are fewer than 19 members at the

meeting. The Board would like to change the quorum to 40% of the current membership. Please attend the

November 17 meeting and help us implement this important measure.

Board Watch by Julio Torres

There have been many amazing things going on with UUCQ over the past two

months. One major point of interest will be the proposal by President Marty

Rowland, to change the quorum of UUCQ from 19 members (a fixed number) to

40% of the congregation (a percentage of members within the congregation). The

notification will go out soon and the special congregational meeting for this is to be

scheduled for November 17, 2013.

The process of improving the community as a whole is taking place at a

foundational level. Our new minister, the Reverend Brugnola, is making headway

by assisting with a variety of services to support the upkeep of the building. Her

actions include reviewing UUCQ Insurance policy, changing electrical suppliers,

supervising the maintenance of gutters around the roof, inspecting the fire safety

measures in the building, and seeking a new cleaning company. Due to complaints over the summer, the Board

of Trustees has decided to end our current cleaning agreement and hire a licensed cleaning company. A&V

Commercial Cleaning is a licensed and insured company that has provided us with a quote for a year of services

for a price that will still fit into the Congregational Budget, which was approved in May 2013.

For spiritual matters, Rev. Brugnola has met with the Sunday Service Committee. They promise to

ensure that hymns which have been loved by the Congregation in past years will still be in our services. The

Board has voted to purchase more hymnals and choir supplies in honor of Harvey Baylis, who passed away

over the summer. Prices for baby naming/dedication/ baptism ceremonies have been reduced, for non-

members, to 25% of what UUCQ was charging. Finally, UUCQ has reaffirmed its commitment to being an

active member of our local spiritual community by giving a small donation to the Interfaith Council and writing

a letter of support to Veterans for Peace.

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Sunday Services

Schedule by Runita Sutton Toomer Chair, Sunday Services Committee

November

3 Reverend Orlanda Brugnola, “A Heart of

Light,” Diwali (festival Of Lights

Celebration), partly multigenerational service with

Paula Rosenberg. Diwali is the biggest of all

Hindu festivals. Learn about its origin,

significance, and the four days of celebrations that

mark this auspicious occasion.

10 Rev. Brugnola, “To Remember Those Who Serve”

17 Damon Governa, sermon

Rev. Brugnola, worship leader

24 Rev. Brugnola, “An Exuberant Gratitude”

Thanksgiving & Hanukkah, full multigenerational

service with Paula Rosenberg

Services begin at 11:00 a.m. Please join us for coffee hour afterward.

December

1 Rev. Brugnola, “Something is Coming”

No RE

8 Rev. Brugnola, “Two Miracles”

Bodhi Day and the Virgin of Guadeloupe

15 Damon Governa, sermon

Rev. Brugnola, worship leader

21 Annual Candlelight Service, 6:00

Rev. Brugnola, worship leader

22 Family Holiday Service/Winter Solstaice

Full multigenerational service with Rev.

Brugnola and Paula Rosenberg

Join us as we celebrate, with music and song,

the year’s shortest day and longest night.

Collation afterward in the studio

29 Rev. Brugnola, “The Genius of Dr. Karenga.”

No RE

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A Message From Our Minister

Welcome to the rollercoaster! Transitions are tough. Things change—we are

not sure why—things we loved are gone—new things appear. Well, that’s not

the whole story. Yes, things change, but some loved things re-appear! One of

the hardest things for congregations is change. That’s partly because the

congregation is part of what we hold dear, what makes our hearts sing, what

makes us believe again in ourselves.

In this short time I’ve been with you, you have experienced the

rollercoaster. Please know that I do listen when you say you want some

familiar things back. And also know that I am committed to this

congregation’s future and want it to be secure. That simply can’t happen

without change.

Some of you are understandably anxious about committees that aren’t

functioning. This reflects not just realities in this congregation but a whole

new way of thinking about how things get done in the culture around us. It’s

hard to see because it’s fairly new. People no longer have the time for committees—they meet, the meetings

drag, members feel they could have done much of the work by email, etc., etc. There is what someone called a

time famine.

What works today are task groups. (Task force sounds very military!) Task groups are usually small—

perhaps 3 people. They work in a particular area for maybe 3 months. Members rotate off. They meet once

face to face and afterwards by phone or email. Much time and fossil fuel are saved and things get done without

anyone getting burned out. Now shifting from one way of operating to another takes time. It doesn’t happen

overnight. My hope is that by Spring we can make this shift. If not, that’s okay. But don’t be anxious. We can

still get things done. And no, New York State is not going to close us down because we are not fulfilling the

requirements of our By-laws! Many small congregations don’t. With the exception of one small item that will

come up in a very brief congregational meeting on November 17, it’s way too early for us to draft new by-laws.

Maybe next year. That small item is simply to change the way we verify a quorum from a number to a

percentage. You’ll be getting more information on that from the Board.

Look forward, beloved companions, look forward and lift your hearts!

We’re going to make this work!

Every blessing!

Reverend Orlanda Brugnola

Looking for a creative ministry?

We’re looking to continue our card-making or collaging classes for

both your personal and congregational needs. If you’re interested in

creating or purchasing UU-inspired or all-occasion cards, please

contact Paula Rosenberg so we can find the best time to do this. We

need 5 people to make a class. Let’s get this craft party started!

Call 717-723-0973 or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paula-Luvs-2-Stamp/121703694555053 or http://www.paulaluvs2stamp.typepad.com/

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Religious Education

A Breath of Fresh Air!

by Paula Rosenberg, RE Director

Hello! We have started out our year in a different format, which has been wonderful. We have been blessed

with the presence of the Rev. Orlanda Brugnola and it is a breath of fresh air at UUCQ. We now all start

upstairs in the Sanctuary together for a spiritual sharing with our families and friends. Then we go downstairs

to our RE program, which includes a chalice lighting, a check-in with our ever-famous wishing stones, and a

lesson and craft to make us ponder. We have been discussing where we all came from and how we share this

wonderful Earth with all different forms of life. And discussing the different cultural and religious stories of

how we all got here. It has been an interesting journey with our children.

We are moving ahead to a very exciting time of the year that includes lots of holidays and celebrations.

We have Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, and New Year’s! This will be a great time to

revisit UUCQ and bring your friends to participate in the many happenings we are planning. There will be

times to sing, to worship, to create, to eat, to share, to build, and to explore. We have such a special “home”

here at UUCQ, it is a special place that you are safe to be you and share your thoughts and ideas and not be

judged. It’s a place where you can ponder the bigger questions of our life and have other children and youth to

share your thoughts with. If you have happiness or sadness, achievements or obstacles in your life, we are here

to share them and help you proceed on your journey. UUCQ is a special place where you can just be YOU! It’s

a place not like any other, not like school, not like the ball field, or the dance studio, it’s a place to look inside

yourself and give to the outside world. A place we all need in our life.

So start your week with us each Sunday and enjoy all that we have to offer. I will update you weekly on

times and dates of upcoming events and trips, so watch for them. If you miss a week, you miss A LOT!

Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/UUCQ-Religious-Education-

Page/246536708692865

Feel free to contact me for all of your RE needs and concerns at dreatuucq@aol.com or phone 717-723-0973.

Yours in Faith & Fun!

Scenes from UUCQ’s trip to the Queens County Farm and Fair

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LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING by Jed Levine, Music Director

I recently taught a simple ostinato (a repeating musical phrase) just before the service. A handful of

folks reluctantly trudged up to the piano to learn it. I get it.

I think we would all agree that music is an essential component of a worship service (UU in

particular, and especially in our congregation, where about half the service is music). Yet, for many of us, singing in church is scary. I often hear things like “Oh no, not me, I can't carry a tune,”

frequently accompanied by an awkward giggle that seems to mask a bit of embarrassment, and

perhaps a yearning to be able to sing. I will now make a bold statement: If you can talk, you can sing. As voice teacher Dan Parilis puts it, "Singing is simply

melodic speaking." I know what you're thinking, and you’re right. Some of us have more natural musical aptitude than

others. But please consider: there is no man-made musical instrument that can compare with the human voice in its ability to shift pitches and ranges and achieve richness of tonal quality. We have all been gifted with this uncanny ability to take

spoken words and give them a whole new sound, emotion, and expression. Singing bypasses the chattering mind and cuts

right to the heart, to the soul. Please don't miss out on this joy.

Part of the problem, I think, is that many of us have never really learned how to sing. As with most activities, when we haven’t learned how to do something, we often don't try. We step to the side and listen to others whom we believe are

better than us. We fear that we will sound bad or look bad, sing off-key, even ruin the hymn for everyone.

I almost always play the hymn through one time on the piano before the singing starts. I do this so that your ears can get accustomed to the flow of the hymn. As I play it through, listen carefully to the melody and rhythm. If you read

music, try to follow the notes on the page. Read through the words as you're listening to the melody, trying to mentally

connect each word or syllable with each note on the piano, as best you can.

As you begin to sing, pay careful attention to the words you’re singing. Hymns are essentially poems put to music. Try to identify with what the writer is saying. Remember those times in your life when you walked a similar path. When

a piece of music becomes personal, you will be surprised at how well you sing. Much of the self-consciousness

disappears when we connect to something in a spiritual sense. We then don't worry so much about getting it "right". The song becomes uniquely yours; it's not going to sound exactly like everyone else. And it shouldn't. Yet when all the

voices join together, something magical happens.

By the way, that hymn with the ostinato? The third time I played it, I stopped playing the piano just to hear how the congregation sounded a capella. It was beautiful. Everyone seemed connected through song, not only to each other, but

with the spirit in the air. It was truly music to my ears. So no more excuses. Lift up your voices and SING.

New UUCQ Member Interview: Chris Tuthill

What is your occupation and what do you like about it?

I'm a librarian. Meeting people who are doing interesting research is fun. Also, if I have a question about something, or a book I want to read, I can usually find what I need at work.

Describe something interesting/amazing/strange that you’ve experienced.

Watching our son grow and develop over the past year has been amazing. It seems like every day he is doing something he couldn't the day before. [Chris and his wife Kristine Welch are

the proud parents of Forest Raymond Tuthill-Welch.]

What’s your favorite book, movie, TV show, game, or music? Why?

It's hard to pick just one book, but if pressed I would say The Lord of the Rings. I first read it when I was young, but every time I read it I see something new. I love epic stories and

mythology and I think that's why the book appeals to me. Tolkien created his own world in the novel, and as a reader you

become totally immersed in it.

What would surprise people to know about you?

I recently received Irish citizenship. My grandmother emigrated from Ireland to New York, so I was able to apply for it.

If you could do anything you wanted, and you had unlimited money, time, and energy, what would you do? Why?

One thing I would do is travel. I've made three international trips—to Italy, Egypt, and Japan—and each one was quite special. There are a lot of other places in the world I'd like to see.

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Treasury Notes by Lisa Attias

Around a century and a half ago, one of our most prominent Unitarian forbearers, Ralph Waldo Emerson, proclaimed the existence of the “oversoul”. When he spoke of the oversoul he was attesting to the “common heart” to “this unity of

thought, in which every heart beats”. In his essay, he was alluding to his belief in the “infinite enlargement of the heart.”

These ideas later became ‘codified’ in our seventh Unitarian Universalist principle which calls on us to respect the interdependent web of existence. We exist as a community, albeit individuals within a community, but a community

nonetheless. The beating heart of each member of this congregation makes up the collective heart of UUCQ.

To postulate such an idea which calls on people to think in terms of the commonality is quite radical. We live in a society that rigorously espouses “rugged individuality” and where people are often asking “what’s in it for me”. It is

therefore quite difficult to make even Unitarian Universalists think in terms of “what’s in it for us,” the collective whole.

People have always been attracted to our faith tradition because we are deeply committed to social justice and the

betterment of the world. This congregation is no different. Over the years we have been taken on many social justice issues. We are always present to march in the Queens Pride Parade, we have a strong presence on the Flushing Interfaith

Council, our Community Kitchen has fed many needy people over the last few years, and our Racism Film Series was

shown at Flushing Town Hall. What we do here touches the larger world, even if in just a small way. You can be part of this radical vision of community that was stated all those years ago by Emerson. Your giving to

this congregation puts you in a position of being part of that “common heart” of UUCQ. It makes you part of a larger

community, and this community is doing something to “help heal our planet”. Namaste.

November

6 Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

9 Community Kitchen, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

17 Congregational Meeting after Sunday Service

Vote on quorum issue

23 Social Justice Movie (see page 8)

Dirty Wars, screening at One Flushing

27 Hanukkah

28 Thanksgiving

December

7 Holiday Decorating Party, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

11 Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

14 Community Kitchen, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

21 Candlelight Service, 6:00 p.m.

25 Christmas

Congregational Meeting November 17! We will be voting on a very important issue—

changing the quorum from 19 members to 40% of the membership. Please attend!

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Unitarian Universalist

Congregation of Queens

147-54 Ash Avenue

Flushing, NY 11355

Current resident or:

Social Justice Movie Night

One Flushing

39-01 Main Street, Suite 511

Flushing, NY 11354

Saturday November 23, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

Discussion and light refreshments

Suggested Donation: $5.00

Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist

Congregation of Queens and One Flushing.

For more information, contact (646) 783-8985,

(718) 353-3860, or office@uucq.org

Part political thriller and part detective story, Dirty Wars follows investigative

reporter Jeremy Scahill into the heart of America’s covert wars—from Afghanistan to Yemen, Somalia and beyond—on a gripping journey into one of the most important and underreported stories of our time.

What begins as a report on a U.S. night raid gone terribly wrong in remote Afghanistan turns into a global investigation of the secretive and powerful Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Scahill uncovers a world of covert operations unknown to the public and carried out across the globe by men who do not exist on paper. No target is off limits for their “kill list,” including U.S. citizens.

As Scahill is drawn into the lives of CIA agents, Special Forces operators, military generals, and U.S.-backed warlords, the survivors of night raids and drone strikes—and the family of the first American citizen marked for death and hunted by his own government—he confronts his own role as a journalist and the painful consequences of a war spinning out of control. The film raises haunting questions about freedom and democracy, war and justice.

Non-Profit

Organization

US POSTAGE

PAID

Flushing, NY

PERMIT NO. 198