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From the Pastor's Study Eric Kelley I don’t know Jaime Costigan but I know something of her spirit through these poems shared with me by her father. Please read them with reverence as we continue to seek justice in the Middle East which alone can bring peace to God’s world. Poems by Jaime Costigan, The Fierce Yusef Zaquout For Yusef Zaquout, 14, and two friends "on a futile mission to attach the heavily fortified Jewish settlement near Gaza City. Armed with knives and homemade bombs, the three were shot dead by Israeli soldiers 15 yards from the settlement’s exterior wall"
To the Little Children For Danielle Shefi, 5, "shot in the head as she lay on her bed" by Palestinian gunmen disguised as Israeli soldiers who cut their way through the fence of an Israeli settlement on the West Bank.
Grace and Peace, Eric
 Palistinian Olivewood The Missions Committee now has carved olivewood Palestinian crafts available for purchase. We will have a table set up at coffee fellowship time each Sunday. The Palestinian people have suffered great hardships since the beginning of the intifada in 2000. In his analysis titled "Hungry in Gaza", Peter Hansen, Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), on March 5, 2003, said "In Palestine, the failure of the peace process, and Israel's destruction of the economy have had the effect of a terrible natural disaster. Available for immediate purchase: Woman at Harvest -- $70.00 Crucifix Statue -- $45.00 Holy Family -- $40.00 Flight Into Egypt -- $35.00 Bust of Jesus -- $20.00 One-Piece Nativity -- $20.00 Cross (Large for Wall) -- $10.00 Cross (Small for Wall) -- $8.00 Pendant Crosses -- $3.00 or 2/$5.00  Seeds Of Peace Planting Day Betty Kelley The Seeds of Peace Camp, located in Otisfield, Maine, is one of the "branches" of The Olive Tree, Williston-West's international outreach mission. The Seeds of Peace organization is dedicated to empowering the children of war—teenagers who will be the future leaders of their countries—to break the cycle of violence in their homelands. Last year, in its tenth year of operation, over 450 campers attended summer sessions at the camp. Set in the supportive, relaxed environment of a summer camp in Maine, Seeds of Peace immerses teens from Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Yemen, Tunisia, Cyprus, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Yugoslavia in a month of interaction, leadership training, dialogue and recreation. Campers are selected by officials in their own countries on the basis of their motivation, leadership, and facility with English. Ultimately, the program enables future leaders to get to know one another as people--to put a face and name to their "enemies"-- and to begin to understand each other’s perspectives. Returning home, the teenagers are encouraged to continue their relationships across borders. The Missions Committee views the Seeds of Peace Camp as an extraordinary organization that is promoting peace in our world through our youth and we believe it deserves our attention and support. We would like to extend an invitation to all members and friends of Williston-West to participate in the Third Annual Seeds of Peace Planting Day June 7th. Join us at the camp—it’s really right in our back yard (only one hour away)—and help us plant flowers and hang baskets on cabin porches to create a welcoming environment for the campers. Look for sign up sheets and directions to the camp in Fellowship Hall. We’ll meet at the camp at 9:30 and bring picnic lunches. After we finish our work we'll get a tour of the camp, and if it's a warm day you can even take a dip in the lake. Master gardening skills are not required--just bring a willingness to work and an eagerness to enjoy the lovely setting. (Donations to purchase annuals and flower baskets will be gladly accepted--Contact Betty Kelley through the Church office if you'd like to donate!) Mark your calendars--Saturday, June 7, 9:30 AM…This is a rain or shine event. Be part of the "miracle in the Maine woods" that is the Seeds of Peace International Camp! UCC a Sponsor of Schooner Amistad’s May Visit Sam Saltonstall This spring, the schooner Amistad will make its first and only scheduled stop in Maine, arriving in Portland Harbor on May 7 through May 14. The City of Portland and the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ are proud to host the Amistad and have planned a week of educational, cultural, and spiritual events to celebrate and remind us of the importance of freedom and human justice. Many activities are planned, beginning May 3. For a look at scheduled events, visit the Amistad website: http://www.ci.portland.me.us/amshhcedl.htm The goals of the Amistad events are to be fun, educational, and to encourage a conversation about race and a greater understanding about he diverse cultures in our communities. The sponsoring organizations want the Amistad’s stay to make a bold statement about Maine’s commitment to promoting racial an cultural diversity. The Amistad’s visit is considered the beginning of a dialogue that will continue long after the schooner has left Portland Harbor. Plan to join in! Music Notes Judy Malette Now that the Easter season is over, the choir is hard at work on a new project. On Sunday June 8th at 2:30 PM the Williston-West choir will appear in concert in the sanctuary. This concert will be open to the public. Admission will be $5.00 for adults, children 10 and under will be free. The proceeds from the concert will benefit the Missions Committee. The music will feature a number of old favorites and many new pieces. One of the sets will feature music by Portland’s own Hank Beebe. Mr. Beebe has over 250 published choral works and 10 published musical plays to his credit. Mark June 8th on your calendar and come support your choir in this endeavor. Bring your friends and relatives. I’m sure you will not be disappointed. 86% Bill Whelan I received an ‘interesting’ e-mail a few weeks ago from a relative in the South. I read it a few times and planned to delete it. Then I read it again and slowly the implications and attitude expressed in the note hit me and I had to respond. Here is the note: "It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a mess about having 'In God We Trust' on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the 14% to shut up and sit down???? If you agree, pass this on, if not delete..." I struggled with a response, thinking that anger and sarcasm would fall on deaf ears. Also, (it turned out) the note was from a 12 year old grand-niece, who got it from her mother. So whatever I wrote had to make sense to a kid and hopefully get the message across to the others who passed it on. Here is what I wrote back: "Just a thought: A friend of mine added his comments: "… Although 86% of all Americans may believe in God (and of course this is a statistic that can be very misleading based upon the source of the information), not all of those 86% may be Christian. Certainly, 86% of Americans are not Christian. Personally, I do not want to live in a state that endorses Christianity. I may believe in God, but it may not be your concept of God. It is a slippery slope to begin to close the gap between church and state. What might seem like an innocent request at first can be twisted over time. How would you like to live in the USA where the state endorsed religion was Judaism? Or Islam? There would be no references to Jesus." Williston-West is an open and inclusive church. We work hard to maintain that policy because we believe in it. I may be part of the 86%(?) who believe in a God, but I begin to wonder if the majority really believes in equality. My guess is that the writer of this note would want most of the WWC congregation to "shut up and sit down"! With luck, more people will begin to see the attitudes and understanding and openness here at Williston West and they will realize we need to include 100%, not 86%!!
Williston-West Wish List Altar candles @$66.00 per box (doz.) Roadrunner for office internet access - about $40 per month VCR & TV combo (TV, VCR and DVD even better) A long-handled, square-ended, steel shovel Someone with a truck or van to make occasional trips to the dump withlarge items. Pruning shears, both hand-held and long-handled Yard tools Low wire garden fencing for lawns Any carpentry tools Screws, nails, nuts, hooks – any type of hardware Maintenance supplies A file cabinet for use in archives Got Milk? Missions' Committee On Mother’s Day, May 11th, the Mission Committee will be collecting non-perishable milk for Maine’s Seasonal Farm Workers. We will be working with the Maine Migrant Health Program for which we collected canned goods last year at our annual retreat in Jonesport. Maine Seasonal Farm Workers are some of this nation’s most vulnerable and invisible populations. Their health status is compromised by poverty, living conditions, immigration status, disruptions in care, lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services, social isolation, and an overriding lack of access to health care. Although Maine is one of the whitest states in the United States, the Maine Seasonal Farm Workers are a diverse population – 40% Hispanic/Latino, another 34% American Indian/Alaska Native, and 13% Black or African American. Many of these workers live below 100% of the federal poverty level, with only 11% being covered by health insurance. On a statewide basis, the blueberry harvest is the largest use of farm labor, involving approximately 10,000 Maine Seasonal Farm Workers. During the month of August, 30,000 acres of blueberries are harvested in the counties of Waldo, Washington and Hancock. For the past several years, Latino participation in the blueberry harvest has been increasing. Their number for this harvest show that Latino MSFW’s make up the majority (50% or higher), representing 1,500 of migrant workers for the blueberry harvest. Many of the Latinos are Mexican Americans from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, with increasing numbers from Florida. Others come from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Honduras and Guatemala. These workers end up spending all their money on bringing their families to Maine for the harvest. This leaves nothing left for food. The Mission Committee will gather the non-perishable milk to be taken to our annual retreat the end of July for distribution. A box will be set up for our collection. Big Thank you from The Flower Committee THANK YOU to all who donated for this year’s Easter Plants in memory and honor of your loved ones. The beautiful flowers graced our sanctuary on Easter Sunday with their vibrant colors and sweet scent. New Phone Directory now available The new Telephone Directory is now available for pick up! It is hoped that each church member will enjoy this easy way to locate and call his/her church friends. Please let the church office know if there are any further corrections required for your entry. Also, if you are new or if your name was omitted and you would like to be included, please notify the Church office. We will print an updated sheet in about a month. Enjoy your Directory. Lowen & Navarro Bill Whelan It amazes me sometimes how things ‘just happen’ – I say that lightly, knowing we have to make many things happen. Take the Lowen & Navarro concert that occurred on April 30th at 8:00 P.M. in the Williston-West sanctuary. I have been listening to the moving songs of Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro for many years, since I heard one of their songs on a local radio station ("All Is Quiet"). It was a song of struggle and hope, which I identified with quite closely. Many times over the years I would listen, then put the CD aside and find it again when I needed to, usually when new crisis was occurring and I needed something to bolster me up, and the music worked. Last year I had the opportunity to see them in Unity, Maine. Eric Lowen’s family lives nearby and the duo chose to perform in a small setting so his mother could attend the concert. I felt as if I was at a family gathering and came to appreciate the work of these two men even more. I found their website (www.lownav.com) and sent an e-mail asking why they don’t play in a city like Portland? I discovered that they had played here about eight years ago and, since then, many of the appropriate sized venues have closed. I wrote back stating that I bet the Williston-West Church would be a great place for music like theirs (acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies). What followed was an exchange of mail with them and their manager, which led to a more formal invitation -- which they accepted! For the first time in my life I became a concert promoter! I also discovered just what that entailed. Talking with newspapers and radio stations to get the concert advertised, getting the tickets (made my own), renting the sound system (and soundman!), preparing the hall, making up (and hanging up) posters and getting the seats filled. The music was completely worth the effort and I all who attended had a great evening.
A little background. For more than a decade, Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro have written, recorded and toured for a growing national audience. Their seven CDs showcase self-penned songs of experience, colored by supple acoustic-based arrangements centered around their intertwined voices. Through the years, they have continued to document humanity's dignity and frailty, examining life's losses and lessons. Their songs are all conveyed with an urgency and immediacy that is the hallmark of their commitment to their music and their audience.
Their trademark is a courageous "TFA" encore (totally. . . acoustic), dispensing with stage, sound system and stage lighting, performed from the middle of the audience. It is a riveting experience that at first quiets and subsequently energizes an audience to a roaring ovation. CDs were available after the concert, including their latest, ‘Live Radio’, a compilation of 15 songs recorded live on Roz & Howard Larman's FolkScene, a weekly public radio show in Los Angeles that has aired for more than 30 years. If you missed the concert and want to hear (or purchase) the music, let me know. Zade plays at Williston West Bill Whelan Williston-West was blessed to have two very different concerts occur in the sanctuary in the same week. The Saturday after Lowen & Navarro performed, Zade appeared in concert. Zade is a twenty-two year old Jordanian composer and pianist known for his compositions that blend Eastern Arabic scales with Western contemporary influences. This concert was organized by David & Nancy Shedd. Our pastor, who was fortunate enough to attend both concerts, said Zade's performance was one of the most beautiful he has heard.
If you go to Zade's website, www.zade.com you can read about this amazing young man's career and actually have a chance to listen to all the songs on his debut CD. You can also purchase the CD at Border's Bookstores. May Deacons' Fund for Iraq Relief Sam Saltonstall On Sunday, May 4th the Deacons’ Fund, which offers emergency financial assistance to those in need, was used for the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. Nationally, $115,000 of "One Great Hour of Sharing" funds have already been sent there. $300,000 more is sought by our own UCC from member churches for its "Olive Branch Appeal." The money will go to three areas. First, it will provide health assistance for the children of Iraq through the services of Stop Hunger Now and Church World Service. Second, it will support the efforts of the Middle East Council of Churches as it sets up relief centers for the distribution of emergency supplies to an estimated 3,200 Christian and Muslim families (roughly 16,000 people in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities). Third, assistance to Iraqi refugees will be provided as well. If you would like to support these efforts, please make your check payable to the Williston-West Church, write "Olive Branch Appeal" on the check’s memo line, and enclose the check in an envelope marked "Deacons’ Fund". If you weren't able to donate on the 4th, please feel free to mail your contribution to the Church office. Thank you! |
