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Unitarian Church of Sharon
4 N. Main St.
Sharon, MA 02067
781-784-3652
E-mail UCS
Partner Church Latest News
February 2011
Thanks from Our Transylvanian Guests
Many, many thanks to everyone who helped our partner minister, Rev. Erika Demeter, and her family feel welcome among us. Special thanks to the Tucks, who generously shared their home. It was enlightening to experience our connection with the Unitarians of Transylvania firsthand. And it was fun, for them and for us! On both sides, we hope the relationship with our partner minister and our partner congregation will grow and deepen, with ongoing support and communication. Jim and Erika have talked about some ideas already, and it would be good to have a small committee to work on them. If you’re interested, please let Jim or me know.
- Beth McGregor
Here’s a recent note from Erika, who’s back in balmy California after her long trip and a week’s intensive course at Meadville Lombard, our UU seminary in Chicago:
Hi Beth
I am really happy to hear the news that some people would love to came to Transylvania, actually this was my aim too. We will be very happy to give back the hospitality what they gave us. When we start our trip I had a feeling like we are the “holy family” looking for a place to stay in. The difference was big, because we found everywhere warm hospitality and wonderful people. Thank you again!
Here is already springtime, the trees are blooming, everything is green and every day is a beautiful day. This is how I like the winter time: big snow in Christmas and in the end of the year after that in two days spring time.
I am sure we will miss this next year.
Please let the congregation know that everybody is welcome in Transylvania just let me know when do you/ they come!
All the best, see you at GA,
Erika
November 2010
Partner Minister Visit
Our major partnership activity in the 2010-2011 church year is to host our partner minister, the Rev. Erika Demeter and her family as guests of our congregation on Dec. 21-27. Erika, her husband, Levente Lazar, and their children Levente Jr and Reka, will spend the holiday week with us, and Erika will participate in leading our Christmas services.
Levente, a leader among the younger generation of Unitarian ministers in central Europe, was awarded the prestigious Balacz Scholarship to study for an academic year at Starr King School for the Ministry, our UU seminary in Berkeley, CA. With support from their partner congregations and the UU Partner Church Council, the whole family was able to come and learn in the U.S.
During their semester break, Erika and Levente are eager to meet the members of their partner congregations, so they are making a trip to the east coast, to Massachusetts and Virginia. Over six days, we’ll have the opportunity to worship together and to share conversations over meals in church and in homes, and to show them a little bit of our life here in Massachusetts.
For information and photos of Unitarians in Transylvania, including Erika and Levente, check out the fall UU World and http://www.flickr.com/photos/uuworld/sets/72157624842902488/
October 2010
UCS to Host Partner Minister from Transylvania
Our church has a partner church in Gyulakuta, Romania. The Minister Erika Demeter will be in Sharon with her husband and two children (ages 8 and 10) from December 21st to December 27th. We will plan events for members of UCS to meet with them.
One thing that would be helpful is a home or apartment where they can settle for those days. If you will be out of town for the holidays and would be willing to let them stay in your home please let Jim Robinson or Beth McGregor know. Of course, we will be giving them daily hospitality wherever they are staying.
The family is staying and studying at the Starr King UU School for the Ministry in California (the school sponsors a Transylvanian Unitarian Minister for study each year), but on the holiday break has a chance to come East to meet with their partner churches (Erika serves two Unitarian Churches in Romania and her husband, also a Unitarian Minister, also serves two churches).
September 2010
Partner Church News
After years of hearing about and supporting the work of the Rev. Erika Demeter, minister of our Unitarian partner congregation in Gyulakuta, Romania and two other Transylvanian congregations, we’ll finally get to meet her in person this winter. Her husband, the Rev. Levente Lazar, was awarded the prestigious Balacz scholarship at Starr King School for the Ministry, our UU seminary in Berkeley, CA, which provides funds for both of them to spend the academic year there. Extra help pledged by their partner congregations (including us) is enabling them to bring both their children, Levente (11) and Reka (7). The whole family has been diligently working on their English (their primary language is Hungarian), and they just arrived in California in late August. With support from the UUA, the Partner Church Council and their partner congregations, they hope to come east in December and January on their semester break. The plan is that they’ll meet with UUA leaders in Boston and visit with us on the same leg of that trip. No definite plans yet, but this is a great opportunity for them and us.
Beth McGregor
January 2010
From Our Partner Church
Dear Beth and members from our partner church.
I know it is a long time we did not wrote to you but the last year was a really big change in our life. It wasn’t enough our services in 5 congregation, even to build two churches, (in Erdoszentgyorgy and Szovata) but also in Szovata we built a ministers house with meeting room and offices. Last year on 15 of September our bigger son started the school in fifth grade and we really wanted him in a school in Szovata, because is more better then the school in Csokfalva. The ministers house of course :-( was half finished yet.
If we wanted our son in a better school then we had to finish the ministers house to move there. We do not had enough funds to pay the last works on the house but finally we found the solution. My husband and I become a bricklayers, wall painters, pipe installers and electricians. We worked 6 days all year as simple workers to finish the house. Of course we still had the services in Sundays. But it was fruitful, we had lots of help from the members and the lay president from Szovata. From them my husband learned how to install all the stuff in the kitchen and bathroom, how to fix the switch for electricity, to put on the lights. And now we live in it. You can see it on this link: http://picasaweb.google.ro/lazlev/Szovata#
After all everything is finished 80%. The problem with the communication also is connected with the works on the ministers house. Mostly we were in Szovata and we do not had internet connection installed yet. Now everything seems to get back to normal. We are getting used with this new situation and it was easy to feel home according to the works we offered for this possibility. Of course this is a church building but when we are going to have our own building already we will know to do most of the works by ourselves.
I'm sorry again that I did not wrote earlier. Also during December last year we was mostly on the road, I even didn't sow my computer. Finally we had installed the internet, moved into the new house but we had to concentrate for the holydays. We made the Christmas presents for the children in the church (60 pieces) we had to by it, to pack it to get it ready for Christmas Eve celebration. Meantime to put together the repertoire with the children performance with poems and Christmas songs / in 4 of our churches, where we held Christmas Eve celebration / even in Gyulakuta. From Christmas Eve and ended with 3rd of January this year (in 10 days) together with my housband, Levente we held in totally 17 services. It was very hard, we drive only for services in our different congregations in totally 900 km. As usual in this period of time between the services we was on the road. Only in the evenings we had some time to spend or celebrate it with our children. After 3rd of January we don't really had time to recover because we started to get ready for the general meeting we usually organize it in the second Sunday of January. Also we are the treasurers of the churches, we had to close the cash register, to make the accountings and also to write the yearly report about our church life in the year of 2009.
We didn't had time even for breath but now we are trough it and we have some time for a few days before we start to visit the families. I think this is the right place to thank you for your support, it is very helpful without it I wouldn't be able to have the financial background to reach my congregations. A part of it we spent it for the Christmas present we gave to 11 children in the church. Then a part for the car and fuel to be there where I need to be present. Thank you, we really appreciate it.
I almost forgot. Meantime in September 2008 we started with my husband a regular English class, 50 km from here in a school from Szekeludvarhely. During the school year, weekly we have 2 hours, and in every 3 month an exam. My husband reached the 8 grade which mean that he can get a intermediate license in English. I reached the 7th grade so probably I will have the same license in the summer. For one trimester I payed the study cost from your help. (One trimester cost 100 USD.) Thank you. J
In Gyulakuta everything is the same. Being only a few members is a fantastic familiar feeling to be there. Is like a big family. Everyone sends you there best wishes in this new year, we wish you a peaceful, happy new year to spend it in joy and harmony.
yours in faith Erika, Levente and and the kids.
-----Original Message-----
From: epjmcg@aol.com
To: unyt@clicknet.ro; leventelazarerika@rdslink.ro
Cc: justicecommittee@uusharon.org
Sent: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 4:22 pm
Subject: Gift from Unitarian Church of Sharon
Dear Erika,
This month, the Unitarian Church of Sharon held a special offering for our Partner Church. The amount our members donated is $854.64. As usual, it is your choice how to use the money--for the car, for needs in the Gyulakuta congregation, or for a special project. Although we know it may not be possible for you, we hope that this money may bring it closer to possible, combined with other funds, for you to attend the international Unitarian women's gathering in the U.S. in late February. If not, we trust you to make other good use of the money, and to let us know in general what it is used for.
We will send our check to the UU Partner Church Council in a few days, hoping it will arrive in time to be part of the UUPCC's December transfer of funds. If so, you should receive the money in early January. If not, it will be early February. Please let us know when it arrives.
At least one of our members may be visiting you in July. Colleen Tuck will be part of a Habitat for Humanity building program in Koloszvar, led by King's Chapel in Boston, and there is time in that program designed to visit a partner congregation after the project. She is hoping that someone else from our church will join her. Our minister Tricia Brennan enjoyed her visit with you very much.
Our whole congregation wishes you, your family, and our partner congregation a blessed Christmas season, and we hope that, in spite of all the trouble and uncertainty in the world, the coming year will be a good one for you.
In faith,
Beth McGregor
January 2009
From Our Partner Church
Dear Friends
We all wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy, Joyful New Year from Kiskukullo Valley, starting from Gyulakuta, via Erdoszentgyorgy, Csokfalva up to Szovata.
This year we had a very agglomerated Christmas. We started at Christmas Eve - we had 3 services with children in 3 different churches. Our children loved it because after all they sang and told Christmas poems 3 times but also they received 3 presents too :-)
Then we continued with the first day communion services in 5 places. But all this is usual during holidays, but this year we have today - on second day 3 services - and we are going to have tomorrow on 3rd day, and the next day being Sunday we also have services. So we are going to have almost a week celebration. :-)
Yours Erika, Levente, Levente Jr. and Reka
December 2008
Travel to Romania
Colleen Tuck will be going to Romania this summer with a group of UUs to help build homes in the Habitat for Humanity program. She would love to have the company of additional members of our congregation. The planned schedule is for one week’s work on home construction in Cluj and a second on a project benefiting our partner church. No specific building or construction skills are required – just a willingness to help build desperately needed housing in a country still recovering from decades under Soviet domination.
Of course, being UUs, it’s not all work. We will have a chance to live, work and relax among people of another country. Though our scheduled return is July 12, we can reward ourselves at the end with additional days exploring Budapest. This is also an opportunity for a college or high school aged youth 16 years or older. Contact Colleen for additional details about this opportunity to help, learn and grow.
August 2008
Rev. Patricia Brennan Visits Romania
Rev. Tricia Brennan spent two weeks in Romania in early July as part of a Habitat for Humanity build. She went with a group from Kings Chapel, the congregation she most recently served, and they visited with their partner church, the First Unitarian Church of Kolasvar. Tricia spent one day visiting with Erika Demeter and her family and visiting UCS partner church in Gyulakuta. She looks forward to sharing her experiences with our congregation.
April 2007
Transylvanian Unitarian Radio
There’s a new virtual bridge between us and our fellow Unitarians in Romania— Transylvanian Unitarian Radio on the internet. TUR (the brainchild of Rev. Szolt Solymosi, who once spoke at our church) can be heard anytime, but the live broadcasts in English are on at 6 PM Mondays and Wednesdays (which means the intrepid young radio hosts are broadcasting from Koloszvar at 1 AM). Just go to www.unitarianradio.ro and click on the ‘Live’ button. (You need a Winamp Player for PCs or VLC Media Player for Macs, both free downloads. Details are posted on the Partner Church bulletin board.)
Speaking of technological bridges, some of the $300 we raised this year for our own partner congregation will go toward helping to replace our partner ministers’ computer, zapped in an electric storm this summer, so Erika and Levente can get back into internet communication.
Of course, personal contact beats electronic contact anytime. Check
the Partner Church bulletin board or www.uupcc.org to read about travel
opportunities provided by the UU Partner Church Council, which combine
remarkable sights with a chance to interact with our Unitarian partners.
Group tours still open are Homorod Holiday July 12-24 (ideal for families);
the Youth Pilgrimage July 24-Aug. 8 (youth of both countries traveling
together); Transylvanian Thanksgiving Sept. 25-Oct. 5; and a tour of
the Romanian painted monasteries Oct. 28-Nov. 1. The UUPCC also organizes
personalized trips. Ask me if you want recommendations from experience!
Beth McGregor
November 2006
Computer Troubles
Our partner minister, Erika Demeter, and her family are
well but busy. Both she and her husband Levente have led their larger
congregations through building new churches, with many complications,
and Levente is the head of the Maros District of the Transylvanian Unitarian
Church. Then there was the complication described below in an August
e-mail message from Levente:
“I’m sorry, that my letters are so rare but in May we hade
some very big thunder storms. One of the lightning’s hit the nut
tree in our garden. It was very close. Thank God nobody was hurt, but
all
the TV sets, telephones in our house and around the neighbours. My computer,
which is connected to the telephone line was burned out. Two weeks after
the storm I took my computer to a friend of mine - thought that it has
only a minor problem and can be fixed with not much money, as it happened
last year with the modem - but my friend told that only the hard disc,
the RAM and the monitor survived. To fix the problem took a few month
for me to save 350 USD. Two weeks ago I could pay my computer and took
it home. Since then I`m trying to download almost 1000 mail and messages.
If a cloud arrive everything is stopped in our house. Nothing can get
close to my computer.”
Erika and Levente remain grateful for our assistance to them and members
of the small Gyulakuta congregation, and their offer remains open to
pick up visitors in their ‘new’ car.
Beth McGregor
May 2006
A Note from Our Partner Church
Minister
Dear Friends!
If it is about spring then for us it is about Easter to.
If it is about Easter then it is about Eternal Life. I believe that our
lives are
surrounded with symbols. Even our life can be a symbol, if we reach our
purposes. I believe that we have lots of possibilities during our life
time to show
up all those feelings which are real but we can not see it. We can act
with love, with forgiveness, with patience. We can appreciate the truth,
the honesty,
humanity. When our life getting close to the end and we pass away we still
be present when somebody will remember us. The feelings are eternal. So
I believe in life before death. Here we have the opportunity, here we
can point
our purposes and here we can reach them.
With these feeling we whish you Happy Easter, Happy Life and Happy Remembering.
Erika and Levente
P.S. In the attachment I send some traditional decorated Easter eggs we useing it here. All those decorations are about life and eternaty.
March 2006
The World of Unitarian Global Partners
Our Romanian partner ministers, Erika Demeter and Levente Lazar, write
that they’ve been busy this winter making personal calls on all
the families in their five widespread congregations (getting lots of
use out of their ‘new’ car). This ‘check-in’ helps
them identify needs among their members, like the one she brought to
us in February.
Check out the Social Justice table for new
photos from Gyulakuta and
the 2006 UUPCC Pilgrimage Season flyer. There are options for youth,
families, individuals, and a work trip to help rebuild two flooded villages
in Transylvania. All trips include homestays with fellow Unitarians.
I’ve heard repeatedly from young people about the exhilarating
and meaningful experience of the youth pilgrimage (July 27-Aug. 9 this
year, for youth 15-19). Customized trips for as few as five people can
be designed too; many congregations do this so they can spend more time
in their partner town or village.
The UUPCC is also supporting exciting local-led community development
work in the Philippines, Romania and India. Consider becoming a member
of the UUPCC — there are forms on the Social Justice table for this too.
A Visit from Our Partner Church Minister
A Day in the Life of Our Partner Minister
2006 Photos from Gyulakuta, Romania
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