Welcome
Prelude
Opening words by Gunilla Norris
Together we make a holding place, much like the stones
in a well. Side by side, they make a containment
for the living water to rise through the ground,
so that anyone can draw from it.
There is no well if the stones are not steady.
As in all deep things, constancy is necessary.
Through it we become sturdy, reliable and trustworthy,
and so find our ground water.
Song #
Unison words
Special Presentation =
Not for Children Only
Meditation
Joys and Sorrows
Offering
Three GrapefruitsYou see them everywhere--the volunteers of America. Sometimes they wear the uniform of the army of salvation and stand on cold December street corners. Sometimes they wear the uniform of desperation and hand out clean needles to addicts in the darkness. From prim and smug church ladies to hip and guilt ridden yuppies, we are a nation of volunteers. It is a fact that a majority of us not only give money, but also volunteer our time to some organization or activity. The United States does have a social conscience underneath all the greed, short-sightedness and stupidity. We are not totally, hopelessly fixed in our individuality. Thank goodness.
And thank you. Thank you for choosing to be here and to volunteer your generous gifts of time, talent, materials and money. I wouldn't be here without you. You wouldn't be here without you. Ram Dass and Paul Gorman, in their book, "How Can I Help?" point out that people choose to help, to volunteer, for a combination of reasons: moral/religious satisfaction, to gain self-esteem, to be useful, to be appreciated, to be noticed, to be needed, to give, to receive, out of guilt. Motives are not purely altruistic, but so what? I don't believe that it is better to give than to receive because every time I have ever given, I have also received. It's good to give. It's good to receive. It has to do with living a purposeful life.
The idea of choice, of freedom of association, is one of the wonderful aspects of volunteerism. Volunteer groups exist because participants freely choose to associate. Unlike the work place, volunteers are under no compulsion, no rules, which, if broken, will cost them their livelihood. Volunteer groups base themselves on the trust the participants have in each other to be there, to fulfill their obligations and to behave in a way that is positive and not destructive. Here is the radical aspect of volunteerism.
For volunteerism models a different way for human beings to live together. A way based upon freedom to choose the people with whom one associates. A way based, not upon threats or coercion, but upon freedom to choose the work one will do. A way based upon mutuality, respect and interdependence. Neither the workplace nor the family allow the kind of freedom of choices that volunteerism does. Neither the workplace nor the family have the kind of openness to all people that volunteerism does. Neither the workplace nor the family are based upon the level of non-binding trust that volunteerism is. Volunteerism is an exciting, grand experiment in how human beings can be together, can work together, with a minimum of obligatory rules and regulations and with a maximum of trust in each other. The very generosity of the act of volunteering makes it all the more sweet.
Taitetsu Unno wrote, "A few days before my family and I were leaving Japan in 1968 after a six-year sojourn, my friend from California came to visit and gave us three grapefruits from a carton he had brought with him. Because of import restrictions, fruits from abroad, such as grapefruits, melons, and grapes, were a rarity and hence ridiculously expensive. . . . Since we were returning to California shortly, where grapefruits are in abundance, we decided to give away the three grapefruits. It so happened to be the day when my wife went to her weekly flower-arranging class, so she gave the grapefruits to her teacher. We thought nothing about it, but a couple of days later we received a special delivery letter from the teacher. . . . She wrote that she shared the first grapefruit with her grandchildren, who were thrilled with the fragrance and taste of an exotic fruit that they had never seen before. The second grapefruit she peeled and ate together with an old friend whom she hadn't seen for over twenty years, making the reunion a very special event. The third grapefruit she took to a hospital, where her best friend was dying. . . .She hadn't eaten for more than a week, but when she saw the grapefruit she wanted to try tasting just a little piece. When she finished the first morsel, she asked for one, then another one, until she ate half the grapefruit. The family members were in tears, happy that their loved one was enjoying something to eat. The teacher thanked us profusely from the bottom of her heart for the three grapefruits. My fist reaction on reading the letter was, ? Thank the grapefruits!' But I also reflected. . . about a small act of giving that has repercussions in an interdependent and interconnected world. . . .”
Volunteering is such an act of giving. We give each other three grapefruits each time we greet each other at the door on Sunday morning; or mow the lawn; or teach in our Sunday School. Why not take actions that offer happiness; that make someone's day brighter; that make a life more meaningful? “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity . . . May our lives be abundant with such fruit.” (Galatians 5:22-23, adapted) The three grapefruits of volunteering are Generosity, Appreciation, and Community. Generosity is part of the fabric of life together. The buds appear when people come with the attitude What can I give to UUCC? It feels good. This is a not a culture of consuming but a culture of mutuality, of giving and receiving. The blossoms grow as people figure out what they can give to UUCC, recognizing that giving means one’s time, one’s skills and one’s financial contribution. The fruit ripens when people show up and share themselves.
Appreciation begins with the conviction that we’re in this together and that how we are with each other matters. Respecting one another’s personhood, time, abilities, and offerings. It blossoms as people openly, frequently, publicly and privately acknowledge each other’s contributions; as people feel accountable to each other and honor their commitments, or tell someone when they cannot. As people communicate openly, broadly and in different ways, mindful that we access information differently. As people figure out how to RSVP, get their newsletter articles, their orders of service, and annual reports in by the due dates, answer their e-mails and phone calls in a timely manner. As people run meetings, plan events, complete projects in ways that invite others to participate and volunteer. Appreciation ripens as people pay attention to each other, thanking each other for his/her efforts, noticing when someone needs help, responding to the needs. Community is home and more than home. It is friends and more than friends. Here you are accepted as you are and called to be your best self at the same time. Here you are asked to think of others and to hold service as a high priority. Here we share your laughter, comfort you in your troubles, question with you in your confusion and desire to learn, seek with you in your need to grow, struggle with you as we negotiate the complexities of our life together as a community. Community blooms when its members recognize it, cherish it, and tend it well.
Today is the day to say a general thank you for these three grapefruits that you give here, in this congregation. You do not give them just once, but over and over again you savor the fruits from the generative tree that is UUCC. Oh, I know this general appreciation does not replace the personal and public recognitions and gratitude which, I hope, we express to one another all year long. Nevertheless, a public, general thank you waters the garden. And, . . . stick around for the chocolates and fruit.
I’d like to start with a personal expression of appreciation and gratitude to you. So many of you participated and helped with my wedding. It was a loving and generous act on your part and your efforts contributed greatly to making the occasion as wonderful as it was. And then last week and yesterday and today you have honored me with the title Minister Emerita and with gifts. I will treasure this always. And I have brought something. This is a sculpture of people in community. You have probably seen sculptures like this before, but this one has some special properties. The people form a circle and one person is in the middle. If you use your imagination, you can see that the one in the middle changes as the need arises and circumstances dictate. Sometimes the one in the middle serves as a leader, sometimes as a teacher, sometimes as a questioner, sometimes as an innovator; sometimes as one needed to be encircled. With imagination you will also see that the circle is not sealed shut, but always has a way to open and welcome new arrivals. You can even imagine three little grapefruits in the center.
And now for expressions of appreciation and gratitude for one another. Who serves on the Board of Trustees? Who chairs committees? Who belongs to one or more of our active committees? How many of you make HUGS happen on a Sunday morning? Who has directly participated in Sunday services, through music, offering sermons, readings, coordination or Not for Children Only? Who has made our Sunday School possible through teaching, leading special sessions, creating services, being an angel? How many have contributed to the success of our special events, such as the Auction, the Pledge campaign, the Book Sale, Clothing Swap, Art Shows, the poetry evenings, the Hudson Valley Folk Guild, TheaterSounds? Who has taken part in small group ministries? How many of you attended the adult education offerings, from Introduction to UUism to Ethics Online to Spiritual Journey to Amateur Scientist to Issues of Our Times to Tai Chi to the workshops of John Winter, Phil Jones, Doug Motel, and Memory Loss with Wendy Rudder to Peace Prayers at dawn on New Year's Day, to Leadership Training, which takes place at our 3 Council meetings to UU Q&A? Many of you helped with and attended our social events and our groups, like Lunch with Linda, the Lunch Bunch, the Christmas Eve reception, the Outdoor group, holiday party, and more. Our support and enrichment groups flourish: the Full Moon Gathering, the Men's Group, the Singles' Group, the Lesbian Support Group. A whole bunch of people worked on the maintenance and beautification of the buildings and grounds and the Memorial Garden, with remarkable results. Many work to effect social change and help others in our larger community with crop walks, adopt-a-highway projects, letter writing campaigns, Earth Day pledges, the Peace Path, donations, Interfaith conferences, discussion groups on line and much more. And more. And more. If I have forgotten something, let me know, and stand up. How about if we say THANK YOU!
From The Low Road by Marge Piercy
Two people can keep each other sane, can give support, conviction, love, massage, hope, sex. Three people are a delegation, a committee, a wedge. With four you can play bridge and start an organization. With six you can rent a whole house, eat pie for dinner with no seconds, and hold a fund raising party. A dozen make a demonstration. A hundred fill a hall. A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter; ten thousand, power and your own paper; a hundred thousand, your own media; ten million, your own country. It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again and they said no, it starts when you say We and know you who you mean, and each day you mean one more.
This is a powerful and vital community. Don’t ever forget that you can do much here, when you are willing. Be willing. Don’t ever forget to offer each other the three grapefruits of Generosity, Appreciation, and Community. Let them nourish you, and make you happy.
Song #
Closing words: Your Gifts by Rebecca Parker
Your gifts--whatever you discover them to be can be
used to bless or curse the world.
The mind's power,
the strength of the hands,
the reaches of the heart,
the gift of speaking, listening, imagining, seeing,
waiting
any of these can serve to feed the hungry, bind up
wounds, welcome the stranger, praise
what is sacred, do the work of justice
or offer love.
Any of these can draw down the prison door,
hoard bread,
abandon the poor, obscure what is holy, comply with
injustice
or withhold love.
You must answer the question:
What will you do with your gifts?
Choose to bless the world.
The choice to bless the world can take you into solitude
to search for the sources of power and grace;
native wisdom, healing and liberation.
More, the choice will draw you into community,
the endeavor shared, the heritage
passed on,
the companionship of struggle, the
importance of keeping faith, the life of ritual
and praise,
the comfort of human friendship,
the company of earth,
its chorus of life
welcoming you.
None of us alone can save the world.
together--that is another possibility,
waiting.