Is your Prologue getting clipped short in your email inbox? Follow the above link, or make sure you click "View entire message" at the bottom of your email, to read the whole newsletter.
|
|
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana
Congregation founded 1949 | LGBTQ Welcoming Congregation since 1995 | Green Sanctuary since 2007
|
|
Seeking the Spirit | Building Community | Changing the World |
|
Join us for online services
Livestreamed on Sunday mornings at 10:15 am
|
|
|
|
Hearing assistive devices are now available at the AV Tech booth in the rear of the sanctuary for use during Sunday worship services.
|
|
|
Guidelines from NEST as of January 30, 2022
The NEST (Next Steps in Transition) working group met on Sunday, January 30th. Upon further review of the most current scientific evidence regarding differential risks for vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, and to best serve our congregation, we re-opened for in-person worship on February 6.
Please read the guidelines below.
NEW Sunday Worship Guidelines for In-person Attendees:
- Vaccination, including the third dose booster, against Covid-19 will be required.
- N95, KN95, or double masking will be required.
- We will continue to maintain social distancing.
- Pre-registration for worship services is not required.
- Quiet singing in worship services is allowed.
For a complete list of current guidelines, including guidelines for in-person meetings, please click here.
As always, each individual must decide what is right for them when deciding whether or not to attend activities in-person.
Warmest regards,
The NEST Working Group: Jane McLeod, Abby Gitlitz, Michele Grove, Judy Klein, Ann LeDuc, Dan Lodge-Rigal, Sarah Sanchez, Melinda Swenson, and Reverend Mary Ann Macklin.
|
|
|
Sunday, March 6, 2022
10:15 a.m. Livestream & In Person
“A Time for Every Purpose”
Rev. David Pyle, Regional Lead, MidAmerica Region of the UUA
One of my seminary professors once said that “Hopefully, congregations last longer than our ministries.” When a congregation is preparing for the departure of a senior minister, I feel called to remind them that the ministries of a congregation are larger and last longer than any single ministry of a minister, even one who is dearly loved and trusted. As your congregation prepares for both an Interim Ministry and the search for a new settled and called Senior Minister, I want to reflect with you on how your ministries in this world remain yours.
No registration required for Sunday in-person attendance.
|
|
|
Spring Forward! "Daylight Saving Time" Begins March 13
Spring is just around the corner! Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed on Saturday, March 12.
(Yes, we know it doesn't really save any time, especially on March 13! --cm)
|
|
|
Sunday, March 13, 2022
10:15 a.m. Livestream & In Person
"What is There to Say, When "WTF?" is Already Taken?"
Reverend Bill Breeden
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite
Pardon my French, as we used to say, but who really knows what one can say about tomorrow when the dogs of war threaten every tomorrow? We will find the words, and we will resist the temptation to despair. Come join us. --Rev. Bill
No registration required for Sunday in-person attendance.
|
|
|
Covid Memorial Visiting Hour
Sundays, 12 noon-1 p.m.
Each Sunday, for the next several weeks, we will be opening our sanctuary to those who would like to visit our Covid Memorial Installation. This is an opportunity to be in the presence of the numbers we have written so far, sharing a time of silence and reflection. Those who would like to may light candles of memory, write numbers, record the name or names of loved ones who have died of Covid, or sit or move among the columns of numbers as you are so moved. A minister or pastoral care team member will be present.
In keeping with our current guidelines for gathering, visitors are expected to be fully vaccinated and also boosted if you are over 12 years old. Please wear an n95 or kn95 mask. If you do not have one, one will be provided.
|
|
|
Note from Rev. Bill
It is beginning to feel a lot like spring with new life awakening all around us. At the same time that light and warmth are returning, the darkness of war threatens millions with the risk of the unthinkable hovering on the edges of the possible. It is a time that calls for us to remember who we are, and to be willing to expand our understanding of “we.”
We are not a community that agree on every issue, but we are a people who are committed to disagree agreeably, and to draw our circle wider than our own convictions. If ever there was time when the principles of Unitarian Universalism had radical pertinence, then surely they do so now. Democracy is under a determined assault by the forces of autocracy, and militarism, both at home and abroad.
I believe in an eternal spring of wisdom and love. I believe that in the midst of the darkest hours, there is light, and I believe that young and old together can walk in that light and bring about a new day. This Sunday at 2:00 pm, there will be a vigil for peace on the courthouse square. I remember Bill and Cookie Lynch calling for our people to stand for peace when our nation prepared to go to war in Iraq, and stand we did. It is time to do so again, and remember that we plant seeds of peace for generations to come, fully aware that we may not see the harvest. It is a labor of love, and one to be done joyously.
—peace, Rev. Bill
Reverend Bill Breeden
Minister Emeritus
PLEASE NOTE: A reminder that Reverend Macklin our Senior Minister will be away February 15 through March 15, and Reverend Breeden is working full-time in her absence. He is available for pastoral care and other ministerial needs during this time. His email address is breeden1949 (at) gmail.com, phone 812-360-1779.
|
|
Emily’s Post
Dear Ones,
Today I am feeling enormous gratitude for our community and the values we share.
And that is not true.
My memory of the vote was wrong--it was not unanimous, though it was overwhelmingly in favor. Fortunately, two people reached out to let me know I had made a mistake, so I could re-learn the true history of this event and correct the record here. Their outreach reminded me of one of our other principles--our shared covenant to promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. They called me back to a place of responsibility.
We are living at a time when our perceptions of truth can be dangerously molded by our preconceptions and by the wash of media and propaganda we live within. This incident reminded me that what we experience as real and true is sometimes not so. And so we rely on community--we rely on interacting with other people who will remind us of the truth, even the uncomfortable truth, when we have lost our way.
As we are trying to re-learn the history of our world, our nation, our denomination, and our congregation, it is important that we learn the truth, as best we can determine it. My mistake has made me think about how other parts of history may have been taught through the years by people who shared their felt experience without checking the facts and hearing other perspectives.
Thank you to those who called me out. Thank you to others who speak up when false narratives are being shared to correct the record so that all may find the "light of truth" we affirm together.
With all my love,
Emily
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite
Minister of Story and Ritual
|
|
Mark Your Calendars for March 23rd
A Special Time of Reflection on Loss and Learning
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite is working with a group of local religious leaders on a service to acknowledge two years of living in pandemic times. This has been a time of tremendous change, loss and upheaval for everyone, so we invite you to mark your calendars now to join us for a reflective time in person or online on Wednesday, March 23rd, from 6:30-7:30pm in our Unitarian Universalist sanctuary. On that date, we will gather our several communities together to bear witness to the losses and also learnings we have experienced collectively and as individuals in this strange time. We would like to have as many of the Covid numbers recorded there as possible, so we are making a particular push to write more of them in the coming few weeks. If you are able to help with the writing, please sign up here as we prepare to remember all that we have experienced in these times.
We are working on scheduling a time when we can gather in person to write numbers together.
Keep an eye on the Friday Update for info on that.
|
|
Adult Religious Education Opportunities Winter-Spring 2022
|
|
|
|
Adult Religious Education Opportunity
Starting Today!
“Still Building Our Own Theology”
An Adult Religious Education Opportunity for
Every Tuesday Evening in March, 7-8:30 p.m.
with Rev. Barbara Child
This series of conversations will take up some of the questions we are likely to keep on asking ourselves even if we would like to think we have worked out the basics of our personal beliefs. Up to 15 (plus me) will gather online March 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, meeting from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Click here for more details. Click here to register. By registering, you are committing to attending all five sessions. Registration for this class closes at 7:00 p.m. this evening, March 1.
Note:
If you register today and then lose track of your Zoom link later, you can always come back to this issue and re-register; this Prologue will be posted on our website (like the rest of the Prologues for the last 500 years) at this location: https://www.uubloomington.org/home/archives/
--Carol Marks, Ch.Admin
|
|
|
|
Adult Religious Education:
An Invitation to UU History
April 29-30, 2022
Tour Guide: Stuart Yoak
Cell: 314-566-9059.
In person at UU Bloomington for 4 sessions.
Come for one or all sessions and learn in community.
Ever wonder how the Unitarian Universalist church evolved? Where this way of doing church came from and who were the leaders and founders of the Unitarian and Universalist movements in Europe and North America?
We are the beneficiaries of amazing women and men who, because of their courage, determination, and a commitment to the inherent dignity and worth of all people, we today have the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana.
|
|
|
|
Religious Education Update
Ages 3-13
Please register your child(ren) for Spirit Play (ages 3-7) or IMUU (ages 7-13). Registration helps us know how many adult volunteers will be needed, AND tells us who we need to contact in case of unexpected changes.
On Sunday mornings, all children and teachers will meet in Fellowship Hall when they arrive between 10am and 10:15 for a special gathering activity, then we’ll go to our classrooms together from there. Masks required. We look forward to seeing you!
Volunteers needed
Please use this form to tell us how you would like to engage! Many options are available.
--Stephanie Kimball, Religious Education Coordinator
|
|
|
|
Did you forget what you signed up for?
Have you recently signed up for an event or volunteer activity and have forgotten the details? If so, you can find those details by signing into your Church Center profile and clicking on "My Registrations," then click on the picture next to the event or activity. Lastly, click on "view details" to see all the details of your registration. Questions about how to do this? Contact Mandy Skinner or Monica Overman, our Office Assistants, at office (at) uubloomington.org.
|
|
|
|
Welcome March by Greeting
|
|
|
|
This Week!
2021-22 Pledge Statements to be Sent Via Email
Yes, members and friends, we are happy to remind you that we will be sending our next (more or less) quarterly pledge statements for fiscal year 2021-22 this week via email, using our fabulous new database! This method saves paper, time, and postage (and hence, trees and dollars!) for our congregation. Your statement will be attached to an email in the form of a pdf. If you have any difficulty opening the file, please contact Mandy Skinner or Monica Overman, our Office Assistants, and they will be glad to assist, office (at) uubloomington.org
Thank you for supporting the work of our congregation!
|
|
|
|
UU Women's Alliance Thursday, March 3
Bloomington League of Women Voters
Join the Women's Alliance on Zoom, Thursday, March 3, 11:30 am with a presentation from the Bloomington League of Women Voters.
With voting rights legislation on the national agenda, you’ll want to join us for a program on voting and what’s happening in our area. The Zoom program at 11:30 a.m. will feature speakers from the LWV of Bloomington-Monroe. Click here for details on this presentation. Email Doris Wittenburg at dwittenb(at) indiana.edu for the Zoom link.
|
|
|
|
Are you new to UU Bloomington?
Join us this Sunday, March 6, for a short introduction
If you are new to our congregation, a very warm welcome to you! This Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 pm you are invited to join in a brief online introduction to Unitarian Universalism and this congregation. Just click on this link at 2 PM on Sunday. If you have questions, you are always welcome to email me at connect(at)uubloomington.org. Hope to see you online this Sunday! -- Ann LeDuc, Connections Coordinator
|
|
|
|
UU Online Book Club March 7: The 1619 Project
|
|
|
|
Looking for additional ways to get involved?
|
|
|
|
Are You Having Trouble Finding
Your 2021 Calendar Year Giving Statements?
A few members have contacted us with this question in the last week. We are all learning how to access information in new ways. This is a reminder that because we changed databases in July, from an old creaky one we had used for 10+ years to a shiny super-efficient easy to use new one that works way, way better, we had to send you TWO SEPARATE GIVING STATEMENTS FOR 2021. One statement from the old database we sent on paper at the end of January, and includes gifts during only the first six months of 2021, January through June. The other statement, that includes gifts received during the second half of the year, July through December, was also sent the last week of January, but it was sent via email to all pledgers, and not on paper. If you are having trouble rounding up this information for your tax filing, please contact Mandy Skinner or Monica Overman at office (at) uubloomington.org and they will be happy to send you another set of statements via email.
And thank you again for supporting our congregation!
--Carol Marks, Church Administrator
|
|
|
|
UU Hikers at the Hays Trail this Thursday, March 3
Join us to hike 3 miles of the Hays Trail on Thursday, March 3. We will meet at the trailhead at 9:30 AM. There's a 10 person limit in the Hoosier National Forest, so our group will be limited to 10 hikers. Sign up here: https://uucb.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1186009 Mary Reardon will be the hike leader. We are asking that hikers be fully vaccinated for this hike.
|
|
|
|
Gardeners' Gathering
Join us every fourth Sunday following the Sunday service for the Gardeners' Gathering. Every type, age, and level of gardener is welcome. We'll share experiences, stories, advice, and maybe plants from time to time. We'll start out on Zoom in March and transition to in-person meetings after the infection rates go down a bit more.
|
|
|
|
Delicious homemade chili and soup made by UU Habitat Task Force member and supporters are on sale online through March 8. We’re doing this fundraiser and giving our social justice moment during the March 13 UU service to highlight our efforts.
Anyone can order different types of chili, including beef, turkey, bean and vegetable, and black bean, and two types of soup, by using this online order form: Chili & Soup Sale
Each $14 order is a 5-cup take-home container with corn bread. Pick up is between 10 a.m. and 12 noon on Saturday, March 12, under the Portico. Delivery is also available for an extra fee. If there is chili or soup leftover, we will sell containers after the March 13 Sunday service. Revenue will support our goal to help provide local decent, affordable housing, specifically Habitat for Humanity’s new 12.5-acre Osage Place neighborhood on Bloomington’s southwest side that will be home to about 70 families.
Habitat Volunteer Opportunity - March 19 or 26
We are also seeking volunteers (everyone welcome) to complete the two Women Build homes in the Osage Place neighborhood on March 19 or 26. COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots are required. Register here.
Thanks for your support!
Barb Berggoetz, Habitat Task Force chairperson
|
|
|
|
Join Our Just Peace Task Force at the Courthouse
March 6 at 2:00 p.m.
for Peace in Ukraine
Bloomington Peace Action Coalition will hold a rally on Courthouse Square on Sunday, March 6th at 2 p.m. The event, which will be one of hundreds taking place around the world on March 6, is in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and in protest of the brutal attack by Russia. We are calling for peace and warning against further escalation. The crisis is a wake up call that the world must heed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and begin global, verifiable nuclear disarmament and transfer funds from the military to climate and human needs. The event is cosponsored by our Just Peace Task Force. --David Keppel
- Sunday, March 6th, 2:00 p.m.
- Courthouse Square, Bloomington
- Stand with Ukraine
- Stand for Peace
|
|
|
|
4th Trimester Team Seeks Volunteers to Support Families with New Babies -- In-person Training April 3
The 4th Trimester Team is seeking participants to help families with new babies. No experience needed, just presence and compassion. If you can make a text or a phone call, you can be helpful. We plan to connect with parents, be a listening ear that is heartfelt, confidential and non- judgmental; offer in-home support such as light housekeeping or babysitting to allow for an afternoon nap, and to help locate community resources as needed. This is a social justice endeavor sponsored by the Reproductive Rights Task Force to reduce Indiana maternity deaths. Training session Sunday, April 3 at 1-3:30 pm at the church. Learn more here. To register please email Anne at sanctuaryfound@gmail.com or Sally at mcgsally@gmail.com
|
|
|
|
MidAmerica UU Region Virtual Annual Assembly
April 30
Register Now! Unitarian Universalists in 12 Midwestern and Upper Midwest states join together to form the MidAmerica Region of the UUA, and our annual Regional Assembly will be online this year on April 30. The keynote speaker is social justice educator, storyteller and speaker CB Beal. Included will be worship, the annual business meeting, a keynote address, and community breakout rooms. Sliding scale registration fee between $25 and $50; scholarships are available. If you would like to be a member delegate from our congregation, registration fee support is available. Contact Iris Kiesling if you are interested in being a delegate, irisfkiesling (at) gmail.com. Click here for details about the meeting.
|
|
Donations for the Afghan Family Our Refugee & Immigration Task Force is Helping, click here for list. Bins at the Portico entrance. |
|
Donations for Beacon:
Look for bins at the Portico entrance, list below.
|
|
|
|
25% Sunday Non-Pledge Plate Recipient
Nomination Campaign for 2022-23
Application Forms Now Available!
The application form is now available, for those who would like to nominate an agency to receive our 25% of our non-pledge Sunday plate offering from July 2022 – June 2023:
The application deadline is April 15, after which the Social Justice Funds Committee will choose three nominee finalists for the congregation to vote on at the spring congregational meeting on June 12. Our contributions to the current recipient, the Nest Childcare Center at New Hope Family Shelter, total $3349, with 2 more quarters to go. The total donated to last year’s recipient, Monroe County United Ministries Childcare, was $6561! Which local non-profit agency would you like to see be our next recipient?
Contact Denise Ogren, SJFC Chair, at uucbsjfunds (at) ubloomington.org with any questions. The Social Justice Funds Committee: Denise Ogren, Steve Mascari, Jay Sissom, Sarah Kopper, Sandy Davoren. Advisors: Jackie Hall and Rev. Bill Breeden
|
|
Community Connections --
Our Faith in Action in the Community
Cardinal Stage presents The Mountaintop
March 3-20
A gripping reimagination of events the night before the assassination of America’s most renowned civil rights leader. On stage at the Waldron Auditorium. For more info: cardinalstage.org.
|
|
|
|
UU Humanist Forum Meets Sunday, March 6, 12:45 pm
Every other Sunday at 12:45 pm, our UU Humanists meet together online on Zoom for discussion. On March 6, Harold Ogren will lead a discussion on "The Genetic Lottery – based on a new book by Kathryn Paige Harden." Email Ann Watzel if you would like to join the discussion.
|
|
|
|
|
First Monday Poetry Group Meets March 7, 10:00 am
The First Monday Poetry Group, originally organized by Bob Taylor, meets the first Monday of each month at 10 a.m. via Zoom and welcomes all. Bring a published poem to read for the group to discuss. Contact Linda Pickle (linda.pickle [at] wku.edu) to receive the Zoom link.
|
|
|
|
|
UU Freethinkers Meet Sunday, March 13, 12:45 pm
The UU Freethinkers bi-weekly meeting creates the opportunity for participants to raise questions and engage in open and non-structured discussion of issues of social, political, and theological/religious concern. Every other Sunday via Zoom at 12:45 pm. To join, contact Ann Watzel.
|
|
|
|
|
Shambhala Meditation on Zoom on Mondays
Every Monday at noon online, or anytime it's easy, since there are saved sessions, you can join Sarah Flint in this 2500-year-old practice of cultivating peace and inner wisdom. Contact Sarah Flint to join the group in real time. On Facebook at UU Bloomington Meditation.
|
|
|
|
|
Open Mind Zen at Friends Meeting House
Open Mind Zen with UU member Sensei Frank Seisho Diaz meets weekly at the Bloomington Friends Meeting House. If you'd like to participate, visit openmindzenbloomington.org and click on the "Welcome" tab for more information.
|
|
|
|
|
Your Church Administrative Staff is Available
by Phone, via Email, & Sometimes in Person
Here is how to be in touch with the church administrative staff during their office hours.
Church Administrator Carol Marks, M-F, 10-4, 812-287-9615, admin (at) uubloomington.org. Carol will be at the church building on Mondays & Thursdays. Working from home on Tues, Weds, Fri.
Office Assistant Monica Overman, T, Th, 10-1, Friday 12:30-3:30, 812-322-5546, office (at) uubloomington.org. Working from home.
Office Assistant Mandy Skinner, M, W, F, 10:30-1:30, 812-340-9981, office (at) uubloomington.org. Working from home.
|
|
|
|
COVID-19 Vaccination News
Vaccines for Ages 5 and Older!
|
|
|
Email SCAM Alert
Our ministers, staff, and board members or other members will never send you email asking you for any money besides your pledge payment!
How to Recognize an Email Phishing Scam:
Is the email impersonating Rev. Macklin or another of our staff or ministers? Are they asking you to purchase gift cards? Wait! Don't do it! We will never send you emails like that. To double check, look at the email address of the sender. Is it from an address at uubloomington.org? If not, that's the second good reason to delete it!
Office Hours, Calendar, Deadlines
Office hours: M-F, 10 am-4 pm.
The Church Office can be reached via text or voicemail during office hours at 812-287-9615. Email: admin (at) uubloomington.org or office (at) uubloomington.org. The Church Administrator plans to be in the office on Mondays and Thursdays during March, but please call before you come over, to be sure there is someone here, 812-332-3695.
The Prologue is published on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month. Next issue is
March 15. Deadline is 10 am on date of publication, admin (at) uubloomington.org
Church Mailing Address:
2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington, IN 47408.
|
|
Details on Membership & Offering
Membership: 561 certified members as of 2/1/2022;
561 current members.
Non-Pledge Offering:
February 13 $247
February 20 $215
To make a contribution for the Non-Pledge Offering (Sunday Plate), or to make a payment towards your pledge, click on this link to get to our new Giving page: uucb.churchcenter.com/giving
Total to be donated (25%) to The Nest childcare center at New Hope Family Shelter: $115.69
Grocery Card Sales: (Bloomingfoods or Fresh Thyme) $0; Total income to UUCB: $0
Free Money from Kroger!
Fresh Thyme and Bloomingfoods
Grocery Cards Available by Mail
-
Did you know that Kroger sends us over $1,600 each year? This is made possible by those of you who participate in Kroger's Community Rewards program. Register your Kroger Plus card online at this link.
-
We are also still selling grocery cards for Bloomingfoods and Fresh Thyme by mail. Click here to see what kind of cards and how many are available. Send your check to the church (UU Church, 2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington, IN 47408) with a note to let us know the type and value of card(s) you want, and we will mail them to you. You do not need to send an envelope.
|
|
|
Masthead photo by John Woodcock. |
|
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, IN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
