Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson

NUUSLETTER

 A Newsletter for our Members and Friends

October 2008 - 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

  President's Corner

 

On September 13, 2008, your Board of Trustees hunkered down for six hours in a conference room off-site from the church to talk about our hopes and visions and goals for our congregation during this church year.  All of us attended, and everyone had plenty to say (imagine that, with nine UUers in a single space!)!  We opened by talking about some projects we wanted to tackle as part of the day-to-day operations of our religious community and came up with this list: 

• Video history from George Vockroth
• Account for Assets on the books
• Track how much it costs to run the church
• Combat culture of fear about church’s physical location
• Consider purchasing property adjoining us in the back
• Consider hiring a part-time administrative assistant

We spent time talking about what went incredibly right this past year and I will share that long list with you at a later date.  We also spent time talking about what went wrong and why.  Again, I will share that list with you later, but you should know that the list of things that went right is considerably longer than the list of things that went wrong.  There is definitely good news in that! 

Then we drilled down even more and talked about the one thing that should have happened but didn’t and why.  Here’s that list:

• More “outside” professionals for Sunday Services
• No Long-term planning
• Lack of initiative
• No consistent mechanism to accomplish tasks
• Lack of delegation
• Drainage problem north side
• Handicapped accessible door/porch
• UU Community Involvement
• Number of children served
• Membership growth
• Financial commitments down
• Community outreach

Finally, we got down to the nitty-gritty and each of us made a commitment on paper with our name beside it as to what we would endeavor to accomplish this year.  Each of us agreed to ask others on the Board to help us accomplish our commitment; each of us agreed to help as much as we possibly could when asked.  Here’s that list:   

By laws, policies and procedures manual, adult RE, newcomer orientation, functioning committees.

Everybody contacted to find out level of participation

RE assistance/ Sunday program assistance

Paint nursery/pre-school block

Single dad group

Quantify value of time/pledge/goods canvass

Radical review of financial structure

Study target populations

Help with writing policies and procedures

If a Board member asks you, please do whatever is in your capability to help with a commitment.  State clearly what you are able to do and follow up on it as quickly as you can.  You have an extraordinarily hard working Board.  We want to grow and support this spiritual home that we call our Beloved Community.  Please join us in that commitment.

Gwen Combs 

From The Desk of the DRE

 

Religious Education / Religious Exploration

We have childcare and supervised activities each Sunday from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Children are welcome to join us anytime before 11 a.m.

 

Chalice Children (0-5 yrs): Ms. Dary and her helpers are exploring the UUA curriculum Celebrating Me and My World with our youngest children. These lessons celebrate the wondrous qualities of children and the animals, objects, and people around them and provide preschoolers with opportunities to grow in trust and caring and to develop their self-identity and sense of connectedness with all of life.

 

  9:30-10:30: Supervised free play

10:30-11:00: Snack time

11:00-12:30: Preschool Religious Education

 

Young UUs (6 yrs & up): This month Diana Barnes will help our children and youth focus on the social justice issue of housing. This month we will learn how this issue impacts our world and our local community and engage in social action to address the concerns we find.

 

  9:30-10:30: Supervised free play

10:30-11:00: Snacks and conversation

11:00-11:15: Adult worship (for shared rituals)

11:15-12:15: Children & Youth Religious Education

Intergeneration’s: Our children and youth ages 6 years and up are encouraged to attend the beginning of the worship service to share in our UU traditions and to develop strong connections with our members and friends. We will not have an intergenerational service this month.

 

Adults: Our Adult OWL class begins this month and will continue for 14 weeks. In addition, we will offer an introductory U.U. 101 class for those who want to learn more about Unitarian Universalism this fall. In addition, we will have a follow up U.U. 102 ongoing drop-in series to explore the seven principles and six sources as well. Look for information coming soon about days and times.

How You Can Help

Children & Youth: If you are interested in the social justice topic of HOUSING or social justice, in general, please contact Diana Barnes or Stacy Callender to lend your hands. Also, we need nursery helpers and people willing to read A Story for All Ages in service

Adult: We need people willing to (co-)lead Adult Religious Exploration classes or workshops. It could be a creative arts class, or an exploration of a religious tradition—whatever interests you would like to share. Please contact the DRE and/or the R.E. Committee to live out our 3rd Principle!

R.E. Committee – September 7, 2008 – after service

The R.E. Committee meets on the first Sunday of the month after service. This month we will begin planning intergenerational activities and renovations to the RE Building.

For more info contact Stacy Callender, DRE at vp-re@uujackson.org

 

 

O.W.L. (Our Whole Lives)

OWL is FINALLY here! Our first classes will begin this month! This comprehensive sexuality education curricula allows participants to explore physical, social, emotional, cultural, and spiritual aspects of our sexuality across the lifespan.

 

Our adult class meets every Thursday at 6:30 pm led by Susan Knipe and Diana Barnes.

 

Our youth class (ages 13-17) meets every Sunday at 1:00 pm led by Susan Knipe, Amy Griggs, and Brian Heffner. Parents must attend an orientation before their youth can attend.

 

Please contact any of the leaders or Stacy Callender (email: vp-re@uujackson.org) to join or for more information. 

 

CON

UUCJ youth are encouraged to participate in youth events held in throughout the Mid-South District, including Youth CONs (short for conferences) and YAC (Youth-Adult Council). Dates for this year are:

Date	Event	Location
October 11, 2008	YAC Conference	Tuscaloosa , AL
November 21-23, 2008	CONFront the School of America	Auburn , AL
January 9-11, 2009	2nd YAC Meeting	Clarksville , TN
January 31, 2009	RE Summit	TBA
February 20-22, 2009	YAC CON	TBA
March 27-29, 2009	Spirituality Development CON	TBA
April 17-19, 2009	Jr. High CON	Birmingham , AL
May 1-3, 2009	YAC Conference & Beach CON	Nashville , TN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Scott Weaver at sweaver@firstuunashville.org for additional information for these events.

 

 

Buildings and Grounds By Brian Heffner

Our church home is UUCJ. We are our own church family.

We must care for our property as part of our mission to be available to our community.

 

Last month, I talked about those “big ticket” repairs that have recently been accomplished and invited everyone to tour our compound and “Focus on our Facilities.”  Did you have the opportunity to learn more about our buildings and grounds?  If you did, you probably noticed at least some of these big ticket items that are waiting for our attention:

1. solving the drainage issues of the Kratchovil Garden at the north side of our church [this would also facilitate the completion of other needed improvements]
2. replacing the deteriorated exterior shingle siding;
3. adding a new kitchen and handicapped accessible restrooms wing [featuring improved water pressure!];
4. expanding office and sanctuary space from former kitchen and restroom areas;
5. carpeting the sanctuary;
6. improving sanctuary lighting;
7. replacing entrance and egress doors; and
8. flattening the front yard by installing culverts to channel away rain water, which will simplify mowing that area.

The budget set for these “big ticket” areas of improvement is modest.  Not one of these potential improvements can be funded from a single budget year.  You’re aware that our pledges support our budget.    So please explore your potential to fund these special projects when you determine how much you can pledge.  Maintaining our facility also takes time and effort on a smaller scale.  There are many routine tasks that need our attention each month.  Next month I’ll focus on those and what it takes to be a welcoming congregation each week for ourselves and for our guests.

Brian

 

News from the Mid-South District 

Eunice Milton Benton, District Executive

 

It’s GINI! --  at the HEALTHY CONGREGATION CONFERENCE                         June Bryant, MSD TEACH Trustee

The big news for the 2008 Healthy Congregation Conference on October 11th is that Gini Courter will be with us! It’s her first visit to a Mid-South event, so southern hospitality demands a big turnout to welcome her!  

Get folks in your congregation organized to be in Birmingham on October 11th for the day-long conference!  In addition to Gini’s morning presentations, there will be afternoon workshops on Minister Transition Times, Preparedness for Congregations, Social Justice, Sustainable Growth for Small Congregations (UP!), and a YAC gathering for youth! 

The annual Healthy Congregation Conference is always structured so that lots of folks in a congregation can attend and get different kinds of information and wisdom – in addition to meeting UUs from other congregations.  It begins at 9 a.m. and finishes in time for attendees to get home the same day. 

Registration and a flyer are available on the Mid-South site at www.msduua.org.

So – come meet and welcome Gini Courter and glean resources and inspiration for your congregation!  Gini is an energetic and inspiring leader in our UU family, and she is the highest-ranking volunteer leader in our UUA. She is the UUA Moderator and, in that position, presides over the General Assembly, all UUA Board meetings, and is an important voice for Unitarian Universalism.  See you in Birmingham on the 11th!  

Mid-South District - UUA

On the web at www.msduua.org 

Eamil: msduuoffice@aol.com 

 

News from the Mid-South District 

The Chalice Lighter Call for the U. U. Fellowship of Bay County in Panama City , Florida , is in the mail to Mid-South Chalice Lighters!   Please give generously to the call for this congregation -- $10 or more! 

If you are not already a Chalice Lighter but wish to participate, you may send a check, made out to Mid-South District, to:  Chalice Lighter Call, Mid-South District Office, 9 County Rd 1058, Oxford , Mississippi   38655

The UU Fellowship of Bay County, in Panama City , Florida , is committed to growing the congregation in size and diversity, aiming especially at expanding in the gay/lesbian and transgendered community, the local pagan community, and among young families with children. 

The project to be partially funded through this Chalice Lighter Call is to buy a high quality portable building and convert it into RE classrooms. This will double their available RE space, and create separate spaces for infants and preschool, elementary age, and teens. 

This Chalice Lighter grant will help the UU Fellowship of Bay County reach its growth goals!  They have a strong commitment to RE and to support RE staffing, training, and curriculum; the improvement in their RE physical facilities will assist them greatly. They strongly believe that having adequate, attractive facilities, especially those involving RE and children's programming, will give them their best chance of appealing to newcomers and the three target communities described above.  Please give generously!

 

Groups, Meetings, and Announcements

Peace House at the Retreat may need a few more landscaping volunteers for their

• Oct 11 work crew and

• Oct 18 work crew and plus

• Oct 18 water and light snacks for the work crew

Any takers?  We need to let Jill Buckley at Northminster know if we can help with any of these items.

Natalie has added new pictures of us on her Flickr photostream. Click here UUCJ Flickr Pictures to link to this site.

Our annual inter-generational UNICEF/Halloween party returns at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 24. Bring finger food to share and a donation for UNICEF. Suggested donations are $7 per adult, $5 per child, or $20 per family. There will be costume judging, games & activities for all ages, a "mummy wrap" contest, a talent show, and spooky stories.

The hospitality of Sabri Agachan and The Institute of Interfaith Dialog that he represents was most gracious as they hosted a dinner for us at their new offices last month.  The food was a wonderful change from our more typical southern fare.  After dinner we sipped hot Turkish tea while we listened to a power point presentation that helped all of us understand the world of Islam a little better.  Sabri reports that the Institute is in the process of finalizing the classes they are going to start offering in the Turkish language and in classic Turkish cooking.  We’ll have more details on those opportunities as the preparations are completed.  In the meantime members of our congregation are invited to drop by their offices any time to learn more about their culture and work.

Saturday, October 4 Lelon Thompson’s classes are cancelled for the day.

Friday – Saturday, October 10-11: UP! Teams meet at MSD’s Healthy Congregation Conference in Birmingham , AL .

Friday, October 10, Safe Schools Coalition Conference, 5:00 pm at St. Andrews Episcopal Church -- registration, dinner, and panel discussion [students will be overnighting at UUCJ].

Saturday, October 11, Safe Schools Coalition Conference, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at St. Andrews Episcopal Church -- registration. breakfast, introduction, workshops, lunch, discussion, keynote speaker, and closing.  Click here for a registration form.

Saturday, October 11: Mid-South District’s HEALTHY CONGREGATION CONFERENCE in Birmingham, AL.  More information is available on MSD’s web site: www.msduua.org

Saturday, October 11, A Spiritual Support group session will be led by Lelon Thompson from 10:00 am to 11:00 am (cost $5/person).  The Intuitive Development class will then follow from 11:00 to noon (cost $5/person).

October 15-19, 2008, Unitarian Universalist Womenspirit Institute (& Gathering) at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Centers , Highlands , NC, for a joy-full, power-full and spirit-filled retreat.  Learn the many ways you can Listen for the Sacred all around you. Learn the many ways you can Answer the Call. Green your spirit and the earth through experiential workshops, participatory worship, networking with like-minded women, and just plain fun. Click here for the adgenda.

Friday, October 17, at 5:30 pm:  Board of Trustees meeting  UUCJ’s Board meetings are open to all.  

Saturday, October 18: The Power of Intent group session will be facilitated by Lelon Thompson from 10:00 am to 11:00 (cost $5/person). Messages from the Light -- channeled group and individual messages -- will follow, from 11:00 to noon (cost $5/person).

Sunday, October 19:  Third Sunday Potluck Lunch immediately following the worship service:  Bring a dish to share as we break bread together! 

Sunday, October 19:  Town Hall Meeting Following the Potluck luncheon UUCJ will hold the second of three “town meetings” scheduled this year for discussions on proposed by-law changes.

Friday, October 24, 4^th Friday Film Night: for October is cancelled due to the Halloween Party. Check back again in November.

Friday, October 24, at 6:30 pm: Annual inter-generational UNICEF/Halloween party  

Bring finger food to share and a donation for UNICEF. There will be costume judging, games &  activities for all ages, a "mummy  wrap" contest, a  talent show, and spooky stories.      

Saturday, October 25,  A Spiritual Support group session will be led by Lelon Thompson from  10:00 am to 11:00 am (cost $5/person).  The Intuitive Development class will then follow from 11:00 to noon (cost $5/person).

***** New deadline for NUUS submissions -- Now due on the 15th ****

Deadline for submissions to the October UUCJ NUUSletter: October 15. Please send your submissions to NUUSletter@uujackson.org.