A Unitarian Universalist Church | 1800 Bell Ave., Des Moines, IA 50315 | P: 515-244-8603
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This Sunday: January 13, 2019
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9:15 & 11 a.m.
Rev. Erin Gingrich
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This month we ask how we can be a people of possibility, together. Let us apply the insights of Bowen family systems theory to consider what is actually possible to do individually and collectively wherever we find ourselves.
Special music by UU Singers
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Faith Formation Classes for Pre-K - 8th grade
9:15 & 11 am
See the "Faith Formation" section below in this email for information on this week's classes.
Child care will be available for infants and toddlers (up to age 4) in Room 112
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Joys & Concerns for Sunday should be submitted by noon on Friday.
You may also submit a hand-written joy or concern on Sunday morning.
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If you are 70 ½ or older and have a traditional IRA, you know (we hope you do, anyway) that you must take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) each year, and that you will pay taxes on that amount. BUT – there’s a way to avoid that tax liability!
You can make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) directly from that IRA to an eligible charitable organization (such as the church or its endowment fund), using a part or all of your RMD. An individual can transfer up to $100,000 directly from a Traditional IRA to an eligible charity, with such amounts being excluded from gross income. (You CANNOT, however, claim a charitable deduction for this – that would be double-dipping.)
Whether you are over 70 ½ or not, you CAN transfer appreciated stock that is NOT in an IRA, avoid paying capital gains on those shares, AND deduct the value of the stock on the day of transfer as a charitable contribution.
As with all financial matters, each person should consult with their own financial professionals.
-Barb Royal
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Our Ministerial Search Listing Is Live!
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We’re delighted to report that First Unitarian Church’s ministerial search listing is up, live, and running. According to the UUA Transitions Office, it has already had traffic – ministers are looking at it! Here’s a link to our publicly available search-specific website:
https://firstunitariandsm.wordpress.com/first-unitarian-home/
. Additional information about our congregation and the minister we seek to lead us is available to potential ministers through the UUA Transitions Office.
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Click below to see
the results!
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Rich vocal harmonies merge with intimate layers of guitar, fiddle and banjo to define the lush sound of Dusty Heart. Barbara Jean and Molly Dean are two songwriters recognized in their own right for their poetic lyrics and distinct vocal styles that when combined create a powerful and haunting sound that takes on a life of its own. Through their shared wanderlust and love of adventure, a passion for the open road, vast landscapes & poetry, as well a mutual love for musical harmony, Dusty Heart has crafted a sound that bridges together the diverse musical worlds of roots, indie, pop and folk.
Press for Dusty Heart:
“A duo whose harmonies could soothe the most restless soul”
— The Current, Minnesota Public Radio
“Dusty Heart combines great songs with lucid harmony and stunning musical talent”
— Dave Simonett, Trampled By Turtles
“Barbara Jean and Molly Dean of Dusty Heart have that rural campfire chemistry that can make you lose all tension in your jaw”
— City Pages Minneapolis
“A pairing of two of the most talented women in the entire Minnesota Music scene”
— Rich Larson, SouthernMinn Scene
Tickets at the door are $25
Watch Dusty Heart on YouTube:
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January / February Outreach Partner:
Family Promise
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Family Promise of Greater Des Moines strives to create a safe, stable and nurturing environment for the children as well as to support the efforts of their parents in securing employment and housing. We partner with 14 host congregations, volunteers and donors to help homeless families with children find steady income and stable housing.
First Unitarian hosts 3 families, (up to 14 people) 4 times a year. We typically have around 35 volunteers providing over 200 hours of volunteer time to provide the families with a warm meal, comfortable bedrooms, friendly hospitality and safe place to sleep.
Family Promise Mission Statement:
To mobilize our community to help homeless families achieve stable housing and income through compassionate care, hospitality and professional support.
Asks during this month:
We could use new washable pillows, some towels, and more queen and twin blankets.
Family Promise is also supporting the Rethink Poverty workshop that is being hosted at First Unitarian Church on January 26th.
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First Unitarian Church is hosting for Family Promise
during spring break!
If you are free that week, March 17-March 24th, please sign up to help.
There are over 70 opportunities for you to support families that are experiencing homelessness.
Help us to fulfill our second end: The people of First Unitarian Church connect in community
to support one another and honor the web of life.
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The next meeting of Compassion & Choices is planned for
Thursday, February 7
th
at 1:00 P.M
. It will be held at the West Des Moines Public Library and will feature the updated Compassion and Choices Power Point presentation on medical aid in dying and a screening of “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner,” a new film about the Washington State MAID [Medical Aid in Dying] campaign in 2008.
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That is what the Social Justice Ministry Leadership Team heard after our November 29
th
Social Justice Potluck.
Not only did we enjoy great food, but got to know each other better and why we engage in doing the work that we do and what would support that work. Make plans to join us quarterly to share a potluck meal, learn a little something about each other and refuel to stand up for what you love.
- February 5th, 2019 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
- May 7th, 2019 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
- August 6th, 2019 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
- November 5th, 2019 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
You are invited to join us whether you have been engaged in Social Justice for a long time or just figuring out where you best fit. No childcare provided or RSVP’s required. Bring a tasty dish to share. So, “Yes, Let’s do this again!” See you there!
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January Artist:
Bill Allen, Watercolor
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Bill Allen is a native of Illinois but long ago adopted Iowa as his home. His watercolor paintings depict the beauty in the everyday things around us all. His subjects include rural and urban landscapes, architecture, animals and botanicals; many having a link to Iowa. Whether it’s tiny mushrooms in a rotting tree, that moment when the sunrise glints across downtown or the blooming flowers in a grocery store, he revels in showing the splendor found in the tiny, the transient, the things that often go unnoticed in our busy lives. Meet the Artist Reception is Sunday, Jan. 20at 10:15 a.m.
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Intro to the UU Journey Class
Thursdays, January 17, 24 & 31, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
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Are you new to Unitarian Universalism or our church? Or maybe you’re not new but would like to know more people and explore our faith? Join us for this three-session class to reflect on our spiritual journeys, explore core Unitarian Universalist values, and connect with others.
Child care is available upon request.
Minimum of 5 people must register for the class to occur.
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Next Anti-Racism Book Group
Wednesday Jan. 23rd at 12:30pm (new time)
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We will read, discuss, and do the book’s exercises in class,
in My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathways to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, by Resmaa Menakem (2017). The author shows us where and how the white-body supremacy culture that we were/are all raised in is taken in not by our thinking brain, but by our neuro-physiological system, the fight-flight-freeze responses to trauma and threat. The author addresses how trauma affects black bodies, white bodies, and police bodies. With his exercises we will learn how to settle our own body, access those hidden messages, and transform them through the heart and ultimately to the brain. This may be not only a practical way to access our 400-year old white-body supremacy, but perhaps the only effective and efficient way.
Class meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, from 12:30 to 2:30 PM.
(new time)
If you have only an hour at lunch time, you are welcome to join us. The next class will be Wednesday Jan 23. We will close enrollment at that point, to ensure trust and stability for the inner reflective work this book requires.
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Walk a Mile in "their" shoes
- Rethink Poverty Simulation
9-12pm on Saturday January 26th
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Do you work with or volunteer with families in poverty and want to have a better understanding of what families in poverty face? Spend a simulated month in poverty and gain a better understanding of what it’s like to live below the poverty line. This interactive event promotes poverty awareness, increases understanding, and inspires local change.
The simulation is facilitated by the Center for Social Ministry in Des Moines and sponsored by a REACH grant.
The simulation is for adults (18 years or older) and there is a maximum of 80 participants. If you need childcare, please contact Child care at
childcare@ucdsm.org
The event is free but RSVP is required
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Conditions for asylum seeking trans women
in ICE detention.
Sponsored by: Immigration Justice and Sanctuary team
Forum Jan 13 at 11 am in Channing Hall.
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Karla Torres will speak about the conditions for trans women in detention in the Cibola County Detention Center in New Mexico.
Karla was in detention for 3 months after she requested asylum at the Mexican border. She is now living in Des Moines but is not yet allowed to work.
Karla managed to save $45 in the past few weeks and we sent the money via WesternUnion to one of her friends in Cibola. This is a considerable sacrifice for Karla and shows how she is committed to helping these women. Even this modest amount of money makes a huge difference to someone in detention. Supporting asylum seekers while in detention is one way to make a difference, one life at a time. We hope the forum inspires others to take action..
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Journey of Accompaniment: Part 14
Accompaniment Story: "simple gestures of human kindness"
by Karen Lauer
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Right before we left on vacation in November, Michael sent a note to Johely in Cibola County Correctional Facility in New Mexico. Johely is a transgender woman seeking asylum who we were originally assigned to sponsor; but she was deneid bond and will have to stay in detention while her asylum case proceeds. We continue to support her through small deposits in her commissary account - she has told us it is difficult to manage her diabetes with the meals the inmates are served there. With money in her account she can purchase supplementary foods and personal care items.
We came home to find our note returned as undeliverable. I feared that Johely had been deported, but a text to her lawyer assured us she is still in Cibola.
Puzzled, I pulled up the sponsorship document we received and found the page on how to send mail to inmates. Michael had addressed the letter to Johely by copying the return address on the letter she sent to us which had her name and A#, followed by the facility name and address; but in order for mail to reach her, the envelope must first list the name of the facility, followed by the inmate’s name and number, then the address.
I quickly sent her a letter and explained why she hadn’t heard from us. That very day we received a letter from Johely. I waited a couple of days to open it, fearful that she had felt abandoned. Instead, the letter was filled with her gratefulness to us; offering us blessings and asking god to do the same.
I’ve been struggling with our relationship with Johely. Not the support itself; sending letters and a little money to her commissary account is easy. It’s the gratitude that is hard to accept - her reaction almost makes me ill at times. To her our relationship means she has not been forgotten, that somewhere, far from her prison, there are people who care that she exists. To me, it is a constant reminder of the horrors our government is inflicting on innocent, desperate people.
What does it say about us - as a people, a society, a country - that such simple gestures of human kindness are so unexpected, so rare?
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Is making Des Moines a fairer city for all who live
here worth 90 minutes of your time?
JOIN THE INITIATIVE TO END RACIAL PROFILING
BY LAW ENFORCEMENT IN DES MOINES
Please plan to attend a workshop presented by the Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) Racial Justice Committee
Saturday, January 19, 2019
9:30 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.
First Unitarian Church
1800 Bell Avenue, Des Moines
We will review the six requests made by Des Moines citizens to our City Council
- BAN racial profiling by police
- BAN pre-textual stops
- COLLECT and publish data on all police stops
- CREATE a citizen’s review board
- REQUIRE training in implicit bias and de-escalation
- MAKE enforcement of marijuana possession a low-level priority
You will learn why these requests have been made, what has been done so far in Des Moines, and how you can help with this initiative.
The workshop is free and coffee will be provided.
Click
here
for printable flyer
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If you'd like to set up a regular (weekly or monthly) contribution to our social justice activities,
click here
and enter the dollar amount for "Social Justice Outreach."
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Generosity is unselfish willingness to give, in order to make a positive difference in the world in accordance with your values. Generosity fosters positive emotions that promote health and happiness in its practitioners. Endowment funds are gifts that keep on giving, and ensure the future of our First Unitarian Church of Des Moines. Learn how you can be a part of this enduring legacy.
You might think that “planned giving” is only for the wealthy. Untrue! Anyone can plan to give any size gift to the church in their will or while still living. One of our members currently gives $5.00 a month to the Endowment Fund, in addition to their pledge.
Your Endowment Committee members are: Margaret Schultz, Tim Wilson, Lisa Houchins, Liz Bredeson, Todd Lackmann, Jill Philby, and Lynn Fox.
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Janis Elliott
for facilitating our latest Newcomer Circle. We appreciate you sharing your warmth and compassionate presence with others!
Misty Craig
for the planning, budgeting and preparing all of the delicious meals we enjoy every Wednesday night!
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Our littlest UU’s are reading
Last Stop on Market Street
today and it’s inspiring us to collect non-perishable items for DMARC. This is a hard time for food pantries as post holiday donations are always low. Could you help us help them? We’ll be collecting for the next month…
Check for a box in the gathering area!
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FABULOUSLY FUN FOOD FAIR EVENTS
STILL HAPPENING –
AND SOME STILL HAVE OPENINGS!
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Check the
website
for latest full list of what’s available
.
To purchase, contact Barb Royal at
royalbl@mac.com
.
EVENTS COMING UP SOON:
- #50, Sat. Jan. 12 (5:30 pm) – Souper Saturday Games with Marian & Michael Stimson – they’ll really be here! (7 seats open)
- #12, Fri. Jan. 25 (7 pm) – Coloring, Cocktails & Canapes with Connie Muetzel & Winnie Williams (6 seats open)
- #34, Sat. Jan 26 (5:30 pm) – Marvelously Mediocre Dinner with Marsha & Jim Carty (1 seat left)
- #37, Sat. Jan 26 (6:30 pm) – Movie & a Winter Picnic with Ann Mowery & Al Powers (5 seats left)
Please send digital pictures from events you’ve hosted or attended to Barb Royal
(
royalbl@mac.com
).
MARK YOUR CALENDARS for FFFFF 20
(in 2019) –
April 7 & 14, 2019
.
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Are you having a forum? A meeting? A speaker presentation? Remember to reserve your room and any AV equipment needs at least
two weeks in advance by contacting Jane White at
officeassistant@ucdsm.org or 244-8603, ext. 107.
If you need a church volunteer to run the AV equipment, please contact David DuBose, volunteer AV coordinator, at david.la.dubose@gmail.com. He will contact our volunteer team to determine if a someone is available to help with the equipment.
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How to Avoid E-mail Phishing Scams
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Phishing is a type of online scam where criminals send an email that appears to be from a legitimate company or person and ask you to provide sensitive information or to purchase goods on their behalf. Often gift cards are requested which they can then request activation numbers for. This is usually done by including a link that will appear to take you to the company’s website to fill in your information – but the website is a clever fake and the information you provide goes straight to the crooks behind the scam.
The term ’phishing’ is a spin on the word fishing, because criminals are dangling a fake ’lure’ (the email that looks legitimate, as well as the website that looks legitimate) hoping users will ’bite’ by providing the information the criminals have requested – such as credit card numbers, account numbers, passwords, usernames, and more.
If something doesn't feel right pick up the phone and call or start a NEW email using only email addresses that you are positive are correct for that person or business.
Click
here
for more information about Phishing scams and how to avoid them.
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Phones at the Church Office
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We apologize for any difficulties that you may have had in trying to call the church office. We are aware of the problem and are taking steps to resolve the matter.
Thank you for your patience and please stay tuned for new developments.
To look up an email address for a staff member, please check out our
Staff Contact
page.
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THIS WEEK in Faith Formation
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Classes for Children and Youth
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Child care for infants and toddlers 4 and under available in Room 112 during both services
Toddlers
are invited to join us for stories, songs, and movement to practice pre-literacy skills and working together. We will introduce UU principles and story selections will echo the Soul Matters themes used in adult faith formation.
Infants will participate in listening to stories and songs while working on finding their feet.
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Work with our littlest UUs!
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Do you love working with babies and toddlers? Would you enjoy making First Unitarian a place they feel happy, safe, and loved? We are looking to hire one or two people to join the child care team! Send your resume to
childcare@ucdsm.org to apply.
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Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) is First Unitarian's high school youth group. All youth in grades 9 - 12 are invited to join us!
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First Unitarian Youth Coordinator:
Volunteer Youth Advisors:
Gene McCracken & Meg Notch
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YRUU NEWS
1/13 - HS Youth Group (6 - 8 pm)
1/20 - HS Youth Group (6 - 8 pm)
1/27 - HS Youth Group (6 - 8 pm)
New and returning youth: please fill out a registration/permission form for this year.
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If you're a high school youth or parent of one -
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Wednesday Night Programming
January 16, 2019
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DINNER at 5:30 pm:
CHOIRS:
Bell Ave Ringers: 5:45 - 6:45 pm
UU Choir: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
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KIDS / YOUTH PROGRAMMING:
Childcare (infant - 1st grade): 5:45 - 8:00 pm
UU Kids (K - Grade 3): 6:15 - 7:30 pm
Soul Matters for Kids (Grade 4-6): 6:15 - 7:30 pm
OWL Parent/Child Orientation (Grade K-1):
6:15 - 7:30 pm
Room 113
Our Whole Lives Parent Meeting (Grade 5-6): 6:15 - 7:30 pm
Room 114
OWL (Grade 7): 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Coming of Age (Grade 8): 6 - 7:30 pm
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Wednesday Night Child Care
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Wednesday night child care will be closing at 8pm until
a request to extend hours is made.
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More Upcoming Meetings & Events
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If you wish to schedule a meeting or event,
We do not list rentals, closed groups and committee meetings in this email.
For a FULL list of upcoming meetings and events, click on:
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For Sunday, January 13 events please see top section of this email. Events from the Announcements section above are NOT repeated below.
Jan 12 | PlayUU @ RE Gathering Space & Room 112 9:00am - 11:00am
Jan 13 | Meditation Class @ Room 108 10:30am - 11:00am
Jan 13 | Energy & Justice for All @ Peace Conference Room 11:00am - 12:00pm
Jan 13 | Forum: Immigration Justice & Sanctuary Team @ Channing Hall 11:00am - 12:00pm
Jan 13 | The Great Courses New Testament Class @ Room 107 11:00am - 12:30pm
Board of Trustees @ Channing Hall 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Jan 21 | SGM - Henderson @ Scottish Rite Park 10:00am - 12:00pm
Jan 22 | Budget Roundtable @ Channing Hall 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Jan 26 | Pastoral Care Team Training: A Workshop on Compassionate Listening @ Mary Safford Room 9:00am - 12:00pm
Jan 27 | Meditation Class @ Room 108 10:30am - 11:00am
Jan 27 | UU LAW @ Room 113 10:30am - 11:30am
Jan 27 | Energy & Justice for All @ Peace Conference Room 11:00am - 12:00pm
Jan 30 | Racial Justice Group 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Jan 30 | UU Singers @ Channing Hall 7:00pm - 8:30pm
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When you buy from amazon.com, use
this link and a % of the sale is donated to First Unitarian.
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