Unitarian Universalist Church -- Newsletter, Current Issue

The Lighted Chalice
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
Lafayette, Indiana ~ ~ February 10, 2005

Next Newsletter Deadline:

Sunday, Feb. 20, 2005 NOON
Covering Feb. 10-24, 2005
Place items in newsletter mailbox or e-mail lightedchalice@yahoo.com

This issue was prepared by Nancy Patchen

Thanks to the Congregation

Many members and friends spent Sunday afternoon January 30 attending a thoughtful, thought-provoking, "connected-to-one-another" meeting with our Conflict Engagement Right Relations (CERR) consultants. We came away with a better understanding of one another's hopes and concerns. As the consultants reminded us, this is just the beginning.

The Board of Trustees sends a "Thank you" to everyone who gave their Sunday afternoon to this important meeting.

— Dianna Poindexter

This Friday is Auction Night!

Going... Going... GONE !

"A Night at the Auction" takes place this Friday, Feb. 11, 6.30 p.m., at the church. Childcare will be provided. Please bring an hors d'oeuvre or finger food to share.

Items available include a ski condo in Colorado, massages, a yoga class, help around the house, artwork from Artists Own, and much more. Credit cards will be accepted. To donate items (it’s not too late!) or get an auction catalogue by e mail, contact Cindy Gerlach-Mueller

Caregiver’s Support Group Meets Monthly

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

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

Each month group members remark on how helpful it is to share the puzzles, lessons, joys, and the struggles of caregiving. The group meets at the church on the fourth Tuesday of the month. If you are interested in this group you can also call the minister for further information.

B&Bs for UUs

Do you dream of inexpensive vacation travel to interesting destinations where you can stay in the homes of friendly people who share your ideals and are happy to provide directions and advice for their area?

For 25 years the UU bed and breakfast directory UU’re Home (formerly Homecomings) has provided a network of hosts in the United States (and a few abroad).

The directory is published every year in April. For a copy of the 2005 directory, please send a check for $18 to UU’re Home, 43 Vermont Court, Asheville, NC 28806. UU’re Home has just launched a new web site at www.UUreHome.com, which includes about half of the listings. Entries are updated whenever changes are made or new hosts are added.

UU Book Group

7 p.m., Monday, February 14

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

7 p.m., Monday, March 14

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich

The UU Book Group meets on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at Borders Book Store 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.

Time for Action

The Social Action Committee of the Lafayette UU Church is up and running again! Please plan to join us on Wednesday, February 23 at 7:00 pm upstairs in the church for a call-out of all who are interested in working together to create social justice in our community and beyond.

                We will discuss what directions we want the committee to take, how we will interface with other groups in the church concerned about social action, and more. So, chase away those winter doldrums and join us on the 23^rd for light refreshments, camaraderie, and action plans!

              —      Hilary Krivchenia and Joan Marshall,   Co-coordinators

Stewardship Update

At the December Congregational meeting, we approved the ’05 budget with the understanding that we’d obtain approximately $13,000 in additional pledges. As of Feb 6th, we have 121 pledge units totaling $161,955. This is less than $1000 from our goal. If you have not yet made your pledge or would like more information regarding the budget and/or Stewardship, please contact Bruce Craig.

WORSHIP SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

On Sunday morning, January 9th, we again were blessed as two of our members shared their Spiritual Journeys. It takes a lot of courage to bare one’s soul/journey in this way, but all our lives are enhanced when folks are willing to step forward. With the size of our congregation, we often don’t learn as much about each other as we do from this kind of individual sharing. It provides us with greater understanding of one another and draws us into a closer circle of caring.

The Worship and Music Committee offers the opportunity about four times a year for congregants to offer their spiritual journeys. The next occasion for one of these services will be April 24th. One person is preparing to speak and we are seeking a second person. Please let a member of the committee know if you feel like it is your turn.

Other worship service opportunities include:

Sanctuary preparers: Check on and/or arrange the physical set-up and elements of our Sunday morning service. You may choose when and how often you want to help

Readers: Lend your voice to various kinds of written material - poems, dialogues, excerpts of essays, mini-dramas, and more.

Choir members: Newcomers are welcome to join us singing one Sunday a month.

—Beverly Seese, Worship & Music Committee

And speaking of Choir ...

Members of our UUC choir are receiving voice lessons for free during choir rehearsals on Thursday nights at 8:30 - 10:00. p.m. We are learning about tone quality and how to produce an efficient sound that is pleasing to the ear. If you have beginning to average reading skills or better andare interested in improving your voice, join the choir on Thursday nights.

— Denise Gilliland, Choir Director

And still speaking of Choir ...

The 6th annual Heartland Choral Festival May 14-15 is open to all UU Singers. The festival will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis. This year's theme is "Reflections" centering around the work "Fern Hill" by John Corigliano.

"Fern Hill" is a setting of a Dylan Thomas poem looking back on childhood with both the eyes of innocence and experience, and Corigliano draws on the text to weave lovely harmonies with soloist, chorus, strings, piano, and harp.

As is the tradition with this festival, UUs from all over the Heartland District will gather for a Saturday of rehearsing, topped off with an evening social, followed by a Sunday morning performance.

Registration, which includes the cost of the sheet music and meals, is $28 by April 1 and $35 after April 1. You can find more forms and information on the web at: www.heartlandchoralfest.org.

— Kaye McSpadden, Denominational Connections

UU Field Trip

A unique opportunity to explore our principles and promote social justice! Our Heartland District Annual Meeting will be taking place in Cincinnati on April 8^th –10^th.

Interested families, adults, children, and youth can join the traditional banner parade that is a part of the annual meeting on Friday night, and then on Saturday a group will take a trip to the Freedom Center in Cincinnati (www.freedomcenter.org) to explore stories of freedom. The center features an Underground Railroad children’s exhibit which tells the stories of children involved in the network. This is an exciting opportunity to learn from the lives of freedom seekers and to connect with one another outside of church.

Contact Sarah Boulac, DRE, if you are interested in this trip.

Passover Help Needed!

Going into my 4th year as chair of the UU Passover celebration, I would like to have a co-chair this year, someone who can take on the responsibility for this event in the future.

I have kept detailed notes over the years which can be easily followed and I will always be around to help and advise. This year our congregation will celebrate Passover on Sunday, April 24.

Please call or e mail JoAnn Darling.

Social Responsibility News

On Sunday, Jan. 30, we served a hastily pulled together and hearty meal at the LUM homeless shelter. Members and friends who were willing to work on short notice include Nancy Bergquist, Charlotte at Smitty’s in West Lafayette, David Carter, JoAnn Darling, Mary Ann Foley, Joan Lohmann, Tippen McDaniel, Kathleen Peyton, and Marguerite and Lee Trachtman.

Thanks a bunch from the homeless shelter guests and from me!

—Elizabeth Doolan

Religious Education Happenings

Religious Education Director: Sarah Boulac
RE Committee Co-Chairs: Beth Misner, Cheryl Fowler

When I think of a religious education classroom, I think of a group of learners who explore together, question together, and support one another.

I think of acceptance as the norm, a place where our differences don’t matter. It is my hope that all of our children and youth can feel this sense of warmth and be welcomed into our classes each week. I think it is especially important that children with special needs feel welcomed in our church home. It can be difficult for these children to move beyond the labels that describe their disabilities and “fit in” throughout the school week. But here in our church, we can all find a safe haven, a welcoming place where the inherent worth and dignity of every person is honored as we help each other come to know our importance to the world.

I have been doing some reading and thinking about how we can be welcoming to children with special needs and have enjoyed reading a collection of newsletters by Sally Patton, a UU and a special educator whose son has dyslexia. In her April 1999 newsletter, she begins, “A mother said to me not very long ago, ‘If I can not bring my special needs son to church, where can I bring him?’ ” (http://www.uua.org/re/other/needsapril99.html).

Our church is a place where people come first, not their labels, and each of our children are precious gifts who have much to offer. Making the most of our limited time together as an RE Teacher can be a challenge regardless of the needs of the students in our classes. So, to help support and equip our teachers with the tools they need, the Religious Education Committee is planning two upcoming events.

On Tuesday, March 1 at 4 p.m., the director of Greater Lafayette Special Services (GLASS) will give a presentation on learning and behavioral accommodations. On Saturday, March 5, we will have our annual Teacher Breakfast and explore tapping into our multiple intelligences in the classroom. Teachers who cannot attend the Tuesday session can forward their questions to me and we will make a summary of the presentation available.

Let us work together to welcome all of our children and youth, to affirm the life in each of us.

~ Sarah

Upcoming Events

Guest at Your Table – Last chance to return your boxes!! See Sarah Boulac after the service to return your box and support the UUSC.

Child and Youth Dedications – Due to scheduling preferences, we will NOT be having our dedication service on February 20^th but will hold it later in the year. Let Sarah or Hilary know if you want to participate!

Teachers – On March 5 we would like to honor you with a special breakfast. We will discuss multiple intelligences and be welcoming to all learners. On March 1 at 4 pm a speaker from Greater Lafayette Special Services will discuss learning and behavioral accommodations for special needs children. Let Sarah know if you can attend!

A UU Christmas Carol – Kirk Arndt and Gale Lockwood have shared their recording of our Christmas Pageant! If you would like to check it out, see Sarah.

Sunday Morning Forum

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

Who are the veterans of military service? They are your grandfather, uncle, aunt. brother sister, and perhaps now, a son or daughter. In our congregation I know one or more ex infantryman, naval officer, paratrooper, air force navigator and an American prisoner of war who was held as a slave laborer by the Nazis. You may have sat next to one of us last Sunday. The current conflict is yielding up yet another generation.

We have three speakers to open a window on this largely invisible population---each sharing a fascinating aspect of the life and memories of veterans.

February 13. "Serving Those Who Served," Carolyn Johnson, Director, Volunteer Services. Indiana State Veteran’s Home.

February 20. "Impact of Combat on Returning Veterans,"ProfessorTim Owens, author of a recent book in this area.

February 27. "The Veterans History Project," Susan Brouillette, Veterans History Project, Senator Richard Lugar’s Indianapolis Office.

— Ernest McDaniel

And thank you, Ernie, for the moving column on your experience in World War II and salute to the Red Cross ladies, which appeared in the Feb. 7 issue of the Journal & Courier!

Minister’s Muse

First they came for Bert and Ernie and I did not speak up because I was not a muppet.

Then they came for TinkyWinky and I did not speak up because I was not a teletubby.

Then they came for SpongeBob Square Pants and I did not speak up because I was not an underwater sea creature.

And now they have come for the Friends of Buster...and there is no one left to speak up for us!!!

(unknown source)

Children’s television is under assault. First there were the dim rumors about Bert and Ernie’s off camera relationship – were they really just good friends? Then, came the blow-up over TinkyWinky, a gay actor in a teletubbie suit. More recently, there was an attack on SpongeBob, a non-conformist cartoon character who holds hands with his friend, Patrick, and the other characters who will appear in a video sponsored by the “We Are Family” Foundation. In the video, the characters will sing “We are Family”! This has triggered attacks by religious reactionaries, including James Dobson , author of Dare to Discipline , which promotes corporal punishment as a way of showing love.

Most recently came attacks on Postcards from Buster, a PBS spin-off in which Arthur Read’s friend travels with his father, a pilot, meets different people, and gets to know them so young viewers see some diversity and feel accepted. In one episode the 8-year-old bunny meets a lesbian family in Vermont. There has been some protest, stations are pulling the program, and PBS decided to circulate the program only to stations that ask for it directly.

Dobson wrote: “The problem is not with acceptance or kindness… But kids should not be taught that homosexuality is just another "lifestyle," or that it is morally equivalent to heterosexuality. [They] will believe anything they are told, from the notion that reindeer can fly to the idea that bunnies lay candy eggs. They are vulnerable to what… adults tell them. Focus on the Family will continue to help you fulfill this task of bringing up your children ‘in the fear and admonition of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:4).”

As Unitarian Universalists, we do not believe in fear of the Lord. We believe in the force of love which commands us to spend more time learning about other people than condemning them – or merely tolerating them. It’s almost funny to advocate for cartoon characters – but, really, this is a conflict over whether our children will be taught outmoded bigotry or raised in reason and compassion.

As Unitarian Universalists we know that there is a difference between quoting the Bible and keeping the Spirit. We are committed to reversing the bigotry which has faced lesbian and gay people for generations – too much of it fostered by religion. Our work is cut out for us – not only with respect to lesbian and gay issues, but with respect to the falsely righteous, politically driven, fear mongering, religious ideology that is corroding our national discourse. This is our time to advocate for a religious vision that more closely embraces the best of the world’s religions – and not the worst. This is our time to speak of an ethic of love and compassion, of interfaith values, and the evolution of human thought.

This is a time for large projects and small efforts. I recently saw results from small efforts. The Vermont Teddy Bear Company had produced a “Crazy for You” bear (with straitjacket and commitment papers). I learned of the bear from a colleague and passed the information to our local Mental Health Association Board (on which I serve). Letters and emails flooded the company in protest of a bear that promotes the stigma of mental health. The company apologized, but continued marketing the bears until they were sold out. But the company says they will not manufacture any more of this type.

I may be talking about Teddy Bears and underwater sponges – but this is all about prevailing attitudes – what we pass on to our children and promote in our society. Small efforts can change the world. As our Social Action Committee gears up, I encourage everyone to get involved and put our principles to work in the larger community.

—Hilary

Lighted Chalice
Unitarian Universalist Church
17 S. 7th Street
Lafayette IN 47901-1637
E-mail: uuc@uulafayette.org
Home page: http://www.uulafayette.org
Publication: Every other Thursday
Submission deadline: Preceding Sunday at noon

Send to: lightedchalice@yahoo.com

Minister: Rev. Hilary Landau Krivchenia
Phone: 742-0460; minister@uulafayette.org

Office hours:

Tuesday 9 a.m.-noon
Thursday Noon-4 p.m.
Also by appointment

Religious Education : Sarah Boulac
Phone: 742-0460 or 414-2432
Office hours: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m Tuesday & Thursday

Secretary: Kathy Louks
Phone: 742-0460, e-mail: uuc@uulafayette.org
Office hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday to Friday
Board Chair: Noemi Ybarra Phone: 742-0460

Editors:

Kaye McSpadden, Phone: 743-3634, kaye7m@aol.com

Nancy Patchen, Phone: 497-1259, nhmp@verizon.net
Lynn Holland, Phone: 583-2703, holland@nursing.purdue.edu

Webspinner: Dianna Poindexter,dianna1@wildmail.com