MAIL NOTICE: The December newsletter should have been received by now in the Baltimore area. If you normally receive it but haven't received it yet, please let me know at admin at BaltimoreEthicalSociety.org
Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings will be held from 10:30 to noon at the Society, in the Congress Hotel at 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102. On street parking is available. Handicap parking and entrance are available in the adjacent lot with appropriate identification. Ethical Humanist Sunday School for children during platform meetings. Call 410-581-2322 for more information or, on the day of the event, to check for closing during inclement weather. Also check our newsletter and web site: www.BaltimoreEthicalSociety.org Save on your 2005 TAXES by making a contribution today to keep Ethical Culture alive and lively in Baltimore. SUNDAY MORNING PLATFORMS (see details below) Dec. 4th ? "The Binding of Isaac? by Fritz Williams, Leader, Baltimore Ethical Society Dec. 11th ? ?Life is Enough? by Richard Kiniry, Leader of the Philadelphia Ethical Society Dec. 18th ? Winter Festival: A Participatory Happening Dec. 25th ? ?What Do We Believe?? An Interactive Journey OTHER ACTIVITIES Dec. 3rd ? COFFEE HOUSE Saturday at 7pm. The second in our monthly series of CoffeeHouses. Music and poetry by featured performers, plus an open mic. Coffee, tea, and snacks available. Snow date: Sat., Dec. 10. Sign-up for open mic at 7pm. Dec. 4th ? POETRY GROUP Sunday at 9:30am. Facilitated by Karla Mancero. Bring poems that move you or that you have written to share and discuss. A general theme is picked for each meeting - contact Karla at poet at BaltimoreEthicalSociety.org to be added to the e-mail list and receive notification of topics. Dec. 4th ? BOARD MEETING Sunday at 12:30 pm. All members are welcome to attend. Dec. 11th ? COLLOQUY Sunday at 9:30 am. Facilitated by Stephen Meskin. The colloquy is a formal program consisting of guided meditation on a particular topic, with responses on a personal level as well as time for silent reflection. It was developed by Arthur Dobrin, Ethical Culture Leader, author, and teacher. The topic this month will be Meditation, based on a section in Dobrin's book "Spelling God with Two O's." Dec. 11th ? ETHICAL ACTION - Sunday at 12:30 pm Dec. 18th ? POETRY GROUP Sunday at 9:30am. See Dec 4th. Dec. 18th ? NEWCOMERS' MEETING - Sunday at 12:30pm. Learn about the history and organization of the Baltimore Ethical Society and the Ethical Culture movement. PLATFORM DETAILS Dec. 4th ? ?The Binding of Isaac? by Fritz Williams, Leader, Baltimore Ethical Society The Biblical story (Genesis 22) of God putting Abraham to the test by commanding him to take his son Isaac?s life and offer him up as a sacrificial burnt offering is one of the most poignant and troubling passages in the entire Bible. Through the centuries, rabbis, imams, priests, and ministers have attempted to make theological and moral sense of it. Fritz Williams provides a deeply personal and humanistic encounter with this ancient story. _Fritz Williams_ is Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society and, in that capacity, serves as primary speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader. To these duties, Fritz brings extensive ministerial and communications experience. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal Church, and also as a writer and producer at public television stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI. He is especially loved for his down-to-earth narrative style of speaking and his "When I Was Kid" stories, based on his own childhood. Dec. 11th ? ?Life is Enough? by Richard Kiniry, Leader of the Philadelphia Ethical Society It seems that most people who claim to believe in heaven and hell don?t actually plan their lives with an afterlife in mind but the idea remains part of their theory about life and they can fall back on that idea in times of trouble. Since Ethical Humanists don?t expect such life insurance, should we live differently, behave differently? _Richard Kiniry_ has been Leader of the Philadelphia Ethical Society for more than ten years. He has also served in various capacities with the AEU including the Board, the Leadership Committee and as president of the National Leaders Council. He currently is the NLC representative to the AEU Ethical Action Committee. Richard spent his college years in a Catholic seminary, raised chickens in India for two years with the Peace Corps, and had his own stained glass business for many years. A graduate of the Humanist Institute, he is also the Director of Camp Linden, a children's camp in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and a member of the Board of The East Fairmount Park Alliance, a neighborhood community group in North Philadelphia Dec. 18th ? Winter Festival: A Participatory Happening It may not be snowing, but we?ll celebrate the season together anyway, with our traditional mitten tree and some sharing of what this time of year means to us all. Bring gloves, scarves, etc. for the mitten tree, a final donation for the good folks at Viva House to distribute, and a winter tradition to share - in story or as ?show and tell?. Even if it?s snow-less outside, we?ll still have our own winter wonderland inside the Congress Hotel! Dec. 25th ? ?What Do We Believe?? An Interactive Journey Ethical Culture emphasizes deed before creed, so we often talk about how to live ethically but we don?t usually address what each of us believes. While the Baltimore Believe campaign encourages us to believe that Baltimore can be a better city and advertising campaigns urge us to believe in their products, that?s not the kind of belief we?re going to address here. Rather, what are our innermost beliefs? What helps us make it through difficult times? Together, in one or more small groups, we will explore this question.
