Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson

NUUSLETTER

 A Newsletter for our Members and Friends

January 2006 - Web Edition

Love is the spirit of this church, and service is our law.

To dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.

This is our covenant

WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Every Sunday Forum at 9:30am, Service at 11:00am

January 1

Forum and Service:  Brian Heffner and Steve Bollinger will cook pancakes for breakfast at 10:00am.  If you like, bring your favorite topping to share.

 January 8

Forum:  Steve Bollinger will show a 20 min. DVD presentation on Wal-Mart "The High Cost of Low Price."  Comments and discussion will follow.

Service:  William Ellery Channing: The Reverend Jacqueline Luck

Last fall I preached of early liberal ministers in New England who laid the foundation for American Unitarian thought even today, and I have been waiting for the chance to follow through on my promise to share with you William Ellery Channing, and his sermon, On Unitarian Christianity, delivered in 1819. This sermon is the cornerstone of Unitarian history in North America, and I think you will be surprised by it.

 January 15

Forum:  Waverly Liles and Marti Morgan will present and lead discussion on "Mississippi and UUA Positions on Criminal Justice & Prison Reform."

Service:  Mississippi's Sons: The Reverend Jacqueline Luck

Since arriving in Mississippi I have done some reading by local authors. Two of those are Richard Wright and Clifton L. Taulbert. I figure I can find at least one sermon in these books for us to experience and grow from!  

Noon: Potluck and Congregational meeting to follow service

2:00 Roots Class

 January 22

Forum:  Jack Hammond will present and lead discussion on "Twenty-five Years Working with the Mentally Ill - A Look Back."

Service:  Raymond Clothier

January 29

Forum:  Bill Gressett will present and lead discussion for "Brown Bag Forum."

Service: Chinese New Year, Dary Shenefelt, RE Children, and Margaret Drake

 

Deadline for submissions to the February UUCJ NUUSletter: January 18.  Please make submissions to NUUSletter@uujackson.org.

If you would like to receive the NUUsletter by email, please user our NUUS subscription form.

Mississippi Musings

Very much that we hear seems to be down right rotten nowadays. The Holidays took our minds off local, national and international news a bit, but in the dark and often dreary days of January, it is difficult not to be inundated with such news. I won't go on about things, but for instance, there are families living in tents on America's Gulf Coast, and they are not on a family vacation!

I heard a senator speaking about U.S. involvement in torture of prisoners say months ago, "It's just not noble." Yes, we have been "proud to be Americans" in the past, but I haven't heard Bruce Springsteen's song blaring from the radio lately.  Just yesterday (12/14) I heard another senator say that the U.S. used torture in World War II, of which I imagine there is no doubt. Torture has been around a long time.  Perhaps the difference is that Americans weren't listening to their involvement in such base acts in daily news broadcasts then as we are in seemingly every broadcast of news today.

There are several points to be made. One is people can listen to too much news for their good health. Listening to the same miserable news stories over and over does affect lives.  It’s not "in one ear and out the other," as we are wont to think. To paraphrase the healthy eating jingle, "We are what we think."  If the result of seeing and hearing too much that is disturbing is that one numbs out or goes into denial, that is not a healthy state. Other results might be depression, fatalism and giving up, desperation, or isolationism, separating ourselves from what is happening "to them," all of which are unhealthy and disturbing mental and spiritual states. They diminish life.

We need to take seriously what we put into our minds, and the images we see. Though I know some who advocate not following the news, I am not willing to go to such an extreme. Though aware the news is slanted, etc., I believe it is the responsibility of citizens of the state, nation and global world to pay attention, but I stress the importance of moderation when taking in the news.

Another point is that we as citizens of a nation are coming to terms with the disillusionment of our "nobleness." Americans are dealing with their sense of identity.  Identity work is often painful, especially for those who perceive themselves as noble, or superior to others. Not only is such grandiosity an illusion, it is a mental and spiritual illness. Falling from such super-inflated heights is painful. However, as difficult as it is to experience the fall from illusion, it is far better than living the deception, the lie. Spiritually it is a great day when individuals forthrightly face the truths of their lives and the errors of their ways.

Charles Dickens addressed illusions and disillusionment as his character, Scrooge, traveled into his past and saw the effect of his ways on others.  Scrooge then saw the destiny of others if he remained unchanged, but Scrooge changed his ways.  Americans, like Scrooge, are seeing the error of their ways in today's news, and that is a good thing! Nothing changes until the need for change is recognized. Reality is our friend. Reality is a difficult friend, but one that works for mental and spiritual health as well as the health of nations.

As difficult as this coming year may appear when we’re listening to the news, my friends, we are the better for knowing. However, reality is not only knowing the news, far from it. Each of us will profit by balancing the illusions and the disillusions of the news with the reality of beauty, truth, integrity, love and goodwill. Such experiences of the profound are the staples of life, making possible the achievement of the spiritual principle of balance, leading to a well-balanced life. As Momma would say when you tried to refuse the spinach, "You need to eat well-balanced meals!" Music, meditation and meditation manuals, good literature, the great outdoors, acts of goodwill and love are more easily ingested than canned spinach with rubbery slices of hard boiled egg!

 

Yours in faith,  

Jacqueline

 

The President’s Corner

Reflections are what many of us do as we end each year.  As I look back on 2005, I remember my trip to the Mid-South District meeting in Birmingham, the General Assembly in Ft. Worth, and the Healthy Congregations workshop in Auburn, AL.  My year term as your board president started in April.  As a congregation we have made some major moves forward toward being a “full service” church.  To me that means having many programs and also outreach into the community.

Some projects we have continued from previous years, like the “Adopt-a-Family” at Christmas, thanks to Patricia Ice, and Stewpot all year, thanks to Dary Shenefelt. Others are new, like the sponsorship statements on Public Radio’s “Sound and Spirit” and “Speaking of Faith.”  We have undertaken the “Soap, Shirt & Shorts” ministry to the boys at the Detention Center with the help of Waverly Liles.  Our minister has made connections for our youth to join other liberal religious youth in doing activities together. She has offered classes for new and old members.  Our minister has represented us in any number of public ways and put a face to our name.  All of this despite Hurricane Katrina. Of course, we harbored three evacuees from the South after Katrina.   We have made great strides toward our oft mentioned goals of being more visible and doing more for our community.

 Soon we will be seeing a parking lot with new paving and some new graveled spots for parking. We have been filling our lot and need the new parking spaces.  Last Sunday we had 47 people in attendance at the service. We will have better lighting in the parking lot.  Thanks to our Building and Grounds VP, Brian Heffner, who has secured the various bids, we will be safer and more attractive.

 Let’s get EVERYBODY to the Congregational Meeting on January 15^th.  If you know of members without transportation or who need nudges to attend meetings, please help them get to this important meeting. We will be making momentous decisions about the future of our congregation.  Please read the report in this newsletter of the Long Term Planning Committee, which Ray Shenefelt has been chairing.  Its members have carefully considered options for our future. This report should help us in our discussion and voting on January 15^th.

 Margaret

Children’s RE News

We have a very talented group of children, and I want to thank them for their superb performance during our Inter-generational Holiday Service. The role of La Befana was ably acted by Sharmila. David, Caitlyn, and Keely were the three wisemen, and Claire and Elena were Befana's neighbors. Katie was the narrator.

Trina Cameron assisted the children in making decorations which they offered as gifts to the congregation and hung on our Christmas tree during the service.

In January the children will be learning about the Unitarian explorer, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, and they will be preparing for a Chinese New Year Celebration on January 29.  

Dary Shenefelt

 

Long Term Planning

The long term planning committee agreed that a desirable sequence for the church would be to have a full-time minister, to purchase the property immediately to our south if possible, and, when growth required it, to expand the sanctuary.  After these, when further growth requires more room, the church will hopefully have grown enough in members and finances to be able to choose among 3 possibilities.  They are building a new church at the State Street site, building elsewhere, or buying an existing church.  The committee favors staying on State Street, but realizes circumstances may have changed by the time the choice must be made.

We agreed that both full-time ministry and expansion of property would be needed for appropriate growth, but that full-time ministry should be given priority.

We agreed that it is desirable to buy the property immediately to our south, if the price is acceptable.   Margaret will investigate, and apply for, a chalice lighters grant; if approved, this might be around $8,000 to $10,000.  With our current $52,000 in uncommitted funds, this might be enough to buy the property outright, but that would leave us no reserve.  It may be necessary to have a capital fund campaign, and/or borrow money from members, to raise part of the price.  This appears better than trying to borrow from a bank.

Expansion of the sanctuary backward by about 20 feet, or about 500 square feet, might cost about $130 to $180 a square foot by current prices, according to Brian.  Because of instability in the slab of our current sanctuary, it may be necessary to construct a "breezeway" slab, then another slab behind it.  We do not currently have enough information to estimate the price accurately. 

It is not feasible to build a new church on land straddling State Street and lots behind us on Windemere Terrace because of a utility easement running along the back property lines.  If we kept our current church as a "fellowship hall" we would need to tear down at least 2, perhaps 3, houses along State Street to build a new church along State Street.  Parking could be on lots behind us, facing Windemere Terrace.  If other houses near us along State Street or Windemere Terrace become available, the church likely could not act quickly enough to purchase them.  An optimal choice would be for church members to buy the houses, rent them, and offer them to the church when the church is ready to buy.                                                                  

                                                                                                                   --Ray Shenefelt

 

2006-7 Budget

We have an initial draft of the 2006-7 (July-June) budget, subject to modification as more information comes in.  It assumes a half-time minister until Sept 1, then full-time, with a 3% cost of living increase.  It also assumes we purchase the building to our south.  Funds for the purchase are separate from the operating budget, but there would be additional expenses such as utilities & insurance.  The budget is for about $84,000.  This compares to an original budget for 2005-6 of $49,585 and the 2005-6 budget as currently modified at $89,441.  The original budget for 2005-6 called for taking $9,273 from reserves.

The pledge campaign is scheduled for Feb, but we have some commitments which make it clear that we can make a jump which will support both full-time ministry and the increase in facilities needed for growth.  Based on these commitments and the present income level, it appears we need about $19,000 more from a combination of increased pledges and drawing from our reserves.

                                                                                                                               --Ray Shenefelt

Congregational Meeting

January 15, 2005

There will be a congregational meeting (with potluck) after church on January 15.  The purpose of this meeting is to vote on whether or not to offer Jacqueline Luck a letter of agreement for full time ministry.  The exact wording of the resolution making this offer can be modified at the meeting.  Rev. Luck has expressed an interest in a full time position.  Her current letter of agreement, to spend half time at UUCJ and half time at Our Home Church, expires at the end of August 2006, and it is expected the full time ministry at UUCJ would begin Sept 1, 2006.

This is an important decision, and we urge as many members as possible to attend.

Other topics can be discussed at the meeting but cannot be voted on, since according to the bylaws 14 days advance notice is required for a vote on any matter at a meeting which is not the annual meeting

 

Dear Mid-South UUs,

In this season of giving, here is a fine opportunity to give where your contribution will make a huge difference for Unitarian Universalism in the South -- and give a boost to a congregation that was very much affected by the last two years of storms! 

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship In Mobile, Alabama is the recipient of this Chalice Lighter Call from the Mid-South District.  Please be as generous as you can be to this growing congregation. 

Chalice Lighter contributions of $10 (or more!) will help the UU Fellowship of Mobile make itself more appealing to families and young people and thus augment its growth plan – and recover from the last TWO years of hurricane damages from both Ivan and Katrina.  Specifically, the funds will help the Mobile congregation create a visible – and safe! – playground for children and thus enhance the congregation’s facility on a prominent road in Mobile.

Call letters are in the mail to all Chalice Lighters in Mid-South District--but any and all folks can participate by sending a contribution to:

Mid-South District Office
9 Meaders Lane, Oxford, MS  38655

Regrettably, the return envelope got left out of this mailing packet at the printers.  All of us, including the printers, apologize!  But, mostly we hope that all will be able to find an envelope and participate in this worthy effort.

Please contribute to this Chalice Lighter Call for the UU Fellowship of Mobile!

Mid-South District Office, UUA
On the web at www.uua.org/msd
9 Meaders Lane, Oxford, MS  38655
Eunice Milton Benton, District Executive
Email: Embenton@aol.com
Phone:  662-234-4423

Small Group Start Ups in January for You to Join

Sunday, January 8, 2:00-3:30: Roots Class, a class for those new to the Unitarian Universalist congregations.  Both new members and those visitors interested in membership are welcome. Also, those who may have been members for a while but never had such a class or wish a refresher are welcome. Please let Jacqueline know you are planning to attend and if we need to seek child care. Other meeting dates of the class are January 15, February 5 and the12th.  

Tuesday, January 10, 10:00 a.m.: A Study Group.  This will be a formational meeting to discern the interests of those attending and how often it will meet. Please let Jacqueline know if you plan to attend, revluck@uujackson.org.