[Visitors] September UUFT Beacon
Carlene Eberspacher
carlene2 at sbcglobal.net
Sat Aug 30 09:29:18 EDT 2008
Newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka
4775 SW 21st Street . Topeka, KS 66604 . 785-272-9233 . www.uuft.org
Proud to be a Welcoming Congregation
September 2008
A Month of Sundays . . .
September 7 - To Honor and Celebrate. The children and youth of the Fellowship are a vital and vibrant part of the community. They both receive from the larger community and offer many blessings to it. This service will honor and celebrate the children as they move into new classes (new curriculum and stewardship projects begin in all classes Sept. 14th), and it will affirm the deep commitment UUFT adults have to sharing in the raising of all OUR children. Judy Sasser and Rev. Lisa Schwartz are the service leaders.
September 14 - Now is the Time. There are a number of global crises facing humanity, issues we must must address now before we collectively go over a "tipping point" of no return. Racism is one such issue, all the more nefarious because so many people (white people, mostly) believe the problem is solved. The issue is one of great urgency, and Rev. Lisa Schwartz will discuss the problem and some practical ways we can work towards becoming anti-racists, right here in Topeka. The Second Sunday Lunch will follow the 11:00 service. Please plan to stay!
September 21 - An Intellectual Declaration of Independence. Imagine an American scholar telling the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard University that they are devoid of original thought and instead simply parrot the Big Ideas of past thinkers. Imagine that he goes on to say that knowledge that comes from books is about as nourishing to a creative mind as "boiled grass and the broth of shoes" are to the body. If it sounds outrageous today, imagine how shocking it was when Unitarian minister Ralph Waldo Emerson said those things during his "American Scholar" lecture 171 years ago. Rev. Lisa will explore Unitarian Universalism's roots in the radically independent soil of transcendentalism.
September 28 - Our Whole Lives. The UUFT Owl Team will present the basics of one of the most celebrated sexuality education programs available today. The OWL program celebrates our sexuality as a spiritual and joyous part of our humanness. It assumes that we are all sexual from the moment we are born until we die. The OWL program supports the right to ask any and all questions; explore all sexual issues; and express our sexuality in ways that are healthy and life affirming. The OWL program is rooted in the values of self-worth, sexual health, responsibility, and justice and inclusivity. Join the UUFT OWL Team to learn more about this program and to consider if the Adult OWL program is for you. Sign-ups will begin on the 28th.
Services begin at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Ground Breaking News for UUFT!
We are building our dream! We are the recipients of an additional $22,000 for the capital campaign from the gift of long time members, Marie and Gene Copeland's Estate. What a blessing that is. Janine describes this gift as a gift from the past for the future. This brings our total fundraising for this project to $480,000.
At our congregational meeting on Sunday, August 24, 2008, we voted unanimously to build our dream. Our new classrooms will be built, our entry way made welcoming and our kitchen made more suitable. The first phase of construction is for the classrooms to be done around February 1 and for the second phase of renovations to be done May 1, 2009.
The bids came in higher than the amount we had raised for the capital campaign. The Board gave the Steering Committee the task to determine what costs could be lowered without taking the heart out of the plan. Our architect, Mike Wilson of Architect One, consulted with the low bid contractor, Shirley Construction, and came up with some value engineering. After careful consideration, two alternate ideas were not approved, and the cabinetry and sinks for the classrooms were left in. The two alternates that are out are the north storage room and the wood ceiling, and to leave in the project for the cabinetry and sinks for the classrooms.
The congregation was presented with the recommended plans by the Steering Committee, and the congregation approved the UUFT renovation project. The total project is $660,000, and the Steering committee strongly and fully supports this plan. We have raised $480,000 from fundraising and the Copelands' gift, so we have a balance of $180,000 that would need to be covered by a mortgage. We would start paying on that amount in a mortgage after the 3 years that covers the fundraising of the capital campaign. The amount due after 3 years (after 2011) would be a cost per month of $1,438 for a yearly increase starting in 2012 of $17,000 per year. The congregation at the meeting discussed the plans and financing and approved the UUFT renovation project at $660,000. This project does not touch our Endowment funds of $100,000 unrestricted funds and $100,000 in Social Justice funds.
The Heritage Bank was chosen by the Board after the options were narrowed down to 3 options. We will have a construction loan and then a mortgage.
On Sunday, August 24, 2008, Reverend Lisa led us in blessing the ground with our Annual Water Communion, and we were surrounded by our children and Holy Water music as we held a ground breaking ceremony. How did we hold that outside you may ask? The wiring for the sound system was rewired by Dennis and Jane, and speakers were moved outside. Ed Kies took down the west fence so that chairs could be placed outside on the patio. The weather cooperated! There were shovelfuls of dirt dug by many. Pictures will be posted on the website, and their will be a video available thanks to Colin. Water was very symbolically incorporated into the service and the ground blessing. It was an event full of enthusiasm and joy.
Construction of the classrooms begins in September!
Plan to pay your 2008 pledges to the Capital Campaign by December 1, 2008. We need to bring in 30% in cash of our project by December 1 as a requirement of the construction loan by the Bank. We need $44,000 in already pledged money to come in by December 1. The Board is confident we will meet that amount by December 1, and we need everyone who pledged to make their pledge. We also invited anyone who has not pledged to the capital campaign, who would like to pledge, to talk with Janine Silsby.
At this time of UUFT Renovation, we remember those whose shoulders we stand on. Thank you to all those that put time, energy and love into our beloved community, and for all of the capital campaign pledges. We have many reasons to celebrate our Ground Breaking News. Submitted by Beth Foerster
Lifespan Religious Education
News about our Doings
Judy Sasser, DLRE
Upcoming Events:
Registration for all children and youth will be taking place before and after the 11:00 service, each Sunday, through August 31st. If your child or youth has been registered before, just stop by the registration desk, update the information and sign and date the front and back of the registration form. If you have never filled out a registration form, please do so. This is an important safety issue for our children and youth and those that teach.
August 31st - Labor Day Sunday - Religious Education staff will be having the "Last Blast" of summer. We will celebrate the summer's ending with water games and other games, playground fun, a cookout complete with watermelon. We invite the adult membership to join us for food and fun outside after the 11:00 service.
September 7th - Celebrating and Honoring our Children and Youth. This Sunday will be an intergenerational service to embrace the importance of our children and youth as they grow in the UUFT Community. Join us in nurturing and lifting up our future citizens and care takers of the Earth.
September 14th - Religious Education classes begin. New Curriculum, New Stewardship projects, New Teachers!!!!
September 28th - OWL Team presents the Sunday Service. Join us to learn more about this important program that presents sexuality education in combination with the spiritual values of self
See our web page for Adult Religious Education offerings.
Meetings:
LRE Council meets on September 7th, at 10:00 a.m. in the Darwin Room.
RE Committee Meeting meets on September 21st at 10:00 a.m. in the Darwin Room.
Wants and Needs:
The Building Dreams Committee has let the LRE Council know that it will be our job to furnish the classrooms once they are built. We need a committee to begin an inventory, decide what is needed and create ways to obtain funds to purchase what we need. Please, if you are interested in this let me (Judy) or Sue Rothschild know. Join us for some good fellowship and work.
I will be listing, for donation, what we think may be necessary to get us going once we have the new classroom. Don't be shy!!!
Peace and Blessings,
Judy, DLRE
New Horizons
By Rev. Lisa Romantum Schwartz
Body Building
As the big yellow machines rumble onto the Fellowship land and construction dust settles over every surface, we'll hear a lot about the new building. Raising an edifice of bricks and mortar is such a visible enterprise that the neighbors can be forgiven if they think that's all we're building.
But we know better. We know that we're really building much more than meets the eye. We're building an authentic body, a community where hope resides. We're constructing a spiritual home of epic proportions, where all people can feel welcome. We're erecting foundations under our dreams of a place of peace and justice, a place where people of all ages can find both comfort and challenge. And we're building a contagious buzz about Unitarian Universalism, a place where so many have found both freedom and commitment.
During these next nine months (and isn't THAT a fitting gestational image for such a momentous creation) it will indeed be wonderful and fulfilling to watch the new addition to the Fellowship space. And don't be surprised if the sense of "interior space" begins to grow, as well. We're building a whole new way to be human, and spiritual, in a proudly diverse community. And we're beginning to lift the bushel basket off the beacon light of the UUFT!
Perhaps most of all, we are making a way for our values to have an influence on our lives and our children's lives, and thereby creating an effective means to bring about positive change in the larger community.
New building? Indeed, and we are rightly proud and happy. But best of all, we're building a strong body, a Fellowship of hope and love.
Lisa
Building Your Own Theology
This fall, a course in "Building Your Own Theology" will be led by Fellowship member Don Jacobs. The purpose is to help individuals understand their own belief systems. It will consist of eight weekly two hour sessions. All are welcome regardless of your current belief system. You will need to buy the book "Building Your Own Theology" by Richard Gilbert (about $20 through the UUA bookstore)... Contact Don Jacobs at donjacobs123 at att.net if you are interested.
Fall Southern Cluster Retreat
Come join other UUs from the southern part of the Prairie Star District October 10th, 11th, and 12th to build old friendships and create new ones. Enjoy the tall grass prairie on Council Grove Lake at White Memorial Camp 35 miles south of Manhattan, Kansas. This is a family friendly weekend with activities for all and workshops focusing on growing the UU movement in the heartland. Flier, schedule, and registration forms are on pages 5 through 7 of this newsletter or on the Prairie Star District web site at http://www.psduua.org/SCORE/SCORE .
Lawrence UU Building Dedication
The Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence will dedicate their new sanctuary on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19th at 3:30. Topeka UUs are cordially invited to this grand celebration! The Lawrence Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is located South of Lawrence at 1263 N. 1100 Road. To get there, take Iowa Street south (US 59) past the South Lawrence Overpass. (Taking K10 highway takes you to Iowa Street; take a right.) Turn right on N. 1100 Road (just before the divided four-lane road ends). The Fellowship building is located about one-half mile down, on the left.
New ways to learn at Meadville Lombard, a Unitarian Universalist Seminary
Weekend and Week-long formats allow flexibility for Ministers and Lay Leaders
Meadville Lombard is now offering courses in formats that make it easier for working religious professionals and lay leaders to broaden or deepen their theological and congregational understanding. These on-campus courses were designed in a format best suited to developing religious leadership skills--a format that is face-to-face and heart-to-heart.
Weekend Courses
Lay Leadership Development with Rev. Brian Covell; October 3-4 and 24-25, and November 14-15, 2008 -- Designed to help ministers, lay leaders and post-internship seminarians become acquainted with the paradigms, problem-solving and relational skills necessary for effective lay leadership development. Because of the nature of this course, we offer this incentive for congregational teams: Pay for two team members from your congregations, and register a third for free. Audit: $700.00/Credit: $1400.00.
Real Peace/Real Security: UU Perspectives on Peace and War with Dr. Sharon Welch; January 17-18, 2009 -- The issues on peacemaking posed by the UUA CSAI study/action will be addressed in this half-credit course. Examine options for enhancing peace and security in our contemporary world and explore perspectives held by Unitarian Universalists on: strategic peacebuilding, just peace, just war, preventive defense, nonviolence and pacifism. Then discuss the concrete ways in which congregations best foster open dialogue and informed engagement on these crucial issues of peacemaking and conflict transformation at all levels: interpersonal, congregational, national and international. Audit: $375.00/ Credit: $750.00.
Problems in Public Ethics with Rev. Dr. William Schulz and Dr. Sharon Welch; January 23-25, 2009 -- Learn to clarify the theological and ethical underpinnings of your approaches to public problems; consider five of the most pressing such problems on the national and world stage today: torture, military intervention, abortion, death penalty, and poverty and learn how to articulate your perspective and navigate the complexities of dealing with such issues in an institutional context. Audit: $750.00/ Credit: $1500.00.
Week-long Courses
Fling Wide the Doors: Children and Church Growth with Rev. Greg Stewart; January 12-16, 2009 -- How well do we welcome children into the church family and what impact does that have on church growth? Audit: $750.00/ Credit: $1500.00.
Afro-Americans and the Universalists, Unitarians, and Unitarian Universalists with Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed; January 26-30, 2009 -- Become familiar with both the Afro-American experience within the liberal religious community and the community's attitudes toward Afro-Americans. Who were these Afro-American women and men and when and how did they become part of this religious movement? What were the attitudes they met among Anglo-Americans and what was the institutional response to them? One objective of the course is for students to create an historical record of their home congregation with regard to race. Audit: $750.00/ Credit: $1500.00.
Visit our website for a full listing and course syllabi and to register online. Please note that the tuition does not include lodging, and registrants will need to apply for Student at Large status ($45.00) and pay a registration fee of $50.00.
Contact Erika Chavez, Director of Admissions, at 773.256.3000 x 250 for more information. Meadville Lombard Theological School
Changing Lives to Change the World
www.meadville.edu
September Calendar of events
6
Talent Show, 8 p.m., UUFT
7
LRE Council, 10 a.m., Darwin Room
10
RE Committee Meeting, 10 a.m., Darwin Room
PSD Southern Cluster Retreat
October 10 - 12, 2008
White Memorial Camp
Council Grove, Kansas
Please join us for a wonderful weekend of rest and rejuvenation at this beautiful lakeside camp with tall grass, prairie trails, great food, fun, and fellowship!
Dynamic Sunday Service, Rest & Relaxation, Canoeing on the Lake, Campfire, Music, Fellowship with Southern Cluster UUs
This Year's Theme:
Growing Unitarian Universalism in the Heartland
Congregational leaders from throughout our cluster will share their expertise and experiences in the rewards, challenges, and "how-to" of growing congregations. Come listen, learn, share ideas and make connections with other UU's concerned with creating healthy, accessible, welcoming congregations destined for growth.
Opening Session: Opportunities and Challenges in our Southern Cluster
Why do we want to grow (or do we?) What special challenges and opportunities do we face in our conservative region.and our smaller towns? From "Breakthrough" to Emerging congregations, we'll update you on the successes achieved and obstacles faced as we work together to grow our movement.
Workshops
Repelling Fewer Visitors: The Sunday Morning Experience
Participants will view a DVD presented at General Assembly, and learn how these and other ideas for visitor retention have been successfully implemented in our cluster congregations.
Social Justice: Making a Difference in our Communities
Learn how making a difference in our communities also helps us grow and prosper as a congregation, thus strengthening our influence and visibility as we work for justice.
The Downside of Success: Coping with the Challenges of Growth
Increasing membership also creates new challenges: space, budgets, theological pluralism, maintaining a sense of community. How do growing congregations cope with the inevitable changes?
The "M" Word (Marketing): Raising our Visibility
In addition to the usual (UUA/PSD) resources, there are other creative and individualized ways to let our communities know we exist, and what we stand for. Learn what's worked for us, and what hasn't.
A New Musical Experience: The One Hour Choir
Enjoy singing with others, but no time to join a choir? Come rehearse a simple song or two with our choir director one hour before Sunday's service, and become a One-Time member of our One Hour Choir
PSD Southern Cluster Retreat
October 10 - 12, 2008
White Memorial Camp - Council Grove, Kansas
Friday October 10, 2008
9:00 Early arrivers welcome - Exploration, relaxation, socializing
12:00 Dutch treat lunch at Hayes House in downtown Council Grove
1:30 Bicycle tour of Council Grove and Council Grove Lake dam
3:00 Registration Opens Lodge
6:30 Dinner Lodge
7:30 In-gathering Service Lodge
8:00 "Getting to Know UU" Ice breaker Lodge
8:30 Game Time Lodge
10:30 Lights Out/Quiet Time near cabins
Saturday October 11, 2008
8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast
9:30 - 2:00 Youth Activities with Adult Supervision
9:30 - 10:30 Opening Session
"Growing Our Movement: Opportunities and Challenges in Our Southern Cluster"
10:45 - 12:00 Workshop "Repelling Fewer Visitors: The Sunday Morning Experience"
12:00 - 1:30 Lunch with Table Topics
1:30 - 2:45 Workshop "Social Justice: Making a Difference in our Communities"
3:00 - 4:15 Workshop "The Downside of Success: Coping with the Challenges of Growth"
3:00 - 4:15 Workshop "The "M" Word (Marketing): Raising our Visibility"
4:30 - 5:30 Music For All
6:00 - 6:45 Dinner
7:30 - 8:00 Intergenerational Vespers Service
8:30 Campfire with music & activities
10:30 Lights Out/Quiet Time near cabins
Sunday October 12, 2008
8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast
9:00 - 10:00 One Hour Choir rehearsal
10:00 - 11:00 Celebration of Life service
11:00- 12:00 Pack up and Clean up
12:30 Lunch and SCORE (Cluster Council) meeting at Hays House
PSD Southern Cluster Retreat
October 10 - 12, 2008
Registration
High School age and younger are free but must be accompanied by parent or other adult sponsor - we are all one family when it comes to including our kids at SCORE events.
Ministers and church staff and their partners are free - we appreciate your professional guidance and support!
All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Financial assistance is available through SCORE.
For information contact your minister or Jill Jarvis at jjarvis1 at kc.rr.com.
Register online at www.psduua.org/prairiestore
(be sure to sign in if you are already a Prairie Store member)
- or -
Mail your check and this form to
All Souls UU Church 4501 Walnut Kansas City, MO 64111
Write 'SCORE Retreat' in the memo line
Fee per Qty Total Adult
Full Weekend 2 Overnights 5 meals $120 ____ _____
Half Weekend 1 Overnight 3 meals $ 70 ____ _____
Saturday Only 2 meals $ 20 ____ _____
In Town Lodging Full Weekend $ 30 ____ _____
Total _____
A couple of in-town lodging options:
Cottage House Hotel www.cottagehousehotel.com
Herington Inn and Suites www.heringtoninnandsuites.com
Please provide the following information:
First Name: Last Name:
Street Address:
City: State: Zip:
Evening Phone: Email:
Congregation:
Number of youth attending:
Number of minister/staff and family attending:
Vegetarian meals needed?
Other special needs or considerations:
For more information contact Bob Miller
816-561-4615
rmiller1 at kc.rr.com
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