april 22nd, 2008 Vol 49, no 32
Spiritual Celebration and Program
April 27th
9:15AM - Spiritual Celebration: "Inspiration". Join us as Heather Coffman explores the concept of spirituality and what it means to be spiritual when practicing a non-credal faith.
10:45 a.m. Program: "Sharing a Spirit". Huseyin Sahiner and Erdem Surucu of the newly formed KU Intercultural and Interfaith Dialog Student Association will share with us some of the ways they are reaching out to bring people of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds together around universal values in order to seek solutions to our social and global problems,
May 4th
9:15AM - Spiritual Celebration: Ellen Reid Gold will speak on the relationships between religion and art.
10:45 a.m. Program:"Sabbath of Hope" a program led by Susan Crain Lewis.
May 11th
9:15AM - Spiritual Celebration: Jill Jarvis, topic TBA
10:45 a.m. Program: "Ceremony Sunday" , our traditional day for the "naming ceremony" for babies and small children, welcoming new members, and recognizing other milestones along our journey.
*Please see separate announcement.
May 18th
9:15AM - Spiritual Celebration: Annual Meeting - no separate Spiritual Celebration or regular Program.
*Announcement: If you would like to participate in the "naming ceremony", (akin to a baptism in a more formal religion) of an infant or child during "Ceremony Sunday" at 10:45 AM on May 11, please contact Lynne Bodle, 843-8263 or lynnebodle@sbcglobal.net, Also, please let Lynne know if you have or are a graduating high school senior or college graduate this year. We don't want to miss anyone!
UFL Members Recieve Peace Award
Swalls Receive The Lawrence Coalition for Peace & Justice Award
The Lawrence Coalition for Peace & Justice has selected Forrest and Donna Swall to be 
recipients of their 2008 "Tom and Anne Moore Peace & Justice Award!"
The couple was nominated by unanimous vote of our Fellowship's Executive Committee and the letter supporting them was sent to the LCPJ selection committee several weeks ago. Among other accomplishments, the award recognizes the Swall's life long commitment to social justice on many fronts, including elimination of the death penalty, equal access to health care for all, the fight to block the State's so called "marriage amendment," loyal support of the peace vigils at the court house since they began, and their efforts to make sexual orientation an important part of the anti discrimination policies of the City and the local school system. They have provided workshops on GLBT issues for school boards, teacher groups, elected officials and religious organizations from coast to coast.
The award was presented at a special meeting of the LCPJ last Thursday. Congratulations Donna and Forrest!
Open Meetings Dealing with 2008-2009 Budget
The budget setting process has started. Committee Chairs have submitted their individual budgets and these have been compiled by the Finance Committee. There will then be a series of meetings all of which are open to all members.
- Saturday April 26 at 9:00 a.m. - Meeting with all Committee Chairs to discuss the budget and arrive at a consensus. Open meeting.
- Saturday, May 3 at 9:00 a.m. - Continuation meeting (only held if needed--open).
- Wednesday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. -- Budget presented to the Board for adoption.
Open to all. - Sunday, May 11 - 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Open Q & A session to discuss the budget.
Social Justice Summer at UFL
Are you looking for a way to get involved with our kids in a meaningful activity? Sign up for a week (or more) teaching in UFL's Social Justice Summer Program. We'll focus on Heifer International's Animal Crackers Program and how we are all a part of a global community. Learn about how a water buffalo can bring sustainable farming to the Philippines and how rabbits can bring independence to families in Cameroon. We'll raise funds to aid needy families through Heifer Projects while we learn about our neighbors on Earth. This program will run June 1st through August 3rd during the Spiritual Celebration at 9:15 and we'll need two teachers per Sunday. Contact Carol Eades-Delnevo (askeades@aol.com or 785-856-9165) to schedule your dates. No experience needed, just come and have fun. Learning is caught, not taught. Thank you! ~Sherry and Carol
LCES - The Dream of a Big Green Schoolhouse
The Lawrence Community Environmental School has been bubbling into existence for well over a year. The initial motivation for creating an alternative elementary school grew out of the 
deeply satisfying experiences of many parents whose children had attended Lawrence Community Nursery School. LCNS, also affectionately known as "The Little Red Schoolhouse", has been operating successfully for over 50 years and holds the distinction of being one of the oldest cooperatively-run nursery schools in the country. Generations of parents and children have experienced the joy and fulfillment of belonging to a community in which their contributions are both valued and required.
Many of these parents and children are disheartened when their children reach school-age and must leave the LCNS community, when what they would prefer is an extension and enhancement of the LCNS experience throughout their children's developmental years.
We envision Lawrence Community Environmental School as moving beyond the traditional models of a school community. Through substantial, active parent involvement and an approach that situates student learning in the natural world and the wider community, LCES endeavors to become a vibrant community of practice dedicated to higher standards of earth stewardship and social responsibility throughout all aspects of daily life. LCES will also serve as a community resource center for issues related to environmental responsibility and sustainable living.
We have been invited to give a presentation to the USD 497 School Board. We are very excited about this opportunity and would like to invite all of you to attend this meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, May 12 at 7:00 p.m. at 110 McDonald Drive. Please come to show your support for LCES!
One of the most important tasks for us is to show the school board that there is a need for this type of educational alternative in Lawrence. We know there is; we just need you to help us prove it! To that end, we are asking our supporters to write brief, informal letters in support for the idea of a parent-run cooperative elementary school focused on environmental education. Letters can be emailed to green.school.coop@gmail or mailed to LCES, 1316 N 1750 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66044. If you do nothing else to support this movement, please write a letter of support.
For more information, please contact Janet FitzGerald at waxplanet@sunflower.com.
Friendship Committee Benefit for El Salvador
The Lawrence-El Papaturro Friendship Committee is holding a yardsale 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, April 25th and 26th. Money we raise will benefit our scholarship students and necessary support staff in El Salvador. There are childrens' items, women's clothes, ice cream table and chairs, and many miscellaneous small items. ~Mark Larson
We're Expanding Our Recycling Program
In addition to paper, the Fellowship is now recycling aluminum and tin. If you have any aluminum cans, unused/unwanted aluminum pots & pans, worn-out faucets, etc., bring them to the Fellowship! We've made a "circular" enclosure behind the yellow recycling dumpster for receipt of these items. Please remember to bag aluminum and tin (steel) items separately. The more we bring, the more we receive for our recycling efforts. Questions? Contact Mark Larson at lars_owl@yahoo.com.
Children's Religious Education Brainstorming Meeting
Please join the RE Committee on Sunday, April 27th for a planning/brainstorming meeting immediately following the program in the Wollstonecraft room. We will be discussing ideas for Fall 2008 programming including reworking Sunday morning activities for children, ideas for enhancing the teaching experience for adult volunteers, and possible topics for children's social action. Snacks and childcare will be provided. All are welcome. ~Carol Eades
Plant Exchange and Refreshments!
Sunday, May 11th, at 3 pm at the Fellowship Do you have bare spots in your garden? Do you have extra plants to trade or share? Let's pot up those extra plants and bring them to the Fellowship. Among the common perennials that can be transplanted in the spring are columbines, coneflowers, coreopsis, daisies, hollyhock, hosta, lamb's ear, lamium, moneywort, sedum, vinca minor, and many, many more. If you have questions about what you can dig up, you may want to ask a masterful gardener like Janney or Arthur Burgess, Ruth Scott, or Stuart Boley. If you want to consult the master gardeners who are members of the Fellowship, they are Valerie Roper, Marilyn Roy, and Mary Beth Musick.
Sinkford to Speak in May
The President of UUA, Rev. William Sinkford, will speak in the commons area of Lawrence High School at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon, May 18th. This date was selected by his office in Boston as he will be traveling through the Midwest then, with at least three other major speaking engagements. The historic Unitarian bell will be a backdrop. A nationally recognized 
leader in the field of race relations and social justice issues, Rev. Sinkford will speak on the role of liberal religion in 21st Century America. It is emphasized that this is a public address, not a religious ceremony. Community leaders and members of all UU congregations in our cluster are being invited. The "I-70 choir" will perform a short concert before he speaks and there will be a chance to enjoy light refreshments and meet Rev. Sinkford at the conclusion of his remarks. We realize that this is K.U. commencement day, but our K.U. experts assure us that will not interfere with our event. Save the date!
Book Club Forming
As part of the planning for next Fall's activity line-up, the Adult Religious Education and Wednesday Activities Committees are asking for your input on 2 different types of Book Groups.
1) Adult R.E.: Books or LUUF Curricula Series that would explore the vast variety of faiths, spiritual practices, personal essays by well known writers like Matthew Fox, Joseph Campbell, Sister Helen Prejean, etc. Also, possible: memoirs, biographies, studies of women in the Bible...
2) Reading For Enjoyment: Almost anything is possible, but we would limit the reading to one book/month. An idea might be to use the local library's "Book Page", or another book review magazine to choose selections. This could be a very flexible group; each member reading and reporting on a book of their choice, or all sharing a single book.
Please contact Judy Wilson: jwilson@sunflower.com, or call Marilyn: 838-3057.
We could offer either group, or both; childcare/activities could be provided if held at the Fellowship on Wednesday afternoons or evenings. Meetings could also be in homes, and/or Presbyterian Manor. We look forward to hearing from you!!
Summaries
April 20th, 2008
10:45 a.m. ACTING LOCALLY TO PRESERVE NATIVE PRAIRIES
Our first speaker in honor of Earth Day was Ken Lassman, who wrote Wild Douglas County. Ken noted that less than one half of one percent of Douglas County is native prairie. To help preserve the prairie and its species, we should: avoid road-side spraying, which destroys remnant prairie species; control invasive species (teasel, crown vetch, musk thistle etc.); help local preservation efforts like Grassland Heritage, Prairie Park Nature Center, or Westar's Green Team; create green corridors; keep a clear path to the Kaw River along local creeks, for migrating animals; take an interest in the watershed; and develop a land ethic which respects the other species that we share the earth with.
For Hillary Brown, the link between animals and plants and us became clearer when she started eating elk and grass-fed beef. Her auto-immune problems and ongoing sickness were reduced, and with her new energy, she founded Local Burger restaurant in Lawrence, which serves local produce. Hillary encouraged us to buy locally grown produce (such as at The Merc, and Farmer's Market); and support Citizens for Responsible Planning (CRP), whose projects include keeping some of the good soil in north Lawrence for farming, not just businesses. Our final speaker was Angie Babbit, Fellowship member and Volunteer Coordinator for Grassland Heritage. Grassland Heritage works to preserve the prairie and educate people about it, and it hopes to buy some land with endangered plant species.
Today's program was in the spirit of the seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism, which is respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. ~Summary by Jean Dirks