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March 1, 2023

Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana

Congregation founded 1949 | LGBTQ Welcoming Congregation since 1995 | Green Sanctuary since 2007

Seeking the Spirit | Building Community | Changing the World

Events this Week

Habitat Chili & Soup Fundraiser

Last call! Order online until Thursday, March 2 at noon

The deadline for ordering delicious homemade chili and soups made by UU cooks has been extended to noon on Thursday! Chili and soup will be available for purchase after the service this Sunday, as well. All proceeds will help the Habitat Task Force financially sponsor a day of an upcoming Habitat for Humanity build. Online orders can be picked up from 10 a.m. to noon, Sat., March 4, at the Portico entrance or after Sunday’s service on the 5th. Thanks for your support!

Women's Alliance Meeting

Thursday, March 2, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Fellowship Hall (and on Zoom)

Speaker: Jessica Marchbank, All-Options

Jessica Marchbank, State Programs Manager of All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center, will speak and take questions. All are welcome! Snacks and beverage will be provided. If you wish to be added to the email list or want the Zoom link to join online, contact Doris Wittenburg.

Join us on Sunday mornings

One service at 10:15 a.m.

In person in our Meeting Room

2120 N Fee Ln, Bloomington, IN 47408

Or watch the livestream

All are welcome!

Upcoming Services

Sunday, March 5

10:15 a.m.

Living with Mortality

Reverend Connie Grant

Reverend Emily Manvel Leite

The human condition is that we are aware of our own mortality. How do we respond to what UU minister Forrest Church called “the dual reality of being alive and having to die”?

Rev. Connie is also facilitating an upcoming group that will offer an opportunity to further explore some of the questions raised in this sermon. Tuesdays: March 21, April 4, April 18, and May 2, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, in the church library and on Zoom. Please register here by March 15.

Sunday, March 12

10:15 a.m.

Hope is the Thing with Feathers and Talons

Reverend Connie Grant

The poet Emily Dickinson wrote that “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.” I suggest that hope must also have a sharp beak and strong claws.

From our Ministers and Board

Connie's Column

Being a community

Does this passage describe the community that is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington?

A community in which everyone is seen as teacher and learner; in which every age and stage of life is equally valued and equally supported by whatever tangible and intangible resources the community has to offer; in which every age and stage of life is allowed to contribute whatever tangible and intangible resources it has to offer; a community in which no decision is made about the life of the community—whether in the area of worship, physical plant, fundraising, budgeting, social action, the arts, education, or any other—without consideration of its impact on and opportunities for every member of the community.

For me, this description of multigenerational religious community by Judith Frediani, who retired some years ago as Director of Lifespan Faith Development at the Unitarian Universalist Association, is both descriptive and aspirational. A further description and aspiration I would add is that we take into account those who are not yet part of the community.

These considerations are important, not because of any external mandate, but because these are ways to be a community; to be a congregation; to be the “place where you get to practice what it means to be human,” as Unitarian Universalist theologian James Luther Adams described “church.”

For many of us, our religious community is the one place where we encounter people of different generations on a regular basis in our daily lives. As individuals of various ages and stages of life, we may have different needs, different ways of contributing; different perspectives and interests; different communication channels, and different learning styles. And we have so many of those things in common with each other, even as individuals of various ages and stages of life. Sometimes our needs are met separately, and sometimes together. Even when we are apart, we are not separated.

How do you recognize and embrace each other as full participants in and contributors to the life of your congregation, seeking the spirit, building community, and changing the world?

In faith and hope,

Connie

Rev. Connie Grant

Interim Lead Minister

grant@uubloomington.org

847-840-8542

Emily's Post

Dear Friends,

In the past few days, I have found that when everything quiets down in my life—no radio or podcast or music or conversation or project—the soundtrack that comes on in my mind has been Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” It is both soothing and heart-aching to hear it playing in my memory over and over again—a gift from the choir this past Sunday.

Do you ever find you are carrying UUCB with you? Is our community a part of your weekdays as well as your Sundays? Do you find yourself dwelling with an idea or a song or a conversation you shared?

I hope UUCB is a companion for your life beyond Sunday mornings—something for your heart to dwell upon in the quiet moments, a memory of the gifts we offer to one another.

Sending my love,

Emily

P.S. Are you traveling or joining us from a distance these days? I am seeking people willing to videotape a brief reading from each direction for our Spring Equinox service on 3/19. Let me know if you’re willing to help! leite@uubloomington.org

Reverend Emily Manvel Leite

Minister of Story and Ritual

From Our Board of Directors

I know that the workings of a board can seem opaque to those who have never attended a board meeting before. At UUCB, the board meeting agenda is dictated by a schedule of monthly reports we ask for, larger current issues, financial concerns, and acting as a sounding board and overseer for our lead minister. Here are some of the things we have been working on recently:

Board Vice President Jane McLeod has been leading a working group to put together a personnel policy for church staff.

The board has been working with this group to refine some areas and make decisions about benefits. The existing policy was outdated. We have wrestled with the level of health insurance premium support we can offer to staff members. We plan to continue to offer 80% coverage of premiums (with 50% coverage for spouses and dependents) for full-time employees. Leaning into our UU values, we would like to offer pro-rated coverage for those who are scheduled to work 15 or more hours per week, and to offer reimbursement for the cost of our employee’s coverage for those who are covered under a spouse or parent’s plan. We have had to hold off on committing to increased premium support until we see results of our spring stewardship campaign.

Choosing a Search Committee for a new minister.

The board is responsible for creating a system to select search committee members who will do the best job for this congregation as they look for a new settled minister in 23-24. We have spent a lot of time thinking about how to get every person in this congregation engaged in the process so the search committee will have the full support and trust of the congregation. We anticipate sharing the process for selection in early April.

Stewardship: The board has convened a working group to examine the overall ways we raise money for this congregation.

They have looked at best practices for fundraising from the UUA and other sources. We expect their recommendations before the June Congregational meeting.

At-large member Drew Schrader has stepped up as Stewardship Committee lead for the 2023-24 pledge drive. Expect to see more information about the pledge drive over the next few weeks. What we raise in this pledge drive will directly impact the level of experience and qualifications we can attract in a called minister when we begin the search process in August.

General Assembly delegates:

With the proposed Article 2 vote at the upcoming GA, the board is aware that it is important for us to have a full slate of UUCB delegates representing us at GA. If you would like to be a delegate, you can find the application here: 2023 GA Delegate Application form.

Spring Congregational Meeting:

The spring Congregational Meeting will be Sunday, June 4 at 2:00 p.m.

If you would like to know more about what the UUCB board is working on, our meetings are open to the public on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the library. (If you would like to join by Zoom, please email Abby Gitlitz for the link) We also welcome your feedback during coffee hour - look for our colorful board member sashes.

Abby Gitlitz

UUCB board president

Announcements

UU Children’s Choir resuming mid-March

All singers K-6th grade are welcome!

The UU Children’s Choir will be starting up again soon! We have several rounds of rehearsals and singing in services planned for mid-March through mid-June. New and returning singers K-6th grade are always welcome. Rehearsals will take place Sunday mornings after the services, 11:30-12:00; there will be a couple of rehearsals prior to each time we sing in a service. If your singer is new, please email Jill Courtney at jillmcourtney@gmail.com for more info about the upcoming schedule and to get on the Children’s Choir email list. First rehearsal will be mid-March, but due to Spring Break the date is going to depend on who is able to come, so be sure to contact Jill if interested. We look forward to bringing children’s voices together in song again!

Save the Date! Saturday, April 1

Rekindling Our Flame

Your Stewardship Team is excited to invite you to a day of gratitude, connection, and celebration for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington!! On Saturday, April 1st -no fooling!- we will have multiple events and activities to bring us all closer together as a community as we celebrate our generosity and vision into the future. Starting at 11 a.m., there will be food, fellowship, hands-on social justice activities, and lively conversation around the shape of our future together. To culminate, there will be a very special musical production from 3-4:30 p.m. that you will not want to miss! Drop by for a while or stay for the duration, but plan to come and celebrate with us!

2023 Stewardship Team:

Linda Pickle

Charlie Pickle

Olaya Fernández Gayol

Margie Schrader

Drew Schrader

25% of Sunday Plate Fund Recipient

Nomination Campaign for 2023-24

Now accepting Nominees!

Application deadline is April 15

Guidelines | Online Application

Our congregation gives 25% of undesignated/non-pledge Sunday Plate donations to a local project or service agency. In the spring the Social Justice Funds Committee accepts nominees for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, and narrows it down to 3 finalists. The congregation will have chances to learn about the nominees through announcements in newsletters, displays in the building, and presentations during services. At our spring congregational meeting, church members vote on the recipient of this fund.

Which local non-profit agency would you like to see be our next recipient? Those who submit applications must be able to meet the following obligations: 1) contact the agency you support to gather the necessary information. If you are among the three finalists chosen you will need to (2) provide a 200 word blurb on the agency to be published in the May Prologues; (3) arrange for written materials to be available at the church throughout May, and (4) give a brief 3-minute presentation during the service on Sunday, June 4, and share info at a table that day as well. Contact Denise Ogren, SJFC Chair, at ucbsjfunds@uubloomington.org with any questions.

The Social Justice Funds Committee:

Denise Ogren, Steve Mascari, Sarah Kopper, Sandy Davoren | Advisor: Jackie Hall

Mark your Calendars:

Goods & Services Online Auction April 28 - May 7

Donations accepted April 1-27

It's time to start thinking about our annual Good & Services Online Auction! This year's Auction will run from April 28 - May 7, 2023. Donations will be accepted April 1 - 27. This year all venues are welcome - in person, online, indoors or outdoors. Ideas from past years include: voice lessons, cooking/baking workshops, dinner parties, cocktail parties, outdoor picnics, boating adventures, online concerts, musical gatherings, garden walks, gardening help, poet and author readings, computer skills tutoring, foreign language lessons, volleyball lessons, yard work, and of course, furniture, toys, beautiful clothing and other treasures. Thinking of a new idea? Want help with ideas? Just have questions? Feel free to contact Ann Kamman (aok719@yahoo.com) or Charlotte Appel (appel.charlotte@comcast.net).

From our Green Grounds Committee

WARNING: Please do not bring plants or mulch to church grounds without prior approval of the Green Grounds Committee (Ann Kamman, Georgia Emmert, Bill Lonnberg, Mike Drescher). We appreciate your donation of beloved plants but are being proactive against invasion of the Jumping Worm. Read about it here: Jumping Worms

Seeking the Spirit

Spiritual Development and Lifespan Religious Education

Upcoming Religious Education Offerings

Additional offerings are listed on our Registration page.

How to Request Childcare for Events

We endeavor to make childcare freely available for UUCB events. If you need childcare in order to attend an event, please make a request by filling out this form as early as possible. Greater lead time increases the chances of childcare staff availability.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education

for 5th and 6th graders

Parent & child meeting: March 5, 12:30 - 2pm

All 5th and 6th graders who plan to participate in Our Whole Lives sexuality education this spring should bring their parents/caregivers to an Orientation Meeting on Sunday, March 5, 12:30 - 2:00. Classes meet weekly from 12:30 to 2:00 starting on March 26 and ending on May 7. Please contact Stephanie at kimball@uubloomington.org for more information!

Understanding Dementia

A Workshop with Dayna Thompson, IU Health

Sunday, March 12, 1 - 3 p.m.

This interactive workshop, led by Dayna Thompson of IU Health, will help participants distinguish normal aspects of aging from signs of dementia, and learn effective techniques for helping those living with dementia. Lunch will be served between the service and the workshop. Please request childcare here as needed.

Questions? Contact Stephanie, kimball@uubloomington.org.

Living with Mortality

Facilitated by Rev. Connie Grant

Tuesdays: March 21, April 4, April 18, and May 2

7 – 8:30 p.m. in the Library

An opportunity to further explore some questions raised by Rev. Connie’s March 5 sermon on “Living with Mortality.”

What does it mean to us to live with the reality that we will die someday?

How will we choose to live?

How do we want to be remembered?

How will we plan for our own deaths?

This group will meet in person in the church library, with the option to join via Zoom. Please register by March 15.

A Journey through UU History

Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in Room 210

Sign up now to join this journey through Unitarian Universalist history with Stuart Yoak. Lunch will be provided. (Note: This class was originally planned for February and was rescheduled.)

Connecting and Volunteering

Are you new to UU Bloomington? Join us this Sunday, March 5 for a short introduction, after the service

If you are new to our congregation, a very warm welcome to you! You are invited to join in a brief introduction to Unitarian Universalism and this congregation in Room 112 after this Sunday's service. Questions? Contact our Connections Coordinator, Anabel Watson, at connect@uubloomington.org.

Join UUCB Young Adults for a Lunch Meet-and-Greet

Sunday, March 12, 12:30 p.m. at Feta

Are you between the ages of 18 and 35 and hoping to meet others in the congregation who are as well? If so, mark your calendars for lunch after community hour on March 12! We will meet at Feta Kitchen and Cafe on the corner of Hillside and Henderson St around 12:30 p.m. This will be an unstructured time to gather in community and get to know one another. Questions? Email Anabel at connect@uubloomington.org and Hans at hkelson@uubloomington.org.

Your Welcoming Energy Needed on Sunday Mornings

Help further a radically welcoming and inclusive community by volunteering on Sunday mornings! Join the mailing lists for Java Crew, Greeters, or Flame Keepers to stay up-to-date on opportunities, actively contribute to our thriving congregation, and share the joy of hospitality with fellow congregants, both old-timers and newcomers. Your help is valuable and so appreciated!

Looking for additional ways to get involved?

If so, please fill out our online connections form so we can learn about your talents and interests. You can also sign up here for upcoming activities and events: uucb.churchcenter.com/registrations. Our Connections Coordinator, Anabel Watson, would love to connect with you! Just reach out to connect@uubloomington.org.

Building Community

Upcoming Events and Ongoing Groups / Classes

UU Humanists Meet Sunday, March 5

11:30 a.m. in Room 208 (and on Zoom)

The UU Humanist Forum will meet on March 5 at 11:30 a.m. in person in Room 208 at the church, with an option to join online. Richard Janda will facilitate a discussion on "Non-Human Animals." To join via Zoom, contact Ann Watzel or Harold Ogren.

UU Book Club reads Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

Discussion on Monday, March 6, 6:30 p.m. (Zoom)

This novel looks at how Lucy Barton's life is upended as the pandemic shutdown of 2020 unfolds. She reluctantly leaves New York for a house in Maine. An enjoyable read. Let's discuss the novel's surprises and reflect on how we dealt with our own shutdown experience. Join the group for the Zoom link. Newcomers always welcome.

UU Freethinkers Meet Sunday, March 12

11:30 a.m. in Room 208 (and on Zoom)

This bi-weekly meeting creates the opportunity for participants to raise questions and engage in open and non-structured discussion of issues of social, political, and theological/religious concern. Every other Sunday in person in Room 208 at 11:30 am. To join via Zoom, contact Ann Watzel or Harold Ogren.

Heartland String Band Practice

Third Thursdays in Fellowship Hall, 6 p.m.

This month: March 16

The Heartland String Band, a part of our music program, plays old-time and Celtic music as well as folk songs. Dulcimers, fiddles, cellos, pennywhistles, guitars, banjos, mandolins, even accordions -- all lovers of this music are welcome to join in!

Changing the World

News from our Social Justice Task Forces

UU Fourth Trimester Team Volunteer Training

Sunday, April 2, 12 - 3 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

Would you like to be a part of our Fourth Trimester Team? We offer support to families with new babies. Our support can come in the form of a listening ear, running errands, or someone to hold the baby while mom sleeps, to name a few of the ways; in other words, aunt/uncle/grandparent types of support. We will have a training session for anyone interested in becoming a member of the Team on April 2 following the Sunday morning service, at noon in Fellowship Hall. We will provide a bite to eat while we go over goals of the group and insight into new babies and their families. Contact 4thtrimester@uubloomington.org with any questions.

A project of our Reproductive Justice Task Force

Hope for Prisoners Task Force Book Collection

Keep 'em coming!...The Hope for Prisoners Task Force is collecting books for the women incarcerated at the Rockville prison – one of Indiana’s maximum security facilities. We are currently hoping for contributions (new or used, hardback preferred) from two animal-related mystery series: THE CHET AND BERNIE MYSTERY SERIES BY SPENCER QUINN and THE BOOKMOBILE CAT SERIES BY LAURIE CASS. Other titles always welcome; new or used, hardcover or paperback, fiction or non-fiction, romance, mystery, self-help, spiritual, humor, law, science, lgbtq, westerns, etc. poetry... Look for our collection box throughout the year under the Social Justice table in the Commons.

Drop off your pasta & sauce donations in the plastic bins near the Portico entrance on the north side of the church.

Some Details

Prologue submissions:

The Prologue is published on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. Deadline for submissions is 10 a.m. the day before date of publication, to office@uubloomington.org

Calendar: For our full calendar of events, visit uucb.churchcenter.com/calendar.

Office hours: M-F, 9 a.m - 3 p.m.

The Church Office can be reached via text or voicemail during office hours at 812-287-9615. Email: admin@uubloomington.org or office@uubloomington.org.

Church Mailing Address: UU Church,

PO Box 8132, Bloomington IN 47407.

Membership:

550 certified members as of 2/2/2023;

554 current members.

Attendance (in person):

February 19: 122

February 26: 126

Non-Pledge Offering:

February 19: $327.50

February 26: $349.66

Total to be donated (25%) to Bloomington Refugee Support Network: $169.29

Online giving:

To contribute to our non-pledge offering (Sunday Plate), or to make a payment towards your pledge, visit our Giving page: uucb.churchcenter.com/giving

Our Ministers & Staff

Reverend Connie Grant, Interim Lead Minister

Email grant@uubloomington.org, 847-840-8542

Reverend Emily Manvel Leite, Minister of Story and Ritual

Email leite@uubloomington.org, 812-333-9822

Amanda Waye, Director of Administration: admin@uubloomington.org

Anabel Watson, Connections Coordinator: connect@uubloomington.org

Monica Overman, Administrative Assistant: office@uubloomington.org

Mandy Skinner, Communications Coordinator: office@uubloomington.org

Stephanie Kimball, Director of Religious Education: kimball@uubloomington.org

Susan Swaney, Music Director: music@uubloomington.org

Hans Kelson, Andy Beargie, and Brady Egan, Multimedia Managers:

mediateam@uubloomington.org

Masthead photo by Emily Manvel Leite.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana

Mailing address: PO Box 8132 Bloomington, IN 47407

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