Service Schedule:

         October 5         Why Come to Church
            October 12          Association Sunday
         October 19       Covenant: The Commitment
         October 26       Our 5^th Principle
         November 2      Remembrance

 

MINISTER’S MUSINGS

 

    I feel a little like Alice in Wonderland, so many new and wondrous adventures to sample and enjoy.  I have met a gaggle of interesting people and learned much about Evansville.

Yet, like Alice, I run the risk of scurrying about in many directions, with only Chesire grins to lead me on my path and fragmented goals to guide me. At times like this, it is good to remember a childhood rule, “Stop, look, and listen.”

    Summer is over. If you are like many of us, you have raced into fall with much anticipation, new resolutions and much energy.  Yet, very soon, we are overwhelmed with the anxiety of too much, too soon, too tired.  It is time to “Stop, look, and listen.”

    Take a deep breath.  Observe your NOW world. Listen to your inner self and listen for the messages of those around you.  Let it sit for awhile.  How’s it going?  Is this the plan that I had imagined?  Let me think about it.  Let me evaluate, review and revise.  Life is like that, one revision after another.  While I know that it is always a process, let me consciously, “Stop, look, and listen.”

    The Heartland District Fall Ministers’ Retreat is early this month. The UUCE Ministerial Start Up weekend is October 17^th and 18th. Both are opportunities to reflect upon the coming church year, to identify our needs and our yearnings and to recognize our passions and our energies. It is such an exciting adventure to take this time and reflect. 

    At this early fall juncture, I urge you to take your time, to pour the extra cup of your favorite beverage, to quiet your monkey mind, to sit, stand, run, walk in a quiet place, to plan a few moments to “Stop, look, and listen.”  

    In peaceful reflection,

          --Rev. Deane

   

Home: 812 490 7145

Cell:  270 779 9222

Office hours: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday afternoons. Please call so that I don’t miss you.

 

SUNDAY SERVICES

October 5^th Why Come to Church?  Does it make a difference in your character to attend church every Sunday?  Does it effect your life decisions or is church “just a social club?”  Today we ponder these important questions.

- Rev. Deane with Tom Moor, Worship Associate

October 12^th     Association Sunday     -Jan Steinmark, Worship Leader

October 19^th     Covenant: The Commitment  This weekend, in a ministerial start up workshop, UUCE leaders and minister visioned their relationship for the coming year.  What have we discussed and how does this covenant affect each of us?  Congregational response opportunity after the sermon.

-- Rev. Deane with John Schaeffer, Worship Associate

October 26^th     Our Fifth Principle -  The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.  With elections around the corner, come explore the concept of democracy in action and separation of church and state in today’s world.

--Rev. Deane with Malika Harris, Worship Associate

November 2^nd       Remembrance – Today we celebrate Dia de los Muertos, All Soul’s Day, and Samhein.  We invite you to bring a picture or momento for the altar of this intergenerational Sunday service.

--Rev. Deane and the Pagan Study Group

 

BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S MEETING

    UUCE Board of Director's meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6:00 PM. 

 

UUCE DISCUSSION GROUP   

    The UUCE discussion group meets the 1st and 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month at 9:00 AM in the Chalice Room.  Discussion topics are:

10/5 - Morality of Stem Cell Research

10/19 - Why do fathers seen to be more worried about their young daughters' exposure to sex than their young sons' exposure to violence? Do these exposures make any difference in the children's behavior?

 

HELP SPRUCE UP UUCE

    On October 25 the congregation is being asked to help clean up the Sanctuary, Chalice House and Grounds.  If you have any suggestions of tasks to be done in these areas, please advise Hardin Rathgeber at hlrathgeber@yahoo.com or by phone at 303-2685 or 303-5450.

 

FALL FESTIVAL IS ALMOST HERE!

  Fall Festival is fast approaching and we need YOUR help to have a successful booth!  We still need your help!

    Of course LOTS of help is needed in the booth the week of Fall Festival.  Teri will be there from 7:00 AM until closing every night- let’s give her plenty of help!  Remember- many hands make light work!

    Fall Festival 2008 is October 6-11.  Plan to spend some time helping raise money for your church and enjoying the company of fellow UU’s!

 

A NEW CONVERSATION
    You will begin to hear new phrases within the conversations of this congregation. There's a new vocabulary coming into use and there are changes coming with it. Get ready!
    The Congregational Stewardship committee has been formed and will be working to move beyond the old scarcity myths toward a new reality of abundance. We will be discarding the old "poor us" mentality in favor of new, positive, more accurate statements such as "Our congregation understands and believes in our mission, we are passionate about that mission and we will secure enough resources (people, time and money) to implement our mission successfully."
    In the weeks and months to come, we will talk about the glass being more than half full. In fact, we have many glasses, not just one, and they will be overflowing with good ideas and an abundance of resources. We will begin to change our terminology to use a new vocabulary that diminishes our focus on money and begins to focus on fulfilling the shared ministry of our congregation.
    Your will begin to hear new terms, such as congregational stewardship, being used to represent more than simply fundraising. This new program will put the annual budget drive in perspective by adding components such as stewardship education, joyful giving, ministry and good works, and planned giving. We will learn a lot as a congregation about the attitudes of giving using concepts such as Appreciative Inquiry to build upon our existing strengths.
     We want to eliminate some terms like annual canvass and pledge. We want instead to talk about annual budget drive and financial commitment. This new vocabulary is designed to limit fundraising to focus on raising money, while stewardship includes the much broader concepts of growing, nurturing, promoting and building our gifts, our call and our spiritual vocation. Our gifts include all of the things that people can contribute to our faith community, including aptitude, ability and money. Our call is our willingness to proclaim the good works of the faith community, such as by talking about one's passion for one of our congregation's internal programs or external ministries. Our spiritual vocation is our willingness to take up the volunteer efforts to support our faith community.
     Stewardship is not necessarily the things people do, but the spirit that influences the things they do. It is more about examining why than considering what.
    As an introduction to the ideas of stewardship and how our fledgling faith community can take on the challenges represented by this new philosophy, come join us for an evening of fellowship and good entertainment with a movie, popcorn and soft drinks. On Friday, October 24th at 7 PM, the stewardship committee will present the film "Pay It Forward" that tells the story of young Trevor (Haley Joel Osment) who is is given an unusual assignment in social studies class -- think up a practical way to make the world a better place, and put it into action. Trevor comes up with the notion of Pay It Forward" -- do a needed favor for three different people without being asked, and then ask them to do the same for three others.
    Parents, please do your homework This film is rated PG-13 and contains some serious material that is too mature for young children.

-Jack Carden

 

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!

 

POTLUCK

    Our monthly potluck will be on October 26 following the service.  Plan to join us and gather with fellow UU’s for good food and good conversation!

 

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. 

 

TIDBITS

Movie recommendation by Jack Carden
Try "Music Within" (2007) Rated R. The true story of Richard Pimentel who is credited with Americans With Disabilities Act.

 

RE PROGRAM OFF TO GREAT START
    The teachers, assistants, subs and RE Committee members are off and running for the 2008-09 church year. Our teaching staff team is:
Ann Hanat - Primary Teacher
Malika Harris - Elementary Teacher
Tina Grant - Junior High Teacher
Megan Tuley & Linc Christensen - Youth Group Sponsors
Jan Steinmark, Susie Feinberg & Becky McDonald - Social Justice/Ecology Project Teachers
Teri Rockwood, Suzan Ozel & Mary Jane Steele - Assistants to Teachers
Nancy Higgs, Isabel Lavens, Chad Tew, Suzan Ozel, Dave Granholm, Eva Sanford, Mary Helen Weldy, Susie Feinberg, Teri Rockwood - Subs for the
Teachers
Jack Carden, Natasha Goodge, Roy Harris & Becky McDonald - RE Committee members
   Whew! That's quite a crew and we are very pleased and very proud of our team. In August, we kicked off with an orientation/lunch for staff that was attended by both Rev. Deane Oliva and Rev. Carolyn Brown.
    This year the teaching focus is Judeo-Christian Heritage and each group of children and youth has its own age-appropriate curriculum. Be sure to talk to individual teachers for more details or any questions you have about what the kids are doing in RE classes.  

    Also, think about how you would like to become involved in the religious education of our UU children and youth and talk to one of the
committee members.

 

RE CURRICULUM SPECIFICS

    Timeless Themes  (2nd Grade - 5th Grade):  We'll explore the Hebrew and Christian bibles through learning well-known Bibilical parables.  Course content includes, storytime, music, and art.  Our young students will have a chance to discuss our UU principles, and how the principles relate to making important decisions when faced with situations that involve courage, strength, empathy, and more!

    The RE Middle School Group this year will be following a UUA curriculum called A Kingdom of Equals: Jesus' Radical Path to Love and Justice.  We’ll explore the life of Jesus of Nazareth, focusing on how he lived and what he believed, based on science and research and the Four Gospels of the New Testament.   A lot of evidence indicates that he was an unusual and often unpopular guy.  We'll talk about how he thought people should be treated and how his peers reacted to his revolutionary ideas.    Grades 6-8 welcome!

 

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ECOLOGY JOIN FOR MONTHLY RE CLASS
    This year the long-standing Social Justice class will merge with a new kid on the block: The Ecology Project. Jan Steinmark, who has virtually single handedly conducted monthly Social Justice classes for all children and youth, will be joined by Susie Feinberg and Becky McDonald. The joint venture, scheduled to meet the last Sunday of each
month, will be a combination of social justice projects to help others and ecology projects to learn how we, each individual, can truly make a difference when it comes to helping our environment.
    Talk to Jan, Susie or Becky with questions or about how you could become involved.

 

TRICK-OR-TREAT FOR UNICEF

    Once again, the children in the Religious Education program will be participating in the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.  Last year, over $4 million was donated through this program to assist children and families around the globe.  We have donation boxes you can take home to collect your change and the children made small Halloween crafts which are available for sale at the back of the sanctuary all through October.  Thank you for your help.

 

JAMES DURST CONCERT AT UUCE

    We have had a scheduling change for the James Durst concert at our church. James will play the night of the 15th of October at 7:00 p.m. He will be in town for the CAJE event the following night as well.
    James is an international recording artist that has sang and played his music all over the world. He puts on a dazzling show with songs as far reaching as a ballad in French and a Vietnamese folk song. He recently played dates in Israel and resides in New York City where he is active in the local folk scene. His songs are touching, entertaining, and thought provoking. His show is family friendly and he will rock the house with the children (of all ages) in a sing-a-long.
    There will be a collection to support James as he travels and continues to fill the world with song. The recommended donation is $10 but James doesn't want anyone to miss a show for lack of the ability to contribute. Between sets James will be available to autograph his CDs and to talk more about the road.
    We are truly fortunate to have James entertain us for an evening so mark your calendars and come out to enjoy a wonderful evening.  

 

BOOK DISCUSSION

    In November, there will be a book discussion group held at the UU church meeting room on the Evansville One Book One Community selection. The book they have chosen this year is This I Believe: the Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. 

    For more information, check out the following EVPL link: http://www.evpl.org/onebook/. The date and time will be announced in a later newsletter and copies of the book can be found at your local libraries or bookstores. If you have any questions, please contact Eva Sanford at home or by email: evasanford@yahoo.com.

 

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.

      

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 or phone if you have any questions.