John Hawkins has been appointed to serve on the UUA Board of Trustees through June, 2011, as the UUA Trustee for the UU District of Metropolitan New York. John is filling the position formerly held by the Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, who resigned to free up more time for her family and congregation. As a member of the UUA Board, John will be part of the governance of our Association at the national level, and will be participating in General Assembly as well as in the Metro District.  

There are several Adult Religious Education Programs planned for next year. Mark your calendars. Details will be forth coming. Contact Denise Soppas if you have any questions or want additional information on any of these programs.

Rev. Tracy will be teaching the following Religious Education programs this year:

o First Sunday Explorers - Oct 3, Nov 7th, Dec 5th, Feb 6th, March 6th, April 3rd, May 1st - 11:45-1:30
o Articulating Your Faith –Thursday evenings Oct 7, 14, 21, 28.
o Deepening Your Faith – Thursday evenings March 10, 17, 24, 31.

Last Year 20 women from FUSP met and shared Cakes for the Queen of Heaven Part 1. It was such a success that we will be running part 2 of Cakes for the Queen of Heaven this year. Part 2, called On the Threshold, is a 6-week series which reclaims the stories of powerful women in ancient Judaism and early Christianity. Denise Soppas and Meredith Slotoroff will be facilitating this class. The class will be held on Thursday evenings Nov 11, 18, Jan 13, 20, 27, Feb 10, 24.

Welcoming Congregation will be running a workshop this fall called Your So Gay – Children/Youth and BGLT Issues. This workshop helps adults explore some of their own issues, concerns, and anxieties around BGLT (Bisexual/Gay/Lesbian/Transgender) issues through group discussion, role play and review or children’s books. It will be held on Sunday Oct 10th 11:45 AM - 1:30 PM. Denise Soppas and Pat Heath will facilitate this class.  

Thanks to Lenore Washington-Graham and GreenFaith for presenting the PSE&G plan to our members. If you or someone you know who lives in Plainfield, New Brunswick, Patterson or Passaic would like more information, please contact Lenore at 1-866-620-4322 #1 or lwg.Greenfaith@gmail.com.  

The first batch of the "teal" hymnal, "Singing the Journey" has been ordered and as each one is paid for we will place them in the pews. We will start with 60 but that number has yet to be paid for. Instead of letting them sit idle on a shelf without a bookplate, stop at the Booktable and buy one or more for the church for $15 each and have an honorary bookplate placed inside. This is one book purchase that is tax deductible. Receipts available for cash donations.

The usual UU publications will also be available as well as church publications such as directories and newsletters.

Alice Logie  

Tips for Making Healthier Food Choices-Reducing our exposure to pesticide residue.

Since 1995, the Environmental Working Group has taken government data and identified which type of produce contains the most chemicals. This year’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ represent the foods that we should try our best to purchase certified organically grown as these contain high levels of identifiable chemicals that can’t be washed away (from The Daily Green):

• Celery
• Apples
• Bell peppers
• Peaches
• Blueberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Nectarines
• Kale
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Grapes

The ‘new’ Clean 15 – less pesticide use, considered safer than others to buy from conventional farming:

• Onions
• Pineapples
• Peas
• Avocados
• Mangoes
• Kiwi
• Corn
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Watermelon
• Broccoli
• Papaya
• Tomatoes
• Sweet potatoes

  Although necessary to eliminate bugs, grubs and fungus, remember pesticides are meant to kill. It’s hard to know what a lifetime of ingesting these substances is doing to our bodies. There is little regulation on foreign farming practices so locally grown is a better choice.

  With the higher cost of organic produce it’s great to know there are choices. Think about these when purchasing fruits and vegetables for your family.  
  

It's back and better than ever! - the Churchyard Barbecue, Sunday, June 27th, following the service. Enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, and all the trimmings on our beautiful patio next to the Memorial Garden. $10 per person or $25 per family. This will be repeated through the summer: on July 25th and August 29th. Come join us!  

If you’ve been looking for a place to purchase fresh-laid eggs and grass-fed meat from free-roaming cows, lambs and pigs, you’ll want to visit Cherry Grove Farms in Lawrenceville; their website is www.cherrygrovefarm.com. The store is open 10-6 everyday and if you arrive at 4 PM you can watch them milk the cows for the cheese they also make and sell there.

Google maps says they are 46 minutes from Park Ave. via Rts. 22 & 206 or 54 minutes on Rte 1. It is higher priced than the supermarket but there is a definite difference. One way to look at it is, a dozen 1 day old eggs is $5.00 and a pound of their bacon is $9.00, that’s $14.00, enough for 4 people for breakfast, 4 people couldn’t go to the diner for $14.00 and the difference in taste and quality is beyond comparison.

So, if you’re trying to find healthy alternatives to commercially raised animals, they are not far and definitely worth the trip.  

On Saturday, July 17th and also July 31st we will be at the Fanwood Recycling Center from 8:45 AM to 1:00 PM. We unload cars with recyclable items and sort the material into bins. FUSP receives $225 for each day and this not only helps our operating budget but also the environment. We need 12 people on each date in order to receive the $225. Anyone 12 or older can help. Please let Fred Lange know if you can help.  

Last month Jill Niedweske, a non-FUSP member, Breda May and I served 40 families for a total of 97 people, giving large bags of food, including frozen meats, bread canned goods, cereal, milk and potatoes. Barbara Rall came with her van to assist me in picking up $800 worth of free food at the Hillside Foodbank. Thank you all!

We are open longer hours (11 AM to 2 PM the last Saturday of each month [check dates for holiday months]) to comply with Hillside Foodbank criteria.

Starting September 2010 we will be opening our doors the last two Saturdays of each month from 11 AM to 2 PM for a total of 6 hour per month. WE NEED YOU TO SIGN UP FOR THE FOOD PANTRY to make this happen.

June 26 - Wayne Foti, Denise Soppas, Joanne Macaluso
Food pick up - Jim Sedwik, Joanne Macaluso, and Fred Lange unloading at FUSP J

uly 31 - You are needed!

August 28 - You are needed!

Contact Joanne Macaluso for other positions in coordinating the Food Pantry. Many hands make light work, and happy hearts!

Our tradition has always been responsive to the needs of our time, but are we ready to adapt to our increasingly multicultural society? Is UU congregational culture a barrier to a more diverse faith? What is UU culture?

That’s the topic for our next breakfast on July 10th at 9 AM in the Stevens room . David Nowlin will lead the group, assisted by Sandy Kaplan. Come, and take part in a provocative exiting discussion!.

Our next Newsletter will be a July-August issue so look in your future Orders of Service and e-mails for our August program.

No one has signed up for recycling Saturdays July 17 and July 31. Denise Soppas and Fred Lange are coordinating this effort. We need 12 people 8:45 AM to 1 PM at the Fanwood Recycling Center. We unload cars with recyclable items and sort the material into bins. FUSP receives $225 for each day and this not only helps our operating budget but also the environment. Anyone 12 or older can help. Please contact Denise or Fred.

We will look at how practitioners of Earth-based religions can foster a sense of community across multiple religious belief-systems and work together to help save our environment. Joining forces is especially urgent in light of the current oil crisis in the Gulf.

Each Sunday we welcome visitors with these words from our mission statement. What does it mean to be welcoming... to family members, to the stranger, to those who are different from us? Let us explore these ideas together.

In our rapidly changing world, our traditional American public school system is struggling to keep up to produce effective citizens. Melissa Logan, who has been teaching in the Plainfield Public Schools for 10 years, will give a talk about public schooling, No Child Left Behind, and what children are learning today. The emphasis will be on schools in New Jersey. There will be opportunity for a question and answer session at the end of the service.

Unemployment is high, with little improvement in sight. Yet we have so much work that needs doing. This service reflects on the need for universal employment and equal opportunity in a world that needs all of us to pitch in.