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NORTHSHORE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH THE ADVANCE • APRIL 2014

323 Locust Street Danvers, MA 01923 • 978-774-7582

nsuu@verizon.net www.nsuu.org From Frieda Dear Ones, I am sad to say that this is my last year at Northshore Church. After careful consideration of the church’s finances, the Board has decided that we can no longer afford a full-time minister. My family’s needs require me to work full-time. So, by amicable and mutual agreement, I have tendered my resignation to the Board and to all of you. I will be looking for another full-time calling and, hopefully, you will soon be meeting a new minister who will be with you part-time. The Board will be seeking your ideas at the Congregational Meeting on May 4th. I’m very grateful for the intelligence and caring of the Board members as we’ve worked through this. Changes are always unsettling and hard, but I firmly believe that this will be an opportunity for me and for the church to develop further. Change is also exciting! With the church on more solid ground financially, the Board is looking forward to the possibilities of expanding the shared ministry of the church. I too, am anticipating new experiences as I go forward in my ministry. In this time of transition, we’ve had wonderful help from the district office of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and that will continue as you discern your next steps together. The time I’ve spent with you serving as your minister has been richly rewarding for me. I have loved knowing you and walking with you through sad and happy times and many changes. I’ve learned a great deal at Northshore Church, and it will not be at all easy to say goodbye to you. We’ve accomplished a lot in the last six years together! We still have some time together before my last service on June 15th, so let’s make the most of it. I hope to see some of you at General Assembly, where you will find many resources and ideas for going forward plus a whole lot of fun.

Much love, Frieda

 

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From the Board

Dear Members and Friends,

As you read Frieda’s letter of resignation, no doubt you have questions about the future of our church.

This has been a year for your Board to confront hard choices. As you may remember, last year we left Annual Meeting with an unbalanced budget and the knowledge that we had met the shortfall of the previous year with funds from the first part of the generous Bowerman bequest. In June, the Board undertook to balance the current budget with a large fundraising effort. Those plans did not materialize.

This winter, as we sent in our membership numbers to the Unitarian Universalist Association, and as I talked with Chris Ruggles about the annual pledge drive, I realized that it was irresponsible not to face the hard truths of our situation. Given our lower membership numbers, we have to face the fact that, even with the best efforts and talents of our dedicated pledge drive leader, we are not likely to generate enough income to cover current projected budget needs for the church. We also know that we can’t continue to make up our yearly shortfalls by continuing to draw on the bequest funds or our endowment. This is not a viable response to meeting our current needs or guaranteeing future stability.

What to do? I then looked to the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Mass Bay District for solutions and guidance. I went to some of the Unitarian Universalist Association consultants who are trained to help in cases like ours and laid our financial picture before them, including the attrition of some of our highest pledging members, the budget needed to sustain our current building and grounds, operating expenses, salaries and benefits, the activities and services we provide and projected revenues. The first thing one of these good people pointed out was that we are continuing to pay out more than we take in. In other words, we can’t afford our current lifestyle on our current income.

Another source pointed out that, among other things, we would probably need at least 125 pledging members (some of them pledging at significant levels) to afford to support a full-time professional minister, pay benefits at the required rate and support an adequate retirement plan (in line with what we found to be the new UUA requirements), as well as support a growing religious education program, other programs and staff salaries and operating expenses — including the costs resulting from normal aging of the building. We are currently at about 100 members comprising about 77 pledge units.

The Unitarian Universalist Association consultants pointed out that we are not alone in our dilemma. At this time, we do have options. We looked at some of these options in additional board meetings and sessions. Among these were going to fellowship status, employing a minister on some part-time basis — which is how the Rockport, Salem and Gloucester congregations are dealing with their challenges — or merging with another congregation. I discussed all of this with Frieda frankly, including our budget outlook and her needs. Her input was helpful and insightful, the discussions mutually respectful and amicable. After consideration, Frieda

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determined that she needs to have a full-time appointment. Like most of us she has family who depends on her. She has chosen to move on to another placement. She pointed out, and we agree, that this is a good time not only for her, but for us. The timing will enable us to explore other opportunities, to set new goals and priorities that we can afford, and decide what we want to be in the future. I expect that living within our means will give us new energy to enjoy our church-going experience and practice our religion.

I want to emphasize that we are not “going under.” We have time, information, resources and help to make the changes we need.

The range of options available to us will require that we make some choices and relinquish some of our past patterns. However, we will also have the chance to define more closely what we believe to be essential to the well-being of our community, including the shape and style of leadership, ministry, services and programs we want and need. These are the kinds of choices in which the congregation must participate.

We will be seeking input from all of you in a series of meetings, which you will hear about very soon. You can ask questions and give us your ideas on what you would like to see going forward. We will also be able to share with you some of the options about which we have information and you can share your ideas. We expect to spend some time finding the right solutions for our circumstances.

I thank Frieda most sincerely for her ministry. Her care for us continues even in this transition. It has been a hard winter in so many ways for all of us. But there are a few crocus leaves coming up in the one spot where the snow has melted outside my doorway, and I urge us all to use this spring as a source of energy and renewal for ourselves and our church.

Carol Bullivant Board Chair

April Services    

APRIL 6 SUNDAY SERVICE 10:30 am

Can Change Do Us Good? Rev. Frieda Gillespie

I find big changes stressful and I often meet them with dread. How can we look forward with anticipation to the inevitable changes in our lives?

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APRIL 13 SUNDAY SERVICE 10:30 am

Riding into Jerusalem Rev. Frieda Gillespie

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ riding into Jerusalem in spite of the likelihood of his being arrested. What might we do if we were brave? APRIL 20 SUNDAY SERVICE 10:30 am

Easter Sunday Spring Renewal

Rev. Frieda Gillespie This Easter we celebrate the coming of spring in an intergenerational service of music, poetry and some surprises. APRIL 27 SUNDAY SERVICE 10:30 am

Awash in Beauty — Seeking Spiritual Grace; or Stop, Look and Listen

Rev. Edwin C. Lynn, Minister Emeritus

“In our hectic lives, seeking the spiritual can be elusive. I will present some suggestions and experiences that can help foster a spiritual dimension to daily life.” Ed, our Minister Emeritus, served as our minister for 33 years. In addition, he taught at the Harvard Divinity School for 22 years and is author of the books Tired Dragons: Adapting Church Architecture to Changing Needs and, most recently, Shore Lines: Life Lessons from the Sea. Bonnie Anderson, noted local pianist and frequent visitor to the church, will be the guest piano soloist, and she will be performing four selections. News from the Social Action Committee April 6 — Food Sunday: The Danvers Food Pantry is currently having trouble keeping food in stock with an increasing number of people in need. Nonperishable food items may be left in the Food Pantry basket in the Fellowship Hall on Food Sunday, April 6, or at any other time.

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April 6 — Lunch and a Movie: To continue our focus on economic justice, the Social Action Committee invites you to lunch and a movie on Sunday, April 6, after the service. The movie is A Place at the Table. We will start at 11:45 and end around 1:15. Fifty million Americans — one in four children — don’t know where their next meal is coming from. A Place at the Table tells the powerful stories of three such Americans, who maintain their dignity even as they struggle just to eat. In a riveting journey that will change forever how you think about the hungry, A Place at the Table shows how the issue could be solved forever, once the American public decides—as they have in the past—that ending hunger is in the best interests of us all. Says Jeff Bridges, founder of the End Hunger Network: “If another country was doing this to our children, we'd be at war.” See more at: http://www.magpictures.com/aplaceatthetable/. April 27 — Share-the-Plate: The collection taken up on April 27 will be donated to North Shore Community Action Programs (NSCAP). NSCAP is a private nonprofit organization serving Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, and Salem. Its mission is to help low-income people move toward self-sufficiency as they struggle to make ends meet or face a period of distress or crisis in their lives. If you wish to donate by check, please make the check out to North Shore Community Action Programs. This share-the-plate was suggested by Barbara Reeder, former director of adult education at NSCAP. Share-the-Plate Applications: The Social Action Committee welcomes proposals for the share-the-plate program. If you support a charitable organization whose goals are consistent with UU principles, please consider submitting an application for that organization to share the plate. Blank application forms posted on Social Action Committee bulletin board near the front of Fellowship Hall. Jobs Not Jails Campaign: The Jobs Not Jails Coalition in Massachusetts is calling upon Massachusetts legislators and the governor to do three things: (1) enact criminal justice reforms that have been proven to work in other states, including reducing barriers to employment; diversion to treatment; ending mandatory minimum drug sentences; and improving access to education; (2) halt the construction of new prison units until these reforms can take effect; and (3) re-direct the $2 billion savings into a jobs program targeting communities with high rates of poverty and crime, further improving public safety for everyone. What can you do? (1) Read more about the campaign on the Social Action bulletin board in Fellowship Hall and at www.jobsnotjails.org. (2) Sign the petition to state legislators and the governor posted on the bulletion board. (3) Join the Rally to End Mass Incarceration and Fund Job Creation on Boston Common on Saturday, April 26, at noon. A sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board if you would like to join others from NSUU in attendindg the rally. (4) Read The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander, and join the Social Action committee for lunch and discussion of the book on May 4 (see below). May 4 — Common Read: Our discussion of Nickel and Dimed had such a positive response that we have decided to have another common read this year. The book is The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander. Legal scholar Alexander argues that “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” By targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control — relegating

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millions to a permanent second-class status — even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness. We'll have a discussion of the book after the service on May 4. Family Promise North Shore Boston: Family Promise North Shore Boston is a nonprofit interfaith hospitality network that provides temporary shelter, meals, hospitality, and case management for families experiencing homelessness on the North Shore of Boston. The goal is accomplished through the participation of hundreds of volunteers from North Shore congregations. Currently, the Social Action Committee is developing a group of volunteers from NSUU. A volunteer commits to two hours of service four times a year. The service may take the form of providing a meal, serving a meal and visiting with the families, driving, spending time at the day center with families, etc. Cathy Sullivan-Bradley is the volunteer coordinator for NSUU. If you are interested in volunteering, contact her at catherinegaia@comcast.net or 978-335-7878. Or sign up on the sheet posted on the Social Action Committee bulletin board. Sunday-Night Suppers at Lifebridge: Thanks to a dedicated crew of team leaders, who plan and organize, and volunteers, who buy food, cook, and serve, we provide a hot meal for about one hundred clients of Lifebridge in Salem on the fourth Sunday of each month. We welcome new volunteers. We are grateful to the team leaders who have signed up through the June supper. We are now signing up volunteers for the April 27, May 25, and June 22 dinners. The time commitment is 5 to 7 p.m. You can sign up on the white board in Fellowship Hall. If you would like to donate money for the purchase of food, you can make out a check to NSUU, write “Lifebridge” in the memo line, and put your check in the offering any Sunday. We are in need of a few more team leaders. If you would be willing lead a team in the preparation of a meal at Lifebridge a few times a year, please contact Marcia Lassar. Training will be provided. Lending Library: The Social Action Committee has a small collection of DVDs and VHS tapes on social justice topics. They are located on a table in Fellowship Hall. If you would like to borrow one, we ask that you sign it out and return it within two weeks so that others may borrow it. Currently, some DVDs are missing and have not been signed out. If you have taken a DVD, please bring it back as soon as possible. Operation Troop Support: NSUU is a collection point for Operation Troop Support. A detailed list of desired items is posted on the Social Action Committee bulletin board near the front of Fellowship Hall. Each month there is a special focus. For April, the highlighted items are for hospitals: twin sheets, blankets, and sweatsuits. Donations may be left in a box in Fellowship Hall. The Social Action Committee welcomes new members. Our next meeting is Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m., at the church. Contact Lois Markham for more information. From Bonnie Anderson I will be playing a concert with cellist Trevor Handy at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts on May 4, at 3 p.m.

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The Handy-Anderson Duo is presenting this concert as guest performers in the beautiful concert hall overlooking Rockport Harbor. This venue is truly unique. The stage window is all glass — with a view of the harbor behind the performers. Trevor and I played concerts together as teenagers in Boston. Trevor now lives and works as a cellist in Los Angeles. We are doing a “Reunion Tour” this spring. We can't wait to share some of our favorite music with you — great music by Bach, Chopin and Pierre Jalbert (Rice University faculty and recent composer-in-residence with the LA Chamber Orchestra). Tickets are available online at the Rockportmusic.org website (go to “Concerts/Events” and scroll to “Classical” - our event is on the bottom of the spring listings) or call the box office at (978) 546-7391 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). There are a limited number of youth tickets available by calling the box office directly. Thank you for supporting live music! Bonnie