Steepletalk. Events. What s Inside? Fall 2016 September - November Vol. 22 No.5

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1 Steepletalk Fall 2016 September - November Vol. 22 No.5 Blessing of the Animals New to UU Class New Member Ceremony Farewell to Rev. Dawn First U Family Thanksgiving Events Fall is in the air and we ve got NEWS to share! See the calendar of events on page 4 Blast from the Past! Can you identify this picture? See page 6 to check it out. Celebrating Together Water Communion Pages 16 What s Inside? 2 FYI 7 From Rev. Dawn 8 Leadership Plans 8 Ministry Teams 13 RE Classes 16 Water Communion Photos 17 Church Groups 1

2 K-2 OWL Parent Meeting September 11 Required Parent Orientation meeting on September 11 at 12:15. Bring a sack lunch. Classes will be on Sundays during the service. The curriculum focuses on parts of the body, healthy, safe bodies, families and babies. Detailed information is available at the UUA website: and from DRE Linette Lowe. Brownbaggers Special Guests September: David Ross Stevens October: The Rev. Dawn Cooley The Brownbaggers Gang reemerge from their summer break on September 13. David Ross Stevens will talk about our local connection to the astronomer hero, Hubble. Come join us at 11:40 or so in the church library. Join us Tuesday, October 11 th. Our special guest will be Rev. Dawn Cooley to answer any questions we may have. The speaker on November 8 will be announced. Chris Rothbauer Ordination September 25, 2o16 The ordination of Chris Rothbauer, former First Unitarian Ministerial Intern, will be Sunday, September 25th a 4 pm at First Unitarian Church. Everyone is invited to attend. FYI CLCM 2nd Annual Walk in Central Park Support CLCM on Saturday September 17 at 9am in beautiful Central Park! This non-competitive walk around the perimeter of the park will celebrate the good works of Central Louisville Community Ministries, raise much-needed funds, and create fellowship between the 7 downtown churches who support CLCM. Family-friendly activities and refreshments follow the walk. Registration is $15 at First U in advance, or at 8:30am before the Walk, or through Kathy Gapsis Can t participate in the Walk? Donations are gratefully accepted. First U Hikers Fall is a great time to be outdoors, and all are welcome to join the First U hiking group. Location will be announced later for the Sunday September 18 hike at 6pm, and Sunday October 16 hike at 5pm. No experience or special equipment is necessary. Contact Roger Ohlman rohlman@twc.com for more information. Healthy Communications Team The Healthy Communications Team is available on the 2nd Sunday of each month in the social hall to collect whatever feedback you may have for First U leadership. 2

3 Blessing of the Animals October 9th! We want PETS!! Best of all is if you could arrange to bring the pet, on a leash or in a carrier. But if you just can't, second best is to send in a picture. We re also accepting pictures of your beloved pet that died this year for a brief memorial blessing. If you are online savvy. send an e- mail to pamiddleton1@gmail.com (don't forget the 1). If you are not tech savvy, drop a picture in Office Administrator Barbara's box in an envelope with Pam s name on it. She will scan it into the computer and add it to the magnificent pet slide show. The best pictures for the slide show will be square or in landscape orientation. Deadline for your pet pictures is Monday October 3. New to UU Class Coming October 6 If you re new to Unitarian Universalism and want to learn what we re about or if you ve been around a while but want to know more, we have just the thing for you! Rev. Cooley will lead a New to UU session after the service on Sunday, October 6, starting at 12:30. Lunch will be available at the first Sunday luncheon; after you pick up lunch, we ll move to the library for the class. The class usually lasts about 2 ½ or 3 hours. Child care will be available. Please contact Rev. Cooley by calling the church office ( ) or revdcooley@gmail.com if you plan to join us. We look forward to welcoming new and familiar faces! the Cooleys October 8 Open House for First Unitarian Church friends and members, on Saturday, October 8, 4pm-9pm. Come for part of the time, or all of the time - whatever works for you and your schedule. Kids definitely welcome! Bring something to share (or not don't let that stop you from coming), we will have plenty of food, beverages, and fabulous company. The address is 2201 Woodford Pl. on the corner of Woodford & Dorothy (Highlands-Douglass area). The front door actually faces Dorothy and that is where the most parking is. Finally, if you have pet allergies, please take appropriate precautions before coming. New Member Ceremony October 23 Kroger Re-Enrollment Everyone must re-enroll each year so that First U continues to get free money from Kroger. How to RE-ENROLL (or Enroll) Go to Call KROGERS, Option #3, with questions 3

4 Central Louisville Community Ministries is part of Louisville's biggest day of giving! Give Local Louisville, sponsored by the Community Foundation, is a 24-hour online giving day created to inspire people to give generously to the nonprofits that make our community a better, more vital place to live. In 2015, Give Local Louisville made history by raising $3 million through 8,785 gifts for the 362 participating nonprofits -- a more than $1 million increase over the previous year. Central Louisville Community Ministries (CLCM) is a part of this worthwhile project. Please join us on Thursday, September 15 from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm, in Give Local Louisville, and help CLCM to continue to do its outstanding work! The link to use: Calendar of Events September 11 K-2 OWL Parent Meeting 12:15 Healthy Communications Team Black Lives Matter Vigil 18 K-2 OWL begins 11:00 am Middle School Youth Retreat October 2 New to UU Class 9 Blessing of the Animals Healthy Communications Team Black Lives Matter Vigil 23 New Member Ceremony Farewell to Rev. Dawn Party 30 Trick or Treat for UNICEF November 6 Time Change: Daylight Savings Time Ends 13 Healthy Communications Team Black Lives Matter Vigil 20 Women s Alliance Pie Sale 24 First U Family Thanksgiving Meal 2 pm For the complete calendar of events go to firstulou.org/calendar 4

5 Sunday October 2 at noon Come to the courtyard for our Fall Plant Sale. Have some plants that are ready to be divided? Bring your plants and take home new ones - proceeds help to beautify your church grounds. Pie Sale $10 for either sweet or savory November 20 Save kitchen time over the Thanksgiving holiday by buying a sweet or savory pie at the Women s Alliance Red White and Blue Pie Sale on Sunday November 20 immediately after the Celebration of Life. This is held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. First U Family Thanksgiving November 24 at 2:00 pm We will have a warm space with plenty of food for any and all of you, your friends and family, and any who don't want to be alone on Thanksgiving. All you need to bring is a dish and some time to pitch in and make it happen. This is a low-key and friendly event. Please RSVP if you can, to Trish Ramey and let her know you're coming and what you can bring. (tramey@alum.bu.edu) The Rameys will provide the turkey, cornbread stuffing, and a pie or two. Everyone else will help with the other dishes, more pies (we hope) and the cleanup. Many hands make light work and many cooks make a feast! Bring a dish and your favorite libations, then enjoy a meal with friends. More details will be shared closer to Thanksgiving. Everyone welcome! Open Campus Adult Evening Classes at Thomas Jefferson UU We've been invited by our friends at Thomas Jefferson UU Church to join them for their Open Campus Wednesday evening classes. Full descriptions and links to sign up are available under the Adult RE tab in Learning on First U's web page. Classes begin September 28. Use these links to sign up;: Belly Dancing Building Your Own Theology building Climate Change: What Does It Mean for Future Life on Earth? Collage Meaningful Media Understanding the Bible (Old Testament) 5

6 Black Lives Matter Vigil Women's Alliance continues to sponsor a monthly vigil for Black Lives Matter on the 2nd Sunday, after the Celebration of Life. The vigils seek to create a space for connection and reflection, and to publicly identify First U as an ally in the movement. Join us on Sunday September 11 and Sunday October 9 for the 30 minute vigil in front of church on 4th St. We are usually joined by members of the Spiritual Israel and Its Army congregation for this important work. Fall Back! Time Change November 6 Daylight Savings Time Ends. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep! Can You Help Identify This Photo? We came across this photo in the church s archives. We have an idea of when, where, and why the photo was taken, but we d like to know if we re right or not. We d also like to identify as many people in the photo as possible. Can you help us? The photo will be on display in the Social Hall throughout the month of September. Check it out! We will provide paper, pen, and a magnifying glass Thanks! John Findling and Kathy Kremer, First U Archival Project 6

7 From the Minister Since announcing my departure, I appreciate how you have been sharing your feelings with me your hopes and dreams, your sorrow, your grief. I am particularly in awe and gratitude to those of you who are excited for me even as you mourn my leaving I understand as that is how I feel, too! And I know some of you are confused and/or angry. The number one thing that seems to have made you confused and/or angry appears to be the recommitment service in January where I said I was looking forward to the next 7 years together. And, indeed, it is the one thing, that, if I could do something differently, I would. Marriage as a metaphor for parish ministry has many problems: it is not usually life-long; the power relationship is unequal between congregation and minister; and, well, ick. But even with these problems, there are some correlations that make it a common comparison: the minister and the congregation choose each other; the length of the relationship is (historically) very long; and, most importantly, both are covenantal relationships that expect certain commitments from each party. So please bear with me while I use this imperfect metaphor. To celebrate their wedding anniversary, some friends of mine decided to renew their vows. They dressed up, had a lovely ceremony and a big reception afterwards. They seemed happy and like they were looking forward to the future together. Six months later, they were separated and within a year, divorced. This story is not uncommon do a quick google search and you will see vow renewal and divorce seem to go hand in hand. Why? Each relationship is unique, of course, but one primary reason is that a vow renewal often comes when at least one person in the relationship has reached an emotional impasse and can no longer discern what they want. They hope that recommitting will help get them through the impasse; that it will enable them to stay with their partner. I am sorry. In January, when I said that I was looking forward to our future together, I had no idea what the future would bring. I was trying to convince myself that our relationship was fine, even as I struggled against the impasse I had reached. Because I love you all so much, and because these seven years have been so amazing, I hoped beyond hope that a recommitment service, like a vow renewal, would enable me to move into a new, more committed relationship with you. Love sometimes makes us blind, and we let our hopes lead the way even as reality tells us change is coming. My deepest apologies to those of you who were blindsided by my resignation. I hope that, in time, you will understand and forgive me for wanting so badly to try to make it work, and in the end, maybe even forgive me for not being able to do so. Dawn Quick Facts Rev. Dawn s last Sunday with us will be October 23. Contact Info: minister@firsulou.org Related items: the Cooleys Open House Saturday, October 8, 4 pm-9 pm See page 3 for details. See page 8 for Update on an Interim Minister from the Board Memory Book Plans Page 8 See the Fall Preview edition for FAQ about Rev. Dawn s job change 7

8 From the Board An Update on an Interim Minister At the most recent Board meeting the Board of Trustees decided to delay calling an interim minister until next spring. This means that an Interim minister would not begin before August Until that time, current staff and volunteers will be used for various ministerial duties. Meanwhile, we will move forward with the search process for a new minister. As these plans become more formalized we will provide further updates. Thanks for your support and trust, Devi President, Board of Trustees All are invited to a farewell party for Reverend Dawn!!! Date: Sunday, October 23 after the Service Place: Social Hall Come and enjoy finger foods, cake, and good company. Let's give our Minister a fond farewell!!! A MEMORY BOOK FOR REV. DAWN Do you have a memory of Rev. Dawn Cooley that you would like to include in a memory book for her? Stop by the Memories Table in the social hall and contribute your words, pictures, and/or art to a memory book that we'll present to her on October 23rd. Print out your pictures, write down your stories, draw her a drawing and turn it in to the table volunteers any Sunday between now and Oct. 2. We can take 4 x 4, baseball card size, or "regular" picture sizes. Note cards in all sizes are also available at the table. Have a digital picture? Stop by the table and we'll figure out the best way to get it included. Have a longer story or something that doesn't fit on a 4 x 4 card? No worries, stop at the table and we'll work with you to get it included. We'll be at the table every Sunday between September 11 and October 4. All ages welcome to contribute! Volunteers will compile them all into one memory book to be presented to Rev. Dawn at her last Sunday with us on October 23rd. Be sure to come to the service on Oct. 23rd to see the presentation of the memory book. All ages welcome to contribute! Connections Ministry New to UU Class Coming October 6 If you re new to Unitarian Universalism and want to learn what we re about or if you ve been around a while but want to know more, we have just the thing for you! Rev. Cooley will lead a New to UU session after the service on Sunday, October 6, starting at 12:30. Lunch will be available at the first Sunday luncheon; after you pick up lunch, we ll move to the library for the class. The class usually lasts about 2 ½ or 3 hours. Child care will be available. Please contact Rev. Cooley by calling the church office ( ) or revdcooley@gmail.com if you plan to join us. We look forward to welcoming new and familiar faces! There will be a New Member Ceremony in October 23. Contact Rev. Dawn if you d like to join First Unitarian. 8

9 Mission & Outreach Ministry Mission and Outreach-Upcoming dates of interest: from Del Ramey Coalition for the Homeless Quarterly Luncheon Saturday, Nov. 5, 11:30 am First U is hosting the Coalition this event where all the groups in the city that do compassion work for the homeless meet to update each other on what they're doing. The Women's Alliance is providing the meal, but if you'd like to help in meal prep/clean-up, or stop by to hear what is going on in the city, please contact Trish Ramey or Kathy Kremer. Stand Down/Project Homeless Connect, Wednesday, Oct-5, 2016, 8:30 am to 2:00 pm, Salvation Army, 900 S. Brook St.: This is the biggest resource fair for the homeless in Louisville. It takes place from 8:30 am to 2 pm. The Coalition for the Homeless, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Metro Louisville are co-sponsoring this event for the third consecutive year and are looking for donations and volunteers. This year's event will include foot washing, which is more than just symbolic as many homeless have foot health issues, due to exposure, diabetes, frostbite or other issues. There are a range of volunteer opportunities, prior to the actual event or the day of the event. For more information, go to First U will be collecting sweatshirts, backpacks, socks, towels, and washcloths to provide to them. There will be a collection box in the entry area. Volunteers are also needed to wash feet and to guide up to 600 homeless veterans to services they need, including healthcare, housing assistance, official IDs, clothing, food, job resources, and more. Contact Trish Ramey (tramey@alum.bu.edu) for information about volunteering. Thanks so much for your compassion. Smoketown Get Down! Friday, September 16 from 4:00 pm 10:00 pm. Corner of Shelby and Lampton Streets. Kentuckians for the Commonwealth is sponsoring a combination voter registration drive and street party. This is in First U's very own zip code!! Voter registration, music, beer, community building, YEA!! The West Louisville Forum Simmons College of Kentucky. October 5, 2016 at 11:30 am St Stephen Family Life Center, 1508 W. Kentucky Street, Rev. Jesse Jackson is the speaker. What Do You Have to Lose? We Will Answer Donald Trump s Question. Box lunch is at 11:30 am ($5) and the forum begins at noon. Ann Braden Memorial Lecture 15-November 15, 2016, 6:00 pm, This year's Braden Lecturer will be the activist Angela Davis. This should be an interesting evening! Exact location is to be determined, but is to be on the UofL campus. Link for more information: Del Ramey First U Lou Mission and Outreach 9

10 Religious Exploration Ministry Middle School Youth Group is in formation. If you would like to volunteer as a Middle School Youth Group Advisor, please contact Linette at dre@firstulou.org. Regular RE classes are underway. Registration continues online at firstulou.org. You will also find the SignUpGenius link there to sign up for volunteer hours for our RE co-op. There are still many opportunities to help! Fall RE Schedule from the DRE September 04 12:45-2:15 RE Ministry Meeting 11 9:45-10:45 One Room Schoolhouse Reverence 12:15-2:45 K-2 OWL Mandatory Parent/Child Orientation 18 11:00-12:00 K-2 OWL 12:15-2:30 Navigators Scouting at Willow Park :00-2:00 Middle School Youth Retreat at YMCA Camp Piomingo 25 11:00-12:00 K-2 OWL October 02 12:45-2:15 RE Ministry Meeting 09 9:45-10:45 One Room Schoolhouse theme: Reason 11:00-12:00 Blessing of the Animals bring your leashed or contained pets! 16 11:00-12:00 K-2 OWL 23 11:00-12:00 K-2 OWL 30 11:00-12:00 Trick or Treat for UNICEF in the service no OWL November 06 11:00-12:00 K-2 OWL 12:45-2:15 RE Ministry Meeting 13 9:45-10:45 One Room Schoolhouse Theme: Spirituality 11:00-12:00 K-2 OWL 20 11:00-12:00 K-2 OWL December 04 9:45-10:45 Chalica rehearsal for RE classes 11:00-12:00 Chalica service 12:45-2:15 RE Ministry meeting 11 11:00-12:00 K-2 OWL 10

11 Our Whole Lives sexuality education is a positive, comprehensive, age-appropriate program that promotes sexual health and is informed by the guidelines of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. The curriculum is based on four primary goals: to provide accurate, developmentally appropriate information to increase self-esteem and understand relationships with and responsibilities towards others to develop interpersonal skills including communication, decision making, and problem solving to teach responsibility for personal health and safety The K-2 program includes the following sessions: Our Wonderful Bodies, part 1 Our Wonderful Bodies, part 2 Healthy Bodies, Safe Bodies Families Families and Feelings Babies and Families Birth of a Baby Celebrations! Parent Orientation: Sept. 11 Session 1: Sept. 18 Session 2: Sept. 25 Session 3: Oct. 16 Session 4: Oct. 23 Session 5: Nov. 6 Session 6: Nov. 13 Session 7: Nov. 20 Session 8: Dec. 11 Classes meet during the Celebration of Life Service from 11:00-12:00 on the Sundays listed and are led by our trained OWL facilitators. Parents must attend the mandatory Parent Orientation on Sept. 11 and may choose to attend the classes with their child. Navigators USA Chapter 86 Returns September 18 Come join Navigators Chapter 86 for inclusive scouting fun on Sept. 18 for the first meeting of the year. Bring a pot luck picnic item to share for lunch to Willow Park immediately following the church service. We'll eat at 12:30 and then Jason Thompson will lead a session on Team Work, including an obstacle course for both kids and adults. After the session, parents/guardians will meet to discuss the upcoming year while the kids play in the park. Send any questions to chapter86@navigatorsusa.org. Several volunteers are needed to take over tasks this coming year, so be prepared to help out as you can. Navigators only works with Team Work! :) Navigators scouting is an inclusive, non-discriminatory organization welcoming all genders and is open to the community. Our Chapter is organized and run by our Chapter's families. Last year's activities included rock climbing/bouldering, bird watching, a historical tour of Louisville, snow tubing, knot work, a campout, and more. Come see what we're about! 11

12 3 rd Annual Middle School Youth Retreat! Join Youth from our cluster for an overnight retreat at beautiful YMCA Camp Piomingo in Brandenburg, KY September 24 & 25 Arrive at 2:00 Eastern, depart at 2:00 the following day $85 includes rustic lodging, meals, activities like campfire, pipeline slide, zipline, T-shirt making, games, and more, and an amazing UU youth experience! Questions? Contact DRE Linette Lowe at Pictures from the 2014 Retreat 12

13 Religious Exploration Fall Classes Nursery (Sprouts) Infants & toddlers in the nursery will be engaged with an ageappropriate chalice-lighting, story, activity and snack each week, as well as ample time for play. Preschool -- First Grade (Explorers) Picture Book World Religions and Picture Book Bible Tales The Picture Book series of curricula for young UUs uses timeless picture books and engaging hands-on activities to introduce participants to Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism as well as fourteen classic Bible tales our UU children should know. Second - Fourth Grade (Seekers) Love Will Guide Us In this program, participants learn to seek guidance in life through the lens of our Unitarian Universalist Sources, with an emphasis on love. Together we ask questions such as, "Where did we come from?" "What is our relationship to the Earth and other creatures?" "How can we respond with love, even in bad situations?" "What happens when you die?" Sessions apply wisdom from our Sources to help participants answer these questions. Participants will learn that asking questions is valued in Unitarian Universalism, even as they begin to shape their own answers. Fifth Eighth Grade (Padewans) Jedi Academy The world of the Jedi has inspired real-life practices of spirituality. The philosophies of Star Wars have been explored, examined, and adopted by many. The Jedi believe in the 'Living Force', a spiritual presence that surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds all the matter in the universe together. If the program were summed up in one word, it would be Mindfulness. The Jedi students learn to pay close attention to their experience of themselves and the world around them. This curriculum has been described as a Coming of Age program for Middle Schoolers. High School (Apprentices) Individual apprenticeships HS Students will meet with the DRE to discuss what area of church life or spirituality they would like to apprentice in, and a suitable apprenticeship will be arranged individually. 13

14 Religious Exploration Adult Fall Classes Spirit in Practice (First and Third Sundays) Room 103 (Library) This curriculum was created to help adults develop regular disciplines, or practices, of the spirit-practices that help them connect with the sacred ground of their being, however they understand it. The series will focus on personal spiritual practices, communal worship practices, spiritual partnerships, mind practices, body practices, soul practices, life practices, and justice practices. The Garden (Each Week) Room 203 Bill Van Rooy and friends will facilitate his weekly discussion group using the metaphor of a garden to jump-start conversation on our collective and individual journeys of growth. Michael Moore s Where to Invade Next? (Fourth Sunday) Room 103 (Library) Jill Harmer will lead several sessions to view parts of the film and discuss them in light of our UU Principles. He touches on current issues of education, healthy food, imprisonment, job benefits including vacation and maternity leave. Except for he dream of no war, very little of the film mentions the military. Coffee and Social Justice (Each Week) Social Hall This participant-led group discussion of social justice topics focuses on how our UU values lead us to respond to the world. For further information about Religious Exploration: Linette Lowe Director of Religious Exploration dre@firstulou.org You can also visit the First Unitarian website at firstulou.org for information. Illustration: Fifth Eighth Grade (Padewans): Jedi Academy initiation trials- -concentration. 14

15 Worship Ministry Worship Ministry is planning many wonderful services for the following quarter as we continue to follow the monthly ministry themes of Reverence (September), Reason (October), and Spirituality (November). Starting on Oct. 30th (the first Sunday following Rev. Dawn's final Sunday with us), we will be filling the pulpit with many excellent speakers from within the church community as well from outside, much as we did during Dawn's Sabbatical. We have the added benefit this time of having Christe Lunsford as our newly commissioned ministerial intern as well as Linette Lowe, both of whom will be adding hours to their usual schedule to fill in some of the ministerial holes left open until we get an interim minister next summer. Upcoming Services, some with additional description about the program and the speaker. September 4 Rev. Dawn Cooley, "On Reverence" 11 Rev. Doug Slagle, "Pathways to Enlightenment: Seeking." Rev. Slagle is the minister at The Gathering at Northern Hills, a UU church in Cincinnati. He says, From a universal perspective, to be enlightened is to search for meaning. It is to explore awareness about oneself, the universe and one s role in it." Join him as he shares his vision of one path to be enlightened - through "seeking". 18 Christe Lunsford, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? We will also have the joy of officially commissioning Christe as our ministerial intern. 25 Devi Pierce, First U Board president "UUs Rejoice!!!" October 2 Rev. Dawn Cooley, "Question Box 9 Rev. Dawn Cooley, "Pet Blessing" We will celebrate what has become a tradition at First U, opening the sanctuary to bless those creatures, four-footed or two-footed, furry, not furry, or feathered, who bring our human families so much joy and love. 16 Tret Fure, a UU singer/songwriter, will lead our service with songs and stories from the heart. Tret is a 47-year-old veteran of the folk-singing world, has produced 14 recordings, and has won countless accolades, definitely a service you won't want to miss. 23 Rev. Dawn Cooley, "That Which May Seem Like the Ending, May Only Just Be the Beginning, Part 2." For the 30th anniversary of the 1985 church fire, Rev. Dawn celebrated the courage and perseverance of the membership in deciding to stay in our downtown location and rebuild. This will be Rev. Dawn's last Sunday in our pulpit as she moves on to the next stage of her ministerial career. Obviously, this is a service you will not want to miss. 30 Linette Lowe, First U Director of Religious Exploration. Reason and its Limits Linette will discuss how we use our reason to make religious, social, and political decisions; and how that brings many people to very different places. This Sunday we celebrate our annual tradition of kids in costumes collecting for UNICEF. Bring your change! November 6 Ministry theme: Spirituality. Speaker to be announced. 13 Linda Berry, "Walking in the Light" 20 Christe Lunsford, "Bread Communion" Join us for this annual tradition where we celebrate our community by breaking bread together. 27 Christe Lunsford, Topic TBD 15

16 Water Communion 16

17 First U Book Club The First U Book Club gathered Monday, September 12 th to discuss My Father the Pornographer: A Memoir by Chris Offutt. The Discussion leader was Rita Sasse. On October 10, the book discussed will be, Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown with Discussion leader Carol Uebelhoer. November 14, Tambora: the Eruption that Changed the World by Gillen D Arcy Wood is discussed, led by Jill Sampson. All are welcome to attend. The Book Club meets in the Parlor on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 pm. Please join us. The Covenant of UU Pagans (CUUPs) CUUPS offers Earth Centered Spirituality Discussions classes on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Classes are held in the Church Library from 7-8:30 pm. All are welcome. Recently, CUUPs participated in the Louisville Pagan Pride Day on Saturday the 10th of September. In addition, they sponsored two workshops led by Shauna Aura Knight. She is an artist, author, ritualist, presenter, and spiritual seeker, Shauna travels nationally offering intensive education in the transformative arts of ritual, community leadership, and personal growth. Her workshops were Sacred Sound: Trancing and Chanting Techniques for Rituals and The Sacred Well: Seeking our Magic. In addition to the First and Third Wednesday classes, you are invited to join us for the upcoming Autumnal Equinox Ritual on September 18 and Samhain on October 23. Rituals begin at 6 pm and are followed by a potluck. Solar Array Project Update Aluminum pots and pans, aluminum cans, a silver bourbon jigger, a Women s Alliance fund raising luncheon and a generous donation by the Kathy and Uwe Eickmann have put us within $500 of being able to buy two more solar panels! That would make a total of fourteen and would help us continue to shrink our carbon footprint and our electricity bill. Thank You. For your convenience, there s a Recycling Chart on the following page. We Are a Welcoming Congregation! We embrace all persons equally, no matter their sexual or affectional orientation, gender identity or expression, age, race, ethnicity, neurodiversity, social or economic class, education level, family structure or abilities. If you need special accommodations, please let us know so that we can try to make appropriate arrangements. We welcome all to participate fully and openly in our congregational life. First U Leadership Minister The Rev. Dawn Cooley minister@firstulou.org Ministerial Intern Christe Lunsford intern@firstulou.org Director of Religious Exploration Linette Lowe dre@firstulou.org Board President Devi Pierce president@firstulou.org STEEPLETALK Published quarterly by First Unitarian Church of Louisville. Editor: Barbara Creasy office@firstulou.org Next Deadline: October 30 th for he Holiday edition 17

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