It has been an odd winter, frustrating to winter enthusiasts. March is a transitional month, with the sort of late-winter “storm events” that remind me of the child’s verse “The March wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, and what will the robin do then?...”

The canvass is well under way. By now, you and your canvasser may have talked about May Memorial — what it means to you, its future prospects, and the shared obligation of members to sustain and promote the church’s mission with their dollars.

I recently became the co-chair of the Building and Grounds Committee. What I “knew” all along has become painfully clear to me now: Our beautiful building is aging. It needs maintenance. In order to maintain and improve May Memorial, the physical structure, we need to give it our loving care, both our sweat equity and our cash. In a word, our stewardship.

The Post-Standard has the real scoop on Rev. Jean in the 1/31 issue. It's a good interview with things you probably don't know about her.

The New Year is upon us and, at least for me, it is a time full of reflection and of possibility.

We are well into the “giving” season, and I hope you are planning to include May Memorial in your holiday “giving” plans.

Earlier in the year our religious education classes worked with the story “Supriya’s Bowl,” a tale from the Buddhist tradition.

It's not too late to join our fall Adult Education classes, where you'll find a wide variety of enrichment opportunites.

As you read this our fall session will be ending. After Thanksgiving we will be starting our Seven Weeks of Unity. This is our mid year part of the Sunday morning RE where we focus on our Unitarian Universalist identity.

A matter of balance

As leader of this congregation, I’m constantly learning about the need for balance. I believe part of my duty is to help manage the tensions that arise between strong convictions that are not always exerting pressure in the same direction.

Well some RE years start off at a clip and some years start off at a roar. This year is one of the latter.

Listen to highlights from our Sunday services on our podcast page, where you'll find our new minister's latest sermons, Joe Cleveland's August folk music service and lots more.

By the time you read this, Labor Day will be here. Families with children will be in full swing getting ready for the return to school. And most of us will be trying to keep that list of what we need to do to prep for winter from nagging us as we try to squeeze a little more summer out of life.

Defining ourselves

Many Unitarian Universalists seem to have an abiding desire to define and redefine themselves and their religious project.

Whether you are new or old here, please wear your name tag on Sundays and at MMUUS events. When you wear your name tag, you are saying something about yourself beyond your name.

The 2006 – 07 fiscal year ended with a deficit $21,085.19 less than the budgeted deficit of $38,000.00. Thank you for your generous support!

A “Green” project of the SJC

Be the first in your pew to sport our new reusable cloth canvas grocery bags and help eliminate plastic bag proliferation.

Notes from Rev. Jean...

June marks the end of the regular “church year” for most UUs. June also brings our annual UU Ministry Days and General Assembly. This is one of those Junes when it’s a challenge for me to get away for GA. Yet, each time I attend, I am glad I did.

Raises $3,022

The biennial MMUUS Book and CD Sale generated $3,022, a large majority of it from non-MMUUS shoppers. In addition to earning money for the church operating budget, we had a wonderful community experience and contributed to Green Sanctuary by recycling books and media items.

Great news. At the April 22nd congregational meeting, a large turnout of members voted by an overwhelming majority (96.2%) to call the Rev. Jean L. Wahlstrom as our next settled minister, and she has accepted our offer.

Relive the fun of this Adirondack adventure (or find out what you missed) with our Garnet Hill photo gallery.

That was some common-sense advice passed on at a recent day-long “Growth Workshop” for congregations in the St. Lawrence UU District. I was lucky enough to attend, along with Therese Hogle, Lee Ann McKinney and Mardie Ninno.

Our new website is finally here, with a new look, new features and new content. You'll find the latest news and events, a calendar, a photo gallery, audio podcasts of sermons and other highlights of our services, and more.

January and February are months when ministers like to give sermons in a series, to probe into subjects a little deeper. This year I am going to be talking about literature. The book I would urge everyone to read is this year’s Syracuse Reads selection: Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner.”

A marble tablet honoring Syracuse abolitionist and MMUUS namesake Samuel J. May was rededicated 12/30 after being installed on the side of our building, overlooking the memorial garden.

Securing the future of May Memorial is important to me. Sure, May was around for more than 150 years before I showed up, and I expect it will manage to survive somehow after I’m gone. Yet sometimes I wonder: Will the fantastic, fractious fellowship of the UU faithful at May really survive?

Global Warming and Climate Change

Did you know...

• that US citizens use 25% of the world's fossil fuels but we’re only 5% of the world's population?
• that Italians use 22% of the energy that the U.S. uses... and seem to have a “good life”?

As you read this, the fall session of our RE program is coming to a close. November 19th is the last Sunday of our fall session. It has been a good start to the year.

We have been working to get everyone registered for our RE program. This year we are not charging a registration fee, following a decision by the Board last year. However, it is still important to register so that we will have your contact information.

A resolution to end sanctioned tortured was passed by an overwhelming majority of MMUUS members present at a Sept. 24 meeting.

WHEREAS acts of torture violate United States criminal laws, specifically the federal Anti-Torture Statute, 18 U.S.C. 2340 and the federal War Crimes Act of 1996; they violate international treaties to which the United States is a party, including the Geneva Conventions, the Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and furthermore, torture is particularly alien to the principle of respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person, a principle that is central to Unitarian Universalist religious beliefs; and