February 2014 - Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
February 2014
Vol. 21 No. 02
1015 N. Hyland Ave.
Ames, IA 50014
515-292-5960
www.uufames.org
[email protected]
Office hours:
Monday - Thursday,
1:00 - 4:30 pm
U
Rev. McKusick’s
Column
Page 2
Board Highlights
Page 3
From the DYCM
Page 4
Art Exhibit
Sunday Service times 9:15 and 11:00 am.
February Service Theme: Finding Resolution
2
Stories From Our Tribe
9
Committed to Race, Family and Self: Jack Trice
Campus and Young Adult Group
Members of the UUFA Campus and Young Adult group will reflect on significant stories
that influenced their own personal journeys into adulthood and to knowing their authentic
selves.
Rev. Kent McKusick
As Unitarian Universalists, what can we learn from the story of Jack Trice? Who was
this man for whom the ISU football stadium is named? The short and tragic life of Jack
Trice, how he lived, and how he is remembered provides an inspiring legacy of courage and
determination.
Special music by the Fellowship Voices.
16
Bayard Rustin: Lost Prophet Rev. Kent McKusick
2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington which served as the
platform for the I Have a Dream speech. Bayard Rustin was the organizer of the March
and an advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr. Rustin was subsequently fired, silenced, and
imprisoned. He exemplifies the meaning of “high resolve” in his willingness “…to stand
up for people, even though they had mistreated him - if it was a matter of principle.”
Special music by Ella Bartlett and Thea Brenner.
Page 7
23 Reality TV Love High School Youth
UUFA High School Youth have created a Sunday Service that gives you a bit of a peek
inside the world they live in. Some aspects of their lives can be explained metaphorically by
the popular social phenomenon of reality TV shows where one goes looking for love.
Goulash Cook-off and All-Fellowship Potluck
February 16, ~ 12:30 pm after Second Service
Be part of the fun, eat tasty goulash, and support UUFA’s Partner Church in
Transylvania!
Deadline for the
next newsletter is
February 20. For a
current calendar, see
www.uufames.org
The Meals Group and the Partner Church Committee are collaborating on this winter
event which will be an opportunity to warm our hearts as we eat the savory food and think
about our friends in Tordátfalva. Freewill donations will go toward supporting the needs of
our Partner Church.
Please contact Kitty Fisher (Partner Church Committee) or Sue Ann Peck (Meals Group)
with questions/suggestions and to volunteer to help.
Page 2
Spring and Generosity
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
February 2014
February is always an interesting if not a downright adventuresome month! The birds are singing in the bare trees
that still snap and crackle in the cold wind, and the changing feel of the air and sun on my face reminds me that
like the seasons, life is always in transition.
That is true for fellowship life, too. It is always in transition. It is gratifying and inspiring to experience the spirit
of faith, connectivity, and theological exploration that brings so many of us together. We have a special relationship
and love for this community and gathering place as sacred space. In Under Construction: Knowing and Transforming
Our Unitarian Universalist Theological House, Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker offers a metaphorical picture of our physical
space as a place of transition and transformation. She writes:
“The foundation on which our theological house is built is how we conceptualize the nature of being human, and its
relationship to the ultimate – what some call God...
The walls symbolize how we understand what holds us together, what embraces us…our understanding of the purpose
and nature of the church, of our gathering together…
The roof symbolizes what shelters us…our theory of salvation…how we speak about what places life at risk, how we
understand sin or evil, and how we believe we can be protected, saved or healed in the presence of that which threatens
life…
The door in this metaphor represents where we’ve come from and where we’re going…
The windows represent how we look at the other theological houses in our neighborhood and how we allow their light
to enter into our space…how we understand our relationship to the reality of religious pluralism on the globe….”
As spring approaches, the cycle of our church year transitions towards another stewardship campaign and
fellowship budgeting process. The annual pledge campaign will run from February 9th to March 2nd this year, and
the theme is Generous Giving Changes Lives.
Before making your pledge, I invite you to reflect on what the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames means
to you. How have your lives been changed by coming together in this sacred space and building?
I also encourage you to actively participate in the budgeting process by sharing your dreams and visions for the
coming year with any of our volunteer leaders. What programs, classes, social justice initiatives, or fellowship life
experiences would you like to be a part of your life at UUFA? Be generous in your dreaming, and support your
dreams with generous giving of time, treasure and talent. In all of these areas, generous giving changes lives.
If you have not served on a committee, please consider doing so. Explore the various committees by reading
last year’s annual report (which you will find on the fellowship website under the members/annual meeting tab)
or by seeking out any of the current committee members. Please share your interest to serve with the chair of the
committee that interests you. Contact the Congregational Administrator, Lisa Harmison, who will connect you
with the appropriate person.
It is my pleasure to be your minister. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and Unitarian Universalism in
Ames. I look forward with spirit and enthusiasm as we move towards another fellowship year together.
May you experience many blessings as the anticipation of spring awakens the hopes and dreams of winter.
In the ministry we share,
Rev. Kent McKusick
February 2014
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
Page 3
Board Highlights
The Board of Directors held its monthly meeting on January 8th. Following are the highlights from the meeting:
• Our stewardship committee has been busy brainstorming new exciting fundraising ideas. The pledge campaign
will start February 9 and end March 2 with a celebratory potluck. Additionally, the committee will be holding a
Time and Talent Fair and a silent auction on April 27 and May 4. Stay tuned for details!
• The board had a first reading of a newly created Offertory Collection Policy. This policy states that offertory
splits must go to organizations with non-profit status. The proposed policy will be shared with Social Justice and
Stewardship committees for feedback. The revised policy will then be presented to the congregation for feedback.
• Board liaisons to UUFA committees will be providing an update on their respective committees at each board
meeting. We are excited about supporting our committee chairs!
The next board meeting will be held February 12th. Fellowship members are welcome to attend.
~ Becky Coppoc, Secretary
Offertory Collection Policy Being Considered
The Offertory Collection Policy reads: “Our offertory splits need to go to organizations that have a 501c3 status.
This means the IRS accepts their non-profit status and they have met certain requirements to maintain that status.
Any other fundraising outside of the offertory collection must make it clear to the donor if the donation is tax
deductible or not.”
The board will hold the second reading and vote on this policy at the February 12 board meeting. If you would
like to comment on this policy, please contact anyone on the board or send an email to [email protected].
Stewardship Timeline
The UUFA 2014 Pledge Drive “Generous Giving Changes Lives” is just around the corner! Here’s an overview of
what to expect.
February 9: The 2014 Pledge Drive begins. Pick up your pledge envelope on Sunday. After February 16th, it will
be mailed to you.
March 2: Generosity Sunday: All pledge forms should be returned. You can place your pledge in a basket at the
UUFA or mail it. Celebration Potluck to follow second service!
March - April: The Finance Committee prepares the 2014-15 budget. Watch for announcements for budget
hearings.
May 18: Annual Meeting. The congregation votes on the proposed budget.
July 1: The new fiscal year begins.
Calling all artists, crafters, foodies, gardeners, adventurers, and UU’s of
various talents:
Begin planning your projects/events now for our time and talent extravaganza.
Our Spring Fair is for everyone. Donate your items or events to showcase your talents, learn about the many
talents of other members, and support our community April 27 and May 4. Donate items or services (quilts,
photography, wine tasting, special meals, pickles, home brew, pottery, plants, garden consultation, theme parties,
woodworking, outdoor adventure, etc.) for silent auction, set price purchase, or random drawing. Then join the
Meals Group on May 4 to celebrate the many talents and take home your new treasures.
Page 4
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
February 2014
Loving Yourself
I began to realize that in inquiring about my own origin and goal, I am inquiring about something other
than myself... In this very realization I begin to recognize the origin and goal of the world. ~Martin Buber
In this community, the UUFA, I hear a lot of talk, questions really, about what we are doing to help make the
world a better place. There are conversations about equality, climate change, social justice, and funding projects
(and ourselves). I believe these are all goals worthy of pursuing – as a congregation and as individuals. I do not
hear as much talk about our personal and shared journeys of becoming the people we would like to be, to be a
congregation of people who know and love themselves.
Loving yourself requires a courage unlike any other. You must mine your emotions, experiences, perceptions, and
all the ways you are in the world to understand your everyday actions. You must ask, “Why is that so important/
upsetting/satisfying to me?” You must be open to the secrets and strengths your answers will reveal.
A friend describes loving oneself the same as feeding a clear bird. We hold out our hand filled with delicate seeds
– our secrets, our desires, our fears, our strengths. As that bird eats all the seeds, rejecting none, it begins to glow
and lighten, to sing and take flight. Those around you may think you a bit crazed to feed something that they
cannot see. But the clear bird needs to eat, to fill her belly with the secrets you give her, so she can fly and sing.
As we feed this bird and she finds the strength to take flight, we will be safely on our way – not pain free, but
unencumbered – to begin the work of making this world a better place together. When we accept and nurture that
part of ourselves that no one else can see, we find we are each other. All moments of living, no matter how difficult
or wonderful, begin and end in a universal point in the Universe where self and world are one, where we are helpers
and we are the helped – all at the same moment.
In this month of celebrating love, may your greatest Valentines come from yourself,
~ Lori Allen, Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries
Secret Friends
It’s time for Secret Friends, a UUFA intergenerational activity. On Sunday, February 2, adults and children will
be invited to sign up to be in the Secret Friends program. It’s a wonderful opportunity for participants to get to
know people from a demographic with which they don’t usually interact. Here are the keys to participation for
both adults and children:
• Send letters, drawings, or notes to your friend each week.
• Be present for the Secret Friend Party on Saturday, March 1 from 9:30 – 11:00 am.
• Adults friends – be a safe, appropriate, and good listener.
• Parents of child secret friends – help host the party to create an atmosphere of safety for your child. (This
means bringing a snack and helping with set up, craft supervision, and clean up.)
Sign up forms and instructions will be available at the UUFA on Sunday, February 2, 2014, and on the UUFA
website. Contact Lori Allen [email protected] or call 515-292-5960 with questions.
Religious Education News
Remember – all you need to know about children’s and youth religious education programs and events is found
at the following places. A reminder to check these places on the web is in each week’s UUFA Email Update. The
content on Facebook and at the UUFA website is the same. The website also has details about upcoming events.
UUFA Weekly Email that comes to each UUFA member and friend (upon request made through the office)
UUFA Website RE Page: http://www.uufames.org/content/week-re
UUFA Family Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/135782689797892/
UUFA Youth Group Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/35940468676/
If you have any questions, contact Lori Allen, Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries. [email protected] or
515-292-5960 or Friend Me on Facebook - Lori Dycm-UUFA
February 2014
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
Page 5
UUFA Youth Group
February is an exciting time for this group. They are hosting their 4th Annual It’s Okay With Me Dance at the
UUFA on Friday, February 14th. Our teens invite Spectrum, the Ames High School GLBTQAA group, to help
them host this dance that welcomes ALL area high school students. They will be welcoming teens who are Gay,
Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Questioning, Asexual, and Allies. Our youth group comprises students from Ames
High School, Nevada High School, and Gilbert High School. Watch for the rainbow streamers!
Our high school youth will also be sharing their world view on matters that matter to them spiritually at the
UUFA High School Youth Service on Sunday, February 23. This year they are planning to help you learn more
about, even understand, “Reality TV Love.” We hope to see you at either or both services on that day.
Fellowship Communication Policy Committee Report
We are a recently formed committee. Our goal is to write communication policy for the UUFA. In order to
achieve our goal we need to identify what needs to be be included in such policy. Our mission is to listen carefully
to the Congregation, Board, and Staff. We also will be reading books and reports published by other churches.
We hope to provide clarity and equality of access to both internal and external communication. We will listen by
means of cottage meetings, interviews, and response to articles such as this one. In each report we will update our
findings and answer at least one question.
The question today is: Who should I go to if I have a question about the operations within the Fellowship (or
about what goes on in the Fellowship)?
Answer: If you cannot find your answer in the monthly newsletter, weekly email, or web site, call Lisa, our
UUFA congregational administrator. Our office staff will answer your question or refer you to the person or place
that will provide your answer. Do not let your question go unanswered. Your question could help us to identify a
communication need.
Please talk to us.
~ Communication Policy Committee: Mark Harmison, Chair; John Ashton, Kitty Fisher, Heidi Bickner, Nikki
Krueger, Duffie Lorr, Aaron Mann
Dustin Berger Memorial Library
In his book Reason and Reverence, Religious Humanism for the 21st Century, (Dewey number 114), William R.
Murry describes an emergent form of humanism he calls humanistic religious naturalism. He presents a short
history of humanism, the changes and challenges resulting in the rise of religious humanism and the resurgence
of religious naturalism. His discussions on human nature and destiny, the responsible search for truth, growing a
soul and ethical living were compelling and pertinent. As an atheist, I found all the “isms” a little daunting and
the word “religious” unsettling, but Murry provided another perspective “to be religious is to have a sense that
all persons and all of life are bound together” (page 19). He concludes that a viable religion for the future must
include at least these five characteristics: human beings are an integral part of nature, they have a responsibility to
preserve and sustain the natural world, religion must learn from science and adapt its teachings accordingly, reason
and reverence are both important, and it affirms those values that help make our lives more fully human. He
believes this is achieved by the grounding of religious humanism in religious naturalism.
~ Review by Diane Livingston
Page 6
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
February 2014
New Sunday Volunteer Strategy
At last month’s Committee Chair/Board meeting, a new idea for handling Sunday morning volunteer tasks
was introduced. Starting this month, various groups and committees will be tapped to help with a month of
volunteering. We look forward to having new faces help with setting up chairs, greeting, making coffee, bringing
treats, providing flowers, and making the UUFA a welcoming place. Training will be provided. Organizing of these
volunteers is coordinated in the office.
February: Everyone involved with music (and on the 4th Sunday, parents of high school youth)
March: Fellowship Groups (Women’s Book Group, Heretics and Spirituality, Mindfulness and Meditation,
Meditation Sitting Group, Conscientious Crafters, Skadberg Science Circle, Women of Wisdom, Kitchen Angels,
Fellowship Meals Group)
April: Nursery - Campus/Young Adult families
May & June: Fellowship Committees (Board, Finance, Stewardship, Nominating, Grounds and Landscaping,
Building, Social Justice Ministry, Caring Network, Art Exhibition, Berger Library, Partner Church)
February Sunday Morning Hospitality Provided by Music Groups
There are several ways for people to become involved in music. We have an adult choir called Fellowship Voices,
a Recorder Consort, Women in the Round singing group, and UUpstairs Drummers. We also have a small pool of
volunteers who play the piano during hymns or provide special music on Sunday morning during the services.
Fellowship Voices is led by our Consulting Music Director Cynthia Marten. This group practices on Sunday
mornings at 10:20 am to 10:50 am (between services). Fellowship Voices also performs during several of our
Sunday services and in the community. Barb Evenson accompanies the choir. New members are welcome to join
at any time.
The Recorder Consort meets on Thursday afternoons at 2:00 to rehearse. The Consort plays during services on
occasion as well as in the Ames community. Women in the Round is a women’s singing group that recently restarted. This group meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm.
UUpstairs Drummers learn and practice a number of different rhythms (primarily Middle Eastern, though not
limited to that genre). Drummers play on a variety of drums, such as frame drums, dumbeks, tablas, djemba, and
rhythms can be supplemented with other percussive instruments such as tamborines, shakers, frogs, etc. All skill
levels are welcome. This group does not have a regular meeting schedule at this time.
The fourth Sunday of February highlights our high school youth as they plan and provide the services. The
talented youth are led by Youth Coordinator Julia Collett and Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries Lori
Allen.
If you are interested in learning more about any of these music groups, please contact Cynthia Marten or the
office.
Flowers on the Chalice Table
Flowers are beautiful and bring a special atmosphere each Sunday. Would you like to celebrate a birthday
or honor an occasion? Do you have blooming plants inside or outside your home? Dried flowers and living
flowering plants are welcome. All of our Fellowship members and friends are invited to take part in decorating the
Chalice Table with a flower.
The flowers should be available by 9 am Sunday. Flowers can be delivered ahead of the day. Our office staff can
help you arrange the time and date of delivery. And if you would like a reminder, that can be arranged also.
So look at your calendar. Do you see a special date? Please contact the office staff with your information. Thank
you!
February 2014
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
Page 7
Mike Mittermeier Art Exhibit in Gallery in the Round until February 22nd
Artist’s Reception – February 6th, 4:00 to 7:00 pm
The art exhibit in the Fellowship’s Gallery in the Round for January and
February consists of paintings and drawings by Des Moines artist, Mike
Mittermeier. On Thursday, February 6th there will be a gala reception for
the artist from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. All Fellowship members are invited to
this event. Please come and meet the artist, hear him give a presentation
about his work and enjoy free refreshments.
Mike Mittermeier has had a long and distinguished career in the visual
arts. Until recently his work has been more on the commercial side. He
began his journey in the early seventies as a cameraman, negative stripper
and creator of ad layouts for the phone book. Working for the largest
commercial studio in Omaha, Nebraska, he provided production art for
finished ads, designed and modified type, and designed marker layouts
and storyboards used for advertising commercials. As he continued in the
advertising field, his position went from production art to illustrator and designer and then to several art director
positions. From there he moved into the publishing field where he stayed for
sixteen years.
In recent years, Mike moved his career into freelance illustration and design,
becoming an award-winning illustrator in wildlife art, fine art and advertising.
His primary medium is watercolor, which he mixes with airbrush, pen and ink,
pastels, graphite, and collage.
In the past five years he has supplemented his freelance income by attending
art shows/fairs during the summer and becoming an adjunct illustration
instructor at Des Moines Community College, where he taught techniques in
illustration for six years.
Currently an increasing interest in and commitment to personal creativity and
self-expression has seen him enrolling at Grandview University to pursue degrees
in studio arts. The exhibit at the Gallery in the Round is his first fine arts solo
exhibition. Mike comments on his work, “My focus is to grasp the soul, to coax
an observation which may normally be suppressed. It’s not so much as what
dreams are made of as what we are made of.” All work in the exhibition is for
sale at moderate prices and 20% of all purchases benefit the Fellowship.
The Caring Corner
Card Group
I am chair for the card group of the Caring Network. I have about 15 volunteers who love to send cards. I let
them know when someone might have a need or want some
cards. On a volunteer basis they send cards to whom they
know or feel comfortable sending a card to. I have gotten
UUFA Caring Network
feedback that the cards are so appreciated. As one who knows,
[email protected]
they are so meaningful and can be looked at again and again.
515.292.5960 (main office)
A sign someone cared!! If you would like to be on my list,
The Rev. Kent McKusick
please email or talk to me with your email address and I will
[email protected]
add you to my group!!
~ Lynne Van Valin, The Caring Network.
515.292.8929
Sharing Our Caring
Page 8
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
February 2014
Women’s Book Group
Our next Book Group meeting will be February 3: Bright-Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich. Barbara Ehrenreich’s
non-fiction book is an interesting dissertation on the history of positive thinking and how it has affected people
enduring personal disasters as well as how corporations use positive thinking in a way that leads to negative impacts
on the economy. From Barbara’s web site, “With the mythbusting powers for which she is acclaimed, Ehrenreich
exposes the downside of America’s penchant for positive thinking: On a personal level, it leads to self-blame and
a morbid preoccupation with stamping out “negative” thoughts. On a national level, it’s brought us an era of
irrational optimism resulting in disaster. This is Ehrenreich at her provocative best—poking holes in conventional
wisdom and faux science, and ending with a call for existential clarity and courage.” The link to this website
connects you to several author interviews. http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/brightsided.htm
We will be discussing last month’s book Bossy Pants by Tina Fey the first half hour since we had to cancel our
January discussion.
UU Women’s Book Group List 13-14
March 3: She’s Not There by Jennifer Finney Boylan; April 7: Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion; May 5:
Quiet by Susan Cain; June 2: End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
~ Barbi Greenlaw
Conscientious Crafters
On Sunday, February 9, you are invited to bring your handiwork and join us after second service, 12:15 - 2:00
pm, in Classroom 3 for fellowship and relaxation. Whatever your level of expertise and whatever craft you enjoy,
you are welcome. If you are looking for charitable projects in which to use your talents, we can offer ideas. If you
are having problems with some aspect of your work, we often have folks who can help. We have donated supplies
that you are welcome to use. We look forward to a fun and possibly productive afternoon together. Bring a sack
lunch if you want. Contact Sue Ann Peck or Mary Richards if you have questions.
Social Justice News
In February, our collection plate split goes to Bethseda Lutheran Church Community Food Pantry. Visit their
website to learn more, http://www.bethesdanet.org/site/resources/community-food-pantry/.
We are starting a new schedule: the social justice meeting will be the third Tuesday of the month on February 18.
We meet for a potluck at 6 pm and start business at 6:30. James Phillips is now co-chair and will be leading the
next few meetings.
Iowa UU Witness Advocacy Network, IUUWAN
The steering committee/board will meet February 2 after People’s Church’s Sunday service. Here’s our agenda:
1. Elect board members (this is likely to be voting for ourselves).
2. Ratify our bylaws.
3. Discuss how we will determine what issues we want to pursue (I suggest we use the Congregationally Based
Community Organizing method of finding actionable issues--things we think have a chance of our efforts making a
differences).
4. Getting a fiscal agent, either a congregation in Iowa or MidAmerican District.
5. Voting to schedule next meeting time and place.
~ Terry Lowman, co-chair
Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance, Inc.
For the first six months of this fiscal year, Good Neighbor served 172 families with
help in rent or utilities. This compares to 152 families last year at this time. They
handed out 2,448 food vouchers compared to 2,260 last year and gave 88 gas vourcher
compared to 95 one year ago.
The Good Neighbor Open House was very successful. 87 people signed the guest
book and some missed signing it. The new location was received in a very positive light.
It looks great even as renovation is ongoing. The handicapped accessible ramp will
be put in when the ground thaws. We had a few Unitarians at the Open House. Thank you for being interested
and supportive of this organization that is part of our budget every year. Let me know if you have questions and
watch for our next fund raisers. We plan to do an Irish music fest with silent/live auction soon. Also we hope
Terry Lowman can help to cook a dinner as a substitute for the Lucullan’s dinner to raise money for Healthy Food
Vouchers.
~ Lynne Van Valin, Good Neighbor Board Member
U
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
Our Mission
We are a diverse community of caring individuals who come together to provide an environment that nurtures
and educates our children, stimulates the study and practice of ethical and liberal religious ideals, supports the creative
spirit in us all, and demonstrates concern for the environment and the broader community.
Minister: the Rev. Kent McKusick [email protected] – 515-292-8929
Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries: Lori Allen . [email protected] – 515-292-5960
Youth Coordinator: Julia Collett.................................................. [email protected] - 515-292-5960
Congregational Administrator: Lisa Harmison........................... [email protected] – 515-292-5960
Projects Coordinator: Diana [email protected] – 515-292-5960
Consulting Music Director: Cynthia [email protected] – 515-292-5960
Caring Concerns....................................................................... [email protected] – 515-292-5960
Campus Group........................................................................campus@uufames.org – 515-292-5960
Board of Directors................................................................................................ [email protected]
Officers of the Board
President
Vice president
Past president
Secretary
Treasurer
Joel Geske
Amber Anderson Mba
Lisa Larson
Becky Coppoc
Ralph Gandy
Next Regular Board Meeting:
February 12, 2014, 6:30 pm
Board Members
Andrew Denison
Jamie Gurganus
Wesley Shank
David Slade
Amy Slagell
Ella Bartlett
through 2015
through 2014
through 2015
through 2014
through 2014
youth representative