A Unitarian Universalist Church | 1800 Bell Ave., Des Moines, IA 50315 | P: 515-244-8603 |
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This Sunday: August 9, 2020 |
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Always Becoming
(Link active at 9:30 am, service begins at 10 am)
**Please mute your mics before the service begins
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Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos. Let us notice the liminal spaces: disruptions and transitions in life that carry us through our unending becoming.
Or Dial In:
(301) 715 8592 • (312) 626 6799
Meeting ID: 885 408 840
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Also this Sunday:
8:00 - 9:00 pm: Nightly Social Time @ Zoom
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Joys & Concerns for Sunday should be submitted by noon on Friday.
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Pastoral Care: August 9 - 15 |
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Carol Henderson is the Pastoral Care Associate available for the week beginning at 11 am on Sunday morning, August 9. You may reach her at pastoralteam@ucdsm.org or by calling her telephone number found in the church directory.
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Submissions to the Intercom Weekly are due on Wednesday at noon. Submissions after the deadline cannot be guaranteed a spot in that week's newsletter.
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Board of Trustees Meeting Summaries |
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July 16 Summary
- The Board elected Greg Nichols to serve as Vice President and Fern Stewart to serve as Secretary.
- The Board reviewed the policy created by the Lens of the Future Committee regarding the use of church building and grounds and in person gatherings as related to the pandemic issues.
- The Board also voted to approve Polk County Election Office request to use the church as a polling place in accordance with the recommendations of the committee.
- The Board also approved the renaming of Channing Hall to honor Edna and Stanley Griffin, 50+ year members of the church. A dedication ceremony will be scheduled at a future date.
- There was discussion regarding the budget plan for the next three months resulting in a decision to provide information for virtual as well as physical church.
- Rev. Amy Shaw explained her contract start-up provisions concluding that we had done well.
July 30 Summary
The Board held an additional meeting on July 30 to review Board Committee appointments and assignments. The Lens of the Future recommended policy was formally adopted.
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Survey: Timeline for Reopening Church |
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The Pandemic Assessment and Response Committee is requesting your thoughts about the timeline for our church facility reopening. Your input will help shape the recommendations they prepare for the Board.
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Volunteer Opportunity
Volunteer Youth Coordinator
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- An energetic person who is able to work within appropriate professional boundaries and right relations with high school youth and their families, with congregation members, and with church staff.
- Actively build relationships and develop leadership with First Unitarian Church of Des Moines high school youth, their parents, youth advisors and the congregation as a whole to enhance engagement by and with the high school youth as a youth group, and as a part of the entire congregation
- Guide, assist, and monitor high school youth and advisors as they plan and execute special projects and events (including, but not limited to, fundraising, mission trips and participation in youth conventions)
- Aid in transition for middle school youth to high school programming
- Be a positive and compassionate role model who maintains appropriate relationship boundaries and complies with First Unitarian Church of Des Moines’s Safe Congregation policy.
- Be the primary coordinator responsible for working with the high school youth and advisors on a yearly worship service.
If this sounds like you, please contact Devon McClurken, Director of Faith Formation at dre@ucdsm.org for more information.
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At its July 16 meeting, the Board of Trustees voted to support a petition from 50 congregation members requesting our current Channing Hall meeting room be renamed as Edna and Stanley Griffin Hall. The name change will honor the legacy of two Des Moines Civil Rights activists whose membership at First Unitarian Church spanned nearly 50 years.
A public rededication will be scheduled later next year when our building is open once again. In addition, members Harvey Harrison and Ellen Taylor have graciously agreed to donate a portrait of Edna painted by local artist Mary Kline-Misol for display. This is an exciting change for our church and something to look forward to when we return to our building!
Image provided by and used with permission granted by artist Mary Kline-Misol.
Mary's "Suffrage Project" is currently on display at Artisan Gallery 218
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The Humanist book group is continuing to read Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen. Chapters 11 thru 13 will be covered on August 2, with 14-16 on August 16. The book group meets via Zoom immediately after the church service on the first and third Sunday of each month. Send a note to HumanistBookGroup@ucdsm.org if you would like an invite to join the Zoom session.
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The Humanist group will be participating in the annual convention of the American Humanist Association on August 8 from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM. We will be set up to watch the program at the McHenry Park north open air shelter (1012 Oak Park Ave, near 6th & Euclid), where people can drop in for one speaker or for the whole day. A list of speakers is available at https://americanhumanist.org/events/distant-but-together-a-virtual-celebration-of-humanism/. We will watch the presentations on a video screen, and have discussions amongst ourselves between presentations. Bring your own lunch and drinks. Contact Humanist@ucdsm.org for more information as the plans are firmed up.
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Wake Now Our Vision Update |
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Thank you to all who responded to the Wake Now Our Vision Legacy Challenge. Your generosity and support for the future of First Unitarian Church resulted in legacy gift intentions estimated at $2,657,002 and generated $37,700 in matching funds. The match was 10% and capped at $10,000 per donor; in the case of matching funds for life time gifts (such as charitable gift annuities) the match was capped at $1,000. Gifts without an approximate amount or if the amount could not be accurately valued, the match was a flat $1,000.
The match, in unrestricted funds, was paid to the designated UU Organizations. Unfortunately when we announced the program, we informed you that if the Endowment Fund was identified on the submission form, the match would be payable to the Endowment Fund. This was not the case, as the Endowment Fund was not viewed as being separate from First Unitarian Church of Des Moines.
Reports from the UUA provided us with the total match and the names of only those individuals who gave permission for their names to be shared with First Unitarian.
We have received the first three installments totaling $28,275. These payments, at the time of receipt, were earmarked for the necessary ADA and AV work that will provide the means to make our building accessible to all and allow us to be the fully welcoming congregation we say we are. The final payment in July will be used to manage payroll for first quarter budget of the 2020-2021 year that was passed at the Annual Meeting on May 31, 2020.
Again our heartfelt thanks for your generosity and commitment to our future.
Regards,
Margaret Schultz on behalf of the Endowment Committee
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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 "Donation."
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July/August Outreach Partner
One Iowa
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One Iowa’s mission is to advance, empower, and improve the lives of LGBTQ Iowans statewide. Their vision is to seek to improve the lives of LGBTQ Iowans by protecting and advancing equality and inclusiveness through education, improving workplace culture, and increasing access to quality healthcare across our state. Their work includes:
- Educating Iowans about the LGBTQ community
- Training healthcare providers, law enforcement, business leaders, and others to ensure LGBTQ Iowans are respected in every facet and stage of their lives
- Promoting policies within state and local government that protect the civil rights, health, and safety of LGBTQ Iowans
- Empowering tomorrow’s LGBTQ leaders through training and mentorship
- Connecting LGBTQ Iowans with vital resources
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Family Promise August 23-30 |
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Our next Family Promise hosting week is at the end of August. Modified for COVID we only provide dinners, Saturday hot breakfast and overnight hosts. Please check the link and sign up for a slot!
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Eager to see some positive changes in our community regarding racism, unfair labor practices, environmental damage, or something else you are passionate about?
TELL us about your ideas and LEARN about the exciting plans AMOS has for our community!
COME, LEARN, TALK ABOUT IT!
Save the date for an
AMOS Zoom “House Meeting”
Sunday, August 23 @ 5:00 pm
Monday, August 24 @ 12:00 noon
Wednesday, August 26 @ 6:00 pm
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Adult Faith Formation Class Proposals
Fall 2020: Due Monday, August 24
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There's still time to submit your class for the Fall 2020 Adult Faith Formation calendar.
Please submit the following to
- Class name and description
- Days, Dates, Times offered
- Materials needed
- Number of participants
- Contact name
The church will NOT be open for fall classes. Please plan on meeting on Zoom. If you need assistance with this please, contact Devon at dre@ucdsm.org.
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More Upcoming Meetings & Events |
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If you wish to add your virtual event to our calendar,
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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Every Night | Nightly Zoom Chat & Hangout @ Zoom, 8:00 - 9:00 pm
Aug 7 | "Everything You Wanted to Know About the Bible but were Afraid to Ask" @ Zoom, 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Aug 10 | Monday Night Pagan Social @ Zoom, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Aug 13 | Board of Trustees Informal Gathering @ Zoom, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Aug 14 | "Everything You Wanted to Know About the Bible but were Afraid to Ask" @ Zoom, 6:00 - 8:30 pm |
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Intercom Weekly Submissions
Deadline: Wednesday @ noon
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In the body of an email, please include a title, relevant dates and times, contact information, and a brief description of your event or announcement.
- Please proofread your article before submitting (or ask a trusted friend to proofread if you need help!) We try to check every article, but we still miss things.
- An image can help make your article stand out! Please feel free to attach an image to your email. (JPG or PNG files are preferred.) Note: images that violate copyright laws will be rejected.
- The Intercom Weekly is sent out to our mailing list on Friday at 7:00 am.
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The deadline is Wednesday at noon. Submissions after the deadline cannot be guaranteed a spot in that week's newsletter.
- We run announcements for no more than three consecutive weeks, so please plan accordingly.
- Per church policy, we do not share private email addresses or phone numbers in our communications. We will set up an official looking @ucdsm.org email address for you as the contact person for your group which will automatically forward to your private email, so you won't have to do anything special to view it. (Please allow a few extra days for us to set up the email when you submit your announcement.)
Website and Facebook
Public events are automatically shared to our website, our public Facebook page, and our private Facebook group. All other events and announcements are shared at the discretion of our Communications Coordinator. Please let us know if you would like your event shared or not shared to those three sites.
We've created a single email events@ucdsm.org to have your event added to both the calendar and the newsletter.
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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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Text "UCDSM APP" to 77977 to download our app |
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