Emily's Post

Dear Ones,

It was very hard to sit down to write this column, so I didn’t sit down to write it. I let myself record these thoughts as I moved through this beautiful spring morning.  

As you probably know by now, my ministry with you will be ending on June 30th. It is news that has been hard to accept—that has brought a lot of sadness for me and, I know, for many of you. I have felt affirmed and grateful for your many messages of support. I have loved working with this congregation for the past 16 years. For me, the sadness is a mark of how much I value our connections.

And that brings us to this short season we have together now–a season of bittersweetness. I have found myself wanting to lean away from this time of endings. That is a natural reaction, but when we don’t face things head on, we can miss out on the fullness of life—we can miss what is real. That is not the way I want to travel in these last months. I want to lean in—because we have so many moments of sweetness ahead of us in these days. I don’t want to miss them, but to live them–to feel the sorrow, yes, but also the deep joy of working with this remarkable, resilient, courageous congregation for just a little longer. I am looking forward to Earth Day this Sunday, to all the other stories and services I will be a part of, to Ministers’ Teas and to our trip to the Legacy Museum at the end of May (there are still a couple of spaces available if you’d like to join us), to spending time with you individually and in groups, and to so much more before the end of June, as the earth turns to summertime, when we will say goodbye.

I hope you will choose to lean in, too–to commit yourself to being a part of this beloved community, as we, and, later, you, beloveds, create a new path for the times to come.

Sending my love,

Emily

Dedication of Babies and Young Children

Sunday, May 14

A ceremony of dedication of babies and young children will be included in our Sunday morning worship service on Mother’s Day, May 14, on request. In this ceremony, children are named and blessed, parents dedicate themselves to the young lives entrusted to them, and the congregation dedicates itself to be a loving community in which all may thrive. This ceremony is appropriate for infants as well as young children who may be new to the congregation or have not previously been dedicated. If you would like your child(ren) to be included in this ceremony, please contact Rev. Connie Grant by May 7 at grant@uubloomington.org.

From Our Board of Directors

At my first board meeting, a chalice was lit, and others recited the words. I’d heard these words in church. But what are they?

We light this chalice,

the lamp of our heritage, for

the light of truth,

the warmth of community,

the fire of commitment,

and the spark of the sacred,

which calls on each of us

to care for our earth.

Unique to UUCB, the text pulls from chalice lightings in the grey hymnal (447, 449, 451, 456). Our Music Director, Susan Swaney, tells me “light, warmth, fire” are from longer ago, and the final two lines honor our Green Sanctuary commitment.

Dan Hotchkiss outlines the history and symbolism of the chalice, which has roots in Unitarian Service Committee work to help Eastern Europeans escape Nazi persecution. “[The chalice] unites our members in worship and symbolizes the spirit of our work. The flaming chalice combines two archetypes—a drinking vessel and a flame—and as a religious symbol has different meanings to different beholders.”

To me, the chalice flame connects to the candles we light during the offertory. Many of us participate in this choreography: we pass one another in the aisles, receive the lit taper with care, take our moment to reflect as we watch the tealight’s wick glow with flame.

Together, individually and collectively, we are keeping important flames alive.

Maybe you’d like to be the person—young, old or in between—who lights the chalice for Sunday worship. Please visit the Chalice Lighters sign up page or ask a Board member for assistance during coffee hour.

In gratitude and curiosity,

Mary Craig

At-large board member

Stewardship Moment

Dear Congregation,

Our Stewardship Campaign continues, and we want to thank everyone who has made their pledge already. Our church budget-making relies on the pledges of our congregation, as that total pledged amount is what we use to plan for our spending in the coming fiscal year. If you haven't already pledged because you are uncertain of your amount, we encourage you to go ahead and pledge what you know feels good. No pledge is insignificant. All pledges contribute to our stability and our abundance.

There are several ways to make a pledge. You can fill out a pledge card, located on the Stewardship table in the foyer. You can call the church office at 812-332-3695, and make your pledge over the phone. You can find the 2023-24 pledge form here. For more information on the Stewardship campaign you can go to the website here, or talk to a member of the team after the service. Thank you!

Your Stewardship Team,

Margie Schrader

Drew Schrader

Olaya Fernández Gayol

Charlie Pickle

Linda Pickle

Updates on the UUA Article II Process: Submit amendment ideas in April, for public discussion sessions in May

Until April 30, any Unitarian Universalist may submit suggestions and ideas through an online form for ways they recommend modifying the Article II Study Commission proposal (PDF). All qualifying suggestions will be posted for public chat discussion at discuss.uua.org, starting after April 15. The UUA Board of Trustees will host public discussion workshops on May 11, 18 and 21, 2023, to review suggestions and ideas. These rounds of public discussion will inform the way amendments are prioritized for discussion and voting at General Assembly.

Understanding Article II info and Q&A session

Offered by UUs of Greater Pittsburgh, on Zoom

Saturday, April 29, 10 am - 12 pm

If you want to know how you can be involved with Article II going forward, and what will be happening at General Assembly 2023; you are invited to join Rev. Sunshine Wolfe and leaders from the Greater Pittsburgh area as they answer questions related to the Article II revision process.

Learn more and register for the Zoom link

DRUUMM Public Worship Invitation

May 11, 8:00 p.m. via Livestream/Zoom

DRUUMM (Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries) is Unitarian Universalism’s oldest and largest People of Color collective. Join DRUUMM for their annual public worship featuring a festival of Black and Brown joy and resilience. Musical director Amanda Thomas and guest minister Rev. Katie Romano Griffin (from All Souls in Indianapolis) are joined by gifted black and brown colleagues from across the UU-verse to help bring some shine to your day including The Rev. Dr. Kristen Harper, Nasreen Khan, and Cassie Montenegro. Featuring original works of music, prayer, and poetry. Register here.

Tips on investing your values:

A Board-sponsored forum with Andrew Appel

Sunday, April 30, 11:30 a.m. in Room 210

Join our Special Purposes Fund chair Andrew Appel after the service on Sunday, April 30 for a discussion on investing your social values. SPF recently needed to find a new investment fund and Andrew will present the conditions they put on that fund and the screeners used to select it. "Green" and "sustainable" are popular investing buzzwords, and it is not straightforward to separate the wheat from the chaff. Andrew will give you some tips on how to do this.

Writing as a Spiritual Practice

A Drop-in Group with Rev. Barbara Child (on Zoom)

Tuesdays, May 2 - June 27, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

You are invited to join me on a journey of personal exploration through autobiographical writing in community on Zoom. Season 10 of this gathering will happen Tuesday afternoons 1:00-2:00, May 2 through June 27, 2023.

You are welcome at any or all sessions with no commitment in advance. Even if you took part in one or more sessions during Seasons 1 through 9, you will need to register if you would like to attend one or more Season 10 sessions by clicking on the following link: Season 10 Registration

You need to register only once and will then be able to attend as many Season 10 sessions as you choose, using the same link each time. You may register up to a few minutes before a session begins.

Here is a description of “Writing as a Spiritual Practice” and what happens in our Zoom room on Tuesday afternoons at 1:00.

The Annual Goods and Services Auction Needs YOU!

Be Creative! Auction Runs Online April 28 - May 7

The Auction opens for bidding in 10 days, so get those donations in now!

Donation form: tinyurl.com/UUAuction2023

We will accept donations through Monday, May 1.

• Important dates: The Auction site will be available to donors for review starting Monday, April 24. It will open to everyone for bidding on Friday, April 28, at noon. The Auction will end on Sunday, May 7, at 4 p.m. 
• New to this year’s Auction, we will offer in-person technical support to anyone wanting help navigating the online site, in Fellowship Hall following services on April 30 and May 7. 
• Also new this year, we are offering a fundraiser option to help replace our outdoor storage sheds at the church. Look for it on the Auction site!

Thinking of a new idea? Want help with ideas? Just have questions? Feel free to contact Ann Kamman or Charlotte Appel.

Green Sanctuary Task Force Spring Clothing Swap 

Thursday, May 4, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Friday, May 5, 10:00 am - 3:00 p.m.

in Fellowship Hall

That's right, we're changing it up a bit! This year, our Spring Clothing Swap will take place on Thursday, May 4 and Friday, May 5.

The Green Sanctuary Task Force encourages all of us to examine our habits of consumption. What do we buy? Where does it come from? What happens to it when we're finished with it? What impact does our consumption have on the earth and its inhabitants?

Renew your wardrobe while caring for the Earth at this spring's Swap in Fellowship Hall. You are welcome, even if you don't have clothes to exchange.

Volunteers are needed to organize clothes throughout the event and at 3 pm on Friday to deliver any leftover clothes to local charities. Please contact Stephanie Kimball (kimball@uubloomington.org) for more information or to volunteer. 

New website in the works!

Our Tech Coordinator, Hans Kelson, has been hard at work building the bones for a new church website, with the goal of launching it this summer. The site url will remain the same, uubloomington.org, but with a new and improved design and content that is easier to find and engage with. We are working with a small focus group now as we develop a draft of the new site. If you'd like to be part of a focus group to test drive the draft of the new site and offer your feedback before it launches, please be in touch! No tech experience needed, just an interest in helping to make our website accessible and user-friendly. You can reach Hans at hkelson@uubloomington.org.

Sing for Joy! Spring Concert

Wednesday, April 26, 6:00 p.m. at University Elementary

The Sing for Joy! Community Choir and the University Elementary School Choir present their spring concert, BACK TO BROADWAY 2023! Sandra Freund is the director of Sing for Joy, which was founded by Sue Swaney. Jill Courtney, UU Children’s Choir director, will be conducting the University Elementary School Choir and several UU members will be singing, including Mary Carol Reardon, Allison Tomusk, Bill Daniels,

Bill Longberg, Bob Port, and Kathleen Sideli. All are welcome; free admission.

Come Sit With Me:

A Monthly Conversation with Author Gladys DeVane

Thursday, April 27, 7:00 p.m. on Zoom

Invitation from Gladys (video):

You are invited to the third interview in a five-part series. Where I will have conversations with three Extraordinary African American Women--an elder, a baby boomer, and a millennial. In the last half hour, the participants and the audience will join in an Across the Ages roundtable discussion. This is a free event, but you must register for a ticket on Eventbrite to receive the Zoom link. Also, please share the flyer with family and friends.