UNIGRAM the January 7, 2015 Change Is in the Air Rev. Seth Carrier-‐Ladd, Minister UUCM STAFF Rev. Seth Carrier-‐Ladd Minister Rev. Julia Corbett-‐Hemeyer Community Minister Nadine Tringali Director of Religious Education Dr. James Helton Director of Music Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-‐Ladd Coordinator of Youth Programs Christie Williams Office Administrator Sarah Lyttle Membership Coordinator UUCM Board of Trustees Nancy Behforouz President Sherry Ware President-‐Elect Annemarie Voss Vice President Mary Johnson Robey Secretary Jeff Hathaway Interim Treasurer Bill Frederick Past President Happy New Year! As many of you have likely noticed, I’m taking a couple of weeks of vacation during the first two weeks of January, but I’ll be back in the office on Tuesday, January 13th, and back in the pulpit on Sunday, January 18th. We’re about half way through this time as I’m writing this, and it’s been good to spend time with family. We enjoyed “Grandma Heaven” over the holidays as my mom came to visit for a week before Christmas, and Elizabeth’s mom and her wife came for the week afterwards. We all got to do all sorts of fun stuff with Mira together, which was a blast, and, it’s also been really nice the past few days to just relax and spend some quality time just the three of us. Mira did catch a cold which she passed to me and Elizabeth, so we were all sick over New Years, but otherwise the holiday season (Mira’s first!) has been all we could have hoped for. I’m here on a vacation day though, writing a Unigram article, because the New Year sometimes brings about new things – and there’s a new thing at church we need to make sure everyone knows about. We’re implementing a new communications policy starting this month (January), which will help make our current church communications structure more efficient, and which will also allow us to focus our newly freed up resources on improving our technology infrastructure. The big change is to reduce the number of monthly Unigrams from two to one, and focus that one Unigram more on articles, while still conveying all the relevant information for the upcoming month. The plan will be to publish the monthly Unigram on the last Wednesday of the month, leading into and covering everything happening in the next month. The eBlast will remain as is – the primary source for weekly information and updates. One big reason for the change is that there has been a lot of redundancy and overlap between the Unigram and the eBlast, and it doesn’t make sense to continue that inefficient practice moving forward. It also takes a lot of time and effort (and money) to produce and mail each Unigram, using resources which could be better used in other areas. The second significant change then, is that Christie will use the time she has reclaimed from Unigram production to serve as point person for maintaining the content on our website. While she won’t be freeing up enough time to check every page on the website on a regular basis, she will make sure all the key pages have up-‐to-‐date content. She’ll also serve as the contact person moving forward for all website updates submitted by committees, effective immediately. This should make (continued on page 2) UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF MUNCIE 2
Change Is in the Air (continued from page 1) Rev. Seth Carrier-‐Ladd, Minister the process of updating the website easier for all involved, especially now that our webmaster is no longer a church member and is less familiar with church, our content and what needs to go where. If you have something you need updated or put on the website, moving forward, all you need to do is send it to Christie and she’ll facilitate the process from there. This shift has been in the works for several months. After Christie and I analyzed our current setup and created this new plan in the fall, we shared it with the staff, the Communications Committee, the Program Council, and the Board of Trustees to make sure we weren’t missing anything and to see if there were any significant objections. Hearing no objections, and receiving significant positive feedback, we’re moving ahead with implementing this new structure of monthly Unigrams, starting with the last Unigram in January. That means that the second Unigram this month, covering the entire month of February, will be published Wednesday, January 28th, with a submission deadline of 9 am, Monday, January 26th. Moving to the monthly schedule, there won’t be Unigram after that until the last Wednesday of February (February 25th), submission deadline 9 am February 23rd. We do realize that there is a small minority of folks who do not receive e-‐mail, and who will thus experience a drop-‐off in communications from the church by only receiving one Unigram per month instead of two. If you are in that group (don’t get the eBlast because you don’t have e-‐mail) and would like to receive supplemental print communication, please call Christie at the church office, 765-‐288-‐9561, and let her know. We’re still working out the details of what that supplemental print communication will look like, but we’ll make sure everyone has all the information they need. If you do receive e-‐mail but aren’t yet signed up for the eBlast and would like to receive it, please e-‐mail Christie at [email protected] and she’ll add you to the list. That’s all I’ve got for now! If you have any questions or concerns about the new policies, let me know. You probably won’t hear back from me until after I’m back in the office, but I will get back to you, and I’m happy to have conversations with anyone who wants – we’ll make sure we address any concerns that come up. Hope you had a good holiday season, recognizing that that looks different for everyone, and that this New Year brings good things to your life. See you in church! peace, love and blessings, Rev. Seth __________________________________________________________________ The Empty Is the Real Rev. Julia Corbett-‐Hemeyer, Community Minister I didn’t write on our December theme of emptiness because I wrote on Ferguson; I wanted to address that topic in a timely manner, and I wasn’t able to relate a response to events in Ferguson to emptiness in a way that seemed to work for me. Reverend Seth brought the two together in his 12/7/14 sermon, from a Taoist perspective. This, then, is a “bridge” column that combines our December 2014, theme of emptiness with our January 2015, theme of reason, and also carries forward our ongoing conversation about racism, racial oppression, and the violence it engenders. Although it is central to the Buddha-‐dharma or teaching, people, especially those whose native religion isn’t Buddhism, frequently misunderstand the meaning of emptiness. It is said that the third century Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna taught that "emptiness wrongly grasped is like picking up a poisonous snake by the wrong end." In other words, it can lead to a lot of trouble and suffering! Emptiness in the Buddhist (continued on page 3) UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF MUNCIE 3
The Empty Is the Real (continued from page 2) Rev. Julia Corbett-‐Hemeyer, Community Minister understanding does not have the negative meaning with which we use the word in common speech (“I feel so sad, so empty”). It does not mean that the things we see around us and take to be real—and ourselves as well—are not real, which would violate reason. They are, and we are. Nor is it some utopian state of being beyond reach of problems. It also doesn’t refer to an empty state of mind achieved in meditation. In fact, it’s not a state of mind at all, but simply the way things are. What it does mean positively is that everything is an expression of a constantly-‐changing whole, the “interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” Thich Nhat Hanh uses the word interbeing to describe this way of understanding reality. Everything that is exists without own-‐being, without isolated, separate existence. Everything “inter-‐is.” Emptiness as lived out by persons of wisdom and mindfulness brings with it a sense of joyous compassion, connection, and universal love. What happens when we think about racism and the violence it breeds from the Buddhist teaching of emptiness? We may begin to see that the constructs we use to separate and divide us are just that—
constructs of our minds. They are not inherent characteristics of reality. There is in reality no “us” or “them,” no “you people,” or “your people,” no cops or protesters, no black or white, gay or straight, no immigrant or citizen separate from each other. Collectivities such as “black people” or “cops” are also constructs in our minds. They are social creations rather than being intrinsic to the nature of things. Violence arises in part when we objectify other individuals or groups. It’s not just a matter of us/them, although it is that. We also see those “others” arrayed against us and we experience them not only as distinct from ourselves, with different hopes, dreams, desires and needs, but as separate from us and in conflict or potential conflict with us. We experience them as a threat. When we take the perspective of emptiness/interbeing, there isn’t any against, because we’re all part of the same whole. There is just “we,” the interdependent web of life, one human family, “all people who on earth do dwell.” Reality takes an endless diversity of distinct forms, but separation is a construct in our minds, not an inherent feature of reality itself. One group or individual seeking power over another makes no sense in this context. Doing so violates reason because it goes against reality. The entire Mahayana Buddhist tradition—one of the largest streams of Buddhist thought and practice—teaches that we are all in this thing called life together. We will all reach enlightenment, or fail to reach it, collectively. What uplifts or injures one uplifts or injures each and all. Our Principles, too, point us in the same direction. To the extent that we are able to live out of a deep appreciation of emptiness and interbeing, we will grow in empathy and compassion. We will begin to embody the perspective of the Dhammapada, a Buddhist sacred writing that summarizes moral teachings: 129. All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill. 130. All tremble at violence; life is dear to all. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill. 131. One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter. 132. One who, while himself seeking happiness, does not oppress with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will find happiness hereafter. Go and be healed and help heal our world. Grace and Peace, Rev. Julia UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF MUNCIE 4
RE Corner :: Welcoming all Ages Nadine Tringali, Director of Religious Education In December, our annual Tree Decorating hosted by the Fellowship Committee was a wonderful event, enjoyed by all ages, helping one another with the tree decorating and enjoying conversation, cookies, and punch as the trees began to shine with all the sparkling ornaments. I would like us to enjoy more events, where we can be together and enjoy the company of all ages. In February, I would like to host a Zentangle Workshop for all ages on Sunday, February 22, from 12:30-‐1:30, in the fellowship hall. The Zentangle method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful images by drawing simple structured patterns called tangles on a 3.5” square of paper – small enough to finish in a short period of time. A form of artistic meditation, Zentangle is enjoyed all over the world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages. Anyone can do it! A sign-‐up sheet will be posted in the back of the sanctuary. Please sign up so that we will have enough supplies and table space for everyone. Nadine __________________________________________________________________ Upcoming Services Sunday, January 11, 10:45 am :: Rev. Bruce Russell-‐Jayne, Guest Minister Our January Dedicated Offering recipient is A Better Way. Sunday, January 18, 10:45 am :: Rev. Seth Carrier-‐Ladd Rev. Seth returns to the pulpit after holiday break to explore our January theme of Reason. Sunday, January 25, 10:45 am :: Rev. Seth Carrier-‐Ladd __________________________________________________________________ Religious Education News Nadine Tringali, Director of Religious Education Sunday, January 11 :: Curriculum Sunday All youth will begin in the service with their parents. Classes will begin following the “Story for All Ages” with Nadine. There will be a Boston Bound Bake Sale after the service. Sunday, January 18 :: Curriculum Sunday All youth will begin in the service with their parents. Classes will begin following the “Story for All Ages” with Seth. Boston Bound Soup Luncheon -‐ Please plan to stay after the service for our Soup Luncheon! This is a wonderful opportunity to meet our youth, enjoy delicious soup and bread, and help our youth travel to Boston in June! Sunday, January 25 :: Curriculum Sunday All youth will begin in the service with their parents. Following the hymn, Spirit of Life, classes will begin. UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF MUNCIE 5
Pre-‐Service Discussion Adult Religious Education’s Discussion Group meets each Sunday at 9:30 am, in the Red classroom. Come participate in lively discussions on a variety of topics before the worship service each week. Science, DNA, and a Family Revelation :: George Wolfe, Discussion Leader Sunday, January 11, 9:30 am George Wolfe, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Ball State will lead a discussion on the results of his brother’s DNA analysis which revealed an important family secret of how his father evaded the anti-‐Semitism in the U.S. during the 1920s and 30s. Humanist Churches... and UUs :: Paul Stout, Discussion Leader Sunday, January 18, 9:30 am As mentioned in a previous discussion, there are a growing number of so called "atheist churches" in the US. These congregations offer community and support for nonbelievers, minus the theology. Focus of our discussion will be on what is distinctive about our church and on Unitarian Universalism, in comparison to this humanist movement. __________________________________________________________________ Rev. Seth's Explore Your Theology class will NOT meet this Sunday, January 11th on it's regularly scheduled second Sunday slot, since he is on vacation. The class will resume on its next scheduled date, Sunday, February 8th, at 12:30 pm. __________________________________________________________________ Anti-‐Racism Task Force Rev. Seth Carrier-‐Ladd As highlighted in Rev. Seth's recent sermon "Black Lives Matter," racism continues to be a significant problem in our country and our communities. As part of living into our values, the church, with the support of the Board of Trustees and the Social Justice Committee, has created an Anti-‐Racism Task Force. The Task Force's first meeting will be held on Sunday, January 25th, at 12:15 pm in the Red Room. If you're interested in learning more about anti-‐racism work, or would like to help us as a church community take the next steps in our anti-‐racism learning, please attend! If you can't make it to this meeting, but are still interested in participating, let Rev. Seth know and he'll keep you in the loop. If you missed the sermon “Black Lives Matter” you can listen here. __________________________________________________________________ In Gratitude The Social Justice Committee A big thank you to all who volunteered providing meals for the Christian Ministries Men's Sleeping Room during November and December! Annemarie Voss, Sherry Ware, Nancy Behtorouz, Billie Laverghetta, Carolyn Cooley, Ray White, Luellen Smucker, Linda Hanson, Gunther Cartwright, Linda Gregory, Connie Gregory, Aryn Sweeney, Caroline Curlin, Lisa Kuriscak, Elsbeth Fritz, Meg Calkins,Wayne Meyer, Chris Nelson, Markie Oliver, Eleanor Trawick, Kirsten Smith, Mary Hodson, Heather Hodson, Drew Hodson, Hannah Hodson, Bruce Peavler, Audra Asplin,Kristen and Jonathan Owens, Caroline and Mike Sullivan, Lynn and Bea Sousa, Mary and Kirk Roby, Nan and John Barber, Jan and Ron Moore, Susan and John Taylor, Lynn and Chuck Austin UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF MUNCIE 6
Do You See What I See? Toward a Clear and Inspiring Future Steve Chalk, Communications Liaison Mission and Vision Task Force Happy New Year, everyone! This is the third and final article in a series—retracing the results of our Mission and Vision Tailgate from October and looking ahead to this month’s cottage meetings. Everyone with an email address on file has received an invitation to register for a cottage meeting later in January. If you don’t have web access, you’ll see paper sign-‐up sheets in the church sanctuary beginning Sunday, January 11, one week before the array of meeting options begins. As the capstone to our analysis of feedback from October, this article focuses on identified dreams of the congregation. Collectively, October participants stressed the following five (5) dreams as most paramount for our church: 1. Growth in the size of the congregation; 2. Growth in the congregation’s demographic diversity, along with opportunities for a broad spectrum of people to feel involved and invested; 3. Strong religious education opportunities, based on Unitarian Universalist principles, for participants of all ages. 4. Increased public awareness of the church; and 5. A strong social justice orientation within the broader community. If you have questions about the patterns identified in this series of articles, or concerns regarding the cottage meeting arrangements, please let me know. We look forward to your thoughtful energy and contributions later this month! Best wishes, Steve Chalk, [email protected] or (765) 215-‐3422 __________________________________________________________________ Youth Sunday Planning Schedule Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-‐Ladd, Coord. Youth Programming Youth Sunday this year is February 22nd! As we prepare, we will be meeting on Sundays and Tuesdays during Body Life. Snacks will be provided on Sunday nights and a contribution to Body Life dinner will be provided on Tuesdays so that our youth can all have dinner during the meeting. Most sessions are combined Middle School (MS) and High School (HS), as indicated below. All meetings will take place in the youth room, unless otherwise indicated. A more detailed schedule has been emailed to parents. Sunday, January 11, 6-‐7:30 pm– Brainstorming Themes! – MS and HS Tuesday, January 13, 6-‐7:30 pm – Choosing a Theme! – MS and HS Sunday January 18, 6-‐7:30 pm – Brainstorming Centerpieces and Major Elements – MS and HS Tuesday, January 20, 6-‐7:30 pm – Choosing Musical Contributions – MS and HS Sunday, January 25, 6-‐7:30 pm – Choosing the Centerpiece and Major Elements – MS and HS Tuesday, January 27, 6-‐7:30 pm – Choosing Other Elements of the Service – MS and HS Sunday, February 1, 12:30-‐2 pm – Separate Planning Time – MS Sunday, February 1, 6-‐7:30 pm– Separate Planning Time – HS Tuesday, February 3, 6-‐7:30 pm – Putting it All Together – MS and HS Sunday, February 8, 6-‐7:30 pm – Putting it All Together – MS and HS Tuesday, February 10, 6-‐7:30 pm – Finalizing the Script – MS and HS Sunday, February 15, 6-‐7:30 pm – Rehearsal! – MS and HS Tuesday, February 17, 6-‐7:30 pm – Rehearsal! – MS and HS Saturday, February 21, 2-‐4 pm, Sanctuary – Final Run Through! – MS and HS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF MUNCIE 7
Feeding Our Hungry Neighbors Susan Taylor, FOHN Task Force Third Monday Volunteer Day at Second Harvest! It's Almost Here! Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, January 19th MLK Day has become an important day for our church to show our UU spirit at the Second Harvest Food Bank Warehouse. We've had 50+ people showing up for years on that day, donating two hours (10 am to noon) of their holiday and helping Second Harvest with whatever big project they need us to work on. If you've never volunteered at Second Harvest before, this is a great day to try it out. And if you have been there for MLK Day in the past, you know how much fun it is, for young and old alike! Please consider turning your day off on January 19th into a day on for service! Second Harvest Food Bank Warehouse is located at 6621 N Old State Road 3, Muncie. After our morning of work at Second Harvest, please join us back at the church for a Volunteer Appreciation Soup Luncheon. We'll have soup, salad, and more time to visit with one another and celebrate our commitment to helping those in need in our fine community. Do You Plan to Be There on January 19th? Please let us know by either signing up on the Social Justice board in the back of the sanctuary OR emailing Susan Taylor [email protected]. __________________________________________________________________ 2015 Services and Food Auction :: Saturday, February 28! Jane Meyer Circle the date and put on your thinking caps! Think about what you can donate to the auction and then join us on February 28, for some fun and spirited bidding. Some items that could be offered are: Guided outings (hiking, camping, canoeing, boat picnics) Theme dinners (Thai, German, Mexican, Indian, Turkish, Persian, Italian, Locavore) Food (dessert-‐a month, soup/bread Sunday suppers, cooking classes, homemade wine) Educational events (yoga lessons, dance lessons, local micro-‐brewery beer-‐tasting party) Real services (carpentry, tutoring, golf lessons, landscaping, music lessons, Introduction to Facebook, pet sitting, handyman help, babysitting) Vacation cottage or vehicle use This will be a Services and Food Auction, where the offerings consist of donations of time, talent, skills and social events rather than new or used objects. Experience has shown that offering objects often turns out to be disappointing. Donation forms will be available soon. Questions? Want to help? Contact Jane Meyer at [email protected] UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF MUNCIE Non-‐Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Permit 635 Muncie, IN 4800 West Bradford Drive Muncie, IN 47304 Phone: 765-‐288-‐9561 Email: [email protected] Web: www.uuchurchmuncie.org ! Office Hours ! Monday :: Closed {Training & Bookkeeping} Tuesday :: 9:00 am – 2:30 pm Wednesday – Friday :: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Return Service Requested Celebrating 155 Years in the Muncie Community We welcome all people without regard to age, race, national origin, ableness, class, sexual orientation, or gender identity. DATED MATERIAL What’s Coming Up at UUCM? Visit our Online Calendar The next issue of the Unigram will be published January 28. The deadline for submissions is 9 am, on the Monday prior to publication. Please send church-‐related articles to [email protected]. Fri Sun Tue Wed Thu Fri Sun 9 11 13 14 15 16 18 5:00 pm 9:30 am 9:30 am 10:45 am Noon Noon 12:15 pm 3:00 pm 6:00 pm 8:00 pm 10:00 am 6:00 pm 7:30 pm 5:30 pm 7:30 pm Noon 7:15 pm 5:00 pm 9:30 am 9:30 am 10:45 am Noon OUTreach LGBTQ Youth Drop In Discussion Group Property Maintenance Cmte Worship Service & RE Classes Chalice Marketplace Boston Bound Bake Sale Boston Bound Meeting Mission & Vision Task Force MS & HS Youth Group 4U at BSU Robt. Bell Bldg, Rm 112 By Laws Task Force Body Life Dinner Choir Rehearsal Revival Hour at Ruby Tuesday Worship Associates Finance C ommittee Committee on Ministries OUTreach LGBTQ Youth Drop In Discussion Group RECommittee C&Y Worship Service & RE Classes Boston Bound Soup Lunch Sun Mon Tue Wed Fri Sun Tue Wed 18 19 20 21 23 25 27 28 12:45 pm 6:00 pm 8:00 pm 10:00 am 6:00 pm 7:30 pm 5:30 pm 7:00 pm 5:00 pm 9:30 am 9:30 am 10:45 am 12:15 pm 12:15 pm 12:15 pm 6:00 pm 8:00 pm 6:00 pm 7:30 pm 5:30 pm Mission & Vision Cottage Meeting MS & HS Youth Group 4U at BSU Robert Bell Bldg, Rm 112 Church Office Closed ~ MLK Day FOHN Food Bank/Soup Lunch Body Life Dinner Choir Rehearsal Revival Hour at Thai Smile Board of Trustees OUTreach LGBTQ Youth Drop In Discussion Group Sack Lunches for Soup Kitchen Worship Service & RE Classes Anti-‐Racism Task Force Adult RE Committee Pastoral Associates MS & HS Youth Group 4U at BSU Robert Bell Bldg, Rm 112 Body Life Dinner Choir Rehearsal Revival Hour at Red Lobster