Newsletter
This Month’s Newsletter:
- Dec 1: Rev. Diane Diachishin, Finding Light within the Dark: December marks a time of holy days across many spiritual and religious traditions. They encompass themes of hope, love, and courage. This sermon will reflect on the many sides of these ancient values, which can inspire and comfort us for the challenging times that may lie ahead. In person and Zoom.
- Dec 8: Rev. Peter Fairbrother, Is ‘Self-Integration’ the answer? (And if so, what’s the question?) As ‘wounded healers’ we are encouraged to explore, excavate and embrace our shadow selves for the purposes of inner peace and self-actualization. During our time together we’ll explore the concept of ‘selfintegration’ through the lens of trauma-informed spiritual practice. In person and Zoom.
- Dec 15: Evan Pritchard, Its Winter Solstice—Will Your Soul Stand Still? Finding Our Way Through the Dark Days—With Dignity and Courage.
- Dec 22: Christmas Carol Service
- Dec 29: Charles Isaacs, PhD. Two wings of the apartheid bird. When former president Jimmy Carter used the term “Apartheid” in the title of his 2006 book about Palestine, he was blasted in the media. This characterization remains a minority opinion in the U.S. An even smaller minority is aware of the historical and ideological parallels between Israel and the universally recognized apartheid regime of 20thcentury South Africa.
The editors would like to thank our many contributors for their diligence and dedication in getting congregational and other news out to an audience of 300+ people.
To receive the current issue of our monthly newsletter, the Chalice Light by email:
Editor and email distribution: John Kinney
Webmaster: UUCRT Admin
To contribute, please send news to John Kinney or Nan Dempster by the 15th of the month.
All issues of the Chalice Light typically include monthly calendar, Sunday Services, From Your Minister, From the Board of Trustees, and Committee News (Arts, Social Action, Membership, Nominating), and News.
Archived Newsletters
Summertime edition (July/August)
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Summer Edition (July/August) 2022
Summer Edition (July August) 2021 – Farewell to Rev. Chris in this month’s newsletter!
June 2021 – Look for links to lots of info in this month’s newsletter!
May 2021 – Look for links to lots of info in this month’s newsletter!
April 2021 – When a called and settled minister resigns, it can send waves of concern through a congregation. In the attached newsletter, you will read Rev. Chris J. Antal’s resignation letter, President Hollis Kellogg’s message concerning that and ways for you to give your input into this new challenge. Also in this newsletter you will find a list of Sunday services and news concerning how this congregation is successfully adapting to the challenges of the pandemic. Of special note are reports from our own UU United Nations envoy, Markly Wilson.
March 2021 Look for links to lots of info in this month’s newsletter!
February 2021 Look for links to lots of info in this month’s newsletter!
January 2021 Look for links to lots of info in this month’s newsletter!
December 2020 This month, there will be a special Congregational Meeting on Dec. 13th after service – notice was sent via email this time. Invitation to join the UU UNO spring seminar is included in this edition. We are rolling out several social events to help stay connected during these dreary dark winter days. Look for links to lots of info in this month’s newsletter!
November 2020 Welcome to the November issue of the Chalice Light, a newsletter helping to connect you with your congregation. Included in this issue are announcements from the Board of Trustees, an invitation to the Semi Congregational Meeting to be held on Nov. 1, and many opportunities to stay connected. The UUCRT celebrated 150 years of its Roots and Wings on Oct. 18 in a virtual service – if you missed it, the details are here.
October 2020 Welcome to the October issue of the Chalice Light, a newsletter helping to connect you with your congregation. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern will celebrate 150 years of its Roots and Wings on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 10:30 a.m. in a virtual service. You don’t want to miss this exciting event!
September 2020 Welcome to the September issue of the Chalice Light, a newsletter helping to connect you with your congregation. The editors would like to thank our many contributors for their diligence and dedication in getting congregational and other news out to an audience of 300+ people.
In the attached newsletter you’ll find descriptions of summer services, messages from our minister and president and reports on progress on many fronts – how to access Sunday services, the upcoming Faithify fundraiser, COVID 19 Food Initiative, and a report from the 2020 Virtual General Assembly. At the very end of the Message from our Minister, you will see a link to RSVP for Howard Garrett’s Memorial Tribute on Sunday the 13th.
July/August 2020 Welcome to the summer issue of the Chalice Light, a newsletter helping to connect you with your congregation. The editors would like to thank our many contributors for their diligence and dedication in getting congregational and other news out to an audience of 300+ people.
June 2020 Since we cannot, at this time, be together physically, it is all the more important to communicate in many other ways. That includes our virtual Sunday meetings which have been well attended and supported. In the attached newsletter, you’ll find the listings for June’s services.
May 2020 “Your presence is a gift.” That is a message from your minister, Rev. Chris J. Antal, in the attached monthly newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern. Rev. Chris highlights the adaptive changes the congregation has made to cope with the coronavirus and help vulnerable communities.
January 2020 January may, indeed, makes us shiver, but this winter we will deliver: — Some interesting and diverse services; — A Greenfaith Living the Change Potluck Supper; — A special concert — Our Best Self — featuring former member and president Jim Kirk; — A continuation of our Plein Air art exhibit. And more! Read all about it in the attached newsletter.
December 2019 Diverse and interesting services, a unique holiday concert, reading groups and art exhibits! You’ll find those topics and more in the monthly newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern.
November 2019 “What does it look like to belong to our community?” This was among many questions our minister, the Rev. Chris J. Antal, brought to the forefront in October. He outlines your answers in his column in the attached monthly newsletter. Also in the newsletter: Reports on the Common Read, and the Write Here! Write Now campaign and bios of three new members, among other news. Lastly, the Fall Congregational Meeting is this Sunday. There’s important business to discuss and vote upon. Please remember to set your clocks back and look forward to participating in the democratic process. And please take note of outgoing board president Mike Landrum’s column which includes a message on the aspirational value of a symbol of American hopes and dreams — our flag.
It’s all detailed in the attached newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern.
You’ll also read about our Movies With Meaning Series and an opportunity to Bike to Beer with Rev. Chris!
July_August 2019 The attached newsletter outlines interesting, stimulating and contemplative services for July and August at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern.
May 2019 Our theme for May is Mystery. You’ll find within thought provoking commentary and reflections from our lay commissioned minister and President Mike Landrum as well as news about our May Congregational Meeting and the Knights Out Banquet.
March 2019 — Our theme in March is Letting Go. Within the attached newsletter you’ll find many examples of it, as well as news from the congregation and stories about upcoming events.
February 2019 — Our theme in February is spiritual practice. Within the attached newsletter you’ll find definitions and many examples of it, as well as news from the congregation and stories about upcoming events.
January 2019 — You’ll find within thought provoking commentary and reflections from our minister, lay commissioned minister and members Amy and Jonathan as well as news concerning our congregation and its ministries.
December 2018 — Within the newsletter you’ll find a report on the Fall Congregational meeting and a photo of attendees, columns by our minister and lay commissioned minister and other news. Also, there’s a story about a benefit concert this Saturday by Alice Nielsen-Shane that you won’t want to miss.
November 2018 — Within the newsletter, you’ll find columns describing the rich history and traditions of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern, and its moral sensitivity and peace advocacy, as well as news about our minister and upcoming services.
October 2018 The theme for this month is Diversity — diversity of spiritual backgrounds, diversity of beliefs, and diversity of views about death. This month Rev. Antal aks: How do we move beyond the diversity towards unity of purpose, and unity of action? And, our Commissioned Lay Minister, Terry Pahucki, counsels that we are united by shared core values, expressed in many different ways that breathe life into our world.
September 2018 A new congregational year begins in September. As Rev. Antal says in his minister’s column “Let Your Life Speak”. And, as our lay commission minister, Terri Pahucki, advises in her column, the theme for this month is “vocation and calling”.
July and August 2018 Welcome to summer and a varied and interesting array of Sunday services, ranging from dance to music to walking our labyrinth. Of note, on July 21, a Saturday, the Social Action Ministry, in cooperation with the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare, will screen the film, “Drone Warfare: Awareness and Action”. This will be followed by a discussion facilitated by Rev. Antal. The program starts at 7:30 p.m. Bring a friend!
June 2018 In the newsletter from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern you’ll find our president’s report on the May Spring Congregational Meeting, columns from our minister and lay commissioned minister and other news about congregational life.
May 2018 The attached May Chalice Light newsletter is a reflection of our congregation. There are columns that challenge you and thank you. There are stories from congregants who have put themselves on the line for social action. There are photos that reflect the full range of our congregation’s life.
April 2018 “The way we avoid the trap of blind faith is by examining our faith in discerning community.” This statement, by our minister, the Rev. Chris J. Antal in his column in the attached newsletter, is but one of many nuggets you’ll find herein. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern’s theme for April is, indeed, faith. We’ve added a new feature this month — reflective and spiritual quotations — thanks to the good work and research of Verne M. Bell and the advice of the Common Read group.
March 2018 The month of March is a time of spiritual journeying, of wandering and walking the world. In March , our journey will take some of us to a Drone Warfare Conference; a Common Read Group discussing Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry; and the West Point Knights Out Dinner.
February 2018 In this newsletter you’ll read about racial justice and love. And, you’ll find opportunities to promote both. You’ll also find other details about congregational life and why the Doomsday Clock is now only two minutes from midnight!
January 2018 Resilience is the theme of January’s services. We’ll also celebrate the roots of our spiritual tradition. And, on MLK Sunday, Willie D. Jones will speak about his personal experiences and being Black in America.
December 2017 This month we look at our faith tradition to embody our values of fairness, compassion, respect, responsibility and honesty.
November 2017 This month we explore mindfulness, which is the work of being in the here and now, paying attention to and responding to the present moment with action in service to our values. What do we see when we look deeply into the present moment?
October 2017 This month’s theme “Death” is meant to facilitate a process of personal reflection, learning, and spiritual growth focused on the topic of death and dying. It brings death, dying, and grief into the light of our daily lives and out of the dark, macabre recesses to which we often relegate it.
September 2017 The service themes for this month are: Celebration of Labor Day, Forgiveness, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Forgiveness and Peacemaking.
July/August 2017 Upcoming Service Topics — A Nod to Leadbelly, On Urgency, Black Lives Matter Discussion, Sound Meditation, Memory and Place, Left of Boom, Christ for Unitarian Universalists, Poetry, Prose and Song Lyrics, and Abundance
June 2017 Let us explore the theme of Joy with hearts wide open to the gifts of each Sunday service this month. May celebrations of flowers, animals, music, and the many gifts of life be shared in beloved community. May the season before us teach us to open our eyes, lift our voices, and bound into the world like an unleashed dog, joyful and loving every new delight.
May 2017 Embodiment
If only we could embody the principles that we covenant to affirm and promote! Sigh.
Our principles are aspirations and they point us towards a destination. Along the way we “miss the mark.” We fall short. We mess up. We do that, because we are human.
From time to time we need to stop and examine ourselves, ask “how well are we embodying the principles we covenant to affirm and promote?”
We need to confront our own hypocrisy, gently, in loving community, and adjust our path. Only then will the path we are on get us to the destination we seek.
April 2017 Transformation? Do we need a major change in our appearance, in our form, in our essence? Is the right question: “How do we transform ourselves into something or someone else?” Maybe we ought to be asking: “How do we become more authentic, more genuine, to whom we are?”
March 2017 We consider risk, and how risk is involved in the choices we make regarding the most vulnerable among us. Will we think of ourselves as shields to protect the targets, who are the most vulnerable among us? If so, then we shields assume risk, relieve the targets, and become allies with the vulnerable.
February 2017 We reconsider the first of two identity statements that define who “we” are and how they may guide us in these times.
January 2017 We consider the centrality of “sanctuary” to Unitarian Universalist identity, explore the history of sanctuary movements, and heed the prophetic call of the New Sanctuary Movement in the United States today.
December 2016 Join us as we explore presence, one’s very identity and being. We will include the times when Unitarian Universalists have felt called to be an annoying presence.
November 2016 This month we explore the theme of Stories and how they empower and transform us.
October 2016, This month we explore the theme of healing. Most people carry wounds of some sort and many continue to suffer from experiences that were traumatic. In our exploration we will consider resources from religion and science that can facilitate healing.
September 2016, A Community of Covenant — Reflect together on what it means to be a people of covenant; not bound by creeds but by our covenant to one another and to thee principles and purposes of our common faith.
July-August 2016, July 3 A Morning of Poetry and Music; July 10 Soulful Dance Expessions; July 17 On Belonging; July 24 From a Buddhist Perspective; July 31 The Ethics of Eating; August 7 Labyrinth Sound Meditation; August 14 TBA; and August 21 Planting Peace
June 2016, Book Discussion June 18 on “Spiritual Perspectives on America’s Role as a Superpower” with Rev. Chris;‘The Sacrament of Resistance’, a look at the Rev. Berrigan march;New Art Exhibit ‘Dialogs’ opens June 12;Rock Tavern to Host Syrian Refugee Forum on June 12
May 2016, featuring Rev. Antal’s Resignation Letter To President Obama; A Message from Terri Pahucki ; Love Overcomes Fear: A Statement by Members of the Greater Newburgh Interfaith Council; Margaret Fuller Marker Dedication Ceremony, May 21st, 11 AM in Beacon; The Multi Faith Anti Drone Conference at Stony Point; President Responds to Rev. Antal Letter on Nuclear Cruise Missiles; and At the Knights Out Gala.
April 2016, featuring A Letter from Terri Pahucki; Spiritual Arts Fair is April 30; Shamanic Sound Journey is Friday, April 8.
March 2016, featuring Welcome New Members Jamie Capach and Mariah Foster; Report on the Congregational Leadership, Service and Ministry Day on Feb. 20; ceremony commissioning Terri Pahucki as a lay minister; A Congratulatory Note from Member Linda Mangelsdorf; Farlekas Tribute ; Veterans For Peace; Knights Out Gala Dinner Will Be April 2 at West Point.
February 2016, featuring Mohammad Tariq Ahadi moving from Afghanistan to New York; Birch School Report; Message from Terri Pahucki; Frances Cott 92nd Birthday Party; Mid Hudson Islamic Association Invitation to Jan. 31 Event; Veterans For Peace Forms Hudson Valley Chapter at the UUCRT; Constellating Peace Event Report.
January 2016, featuring A talk by Dr. William F. Pepper – “The Truth Behind the Murder of Martin Luther King; Constellating Peace Event Jan. 18 with Alison Fornes at the UUCRT.
December 2015, featuring 2015 Craft Show; Holiday Concert Dec. 6; Burning Bowl Ceremony after services Dec. 27 with Rev. Jon Mundy; New Year’s Interfaith Prayer for World Peace.
November 2015, featuring simplicity and fasting; Message from President Michael McGinn; Guest Column by Linda Mangelsdorf; Nominating Committee Report; Oliver Stone documentary series “The Untold History of the United States”; Family Promise to Close; Rev. Antal Presides at West Point Wedding in Cadet Chapel.
October 2015, featuring December 12th 2015 Craft Show; showing of the film Taking Root, The Vision of
Wangari Maathai; A Chance to Participate in the UUA Common Read, ‘Just Mercy’ by Bryan Stevenson; Our Peace Advocacy Congregation; Verne Bell Honored for Outstanding Leadership in Newburgh; Family Promise Fundraiser.
September 2015, featuring Sept. 26, United Nations Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; The ‘Zimbabwe Artists Project’ Comes to Rock Tavern; Applications Being Accepted for December 12th 2015 Craft Show; The UUCRT Labyrinth; Welcome to our new Children’s Religious Exploration teacher!; Writing from the Heart (for adults).