Unitarian Universalist Church -- Newsletter, Current Issue

Unitarian Universalist Symposium (UUS) meets weekly for food, fellowship and fun at various locations throughout the area depending upon the input of the participants. Our meeting day has been changed from Wednesday to Friday to prevent conflict with other UU events. All meetings take place at 7 PM, and all ages are welcome.

For information about the site of a given week, call the UUS toll-free number: 1-877-882-8871 (1-877-UUC-UUS1).

Congregants and Friends are also welcome to drop in any Thursday evening at the MCL Cafeteria in West Lafayette for casual conversation over dinner. The group, which varies in size from 4 to 16, and gathers in the lobby at MCL, then starts down the “line” at approximately 5:40 p.m.

Note on the Monthly Calendar

Because the deadline was so early (Dec. 16) for this newsletter, it was decided to omit the January 2008 calendar as it would be incomplete and in many cases incorrect. In general, even with regular deadlines, The Lighted Chalice calendar is often out of date. For improved and accurate communication and the convenience of the congregation, the newsletter team and administrative assistant are exploring the possibility of eliminating the calendar from the newsletter and creating on online calendar which could be easily and quickly changed and updated throughout the month.

The Church Mouse award this month is awarded to Ned Delaney and Robert Kozak for their many hours of help at the church working with our parking project during this fall's Purdue football games.

Calling all members who might have any church records from past years tucked away in boxes around your homes. Please collect them and bring them in to our new building so that we can organize them in our new archives room.

~A new assistant treasurer was appointed to complete the last five months of this open position - Kirsten Reynolds. Thank you to Kirsten for being willing to take on this responsibility, and thank you to Janice Thiel for helping out in the interim.

~The proposed 2008 budget prepared by the Finance Committee was approved with a few changes and is included with this newsletter for all members and friends to look over before the Congregational meeting that has been rescheduled for Jan. 13. At that time the budget will be considered for approval. The January Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for that day will be rescheduled. Watch for further notice.

Office Volunteers

The office space in our new church is wonderful and much more conducive to getting work done than before. Now we have room for volunteers!

We are in the process of forming a corps of office volunteers to help with office tasks and support Karin, our Administrative Assistant, by answering the phone, greeting visitors, and performing various other duties. If you would like to support our church in this capacity for a few hours each week, please contact Karin Bergman (743-8812; uuc@uulafayette.org), or Rosemary Leary (463-4246 or e-mail rleary207@aol.com). Thank you for volunteering!

The Social Justice Committee is proud to announce that the “Change for Change” theme of 2008 will be environmental and green sanctuary issues.

The beneficiary agency for January will be NICHES, or the Northern Indiana Citizens Helping Ecosystems Survive. NICHES is a nonprofit organization that was started in 1995 to protect natural spaces against increasing sprawl. NICHES works cooperatively with land owners, other nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies to protect a broad array of natural areas. NICHES is a member of the Land Trust Alliance and serves the following counties: Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Howard, Jasper, Montgomery, Pulaski, Newton, Tippecanoe, Warren, and White.

“Change for Change” ensures that all loose pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters in the collection plate weekly supports social service agencies monthly.

If you wish to assist the committee in the selection of 2008 beneficiary agencies, please contact Committee Co-Chairperson Charles Coley

If you have been hosting a "Guest at Your Table" box during the past few weeks, please bring it this Sunday, Dec. 23. There will be a special time in the

service to return it.You may return it with all the money inside, or you may convert your coins and cash to a check made out to UUSC. Be sure to fill in your name and contact info on the side panel and note that your contribution may qualify you for a UUSC (UU Service Committee) membership. If you're not able to return your box on Dec. 23, you may return it later. Jan. 14 is the deadline.

There will be a collection box in the fellowship hall, or you may return it to the church office.

Note: if you haven't yet picked up a box, it's not too late! Extra boxes and information sheets are still available in the narthex and also in the fellowship

Curious about Unitarian Universalism?

If you are interested in finding out more about the Unitarian Universalist Church and the path to becoming a member, Greeting and Membership will be running a series of UU & You classes in January. There is a sign up sheet in the Narthex, or you can contact Amy French to sign up.

Transitions Committee Says Goodbye

It’s been almost a year since we started planning our move to Meridian and a lot has happened since then. The biggest change is that we’re in our new home! There were times I didn’t know how we were going get it all done, but together we did. Now that we are settling into our new home it is time to turn over the responsibilities of the Transitions Committee to our normal congregation infrastructure and dissolve our temporary Transitions Committee. But before we do, a few things need to be said.

This move has been extraordinary. Along with our established committees, eleven transitions committees were created to help facilitate our move. Everything had to be thought of and dealt with in order for us to move across town. No one person or committee could do it alone. Many people stepped forward and took leadership roles, some behind the scenes and others in front. Whereas many committees will dissolve along with the Transitions Committee, others will become ad hoc committees and meet only as needed. Still others have decided to fill continuing needs in our congregation. I would personally like to thank everyone that gave their time and talent, served on committees, and helped in our transition. We would not be here if it weren’t for the hard work of all these people. You should be proud of yourselves.

So, where are we now? I will try to shed as much light as possible on this before I step down. As we all know, the Capital Campaign has been working on raising funds for our transition into our new home. The original goal was $300,000 over a three-year period and, whereas we haven’t yet hit our goal, an amazing $231,942 has been raised so far. The original goal was decided upon after a call for the congregations needs and wants went out. Many found it difficult to know how much to dream for and did their best to figure out what they thought they would need and how much that might cost. With the knowledge that not everything could be taken into account because new, undreamed of needs would inevitably arise, the Transitions Steering committee came up with a flexible budget process. In practice this meant that committees would have a chance to request transitions funds related to their current needs during each of the three transitions budget cycles (June through May). This extra flexibility also meant that, as new issues arose, the congregation could prioritize as needed. With our budget and our need for flexibility, it is apparent that not all our “needs” and “wants” will be able to be accomplished right now. Balancing our “wants” against our “needs” is a part of life. During this process our expectations and dreams will also change. The most important part is to communicate with each other about our “wants” and “needs” in order to see that these dreams are realized in the future.

Thankfully our congregation already has an infrastructure — the Program Council and the Board of Trustees — to facilitate the open communication needed to eventually realize our dreams. Many people know that the Board takes care of church policy and makes financial decisions, but in the Program Council we also have a wonderful system to discuss issues related to congregational life. Here is where your dreams can be shared. But, in order for these dreams to be realized, we need to use our infrastructure effectively.

So, what does this mean? Well, before I officially dissolve Transitions I will hand over the current transitions budget, current outline of priorities, and suggested outline for future allocations of transitions funds to Program Council. A small group is being created to oversee the next two years of transitions funds. All committees that are interested in requesting transition money will need to go to the Program Council. Since we are a program church and our bylaws state that committees are a part of Program Council this will help to unite our congregation by affirming our principle to help one another. I hope everyone will benefit from this consolidation of resources.

Sincerely,

Alanna Steffen-Nelson (see also Thank You, p. 7)

Transitions Chair

Thank You for a Wonderful First LUM Jubilee in Our Own Church!

The Social Justice Committee wishes to thank the congregation for your generous support of LUM Jubilee. This was our first time to host in our new building, and it was a wonderful site for the event. We thank the Lafayette Friends, our partner church for the past two years. It is always a pleasure to work with this warm-hearted group of “Friends.”

Our own congregants contributed many toys, a large amount of cash (the amount not spent on Jubilee will go to LUM for their Centralized Emergency Fund), and many willing hands.

Ten families were welcomed on Saturday morning, Dec. 15, with refreshments, music, conversation, and a thoughtful message from Hilary. They had the opportunity to select gifts for their own children, and they received a laundry basket full of items not available with food stamps such as laundry soap, dish soap, toilet paper, toiletries, and a warm blanket. In addition, they took home a ham, a plate of Christmas cookies, and a

gift certificate to Kroger. We hope they also took home the assurance that people in the community care about them and wish them happy holidays. We had a

record number of UUs helping with set-up, hosting, and making sure the event went smoothly. A number of our youth helped in different ways, including

wrapping gifts for the families.

Following is a list of folks who participated in Jubilee (we apologize if we failed to include your name). To all of them and to all UUs, a BIG THANK YOU – Terry, John, Kaye, Ruth Ann, Don, Mark K, Cheryl, Claire, Rae, Dave, Beth, Bobby, Nina, Tom, Sarah, Marty, Ned, Linda, Sallie, Kathleen S, Kathleen P, Nancy, Della, Hilary, Chava, Gale, Kirk, Haley and Gus, Ann S, Kim, Kalina, Mark V, Mallory, Beverly, Sue B, Marisa, additional youth, Lafayette Friends. Jubilee would not have been a success without the help of these volunteers and the support of the congregation. Once again UUs came through when they were needed most. Happy holidays to everyone!

~Mary Finley and Jean Tyner Coordinators for UU Jubilee 2007

This year we successfully moved the event to our new location, with the help of everyone. We expanded the cafe menu, added more live music, and added a kid’s craft area. We needed more people to help, and you came through for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Next year we need more people to step up into leadership roles, and we hope that some of you are interested. Please contact Jennifer Cominetti-Craig at jscominet@yahoo.com with your ideas and suggestions. She is more than willing to pass the baton....

Dec. 23 Nick Schenkel: Great Holiday Reads

With somewhere around 190,000 books published this year in the US, it may be difficult to narrow the field down to two or three books one might want to read over the holidays. Nick is the ideal person to suggest a few. He is the Director of the West Lafayette Library.

Dec. 30 John Wilms: Continuum: How Science, Psychology, and Mysticism Point to a Life Beyond … and to an Extraordinary Kind of God

John’s talk comes from the title of a book published in 1974 by Robert Casselman. The book influenced John’s thinking and was “an early map of my spiritual journey.” John is a retired physician and co-chair of the Forum.

Jan. 6 Ernest McDaniel: A Look Back and A Look Ahead

This is our traditional gathering to examine the “Year End Report” and identify our favorite Forum programs from the past 12 months. In small conversational groups we exchange opinions and suggest topics and themes for the coming year.

Ernest McDaniel is a retired professor of educational psychology at Purdue and co-chair of the Forum.

Jan. 13 Carl and Julia Seese: A Community Project in Honduras

In July, 2007, Julia Seese and her father, Carl, went with 25 others to the village of Barbasco in the mountains of Honduras. They worked alongside Hondurans to dig latrines and install a community-wide water system. They returned home with far more than they left behind in Honduras. Julia Seese is in her third year at Washington University in St. Louis where she majors in architecture and enjoys working in theatre costume and set design. Carl, has taught Spanish and Social Studies in schools in Indiana. California, and Oregon.

Jan. 20 Karl Brandt: If You Could Choose Your Child's Traits, Would You?
Since the first birth of a child "conceived" by in vitro fertilization science has learned more and more about manipulation and selection of embryos. We stand on a threshold that will permit selection of traits of our children. Should we? Would you? Why? Why not?

Karl Brandt is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry. He does not profess to be either a philosopher or an ethicist, but he reads widely in bioethics and moral philosophy, and did a sabbatical at Duke University to study bioethics.

Jan. 27 Mike Beyerlein: Matching Your Intuition with the Science of Organizational Change

Have you noticed that we are all experts in “getting this place organized”? But how does your wisdom from years of experience align with the science of organizational change and development? This Forum session will review the principles and encourage you to test them by a comparison to your own experience.

Mike Beyerlein is our ideal guide for this exploration. He is Department Head for Organizational Leadership & Supervision at Purdue University and the author or editor of 20 books in this area.

Religious Education Year Highlights In Review

It is December already, and time to have a look back at what everyone has done in RE this year. It started off with a visit from the past in the form of Susan B. Anthony, an influential figure in the lives of many in the congregation– and I got to be her! The service was moving and fun, and a symbol for the “unusualness” of then entire year.

Meanwhile, also back in January, we began to get ready for the move, and then sale of the Union Street and Seventh Street buildings. Hilary, Karin, and I tagged items in the old house on Union Street for the Barnharts to move or give away, and the Youth Social Justice Group jumped in to paint rooms and rake leaves along with the rest of the church at the Great Clean Up. The Social Justice Group went to visit the youth at Temple Israel to work on a fund raising project for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The doll pins created there were sold at services at both houses of worship in March. The kids did a number of other charitable activities for which they can be proud.

The 7^th through 9^th grades and the 5^th and 6^th graders had OWL this year. It is a big commitment from both leaders and students, but we can be certain that our young people have been given the values and information needed to make good sexual choices. Meanwhile, we started the process to train group leaders for Adult OWL so that we can offer that class in 2008. You can congratulate yourselves on being voices of reason in a world that often responds to sexuality with superstition and shame.

Other adventures included a trip out to see Patty Woods’ plane by some of the 3^rd through 5^th graders, and a trip to see the Dalai Lama by the some of the senior high class. Both adventures were uplifting, but in different ways.

The work that was done on the Big Quilt by the congregation and the small quilts for the meth babies at the previous retreat was highlighted in the Journal and Courier in February. The press also came out to see Religious Education carry the Big Quilt to Meridian Street, where you can see it hanging on the library wall, a reminder of our times on 7^th Street. “UUs on the Move” involved coordination of a great many people, from the kids to the police, but RE pulled it off.

Getting the Church on 7^th Street ready to move was a monumental task! We shifted classrooms around in the building, deleted and replaced classes as the Red Cross space changed, had RE Kick-Off very early this year, and used the move as an opportunity to do inventory on RE stock and curriculum. The latter was mind-boggling. Due to the crowding at 7th Street, every cupboard, every closet, every nook and cranny in the old building had been used for uncatalogued storage by a variety of people, so opening them up to pack them was like an archaeology expedition. We found all sorts of treasures – and maybe a new species of spider. The real treasure was that years of stowed materials has yielded to fervent sorting, discarding and labeling. Indeed, we aren’t quite finished with the process yet, but the worst is over, and if you need, say, a box of toothpicks for a craft, we have twelve, and know where they all are.

Preparing for the move involved more than packing. The Team Leaders estimated what we would need for their classrooms in the new building, and the staff spent hours taking advantage of gift furniture that has been moved and is now in use by the congregation. There were many meetings of many committees, about money, space and logistics.

The move itself was amazing! Everyone chipped in and moved furniture in and out of storage, out of old buildings and into the new one, and then moved furniture again once it was at Meridian Street. True, this was not technically an RE event, but so much of what was moved went into RE rooms, that I am awed by and grateful to everyone who helped. Individuals deserving Religious Education recognition are Mike Reed, Michael Smith, Beth Misner, and Christine Schertz. Let’s not forget that the Senior High School Class painted its own room and furniture. I am also grateful to everyone who chipped in on the Capital Campaign. We have used the money allotted to Religious Education to “furbish” our rooms. Indeed, we are still working on our rooms, adjusting them as we live in them. It wouldn’t have happened without your help.

This year RE was blessed with a gift from Jason Dufair in memory of Anna Dufair, to build a new nursery in the new building. We have been making good use of it: we have a large, bright room with a sink and counter, a Dutch door in a wide doorway and a back door to the playground, an evacuation crib in case of emergency, and soon we’ll have new playground equipment for tiny players. It has been a tremendous benefit and we are very grateful.

Now that we are in our new building, all of the things we want to do that were put on hold, can be revived. RE needs intriguing, new curriculum, a Coming of Age program that leads into UU membership, small group ministry for youth, and many other activities. The Move was the result of a huge, cooperative effort, a community effort, and if that same group spirit, energy, and participation are applied to our Religious Education programming, we can have whatever we want for our children. ~Michele

Minister’s Musings

Sunday morning, December 16^th, 2007...

The snow blanketed the city and everything was lovely. To my eyes it was just the way it’s supposed to look, since I spent the ages from 2 to 11 in Rochester, New York, before moving to Pittsburgh. In my memory the snow was sometimes over my head, but then my head was, for part of that time, a good two feet or more under its current altitude. In either Pittsburgh or Rochester the snow had to be wild to cause us to stay home. There were ample plows because there was a confidence that the equipment would be used. Everyone had training in good snow driving.

My move to Atlanta provided me with my first eye-witness experience of living and driving among winter novices. I was relieved to move north and rejoin those who drive well in snow, where there’s a real change of season, and I could again enjoy the beauty of winter. It’s a challenging beauty. It takes work and a watchful eye but it’s well worth it.

For the day or so before the storm there’d been a flurry of conversations about whether to cancel church. For me, without a functional crystal ball, the answer was going to have to wait until Sunday morning. There would have to be blinding snow mixed with hail and sleet for me to really consider it. As the minister it’s easy. If I can get there, there should be church, because if I can get there, someone else can and I need to be there for that person. Easy.

For everyone else it’s more complex. How many teachers do we really need? Does the pianist have to skid across town and play for possibly no people? If musicians doing special music are snowed in and feel sick as dogs, if the reader and greeter have to pack up children and schlep across town in uncertain conditions, how much risk should they take? It was easy on Sunday morning for people to call it too much trouble or too risky and perhaps their particular job could be done without.

And there’s the story that I told that morning about the Reverend Angus MacLean, noted Canadian Universalist Religious Educator. When MacLean was a young preacher he was serving a church in the country in Canada when a hard blizzard hit on Saturday night. MacLean had worked hard on his sermon and he was dedicated to serving his congregation. So, as the sun rose on a buried landscape he bundled up and trudged across the countryside to the church. Only two people attended, farmers from nearby. MacLean put his strongest voice into the sermon and preached it with great passion. After the service ended one of the farmers, an elder in the congregation, came up to the young preacher. “Fine sermon, Preacher,” the man said, “but, you know, there’s no need to put out all the feed if all the horses don’t come in.” MacLean recognized that his sermon, written for a bigger crowd, had been more than two people needed to digest on a quiet morning.

So, Kaye McSpadden and I spoke ahead of time and I told her what I was thinking about. She walked the four blocks to church and my Minnesota Mark and I drove to the church. We picked up Michele, the Director of Religious Education. Miraculously the snow folks that Karin, the Administrative Assistant had called, had already been out so there were places to park without getting stuck and the walk had been largely cleared. A few hands cleared it further.

I dispensed with the topic I’d planned and written on and we changed the hymns. There were about 19 of us altogether. One family drove all the way from Crawfordsville with their three small kids and there was another little girl there with her mom. We lit the chalice and the Advent Candles, sang hymns, shared our covenant, had a story for all ages, the one I just told you about Angus MacLean, and took up the offering. When we got to the heart of the service, we all gathered up on the stage and pulled the choir chairs into an oval with the kids and two moms choosing to sit on the floor with snacks and coloring projects that Michele provided. Then we shared a spirited discussion in pairs and in the whole group, about our principles and purposes. We even made sure that we shaped conversation so that someone who was visiting that day for a first time could participate. We snag our last hymn facing each other in the circle, said our closing words and went to the Fellowship Hall for coffee, hot chocolate, and cookies. Ann Sojka and Kathleen Benner, two college students home on winter break, had come to church in spite of the snow that day. I’d missed them since they’d graduated and it was wonderful to see them again. They signed our membership book so that they can be considered adult Unitarian Universalists. We all applauded.

There was warmth and conversation and then we closed up the church and went home. I felt a keen joy – between the warmth of the service and beauty of the snow it had been a great morning. (I also had a fresh sermon I could adapt for a later date.) Above all, we’d done what I believe that we are here to do: Be present for those who show up seeking spiritual exploration, community, challenge, growth, and meaning. We had shown up for those who show up. Brought feed, so to speak, for the horses that do come in. There were people for whom staying home was the right choice, sometimes a life-saving choice. But each person who came had the chance to be an active presence, a blessing, to other people. Each person had a chance to embody radical hospitality where you come to church not simply for yourself but for the others who come, and not simply for those you know, but for those you haven’t yet dreamed of knowing. For each person who stayed home knowing they might slip into a drift, fall on the ice, get caught in the middle of nowhere, catch a cold, or pass one on – good choice. For all who showed up and all who might be able to next time, it is for these moments of blessing that we do congregational life.

~Hilary

For the last few weeks, the Transitions Committee has been wrapping up their business. They are now finishing a few items, making plans to pass other things on to Program Council, and offering advice to the Board and others on where to go from here. As a congregation, we have lots left to do in making Meridian Street our new home, with decisions left to make and projects still to initiate (as the Capital Campaign money comes in and makes the funds available). But seems like now is a very appropriate time to thank the entire Transitions group

for their hard work over the last year. Many people have been involved (one Transitions email listed 34 people!), so if I thank specific people, then I run

But at the very least, let us give heartfelt thanks to Alanna Steffen and Steve Nelson

for chairing the group, Robin Poindexter and Fritz Smith for providing Board connections, Denise Wilson and Michael Lewis for stepping up to chair major new

committees, and Hilary and Michele for attending the Transitions meetings and giving their input as staff. Christine Schertz both served on Transitions and

organized the entire Big Move, which alone was a huge undertaking. Kaye McSpadden served as overseer of the accessibility project and worked with the contractors. Many, many others helped out in ways large and small.

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