Unitarian Universalist Church of Greeley October 2014- FAITH
Transcription
Unitarian Universalist Church of Greeley October 2014- FAITH
Unitarian Universalist Church of Greeley October 2014- FAITH Join us for Sunday Services at 10:00am Childcare for babies and toddlers will be provided every Sunday during services. Find out more at www.greeleyuuc.org or find us on facebook! Worship Liberally Our theological theme for October is Faith Worship Service Descriptions October 5th- Faith: Noun or Verb? Rev. Kelly Dignan will describe faith as a process we use to make meaning of life. Join her in exploring what happens when that process does not work anymore. How do we reconstruct a faith that does help us make sense of life? October 12th Rev. Sylvia Falconer- “WHAT KIND OF FAITH?” What do we mean by the word “Faith” and how does an agnostic define it and live it out? October 19th- Faithful Marriage Rev. Kierstin Homblette and Rev. Kelly Dignan will explore what marriage has historically meant and what Unitarian Universalism has to say about it. Come explore with us how the influx of queer folks into a historically conservative institution is changing what faithful marriage means for all of us. Our offering plate (other than pledge payments) will be shared with One Colorado, a statewide advocacy organization dedicated to securing and protecting equality and opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Coloradans and their families. Rev. Kierstin Homblette is the Coordinator of Beloved Community Ministries- a collaborative Unitarian Universalist justice ministry, working to build the beloved community of which we dream. There will be a workshop led by One Colorado following the service. October 26th- Into the Great Beyond As a covenantal tradition, our faith is expressed through relationship. How does covenant inform the ways we connect with our surrounding communities? Rev. Dr. Amy Rowland, director of Create Meaning, will explore reaching beyond our congregational walls. Our offering will be shared with Create Meaning, a Unitarian Universalist organization designed to help us reach beyond the walls of our congregation to reach the spiritual, but not religious with our message and values. • Grow in Spirit Religious Exploration for Children and Youth Our Children's RE class will continue to learn about two of our UU ancestors and their commitment and contributions. • On October 5th- Children's Chapel with Tabitha Covey • On October 12th- we will be learning about Lewis Latimer. Born to escaped slaves, he worked with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. He developed a method of making carbon filaments for the electric incandescent lamp. He loved learning new things and teaching them to others. We will be sharing his light! • On October 19th- Children's Chapel with Tabitha Covey • On October 26th the RE class will learn about Joseph Priestley. He was a scientist who identified oxygen and carbon dioxide. Science and religion were the two great interests in his life. He is considered a founder of Unitarianism in America. Both of these ancestors lived by the fourth principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Josette Schaffer will be the RE leader for these two classes Circles for Adults Thanks for your input about which Circles you would like to attend. Based on that input, four Circles will be held this year. All Circles stay open through the first session, and then they close so that trust can be built. • The UU Identity Circle will go deeper into our liberal faith and help you develop a spiritual path consistent with it. It will be held Tuesdays: October 14, 21, 28 and November 11. 7:00-8:30pm at the church Rev. Kelly will lead. • • The Spiritual Deepening Circle, you will explore and develop spiritual practices together. It will be held Wednesdays: November 19, December 3, December 17, January 7, January 21, and February 4. It will meet from 7:00-8:30pm at the Gotchey's house. Bill Gotchey will lead. The Care Circle will focus on living fully, dying well- dealing with injury and illness and planning for your own death. Marcia Free will lead, and it will meet for four sessions staring in February during the day on Saturdays or Sundays. More detail to come. The Social Change Circle will be led by Rev. Kelly and Hollis Berendt. It will meet monthly starting in December Dates and times to come soon. Create Meaning Workshop- October 25th- Dio De Los Muertos/Day of the Dead: Celebrate and Remember The Chalice Arts Ministry and the Public/Outreach Ministry are thrilled to partner with Create meaning on this fun event. The whole Greeley community is invited, so register yourself and your friends. Kidsthis is especially for you and your friends. Join from 1:00-3:00pm at the church for an all ages afternoon of crafts and activities to celebrate and remember friends and family who have died, and to create connection with those who have shaped our lives. Activities include: • decorate sugar skulls • create papel picado (colorful cut paper) • gather and create objects for a picture-sized altar to honor your loved one. • Take home a recipe for Day of the Dead bread. All materials are provided. Donations welcome. You can register on our Facebook page under events or email Kathy Vaughn: jinka.kathy@yahoo.com We do need registrations so we know how many supplies to buy. Chalice Arts New Chalice Art Show coming on October 19th. It will feature art from some Greeley schools and other local artists, the theme is Dia de los Muertos/ Day of the Dead. Our UU Service for the Day of the Dead will be on November 2nd. Gather in a Caring Community October 5- 11:30-1:00pm From Welcoming to Belonging. Join us for this workshop led by Rev. Kelly on how to welcome visitors and invite them to belong to our covenanted community- without being pushy or feeling uncomfortable. Childcare is provided. Lunch will be a salad bar potluck. Please bring a topping to share and drinks for your family. We need folks to set up and clean up. Please email Rev. Kelly if your discern that this is a way to serve with grace. On Saturday, October18th, we will have our annual fall cleanup day from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Please set aside some time to come by and help with any chores that will beautify the inside and outside of our building. Over the next few weeks, if you see anything that needs attention please let someone on the B&G ministry know (Tim, Shelly, John Clark, Andy). Thank you for your help in keeping our building clean. -Buildings and Grounds Ministry Choir Rehearsals Regular rehearsals held on Friday evenings at the church: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Sunday morning performances held at UU Church of Greeley. 9:30 a.m. rehearsals in sanctuary, services begin at 10:00 a.m. Friday Oct. 3rd 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal Friday Oct. 17th 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal Sunday Oct. 19th 10:00 a.m. performance (9:30am rehearsal) Friday Oct. 31st 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal Friday Nov. 14th 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal Sunday Nov. 16th 10:00 a.m. performance (9:30 a.m. rehearsal) Friday Dec. 5th 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal Friday Dec. 19th 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal Sunday Dec. 21st 10:00 a.m. performance (9:30 a.m. rehearsal) Wednesday Dec. 24th Christmas Eve Performance Contact Dianne Culver with any care or concerns Thanks to Shelley and Billy Gotchey for hosting the first Circle Supper of the church year. The group celebrated the Autumn Equinox, and the ritual came from this book: In Nature's Honor: Myths and Rituals Celebrating the Earth by Patricia Montley. Circle Suppers are fun. Whoever hosts provide drinks and invites the number of people that fit in their home. Everyone else brings things to eat. Someone offers to lead a spiritual practice. Who would like to host the next one? Contact Bill Gotchey. We Have a Need for you to Pick some Weeds. If you see a weed and you feel the need pick that weed and you will see what a great place this can be. Serve in Partnership October 19, 2014- Faith Marriage Workshop. After the worship service, stay for lunch and a workshop, both provided by One Colorado. Learn more about marriage equality, sign the marriage pledge, learn how to help with voter registration, help us reach the LGBTQ community in Greeley so that we can companion folks who can't wait for marriage. We will be inviting the larger Greeley community including people form various churches in the area. Help us host our neighbors and learn lots, too! November 15- Environmental Justice Workshop at Unitarian Universalist Church of Cheyenne 9:00am1:00pm. Registration coming soon. Stay tuned to the weekly email. Opportunity to Companion See the description of this invitation to companion Catalina and her daughter on page 6,7, and 8. Give in Gratitude Early in September we got an anonymous donation of $200. Here's the note that went with it: Please use this donation for either lawnscaping or Religious Education curriculum expenses. I don't attend, but I listen to your podcasts on the webpage. Thank you for the inspirational messages you are sending out. How about that?! That is a great example of how we are spreading our great news into the world. Lead and Manage Mindfully The Mountain Desert District will be holding a workshop called Technology 101 for Congregations. It will be on November 1. More details to come, but mark your calendars! Rev. Kelly’s Column Faith is our theme this month. It is a big subject, and the word itself has many connotations and definitions. The dictionary definition of faith is: Confidence or trust in a person, idea or thing; a belief. My son called me last week from college, worrying about an exam that was coming up. I said, “Buddy, I have faith in you.” In other words, I have confidence in him to prepare and do his best. I believe in him. The Hebrew word for faith, bitachon, means trust. Unitarian Universalist minister, Tom Owen-Towle draws the connection that in our theological journey, trust requires us to surrender a bit. Not submit, but surrender a little bit. He says, “We must learn how to give ourselves over to another person or reality without giving ourselves away.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” You might call this a leap of faith - which requires courage and confidence. You may have taken a leap of faith during your life; taken action without knowing the outcome. Faithfulness can be interpreted as loyalty. We have faithful members of this church - folks who are loyal to our denomination and congregation. Many of you are faithful partners, parents, siblings, daughters brothers, etc. You are loyal to others. Then there is blind faith. Our Unitarian Universalist heritage is full of people who reject blind faith and suggest that we apply reason before believing in something. Another way to define faith is: a system for making meaning of life’s events. Most of us were taught a system as young children. For you, that system may work still today, and for some of you, it may not work anymore as a way to explain why things happen and why they happen to you. As Unitarian Universalists, we hold that the search for meaning and truth is ongoing (that’s our Fourth Principle). We hold that faith doesn’t come from the outside or from above; it comes from within, from our active participation in the process of discovery. In that process of discovery, our system of making meaning can change, and that change can be disorienting and leave us feeling rudderless. How do we examine the faith of our past and decide if it is working? And if it is not working, how do we reconstruct a faith that does help us make meaning? These are the questions I will explore on Sunday, October 5th. Throughout the month, I’ll be posting on Facebook and engaging with you about the other kinds of faith. In the meantime, I invite you to consider these questions: • In who or what are you confident? • Do you surrender? To who or what? • Do you do surrender without giving yourself away? • When have you taken a leap of faith? Is there a leap you’re pondering now? • To whom are you loyal? Questions like these help us stay on the responsible and ongoing search for truth and meaning. I’m glad we’re on it together! Happy October Birthdays! Allie Gaskins 8 Antony Noftsker 10 Patti Joyner 11 Emerson Myers 14 Shaileen Snider 15 Norma Vang 15 Debbie Conley 20 Sylvia Perchlik 22 Treasurer's Report August 2014 Expenses Office and Facilities Employees Exp. Dues Committees Total Expenses: 1517.50 1595.70 559.00 100.00 3772.20 Income Plate Pledges Grocery Cert/Rent Other Total Income: 269.00 2330.00 210.00 2000.00 4809.00 Difference: +1036.80