The Prologue                                 
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
  Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana
   Congregation founded 1949
   LGBTQ Welcoming Congregation since 1995
   Green Sanctuary since 2007
Seeking the Spirit, Building Community, Changing the World
 
Are you Willing to Pledge 
the Same for Next Year?
Reverend Macklin and our Board announced during last year's Pledge Drive in April 2019  that in lieu of a formal Pledge Drive this spring (2020), we are simply asking everyone to recommit to the same pledge amount as in 2019. Please let us know if you are willing to recommit the same dollar amount for 2020-2021 (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021) as you did for 2019-2020 (July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020). Below is a link to our easy online pledge form. If you have never pledged before, you can also do so with this form. It's OK to increase your pledge, too!
   
 
Remember: your pledge dollars make so many things possible in our congregation, including guests in our pulpit, like Minister Emeritus Reverend Bill Breeden in early January, and Dr. Maureen Walker this past Sunday.

We'd like to wrap this up by January 31, so please make your pledge today!
Sunday, January 26
9:15 and 11:15 am
Love is the Light of the World
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
Reverend Bill Breeden, Minister Emeritus
     Join us for our final worship service of January, as we conclude our theme of Love for the month. Of course, love is never concluded, just our theme topic. This Sunday, we will also hear from our Task Force on Homelessness. Director of Religious Education, Adrienne Summerlot, will provide the Time for All Ages story, based on the Harlem Renaissance.
Emily's Post

Dear Ones,

It's an election year.  I don't know if that sentence creates a tight feeling in your chest and belly, but it definitely can for me.  So I've been reading some of the teachings of one of my favorite spiritual guides, The Velveteen Rabbi (Rachel Barenblat).  She writes each year as Passover approaches about emerging from the exile of narrow places: the exile of places that feel constricting and anxiety-filled...places like how some of us are feeling now.  Here is a piece of her teaching: 

"...exile creates small mind, and small mind makes it hard to imagine breaking free from exile....  Exile can be self-perpetuating, because when we're in it, it's hard to see a way out. Depression is like that. Despair is like that. Overwhelm is like that. Sometimes if I look at everything that's wrong with the world, exile rushes in and washes me away. But if we can open our minds even for an instant to glimpse the prospect of a better life, the fact of glimpsing a redemptive possibility makes that redemption possible." 

The words and experiences of this past weekend offered glimpses of possibility:

*Maureen Walker invited us to seriously consider what Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was calling us to do.
*Jada Bee lifted up anti-racism work as a daily spiritual practice.
*The Interfaith Friends community celebrated and supported the work of school social workers who care for kids and youth every day.

Where do you find a glimpse of the possibilities?   I urge you to watch Maureen Walker and Jada Bee if you weren't able to be with us on Sunday.  You can find them here:


And do take time to look up and see the possibilities being opened by people we interact with every day:  

the social workers, committee members and bus drivers, 
the waiter who smiles as they bring your morning beverage, 
the person experiencing homelessness offering wishes that you have a blessed day.  

May we open our hearts and bellies to the possibilities.
    Emily
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite
Minister of Religious Education 
MAM's Musings

Livestream Survey
If you have ever live-streamed one of our worship services or do it regularly, we ask you to fill out this survey. We are finding that some viewers have few or no problems with the live-stream service while others are having difficulty with the connection. Please, with sugar or stevia or honey on top, fill out this survey. Patterns are beginning to emerge, but we need more data.


Right Relations Team and Book Club--
When Getting Along Is Not Enough: Reconstructing Race in Our Lives and Relationships
Our congregation's Right Relations Team will form a limited number of book clubs to explore Dr. Maureen Walker's book,
When Getting Along Is Not Enough: Reconstructing Race in Our Lives and Relationships. There will be several set-times book club sign-ups, including different start dates for people who wish to take more time reading before they begin.  These book clubs will include both discussion and activities to allow us to integrate the content more deeply.  Please contact Amy Makice, amakice@gmail.com if you are interested in signing up.

Science Sermon Follow-Up
Yay, science.

Here is the link for the Audible Podcast for The Half Life of Marie Curie which I reflected upon in the sermon:
One of my favorite aspects of the science sermon each year is talking with you all after the worship service. In one conversation, I learned that I used amperage and voltage interchangeably when I went off script to explain the testing of the new species of electric eel, Electrophorus voltaic. Here's the cool information: Voltage and amperage are two measures of electrical current or flow of electrons. Voltage is a measure of the pressure that allows electrons to flow, while amperage is a measure of the volume of electrons. Shockingly awesome.

Last but not least, one of our UU scientists, IU Professor Emerita of Biology, Patricia Foster, sent me a recently published article which has had over 20,000 hits already. It's about norovirus. How cool is that!  Here is the link:


Pat also mentioned that David Reich, Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, will be giving a public talk the evening of March 6th at Indiana University. He will be receiving the medal for genetics named after Hermann Muller, one of IU's Nobel Prize winners.  Reich's presentation will address the DNA evidence for the ancient migrations and interbreeding among Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans, and the biological and cultural implications. OK, remember when I mentioned the Denisovans in the science sermon? So, you can attend this presentation and not only learn new things but be confident in your pronunciation of Denisovans. Well, at least, I hope so.

Live Long and Prosper,
   MAM
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
 
From Our Board of Directors
With the approval of our Board of Directors, Reverend  McNeill's  leave of absence has been extended. The Board asks that you please give him privacy at this time.   
January Wintersession 
Religious Education: 
Centering  on Our Shared Values


1)  Save the Date!  Side With Love Fundraiser Lunch, Sunday, February 16 at 12:30pm.  Details and menu can be found here.

2)  News and Happenings from Religious Education
Our January Wintersession Wraps up January 26th! We have loved learning about hidden figures through cooking, music and art in our Side With Love Wintersession.  You can read more about what we have been up to here.  

Youth Group is back in session at a new time!  Youth in 8th-12th grades are welcome to join advisors Drew Schrader, Kelly Rockhill and Helmut Hentschel on Sundays from 11am-12:30pm in Room 210.  Families: please note that regular spring Religious Education Classes for Preschool-7th Grade resume on Sunday, February 2nd.   Stay tuned to your emails for more information.  Not receiving regular emails from RE?  Please contact Adrienne Summerlot  dre@uubloomington.org 
 
3) Did you miss the special presentation from Jada Bee on Confronting White Supremacy?

You can watch it in the archives by clicking here!   
Questions? Contact Adrienne Summerlot  dre@uubloomington.org    
 
Our Folks...
    A memorial service and celebration of life for Michael Melby, late husband of Maire Quilter, will be held here at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 25. Michael passed away on December 27. Reverend Macklin will officiate at the service.
    The memorial service for Kenneth Sheets, the father of Cathy Hiatt, will be Saturday, January 25 at 12:00 noon at Fairfield Friends Meetinghouse, Camby, Indiana. Visitation is Friday 5-7 and Saturday 10-noon. Mr. Sheets died in December. More information can be found at www.flannerandbuchanan.com 
Of Snow Days and Cancellations
When local travel conditions deteriorate due to ice and snow, please check with the leader of your group before coming over for weekday meetings here at church, to be sure our lot and sidewalks have been cleared and are safe. We do our best to ensure everyone's safety when using our facility. If schools are delayed or closed due to snow or ice, there is a good chance our office will open late or will be closed. Always call the church (812-332-3695) first before coming over after a snow or ice event, to be sure someone is here. Staff are in touch with all the leaders of meetings on a given day, to let them know the status of the parking lot. We also post meeting cancellations and up to date information on the front page of our website, www.uubloomington.org and our facebook page. If you have a friend without easy access to the internet, you might consider being an internet buddy for them, to give them a call to let them know (as appropriate) when meetings and events at church have been canceled or postponed. 
Thanks for your patience, and remember to wear your snow boots! 
--Carol Marks, Church Administrator
  Seeking the Spirit  
Religious Education for Adults
Shambhala Meditation Meets Mondays at 12 noon
Join us at 12 noon every Monday in the Library for an hour of Shambhala Meditation.  There is no cost to sit down with us and practice meditation. We are beginner friendly. We meet in the library at church on the second floor. Use the Portico entrance and turn right, we are in the first room on the left, the library. You can use a cushion or a chair or switch between. We stretch 1/2 way through, and walk, then sit some more and close with some teachings in chant form. Take what you want and leave the rest. All are welcome. Info:  Contact Sarah Flint.
Open Mind Zen Meets Mondays at 7:00 pm
Join Frank Seisho Diaz for meditation, talks, and discussions on Zen Buddhism, Mondays 7:00-8:30 pm, in the Library here at the church. All are welcome regardless of faith or experience. 
For more info: Contact Open Mind Zen or visit   openmindzenbloomington.org  
Gentle Hatha Yoga
on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm
A gentle Hatha Yoga practice to balance the mind, body, and spirit. Tuesday evenings, from 5:30-7 pm, in Fellowship Hall. Led by Kate Mulligan of Maxwell House Yoga.
Traditional Taiji Meets Tuesdays at 7:15 pm
Brian Flaherty leads "Wu (Hao)" style Taiji in Fellowship Hall on Tuesdays at 7:15 pm. All are welcome, even those with no previous Taiji experience. Please wear loose-fitting clothing.  For more i nfo: Contact Brian.
UU Humanist Forum Meets January 26, 12:45 pm
On Sunday, January 26, at 12:45 pm the UU Humanist Forum will meet in Room 208. J ohn Summerlot  will lead a discussion on "Domestic Terrorism in our State."  The Humanist Forum meets every other Sunday with a different  discussion topic.
UU Freethinkers Meet February 2 , 12:45 pm
The UU Freethinkers bi-weekly meeting creates the opportunity for participants to raise questions and engage in open and non-structured discussion of issues of social, political, and theological/religious concern. Every other Sunday in Room 208 at 12:45 pm.

UU History for You
Celia M. Burleigh, 
the First Female Ordained Unitarian Minister
CELIA BURLEIGH (1826-1875) was born in Cazenovia, New York, the adopted child of Henry and Sarah Tibbetts. Burleigh married three times. At 18, she and her first husband moved to Cincinnati, where she became literary editor of a journal. They divorced after 6 years. Their two children died in infancy. She moved to New York City and there met her second husband and taught elementary school. That marriage also failed. She married social activist William Henry Burleigh in 1865, and by this time she was active as a Unitarian. She was an abolitionist and a Bloomer girl (wearing Turkish trousers under her skirt). She was heavily involved in the women's suffrage movement and gave lectures on the topic. Her husband encouraged her to become a Unitarian minister (there were no women Unitarian ministers at the time). She did so with the backing of Julia Ward Howe and Henry Ward Beecher. Burleigh was ordained by the Unitarian Church of Brooklyn, Connecticut, in 1871. She claimed she would serve "without subscribing to any creed but the Golden Rule." She also said her trinity was "God, woman and man, in mutual respect." Unfortunately, her career as a minister lasted only four years. She developed breast cancer and died at age 49, keeping active until the last few months of her life.

--Elof Carlson, UUCB Historian
  Building Community 
Hike with Us on January 25!
Let's Hike on Saturday!  The UU Hikers will hike Trail 8 at Brown County State Park on Saturday, January 25. We will meet at the old East side Kmart parking lot behind Bloomingfoods at 12:30 pm to carpool to the trail.  This is a 3.5 mile hike with a 150-step staircase.  Email Ann at  connect@uubloomington.org  if you plan to join the hike. We will cancel if it rains or the roads are slick.
Gardeners' Gathering this Sunday, January 26
Join other gardeners this Sunday to share plans, ideas, stories, and questions.  Join us in Room 112 at 10:30 AM.  We gather on the fourth Sunday of each month during coffee hour. If you would like to be added to the Gardeners' email list, email  connect@uubloomington.org  
This Sunday, January 26
Young Adults (18-35) ask the big questions and 
eat lunch!
All young adults are invited to join in deep discussions, yummy food, and fun. If you would like to order from the Trojan Horse, email Ann at connect@uubloomington.org to get the group ordering link. Pizza will also be available.We will gather after second service at 12:30 PM in room 112. Thanks to a generous donation to our Young Adult program, we are able to buy lunch to all who attend. Free childcare is available during this event.  Questions? Email Ann at  connect@uubloomington.org 
UU Singles Fellowship Potluck
Sunday, January 26, 5:30p at Avram's
This month's UU Singles potluck will be at the home of Avram Primack, 5430 North Little Horse Road. Please bring a dish to share, and one or two folding chairs if you have them. Avram will provide plates and silverware. Avram's house is about an 11-minute drive from the church. If you are interested in carpooling, email Paula Horvath at paulashorvath@gmail.com. It is a green house at the top of the hill on the left on the curve. (The trailer on the right is the neighbors. Please do not block them.) Park facing the barn. Try to stay on the gravel. If the ground is wet it will be slippery. Some cars may have trouble getting out because the ground will be muddy if they go off the gravel. 

Please note: There will be no UU Singles lunch after church on Sunday the 26th, because of the evening potluck.

The Bloomington UU Singles Fellowship Group is a group of single Unitarian Universalist adults (ages 18 to 108) who get together to spend time talking, eating, watching movies, and playing games together. We maintain an email list and a Facebook page. Please contact Marie Deer at 812-391-0900 or mariedeer1961@gmail.com to be added to the email list, or for more information.
Earth Kin Celebrates Imbolc on January 31
     All are welcome to attend Earth Kin's Imbolc Ritual on Friday, January 31st from 7 to 9 pm in the Fellowship Hall.
     Imbolc represents the flush of youth where all potentialities exist. The light is becoming perceptibly stronger and the day noticeably longer, reminding us that we are halfway through the chill of winter. It is a time of sympathetic magic, where fires are lit to lure back the slowly waxing sun. During the ritual we will do an Imbolc Meditation and healing working, and we will also draw tarot cards for the coming year. Please feel free to bring offerings for the altar, or a drink/snack to share. --Brooke Opel

Wouldn't your Valentine love some 
persimmon pudding?
Or maybe persimmon muffins, salsa or cookies?  We still have season 2019 frozen wild persimmon pulp in the kitchen freezer.  $6.00 per bag (2 cups in each bag).  Recipes on request.  Leave the money in the envelope in the freezer.  Ruellen Fessenbecker    rfessenb@indiana.edu 
Drop-in Childcare on Wednesdays
On Wednesday evenings, from 6-8 pm, we are offering free drop-in childcare in Room 108. Parents must remain on site, on the building grounds or in the building. Please use the Courtyard Entrance. The Meeting Room is available for meditation and walking the labyrinth. We hope to provide a moment for parents to breathe deeply, have a cup of tea with a friend, or sit in silence before running children to the next event. For more info contact Adrienne Summerlot 
Our February Artist is Susan Herr-Hoyman
For me, life with the art world began about 10 years ago when I picked up a pencil and paintbrush and started to draw and paint flowers and birds. I discovered I actually enjoyed making pictures.  Since at its roots my art is self-taught, I call it folk art.  My love of nature inspires what I produce, and I am often surprised that I even like my pictures when I am done. The summer of 2018 filled our garden with butterflies, two of which are in this collection.  My work consists of pencil sketches which are completed with acrylic paints. (Susan's artwork will be on display in the Commons and North hallway during the month of February.)
Getting Involved Fair Starts February 16
The February/March Getting Involved Fair will be held on February 16, 23, and March 1,10:30-11:15 AM in the Fellowship Hall.  A different set of groups and activities of the church will be featured each Sunday.  Group and activity leaders should register for the fair before February 3 by clicking here. If you have questions, or need assistance with registration, please email Ann at  connect@uubloomington.org 
  Changing the World 
Extinction Rebellion - ACT NOW!
Heading for Exinction and What to Do about it.
Wednesday, January 22
6:30-8:30 pm
Monroe County Library - Kirkwood Av.  Room 214
Our world is plunging toward the destruction of the planetary ecosystem that supports human life. Join us for a presentation on the URGENCY of
action. Discussion to follow.
Join Us
Stand up for action on Climate Change
Jana Pereau, of our Green Sanctuary Task Force on Global Climate Change

Depolarizing Within Workshop
With Better Angels
Sunday, January 26, 2-5 pm
Fellowship Hall
     Much of today's polarization is driven by how we talk with like-minded people about those on the other side. Too often, we stereotype, dismiss, or ridicule our fellow citizens who support the other political party, its leaders, and its policies. This free three-hour workshop helps participants become more aware of their own "inner polarizer." It teaches how to be critical without demonizing, dismissing, or stereotyping large swaths of the population. And it offers strategies for intervening constructively in social conversations with like-minded peers when these conversations veer into contempt and ridicule for people who hold other political views. More info here.
    Free, but registration is required. Click here to register or call the office at 812-332-3695.  Who can come?  Anyone interested in examining their own inner polarization.  Questions?  Contact Miles Eddy at miles@aheartfeltproduction.com
Change the World by Feeding People
Volunteer at Community Kitchen
Community Kitchen expects three volunteers from our congregation on the third Thursday of every month from 11:30-1:30 to make sandwiches, prepare salads, or portion take-out meals.  If you'd like to be added to the list of those contacted about possible service each month, please contact Libby DeVoe,  edevoe@indiana.edu .  
Take-Home Chili Fundraiser February 2
for Habitat for Humanity
Chili take-home fundraiser: No food is more satisfying than chili on a cold winter's day! On Feb. 2, the Habitat Task Force will be selling take-home containers of many types of chili after both services in Fellowship Hall. We'll have several varieties of meat (ground beef, turkey, chicken), vegetarian and vegan chili, plus corn bread for you to take home. The cost will be $5 for 3-cup containers and $10 for 5-cup containers, plus $1 for corn bread muffins. All the proceeds will go toward our goal of co-sponsoring a Habitat home in the new Osage Place neighborhood that Habitat is building starting next year. Please support our efforts and enjoy some great chili made by task force members. Thanks!
Valentine's Bake Sale February 9: 
We Side with Love for Reproductive Justice
"Side With Love" is the theme of the Reproductive Justice Task Force's annual Valentine's Bake Sale, which will be on Sunday, February 9 between services in the Commons.  This is their big fundraiser, so please consider donating sweets and/or purchasing some for your sweetie, a friend, or yourself!  Donations of goodies gratefully accepted in the kitchen by 9:15 a.m. if possible, on February 9.  contact: Nan McKinley fiddlernan@gmail.com
Valentine Gourmet Fundraising Dinner for Help Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Task Force, February 15 
Purchase your tickets by February 10. Available at church between services or at lagomfood.com.  Menu: Potato Leek Soup, Beet Salad, Filet Mignon or Portobello Mushroom, Mashed Potatoes, Almond Tart, nonalcoholic sparkling wine.
UU Social Justice Film Series Sunday, February 16 at 5:00p
The Dhamma Brothers
Presented by our Hope for Prisoners Task Force and Open Mind Zen Bloomington
Join us in Fellowship Hall for a free screening of The Dhamma Brothers , which tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation through the practice of Vipassana meditation in an Alabama maximum security prison. This film has the power to dismantle stereotypes about men behind prison bars, and illustrates a path to freedom available to all. Discussion to follow, led by members of the task force and the Zen group. More information will be available in the February 4 Prologue.  Free Pizza available. No childcare for this event


How Are We Helping the UUA?
Here is a short video about how our congregation's support of the Unitarian Universalist Association makes a difference in Unitarian Universalism beyond our four walls.
B uy Grocery Cards on Sunday and Support the Church
We have grocery gift cards for sale in the Commons every Sunday between services. The participating grocery stores send a percentage of your purchases back to the church to support our operating budget. We have gift cards for Bloomingfoods, Lucky's, and Fresh Thyme, and you can  register your Kroger Plus card by clicking here. Our Kroger organization ID number is EW763. 
Our Ministers
 
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, our Senior Minister
can be reached on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, 812-332-3695, ext. 201. macklin (at) uubloomington.org

 

Reverend Scott McNeill, our Associate Minister  
With the approval of our Board of Directors, Reverend McNeill's leave of absence has been extended. The Board asks that you please give him privacy at this time.  

 
Reverend Emily Manvel Leite our Minister of Religious Education,  can be reached at  812-332 -3695 (ext. 207) and is available by appointment 
on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Rev. Leite is away from the office until Tuesday, January 28. 
Email: mre (at) uubloomington.org
 
 
Our Covenant of Right Relations
In June 2017, our members affirmed a Covenant of Right Relations. 
--------------  Deadlines for Publications -------------
Order of service and Friday UU Update:  Thursday, 9 am
Prologue: Date of publication, 10 am
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pertinent Details:
Office hours : M-F, 10 am-4 pm
Calendar:  For our full calendar of events, visit uubloomington.org/calendar.
Facebook: Many church events are also posted on our  Facebook page
Prologue  Publication Schedule:  
The deadline for articles is 10 am on the date of publication, which is 
the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. 
Send articles about church matters to Carol Marks  
Upcoming  issues:   Feb 4, Feb 18, Mar 3, Mar 17, Apr 7, Apr 21
Livestreaming Our Sunday Services  
View a live broadcast of our Sunday services (9:15 and 11:15 am):
On our website: uubloomington.org/live-stream  
On our Facebook page:  facebook.com/uubloomington
Have a problem viewing or hearing the service? 
Email our media team, media (at) uubloomington.org, or call the church office at  812-332-3695.

Links to Archived Services to View Online

- Quickly find recent services here: Direct Links to Service Videos (9:15 service)

- Or, scroll down on our main Livestream Page for full archives of both services and other events (memorials, concerts, etc). 

Membership: 533 certified members; 549 current members.
Attendance: 
Sunday, January 12        9:15 - 120   11:15 - 209    RE:  38    TOTAL: 329
Sunday, January 19        9:15 - 106   11:15 - 217    RE:  39    TOTAL: 323 
Non-Pledge Offering:    January 12 : $673     January 19: $715   
   Total to be donated (25%) to Volunteers in Medicine: $347.13
Grocery Card Sales:    (Bloomingfoods, Lucky's Market, or Fresh Thyme)  
January 12: $0    January 19: $600   
    Total income to UUCB: $30 
During the last quarter (October thru December 2019) we received $446.72 from Kroger, with 134 UU households participating.
How to Subscribe: 
If you are not already regularly receiving emails like this from us, you can subscribe by sending an email to office (at) uubloomington.org.
Masthead photo by John Woodcock.
Unitarian Universalist Church