February 6, 2022
We will host a virtual worship service on Sunday, February 6th at 10:15 am.
Widening the Circle of Theology and Faith Formation
What is a Unitarian Universalist theology and how does our shared Unitarian Universalist faith – in humanity and in the possibility of justice – call us to dismantle oppression?
Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 9 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is Assata’s Daughters.
From Rev. Susan Frances & the Committee on Shared Ministry: January 28, 2022
Dear Friends,
Some of you have already been collaborating with the Committee on Shared Ministry. For others, you may not even know that we have a Committee on Shared Ministry or know they exist, but not know their mission and purpose. In the spirit of shared ministry, we (Carla Williams, the chair of this Committee, and Rev. Susan Frances) have prepared this deeply meaningful (a/k/a highly contrived, yet immensely informative) note for you.
Carla: Are you ready for examples?
Susan: Maybe a definition first.
Carla: Okay. Shared Ministry refers to shared endeavor. Living the mission of this church is a shared endeavor, a shared ministry. That means, each of us, whether ordained minister, staff, or lay leader, newcomer or long-term member, has a part to play and important contributions to make.
It means creating a welcoming environment that supports participation in our ministry, ensuring there’s a clear way of offering feedback and communicating with ministers and each other, and clarifying expectations for how we participate in the endeavor to support our mission. Are you ready for examples now?
Susan: Yes, I’m ready.
Carla: Examples of shared ministry are when members help plan and assist with worship and provide pastoral care for the congregation or work with the religious education program as teachers or serve as social justice advocates within the church and the larger community.
What each of us does for UCE “is” the ministry we each share with one another; be it serving on the Board or a committee, singing in the choir, being a worship associate, devoting time to an aspect of Lifespan Faith Formation, participating on social justice teams, composting or caring for the natural habitats around us — the list goes on. In the midst of all our efforts it is important to remember that shared ministry has a sacred quality to it that strengthens the congregation, strengthens us, while also serving our mission.
Susan: Shared ministry is such a wonderful community model. What is the purpose of the Committee on Shared Ministry?
Carla: Well, glad you asked. The Committee on Shared Ministry (COSM) was formed to grow greater transparency, accountability and communication into our shared ministry. This means conveying to the congregation that each person has something to contribute to the shared ministry of the congregation, which is our mission: nurturing the human spirit for a world made whole. How ever you participate in that mission is shared ministry.
For example, do you remember just last spring when Rev. Eileen, Rev. Karen Gustafson, and Jessica Meis worked on creating an annual review process for all the groups and teams?
Susan: Yes, I do. In fact, Rev. Eileen, Jessica, and I just finished updating the online annual review form based on feedback from last year. We’re about to send it out to leaders to complete by April 20th for this year’s congregational annual meeting.
Carla: Well, the COSM is now involved in the annual review process and is available to work with teams to help them complete their annual review process and form.
Susan: That’s a lot of teams for the COSM to work with each spring. Do you meet with teams at other times?
Carla: Yes. Some teams complete their annual review process and realize they need to reflect more on one aspect or another from that review and we can assist with that. For example, members of the COSM met with the Green Team in early December and facilitated a conversation about communication practices and the structure of their working groups. It is great to work with our various teams. There’s a lot to be learned about all that we are doing!
Susan: Knock. Knock.
Carla: Who’s there?
Susan: Orange.
Carla: Orange who?
Susan: Orange you glad you said yes to joining the Committee on Shared Ministry!
Carla: That’s a terrible joke. But, in fact, I am glad to have joined the COSM. I have found the more I learn about shared ministry, the more I see the deep benefits to our community in living out our principles, especially our 8th Principle to accountably “build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community”. COSM members continue to seek ways of creating synergy with the various groups, teams, and councils.
One key aspect of Unitarian Universalism is our belief that ministry of the congregation does not belong exclusively to ordained clergy, but to everyone. In Our Professional Ministry: Structure, Support and Renewal, the UUA Commission’s 1992 study, Neil Shadle stated, “Ministry is the vocation of every person of faith, [and] Unitarian Universalism, as a democratic faith, affirms the ‘priesthood of all believers’; we are all lay ministers, whether or not we choose to be professional religious leaders.” This belief in the “priesthood of all believers” is central to who we are as a religious movement.
Despite the challenges of the past two years we have accomplished much. We have a newly settled Senior Minister with the skills, talents and passion we require, professional staff committed to our success, a congregation of members generous in their time, talents, and treasure, and a collective commitment to revisit what’s important and evolve and change in ways necessary to achieve our mission.
Volunteers are teaming with staff to reimagine religious education as Faith Formation Hour. Councils, committees, and teams are looking inward at their work and outward to their relationship with the whole to confirm alignment with the mission and seek synergy when possible. The New Member Team is looking across groups to find common opportunities to radically welcome and engage potential and new members in the work. Guidance by our professional staff supports intentionality and top of mind thinking about the things we say are important, like the 8th Principle. Everywhere you look there are groups of people engaging in conversation, looking for opportunities, doing things to make a difference. The work is all around us. The work is us, together, in shared ministry.
Susan: This is a such a great way to explain that shared ministry involves all of us and is all of us.
Carla: Let’s turn this conversation into an action of shared ministry! If you are reading this and are part of a group, team, council, committee, or working group, you are invited to reach out to me about how the Committee on Shared Ministry might make a presentation to elaborate on what we’ve shared here or assist you with this year’s annual review process!
Susan: Another way to engage is to look for examples of where you see shared ministry in action and acknowledge that good work. Then, share those stories with me, Rev. Eileen, Carla or someone else on the COSM, Susan Carlton, Ben Kornfeld, Ann McCallister, Jim Strickler, or Jenny Walsh. We’re looking forward to continuing this shared ministry journey with you!
Yours in building a diverse multicultural Beloved Community,
Rev. Susan & Carla
Endowment – Looking Back & Looking Forward: January 30, 2022
January is the perfect month for looking back and looking forward. Although it’s the beginning of the calendar year, January is the middle of our church fiscal year, FY21/22.
Looking back over the first half of the fiscal year, the UCE Board of Trustees approved fourteen grant applications. These grants fulfill the total Endowment Fund distribution of $87,729 for FY21/22.
Six grants support community organizations or outreach:
- Interfaith Action Community Support (FAST) – $15,000
- Family Focus Scholarships (FAST) – $6,650
- Solidarity Circles and Training (IST) – $5,900
- Expansion of Youth Housing – CFH (FAST) – $23,000
- Immigrant Family Support (IST) – $3,500
- Soup Kitchen (FAST) – $1,000
- Total = $55,050
Seven grants support UCE programs, projects, and scholarships:
- 8 Principles (BOT) – $950
- Hybrid worship/conferencing equipment (STF) (-$5,047 which was funded in FY20/21) – $18,600
- RE Storyteller (FFF) – $1,800
- Worship Arts Section Leads (WAC) – $9,000
- Installation Service (BOT) – $2,000
- UUA General Assembly Funding (DA) – $4,376
- Lobby Arts Program (LAP) – $1,000
- Total = $37,726
A grant supporting scholarships for the MidWest Leadership Training School has been combined with the UUA General Assembly Funding grant, reducing the total grants by one.
Looking ahead, the Endowment Fund distribution amount for FY22/23 is $95,496 (5% of the Fund principal on 12/31/2021). Applications for FY22/23 may be submitted for the May 31 deadline. If recommended by the Endowment Committee and approved by the Board of Trustees, these will be funded in July, 2022.
Contact Trustees Margaret Schatz, Tom Hempfling, and Bill Hartgering, if you have questions.
Your Input Needed: January 28, 2022
Article II Study Commission Requests YOUR Input by April 30, 2022
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has commissioned a study of Article II of the UUA Bylaws. Article II is comprised of our Principles and Purposes and is the foundation for the work of our Unitarian Universalist (UU) movement. It encompasses the covenant to which all of our UU congregations and UU covenanted communities pledge themselves when they become members of our UUA.
The Article II Study Commission welcomes input from individual Unitarian Universalists to inform the reimagining of Article II of the UUA Bylaws. The Commission has identified four areas of inquiry: Shared Values, Inspirations, Purpose, and Covenant. Click the “Article II Individual Survey” button below to answer questions in each of these areas. Toward the end of the survey, there are questions to collect demographic information. Lastly, you will have an opportunity to share any other input you’d like as well as ask any follow-up questions you have for the Commission.
We encourage you to click on the “Article II Materials” button below to engage with some of the many events, workshops, small groups, classes, and materials offered by the Commission before you take the survey to allow yourself time and space to think deeply about the questions before completing the survey. This survey will remain open until April 30, 2022.
Our current Principles and Purposes as listed in Article II of the UUA Bylaws were last revised in 1987. At General Assembly (GA) 2017, there was discussion of amending the Principles to add the 8th Principle, addressing racism, and an amended 1st Principle, addressing non-human life. The 5th Principle was the subject of a report in 2009, which dealt with the ways in which GA and other UU gatherings do and don’t embody an inclusive democratic process. The 7th Principle has also been the subject of discussions about possible amendments. In response to those discussions, in 2020 the UUA Board established an Article II Study Commission to conduct a review and consider revisions to Article II of the UUA Bylaws.
January 30, 2022
We will host a virtual worship service on Sunday, January 30th at 10:15 am.
Resilience and Perseverance Wherever We Engage
Our Covenant of Engagement, which is the set of promises we aspire to fulfill together in Beloved Community concludes with the hope that we will, ”practice resilience and perseverance wherever we engage.” Staying connected across physical distance and social isolation is challenging. Returning to one another again and again to reconcile and repair when we break our covenants is hard work. How do we fulfill the promise of resilience and perseverance even when our reserves are low? Rev. Eileen Wiviott leads the service with Worship Associate, Marianne Griebler.
Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 9 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is Mother & Child Alliance.
The UUA Compass Conference Summary: January 21, 2022
The UUA Compass conference held on-line in early December gave about 200 UUs nationwide the chance to reflect on their values and beliefs. The event opened with statements from four non-UUs: from a public health expert, from two members of the Rising Appalachia musical group, and from a self-described “queer black trouble-maker”. They spoke about what religion and faith means to them and their interactions with UU activities and individuals.
A panel of UUs responded to what they’d just heard. The group consisted of young adult UUs, a religious educator and clergy members. But perhaps the heart of the conference was the chance for UUs from across the country to share their personal beliefs and reactions to the speakers. Opening with affinity groupings, the chats interspersed throughout the conference moved on to give small groups of attendees the chance to share ideas and experiences from their congregations.
At the end of the event, time was set aside to specifically hear about and reflect on the Article II Study Commission. A proposal is to be made to the UUA Board by January of 2023 not only on the viability of an Eighth Principle supporting racial equity, but on revisions to Article II in its entirety – UU values and sources, along with our principles. This event gave attendees a chance to have their voices heard in this process.
All in all the event was another demonstration of how on-line gatherings can foster dialog among UUs from across the country, and do so in a way that makes it much easier for those of all income levels and of all ages to participate.
Submitted, Jane Bannor, January 2022
January 23, 2022
We will host a virtual worship service on Sunday, January 23rd at 10:15 am.
Living Our Unitarian Universalism in the World
Our faith in each other, our commitment to recognizing the worth and dignity, as well as the interconnection of all emerges in many ways beyond the walls of our church and outside of the time we are together on Sunday mornings. Together we recognize and inspire one another to more fully and creatively live our UU values. Rev. Eileen Wiviott leads worship with Worship Associate, Joe Romeo.
Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 9 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is Community Renewal Society (CRS).