First Unitarian Society of Ithaca

Poets and Artists Take Note:

Have you wondered why St.Pauls' and First Baptist have banners to display their identity and social justice concerns and our building lacks any display?

The Board is asking for ideas both with regard to content and graphic design..

With FUSIT's upcoming 150th birthday celebration there is a desire to announce to the community who UU's are and what we stand for.  We need your ideas and thoughts on attractive designs.  We also expect to be marching in the Ithaca Festival Parade with one or more banners.

The banner dimensions would be approximately 2 1/2' x 8'  with lettering bold and sized to be read easily from a distance.

A board will be on display at the welcome table this Sunday and for the next several to gather your thoughts.

Here are examples to stimulate your thinking:

The next Board of Trustees meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 10, from 6-8 PM  (NEW starting time!) in the Parlor.  All are welcome to attend.

Agenda - 

TBD

Without trying to perseverate on “the fact” that this winter feels like the longest of my life, I am looking forward to spring and all that comes with its reemergence. Of course this will mean the receding snow and lengthening of days and an overall increase in temperature. Amen! Let it be so. Blessed Be! Beyond all that is the reappearance of green….. green grass shoots, green tree buds, and okay, maybe even some artificial grass in an Easter basket; but that one is optional.

My father was an avid golfer until a year or two before he died and spring was his favorite season; probably because it meant he could get out on the fairways and greens and play the game that brought him such satisfaction. He was no Frederick Law Olmstead or Aldo Leopold but he did love to see the rebirth of the earth each year and I have come to greatly appreciate this time as well despite the fact that I will probably never putt a little white ball in a hole ever again. Now, I just enjoy walks through the woods or fields, year round but especially as the ground seems to reawaken each spring. I watch the soil itself and emerging plants for signs of what is yet to come. I think about all those seeds which were dispersed last summer and fall, in the aftermath of such verdant brilliance and as a result of beautiful flowers which brightened the landscape and then died and were (almost) forgotten. Life coach Cynthia Occelli has an interesting observation about this process, “For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn't understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”

Seriously, how many seeds reveal what is yet to come and emerge from within its depths? Forget the acorn and the oak. Think about the very plain apple seed. Who would imagine that from that tiny brown speck would one day yield a tree capable of producing such delicious fruit? And the process it must undergo is pretty much a mystery to most people but we all share in the beauty of that “complete destruction” of the apple seed itself. It’s a long, complicated path from seed to fruit-bearing tree which occurs over and over again yet is rarely appreciated.

I am going to try to imagine that this winter was one where my hard outer protective layer was cracked open to allow me to grow in some new and unexpected way. I may not see where it is taking me but I will trust that it involves growth and that ultimately the warm sun will break through.

Mark Pedersen
Congregational Administrator

Best-Looking House of Worship: First Unitarian Church

Designed by architect William Henry Miller, who also designed over 70 other buildings in Ithaca, the home of the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca dates back to 1893. Originally, the church was supposed to have a pyramidal roof, but a tall steeple was erected instead, ostensibly so that students could not miss seeing it. Over the years, the Unitarian empire has spread to adjoining buildings on North Aurora and East Buffalo streets, but the main church building, renovated in the 1990s is an imposing architectural gem and a downtown landmark.