|
Thoughts on Community
An Excerpt from The Rev. Dr. Kendyl Gibbons's July newsletter column
 As always, one of the challenges .... is how to build stronger community among our members. In part, this happens through opportunities that we structure into our activities as a congregation. However, those opportunities are only as effective as the people who participate in them make them. Community is a high value for many of us; newcomers mention it often as the reason they have sought out a liberal religious organization, and our old timers frequently speak of the ways in which their friendships here have kept them connected to the Society over the years. It should not surprise us that something so valued is not easily come by. No leadership group, no matter how well disposed, and no set of activities, no matter how well planned, can make community happen by force. No person can have the support and joy of community in his or her life without making the up front investment that goes into creating the experience of community. That investment takes several forms, all of which are important for the success of what the FUS administration will be offering throughout the coming year. It might be useful to remember a couple of principles about how community works as we look ahead to these opportunities. ....
[to view Kendyl's column in its entirety click here and scroll to pages 1 and 2.]
Let me also urge you to note that these principles of community apply all year round, and there is no need to wait until September to put them into practice. Summer Assemblies are in full swing in the Lower Assembly Hall, and the best way to build community at FUS is to be there, greeting, supporting, and connecting with your fellow members. I will be in and out of town myself; my next stop is the UUA General Assembly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the UU Cantata that I helped to write will be performed at the Opening Celebration, and the Ministers' Association will begin to consider new professional guidelines that I have helped to compose. I look forward to some time at a slower pace, and to our coming year. Have a splendid summer! |
|
Updates
and Reminders
Forward to a Friend
Remember that you can forward the Unitarian FLASH to a friend at any time. Simply scroll to the bottom of each edition of the FLASH and click on the link called "forward email." Forwarding the FLASH will not add the recipient to any email lists, or allow entry of any spam into their inbox, but it will allow you to share the information in the FLASH you'd like them to see with just a quick click!
Ministerial Relations Survey
Don't forget to give feedback to Kendyl and the Ministerial Relations Committee by taking a few minutes to fill out the on-line survey. The survey can be accessed from the FUS home page, by clicking here, or you can fill out a paper copy available in the office. Responses will be collected through early July. Thanks! Parking at FUS
The Vineland Parking Ramp attached to Walker Art Center is available for FUS parking on Sundays. The cost is $1, and coupons for $1 are available in the FUS Office. Simply park your car in the ramp, remembering to bring your ticket with you as you leave the parking facility; come to FUS and stop by the office to pick up a coupon.
Electronic Versions of The First Unitarian Newsletter are available at the FUS website at www.firstunitariansociety.org. They are posted there each month. If you would like to stop receiving the printed version via postal mail and access the electronic version instead, simply contact the FUS Office with that request: 612-377-6608, or send an email request by clicking here.
Visitors Orientation
If you are interested in learning more about the Society, contact Teresa West, Membership Director at 612-377-6608 ext. 104 or by clicking here. |
FUS Email Contacts
Phone: 612-377-6608
Fax: 612-377-2151 | |
|
Greetings from Mount Curve! 
June and early July is a great time to bask in the sun and celebrate the joys of summer. During this time you can stay connected to the FUS community by visiting the FUS booth at the Twin Cities Pride Festival this weekend, joining us at Sunday summer assemblies, planning your involvement in Community Service Sunday on July 20, and staying up-to-date on UU happenings: like General Assembly, and UU Midwest Flood Relief efforts. Fostering your connection to the FUS community is a great way to live-out our UU values (See Kendyl's article, "Thoughts on Community" in this edition of The FLASH to the left.) So grab a pair of shades and join us! |
Visit FUS at Pride this Weekend!
Stop by the FUS booth at the Twin Cities Pride Festival this weekend, Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and lend your support, encouragement and help to all the great FUS volunteers staffing the booth, reaching out to tell folks about our fabulous FUS community. | |
General Assembly 
Currently the Unitarian Universalist Association is meeting for General Assembly in sunny Fort Lauderdale through Sunday, June 29. Check out the action by clicking here and following the appropriate links. And you can also check out this Fort Lauderdale beach cam to see if anyone you know is taking a break in the sun and surf! |
End of the Fiscal Year 
With the end of the fiscal year only days away, don't forget the easy and secure online payment option at the FUS website. It's the ideal way to make sure your last pledge payment gets credited before the June 30 deadline. Click on the red "Donate Now" button on the home page to use this service. |
Community Service Sunday
 Put your values to work!
Join us for the 5th annual Community Service Sunday! This is a special Sunday, where we have a brief (15-minute) assembly, and then go into the greater community to perform a variety of service-based projects. We then come back together for a lunch and sharing time. This year's service is July 20th, and for the first time we're inviting the neighborhood to join us!
This year's event includes the following service options:Making Sandwiches at the Simpson Shelter
Clean 7 Pools/Lowry Park
Sewing project (specifics to be announced)
Publicizing the Northside FLOW Art Crawl in Uptown coffee shops, etc.
Pulling weeds at the Agape Playground
Preparing mailings for a non-profit
Clean up FUS-sponsored section of the Midtown Greenway
Kids service program: Making cookies to share with older members
Lunch begins at 12:30, with each group sharing their results at 1:00. In addition, we're still looking for a non-profit that needs a mailing done - please contact Jim Tincher at tinch@comcast.net if you know of one. Please sign up for your activities on the registration sheets on the wall in the Lower Assembly Hall. We look forward to seeing you there! |
|
UU Flood Relief
 You Can Help Fellow UUs
Flooding this summer has caused devastation in the Midwest. UU congregations in Iowa, Indiana,and Wisconsin have been affected. In Prairie Star, there are 15 UU households in Iowa City with homes damaged or destroyed by the flooding. We don't yet know how the financial impact of the floods will affect the jobs and lives of Unitarian Universalists other Iowa communities.
The Prairie Star District Board has set up a Flood Relief Fund to accept donations to assist Unitarian Universalists whose homes were damaged or destroyed, or whose livelihoods were affected, and their congregations. We are gathering a team of people who do not live in the areas affected by the flood to assist in making decisions about distribution of the money.
You can help:
Donate with a credit card online on the PSD website or Mail a check payable to Prairie Star District, with Flood Relief in the memo line to:
Flood Relief Prairie Star District - UUA
122 W. Franklin Ave., Suite 303
Minneapolis, MN 55404
For more information:
Check the PSD website for updates on UU congregations and their members. New information will be posted as it comes in. |
Summer Assemblies at FUS 
Summer is the time of year at FUS when we meet in the considerably cooler Lower Assembly Hall. We still meet each Sunday at 10:30 a.m., and all summer we will enjoy stimulating Assemblies presented and/or coordinated by FUS members. Below are a few of the upcoming offerings. To view the complete listing of Summer Assemblies click here and scroll to pages 6-7.
FUS Summer Program for Children
Childcare for infants - preschoolers is available. Chalice Camp is open to all children who come to the service and meets at 10:30 a.m. in the Chalice Room. For kids entering 6 - 8 grades, Gabe Aderhold is offering an FUS film club.
6/29/08 ASSEMBLY: "The Care and Nourishment of Civil Society"
Coordinator: Heather Martens, President, Citizens for a Safer Minnesota
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court will hand down a decision that could change the basis of laws governing guns in this country. How to deal with the threat, or use, of deadly force is a challenge for any civil society. What will the Supreme Court decision mean? How might it change the way in which we care for our civil society and live out the values of democracy, peace, liberty and justice?
7/6/08 ASSEMBLY: "Native Americans in Minnesota"
Coordinator: John Nordquist
Guests from the Minneapolis Native American Center will visit the society in this, the sesquicentennial year in Minnesota. |
|
UU Parenting Resources
Celebrating Non-Religious Holidays
 Do you have trouble celebrating holidays with your Christian family members who just don't get your liberal religious views? Well, summer is just ripe with holiday celebrations that all can get behind! Try the summer solstice and get into the longest day of the year with games and a great meal outside. Try going to a park and having a get together not on anyone's home territory! The fourth of July is so fun to celebrate -- but don't just do it alone. Invite the extended family and this can be your holiday to host a fun party without the religious themes that liberals might not adhere to. On Labor Day, celebrate transitions and the work that people have done in this country to raise the quality of life for everyone. Make these summer dates the ones that you pick to celebrate with extended family and you might just avoid the weird moment of prayer or the religious message that you don't believe in. Look at the whole year and think of the holidays that you can get behind and then invite the whole family: Earth Day, Peace Day, Halloween, United Nations Day. They are there for the picking -- and might just lessen the religious tension that you feel when celebrating more traditional holidays with extended family. See The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox for some ideas along this line and some fun activities for say, Arbor Day!
-- Jan Devor, FUS Director of Religious Education |
|
You're Invited
Join us for these great events!
- Summer Assemblies and Chalice Camp 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings through August 31
- Visit the FUS booth at the Twin Cities Pride Festival, Saturday June 28 & Sunday 29, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Book discussion: The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolf. Sunday Mornings 9:30 - 10:20 a.m. throughout July and August in the Dietrich Room. By the July 13 meeting the group will discuss the book through page 80; July 27 through page 105; August 10 through page 141; and on August 24 through page 155.
- Women's Awareness Group, Monday, July 14 at the home of Barbara Wallace at 6:30 p.m. for a potluck supper, followed by a lively discussion of the topic "The Way We Were" (Bring a picture or momento of a younger you.) Call Barbara or Ruth Agar to RSVP and for directions.
- Community Service Sunday, July 20, 10:30 a.m. at FUS.
| |
|
|
|
