Topeka Congregation Featured in News Article

Our congregation in Topeka, Kansas, got some very nice coverage in a recent article in the local newspaper. See it here:

http://www.cjonline.com/stories/071208/rel_303070483.shtml

I like the article because it is upbeat and begins by reporting the story of the young families currently being attracted to the congregation and then tells how the congregation is responding to this growth. Other aspects of congregational life — how to live sustainably, their welcoming of BGLT people, their selling of Fair Trade products, their excellent minister and staff – are highlighted. It will be easy for anyone reading the article to figure out just what Unitarian Unitarians are all about.

I also checked out the congregation’s Web site, and it’s very good. If people read the newspaper article and then look at the fellowship’s Web site, they’ll find current information about programming, and a visitor’s page that tells what to expect at a Sunday service; what resources are available for children, youth, and adults; details about their location, with directions; and suggestions for finding a convenient place to park. There’s also a section about the plans for their building expansion, which was referred to in the newspaper article. Find their Web site here: www.uuft.org

Well done, Topeka!

 

Look for the people in the lime green t-shirts!

Here’s a great idea from our congregation in Salina, Kansas [36 members].

They’ll be collecting recyclable plastic bottles at the Smoky Hill River Festival on June 15. They’ll be the ones wearing the lime green t-shirts that say “RU UU?” on the front. What a great way to let others know about our values [the Seventh Principle - respect for the interdependent web of all existence] and offer a public service and get out the word about our faith tradition, all at the same time!

Way to go, people!

[Learn more about their congregation at www.uusalina.org  ]

Going Green in the North Country

Earlier this month, I was present for the Building Dedication for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth [MN].  UUA President Bill Sinkford spoke at the dedication.

Bill is pictured with Duluth’s Interim Minister, Rev. Sally Hamlin.

The congregation has worked for several years to undertake this large building project and are to be celebrated for their commitment to “green” principles. What a magnificent building! The building has an indoor garden, where plants, shrubs, and trees provide humidity and help purify the air.

It has a parking lot under the building, to reduce the size of the footprint on the site.

It has native grasses on the roof, which will capture the rain and let the water evaporate.

It has on-demand water heaters and a high temperature dishwasher [that uses hot water, rather than chemicals, to clean the dishes].

It has eleven air conditioners and eleven furnaces, so temperature can be controlled in different zones.

The designs in the high windows are reminiscent of the birch trees outside.

Here’s the sanctuary.

There’s more information about the building and photos of the Building Dedication on their Web site: http://www.uuduluth.org/index.htm

If you’re in Duluth, be sure to stop by to see this great new facility, which will serve their congregation and their community well, for many years to come.

 

Great Idea for Youth Groups

I was in Eau Claire over the weekend and, with someone who hadn’t been there before, had a tour of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation’s building in Eau Claire [WI]. I was so excited about their youth group’s latest project that I just had to tell you about it.

This project combines our Unitarian Universalist seventh principle - “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part” - with the adage ”Reduce, reuse, recycle” - and invites creativity and imagination and just plain fun. I haven’t spoken with the youth or their leaders, so I don’t know whether they thought of this themselves or read about it elsewhere.

What they did was this: they took used clothing and refashioned it into new items, using a variety of methods. Included in their display were several craft books where some of the ideas came from. I took a couple of  photos to show you the charming results!

 

Note the redesigned and decorated red shirt! Someone added polka dots and a decorative button to the yellow sweater. The knitted hat was created from the ribbing of an old sweater.

 

The mittens are made from old sweaters that were felted, cut out into a mitten shape, and sewed with a blanket stitch. A bag was created from another piece of felted sweater, and another bag was sewed from fleece. The white sweater has new, colorful buttons. The books on display were used to generate ideas.

I can just imagine how much fun they had with this! Great work, people!

 

 

2nd in Web site series

Here’s the second in an occasional series about Web sites that I like, from among those of congregations in Prairie Star District. It’s the Web site for Blue Hills UU Fellowship in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Founded in 1981, this congregation has just over 50 adult members. The Web site can be found here: http://www.bluehillsuu.org/  I like their colorful logo, which dominates the page. I think the home page could be improved by adding the congregation’s location [city and state] right there, too.

Note that the vital information is all there — a place to click for the map and directions; a place for Visitors to find information about the congregation; a link to the current newsletter; and an implicit statement about UU values in the section called Green Living (Order a reusable bag here.) When you click on that link, it takes you to a very long list of ideas for sustainable living. It’s clear they are concerned about environmental issues, and they give practical ideas about how to work on those issues.

The religious education page has a list of the goals and objectives of the program, with a section about the Peace Pole, which you’re invited to look for when you drive to the Fellowship Building. My only complaint about this page is that it lists some possible youth projects — for 2004! This page needs an update!

The Blue Hills Fellowship attracts people from several small towns in northern Wisconsin. Some drive up to an hour to get to church on Sunday. I salute them for their Web site, which is welcoming and has a number of photos which give the flavor of their gatherings and services. Well done! Thanks for being a vital presence for religious liberals in northern Wisconsin!

A Story from the Past

Over the weekend, I attended services at First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, IA. It was quite a weekend! They were celebrating their 130th anniversary year, they were dedicating their newly renovated building, and they were asking members for financial gifts to continue the unfinished work from the project. Spirits were high, and the enthusiasm wasn’t dampened by the icy roads outside.

As part of the anniversary celebration, the service included the telling of some short vignettes from their history. This is, after all, a congregation that once had as its minister the Reverend Mary Augusta Safford, one of the Iowa Sisterhood!

The story that I loved, however, was the story that involved buttons. Yes, buttons! Here’s how it goes. After World War I, the Unity Circle [a women's group that included but was not limited to members of the church] received notice that several thousand wool coats were in storage near Des Moines, new coats left over from the Army. The ladies were told that they could have the coats to be distributed to needy people. But there was one catch — all of the buttons on the coats — the buttons with the Army insignia — would have to be removed. What to do!?! Well, the ladies got busy. Through the newspaper, they let people in the area know about the project. Soon, packages of buttons were arriving from all over, some from as far away as Alabama. And soon, ladies from around Central Iowa arrived to start stripping buttons off and sewing new buttons on. In the end, more than 7,000 wool coats were shipped to Europe to meet the needs of people suffering from the cold. What a wonderful thing!

Are there interesting stories in your congregation’s past? Is someone recording them? Let’s give our future UUs something to marvel over, shall we?

Chalice Lighters Announces a New Fund

We’ve got a nifty program here in our District that has been assisting congregations with their growth-related projects for more than 20 years. It’s called Chalice Lighters. Here’s how it works: individual Unitarian Universalists sign up to be Chalice Lighters. They promise to respond to three calls a year, with a check for between $10 and $25 each time, to support a worthy project in a local congregation. Some projects are large  and receive a “full call” of $6,000 - $8,000 — first professional staff member such as a minister or a religious educator, or purchasing or renovating a building, or starting a new congregation. Some projects are small and receive a smaller grant of $1,000 - 2,000 — examples include a small sound system, a keyboard for better music, starting a campus ministry group or young adult group. This program, conceived by Rev. Alan Egly in the early 1980s, has given out more than $400,000 over the years. Those small checks really add up!

We’ve just started a new fund for a new purpose: a Social Justice Fund. This fund will make grants of up to $1,000 to congregations for use in integrating social justice work into the active life of their congregation. The intention of these grants is to build community awareness of UU values in action. Recipient congregations are expected to fund a portion of program costs. Examples of programs that could be funded include things such as: workshops on self-sufficiency and welfare rights; nutritional weekend food supply for elementary school students; UU Social Justice Empowerment workshops; micro loans; Green Sanctuary/Earth Ministry projects. In each case, the congregation needs to be able to tell how they will publicize the project in their community when they apply for the grant.

Obviously, the more Chalice Lighters we have, the more money we can give to congregations for their growth-related projects. The “full calls” could be bigger, and we could fund more of the smaller grants, too. If you’re not already a Prairie Star District Chalice Lighter, consider signing up today. You can find more information at www.psduua.org/ChaliceLighters/ChaliceLighters