Newsletter Going Monthly

The Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to shift the publication of this newsletter from every two weeks to monthly publication starting with the June issue (for a six-month trial period).

Next deadline is Sunday, May 28 at noon, and will cover the entire month of June.
The following deadline will be Sunday, June 25 and will cover the entire month of July.
The deadlines will continue to fall on the last Sunday of the month and cover the entire next month.

To submit an article for the Lighted Chalice, leave handwritten copy or letters in the mailbox at church or email lightedchalice@yahoo.com. Please:

—Include a message with any attachment. Do not send a blank message with an attachment.

—Use a subject heading that identifies the topic of your submission. Avoid vague terms such as “Newsletter Item” or “Newsletter Article.

The Editors, Lynn Holland, Nancy Patchen, Kaye McSpadden, lighedchalice@yahoo.com, would welcome hearing from anyone who would like to join the editing team.

Kathy Atwell Takes Over Office

Please welcome Kathy Atwell to our Church Office.  Kathy, a Purdue University graduate and long-time reside of this area, comes to us with years of experience in development, marketing, and public relations.  Her volunteer activities include the Tippecanoe County Historical Association and the Girl Scouts.

Kathy and her husband, Michael, live on the west side.   Their daughter, Alis, just graduated with a BFA in Photography from Columbia College of Chicago and plans on continuing to live in Chicago.  We are pleased to have Kathy with us!

Sunday Morning Forum

9:00 - 10:00 Sunday Morning

Meets in Red Cross Building on South Seventh Street

May 21

"The Loss of Faith"

Terrie Kercher

"The End of Faith" won the 2005 PEN award for non-fiction. It is an important and startling book. The author, Sam Harris, argues that we had better give up our long honored attitudes of religious tolerance if we want to survive in a world where deep religious faith often sustains human conflict and justifies hideous cruelties.

May 28

 "One Great Read: ‘Nickel and Dimed’"

Ernest McDaniel

Coordinated by the local libraries, the goal of “One Great Read” is to get the community talking about one book. The committee made a good choice this year. In simple straightforward language, Barbara Ehrenreich shares her experiences working minimum wage jobs as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing home aid, and Wal-Mart sales person. It will certainly raise awareness of the struggles of the working poor. Get this paperback at the library or at the bookstore for $13. 

Book Group

7 pm, Monday, June 12, 2006
       “Five Quarters of the Orange” by Joanne Harris

7 pm, Monday, July 10, 2006
        “A History of Love” by Nicole Krauss

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,.  

Change For Change: 

The collection plates were again heavy and hearts big for the month of April. We collected $319.99 for TCAP - Tippecanoe County Child Abuse Prevention Council.  Thank you!

For May and June, our featured agency is Community and Family Resource Center, our South Side neighbor on Fountain Street.

CFRC provides programs, services and resources that improve the quality of lives for children and families in the community, and it serves as a contact point for a multitude of human service groups. Of particular interest is their youth development outreach, including:

·        Youth Underground, a 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. drop-in center for students between 6-18 years of age (volunteers needed to tutor children and assist staff)

·        Triangle Park Camp, a ten-week summer program running from 6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. for low-income families (volunteer help needed)

·        Teen Court, an intervention program for juvenile offenders with minor offenses

·        SHARE Mentor Program, a one-on-one partnering program for children with a parent in the penal system (volunteers needed, especially males)

·        Cool School, a before and after school program (for grades K – 5) for children of working parents (volunteers needed)

And there’s more! To help with CFRC-sponsored community family events, such as Up with Families, Christmas dinner, and Dia el Nino, contact Amanda Hassenplug at CFRC. Please see the bulletin board in the rear of the sanctuary for more information on CFRC programs. Thank you for supporting Change for Change each week.

Social Action Committee -  Social Action Family and Children Subcommittee 

Summer Institute Registration Open

SUUSI (Southeast UU Summer Institute) 2006 will be held in Blacksburg, Virginia on July 16-22, 2006. There will be workshops, nature trips, music, and spiritual activities for adults of all ages, teens, and families with children.

To get early registration discount, registration must be postmarked by May 20.

See booklet at the back of the sanctuary or go to www.suusi.org.

--Kaye McSpadden

Welcome to New Members

The Greeting and Membership committee has just completed another New  UU&U class.  What a great group of young people attended the class.

Seven of those attending have signed the membership book and now enter into full fellowship with the congregation.  The next series of classes will be held in September.

   Please look for and welcome these special people:

Todd and Diane Wetzel

Chaka Khan Gordon

Fritz Smith

Mike Reed

Michelle Miller

Rob Carlisle 

Indiana Equality Holds Fundraising Party

Join the Social Action Committee for an evening of faith and equality!

Our committee is co-sponsoring a fundraising house party that will be held on Friday, May 19 from 7 -9 pm at our Union Street house (2239 Union Street).

In support of our church's official stance as a Welcoming Congregation, proceeds will benefit Indiana Equality, a statewide GLBT advocacy organization. Featured guests will be State Reps. Joe Micon and Sheila Klinker.

Donations are requested and are tax deductable. Checks may be made out to "Indiana Equality." If you would like to attend or if you have any questions, please contact Social Action Committee Chairman Charles Coley.

Minister’s Muse

First the good news!

Saturday, May 13 was a real Unitarian Universalist miracle!

The RE teachers were honored with a wonderful event – dinner theater created by Gale Lockwood with help and consultation and help from Michele Tomarelli, Kirk Arndt, and bunches of kids and parents.

It was a rollicking time of laughter, community building, and learning. I suspect that every kid there will know the story of Potter’s farm where he built a church for a Universalist to preach in and faithfully waited for the preacher to arrive. And when that preacher arrived the presence of that church unleashed Universalism, sent a new spirit of love around this country, and changed the face of American religion.

It was a great way of learning Unitarian Universalist history.  The actors’ faces were beaming and so were the audiences’.  We clapped and sang along – it was hard not to jump up and join in as the kids danced to “Shake a Tail Feather.”  It was a joyous celebration of our tradition, our kids, our religious education volunteers, and this place. 

In the center of the tables the kids had decided to have a fundraiser for the new church.  So small cans held offerings that Religious Education will collect.  What great young people! 

Now the not so good news.

This week I said goodbye to Karin Bergmann, our office administrator.  She’s been growing into the job, getting comfortable with the routine and rhythm of our year – she’s been with us since September.  She’s been a pleasure to work with. 

I decided to write about this not only because I wanted you to know that she’s left (although she’s making sure that there’s some continuity – while we figure out what comes next) and to know that Kathy Atwell will be filling in for a while – but I also wanted to share this with you because it is at the heart of a concern. 

It took time for Karin to learn the job – there’s more to this job than meets the eye. It also took time for Melanie, the first secretary I worked with when I came here six years ago; it took time for Lee, after Melanie left for more hours and better pay; it took time for Melissa –but she didn’t stay long; it took time for Elizabeth who was young and who grew in the year and a half that she was here – when she decided to go back to college; it took time for Kathy who left to move west; it took time for Lara, an office administrator by training; after Lara, it took time even for our Janice one of the world’s truly competent people.  

With the new Kathy, that’s nine people working in our office in six years with me and all have taken time for me as well. Most have left for better pay and sometimes more hours. I have helped orient them, sat with them for evaluation, goal setting, trouble shooting, encouragement, and exit thoughts. All have been happy here – though they’ve needed more time to accomplish it all. All have felt supported by the rest of the staff.  None have left on bad terms. 

A church office is a very different kind of office. It’s a hub for a community of volunteers. It’s a central conduit for information. According to the UUA there are different levels of church office workers – office assistants who simply photocopy, may type, may file, fold, or other relatively unskilled work. 

There are office administrators, who filter much of the calendaring, funnel information between committees, handle the data bases, order supplies, field calls, and provide some assistance to the board and the rest of the administrative part of the congregation.

There’s a church administrator, who truly holds the keys of the church and may even handle some aspects of fiscal record keeping. The position we have is most like office administrator. 

Sadly, we haven’t kept anyone long enough to feel the relief that comes when a church office, the hub, runs smoothly.  It’s been great to get to know so many interesting people – but it hasn’t been easy to provide the efficiency and continuity that a congregation needs. And it’s been sad every time another person says “Hilary, can we take some time to talk?” 

As we work on the purchase of new space it seems more important than ever that the congregation figure out how to support the staff for that continuity – especially as more space will bring more responsibilities, more daily visitors and volunteers.  It will be interesting to see how the congregation moves forward to provide stability for the office.  The personnel committee is working on ideas now.  So there will be more to come.

As I turn in my keyboard for the night I am still most hopeful – because any group of people who can create the warmth, joy, play, and innovative, clever experience I witnessed at church tonight – any group that can do that – can find creative and positive ways to meet the future.

UU Trivia

1964 - 1965

These two years were ones of vibrant growth. By the end of 1965 there were about 100 active members and 75-80 children attending Religious Education. Beginning to outgrow the space, thoughts of building a new building on the same site were being discussed.

Ruth and Don Ferris began attending in 1964 and John Carlson in early 1965.

Ruth Ann recalls –

"We arrived in Lafayette on a Saturday and a week later we went to church. We were accustomed to stone and brick UU churches with ivy, so it was a bit of a shock when we arrived at the Wood Street house. We were greeted by Lucy and Homer Jordan who were typically warm and cordial in their greeting helping us to feel welcome!  

My next shock was to see a long table in the "sanctuary" piled high with fresh vegetables that Homer and Lucy would provide. The proceeds from the sale of the produce fueled the building fund. We soon felt quite at home at the Wood Street house even though we could not see around the L-shaped meeting room to see who was on the other side."

With music being an important part of the service for me, I found Karl Lohmann's history trivia of interest.....

"Someone had donated an old  LP record player and an amplifier. The program chairman would bring in a classical record and play the selection.  Sometimes there was little consideration about the music ending in appropriate musical phrases to fit the program. When the program chair thought it was time to start the talk, the pickup arm from the phonograph was jerked from the record, screeching mid-phrase to the shock of our members sensitive to music."

A Correction -  In the March Trivia article, I referenced to Jack Mendelson coming from Indianapolis All Saints Church.  Jack Mendelson was from the All Souls Church of Indianapolis.  Thank you for the sharp eye and mind that found this error so I could make the correction!  

--Lynn Richardson  

Movie Night

Saturday, May 27, 7 pm:  "Juliet of the Spirits" 1965.  137

Minutes.VHS. Directed Federico Fellini.  Fellini's first color movie filled with rich visual symbolism.

A wife embarks on a fantastic journey of self discovery after suspecting her husband's infidelity. Five stars from Martin and Porter. 

Movies are shown at 221 South Seventh Street, a large brick house up on three terraces on the east side of South Seventh Street just past the old railroad corridor three blocks south of the UU Church. Parking is up the driveway at the south end of the lot.

Outdoor Group Visiting Forest

The Outdoor Group plans to visit an old growth "forest" on Sunday, June 11.

Eunice Bryan State Nature Preserve in Clinton County near Mulberry is 29 acres in size, with white oaks that are 250 years old! It has 40 kinds of trees, some of which are 6 feet wide at the base.

You have to walk a narrow right-of-way between two fields to get to the woods, then there is a 1-mile loop trail. The wildflower mix is very diverse and not limited to species that can withstand grazing.  See Tandy Easler for more details.

Service Auction Anyone

Amy French is interested in organizing a service auction this year as a fun way to increase congregational interactions. 

But she needs help.  If there are two or three enthusiastic volunteers, she and they can arrange for an auction in early September.

Money raised will be used primarily to help keep us a fair share congregation with the UUA and Heartland District. We are at the moment falling short of making timely ayments. 

Revenues from an auction this year will relieve some of the pressure on what will need to be budgeted next year for denominational dues.

If members of the Social Action or Social Responsibility committees have ideas for a modest sharing of revenues from an auction, they should make a proposal to the Finance Committee for support of laudable projects and perhaps volunteer to help with the auction. 

Amy can be reached via email at amyfrench@insightbb.com.

--John Carlson, chair, Finance Committee,  
 

2006 UUC Retreat will be held at Ross Camp on August 18-20, 2006

The Unitarian Universalist Church’s Annual Summer Retreat will be held on August 18 -20 at Ross Camp.

This event has been held for 17 years now and is one of the best ways to get to know your fellow UU’s in a relaxed, outdoor setting.

Ross Camp is located in Tippecanoe County, approximately 15 minutes from West Lafayette, along the Wabash River.

We have rented the Gordon Jones, ‘A’ Frame Lodge for the entire weekend, starting Friday evening until Sunday afternoon.  The weekend is filled with workshops to stimulate your physical, spiritual and intellectual needs, a dance on Saturday night, an Outdoor Group activity on Sunday afternoon and lots of time to visit with each other.

The camp is also great for hiking, biking, fishing and golf at the Ravines which is located next to Ross Camp.

We do our own cooking and will need lots of help in planning the event to make it a success. Please mark your calendars now for Aug. 18-20 and watch for more information in upcoming Lighted Chalice newsletters.

A planning meeting will be held soon and registration forms sent out in May. This is a wonderful intergenerational event for our congregation, so I hope you all can make it!

—Lisa Pantea, Mark Krivchenia 

Clothing Drive Set

There will be a clothing drive on Saturday, June 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Goodwill bags are available under the back hall coat rack, but you may use any sturdy bag.  

Give a bag to your friends and family to contribute! 

Please DO NOT bring your clothing early this year, we have run out of space to store the bags. If you will be out of town on the June 3, please give your bags to a committee member or another church friend for delivery. 

   —Sue Robinson, shrobins@netzero.net 

Caregiver’s Support Group Meets Monthly

If you are caring for a partner, spouse, child, parent, family member, or friend facing a chronic or terminal health issue, you need support, too. 

This small, confidential group provides a safe place to share the challenge of ongoing caregiving and receive insight and support from others – whose challenges are not exactly the same – but whose insights may prove useful. 

Each month group members remark on how helpful it is to share the puzzles, lessons, joys, and the struggles of caregiving.  The group meets at the church on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

 If you are interested in this group you can also call the minister for further information. 

New Adult Groups Forming

A committee headed by Chuck Reynolds  is available to help you define the Adult Religious Education classes or workshops you wish to see created.  

There are several new ARE classes currently under construction.

•       Agnostics and Atheists Within the Church

•       Woman’s Group

•       Body Works Groups: Tai Chi and yoga.

We Need to Hear If You Are Interested!

Don’t let a good group die!  Be brave and talk to Chuck if you are interested in a group of any kind.  Other ideas for ARE are welcome.

Other classes are already being offered:  if you have one, contact Chuck Reynolds, who is making a list for the bulletin board in the back of the Sanctuary.  

If you wish to participate in any of the classes described above, send a note to Chuck or to me, and we’ll put you in touch with the right people.

We need to hear if you are interested in any of these new or potential Adult RE offerings.  If there is enough interest, we will go ahead. If we don’t hear from anyone, the class may be cancelled.

                           --Michele Tomarelli