The Communitarian Newsletter of the Community Unitarian Universalist Church April 2016

Transcription

1 Newsletter of the Community Unitarian Universalist Church April 3 "In Praise of Fools and the Foolish" Speaker: Rev. Doak M. Mansfield Description: The foolish, the silly, the non-sensual, are parts in our lives. Are they curses, aggravations, nuisances, or just what? And what about the fools that plague us: teachers or trials? Worship Associate: Virginia Tomlinson Musician: Ellen Fillion Souper Sunday follows our service; please bring a dish to share W. Sylvester Street, Pasco, Washington Sunday service at 10:30am Reverend Doak Mansfield Minister@CommunityUU.org Minister Hours 10 AM - Noon Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, other times by appointment office@communityuu.org CommunityUU April 10 "Technoshamanism 2.0" Speaker: John Roach Description: If we re going to do this whole 90 s nostalgia thing, let s not forget about the best parts. Worship Associate: Alex Emig Musician: Mike and Shannon Truex April 17 "Mark of Blood: Reflections on the Jewish Spiritual Heritage" Speaker: The Reverend Doak M. Mansfield, D.Min. Description: Some thoughts, both troubled and appreciative, on the informing ideas of Judaism that influence contemporary life. Worship Associate: Donna Brown Musicians: Ellen Fillion and the CUUC choir April 24 "Green Chalice: Earth Day " Speaker: Rev. Amy Beltaine Description: Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath and fire my spirit. This chant reminds us that we are people of the earth, and that our fire of commitment comes through the connections we have to nature. Come explore Hildegard of Bingen s Viriditas. Each of us is a vessel, a chalice. Come nurture the flame within that expresses itself through us as a lived commitment to the UU Seventh Principle. Worship Associate: Alex Emig Musicians: Mike & Shannon Truex Through her ministry: Listen to Heart Song, Reverend Amy Beltaine evokes the discovery and expression of your gift. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her spouse Hawthorne, son Corey, a pug, a beagle, and a cat. Amy serves as the president of the continent-wide organization Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, is the webmaster for the UU Spiritual Director s network, and a consultant for the League of Women Voters of Portland. She s excited to be traveling in her portable home, visiting UU congregations throughout the Southwest in the winter and Northwest in the Spring. Joy and service right here! Right now!

2 Notes from the Journey The Reverend Doak M Mansfield As a minister serving a faith community that is non-creedal and welcomes a diversity of worldviews and theological beliefs, it is a persistent challenge to find ideas and suitable language to speak of things ultimate and vital. And when it comes to crafting a "statement of faith" well, that's tough. Here is my latest effort: The Faith of the Greatest Hope (Religion for the 21st Century) A religion that is relevant and positive is concerned with ideas and systems that engage the wide range of human experience and knowledge: it discerns meanings that inspire and nurture healthy and wholesome relationships. It is centered in a spirituality that is focused by an awareness of a hunger and hope for a lively participation in being and becoming. Using the best knowledge to discern an understanding of our possibilities, our needs, and our limits, this religious journey is one of exploration, inclusion, and celebration. A vigorous, humble, knowledgeable humanism is the beginning place. It embraces an acceptance of the human imagination as the first cause of all speculation, insights, and developments. From there ethical options are crafted and adhered to which can guide our choices a moral directive that offers the best possible chance of the health, fulfillment, and sustainability of all existence. Religion, inspirational and worthwhile, includes the challenge of providing compelling meanings that signify, fulfill, and stress values that serve hopes, needs, and possibilities. Unitarian Universalism, with its beliefs grounded in the unitary nature of the divine and life, linked with a universalism based in a loving inclusivity can be the vessel for this faith. Such is truly a faith," an affirming and confirming trust that life can inspire life. In this new paradigm may authentic practitioners proclaim through word and deed: Love is the energy and the web of life, a passionate reverence for a relatedness that regards, cares, and provides. Doak M Mansfield - 3/14/2016 Exploring Ideas with the Minister Exploring Ideas with the Minister is an opportunity to expand ideas shared on Sunday morning as well as perennial topics in spirituality, faith, and human history with our minister, The Reverend Doak M. Mansfield. The style is casual and interactive. Bring a brown bag supper, coffee and juice provided. The next Exploring Ideas with the Minister will be Wednesday, April 13 at 6:30 pm. Come learn about becoming a member of CUUC If you have been thinking about joining our congregation we would love to talk to you about it. The Membership Committee will be hosting a coffee on Saturday, April 2. We will be meeting at the church at 10:30am for discussion and pastries. It will last at least an hour and a half. If you are planning to come, please let Scott Wilson know with a call or text ( ) or scottwilsonuu@gmail.com. If you need more information please call anytime, or talk to a membership volunteer after any service. We are looking forward to seeing you. Earth Day Sunday Let's have some good, clean fun and make our place of worship glow. Stay after church on April 24th and work inside or outside. We'll need folks to do work in the yard, flower bed, native plant area, and parking lot. Inside we'll do windows, deep vacuuming, upholstery cleaning whatever the Hospitality Committee needs us to do in the kitchen, etc. Bring gloves and whatever supplies you prefer to use to do whatever job you want! Contact: Fred Dunhour - leave a voice message ( ) or fred.dunhour@mindspring.com, with questions. 2

3 Presidents Message By Mark Painter We are part of an active, compassionate, energetic community. Members of our congregation give time, energy and resources to fulfill many different needs in our local area. Often that donation of energy is not very visible. We don't tend to see all of the hours of time working with kids teaching art or nature. We don't see the time spent helping those in need of homes or basic amenities. Many people from our congregation spend energy on the Boards of a variety of community-serving agencies. I would like to celebrate that energy, so as we approach our Annual Meeting, I would like to get a sense of that energy. If you wouldn't mind sharing about the gifts you give - write an to office@communityuu.org with an inventory of time you spend on bettering life in the Tri-cities. We will try to summarize the numbers for feedback to the congregation at the Annual Meeting. Thanks for your efforts, Mark Painter Fellowship & Spiritual Practice Chalice Circles Our Chalice Circles Small Group Ministry kicked off the fourth week of March. We currently have space in the afternoon group which meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month for additional members. The group meets at the church from 1-2:30 p.m. Additional meetings may be established as needed for all who wish to be involved. For more information contact Peggy Owens-Mansfield peggyom1950@gmail.com or call to be assigned to a group. Gentle Yoga Weekly Gentle Yoga Classes are held at CUUC on Saturdays mornings 9:00 am - 10:15 am. Join us as we explore techniques to relieve stress and ease body and mind into improved strength, flexibility and balance. Yoga mats and props will be available to use or you can bring your own. Drop-ins are welcome. Classes are $15 each session or you can purchase a 'punch card' of 10 classes for $120. Men s Dinner The CUUC Men's Group meets on the third Friday of the month. Do not be afraid to be fashionably late! We are now primed for thought provoking debate. The world has turned, it s time to expand the conversation and get our creative juices flowing. The topics are often "out of this world." Our next meeting is April 15 at 5:30pm at the church. fred.dunhour@mindspring.com. with questions. Zen Meditation Join us at the church Sundays at 8:00pm to work on developing mindfulness, an effective way to deal with stress by directly looking at reality. Bob Lampton (earlampton@yahoo.com) or call Gary Scheidegger ( ) for more information. Women s Luncheon All women of the congregation are invited to lunch on the third Tuesday of each month for fellowship and fun. This month s luncheon is April 19 at noon and will be a potluck at the church. More about our April 24 Speaker, Amy Beltaine Spiritual Accompaniment with Reverend Amy Beltaine, Spiritual Director Inviting you to conspire with divine love to trust and live your HeartSong. See calendar and book through listentoheartsong.org, Listen to Heart Song on Facebook, or with abeltaine@gmail.com. Listen to Heart Song is Reverend Amy Beltaine. Amy offers spiritual accompaniment, presentations and retreats. A graduate of Meadville Lombard School for the Ministry she is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and nearly lifelong earth-relating Process-Pagan, currently serving as the President of the Covenant of UU Pagans. Her current mission is to be a love ninja. 3

4 Religious Exploration News By Shannon Hays-Truex Together, two children lay down five-foot lengths of climbing rope on the grass. Taking turns, they create a cross then coil four cords to make dots for each corner of the template. Eagerly, they use more rope to link the central cross to the dots, creating a curving pattern of a three-circuit labyrinth. The labyrinth is an ancient path of initiation and prayer. It is often solemnly walked in silence, an inward spiraling journey. Their labyrinth complete, the children enter it as though in a race, running like the wind along the winding path. They giggle as they sprint toward the center and back out again, a joyful blur of youthful energy. They repeat the journey again and again trotting, skipping, leaping. Through their exuberance, they embody the power of play as prayer. In April, the elementary group will explore Springtime Possibilities while middle schoolers venture into the Twilight Zone. Next, the elementary group will engage in Nature Exploration while middle schoolers participate in Explorations Through Art. Then, the elementary and middle school groups combined will explore Earth Day and prepare the garden for planting. On the final Sunday, elementary kids will plant seedlings in the Kid s Garden while the middle school group explores the UU youth advice column, Dear U-ey. April 3 Elementary: Springtime Possibilities Middle School: Twilight Zone April 10 Elementary: Nature Exploration Middle School: Explorations Through Art April 17 Elementary and Middle School: Earth Day April 24 Elementary: Kid s Garden Middle School: Dear U-ey Canvass Party for Kids Calling all kids and teens (and their parents)! Marla is trying to organize a party for our kids in the RE area while the adults enjoy time together in the sanctuary for the Canvass Potluck. I envision a movie, crafts, junk food/soda, and mostly unsupervised play. I can offer two participants. Are there any other parents willing to commit to their kid s participation starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 29? Please send a note to marla_marvin@msn.com to see if we can get a quorum and make this happen. Also, parents of little kids, please let me know if you d like to come and maybe we can entice some of the older kids to babysit. Mentors, Assistants, and Guests Being an RE mentor, assistant, or guest is a fun way to contribute to community as well as a way to foster warm relationships across the generations. If you would like to be a mentor, assistant, or guest or have a special interest or activity you would like to share with the kids, please contact Shannon Hays-Truex at mike.shannon.truex@gmail.com. Nursery/Preschool Needs We always need more mentors for the Nursery/Preschool group. The primary emphasis in this group is free play and fun! Please let me know if you are interested in participating in this way. Heartfelt Thanks to Shannon Hays-Truex Shannon has led the way for Religious Exploration (RE) for almost two years. Shannon recently informed the Board that she has new opportunities to follow her passion in other areas and would like to end her tenure as RE Coordinator in June. Thus, the Board is beginning the search for a new RE Coordinator, beginning interviews in May. Stay tuned for more details. Please share your thoughts, ideas, questions and interest with Marla Marvin, any of the other Board members and/or Shannon. 4

5 Homelessness Initiative Update The CUUC-HI Team has grown to 12 people this month. Our current focus is continuing to explore how we, as a congregation and as individuals, can be of help to the ANSIL (A New Start in Life) homeless support services in Kennewick. We are actively plugging in and exploring support to four of their program areas. ANSIL Service Center Shower and Laundry Facility: Offers free self-serve laundry and showers to anyone Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 8 am to 1 pm. Three HI Team members have committed to providing weekly Center Attendant hours to augment ANSIL s existing volunteer staff. Two to three more are looking to join them in the coming weeks. Leiloni Mahoney is the CUUC-HI to ANSIL liaison for placing new volunteers. Food Bank: Offers free single-serve, shelf-stable, no-kitchen foods to anyone in need. The current supply is nearly depleted. Peggy Owens-Mansfield is taking the lead in initiating a church-wide Food Drive for the month of April to replenish their supplies. See the food drive notice on the right for details! Clothing Bank: Offers free immediate-need clothing to anyone in need. The current bank room is lacking in display structures and there is a back log of donated clothes needing to be washed, sorted, and set out. Susi Czarnek is leading a scouting group to assess potential solutions and what types of work parties we might be ready to tackle and when. ANSIL Education Support Center ANSIL recently absorbed a GED Preparation center from another nonprofit. The current initial goal is to provide ANSIL HALL residents (18-24 year old homeless) ready access to online high school completion support, including GED preparation, as well as study hall space. Steady school progress is a condition of their continued residency. There are currently 6 residents with immediate access needs. Two HI Team members, with some donated IT professional time from local company Columbia Energy, have helped ANSIL get the center set up with a first fleet of computers. Two to three other HI Team members have expressed interest in offering study hall, tutoring, and computer support services. Immediate needs are to build a steady schedule of study hall monitors and/or subject-area tutors. Leiloni Mahoney has agreed to be a volunteer coordinator for the Support Center. CUUC HI Food Drive We will be collecting food during the entire month of April to support the ANSIL food pantry. We asked for a list from ANSIL so that we may be able to provide the really needed items. As you will note on the list there are two areas including one for individuals & one to support the Service Center. A receptacle will be placed in the back of the church to receive your donations. Any questions related to the drive may be directed to Peggy Owens-Mansfield at peggyom1950@gmail.com or Single-serving, shelf-stable, selfservice food for the food pantry (flip-top for all cans) Granola/protein/ bars Peanut butter/cheese cracker packs Cup o soup Ramen noodles (cup or bag) Instant oatmeal Tuna Vienna Sausages Crackers/chips Fruit cups Milk/Ensure Lemonade/koolaid/etc, mix in powders Jerky Nuts Any other single serve food & snacks with long shelf life Plastic spoons Disposable bowls Service Center needs for those who drop in to shower & wash laundry For more information or to join in any of these efforts contact: Leiloni (CUUC-HI Lead and Education Support Center) at leiloni.mahoney@gmail.com or Peggy (Food Drive Coordinator) at peggyom1950@gmail.com or Susi (Clothing Bank Project) at jscczarnek@gmail.com or CUUC-HI meets 2nd Thursdays, 6:30pm, in the church meeting room tables. Our next meeting is April 14. All are welcome to join in! Large cans of ground coffee Creamer Sugar Disposable Coffee Cups Plastic spoons Disposable bowls Individual personal care items, like you get in a motel: shampoo small bars of soap, etc. 5

6 Note from the Minister Each spring our congregation s Board of Trustees engages in the very necessary undertaking of establishing an operating budget, securing stake-holders (aka pledgers) to provide financially for our life, presenting a budget reflecting the response to that ask to the congregation for approval as well as selecting leadership as needed by term changes (two Board members this year). You will be hearing more on that in April. Here are my perspective and concerns. This year (July June 2016) has brought significant changes to the congregation in the form of me as minister in residence. This is the first time in more than a decade that this congregation has had a minister live in the Tri-Cities. My contract is for 2 years (30 Sundays a year a bit more than half-time) and will be up for re-consideration Spring of Peggy and I came here from the southeast (my last posting was as interim minister in Tampa, Florida and our permanent home is Laurel, Mississippi) with hopes of an opportunity for an extended tenure with a congregation that has aspirations to develop: widen and deepen as a religious-spiritual-service community. We feel there has been a very good beginning these last 7-8 months (small group ministry effort with two Chalice Circle groups, social justice witness with Vigil for Refugees and Homeless Initiative, Minister s Class, greater congregation as well as community presence: Herald articles, interfaith, peace, and other service organizations as well as the availability of pastoral care, consulting, and administration support). I hope that feeling is shared by the congregation. I d like to know I am doing a good job. A simple and real measure of any congregation s vitality and validity can determined by looking at participation (Sunday attendance and the variety of programs) and money contributed. It seems that we are doing pretty well in both counts: participation is strong and growing, yet money is a concern. We have a small reserve yet major expenditures would present critical problems. We are hoping to become pay as we go and are making steady progress at that with a bare bones budget. I feel that it is a vital goal to protect and grow our reserves for emergency needs, as well as possibly doing some substantial building and grounds projects, as well as providing more social justice and community support. But we are not there yet. We have an opportunity with our new year beginning in July to realize a true pay as we go operation and stretching to accomplish more and be more than just getting by, but that depends on how well our pledge drive goes. Over the next several weeks each one of us will be given the opportunity and challenge to express loyalty, good will, and hopes for our congregation. I sure hope we can celebrate a strong validating of what we are about and hope to be at our annual meeting May 22. It is my sincere hope that we express a spirit of wide and deep generosity which is the surest affirmation of our value as a congregation, how things are going, and support of our future potential. With Love & In Hope Doak Save the Date for the Annual Canvass Potluck In the month of April we will begin our Annual Canvass. This event will start with a service on Sunday, April 3 and will include a potluck dinner on Friday, April 29th starting at 6:30pm at the church. This church community is supported by your generous gifts of time and treasure. It is because of your love and care that we are able to gather each Sunday and celebrate our time together. As with most celebrations, we will be having a potluck dinner so that we may break bread with one another and strengthen the bonds that warmly hold us together. Please pick up your pledge form at church on Sunday, April 3rd (or use the one found in this newsletter) and return it by Sunday, May 1st so that we can formalize a proposed budget to vote on at our Annual Meeting in May. You may either: hand in the pledge forms at the potluck on April 29th, mail the pledge forms to the church (Attn. Denise Pitts), put them in the collection basket, place them in the Treasurer s inbox by the office, or give them to any member of the board. Thank you for your generosity and DON T FORGET THE POTLUCK on April 29th! Denise Pitts, CUUC Treasurer 6

7 Pledge Form Time, Treasure, and Talent Celebrating and Sustaining our Congregation Community Unitarian Universalist Church 2819 W. Sylvester St., Pasco WA Time I/we pledge hours of our time per month to support our congregation. Please check off the ways you may be willing to volunteer your time on the reverse of this form. Talent I/we have these talents to share with our congregation. This can include skills such as gardening, carpentry, writing, public speaking, accounting, graphic design, organization, music, art you tell us! Treasure I/we pledge $ to our congregation for fiscal year 2017 (7/1/2016 6/30/2017) To be paid as a: Lump sum in the amount of: Biannually in the amount of: Monthly in the amount of: Weekly in the amount of: Name(s) Address Phone I/we re interested in learning more about planned giving, annuities, and estate gifts. Please contact me/us.

8 Name(s) There are lots of ways to share your time and talents with our congregation. Below are just a few. Please check off the opportunities that you are already participating in and those that you are interested in being a part of. If there is more than one person pledging, please put their initials next to the activity, and thank you for all that you do. Serve on the Board of Trustees Serve on a Committee Aesthetics Building & Grounds Committee on Ministry (COM) Hearts & Hands Hospitality Membership Personnel Religious Education Worship Serve as a greeter at a Sunday service Mow the lawn or weed the flowerbeds Edit the monthly newsletter before printing Work with the youth group Volunteer for the Alternative Gift Fair Provide a ride to church Clean the church one week a month (if 52 people volunteer, you will only need to do this once) Maintain the welcome table Organize a fundraiser Help with a fundraiser Supervise a building rental to an outside group Provide music for a Sunday service Drive the youth group to an event Make phone calls Provide childcare Other