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May 2008
Service
Schedule:
May 4
What’s The UUCE?
May 11
Motherhood is Not for Cowards
May 18
Bridging Ceremony
May 25
Practice of Sufism
CAROLYN’S COMMENTS
Thursday night was
the final gathering of our “Building Your Own Theology” class.
We enjoyed it and everyone both brought important ideas and took away
new ways of thinking about our liberal faith, including yours truly.
During our final
class, we did an exercise determining our values based on what we had worked
on during the past months. This
exercise took some thought and as we discussed it, certain items moved
around in importance. The
instructions say to keep adjusting your list until you feel it reflects your
true feelings.
One of the class
members thought we should share this list with the congregation so that
those interested could experience this exercise.
So here are the seventeen values, listed alphabetically.
Pick the most important and make it #1 and then try to decide which
is #2, etc. It’s not easy, but
you might learn something about yourself.
I’d be happy to talk to anyone who would like to discuss this.
____a comfortable life (a prosperous life)
____an exciting life (stimulation, active)
____a sense of accomplishment (lasting
contribution)
____a world at peace (free of war and conflict)
____a world of beauty (beauty of nature and the
arts)
____equality (with equal opportunity for all)
____family security (taking care of loved ones)
____freedom, independence (Free choice)
____happiness (contentedness)
____inner harmony (freedom from inner conflict)
____mature love (sexual and spiritual intimacy)
____national security (protection from attack)
____pleasure (an enjoyable, leisurely life)
____salvation (saved, eternal life)
____self-respect (self-esteem)
____social recognition (respect, admiration)
____true friendship (close companionship)
____wisdom (a mature understanding of life)
BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S MEETING
UUCE Board of
Director's meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6:00 PM.
POTLUCK
Our April potluck will be on May 25 following the service.
Plan to join us and
gather with fellow UU’s for good food and good conversation!
SUNDAY SERVICES
May 4
– “What’s the UUCE? Tell Me What’s Happening”
This intergenerational service takes its inspiration from the wonderful
music of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Come explore the vitality of UUCE through the eyes of your candidate
for minister, the Rev. Deane Oliva.
Worship Associate: Jan Steinmark. Pianist: Sarah Bielish.
Congregational meeting follows the
service
May 11
– “Motherhood is Not For Cowards”
Whether through adoption or biological birth, becoming a mother is daunting.
But what follows is unimaginable.
Finding the courage to care for what we do not control and to be in
the position of having to control everything on behalf of the same, places
parents in the most paradoxical of roles that we face in life.
We must let go of what we love, and keep doing it as long as we live.
This is true of many other relationships as well.
May 18
– “Bridging Ceremony”
This service will be led by Zach Carden and Dana Granholm.
May 25
– “The Practice of Sufism”
This branch of Islam includes a wide diversity from the musings of the poet,
Rumi, to the dancing of the whirling dervishes.
The practice of Sufism advocates a world of simplicity and love in
which justice and compassion flow: a world where the rules were no longer
necessary.
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:
5/4 Cancelled due to Candidate Week.
5/18 Should the US boycott the
Olympics in
China?
6/1 Buddhism
6/15 What can
Israel
do to protect herself?
6/29 What can the Palestinians do in the Gaza Strip
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
VACATION CONSIDERATIONS
As we begin to plan our summer
vacations let’s not forget that our favorite fall event is only 5 months
away! Say a vacation day or two
to work the UUCE Fall Festival booth!
Fall Festival 2008 is October 6-11.
Plan to spend some time helping your church and enjoying the company
of fellow UU’s!
MEET OUR MINISTERIAL CANDIDATE
Rev. Deane Oliva
will be candidating to be our full-time minister from Sunday Apr. 27 through
Sunday May 4. She will deliver two services, meet every committee, and reach
out to meet you in events scheduled all week long. Let’s give Deane our best
UUCE welcome.
What will Deane find
when she arrives here? She will
find a church that has used our two-year interim period to transform itself
into different church than we were just two years ago. In the past two
years, we have faced many challenges together. But most important we have
renewed our common purpose as a liberal religious choice in Evansville, as a
leader in values stemming from our UU principles, and as committed to the
improvement of our quality of life.
We had five
essential goals in this interim period and it may be a good time to review
these and reflect on who we are now.
1.
Claim and honor its past, and heal
its grief and conflicts;
We have strived in
the past two years to rediscover who we are and understand how our history
is tied to who we are but doesn’t confine us to who we want to become. For
example, we are determined to transition from a family church to a pastoral
church. A pastoral church becomes a more resilient organization. We will
make the changes and handle the conflicts that come from such a transition.
2.
Discover the congregation’s unique identity, its strengths, its needs, and
its challenges;
We have
rediscovered our identity as a catalyst for creative spiritual exploration
and as an organization that seeks to realize these lessons in the community
and in our individual lives. We celebrate all our spiritual roots and
differences and grow stronger from the challenges imparted by them. The
percentage of our congregation who regularly attends services is much higher
proportionately than elsewhere. We have proven again and again that we are a
leader in the community, such as our involvement as a founding member in
Congregations Acting for Justice and Equality. And while we have lost a
number of members to jobs elsewhere, we continue to attract new members who
find in the UUCE a liberal religious choice that supports their spiritual
growth.
3.
Clarify the multiple dimensions of leadership, both ordained and lay, and
navigate the shifts in
leadership that accompany times of transition;
We all know how
deeply this church is committed to full-time ministerial service. Ours is
church of size that does not normally have a full-time minister but is
instead lay led. But we know that we will grow into that dynamic church only
with our leadership, ordained and lay, and Congregation working together. So
many members and friends have picked up the church in a variety of ways and
carried it through in this interim. That energy will continue after we hire
a full-time minister.
4.
Renew connections with available resources, within and beyond the Unitarian
Universalist
Association;
The interim
process has also resulted in the deepening bonds with the over 1000 other
Unitarian Universalist congregations across the country. Our leadership has
made use of the resources offered by Heartland and national to get through
the interim period. We have learned from our two interim ministers, Myron
Andes and Carolyn Brown. And our search committee has benefited from the
structure that has allowed us to find and welcome Deane.
5.
And renew the congregation’s vision, strengthen its stewardship, prepare for
new professional
leadership, and engage its future with anticipation and zest.
We do not yet know
where the future will lead us, but we know that the ride will be worth it
and we know we want to get there together and with our new minister.
So let us welcome
Deane secure in the fact that we have made big changes together, that we are
closer to our mission as a Church for having come through this process
together and that we will continue to renew ourselves and grow from us.
On May 4th, after
the service, the members of the Congregation who are present will vote for
Deane to be our new minister. We want as many eligible members there as
possible. It will be a vote for the future of our Church. Let’s celebrate
together.
Welcome Deane.
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)
or phone. I look forward to hearing from you!
COFFEE
Place your
order for chocolate, cocoa, and coffee. Contact Chris Norrington -
cnorrington@hotmail.com or call. Thanks for your continued
support of this project that helps the Unitarian Universalist Service
Committee.
CANDIDATING WEEK UPDATE
We on the
Ministerial Search Committee (MSC) would like to take a minute of your time
to clarify a few things about what Rev. Deane Oliva’s upcoming “Candidating
Week” is and isn’t. Think of this as a UU AAA road map: Five vowels in
a row, together with a host of useful information.
First and perhaps
foremost, Deane (her given name is Claudene) is still our candidate
and not our settled minister. She is the minister whom the MSC feels
is absolutely the best fit for our needs and for our congregation, but the
deal, as they say, is not yet sealed. Our broad participation, as a
church, during the candidating week, is vital to etching this new
relationship in stone.
Here’s how we can accomplish this:
There will be a
number of opportunities to meet with Deane (her given name is Claudene)
during the week. The first of these will be at the April 27th
service, where Deane will deliver the sermon and message. Following
this, we’ll enjoy a catered lunch, also at the church. The lunch will
then give way to a combination of Q&A session and Town Hall Meeting where
anyone in attendance will have a chance to ask questions of Deane. How
long will this event last? Until we’ve run out of questions, or until
Deane collapses from sheer exhaustion, whichever comes first.
Other “meet the
minister” opportunities will be on Monday and Thursday during the lunch hour
(11:30 to about 1:00), at affordable area restaurants. On Monday,
April 28th, we’ll be at Flavor of India, where they have an
excellent and reasonable buffet. On Thursday, May 1st,
we’ll be at the Great American Bagel––unless so many people wish to attend
that we need a larger venue. Sign-up sheets for both of these events
will be posted starting Sunday. If these prove to be VERY popular
events, we will be happy to offer extra “lunch dates” on other days that
week. If interested, PLEASE sign up ahead of time so we know what sort
of table size to reserve!!!
Also, there will
be a church-wide soiree on Saturday night, May 3rd at 7:30 at Ed
Howard’s house (3919 Elmridge off Oak Hill Rd just north of Lynch Rd).
Remember: Everyone is invited! It’s a party, a
welcome-and-get-to-know-you party, but also a chance to congratulate
ourselves on a fine pledge drive and a bright future ahead.
Deane will be
meeting with many different committees and committee members during the
course of the week, but because of the difficulty of scheduling in such a
brief time span, not every committee will have a chance to meet with our
prospective minister. We do want to provide as many opportunities as
possible, however, so please let a member of the MSC know if you would like
to set up some sort of get-together. The MSC members are: Ann Hanat,
Mark Rigney, Hardin Rathgeber, Megan Tuley, Susie Feinberg, and Joel Haffner.
It is vitally
important that we make good use of the nine days Deane will spend with us.
Ministerial settlement is an intricate and complex sort of dating game: We
want to like her, she wants to like us. The best way to achieve a
positive outcome, at least in the opinion of the MSC, is to come out and be
available, to make the effort to break or bend our regular schedules in the
service of spending a little extra time with our church and our future (we
hope!) minister.
Finally, if you
know of any members or friends who have drifted away from the church in
these past few transitional years, this would be an excellent time to call
them up and invite them to the April 27 or May 4 service. The future,
after all, is at hand.
Peace, dogwoods,
and sunshine,
The UUCE 2008 Ministerial Search Committee
SHAMANIC DRUMMING CIRCLES
The First Friday Shamanic Drumming Circle meets the first Friday of each
month at 7:00- 9:00 PM at the church.
All are welcome.
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).
JAMES DURST TO RETURN IN OCTOBER
James is a very accomplished and talented singer /songwriter that has and
continues to tour the world. He
visited UUCE last year and will be returning October 16, 2008.
Watch for more details!
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