| |
|
| |
| Coming Soon Baby Dedication Dec 11 Congregational Mtg Dec 11 Holiday Sing Along Dec 14 Reception for McNeills Dec 18 Resilience Video Dec 18 |
|
| |
|
Sunday, December 11, 2016
9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
Gloria: Music and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Choir directed by Susan Swaney
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
Join us for this special music Sunday in which our full choir, with soloists Jessica True, Sophie Krahnke and Jane McLeod, and a 13-piece orchestra, will perform 9 movements of Antonio Vivaldi's sparkling
Gloria, at both services. Reverend Macklin will offer reflections regarding the fragile beauty of hope in unknown times. We will also hear from our Green Sanctuary Task Force during a social justice moment.
Baby Dedications this Sunday
Our ministers will provide baby dedications at both services on Sunday, December 11th. If you would like to participate, please contact Adrienne Summerlot
[email protected]
4:00 p.m. Congregational Meeting
All members are encouraged to attend our fall congregational meeting. See Board update below for details.
|
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Within Waiting: The Sacred Point
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
In this post-election advent season of waiting, what are we preparing to give birth to?
Steve Garnaas-Holmes writes, "At the center of the world and in each breath
this is the holy temple, the birthing moment: giving and receiving love. That is all.
This is the sacred point, the love in you meeting the love in the world.
However broken or weary you are, bring yourself here, in love, now."
|
Saturday, December 24, 2016
4:00 p.m.
Away in a Manager Service
This Christmas Eve service in Fellowship Hall is an interactive Christmas Pageant designed for families with young children and for those young at heart.
7:00 p.m.
Pie Jesu: Silent Night, Holy Night
Candlelight Christmas Eve Service
Join us for this uniquely Unitarian Universalist celebration of Christmas Eve. Our choir, with guest conductor Ray Fellman, will share gifts of music. The service will end with congregational singing of Silent Night.
|
One Service Only at 10:15 a.m. on
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Info on these services will appear in the December 19 Prologue.
(Many thanks to staff members Jeff Stone, Carol Marks, and Deeva Khatiwada, who volunteered to work on these holidays!)
|
|
|
From Our Board of Directors:
Bazaar Success &
Congregational Meeting 12/11
Congratulations and gratitude to all the volunteers, craftspeople, artists, donators, cooks, and bakers that made the Bazaar a terrific event and success again this year! The Bazaar is both a wonderful community event and a successful fundraiser, having brought in well over $10,000.
And speaking of community, we look forward to seeing everyone next
Sunday, December 11th
, from
4-5:30 pm
for the fall congregational meeting. This is the congregation's twice-a-year business meeting and your opportunity to hear reports from the Ministers, the Board, the Stewardship Committee, Planned Giving, the Leadership Cultivation Committee, the Green Sanctuary Task Force, Building and Grounds, and an update on our energy usage and the Meeting Room window.
***
OFFICIAL NOTICE OF CONGREGATIONAL MEETING (second notice)
Sunday, December 11, 2016 4-5:30 p.m.
in the Meeting Room at 2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington
All members encouraged to attend
Childcare provided in Room 108
|
From the Ministers
From Reverend Macklin and Reverend McNeill
Reflections in Two Parts
Part I: Standing Rock
On Sunday, many of us learned that f
ederal authorities decided to halt construction of the controversial Dakota Pipeline and that the Department of the Army will conduct an environmental impact statement to examine alternative routes. Many of our Unitarian Universalist clergy and family joined Native Americans gathered in solidarity at Standing Rock, demonstrating nonviolent protest in the face of violent restrictions, which I recounted from the pulpit in November.
It was with joy and cautious optimism that I read this statement from Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault:
"We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army Corps, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take steps to correct the course of history and to do the right thing," he said. [We] will be forever grateful to the Obama Administration for this historic decision. My hands go up to all the water protectors who have stood up to protect tribal treaty rights and to protect Mother Earth."
My cautious optimism stems from the unknown factor of whether the incoming Trump administration will respect the decision. For now, let us celebrate the courage shown by so many to care for our earth.
Part II: Standing for Our UUCB Mission
'Tis the Season. During the month of December, we often receive generous donations to our Ministers' Discretionary Fund, coinciding with the end of another tax season. Yes. Such donations are tax deductible. It is the practice of our congregation to offer congregants opportunities to contribute to a Ministers' Discretionary Fund which the ministers may, at their individual or joint discretion, use to respond confidentially to requests for assistance from members and friends.
The existence of this fund, a longtime tradition of our congregation, arises from the fact that the Ministers are often made aware of situations where a one-time aid in financial assistance may help further the vision and mission of the congregation for individuals, families or groups who are members/friends of the congregation. Examples: a one-time assistance for emergency purposes (unpaid water bill), financial assistance in participating in a congregational activity which may be cost prohibitive, and other means of helping those involved here to seek the spirit, build community and change the world.
The funds in the Ministers' Discretionary Fund are to be spent in accordance with the mission and vision of the congregation and in keeping with the congregation's tax exempt status. Restrictions include: 1) funds may not be used for the direct or indirect benefit of the Ministers and/or their families and 2) funds may not be spent on any line item already covered in our operating budget. Without violating the confidential nature of the disbursement, the Ministers provide the Congregation's Treasurer and Church Administrator with a general description of the purpose for which the funds are requested. Funds in the Ministers' Discretionary Fund are maintained in the regular financial records and totals reported according to standard reporting procedures.
The Fund belongs to the Congregation and not to the Minister or Ministers. With full respect for the privacy of many recipients, the Ministers will regularly report to the Board in general terms the amounts and types of expenditures that have been made from this fund.
If you are interested in contributing to this fund, please make your check payable to Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington with "Ministers Discretionary Fund" in the memo line.
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin and Reverend Scott McNeill
|
Our Folks...
We mourn the recent passing of Dolores Freiburger, a long-time member. Our healing thoughts and sympathy are with her daughter Sura Gail Tala and family, and also with Dolores's many friends. A memorial service for Dolores will be held here on Monday, December 12 at 5:00 p.m.
|
Visiting Unitarian Universalist to Speak on Transgender Issues
Thursday, December 8 at Indiana University
On Sunday, Jessica Lynn visited our congregation. Jessica is a Unitarian Universalist and will be speaking this Thursday, December 8 from 4:00-6:20 p.m. in Ballantine Hall, Room 228. Jessica says: "I speak about my life and it helps people understand more about transgender issues. I'm known for being extremely open and will answer any question that students or audience members will ask of me. You can also share my website and this tells more about me and what I do."
http://www.jessicalynn.website/
|
Social Justice
Sunday
in Religious Education
Last month, our preschool-6th graders made over 100 trail mix snacks for Shalom Center, cards of hope and love for our community and neighbors, and bagged 150 pounds of food for the Back to Basics Pet Food project.
Many folks have asked for information on how to give to this organization directly. You may send them any amount large or small, to help people be able to take care of their pets, at the following address:
Back to Basics Project - Pet Food Pantry,
9485 S. Lake Ridge Drive
Bloomington, IN 47401
Baby Dedications--Sunday, December 11
Our ministers will provide baby dedications at both services on Sunday, December 11th. If you would like to participate, please contact Adrienne Summerlot [email protected]
Holiday Sing Along--Wednesday, December 14th
The best way to spread holiday cheer is singing loudly for all to hear! Join Rev. Emily Manvel Leite and our pianist Ray Fellman in the Meeting Room at 6:15 pm. Find this event on Facebook and invite your friends--the more the merrier!
|
Upcoming Adult UU Choir Schedule
1) Our only rehearsal with the orchestra for the Vivaldi will be Saturday morning,
December 10
,
10:00-1:00
.
If you have never sung with an orchestra before, you are in for a treat!
2)
December 11
- everybody plan to arrive by
8:30
and sing both services! We will have a choir party in between in the Library. See your email for a message from Sandra Freund on that.
--Susan Swaney, Music Director
|
Shambhala Meditation Every Monday at Noon
Join us at
12 noon every
Monday in the Fellowship Hall for an hour of Shambhala Meditation, walking meditation, and Shamatha yoga with Sarah Flint. Beginners welcome in this 2500-
year-old
tradition.
|
|  Taiji Continues on Tuesdays and Saturdays
Brian Flaherty leads Taiji in Fellowship Hall on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. This form practices the "Wu (Hao)" style of taijiquan, including practice of standing exercises, forms, and "pushing hands." Anyone is welcome, even those with no experience. Please wear loose-fitting clothing.
|
|
Open Mind Zen Bloomington on Wednesdays
Join Frank Seisho Diaz for meditation, talks, and discussions, Wednesdays 6:00-7:30 p.m., in Room 110 here at the church. All are welcome regardless of faith or experience; freewill donation. More info:
[email protected] or
openmindzenbloomington.org
|
Ministry Themes for 2016-17
We will be exploring the following themes for the remainder of the 2016-17 church year.
October: Healing
,
November: Story,
December: Presence,
January: Prophecy, February: Identity, March: Risk, April: Transformation,
May: Embodiment, June: Zest
|
Pictorial Directory Portrait Session Sign Ups on Sunday
Come to the Commons on Sunday to sign up for a photo session in January for our new shiny very helpful church pictorial directory. We will also have appointments available in February, but would like to fill our January slots first. Please participate--it is so helpful to see your shining faces! Portrait sessions are free and will take about an hour. Lifetouch Portraits will provide you with a free 8x10 portrait and you can purchase more if you like. Beginning today, you can
sign up here on weekdays for a photo session. How convenient! Sunday signups at church will continue Dec 18, Jan 8, and Jan 15. Questions,
[email protected]
|
On Thursday, December 1, the Alliance Program was Holiday Music with Connie Shakalis and Beverly McGahey with entertaining songs and seasonal music.
January 5th
meeting will be "Women of the UU Movement" with Elof Carlson our congregational historian.
Hosts will be Mary Goetze and Anne Haynes.
The Women's
Alliance
meets the first Thursday of each month at
11:30 am
in Fellowship Hall; enter through court yard doors. Meetings begin with a brown bag lunch; drinks and dessert are provided by hosts of the month.
The program begins at
noon
, followed by the business meeting.
Julie Cauble VP Women's
Alliance
Welcome Reception for the McNeills December 18
The Women's Alliance invites everyone to
join us for snacks, beverages, conversation and all ages friendly activities to welcome Reverend Scott McNeill and his whole family to our congregation, Sunday, Decmeber 18 from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. If you would like to help support this event, please give contributions to Ann Kamman on Sunday, or put it in the Women's Alliance mailbox in the church office. (Checks should be made payable to UU Church - memo: McNeill Reception)
|
RSVP, also known as Senior Core, is a program that supports and encourages community volunteering by those age 55 and over. As a result of our church members' high level of community volunteering, the RSVP program has asked our church to be a satellite location for the RSVP program. RSVPvolunteers can now count their church related community volunteering towards RSVP volunteering hours. If you are interested in becoming an RSVP volunteer, visit the RSVP website:
http://www.area10agency. org/rsvp. More information about the RSVP UUCB satellite location partnership and its benefits is available here:
RSVP UUCB. If you have any questions about this partnership, please contact Ann LeDuc, Connections Coordinator, at
[email protected]. Our contact for RSVP is Mela Hatchett at Area 10 Agency on Aging. She can be reached at
(812) 876-3383 ext 554.
Ready to become a member of UU Bloomington?
If this is your community, if you feel at home here, join us! The next opportunity to become a member of UU Bloomington is
Sunday, December 11 at 10:30 am
in room 112. (We ask for participation in our "Exploring UU" class prior to signing the membership book.) To make arrangements to become a member, or for questions, please contact Ann LeDuc
, Connections Coordinator, at 332-3695 or
[email protected]
, before
December 6
.
|
|
UU Children's Choir
Sun Dec 11
:
Rehearse 10:30-11 Rm 110
Sun
Dec 18
:
Rehearse 10:30-11 Rm 110
Wednesday evening
Dec 21st
: Sing at Winter Solstice Service
Meet at
5:55
to run through songs, service starts at
6:15
and ends approx
7pm
.
|
Holiday Bazaar Preliminary Results
Kudos and Thanks to All!
The 58th annual UU Holiday Art Fair and Bazaar is now a sweet memory. We wanted you to know that our preliminary numbers look good: we grossed over $13,000 from all areas combined. Participating UU Task Forces collectively earned approximately $5000. A more complete financial report will follow.
One hundred people signed up for and worked one or more volunteer shifts during the two-day bazaar, and dozens more baked cookies, bread, and cakes, prepared preserves and jellies, made gallons of soups and tons of pies, donated books, knitted hats and scarves, dug up wonderful White Elephant treasures, shifted chairs, pushed brooms, scrubbed pots, put up signs, and helped in innumerable small and large ways.
We wish we could thank you all personally. And we wish we could tell you how many visitors we had, but everyone agrees it was certainly many hundreds, and for many of them it was a happy discovery of UU hospitality. So warmest thanks to all who worked, played, purchased, or just hung out -- and greetings of the season from your grateful Bazaar Committee. Julie Lawson and Ruellen Fessenbecker
|
UU Humanist Forum Meets on Alternating Sundays
This group offers an opportunity for regular, open, wide-ranging discussions of issues relating to morality and ethics, human development, and the nature of the universe. The bi-weekly forum will meet next on Sunday, December 18, at 12:45 a.m. in Fellowship Hall for a potluck lunch, followed by a discussion of winter forum topics, upstairs in the Library.
|
UU Freethinkers Group Enjoys Free Ranging Discussion
The purpose of the UU Freethinkers bi-weekly meeting is to create the opportunity for participants to raise questions and engage in open and non-structured discussion of issues of social concern, political concern, and theological/religious concern. UU Freethinkers meet on alternating Sundays after children's religious education classes end, in Room 208. UU Freethinkers meet next on Sunday, December 11, at 12:45 a.m. Info, contact John Crosby.
|
|
UU History For You
Millard Fillmore -- Our Least Known President
Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) was the thirteenth President of the United States. He was born in the Finger Lakes region of northern New York State, the second of nine children. His parents were farmers. He was apprenticed to a textile mill at age 17 and joined a lending library, where he read voraciously. He became a lawyer and married his teacher. He also became a Unitarian at age 31. He was an abolitionist and ran for Congress as a Whig Party candidate winning a seat. He later became Vice President under President Zachary Taylor in 1849. Taylor died in office in 1850 and Fillmore became President. He reluctantly signed a compromise package of bills allowing Texas to be a slave state and California a Free State. The bill also included the fugitive slave law and a law making Washington, DC, New Mexico, and Utah, Free States. He signed the compromise because he feared a veto would lead to war. He was not nominated to run for President in 1852. He ran as a Know Nothing Party candidate for President in 1856 but lost and retired to Buffalo, where he continued his law practice and founded the University of Buffalo.
Elof Carlson,
UUCB Historian
|
| Hospitality for Those with Allergies As a courtesy to our friends and members who have allergies to fragrances, we are designating the west section of the Meeting Room (next to the sliding glass doors and tall narrow windows) as Fragrance Free. Please do not sit there if you have used any fragrances. Anyone else is welcome to sit in this area. Thank you for your consideration. |
UUs Who Can Provide a Variety of Professional Services -
List and Waiver Form Now Available
The Elder Focus Task Force has compiled a list of Unitarian Universalists who are available for hire for a variety of tasks including Pet Sitting, Home Healthcare, Organizational Skills, Carpentry, Counseling, Sewing Machine repair, Building Construction. The list and the liability waiver form are posted here:
UUs for Hire and Liability Waiver
|
|
Current Membership: 493
Attendance
Sunday, November 27 9:15: 74 11:15: 168 TOTAL: 242
Sunday, December 5 9:15: 113 11:15: 159 TOTAL: 272
Non-Pledge Offering
November 27: $ 563.45
December 5: $692.83
Total to be donated to New Leaf-New Life - $314.00
Grocery Card Sales
(Bloomingfoods, Marsh, or Lucky's)
November 27: $750.00, income to UUCB $38.00
December 4: $875.00, income to UUCB $44.25
|
Homelessness Task Force Seeks Volunteers to Help at Winter Shelter
Our Homelessness Task Force is charged with staffing the Interfaith Emergency Winter Shelter on the second Saturday of each month, from November to March. The mission of the shelter is to provide a warm, safe place where men and women experiencing homelessness can sleep during the coldest months of the year. Over 20 religious organizations are involved in maintaining the shelter at five different sites. UUCB staffs the shelter at Wheeler Mission here in Bloomington.
The next opportunity for UUCB to staff the shelter is on December 10/11. People can volunteer for one or more three hour shifts from
8:30 PM December 10 to 7:00 AM December 11
. You must be at least 18 to volunteer.
We are still looking for a few more male and female volunteers for December 10/11. If you are interested in volunteering or are interested in learning more about volunteering at the Interfailth Winter shelter, please contact Alan Backler at
[email protected]
or phone at
812-340-1323
.
|
Video of
Resilience Here December 18 at 4:15 p.m.
Mark your calendar to see a video of the recent production of
Resilience: Indiana's Untold Story,
written by Gladys DeVane and Liz Mitchell. Here in our Meeting Room on Sunday, December 18 at 4:15 p.m. As your "ticket for admission" please bring a non-perishable food item for the Walnut Grove Food Pantry. DVD copies of the performance will be available for $10 each. All proceeds from sales of DVDs will go to New Leaf-New Life.
|
"Time to Choose" Film and Discussion January 15
SAVE THE DATE--January 15:
"THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW"
Sunday, January 15, 2017, 5-7 PM, Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Our Green Sanctuary Task Force encourages you to join Earthcare Indiana for dinner and a movie, and to bring your friends and family. Event is free of charge.
Following the lead of Dr. King and the civil rights movement, an environmental justice movement is gathering strength to protect the planet and all life on it. Dr. King's words ring true: "We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there 'is' such a thing as being too late."
The movie "TIME TO CHOOSE" shows how we can make a difference in changing the climate, individually and together. Nine local organizations will also share their strategies. Carrie Newcomer will lift up hearts with song before we share a light dinner and conversation. Info:
[email protected]
|
Community Connections--Our Faith in Action in the Community
Green Drinks Bloomington/Citizens' Climate Lobby Event Thursday, December 8
On Thursday, December 8, Green Drinks Bloomington and Citizens' Climate Lobby are co-hosting the showing of a 60-minute episode of the acclaimed National Geographic Series "Years of Living Dangerously" featuring the work of Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteers. Please join us at the Banquet Facility of the Upland Brewing Company for a Watch Party as we enjoy the episode and celebrate CCL's successes! Doors open at 5:30 pm, program at 6 pm. $5 suggested donation. Food will be provided.
|
Beacon Young Adult/Campus Ministry
Orion Day, our Young Adult/Campus Ministry Coordinator, can be reached at [email protected] and keeps office hours at the Indiana Memorial Union Room 577. Stop by and say hello!
|
|
Contact a Minister
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
, our Senior Minister
can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 201 and is available by appointment on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons
email:
[email protected]
Reverend Scott McNeill,
Our Associate Minister,
can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 209 and is available by appointment on Tuesday-Friday afternoons.
email:
mcneill@uu
bloomington.org. He can also be reached on his mobile, 703-577-0919 and for after-hours pastoral emergencies, please call him at 812-727-0919.
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite
,
our Minister of Religious Education
can be reached at
812-332
-3695, ext. 207
|
Church Office Hours and Other Useful Information
If you notice a problem with the building, please contact Carol Marks, Church Administrator, [email protected], 812-332-3695, ext. 200, and she will contact the experts to get it taken care of.
WEEKDAY OFFICE HOURS
are generally Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Exceptions to regular office hours are posted on the office entrance. The office will be closed December 24 - January 1. Administrative staff WILL be available on Sunday mornings December 25 and January 1, and Jeff Stone our Custodian will be here both mornings to start the coffee for us!
SUNDAY OFFICE HOURS:
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (staffed by the Office Assistants, Deeva Khatiwada and Monica Overman)
--Carol Marks, Church Administrato
r
|
|
Livestreaming of Sunday Services
As archived videos of service become available they will also be at the link listed above.
If there is a problem with livestreaming, please contact Andy Beargie or Andrew Walden, our Multi-media Specialists,
[email protected]
|
| Calendar of all our congregational events can be found at www.uubloomington.org
In the left hand column, click on "Calendar" and then on the top link on the page or
Click Right Here
and then click on today's date. Information is also available on our public Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/uubloomington
You do not need a Facebook account to read our page.
Prologue Publication Schedule: Next issue, Monday, December 19.
Deadline for articles about congregational events and projects is 10:00 a.m. on date of publication, to [email protected]. The Prologue is published on the first and third Mondays of each month, with exceptions for Monday holidays. Upcoming publication dates: 1/2, 1/17 (a Tuesday), 2/6,
2/21 (a Tuesday), 3/6, 3/20.
|
Unitarian Universalist Church, 2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington, IN 47408 www.uubloomington.org 812-332-3695 |
|
| |
|
