Three choirs and orchestra perform Brahms' "Human" Requeim
Greetings, Music is the
worship service on Sunday
morning as we gather to hear Johannes Brahms'
"Ein Deutsches Requiem", regarded by many as the
greatest choral
work ever conceived. This stirring work will
be sung by the
combined choirs of our church and the student
chorales and alumni chorus of U.C.
Berkeley.
Invite your family and
friends to this wonderful concert in our
Sanctuary!
The German Requiem by Johannes Brahms
Sunday, April 27 at 11 am in the Church Sanctuary
service introduced by Rev. Gregory L.
Stewart
music conducted by Dr. Mark Sumner
In this work Brahms changed the purpose of
the requiem. Instead of a mass for the dead,
he points out the path for mankind. He does
not speak of the Redeemer's death but of God
-- whether his work invokes a personal,
anthropomorphic God remains a question for
reflection by the listener. The Bible verses
Brahms selected for the Requiem confirm a
universal viewpoint, especially for those in
a Christian culture, that God may be regarded
as the Creator or as the God within us, our own
higher self.
His "human" requiem examines cosmic cycles of
life and death, the fleeting nature of outer
life, and the eternity of truth and the inner
worlds. Rather than fear of sin, God's wrath,
and the Last Judgement, it conveys tidings of
love and immortality.
Performed by the
combined voices of singers
from the University of California, Berkeley,
Alumni Chorus and Men's and Women's Chorales
and the Choir of the First Unitarian
Universalist Society of San Francisco.
Dr. Mark Sumner, director /
conductor William Garcia Ganz,
associate director
Nancy Cooke Munn, soprano
Jeffrey Fields, baritone
This
performance marks music director Mark
Sumner's first
time to conduct the piece and he has summoned
every affordable resource available (and then
some) to bring this music to both the ears of
our congregation and to the voices and minds
of our singers, some of whom are singing a
major choral work for the very first time.
"My biggest thrill is turning on the young
singer to the glories of the great music.
With the Brahms it has been a easy task,
as the music casts its own magical
spell--without my having to lift nary a finger."
Forum Sunday at 9:30 in the Martin Luther King Room
from Karen Melander-Magoon and Barbara Allen
Society member Louise Nayer, poet and
professor of English at San Francisco City
College,
will speak to us about the art of "ceremonies
and celebrations for everyday life". Louise is an
internationally published poet and writer who
has read her work on radio, in coffee houses
and at universities through the United
States. Her poetry and book reviews have been
published in over forty magazines.
The free program will start at 9:45. Come at
9:30 for conversation, coffee, and (for a
slight charge) a light breakfast.
Planting Seeds for Earth Day
Children's classes celebrate the Earth
from
Betty Skwarek Acting Director of
Religious Education
please
note: Elementary age learners
and leaders will start their program in the
chapel this Sunday morning. They will not be
attending the first part of the service due
to the concert in
the Sanctuary.
We end the month of April with a lesson for
elementary school age children on Earth Day.
Classes will play games, plant seeds and
participate in other activities in
celebration of the earth.
New students are welcome throughout the year,
and parents are invited to phone Acting
Director of Religious Education Betty Skwarek
at (415) 776-4580 for more information.
from Betty Skwarek, Acting Director of
Religious Education
Transitions Service to Honor Graduates
Graduating high school seniors will be
honored at our Transitions service on May 18,
as well as our third graders who have
completed the Rite of Passage program. Are
you a high school senior who participated in
our church's programs but may not be active
currently? We would love to see you again on
May 18th for the celebration! Please contact
Betty Skwarek if you would like to
participate. We are beginning planning this
Sunday, April 27.
Coming of Age for 8th and 9th graders
Youth who will be in either 8th or 9th grade
next year are warmly invited to participate
in Coming of Age. This program is the
Unitarian Universalist counterpart of the
Jewish Bar or Bat Mitzvah or the Catholic
Sacrament of Confirmation. It is an
important step in the lives of our youth
providing instruction about Unitarian
Universalism, challenges for the body, time
for deep introspection and writing, closer
relationships with peers and with an adult
mentor. Information about the program will be
posted on the Google group and distributed in
Junior Youth Sunday School. You may also
contact Betty Skwarek.
Contact Betty Skwarek at (415) 776-4580
Your Pledge is Important!
Look for Your Pledge Card in the Mailbox this Week
from Nancy Evans, Executive Director
If you missed Celebration Sunday, please look
for your Estimate of Giving Card in the
yellow envelope mailed this week and return
it to the church office by hand or mail as
soon as possible. On May 18, the congregation
will vote on the budget for the new 2008-2009
year. Our work depends on everyone's
financial support. Over 150 members, friends
and families have pledged, and 70% promised
to increase their annual contribution. Please
be as generous as you can, so that our
Society may thrive in the coming year.
You can enjoy the entire
Celebration Sunday service at www.UUSF.org
on the Sermon
Archive page.
If you did not receive a pledge card, or have
questions, please call the church office at
(415) 776-4580, or e-mail Nancy Evans.
Before you fill out the Estimate for 08-09,
LISTEN
HERE to Rev. Stewart's inspiring call to
pledge, which includes his now famous "Shrub
Retort".
Annual Memorial Day Retreat - Early Bird Discount
Register Sunday - Last Chance for Early Bird Discount!
from Lee Most
It's coming up fast! This will be the last
Sunday to get the early-bird discount
when you register for the All-Church Retreat.
Our annual getaway from the
city is Memorial Day weekend in sunny Sonoma
County when our Society takes over
a whole summer camp with swimming pools,
playing fields, an outdoor chapel in a
grove of redwoods (pictured), and enough ways
to relax, be active, be fed, be creative, and
be entertained to satisfy anyone's wishes.
Come to the registration table after
the service, or contact Lee Most at
UURetreat2008
or phone (415) 706-6138.
Saturday April 26th, 7pm at First Unitarian Universalist Center
from Dolores Perez Priem
Guilty of
Telling the Truth! Join us at
the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Activism
for SOA Watch - San Francisco. Founded ten
years ago at an event held at First UU SF,
School of the Americas Watch SF is a
nonviolent grassroots
movement that works through creative protest
and resistance in solidarity with the people
of Latin America.
Senior Minister Gregory L. Stewart
will welcome the audience to the celebration
which will honor Friar Louis Vitale,
Franciscan Priest, War Veteran and Peace
Activist. Fr. Vitale recently was released
from prison after being found GUILTY OF
TELLING THE TRUTH! He will speak about the
reason for his arrest at Fort Huachuca,
Arizona. See www.tortureontrial.org
for details about this issue.
April 26th, 7pm in the Thomas Starr King
Room
Reception/Refreshments/No Host Bar following
program
Suggested Donation $15 / Sliding scale
Contact by email: soaww
Good & Welfare
Anna Rind recently celebrated her
90th birthday with her many friends at
church. Congratulations Anna!
Congregational Vote on 2008 - 2009 Budget
Informational Meeting on May 4. Voting Meeting on May 18.
from Jane Park, Moderator, Board of Trustees
Planning for the annual budget is a big job,
but working together we can make it simpler
and fun! Please plan to
attend the informational meeting May 4th,
following the service. Members of the Board
will present the proposed
budget for 2008/09 and answer your questions.
The actual budget voting meeting will occur
on May 18. Please mark your calendar and plan
to participate in this important membership
activity.
Copies of the proposed budget for
the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July
1, 2008, will be available in the church
office this Sunday and thereafter.
Flowers Planted, Hedges Trimmed
Building and Grounds Work Party Kudos!
from David Jones
Many thanks to the five volunteers who
participated in the April 19 Building and
Grounds outdoor work party. They were Linda Messner, Robert
Huffmaster, new church member Carl
Carrouche, Faith Jansen, and
David Jones. These volunteers removed
grass and debris around the church property
and trimmed the hedges along Franklin Street.
Be sure to check the newly planted
calendulas (pictured) and daisies in the
sarcophagus
area! The committee is looking for some
potential leaders for future outdoor work
parties for the remainder of the year.
If you are interested, please email
David
Jones or call David at 415-819-3686
for more information.
Faith In Action Video
S.F. Society Members Featured in Video on YouTube
See the video that everyone's been talking
about! This mini-film, titled Faith In Action
and produced by intern minister Jeremy
Nickel, features members of our Society
speaking from the heart about why First
Unitarian Universalist Society of San
Francisco is their spiritual home. This video
was premiered during last week's Celebration
Sunday service. Nice work Jeremy!
The Flame is published by volunteers
under
the authority of the First Unitarian
Universalist
Society of San Francisco.
To submit information, photographs, or essays
-- or
to ask a question -- please e-mail the
editors.
Deadline for
articles is
noon each Tuesday. Our
publication guidelines
are available on the Internet.
service introduced by Rev. Gregory L.
Stewart
This
performance marks music director Mark
Sumner's first
time to conduct the piece and he has summoned
every affordable resource available (and then
some) to bring this music to both the ears of
our congregation and to the voices and minds
of our singers, some of whom are singing a
major choral work for the very first time.
"My biggest thrill is turning on the young
singer to the glories of the great music.
With the Brahms it has been a easy task,
as the music casts its own magical
spell--without my having to lift nary a finger."
from Karen Melander-Magoon and Barbara Allen
from
Betty Skwarek
from Betty Skwarek, Acting Director of
Religious Education
from Nancy Evans, Executive Director
from Lee Most
from Dolores Perez Priem
from Jane Park, Moderator, Board of Trustees
from David Jones