July & August 2009 Newsletter

Meeting House 101 Fairgrounds Road Plymouth, NH 03264 (Map and Directions)

Sunday Services - 9:30 a.m.

June 28: “Are Summer Services Important to You?"
Marcia VanderMast and Bev Seavey

July 5: “Ending US-Sponsored Torture Forever"
Betty Ann  Trought

July 12 : “Hiking in New Hampshire”
Mitch Manseau

July 19 : “Nicherin’s Buddhism”
Bev Walker

July 26 : “Wildflowers Far and Near”
Nancy Chaddock

August 2 : “Lammas Circle”
Mark and Elizabeth Becker

August 9 : TBA

August 16 : “Annual State of the Human Address—Discussion”
Paul Hazelton

August 23 : TBA

August 30 : TBA

September 6 : TBA

 “From the Prez”…

Hello everyone,

Honestly, it’s hard to believe that we’ve come to the end of the regular church year and are moving into the summer.  Through my informal discussions with many of you there’s a sense in the congregation that we’ve had a busy and productive year that has been good for the fellowship.  It has been a momentous year with so many things that have happened.  We’ve continued to grow, deliberated and approved the building addition, celebrated the sabbatical leave of our minister and so much more.  I know that personally I have learned much about the Fellowship and about being the President.  I truly believe that the reason we have had such a positive year is because so many of you are involved in making things happen.  It’s easy to have a leadership position when so many of you work to keep the ship moving.  Thank you to each and everyone!

I can honestly say that I have enjoyed the experience of finishing up Cindy Spring’s term and I am looking forward to continuing to serve over the next two years.  It has been a tremendous pleasure to work with the board this year and I am going to miss working with Gary Walker, Carol Estes, Barbara Avery, and Mary Tierney.  However, I know that while they won’t be on the Board, they’ll still be engaged in the activities of the fellowship.  Please accept my thanks for your outstanding service.

The Board is welcoming four new members: Paul Tierney, Vice President; Nancy Chaddock, Treasurer; Amy McDonald, Secretary; and Don Crowell, Trustee. The Board has already brainstormed priorities for SKUUF for next year and we’ll be meeting at a retreat in August to begin our work for the year.  I’m very much looking forward to that.

In the meantime, I hope that everyone has a great relaxing summer with safe travels and adventures.  For the first summer in a while I don’t have any major travel plans.  Instead Darcy and I will be spending time building a new deck and fixing up the house.  Of course we’ll spend some time with Darcy’s family and soaking up what I like to call “Adirondack peace of mind.”

      Eric Hoffman

SKUUF Lineup for FY 2010 (Changes are noted with an asterisk)

Governing Board

            President                              Eric Hoffman                     

            Vice President                                 Paul Tierney*                    

            Secretary                             Amy MacDonald* 

            Treasurer                             Nancy Chaddock* 

            Trustee         2010             Marcia VanderMast                    

            Trustee         2011              Gail Smith              

            Trustee         2012              Don Crowell*                      

Nominating Committee                                 Endowment Committee

            2010  Betty Nicholson                 2010  Angela Matthews  

            2010  Carole Estes*                                  2010  John Chandler                   

             2011 Barbara Lambert              2011  Paul Hazelton                    

             2011 Stewart Weldon                2012  Janet Doner*                      

             2012 Mary Tierney*                              2012  Natalie Thompson*          

Minister                                         Sarah Stewart                               

DRE                                                   Cindy Spring                                 

Office Assistant                          Regina Knowlton              

Bookkeeper                                               Mark Becker                                   

Committee  Chairs:

Activities                                         Phyllis Rockwell*                          

                                                            Mitch Manseau*                            

Adult Education                             Barbara Lambert                          

                                                            Betty Ann Trought                                  

Budget & Finance                           Richard Sparks*                            

Building Committee                                 Quentin Blaine                              

Extending Family                         Marilyn Ashley                             

                                                            Sue Brothers                                               

Fundraising                                                George Maloof*                              

                                                            Belinda Phillips*                           

Hospitality                                      Carole Estes                                                                       

Membership                                                Darlene Nadeau                            

                                                            Danni Simon*                                            

Newsletter                                       Barbara Avery                                          

Property Management                 George Smith                                             

                                                            Jules Doner                                     

Public Relations                             Bev Seavey                                     

Religious Education                                  Mary Crowell                                             

Small Group Ministry                              Jane Clay                                        

                                                            Bill Trought                                    

Social Justice                                              Mimi Ford                                                              

Stewardship                                                To be appointed

Worship & Music                            Mary Hazelton                               

                                                            Marcia VanderMast*                                                                  

Want to Join a Committee?

            There are so many, many ways to help out at SKUUF.  Contact any of the Committee Chairs listed  above to find out what the committee does and how you can help. 

            It takes the talents and time of many, many people to keep a fellowship running smoothly.  We need your time, your talents and your ideas.

            Every committee is different.  Some meet regularly, some don’t have meetings at all.  Some require regular involvement, some require sporadic, yet vital involvement.

            There are so many ways you can help out and help us be the best congregation we can be.

Building Committee -

            This will be an exciting summer for SKUUF.  By the time this newsletter comes out, panels will already be in place and the shell should be on the way to being completed.  Skylight, roofing, and drywall will be done in July.  The tie-in with the sanctuary should happen toward the end of July.  During August, we’ll see interior windows and trims, interior paint, flooring and finishes.  If all goes well, sometime in the first half of September, we’ll be moving in.

            Beverly Seavey

            For the Building Committee

Technology Committee

             What is happening with the building expansion?

      Check the progress on the website.

 Visit the website at www.starrkingfellowship.org.  At the bottom of the page look for “Current News from the Fellowship” and click on the link to the construction page.

            Follow the project's progress through photographs and updates from the Building Committee.  Also, a video of the groundbreaking ceremony held on Sunday, April 19 can be seen.

Forrest Seavey

SKUUF Finances Snapshot as of June 10, 2009

Fiscal Year to Date, Operating:                                                             Change from Last Month

                        Income            $ 119,013.40                                                        +$  57,424.00                   

                        Expenses           $ 132,449.93                                                     +$  11,824.92

Important Balances

                   Operating Funds    $    11,386.73                                              -$    5,846.38

                   Building Funds**               $ 492,808.86                                             +$202,763.32

                   Endowment Funds*          $    11,457.22                                              -$              1.57

This snapshot shows only selected funds.  This is not a full accounting of assets or liabilities.  If you would like more detailed information feel free to talk to Gary Walker, or me.

*These funds represent multiple accounts grouped together.

** This includes the principal from the new mortgage.

            Enthusiastically submitted,

            Mark Becker

Summer Activities

July:  Summer canoe/kayak river paddle, Saturday, July 18 (rain date July 25)  Conditions to determine location.
Please sign up with Mitch Manseau or Phyllis Rockwell

August:  End-of-Summer Picnic, Saturday, August 29.  Still looking for a location – suggestions welcome!
Give us a call.

            Phyllis Rockwell

            and Mitch Manseau

(The Report of the DRE was unintentionally left out of the Annual Report,

so we are including it here.)

Report from the

Director of Religious Education

            This has been a busy and very exciting year for the SKUUF RE Program.  We have forty children and youth registered in our program with an average attendance of twenty to twenty-five every Sunday.

            One of our busiest rooms has been the Nursery.  It is a small space and about once a month they had to expand into the hallway and Chapel area to accommodate eight to ten babies and toddlers.  We have been very fortunate to have Allison Browne as our Nursery Caregiver for the last two years and Nancy Crowell as her assistant.  Connie Maatta, Mary Crowell, Lucy Miller and Helen Ellsworth have stepped in when subs was needed.

            Allison will be leaving the position this June.  I will miss her calm, cheerful presence.  It has been wonderful for the little ones and their families to have Allison there each Sunday.  I am glad that Nancy is planning to continue in the “expanded” Nursery space.  We will be welcoming a new adult Caregiver in the fall.

            Last year the DRE and RE Committee members did most of the “teaching” for the older children.  I was hired on July 1 and spent the summer finding others to teach so the committee members could support the program, not lead it.

            I was delighted with both the quantity and quality of our teaching staff.  The curriculum for our three to seven year olds was “Treasure Hunting.”  It focused on what we as Unitarian Universalists treasure, things like the natural world, our friends and families, diversity, and using our minds.  They also talked about Holidays and different belief systems.

            The teaching team members for that group was Amy MacDonald, Kelli Thompson, Kim Batchelder, Kree Woolley, Margaret Salt, Mark Casale and Nancy Dowey.  Dorothy Crowell, one of our Junior Youth, was class assistant.

            Our eight to thirteen year olds were “Time Travelers.”  They began the year by creating a Time Machine and made many trips back to the 18^th and 19^th centuries to “meet” early Unitarians and Universalists.  They also had a wonderful teaching team:  Barbara Lambert, Belinda Phillips, Bill Trought, Caroli Parsis, Daryl Browne, Jon Maatta and Whitney Howarth.

            The actors were: Paul Hazelton, William Hopkins, Paul Estes, Suzan Gannett, Barrie Sawyer, Danni Simon, Joe Kelaghan, Thad DeFauw, Marcia VanderMast, Margaret Salt, Betty Ann Trought and George Maloof.  These wonderful folks dressed up and brought UU history to life!

            The Coming of Age class is for our twelve to fourteen year olds.  It met on Wednesday nights and was led by Sarah Stewart, Jeannette Bilodeau, and Jay Apicelli.  We also had a Youth Group for our fifteen to eighteen year olds.  Don Crowell and I met with the Youth on Sunday evenings.  Guest leaders included Kathy Kelsey, Jeannette Bilodeau, Darlene Nadeau and Phyllis Rockwell.

            This spring we have offered the Junior High level of the OWL Sexuality Course with the UCC.  The students have been meeting for three hours every Sunday morning at Whole Village.  The SKUUF leaders for that course were Shelley Chamberlain and Rodger Ellsworth.

            Finally, beginning in late April our fifth and sixth graders have been involved in the upper elementary OWL course.  Their leaders are Mark Casale and Kim Batchelder.          

            During the year other adults have helped out with our field trips and special events.  Walt Mayshark, Nancy Chaddock and Sue Brothers helped with the plays and Paul Tierney, Darlene Nadeau and Elizabeth Becker led Chapel Programs.  Harry Vogel, Jay Apicelli, Stew Weldon, Eric and Jerrett Hoffman, Mary Joyce, Bridget Regan and John Lennon helped with field trips.  Diana and Jim Pamplin, Wendy Hartke and Virginia Miller helped with childcare during our meetings and Darcy Hoffman once again led the gingerbread house activity.  Forrest Seavey was our photographer and Nevin Scrimshaw was a class visitor.   

            The Religious Education Committee has “taken charge” one Sunday a month so I could attend conferences or do things with my family.  They also helped with special events.  Members this year were:  Mary Crowell - Chair, Elizabeth Becker, Stew Weldon, Jerrett Hoffman and Jordan Browne.

            As you can see, a lot of our adults, both parents and non-parents, have volunteered their time and energy to our Religious Education Program.  It has been a joy working with them.

            I look forward to next year when the space will have expanded to meet our growing needs.

            Thank you all for your help and encouragement,

                                    Cindy Spring

 Religious Education Program

Even though it has been a few weeks, I am still glowing from our wonderful RE Sunday!  It took a lot of planning and a lot of people, so I want to begin with the RE thank yous:

      Thanks to Forrest Seavey for all his time, energy and creativity.  Those “audio-video shows” were amazing!

      Thanks to our photographers during the year: Forrest, Jon Maatta, Stew Weldon, John Lennon, and yours truly.

      A big thank-you to Jerrett Hoffman for being Worship Leader and for designing and printing the students’ certificates.

      And thanks to the Choir for agreeing to sing on what used to be a day off for them.  (They sang “We Are One” from Sweet Honey in the Rock, a favorite of mine.)

      The service was followed by our annual RE cookout.  It was great to see the generations sitting together outside on our patio!  (Watch for photos of the event at our web site.)

      Thanks to Stew and Eric Hoffman for minding the grills.

      Thanks to Kree Woolley for bringing bubbles, chalk and jump ropes to keep the younger ones busy.

      And thanks to everyone who brought food to share!

      That was the culmination of our structured program for the year.  On June 14 the RE Committee hosted a “Sundaes on Sunday” morning for the children.  And June 21 is our Multigenerational Flower Service.

      Plans are underway for the Fall Program. Thanks to our addition, we will be able to have four groups:  the Nursery, the three and four year olds, the five through eight year olds, and the middle schoolers.  The younger children will be using “Story time.”  Our five to eight year olds will be working with a new UU curriculum called “Creating Home.”  Our oldest students will spend the year learning about other religions and visiting their churches and temples.

If you are interested in helping out with any of these groups, please give me a call.  We use teaching teams so no one teaches alone or every week.

      Have a great summer and come back rested and energized! 

            Cindy Spring, DRE

Uncommittee Schedule

      The Uncommittee plans to continue meeting throughout the summer on the second and fourth  Tuesdays.  Join us between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. or anytime during those hours that fits your schedule.

            Marcia VanderMast

Circle Dinners

We take pleasure in offering members more opportunity to connect and get to know one another better.  We are seeking Circle Dinner hosts for dinners in July, August and September.  If you are interested in hosting a pot luck brunch, lunch, or dinner at your home, please contact Suzanne Appleton.

So far we have the following dates scheduled, with others to be added soon:

July 11—Dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Barry Sawyer and Danni Simon (8 guests)

July 15—Turkish Breakfast  at 9:00 a.m. at the home of Jules and Janet Doner (10 guests)

August 1—Dinner at 6:00 p.m. at the home of Mark and Elizabeth Becker (10 guests)

There are sheets in the foyer to sign up to attend any of the Circle dinners.

Darlene Nadeau, for the Membership Committee

Newsletter Deadline

            The September Newsletter deadline is Tuesday, September 1, 2009.  Send articles, committee reports, notice of upcoming events, news, calendar items, etc., to Barbara Avery.