From the Editors' Desk

We'd like to invite any interested member or friend to become a rotating editor of The Lighted Chalice. This is a creative, independent task for which you'll need computer software, such as Publisher or Pagemaker, to format the newsletter. Preparation of each newsletter requires approximately 1-2 working days. We'll explain and share the needed specs and graphics. Please see us in church, or contact us for further information!

-The Editors 

Congregational Meeting Dec 10 (after the service)

Important votes are on the agenda:  approval of the 2007 budget and approval of the proposed by-laws revisions (see p.2).   All members and friends are invited to attend. 

-Dianna Poindexter  

Church bylaws revision proposed-congregation to vote at December 10 meeting

During the December 10th congregational meeting, one of the items of business will be the presentation and vote of the proposed bylaw changes.   As chair of the bylaws revision committee, it is my hope that after a thoughtful discussion, the congregation will pass these bylaws changes by a two thirds majority vote of the members present (as dictated by our bylaws). 

                The bylaws committee held a congregational meeting in September for discussion of the bylaw changes.  Based upon that meeting, it appeared that the most-discussed item was the proposal of implementing three levels of membership in our church: 

1. Full membership: someone who has signed the book of membership and contributes support of money, time or talent. The congregation will pay UUA dues for full members and they will have full voting privileges.

2. Associate membership: someone who has signed the membership book but does not contribute money, time, or talent. Association dues are not paid for associate members and they are not eligible to vote.

3. Friend of the church: someone who does not wish to sign the membership book but wishes to participate in various ways in the church. Association dues are not paid for Friends and they are not eligible to vote.

                The bylaw revision committee wanted to take this opportunity to further clarify the reasoning of this bylaw change.

                Simply put, under our current bylaws, a person is considered a member of the church simply by signing the book of membership.  Our congregation currently pays dues to the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) for members, regardless of whether they contribute their money, their time, or their talents to the church.  It is the intention in this bylaw revision to more fairly assess and pay those membership dues to the UUA.  

                Other UU churches have implemented this membership level system which has helped them bring in line their membership lists as reported to the UUA.  Obviously, all who are in sympathy with the purposes and the activities of this church are welcome regardless of their contributions.  The intention of this bylaw revision is to ensure that our church membership is reasonably assessed.

                Full versions of the bylaws revisions are available at the back of the sanctuary and are also posted on our website at www.uulafayette.org. 

                I would like to thank the members of the bylaw revision committee; Bruce Craig, Barny Dunning, Ruth Ann Ferris, Amy French, Alana Steffen, and Volker Thomas, for their insight, dedication and hard work. 

                I would also like to thank the congregants who shared their thoughts, concerns and ideas during this process.  I look forward to our meeting in December!

-Robin Poindexter 

Program Council news

The Program Council is moving from the third Tuesday of the month to the first Tuesday of the month. Our next meeting will be December 5, 2006 at 6:30pm.

                All are welcome and encouraged to come and participate in increasing our congregation's communication. The committee would like to thank Jeff Lusk for the time he contributed as PC scribe. We  are currently looking for a replacement. If anyone is interested please contact Alanna Steffen. 

 "Sounds Divine!"

A concert by the Indianapolis Women's Chorus, building bridges of understanding through song

Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, 3:00pm

St. John's Episcopal Church

"Sounds Divine" will be an engaging and inspiring concert celebrating the universal search for the sacred and promoting interfaith dialogue. The concert will include selections from diverse faith traditions and cultures as well as music that illuminates the personal dimensions of spirituality. This is the first time the Indianapolis Women's Chorus has performed a full concert in the Lafayette area. The 90-minute concert will be followed by a reception. The Indianapolis Women's Chorus is a member of GALA Choruses, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses. For more information go to www.indychoruses.org.

A 2007 Lafayette Religious Arts Festival Event            

Admission

$10 ($5/children) in advance

$15 ($10 children) at the door

Tickets will soon be available online at www.ircrc.org. Buy tickets as holiday gifts!

Sponsored by:

              IN Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

              Pride Lafayette

              Lafayette Area Multifaith Advocates

              Unitarian Universalist Church

Annual Holiday Art Fair Dec 1-2

The UU HolidayArt Fair is coming up on Friday evening Dec 1 and Saturday Dec 2.  This annual event is held the same weekend as the downtown "Dickens Christmas" celebration. Starting on Friday night the upstairs sanctuary is transformed into an art opening, with wine and music to enhance the spirit of holiday shopping. Downstairs is transformed into Trudi's Cafe, a place to enjoy a meal of homemade soups, breads and pastries made by Trudi Wildfleur. This event has been a major fund-raiser for our church for many years.

                Currently we have about 30 artists participating, but there is still room for a few more so if you are or know an artist who would like to participate, please contact Jennifer . 

                The Art Fair is an enormous undertaking. Here are some ways you can help:

Publicity-We are looking for someone to take over publicity for the art sale!  If you have experience with PR and would like to help us out, please contact Jennifer .

Volunteers-Volunteers are needed during, before, and after the event, including helping with artist set-up, working in Trudi's cafe, baking cookies for the cafe (they need to be there by Wed 11/29), cashier, shopkeeper and many other assorted jobs and tasks.

                There will be a sign up sheet in the back of the sanctuary and an electronic sign-up will also be available. Please consider donating a couple hours of your time to make this fundraiser a success!

-Art Fair Cmte: Jennifer Craig, Lisa Pantea, Amy French

Minister will be away

Rev. Hilary Krivchenia will be away Nov. 3- 21.  While she is away our Pastoral Care Team will be active and available. Contact through Cheryl Fowler 494-2907.  E-mail will not be an alternative means of contact as the minister won't be checking e-mail during this time.  However, in case of critical news there are contacts through Barny Dunning, Board Chair and Joan Marshall, Committee on Ministry Chair.

A key decision made-new locks, keys, and procedures will improve safety & security

The Board recently took a step that has been long discussed:  we changed the locks on the church so that new keys are needed to open and close the building.

                 Although getting new keys to everyone is an inconvenience, we took this step for two reasons.  First, there were an alarming number of incidences in September when the building was found unlocked with no one present.  While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how many times this occurred (since some incidences were reported by several people), it seemed each time we investigated, we found additional occasions when the doors were not locked properly. 

                Even more alarming, in several of these incidents we could not figure out who had unlocked the doors or who should have been responsible for locking up. Given that several crimes have been committed in the neighborhood recently, and that often our professional staff are often present in the building alone, it has become clear that we must take our security situation more seriously.

                The second reason for changing the locks is that we are preparing to sell the Seventh Street building in the coming year.  Any purchaser will want to know that we are turning over a secure building, but we have absolutely no idea how many of the former keys exist and who has them. Since we could not assure a purchaser that we would turn over all existing keys, it is highly likely that re-keying the building at our expense would be a condition for sale.  So by doing it now, we can increase our current security and make the sale of our building a bit simpler down the line.

                We have instituted a policy that will allow us to keep track of each of the keys, which are now numbered. If you need a key to access the building, contact Beverly Seese and ask for authorization.  As Chair-Elect, Bev is the Board member who is in charge of the building-use policy, and this seems like a natural extension of those duties.  When Bev approves the request, she will notify the Administrative Assistant, who will then assign a specific key to you. 

                You will need to stop by during office hours if possible, fill out a form that asks for the reason the key is needed, and sign your name on a sign-out sheet.  This way we know who has which key and why. If you cannot come to the church during office hours, then your key will be placed in the Administrative Assistant's work area with the forms for you to fill out and sign.  You will need to arrange for someone with a key to meet you if necessary.  If Bev is not available, contact Barny Dunning to start the process.

                The Board wants to be clear that we are NOT instituting this policy to discourage people from getting keys-anyone who needs a key should ask for one.  Our purpose is to have better records, so that when we sell the building we can assure the new owners that all keys are accounted for.  There may be a few snafus in the first weeks if we don't get keys to some of the groups that meet irregularly, but we are watching the calendar and trying to make sure that someone has a key for all scheduled functions at the church, especially those in the evening and weekends.  You can help in this process by making sure that your events are on the calendar.        

-Barny Dunning, Board Chair 

Looking for new church pianist

You have probably missed the performances of our staff pianist, Richard Maddux, during most of the recent church services.  Richard spent last spring practicing for an audition with the Cleveland Conservancy of Music, hoping to be admitted and earn a graduate degree in music.  But he practiced so much that he ended up injuring his hand and had to cancel his audition.

                At first this was good news for us (although bad for Richard, of course) because it meant that we could enjoy at least another year of his superb talent.  However, the injury is severe enough that Richard has had to resign the position to spend time healing and strengthening his hands.We wish him well in his healing process though we will miss him.

                We are therefore in search again for a church pianist.  In the meantime we are blessed by our wonderful volunteers, most notably Kaye McSpadden and JoAnn Mullen.  Thank you!  If you have a hidden talent for piano and can offer that gift to the congregation in the interim, please contact Kaye, who coordinates our volunteer pianists. 

                Keep the music in your hearts.

-Barny Dunning, Board Chair

Newcomer orientation to be held December 9

A church orientation class for people interested in learning more about the Unitarian Universalist Church and possibly becoming members of our church will be held December 9, 2006 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the sanctuary.  Sign up forms are on the information table at the back of the sanctuary. The deadline date to sign up is December 2, 2006.

Campus Ministry - presence and possibility!

For a number of years Jane Alexander and others have been working with students on the Purdue campus with varying degrees of success.  Jane has, however, been a continuous presence in the University religious Leaders group comprised of representatives of various religious entities serving students.  Last year she served as president.

                The move to West Lafayette and our closer proximity to campus should foster connections to students.  This is an ideal time to begin to plan an outreach to the campus community, to take a concerted look at serving students and having more of a campus presence.

                The campus ministry role should not fall to one volunteer, but rather should be under the auspices of a committee in the organizational structure.  It is a natural extension of the full ministry of this church. Furthermore, although Jane has been happy to be involved she is planning to move to Indianapolis next summer, and no one is heading up campus efforts now. Jane and Rev. Hilary are attending the University Religious Leaders (URL) meetings once monthly over the academic year, but there are no specific plans at the moment beyond that point.  Technically, we are not able to fully participate in the URL because our campus organization is not active.  It would be wonderful for others to attend the URL with us, and even better for people to step forward now to help to develop our Campus Ministry and our campus presence as we prepare to move.

                Consider this your invitation to become a part of our campus ministry, to improve our current presence and to plan for the future.  At the next Program Council meeting on December 5 (see above) there will be an opportunity to talk about our campus ministry and to look ahead.  Please come and participate!

New Building Update

As many people know the Building Committee voted to dissolve last month after the negotiation committee worked out a contract to purchase St. Andrew United Methodist Church.

                The committee advised creating two task forces: 1) a transition task force and 2) sale of existing properties. The Transitions Council will be in charge of coordinating the move and all related details and will be headed by Alanna Steffen-Nelson and Steve Nelson. The Existing Properties committee will be working with the board on details related to the sale of Union St. and 7th St. properties, and is currently in need of someone to head the committee.

                Since the move to our new building involves the entire congregation, the Transition Council is being set up to involve all aspects of the congregation. We are asking that all committees/individuals start to think now about what the move will entail for their own committees and other aspects of the church.

                The transition committee has started to visit individual committees, and will begin formally meeting in January of 2007, date and time TBA. In order to make this move successful everyone will need to be involved. Please direct questions/comments to Alanna Steffen-Nelson. We look forward to working with the entire congregation!

-Alanna Steffen-Nelson, Transition Council Co-Chair

Saturday workshops on "sanctuary aesthetics" offered

Sanctuary Aesthetics: Investigation and Creation

Sat Nov. 4 (Investigation), 10:30am-2pm

Sat Nov 11 (Creation), 10:30am - 2pm

Bring your own lunch or something to share.

Folks may choose to attend only one segment.

Get a chance to have some input about the adornment of our current sanctuary and do some planning for the new sanctuary on Meridian Street.

Experience artistic inspiration in creating large pieces to use during Sunday morning services.

Led by Beverly Seese as part of her seminary class, Art as Spiritual Practice.

Signup slips on stairway under Adult RE Class Posters, or call Bev 404-1062.

Religious Education Happenings

Religious Education Director: Michele Tomarelli.

Working toward a "Coming of Age" program for our teens-new opportunities in R.E.!

Many people in our congregation believe that Religious Education (R.E.) is one of our most important programs, and our R.E. program has made great strides in recent years, including developing a "lifespan" model of R.E..

                What we need, though, is a program called Coming of Age (COA), a UU program that sees young teens through the transition to young adulthood.  After a point, young people start to look for models other than their parents, and

while they certainly look to their peers, they also look to other adults for solutions to life's puzzles.  You might think of COA, then, as an apprenticeship for getting along in life.  Every church does COA differently, and we will have to determine what the needs of our kids and our community are in order to do that in the way that best suits us.

                Perhaps you are saying to yourself, "I don't think I have anything to offer a teen.  They wouldn't want me." Yes, we would want you!

                Finding an individual mentor for each one of our youth when they are ready for COA means matching them with an adult with whom they can be comfortable, someone who recalls what it was like being a kid and who is willing to be an older, wiser friend.  For that to work well, we need a pool of adults willing to be mentors. There have to be enough adults that we can select among them to make each adult-youth pairing a good fit.

                Now, we're not going to just hand you over to the mercy of a teenager, and say, "Good luck to you!"   We are going to make sure that our mentors are prepared by having COA training sessions.  We are also going to have programmed group activities as well, so that the participants, adults and youth alike, will have a fellowship in which everyone helps one another along.  However, one of our first steps will be to offer Youth Advisor  Training.  Eventually we will be ready to provide specific training for COA. 

                Youth Advisor Training is for EVERYONE who wants to work with our teens, not just the Coming of Age Mentors.  If you are teaching the BAMS or the WUUTs, if you work with the Youth Volunteers, if you think that maaaaybe you might like to be a COA mentor, if you are a parent and want to enrich your parenting skills, or if you'd just like to be ready to lend a hand in RE now and then, then this is the workshop for you.

                Taking the course doesn't commit you to anything-just a modest $15 fee which covers your lunch, and you don't have to leave town!

                Basic Youth Advisor Training is taking place at the church on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.  Fill out the form below and send it to the address on the form. See you there!

Youth Advisor Training: Sat., Nov. 18 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Lafayette

Name_________________________________ Tel____________ Email _______________________

Mailing Address ____________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a youth advisor?____  New?  Never?

Please note any special dietary or accessibility needs:___________________________

$15/ per person registration fee (check one:) Enclosed with this form_____    Pay upon arrival  ___

Make check payable to "Heartland District."  Send with registration form or pay at the door. E-mail or mail this completed form to: Barbara Hamilton, Administrator, Heartland District,  445 N. Pennsylvania St., Ste. 510, Indianapolis, IN  46204.   office@heartlanduu.org   (888) 948-4883

A note of thanks from R.E.

Religious Education thanks everyone who has contributed to the snack cabinets recently, and to encourage everyone to keep the victuals and juices coming. We have also had some very nice toys donated, as well. They're

terrific!  Some-anonymous-one has also donated a stack of brown cardstock

and other things to the art supplies.  I have no idea what we'll use them for, but you know we'll find a use for them! Many thanks!

-Michelle Tomarelli, Dir. of Religious Ed.

Minister's Muse

This morning I drove down to DePauw University to hear Taylor Branch speak.  I had been looking forward to this for months.  Taylor Branch is the author of the trilogy, America in the King Years.  The three volumes are Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire, and At Canaan's Edge.  They are powerful volumes.  I have referred to the first two for years- the last one came out only this year. 

                I happened to catch Mr. Branch on the Tavis Smiley show a while back and his breadth of knowledge had impressed me, but even more than that, his sense of history-of the critical importance of the civil rights movement to the history of this country - resonated deeply for me.  He spoke truth.

                And then, even more than that, he spoke of the power of non-violence.  He began that in connection with the work of Dr. King. It was clear that his understanding of non-violence was comprehensive. He understands it, as I also do, as active, creative, shaping and changing history. It is not in any way the passive witness or victim of history.

                I wrote to him after the show. He wrote back.  In his e-mail he said, "Non-violence lies at the very heart of democratic theory - a vote is nothing but an institutionalized piece of nonviolence."

                So today, while studying my conversational Hebrew, I drove in the pouring rain south to Greencastle.  A very tall man, Branch is a quiet spoken Atlanta native.  He ended up a writer and then a historian in the finest sense.  And for me and for humanity, history is a central thing.  We ignore it at our peril. We make it everyday of our lives whether we consciously choose to or not.  He spoke of fascinating aspects of history-the stranglehold of J. Edgar Hoover on administration after administration, the strange intersection of war and justice in Lyndon Johnson, and even the odd mixture of carelessness and concern for history in Bill Clinton. 

                Above all he spoke about the "undigested" work of justice, of fairness and civil rights that this nation has on its plate. And he said that the highest purpose of education and of religion is to teach and to lead the people toward building-to build in the face of fear.  That the purpose of our universities and religious institutions should be to challenge the people to discover how to create and not destroy - to build in the face of fear. 

                I asked him about the present state and the future of non-violence.  He spoke with eloquence about the silence on non-violence in our public discourse.  He talked about the fact that non-violence had accomplished so much in our history and that still we discount it and reach for violence in many forms again and again.  And he repeated what he had said in his e-mail, that non-violence lies at the very heart of democratic theory.  That by being citizens in a democracy we are participating in what ought to be a constant and great experiment in constant non-violent change.  That is what our constitution affirms.

                He also said that we forget that a government only does what its people allow it to do and can only reach for what the people hope for first.

                In a word: Inspiring.

                If you want to find a good book to curl up with this winter, go find three-all by Taylor Branch.  But first, as election day nears and I have my absentee ballot, I realize  that here is an opportunity for non-violent action.  Time to volunteer to help out at the polls, time to help out candidates, become educated in the issues, and to vote.  If course, I am preaching to the choir here.  But hey, go out and sing!  Take part in history.  Let us see what we can build, even in the face of fear.

Board Highlights

Sept. 24, 2006 Congregational Meeting

• Insufficient members present for a quorum: 33 present; 39 required. No votes could be taken

• Suggested budget initiatives presented and discussed

• Stewardship campaign

• Minister's package compared to typical Purdue employee

• Bylaws will be presented for vote at next meeting.

October 10, 2006 Board Meeting

• Status of capital campaign fund is good.

• Voted to approve a request by Social Justice committee to be an official sponsor of the Indianapolis Women's Chorus concert at the Religious Art Festival on Jan. 21, 2007.

• Scheduled congregational meeting on December 10, noon, to vote on By-Law changes and budget.

• Stewardship reports the pledge drive is going well.

• A number of congregants will be attending the Raising the Roof conference Oct 13-15 at Pokagon State Park. 

• Administration of flowers has been resolved.

• In response to recent building security concerns, re-keyed 7th street building and plans to re-key Union Street. Process implemented to keep track of keys.

Complete minutes can be found at https://uufolks.org/groups/board/minutes

-Dagmar Murray, UUC Board Secretary

This month's church mouse awards go to Jim Leary, Chuck Reynolds and Cheryl Fowler. 

Jim recently taught a fascinating series of RE classes on nanotechnology that was very well received. 

Chuck generously prepares posters when needed and has been running Adult RE almost single-handedly.

Cheryl has made great contributions to RE, has been making calls to update the database, and is the neighborhood group organizer.

We greatly appreciate Jim, Chuck and Cheryl.

Thanks to all who helped with the Dining Court fundraising project!

Thank you from the "bottom of my heart" to the 30 individuals who worked at the Purdue Ford Dining Court in August and earned $976.88.  This is a record!  The Committee has already purchased $125.00 of food for the LUM Food Pantry, homeless shelter, and after school program.  Also, we will be able to give additional support to Cary Home and the DVIPP program, and other Social Justice projects.   Thanks to Caroline Barnhart, Marty Becker, Keith Brown, Cody Buchanan, Rob Carlisle, Kathy Coder, Christy Cooper, Rachel Dougherty, Andriela Fernandez, Ruth Ann Ferris, Mary Finley, Mary Ann Foley, Cheryl Fowler, Amy French, Terrie Kercher, Edwin Layer, Kaye McSpadden, Joan Marshall, Dagmar Murray, Diana Poindexter, Sue Robinson, Jill Salem, Beverly Seese, Fritz Smith, Edie Thomas, Sue Thomas, Volker Thomas, Dick Trent, Jean Tyner, Trudy Wildfleur.  A special thank you goes to Rachel Dougherty who worked 18.8 hours and Mary Ann Foley who worked 14.3 hours

-Sue Robinson, Community Responsibility Committee (Sub-committee of Social Justice)

Unborn bear needs to find its home

Someone purchased a stuffed bear at the service auction but has not contacted Della Willmann to place a specific order.  Please e-mail Della to help this bear come into the world. 

Greeters are extra special people deserving recognition 

The Greeting & Membership Committee would like to thank those who have greeted recently and all those who have done so in the past.  Recent greeters are: Rae Brandt and Dave Shelton, Fritz Smith and Rob Carlise,

Jerry Robinson & Kathleen Switzer, Sue Robinson, Martha Lempke, Susan Windnagel and Travis Davison, Marty Becker, Robin and Diana Poindexter, Amy & Maark French and Family, Verna Ritz, Charles Reynolds. Thanks to all for your service to the Church!

-Greeting & Membership Committee

UU Women's Chorus

Choir practice will resume for our women's chorus this Wednesday, November 1, at 7pm in the sanctuary. If you have an undeveloped talent for singing, let our choir director help you develop your talent. If you are already experienced, come help provide a nurturing environment to enable our woment to grow both vocally and spiritually through singing.

Contact Denise Gilliland, choir director,

Church Leaders Learn About Growth

An excited group from our church attended the Raising the Roof Workshop conducted by the Heartland UU District in October.  The workshop concerned issues in church growth and was attended by over 80 people from 17 UU congregations in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky.

                Our congregation was represented by Hilary, Michele Tomarelli, Lynn Richardson, Beverly Seese, Noemi Ybarra, and myself.  We learned a great deal during the three days and hope to communicate these insights to you in the coming months.  Come to church on Sunday, November 12, to hear some of the results! 

                We discovered that many UU congregations in our district are challenged by growth issues, as varied as the churches themselves.  We heard from new congregations, old ones, very small ones in rural communities, large ones in city centers, ones with declining membership, and others in crowded conditions.  The workshop was led by Alice Mann, who has written several books on the subject of church growth (Alice's books are in the church library). 

                A portion of the workshop dealt with situations where a church should NOT look to a new building or new members to solve their problems.  On the drive to the state park, we answered a set of questions that dealt with whether our congregation was well positioned for growth right now.

                A "system change index" score, based on our answers, along with our current average attendance, was plotted during the workshop on a graph showing our "potential for growth" along with those from all the other congregations.  You will be pleased to hear that we fell into the "maximum potential for growth" portion of the graph.

                However, we could see that by 2008, when we are in the new building, we will need to increase our average attendance to stay in that optimal growth mode. Fortunately, that is exactly what we are expecting to happen, but we need to plan for this growth.  If you want to see the questions and do the exercise yourself, check out Appendix E in the book Raising the Roof by Alice Mann in the church library. 

                One of the take-home messages was that the preferred method of growth is NOT to build (or buy) more space as the first step. [uh-oh..].  Many congregations are not positioned for the growth that a new building will generate.  Alice Mann stressed that one should increase staff first, then build program content, and then think about adding space. Fortunately, that is exactly what we have done. 

                In the last five years, we have added staff and staff hours:  we increased the DRE to 3/4 time, added hours to the administrative assistant position (formerly defined as secretary), hired a paid pianist and a choir director.  We are still engaged in this process:  two of this year's budget initiatives will secure the second half of the choir director's salary and begin to pay health benefits for our staff.  We have also increased our program: among other things, our Social Justice program is stronger, our adult RE offerings are more varied now, and the increase in DRE hours allowed us to expand our youth program. 

                I know that the increase in budget devoted to staff has been controversial among some congregants, and difficult to maintain during our recent slump in pledges.  However, the Raising the Roof workshop argued that we are on the right track. 

                We also learned that we need to plan for more increases. With anticipated growth after we have settled in our new building, we will need additional hours for both the administrative assistant and the DRE.  Eventually, both should be full-time positions, and this may be needed in the not-so-distant future. There will also be additional costs in taking care of the building, and needs for staff in other areas.  To provide the funds for additional staff hours and new programs, we will need to do careful planning in this and coming years.

                It was exciting to spend a weekend surrounded by UUs and hear their hopes and worries.  Several groups were envious of our congregation's position.  The new building was a great thing to brag about, but also we attracted much interest in our Community Within and Outreach programs.

                People wanted to hear about the annual retreat and other community-building events, and many were interested in the quilt project for meth babies. Each of us gained a lot from the experience. If you want to hear more about what we learned, ask any one of us and come to the service on November 12.  

-Barny Dunning

How's the "Up, Up & Away" campaign going?

The Stewardship Committee reports that quite a few pledges have been turned in, but we still have a way to go. Many pledges have been generous, with many people increasing the amount of their pledge. At the time of newsletter publication, we have just about reached the level of last year's campaign. With the help of our intrepid canvassers, we are hopeful that the remaining pledges will help our balloon to soar even higher. If you have not yet made your pledge, or if you have questions, please contact Lynn Richardson

                We will have a celebration on Sunday, Nov. 12 after the service. Be sure to come and enjoy a piece of cake!

-Stewardship Committee  

Training for greeters to be held

The Greeting & Membership Committee will be holding a Greeter's Training class sometime soon.  If you would like to be a greeter and would like to be on a list of persons willing to serve in this capacity, please talk to Della Willmann and/or sign the list at the back of the church.  Being a greeter is an interesting and fun way to participate and contribute!

-Greeting & Membership Committee

Caring Cans collection continues

Thank you for your donations!  The LUM Food Pantry is already serving record numbers.  It looks like food donations will be extremely important this winter.  Please bring canned goods this month.  LUM especially needs canned fruits, vegetables, and tomato products.  No glass containers please.  You may place your donations in the designated boxes under the coat rack in the back hall downstairs or at the back of the sanctuary.

Feast volunteers earn $$ for social justice!

The Social Justice Committee thanks all those who volunteered to sell tickets recently at the Feast of the Hunter's Moon. Special thanks go to Jean Tyner, Jeff Lusk, Alanna Steffen-Nelson and Steve Nelson, Sue Render, Sharon and Doug McKnight, Beverly Seese and Martin Seese, Charles Coley, Ruth Ann and Don Ferris, Keith Dannenfelser, Joy Allen, Michelle Tomarelli, Bill Schroeder, Joan Marshall, and Terrie Kercher. Through the volunteer efforts of these individuals, the Social Justice Committee earned nearly $500 for its initiatives and programs. Thank you!

-Charles Coley, Social Justice Cmte

"Change for Change" to benefit Jubilee-also, volunteers needed!

Change for Change coins will support Lafayette Urban Ministry's Christmas Jubilee for the month of November. LUM is supported by 44 local churches, including our own. Many programs to assist low-income community residents are coordinated through LUM.

                One of these is Christmas Jubilee, a joyful event where qualifying families are invited to select holiday gifts for their children. The gifts are wrapped at the distribution centers, and the parents take them home so they can "play Santa Claus" to their kids.

                In addition to toys, families receive food for the holiday meal. This year, our church will host Jubilee at the Mental Health Community Center, along with other congregations. We will need many volunteers to help make Jubilee a success, including people to set-up, buy age-appropriate gifts for our families, provide cookies, be hosts/hostesses, wrap gifts, and clean-up.

                Our coins will be used to support the expenses we will incur for the day. Please think about volunteering to help, either on Friday evening (December 15) or Saturday morning (December 16). If you are able to volunteer for Jubilee, please tell Rae Brandt, Mary Findley, or Jean Tyner. Thank you for your generous support.

Note: "Change for Change" is an initiative begun by our congregation earlier this year in which all loose change in the Sunday offering is given to a designated social justice cause.

You can help with the UU family quilt!

In early October, RE embarked on an ambitious project to create a UU Family Quilt.  This quilt is part of the Christmas Pageant we will be doing in December.  If you intended to create a quilt patch for this project, it is not too late to turn it in.  Please get any quilt squares to Gale Lockwood (463-3031) by November 8.  Thank you for participating. I hope you are excited to see our family's creative endeavors at the Pageant!

 -Amy French

Atheism Discussion Group

The Atheism Discussion Group will meet from 6-7pm on Thursday Nov. 9 in room 1 or 4. We will discuss Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and the "New Atheism." Please contact JC with any questions.

Book Group

Nov 13: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Dec 11: A Changed Man by Francine Prose

The Book Group meets on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7pm 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. 

SUNDAY MORNING FORUM

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

The titles of the November programs are also titles of recent books that touch on important political, religious and social issues. The programs promise opportunities for engagement with ideas that shape our times.

November 5. "American Theocracy" Phyllis Day, Professor Emeritus, Sociology. This book argues that a "reckless dependency on shrinking oil supplies, a milieu of radicalized (and much too influential) religion, and a reliance on borrowed money . . . now constitute the three major perils to the United States of the twenty-first century."

November 12. "Betraying Spinoza" Daniel Frank, Professor of Philosophy; Chris Martin, Ph. D. student of Spinoza. Amsterdam in 1656 was the center of European commerce and home of a prosperous Portuguese- Jewish community. That year, Rembrandt filed for bankruptcy and Baruch Spinoza was excommunicated from the Jewish Community. Who was Spinoza and what were his unpardonable acts?

November 19. "The American Gospel" Van Neie, Professor Emeritus, Physics and Science Education. This book focuses the religious leanings of Jefferson, Franklin, Adams and others. The religious right's desire for a state religion of Christianity is at odds with Jefferson's view "Our minds and hearts are free to believe everything or nothing at all-and it is our duty to protect and perpetuate this sacred culture of freedom."

November 26. "The Freethinkers" Ernest McDaniel, Professor Emeritus, Educational Psychology. The golden age of the freethinkers in America was roughly between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of World War I. But, modern freethinkers are alive and well and are likely to be found in UU congregations.

News from LUM (Lafayette Urban Ministry)

Homeless Shelter

The Homeless Shelter is in need of coffee and sugar as well as socks (white athletic tube style) and disposable razors.

Office Needs

Used inkjet cartridges of any brand would be greatly appreciated. LUM receives money for them. See Kaye McSpadden for details.

In other news

This year's Hunger Hike was a great success. The goal this year was $55,000 and it is expected that that amount will be topped.

Jubilee Christmas

Mark your calenders for this year's Jubilee Christmas. It will be held on December 16th, and many volunteers will be needed (see p. 11). You will be hearing more about this in the next few weeks.

Bach Chorale tickets

This year the Bach Chorale will be performing "Fantasia of Christmas Carols" by Ralph Vaughn Williams and the "Gloria" by John Rutter. LUM will receive  half the proceeds of ticket sales ordered through them. Order forms for tickets are available at the LUM office, online at www.lafayetteurbanministry.org or by calling 423-2691. Tickets must be purchased using the special order form in order for LUM to benefit from their sale. The performance will be December 16 at 8pm at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

-Mary Finley, LUM representative.

Note received from Alan Manifold:

Thank you! In grateful appreciation to the UU Church for your generous donation to the Chicago 2006 Breast Cancer 3-Day. On behalf of Alan Manifold & Team

Denominational Connections Chair position open

Keeping our congregation connected to the larger UU world is vitally important. The Denominational Connections Chair stays abreast of news and developments and helps keep the congregation and its members informed.

                Also, the Denominational Connections Chair attends district and national events (when possible) and encourages congregants to attend. The Denominational Connections Chair attends Program Council meetings.

                If you are interested in fulfilling this important role, please contact Kaye McSpadden.

Join UU friends for dinner at MCL

All are welcome to drop in at MCL Cafeteria in West Lafayette on any Thursday evening,when UUs gather for casual conversation over dinner.The group varies in size from 4 to 16, and gathers in the lobby at MCL.Then starts down the "line" at approximately 5:40 PM.

You Too Can Sponsor Flowers!

Either sign up on the sheet in the back of the santuary or call Judi, our administrative assistant, to make arrangements. The cost is $20.00, and you may take the flowers home with you after the service. Please return the vase so that we can recycle it.

Caregiver's support group

If you are caring for a partner, family member, or friend with 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. Meets at the church on the fourth Tuesday of the month. If you are interested  you can also call the minister.