Ingathering

Each year, as people return from their summer wandering, as school begins … people turn back to church in larger numbers.  We have experienced new things in the summer – sometimes at home, sometimes while traveling. 

Unitarian Universalist Congregations usually celebrate this with a Mingling of Waters. People bring water from the places they traveled or from the backyard sprinkler or even from the kitchen sink and share a little bit about what they learned and experienced over the scattered months of summer. 

Please remember to bring your water to our ingathering Sunday, Sept. 10.  The Ingathering Service tends to run a little longer than usual as families stand together and share.  It is a warm and community building time.

See you there! 

Board Meeting Highlights

August 8, 2006

·        Voted to accept the counter offer from St. Andrew Church for purchase of their property. The hard work by the negotiating committee is greatly appreciated.

·        Committee on Ministry presented Minister's Package Education Sheet.

·        Search for administrative assistant completion anticipated shortly.

·        Alternative resources for RE special needs shadowing suggested.

·        Union and Seventh street properties will be placed on market

·        Extended Dufair family expressed great appreciation for care and support coming from our congregation.

·        Service auction fund raising designated for UU dues, then funding church move.

·        Board retreat Aug.25-26

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

 Worship & Music Committee Meeting

The Worship & Music Committee will meet Thursday, Sept. 21 from 6:30 to

8 p.m. at the Church in Room 4. 

All monthly planning meetings are open to the congregation.  Members and friends are welcome to attend! 

Remember to visit our table at the Program Fair after the service on September 17!  We need congregants to help prepare the sanctuary before services as well as to perform readings during the service, donations for the flower fund, volunteers to light the Chalice, and new committee members.  Current committee members will be available to talk with you and provide information for you to take home.  Please visit us! 

 2007 Stewardship Campaign to Begin October 1

UP-UP-AND-AWAY is the theme for our 2007 Budget Drive.

As you may have heard, both congregational Boards agreed to the terms of us purchasing the St. Andrew building. In late 2007 or early 2008 at the latest we will be UP over the river UP AND AWAY to our new church home.

The Stewardship Committee would like you to think about the future of our congregation. 2007 marks an exciting year of transition. Our larger new building will UP our utility costs and the expanded space will welcome new people UPping our program needs and costs. 2007 will be the year to consider UPping your pledge as investment into our future. Share into the excitement and prepare for a calm ride UP, UP AND AWAY to our future home in 2007.

Look for a mailing with the 2007 Stewardship Campaign brochure in the second part of September.

Mark your calendar for the Campaign Kick-off on Oct. 1, 2006. After the service we plan on having a potluck campaign lunch with entertainment and child care at the St. Andrew building to renew our commitment and excitement for our new home, and pledge our support for 2007.

We look UP, UP AND AWAY into an exciting UUC future.

Your Stewardship Committee

 Singing Together

The Worship and Music Committee would like to help the congregation become better acquainted with our hymns, both in the "Singing in the Living Tradition" and in the new blue books.

To help us learn the hymns, we will often sing a given selection for two Sundays in a row. Since this is a somewhat new approach for us, we thought it would help if we explained ourselves.

By singing a particular hymn two Sundays in a row, the congregation has a better chance of really learning it, thus increasing our enjoyment of the song and improving the sound of our singing. We look forward to exploring the wealth of music these books provide while enjoying the fellowship of our congregation.

                              -- Martha Gipson

Sound System Notes

Just a reminder that audiotapes of Sunday services are available for loan in the back of the sanctuary.

If you borrow tapes, please remember to sign them out and return them in a timely fashion. We do have a goal to move to digital recording one of these days.

If you are someone who wants to help with the technical side of that, please contact Sharon McKnight at 423-2727.

WANTED: Audio-tech-geek with time on his/her hands.

Though most of our service audiotapes are recycled, I’ve been saving all the tapes from Spiritual Journeys.
Is there someone out there with the equipment, know-how, and time to edit and digitize these tapes? Wouldn’t a compilation of Spiritual Journeys make a great gift for new members?

If you are willing to take on this task, contact Sharon McKnight at 423-2727.

Bad hair day? Trouble hearing? Baby, who was awake all night, finally fell asleep in the car on the way to church?

Just a reminder that the Sunday services are broadcast live on 88.1 FM.

The broadcast range includes our parking lot and at least a portion of the library’s paring lot, and can be picked up on your car’s radio. The sound operator has a couple of portable radios to loan during the service for anyone needing hearing assistance or needing to leave the sanctuary during service.

Come All Singers

Come women, come men, come singers all.....Help to prepare for our In-gathering Sunday service on Sept. 10. A full chorus is needed and only two rehearsals are required. Church choirs are special because ability varies widely. Our most skillful singers will lend their talents to help those with less experience share their talents as well. Come to our first rehearsal, Wednesday, Aug. 30th at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. Let our year begin with a choir our congregation is proud of.

Calling All Musicians! Of All Ages!

Do you play the piano? The guitar?  The oboe?  Flute?  Autoharp? Drums?  Saw? 

Do you play an instrument?  It’s one of our great joys at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lafayette to share our musical talents with one another. 

We’re always looking for people who might like to play a special piece of music during a church service – gathering music, offertory, special element, a postlude or a special song that adds the deeper dimension to a topic.

 Let us know about your musical talents – your repertoire and your skill level so that you can share your gift with the congregation.  Not only do we enjoy times when members play elements in our Sunday services – we also have a special music service at least once a year – this year on November 19. 

Don’t be shy – your gift is welcome.  If you happen to have piano skills that would enable you to accompany hymns that would also be welcome!  Contact Rev. Hilary or the Chair of Worship and Music -- Elizabeth Sternke

Let’s make music together. 

Looking for Additional Pianists

Our wonderful staff pianist, Richard Maddux, plays on roughly 3/4 of the Sundays.

On other days, we count on volunteer pianists. Currently there are two regular volunteer pianists -- Kaye McSpadden and Jo Ann Mullen. It would be great to have another one or two who could help from time to time.

If you are interested, please contact Kaye McSpadden, Volunteer Pianist Coordinator

Sunday Forum

Our seven-week series on the nature of religious beliefs was a huge success with the Red Cross meeting room completely filled on several occasions.

Humanism has been a central value of Unitarianism and is well illustrated by Thomas Paine’s opposition to putting money into church bells while there are hungry people in the streets.

Thus, it is appropriate that we turn from examination of religious beliefs to a closer look at the hungry in our own backyard. But our backyard is larger than it was in Tom Paine’s days. The faces of hunger and disease are yellow, brown, and black and the undereducated children of Africa are our undereducated children.

The next seven-week series of Forum programs focuses on human problems and issues of social justice ranging from health care to gender, economic and political issues.

September 3

"Extending the Benefits of Health Care, Education and Economic Opportunity to Everyone" David Vorbeck. Dave is the manager partner of Bison Financial Group and a candidate for the Indiana Senate.

September 10

"Global Citizens: How Women, Human Rights, and Environmental Groups Make Their Voices Heard at the United Nations" Ann Marie Clark. Ann Clark is an associate professor in the department of political science. Her talk will be based on a study of these groups at a recent UN World Conferences.

September 17

"Rawanda: Genocide and Hope" Al Schlueter.  Al Schlueter is a retired professor of chemistry who lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He recently returned from two months in Rawanda where he taught in the schools. His talk include slides and observations about recent developments.

September 24

"Seeking Social Change: Women in India" Mangala Subramaniam. Mangala Subramaniam is a professor of sociology and author of a recent book, "The Power of Women's Organizing: Gender, Caste and Class in India". Her talk will focus on challenges by poor low-caste women working to create change within the community.

October 3

"The Anti-Abortion Movement Wants to Stop Abortions, Right? Don't Be So Sure." Kaye McSpadden.

The anti-abortion movement has become an anti-contraception movement rooted in an outdated notion that a woman's main purpose in life is to have children. Kaye’s talk is based on a fascinating new book called "How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America: Freedom, Politics and the War on Sex" by Cristina Page.

LUM Report

This year's LUM Camp was a great success. Eighty one children attended this year's camp, the theme of which was energy. The happy campers learned quite a bit about energy and expended a lot of it themselves in traditional camp activities.

Hunger Hike

This year's Hunger Hike is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 17th. Registration will be at Riehle Plaza from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. More information is available from the web site:www.hungerhike.org read the flyer in this newsletter, or you can checkout the poster which will be posted in the back of the church this Sunday, along with registration forms.

Afterschool Program needs:

The afters chool program will be starting up again very soon therefore healthy snacks and juice will be needed and can be taken to LUM headquarters: 525 N. 4^th Street, Lafayette.

Office needs:

Used inkjet cartridges-all brands

                  --Mary Finley, Social Responsibility Committee

 Come to the Cabaret Service Auction

Come to the Service Auction Cabaret on Friday, Sept. 8 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the church.

There will be a silent and live auction. Proceeds will go for Fair Share cost and the cost of moving to West Lafayette.

There will be food, fun, and music. Thanks to all who have already purchased tickets, raffle tickets, or made donations—we’ve already raised almost $1,000 toward our $10,000 goal!

Come Help Clean Up the Dufair’s Yard

Sept. 9, 2006 

Join us for a day of weeding and removing flowerbeds

Two Pot Lucks: at noon and one at 6 p.m.

Yard Party will start at 8 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.

(Come when you can and for as long as you want.)

Please bring:

A dish to share with others

Small and large clippers

Gloves

Shovels, rakes, hoe, etc.

Wheel Barrows or blue tarps

Yard tools that you like to use when gardening

Pots or bags to take home plants

(We will be eliminating some flowerbeds)

Thanking you in advance for coming and helping. 

If you have electric hedge cutters or rototiller that we can use, please contact Virginia Fairchild  or Jason Dufair  

Pastoral Care Group

The Pastoral Care Group is responsible for coordinating the "care and feeding" of the congregation. 

The group monitors the status of members and friends of the congregation and provides general support to those in need.  Please feel free to contact any member of the group below.

Malcom Easler  

Mary Ann Foley  

Cheryl Fowler   

Hilary Landau Krivchenia  

Rosesmary Leary 

Kathleen Peyton 

Lynn Richardson  

Publicity Pointers

While we UUs don’t say “proselytize,” we do say “publicize” and “public relations.”

After all, we have something wonderful to ‘sell:’ our UU Church! It is imperative that we get the name “Unitarian Universalist Church” before the public. How do we present ourselves to the larger community, and how do we better communicate what we are?

What does the UU Church offer that other churches don’t? How do we explain the special beliefs and unique religion that make us different? How many persons within range of our Church have never heard of Unitarian Universalism? How many people out there would just love our Church if they only knew it existed?

Answering these questions is the mission of your UU Publicity Committee. We hope you have seen some of the advertisements we have inserted in local media, heard some of the spots on WBAA, and felt pride in the news articles about special UU Church events.

We also hope you will give us any suggestions you have for spreading the word about our wonderful Church. We would especially like to hear ideas about getting our Church’s name out in the Purdue community.

On a personal level, please don’t be afraid to talk about your Church or your beliefs if an acquaintance asks. It’s not proselytizing, it’s letting a possible future member know that we exist. Some sources suggest wearing a UU insignia at your other activities. This might spark a question, for which you will have your ‘elevator speech’ ready. [SEE elsewhere in this issue the article about TUUT (Timely U.U. Topics), whose September 6 session will be a discussion of “What Is Your Elevator Speech?,” and what you mean when you call yourself a Unitarian Universalist.]

The Publicity Committee is seeking additional members. We especially need someone to help us with our “clerical” tasks. The next Publicity Committee meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Spageddies. Verna Ritz

Women’s Shelter

The Women’s Shelter is preparing for the possibility of a flu outbreak by stocking needed items in advance. Much appreciated are the following:

·        Tylenol (generic) for adults and children

·        Anti-diarrhea medication

·        Pedialyte

·        Gatorade (powder)

·        Bottled Water

·        Any electrolyte drinks

·        Kleenex

·        Cough medicine

·        Cold medicine (Sudafed, etc. - generic)

·        Antacids

The donation box is in the hallway near the kitchen. Thank you for your ongoing support of DVIPP. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Tyner

 Former Social Responsibility Committee, under Social Justice

Thank you to the following church members who worked at the Ford Dining Court in August. 

Their help was most appreciated at the dining court and our Community Responsibility Committee appreciates the additional funds to support our projects like LUM homeless shelter, the food pantry, and the Women's Shelter.

Thank you Bill Asher, Marty Becker, Caroline Barnhart, Keith Brown, Cody Buchanan, Rob Carlisle, Kathy Coder, Christy Cooper,  Kaye McSpadden, Ruth Ann Ferris, Adriela Fernandez, Mary Finley, Mary Ann Foley, Cheryl Fowler, Amy French, Terrie Kercher, Edwin Layer, Joan Marshall, Dagmar Murray, Diana Poindexter, Sue Robinson,  Jill Salem, Beverly Seese, Fritz Smith, Edie and Volker Thomas, Sue Render Thomas, Dick Trent, Jean Tyner, Trudy Wildfleur.  Many of these volunteers worked two or more shifts.  Your support is most appreciated!

A special thanks to Sue Render Thomas for organizing our LUM shelter dinner!  Contact her if you are able to help with future dinners.

CARING CANS COLLECTION CONTINUES THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH AND EVERY SUNDAY YOU ARE ABLE TO BRING FOOD FOR THE LUM FOOD PANTRY.

 The September collection will be healthy non-perishable food items for children's sack lunches.  Please place your donations in the basket at the back of the sanctuary or in the box under the coat rack inside the back door downstairs.
                                                --Sue Robinson

Adult RE 

Greetings from your ARE co-ordinator. As we gather together in this very exciting new season I am happy to say that both Timely Unitarian Universalist Topics (TUUT) and Scriptural Study will start again this fall.

Alternating Wednesdays will be the pattern: So, mark your calendars!

TUUT: Every other week starting Wednesday 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Sept 6, 2006

Sept 20

Oct 4

Oct 18

SCRIPTURAL STUDY: Every other week starting Wednesday 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Sept 13, 2006

Sept 27

Oct 11

Oct 25

TUUT was formed to be a lively discussion group examining a variety of current topics of interest.   President Bush's co-optation of Private Charity under the rubric of Faith Based Initiative was one of the first things examined.

In concert with the Sunday Morning Forum, TUUT discussed ramifications of Sam Harris' critique of The Acceptance of Evil.  We also tackled Reverend Sinkford's call for a Language of Reverence.  That one was a 'two parter' and brought out a lot of people and lively discussion. 

This year TUUT will explore a wide range of topics -- which will largely be generated by those who are meeting and interested.  These topics will, however, include the UUA Study Action Issue of Peace Making. 

Our first session will center on something simple and close to home:  What is your elevator speech -- how do you answer -- for others and for yourself – what you mean if you call yourself Unitarian Universalist.

From the controversial to the merely complex we look forward to taking the time to engage the lively art of discussion.

                  --Chuck Reynolds

Outdoor Group

Join us in a hike around Portland Arch Nature Preserve (40 minutes from Lafayette) on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 9.  This is a beautiful area that exhibits the power of water and erosion.  All ages and dogs welcome.  See Tandy Easler for details. 

Writers Interest Group

The Writers Interest Group has been changed to Monday, Sept. 11 at 1:30 p.m. because of the Labor Day holiday.  They will meet again on the following Monday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Wabash Center Kids’ Connection

Change for Change supports Wabash Center Kids’ Connection for the month of September.

Kids’ Connection is a year-round early childhood program and childcare center serving children with and without disabilities.

One hundred twenty children from 6 weeks to 6 years of age are enrolled in the center, with thirty percent of the spaces reserved for special needs children. Families are charged fees on a sliding scale, with some families enrolling through voucher programs and others paying full fees.

Funding to remodel/enhance an indoor playroom is needed. Other needs include toys and classroom equipment, especially adaptive toys and electronic equipment for children with limited motor skills.

Volunteers must go through a thorough screening process, so long term commitments are encouraged for helping in the childcare programs. However, the center has special activities throughout the year and can use extra hands.

In April, a child abuse prevention fair will be held, and there are fall and winter festivals which depend on volunteer contributions as well.

MINISTERS MUSE

From my earliest childhood, my greatest social justice passion has been for peace. 

That commitment has taken different forms over time. To honor that commitment I have applied to and been accepted as a member of a delegation to Israel/Palestine. That delegation, co-sponsored by The Fellowship of Reconciliation and the American Friends Service Committee, will travel from November 4 -18 of this year. 

The Fellowship of Reconciliation is, as their website will tell you, the nation's oldest and largest interfaith peace and justice organization.  They have sponsored many delegations to the Middle East and far more around the world. 

The American Friends Service Committee is a long standing peace and service organization which – like our own Unitarian Universalist Service Committee – seeks to support individuals working in conflict-torn areas and to alleviate the suffering of the people in those areas.

 The purposes of the trip are many. The first is to support those individuals and groups in the region who are dedicated to and working for peace. 

The second is to witness firsthand what the situation is really like.

Out of that comes the third purpose – which is to bring back what we have learned and share that in our own country through the organizations of which we are a part. 

Further, the purpose is to foster peaceful relationships between persons whose nations may be at war but who long to create peace. And another purpose is to send a message to people in conflict-torn areas that they are not alone.

Finally, the purpose is to become educated in such a way that we can return home not simply as reporters of conflict but even more as educated advocates of peace.

I will travel with an interfaith group in Jerusalem and in some of the occupied territories. We will assist in a small way with the Palestinian olive harvest. According to the itinerary, there will be little free time – but the places that we will visit meet my primary desires in visiting this part of the world.

We will visit sites of importance to our understanding of the conflict there. We will visit Yad Vashem which is the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. At Yad Vashem is also the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations – a memorial garden for non-Jews who helped Jews during the Holocaust. In that garden is a new memorial to Rev. Waitstill and Martha Sharp, the Unitarian minister and his wife who helped numerous Jews escape the Nazis and helped to found the Unitarian Service Committee with its Chalice emblem. 

We will learn about the effects of the dividing wall and learn about the impact on both Israelis and Palestinians living under the constant threat of violence.

In the process of preparing for this journey I have made many contacts and am getting ready to speak in various venues when I return. One of my most satisfying contacts has been with the Unitarian Universalist Association, which is strongly supportive of this journey and eager to hear my experiences upon my return.

I will keep a journal while traveling. I will bring the experience home with me so that we can learn, explore, and dialogue.

Before I go I will share with you more of what has inspired – or driven – me to join this delegation. I will also share with you what I have been learning about the history and politics of the region.  And there is so much more to learn.

This year at our Unitarian Universalist General Assembly it was voted that our new study action issue is peacemaking. Thus, for us as a faith, journeys and work such as this are timely and valuable. Our congregation has become a stronger and clearer voice for justice in our larger community. I hope to contribute to our growth as a justice congregation and to Unitarian Universalism as a larger global movement for peace and justice.

Join UUS*

The Unitarian Universalist Symposium (UUS) is a small group that gathers weekly at 7 p.m. each Wednesday for food and fellowship, meeting at a different location each week. Venues will be decided at the previous week's meeting. To find out this week's location, call toll-free 1-877-UUC-UUS1 (1-877-882-8871). If you know of a great local restaurant, be sure to come to the next UUS meeting and let UUS know!

 RE News

This month marks the beginning of the new year in Religious Education.  This year’s theme is Our Judeo-Christian Heritage, and it’s going to be a busy year! 

There is a wonderful spirit of creativity that has everyone brewing up fabulous ideas to nourish the spirit and bring the community together. Team leaders are rewriting and creating new curricula, plays and a pageant. Let’s start with the eldest and work our way down.

Our High School class, the WUUTs (Wired UU Teens) have started a Yahoo News Group for discussion and what adults might refer to as “outreach.”  They are also rewriting their covenant, reworking their social justice project, and decorating Room 1 to suit themselves.  A lock-in party in the Sanctuary is planned, partly as an OWL reunion, and partly to invite new folks into WUUT.  Finally, a Conscientious Objector Program is being organized with the Friends Meeting (Quakers), and possibly some other peaceful churches in the area.  If anyone would like to help with any of these projects, contact Greg and Christine Reynolds, or Michele Tomarelli.

The Young Youth have an identity, but are searching for a name (having had one name rejected by the adults).  We made a change this year at their request: the Young Youth grades are 6, 7, and 8; 8th grade was formerly part of the WUUTs, but this gang of kids wanted to stay together, and nearly all are taking OWL together, so we said, fine.  They’ve already had a Clean-up Happy Hollow day, followed by a party and sleep over at the Lockwoods’ house.  A series of social action projects is in their future, as well as OWL, and a field trip or two.

Grades 3, 4, and 5 have moved into the Red Cross. This class is also writing its own covenant, and is developing a real group personality.  Kathy Schroth is writing a curriculum especially for this class, and has all sorts of projects planned for them.

Kathy Coder has Kindergarten through 2nd grade in Room 4.  That, too, is a change: they used to be in Room 1, and now they share space with a number of adult groups, like Fiber Arts, and the Chamber Singers.  The décor should work well, as Kathy is including music and even a little dance as part of the children’s studies.

Preschool is in Room 3, and after their usual chalice lighting, Beth Misner is looking forward to introducing the little Cubs to the traditional Jewish and Christian stories.  If you should chance to come downstairs during RE, you may see the sort of crafts that you knew from your own Sunday School days.

The Lambs in the Nursery (Beth has the lion cubs, and Angie has the lambs - lions lying down with lambs, you see?) are much the same as ever:  little people crawling and toddling, smiling and babbling. 

In summary, things are changing downstairs, and all for the better.  It may look more like Sunday School than usual, but don’t worry, our UU values are being stressed as we explore the Judeo-Christian Heritage on which Unitarian Universalism was founded. It should be a very entertaining and informative year!

Announcement #1.  Teacher Orientation will be at 6 p.m. on Sept. 10 in Room 4 .  You were oriented last year?  Come anyway: things have changed a bit, we need to schedule teaching dates, and we’ll have desserts!

Announcement #2.  An Our Whole Lives class is starting for the 7th through 9th grade, under the direction of Kris Taylor and Volker Thomas.  The parents meeting will be at the church at 7 p.m. on Sept. 14.  Kids are entitled to have honest, accurate, complete sex education in a safe and fun setting, and while they won’t get it in school, they can have it here. For more information, please talk to Kris Taylor , Volker Thomas , or Michele Tomarelli .  

Announcement #3.  Anyone interested in working on the Conscientious Objector project, please contact Michele . 

It would do the kids good both to meet with people who were conscientious objectors, and with those who decided to serve their country in time of war.  Please note that pressing the youth to take CO status is not the object of this project.  Instead we wish to give them factual information about their legal obligation to register, and the reality of modern military life, before they meet the military recruiters that will approach them in school. 

It is entirely possible that some of our young people will choose to enlist when they graduate, and they’ll go with our love.  We want them to make an informed choice, however, and not one based on the rosy blandishments of recruiting agents.  For those youth who choose to register as COs, their registration will be made much easier if they belong to a “Peace Church” and have a record of participation in anti- war activities.

Thank Yous

Thank you to Ruth Ann and Don Ferris, whose donation to the Nursery honoring Anna DuFair allowed us to get the nursery gate repaired. The gate, which could be pushed out into the hallway, is now secured by two pop-rivited, smooth metal bars that hold the frame work of the gate in place.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Congregational Conversation with and on Youth.  According to our MC, Nancy Combs Morgan, our church had the largest turn-out and the most youth in attendance in the district.  We are also the only church "that had the audacity" to start the program with a Youth Service.  Nancy was impressed!  That is quite a compliment, as this process started last spring and she has attended dozens of these conversations.  Our conversation produced some very, very good ideas, which I am writing up into a report so that we can use them.  The UUA survey indicated that youth tend to feel that their congregations to not care about them or take them very seriously.  I think we have demonstrated that that is not true here in Lafayette; we do care and you have shown it.

Especial thanks go to Caroline and Roy Barnhardt, who kindly set their anniversary reception back an hour to allow us to have time to finish. Thanks also to Beth Misner, who fed everyone a lot of pizza so we wouldn't starve, and to Nancy Combs Morgan for her services as Mistress of Ceremonies.

WUUT OWL Reunion Lock-In  

For the High Schoolers Only:  The WUUTs are having an overnight  lock-In party in the Sanctuary beginning at 8 p.m. on Sept. 9.  Bring a sleeping bag, plus toiletries and clean clothes.  RSVP (so we have enough food!) to Greg and Christine Reynolds.

Adult Religious Education Wants You!

ARE has had marvelous proposals for classes for this fall, but we can’t get them into the ARE booklet without the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of good reporting. 

If you are planning or considering facilitating a course or workshop, please contact Chuck Reynolds so that he can get help you sort it out, and get your class on the church calendar and into the booklet. 

Apologia:  This past couple of weeks has presented us with three downed computers, two servers with problems, no secretary and a new secretary, as well as a deadline that was moved up two weeks. 

As you can imagine, we have had a lot of trouble getting information where it needed to go.  If you have e-mailed me and I have not responded, or if you failed to receive expected information from me, please be patient, and we'll try again.

Book Group

7 p.m., Monday, September 11, 2006
        Small Island by Andrea Levy

7 p.m., Monday, October 9, 2006
        The Bright Forever by Lee Martin

The 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.

Church Mouse

This month's church mouse award goes to Mary Ann Foley. 

Mary Ann has served the congregation in many, many ways over the years, including serving as treasurer for quite a few years. She provides generous TLC for UUC members as needed as part of the pastoral care group. 

Recently she coordinated the Dufair memorial potluck dinner, and willingly fills in for the treasurer collecting and counting the offering when needed.  We greatly appreciate Mary Ann.

Atheist Discussion Group

The Atheist Discussion Group will meet from 6 to 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of September in Room 4. On September 14 we will discuss the definitions of atheist and agnostic, and on September 28  we will discuss pleasure as the basis of morality.

Please contact JC Romero with any questions.

Think FLOWERS!

Hear ye, all you nature lovers.  There is still opportunity (many opportunities) to donate to the flower fund, and ALSO get flowers to take home on Sunday.  It is only $20 per donation, and you get a week's worth of beauty and fragrance for your money.  Think about it...talk about it, and have fun with it.

Contact the main office with your donation.

(NOTE:  We are -$57.00 at this date, and need your donations!!!)

                                          --Terry Robertson Smith

Guest at Your Table

Join UUSC in helping justice flow throughout the world!  Please save these two very special dates on your 2006-2007 congregational calendar.

On Nov. 19, 2006, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, celebrate Guest at Your Table along with hundreds of UU communities nationwide.

For over thirty years, UUs of all ages have built lasting connections to our shared values through Guest at Your Table. Learn about human rights in the U.S. and around the world, while celebrating the interconnectedness of all life, through this special UU tradition. To learn more, please visit www.uusc.org/guest .

Justice Sunday

On Justice Sunday, March 25, 2007, UU congregations will stand together for justice.

Using materials provided by UUSC, guide your congregation in taking action for change on an important and urgent human rights issue.  To learn about the recent Justice Sunday 2006 program, during which congregations nationwide united in supporting workers' rights, please visit www.uusc.org/justicesunday

.For more information about either of these programs, please e-mail volunteerservices@uusc.org or call 800-388-3920.