 |
First Unitarian Universalist
|
First Unitarian Universalist
Church |
| ||||||||||||||||
Oh so many meetings! It is great to be getting to know some of you, most of which happens in the various meetings around church. And some of the groups here have accomplished a great deal. I hope you take time to notice and appreciate the work that you and others have done.
Work and church do go together in many ways (particularly for me!). Let us try to remember that church can also be the place when we get recharged and refreshed for all of our work in the world.
I am still asking a lot of questions and soaking in a lot of information. When I ask questions about church I rarely come to conclusions, instead, answers lead to more questions. And I listen for clear signals about what you truly want this church to be.
A poet writes that “the signals we give – yes or no, or maybe – should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.” I say that the way we ask questions has a lot to do with the answers we get in return, and note that it is extremely easy to ask about problems and get stuck in that place – the place where we talk about what didn’t work, won’t work, can’t happen, or isn’t possible.
Keeping a church going takes work, and I am grateful to those who devote so much effort to make sure we take care of business. I also think about how easy it is to forget to pause and collect some strength from our gathered community. If you are one of the active folks currently serving on a committee, or the Board, or doing any of the other tasks that keep things going, know that your efforts are appreciated! And please pause to be refreshed by the strength of community.
If you are currently not serving on a committee, the Board, or otherwise working
at church, know that your very presence is a gift to the church community. All
the work we do matters only because of the group we call church.
There
is much to celebrate in this congregation, and you are at the core of that celebration!
There is much to get clear about, too. I’m listening…
~Reverend Drew
Our next discussion will be March 4 at 1:00 P.M. The book selection is Caucasia by Dancy Sienne. Our April selection is Female Chauvinist Pig: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture by Ariel Levy. We ask that you read the book in preparation for the discussion and that you bring a snack to share.
Between Men and Cattle was an excellent play to see on Martin Luther King weekend. We had a great time and enjoyed having dinner at the Traffic Jam afterward. It was also great having Rev. Drew join us at the play. We were able to contribute $85.00 to our church treasury. The next play we will be seeing, Wrongful Life, is by Australian playwrite Ron Elisha. The date is March 31 at 3:00 P.M. Please see Margaret Beck for more information. Sunday, February 4 we had a Valentine/winter sale and raised an additional $40.00 for our church.
I am planning a winter clothing sale along with Valentine things in a few weeks during coffee hour. Also, hope to have another play fundraiser in April. Thanks to all who bought tickets to the January play.
~ Margaret Beck
The text of a thank you letter from Dr. James A. Robinson, Chair of the Settled Minister Search Committee, to the Rev. Dr. John Weston is reproduced below. We think the letter speaks for itself:
Dear Rev. Weston:
I want to thank you for a powerful
and strong message, something that we all needed to hear. The congregation's
applause - not a usual occurrence after a sermon - showed its appreciation.
The Q & A session was very informative to the congregation and it made us feel
that we are not alone. We thank you for taking the time to be with us and feel
you have a better understanding of our situation. We are sincere in our efforts
to be an urban presence in Detroit. On behalf of the Search Committee, we thank
you.
In faith,
Dr. James A. Robinson
Rev. Drew Johnston met with us and we appreciated his insight, and gladly took his advice. We are where we should be in the process and excited about the future. Thanks, again, Rev. Johnston, for your support, and also a big thank you to the congregation for the help the Committee has received during the search process.
The Women's Alliance will meet again on Wednesday, February 21st. Our featured speaker will be our new Interim Minister, Rev. Drew Johnston. The program will follow the noon luncheon in Memorial Hall. Make reservations by phoning the Church Office at 313-833-9107 or Eiko Takemoto by noon, Monday, February 19. The cost is $6.00.
At the request of Rev. Drew, I will be initiating a UU-Buddhist Practice Group on the 26th of February at 7:00 P.M. in the church house. My interest in doing this stems from my practicing various forms of Buddhist, Hindoo, Sufi, and Jain meditation for over 30 years. The Rev. Lynda Channa Smith will be co-leading the group with me. Rev. Lynda, as many of you may know, is a UU minister and is nearing graduation from Stillpoint Abbey Dharma School. Each week, the group will consist of 30 minutes of focus on Buddhist teachings, followed by 20 minutes of meditation practice (instruction will be provided). The first meeting will focus on the Sutra to the Kalamas and the Four Noble Truths (a starting point for all Buddhist teaching). We will meet on the second and fourth Monday of each month (March 12 & 26, April 9 & 23, May 14 & 28), then recess for the summer to begin again in September. Please join us to find out what all the silence is about!
~Jim Brown
Liaison to the UU Service Committee: Keep the congregation informed about Service Committee activities. The Michigan Representative to UUSC, Lucille McNaughton, will support you. See Mary Lou Malone if you are interested.
The church Board is preparing a church policy and procedures manual to supplement our new constitution and by-laws. We need the congregation's cooperation to accomplish this. Each committee chair or support group chair needs to write up a brief description of their committee/group's purpose and meeting time and place - adding other details that you deem necessary. Please give or e-mail this to Sally Borden, Membership Trustee. My e-mail address is sally233@sbcglobal.net. The deadline is February 28, 2007. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
~Sally
Two tablecloths that we borrowed for the Bioneers Conference are still missing. One is a floral or fruit print with a light green background; the other is a purple print (former sheet) with purple piping on one end. If you know where they are, please tell Mary Lou Malone.
Ivan Cottman sends thanks to all who sent him cards during his convalescence. It was good seeing Ivan in church recently.
Faye Colling sends best wishes and New Year's greetings. Faye winters in Arizona and lives close to her sister, Elberta. Faye's letter in its entirety will be on the bulletin board in McCollester Hall.
Satish Ramade, of the First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor invites young adults (age 20's - 30's, plus or minus) to take part in a monthly contemporary worship service called Chalice. Their purpose is to help congregations build a stronger young adult community. If you are interested in helping get the word out about young adults who believe in liberal, tolerant and humanistic values, please contact Satish at 248-470-4862.
