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Seeking the Spirit, Building Community, Changing the World
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Sunday, March 11, 2018
9:15 and 11:15 a.m.
Active Hope: Belonging in This World
The Reverend Scott McNeill
Our worship will highlight text from Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone's book, "Active Hope: How To Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy." By deepening our connection to one another and the world around us, we can "refresh our sense of belonging," as the writers say - and in turn, we can save not only ourselves, but humanity and our planet, too.
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Sunday, March 18, 2018
9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
The Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
Belonging is this month's theme and a key aspect of congregational life. John O'Donohue states, "The hunger to belong is not merely a desire to be attached to something. It is rather sensing that great transformation and discovery become possible when belonging is sheltered and true." Where do you find shelter for your spiritual longing? Where does your soul dwell? Join us as we explore belonging---such a vital topic in our lives---not only our lives within this congregation but as citizens of the greater Bloomington area, this country and the world.
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MAM's Musings
As I mentioned on Sunday, to enhance our connection to the congregation, the ministers will be sending out brief monthly surveys to receive feedback from the congregation on various issues. Since our new End-of-Life Task Force recently completed a successful Interactive Theater event about end-of-life issues with actor Diane Kondrat, we chose a survey to gauge your opinions and expectations regarding our congregation and end-of -life issues. A paper survey was distributed on Sunday. An electronic survey will be sent out. It is available here as well. We hope you will take time to fill out this brief survey. It will certainly help us understand the church's place in your end of life needs.
Our theme in the month of March is belonging. Author and researcher
Brené
Brown offers this definition of belonging from her book
The Gifts of Imperfection: "
Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than ourselves. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often barriers to it. Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance."
What gives you a sense of belonging? What stories do you share about belonging? About not belonging? How do you practice self-compassion and self-acceptance in your life?
Words from Celtic spiritual writer John O'Donohue---"May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within. May you never place walls between the light and yourself. May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you, mind you, and embrace you in belonging" --from
To Bless The Space Between Us
.
Peace, Mary Ann
The Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, Senior Minister
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No Child Goes Hungry
In mid-January, I received an unexpected note from a friend and colleague, the Reverend Kären Rasmussen. We first met when Kären was the Social Justice coordinator for the church where I served as an intern minister; her commitment to justice is long-lived. As part of her Unitarian Universalist ministry, Kären founded a non-profit called, "No Child Goes Hungry" (which you can read about here: http://www.nochildgoeshungry.net/).
Her email was not just a regular check-in, though of course it graciously prompted a connection for us. Instead, she was alerting me to the fact that her program had raised significant funds through Faithify, a Unitarian Universalist crowd-sourcing fundraising platform (like GoFundMe but specifically for UUs), to learn more:
https://www.uuworld.org/articles/faithify-raises-1-million-three-years.
It was through this fundraising that she has given our congregation a grant of $1,000 - to feed hungry kids. Just before receiving her email, and the subsequent check, I had spoken with Mary Goetze about the wild success that she was having with the
Hope for Prisoners Task Force's "Kids with Absent Parents (KAP)" program and this seemed like a great connection.
If you haven't heard about the good work that KAP has done, I encourage you to check out this article in Bloom Magazine (
http://www.magbloom.com/2018/01/fairview-students-receive-surprise-gift) or talk with one of our many members who are connected to the program. We are the beneficiaries of great innovation and collaboration, both within our church and outside of our walls.
In gratitude for all of the work you do,
Rev. Scott
The Reverend Scott McNeill, Associate Minister
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Our Folks...
The Indiana Glass Guild, of which UU Abby Gitlitz is a part, has a show at the Waldron Arts Center, which opened on March 2. Click here for more info (pdf).
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Traffic Pattern in Church Lot Changing Temporarily this Week
Green Grounds is starting their terracing project on the south side of the church building, and will be clearing brush and working with chainsaws to remove honeysuckle from the south side of the driveway at various times this week, depending on the weather. While they are working, they may need to block off that area of the driveway, and have two-way traffic around the north side of the building. Please be alert for orange cones and nice people directing traffic.
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Hope for Prisoners Task Force Meeting, March 20
The Hope for Prisoners Task Force will meet Tuesday, March 20 at 12:00 noon in the Ralph and Annetta Fuchs Library at church.
The agenda will include updates on the Kids with Absent Parents program (KAP), jail Bingo program volunteer opportunity, and developments in several local organizations assisting those who are incarcerated or recently released, including Jail Bingo, New Leaf New Life, Courage to Change, Big Boys Moving, Made Up Mind, and Pages to Prisoners. --Mary Goetze
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Jammin' Java Coffeehouse Friday, March 23
The Habitat Task Force is sponsoring the Jammin' Java Coffeehouse on
Friday, March 23
, beginning at
7:30 p.m.
, in Fellowship Hall. Doors open at
7 p.m.
The event will feature singers, a jazz combo, a string band, and a piano quartet. All proceeds will go to support local Habitat builds. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth 18 years and younger. Click here to view poster (pdf). Light refreshments and coffee/drinks will be available. Free childcare will be provided, but reservations need to be made to rea@uubloomington.org.
The Habitat Task Force is also sponsoring an Easter morning fundraising breakfast between services on
April 1
in Fellowship Hall. Breakfast casseroles, eggs, potatoes, fruit and baked goods, juice will be served. Please come to church hungry!
Our fundraisers are helping us to financially sponsor a Habitat resale house and support other Habitat builds and housing projects.
--Barb Berggoetz
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Reproductive Justice and Racial Justice Task Force Film Screening
March 25
The film
"Death By Delivery" is a searing portrait of the cost of racism in America. It will be screened on
Sunday, March 25th, 6-8 p.m.
in Fellowship Hall. Black women in the US are four times more likely than white women to die during childbirth, regardless of their socio-economic status and education. Maternal morality rates are higher today in the US than they were in 1987. The US is one of only eight countries, including Afghanistan and South Sudan, where the rate is going up. Click here for pdf of poster.
To be followed by an open discussion moderated by UU member Dr. Clark Brittain, Ob-Gyn MD. Pizza and beverages provided.
Co-hosted by our Reproductive Justice & Racial Task Forces in cooperation with
Monroe County National Organization for Women's Reproductive & Racial Justice Committees
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Community Connections
Our Faith in Action in the Community
Macaroni for Shalom Center!
For the last several years, our congregation's members and friends have provided macaroni and spaghetti for the meal program at Shalom Community Center. Please remember to pick up a package the next time you go to the store. Collection basket for donations is under the Social Justice table in the Commons.
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Be Part of this Great Community
on Pledge Day, April 14!
We need a few volunteers to help out on
April 14, Pledge Day.
Come be part of the fun and connect with other UUs! Use these links to sign up:
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Save the Weekend for Pledge Drive April 14-15!
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Do you live alone and worry about your safety?
We are starting a new program for those of us who live alone. It's called "Calling Buddies." We will pair members of our UU community who live alone with other UUs who live alone. These matched pairs will call each other regularly (daily or every other day) to check on each other's safety and well-being.
If you are interested in participating in the Calling Buddies program, please contact Ann LeDuc at
connect@uubloomington.org
or
(812)322-3695 ext 203
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Ready to become a member of UU Bloomington?
If this is your community, if you feel at home here, join us! A Membership Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, March 18 at 10:30 am in Room 112. We ask for participation in our Exploring Unitarian Universalism class prior to signing the membership book. To make arrangements to become a member, or for questions,
please contact Ann LeDuc
, Connections Coordinator, at
(812) 332-3695 ext 203
or
connect@uubloomington.org
.
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Hello, Fellow Travelers!
Join us in Kansas City, Missouri,
June 20-24, 2018
, and
many other Unitarian Universalists at its annual meeting -
the General Assembly.
You can attend for any amount of time and have an opportunity to vote
on interesting topics, as well as many workshops
worthy of your attendance.
Since we now have 512 certified members, this year w
e are eligible to send eleven (11) member delegates (with voting privileges).
If you are interested, talk to
any former delegates who have attended GA recently: Marlin Howard, Doug Cauble,
Anne and Chris Haynes, Lloyd Orr and Jackie Hall, Patrick Brantlinger, or
Sandy Dolby. We have some financial support
available for delegates.
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Let the UUA Commission on Appraisal Know
What You Think
The Unitarian Universalist Association's (an association of all the UU congregations in the United States) Commission on Appraisal invites your participation in a brief survey to help them select their next study topic. The Commission serves as a "think tank" on larger issues facing Unitarian Universalism. Their most recent study was Class Action: The Struggle with Class in Unitarian Universalism.
They are seeking input from individual Unitarian Universalists including congregation members, ministers, religious educators, administrators, etc. In other words, all UUs are invited to share their views.
Use this link
to participate in the survey. Our congregational ID number is 3433.
To learn more about the Commission on Appraisal, an independently elected body of our Association, go to
www.uua.org
and search for the Commission on Appraisal or use this link: CoA.
Thank you for adding your voice in helping make this decision.
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UU History for You--
Caroline Seymour Severance, Suffragist
The Mother of Unitarian Clubs
Wherever UUs attend, one of the attractions for members is the large number of clubs or activities offered. Caroline (n
ée Seymour) Severance (1820-1914) played a role in making this tradition possible. She was born in Canandaigua, New Your, and died in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were well-to-do and she benefited from boarding schools as well as her father's abundant library. She married Theodoric Severance, and he encouraged his wife to follow her intellectual pursuits. She decided none of the available churches met her progressive social reformist needs, so she and her husband left Presbyterianism and founded the Independent Christian Church in Cleveland, Ohio. This gave her the chance to organize members for the abolitionist movement. She also felt women needed groups to discuss social reforms, and her husband supported these efforts financially. To her delight, her husband got a job in Boston where she quickly joined Theodore Parker's church and a woman's rights group working with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They moved again in 1875 to Los Angeles, where she helped found The First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles. She helped establish programs for free kindergarten for children, founded the Los Angeles
Public Library, helped reform the juvenile court system, and worked for women's rights. She and her husband had five children, four of whom lived to adulthood. Severance was still active when she died at the age of 94.
More here. and
here, and
here.
--Elof Carlson, UUCB Historian
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No Passover Seder Here this Year
The UU Passover Seder will not be held here at our church this year.
Thanks to all those who expressed an interest. Next year in Bloomington!
--
Ruellen Fessenbecker
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Please Return Church Library Books
Please return any church library books you may have checked out in 2017 or before. Thank you.
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UU Church Office Assistant Wanted
Deeva Khatiwada, who has served our congregation since 2015 as one of our Office Assistants, is graduating from Indiana University soon, and will be off to her next adventure this spring. We will miss her friendly and efficient presence in our church office.
This part-time position will be filled by the end of April. The position averages 11 hours per week, including 3 hours on Sunday mornings 2 or 3 times per month. Starting pay is $10.00 per hour. Skills include bookkeeping, editing, word processing, website updating and other online work, data entry, greeting and assisting members of the community, taking phone messages and responding to requests for assistance from senior staff and lay leadership.
The position is directly supervised by the Church Administrator. The person filling this position will work closely with our other Office Assistant to accomplish the numerous and detailed tasks on the Office Assistant list. Anyone is welcome to apply, including members and friends of our congregation. However, it is important to note that a high degree of confidentiality is required for the job, and becoming an employee of the congregation will change your relationship with your religious community. Also, participation in committee or task force work while employed as a church staff member is discouraged, because of the boundary and role problems that can develop.
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Current Membership: 512 certified members; 522 current members.
Attendance
Sunday, February 25
9
:15
: 107 11:15: 161 TOTAL: 268
Sunday, March 4 9:15: 110 11:15: 173 TOTAL: 283
Non-Pledge Offering
February 25
$689.45 Sunday, March 4 $740.35
Total to be donated (25%) to All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center $357.45
Grocery Card Sales (Bloomingfoods or Lucky's Market)
Feb 25: $600, income to UUCB $35.00
Sunday, Mar 4: $675, i
ncome to UUCB
$34.25
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UU Children's Choir Upcoming Schedule:
Sun March 11
:
10:30-11:00
Rehearse, Rm 110
Sun
March 18
:
10:30-11:00
Rehearse, Rm 110
(If your child can make either one of these rehearsals, we would love to have them join us in singing for the
March 21st
evening service!)
Wed March 21
: Sing at Spring Equinox Service.
Meet at
5:55pm
in the Meeting Room for run-through. Service begins at
6:15pm
and ends by
7:00
.
(New Singers, Kg-6th Grade, always welcome! Please contact Jill:
jillmcourtney@gmail.com
to be added to the children's choir mailing list).
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Adult Religious Education Opportunities
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"When Children Leave Home"
a workshop facilitated by Amy Cornell
Wednesday, March 21, 7-9 p.m., Library
For parents, grandparents, and caregivers who are in a transition to life with fewer (if any!) children at home. This time can present a multitude of feelings and observations worthy of exploration. The tender time of letting go deserves attention, and this circle allows participants to honor that transition with others who find themselves at similar junctures. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, and caregivers are welcome to this circle. We will share readings, refection, writing and sharing together. No previous writing experience needed. Please contact Reverend Emily Manvel Leite to register for this class:
mre@uubloomington.org
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Shambhala Meditation Meets Mondays at 12 noon
Join us at 12 noon every Monday in the Library for an hour of Shambhala Meditation, walking meditation, and Shamatha yoga with Sarah Flint. Beginners welcome to participate in this 2500-year-old
tradition. sflint.ktv@gmail.com
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Open Mind Zen Meets Mondays at 7:00 p.m.
Join Frank Seisho Diaz for meditation, talks, and discussions on Zen Buddhism, Mondays 7:00-8:30 p.m., in Room 110 here at the church. All are welcome regardless of faith or experience.
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Traditional Taiji on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m.
Brian Flaherty leads "Wu (Hao)" style Taiji in Fellowship Hall on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. Anyone is welcome, even those with no experience. Please wear loose-fitting clothing.
creektivity@gmail.com
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UU Humanists Meet March 11
An opportunity for regular, open, wide-ranging discussions relating to ethics, human development, and the nature of the universe. The bi-weekly forum will meet next on Sunday, March 11, at 12:45 p.m. in Room 208. The discussion will be led by Ann Watzel on "Describing an idea of appealing and practical communal living." For general questions about our UU Humanist group,
contact
Ann Watzel.
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UU Freethinkers Enjoy
Free Ranging Discussion
March 18
The purpose of the UU Freethinkers bi-weekly meeting is to create the opportunity for participants to raise questions and engage in open and non-structured discussion of issues of social concern, political concern, and theological/religious concern. UU Freethinkers meet on alternating Sundays after children's religious education classes end, in Room 208.
UU Freethinkers will meet next on Sunday, March 18, 12:45 pm.
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MUUSA UU Summer Camp in the Ozarks
July 1-7, 2018
Consider joining fellow UUs this summer in the Missouri Ozarks at the annual Midwest Unitarian Universalist Summer Assembly (MUUSA). The weeklong camp offers many workshops and activities for families, couples and singles of all ages. This year Reverend Nic Cable will lead the daily Morning Celebration service on this year's theme: "Living Between Worlds."
Come gather in the beautiful forests and rolling hills of the Missouri Ozarks at YMCA Trout Lodge, where you can connect with old friends, make new ones and participate in a wide variety of activities. Registration is open now! Get all the details at muusa.org.
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Books by Members and Friends Available for Sale
at Our Booktable
Now for the poetry...
Carol Marks's four slim volumes: You Know Where We Were; Belongs to the Earth; I Dreamed I Met Vermeer; and The Pearl Fishing Capital of the Known Universe
Patricia Coleman's Finger's Breath
At Our Windows: Free Range Poets by Bob Taylor, Jack King, Lee James Chapman, Judy Lafferty Beerman, Jerry Smith, Suzanne Sturgeon, Ian Woollen
Steve Dillon's A Collection of Short Stories and Poems
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Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, our Senior Minister,
can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 201 and is available by appointment on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons.
macklin@uubloomington.org
Reverend Scott McNeill, our Associate Minister,
can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 209 and is available by appointment on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
mcneill@uu
bloomington.org
. He can also be reached on his mobile phone, 703-577-0919 and for after-hours pastoral emergencies, please call him at 812-727-0919.
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite
,
our Minister of Religious Education,
can be reached at
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Our Covenant of Right Relations
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Livestreaming Our Sunday Services
You can view the livestream of our Sunday services and view archived video from the last few months
at this link. If you have a problem, please email Andy Beargie at
media@uubloomington.org
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Church Calendar
Office Hours: M-F 10-4
Calendar: A link to our church calendar can be found on
this page of our website.
Facebook:
Many church events also appear on our
Prologue Publication Schedule:
The deadline for articles is 10 a.m. on the date of publication, which is the first and third Tuesday of each month. Next few issues:
Mar 20, April 2, April 16, May 1, May 15, June 5, June 19, etc.
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Masthead photo by John Woodcock.
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