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February 2013

Highlights in this Issue
  
  
  
Upcoming Worship:
Creative Fellowship:
Creative Fellowship is meeting on the 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m in Fellowship Hall.

This is a great opportunity to get to know other people you see in the pews on Sunday while we work on our sewing, scrapbooking, cross stitch, knitting or any other creative endeavor you are working on. Any questions please contact Teri Cornell.
Workshop on Activism

Activism Workshop Feb. 24, 12:00-1:30PM . On behalf of the Social Action Committee, NUUC member Gwen Andrix will lead this conducting on the rewards of activism, and how to get started, and how to stay involved. Guest activists will share how they got started working for their causes. Beverages and snacks will be served.

Montana de Luz
Montana de Luz (children's home for HIV positive children) will hold it's annual Fiesta! fundraiser on April April 13, 6pm-10pm at St. Andrew's church in Upper Arlington. Come enjoy dinner, drinks, an amazing silent auction, visit our "Honduran" store, hear the latest news from Montana de Luz's Honduran Director and more! Tickets are $75 and tables seating 8 are $600.
 
Brown Bag Books

Brown Bag Books 
in February:
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America by Bill Bryson

So reserve you books and mark your calendars for the Third Tuesday of each month. We meet at noon at the Highbanks Metro Park Nature Center for a discussion of the current book, and then we've been doing a short walk after. Come as you can... we have a good time!

Happy Reading,
Ruth

Harvest the Power:
Adult Enrichment Opportunity! 

Many Unitarian Universalists experience a deepening commitment to their faith and congregation as a call to accept a position of leadership-as a lay worship leader, a leader of children or youth or a member of a task force, committee or governing board. Harvest the Power provides leadership skill development that goes hand-in-hand with faith development. The program helps lay leaders grow in spirit as they grow as leaders. The focus of these sessions will be to strengthen UU identity, and help individuals to discover and resonate with our stories, symbols, and practices. To be conducted by NUUC President Laura Howe each of the four Sundays in February, from 5:00PM- 8:00 PM, dinner break included (first session might be scheduled around the Superbowl--contact Laura for details). Sign up by signing the form on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall, or by emailing Susan, or Laura. 

Join us on Facebook!

Orientation to Our Congregation


Orientation to Our Congregation

Feb. 3, Noon-1:30 PM

Potluck Lunch Included


Join Rev. Susan Ritchie and Membership Committee Chair John Rodeheffer to learn more about our congregation. Sign up on the poster in Fellowship Hall or, email an RSVP to [email protected].

Join Our Mailing List
Greetings!
Happy February!

SusanRevElations!

 

I have been quite sick the past week.  I know you know what I mean--it has been a bad year for bugs; I hear the familiar coughs all around!  Actually, as a church historian, I would simply be content to diagnosis what has been going around as the plague. 

 

So as I was grabbing for my cough drops and trying to decide just how much absolutely had to be done before I could rest, I was distrubed to read these messages, printed right there on the label of the honey menthols:  "Push on"; "Conquer today"; "Don't wait to get started": and, believe it or not "Inspire Envy"  (oh yeah, I'm going to make this virus look so attractive everyone will want to be coughing up mucuous just like me!).   Can you believe these "buck up" sort of sentiments on a product designed for sick people? 

 

So whatever it is you are facing this season, I hope you will be gentler on yourself than these cultural messages would be.  May you take care of yourself.  May you lie down when you need to.  May some days just be what the need to be--no need for conquests or inspiring envy. 

 

To Life!
Susan

 

MarleneMusic Notes
By Marlene Metz Hartzler, Music Director 

   

Our NUUC Choir has been hard at work preparing a joint concert with Asbury United Methodist Church on Sunday, Febrary 24, at 4 PM. We are thrilled to be working with Bob Nims, choir director at Asbury UMC, to present a concert titled "Great Choruses of Faith and Hope."
 The combined choir of approximately sixty singers will sing seven anthems on the program. Additionally, there will be soloists, the Asbury Youth Choir, and a Baroque chamber orchestra. Our own Wade Jones will play piano on the program and the NUUC Recorder Ensemble will perform French Renaissance music. Sally Casto will play the Kleis organ, a spectacular instrument at Asbury. The rather large resources and great variety of musical styles make this an extremely appealing program, one not to be missed.
 The concert will be held at Asbury UMC, 55 W. Lincoln Ave., Delaware. As always with Asbury Arts Series performances the concert is presented without admission cost. An offering will be taken to help cover expenses. Do put this splendid event on your calendars and plan to attend.
 During the past month of January, our choir presented three of these anthems during our regular Sunday worship services. We will continue to present four more this month, as follows:
 
February 3: "O Magnum Mysterium" by Morten Lauridsen.
 February 10: "The Last Words of David" by Randall Thompson.
 
February 17: "Salmo 150" by Brazilian composer Ernani Aguliar.
 February 24: The First Chorus from J.S. Bach's Cantata No. 65 "And out of Sheba shall they come."
 
NUUC Choir members- please be sure to attend the three extra rehearsals with Asbury's choir. Joint rehearsals (in Delaware) are scheduled for 2/13 and 2/20 at 7 PM and on 2/23 at 10 AM.
 
Musically Yours,
 
Marlene Hartzler, Music Director 

 

SAC
News from your Social Action Committee
  

Inter-faith Global Warming Preach-in:  NUUC will be participating in this event on February 10, 2013.  The Sunday service will be led by SAC members and will focus on the spiritual aspects of climate change. 

 

Potluck/Book Talk/Movie on March 10, 2013 from 5:30 to 8:00: As part of our focus on environmental justice, we will be offering a book talk and movie on Low Impact Man by Colin Bevins.  "For one year Colin Bevins swore off plastic and toxins, turned off his electricity, went organic, became a bicycle nut, and tried to save the planet from environmental catastrophe while dragging his young daughter and his Prada-wearing wife along for the ride.  Together they attempted to make zero impact on the environment while living right in the heart of Manhattan, and this is the sensational, funny, and consciousness-raising story of how they did it." Bevin's ability to weave together factual information, amusing anecdotes of his family's experiences, and insights into the spiritual discoveries of living sustainably is very entertaining and thought provoking. In the spirit of "reduce, reuse, recycle" we will be purchasing copies of the book from Half-Price
Bookstores. 
Please contact Pam Patsch by 2/10/13 at (614) 580-4697 or

 
February's Loose Change Offering: The Buckeye Forest Council (BFC) is a membership-based, grassroots organization dedicated to protecting Ohio's native forests and their inhabitants. The BFC uses education, advocacy and organizing to address the need for forest preservation and low-impact recreation over logging and resource extraction. For the past several years the BFC has been a leader in Ohio, challenging the rush to exploit shale oil deposits using hydraulic fracturing processes or "fracking."  Their leadership in education, advocacy, and work with state legislators has helped to address the many problems associated with fracking. Their work is on the front lines of dealing with the impact of fossil fuels on climate change.     
http://www.buckeyeforestcouncil.org/

 

Social Action Committee Bulletin Board:  We have so many exciting things to share that we needed to expand our space.  Check out the folding divider in Fellowship Hall with information about upcoming SAC activities as well as issues and actions at the local, state, and national level.

  

UU Justice Ohio (UUJO): Check out the UU Justice Ohio Facebook page and website. UUJO is one of 18 UU State Advocacy Networks (SAN) and was established in October 2012. SANs provide a voice for UU principles by raising awareness of justice issues, organizing action, and advocating for human rights and the environment. SANs offer the opportunity to network with other UUs as well as build coalitions with interfaith and advocacy groups thus empowering individuals and congregations to act more effectively in the larger community. The UUJO Facebook page www.facebook.com/UUJusticeOhio and websitehttp://ohiomeadville.org/uujo/ provide an opportunity to share what is happening in Ohio related to different justice issues. Our congregation was one of the first out of 41 Ohio UU congregations to become a member and we have two congregational members on the steering committee (Rev. Joan VanBecelaere and Pam Patsch). There are no dues this year so please consider becoming an individual member. 
 

OMD Sponsored Workshop on Immigration -  February 18, 2013:  OMD is part of the Ohio Interfaith Immigration, a group of organizations working together to address the immigration issue.  "The New Administration and Immigration: The National Scene and Ohio" is a workshop being offered at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Delaware, OH 3081 Columbus Pike, Delaware, OH 43015. Information about the state of immigration in 2013 will be provided by a panel of local activists, legislators, ICE representative, and others.The keynote speaker is Rev. Dr. Geoffrey, president of the United Church of Christ. His address at UUA General Assembly in Phoenix was incredibly inspirational.  During the afternoon, there will sessions focusing on resources available and concrete ways to take action. Lunch and snacks are provided.  For more information go to the OMD or UUJO websites and Facebook pages.  A flyer is also posted on the SAC bulletin board.

Join in a national demonstration on February 17, 2013. McKibben and 350.org  plan a national demonstration in Washington, DC. More than 20,000 people are expected to demonstrate against the construction of the Tar Sands Keystone XL pipeline. NASA scientist James Hansen has said that if the pipeline is approved by the White House it will be "Game Over" for efforts to prevent runaway climate change. Plans are underway to charter a bus to take people from central Ohio to demonstrate on the mall Sunday, Feb 17 from 12 noon to 4 pm. Logistics: the bus will leave around midnight - 1 am early Sunday, sleep on the bus, arrive in DC Sunday morning, head for the mall to demonstrate, get back on the bus for Columbus and arrive late Sunday night. Please give serious consideration to joining us! See Chuck Lynd for more info or send him an email at [email protected].

 

Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort:  NUUC contributed $923.95 to this fund which was coordinated by the Central East Regional Group (CERG) UU.   We will no longer collect donations, but you can still contribute by sending checks to CERG-UUA, 100 W 10th Street, Suite 1008, Wilmington, DE 19801. Checks can be made to CERG with Disaster Relief Fund in the memo line.  Or you can donate on line at www.cerguua.org.

 

Coming Soon:  Guest at Your Table in March and Marriage Equality in April.

 

The SAC meets at 11:45 on the first Sunday of each month.  Our next meeting is February 3rd.  For more information about the Social Action Committee, contact Pam Patsch at [email protected].

 

[email protected] if you would like to purchase a used copy for about $6.  A sign-up sheet for the potluck dinner will be on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.
Koraleen
Treasurer's Report
for December 2012
By Koralleen Stavish, Treasurer

 

          

 

Actual $ Received and Paid

Budget (Planned Receipts and Payments)

   

 

 

 

 

 

2012 Pledge Offerings

9,882

11,539

Non-Pledge Offerings

355

0

Rental Revenue

100

167

Ways and Means - Fundraising

111

561

 

 

 

Total Income

10,448

12,267

 

 

 

Total Expenses

12,784

12,479

 

 

 

             Year-to-Date

 

 

 

 

 

2011 Pledge Offerings

3,282

0

2012 Pledge Offerings

124,308

138,470

Special Collection

5,663

0

Non-Pledge Offerings

8,644

0

Rental Revenue

1,453

2,000

Ways and Means-Fundraising

6,939

6,735

 

 

 

Total Income

150,290

147,205

 

 

 

Total Expenses

149,729

149,744

 

 

 


Minutes
Board Minutes

NUUC Board Meeting 1/19/2013

 

 

TREASURERS REPORT

Numbers looked good for December, missing three deposits

Social Action committee using equal exchange

Discussion held about EX funds being used for unknown projects

Funds need to be more visibly spent and run through the social action budget line item

Laura will notify committee chairs about this decision.

There was a note about "putting rumors to rest" that is unknown. If there are concerns, it is recommended that the member contact one of the board members.

Finance committee would like to pursue other banking relationships instead of using PNC. Board supports looking at alternative banks.

 

MINISTERS REPORT

Ice damage was done to the building. Bob Keith and John Rodeheffer are looking at creative ways of repairing the structure,with an estimated cost of $500. Board supports this item. Any additional costs will be dealt with as they come up.

Susan's insurance costs are increasing about $130/month effective 1/1/2013. Board is in support of increased insurance costs coming out of operational budget but will table motion until February meeting.

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

MARCH Congregational Meeting and annual reports. The Congregational meeting will be 17-MAR-2013 for the purpose of annual meeting. The NUUC board meeting will be the 23-MAR-2013.

Rolling off the board will be Kim Poderys, Mary Ann Wojton and Nina Webb-Lawton. Laura and Marty have one year left; Jeff and Nathan have two years.  Board will need a secretary.

 

THRESHHOLD CONGREGATION:

Discussion was held on TC. Board feels that discussions for TC need to focus on growth in internal stability, loving action and deepening the faith through areas of RE for all ages and Stewardship.

Program is a quarterly meeting with other TC members and work on growth plans. This would be a committee, working with otherTC members quarterly and work with a consultant. There is no cost to the consultant because NUUC is a fair share congregation.Laura is in discussion with potential committee members.  Board recommends moving forward with TC application process.

 

NEW BUSINESS   Staffing gap due to lack of admin and RE. For DRE, plan is to go back to Susan to work with the RE Committee directly.AA replacement plan is for Susan to handle that role to clearly understand what it takes to perform the duties and to advertise for the replacement.  Board is recommending Jeff to participate in the selection process

Ways and Means committee will be kicking off on 31-JAN.

 

E-MAIL ADDRESSES: The board is going to set up an NUUC.ORG e-mail address domain for all members of the board, committee chairs and staff related.

 

 

 

 

VolunteersSocial Hour

  
Refreshments for Social Hour: Can you bring snacks and refreshments for social hour after worship? It requires purchasing items, coming in early for set up, and helping clean up afterwards. Sign ups are in the Fellowship Hall on the bulletin board nearest the kitchen.