| New
Members
Congratulations and a warm welcome to our newest members, Ross and Carolyn
Duffy, who signed the membership book last Sunday, January 6. Ross and
Carolyn recently moved here from Topeka, where they were members of
the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka.
Guest
at Your Table
This year our annual "Guest at Your Table" campaign received
donations of coins and bills in the amount of $218.04 and checks in
the amount of $300.00 to provide a total of $518.04 to the Unitarian
Universalist Service Committee to help them carry out their important
work around the world.
If you have not yet returned your box, you may still return their Guest
at your Table boxes this coming Sunday, then we'll turn in the money
to UUSC. Congratulations to all participants for a job well done!
Exciting
News from Wichita!
Wichita announces that due to favorable weather (until recently) their
new building should be ready for use in about six weeks! Meanwhile,
they have contracted with Rev. Bill Murchison from Tulsa to be their
part-time interim minister. He will be there ten
days per month, including two Sundays, through July 31st. All great
news, indeed!
Every
Saturday
Peace Vigil Saturday at Noon on Saturday at the courthouse on Massachusetts. Please join us!
Ministerial Office Hours
Consulting
Minister Jill Jarvis will not hold office hours this week. She will,
however, check her email, so if the need arises to reach Jill this week,
contact her at jjarvis1@kc.rr.com.
Jill expects to
resume her regular office hours at the Fellowship on January 15th, from
11:00 a.m. through 1:00 p.m.
UFL Yahoo! Group
Members,
Please join!
Deadline
for Submissions
Please send newsletter submissions no later than Monday, 12:00 p.m.
noon to ufl_newsletter@yahoo.com.
Thank you for your attention to this detail!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hope Quotes
Allan
K. Chalmers:
The
Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love,
and something to hope for.
Antoine
de Saint-Exupery:
If
you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood
and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long
for the endless immensity of the sea.
Arundhati
Roy:
Not
only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I
can hear her breathing.
Charlotte
Perkins Gilman:
However,
one cannot put a quart in a pint cup.
Dale Carnegie:
Most
of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people
who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
Dorothy
Thompson:
Courage,
it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune,
fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with
all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a
sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow.
Dorothy
Thompson:
Fear grows in darkness;
if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.
Elie Wiesel:
I
have learned two lessons in my life: first, there are no sufficient
literary, psychological, or historical answers to human tragedy, only
moral ones. Second, just as despair can come to one another only from
other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human
beings.
Friedrich
Nietzsche:
Hope
is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man.
George Bernard
Shaw:
He
who has never hoped can never despair.
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On Sundays
Please Join Us!
Sunday,
January 13th
9:15AM
- Spiritual Service: "Becoming The Stranger"
led by Jill Jarvis
Living in a culture different from our own presents opportunities for
spiritual growth which are sometimes surprising. To see ourselves as
others see us, to shake up our own paradigms which we didn't even know
were "our paradigms", to encounter the Other by becoming the
Other...therein lie possibilities for real transformation. Yet we don't
have to travel afar to experience this.
10:45 a.m. Program: Dr. David Goering, active with
Health Care for All, will discuss aspects of universal health care and
insurance.
Sunday,
January 21st
9:15AM
- Spiritual Service: TBA
10:45 a.m.
Program:
TBA
Sunday,
January 27th
9:15AM
- Spiritual Service: TBA
10:45 a.m.
Program: Elizabeth Schultz will present a talk in our "My
Last Lecture" series.
Condolences
Word was received on December 30 of the death of Helen Gilles' son-in-law,
Larry Seidel. He died from a hereditary kidney disease at the age of
57. He leaves Kathy Gilles Seidel and two daughters, Dory and Lily.
Our thoughts go out to all the family.
LINK
We are still very
short on food for our LINK service on this Saturday, January 12. We
need about seven more large meat casseroles, and perhaps one more vegetarian.
We also need several more servers and several more for clean-up. LINK
has been serving more people than ever, and we need to be sure we have
enough food and help! If you can help, please get in touch with Ellen
Sward at 842-3078 or esward@ku.edu.
Committee
Chairs Roundtable
The next Committee Chairs Roundtable will be on January 20th, 12:15
PM at the Fellowship. Come with an update on your committee happenings
and be prepared for the beginning of the 2008-09 budget discussions.
Lunch will be served. If you have any questions please call or e-mail
Judy Wilson at jwilson@sunflower.com.
Getting
to Know UU
Next Sunday, January 13, is “Getting to Know UU” Sunday. Those interested
in learning more about Unitarian Universalism and UFL, asking questions
and getting acquainted, are invited to meet informally with our minister,
Jill Jarvis, and Valerie Roper, membership chair, between the 9:15 service
and the 10:45 program. Look for the “Getting to Know UU” sign in the
meeting hall after the 9:15 service.
Our
Own YOUTH
On behalf of the members and friends who attended the Christmas Eve
Service I would like to thank all of the participants in this very special
evening. Special thanks go to Tim Dingus and Wolfgang Johanning, who
took nineteen children to the RE wing and kept them entertained during
much of the service. When offered money for child care, they opted to
take the $50 for the Heifer Project trip fund drive that they are conducting.
We are very proud of these young men in the YOUTH group. Thanks, guys.
Strategic
Planning Retreat
Saturday, January 26, 2008--9:30 - 3:00 PM
All are invited to participate! In November, a number of Fellowship
members participated in a meeting of the Strategic Planning Task Force.
The meeting was open to all, particularly those with interests in Membership,
Social Action, Program, Spiritual Service, RE, Hospitality, and Communications
issues. It was decided then to have a retreat in January to follow up
on the ideas generated. The purpose of the Task Force is 1) to prepare
for the time when the new addition is completed and when we might expect
more visitors, more potential members, more children, and 2) to be poised
to do more for and with our own members (more small-group activities,
more programming for young adults, more adult RE opportunities, etc.),
3) to do more in the local community (social action, social justice,
etc.) and 4) to plan how we may better communicate who we are.
Committees have been invited to present goals and ideas. We hope then
to generate many thoughts as to how we can accomplish the overall goals
by working together in an interconnected way.
Please put this event on your calendar! ~Barbara Schowen, convener
Chalice Lighters Program
You will remember that our AV and media enhancement proposal was selected
for the Chalice Lighters grant program. We are anticipating around $8000
to help enable us to have state of the art equipment in the new meeting
hall and better to communicate both among ourselves and with the wider
community. The funds come from modest contributions from Chalice Lighters
members, that is, from "individuals like you." As beneficiaries
of the program, it seems to me that more of us might be interested in
becoming Chalice Lighters. This is how:
The Chalice Lighters program provides opportunities for all individuals
in the Prairie Star District to participate in the growth of existing
and emerging congregations. If you register as a Chalice Lighter, you
will be asked to respond to three calls for help during the year. For
each call, you will be asked to give $10 (or whatever other amount you
pledge) to help a congregation in the District build or expand facilities,
secure their first minister or other professional help, or help with
campus ministries, etc. You do not need to register as a Chalice Lighter
to contribute. One-time donations to any call are always accepted and
appreciated! All of the money you donate to a Chalice Lighters call
is delivered to the project supported by the call. The projects chosen
for calls are evaluated and selected by the Prairie Star District Chalice
Lighters Committee. To receive money from the program, congregations
must apply to the District Office for evaluation by the Committee. For
more information please go to: http://www.psduua.org/ChaliceLighters
and the menu on that page. ~Barbara Schowen
Substantial
R.E. Wing Rehabilitation In Progress
Last summer the Building & Grounds Committee completed the installation
of air conditioners in all the R.E. classrooms. And, they are just concluding
the installation of ceiling-mounted, radiant heating panels in the men's
and women's rest rooms. In December they contracted with Kelley Construction
Co., the general contractor for our expansion project, to rehabilitate
the south wall of the R.E. Wing. After about 40 years of service the
window sills below the large glass windows were rotting and some of
the clapboard siding was begining to split, rot or fall off. Likewise,
the soffit was starting to sag while the fascia board was rotting. The
entire south wall will be replaced with particleboard sheathing, then
covered by "smartboard," combination fiberglass-cement clapboard
and trim that is totally rot and vermin resistant. Additional soffit
supports have been installed to support the new soffit, which will feature
full-length venting to help cool the attic in the summer. The updated
fascia will be sheathed in aluminum. New sills are being installed and
all windows will be caulked for the first time. Funding for this project
is from an anonymous $5,000 donation for R.E. wing improvements that
was received a few years ago.
As part of the new
building expansion, the R.E. wing hallway will be raised to the same
level as the new addition, thus making it totally accessible for everyone,
as well as making it an integrated part of the new facility. As a temporary
measure a bridge or deck now connects the women's rest room with the
new floor of the unfinished addition. This is a minor inconvenience
that will lead to a much more attractive and convenient area in the
future.
~Steering Committee & Building Committee
Thanks
Received for Our Christmas Gifts
A card of thanks has been received for our gifts of mittens, scarves,
hats and underwear that were placed on our traditional "mitten
tree" before, Christmas. They have been distributed and the note
expresses the gratitude of the staff at Eckan. The card is on the bulletin
board.
Hilda
Enoch Acknowledges Award
"Dear Friends at the Unitarian Fellowship, thank you very much
for the Community Service Award, which is especially meaningful as it
is in honor and memory of Tensie Oldfather and because it is such a
warm tribute from my friends at the Unitarian Fellowship who are dedicated
to social justice, each individually and as the Fellowship itself. Your
personal tribute and the inscribed award make me very humble and appreciative.
With warm regards and deep appreciation. Hilda Enoch" The award
was announced at the 50th anniversary banquet and presented at the 10:45
program on December 2nd.
UU’re
Home
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?
The UU bed and breakfast
directory UU’re Home (formerly Homecomings) can fulfill your dream.
For 28 years, we’ve provided a network of hosts in the United States
(and a few abroad) who enjoy meeting new friends and who are happy to
open their home to like-minded people.
You can also become
a host and be listed in the directory. Contact us at info@uurehome.com,
or at 828-281-3253, and we will gladly send you information about listing
your accommodations.
Host listings on
the UU’re Home website at www.UUreHome.com are updated whenever changes
are made or new hosts are added. The paper edition is published every
year in April (and has some listings different from those on the website).
For a copy of the 2008 directory and a year’s access to the website
listings, please click on “become a member” to pay by credit card or
send a check for $25 and your e-mail address to UU’re Home, 43 Vermont
Court, Asheville, NC 28806.
December
JUST FOOD Gathering a Huge Success
Jannie nd Arthur Burgess joined in delivering two overflowing carts
with food contributions to ECKAN on Monday! This was the largest gathering
in the eight months of Fellowship participation. A huge thank you to
Fellowship members for generously contributing for a very real need
in our community.
We know our food gatherings provide immediate help to many individuals
and families. Much more is needed to alleviate hunger and poverty, especially
for families with children. Our gatherings constitute a valuable form
of social service; the food contributed serves immediate needs. However
we also need to look to the larger social justice issues and strategies
that will, in the long run, contribute to economic security through
stable employment for parents and living wages enabling parents to provide
for their children.
Consider the letter to the editor of the Lawrence Journal World this
past week by Maggie Childs:
To the editor:
There have been lots of stories about people adopting a local family
or contributing to the Salvation Army during this holiday season, and
I applaud that, but instead of toys and sweaters and ham dinners, we
should be telling our legislators to give our children universal health
care coverage and to mandate a living wage for their parents so that
children can have what they need all year long. ~Maggie Childs, Lawrence
Thank you to all
who generously contribute to the monthly JUST FOOD gatherings.
~The Social Action Committee
The
Coming Democratization of the Catholic Church
"The Coming
Democratization of the Catholic Church" by Robert McClory
Sat, Jan. 19, 9:30-11:30 AM, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church,
4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO
Robert McClory contends
that the Catholic Church is on the cusp of a new, more participative,
more democratic era. Such a contention may seem rash, given the position
of the hierarchy today on doctrine and discipline. But McClory argues
that on the basis of church history, theology and the signs of the times,
change may be a lot closer than many believe.
He is a professor emeritus at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern
University, and author of several books on Catholic history and issues,
including Faithful Dissenters and As It Was in the Beginning: The Coming
Democratization of the Catholic Church. He is a longtime writer for
the National Catholic Reporter, US Catholic magazine and does occasional
pieces on religion for the Chicago Tribune. He is a former staff writer
with the Chicago Reader and former reporter-editor with the Chicago
Defender.
Films
for Action
Films
for Action is a non-profit group working to create information channels
in Lawrence that will inform, connect, and inspire action at a community
level.
By
screening documentaries at Liberty Hall, airing films on our local public
Access TV channel, linking to over a hundred films available to watch
free on our website, and providing over 60 educational films people
can rent from our Lending Library, we hope to provide an information
and resource network that will reduce the Lawrence community's dependence
on corporate media and information.
We
believe a healthy, independent media is essential to a healthy democracy,
and that today it is clear we have neither. But the problem of the media
effects every issue we care about. Whether it involves corporate harm,
government corruption, peak oil, 9/11 truth, our food safety or our
health - the corporate consolidation of the mass means of communication
in our country will always impede any efforts we take to create and
find solutions. A solution at the heart of the media will cut right
to the root of the problem.
Below,
is the latest article in a series that can be found at the site's Blog.
More to come.
The
Global Impact of Meat Consumption
by the Society for the
Advancement of Education
Growing
demand for meat has become a driving force behind virtually every major
category of environmental damage now threatening humanity's future,
maintains the World Watch Institute, Washington, D.C. Total meat consumption
has increased fivefold in the past half-century, putting extreme pressure
on Earth's limited resources, including water, land, feed, and fuel.
Click for More
>>
Summaries
Dec. 24, 2007 7:00 p.m. CHRISTMAS EVE THROUGH THE EYES OF A BRONX TEACHER
The fully-trimmed Christmas tree, the candles glowing in the
windows, and Staci Hendrickson’s piano-playing create a welcoming holiday
mood as members of the Fellowship fill the rows of chairs. The scene
is a comforting change from the often-hectic Bronx classroom where I
spend most of my time teaching high school English.
As in recent years, we sing popular Christmas carols, each introduced
by a Fellowship member. Graham Kreicker impressively explicates the
etymology of O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree), and Lara Wilson describes
singing O Come Emmanuel as a teenager in this very same hall—a song
which, since then, many people have forgotten the words to.
Somewhere between the stand-up bass solo by O.P. Backus and the rousing
rendition of Jingle Bells, which, we are told, was written by a Unitarian,
it strikes me that I have never been away from my family on Christmas
Eve. And as the minister Jill Jarvis talks about the miraculous potential
of a child—whose initials happen to be my own—I think about myself and
my students in the Bronx. I wonder where each of them is now, and with
whom, and what is going to become of them in the future.
As the service comes to a close, I am standing next to my parents and
sister, all of us holding candles, singing Silent Night, a song that
is probably being sung by parents and children across the Bronx and
America. As Jill Jarvis closes with some words about love and peace
and the example set by one particular teacher, healer, and peacemaker,
I realize the tremendous weight and excitement of the road ahead of
me. But I know, looking around, that I will not be traveling this road
alone. –Summary by Jeffrey Cravens
December
16, 2007 10:45 a.m. SHARED MEMORIES OF WINTER HOLIDAYS
Today’s
program, organized by Lynne Bodle, was indeed heart-warming. George
Worth read J. McCutcheon’s true story, about how American and German
soldiers celebrated together in No-Man’s Lands on Christmas Eve in World
War I. Our congregation then shared their own Christmas memories. These
included a sled delivered by Santa (“you just missed him as he flew
off”), a present of a horse delivered in the living room, and Americans
singingsStille Nacht to German friends.
Sherry Warren directed
the decorating of our mitten-underwear-and-sock tree, as children and
adults enthusiastically threw the clothing items for Lawrence charities
onto the tree. Janney Burgess’ new blue peace banners hung on the wall.
We heard briefly from Jill Jarvis, and we listened to Christmas in the
Trenches (sung by Bob Cross and John Roper), Christmas Memories (sung
by Lauralyn Bodle and Mike Yoder), Mama’s Christmas (by Cindy Novelo),
Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella (by our choir, directed by Susan Harper),
Stille Nacht (by Sarah Bodle), and various Christmas carols (sung by
all).–Summary by Jean Dirks
December
9, 2007 10:45 a.m. RECLAIMING OUR WHOLENESS
Jill Jarvis noted her own fascination with the shadow side of human
nature and the process of reclaiming lost or rejected aspects of ourselves
placed in the shadow aspect of our psychic. The process of finding these
repressed aspects of ourselves, holding them close to our hearts and
having feelings of reverence rather than rejection for them, can lead
us on a journey toward becoming whole. These disowned aspects of ourselves,
if not embraced at some point in our lives usually, at middle age, have
the danger of being projected out onto others. This continues until
we recognize that the very thing we find we do not like in another is
the same thing we have rejected within our self.
Jill shared two eloquent illustrations of the importance of reclaiming
our wholeness. One involved Sophia Peabody, who was one of three daughters
of the renowned, nineteenth century New England Unitarian Peabody family.
Unlike her two sisters, Sophia suppressed much of her individuality
and creativity and never allowed herself to reclaim much of her own
individual power, which resulted in her over controlling the lives of
her own children. Jill also shared her own personal journey of reclaiming
her vulnerability through her hospital chaplaincy experience, resulting
in her reclaiming her own sense of wholeness as she ministered to those
struggling with issues of vulnerability, illness, and death.
Finally, the concept of shadow was expanded to include groups such as
nations, which with their own collective persona, can project their
shadow aspects onto other groups or countries (i.e. the axis of evil).
This illustrates the importance of reclaiming our wholeness on a collective
and individual level. –Summary by Jeff Lewis
Check out our website! http://www.uufl.net/
Newsletter articles and information should
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