UUFSMA Newsletter December 17, 2018

The Mission of this Fellowship is to serve the spirit as each individual understands it; to serve the educational and pastoral needs of our own community; and to serve our multicultural community through actions that further social justice.



Member Profile


Carolyn Wells Simsarian was born near London to British parents. Her father was a chemist who was recruited by the United States after World War II. The family moved often, but Carolyn considers West Virginia as her “home state” as she attended junior high and high school there. She loved school, especially English class, and knew from an early age that she would be a teacher.

After graduation, Carolyn went off to Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania where she met her husband, John. They married a year after graduation and moved to Detroit, Michigan where Carolyn was posted to teach in an inner-city school through National Teacher Corps, LBJ’s federal program to improve the quality of education in poor areas. While teaching, she attended Wayne State University where she received a Master’s Degree of Arts in Education.

Carolyn and John moved to southern California for John’s work and Carolyn found a position teaching English at a junior high school in Long Beach, until the pregnancy of the first of their two children began to “show” and she was obliged to quit.

The late 1960’s seemed too dangerous in California, so they moved the family to a small town in Central Massachusetts. Carolyn opened a small antique business and was elected to serve on the school board. Later they moved to East Hampton, Connecticut where Carolyn taught at the high school for the next 18 years.

Not having any religious affiliation as adults, Carolyn and John had always said they would find a UU fellowship to belong to someday. After she and John retired, they moved to Framingham, Massachusetts to be close to their grandchildren and began attending the First Parish UU Church there. Retirement allowed them to travel and, after visiting San Miguel de Allende a few years, they decided to move here in 2009.

Carolyn is very active in a group called “Los Ricos” that teaches English and provides other educational services to the children of the village of Los Ricos de Abajo on the road to Atotonilco. She also spends a lot of time in her studio making art quilts in their home on Callejon de Los Muertos in Centro. They live here full-time, but spend July and August in their old family vacation home in Vermont.


Care Team

Never believe that a few caring people cannot change the world. For, indee, that's all who ever have. - Margaret Mead

 
 
Your Care Team wants to wish you a very Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!
 
If you need help during the holidays, do call us!  We will be here!
 
Francoise: 415 149 3053
Lydia Jane: 415 149 3784  

For pastoral care please contact Rev. Wyman Rousseau at  wymanrousseau@mac.com 
For a copy of the Medical Resource directory, contact either Lydia or Francoise.

Calendar of Activities

Tuesday Discussion Group, December 18, 10:15 am, Looking back: Which people in your life have most influenced you? What traditions were important and still are? Join us for these meaningful discussions led by Liz Stone. The group will meet at the Quinta Loreto restaurant, Loreto 15. We will be taking a break on December 25 & January 1.

Wednesday Lunch Bunch, December 19, 1:30pm, Media Naranja, Calz. de la luz 110, enter from Hidalgo, upstairs.


Women's breakfast group meets at Oso Azul, Zacateros 17 at 9:30 each Saturday morning. As the weather gets cooler, be sure to seek out the group in one of the inside spaces. All women are warmly invited. Men meet in the Jardin at 9:30am in front of the Parroquia and decide where to eat. The regular guys would like some new faces to join them!


Circle Cena - The Circle Cena is a social gathering for people who meet at a host's house once a month for either a pot luck of botanas and dessert or a full course dinner. The hosts coordinate the event as to how many guests they can accommodate and who brings what food to share. As the groups change from cena to cena, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know other UUs.

The next Circle Cena is Monday, January 7, 2019. Please sign up as host or guest at the Welcome Table after Sunday service or contact Arlena Lawrence, lawrencearlena@yahoo.com.

Sunday, December 23, 10:30am  

 

The Gift of Music for the Season

 

With Don Krim, Malcolm Halliday, Mario Moya, Michael Moore &
Paula Peace

 

At this week’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Service, an outstanding cast of acclaimed performers from the US and San Miguel musical community present songs and piano music to celebrate the hope and magic of the holiday season. This much-anticipated service of the season is the fourth annual at the UU Fellowship.

           
The diverse, mostly-music program features classical pianists Malcolm Halliday and Paula Peace performing solo and together in 4-hand repertoire, countertenor Don Krim in a rare appearance, composer/pianist Mario Moya performing his own arrangements of traditional Mexican favorites, and tubist Michael Moore sharing his lyrical brass gifts.

           
Non-denominational readings and reflections for the heart and spirit will focus on our common values of love, light. and peace. Works by J.S. Bach and Leonard Bernstein, plus cherished holiday favorites - from “Silent Night” and Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” to international songs of the season in Spanish and English – have been selected to celebrate the diversity of our UU Fellowship and San Miguel community.

           
Pianist Malcolm Halliday was most recently director of Arts on the Green, a concert series at the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury, MA, where he served as Minister of Music for 28 years before retiring last year to San Miguel.

           
An actor by training, countertenor Don Krim’s vocal performances are all too rare in San Miguel. He has performed solo concerts and with orchestras in the U.S., Germany, Austria, Spain, Finland, Turkey and Mexico.


Multi-talented San Miguel native Mario Adrian Moya Acosta is a pianist, harpsichordist, organist, composer, professor and researcher. 

           
Michael Moore is currently serving in his 51st season as Principal Tuba with the Grammy-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, with whom he has performed on more than 90 recordings and dozens of national and international tours.

           
Nationally recognized as a pioneer among chamber musicians, Paula Peace was the pianist and founding Artistic Director of the acclaimed Atlanta Chamber Players for almost 40 seasons before retiring to San Miguel in 2015.

           
The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15 and welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity. For information about our Children’s Sunday Program, contact us at chris.chase1955@gmail.com. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs for hospitality afterwards. Wheelchair accessible. For additional information, visit our web site at uufsma.org.

An invitation for volunteers who would like to be involved in the 2019 pledge drive. We'd love to have an organized person to confidentially keep track of pledges, a creative person to make it more fun, someone who has experience with pledge drives from their former fellowship or church and a new member. It's a limited time commitment but a really important job to ensure a healthy future for UUFSMA. Please let Trish Snyder at trishsnyder49@gmail.com or Carolyn Simsarian at jcsimsarian@yahoo.com know of your interest. Our pledge drive begins Sunday, January 20 and will end at the end of February. 
 

Thanks to all those who participated - and those who bought - for making this Third Annual Holiday Bazaar  a huge success. The UUF collected $8,860 pesos with more coming in. Items that didn't sell will be available at Arlane Lawrence's house on December 22nd


Social Action
Christmas Posada on December 18th

Come watch a traditional posada be enacted by primary students in costumes and enjoy local food. The Christmas Posada will be held at the school in Salitrillo which is located beyond the Presa about 8 miles from SMA. The Posada will begin at 4:00pm on December 18th. We will return about 8:00pm. If interested, contact Bill Wilkinson at bill.m.wilkinson@gmail.com.

Drivers with cars are needed!
Welcome Table

At the Welcome Table we have, for your reading pleasure, the Community Connections brochure. It is filled with everything you ever wanted to know about the UUFSMA - a bit of history, events, who we are and what we do. Pick one up next Sunday.

Altar Flowers


Flowers are a lovely way to remember or honor someone dear to you. If you wish to have the Sunday flowers dedicated to someone special, please contact Cynthia Sterling at sterlingsilver33@gmail.com.

Electronic Payments

We are set up for electronic funds transfers and electronic bill pay payments for your pledges and other donations. For instructions, please contact jane.wilkinson@gmail.com.

And, now we have a link on our website for PayPal under the heading 'donations”.

To use PayPal or a credit card immediately, just click below!

 

The UUFSMA Newsletter is produced each week for members and friends of the congregation. Information should be submitted by Wednesday each week to denise.uufsma@gmail.com

Contact Us!

Board of Directors 2018-2019 (as of April 1, 2018)

John Simsarian, President, 154-4771, jcsimsarian@yahoo.com
Judith Rosenthal, 1st VP, 154-9659, judithr@mail.fresnostate.edu
Chris Chase, 2nd VP, 170-4544, Chris.Chase1955@gmail.com

Jane Wilkinson, Treasurer, 152-8019, jane.wilkinson@gmail.com
William Dalsimer, Secretary, 917-991-7841, wrdalsimer@gmail.com
Eleanor Goodwin, 152-5700, epgoodwin@hotmail.com
Jim Harper, 152-2380, smaharper@yahoo.com
Paula Peace, 102-1072, paulapeace@bellsouth.net 
Peter Podesta, 101-0904, parlino27@gmail.com

Dick Snyder, 121-0612, rcs39@aol.com


If you would like a copy of minutes from a Board of Directors meeting, please contact John Simsarian, President.

                    Committee Chairs and Activity

Administrative
Canvass 15 
Trish Snyder, 121-0612, trishsnyder49@gmail.com
Finance
Jane Wilkinson, Treasurer, 152-8019, jane.wilkinson@gmail.com
Nominating Committee
Cynthia Claus, cclaus731@gmail.com
Administrator (OOS, website, newsletter, committee & board support)
Denise Galipeau, denise.uufsma@gmail.com 
 

 
Pastoral/Inreach

Care Team
Lydia Jane Failing, lydiajane56@gmail.com
Francoise Yohalem, francoise.yohalem@gmail.com

Children's Program
Chris Chase, chris.chase1955@gmail.com

Circle Cena
Arlena Lawrence, lawrencearlena@yahoo.com


Discussion Group
Liz Stone, elmendorf7@aol.com

Sunday Service Co-Chairs
Paula Peace, paulapeace@bellsouth.net
Diana Ekizian, djekizian@gmail.com


Coffee Hour
Peter Podesta, parlino27@gmail.com

Flowers
Cynthia Sterling, sterlingsilver33@gmail.com

Greetings & Name Tags
Jim Harper, smaharper@yahoo.com 

Special Music
Jon Sievert, jon@humblepress.com

Order of Service
Denise Galipeau, denise.uufsma@gmail.com

Thanksgiving
Open
 

 
Social Action, Outreach and Publicity
Announcements
Christie McGue, 231-342-6960, clmcgue@gmail.com

Social Action Committee
Dick Snyder, 121-0612, rcs39@aol.com 

Webmaster
Denise Galipeau, denise.uufsma@gmail.com
UU YAHOO GROUP SITE

Members regularly post updates and information on this site. You will need to create a Yahoo email address before joining.

To join our Yahoo group site create a Yahoo email account, then click on this link:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/UUFSMA/info

Then click on “Membership”and follow the directions.

 

Facebook: “Like” us at: UU Fellowship of SMA. Website: www.UUFSMA.Org

Mail address: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of SMA, Apdo 798, San Miguel de Allende 37700 Guanajuato, Mexico.


San Miguel de Allende, GTO, Mexico


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