Marianne Williamson, internationally acclaimed author, lecturer and a popular guest on Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and Bill Maher , will be speaking at First Unitarian Church on Friday, July 27 at 7:30 pm.

Words from Marianne about her visit to Des Moines:

"Having been traveling the country this year on my “Love America Tour,” I’ve learned a lot of things. Fortunately what I learned were not painful lessons, but hopeful ones. I have absolute certainty that Americans are ready to rise up from the hole of political despair into which we have recently fallen.

As an Iowan, you have a unique role in determining what voices dominate our politics over the next few years. With the publication of my 20th anniversary revised edition of “Healing the Soul of America,” I am doing what I can to contribute to a new and more hopeful conversation.

Please join me for a discussion of American politics and the spiritual renewal of our country. I am very much looking forward to sharing my thoughts and hearing yours."

To learn more about Williamson, go to marianne.com/about . This is a free event, open to the public.

Fourteen volunteers are needed to help with directing traffic, door greeters/ushers, and assisting with the book signing table (along with Beaverdale Books). Please contact Kate Allen at [email protected] if you're interested in helping.

How do we embed healthy processes in Congregational life? And what makes a process healthy? Join with other members to explore these questions as we seek to build greater transparency in decision-making.

Congregational stakeholder meetings on Wednesday, July 25 and Thursday, August 23 (both at 6:30 pm) offer opportunities for members to share their perspectives on the elements of healthy process.

The first meeting on healthy process was held on Thursday, June 28, where 13 participants discussed what makes a process "healthy" or "good". Read their responses at ucdsm.org/healthy-process .

First Unitarian Church is seeking temporary grounds help to perform regular tasks such as sweeping walks before Sunday/after storms, keeping the drains cleared of debris, raking, watering, weeding, and keeping the garden shed and dumpster area tidy.

This job will be 2-3 hours per week, with the occasional opportunity for more. Pay is $10/hour. For more information, go to ucdsm.org/job-openings-ucdsm.

If interested, contact Diane Ford at [email protected] or call 515-419-1761.

Do you find weeding therapeutic? Do you have a spare hour or two to volunteer each month until mid-October? We need several people to help maintain 4-5 plots around the church, such as the area around the pipe sculpture, or the planters on the east steps. None of the areas are infested with poison ivy or green brier and are all high-visible areas around the building. Some of the areas only need a spot check to remove unwanted Red Bud seedlings, others may need more intensive care. 

Contact Theresa Miller (515 720-261) [email protected] or Jane Rider (515 277-7879), for details & areas that need attention.

Our ministerial search committee has been busy since they were elected at the Annual Meeting. The committee met for a two day retreat with our regional transition coach, Rev. Janne Eller-Isaacs in early June.  They then traveled to General Assembly in late June for a Saturday morning ministerial search workshop with Keith Kron, who is head of Transitions for the UUA.  Following the GA workshop, the committee held its own meeting at the beautiful Kansas City Public Library. 

During July and August the committee will be busy developing an important congregational survey which they plan to release in September. All members of the congregation are urged to complete the survey—it will be an important foundation upon which the Search Committee will base its work. They want to hear from everyone! The last congregational survey was done in 2012 and our demographics most certainly look different six years later!  Also look for several “Cottage Meetings” to be scheduled this fall—these will be the congregation’s opportunity to be heard! Come share your hopes and dreams for calling our next settled minister. 

Information about the committee’s work, their schedule, and their contact information can be found at:  www.ucdsm.org/about/transition-and-search

First Unitarian's Annual Report will be a little different this year. Annual Reports are a great way to showcase the work and progress that has happened over the last church year, but they are also an important document for archiving the life of our church. Groups in the church -- whether it be a justice group, a social group, or a committee -- are invited to submit a short synopsis of their work this year. Length should be somewhere between a paragraph and a page, and feel free to include a couple photos! To be included in the first publication of the report, email submissions to Abby Chungath ( [email protected] ) by July 31, 2018. Because the Annual Report will be distributed in digital format only this year, submissions received after July 31 can be added in subsequent updates of the Report.

Nancy Crowfoot began wood-burning and painting old wooden canoe paddles in 2006 when her husband wouldn't let her throw out those paddles in the garage that hadn't been used in years. Now she and her paddling friends collect old paddles they find on the river, at garage sales, and sometimes on the curb during neighborhood clean-up days. She hopes her paddle art amuses people and raises interest in water quality, rivers, paddling and wildlife.