Our Folks...

    Our thoughts are with Barb Berggoetz upon the passing of her mother, Phyllis Berggoetz, on May 6 in Fort Wayne. 

    A memorial service for Arda Landergren is scheduled for Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. Reverend Mary Ann Macklin and our Minister Emerita, Reverend Barbara Carlson, will officiate.

I have known Reverend Chris Long since my days in Madison, Wisconsin---fifteen years ago,  and I look forward to his worship leadership in our pulpit this Sunday.  Reverend Long

was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist Minister at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, California, in June of 2009;  I delivered his ordination sermon, which included several exercise push-ups as a means of emphasis.

   

Chris currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where he works at the University of Wisconsin- Madison for
the Learning Communities for Institutional Change and Excellence (LCICE) engaging in 9-month long, dialogical, social justice learning communities both on campus and in the community.  He is also an Advisor to seminarians at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California, and supports radical grass roots organizers in Madison especially those deeply submerged in the Black Lives Matters Movement  (The Young Gifted and Black Coalition, ygbcoalition.org ). 

 

This will not be Chris's first visit to our congregation.  Chris delivered the 

spirited Invocation for the Installation Celebration of Reverend Breeden's and my co-ministry.   I hope many of you will join us this Sunday to learn more about the traditions of Unitarian Universalism.

 

Reverend Long (like all our previous guests in this pulpit this year) is not interested in candidating for any ministerial position in our congregation. He's just visiting and sharing worship with us.

 

MAM  

Reverend Mary Ann Macklin  

Senior Minister

Interim Insights       

What Does a Gaggle of UU Ministers Do 

for a Week in Texas?

Every year for a week, Unitarian Universalist interim ministers who are part of the Interim Ministry Guild gather in New Braunfels,Texas, at the John Newcomb Tennis Ranch.  (Life is stranger than fiction.) There are a significant number of us who gather, and most of us do not bring a tennis racket! We awaken between six and seven every morning. We gather together to worship. We explore and educate ourselves about the intricacies of interim ministry. Our days often do not end until after 9 o'clock in the evening. 

These are impressive and intensive weeks that foster and strengthen this specialized and essential form of ministry in at least two ways. These gatherings seek to inform and expand the knowledge base and skill set of interim ministry. There is much to know about the quickly changing face of the ministry in the world in which we live. The time in Texas also gives us an opportunity to connect with, learn from and offer support in the midst of a cadre of dedicated clergy who do this important and difficult work for our movement. I have attended many, many collegial gatherings as part of my work as a Unitarian Universalist minister. All of them, in their own way, have been impressive convocations of talented and faithful people. I can say without hesitation that the gatherings of the Interim Ministers Guild is the most impressive in its array of gifts and the depth of these ministers' commitment to the excellence of our liberal faith.

The range of topics and areas of ministry that we explore in these action-packed days is incredible! The stories that we hear about the congregations across the country who are in times of transition provide both moving inspiration and deep consternation. One gets to hear the best and the worst of who we are as Unitarian Universalists. That is just the beginning.  This year,  we explored the importance of mentoring. We examined the components of the fine art mentoring, its life-changing work in our own lives and the ways that being a mentor is at the heart of all ministry. We learned more about the Enneagram and its insights into our lives. We took the Intercultural Development Inventory, and it is likely that we will work with this inventory here in Bloomington in the fall.  The inventory measures one's own orientations toward cultural difference and commonality. It really helped me get a candid look at where I am in the journey towards greater understanding and right relations.  

For me, the core of the time, and the unifying force that animates all that we do in this week, is to return again and again to clarity about the swiftly changing face of religion in America, and how it looks from a Unitarian Universalist perspective. We have a particularly hopeful possibility for the future.  We have many of the characteristics that our up and coming adults are looking for in a community that will help them find meaning.  We have an important and unique voice, so it truly matters that we know the subtle, and not-so-subtle ways we convey who we are to people who visit, and how we offer space for them to connect enough to feel embraced by our community. 

The time away helped me reconnect with those ideas in important ways.  I look forward to exploring more directly what these areas might mean for this congregation as we prepare to engage your promising future.

With warmth and deep faith in your possibilities,

Doug 

Our Living Faith:  Fostering a Mission-Driven Faith

Saturday, May 30, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon

with the Reverend Douglas Wadkins

You are invited to a time of exploration and conversation about this congregation's understanding of its core mission and identity.  We will gather to consider stories that shape meaning, see what they say about the lived mission of this beloved community and what such meaningful narratives are calling for in your future.  

This is not about exploring mission statements. It is a conversation about the concise and powerful ideas that shape this community.  The morning will continue the conversation about the lived understanding that brings clarity and fosters hope as we engage what the world is calling us to address.    Cultivating that engaged and embodied sense of share mission and faith, in this time of change, creates the perfect climate for possibility.  It will help your gifted search team do their work well.  It will help the entire community focus on future shared ministry and talk with each other and your leadership in a meaningful way. 

This ability to keep an understanding of mission as a portable and compelling idea will serve you all generously to move forward together in seeking the spirit, building community and changing the world. I hope you will join in the conversation on May 30! Everyone is welcome and childcare will be provided. 

--Doug

Official Notice of Congregational Meeting

Goods and Services Auction Resounding Success!    Thank you to the dozens of people who worked on the auction on May 17, and to everyone who participated by showing up and bidding on all the delightful items. Many thanks once again to Darrell Breeden, auctioneer, to the Reverend Douglas Wadkins, Ruellen Fessenbecker, and Glenda Breeden for their assistance. Special thank you to Martha Foster and Earon Davis for their able co-chairing of this important event. Thank you Marlin Howard and the Foster-Davis Chalice Circle for the lunch food and logistics. Thank you to Panera Bread for donation of the bread for our soup lunch. 

Did you bid on the Vegetarian Dinner? We are seeking the person who bought one spot at the Vegetarian Feast ($40). We lost track of you in the excitement yesterday. Please contact Church Administrator Carol Marks, [email protected], 812-332-3695 ext. 200 so we can arrange for you to pay for your seat at the dinner, so you can attend!

Did you bid on the Monet print using Bidding Paddle #14? 

Please call Judy Bennett, 812-327-4172.

Special Dinners with Spaces Left

There are still a couple of opportunities to participate in special dinners that were offered at the auction.  There are 2 places left at the dinner at the Appels' "Voices from our Past" dinner to be held on Sunday, November 1st.  Also one place at Marty Joachim's International Feast on August 29th.  For more information contact Judy Bennett, 812-327-4172. 

Preliminary gross income figures from the event suggest that we will net close to $10,000! Yippee!

UU Choir Continues Through End of May

Our adult choir will continue rehearsals on Thursdays (7-8:30 p.m.) and sing on Sunday mornings through the end of May.After May 31, choir rehearsals will resume August 13. Info, contact Susan Swaney, Music Director, [email protected]

East 17th Street closed for construction project

Motorists traveling along the east edge of the Bloomington campus should be aware that East 17th Street is closed through August 7. 17th Street will be closed from St. Paul Catholic Center to Lingelbach Lane. Fee Lane through campus or the Bypass will be the best routes to church from the east side all summer.

Ready to become a member of UU Bloomington?

If this is your community, if you feel at home here, join us! If you would like to make the commitment and become a member of UU Bloomington, the next membership ceremony is Sunday, June 7, between the services, at 10:30am in Room 207B.  (Please note:  We ask for participation in our "Exploring UU" class prior to signing the membership book.) To make arrangements to sign the membership book, please contact Judy Bennett, Connections Coordinator, at 332-3695 or [email protected], no later than Wednesday, June 3.   

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. 

Ramadan Iftaar June 26

On Friday, June 26, members of the Islamic Center of Bloomington will join us in celebration of the 2015 holy month of Ramadan, by breaking their daily fast with us in our Fellowship Hall.  For 15 years, the Muslim community of Bloomington has joined Unitarian Universalists for a shared Ramadan/Iftaar meal.  Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, the most blessed month of the year in which Muslims around the world rededicate themselves to God.They abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during daylight hours, purifying their souls and refocusing attention om God.   

Doors open at 8 p.m. and the call to prayer will occur just before sunset at approximately 9:15.  Breaking of fast begins with the sharing of dates and is followed by a delicious meal prepared by the members of the mosque.   THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS!  Members of our congregation are encouraged to provide desserts for the meal.  Questions, talk with Abby Downey. Click here for details.

March in the July 4th Parade!

Our congregation is registered for the July 4th parade.  All members and friends are encouraged to participate.  Each task force, committee, or group is encouraged to develop a mini float on a wagon, bike trailer, or stroller to be pulled (or pushed) in a procession or train along the parade route.  The float should in some fashion represent your group.  This will be an opportunity to present our many and varied social justice efforts and the committees that support their efforts by providing the structure and community within our church.  You can contact me with questions as I will be coordinating.

Phil Cooper, 812.339.1722, [email protected]