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Upcoming
Fossil Fuel Divestment
9/26
Cottage Meetings with Search Committee
10/4 and 10/11
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Sunday, September 27, 2015 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.
"Invitation to: Changing the World"
The Reverend Douglas Wadkins The Reverend Mary Ann Macklin This final installment of the autumn Getting Involved Fair invites you to consider how you are called to change the world. There is no doubt that our presence, our lives, make a difference. We are ever changing and being changed by our living. The question is, what intention will we bring to our transformative work? How do we want our community and our world to be different when we each have completed our journey? You are invited to celebrate and explore these questions together this Sunday! |
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Sunday, October 4, 2015 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.
"To Live in This World"
The Reverend Douglas Wadkins
In October, we will explore the theme of Letting Go. It is a powerful and meaningful idea. In our lives we are called again and again to focus, and in the busyness and distractions of our daily lives to not lose sight of what really matters. It is an ever-renewed process. It is always calling us to discern what is important to hold close, to draw strength from and sustenance; and what to release back into the world that we might travel more lightly. Come consider what we are to do in order, as Mary Oliver writes, to live in this world.
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 From Our Board of Directors
LEGAL EXPERTISE WANTED
With the retirement of Guy Loftman as the church's long-time volunteer attorney, we are seeking attorneys
who would be willing to provide occasional consulting and legal services to the church board and ministers. In order to be included on our list of legal resources, please contact Kathleen Sideli, Board President, [email protected] or Rev. Mary Ann Macklin, [email protected]
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Our Ministerial Search Committee: Michelle, Mary, Stuart, Abby, Amy, Craig, and Barb
Ministerial Search Committee Invites You to a Cottage Meeting October 4 or
October 11
COTTAGE MEETINGS
Five have been held & 10 more will be held by October 13. Open Cottage Meetings will be held on October 4 & 11, between services at 10:30 am, and everyone is invited. We ask 4 questions & listen to your responses about our search for a new associate minister. Get your voice heard. If you have not participated in a Cottage Meeting yet or want to attend again, please join us. Not able to attend a scheduled cottage meeting? Please send your answers to the Search Committee email: [email protected] before October 13. To see a list of scheduled cottage meetings go to the church website, click Ministerial Transition, then Events, or use this link http://search.uubloomington.org/home/events.
Here are the 4 Cottage Meeting questions:
1) What are the main things you would like our congregation to accomplish in the next 3 to 5 years?
2) What are the qualities you would most like to see in our Associate Minister?
3) What would you like our prospective Associate Minister to know about our congregation?
4) Are there any special issues you would like the committee to consider?
SURVEY Available online and on paper, Oct 2-18. More information coming soon!
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An Invitation to the Spiraling Dance of Community
As I write this, I have just returned from a week in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, nestled in the heart of Chicago. For five days I gathered with other interim ministers from all over the United States and from many different faith traditions. We interims were there for the second and longer component of our fundamentals training called the Work of the Congregation. The first session, The Work of the Leader, was one I had taken years ago, which helps clergy who are specializing in interim ministry understand their role and primary tasks in assisting the congregation through this important time. The second intensive returns us the to essence of the task at hand: to help congregations engage the important work of beginnings, middles and endings.
The interim time reminds us that while the role of the clergy and other leaders is important, the real heart of the congregation, the soul and essence, will always live in the larger sense of community within the congregation.
The crucial work of this interim time is the work of this largest understanding of that community: the engaged and dedicated member and the more casual attendee alike. I was struck by the ways that the essential themes of our work weave themselves throughout our time together. They interconnect and spiral around to engage us again and again.
The nature of the two years asks us to encounter the deeper story of our heritage as a congregation and as Unitarian Universalists. We are encouraged to wonder how this heritage is most alive in us today? It asks us to understand our connection as that which moves us forward into more expansive relationships with the community where we live, and our association with other Unitarian Universalists everywhere. We explore our vision for optimal, sustainable and energized leadership within the congregation. We seek clarity in your present sense of deeper identity and the core values that support your lived mission.
All these points help us know what is possible and desirable for the future of the congregation as you live out your best selves. They are not items on a list to check off, but part of the spiral dance of community that certainly did not start with the interim period, and will continue long after your new associate minister has begun her/his work with you. The work of year two is very much like year one in that ALL of these areas will weave themselves into a new understanding of who you are and what you are to do now. It really embodies the words that T.S. Eliot likely intended for a different context: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."
I have returned from Chicago with a renewed energy for that work and a better understanding of its intricacies. I look forward to the whirlwind dance of the year ahead!
Warmly,
The Reverend Douglas Wadkins, Interim Associate Minister
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MAM's Musings
Two years ago, my spiritual mentor Angeles Arrien invited me and my partner Deborah to a training at the Metta Institute where she was on faculty in the San Francisco Bay area. The Metta Institute was established to provide education on spirituality and dying. Inspired by the Buddhist tradition, it encourages the integration of the spiritual dimensions of living, dying and transformation, through professional training, educational programs and materials. Aware of Deborah's and my experience and training in this area, Angeles was interested in collaboration with us. "We can create some mischief together," she said with a twinkle in her eye.
Due to my own hectic schedule, I decided to wait a year before embarking on this adventure. Angeles's untimely death seven months after we spoke was a shock to me and many others. Last year, I discovered that the Metta Institute was going to take a year sabbatical to discern their own future and next steps; this meant their Mindful and Compassionate Service training would be offered only one more time.
Next Wednesday, Deborah and I are flying to California to attend this final training, from September 30th through October 4th. The training, which will include faculty members Ram Dass, Frank Ostaseski and Rachel Naomi Remen, will provide participants the opportunity to learn:
*Increase the capacity to remain present for suffering
*Cultivate open-hearted, moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness
*Develop a stronger "observing self" through focused, stable attention
*Acquire greater mind-body awareness and intuitive wisdom
*Nurture empathetic concern and impartial altruism
*Learn to differentiate between self and other, without merging or distancing
*Foster positivity, and manage stress and anxiety
*Cultivate the balancing factors of equanimity, joy, compassion, and love
*Use the "Five Precepts of Service" in day-to-day work
*Listen on three levels - body, heart and mind
*Learn preventative practices that catalyze improved overall health
*Develop work/life balance, self-care strategies, and support systems
*Address institutional barriers to mindful and compassionate care
I look forward to sharing what I learn with this congregation. I plan to teach another death and dying class beginning in January. With Peace and Love and Autumnal Greetings, MAM
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, Senior Minister
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Our Folks...
Our thoughts of sympathy and healing are with Jane Goodman and her family upon the recent death of her father, Richard Goodman.
Congratulations to Anna Wiley, who was named a 2015 Senior Honoree by the Area 10 Agency on Aging, for her volunteer work at the IU Campus Children's Center Preschool.
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Our Children's Garden, Spring 2015
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Spirit Play for All Ages September 30 
The Old Woman in the Cave:
A Story of Invitation
Wednesday, September 30
6PM pizza dinner--$1/slice, pre-ordering required (see below)
6:30-7:30PM story and exploration
Do you wonder what your child's experience is like in Spirit Play in the preschool or K-1 class? Does your child miss her or his time in those classes? This is your chance to join Spirit Play no matter what your age!
We will share a story of invitation, wonder about it together, and then explore through art, games, or spiritual practices.
Hope your family can join us! Childcare is provided for children under 3. Please sign up here:
Calling all past participants in Coming of Age
Anyone who has participated in the Coming of Age program in our congregation is welcome--bring your mentor if you can, and join us for:
A Coming of Age Reunion, Potluck and Pumpkin Carving, 6-8 PM on October 30, in Fellowship Hall
Please contact Reverend Emily Manvel Leite ([email protected]) to let her know you are coming, and she'll send further details.
Wanted: A Ping Pong Table for UUCB! In excellent condition, with wheels, folds for storage. If you have one that we might consider, please contact Reverend Emily Manvel Leite at [email protected]
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 Exploring Unitarian Universalism Class Meets Oct. 11 and Oct. 18 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, Oct. 11 and Sunday, Oct. 18 from 2-4 p.m. in the Ralph and Annetta Fuchs Library. Sign up by Sunday, Oct. 4 at the welcome table in the foyer, or by emailing [email protected]. Childcare is available by prior request. |
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Adult Religious Education Course List Available
The Fall Course List for Adult Religious Education is now available. Classes include
Owning Your Religious Past 5 Tuesdays, September 29 through October 27, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Room 110 Facilitator: Jan Armstrong, [email protected]
Exploring the Feminine in Her Many Faces (a class for women) Third Thursdays, October 15 - March 17 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., Room 208 Facilitator: Sara Steffey McQueen, [email protected]
Traditional Taijiquan ("Tai Chi") Saturdays 8:00-9:30 a.m., instruction and practice and Tuesdays 5:30-7:00 p.m., additional practice Fellowship Hall Instructor: Brian Flaherty, [email protected]
Sharing Poetry Monthly, first Mondays 10:00 a.m., Library Next meeting October 5 Facilitator: Bob Taylor, [email protected]
Conscious Contact Meditation Wednesdays 6-7 p.m., Fuchs Library or Room 210 Facilitator: Kris Roehling, [email protected]
Shambhala Meditation Mondays, 12-1, Meeting Room Led by Sarah Flint
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 Looking for a Fall Adult Religious Education Opportunity? Consider "Owning Your Religious Past"
Owning Your Religious Past provides an opportunity to connect past religious experiences to present dreams and realities. Participants will explore the affective elements of these connections, rather than dogma, through both group sharing and private exploration, and using journal writing exercises. Participants are encouraged to bring their own preferred writing instrument and paper or electronic device for journaling. The workshop will meet for five two-hour sessions, Tuesdays, September 29th - October 27th, 6:00 - 8:00 PM, in Room 110. To register, contact [email protected]. For questions contact facilitator Jan Armstrong at [email protected]
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 Shambhala Meditation is Every Monday at Noon Join us at 12 noon every Monday in the Fellowship Hall for an hour of Shambhala Meditation, walking meditation, and Shamatha yoga with Sarah Flint. We have new cushions available, but you may bring your own cushion if you have one. |
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Conscious Contact Meditation, Wednesdays at 6:00
Kris Roehling leads weekly Conscious Contact Meditation from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Library (or sometimes in Room 210). This event provides insight meditation supporting recovery in all forms.
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Taiji Continues on Tuesdays and Saturdays
Brian Flaherty leads Taiji in Fellowship Hall on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. This form practices the "Wu (Hao)" style of taijiquan, including practice of standing exercises, forms, and "pushing hands." Anyone is welcome, even those with no experience. Please wear loose-fitting clothing.
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Our Congregational Themes
January: Integrity May: Tradition September: Invitation
February: Faith June: Grace October: Letting Go
March: Resilience July: Here & Now
April: Revelation August: Wonder
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Getting Involved:
Final Installment September 27 on Social Justice
You may have caught our Getting Involved Fair in its new 3-part format the last couple Sundays at coffee hour. The final week for this fall is Sunday, September 27, when congregational groups who work to Change the World will be ready to talk with you about what they do and how you might take part.
Couldn't connect with your volunteer interests on Sundays? See our web site for a wide range activities and groups that would welcome you: http://www.uubloomington.org/getting-involved/. Our Connections Coordinator, Shari Woodbury, is also available by phone, email or in-person to help you identify and link with groups that intrigue you. You can reach Shari at [email protected] or (812) 332-3695 x209
First Steps Class - Sunday, Oct. 4
First Steps is a 40-minute drop-in class for newcomers, one Sunday a month at 10:35am and 12:35pm in Room 207b. It offers a brief introduction to Unitarian Universalism and our congregation. Free childcare available in Room 108 (substantial snack provided for children at 12:35 p.m.). Questions? Contact Shari Woodbury, Connections Coordinator, [email protected], 812-332-3695
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 opportunity is Sunday, Oct. 18, at 10:30am in room 207B. (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 Shari Woodbury, Connections Coordinator, at 332-3695 or [email protected], by Wednesday, Oct. 14.
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Save the Date! Fall Grounds Work Day October 18
Our Fall Grounds Workday will be after church on Sunday, October 18th from 12:30 to 3:30, or any portion of that you can spare.
Tasks will include deadheading, doing some sheet mulching and weeding under the big oak tree, cutting back an invasive species (horsetail fern) in the Memorial Garden, spreading mulch and woodchips, and planting some spring bulbs. Please bring tools and gloves appropriate for the activities you would like to engage in. If you can help or have suggestions, please email Grounds co-chair Rhonda Baird [email protected]
Please sign up by October 17th if you'd like pizza, and the type of pizza you'd prefer, so we can order it!
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Chalice Circle Sign Ups Available
Sign up to participate in a Chalice Circle by contacting Alan Backler, [email protected]
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Gourmet Galaxy Seeks Donations of International Treats
This year Gourmet Galaxy is going international! Start thinking about what treasured holiday recipe or tasty international treat you want to prepare and donate in December. That's when the church asks for contributions to the Gourmet Galaxy of the Holiday Art Fair and Bazaar to be held on December 4th
and 5th. Thank you-- Molly Gleeson and Ann LeDuc, Co-chairs.
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Women's Alliance Meets October 1
The next meeting is Oct. 1, 2015 at 11:30 a.m.; the topic will be UUA General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, with Doug Cauble, Julie Cauble and Marlin Howard. Do you have a story to tell about a UUA GA from past years?
Not a member? No problem; all are welcome to attend. Please bring a brown bag lunch; beverages and desserts will be provided. Hosts are Hayden Bangert and Martha Foster.
The Women's Alliance meets on the first Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall.
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Caregiver Support Network Meeting October 4
The Caregiver Support Network will meet Sunday, October 4 from
3:00-4:30 p.m. in the Library, If you are you caring for an elder or person with a disability either here or from a distance, we would like to hear from you about the challenges of caregiving as well as the gifts it brings; support you have or need; and resources available. Info contact Sharon Yarber at 336-4427 or
[email protected]
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UU History for You
Harriet Martineau -- Famous in Her Own Time, Forgotten in Our Own
Harriet Martineau (1802-1876) was well known in England and the United States as a writer, social activist, and critic of society. She was born in Norwich, England, the 6th child (of eight) of a mother she considered to be cold and constantly scolding, and a father who was a successful textile manufacturer. As was the custom of the time, she was not college educated but her brothers were. She was raised Unitarian and rejected the idea of original sin as a hateful doctrine that made children feel they were unworthy.
She wrote a book, Household Education, on treating children with love and affection. She was an admirer of Joseph Priestley's views on religion, Adam Smith's views on Capitalism, and Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarianism, and published a series of 12 books on political economy for the general reader, a publishing success that made her independently wealthy. She visited the Near East and studied their ancient religions. She felt all religions evolved and doubt rather than certainty of faith was intellectually more honest, a view that alienated her family when she published her views as a book.
Martineau visited the U.S. about the same time as Alexis de Tocqueville. Her Society in America praised American democracy but condemned its application of capitalism, which she regarded as based on greed and corruption. She also alienated many of her American sponsors by denouncing slavery and arguing that women in American Democracy were treated like slaves without rights and adored as possessions of their husbands.
Her career was hampered by progressive deafness and severe abdominal pain from ovarian cysts. In her later years she wrote full-time as a journalist, writing more than 1600 articles for newspapers and magazines in England and the U.S.
--Elof Carlson, Congregational Historian
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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.
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UUs Who Can Provide a Variety of Professional Services -
List and Waiver Form Now Available
The Elder Focus Task Force has compiled a list of Unitarian Universalists who are available for hire for a variety of tasks including Pet Sitting, Home Healthcare, Organizational Skills, Carpentry, Counseling, Sewing Machine repair, Building Construction. The list and the liability waiver form are posted here:
UUs for Hire and Liability Waiver
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Reproductive Justice Task Force Meets September 28
The Reproductive Justice Task Force will meet on Monday, September 28th, at 7pm (note EARLIER START TIME) in the Library. We have a full agenda, focused on current events affecting reproductive justice and Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky (PPINK). We will discuss ways of taking action with PPINK in Bloomington, and especially ways showing visible support in the coming months. Please come, even if you have never attended before! We need the ideas and energy of everyone during these critical weeks in Bloomington and Washington.
More information from Melinda Swenson
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Our Solar Panel Production Information
For information on the amount of electricity being produced by our 96 solar panels, Click Here. It's pretty amazing! 
Also, remember that the very active people on our Green Sanctuary Task Force have posted information on our website about ALL the work they are doing here and in our community.
Click here to read all about it!
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Say Hello to Our Guests at the Monarch Waystation!
Our Monarch Waystation is proving popular with monarch butterflies this summer and fall! We have seen adults nectaring and laying eggs, and many caterpillars and chrysalises. The new adults that emerge from these chrysalises will head south--some flying across the Gulf of Mexico! If all goes well, they'll spend the winter with millions of other monarchs in a mountain forest. Stop by the waystation (by the bike rack at the southeast corner of the courtyard) and see if you can spot butterflies nectaring on the flowers, striped caterpillars munching on milkweed, or a patient green chrysalis hanging under a stem or leaf. Just look, don't touch--and wish our guests well on their long journey south!
For more about monarch butterflies and why they need our help--and how to plant your own monarch waystation--go to monarchwatch.org, or talk to Sean or Denise Breeden-Ost at church. |
Special Purposes Fund Committee
Fossil Fuel Divestment -- Saturday, September 26
Our Special Purposes Fund (SPF) supports the Church's religious, charitable, educational and civic purposes beyond activities under the normal operating budget, via management of both endowment and general funds. It accepts both direct donations and donations from estates through Planned Giving. In 2014-2015 a donation to the SPF was made by Harv Hegarty and donations were received in memory of Robin Black-Schaffer, Gabe Langdon, and Gene Lawlis. The SPF supplied funds for grounds improvements, Reverend Wadkins' moving expenses, special choir music, and a variety of social justice projects endorsed by the Social Justice Task Force. Details are in the 2015 annual report. In recent years, there has been growing interest in fossil fuel divestment, especially since the announcement at the 2014 General Assembly that the Unitarian Universalist Association has so divested its endowment. The SPF Committee has been reviewing its investments, with special consideration of this possibility. To share its findings and welcome discussion with congregants on this matter, the SPF Committee will hold a Town Hall meeting, Saturday, September 26th, from 10:30 to noon in the church Library. If you will need childcare in order to attend, contact Adrienne Summerlot, [email protected], by September 23.
For more information about SPF, please contact Chris Haynes, SPF Committee Chair, [email protected]
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October 14, 2015 A Task Force on Racial Justice?
You are invited to a conversation to consider starting a new task force here at UUCB focusing on racial justice. Join conveners, Deb Fish, Betty Wagoner and Doug Wadkins, for an hour's conversation about whether there is critical mass to start this task force and what might be some areas of focus for its work. We will gather on Wednesday, October 14 from 6:30 - 7:30 in the library.
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Social Justice Funding Available
Applications Due October 1
pplications are due Oct. 1 and are available from Millie Jackson at [email protected].
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UU Humanist Forum Meets on Alternating Sundays
This group offers an opportunity for regular, open, wide-ranging discussions of issues relating to morality and ethics, human development, and the nature of the universe. The forum will meet on Sunday, September 27 in Fellowship Hall for a Pot luck and discussion topic selection for Fall.
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UU Freethinkers Group Enjoys Free Ranging Discussion
The purpose of the UU Freethinkers bi-weekly meeting is to create the opportunity for participants to raise questions and engage in open and non-structured discussion of issues of social concern, political concern, and theological/religious concern. UU Freethinkers meet on alternating Sundays after children's religious education classes end, in (the new) Room 208. UU Freethinkers meet next on Sunday, October 4, at 12:45 p.m. noon. Info, contact John Crosby.
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Contact a Minister
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, our Senior Minister
can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 201 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons
Our Interim Minister,
Reverend Douglas Wadkins
can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 207 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons
email: [email protected]
In case of a pastoral emergency after office hours, 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
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 Who Do I Call about Building Problems?
If you notice a problem with the building, please contact Carol Marks, Church Administrator, [email protected], 812-332-3695, ext. 200, and she will contact the experts to get it taken care of.
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Attendance and Membership
Current Membership: 483 Certified Membership as of 2/1/2015: 468
Attendance
Sunday, September 13 9:15 120 ; 11:15 186 ; RE: 124 Total: 430
Sunday, September 20 9:15 130 ; 11:15 174; RE: NA Total: 304
9/13 - $484 9/20 - $440 Total to be donated to Monroe County CASA - $230.93
September 13 $1.550, income to UUCB $83.50
September 20 $2,025, income to UUCB $108.25
Lucky's Grocery cards now available for sale between services every Sunday! (Plus Marsh and B'foods)
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Livestreaming of Sunday Services
As archived videos of service become available they will also be at the link listed above.
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Calendar of all our congregational events can be found at www.uubloomington.org
In the left hand column, click on "Calendar" and then on the top link on the page or Click Right Here. Information is also available on our public Facebook page: www.facebook.com/uubloomington You do not need a Facebook account to read our page.
Prologue Publication Schedule
Next issue, Monday, October 5.
Deadline for articles about congregational events and projects is 10 a.m. on date of publication, to [email protected]. The Prologue is published on the first and third Mondays of each month, with exceptions for Monday holidays. Next few publication dates: 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16, 12/7, 12/21.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, 2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington IN 47408, 812-332-3695
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Masthead Photos by John Woodcock
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