Author: 1stexistentialist

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March 17, 2020 – A Personal Message

Dear Members and Friends,

In this time of anxiety and uncertainty, it’s important to stay informed and connected as best we can. I will be sending an occasional email to keep you up to date and provide some information I hope you will find helpful.

First I want to say THANK YOU FRANKLIN ABBOTT for his message on Facebook this past Sunday in lieu of our in-person Celebration of Life (COL). Franklin took the initiative and had the expertise to set this up. I hope you were able to listen but, if not, it remains on our Facebook Page. We expect that other speakers will also use virtual messaging – like Christine Ristaino who has already volunteered to use this method for March 22. I also want to thank Robert Stewart, Patton White, Charlene Ball, Andy Weiskoff and Edith Covington for stepping up to quickly handle the details of canceling Sunday COL and other activities.

This pandemic has ushered in circumstances unlike anything most Americans have experienced. It is a challenging time for everyone. We are already maintaining social distance and even isolating ourselves to stay healthy and limit the potential spread of the virus. Although this is prudent, even necessary -especially for those of us in a vulnerable category – it creates another set of challenges: having sufficient food/RX/other essentials and dealing with the potential high anxiety – panic – and depression. So even though we need to physically distance ourselves, we can still maintain contact via techniques such as Skype, Facetime and Zoom as well as telephone and social networks (FB, Instagram, Twitter). I encourage everyone to be in touch with family and friends but also with those who may not be in your close network but you know may need supportive contact and comfort. Taking care of one another – showing love and compassion – will be critical to get us through this difficult experience.Another great need arising from this is financial. If your circumstances allow, please consider making a donation to the  Ministerial Discretionary Fund. We will help the best we can with what we have. Organizations like the food bank and shelters (human and animal) also need your continued support.

And last, but not least, take care of yourself. Be kind in how you perceive your handling of this crisis. We are all under incredible stress and may make less that optimum choices at some point. Regroup and look forward. If you are physically able, take a walk to enjoy the beauty of nature that abounds here in Atlanta. Pull out that craft project or book or puzzle you’ve put aside. Enjoy the company of your pet – they can be great listeners and provide wonderful comfort. Be creative in ways to be as active as possible and keep a positive attitude.

I believe we will come through this stronger as a community as we work together to support one another and show great caring and compassion to all, those we know and those we don’t. As Existentialists we emphasize our freedom to make choices and I am confident that we will act authentically to be our best selves.

Stay well, be careful and think positive.

With much love,

Marsha
Rev. Marsha Mitchiner, Fellowship Minister

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March 29, 2020 – Leon Clymore – POSTPONED

“The Twists and Turns of a Life”

Ellis Leon Clymore was born on a farm outside of Chelsea, Oklahoma on Nov. 21, 1935. His family moved around a lot before settling in Oklahoma from the 5th grade through 2 years of college. The family became members of the Church of Christ when he was about 12. He went to Church of Christ related colleges in Oklahoma and Arkansas. He met Lou at Harding College, Arkansas. They were married in Sept., 1958 and they left for Zambia, Africa in Dec., 1958. Three children were born in
Lusaka, Zambia. They moved to Malawi and stayed there in evangelistic work for 5 years. They returned to California in 1972. Leon was pastor of the Church of Christ in Riverside, California for 6 years, then resigned and became a computer programmer. They moved to Atlanta in 1979 and have lived here since. Leon went to Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur for 3 years. Then he became a minister/administrator in the Atlanta Union Mission, becoming the founder/director of the recovery program for men at the Mission, having been certified as an addiction counselor. He retired in 2004. Then later began teaching English to immigrants for 8 years, part-time. He fully retired in 2015. He and his wife were members of the Oakhurst Baptist Church for 20 years (Lou still is there). They have 3 adult children and 6 grandchildren, all living around the metro Atlanta area (except their son and wife who are living and working in Antigua, an island in the Caribbean.) Leon enjoys reading theology and novels, playing pickleball, exercising, studying Spanish and helping Lou in the garden.

  • Facilitator: Robert Stewart
  • Musician: Charli Vogt

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March 22, 2020 – Christine Ristaino

“Monsters, Saints, and the Space in Between: Changing How We Talk about Violence and Trauma”

Christine Ristaino is a professor at Emory University, where she teaches Italian literature, culture, and language classes. She has co-authored an academic publication entitled Lucrezia Marinella and the “Querelle des Femmes” in Seventeenth-Century Italy through Farleigh Dickinson Press as well as the first edition of a book series called The Italian Virtual Class, which teaches language through cultural acquisition. She currently teaches a creative writing-focused class on Italian memoir, as well as co-teaches a class comparing Italy and China through the medium of food (noodles in particular).

Ristaino is also an Atlanta author whose memoir, All the Silent Spaces, published in July 2019 by She Writes Press, was a 2019 Best Book Awards Finalist in Social Change as well as Women’s Issues. Her book confronts the topics of violence, identity, and discrimination. She writes and publishes articles, essays, OpEds, and non-fiction, and presents her work in various forums throughout the U.S. and abroad. In addition, Ristaino has published articles in the Guardian, Pacific Standard, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and the Atlanta Journal- Constitution on child advocacy, coping with violence, and topics around diversity. Ristaino participates in efforts around social justice, education reform, and violence prevention. She is an award-winning advisor and teacher and has experience organizing powerful symposiums, seminars, conferences and events. She leads workshops on the topics of diversity, equity and inclusion, privilege, coming to terms with violence through memoir, writing and talking about difficult topics, and creating a public voice.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/43340332955/watch_parties/

  • Facilitator: Rev. Marsha Mitchiner
  • Musician: Cecil Walker

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March 15, 2020 – Franklin Abbott

“Self Soothing and Social Compassion”

Because the First Existentialist Congregation has temporarily suspended our Sunday services, our Celebrations of Life, effective March 13, Franklin has graciously given his talk, “Self Soothing and Social Compassion” on Facebook Live and may be viewed again at: https://www.facebook.com/counselingandcreativecoaching/videos/345366846377505/

Franklin Abbott has been a practicing psychotherapist in Atlanta for nearly forty years. He is also a poet, musician, community organizer and amateur oral historian. His connection to the Congregation and Old Stone Church goes back more than 40 years to early urban radical faery gatherings held in the sanctuary before First E became its steward. He has spoken at First E many times, performed music and poetry there, and coordinated events and memorials.

  • Facilitator: M. Charlene Ball
  • Musician: William Chelton
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March 8, 2020 – Rabbi Joshua Lesser

“This is the Moment You Are Created For: Finding Our Political Strength”

Rabbi Joshua Lesser leads the dynamic Congregation Bet Haverim as a place dedicated to celebrating all aspects of Jewish life and creating a spiritual home that balances the needs of a diverse community. He served in the first Teach for America Corps in New Orleans, founded the Rainbow Center, a Jewish response to LGBTQ people and their families. He is the co-editor of the groundbreaking book Torah Queeries: A Weekly Commentary on the Hebrew Bible. He was named one of the 36 most influential rabbis in North America in 2013 and listed as one of the 100 most notable LGBT clergy in America by the Huffington Post. Throughout his tenure at Bet Haverim, Rabbi Lesser has worked with a wide variety of groups and coalitions to build a better community for Atlanta by focusing on building bridges between diverse communities as demonstrated through being a founder and past president of the Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta and serving as the co-chair of Georgians Against Discrimination. Serving as the chair of Reconstructionist movement’s Tikkun Olam Commission, on the board of Georgia Equality and the Chair of the City of Atlanta’s Human Relations Commission, he is dedicated to human rights for all.

  • Facilitator: D. Patton White
  • Musician: Dr. Jean Heinrich

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March 1, 2020 – Rev. Marti Keller

“The Divine Ms. M: An American Prophetess”

Rev. Marti Keller is a self-identified Jewish Unitarian-Universalist, who looks often at the Jewish source of our living tradition for inspiration and aspiration. She co-authored “Jewish Voices in Unitarian Universalism” (Skinner House 2014). She has served on the Board of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. She has served for the past 20 years as both a parish and community minister. Her own grandparents passed through the Golden Door before it was mostly shut tight.

  • Facilitator: Jan Lister
  • Musicians: Craig Rafuse & Andy Weiskoff

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February 23, 2020 – Dr. Jean Heinrich

“Existentialism: Choice, Change, Courage”

Dr. Jean Heinrich

Dr. Jean Heinrich, passionate human being, licensed clinical psychologist, musician, is nourished by existential philosophy in these times. Believing her knowledge of existentialism and the human psyche/mind/body/spirit make her a better musician and her music makes her a better clinician, and, both her knowledge and music make her a healthier/more vital human being, she invites you to join us as she speaks on: “Existentialism: Choice, Change, Courage”.

Dr. Jean Heinrich
  • Facilitator: D. Patton White
  • Musician: Mick Kinney

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February 16, 2020 – Dr. Pauline Rose Clance

“100 years of celebration of voting rights for women; Still fighting for voter rights for all”

Pauline Rose Clance, Ph.D.

Pauline Rose Clance, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Psychology at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia where she taught in the Doctoral Clinical Program for 28 years and was the first Senior Faculty Associate for the Task Force for the Advancement of Women. In 2012, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Lynchburg College in Virginia.

She has been in private practice in Clinical Psychology for over 33 years and was a co-founder and faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Georgia, President of the Southeastern Psychological Association, along with being a national and international speaker.

In 1978 Dr. Suzanne Imes and Dr. Clance wrote an important academic article on the Impostor Phenomenon which continues to gain world-wide attention.

She is one of the Founding and a long-term member of the First Existentialist Congregation. Pauline believes that the First E is needed more now than ever at this time in our country.

Dr. Pauline Rose Clance
  • Facilitator: Dr. Sharon Mathis
  • Musician: Charli Vogt

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February 9, 2020 – Dianne Valentin

“Finding Our Way Back to the Positive Aspects of Black Culture & Heritage”

Dianne Valentin

Dianne Valentin is the mother of four, grandmother of ten, and has over thirty years of experience assisting small businesses and nonprofit organizations with their business needs and working directly within the community, private industry, and public education sectors. As a political scientist with training in the areas of international affairs and national defense, Dianne has used her training and education when advocating grassroots and progressive issues on Capitol Hill. She has had issues related articles published in a major news outlet.

Dianne is the founder and CEO of the Black Heritage Museum & Cultural Center, Inc. (BHMACC) Founded in 2005 and established as a nonprofit organization with federal tax-exempt status in 2006. Whose mission is to document and preserve Black heritage, culture, and scholarship and use it to encourage, empower, and uplift current and future generations through scholarly engagement, art, and artistic expression, while cultivating critical thought. Our vision is to find our way back to the positive aspects of Black heritage & culture.

Since its inception, the BHMACC has help over 3,000 marginalized and low-income students get into college. It does its work in the areas of arts, culture, education, social justice, environmental justice and stewardship.

Dianne works with national, state, and community nonprofit organizations providing strategic advice, technical assistance, program development, community outreach, and community organizing support.

During her corporate career working for an investment banking and accounting firm Dianne and her team managed the assets of twenty-six financial institutions with asset values ranging from $25 million to $10 billion, she managed the staff of asset managers, financial services and accounting representatives, researched and brought to resolution federal agency investigations, Congressional Inquiry and FOIA requests received directly from Congress related to those managed institutions, developed and initiated uniform training procedures for the handling of client issues. As a Senior Analyst for a government agency she was responsible for the analysis of negotiated contracts to insure commitment integrity and that the negotiated contracts fell within the guidelines for that financial product.

Dianne appeared before President Barack Obama’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future to present her views on nuclear weapons, nuclear waste, and how they impact environmental and racial injustice. Dianne acted as editor of a climate report that has been presented to and accepted by the U.N. and the Pope.

Dianne is serving as President of the board of directors of a statewide women-led peace, environmental justice, political empowerment nonprofit organization, is serving as Chair on a national, women led United Nations recognized NGO, formerly served as founding President of an Atlanta based legal advocacy nonprofit supporting girls and women dealing with sex discrimination and abuses in the education and workplace settings. Dianne is a former President of the board of directors of a women’s health center.

Dianne has been honored with a United Nations’ National Human Rights Award and a National Grassroots Activist Award by a national organization comprised of organizations from all over the country.

Dianne Valentin
  • Facilitator: Libby Ware
  • Musician: Alan Dynin
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February 2, 2020 – Dr. Anneliese Singh

“Racial Healing: The Next Step in Our Collective Psychological Liberation and Racial Justice”

Anneliese Singh, PhD, LPC

Anneliese Singh, PhD, LPC is an award-winning social justice scholar and community organizer. She is a Professor and Associate Dean of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Education at the University of Georgia, and a program faculty in the counselor education and supervision doctoral program. Her research, practice, and advocacy explores the resilience and liberation experiences of trans people, people of color, survivors of trauma, South Asian immigrants, and social justice and empowerment training. Dr. Singh has co-authored texts on trans and nonbinary counseling (A Clinician’s Guide to Gender-Affirming Care and Affirmative Counseling and Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Clients), in addition to the Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook and the Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing. In 2009, Anneliese co-founded the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition to work on the intersection of heterosexism, racism, sexism, and other oppressions in Georgia schools. She also founded the Trans Resilience Project to translate findings from her nearly 20 years of research on the resilience that trans and nonbinary people develop across the lifespan and across multiple identities to navigate societal oppression. 

  • Facilitator: Lorraine Fontana
  • Musician: Susan Ottzen