[BES Friends] [Fwd: December Schedule]

[Stephen Meskin]

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.