December 21

Solstice Celebration

6:15 p.m.

December 24

Christmas Eve Services

4:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

Religious Education News Blast

Want to know what is going on in Religious Education for Children and Youth?  Follow this link to an easy access guide to upcoming events! 

RE News Blast

 

Do you love Drama?  Religious Education is searching for 3 teachers for January Intersession to share their time and talents with children in Kindergarten-8th grade for 4 short weeks!  Contact Adrienne Summerlot dre@uubloomington.org

 

Tuesday, December 16th - Holiday Sing Along - 6:00-6:45 pm

The best way to spread holiday cheer is singing loudly for all to hear! Join us in the Meeting Room for this musical celebration. Newcomers and Visitors are welcome to join in the fun! Find this event on Facebook and share with your friends! Holiday Sing-Along 

Wednesday, December 24th, 4:00 p.m.

Away in a Manger Christmas Eve Pageant 

Reverend Mary Ann Macklin 

and Adrienne Summerlot, Director of Religious Education

This worship is an interactive Christmas Pageant designed for families with young children and for those young at heart. There will be a few chairs set up, but we invite folks to sit on the floor to create a more relaxed and informal atmosphere.

 

What to bring:

- a stuffed animal or doll to put in the manger and share with the babies and other children

- soft blankets, pillows or floor chairs

- a plate of cookies to share

- If your budget permits - a pair of new mittens for the Mitten Tree

 

     Specific age groups are invited to come dressed for parts and to become familiar with a few lines. These ages are just suggestions, if your child feels called to play a certain role assigned to a different age group, that is fine! 

      Please let Adrienne Summerlot (dre@uubloomington.org) know if someone in your family can arrive a little early and be an Inn Keeper and help pass out candles and programs.

      0 - 3 year olds - Angels - Wear halos perhaps made of aluminum foil and whatever else you feel makes you angelic. Practice saying, "Oh, what a wonderful child" and "Peace to all people on earth!"

      4 - 5 year olds - Shepherds - Wear shepherd hats like a towel on head tied with some type of rope or tie and whatever else would keep you warm if you were a shepherd. Practice saying, "Let's go look for that baby" and "Oh, what a beautiful child!"

      6 - 8 year olds - Wise Ones- Wear crowns and other wise-one like garb. Practice saying, "Look at that amazing star! It must be shining for something very special!" and "This child will be our teacher."

      9 and up - Inn Keepers- Help pass out programs and play the role role of Inn Keeper. Please let Adrienne know if a youth or adult in your family can help in this way.

Monday Shambhala Meditation is Every Monday at Noon 

Join us at 12 noon every Monday in the Meeting Room for an hour of Shambhala Meditation, walking meditation, and Shamatha yoga with Sarah Flint. Please bring your own cushion; sitting in one of the Meeting Room chairs is also fine.

Our Folks...

     Congratulations to Steve Dillon who received the 2014 Al Horn Award, a lifetime achievement award  recognizing his work for NORML to legalize marijuana, and  defend  those charged with marijuana offences.

     Congratulations to Colleen Haas and Mary Boutain who were married in a small ceremony over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

     Happy Birthday to Virginia Clendenning, who will celebrate her 100th birthday on December 19.

New Email for our Multimedia Specialist 

    Our Multimedia Specialist, Andy Beargie, has a new email address: media@uubloomington.org. Please do not use his *@indiana.edu address for church business any longer, but use this new address instead.

Solstice Celebration with Central Indiana UUs

Join central Indiana Unitarian Universalists at their 10th Annual Solstice Celebration on December 20 at 7:00 p.m. at UU Church of Indianapolis:

Hospitality for Those with Allergies

As a courtesy to our friends and members who have allergies to fragrances, we are designating the west section of the Meeting Room (next to the sliding glass doors and tall narrow windows) as Fragrance Free. Please do not sit there if you have used any fragrances.  Anyone else is welcome to sit in this area.  Thank you for your consideration. 

Cookie Bakers United!

To all who baked, sold and bought COOKIES:  Awesome job everyone!  We had a great selection and we completely sold out! Our cookie customers were very impressed and sugar saturated happy. The Cookie Walk Committee thanks you, the Bazaar organizers thank you and our church thanks you.  You were a hit!

Your cookie committee, Mary Jo Conley and Meg Sears  

Giving Tree Thanks

Many thanks to all who brought the beautiful and useful gifts for Stepping Stones, Positive Link, Circles Initiative, Blooming Families, Shalom Center and Monroe County United Ministries on December 7.  Collectively, we have touched the lives hundreds of local people in need.  Also, thanks to your generosity, $2132.74 is on its way to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee as our Guest at Your Table contribution to support their important work all around the world!

     Are you interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism and this congregation?  Whether you are considering membership or are just curious, this class is for you.  The Exploring UU Class will be held on Sunday, Jan 11 and Sunday, Jan 18 from 2-4 p.m. in the Ralph and Annetta Fuchs Library.  Sign up by Sunday, January 4 at the welcome table in the foyer, or by emailing office@uubloomington.org.

William Bentley and the American Unitarian Church

     William Bentley (1759-1819) was raised in the Congregational faith.  He was tutored in Latin and Greek and attended Harvard.  After the Revolutionary War he became a minister of the East Church in Salem where he lived out his life. He was a scholar and wrote to Enlightenment figures like Priestley and shifted to the more liberal theology of the English Unitarians. He faced rejection by the more traditional Congregationalists whose views were closer to Calvin. Bentley rejected predestination and he believed Jesus did not exist before he was conceived and born to Mary. His outlook was one of reason over emotionalism or faith.  He claimed that "the only evidence I wish to have of my integrity is a good life, and as to faith, his can't be wrong who has a life in the right."  He had a library of 4000 books and was admired as a scholar, historian, and antiquarian.  He loved Salem. He turned down the Presidency of the University of Virginia offered to him by Thomas Jefferson.  He turned down serving as the first Chaplain of Congress.  He never married.  His church in Salem had mostly sea captains and local merchants as congregants. They kept his cabinet of curiosities filled with items from around the world that he sought. He kept a diary starting at age 23 until he died. It was not meditative, but reveals the daily life of those who lived in the early days of our Republic and the conflicts of the evolving Protestant denominations in a new nation that permitted freedom of establishing religious institutions.    --Elof Carlson, Congregational Historian

Susie's Place Report - 

2014-15 Recipient of 25% of our Sunday Offering

     Allison Creekmore of Susie's Place shares information about Stewards of Children trainings that have been presented utilizing our 25% of Sunday Plate fund, as well as initiatives for future trainings in Bloomington.

• Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington - Supervision staff training August 2014
• Monroe Co CASA - volunteers and staff - contact has been made for all staff to be trained, as well as ALL volunteer CASAs being offered the training 
• Monroe Co Community School Corp - The Superintendent has given approval to move forward with bringing this training to staff at MCCSC
• Meeting on December 5th - I will be attending the Bloomington After School Network meeting on December 5th at the Boys and Girls Club.  Multiple youth serving organizations in Bloomington attend the meeting to network and collaborate. Will offer opportunity to receive the Stewards of Children training at their sites.
•  Adrienne Summerlot will meet to discuss a strategic plan for offering the Stewards of Children training to the UU Church both to the staff and entire congregation.  

Everyone is Invited to Make a Pledge or Make a Financial Gift

Contact a Minister

    Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, our Senior Minister, can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 201 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, or macklin@uubloomington.org. For pastoral emergencies, please call her mobile, 812-322-0205. 

    Reverend Doug Wadkins, our Interim Minister, can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 207 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, or email wadkins@uubloomington.org. For pastoral emergencies, please call his home study number, 812-369-4179.

Reverend Emily Manvel Leite, our Minister of Religious Education, can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 203 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, or email mre@uubloomington.org. For pastoral emergencies, please call her at home, 812-333-9822.

    All ministers have voicemail on their numbers so that you can leave a private message.  

Attendance and Membership

Current Membership: 502     Certified Membership as of 2/1/2014: 492

We are currently reviewing our Membership Rolls, as required annually by the Bylaws, which is why our membership has dropped in the last week or so. Some members have moved away, etc. --Carol Marks, Ch.Admin.

Attendance

Sunday, December 7             9:15:    112;     11:15:  176;     RE: 28             Total:   316

Sunday, December 14           9:15:    156;     11:15   197;     RE: 31             Total:   384

Non-Pledge Offering

12/7 - $660;  12/14- $972        Total to be donated to Susie's Place - $407.89

Grocery Card Sales

December 7    $1,450, income to UUCB $72.50

December 14  $1,125, income to UUCB $52.25

Limiting Doors Unlocked for Evening Meetings and Events 

Unless your event or meeting is being held in the Meeting Room, for evening meetings please unlock and use courtyard or portico entrances only. This helps us with building security.  Questions, contact Carol Marks, Church Administrator, admin@uubloomington.org, 812-332-3695, ext. 200 

BULLETIN BOARD

APT WANTED BY UUs FROM WISCONSIN

Dirk and Susan Hirk-Hoyman from Prairiee UU in Madison, Wisconsin are seeking apt to rent starting second week of January. Please contact Dirk at hoymand@gmail.com

Calendar of all our congregational events can be found at www.uubloomington.org  Click on "Full Calendar" and then on the date you are interested in. You can also search for a specific event! Our facebook page also has scads of useful information: www.facebook.com/uubloomington

Next issue, Monday, January 5. Deadline for articles about congregational events and projects is 10 a.m. on 1/5/2015, to Carol Marks at admin@uubloomington.org.  Next few publication dates (1st and 3rd Mondays): 1/5, 1/19, 2/2, 2/16, 3/2, 3/16. 

Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, 2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington IN 47408, 812-332-3695