Unitarian Universalist Church -- Newsletter, Current Issue

The Lighted Chalice
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
Lafayette, Indiana ~ ~ April 7, 2005

Next Newsletter Deadline:

Sunday, April 17, 2005 NOON

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This issue was prepared by Lynn Holland

Passover Seder – Sunday, April 24

A Passover Seder will be held at the church on Sunday, April 24. Gathering time will be at 4:30 p.m. with the Seder service starting at 5 p.m.

The three-hour event will be a blend of the traditional Passover service/meal and UU beliefs.

Children of all ages are welcome to this event or, if you choose, childcare will be available for ages 5 and under.

In keeping with the Seder tradition we will be asking participants to bring specific Passover foods. This has worked well for us in past years where most items were easily found at Marsh stores.

Also needed are three people to come early at 4:15 p.m. to help as food is brought in. This is a very simple task that only requires a 45 minute commitment. If you have never volunteered this is a good way to get started.

Please remember to bring your own table service including silverware and bowls for Matzo Ball soup!

A reservation by Sunday, April 17, is a must for this event, as we need to know how much food to prepare.

If you will be attending please phone JoAnn Darling. Do not hesitate to leave your response (# of people including children) on JoAnn's voice mail. Or email her.

Outdoor Group Activities Include Picking Up Trash, Canoe Trip

The Outdoor Group will be picking up trash along the Heritage Trail in celebration of Earth Day 2005 on Friday, April 22.

The group will meet on the pedestrian bridge over the Wabash River downtown at 6 p.m. and head out from there. Please bring a trash bag and gloves.

We're also planning a canoe/kayak trip down Sugar Creek near Crawfordsville on Saturday, May 14. You can either join us just for the day or camp with us overnight at Shades State Park's canoe campground and continue canoeing with us on Sunday. And if you don't enjoy canoeing, but you like to camp, you can also just hike in and meet us at the campground that evening for a tasty cook-out, music and the beautiful night sky. I believe canoes can be rented if you don't own a canoe and we'll be working out shuttling and other details as time draws nearer.

So mark the date on your calendar and join us for a great trip down one of Indiana's most scenic rivers!

Tandy Easler

Congregational Self Assessment

A Congregational Self Assessment Team (CSAT) has been formed to implement a self assessment that was created by Long Range Plan Committee last year.

The team is comprised of Long Range Plan members (Liz Grauerholz, Joan Marshall), Committee on Ministry members (Hilary Krivchenia, Ruth Ann Ferris, Herschel Lewis), Ernest McDaniel, Amy French, and Dianna Poindexter.

We are meeting weekly to discuss the details of this very important task and plan to share more information with the congregation soon.

CSAT chairperson, Dianna Poindexter

LUM News and Notes

The homeless clients are Lafayette Urban Ministries were amazed and grateful when they saw the great spread our volunteers put out Sunday, March 13. Their and my thanks go out to Kathy Coder, Ruth Ann and Don Ferris, Sue and Steve Hychka, Marguerite and Lee Trachtman, Janice Thiel, and Della Willman.

I will secure another date for our church to do dinner at LUM as soon as possible. Happily for our community, Joyce Boehm has lots of volunteer coverage. To volunteer for overnights, call her at LUM at 742-3259

Letter to the Congregation

Dear Congregation, I share with you this warm letter sent by Anna Dufair, a member of this congregation. There are many members of this congregation who face challenges – too often alone. This letter is precious because it recounts the blessing that it brings to a person or family when real help is offered. It is also precious because it highlights the importance of asking for that help. Through friends, through the pastoral care committee, and through the neighborhood groups this congregation has shown itself again and again ready and willing to and even nourished by helping one another in times of challenge. These gifts come to and from not only long standing members of the congregation – but also new people who come through our doors. It is a gift to both giver and receiver. Perhaps Anna’s letter will encourage us all to practice reaching out – not only with help – which is wonderful! – but also in need. Our service to one another (and our world) affirms our common humanity.

Your service and your need are your gifts to the world. Hilary

Many of you have helped my family after the births of my children which have been exhausting and trying times for us, or when I was on bed rest with our second child, Ian, or this past December when I was really struggling with post partum depression.

To Jason and I sometimes it has been embarrassing that we needed the wonderful support that you have given us. Many of you have run errands for us, assisted with our laundry, emptied our dishwasher, made us a meal, entertained our children, and visited with me (my absolute favorite especially when I was on bed rest with Ian).

I have tried to write thank you notes for all your kind gestures and express our deep appreciation. I am sure that I have missed someone or didn’t get a pan or dish returned to the correct person. Please accept my apology. Your efforts and kindness did not go unnoticed and made a difference in our lives. We have felt really supported by our church community. What a gift you all have given us! To watch members of our church put their caring into actions has been a gift that is hard to put into words. It feels like a safety net we can fall into. What a wonderful blessing.

By now many of you may have heard that I received some unexpected and alarming news regarding my health on Monday, March 7. What I anticipated to be a recheck for pneumonia has revealed itself to be severe pneumonia, with a complete collapse of my left lung due to a cancerous tumor that is growing in the bronchial tube.

During the next two weeks we learned that the lung cancer has spread to my leg. At this time we are waiting for a confirmation that the two cancers are the same type and then to start treatment. I will have chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Depending on the outcome of these treatments I will probably have my left lung and the tumor in my lung removed and the tumor in my leg removed. All of this is still hard for me to absorb. For the most part I don’t feel that bad. I am tired sometimes and if I talk too much I cough and cough and struggle to catch my breath.

After the last batch of wonderful help Jason and I received from our church family we were more than ready to be on the giving end of supporting others in need. We did not anticipate my severe illness or the needy state of our family.

Many of you have offered to help run errands, provide childcare or make a meal. One thing that would be really helpful would be a group of folks to help with our flower beds once a month or so. Rae Schnapp has offered to coordinate all of these kind offers. If you would like to help us at this time please contact Rae with via email rschnapp@frontiernet.net or at 765-523-3089.

Another thing that you can do is send me encouraging cards or flowers. I love both of them and feel honored and blessed to receive them. Hopefully this is wake up call for Jason and I to focus on what is really important to us and a journey that we will learn a lot from.

It is challenging to keep everyone informed. We will do our best. Thank you in advance for our thoughts and prayers and acts of kindness. I am not sure if I will be up for writing thank you notes to everyone. Please know that your efforts are deeply appreciated.

Written from my heart,

Anna F. Dufair

Book Group

7 p.m., Monday, April 11, 2005
“The Curious Incident of the Night-Time Dog” by Mark Haddon

7 p.m., Monday, May 9, 2005
“The Dogs of Babel” by Caroline Parkhurst

The UU Book Group meets on the second Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at Borders Bookshop in Wabash Landing in the lounge area where it joins with Panera’s.

All are welcome to join us for discussions of books selected by participants.

For more information contact Dagmar Murray.

General Assembly Dates Set

If you ever wanted to meeting fascinating people, feel less alone, and learn a whole lot of really relevant stuff about the world and about church life General Assembly is a worthwhile adventure. Read more about it on UUA.org and save the following dates:

Save The Dates for future GAs!

June 23-27, 2005 Fort Worth, TX

June 22-26, 2006 St. Louis, MO

June 21-25, 2007 Portland, OR

June 26-30, 2008 Ft. Lauderdale, FL

IRCRC submits proposal for congregational action

How do we as a congregation “take a stand?”

To answer this question, the Board last year approved a new “Outreach Policy” developed by the Social Action Committee.

The new policy sets forth procedures for two types of action: 1) Action Following a Congregational Study (leading to a full congregational vote), and 2) Immediate Action without Congregational Study (in which a committee or other group takes a stand).

An example of an action following a congregational study would be our experience with the Welcoming Congregation program in 1996-1997. In the new guidelines, proposals are to be brought to the Social Action Committee, which then determines if there is sufficient interest in an issue and its relevance to plan and coordinate a study leading to congregational vote.

At a recent meeting of the Social Action Committee, Kaye McSpadden proposed a congregational study on the issue of reproductive rights with the hope that the congregation would consider formally joining the Indiana Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (IRCRC).

The committee determined that there is sufficient interest and relevance. Members noted that the UUA is a member of the national RCRC, and that several members of our congregation are involved with IRCRC. We plan to present this idea to the congregation at its May 1 meeting.

We would like some input regarding what types of activities the congregation would find most helpful in this study, e.g., adult discussion groups, formal study groups, Sunday morning speakers, and/or articles in The Lighted Chalice. Also, input is sought regarding an appropriate timeline. One suggestion is to plan a six-month (approximately) study followed by a vote at a fall congregational meeting.

If our congregation joins, it will be an Organizational Associate Member, agreeing to assist IRCRC by disseminating information and providing meeting space, allowing our name to be listed on IRCRC publications, and paying an annual $30 membership fee.

IRCRC will be approaching many congregations and other groups throughout the state (UU and others) to join. To learn more about IRCRC, you may go to www.ircrc.org, or contact Kaye McSpadden.

Dear UU-UNO Members, Envoys, and Friends,

As some of you already know, we here at the UU United Nations Office, along with Rev. William Sinkford, are advocating that UU Congregations across the U.S. and Canada to participate in Darfur Sunday, on Sunday April 10, or a Sunday in the near future.

If you are interested, we ask you to include small reading during the service and participate in a letter writing campaign afterward. This is to acknowledge the thousands of people being killed each month as a result of ethnic cleansing and displacement in the Darfur region of Sudan and to build support around legislative action in the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

Though the United Nations Security Council has now passed resolutions sending perpetrators of these crimes to the ICC and levying sanctions against them, neither of these actions will put an immediate stop to the mass killings, rapes, and displacements. The best way to do this is to press our leaders to expand the international peacekeeping force present in Darfur, which is currently far too small.

Senator Paul Simon, who died in 2003, said after the Rwandan genocide, "If every member of the House and Senate had received 100 letters from people back home saying we have to do something about Rwanda, when the crisis was first developing, then I think the response would have been different.” Let us not let Darfur suffer the fate of Rwanda.

In Peace, The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office

--This message is from the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office. The UU UN Office is an Associate Member Organization of the Unitarian Universalist Association and supported by direct contributions from Unitarian Universalist men and women, congregations and youth, women's and men's groups. If you would like to make a donation, or join as a member, please visit our website at www.uu-uno.org. All contributions are tax deductible.

Della Willman

Caring Paws Visiting Church

Have you considered volunteering with your pet to help people in schools, nursing homes and hospitals? Caring Paws, a local animal-assisted therapy organization, will hold Delta Society Pet Partners evaluations at the church on April 17 from noon to 4:30.

Please contact Kyler Laird if you would like to observe or help. All are welcome!

Highlights from UUC Board Meeting March 8, 2005

A congregational meeting is set for Sunday May 1, 2005 after the church service. An election of officers will be held, and program initiatives will be presented.

Our district meeting will be held in Cincinnati on April 8 – 10, 2005. We are allowed to send four delegates. Noemi Ybarra will be one of the delegates. The board approved Noemi and three additional delegates who would be interested in attending.

Stewardship Committee has designated the Sept. 24 as Stewardship Sunday. The committee, headed by Della Willmann, is working on plans for the pledge drive.

The board appointed Joan Marshall to the Committee on Ministry.

New Building Work—The congregation needs to do some “visioning work” in order to determine our direction with regard to our future location. Several options have been suggested. Further thoughtful study is needed.

Religious Education Happenings

Religious Education Director: Sarah Boulac
RE Committee Co-Chairs: Beth Misner, Cheryl Fowler

It has been a joy to begin working with Michele Tomarelli, our Co-DRE focusing on youth.

I am excited to be working with her and our RE Committee to expand our program. Some of the things I am looking forward to are continuing to support our teachers in welcoming all of our learners, experimenting with learning styles, supporting family worship, and growing our Our Whole Lives sexuality education offering.

It is the time of year when we begin looking for summer teachers! This summer we will include some Sundays where the classes will be split by learning style rather than age.

If you have strength in one of the “intelligences” (linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial/visual, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, or naturalist) and would like to lead one or two classes this summer, I would love to hear from you!

We will also have our regular classes split by age and count on your support to offer these! Please talk with me, Michele, or someone on the RE Committee (Rosalee Pfister, Beth Misner, Cheryl Fowler, Gary Mueller, Liz Grauerholz, or Chris Falley) if you are interested.

What we look for in teachers are people who have been connected with our congregation for at least nine months to a year, who enjoy working with children, have a desire to learn more about our faith, are willing to complete the necessary paperwork (a screening form) and provide two references.

The summer can be a great time to give teaching RE a try, as you can teach only one or two classes to get a feel for what it is like.

What you will gain as an RE teacher is an opportunity to get to know the children and youth of our congregation, to glimpse the mystery of the world through a child’s eyes or to help a youth look at an idea in a new way. There is much to look forward to!

~ Sarah

Michelle Tomarelli

Office hours: 10:00 to 2:00 T-Th
Phone: 497-7792 (h) or 412-6196 (c)
Email: tomarelli@gmail.com.

Sarah Boulac

Office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Phone: 414-2342
Email: sboulac@gmail.com

Attendance numbers:

March 27 - 46 children and youth & 11 adults

April 3 - 31 children and youth & 10 adults

Teacher Schedule

April 10 April 17

Caterpillar Teacher R. Pfister A. Dooley

Caterpillar Helper J. Mullen M. Foley

Butterfly Class B. Misner INTERGEN

2-3 Class C. Fowler INTERGEN

4-5 Class K. Laird INTERGEN

6-8 Class J. Jurich INTERGEN

Upcoming Events

April 17 - Earth Day Intergenerational Service

April 17 - Child/Youth Dedication Ceremony

April 23 – Earth Day Indiana Celebration in Indianapolis

Sunday Morning Forum

The Sunday Morning Forum meets at 9 a.m. in the Red Cross Building across the parking lot from the church. Everyone is welcome! Childcare is provided.

Unitarians are known as a group that applies reason to religion. They have traditionally extended their search for truth to the sacred texts of other religions. The Sunday Morning Forum continues this tradition by initiating a series of discussions that will run through May 8 of various ways of being religious in this world.

April 10. "Krishnamurti."

Rejesh Kadam, Purdue graduate student and Malcolm Easler, member of the Unitarian Universalist congregation, will discuss this Indian thinker who bluntly rejected organized religion and theological systems.

"Truth is a pathless land…. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection."

April 17. "Hinduism: Origin and Philosophy"

Gyan Prakash, doctoral student in physics at Purdue. We will consider the origin of Hinduism, the Aryans and Dravidans who introduced this religion, and the people who embrace Hinduism today. We will also examine the Hindu view of God and the concept of Karma.

Minister’s Muse

At the last Program Council Meeting, one person bravely said that sometimes she’s not sure how to get involved in church activities.

It was a classic moment – one that happens again and again in congregations as long as new life flows into them and they’re vibrant. It’s a great sign that new people are seeking ways to be involved. It’s even a good sign that they’re not sure how to get involved – because it means that we’re large enough that no one can see the whole picture simply.

But they don’t need to – but they do need easily to see what they might be interested in and if they can get involved. Sometimes new people aren’t sure if they’re wanted. They aren’t sure if there may be registration, a deadline, if the notice is a reminder, or the memo has initials they’re unfamiliar with. EG: The PC discussed the NN picnic and everyone is welcome. Union St., 6:00 pm. Call So-n-So if you’re interested.

So is there a deadline, a registration? What’s the PC? The NN? Where’s Union St? What do I do if I’m too new to be on a list?

Congregations face these challenges at the best of times. It’s at the best times that new people are coming through the door. It’s at even better times that people actually say what they need – it means they feel really welcomed.

This issue of how events are communicated is perennial in congregational life and requires the recollection of a few important suggestions: make sure you explain everything in your publicity (let go of initials unless they’re among group members); explain who’s welcome; note any deadline; say who to call directly plus a number – if no call is needed – say that; if there’s cost or no cost, child care or no child care.

Apply the Rule of 5: figure out 5 different ways to get the message out – posters in the hall, bulletin board, order of service, special paper on Sunday seats, newsletter, postcards, if it’s a really big event – get time in worship – there’s a slot of two minutes in every service for special sharing of congregational events – you can do a skit or just enthusiastically invite people.

Communication is key in congregational life – it’s not something that gets installed and works like clockwork. It has to be restarted regularly – that’s not a failing –we all need reminders. If we remind ourselves regularly, then we won’t be surprised when a new person speaks up – it may simply be time to invent the sixth way.

The word communication means so many things. It also means how we communicate. The more we think about and practice good communication, the healthier we’ll be as a congregation. Many people shared Marshall Rosenberg’s “Language of Life” videos. I already see differences in communication among people.

I spent time, recently, reading on Margaret Wheatley’s website – she’s one of those cool people who think about people. Her book, Leadership and The New Science, has been important to me in articulating how people can be together.

Sometimes she’s speaking to corporate structures – we aren’t one of those. We’re a congregation: our structure is shared among the congregants. But often what she says applies as well to a strong congregation because it’s just the ethics of healthy relationship.

Her more recent book, Turning to One Another is helpful, as well. You might go to her website http://www.margaretwheatley.com/writing.html and read some of her articles. In churches I don’t believe in managing – we’re beyond managing – our challenges come from figuring out how to lead together. Wheatley doesn’t have a blueprint but she asks good questions and offers thoughtful responses.

Enjoy reading and thinking and in the meantime – take a leadership cue from the new person who spoke up – pursue congregational life with eagerness and curiosity. It’s amazing what you can learn.

Lighted Chalice
Unitarian Universalist Church
17 S. 7th Street
Lafayette IN 47901-1637
E-mail: uuc@uulafayette.org
Home page: http://www.uulafayette.org
Publication: Every other Thursday
Submission deadline: Preceding Sunday at noon

Send to: lightedchalice@yahoo.com

Minister: Rev. Hilary Landau Krivchenia
Phone: 742-0460; minister@uulafayette.org

Office hours:

Tuesday 9 a.m.-noon
Thursday Noon-4 p.m.
Also by appointment

Religious Education : Sarah Boulac
Phone: 742-0460 or 414-2432
Office hours: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m Tuesday & Thursday

Secretary: Kathy Louks
Phone: 742-0460, e-mail: uuc@uulafayette.org
Office hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday to Friday
Board Chair: Noemi Ybarra Phone: 742-0460

Editors:

Kaye McSpadden, Phone: 743-3634, kaye7m@aol.com

Nancy Patchen, Phone: 497-1259, nhmp@verizon.net
Lynn Holland, Phone: 583-2703, lholland@nursing.purdue.edu

Webspinner: Dianna Poindexter,dianna1@wildmail.com