First Unitarian Church

Transcription

1 First Unitarian Church A Member Congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association Vol. 20 No. 2 February 2014 Rev. Dawn Cooley, Senior Minister, minister@firstulou.org Chris Rothbauer, Intern Minister, intern@firstulou.org Linette Lowe, Director of Religious Exploration, dre@firstulou.org Christe Lunsford, Music Director, music@firstulou.org Barbara Creasy, Office Administrator, office@firstulou.org Earl Reynolds, Building Supervisor Carol Uebelhoer, President, Board of Trustees, president@firstulou.org Celebrations of Life: Sunday Services begin at 11:00am February 2 February 9 February 16 February 23 A Moment of Peace Speaker: Chris Rothbauer Why ET Matters: Spark of Imagination Speaker: The Rev. Dawn Cooley Why ET Matters: Astrobiology as Contemporary Theology Speaker: The Rev. Dawn Cooley Global Preach-In on Climate Change Sponsored by Interfaith Power and Light What s Inside the February Edition? Calendar Highlights 2 See Page 15 for the List 9 Service Auction 16 Woman s Alliance Spaghetti Luncheon 22 Soup for the Soul See more events on the last page. The complete calendar can be viewed on our website: Contents 2 Message from The Rev. Dawn 3 Intern s Perspective 4 RE Highlights Linette Lowe 6 Description of RE Classes 8 February Ministry Theme 9 Ministry Reports 11 Leadership Updates 13 Reports from the Groups 14 What s Happening? Love is the spirit of this church... 1

2 Speaking Of... The Rev. Dawn Cooley On many days, usually in the middle of the evening, I get tired. Exhausted, really. When this happens, I get hurt by things which normally would just bounce off me. I have less patience. I get defensive about things which are no big deal. I have learned that when I get to this point, I have to stop looking at the computer: no reading blogs, no reading news, no , no facebook, nothing. Because I am not at my best when I hit this point of exhaustion. Not even close. I suspect there is a lot of this exhaustion being expressed in a discussion of a UUA holiday e-greeting that is making the rounds on facebook. Rather than get into the details of the conflict, I want to get up on the balcony and look at how we are treating one another in this discussion. Because that, my friends, is telling. In short, someone shared that the e- greeting had hurt them. And the response was not one of sympathy or empathy, but one of defensive posturing. The people who shared how they were personally hurt were told they should not feel that way. The responses were judgmental and dismissive. It reminded me of how I feel when I break my rule and go ahead and write an after I have hit the point of exhaustion. This discussion has not typified our best selves and, indeed, is destructive. Tom Schade points out that we, as Unitarian Universalists, may be exhausted as a seam of coal might be exhausted in a mining operation. I think we are the other kind of exhausted as well the worn out kind. I believe we are exhausted from our Loving Each Other Out of Hell attempts to be perfect perfect as individuals, and perfect as a faith tradition. And since this is a sisyphusian effort, we keep watching that boulder roll back down the hill. I am not sure how much longer we can take it. I see the message of our failure to be perfect everywhere. We are not growing the way we should be. We are not attracting the nones the way we should be. We are not, we are not, we are not. The message I hear is that we are not perfect, but we should be. This is a lot of pressure, and it is exhausting. In our exhaustion from never being good enough, we turn on each other. We are drawn to the familiar and hunker down with what we know. When we are challenged or confronted with difference, we lash out because it is yet another reminder of our imperfections. But we are not supposed to be perfect. I learned that the hard way, too. Perfection is a noose that chokes creativity, that chokes our relationship with ourselves, with a higher power, and with one another. And it is not our heritage! Our Universalist forbears didn t say we had to be perfect to earn the right to be with God. We didn t have to believe the right thing, do the right thing. Simply being was enough to earn God s love. If our mission is perfection, we are doomed to fail. But I don t think that is our mission. Neither do I believe our mission as Unitarian Universalists is to be larger in numbers or have larger churches. Our mission is not to be the religion of our time, our mission is not to be a religious home for the nones. Our mission is not even to make sure we don t die out. These are all perfectly fine as goals, but they must not be thought of as our mission because they are too selfserving and do nothing to ease the pain and suffering all around us and inside us....and service is its law. 2

3 Instead, I believe is our mission is to love the hell out of the world. This means being in relationship with the world. It means constantly expanding who we are. It means challenging ourselves to listen more and put down our need to be right all the time. It does not mean we will always agree we won t but it means we will stay in conversation without trying to convince the other person we are right. We will stay in conversation because we will want to hear more about their story. Loving the hell out of the world means loving each other out of hell. It means realizing how hard it is for someone to say this hurts and celebrating their strength and honesty rather than trying to correct them. It means being curious about why I get defensive if someone points out how I might have unintentionally hurt them. It means being aware of when I am more likely to get defensive and setting limits on myself. It means paying attention to the log/plank in my own eye rather than focusing on the speck in someone else s eye. Loving the hell out of the world also means not just being willing to fail but actually failing. It means eating some humble pie and getting used to saying I am sorry without blaming the other person. It means developing an ego and an identity that is not based on some unobtainable perfection but on our ability to be vulnerable with each other so that we might find strength in that vulnerability. Because, dear ones, that vulnerability, not perfection, is what connects us. And I believe that in the end, it will be what saves us as well. An Intern s Perspective Chris Rothbauer Paying Attention on Groundhog Day One of my favorite films is Groundhog Day. Bill Murray plays a man who finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. No matter what he does, without fail, he just keeps waking up to the same day. It s a terrifying scenario when you think about it: the idea that there would be no more variety in your life, no new endeavors, no new events. Everything is just the same old repeating cycle over and over again. In many ways, though, my ordinary life can seem like it s an endlessly repeating loop of mundane, never varying events. Every day I get up, take a shower, go to work, come home, eat dinner, and sleep. But, unlike Bill Murray, thing are shifting every day in my life, whether I realize it or not. New people come into my life, a new episode of a tv show comes on, or a new challenge presents itself in my studies. But, unless I pay attention, I can easily miss this variety and think that my life has become routine. And that s the key for me: paying attention. Some eastern practitioners have called this mindfulness but, whatever you call it, it s about seeing everything in life as new for the first time. Every time I drive my car or eat or have beer with a friend, there are a million little things that are different that my mind doesn t ordinarily see. But, my paying attention to what s underneath, I can recognize that there is endless change going on in the world. Of course, change itself can be terrifying and that s a subject for another column. But, when I find myself in a rut, I find the best way I can unlodge myself is simply by paying attention. And, in these moments of attention, I can realize that each moment is unique, and each moment is all that truly is. Love is the spirit of this church... 3

4 Religious Exploration Highlights for February Linette Lowe Last month in my article, I began a conversation about radical welcome and creative inclusion of people with special needs at our church. e place for those with special needs: I mentioned two things that we discover when we open ourselves to the idea of being a safe place for those with special needs: 1) we find that people with disabilities and special needs are not other people, but they are in fact our friends, our family, our neighbors, and ourselves, and 2) we find that when we are creatively inclusive, everyone benefits, not just those with special needs. It is this second point that I'll Banner created by the K-2 class which hangs outside the DRE's office. focus on this month. One of the most interesting and exciting ways we can be creatively inclusive is by making our Religious Exploration program less like school. While schools are federally mandated to provide a free appropriate education to every child, school is not always a particularly friendly or fun place for people with disabilities or special needs. We have the opportunity at church to provide different kinds of learning and growing activities that do not have to be modeled on school. I'm pleased to be able to hold our Children's Celebration up as a model of this kind of creatively inclusive approach. Kathy Thackeray, long-time Montessori teacher, designed our Children's Celebration on the Montessori model so that children from preschool through third grade can participate together. Celebration begins with gathering time, introductions, a chalice lighting, often a song, and sometimes a story or short lesson. Then the children are allowed choices of play materials to work with on mats, crafts at the table, or art projects. Children self-select their activities, and it's common to see them playing or working together across the ages. Several weeks ago, during all-ages childcare over winter break, a barely-walking toddler attached himself to a young man in third grade. It was wonderful to watch the third-grader take the toddler under his wing and help him enjoy and complete the craft activity....and service is its law. 4

5 In a similar way, our One Room Schoolhouse monthly programs encourage all our children and youth, preschool through high school, to work together on projects related to our monthly ministry theme. I have moved to using a rotation model for One Room Schoolhouse, with different stations set up that everyone rotates through, as it allows me to create projects that will address the many different ways of learning and knowing as well as keeping everyone engaged. Children and youth of different ages and abilities work together and enjoy getting to know each other, and they support and look out for each other. They are modeling inclusive community for all of us! The RE Ministry has tasked itself this spring with looking at multiple ways of doing RE. Some ideas that have been put forth for investigation are Spirit Play workshop model, and Full Week Faith If you have other ideas that you'd like the RE Ministry to look into, please let us know. We look forward to growing our program and continuing to make it a radically welcoming place for everyone! Thank you to all the wonderful folks who signed up to be Children's RE teacher assistants this spring! You will receive an from me the week prior to the dates you signed up for, letting you know who you'll be working with and what the curriculum is for that week. There are copies of all the curricula available in the Open Classroom on the shelf next to the blackboard for you to use and return. Due to an outstanding number of returning lead teachers, on some Sundays volunteers may be asked to take on RE tasks outside of the classrooms. Thank you for all your help, volunteers and teachers!! February RE Dates to Remember: Feb. 2 RE Ministry meeting 1:00 Feb OWL Feb. 16 One Room Schoolhouse Date to be announced: Creative Inclusion training at First Unitarian Church Updated Youth Group schedules are forthcoming. Contact Allison Deckel for Middle School YG and Barbara Schweickart for High School YG. A small sampling of the bags decorated and filled with hats, mittens, gloves and socks for our neighbors in the zip code. Wow! Love is the spirit of this church... 5

6 Religious Exploration 9:45-10:45 am Participants engage in their own faith development and contribute to that of others who are present. Church doors open at 9:30 to get your coffee or tea, enjoy a few conversations, take children to their room, and settle into your class in time for a 9:45 prompt start. Please be respectful and courteous to classroom teachers, program leaders, and other people attending Exploration classes by settling into your classroom in plenty of time for an on-time start of class, and by picking up children pre-school and older at 10:45 for the Celebration of Life. Thank you! Adult RE Programming February Room 1 st Sunday 2 nd Sunday 3 rd Sunday 4 th Sunday Library Parlor 205 Christian Theology Participant Sign-Up Pagan Theology Participant Sign-Up Ebb and Flow Buddhist Theology Spectrum Social Hall Coffee and Social Justice CHILD CARE Child care is available for infants and toddlers in the nursery. CHILDREN S CLASSES Age appropriate Exploration opportunities are offered for children and youth pre-school thru high school. Greeters on the second floor will be happy to assist you in locating the correct room for your child. February 16 One Room School Schoolhouse meets in Room 205 with Linette and Helpers CHILDREN S CELEBRATION DURING THE WORSHIP SERVICE Children from Preschool through Third Grade will be invited to attend the Children's Celebration (usually during the Sermon) and will return to the Sanctuary during the last hymn. Children's Celebration takes place in room 212/213. February 9 Grades 4-6 OWL will meet during the Celebration of Life Ebb and Flow is BUSY! Read about how you can help in their latest activities to support their Homeless Service Project: Blessing Bags, page 18 Soup for the Soul: Competition for a Cause, page 16...and service is its law. 6

7 Adult Fall RE Programming: Theology Rotating weekly, these classes will explore different faith paths or theological topics from a Unitarian Universalist perspective. All classes are open to anyone of any faith path, no faith path, or uncertain faith path. Note: There is a change in the rotation for weeks 3 and 4 this month. Meets in the Library First Week: CHRISTIANITY (February 2) What does Christianity offer for UUs? Walston, leader. Jasmine Second Week: PAGANISM (February 9) Heart Chakra. Color: green. Beliefs about love and relationship. Archetype: Love/Performer. Lori Martin, leader. Third Week: BUDDHISM (February 23) Chinese Buddhism This month we will examine Buddhism as it traveled from India into China, with a strong emphasis on the development of Chan Buddhism. We will also examine Buddhist interactions with Taoism and Confucianism. Chris Rothbauer, leader Fourth Week: SPECTRUM (February 23) Prayer Explore February s ministry theme from a variety of faith traditions, theologies, and atheologies. Jo Ann Dale & Lori Martin, leaders. Other Adult Fall RE Programming PARTICIPANT SIGN UP Twice a month, one class will be available for those who attend to select and lead a topic of their choosing. A sign-up sheet is posted in the social hall. This group meets in the Parlor. COFFEE & SOCIAL JUSTICE This group meets each week to discuss social justice implications of current events as informed by UUA principles and faith. Social hall. EBB AND FLOW This class meets weekly to explore the dynamics of family living. It is for any adult, age 18 or over, who is part of a family. Weekly conversations range from parenting challenges, dealing with conflict with loved ones, living life as a UU, and whatever else comes up for the group. Lisa Mascio-Thompson and Bill Van Rooy, co-facilitators. Room 205. OWL: OUR WHOLE LIVES SEXUALITY EDUCATION FOR ADULTS. Clarify values, build interpersonal skills, and understand spiritual, emotional, & social aspects of sexuality. Closed class, evenings, February 2 and 16. Contact Carol Uebelhoer about future offerings. For More Information about Religious Exploration The website has additional information about the curricula. To learn more, visit firstulou.org or contact Kathy Thackeray, Chair Religious Exploration Ministry, religiouseducationministry@firstulou.org, Jasmine Walston, Adult Religious Exploration Coordinator, jasminegld@aol, Linette Lowe, Director of Religious Exploration. dre@firstulou.org Love is the spirit of this church... 7

8 Ministry Theme: Prayer Readings If one looks long enough at almost anything, looks with absolute attention at a flower, a stone, the bark of a tree, grass, snow, a cloud something like revelation takes place. Something is given and perhaps that something is always a reality outside the self. We are aware of God only when we cease to be aware of ourselves, not in the negative sense of denying self, but in the sense of losing self in admiration and joy. May Sarton I m still agnostic. But in the words of Elton Richards, I m now a reverent agnostic. Which isn t an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe that whether or not there s a God, there is such a thing as sacredness. Life is sacred. The Sabbath can be a sacred day. Prayer can be a sacred ritual. There is something transcendent, beyond the everyday. It s possible that humans created this sacredness ourselves, but that doesn t take away from its power or importance. A.J. Jacobs Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I ll tell you what I d do. I d go out into a great big field all alone or in the deep, deep woods and I d look up into the sky up up up into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I d just feel a prayer. L.M. Montgomery I laughed when a talk show host recently asked a little girl performing back flips on her show, How did you ever learn to do all of that?! and the girl responded, out of breath, Practice. The same goes for prayer. You may have heard prayer referred to as a spiritual discipline or a spiritual practice. I am learning that this is exactly what it is. Prayer takes both regular practice and discipline. Prayer is intentional spiritual reflection. Marisol Caballero Reflection Questions 1. Have you ever prayed in life? If so, what inspired your prayer? In what way did you pray? 2. Has prayer been helpful or hurtful in your life? How? 3. How has prayer changed for you over the years? 4. How do you understand prayer from a Unitarian Universalist faith perspective? 5. Some spiritual teachers say that prayer is about listening rather than talking. How might you pray if your prayers were listening? 6. Some pray to God, others to Earth Mother, the Universe, the Sun, the spirit within themselves, or to life itself. If you prayed to life, what would you say? For what would you listen?...and service is its law. 8

9 Living What We Believe Updates from the Ministries It is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them. Adlai Stevenson, Unitarian Worship Ministry Trish Ramey, Co-Chair Kudos to Worship Ministry members Jane Buckley, Brian Daly, and Trish Ramey for working with First U members to craft three very meaningful and inspirational services in January General Assembly: Looking Forward, Looking Back, Our Military: Standing on the Side of Love, A UU Perspective, about Marriage Equality in Our Armed Forces with a particularly inspiring presentation by Christy Rowzee, and Lost Prophet of the Civil Rights Movement, a focus on activist Bayard Rustin. It was also wonderful to see the Children's Choir return, singing We Shall Overcome, and the adult choir with their first post-christmas anthem. We are so fortunate to have such talented musicians in our church. In February, Brian will be putting together a service on the religious duty on caring for our planet, working in conjunction with the Global Preach-in On Climate Change sponsored by Interfaith Power and Light. Dawn has some interesting services coming up which will springboard from an understanding of ET... yes, that ET. Our intern Chris Rothbauer will be speaking in February, too. His message on mental health and spirituality is called, The Dark Night of the Soul. Finally, Trish Ramey will be leading a workshop in the library after church on Feb. 2, showing First U leaders and organizers how to use VolunteerSpot, a computer program that helps organizers set up schedules for events and activities, including an automatic reminder function and calendar open to all users. This is the new date set as a result of Trish being sick the last time this was scheduled. Please her at tramey@alum.bu.edu if you are planning to attend. Mission and Outreach: Partner Church We have received a Christmas card from our Partner Church in Nagyenyed, mailed to us December 13 and received in early January, It will be posted on the Partner Church Bulletin Board in the Social Hall, and it is quoted here: Dear Brothers from Louisville! Summer and autumn is long gone, it is the time of Advent and we are preparing for Christmas. During the summer, a girl from your congregation visited us. * She is a musician and her boyfriend is from Transylvania, from Kolozsvar. We asked them about you and your congregational life. We sent some presents, some handpainted pottery from you and for the Thomas Jefferson congregation. Did you receive it? We wish you a blessed Christmas holiday and a happy New Year! Hopefully by Christmas a new family member, our niece, will be born, too. With love, Rev. Sanor Botand Nagyenyed, * The girl that visited was Alice Culin-Ellison, Love is the spirit daughter of this church... of Kyle Ellison and Cassandra Culin. 9

10 Resource Ministry: Churchyard Friends Carol Findling This was taken from an article from North Carolina State University. You may read more detail by looking at PRUNING Pruning should be a regular part of plant maintenance. First remove dead or dying branches. Make the cut close (1/4 inch) from either an outward facing bud or from the lateral branch. When cutting diseased wood, be sure to dip the blades in a disinfectant (one part chlorine bleach to nine parts water) between cuts. When you cut a branch back, the buds below the cut become more active and grow. Five basic types of pruning are pinching, heading back, thinning, renewal pruning, and shearing. Good pruning is usually a combination of several methods. Pinching is done on newer shoots before they become woody. Heading back involves removing the terminal portion of a woody branch by cutting it back to a healthy bud or branch. The top bud should be located on the side of the branch that faces the direction new growth is desired. Repeated heading back with no thinning cuts results in a top-heavy plant. Thinning is the least conspicuous method of pruning and results in a more open plant without stimulating excessive new growth. Prune the oldest and longest stems first. Repeated thinning with no heading back results in plants with long spindly branches. The viburnums in our Courtyard are included in the complete article listing appropriate plants for this type of pruning. Renewal pruning (rejuvenation) involves removing the oldest branches of a shrub by pruning them near the ground, leaving only the younger, more vigorous branches which may also be cut back. Our church currently has no plants listed in the article as appropriate for this type of pruning, although our butterfly bush beside the staff parking lot is appropriate for one variation; prune all branches back to a predetermined height each year. It will occasionally need some thinning cuts as well. Shearing involves cutting the terminal of most shoots with shearing or hedge clippers. This should be restricted to formal hedges. Light corrective pruning can be done any time of the year. When severe pruning becomes necessary it should be undertaken in late winter to early spring. Pruning in late summer should be limited since new growth may not have time to mature before cold weather occurs. Woody plants heal from pruning cuts by producing rolls of callus that gradually grow over the wound. Internally they compartmentalize or wall-off the damaged tissue from healthy wood. These responses to wounding occur more rapidly just prior to the onset of new growth in the spring (February or March) and just after maximum leaf expansion in June. Susceptibility to cold weather is increased after pruning. Late summer pruning will often promote new growth that may not have time to become conditioned for cold weather. Wood around winter pruned cuts is more susceptible to desiccation (drying). The time of pruning should be based on when a plant flowers. Spring-flowering (by the end of April) shrubs should be pruned as soon as possible after flowering. Summer-flowering (May or later) shrubs flower on new growth produced in the current growing season. They should be pruned before new growth begins in spring....and service is its law. 10

11 A Message from the Sabbatical Planning Team The UUA encourages congregations to offer their ministers a sabbatical with full pay, and this was included in our Ministry Agreement with Dawn when she was called to be our minister. Beginning July, 2014 Dawn will take one month of vacation and five months of sabbatical leave, returning to church in January, In order to plan for this important time, the Sabbatical Planning Team meets monthly, on the first Thursday of each month. Members of the Sabbatical Team are: Jill Sampson (chair), Mary Ballard, Kathy Drehmel, Debra Gilbert, Trish Ramey, Barbara Schweickart, and Carol Uebelhoer. Dawn also participates as she is able. The sabbatical will offer us as a congregation a chance to strengthen the church and our shared ministry. Our role as a Sabbatical Planning Team is to be supportive, let the Ministries take charge, and be available to help as needed. We will give special care and support to those staff and Ministry Team members who hold down the fort in the minister s absence, carrying more than their usual load. The Worship Ministry Team has been working very hard to plan meaningful and diverse Celebration of Life services during Dawn s sabbatical leave many of the services are already scheduled! The Sabbatical Planning Team is working with church staff and congregants to prepare for other needs that will or may arise. A sabbatical brochure is being prepared and will be available in February. If you have any questions, please contact any member of the Sabbatical Planning Team. Board of Trustees Board Biz Carol Uebelhoer The Board of Trustees will have its first meeting of 2014 in early February, and we have a full agenda, ranging from personnel issues to parking lot issues, from memorial garden to kiosks to ministerial sabbatical, and an assortment of items in between. We will be revisiting Board goals as we begin to look at stewardship goals, and we are excited to begin looking at a process for determining how to spend capital campaign income to serve our mission after we have paid back the endowment fund loan. After receiving input from Ministry Council, staff, and Board Committees, the Board is engaged in the process of reviewing bylaws and policies. This may sound like dull work, but we have high hopes that simplifying and consolidating will make church processes less cumbersome and increase governance transparency, and THAT will mean that your service to your fellow congregants will be easier and more enjoyable. We have also had some leadership changes. Jill Sherman has assumed the roles of Board Vice President and Chair of Ministry Council. After eighteen months of outstanding service as President of the Board, Claudia Runge has stepped back, although she continues to serve as a Trustee. I have huge shoes to fill as I assume the Presidency, and I look forward to hearing from you about how the Board of Trustees can continue serving the First Unitarian Congregation. Contact me at president@firstulou.org. Carol Uebelhoer, President Love is the spirit of this church... 11

12 Stewardship Committee ANNUAL PLEDGE CELEBRATION & PARTY That s right! It s going to be a party, and you can help put on the best pledge celebration ever! It s easy. Just go to VolunteerSpot at and sign up to join teams that will make the 2014 campaign a celebration of the dreams that we want to come true for the church year. Invitation Follow-Up Team: We want to make sure everyone has received their invitation/pledge packet and to remind them to join the Pledge Sunday party on March 16th. A script will be provided that can be used for a short, friendly conversation or left as a voic . This can be done from the comfort of our own home! Calls should be completed between March 3rd-13th. 15 volunteers are needed. Party Team & Luncheon Team: Do you love to plan parties? If so, this is the team for you! This team of 10 will come up with the plan for turning Sunday, March 16 th s Celebration of Life into a full-on party with a fabulous luncheon afterwards. Then, they ll transform the Sanctuary to make it a reality, including decorations, music and/or entertainment, table settings, etc. The Party Team and the Luncheon Team will collaborate closely to select the right menu for a party buffet in the social hall for at least 100 of our closest friends. The team will handle all aspects of the event from set up to clean up. Pledge Sunday Follow-Up Calling Team: We are looking for 15 people to follow up with congregation members and friends who did not turn in their pledge cards on March 16th. No soliciting is required this is simply a gentle reminder that we d like to have ALL pledge cards returned, regardless of their intention to pledge. A script will be provided as a conversation guide or to use as a voic message. Please sign up for First U Lou Stewardship Campaign! Here s how it works in 3 easy steps: 1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http//vols.pt/8vetmg 2. Enter your address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot) 3. Sign up! Choose your spots VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy! Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually. Nancy MacPherson (cell) IT S TIME TO START FORMING THE CONGA LINE!!!...and service is its law. 12

13 The Green Scene : Compact Disk Recycling Carol Findling The necessity of unpacking and moving a large piece of furniture out of my office has made quite a mess. I found lots of old CDs that I don t want and didn t know what to do. In looking on the (sometimes) wonderful web, I ve found a really great-sounding possibility. Researching so far is positive. Here is the web site: Even simple things often end up being complicated a whole new world. Materials used include aluminum, plastics made from crude oil and gas, gold, dyes, other materials such as water, glass, silver and nickel. These must be processed, manufactured and packaged. They are extremely stable and can last for up to centuries. Those you want to keep can be repaired easily. You may sell, trade, donate to schools, libraries or other places. Buying used CDs or borrowing them from the library is a good possibility. They can be recycled for use in automotive industry, raw material for plastics, office equipment, alarm boxes and panels, street lights, cable insulation, or jewel cases. All of these are ways to save energy and resources. Because all of the materials used for CDs and jewel cases are made of stable materials, their life cycle and reusability makes them excellent candidates for extending their value their life cycle. I would like to try to do this at church. Once I check it out with our leadership, I ll set up a box for CDs and one for cases. I plan to do it at home, so have already signed up to get s. Please contact me by cnfindling@gmail.com or by phone, if you are interested. Go to for more information about ways to recycle CDs in schools, homes, and at small businesses. Women s Alliance Jill Sherman Back by popular demand, the Women's Alliance is organizing the Annual Spaghetti Luncheon on February 16th. This spaghetti luncheon is very delicious and is prepared by scratch. Be sure to come and enjoy! The Women's Alliance has been busy the last couple of months. Our Annual Pie Sale was very successful in November and we also purchased a variety of clothing and gifts for a 4 year old boy in the Coleridge-Taylor School Holiday gift drive in December. We are sure this child had a very bright Christmas morning. The Women's Alliance is an active group of First Unitarian women that strives to make a positive difference in the lives of women and families in the area. Fellowship and service are the focus of our group. We are open to all women in First Unitarian Church. Love is the spirit of this church... 13

14 CUPPS Covenant of UU Pagans Please join CUUPs as we celebrate Imbolc on Sunday February 2 nd, Imbolc is the day of midwinter when the cold will slowly begin to fade away, and the days grow longer. This is a time in which the earth is silently changing, a time of believing in that which you cannot yet see The doors open at 5:30 pm and the Circle starts at 6 pm. A potluck dinner will follow around 7 pm. The Covenant of UU Pagans of First Unitarian Universalist Church, or CUUPs, offers Sabbat Celebrations and classes in topics relating to earth based traditions or nature spirituality. CUUPs is a free and open community of people who practice earth-based spiritualities. Our classes are a blend of lecture and discussion with seekers, those new to the path and experienced practitioners in attendance. We meet the first and third Wednesday of each month. Our classes start at 7pm and last till about 8:30 pm. If you need additional information, please us at cuups@firstulou.org There is no charge for Circle Celebrations or classes. Calendar of Group Meetings note some new days or times! WHEN WE MEET See the complete calendar on the webpage: Sunday Morning Schedule 9:10 Music Rehearsal 9:45 Religious Exploration 11:00 Celebration of Life Sundays 1 st Sun. 12:30 First Sunday Lunch 1 st Sun. After lunch - RE Meeting Mondays 2 nd Mon. 11:30 Brownbaggers, library 2 nd Mon. 6:00 Book Club, parlor 3rd Mon. 7:00 Pagan Pride, Choir Room Tuesdays 2 nd Tues. 5:30 Finance Committee, library 3 rd Tues. 6:00 Board Meeting, library 4 th Tues. 5:30 Ministry Council, library 4 th Tues. 6:00 CG Leaders, parlor Wednesdays Weekly: 10:30 Staff Meetings, library 1 st /3 rd Wed 5:00 Minister s Think Tank 1 st /3 rd Wed. 7:00 CUUPs Class, library 4 th Wed. 6:30 Worship Ministry, library Thursdays Weekly: 7:00 Choir Saturdays 2 nd Sat. 8:00 House and Grounds 4 th Sat. 9:00 Churchyard Friends Church Office Hours 10:00-2:00 Monday-Friday The Rev. Dawn Cooley, by appointment Chris Rothbauer, Wednesdays 11:30-2:00 or by appointment Linette Lowe, Mondays...and & Wednesdays, service is its law. check for availability 14

15 First U Happenings - What s UUp February 2, 2014??? Some days are busy, but this one takes the cake! Souper Bowl Sunday Bring a food item; see below 30 Days of Love 9:45 Religious Exploration 11:00 Celebration of Life message by Chris Rothbauer 12:15 First Sunday Luncheon 12:15 VolunteerSpot Training see page 9 12:30 YAC 1:00 RE Meeting 1:30 Pledge Drive Goal Setting Meeting see below 6:00 Adult OWL class 6:00 Imbolc Sabbat see page 14 And it's Groundhog Day We are ALL hoping for an early Spring! First U Happenings SOUPER BOWL of CARING February 2 The Souper Bowl of Caring began in 1990 with a prayer. Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat. First U can join in this effort by bringing in food items for the food pantry managed by our neighbors at Calvary Episcopal Church for Central Louisville Community Ministry (formerly HELP Ministries). The focus is on canned stew and chili, canned vegetables, and canned fruits. HAVE YOUR SAY AT PLEDGE DRIVE GOAL SETTING MEETING February 2 The Board of Trustees, the Stewardship Committee, and the Finance Committee invite you to join them at the 2014 Pledge Drive Goal Setting Meeting on Sunday, February 2, immediately following the First Sunday Luncheon. Your thoughts on the Board's goals, plus any Pledge Drive goals that you wish to put forth, will be much appreciated. FIRST SUNDAY LUNCH The Menu will be: White chili Cornbread Salad Love is the spirit of this church... Pudding parfaits 15

16 BROWNBAGGERS WONDER DOES AVOCADO DIP REALLY CURE HANG NAILS? HOW ABOUT RUTABAGA RUB FOR DANDRUFF? First U Happenings DR. PAMELA MIDDLETON PRESENTS "HOME REMEDIES THAT WORK" Join us Monday, February 10, 2014 for Brownbaggers in the church library for lunch and conversation at 11:45 or so then listen to the real deal about grandmother's sure fire cures. If you have any home remedies you would like Pam to explore contact her at pamiddleton1@gmail.com SOUP FOR THE SOUL: COMPETITION FOR A CAUSE What: Bring your best homemade soup or just come, taste, and socialize! How: Please bring soup in crock pot with a ladle Where: First UU Social Hall CALENDAR COLLECTION The Woman's Alliance is collecting 2014 calendars to be donated to the Help Office of CLCM (Central Louisville Community Ministries.) Bring your unneeded calendars for the clients who really want and need them. There is a collection box in the volunteer area. ROMEOS February 5 They will most likely be out of Groundhog Stew by then, but Retired Older Males are invited to meet at 1:00 PM at the Golden Corral on Taylorsville Road for good food and conversation. When: February 22 2:00 Set up & tasting 4:00 Voting begins Why: Proceeds at the door will go to the Homeless Service Project sponsored by Ebb & Flow. Prize for the best soup decided by vote All participants $5 at the door, whether you re bringing a soup or just tasting (kids 10 and under free) If you have any questions, please contact Rhonda Russ at izzysmoonymama@aol.com...and service is its law. 16

17 First U Happenings: The Service Auction SERVICE AUCTION Sunday, February 9, 2014 Mark the date for this Family-friendly day and time! (Note date change) 5:00 p.m. Doors open; snacks, sandwiches, and beverages will be available for a Donation Silent Auction in the Social Hall! 6:00 pm Service Auction begins 7:00 pm Silent Auction ends Outstanding buys, fun, and fellowship! Child care provided! 8:00 pm Service Auction ends. Drawing for $100 from among those who ve stayed until (Or so) the end. (You must arrive by 6:30 and stay until the final bid.) If you ve been to the Service Auction We don t have to tell you what a great event it is. Excitement, fun, conviviality, suspense, all combined in one enjoyable evening. If you ve never attended the Service Auction Come and give it a try! The Auction is a lot of fun and it generates thousands of dollars annually for our General Fund. YOU CAN HELP BY DONATING, BY BIDDING, and by ASKING BUSINESSES FOR GIFT CERTIFICATES! Can you Drive someone to the airport? Entertain at a party? Cook a meal? Repair a lamp? Paint a portrait? Babysit? Teach a skill? Prepare a will? Donate theatre tickets? Let someone use your cottage or timeshare? Rake leaves? Get a gift certificate from a restaurant, hotel, or other business? Donations must be received by 12:00 pm Saturday, February 8. Fill out a form at church, or contact Tiffany Taylor (tiffany.taylor@twc.com, ) to make your contribution. Can t be there? Leave absentee bids! Preliminary lists of items to be auctioned will be available at church, via , and on the church s website. For more information, contact Tiffany. 10:00 Meet at TJ Unitarian 4936 Brownsboro Road 12:30 March to the Capital 1:15 I Love Mountains Day Rally 3:15 - Buses arrive back at TJ Free buses provided by Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light. Donations to cover bus costs are appreciated. For more information and to register, Love is go the to spirit of this church

18 OUR MONTHLY FOCUS FOR THE HELP OFFICE Each month we collect items to be distributed to clients of the Help Office of Central Louisville Community Ministries. This month, our focus is on toilet paper and feminine hygiene products. This is a simple need, one we take for granted, but for those on a limited or no income, your contributions are appreciated. Thank you so much for this and everything you share. SPAGHETTI LUNCHEON February 16 The annual Woman's Alliance Spaghetti Luncheon will be on February 16 at 12:15. This spaghetti luncheon is very delicious and is prepared by scratch. Be sure to come and enjoy! Everyone Invited! MONDAY BOOK GROUP Members will discuss1493 by Charles Mann, February 10, 6:00 pm. Those who attend will select fiction and non-fiction books for the next six months. PARKING Wondering where to park when you come to Sunday services at First Unitarian Church? The parking lot off 4th Street next to the church is FREE all day Sunday. There is also free Sunday parking until 1:30 pm in the lot off York Street, across the street from the Library. First U Happenings BLESSING BAGS Ebb and Flow is doing a service project for homelessness. We will be making Blessing Bags and accepting collection thru March 30th. There will be a box in the sanctuary and upstairs in the RE space. We are asking for the following items to help make this successful: Gallon size Ziploc bags Chap stick Package of tissues Toothbrush and toothpaste Comb Soap Hotel size shampoo Trail mix Granola bars crackers Pack of gum Bandaids Mouthwash Coins or predetermined dollar amount, say $5.00 (could be used to make a phone call, or purchase a food item) Hand wipes You could also put in a warm pair of socks A packet rain poncho Tampons (for women) The ideas could be endless! If you have questions, please contact Lisa Mascio-Thompson at pixielam@yahoo.com...and service is its law. 18

19 The Groundhog. More to the story than you might imagine! Did You Know This? Groundhog Day is observed every year in North America on February 2 - the same day that Imbolc, or Candlemas, happens to fall. Despite the seemingly modern aspects of this tradition -- in which a plump, confused-looking rodent is hoisted up in front of a throng of newscasters at the crack of dawn -- there's actually a long and interesting history behind the occasion. The Greeks believed that an animal's soul was contained in its shadow. Hibernation was a time of spiritual renewal and purification -- an animal that saw its shadow in the spring needed to go back to bed for a while until its misdeeds were expunged. In England, there's an old folk tradition that if the weather is fine and clear on Candlemas, then cold and stormy weather will reign for the remaining weeks of winter. On the other hand, bad weather at the beginning of February is a harbinger of a milder winter, and an early thaw. There's a poem that says: If Candlemas be fair and bright, winter has another flight. When Candlemas brings cloud and rain, winter shall not come again. In the Carmina Gadelica, folklorist Alexander Carmichael points out that there's actually a poem in honor of an animal emerging from its burrow to predict spring-like weather on "the brown day of Bride". However, it's not the cute, cuddly groundhog we're used to seeing in the United States. In fact, it's the decidedly uncuddly serpent. The serpent will come from the hole on the brown day of Bride (Brighid) though there may be three feet of snow on the surface of the ground. Scotland's Highlanders had a tradition of pounding the ground with a stick until the serpent emerged. The snake's behavior gave them a good idea of how much frost was left in the season. In the US: Rural dwellers in Europe had a similar tradition. They used an animal called a dachs, which is a bit like the badger. When settlers came to Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century, they renewed the custom with a more local animal -- the groundhog. Each year, Punxatawney Phil is removed from his den by his keepers, at which point he whispers the forecast to a top-hatted member of the official Groundhog Club. Love is the spirit of this church... 19

20 Sunday Schedule 9:10 Music Practice 9:45 Religious Exploration for all ages 11:00 Celebration of Life February 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 See page pm Board Meeting (from January) :30 Staff Meeting 7pm CUUPs 6 5:30 Sabbatical Team meeting 7pm Choir Practice pm Service Auction 10 11:30 Brownbaggers 6 pm Book Club 7pm Intern Committee 11 5:30 Finance Mtg 12 10:30 Staff mtg 7pm CUUPs 13 7pm choir Steepletalk Deadline 16 12:15 WA Spaghetti luncheon 6pm OWL 17 7pm Pagan Pride meeting 18 6pm Board meeting 19 10:30 Staff Mtg 2pm CLCM Bd. meeting 20 7pm choir am Churchyard Friends 2 pm Soup for the Soul :30 Ministry Team Mtg :30 staff mtg 5pm Minister s think tank 6:30 Worship Team 27 7 pm Choir 28 STEEPLETALK Published every month by First Unitarian Church of Louisville 809 South 4 th Street Louisville, KY Editor: Barbara Creasy Next Deadline: January 15 (for the February newsletter) office@firstulou.org...and service is its law. 20