Welcome to CUF Links online - April 2007
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SUNDAY SERVICES are held in the Fellowship Hall at 10:30 AM.
April 1 Bill Sasso: “Doers and Dreamers”
It has been said that “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” and some would add that where there is no plan, the vision perishes. We come together in community both to dream and to do. As our Stewardship Campaign opens, Bill will explore some of the interconnections between our dreaming and our doing.
April 8 Bill Sasso: “Images of Resurrection”
On this Easter morning, we recall the image of death and resurrection, an image both common and extraordinary. What images come to your mind as you consider the Easter narrative? What makes the difference between human experience as “cycle” and that experience as “circle?” Join Bill as he ponders these aspects of resurrection images.
April 15 Guest Speaker: Father Joseph Brown
We don’t have all the details yet—for instance, we don’t yet have a title—but we look forward to welcoming Father Joseph Brown, Professor of Black American Studies at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale as guest speaker. Ken Starbuck will preside and coordinate this service.
April 22 Bill Sasso: “Earth Day Reflections”
As global warming continues to accelerate, and as the scientific community’s acceptance of this phenomenon continues to grow, what can we learn from similar situations in history? Bill will offer lessons from our human experience, and we will think about how we can change our own lives and lifestyles in response. Please note: this will not be an intergenerational service; children and youth should plan to attend their regular religious education classes.
April 29 Jesslyn Jobe: “The Protective Factors and My Parents”
April is Child Abuse Prevention month. Jesslyn Jobe, Co-Chair of the Fellowship’s Social Action Committee, and an ardent advocate for the prevention of child abuse, will discuss the Six Protective Factors which have been identified as key to preventing child abuse and neglect in families and relate them to her own childhood and family. Bill Sasso will coordinate this service.
And coming up . . .
May 6 Graduation and Affirmation Sunday
OPEN MINDS meets in the Fellowship Commons each Sunday at
8:45 AM.
April 1, “Compassionate Hands: Hospice in Action.” Volunteer
Coordinator of Hospice of Southern Illinois, Debbie Byrd, will provide Open
Minds with information on hospice care, terminal illness, end-of-life
issues, caregiving, and grief. Discussion
will follow a short video. Several members of the Fellowship have served as
volunteers in these magnificent programs.
April 8, “Give Peace a Chance.” Round Table Discussion appropriate to the Easter season.
April 15, Cosmos: PBS series “One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue” is presented by Carl Sagan as he traces human evolution from a single celled organism in the primitive ocean. How did humans evolve and adapt to their environments? Discussion follows the presentation, which will be facilitated by Bob Camp.
April 22, “Combating Terrorism: Using Cutting Edge Technology” will be presented by Andrei Kolmakova, PhD, SIUC Physics. How can nanotechology help us catch/subvert the bad guys?
April 29, “Sifting Through the Sands of Time.” Victor De Graff has a video movie that has been created as a way to present. He will discuss the issues that lead us to unresolved conflicts.
What Are We Looking For?
I have a deep sense that, often in life, what we find is what we have been looking for. Not always, of course, for we have unmatched socks and lost telephone numbers and misplaced books at our house, and I bet you have some at your house as well. But—even with socks!—it’s fortunate that matching items seem to appear much frequently than not.
But I think there is a larger sense in which what we find is what we are looking for. When we move to a new town, or begin a new course of studies, or pick up a new book, or begin to become acquainted with a new community, we often come with our own set of expectations. Those expectations focus our attention and shape our experiences (and our interpretations of those experiences) in one direction or another. In this sense, too, we often find what we are looking for.
In a perfect world, we might train ourselves to come to each new situation without expectations, to come with an open mind. Sometimes we are capable of achieving this, and some of us may be very good at doing so. But some of us (like me) know that maintaining an open mind can be quite a challenge. So if we can’t always keep an open mind, what can we do? At the very least, we can pay attention to our own expectations, to the assumptions that we bring to each situation. And perhaps we can even go a step further, intentionally considering the expectations that we bring, as one way of finding the best that is present in our situation, rather than the worst. What we find is, at least in part, determined by what we look for.
When you come to the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship, what are you looking for? We’re a sufficiently complex and inconsistent community that—whatever you may be looking for—it’s probably here, at least to some degree. And lots of other experiences, qualities, and characteristics are here, too, including some that you may not be looking for, but which may have meaning and significance for you. There is a reason that one of our groups was called “Serendipity”—the connections that you can create here can lead you in unanticipated directions. Your participation in and engagement with those adventures may make a real difference to some of the others present, both within the Fellowship and in the larger community. And it can happen that as you detour from your own search to help another on her or his quest that you find what you have sought.
Occasionally someone will report having one of those “aha!” experiences, when we realize that we thought we were looking for one thing, but what we really wanted to find is something else. Maybe I’ve been looking for amusement, but what I really want to find is meaning in my life. Or perhaps I’ve been looking for company, but what I have really wanted to find is community. Or perhaps I have been looking for acceptance, but what I really want to find is the challenge to become more than I am today.
What are you really hoping to find here? How are you working to find it? And how is your quest part of the larger journey of this faith community?
Bill S.
FROM THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION DIRECTOR
It’s not unusual that a discussion I have with a friend inspires a topic for my monthly column. Such is the case with this column. My friend was commenting that what she does at/for the Fellowship, is basically about a message, and that got me thinking.
How often do you consciously think that what you do, or don’t do, is sending a “message?” I can admit that for me, it’s not all the time. So much of my time and energy gets channeled into doing something, or being someplace, or responding to an urgent issue, that I can lose focus on the intended outcome, my message. And it can get more complicated when we start looking at the message we might want to send our children, versus the message we want to send to the community about what we stand for, versus the message we are sending, intentional or not, about our individual self. And, is our message consistent with our intent? For this column, let’s just focus on messages we might imagine our children receiving.
If you’re a youngster, what message do you give most credence to? What you hear, or what you see? And if you think children don’t notice contradictions between what they’re told, and what they observe, you need to spend a little time with us in the RE wing. Trust me, kids love to point out inconsistencies, and even the most trivial misstatement can bring a storm of corrections. And most kids are very literal. A guest last Sunday was telling me about his experience trying to explain praying to his child. The child seemed to understand completely, and, of course, asked, “What’s God’s cell phone number?” And to answer my first question, my opinion is that children believe more in what they see than what they’re told.
I
frequently hear the expression, from both adults and children, “That’s not
fair!” And it usually has to do
with the perception that people are not being treated exactly the same way.
At a workshop on Special Needs Children in
I’m sure you can think of many more examples of “messages” that our kids receive in the course of their day. My point in this column is just to remind you that, whether you notice or not, our kids are constantly hearing and seeing messages, and sorting out which are consistent, and which are just noise. And this notice is not just for parents, for as we all know, this Fellowship is the village that also has a hand in raising these children.
Happy spring to you all,
On the train to Chicago a couple of weeks ago, I found lots of uninterrupted time to do something I haven’t been able to do at home. I read the CUF Bylaws.
I read them to see what changes are needed as we continue to grow in size and complexity. The Finance committee suggested some changes last fall, and they were deferred so that a complete review of the Bylaws could be made. Ed Phillips, board member, is chairing a committee to review them, with recommendations to be brought to the congregation in the fall.
As I read through them, I was reminded that the leadership is charged to keep the congregation informed. The congregation is to receive reports on the number of members, budget performance and a list of committees and chairs. The congregation is also to be informed of when board meetings are scheduled, board action taken and solicit feedback.
We have done this, in a passive way. We let members know that they can access financial reports and board meeting minutes on the CUF Web site. A thorough reading of the minutes will provide most of the information, but I am sure that it is a small number of people who take the time to access the web site and read the minutes.
I believe that more assertive action is required to comply with the spirit of the bylaws. This is your Fellowship, and you have a right to know. I am using this column to initiate a Monthly Report to the Congregation in CUF Links.
MEMBERSHIP
In
January, we informed the UUA that our official membership was 187. We
reviewed the list of current members and sent letters to individuals who had not
been active recently to determine their interest in continuing as members.
This number is important because it is used to determine our dues to the UUA and
the Central Midwest District. It is also used to determine the number of
voting delegates at the UUA General Assembly in June. Since January 1, we have
had five new members join through signing the membership book and one couple
inform us that they have moved away from
BUDGET PERFORMANCE
As of February 28, 2007, the Fellowship had received $119,558 and spent $107,909. Income is 2% below expected income and 9% below expected expenditures. The Asset report is updated quarterly, and details will be shared next month when updated totals are available.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Board meets monthly at the Fellowship at 7 PM, on the second Thursday of the month. The next meeting will be April 12, 2007. At the March board meeting, the board was focused on developing a budget goal for the current Stewardship and Challenge Campaign. They approved a Basic Budget pledge goal of $172,000 and a Breakthrough Budget pledge goal of $189,000. Also, at the March board meeting, the board approved the moving of the light control panel from the organ chamber to another location. The problem was that a fan that came on to cool the panel was noisy and interfered with the tuning of the organ. This will be paid for with a special donation by Dave and Anne Sharpe.
COMMITTEES
The following ad hoc committees were created by the board this year:
Breakthrough Congregation committee co-chaired by Cheryl and Tom Robinson
Bylaws Revision committee chaired by Ed Phillips
The following committees have been revived and are very active:
Stewardship and Challenge Campaign chaired by Mary Campbell
Membership committee co-chaired by Judy Aydt and Cathy Kline
Social Action committee co-chaired by Carla Feldhamer and Jesslyn Jobe
A complete list of all committees and committee chairs will be included next month.
This is a beginning of regular communication with the congregation on business and financial operations. Your comments are welcome and appreciated.
I hope that you attended the Congregational Dialogue on March 25 and understand the financial needs of the Fellowship. I believe that members, with an understanding of the needs, will fully support our growth through thoughtful and generous financial commitments during the Stewardship and Challenge Campaign. This I believe!
Jerry Molumby
My column this month is the Testimonial I gave during the March 11, 2007, Sunday Service.
My name is Mary Campbell. One hat that I wear at CUF is chair of the Stewardship Committee which will Kick-off our Annual Fund Drive March 31st. I love this community. It has been my spiritual home since 1983. I joined the Fellowship in the spring of 1984 when I was asked to run for a board vacancy. My membership in this community has allowed me to make many UU connections. I happily represented CUF on the St. Louis Area Council, the Central Midwest District Board, and many district conferences and attended General Assemblies as the Fellowship’s delegate. As a Fellowship member I represented us in our local community on the Peace Coalition, the Interfaith Council, and was on the organizing board of the Rainbow Café.
My anchors in my faith exploration are the UUA 1st and 7th Principles. The 1st is the inherent worth and dignity of every person and the 7th is the respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. The other five principles are lived and expressed also in the Fellowship, which makes this a community where I want to explore who I am and whom I’m becoming. I feel safe, honored, loved and allowed to be me.
Some of the ways I participate in this community are serving on committees, participating in programs, and contributing financially. My financial commitment (pledge) has varied according to my checkered career path. In the spring I make a financial commitment. However, when I get a raise the Fellowship gets raise. I don’t wait until the next annual budget drive. In June 2006 when I got a permanent job I increased my financial commitment. This raised my giving level to 2% for my income level. When I completed my annual commitment card yesterday (March 10th), I increased my giving level to 3%, which makes my financial commitment a Fair Share gift. When I became chair of this committee I did not have the funds available to make a contribution to the Challenge campaign. Two weeks ago I was informed about a one time financial gift I will be receiving. I have signed my Challenge commitment by giving my gift to this campaign. Why do make these financial commitments? This Fellowship as individual members and a community is an important part of my life. From washing windows to participating in the Women’s retreat, each person/activity is part of the wonderful mosaic we create together. I contribute to keep this mosaic a growing and dynamic community.
Thank you to the members of this Fellowship who have honored my person and spiritual paths. You provide me space to explore, emotional support and helping hands when I’ve asked and when I did not expect it. Your financial commitment ensures that we continue to offer all of the various opportunities members and friends are looking for when they walk through our front door. What fun and exciting times are ahead for us. With our time, talents, and financial support we can “Break on Through to the Other Side.” I made my Fair Share gift; please give your Fair Share gift.
Thank you and with much gratitude,
Mary Campbell
Chair, Stewardship Campaign
By Dave Clarke, Treasurer
Receipt and recording of income is being done by Natalie Trimble and several helping money counters each Sunday and Stan Aydt as Income Manager recording income receipts. As of March 1st, our operating budget showed income received of $119,558 and expenses of $108,569, for a temporary surplus of about $11,000. This surplus is expected to steadily decrease as bills come due at the end of the fiscal year. Whether we achieve a balanced budget will depend on the extent to which households honor their pledges for the current fiscal year, since these pledges determine the commitments we make with our expense budget. As of March 1st our Reserve Fund stood at $38,845.91, down from about $46,000 at the start of the fiscal year on July 1st. There has been good progress in paying off the mortgage, thanks to early contributors to the Capital Challenge Campaign and funds available from our Matching Challenge Grant. It now stands at a little over $300,000, down from about $382,000 on July 1st. Budget details are available online for members at www.cuuf.net/members/archives/FY07/Budget . Access to this information requires logging in using the User Name and Password. Copies are also available in the office.
The Finance Committee has been active since the beginning of this calendar year in preparing a preliminary budget for the coming fiscal year FY07-08. Budget projections have been solicited from committee chairs by Kimberly Gregory and a draft budget was submitted to the Board at its March meeting. The budget assumes that the mortgage will be reduced from its current amount to $200,000 by August 1st, the date at which our mortgage is renegotiated. Given the availability of matching funds, this requires the current capital campaign to raise $50,000 between now and August 1st. This draft budget has been the basis for setting the pledge goals of the current canvass (or stewardship) campaign. It may be viewed by members at www.cuuf.net/members/archives/FY08/Budget/Planning in both Excel (.xls) and web (.htm) formats. Hard copies are also available in the office mail slot assigned to the budget.
Who do YOU want to represent you on the Board next year? So far, one member has suggested candidates. Give/send your ideas to a member of the Nominating Committee: Mary Campbell, Sandy Charlson, Miriam Link-Mullison, Susie Phillips, David Sharpe.
By
Vennie Anderson
Water,
water, everywhere . . . and many of us don’t drink enough!
You
may already know that as a human being up to 60% of your body is composed of
water. Muscle is made of nearly 75% water, and both fat and bones are 50% water.
Your body requires sufficient water for many of its life sustaining processes.
In addition to promoting good general health, water is important for the health
of your skin and the quality of your complexion.
Current
research recommends water intake for men should be 3 liters (approximately 13
cups) and for women, 2.2 liters, or approximately 9 cups. Those who live (or
visit) in a hot, humid climate or who sweat profusely should drink more water,
more often. While it is possible to drink too much water, which can cause
electrolyte imbalance, most people fail to drink enough for optimal health.
Parents
of young children should pay attention to how much your children drink,
especially in summer. A four year old can tell you when he’s thirsty, but an
infant or young toddler can’t. A good rule of thumb is whenever you get a
drink yourself, offer a drink to your child.
We
get a certain amount of water in many of the foods we eat, but the
recommendations for drinking water are over and above that in foods. Beverages
such as coffee, tea, soda, and other soft drinks are mostly water. However,
depending on these liquids for adequate water intake is not the healthiest
choice. Oils, caffeine, sugar, additives, and other substances in these liquids
can cause problems including stomach upset, nervousness, insomnia, allergic
reactions and other side effects. In addition, beverages containing
caffeine also have a diuretic effect, drawing water out of your system.
Alcoholic beverages, such as beer, are also mostly water, but alcohol too has a
diuretic effect, which can contribute to dehydration.
Don’t
count on thirst to let you know you need to drink! By the time you feel
even a little thirsty, you are already slightly dehydrated. Drinking some
water every hour while you are awake is a good strategy. Another good way to
remember to add extra water to your daily intake is to drink an 8-ounce glass of
water every time you go to the bathroom to urinate. You can tell by the color of
your urine if you are taking in enough water. Urine that has been accumulating
in your bladder overnight will be concentrated and yellow. Otherwise, your urine
should be colorless and odorless. (Some foods and medicines affect
the color of urine, so if you feel you are drinking enough and your urine still
seems yellow or orangeish, check with your doctor or pharmacist.)
Tap
or bottled water, chilled or room temperature, is the healthiest beverage going!
If you don’t like the taste of tap water, try adding a squeeze of lemon or
lime juice or a sprig of fresh mint.
By Jesslyn Jobe
The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is set for Sunday, May 6, at 7 PM at the Carbondale Town Square Pavilion. Those interested in assisting may contact Carla Feldhamer at hospice88(at)aol.com
The Fellowship Yard Sale is set for Saturday, June 19. We need help the day of the sale, setting up, selling, and cleaning up. We’ll also need help the week of the sale, pricing and organizing items. Jan Eisenhard’s and JoAnn Nelson’s Covenant group have signed on to help as have a few other individuals, but we’ll need more assistance. If you have some time to spare, please contact Jess Jobe at jesj62901(at)yahoo.com or 549-2653. We’ll also need items in good condition to sell at the yard sale, including adult and children’s clothes, toys, books, household items. Please start saving your items now and look to future newsletters and the bulletin for drop off dates. A yard sale planning meeting will be held later in the spring. All proceeds from the yard sale will benefit the social action projects of the Fellowship.
The Environmental Concerns Subcommittee invites members and friends to attend the last film in the Energy Film Fest that began on March 22, sponsored by the Sierra Club, Shawnee Group:
March
30, “Kilowatt Ours,” 7 PM, Longbranch Coffeehouse,
HELP WANTED: Peace and Social Justice Subcommittee chair(s)
Duties:
Organize the Fellowship’s involvement in local and global peace and justice
work. Past activities co-sponsored by the Fellowship include the Eyes Wide Open
program, which brought a powerful anti-war memorial/program to
Benefits: Pays real peace dividends.
Thanks to Matt Sronkoski for his past leadership on this subcommittee—we appreciate all you’ve done! Contact Carla Feldhamer or Jess Jobe if you’re interested in this important work of the Fellowship.
The following is the schedule for our Religious Education program for the summer. The program is open for those children entering Kindergarten through 5th grade. If your child is older but will be attending, we could always use their help. The program is “A World of New Friends: An Introduction to World Religions.” Each week requires one lead teacher and three assistants. WE NEED LEAD TEACHERS AND ASSISTANTS TO SIGN UP FOR THE WEEKS THEY ARE ABLE. Everyone is invited to be a lead teacher and assistant. Remember, many hands make for light work. Our strategic plan calls for more meaningful intergenerational opportunities, and this is a great one. Talk to Roy or Cindy Baer if you have questions.
Lead Assistant 1 Assistant 2 Assistant 3
June 03: Christianity ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
June 10: Islam ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
June 17: Islam ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
June 24: Hinduism ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
July 01: Buddhism ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
July 08: Buddhism ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
July 15: Confucianism ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
July 22: Taoism ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
July 29: Earth-centered ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Aug 05: Earth-centered ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Aug 12: Sikhism ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Aug 19: Judaism ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Tips for Effective Announcements
You have an announcement! Great! The Sunday Services Committee (and friends) would like to offer you a few tips for making your announcement as effectively as possible:
1. Publish your announcement in CUF Links (asharpe(at)siu.edu) and/or the Sunday Order of Service and the weekly email Bulletin (russtrim(at)verizon.net). The deadline for CUF Links is the 20th of the preceding month; the deadline for the Sunday Order of Service is 5 PM each Thursday, and the deadline for the email Bulletin is noon each Sunday. If you want people to remember a phone number, an email address, or a website, using a printed announcement is probably the best way to communicate this information successfully.
2. If last minute events cause a change in your event/effort and an oral Sunday service announcement is necessary:
Write your announcement out (legibly, of course) ahead of time. Edit it so it includes the important information but is brief —takes less than 30 seconds to read.
Give your written-out announcement to the person presiding over the service to be read.
If people need to know who you are to act on the information in your announcement, make your oral announcement (reading your script) during the “announcements” period of the service.
My name and position is . . .
This announcement is on behalf of the (name CUF committee or function)
State “we want you to know . . .” Or “We want you to (do) . . .”
5. Announcements should be about the business of the Fellowship, not of community events. Our Sunday service is not, for example, the time to advertise the hiking club’s efforts to clear trails . . . unless our participation is sponsored by a CUF committee.
Here is a sample of an effective announcement:
B