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"Love
is the spirit of this church and service its law"
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June 2006 Sermon
Schedule: Eight years ago you called me as your settled minister. And one September evening we had an installation service. It is a service where UU clergy come and process and there is a special sermon and a charge to the minister and one to the congregation and then the congregation and minister say words of covenant to one another. Since it was in the evening we decided to have a special Sunday service that day and for the children to be involved. It was to be a service about installation. That Sunday morning with the knowledge of certain board members who were in cahoots with me, I hid in the closet in the back of the church – in a box. And when it came time for the service – people were wondering what to do and why I hadn’t shown up. And one of the board members stepped up and said he would lead. And he did – and then there came an announcement of a delivery for the church – a big box. And the box was brought forward and in it – they found me. It also contained information on how to install such a device. In the box – along with me – was my preaching robe and a stole and my notes for church. And they got me out of the box and helped me to robe and gave me my notes and showed me where to stand and I was off and running. You must have done a very good job of installing me because we have never had to call in a repair person. In 10 years I have never not led services when I was scheduled to do so. There were occasional cancellations for snow or ice – but I have never had to call in a substitute. June 18th will be my last Sunday in the pulpit. And we will uninstall. After the sermon – we will again read together. This time they will be the words to release us each from our covenant. In this special way we will mark the ending of our time together. And then we will party! We will celebrate the special work we have done together. And hopefully toast to each of our futures. I have been grateful for all your kind words as we have visited together these last few weeks. I have been blessed to have served such a fine congregation. I am curious about what will be next for me and for you. I hope part of our legacy will be that you will be a healthy and generous congregation and that you will be as forgiving of your new minister’s foibles as you have been of mine. Blessings, Julie A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD The Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Evansville was held at the church Saturday, May 20, 2006. Lincoln Christensen chaired the meeting in the absence of Ben Sizemore who was out of town on a family emergency. Everyone shared a lovely smoked bar-b-que dinner prepared by Teri Rawlings and family. There were 23 members present and they heard a large round of thank-you's to all of the members and friends of the church who had helped make this last year a success. In addition, the group heard from Dave Fentress regarding the finance committees report on the budget activities for the coming year. Briefly, there was a shortfall in pledges. However, the UUCE Board of Directors made it clear to the congregation that using reserve funds to make up for a temporary shortfall was in the best interest of everyone. After some discussion, the quorum of congregants voted unanimously to approve the budget. Lincoln presented the UUCE Board of Directors' efforts in locating an interim minister to serve in the year the congregation seeks another settled minister. The board completed two interviews before and after the meeting. There was enthusiasm about one of the interviews. The board is taking the next step toward bring an interim minister to the church in Mid-August. Also, a ministerial search committee was announced. This group of people will locate candidates for the position of settled minister at UUCE. The members are: Brenda Krieger, Ben Sizemore, Ann Hanat, Debra Stong, Isabel Lavens, and Ed Howard. They are charged with a big task. I',m sure we'll give them every assistance in the search for a new settled minister. A MESSAGE FROM
THE TREASURER ANNOUNCEMENTS Time For Goodbye’s Julie's last Sunday is June 18. That Sunday, after the worship service, let's send her off with hugs and good wishes. Instead of a last supper, there will be cake and punch. Please join us. Who to call between in July and August: Much like we did for the sabbatical time the committee on ministry is putting together a plan for coverage. Julie will serve as our minister until the end of June. The July newsletter will contain information about the preaching schedule and who to call for what until the interim arrives. CAJE update:
Social Justice
Committee:
Child Care: Welcoming
Congregation
Discussion Group:
RE News
Coffee
PIDG
Fall Festival
Parents Group Support Fair Trade Have you bought Fair Trade products? Fair Trade is an internationally sponsored movement to help local farmers throughout the world earn a living wage. Most Fair Trade products are organic; products that are "fair trade certified" identify goods that meet a standard of fairness in labor and environmentalism. How can you help small farmers in Second and Third World countries? Look for the Fair Trade label at your local grocery store. Our church is helping the UUSC by selling Fair Trade Equal Exchange coffee and chocolate. Our monthly Social Justice collection for a local charity or non-profit group will resume in Septmeber! Thanks for your continued support of our community. Evansville Freecycle Cafe Have
you considered joining the Evansville Freecycle cafe? It's a local
discussion group for Evansville Freecycle members- and its discussions
have covered a little bit of everything: local libraries, exercising,
favorite recipes, discount shopping, homeschooling, computer operating
systems, free/cheap activities for kids & families, and much, much more.
The Cafe a great place to discuss upcoming local events or post your
garage sale, church/school fundraising events, etc. Support Fair Trade Have you bought Fair Trade products? Fair Trade is an internationally sponsored movement to help local farmers throughout the world earn a living wage. Most Fair Trade products are organic; products that are "fair trade certified" identify goods that meet a standard of fairness in labor and environmentalism. How can you help small farmers in Second and Third World countries? Look for the Fair Trade label at your local grocery store. Our church is helping the UUSC by selling Fair Trade Equal Exchange coffee and chocolate. Our monthly Social Justice collection for a local charity or non-profit group will resume in September! Thanks for your continued support of our community. Evansville Freecycle Cafe
Have you
considered joining the Evansville Freecycle cafe? It's a local discussion
group for Evansville Freecycle members- and its discussions have covered a
little bit of everything: local libraries, exercising, favorite recipes,
discount shopping, homeschooling, computer operating systems, free/cheap
activities for kids & families, and much, much more. The Cafe a great
place to discuss upcoming local events or post your garage sale,
church/school fundraising events, etc.
THOUGHTS ON
C.A.J.E. from Mark Rigney
Who runs C.A.J.E.? You do. To the degree that you attend meetings or join a research team, you set the agenda. It’s a popular and understandable myth that Linda Bajkowsky and Joanna Tzenis run C.A.J.E. Yes, they are the staff; yes, they keep the office together and the phones answered, but they are only here as organizers and trainers. What and whom do they organize and train? Us! The bottom line is, C.A.J.E. staff provides training for how to be an effective grassroots and community organization. They do not in any way set the agenda––they follow what the member congregations ask them to do. What will C.A.J.E. work on next?
The issues shift from year to year, so while C.A.J.E. sticks with
an issue until (and after) it’s been successfully addressed, new work
comes along almost every year. These topics are voted on in late fall, at
an assembly meeting. Last year’s assembly saw a very light UU turnout,
but that’s the best moment to have a hand in affecting the direction
C.A.J.E. will take in the future.
No. The current schedule estimates the end of June. The dentist has been hired, or so I hear through the C.A.J.E. office. If you know someone who needs a referral to this pay-as-you-are-able clinic, the contact is Mary Jo Borowiecki at the County Health Department. Her number is 435-5807.
If C.A.J.E. sometimes seems mysterious,
I’d be happy to answer questions. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find
out. If recent issues weren’t your particular cup of tea, don’t go far;
new issues are right around the corner. Remember, the organization’s goal
is to address root causes of major problems significant to our community.
Solving such crises takes time, patience, and dedication. If you’d like
to lend a hand, C.A.J.E. is at work year-round and would be happy to have
your assistance. New Book From Beacon Press
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