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Seeking the Spirit, Building Community, Changing the World
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June 6th UUCB Car Parade Postponed
We were looking forward to seeing many of you at our car parade on Saturday, June 6th, but we have realized that the intended celebratory spirit of such a gathering does not resonate with the current crisis, grief, and turmoil of our country. It would be inappropriate for us to exercise the privilege of taking to the streets to celebrate, when the right to peacefully protest police brutality and racism is being suppressed with military force in our nation's capital and in cities across America. We will reschedule a parade event when the times are less demanding of sober reflection and direct action.
We encourage you to utilize this time to connect in a deeper way with yourself and those around you and to set intentions about how to work against violence and systemic racism. We also encourage those who are able to join the mass gathering to peacefully protest police brutality in Dunn Meadow this Friday and look forward to gathering for worship on Sunday.
With love and peace,
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, Senior Minister
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite, Minister of Religious Education
Reverend Bill Breeden, Minister Emeritus
Reverend Barbara Carlson, Minister Emerita
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Sunday, June 7, 2020
10:15 am LIVE STREAM ONLY
Rituals for our Time:
Remembering Our Power
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite
Spiritual teacher Angeles Arrien taught that rituals function as a bridge between the 'inner world' of our aspirations, values, beliefs, intuition and the 'outer world' of or action, performance, results, and outcomes. To ritualize an act is to hold it with sacred intention and then make those intentions visible. In this time of loss due to Covid19 as well as this time of work to end violence and systemic racism, rituals can provide a place of meaning-making, empowerment and healing. In this worship service we will explore the role of ritual in these times.
In addition, the day-to-day work of our church continues, and we will hear from our three 25% offering plate candidates who will be voted upon in the congregational meeting later Sunday afternoon.
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Please Join Us Via Livestream Only
Please join us via livestream for our service each Sunday via our
Facebook page or our
website livestream page. Archived videos are available about 3 hours after the airing of each livestream on our website, in case you miss the livestream while it's live.
Our Building is Closed through at least the end of July,
but Our Hearts are Still Open.
To help disrupt the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19 in our community, our Board of Directors has voted to close the building through the month of July 2020.
All in-person events and meetings have been cancelled.
Everyone please stay safe, stay well, and stay home.
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Join us for Virtual Coffee Hour!
Every Sunday after the worship service until 12:15 pm, click on this link to join us for engaging conversation!
Read the Friday Update for the complete list of Coffee Hour breakout room topics.
Email connect(at)
uubloomington.org
before Saturday, if you would like to request a conversation topic and be a small group conversation host. -Ann LeDuc, Connections Coordinator
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Are you new to UU Bloomington? Start here!
Join us this Sunday, June 7, for an online introduction
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Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, June 7, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
Online only
This meeting is being announced in accordance with our Bylaws.
The Board of Directors will develop special rules for all members of UUCB to attend and participate in the June 7, 2020, Congregational Meeting.
All members are encouraged to attend this online meeting. Soon, we will send you instructions for how to join the meeting.
Included on the agenda at this meeting will be voting on Bylaws changes, election of Board, Special Purposes Fund, and Leadership Cultivation Committee members, selection of a local helping organization to receive our 25% of Sunday Plate fund for 2020-21, approval of our budget for 2020-21, as well as a number of reports and updates.
25% of Sunday Plate Fund Nominees: See articles below, under "Changing the World" for info on the three agencies nominated: Bloomington Refugee Support Network,
Monroe County United Ministries, and Women Writing for (a) Change.
Budget Information for 2020-21 will be provided on the day of the meeting.
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Our Board of Directors
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Ministers and Core Staff Away from Email
June 8-13
The week of June 8-13, the ministers and core staff will not be readily available, as they are taking a break.
The UUCB Board of Directors, in appreciation and recognition of the great work our ministers and staff have been doing these past months, are glad to support this June Break Week.
Ministers Reverend Emily Manvel Leite and Reverend Mary Ann Macklin will be available by phone, for pastoral emergencies only, during this time.
Core staff will return to regularly checking their church email on June 15.
Regular office hours (with staff working from home) will resume at that time.
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Dear Ones,
As I write today, I wanted to share a few of the words I spoke in worship this past Sunday and to invite you, once again, to shared action.
Our community joins together for sacred time,
held within each of us,
all around the world.
A time to slow down.
To arrive in the moment.
To breathe
And to love.
To breathe, even in the presence of breathtaking injustice,
And to love fiercely,
allowing the grief and anger that may overwhelm us
to become a call to action.
Our community is one created and shared in our hearts, w
here we can discern and travel together upon the road towards justice.
Let us act, then, with fierceness, and with love, as
a visible expression of our shared commitment to Changing the World. Let us
join the uprising in whatever way is available to us.
*Listen for the voices of black leaders in this time and respond to their requests for action.
*Join the protest at Dunn Meadow on Friday in person or in your car.
*Support the work of Black-led community organizations in our local community or use this link to look at several groups Reclaim the Block, a black-led organization in Minneapolis, has invited us to support.
If you did not have time on Sunday, or if you have the resources to engage again, please take time to give now, in small amounts or large, as generously as you are able, even as we open our hearts to continued learning.
Each of us is needed to do the work of Changing the World to one that is more just, more whole, more free, for ALL its people. Thank you for all that you do.
With love,
Emily
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite
Minister of Religious Education
mre(at)uubloomington.org
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MAM's Musings
My friend and colleague, Reverend Allison Miller:
"There is a word in the Hebrew scriptures - ruach (רוּחַ) - which means "the breath of life." It is what animates every living being from the moment we cry out for our mother at birth to the moment of our death. When George Floyd had three officers on top of him, one - Derek Chauvin - with his knee pressed against his neck, he cried out, "I can't breathe!" and he also cried out "Mama" for the last time. The breath of life is the most beautiful possession we can ever own. It passes to us when we are born and passes from us when we die. It is ultimately the source of all life. If we are cut off from it, we will die within minutes."
As noted in last Sunday's worship service, I often invite the congregation into that sacred place of breath. "Breathe. Breathe. Breathe." It is a connection. It is grounding. It is life. In these times of awakening, may we understand and demand the holiness of breath for all. And he also cried out "Mama" for the last time. If you did not experience Dr. Maureen Walker's prophetic Mother's Day Sermon on May 10th, I ask you to do so--prophetic in the sense of speaking truth to power. O
r better yet, if you have already seen it, watch it again!
The link is below. The worship service is a woven whole and Dr. Walker's sermon begins at 44 minutes and 15 seconds.
Peace and Love,
MAM
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
Senior Minister
macklin(at)uubloomington.org
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Reflections from Rev. Bill
It seems perhaps that the resident in the White House has crossed the Rubicon in his usurping of democracy. The use of federal forces to attack and gas a peaceful protest in Lincoln Park so he could walk across the street and display a Bible in front of St. John's, the "Church of the Presidents," is several bridges too far, and has placed him on an atoll from which he will not return.
The Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, stated, "Everything he has said and done is to inflame violence. We need moral leadership, and he's done everything to divide us."
It is incumbent upon all of us to speak and resist this attempt to establish an autocracy in our nation. I am reminded of this exchange between Frodo and Gandalf:
Frodo: "I wish it need not have happened in my time."
Gandalf: "So do all who have lived to see this time. But that is not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
This is a time for us to decide. May we stand for justice and liberty for all.
Peace--bill
Reverend Bill Breeden
Minister Emeritus
breeden1949(at)gmail.com
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Dear UU Parents,
As we are all coping with the events of the past week, we invite you to call or email if you need resources or support to help process all that is happening with your children or to engage with the work of anti-racism. Here are two resources we would lift up for everyone:
*A video of a children's book written about a similar incident that might be helpful to watch and discuss as a family:
*A workshop sponsored by DJ Cashmere, the Director of Religious Education at Fourth Universalist Church in New York City, to which they are inviting UU parents from across the country. Both black and white parents will be a part of the panel.
Please be in touch for conversation or further resources.
Our hearts are with you and your children,
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite and Adrienne Summerlot, Religious Educators
Postal Pals- 2nd Round Sign Ups Now!
We have been thrilled to pair up 18 folks in our first round of Postal Pals. If you would like the opportunity to connect via snail mail to another adult, child or youth in the congregation, please use this form. If you participated in the 1st round, you will stay with your same Postal Pal but are welcome to request another pal if you wish. For any questions, please contact Religious Education Assistant Stephanie Kimball
rea(at)uubloomington.org
All-Ages Book Discussion
Saturday, June 20th, 10-11:30 a.m. via Zoom
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness
by Anastasia Higginbotham
Over the winter, members of our Dismantling White Supremacy Working Group through Religious Education funds were able to give away copies of
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by
Anastasia Higginbotham. Reverend Emily Manvel Leite and Adrienne Summerlot will be hosting a Zoom discussion about this book and how to talk with children about race, racism and how to dismantle white supremacy culture. For safety and security of the children and youth who are welcomed and encouraged to attend the conversation, we ask you to email Adrienne directly at dre(at)uubloomington.org if you plan to attend, so she can provide you with the Zoom information. If you don't have a copy of the book, please contact Adrienne.
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Enough: June 5 Peaceful March/Protest
Against Police Brutality
There will be a physically-distanced protest against police brutality this Friday, June 5 at 3-5 p.m. in Dunn Meadow.
Among those speaking will be:
Dr. Charlie Nelms, Community Activist
Rev. Jimmy Moore, Pastoral Staff at St. Mark's
Shelton Meyers, Student Speaker
Jennifer Crossley, Chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party
Seth Debro, Chair of the Commission of the Status of Black Males
Gloria Howell, Vice Chair, Dr. MLK Birthday Commission
Shatoyia Moss, Director of Safe and Civil City
Jim Sims, City Council At-Large
Dr. Amrita Chakrabarti Myers, Black Lives Matter Bloomington
**This will be a peaceful march/protest.**
Organized by Selena Drake
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Three Nominees Selected
for our 25% of Sunday Plate Fund for 2020-21
The Social Justice Funds Committee, chaired by Denise Ogren, reports that the following three agencies have been nominated to receive our 25% of Sunday Plate Fund for the coming year, beginning July 1.
Bloomington Refugee Support Network
Monroe County United Ministries
Women Writing for (a) Change
See articles and resources below for details on their fine work. The members in attendance at the online congregational meeting on Sunday, June 7 at 4:00 p.m. will vote to choose one of the three to be our recipient for 2020-21.
Bloomington Refugee Support Network
We are nominating Bloomington Refugee Support Network as one of three organizations vying for our 25% of the Sunday Plate offering for the coming year, because of the positive impact they continue to have in the lives of refugees and immigrants. They are a volunteer 501C3 network of individuals and organizations. Their cadre of 100 volunteers provides services and raises money through donations, small grants and fundraisers. A March 2020 Pew Research Center study indicated that 49% of Hispanics surveyed said they or someone in their household had taken a pay cut or lost a job because of the COVID-19 outbreak. BRSN has felt that impact via increased requests for help. Share the Plate funds would be used for application fees for asylum, green cards, citizenship, employment authorization and visas. With UUCB voting to become a Sanctuary Church in 2017 and the formation of the RISE SJTF, we have already shown a commitment to the work of BRSN by providing space to cohost last year's World Refugee Day, collecting coats and money for Christmas gifts for families, and using funds to support additional identified needs, most recently paying a month's rent for a local immigrant family. Providing funds for BRSN would be a perfect way for us to support our marginalized neighbors. More information:
Mission,
Board of Directors,
Ways to Help,
Guest H-T Column about BRSN.
Monroe County United Ministries
Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM) serves Monroe County's low-income population through its Compass Early Learning Center and Self-Sufficiency Center. Funding from the Sunday Plate Non-pledge Funds will subsidize the average gap between the cost of care and what low-income parents on Compass' fee scale can afford to pay. Compass is a licensed, high-quality, full-time childcare center in Monroe County that targets low-income families by offering a sliding fee scale for parents who are ineligible for or are waiting to receive Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) or On My Way Pre-K vouchers. These programs reimburse childcare for most of the cost of care for eligible children. Typically, more than 90% of Compass' enrollees qualify for CCDF, but the application process can take up to one year. Most of the families applying for the CCDF program cannot afford high-quality care (which costs between $230 to $285 per child per week) while their applications process. These families are placed on Compass' sliding fee scale, whereby their weekly costs are determined by family size and income, which ensures families pay no more than 10% of their household income for childcare. The average cost to parents on MCUM's fee scale is $65 per week. More information:
Annual Report,
Self Sufficiency Center,
Compass Early Learning Center.
Women Writing For (a) Change
Women Writing For (a) Change uses the power of writing as a transformational tool to build
a sense of internal agency and trust with oneself and others through safe and carefully created circles.Our programs connect people to deeper parts of themselves
and
to one another, supporting participants as they find deeper clarity in their lives, work, families and relationships, which
then guide their contributions to the larger community.
We have adapted our practices to a virtual format, helping people form new threads of connection in a time when isolation has become a secondary threat to the well-being of so many.
For 16 years, we
have provided safe spaces to explore writing as a rehabilitative and community building tool, with voices often unheard and under-served. We will continue to do so, on Zoom and in other creative ways, and eventually, back in our New Wings facility downtown. We rely on grant money and donations. Special Plate funds would support our infrastructure, including our staff and our rent obligation to Middle Way House. Like UUCB,
we
believe that creative and conscious communities, where every voice is honored, nurtured and celebrated, hold the key to positive transformation in our world. Thank you. More information: General brochure, Young Women's Writing program.
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Environmental Justice Films
Now Available for Viewing
There are two films from the UU Ministry for the Earth on environmental justice that are available for screening.
FRONTLINERS and
The Condor and the Eagle both look at youth involvement in combating environmental injustice. You can also read more about the films on the
How You Can Help page of our website.
--Molly O'Donnell, Green Sanctuary Task Force on Global Climate Change
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Homelessness Task Force and
Hunger Task Force Collecting Items
NEW AGENCIES & NEW LISTS
for the
June 2020 Food and Hygiene Drives
Through June 30, we will be collecting hygiene items for people being assisted by Black Lives Matter, food items for our Pantry at College Square (formerly known as Walnut Grove), and food and clothing for Shalom. Our wish lists have changed; so, please click here to see lists of needed items. Our building is closed, but we have placed collection bins outside the building, under the north side porch near the Portico Entrance. Simply drive up and drop off--we are picking up donations from these bins daily.
Many, many thanks!
Our Homelessness Task Force Offers Volunteering Opportunities
Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities and corona virus health precautions at Shalom Community Center and Wheeler Mission.
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"Writing as a Spiritual Practice"
with Rev. Barbara Child
A Drop-in Group on Zoom
Tuesdays 1:00-2:00, through June 30
Guess what! It has turned out that facilitating the "Writing as a Spiritual Practice" drop-in group on Tuesdays is such a fulfilling practice for me that I want to continue beyond May. I invite you to come along on this journey of personal exploration through writing in community. You are welcome to attend any or all sessions through June 30. Click here for a full description of how the group works. If you have not participated yet,
register by clicking here
to get the Zoom link and instructions.
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Shambhala Meditation Mondays at 12 noon
Online Only
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Open Mind Zen Online Mondays at 7:00 pm
We are in touch with Frank Seisho Diaz and an online version of Open Mind Zen will be available soon.
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UU Humanist Forum and Freethinkers Meeting Online
Each Sunday at 12:45 p.m., our UU Humanists and Freethinkers meet together online on Zoom for
open and non-structured discussion of issues of social, political, and theological/religious concern.
Click here to see topics we have discussed. Email
Ann Watzel or
Harold Ogren if you would like to join the discussion.
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Meet two of our newest members!
Nancy Newton and Joanne Passet became members of our congregation on May 17. Here are their bios to help you get to know them better.
--Ann LeDuc, Connections Coordinator
Nancy Newton. I grew up on a sheep ranch on the Mexico-Texas border. Graduate studies took me to Ithaca, N.Y., and in 1972 I accompanied fellow Cornellian, later my husband, to Bloomington. The next year I began my 36 years at IUPUI teaching Spanish. Along the way, I spent a year in Canterbury when my husband taught at the University of Kent and a year in Madrid directing 57 students in the IU study abroad program. I also spent 6 summers directing study programs in the old university city of Salamanca. Since retirement, my husband and I have lived for almost half the year in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Joanne Passet grew up on a sheep farm in Northwest Ohio, did graduate work at Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin, and spent the majority of her career working as a librarian and teaching U.S. history in the I.U. system. She retired to Bloomington in 2014 and enjoys knitting, gardening, and writing. Raised Lutheran, she attended a Mennonite college and feels very much at home in the UU church.
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Become a member and participate
in the congregational meeting
If you're not a member of the congregation, but have been meaning to join, this is your chance! This Thursday, June 4 at 10 AM we will offer a membership ceremony via Zoom. Just email connect(at)
uubloomington.org
to sign up to participate. We ask those who are new to Unitarian Universalism to take our Exploring Unitarian Universalism class before becoming a member. The next class will be offered on July 12 and 19, 2-4 PM. Only congregation members will be able to participate in this Sunday's congregational meeting. --Ann LeDuc, Connections Coordinator
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Caring for Our UU Community
Members of our UU community who are struggling to meet basic needs, such as food, housing, physical health, or mental health care, are encouraged to reach out to a minister or me, Ann LeDuc. We have a small team of church members, ministers, and staff devoted to supporting our UU community during this time. Additionally,
here is a list of helpful, current resources
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--Ann LeDuc, Connections Coordinator, connect(at)uubloomington.org
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Upcoming UU Singles Events
We are a group of single adults within the UU Bloomington community who meet occasionally for conversation and fun as a group. Please join us for one or more of these upcoming events!
- Game Night: Friday evening, June 5, 7 to 9 pm
- Conversation with Prompts: Thursday evening, June 11, 7 to 9 pm
- Happy Hour: Friday evening, June 12, 5 [to 6 or 7]
If you are not already on the UU singles e-mail list, please
contact
mariedeer1961(at)gmail.com
or text or call 812-391-0900 to get put on that list for Zoom links, conversation prompt info, and other details. Please be in touch no later than 2 hours before a given event starts to get the info for that event. All events will be held on Zoom.
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Looking for ways to stay connected?
Here are several opportunities to connect with our congregation throughout the week:
Mondays at noon, join Sarah Flint for Shambhala Meditation on Facebook
Weekly Call from a Friend
If you would like a friend from our congregation to email or call you each week, just let me know.
(812) 720-3688
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Connections Coordinator Open Office Hours
Drop in every Friday between 1:00-2:00 pm via Zoom and ask church-related questions of the Connections Coordinator, Ann LeDuc. Newcomers and current congregation members are all welcome to drop in. Additional ways to contact Ann are via email at connect(at)
uubloomington.org or by phone at (812) 720-3688
(M-F 10:30 AM-3:30 PM).
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There's Room for You
in One of Our Chalice Circles
this Summer
In a time when some in our church community may feel isolated, membership in a small group where one can experience the sharing of life stories in a deeper way might be welcome. Therefore the Chalice Circle Executive Committee has opened spaces in seven Circles to church members and friends in June and July. All are welcome to join a Circle via Zoom, including persons new to the small group ministry of deep listening. For a brief introduction to the Chalice Circle program, see the church website.
If you have questions, contact Linda Pickle, Chalice Circle co-chair (linda.pickle (at) wku.edu)
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Grocery Cards Now Available By Mail
& Sign Up Your Kroger Plus Card to Benefit UUCB
We Just Got More Bloomingfoods Cards!
Did you know that we have grocery gift cards for Bloomingfoods and Fresh Thyme available for sale by mail? Just send us a check made payable to "UU Church" with which store and amount you would like to purchase on the memo line, and we will mail you the cards. We buy the cards at a discount and sell them as a fundraiser to support our operating budget.
Click here to see which denominations of cards are currently available.
During the last quarter (January - March 2020) we received $411.80 from Kroger, with 135 UU households participating.
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BULLETIN BOARD
ONLINE AUCTION OF GREG HAAS ESTATE. There is an ongoing online auction of late UU friend
Greg Haas's estate that closes on June 12. Many nice tools available. His family would appreciate your spreading the word. Here is the link to the auction:
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Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, our Senior Minister
can be reached at macklin (at) uubloomington.org or 812-322-0205.
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite,
our Minister of Religious Education,
can be reached at mre (at) uubloomington.org or 812-333-9822.
Reverend Barbara Carlson, our Minister Emerita, can be reached at barbaracarlson5 (at) gmail.com or 812-822-0243
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Reverend Bill Breeden, our Minister Emeritus, can be reached at breeden1949 (at) gmail.com or 812-360-1779.
Carol Marks
, Church Administrator, admin (at) uubloomington.org or
mobile 812-287-9615.
Ann LeDuc, Connections Coordinator, connect (at) uubloomington.org
Monica Overman and Mandy Skinner, Office Assistants, office (at) uubloomington.org
Ned Joyner and Andy Beargie, Multimedia Managers, media (at) uubloomington.org
Adrienne Summerlot, Director of Religious Education, dre (at) uubloomington.org
Stephanie Kimball, Religious Ed Assistant, rea (at) uubloomington.org
Susan Swaney, Music Director, music (at) uubloomington.org
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Our Covenant of Right Relations
In June 2017, our members affirmed a Covenant of Right Relations.
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Deadlines for Publications
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Order of service and Friday UU Update:
Thursday, 9 am, to office(at)uubloomington.org
Prologue:
Date of publication, 10 am, to admin(at)uubloomington.org
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Office hours
: M-F, 10 am-4 pm (office closed, but staff working from home during these hrs)
Facebook: Many church events are also posted on our
Facebook page.
Prologue
Publication Schedule:
The deadline for articles is 10 am on the date of publication, which is
the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Upcoming
issues:
June 16, July 7, July 21, Aug 4, Aug 18
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Livestreaming Our Sunday Service, 10:15 am
Have a problem viewing or hearing the service?
Links to Archived Services to View Online
- Or, scroll down on our main Livestream Page
for full archives of both services and other events (memorials, concerts, etc).
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Membership: 527 certified members; 552 current members.
Attendance:
Sunday, May 24 10:15 Livestream & Facebook Live 242
Sunday, May 31 10:15 Livestream & Facebook Live 354
Non-Pledge Offering:
May 24: $225 May 31: $715
To make a contribution for the Non-Pledge Offering (Sunday Plate), or to make a payment towards your pledge or the Minister's Discretionary Fund, click on this link to get to our PayPal page: http://bit.ly/UUCBdonate
Total to be donated (25%) to Volunteers in Medicine (HealthNet): $235
Grocery Card Sales:
(Bloomingfoods or Fresh Thyme) week of May 24-May 31 $0
Total income to UUCB: $0 (We just got a supply of Bloomingfoods cards; see instructions above for how to order.)
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Masthead photo from the interwebs, with permission.
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