may 13th, 2008 Vol 49, no 35
Spiritual Celebration and Program
May 18th
10:00 AM - Annual Business Meeting. There will be no 9:15 AM Spiritual Celebration or 10:45 Program on this day.
2008 Annual Meeting
The 2008 annual meeting of the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence will be held on May 18, 2008, at 10:00 AM. Come early and join us for coffee, snacks and conversation at 9:30. The meeting will begin promptly at 10:00. This meeting will deal with the budget for
2008-2009, the slate of officers, and selection of a nominating committee. The slate is as follows: Norm White, Chair-Elect; Masha Kipp, Secretary; Susan Harper, Treasurer; and three-year-term member-at-large, Tom Cravens. The Nominating Committee will be chosen at the meeting. As has been stated in the bulletins this past Sunday, there will be NO PROXY VOTING at this meeting. Because a final vote may be taken after changes have been made from the floor to the agenda item being considered, anyone sending a proxy would not necessarily be informed about the language or intent of the matter on which they had authorized a vote. The Fellowship Board proposes to have provisions in the revised by-laws, to be ratified next year, to deal with proxy voting. This is a very busy day for the Unitarians of Lawrence and we hope to see all of you at the annual meeting, as well as, the lecture by Rev. William Sinkford being held at the Lawrence High School Commons at 4:00 PM.
Sinkford to Speak This Sunday
UUA President to Make Historic Visit to Lawrence May 18
Rev. William Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, will speak in the Commons Area of Lawrence High School on Sunday, May 18, at 4:00 p.m. in an address open to the community. This visit marks the first time a UUA president has come to Kansas, and provides a unique opportunity for us to hear and meet him. 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. The I-70 choir, comprised of choir members from Manhattan, Shawnee Mission and Lawrence, will perform briefly before his address.
Rev. Sinkford has been interviewed for an article in the Lawrence Journal World which is scheduled to appear in the May 17 paper. There is also an interesting interview with him which appeared recently in the St. Petersburg Times and is posted on the website: http://www.tampabay.com/news/article453301.ece Rev. Sinkford is making this trip to celebrate the achievements of the Prairie Star District, including those of our Fellowship. You are all invited to hear this dynamic, inspiring speaker and to meet him personally at the reception following his address.
JUST FOOD
Remember that this Sunday, May 18, is our monthly "Just Food" collection day. Please bring any boxed or canned food items and drop them in the shopping cart downstairs in the Social Hall. (Also greatly appreciated are any toiletries, diapers, and laundry supplies.) OR, you may make a contribution to JUST FOOD. Checks should be made out to “Just Food.” This will be used to purchase food at 16 cents a pound from Harvesters in Kansas City. Thanks to all of you for helping to alleviate hunger in Lawrence. ~Forrest Swall
Damien needs help
Damien Scott has had a fire in his apartment and is staying at the Salvation Army shelter until he can make arrangements for a new place to live. He has one set of clothes, and homelessness limits the amount of clothes he can manage until he has a home again. I know he needs shirts (size XL - 3XL), britches (shorts, jeans - waist size 40), socks (shoes size 15), and probably some underwear. More importantly, he will need some furnishings when he does secure a home.
I think we will have clothes for him to get him through and I will be in touch with him this week about what else he needs - including support in getting an apartment. If you can help in any way, please let me know, or look for him at LINK or Salvation Army after 5 p.m. Thank you! ~Sherry Warren
Scrip Sales for April
April Scrip Sales Hit $7,560, provide $523.60 for Treasury!
Scrip sales again provided over $500 for our Treasury last month! As both Dillons and Hy-Vee cards can be used to purchase gas, it makes their cards even more valuable. Remember, you pay the same as always when you use the cards, but our fellowship earns about 6% of every dollar you spend! ~Graham Kreicker
Colors and Fabrics
Paint colors and curtain fabric for new addition Some paint colors for the exterior and interior of the new addition have been suggested by our architect, along with kitchen-counter laminate and curtain color and fabric. You are invited to check these out on Sunday between the service and program. ~see Barbara Schowen.
Reminder to all Committee Chairs
The Archives Committee wants to remind Chairs of all active committees of two matters:
- You are expected to submit written summary reports of your committees' activities during the past year at the Annual Meeting on May 18th.
- Those Chairs who used the committee meetings binders issued by the Archives Committee for use in keeping committee records are reminded these binders should be returned to the Fellowship Office around July 1st so that the binders may be prepared for use next year.
Health Care For All Meeting
Tuesday, May 20
Donald W. Hatton, M.D. Chair-elect, Board of Governors, American College of Physicians will be the speaker at the next meeting of KS Health Care for ALL on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 7:00 PM at Trinity Episcopal Church, 10th and Vermont Street.
The meeting is open to the public. The emphasis is on Achieving a High Performing Health Care System: Applying Lessons from Other Countries to United States Health Care. The meeting is sponsored by Kansas Health Care For All, www.khcfa.org.
Interested in helping a PhD student with her research?
Andrea Ash is working on her PhD research and is looking for children in grades 2, 3, 5, or 6 to conduct a brief survey on language acquisition with their parent(s). Harley participated and it is painless and helps advance our understanding of speech development in native English speakers and those whose first language is something other than English. If you are interested, contact Andrea Ash at 550-7877. ~Sherry Warren
Summertime at the UFL
The summer is approaching rapidly. This is to let everyone know that we will be open all summer for services and programs beginning June.
The services and Sunday School will be at the same time - 9:15. This will be followed by a half hour coffee and conversation time. At 10:45 we will hold programs. Some will be odysseys and others will be "sharing our thought" time. On June 15th we will have a Strategic Planning Task Force meeting as the program and hope all will come and share their thoughts with us. Watch this space for more information. ~Judy Wilson
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
RE Kids Tie Dye Party
Religious Education for Kids will have a tie-dye party on May 25th before/during/after the potluck picnic. We will have some 100% white cotton shirts in boys undershirt size Small (6-8) and Medium (size 10-12) for your use. If you need another size, please bring it as Re will already be over budget this fiscal year. The ones I have are Harley's that he has grown out of. Dye and rubber bands will be provided. Questions? Contact Sherry Warren at ufldre@sunflower.com or 785-594-3993.
Summaries
May 11, 2008 9:15 a.m. MOTHERS' DAY
Nurturance is the value to that Mothers' Day celebrates. But it is not just our own children who need to be nurtured, our minister Jill Jarvis said. As UU's, we should advocate in the larger community for the nurturance of all people - so that our policies and tax dollars support the poor, and so that our churches welcome everyone. Instead of shaming and blaming those whose needs are exposed, we should truly "nurture" them, with that combination of empathy and responsibility that is true nurturance.
The service closed with Lara Wilson's lovely solo song about mothers' love of their children ("You can be anybody you want to be or have to be...and know that I will love you still.") Happy Mothers' Day! ~Summary by Jean Dirks
May 11, 2008 10:45 a.m. CEREMONY SUNDAY
We celebrated many happy events today! Led by Tim Miller, we dedicated and welcomed these babies and children to our Fellowship: Lily Ann Sigmon (daughter of Darla and Dave Sigmon); Olivia Lynn Goodwin (daughter of Nicole Goodwin); Jason Caetano Brown and Connor Vinko Brown (sons of Denise Perpich and Chris Brown); and Logan Maxwell Fullerton and Cooper Vaughn Fullerton (sons of Traci and John Fullerton). Each child received the traditional rose, as we remembered that no flower grows alone, apart from the soil where it lives.
Next, Sherry Warren, Director of Religious Education, congratulated the graduates of our first Our Whole Life (OWL) class on human sexuality: Andrea, Connor, Jack, Katie, and Alex. The class was taught by Carol Eades Delnevo and Peter Graham, with help from several other people.
We also congratulated Simon Backus, who graduates from Lawrence High School this month. As Sherry Warren noted, in the words of Hymn 123, we strive to give our children roots to hold them close, and wings to set them free.
Thanks went to the volunteer teachers, OWL trainees, and Committee Chairs. Thanks also went to Ellen Reid Gold, who was awarded the Charles K. Warriner Award for Exceptional Service. Ellen has been our Chair twice, and lent her articulate voice and good sense to the Fellowship for over 40 years. Finally, on this beautiful spring day, we welcomed these new adult members to our Fellowship: Chris Brown and Denise Perpich, Carolyn and Ross Duffy, Frederika Edgington- Giordano and Patrick Totaro, Nicole Goodwin, Marcel Harmon and Michelle Iwig-Harmon, Phil Hauptman, Karen Henry, Eli Woody. Congratulations to everyone!
~Summary by Jean Dirks