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March 2008
Service Schedule:
March 2
TBA
March 9
Guilty as Charged
March 16
Your Money and Your Life
March 23
He is Risen, She is Risen
March 30
CAJE Sunday
CAROLYN’S COMMENTS
How are we doing
so far? I’ve learned more about
UUCE during the past month and am thrilled with how we’ve become involved in
the Sunday lunch bunch, choir and the two adult classes.
There are some good things and some things that could use improvement
that I want to share with you.
UUCE does a
stellar job of meeting and greeting people on Sunday morning.
You really have developed a great attitude about the people who come
to visit us. Having greeters is
really making a difference.
Many of us are serving as unofficial greeters as well and I have observed
some wonderful interactions in the lobby prior to the service.
The Sunday Lunch
Bunch has given us opportunities for fun and fellowship.
Several times we have had more than twenty people attend.
Last Sunday we had a marvelous diverse group ranging in ages from
elementary school to retired people, with a nice group of high school age
young men and women.
UUCE does a great
job here integrating these young people into the congregation.
We know them by name and treat them with respect.
One of my former congregations put the teens in the church basement
until the service was over and really didn’t bother to get to know them.
UUCE is doing a very good job of including our young people into the
congregation.
Another really
good thing is the curb appeal of the building.
The gardeners who have worked on the bushes and plantings should be
applauded. Driving around
Evansville I rarely see a building that has better curb appeal.
Our beds are trimmed, weedless and well designed.
The interim
minister is here to notice things that the congregation may not notice.
Since I’ve told you some great aspects of UUCE, please allow me to
bring to your attention some things that could help make a good impression
on our visitors. One of these
is the floor of the lobby. This
needs some cleaning and buffing.
A few little cosmetic things like fixing this can make a huge
difference in how a visitor feels about the congregation.
We all care about UUCE and our caring is further reflected by finding
ways to notice the little things and correct them.
We have brought
name tags to your attention several times.
We expect our visitors to wear them so we will know who they are.
Well --- how are they supposed to feel welcomed if we don’t bother to
wear ours, and how in this world will they ever get to know and remember our
names. This is a gesture of
compassion to the newcomer and can reflect our seriousness about our second
principle; justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
The use of name
tags may work as a symbol for some people – a symbol of their preference to
remain an intimate, family sized church.
Wearing the nametags can be a symbol of what I hope is the vision of
the church to be inclusive and growing.
Sometimes we prefer to think “everybody knows me” and if they don’t,
oh well. Rather, our hope for
the health of the congregation can be an inspiration to do the little things
that demonstrate the commitment we have to the future of the church and our
movement as well.
One more area
which needs to be addressed is the use of the Joys and Sorrows portion of
our service. I have purposely
stood near the microphone to offer pastoral support for those courageous
enough to share their sorrows and their joys.
(Announcements go in the Order of Service or at the very beginning of
the service.)
UUCE is a caring
community. We want to reflect
this to our visitors. Sharing
our joys and sorrows with strangers can be something that lets them know the
depth of our relationships. As
we consider sharing, we might keep in mind that a joy or sorrow is something
on our hearts as we enter the Sunday service, something that needs sharing.
What is moving you to joy or sorrow belongs during the sharing of
Joys and Sorrows. Only you can
judge if it is something you can briefly share that, by sharing, will give
you comfort or delight. Share
it keeping in mind that it will be heard by people who may be unfamiliar
with the community.
I received a list
of “100+ Ideas for Membership Growth” which includes the following:
“Conclude every Sunday service with a note of hope.
Visitors never forget the ‘downers.’”
I leave you with a note of hope as well.
In my view, this congregation can become whatever the members decide
they would like to become. The
sky’s the limit!
BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S MEETING
UUCE Board of
Director's meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6:00 PM.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
There will be a
Congregational Meeting after services on Sunday, March 16th to elect our
Nominating Committee. The
Nominating Committee has the responsibility to seek out and nominate four
new Board members for next year’s Board of Directors.
(If you are interested in serving on the Nominating Committee, please
see Dave Granholm.)
SUNDAY SERVICES
March 2
TBA
March 9
TBA
March 16
TBA
March 23
TBA
March30
CAJE Sunday
CAJE Sunday. In 2003, our church became a founding member of
Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment (CAJE). This Sunday,
we gear-up for this year’s CAJE Action on Thursday, April 10 and celebrate
our biggest “win” to date, the establishment of a community dental clinic.
Ralph Matacale, D.D.S. shares with us his experiences furnishing affordable
dental care to the underserved in our community. John Schaeffer and
Tom Moor, Worship Associates
FROM THE PREZ
Wow, there is so
much excitement and energy in our church these days.
I’m sure you have noticed the increased average attendance for Sunday
services. We have the
discussion group going again, Carolyn’s well-attended classes have started,
the choir is active, lots of work going on to call our next minister… and on
and on.
I hope you will
take a close look at the church calendar for the next few months and set the
important dates in your personal calendar.
Please allow me to point out a partial list of important church
happenings:
March 16: Pledge Drive kickoff
March 16: Congregational
Meeting to elect Nominating Committee
April 13: Super Canvass Sunday
April 27: Election Meeting to
elect new Board members
May 17: Annual Meeting
I’m happy to see
new faces in church each week.
In fact, it is a very rare occurrence when we don’t have at least one new
person. And, as always, we
attract the most interesting people to our wonderful liberal faith
tradition. If you are new, we
are glad you are with us.
- Dave Granholm
CAJE NEWS
The news from CAJE
(Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment) looks like this: The
annual action is on Thursday, April 10. It is not too soon to mark
your calendars! We’re asking for a puzzle piece in a major local
policy initiative, and we need your help to make it happen.
What CAJE
wants––and what Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel has already committed to assisting
with––is to endow an Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF). The idea is
to create a cash reserve to provide seed money for appropriate building
projects; the trust would be publicly funded from a variety of sources and
all projects would directly benefit low-income households.
Evansville already
has an approved AHTF, but it is chronically under-funded. The goal now
is to guarantee that the trust takes in at least two million dollars in
revenue per year.
The next step will be
the CAJE action, at which we will ask the Vanderburgh County Council to
commit to providing, through various recorder fees, at least $315,000 per
year.
In years past, we
have turned out anywhere from fifteen to thirty members of our congregation
to support CAJE actions. With CAJE, numbers translate into power––the
power to carry out our UU principles in a direct and meaningful way.
So, save the date:
April 10th, exact time and place TBD, but likely six-thirty p.m. There
will be a rally one week beforehand. More on that in the next
newsletter!
Six Ideas for Membership Growth:
#22 - Make sure
your membership committee has a budget that enables it to do the best
possible job.
#6 - Hold regular
“Invite-a-Friend” Sundays when active members are encouraged to bring
friends who are potential UUs to church.
#116 - Tell your
friends, coworkers, and others with whom you associate what you love about
your church.
#64 - Put up signs
along well-traveled routes directing people to your building.
#117 – Leave a
copy of “UU World” at your hairdresser’s or barber shop.
#21 – Have
specific breakfasts or luncheon pot lucks so newcomers can meet members and
leaders of the congregation.
FIRST FRIDAY DRUMMING CIRCLE
The First Friday Drumming Circle meets the first Friday of each month at
7:00- 9:00 PM at the church.
All are welcome.
THIRD FRIDAY DRUMMING CIRCLE
The Third Friday Drumming Circle meets the third Friday of each month at
7:00- 9:00 PM at the church.
All are welcome.
FUN DRUM
We have started a new
drumming circle. It is called the 4th Sunday Fun Drum and Feed.
It will be held every 4th Sunday in the Sanctuary from 4-7 PM.
Questions? Contact Hardin
Rathgeber
PSG MEETINGS
We are a pagan study group that
meets every Tuesday and is currently working on meditation, energy work,
magic, and ethics, as well as learning about a host of other pagan practices
and topics. You do not have to be pagan to attend these meetings. We do hold
group celebrations for the fire festivals, solstices, and equinoxes.
Contact Lauren Talley at
evansvillepsg@hotmail.com if you have any questions (see calendar
for specific times).
GREETERS NEEDED
Want to contribute to the church in a meaningful way but only have, say, 20
minutes a week to spare? Perfect! Be a greeter! Greeters
are those wonderful, smiling people you've noticed welcoming people at the
door, passing out hymnals in the sanctuary, and straightening up chairs
after the service on Sundays. It's a fun, easy, and important job that
doesn't take much time at all. Interested? See me, Lauren
Talley, in church, or contact me via email (xgj36@hotmail.com).
I look forward to hearing from you!
COFFEE
Place your
order for chocolate, cocoa, and coffee. Contact Chris Norrington -
cnorrington@hotmail.com.
Thanks for your continued support of this project that helps the Unitarian
Universalist Service Committee.
UUCE DISCUSSION GROUP
The UUCE
discussion group meets the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month at 9:00 AM in
the Chalice Room.
Tentative Schedule of Upcoming Discussion Topics:
3/2 - The EVSC: Improving Academic Achievement, with guest speaker and UUCE
Member Roy Harris (continued from 2/17)
3/16 - From Kindergarten to College: Drawbacks and Benefits of Public vs.
Private Education
3/30 - Funding Recess: The Cost and Necessity of Extracurricular Activities
in K-12 Education
4/6 - Universal Health Care: Drawbacks and Benefits in the US and Abroad
4/20 - Rap, Pop, and Hip-Hop: Its Influence on Today's Youth, with comments
and feedback from UUCE youth members
Question?
Contact the Adult Discussion Group at
uucediscussion@gmail.com
Jennifer E Hyland -- Group Coordinator (Indianapolis)
jehyland222@gmail.com
Hardin Rathgeber -- Group Coordinator (Evansville)
hlrathgeber@yahoo.com
CHOIR SINGS AT UUCE!
We have a choir! They sang 2/17 and did a very nice job! Won't
you join us each Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:50 to prepare for our next
performance. The music is not too hard and is mostly 20th and
21st century. Hope to see you there. Carolyn Brown
POTLUCK
We will not have a
potluck in March since our potluck’s are scheduled for the 4th
Sunday and in March that is Easter Sunday.
Join us again on April 27 to gather with fellow UU’s for good food
and good conversation!
UUCE EDITOR TO TAKE VACATION- HELP NEEDED!!
Have you ever
wanted to be editor the newsletter?
Do you have about 1-2 hours to donate to the church?
Beth will be on vacation in March when the newsletter needs to be
compiled and is looking for someone to take over for the month.
Interested? Please
contact her.
BEYOND CATEGORICAL THINKING
What's a who? Say
what? You want me to think how?
Greetings from
your friendly neighborhood Ministerial Search Committee! One step on the
road to finding a settled minister is hosting a Beyond Categorical Thinking
(BCT) workshop, and that particular step is upon us. On Sunday, March
second, we on the MSC invite you all (members, friends, and pretty much
anyone reading this) to stay after the church, enjoy a catered lunch and
join us for a unique workshop designed to check the congregation's pulse on
precisely what our expectations are of our future (as yet unknown) settled
minister.
FAQ Number One:
What will it be like? Hard to say! None of us have ever been through a BCT
workshop! We know this: Two UUA facilitators will be on hand, and they do
these a lot, so they should be well-trained and ready for the task at hand.
FAQ Number Two:
How long will it be? Not short: About three hours. However, as a long-term
investment in the life of the church, three hours really isn't very long at
all.
The key is this:
Prospective ministerial candidates check to see if their future church has
hosted a BCT workshop. They care about this. As we understand things, it
reassures them that we as a congregation are serious about establishing a
strong and mutually supportive relationship with our future minister.
So, if at all
possible, we hope you will come and join us. We've already got over twenty
of your fellow UU's signed up and ready to attend!
See you there.
Mark Rigney
Secretary, Ministerial Search Committee
THANK YOU FOR THE GOODIES!
You may have
noticed that we regularly have baked goodies during coffee hour.
At the risk of missing someone, please join me in thanking those who
have recently volunteered with me to donate and bring coffee-hour treats for
us. Susie and Sasha Feinberg,
Isabel Lavens, Teri Rawlings, and Hardin Rathgeber.
Also, let’s give a big “thank you” to Jack & Alice Cardin who
recently donated a new high-quality coffee maker to the church.
SOUP, BREAD & MEMBERSHIP
All people
interested in becoming members of UUCE are invited to join Teri Rockwood and
Carolyn Brown for a soup supper with Teri’s homemade bread and Carolyn’s
homemade soup on Friday, March 14, at 6 p.m. in the Sanctuary at the
Unitarian Universalist Church of Evansville (UUCE). After we eat, we will
share faith journeys, learn some UU History and some history about this
church, along with current programs and opportunities for involvement.
Completion of this class is part of our pathway to membership.
This class is a
great opportunity for you to meet other newcomers and members of the
congregation in an informal setting and to get some answers to your
questions about both our liberal faith and UUCE. We hope to have some
sharing of what newcomers are looking for and to learn both what UUCE offers
and what UUCE can develop in response to your needs.
We look forward to
seeing you and getting to know you better. So we know how much food to
prepare please RSVP as soon as you are able by calling Teri Rockwood. Child
care is available.
RE NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!
This is your
chance to get involved with the RE program. We are looking for two teachers
to teach two Sundays a month from now until the end of May. That's only a
total of 7 Sundays of teaching!! (there will be 3 teaching Sundays in
March). There will be training provided about the current curriculum and
we'll explore any questions you may have about teaching in the RE program.
All materials and on-going support will be provided to you. The church year
is well under way with the children studying the UU Principles. Consider
using this as your opportunity to find out more about how great it is to
teach in the UUCE RE program. Do you value Unitarian Universalism? Why not
help our kids learn just what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist? Call
any member of the RE Committee right now while your thinking of it.
Get involved!!
Becky McDonald
Natasha Goodge
Roy Harris
Jack Carden
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