The Prologue
Monday, December 21, 2015
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana

Congregation founded 1949

GLBTQ Welcoming Congregation since 1995

Green Sanctuary since 2007

Seeking the Spirit, Building Community, Changing the World

 

Upcoming

 

Christmas Eve Services

4 p.m., 7 p.m.

 

Family Friendly 

New Year's Eve Dec. 31

6-8 p.m.

 

Beyond Categorical Thinking

February 14

 

Quick Links
Christmas Eve Svcs
MAM's Musings
Board Update
Search Committee Update
Our Folks
New Members
Women's Alliance
Exploring UU
Energy Star UU!
Contact a Minister
Thursday, December 24, 2015   
Away in a Manager Service 4:00 p.m.
This Christmas Eve service in Fellowship Hall is an interactive Christmas Pageant designed for families with young children and for those young at heart.
 
Candlelight Christmas Eve Service 7:00 p.m.
Join us for this uniquely Unitarian Universalist celebration of Christmas Eve. Our choir, with guest conductor Ray Fellman, will share gifts of music. The service will end with congregational singing of Silent Night. 
Sunday, December 27, 2015     9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
"Expectation: The Gateways of Time"
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
Ray Fellman, pianist
       In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, and thereby of gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings. In this final worship service of the year, we will explore the year past and the year to come, through ritual and reflection.   Interspersed throughout the service will be selections from Kinderszenen (Scenes of Childhood) by Robert Schumann Op. 15,  offered by our pianist Ray Fellman.   
Sunday,  January 3, 2016!   9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
"The Path of Least, Most and Middle"     
The Reverend Douglas Wadkins
We begin the theme for January, Resistance, with a service that will explore the many layers of meaning that the word may suggest.  What does it mean to be a people of Resistance?  Well, it has implication for our most essential work of seeking the spirit, building community and changing the world.  Come explore how. 
Sunday,  January 10, 2016    9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
"Resistance is Futile: 
The Annual Science Review Sermon"     
The Reverend Mary Ann Macklin

MAM's Musings 
          During this time of year, as the nourishing dark of the wintertime sings to our souls, it seems a splendid time to offer gratitude.   
          In gratitude for our Unitarian Universalist staff, lay leaders and ministers who creatively, consistently and caringly support our congregation and its mission, "Seeking the Spirit. Building Community. Changing the World."   
          In gratitude for our Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington ancestors, who founded this liberal religious community and kept it moving and growing throughout the years.  
          In gratitude for our children, youth, young adults, adults and elders, who provide wisdom, laughter, listening and love for this congregation and all for which it stands.  
          In gratitude for past ministers who offered their guidance and leadership.  In gratitude for past and present board members, whose voices continue to shape the forward-looking vision of the congregation.   
          In gratitude for all the volunteers who make Sunday morning possible!   
          In gratitude for our social justice task forces, committees, and affiliated groups who contribute justice, caring and a diverse set of opinions to keep us awake in these challenging times.    
          May the spirit of this church nurture within each person -- a compassionate heart, integrity of speech and clarity of mind.
 
With the Blessings of this Season of Light, MAM aka DP   (Darth Pfarrerin)

Our Board of Directors
Thank you to Congregational Meeting Presenters and Attendees!
On December 13th, 74 members and friends attended our Fall Congregational Meeting where we heard updates from the Rev. Macklin, Rev. Wadkins, the board, the staff, and other leaders in our congregation. The meeting was recorded and is available on the web . Minutes will be available on the church website after the board approves them at its meeting on January 20. Highlights of the meeting follow. 

Kathleen Sideli, board president, described how policy governance has been working, with delegation by the board allowing the Senior Minister, staff and lay leaders to make decisions and run the church day-to-day. The board uses "Ends Statements" to express the will of the congregation and guide activity. Regular monitoring by the board ensures the Ends Statements are effective and being followed.

Reverend Macklin mentioned that General Assembly will be in Columbus, Ohio, next summer and hopes we can send a large contingent. She described our strong relationship with Monroe County United Ministries and the strength and activity of our social justice task forces, citing the meeting of the Just Peace task force with Senator Donnelly's staff during the time of the Iranian nuclear discussions.  She announced that our congregation will be ordaining Shari Woodbury, with a ceremony to be held on April 3rd, a significant step on her journey into the ministry. She described undertaking a Ministerial Assessment during her time off over the summer and how it helped her clarify her role and become more comfortable delegating to staff and lay leaders. She looks forward to her last six months working with Reverend Wadkins and hopes we will continue to show courage by cherishing both the world and who we are.

Reverend Wadkins is now a year and a half into his two-year term with us and is concluding part one of his interim ministry work. The summer was a time of deep connection, with the establishment of the Racial Justice Task Force, preparing for Nancy Heege's visit, serving as a resource for the ministerial search committee, working with the staff and Reverend Macklin to imagine our future shared ministry, and starting the "Beloved Conversations" series of meetings to allow us to explore our preconceptions about race. In his remaining six months, he will help us understand our mission and best practices, how we relate to our community and the larger UU world, and how we will move into the future.

A number of committees made presentations: The Planned Giving Committee announced 36 households have now included UUCB in their planning, and the Stewardship Committee gave a preview of the upcoming annual campaign. The Leadership Cultivation Committee is starting to look for candidates for the slate in June and the Special Purposes Fund committee asked for feedback on a Green Fossil Fuel 
Divested option for donors. Thanks to the Green Sanctuary Task Force, UUCB is an active participant in the Paris Pledge . A special working group is tackling the challenges posed by glare from the round window in the meeting room and presented their findings on possible options.

The Ministerial Search Committee presented the results of the congregational survey they undertook, which is available on their website , and shared their plans to hold a Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop on February 14th and ultimately bring a candidate associate minister for the congregation to consider in the spring.

The annual Social Justice Grants were announced, with the recipients being the Rainbow Rights Task Force PRISM Youth Project, the Help Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Walnut Grove Pantry, the Homelessness Task Force Park Feeding Project, Green Sanctuary Task Force sponsored Bring Your Bag Bloomington, the  Reproductive Justice Planned Parenthood Snack Brigade, and the Hope for Prisoners Read to Me project.

The board and RE leaders provided an update on responses to recommendations made by Nancy Heege, the consultant from the MidAmerica region who visited us in August. Plans include a "Revisioning RE" event on January 31, to which all are invited, the wider availability and explanation of UUCB's Ends Statements , and an enhancement of Linkage (two-way communication between the board and the congregation) that will now include a monthly Coffee-with-the-Board event between services, and the development of a policy on healthy communications and dispute resolution.

Arzetta Hults-Losensky, treasurer, presented a mid-year update on the operating budget and announced the completion of a successful audit and plans to refinance our mortgage in 2016.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the various groups who made presentations and appreciation to all who attended the meeting. We also thank Guy Loftman for serving as parliamentarian for the meeting. 
Ministerial Search Committee   
Survey Results are now available  on the Ministerial Search website. This is raw data with no context.  The Committee combined these survey results with Cottage Meeting input to inform us.  Thank you all who participated.  Please mark your calendars for an all church workshop Sunday, February 14.  More info in next Prologue.

-- Barbara Backler, Mary Boutain, Craig Coley, Michelle Cook, Abby Gitlitz, Amy Taylor, Stuart Yoak.   
Our Folks...
     Scott Russell Sanders has an excellent piece entitled "From Plantation to Planet"  in the current issue of The Progressive (December 2015/January 2016). He is listed on the cover with other Progressive Visionaries including Bill McKibben, Robert Reich, Naomi Klein.
     Dennis McGreer, former member and a past President of our congregation, passed away at home on Wednesday, December 9.  Services were held on Sunday, December 13, at Congregation Beth Shalom, followed by interment at Valhalla Memory Gardens.
     Peggy and John Woodcock recently helped with a photography project entitled "How the Homeless See Bloomington" that is featured in the December/January issue of Bloom Magazine.
Lost keys...
If you run across lost keys while at church, please take them upstairs to Room 204 where we keep small lost and found items. 
Seeking The Spirit

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.

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. NO TAIJI ON DECEMBER 26.

Our Congregational Themes

December:       Expectation       April:  Creation

January 2016:  Resistance          May:   Blessing  

February:         Desire                 June:   Simplicity

March:             Liberation 

Building Community
Introducing New Members
     The following individuals "signed the book" to join us in membership this month. We celebrate and welcome them!
 
Cathy Haggerty was born in Lafayette Indiana. Her family farmed. She graduated Indiana University with a Visual Arts Degree and has 3 sons. Having been a landscaper, LaLeche League district adviser, survivalist, business owner, artist and art teacher, among other things, Cathy enjoys people.
     





Kathleen Soens is enjoying living in a college town, having moved to Bloomington last year after a dozen years in Carmel, Indiana. Katha wound down her computer business and now has time to travel and work on her crafts: quilting, painting and weaving. She attended the UU Church in Pittsburgh as a teenager.
First Steps Class - Sunday, January 3
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, connect@uubloomington.org, 812-332-3695 x209  
Women's Alliance Meets January 7 
     We had a wonderful December meeting with Ray Fellman and four of his Music Students.  Ray played the piano and the students sang beautiful seasonal favorites. Thanks to our hosts Judy Bennett and Mary Bent for the lovely desserts and festive decorations.
     The next meeting will be Thursday, January 7, 2016, "Fellowship with The Women's Alliance." Please join us for brown bag lunch, conversation and dessert.  Hosts will be Julie Lawson and Harriet Pfister.
     Not a member? No problem; all are welcome to attend.
     The Women's Alliance meets the first Thursday of each month at 11:30 am at the church, unless otherwise indicated. Meetings begin with a brown bag lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. The program begins at noon, followed by the business meeting. 
Exploring Unitarian Universalism 
Class
January 17 & 24
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. 17 and Sunday, Jan. 24 from 2-4 p.m. in the Ralph and Annetta Fuchs Library.  Sign up by Sunday, Jan. 10 at the welcome table in the foyer, or by emailing connect@uubloomington.org . Childcare is available by prior request. Facilitated by Steve Gilbert and Carolyn Emmert.

Attention History Buffs!  
UU History Class on January 31
This special session for new and old alike will sketch the roots of contemporary Unitarian Universalism.  The journey begins with the founding of Christianity in 325 CE, through the Protestant Reformation and the development of UUism in Europe.  We then travel across the ocean in the early 1800s as the separate Unitarian and Universalist denominations take hold in America, through the merger of the UUA in 1961, and to the church today.  Along the way, we will meet the women and men who built the faith tradition we now celebrate.  Bring your track shoes and curiosity for this lively excursion with Stuart Yoak, instructor. Class will meet from 2-4 PM on Sunday, January 31 in the church library. Anyone interested is welcome to participate, including (but not limited to) folks who have taken the Exploring UU series recently. To register, sign up at the welcome table in the foyer, or email connect@uubloomington.org by January 24.
Child care available with advance request. 
Courtyard Entrance
Portico Entrance

For Evening Meetings, Please Use Courtyard or Portico Entrances
To help insure the security of our building and members during evening meetings, please use either the Courtyard or Portico entrance, whichever is closer to the room where you are meeting. 
A Brief History of the Term "Religion"
      The term religion comes from the Latin religio, coined by Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BCE - 43 BCE) to describe the beliefs of other countries conquered by the Roman Empire.  Before Cicero's introduction of the idea of religion, no ancient civilization had a word for religion because the state, community, and its culture were commingled.  Cicero used the Latin re (again) and legiere (to read).  In the fourth century, a Christian theologian, Lactantius, used the Latin word religare (to bind together) to describe what today we would call religion.  Augustine adopted Lactantius's word and Catholicism described itself as the only real religion with other belief systems described as heresies or heathen errors rather than competing religions.  The idea of other religions as varieties of faith starts about 1300.  The definition of religion as a belief in a higher power (especially God) begins with the Protestant reformation about 1530.
                If you look up the term "religion" on the web, you will find that there are three contenders for the definition of that term.  Cicero (re-reading or re-thinking about life's meaning), Lactantius (the ties that bind people together), and Augustine (choosing again because sin separates us from the divine).  Unitarian Universalists have favored the "ties that bind" definition and origin because it was popularized by Joseph Campbell's 1988 PBS TV series on mythology. -- Elof Carlson, congregational historian

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. 

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

Attendance and Membership
Current Membership: 482   Certified Membership as of 2/1/2015: 468 
Attendance
Sunday, December 13          9:15  113       11:15   174    RE:     NA        Total:  287
Suncay, December 20          9:15    98        11:15   156   RE:     NA        Total:  255
Non-Pledge Offering
12/13   - $551       12/20 - $497      
Total to be donated to Monroe County CASA - $ 262
Grocery Card Sales
December 13            $1,050, income to UUCB $54.50
December 20            $975,    income to UUCB $50.25

Changing the World
Our Building's Energy Star Certified!
     Our church has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that the building performs in the top 1% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency, and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA. We've done this by investing in conservation, efficiency and renewable energy.
     We will continue to invest our savings in building and equipment improvements, but to take the lead in reducing climate change we also need to think about how we use our spaces.  Click here to see how you can help!
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 next on Sunday, January 3, at 12:45 p.m. in Room 208 after children's classes end, when the topic is  "Universal Health Care?" presented by Sandy Dolby.

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, December 27, at 12:45 p.m. Info, contact John Crosby.   

UU Friday Updates on December 25 and January 1

Deadline December 22

Even though very few staff members will be keeping office hours during the holiday, we will publish a Friday Update on December 25 and January 1, through the magic of technology that allows us to schedule now to send on those dates. This means the deadline for information for these issues is tomorrow, December 22. Please send brief articles about congregational events or projects to admin@uubloomington.org

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



 
  
 
Doug-2015
Our Interim Minister,     
Reverend Douglas Wadkins 
can be reached at 812-332-3695, ext. 207 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons 
email: wadkins@uubloomington.org     
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 Monday and Friday mornings. 
 
   

  

Who Ya Gonna Call about Building Problems and 
Facilities Maintenance?
If you notice a problem with the building, please contact Carol Marks, Church Administrator, admin@uubloomington.org, 812-332-3695, ext. 200, and she will contact the experts to get it taken care of.
Facilities Maintenance Update
Please don't park on the grass! Please park only on paved areas, both on our property and on IU property to the west of Fee Lane. We have been specifically requested not to park on the grass. 
Weekday office hours are generally Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday hours: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. The offices will be closed December 24 through January 2 for the holidays. However, there will be an administrative staff member in the office as usual on Sunday, December 27 and on Sunday, January 3.  --Carol Marks, Church Administrator
Livestreaming of Sunday Services
Livestreaming the Sunday Services Link:   uubloomington.yourstreamlive.com
As archived videos of service become available they will also be at the link listed above.
If there is a problem with livestreaming, please contact Andy Beargie, Multi-media Specialist, media@uubloomington.org

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, January 4, 2016

Deadline for articles about congregational events and projects is 10 a.m. on date of publication, to admin@uubloomington.org. The Prologue is published on the first and third Mondays of each month, with exceptions for Monday holidays. Upcoming publication dates:  1/19 (a Tuesday), 2/1, 2/16 (a Tuesday), 3/7, 3/21, 4/4.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, 2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington IN 47408, 812-332-3695  
Masthead photo:  European Holly, en.wikipedia.org, used with permission.