March 12, 2021
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, IN
UU Car Choir Meeting Saturday at 3:00 pm
The UU Car Choir will meet on Saturday, March 13, at 3:00 in the church parking lot.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME Starts Again This Weekend
Though it still seems silly, here on the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone, once again we must spring forward for Daylight Saving Time, this Sunday morning at 2:00 am. Remember to set your clocks FORWARD (spring ahead) 1 hour on Saturday night, so you aren't late for church! Also, if you're out driving, please drive carefully and watch out for sleep-deprived people.
This Sunday's Service
Sunday, March 14, 2021
10:15 am Livestream
A Celebration of Writing as a Spiritual Practice
Reverend Barbara Child
Amy Wolf, Linda Pickle, Joan Caulton,
Mary Hambly, and Debbie Fish
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite
Reverend Barbara Child will share reflections from her drop-in writing group "Writing as a Spiritual Practice." Participants in the group will also share their work during the service.
If you miss the livestream, you can view archived videos on our website.
Early Bird Coffee Hour at 9:15 am
Bring your coffee and join us at 9:15 on Sunday mornings to relax with friends and enjoy your coffee before the service. Click on this link to register for the early bird coffee hour and receive the Zoom link.
Connect with Our UU Community during
Virtual Coffee Hour
Everyone is welcome to join us after the worship service, until 12:30 pm, for engaging conversation in Virtual Coffee Hour. 

Just click on this link after the service to join us!
 
Breakout Rooms this Sunday:
  • Writing as a Spiritual Practice
  • Discussion of the book Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
  • General Discussion
UU Freethinkers meet March 14, 12:45 pm
The UU Freethinkers will meet this Sunday at 12:45 pm via Zoom for an open discussion of social, political, and theological/religious issues. If you'd like to join us, please contact Harold Ogren, ogrenh (at) gmail.com, to get the link to the Zoom meetings and to be added to our email discussion list.
Exploring Unitarian Universalism Online!
Sunday, March 14, 3 to 5 pm
Explore Unitarian Universalism with us online this Sunday afternoon at 3 pm.  Use this link to register. These small group gatherings are a great opportunity to learn about the UU Principles, our ministers, the history of this church, all the ways to get involved here, and what it means to be a member of the church.  Plan to attend both dates, since different material will be discussed in each session. We request completion of these sessions before becoming a member of the church. Everyone ages 14 to 100+ is welcome! Questions? Email Ann LeDuc, connect (at) uubloomington.org, or call Ann at (812)720-3688.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION UPDATES
  • A Parent and Caregiver Conversation for Anti-Racist Families will be held Sunday, March 14th at 11:30 am where they will discuss the book We Are Water Protectors. (Click here for Zoom link, ID: 834 9542 2849, Password: race). 

  • Youth in 6th-12th grade are encouraged to attend a free Virtual Youth Conference with other youth from UU Churches in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana the weekend of March 27-28. Learn more here: CONfluence 2021 info. Sign up here: Registration Form. Deadline to register is March 15.
Join in the Dancing and Lip Syncing Extravaganza!!!
We need your help to make a video of our UU Community lip-syncing and dancing to Carrie Newcomer’s uplifting song “Lean in Toward the Light.” Not so sure about your skills?... We also need videos of people showing examples of how they “shift the balance toward the light,” as Carrie sings in the song. The best part is, you can record the video yourself wherever you are and submit it electronically. Please accept this invitation to connect and create something beautiful with your UUCB friends. We are certain to have fun doing it! For more details about how to contribute to this project, please email Nicole at motz.nicole (at) gmail.com.  
Working Group Planning for Eventual UUCB
Re-Opening
With vaccines becoming more widely available, we have begun to receive inquiries about when the church will reopen. At the same time, we know that many members of the congregation remain concerned about COVID-19 infections.

The Board along with the ministers recently formed a Working Group to begin a discussion of re-opening plans for the church. The members of the group are Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, Reverend David Clements, Abby Gitlitz, Ann LeDuc, Jane McLeod, and Melinda Swenson. Read more.

We welcome any input that you might have. Please send ideas, questions, and concerns to Abby Gitlitz at agitlitz(at)hotmail.com or Jane McLeod at jmcleod(at)indiana.edu.
Our Folks . . .

CNN Publishes Article on Executions at Terre Haute Prison
Reverend Breeden, Minister Emeritus, and Yusuf Nur of the Bloomington Islamic Center were recently interviewed by CNN about the latest executions on federal death row in Terre Haute. Click here to read the article.
Indiana House Republican Legislators Disrespecting Black Indiana Legislators: President of Indiana NAACP Encourages Action

In a recent email, Barbara Bolling-Williams, President of the Indiana NAACP, encourages us to take action to stop disrespect in the Indiana legislature:
"As a community, we should all be saddened, appalled and outraged that at a time when we need to work toward building unity to solve important issues within our state, there has been a lack of civility and blatant disrespect demonstrated when Black representatives stood and boldly opposed legislation that was harmful and discriminatory to our Black children. On February 18, 2021 members of the Indiana House of Representatives, Rep. Gregory Porter and Rep. Vernon Smith, who are members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), were booed and intimidated by some of their White legislative colleagues."

Click here for details on these incidents and a resource list of ways you can help stop these destructive behaviors.
--Ruth Aydt and Martha Oakley, Racial Justice Task Force

Congregational Read: Weekly Reflections & Resources
Following the service this Sunday, March 14th, everyone is invited to a Virtual Coffee Hour discussion of the first three parts of the book. Some questions we'll discuss include: What surprised or disturbed you in parts 1-3? Have you noticed any changes in your day-to-day thoughts or actions after reading parts 1-3?

The Congregational Read Resource page is updated regularly with information that may be of interest to all who are reading the book. 
25% Sunday Plate Fund: Nomination Process for 2021-2022
Applications available March 1
Application deadline April 15
The process for nominating our next local non-profit agency to receive 25% of Sunday non-pledge plate collections has begun. An application form with guidelines is available here: Social Justice Funds Committee: 25% Sunday Plate Fund. The application deadline is April 15th.
The Annual UUCB Goods and Services Auction starts on April 25!
Spring is just around the corner and so is the Annual UUCB Goods and Services Auction. The auction will be virtual again this year, with an online catalog and bidding. Bidding will start at noon on April 25 and end at 6pm on May 2. We are hoping that your creative juices will start flowing for what could be offered with masks, socially distanced, and outside. Use this link to donate a service, dinner, or item! 
--Auction Planning Committee: Deb Fish, Drew Schrader, Sarah Kopper, and Ann LeDuc
Visit with the Connections Coordinator Fridays at 3:30 pm
Join the Connections Coordinator, Ann LeDuc, on Zoom Fridays, 3:30-4:30 pm. Ask your questions, or just visit. Everyone is welcome to drop-in. Additional ways to contact Ann are via email at connect(at)uubloomington.org or phone at (812) 720-3688. Use this link to drop-in and talk to Ann on Fridays at 3:30 p.m.
Reverend Macklin and Adrienne Summerlot Away in March
Reverend Macklin and Director of Religious Education, Adrienne Summerlot, will have the month of March off. We thank all of our staff and ministers for the extra time, energy, and effort required by these pandemic times. 
  • Anyone in Indiana age 50 or older can now sign up for the Covid-19 Vaccination. Register here or call 211.
  • Standby Waitlist for Unused Vaccinations: Information about joining a standby wait list for possible unused doses of vaccine at the end of a vaccination clinic day can be found here.
and yet...Another Opportunity!
The Community Kitchen Wants Your Help
Throughout the challenges of this past year, the Community Kitchen here in Bloomington has remained open, providing an uninterrupted flow of nutritious food for hungry people. Two UU volunteers have continued to work their shifts during the pandemic. The Hunger Task Force invites you to help keep this valuable work going -- YOU are the power that makes this social justice work possible! Sign up for a cooking shift here. COVID-19 prevention precautions are strictly enforced at Community Kitchen. For more info, email Deb Hutton.
--Mary Blizzard, Help Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Task Force
Help Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Task Force
Collecting Food for Area 10 Agency on Aging
For MARCH AND APRIL our food drive will focus on Area 10 Agency on Aging. Click here for information.
Winter Shelter Needs
Concerned Bloomington community members quickly came together to create the Beacon Winter Shelter. Now it's up to us to keep it open. Click here for details about how you can help. You can also donate financially via Beacon's PayPal page. Or, if you are writing a check, make it payable to "Beacon, Inc." and mail it to Beacon, Inc., Donations, PO Box 451 / 620 S. Walnut Street, Bloomington, IN 47402-0451. Be sure to write Winter Shelter in the memo. Note: This is not a fundraiser for our Homeless task force, but an encouragement for people to support the shelter directly.
Spencer Pride's Queer Café, Wednesday, March 17 at Noon
Join Spencer Pride for our next Queer Café on March 17. The discussion topic will be "The Battle for Bathrooms: Why are gender neutral bathrooms so important?" This is a virtual social event to discuss topics of interest to the queer community and their allies. To participate, email clay(at)spencerpride.org for the link.
Green Sanctuary Task Force Weekly Tips

Compost food scraps to prevent them from creating methane in the landfill. To celebrate Earth Day, good quality compost bins are for sale by the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District and the City of Bloomington for $54.95 (as well as rain barrels for $69.95). Reserve them by April 5th at gogreendistrictorders.com.

No space for a bin? Even pizza boxes, meat, and dairy can be composted by EarthKeepers Bloomington Compost, formerly Green Camino. Check out their website for different collection plans (including the affordable option of unlimited access to drop off at Bloomingfoods) and their full list of compostables: earthkeeperscompost.com
Deadline for submissions to the Order of service and Friday UU Update
Thursday, 9 am, to office(at)uubloomington.org
Masthead photo by Linda Mjolsnes, Spring crocuses.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana
Mailing address during covid:
UU Church, PO Box 1158,
Nashville, Indiana 47448-1158