The Williston-West Navigator

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love."
     -1 Corinthian 13:13 (NIV)

The tradition of sending out Christmas cards is a good practice of correspondence, and I enjoy the flutter of pictures, life-updates, sharing and connections that come in them. It is always one of my favorite things to do in the waiting days of December, but other than a handful of exceptions, I didn’t get them written or sent this year!

Some years ago, I started sending out Valentine’s Day cards. It was born out of an alternative idea to sending out Christmas cards since December is so over-filled with busy preparations. A brilliant friend used to model this idea for me! My Valentines are always homemade, done with old-fashioned potato-stamping folk-art. Like my Christmas card writing, I get particular about making sure the ink color matches the card and envelope, and that the stamps are appropriately themed, and then I pen a hand-written note in each one. All that said, it is a major project—a true labor of love.

February is a month that celebrates and welcomes love—at least that is what every pharmacy and greeting card would have us believe and perpetuate. For once, I think their message bears repeating with emphasis and encouragement. As I think about the commercialized holiday of Valentine’s Day, I am immediately aware of the looming presence of Ash Wednesday and days of Lent that feel particularly early this year. All will prompt some reflection on the nature of love and the ways that it is both earthly and heavenly.

For this season of love in February, spend some time pondering and sharing the ways that you love and are loved: by family, by friends, by brothers and sisters in the church, by those you have never met, and most deeply by the one who created you, the Divine. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)

I will make my Valentines with care and attention, and pepper those in my life with love and gratitude for their love. What will you do to show your love?

We sat down in Gina’s office on a cold January morning so that I could find out a little bit more about our new Pastor in order to pass it on to you through the Navigator. Next month, I hope to do the same with Erin Clark, our new Church Administrator.

Gina grew up in Methuen, Massachusetts in a "very Italian-Catholic" community. She says it took her a while to realize that being Catholic and being Italian could be two separate things. While Gina’s mother came from German Catholic stock, her grandmother on her father’s side had emigrated from Italy. She met her future husband on the boat coming over to live with the rest of her family, and later eloped to New Haven, where his family had settled. Her grandparents moved to Lawrence, MA to start a family. Gina’s dad is a tax accountant with his own business of thirty plus years. He had hoped that one day she might take over: "I’ve been balancing bank statements since I was five," Gina says. It was her younger brother, however, who will eventually take over the family business from his dad. Gina had other fish to fry.

Her mother eventually opened a retail shop for monogramming and embroidery, and Gina recalls spending quite a bit of time there helping out. She attended five different schools before spending her high school years at Phillips Academy Andover. "It was an intimidating place in many ways," Gina says, but when she learned of the Cantata choir’s planned trip to Great Britain, she screwed up her courage, auditioned and got in. As a youngster, Gina had always loved music and theater, and involvement with vocal groups and solo singing have remained an interest ever since.

At Andover and later Mount Holyoke College, Gina also worked in the admissions office as a student, and was quickly in touch with how much she loved the interaction with people. Always a popular babysitter in the neighborhood back in Methuen, she continued to volunteer in schools and day care centers during her later academic years.

An inactive Catholic in high school, Gina was never confirmed! But she always felt she had a strong personal relationship with God. At Mount Holyoke College, she quickly became involved with the Abbey singers, a group which performed at Catholic Mass. But before long, she was also involved with the interfaith center at the college, a diverse place welcoming many religious traditions where she helped to plan worship and serve as a song leader for the Protestant students. She would spend the whole of Sunday in two completely different religious traditions, with nobody in one knowing of her involvement with the other except for the mentor who had perceived her spiritual uncertainty and persuaded her to think hard about exploring some new directions.

Gina was a double major in English, and in African and African-American Studies. She took special interest in what she calls "the spiritual liminal", a term she herself coined to describe "that place which is both of this world and the other", and she studied its role in contemporary African-American literature. Alongside her academics and music, Gina continued work in the admissions office. But by her junior year, Gina knew this could not be her life’s calling. "Who was I to decide just who would get in and who would not from all these wonderful applicants?" It just wasn’t the kind of thing she felt she could do.

It was about this time that the idea of attending divinity school started to grow on her, and before long she was "in care" under the wing of First Churches (sic) in Northampton, MA. During her first year at Yale Divinity she rented an apartment in Madison and worked as a youth leader at an American Baptist church up the Connecticut coast in Mystic. Eventually, Gina was convinced by a professor—who was also a regional minister for the Connecticut Conference of the UCC—to transition to a similar position at the First Congregational Church in Madison. By her third year in divinity school, Gina had been called as their Associate Pastor.

The Madison church has roughly ten times the membership of ours. And very soon, Gina was carrying a heavy load of varied responsibilities at the church. But eventually the time came when she "just knew" it was time to move on. Gina began an extensive hunt for what she would do next. She looked at churches from California to Maine, she looked at missionary work, and she looked at chaplaincy positions. "I was open to going wherever the spirit called me," she says.

It eventually came down to three positions, one in Minnesota, one in Vermont, and of course Williston-West. There were three things Gina felt she absolutely needed: a feeling of connection with the people, a sense of connectedness with the community, and a feeling of connection with the sacred space where she would lead worship. Of the three churches on her short list, only Williston-West seemed to provide all three. Amazingly, Gina declined the other two possibilities before she had even had her second interview with the Williston-West Search Committee. Worrying that she had really blown it, a short time later (and to her immense relief and happiness) everything turned out just as she had hoped.

Gina loves the ministry because it incorporates so much of what she loves to do. Asked how she sees her role as a church leader, she used the analogy of a weaving: "the church is like a tapestry made up of individuals, all giving of their distinct and different gifts to make something beautiful as a whole."

As we go to print, we are days away from our Annual Meeting, where hopefully we’ve discussed some fellowship building, profitable, and innovative fundraising efforts for 2008. As a reminder — our first of these efforts will be a dinner series to be hosted by members and friends of Williston-West and held during the months of April and May.

To recap: Williston-West members and friends sign up to host a "dinner" (though breakfasts, brunches, lunches and teas are welcome too!) . They select the menu, any theme, the number of diners welcomed, and the amount each diner must pay to attend.The host donates the food and any entertainment, and the money raised from the diners goes to Williston-West.

Unsure about hosting a dinner in your home ? Dinners can be held at the church or at another venue altogether as well. We welcome creative ideas — perhaps you want to offer a delivery service one night, or want to team up with a friend to host a dinner? Maybe you know of someone —member or friend — who is an amazing cook or host(ess) who would be interested in participating but who may not yet have been approached? We’d love to see this series be profitable and enjoyable... Your ideas are welcome and your participation is needed! You’ll find the sign-up sheet on the last page of the Navigator — please contact the church office with any questions or to sign up your dinner! Many thanks!

I am continuing the series on church life, and I find there is a lot to interest me...and I hope, you.

"ABIDE WITH ME" by Elizabeth Strout, is the title I’m discussing this month, and it is a touching tale.

From the flyleaf:

That might be a synopsis for any rather plebeian novel of the religious/good-story trade, and it doesn’t convey her understanding of human nature and the magnificent way she puts it into writing. The flyleaf said only that she lived in New York City, which naturally raised the question as to how she could be so unerringly on-target in her picture of small-town life here in Maine and the conversations of its people.

...An internet search then, of course. She was brought-up in small towns in New Hampshire and Maine, graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, spent a year at Oxford, and received degrees from Syracuse in both law and gerontology. Despite this exposure to higher education and the sophistication of the Big Apple, she has apparently found her real love in mining the lessons of those childhood years and offering them to those who will read.

Reading is so valuable because, among other things, it offers the opportunity to see and feel different times and what that might mean, transported to our own lives. If you wonder how Rev. Caskey could become so tied up in his problems, it helps to empathize with the spirit of those years (1950’s), when everything moved more slowly, was less "connected", and predated the liberating influences of the 60’s. Dedication to a profession was a lifelong commitment, and the possibility of failure was a very grave specter, not easily remedied.

So, please read this one; you will like it. It is short (292 pages), and there is an element of suspense that will keep you going from chapter-to-chapter. The Portland Public Library has several copies.

And, if you want a further look at rural Maine life— this time in the earlier 20th century, try As the Earth Turns, by another Maine author, Gladys Hasty Carroll

One of the loveliest stained-glass angels in the sanctuary of Williston-West shines from the window tucked away on the north wall next to the choir stall. The subject of the window is an angel presenting a Crown of Life.

The angel is dressed in flowing robes and holds out a jeweled crown. The radiant crown appears to light up the angel’s face from below. The angel’s wings and robes and the blue sky behind are composed of pearly opalescent glass. Surrounding the angel is a lively architectural frame made of such elements as columns, arches, and spires. The window was probably designed by Alfred Schroff, along with four others, for the 1905 renovations to the sanctuary.

The Crown of Life window is dedicated to George F. Thurston (1848-1895). Thurston was born in Portland, the youngest son of Brown Thurston, a prominent local printer and publisher. At sixteen, Thurston was sent to clerk for H. M. Payson’s investment firm in Portland. He was made Payson’s first partner in 1874, and had a long distinguished career there. Thurston joined Williston Church in 1880 and held many positions through the years, including treasurer. He married Ella Amelia Kendall in 1881 and had two surviving children.

An inscription underneath the angel in the window says, "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a Crown of Life." This is a passage in Revelations 2:10, from one of the Apostle John’s letters to the seven churches of Asia. The letter encouraged the Christians of Smyrna to hold fast to their beliefs in the face of coming difficulties. For their faith, they would be rewarded with everlasting life.

This passage from Revelations was popular during George Thurston’s time. Another stained glass window in the sanctuary features a golden crown and the same inscription (though it was made 30 years later). That’s the beautiful blue Faithful Window by Charles J. Connick, located just around the corner. Faithful was the character from The Pilgrim’s Progress, a favorite reading of early members of the Christian Endeavor Society. George Thurston was active at Williston Church when the Christian Endeavor movement was first blossoming among young people there and at other congregations. Perhaps Thurston’s family chose this inscription for his window because of the Christian Endeavor link.

With the Crown of Life window, we circle back to the altar at Williston-West and to a recurrent theme in the stained glass decorations at the church. The first window examined in this series of articles was the circular panel above the altar, Christ and the Doctors. Here the boy Jesus is shown teaching the elders at the Temple. Several other windows also reflect the importance of young people in the church, including the two Christian Endeavor windows and the Mizpah Window, which was actually a donation from the children of Williston. Let’s hope our love and encouragement for the children of Williston-West will continue to be as warm as the golden light that shines through our stained glass windows.

Every second Tuesday of the month, dedicated Williston-West members gather to volunteer at the Wayside Soup Kitchen from 5:30-7:00 PM.

Faith In Action

A reminder from your Missions Committee that the national UCC church provides those of us with internet access an easy way to express our concern on issues of conscience related to our faith. Go to the link http://www.ucc.org/justice/jpanet.html where you will find "editable" emails you can send expressing your views.

Current issues which you are invited to address through the UCC’s action center include:

• Legislation to give the FDA Authority to Regulate Tobacco
• Supporting the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act
• Reviving Radio in America!
• Change the Name! Change the Logo! (relating to the Cleveland Indians)

The list frequently changes —the easiest way to stay current is to subscribe to the email reminder system which lets you know when new issues are posted.

Table of Contents | Newsletter homepage | WWC homepage

Food For Thought Sunday

Please Note
The last Sunday of each month is Food for Thought Sunday, the day we receive snack offerings for the Reiche School counseling office.

You can bring these non-perishable snacks in any time during the month – just put them right into the Reiche bin in the hallway that leads to the coffee hour. Please be aware that because many of the children seen in the counseling office are Muslim, they are forbidden to eat pork.

Apparently, granola bars and other snacks sometimes contain either glisterine or gelatin, which may be derived from pork. Please check the ingredient list when you buy your Food for Thought snacks. Many thanks!!

Table of Contents | Newsletter homepage | WWC homepage

Precious Water, Life's Sustainer
Sam Saltonstall

Petroleum prices are understandably a big concern these days, but water shortages around the world may be an even larger concern in the future. Demand has tripled in the last fifty years. Water tables are falling rapidly, and governments have not assured that water is used sustainably. Of special concern are the falling water tables in China, India and the United States, the "big three" grain producing nations.

Over 70% of the earth is covered in water, but only about 5% is fresh, and even less is available for our use. Each of us drinks an average of almost four liters a day. But the water required to produce our daily food totals 2,000 liters – 500 times as much, as Lester Brown explains in his new book, Plan B 3.0. That explains why 70% of all water use is for farm irrigation, while only 20% is used by industry and 10% for residential purposes. Clearly, any future serious water shortages are likely to cause serious food shortages as well.

As water tables plummet, rivers and lakes are drying up around the world. And as global warming causes glaciers to melt and recede, the supply of fresh water available for human use is further reduced. Major rivers like the Yellow in China and the Ganges in India may eventually become seasonal rivers which flow only during part of each year, just as the Colorado does now. Such a change could lead not only to critical shortages of food and water for large populations but to political crises as well, as users up and down stream vie for the same precious resource — for example, in recent months southeastern states argued over the diminishing supply of water due to a prolonged drought.

The world needs to make crop irrigation more efficient and pay more attention to growing crops which require less water. In the United States, eating lower on the food chain would not only be healthier for us as a people but also cut substantially the amount of grain used for animal feed, reducing an enormous amount of water consumption as well. We need a new mindset about how precious water is.

We pay very little for this life sustaining resource, and as its cost rises we will inevitably take more care to use it responsibly. As people of faith asked to care for each other, I think we have an obligation to live sustainably now and to do all that we can politically to prevent the human misery future water crises could cause.

Table of Contents | Newsletter homepage | WWC homepage

Mission Committee Report

The Missions Committee has decided that the Apple Tree project will be given a rest for a while, although the Food for Thought offering which provides snacks for Reiche School students visiting school counselors will continue on the last Sunday of the month at our church. These were some of several decisions made at the January 6^th meeting of the Missions Committee. Seeds of Peace planting day will remain on our schedule of annual activities, but the winter fundraiser we have held for that organization will not happen this year.

In place of these two "old chestnuts" will be a new theme for 2008 having both local and global dimensions, one which can easily be incorporated into our Christian Education program and which offers us many opportunities to learn about and reach out to others: the focus will be on refugees, in particular African refugees.

The national program which will guide us as we cooperate with the CE Committee on this effort is called Tents of Hope (tentsofhope.org), and the UCC is one of its sponsoring organizations. You can read more about our intentions related to it elsewhere in this issue of the Navigator.

A book discussion group on What is the What? will be the church’s first adult book discussion opportunity of the new year:

Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of this engrossing epic, was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war-the bloodbath before the current Darfur bloodbath-of the 1980s and 90s. In this fictionalized

memoir, Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) makes him an icon of globalization. Separated from his family when Arab militia destroy his village, Valentino joins thousands of other "Lost Boys," beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on their march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where ways even more difficult there than in the camps: he recalls, for instance, being robbed, beaten and held captive in his Atlanta apartment. Eggers's limpid prose gives Valentino an unaffected, compelling voice and makes his narrative by turns harrowing, funny, bleak and lyrical. The result is a horrific account of the Sudanese tragedy, but also an emblematic saga of modernity - of the search for home and self in a world of unending upheaval. - - Publishers’ Weekly

You can preview / buy this recently published paperback after church at the coffee hour on Sundays through February 10^th at a cost of around $15. The date, location and time of the discussion will be determined by a survey of those who sign up.

From this reading experience and by putting our heads together with your input, we plan to develop other mission outreach related to the refugee situation both here in Portland and around the world as the year progresses. Gina has experience working with this theme from her time in Madison, Connecticut and will be a great resource for us.

Also on our Missions agenda for 2008 will be the four special UCC offerings that we organize during the year. Next up will be One Great Hour of Sharing, to be received on Easter Sunday, March 23^rd (it’s early this year!). We will begin our migrant farm workers food drive earlier too, in an effort to get wider participation before summer vacations set in.

The Missions Committee has decided to continue its "green" focus as well, and hopes to have some exciting plans formulated by February which will be good for the Earth and our energy bills too. Finally, we will finish out the year with the Long Creek Youth Center holiday gift project, which was a big success this past December.

We invite you to share your ideas about the church’s mission outreach, whether related to the new and old directions above or other needs that you feel passionate about. Speak with any one of us on the committee or join us at our meetings! Missions Committee members this year are:
Barbara Ginley, Bob Campbell, Judy Reidt-Parker, Melissa Knoll, Jeff Armstrong, Judy Malette, Stephanie Clifford, Madeleine Bates, Sam Saltonstall

Table of Contents | Newsletter homepage | WWC homepage

Tents For Hope
Barbara Ginley

During 2008 the WW community has made a commitment to participate in an exciting new adventure, the Tents of Hope Project. Through this project,congregation will create an active learning experience using simulation refugee tents to raise awareness of the conflict in Sudan through education, advocacy and fundraising for humanitarian assistance. To date, over 2.5 million people have been displaced by the conflict in the Sudan and over 500,000 have lost their lives.It is a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions, but so far removed from the safety and security of our own lives.The Tents of Hope Project allows individuals and communities in our country to become involved, and to take action.

Tents of Hope is funding priority for the UCC's One Great Hour of Sharing Collection and the UCC is one of its national partners. If you are interested in being involved please come to our first planning committee meeting, February 3rd after worship. I hope to see you there! In the meantime, please visit their website www.tentsofhope.orgemail me with any questions or suggestions@aim.com.

"For refugees, the tent is a symbol of loss. Every time they come back to their tents, they are reminded of what they used to have, what was taken from them, and their longing to return home. Yet, even though the tent represents loss, they immediately humanize their situation by creating a new life...Loss and hope exist side by side. This is not only true for uprooted people from Darfur; it is the human condition. Our ability to create and sustain hope in the presence of loss—even enormous loss—is one of humanity's most exalted characteristics." - Jerry Fowler, Director of the Committee on Conscience, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Table of Contents | Newsletter homepage | WWC homepage

Celebrating a Special Occasion?

Birthday, anniversary, or other occasion you want to Celebrate or recognize?

Consider signing up on the flower calendar on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall — many dates are open and our sanctuary and altar look so beautiful when graced with

flowers.

Then, when it gets close to your date, expect a call to ensure your

dedication is printed in the bulletin!

Table of Contents | Newsletter homepage | WWC homepage

Apples Hanging on a Tree
Sam Saltonstall

Apples hanging on the trees are ripe for us to pick,

But getting to the orchard can sometimes be a trick.

Have no fear, ‘cuz our dear church has got its own fine tree –

It’s made of plywood, full of fruit, and picking’s always free.

So after church when you come down to socialize with friends,

Remember "local missions" that our apple tree attends!

Pick a fruit right off the tree, and take it home with you.

Then buy the item, promptly now, and bring it back, brand new.

You put the item in a tub – there’s three of them outside

Between the pew you’re sitting in and coffee urn’s high tide.

Portland West and Deering Place and Reiche School so near

Will warm with friendly gratitude to get your gift of cheer.

Coffee hour treats for you are special on this day -

Apples, doughnuts, cider, ya don’t even have to pay!

Eat your fill, but always please make very sure to see

You bring that plywood apple back and hang it on the tree!

Table of Contents | Newsletter homepage | WWC homepage