November 2014 Newsletter of the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

November 2014 Newsletter of the
Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
“We affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person.”
Sunday Mornings at 10:30
BHK Building (700 Park Ave., Houghton). Enter on North Side, off
Waterworks Dr.
November Event Schedule
Nov 2: (Service) “To Be Seen”
We look at each other all the time, but
what do we see? Is there enough time
in our busy schedules to really “see?”
Nov 9: (Forum). Everything You Need
to Know about Green Burials. Speaker:
to be announced.
Nov 16: (Service) “En-Visioning our
Future”
What would you like KUUF to look like
in 2020? Let’s play around with some
possibilities . . .
Nov 23: (Service) “Gratitude”
How can we share our beliefs, our
theology, with others if we don’t seem
to have one common set of beliefs, one
common theology? We have atheists,
agnostics, and theists in our
congregations -- what unites us, if
anything? Rev. Gabi will share with you
what the Rev. Galen Gingrich, senior
minister at All Souls Unitarian Church
in New York, proposes: a theology of
gratitude, a theology that can and
should work for all of us.
East Coast Settled Minister
UUA Facilitator Visits KUUF
On Sunday, October 12, facilitator
Donna Dolham, from Maine, flew to
Houghton and presented both a service
and workshop for the Fellowship on
Avoiding Categorical Thinking.
Twenty-five members attended the
workshop after the
service, and all said
it was quite
worthwhile.
The weather did
not help with
attendance: it was
beautiful, so
attending a three
hour workshop took
considerable
fortitude.
Nevertheless, as
participant Bill Leder said, “The three
hours went by really fast,”
Ms. Dolham’s expertise did, however,
help. She explained that she has been
running this type of workshop for over
ten years. Her performance was thus
quite polished.
Nov 30: The Celebrations Committee
will handle this service.
Keweenaw UU Fellowship
The UUA requires fellowships
seeking a settled minister to
participate. The goal is to increase
acceptance of ministerial candidates,
November 2014
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regardless of categories such as age,
gender, sexual identification, etc.
The workshop “provided me with
some insights that I had not
considered.” Bill Leder said afterwards.
Ms. Dolham began by distributing to
participants sheets of paper asking how
he or she would feel towards a
candidate who was _______. The blank
space would be completed with terms
such as “bisexual,” “gay,” or a physical
disability.
The next question on the sheet
asked how each participant would
judge the Fellowship’s willingness to
accept a person in this particular
category.
The final question asked what the
Fellowship might learn from such a
person. By the end of the workshop, the
facilitator had compiled the answers,
gave the results, and explained how the
KUUF compared to other fellowships:
we showed little difference with other
groups.
Participants then grouped
themselves at tables of 5-7 people, with
each table given questions to answer,
such as, “A church is located in an old
neighborhood. Two members of this
fellowship are speaking, and one says ‘I
hope we find a minister who can lead
us towards joining the entire local
community.’” The second person
responds with ‘I want someone who is
smart.’”
The implication from this
hypothetical scenario is that the sample
fellowship, presumably situated in a
working class area, does not feel that
local people are smart enough.
The follow-question then asks:
“Whose problem is this, and what
should be done about it?”
Participant Jane Hiltunen said the
workshop was “excellent,” because Ms.
Keweenaw UU Fellowship
Dolham would not let the participants
dodge the tough questions.
When participants questioned
whether they would accept a minister
who used faulty grammar. saying “I’m
really concerned about this,” Ms.
Dolham asked “How would you explain
this concern to the minister? What
would you say?”
The point here is that an issue with
good or bad grammar does not
necessarily lead to a successful or
unsuccessful minister.
With regards to candidates’
sufficient education, Ms. Dolham
explained that all candidates have
obtained at least a master’s degree, plus
have been vetted by UUA superiors. No
candidates, Dolham said, would be on
the market who were not prepared.
In responding to someone’s concern
about a candidate who uses a
wheelchair, the facilitator said that the
UUA is aware of our winter weather
and would not send a candidate to us
who could not move around in snow.
The KUUF November Newsletter
Deadline is Tuesday, November 25th.
Send info to jackjobst@charter.net
What does an Interim Minister
Do All
Week?
In the
interim,
with Rev.
Gabi
In my eight months here at KUUF, I
have been asked several questions
again and again. So I thought I follow
November 2014
3
the pattern of many websites, listing
and answering the most commonly
asked questions.
Q: What’s the purpose of an interim
minister?
A: An interim minister helps a
congregation with the transition from
one settled minister to the next. In
addition to the regular duties of a
minister, he or she helps the
congregation to claim and honor its
past, to heal its grievances and
conflicts; to come to terms with its
unique identity, its strengths, its needs,
its challenges; to clarify the multiple
dimensions of their leadership, both
ordained and lay; and to navigate the
shifts in leadership that accompany
times of transition.
As your interim, I am also trying to
renew your connections with available
resources, within and beyond the UUA.
In a few weeks we will work on
renewing your vision, strengthening
your stewardship, and preparing for
new professional leadership.
Q: How long does it take you to write
your sermons?
A: My UU colleagues and I agree that on
the average we spend 15-20 hours a
week on a sermon. That does not count
the time needed for finding readings,
chalice lightings, hymns, and closing
words . . .
Q: Aren’t all those committee
meetings that you attend boring?
interesting and stimulating. They give
me a chance to “take the pulse” of the
congregation. Especially in a place like
KUUF, where people get along really
well, it’s a lot of fun to sit in on planning
and decision-making sessions. I’ve been
in congregations with a lot of arguing
and bickering, so meetings often went
way overtime: not fun.
Q: Do you sometimes visit
congregants in their homes?
A: Oh yes! I love going to people’s
houses and meeting with them in a
relaxed atmosphere. I’ve had wonderful
conversations those last months,
visiting different congregants almost
every week. In case I haven’t called on
you yet – drop me a line!
Q: Where will you go from here?
A: I have no idea! After having moved
around a lot in the last ten years, I am
now trying to look for a settled
ministry, if possible, back in the Joseph
Priestley District so that everyone in
my family can remain in the same
house. If that doesn’t work out, I will
once again pack my bags and move
wherever I’ve been called.
But for now, I am thoroughly enjoying
my work with you all, and the beauty of
the Keweenaw! Warmly,
Gabrielle
Park
A: Actually, the KUUF has few
committees that meet regularly. But
even so, I find committee meetings very
Keweenaw UU Fellowship
November 2014
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KUUF Library News
Do you remember
when you first came
to our fellowship?
How were you
treated?
What kept you
coming back? Now,
as a member, how do you treat guests
that visit us on Sunday? How can you
do a better job of welcoming our
visitors and supporting congregational
growth?
Our library contains a wonderful
DVD, “Ideas for Growth: Welcoming the
Newcomer,” produced by the Jefferson
Unitarian Church of Golden, Colorado.
Jefferson is a large fellowship, and it did
not achieve their size by accident.
The video includes concrete steps
that can be taken to improve hospitality. For example, Segment #1 covers
“Repelling Fewer Visitors.” This section
states that the current growth of our
entire denomination is a dismal 1% per
year; “6% of churches account
for 2/3 of national growth;” and our
sluggish growth and slow decline
nullify each other.
The video recommends three steps.
First, say hello. Cordially greet
unfamiliar faces—establish a bond—
and offer to sit with them. Second, “Let
visitors know they are important and
you are glad they came.”
Above all, develop an atmosphere of
welcoming.
The DVD offers a bonus sermon—
“Reflections on the Experience of a
Newcomer.” Those in our Fellowship
who have heard this sermon have
agreed that it is a prizewinner. The
video is ready for checkout.
Bob Fiandt
Keweenaw
Unitarian
Universalist
Fellowship
PO Box 27 Houghton, MI 49931
Keweenaw UU Fellowship
November 2014