'An Inconvenient Truth' free screening Oct. 1 
An Inconvenient Truth," the critically acclaimed motion picture on global warming and its consequences, will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, at The Winchester Unitarian Society, 478 Main St. The showing is open to the public. Admission is free.
The screening in Winchester is one of 4,000 nationwide in a program coordinated by Interfaith Power & Light, an interfaith ministry devoted to deepening the connection between ecology and faith. The producers of the movie featuring former Vice President Al Gore made the film available free to interested congregations during the first week of October, before DVD release.
The Winchester Unitarian Society Youth Group (WUSYG) is sponsoring the showing as part of its efforts to focus on environmental issues, in line with the Unitarian-Universalist principle of respecting the interdependent web of all existence.

Winchester Unitarian Society Youth Group PARENT ORIENTATION - October 22, NOON An orientation will be held in the Youth Room at Noon on October 22nd for all parents of WUSYG members, or interested parties. The Youth Advisory Committee, chaired by Cynthia 
Randall, will offer an overview of our program, ministry to youth, and other offerings for teens.  We will be handing out pertinent information, answering questions about WUSYG, and clarifying expectations of the youth as well as their parents. Youth are not required to attend. If a parent is unable to attend, however, please contact Cynthia Randall or Jessica Rubenstein: cynthiarandall@comcast.net or jessica.rubenstein@comcast.net. Forms may be downloaded from our resources page.

 

The YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE meets the first Sunday of each month at 9:30 in the Youth Room. If you have questions about any aspect of our youth programming, please don't hestitate to talk to Jessica, Sean, or any member of the committee.  We look forward to planning a great year for all our high school aged youth.

SEPTEMBER
WUSYG would like to thank the following Winchester businesses for their financial support!  These businesses gave in our time of need this summer, as we were trying to raise funds to get our trailer, tools, and supplies down to the folks at Project HOPE in Violet, Lousiana. 

BOOKENDS  
ART AND FRAME  
LUTHER W. PUFFER INSURANCE  
PIZZA EXPRESS  
LPL FINANCIAL SERVICES

Please support their businesses in the way they have supported us in WUSYG!   

THANKS FROM PROJECT H.O.P.E. It’s hard to believe one year has passed since Katrina struck (see Bria Taverna’s article, below). WUSYG’s work, and the work for the folks down in Louisiana, continues. WUSYG has numerous speaking engagements lined up for this fall, and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and Gulf Coast Relief will be using WUSYG’s music and reflections dvd in their continued work to help rebuild the south. 

This summer, thanks to the abovementioned businesses and the gracious financial support of numerous friends and neighbors of WUSYG, the youth group was able to purchase a pickup truck to haul the trailer they purchased and stocked for Project HOPE down. In July, the remaining trailer space was stocked with much-needed tools and supplies purchased and collected by WUSYG. Sean drove the whole rig to Violet this summer (thank you Sean!). 

Thoughts on New Orleans A Year Later, by Bria Taverna, WUSYG Senior
I remember getting off the plane, and seeing beautiful Boston after spending a week in a city filled with devastation.  I got to the parking lot and just cried, and wished I could get back on a plane and go back to Project Hope.  The feeling of wishing I could still be there, helping those who have lost so much, has never gone away, and it’s six months later. I had a conversation with someone the other day about New Orleans. This man felt it was no use to rebuild New Orleans and people shouldn't have chosen to live there anyway.  
I asked, "How would you feel if your home were destroyed?"  
He said those people should be cleaning up their own mess, and shouldn’t need help from others. 
I replied, "The people of New Orleans have lost so much, and they can't rebuild their homes or their lives alone."  
He told me that the people of New Orleans were stupid and should have left before the hurricane.  
"How do you leave without money?  What about the elderly and sick?"  I said.
He told me it wasn't our problem. 
Well, New Orleans is our problem; it is part of our community. And wouldn’t we want help if we had lost our homes, our families and our friends?  People are still struggling to rebuild their lives a year later, and some have no money and no place to live.  Some even feel they have no hope. 
I am still thinking of the people effected by Hurricane Katrina, both those who survived and those who died.  Six months after my trip to New Orleans, I still can't forget the sight of devastation and the tears of the survivors.  I still can't forget the stories I heard and the people I met.  We may not be able to bring back the lives lost, but we can improve the lives of the survivors.  A year has gone by since Hurricane Katrina, and there is still work to do.  What will you do to help?

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