Time for Gathering In
Unitarian Church September 08 Newsletter
September is here at last, and I am very excited about being your “unsettled
minister” for this coming “church year”. I miss seeing you all! I am hopeful
that we will continue to move forward together, working toward creating the
Beloved Community.
Office Hours
To start this church year, I will be keeping Office Hours on Tuesdays from noon
until 5:00 p.m. We’ll see how this goes and re-evaluate in October. As you know,
in addition to my ministry with this congregation, I am also a hospice chaplain.
Occasionally my Office Hours will shift because of a hospice obligation (or some
unforeseen circumstance). I will try to let you know about irregular Office
Hours in advance, but it will always be safest to call first. Most of the week,
the best way to reach me is by cell phone (508-615-1686). I have no cell phone
reception once I’m in Petersham, however, so on the day of my Office Hours, the
best bet will be to call the church phone prior to coming (978-724-3401). The
message on the church phone will include my Office Hours.
For September, my anticipated Office Hours are: Tuesday, September 2; *Thursday,
September 11; Tuesday, September 16; Tuesday, September 23; and Tuesday,
September 30; (all days from noon to 5 p.m.). Office Hours are also by
appointment, so please call me to arrange a meeting if these times don’t work
for you!
The Interdependent World Wide Web of All Existence
When I was at the UU General Assembly this year (in Fort Lauderdale, FL), I
attended a few different workshops aimed at helping smaller congregations. There
were lots of great ideas, and several of them involved using the Internet. The
wonderful thing about using the Internet is, it’s very affordable (if you
already have a computer and Internet access, then using e-mail or blogs, etc.,
is essentially free), and it helps to pull in the younger generations. This
church year, I hope to incorporate some of the ideas from GA. They include:
1.) More use of the e-mail list. I will be using our e-mail list as one means of
communicating with the congregation this year. If you are not on the e-mail list
and would like to be, please send a message to me at mlhoke@uuma.org.
2.) A minister’s blog. I have created a minister’s blog (short for “web log”),
which you can find at www.mlarahoke.com
(it will also be linked from the church’s website,
www.firstparishpetersham.org
). I will post at least once a week (sometimes more) on various topics. This
might be a nice way to feel connected through the week. I will also post my
sermons on my blog.
3.) A FaceBook Group. FaceBook is a “social network” on the Internet.
Originally, it was used almost exclusively by teenagers and college students,
but that has changed in the very recent past. Now, many of us older adults are
on FaceBook, including a huge number (for instance) of Unitarian Universalist
ministers! It’s true. I have been pleasantly surprised at what a fun way it can
be to connect with colleagues and friends (even friends I had been out of touch
with for many years).
FaceBook also has user groups, where people with a common interest can connect
or post items of interest for each other. I have created a group called “First
Congregational Parish, Unitarian, in Petersham” on FaceBook. If you’re on
FaceBook, take a look! The address to sign-up for FaceBook (which is free) is
www.facebook.com. (The group is also linked from the
minister’s blog.)
That’s just a start. I welcome your ideas about using the Internet for
connecting and outreach. It’s an Interdependent World Wide Web of All Existence
in the 21st century, and I hope we can enjoy it together this year.
Finally, I note with great sadness that there was a tragedy in our larger
Unitarian Universalist family this summer. On July 27, there was a shooting at
the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN, resulting
in two deaths and other injuries. I will be preaching about this, in part, on
our Opening Sunday, September 7. This congregation continues to be in our
thoughts and prayers. To learn more about how you can help in their efforts to
heal from the tragedy, go to www.uua.org
or discuss it with me any time.
I hope to see you on September 7.
In faith, Lara