Chalice symbol

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
 West Lafayette, Indiana

Our Newsletter  

The Lighted Chalice
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
Lafayette, Indiana ~ ~ July 21, 2005

Worship Schedule
Sunday Service at 10:30 a.m.
Childcare Available


 


Sunday, July 24

“A Church For All Souls, Not Just Some Souls”
General Assembly Report: Don & Ruth Ann Ferris, Charles Coley, Kaye McSpadden
Sanctuary Prep: Nina Kirkpatrick
Piano: Margaret Duvall
Sound: Chap Flack
 

 

 

Sunday, July 31

Speaker: Joe Peters
Worship Leader: Jim Hermiller
Sanctuary Prep: Nina Kirkpatrick
Piano: Janice Thiel
Sound: Chap Flack

Food for Thought After Service
 

 
 

Sunday, Aug. 7

Peace Day: Intergenerational Service
Worship Leader: Elizabeth Sternke
Sanctuary Prep: Terri Kercher
Piano: Kaye McSpadden
Sound: Dan Lybrook

 

 
 

Next newsletter deadline:
Sunday, August 7,  2005   NOON
 

Place items in newsletter mailbox or e-mail lightedchalice@yahoo.com.
Please place descriptive subject headings in your e-mails and do not leave message area blank.
 

This issue was prepared by Lynn Holland

Food for Thought July 31

The next "Food for Thought" will be after the July 31 service. Interested participants are encouraged to bring a salad to share during the lunch and conversation following the service.  The worship leader Joe Peters will stay to answer questions or perform more music.

 

 

Board Highlights from June Meeting

·        The Board approved the following people to be our delegates at General Assembly:  Don Ferris, Ruth Ann Ferris and Kaye McSpadden.

·        An addendum for the use of equipment was approved for addition to the building-use policy.

·        Program Council has been in the process of restructuring.  A program area representing Special Interest Groups has been added.

·        Bruce Craig and John Carlson were approved as members of the Finance Committee.

·        Discussion was held regarding financial projections for 2006.  Gale Kvam, treasurer, will take information to the Finance Committee.

 

Church Mouse Award

The Church Mouse Award for June goes to Lynn Richardson. 

Lynn’s dedication to our church is remarkably exemplified in the many ways she has been involved. Among other things, she has worked with the Personnel Committee to create a hiring process, she has created a church database that is user-friendly, and attends monthly Board meetings. 

She is a member of the pastoral care group and generously reaches out to help others.  We are grateful to Lynn for her competence, her sensitivity and her willingness to contribute in so many ways.

 

 

Lisa Drake Releases CD

Our church pianist, Lisa Drake, recently finished recording a collection of her original compositions.

“Creekside” is a collection of piano songs with instrumental backgrounds, and combines the ambiance and melodic sensibilities of new age and pop music. The CD features 12 original compositions, as well as one cover of Irene Rodger's "Balalaika Serenade."

With a combination of piano, strings and other soothing sounds all done on a state of the art digital piano, Lisa is able to create music that warms both the heart and the soul. "Creekside” is perfect for a rainy day, a quiet evening with a book or day of creative play in the art studio.

Lisa included her children in the creative process. Six-year-old Annalise’s haunting vocals remind us of the innocence of childhood on the title track, “Creekside.” Lisa’s son, Jackson, added accents of conga drums on to “Rythms of the Garden.”

 Lisa trained in classical piano performance and has played professional piano in Tennessee and Indiana for 25 years.

Check out her website at http://lisadrakepiano.home.insightbb.com/

The CD is available at Artists Own, Tipppecanoe Arts Federation, Baker’s Peak, Barnes & Noble, and Borders.

 

Meditation Group Plans Trip

The UU Meditation Group is planning a trip to the Prairie Sangha for Mindfulness Meditation in Urbana, IL from 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m., plus travel time, on July 31, 2005.  Participants will enjoy guidance into Vipassana meditation as taught by the Buddha 2600 years ago.  The session will include walking and sitting meditation, a meal and a Dhamma talk, and is open to everyone interested.  To attend, contact Andrew Hale.

 

String Players Wanted

Are you interested in participating in a string group to play music during selected services and special church events? If so, please contact John Finley. All string players welcome (bass, mandolin, banjo, lute, etc...).

 

Book Group

7 pm, Monday, August 8, 2005
       “Julie and the Dream Maker” by P.J. Fischer


7 pm, Monday, September 12, 2005
        “The Namesake: A Novel” by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Book Group meets on the second Monday of every month at 7 pm 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.

Greeters Welcome!
 

Greeters are a very important part of making visitors feel welcome. 
 

We have been delighted with the youth greeters who have recently been at the front door.  Kate French and her Mom, Amy, and Jack Reynolds with his Mom, Kristen, have done an excellent job.  Jack has designed special name tags which our visitors love.  Jack has also attended several

Greeting & Membership committee meetings and has contributed great ideas. Special thanks to Jack and Kate - we would love to have other youth help greet our visitors.  There is a sign up sheet in the RE Hallway.

 

 

 

 

 

Social Responsibility

The Social Responsibility Committee thanks Bill Asher, Mary Ann Foley, Marge Hood, and Sue Robinson for working during the Methodist Men Purdue conference!

August 12 through August 28 the Social Responsibility Committee is sponsoring the next opportunity to work with other UU’s at the Purdue Ford Dining Court. Extra workers are needed during the Boiler Goldrush orientation week and the first week of classes.  The $6 hourly rate each worker would normally be paid will instead be donated to the Social Responsibility Committee to support our community projects:  purchasing food for the Food Pantry as well as items for Cary Home, Women’s Shelter, and Lafayette Urban Ministry.

To participate, sign the sign- up sheet on the table upstairs at the back of the church.

Workers will be expected to work three to four hour shifts.  You may sign up for one shift or more.  You must be at least fourteen years of age (and have a work permit) to participate.  Workers will do a variety of jobs in this beautiful air conditioned facility.

Past volunteers have enjoyed this money making experience and have had a great sense of satisfaction from contributing to this committee’s work.  Each worker also receives a free meal in this beautiful facility.  For more information on working at this dining court, see Mary Ann Foley or Sue Robinson.

SRC chair, Sue Robinson, 463-4786, shrobins@netzero.com

 

Thank You

On behalf of the YWCA, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks for your generous support for the Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program. The vouchers earned from your Goodwill clothing drive will be of tremendous help to the women and children who are leaving our program and facing the challenge of setting up a new household and starting a new job. The vouchers give them an opportunity to purchase their most immediate needs, allowing them the peace of mind to focus on their priorities.

Your concern and kindness allows us to reach out and help those individuals and their children who are trying to recuperate from the physical, emotional, and psychological trauma of domestic violence. Because of this community’s generous spirit, we are able to provide immediate assistance in the form of a 24-hour safe shelter and a 24 hour/7 day a week crisis hot line, plus extended assistance with legal advocacy, support groups, parenting classes, anger management classes, speaking engagements and much more.

                                                --Rita Smeyak, DVIPP Director
 

                                 

 

Religious Education Happenings

RE Co- Directors Sarah Boulac and Michele Tomarelli
RE Committee Co-Chairs: Beth Misner, Cheryl Fowler

 

Attendance:

July 3 - 11 children/youth & 8 adults

July 10 - 12 children/youth & 11 adults (car wash)

July 17 - 15 children/youth & 7 adults

 

Teacher Schedule

                                    July 24                         July 31             August 7

 

Pre/K Teacher              Join 1-3 class              T. Easler           C. Frye           

Pre/K Helper                J. Salem                       M. Foley          C. Fowler                                          

1-3 Class                     S. Boulac                     M. Easler         PEACE DAY INTERGEN

1-3 Helper                  A. Steffen                      L. Pantea          PEACE DAY INTERGEN       

4-8 Class                     TBA                            TBA                PEACE DAY INTERGEN

                                                                       

 

Upcoming Events/Annoucements

Snacks and Juice Needed – It’s that time of year again to help our RE Snack cabinet be ready for hungry kids with healthy, low-in-sugar snacks and unsweetened juices for our RE Classes.  Leave donations in the kitchen labeled “RE.”

Religious Education Registration - Registration for RE Classes is beginning!  We require students to be registered each year so that we have contact information for parents, statistical information for planning purposes, and medical information so we are aware of any allergies or issues that may need attention on Sunday mornings. We
request that every family update their registration by Aug. 21.

Aug. 14 is the Sunday of our Annual Retreat.  For those not attending the retreat, we will have an activity for children who are at the church on this day. 

RE Kick-Off – We will kick-off the 2005-2006 program year for Religious Education on Aug. 28h.  We look forward to welcoming back our children and youth from your summer travels and beginning our new year together.  Look for your Prospectus in an upcoming newsletter for more information about what this year holds.  Please register your children before this important day!

Car Wash Report – On July 10, 7 adults and 7 children/youth washed 21 cars and raised $162 which will be donated to the Heifer project!!  I would like to thank the adults and children who helped with the car wash (we truly couldn’t do it without you) and everyone who had their car washed and made a donation to this important project!

 

Job Opening:  Nursery Assistants

Do you enjoy and have experience working with young children?

Are you in eighth grade or older?

Looking for a way to serve our congregation and make money at the same time?

We are looking for individuals to provide care for the youngest of our congregation in the Nursery on Sunday mornings.  If you are interested in applying, please contact Anna Dufair anna@dufair.org or Sarah Boulac sboulac@hotmail.com. 

We’re interested in hearing from you!

 

RE News

The summer session of RE is winding down.  I hope all of you have had the opportunity to slow down a bit, to take in the warmth of the season and recharge your batteries. 

Fall and the beginning of a new Religious Education Program year is upon us and that means there is going to be a lot of activity, a lot of information, and a lot of events as we begin this new year together.

We have a couple of intergenerational events coming up: the Peace Day service on Aug. 7, and the Ingathering service on Aug. 21.  The dates of our annual retreat will include Sunday, Aug. 14 so we will not have regular RE on this day, but there will be an activity for children who come to the church.

Our RE Kick-Off event will take place on Aug. 28.  It is very important that we receive new registrations and updated registrations by this date so that your children are included as we read the names of all the children and youth in each class before they head downstairs for their first session together. 

Having a registration for each child allows us to appropriately plan for the upcoming year, gives us contact information for families so that we can send occasional updates or invitations to special events, and offers us any special information that may be necessary for us to have like allergies or behavioral issues. 

I will be sending letters to the families currently registered; please reply with any updates and to let us know whether or not you would like your child to be registered for the upcoming year.  If you do not receive a letter by Aug. 6, then we do not have a registration for your child! 

You can find the form on the bulletin board in the back of the sanctuary, or in the slot below the bulletin board in the RE Hallway (behind the secretary’s desk).  Return them in Sarah Boulac’s mailbox or in the folder in the back of the sanctuary. 

Thank you for helping our program run smoothly!!

                                                                                     ~ Sarah 

                                    

 

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.    
                   

July 24

"Global Health Issues." Jim Anderson, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Purdue. Throughout the world, one million children a year die of Malaria…a disease that was conquered when we built the Panama Canal. Why?

 

July 31

"Family Leave Policies – Here and Abroad."  Pat Boling, Department of Political Science. Purdue. Professor Boling has studied family leave policies and welfare benefits in Germany, France and Japan. How do we stack up?

 

August 7. "School Choice – A Debate."George Horwich and Jan MacLean. Charter schools or public schools…take your choice. But which provides the best educational experience for your child? A retired economist and a very active school principal take sides on this controversial issue.



                                   - Ernest McDaniel and John Wilms

Thoughts on London

On Thursday morning, Lisa Pantea sent an email from London, England, saying that she and Dan were okay, after the bombings.

The world is smaller these days – we saw that on September 11, 2001 when the United States was most consciously affected by terrorism. Baghdad, London, Madrid – the list goes on. I emailed our friend Alex, who spends summers with her family in London, to see if she was okay – she was fine. I am aware that around the world people are trying to put their lives back together, to recover from losses and to honor the dead and the suffering of those caught up in the violence of the bombings.

I also know that, as my friend Alex (British herself) said: The Brits are a stoic bunch and refuse to be brought down too much by this. Her words reminded me that London is a city that not only has seen terrorism many times but also was subject to intense bombing in the Second World War. It is a city of realists as well as stoics, who know that the world is no more dangerous now than it was before – and that they were never exempt from the madness in our world.

Alex also mentioned that she’d just returned from the G8 March. The world seems spinning madly – with forces working for peace and justice and other forces with a vision of vengeance and violence.

When the world spins madly each one of us has a responsibility to be a voice that speaks of the real possibilities of healing and survival and peace – to be a willing set of hands to make that happen.

When the world spins madly I find myself grateful to be a part of a religious community – a place where people gather hungering for things of ultimate meaning.

When the world spins madly (which it nearly always does) – it is up to each one of us and to our church and faith as a whole, to consciously point ourselves out of our self-absorbed small agendas and into the deep needs and concerns of the world.

Famously, there is a joke that if you put up two signs – one that said “heaven—this way” and the other that said “discussion about heaven – this way” all the Unitarian Universalists would follow the second sign.

That could work for almost anything if we are not awake and careful. We need our discussions – but truly we need the actions that arise from them – actions we take together and separately. We need actions that make a difference in both the material condition of other people and in the arena of thought – the world of ideas that shape action.

As a Unitarian Universalist congregation we can work on both. It is has been a great accomplishment in the last year that our church formed a vibrant social action committee as well as the social responsibility committee that has served and existed for so long.

Perhaps, now, we have in place the connections and the compassion and the commitment to work beyond our walls for social change and for vision of the world that more closely resembles our principles.

Therefore, I invite you, if you find yourself grieving – to take time to grieve – to remember the impact of these events in the immediate lives of the people and then think of things that you can do – on your own and that you can do through the church – and then act on them -- to make a positive difference in the larger world – which needs the compassion and reason of Unitarian Universalism more than ever.

May we do such work that the days of violence and terror may pass.

May we do such work that every life lost may be honored by compassion and love.

May we do such work that in our own lives we feel embraced, enriched and deepened by our connection to the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a needed part.

                                          --Hilary

 

Minister's Muse

Since my third year of theological school and throughout my time here I’ve been a slow, yet devoted student of the life of the Reverend Jenkin Lloyd Jones. 

He lived from 1843-1918, was a Unitarian minister, feminist, activist, pacifist – helped find women pulpits in the West, helped organize the First World’s Parliament of Religions, supported the work of Jane Addams, and built a public ministry based upon community service and interfaith respect.  His picture sits over my desk at home and his sparkling eyes often hearten me.

Although a couple of dissertations have been written and his family has collected many papers, the Reverend Lloyd Jones has lacked a biographer and, when I began my research my secret hope was to be that biographer. 

Each year I’ve pursued my research on study leaves and vacations. This winter, between sessions of an exciting Winter Institute offered by Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow in Madison, I hurried to the Wisconsin Historical Society, where many of the Lloyd Jones family papers are held (three blocks from the conference center).  I read and copied as much material as I could in 8 hours of hurried research – missing meals, skipping naps, and staying an extra day – and I began to feel like I was getting closer to the Rev. Lloyd Jones.  I held and read his diaries – from his Civil War service and years of parish ministry.

I began to feel I’d bubble over if I didn’t get to study and work more intentionally on this project. I’m keenly aware of how much we need to expand our grasp of Unitarian Universalist history, and how important this particular minister has been to the growth of Unitarianism.

I began corresponding with his dynamic, creative great granddaughter, Georgia Jones Snoke.  I began correspondence with two Lloyd Jones cousins who are also researchers.  Then Georgia invited me to the family’s 5-year reunion in Spring Green, Wisconsin.  So, with wings on my feet, I went to Spring Green from this June 30 to July 3.

I’ve been to Spring Green a few times before, with Mark and the kids. A few years ago we came to this idyllic valley and my family went canoeing while I visited Taliesin (the home and studio of Lloyd-Jones famous nephew) and read for the afternoon. It was a lovely day. I took myself down the road to Unity Chapel, the Lloyd Jones family chapel – built in 1886. I visited the graveyard, where Frank Lloyd Wright’s body was stolen in the middle of the night by his last wife. Somehow I hadn’t realized that Jenkin Lloyd Jones was buried there – but there I found his stone. I remember the shock that passed through me when I saw his name. He’d been dead since 1918 – so it wasn’t that shock, so much as finding the place where he had been laid to rest. 

This weekend Jenkin Lloyd Jones came alive in his descendants and in the landscape and buildings in which he preached, taught, and visited with his family. There were around 200 gathered with as confusing a tangle of names as you can imagine – it became a game to find one of the many Richard’s hidden behind nicknames they had earned.  Or to find the handful of Jenkin Lloyd Jones’ scattered among the reunion crowd – one in utero. 

The family tolerated this interloper in their midst, with warmth, generosity and grace.  I was invited to offer the evening prayer before dinner on Saturday. There were scads of Unitarian Universalists – the family has been Unitarian since the 18th century – but there were interfaith marriages, two Episcopal priests, one aspiring candidate for UU ministry, and one elder colleague – Max Gaebler, minister of the Madison church for 35 years. Sunday morning we were a full congregation for worship -- with hymns, readings, sermon, special music, and a special sense of sacred space. 

I’ll be deepening my research this year, applying for grant money, dialoguing with other researchers, and working on writing. For me, this work is all about enlarging the scope of Unitarian Universalism and deepening our understanding of ourselves in history and broadening out vision for the future. 

I look forward to sharing this work and its fruits with you and appreciate your support and interest as we advance the history and vision of Unitarian Universalism together.

                                                      --Hilary

 

 

          

Lighted Chalice
Unitarian Universalist Church
17 S. 7th Street
Lafayette IN 47901-1637

The office is open Monday through Friday 9:00-1:00.

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 

To meet with Rev. Krivchenia, call the office, email her at b.uurevhilaryk@verizon.net, or call her home office 463-6201.

Religious Education:

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

 

Secretary: Janice Thiel (Interim)
Phone: 742-0460, e-mail: uuc@uulafayette.org
Office hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday to Friday 

 

Board Co Chairs: Robin & Dianna Poindexter
Email:  dianna1@wildmail.com   or robp@tctc.com        

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  

 
• Home • Adult Learning • Calendar • Campus Group • Children & Youth • Committees • Contact • Covenant/Mission •
•Directions/Map • Events • Forum • Groups • History • Links • Membership • Minister • Music • New Building • Newsletter • Sermons •
• Unitarian Universalism • Website Guidelines • Welcoming Congregation • Workshops • Worship Services •
©2007