Plans are underway to add an additional Sunday morning program at the New York Society. The reasons for this are many. Generally a second gathering allows us to present the Ethical Culture message through new formats and practices that might be attractive to potentially new members who are seeking something different than a traditional Platform. It is not intended to take away from Platform, nor the other programs offered at NYSEC. Rather, in conjunction with Platform this new program will broaden our outreach and further our ethical mission. Clearly then, the style of the second service will be markedly different than Platform. It will utilize drama, more contemporary music, and will have opportunities for all participants to engage in some form of ethical action organized by the group each Sunday.
The themes of the second service, called “Earth Rise” to distinguish it from “Platform,” will revolve around Felix Adler’s notion that “spirituality is awareness of our infinite interrelatedness.” The program will emphasize our connection to nature and to each other, that through conscience choices to affirm both we make our ethics come alive. It will seek to honor that relational way of being by asking participants to live their lives in such a way as to promote all of Life. Our ethical actions will focus on “habitat restoration,” both for humans and for other forms of Life. Most of my day is spent working with communities and government entities on this kind of work. Thus, using my contacts, we hope to create meaningful opportunities for participants to get involved. Programs might include habitat restoration of wetlands, creating green spaces for people in urban neighborhoods, educating ourselves and others on green living, removal of invasive species from area parks to allow native flora and fauna to flourish, and fostering economic justice by partnering with disadvantaged families to create healthier places to live. It is our belief that by engaging to bring forth the Life-affirming qualities within others that ours emerges as well.
The second service will arise organically (no pun intended). Meaning, that we will create Earth Rise not by simply gathering some Sunday and hoping to bring it to life, rather I will be working with groups of people who will each play unique roles in creating a healthy habitat for Earth Rise to flourish. For example, musicians and singers will be brought together who will begin to explore the themes of Earth Rise through contemporary music. But as importantly, this group will mirror our ideal for ethical living by building camaraderie amongst its members. This group will gather not simply to provide music, but to develop into a team that allows the best of each to shine. In a similar fashion all of the various “teams” will constitute the core of Earth Rise’s spirit. As our goal is also to reach out to potential new members, each team will have a mandate to include newcomers reflecting the diversity of our greater community.
At this point we are looking for volunteers who want to work with me to help develop the teams, and I have outlined below what the focus of these teams will be. You will be asked to give of your time and talent, and as importantly to commit to building a team as focused on fostering ethical relationships as it is in accomplishing the task at hand. Also, the volunteers should be committed to the development of Earth Rise and comfortable with its alternative format. You must be equally interested in participating in one of our habitat restoration projects. I realize that Earth Rise’s style might not suit everyone. I believe fully in the diversity of Life and know that what inspires some is more of a distraction to others. Viva la difference! Of course anyone can participate in the new gathering as it is open to all, regardless of their desire to engage in all of the activities.
Here then are the focus of the various teams. If you are interested in participating in any of these, please e-mail me at ccollier@nysec.org or call me at 914-375-2151.
Music Team (musicians and singers)
The music team is responsible for providing contemporary music which emphasizes the relational nature of Life. Pop, rock, country, adult contemporary, rap, punk, Caribbean, Afro-Celt, and other forms of music will be explored. If you have talent with electric guitar, drum, keyboard, bass, or other instruments, we are especially in need of your assistance, as well of those with talent teaching such musical instruments. We are also looking for those who enjoy singing such styles of music to join our chorus (which will use both solo and choral formats) as well as those who can read and teach choral singing.
Aesthetics Team (artists and craftspeople)
Physical beauty is another modality by which to foster an appreciation for Life. The Aesthetics Team will be responsible for creating temporary and free-standing decorative pieces that will enliven Ceremonial Hall. We are looking for those who have talent painting, floral arrangement, set design, textile artists (banners and tapestries), and decorating.
Habitat Restoration Team
This group will have two focuses, human and nonhuman habitat restoration, and will help to organize in-house and outdoors ethical action projects. I am looking for gardeners, nature buffs, social workers, and hands-on types. We are especially looking for those who want to learn how to identify and remove invasive species and those who want to learn aquaculture. On the other end of the spectrum, we are also looking for those with knowledge in crochet or knitting. The ability and willingness to travel outside the Society to help with projects is essential.
Religious Education Team
The second service will be family friendly, and thus we need individuals who enjoy working with children. Working in cooperation with our current Sunday School, a special “Earth Rise” curriculum that also emphasizes the development of ethical personalities will be provided. We need teachers, grandparents, and those with talent in working with youth. Please note that Earth Rise will not have a “drop-off” Sunday School. Community building is essential to our ethical way of Life, and children learn this core principal best by seeing their parents engaged in the life of a community. Only families who are participating in Earth Rise (and newcomer guests) will be allowed to enroll their children in our program.
Drama Team
One of the ways to reach people in the second service will be to use short theatrical scenes and drama pieces. The scenes (doesn’t seem right to call them skits) are not that long, and basically touch on some of the powerful themes about ethical relationships. Our goal is to create a “pool” of actors who will work on scenes for scheduled Sundays. . We will use these themes to explore our relationship with the broader community and our natural world. Scenes might revolve around dignity, finding one’s voice, affirming diversity, harmony, mutual interdependence, fear of strangers and change, conflict resolution, monologues from famous environmentalists, community building, connection, kinship, etc. Participants will need to commit themselves to the rehearsal time needed to create effective performances, however, as the scenes are short, and as various teams of performers will be organized, we are not talking about an extensive rehearsal period. Actors and performers who have experience are needed, as well as those willing to commit themselves to the task.
Welcoming Team
Community building is a chief activity for creating an “ethical culture” and affirming the inter-dependence of all life. This team will help reach out to newcomers and to integrate new members into the Life of our Society. We are especially looking for those connectors who enjoy meeting new people and introducing them to others. They will also be responsible for follow-up on newcomers to extend to them an invitation to return. Finally, this group will serve as the “ushers” for Earth Rise and assist the Leader and Lay-Leaders in organizing the gathering.
“But Curt, don’t these teams already exist?” As a final note, I want to reiterate that this call for volunteers is not to take away from our current teams of volunteers. If you are already active on the various groups that serve Platform, I want to encourage you to continue that commitment. We still need groups to help keep Platform viable and working smoothly. Our goal is to reach out to newcomers and to find meaningful ways for them to participate in the Life of NYSEC. Thus, some duplication is inevitable and is fine as essentially teams are needed for both gatherings. As I said earlier, each Earth Rise team will be mandated to include newcomers – a principal goal of Earth Rise. This is to benefit NYSEC by continuing to expand our membership base. If you have additional comments or questions, please contact me via email or I welcome your call.
