[BES Friends] May program

[Steve Meskin]

Unless otherwise noted all events are held at the Society (306 W Franklin St, Suite 102, 21201). For more information call 410-581-2322 or check the web at http://www.baltimoreethicalsociety.org/

PROGRAM SUMMARY 
Platforms end at noon followed by coffee, snacks, and conversation. Details about the platform topics and speakers follow this summary.  For more information, see our Newsletter.
Sat 5/1        7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Maryland United for Peace & Justice Conference - Takoma Park Presbyterian Church,                         call Carol or Ron Solomon at 410-363-3140 for information.
Sun 5/2       9:30 a.m. Poetry Group facilitated by Karla Mancero; bring a poem to share and discuss. For more information, e-                    mail Karla at nada23_2002 at yahoo.com
Sun 5/2      10:30 a.m. Platform: "Everyday Courage" by Fritz Williams, Leader
Sun 5/9      10:30 a.m. Platform: "Personal Poetics" by Linda Joy Burke, Poet
Sun 5/9      12:30 p.m. Book Discussion: "Bridges out of Poverty" facilitated by Kirk Mullen
Sun 5/16      9:30 a.m. Poetry Group facilitated by Karla Mancero; bring a poem to share and discuss. For more information, e-                    mail Karla at nada23_2002 at yahoo.com
Sun 5/16    10:30 a.m. Platform: "AEU and You" by John F. Hartman, Exec. Dir. AEU
Sun 5/23    10:30 a.m. "Remembrance Sunday" An interactive program
Sun 5/23    12:30 p.m. BES Annual Membership Meeting
Sun 5/30     End of Season Picnic - details to follow
COMING EVENTS: Watch for the schedule of our informal 10:30 a.m. Summer Sundays.  Platforms will begin again after Labor Day.
PLATFORM DETAILS

May 2nd – "Everyday Courage" by Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

The stories of human courage that we read about in newspapers or watch in films and television documentaries are hard for us to relate to. They involve feats of risk taking and death-defying bravery that make the rest of us look and feel like cowards. Yet, very ordinary human beings often show real courage in doing what has to be done to cope with the day-to-day challenges of life. Fritz Williams celebrates this everyday courage.

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.

May 9th – "Personal Poetics" by Linda Joy Burke, Performance Poet

Local performance poet Linda Joy Burke takes us on a creative journey using rhythm as a gateway to poetry and to finding our own poetic voices. Come and bring your mother (or your children) to this Mothers' Day meeting that's sure to be both meaningful and joyful.

Linda Joy Burke has been working in the arts in a variety of roles for over 25 years. She is past president of the Baltimore Writers Alliance and her poems and writings have been widely published, including in "When Divas Laugh: The Diva Squad Poetry Collective," "Thy Mothers' Glass: Poems for Mothers and Daughters" edited by Diane Scharper, and "Obsidian II: Black Literature in Review." She says, "I believe that through deep, personal exploration and integration of the arts into our lives in whatever form "art" presents itself to us, we are able to enhance our growth and inform our knowing about ourselves and the world more completely."

May 16th – "AEU and You. A strategic overview of the American Ethical Union" by John F. Hartman, Executive Director of the American Ethical Union

John Hartman gives an update and overview of where the AEU is now, where it is going, and where it needs to go. The AEU Board recently began work on a strategic plan and identified three top priorities: governance, communications, and growth, which will also be discussed.

John F. Hartman was appointed Executive Director of the American Ethical Union on January 9, 2003. With 30 years of service within the not-for-profit sector, Mr. Hartman brings a wealth of skills and experience to AEU. During the last 15 years, he has served as the Executive Director and later the President of the Design Industries Foundation for AIDS in New York City, a grant making foundation that in his last year made grants in excess of $11 million. He was Executive Director of the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation, a New Jersey based foundation that provides financial assistance and professional counseling to families that had a child with cancer. His most recent position, also as Executive Director, was with the Foundation for Treatment of Children with AIDS, in New York City, that made grants to hospitals with pediatric AIDS clinics throughout the country. 

May 23rd – "Remembrance Sunday" An interactive program

For the final formal Sunday meeting of the regular season, members and friends will share memories of those no longer with us, including some we never really knew at all. Come prepared to find out more about Ethical Culture's history, as well as to think about those we knew personally whose lives had a positive effect on ours. Be prepared for both laughter and solemnity. 

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