SUNDAY MORNINGS AT 10:30AM
January 1 POTLUCK PANCAKE BRUNCH
Today we forego our usual intellectual sustenance for food of a
different sort the kind we normally we have to wait for until the platform is
over! Brunch is what were doing (although there will also be plenty of
interesting talk how not?). Pancakes and drinks will be provided; bring
something else to share for the brunch, if you like, and canned goods for Viva
House (for details see Viva House recipe in January BESpeak). Electrical
outlets are limited; contact Karen if youll need one so we dont end up with
uncooked egg on our face. Start the New Year with fun, fellowship, and some
really good food!
January 8 ISLANDS OF GOODNESS
By: Fritz Williams, Leader, Baltimore Ethical Society
There are times when violence and evil come to power and when goodness is
marginalized and becomes almost subversive. When Germany and much of Europe
were swept up in a tidal wave of Nazi racism and mass murder, a few brave
individuals and small enclaves of moral subversives held fast to their faith in
human worth and goodness. As part of an ongoing effort to understand the
sources and contours of goodness, Fritz Williams examines the lives and deeds
of some of those who kept a precious spark of humanity alive even under the
banner of Nazism.
Fritz Williams is Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society and serves as primary
speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader. Fritz also performs
weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the
Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in
Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.
January 15 THE END OF FAITH-BASED VIOLENCE
By: Walter Ehrhardt, Humanist
How do we get people to stop killing each other in the name of their religion?
What are the causes of such violence? What can we, as individuals, do about it?
For answers to these questions, we will examine the ideas of two very different
authors, Sam Harris and Jack Newman-Pallmeyer. Sam is an atheistic practitioner
of Eastern mysticism, while Jack is a Catholic academic and pacifist.
Walter Ehrhardt has a degree in intellectual history from UCLA, and has had a
lifelong interest in religion. Formerly active in organized Humanism and
members of BES, he and his wife Sylvia are now members of the new Ethical
Society Without Walls (members-at-large) of AEU.
January 22 AFTER THE FLOOD: TALES OF A VOLUNTEER
By: Gordon Stills, Member, Baltimore Ethical Society
Gordon returned recently from three weeks in Louisiana working for the Red
Cross on Katrina recovery. In that short period, he says, he was subject to
every emotion a human being can possibly experience sadness, anger, pity,
disgust, love, hope, exhilaration. He encountered a depth of poverty he had
never seen before. And he developed a new appreciation of the Red Cross. This
will be his retrospective on those three weeks. His words will be accompanied
by a display of Katrina damage and recovery photographs.
Gordon Stills is a retired Baltimore school principal. He is also a poet, a
dramatic reader and narrator, and a small businessman. A 45-year member of the
Baltimore Ethical Society and former board member, he is currently serving the
Society by conducting weddings and other ceremonies as an Ethical Humanist
Officiant.
January 29 THE POLITICS OF RACIAL INEQUALITY
By: Joe Pettit, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Morgan
State University
Joe will argue that racism should be understood both as a problem
of laws and policies that perpetuate racial inequality (housing, education,
criminal punishment, etc.) and as a stigma associated with African-Americans
that prevents any significant challenge to the political realities that produce
racial inequality. Joe will also consider some of the religious questions that
emerge when considering racial inequality, most notably our ideas of the human
and of the complicity of religious communities in perpetuating racial
inequality.
Joe Pettit is an active member of the American Academy of Religion,
founded in 1909, which is the world's largest association of academics who
research or teach topics related to religion. He was invited to speak at BES in
response to an op-ed he authored on the politics of racism which appeared in
The Baltimore Sun on September 22, 2005. He had another op-ed published in The
Sun on Christmas Day, Government Should Assign Equal Value To All Human Life.
SPECIAL EVENTS (all free & held at BES, Congress Hotel, 306 W. Franklin Street)
Saturday, January 7th, Coffee House, 7:00PM
The third first Saturday evening coffeehouse will feature the music and poetry
of Brian E. Langston and poet Julie Fischer. Julie has hosted many great events
in the city and is the founder of www.poetryinbaltimore.com. After the featured
performers there will be an open mic; sign-up at 7PM. Coffee, tea, and snacks
will be available.
Sunday, January 8th, Poetry Group, 9:30AM
The Poetry Group usually meets the first and third Sunday morning of each month
(NOTE SCHEDULE CHANGE this month because of holiday). Bring poems that move you
or that you have written to share and discuss. Each meeting we look at poems
that loosely relate to a specific topic. Topics are announced ahead of time by
Karla via e-mail. To be added to her e-list, send her a note at poet at
baltimoreethicalsociety.org.
Sunday, January 8th, BES Board Meeting, 12:30PM
The BES Board meets monthly, usually on the first Sunday of the month (NOTE
SCHEDULE CHANGE this month because of holiday). Board meetings are open to all
members. Come sit in and see how much fun we have, because the nominating
committee may be knocking on your door soon to encourage you to join us next
year.
Sunday, January 15th, Colloquy, 9:30AM
A colloquy is a participatory period of self guided reflection. Attendees are
asked to respond to questions, or stories, but not to each other's comments.
Rather, they are asked to "speak from the heart."
Sunday, January 22nd, Poetry Group, 9:30AM
The Poetry Group usually meets the first and third Sunday morning of each month
(NOTE SCHEDULE CHANGE this month because of holiday). Bring poems that move you
or that you have written to share and discuss. Each meeting we look at poems
that loosely relate to a specific topic. Topics are announced ahead of time by
Karla via e-mail. To be added to her e-list, send her a note at poet at
baltimoreethicalsociety.org.
Sunday, January 22nd, Ethical Action Group, 12:30PM
Our current exploration of possible ethical action projects reflects an
expressed concern that we need to commit ourselves to specific ongoing
community service activities so that ethical action wont just take the form of
occasional events, but will become a basic part of who we are and a force that
draws us together as an ethical fellowship. So far, weve been discussing and
investigating the feasibility of three possible long-term projects:
· Baking desserts once a month for Moveable Feast, an organization which
delivers meals on weekdays to homebound individuals living with HIV and AIDS
and their dependent children.
· Joining other volunteers in making and selling homemade cards in order
to raise funds for CARES, an interfaith partnership in northeast Baltimore that
operates a food pantry, provides eviction and utility cut-off emergency funds,
and pharmacy assistance.
· Developing new promotional contacts and venues for the annual Fred
Benjamin Peace Awards contest for high school students in Maryland. Essays,
poetry, and art submissions are solicited. If you know any high school
(public, private, or home school) students or teachers, please contact Carol at
peacecalendar at comcast.net and shell e-mail the details. The contest offers
cash prizes and is conducted by MD United for Peace & Justice, and is now in
its eleventh year.
Please join us. These are promising initiatives, appropriate for a small
organization like BES, but we need people to take part in them and to help us
coordinate them. There are opportunities for BES old-timers and newcomers
alike. Some activities may require working together at certain community
locations, but there are others which revolve around things we can do in our
own homes.
Sunday, January 29th, Newcomers Meeting, 12:30PM
Are you new to the Society and interested in learning more?
Thinking about joining? Come to the newcomers meeting in the library and learn
more about Ethical Culture and about BES its history, its philosophy, and its
organization. Meetings last about one hour and are hosted by members of the
Society, sometimes including Fritz.
And looking ahead
.
Saturday, February 4th, The Vagina Monologues, 7:00PM
V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. Every year
V-Day events take place in February and March at hundreds of locations around
the world, including last February at BES.
All V-Day events feature a performance of "The Vagina Monologues" and donate
their proceeds to local organizations working to stop violence against women
and girls. "The Vagina Monologues" playwright, V-Day Founder Eve Ensler, waives
fees to V-Day benefit presenters of the play.
Last year there were over 2500 events in 1100 communities raising over $6
million! The BES production was one of the most talked-about BES events in
years. This year will be V-Day's biggest ever. There are more events and more
programs, and more ways to include people. Contact Karen at president at
baltimoreethicalsociety.org for more information.
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