From the president

Summertime is Busy Time

Office administrator hired, building inventory taken, and Hazelnuts active

The lazy days of summer seem to have bypassed the Fellowship this year. One of the busiest places has been the office, staffed by the new office administrator, Becca Wemhoff, and by a bevy of ongoing office volunteers. Becca has really hit the ground running and has been streamlining procedures and handling the odds and ends that arise. She is also now producing the monthly newsletter.

Please stop by and introduce yourselves if you haven’t done so, and also prepare to welcome a new custodian and nursery coordinator as we fill those positions moving into the fall.

In July, 15 people–including the Green Hills group and others–spent most of a day taking a detailed inventory of all the Fellowship’s assets. The lists and photographs will be great tools for insurance purposes, as well as for ongoing assessment of our equipment needs. Thanks to Joan Mathews for helping to organize the project.

Outside the building, the Hazelnuts have held several work parties to eliminate weeds and invasive species from the front and the back hillside. They have plans to fill in the gaps with donated perennials and to work toward realizing the master plan drawn up by Ken Lane. Thanks to Cheryl Lawson for coordinating that group, which is also tackling some inside projects.

Summer RE has been a locus of activity, too, with double-digit attendance becoming the norm. Our Fellowship teens and returning graduates have led children in engaging activities, and we’ve enjoyed the addition of several regular visitors upstairs each Sunday.

We really have become a year-round operation, and the summer momentum will be important as we move quickly into a year that promises to engage and challenge members and friends on many levels.

And by the time you read this, a gaggle of our youth–plus Brian Eslinger, Benette Sherman and some intrepid parents–will be exploring Boston by charter bus as the culmination of the Coming of Age program.

In September, Brian will begin a series of Sunday programs designed around the Building Your Own Theology curriculum. And the Committee on Ministry will begin a detailed review of the ongoing and evolving relationship between the congregation and minister.

If we each also come ready to hit the ground running and are willing to risk deeply sharing ourselves in community, I think we will open new doors to profound growth as individuals and as a religious community.

– Brenda Witherspoon

August 7

A Devil’s Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love

Mary Richards

Is the theory of natural selection incompatible with religious beliefs that teach compassion? Enjoy Richard Dawkins’s first essay in his book of the same name, in which he discusses the historical responses to the theory of evolution and his view of how we can both accept nature’s “cruel indifference” as embodied in natural selection and glory in the power to negate such indifference with hope and ethical progress.

August 14

Whole-Hearted Spirituality

The Rev. Brian Eslinger

The heart is often used as a metaphor for spirituality. We’ll explore how this metaphor can lead us toward a vision of spirituality that matters in our lives and in our community.

 

August 21

Time of Transformation: UUA General Assembly

UUFA General Assembly Delegation

Whether they described it as being “born again and again and again” or as a moment of enlightenment, the attendees at the General Assembly, the national gathering of the Unitarian Universalists, found the experience to be transformative. Join them as they describe their moments of clarity and revelation.

August 28

Simple Living

Marcia Brink & Kay Puttock

From the director of youth and children’s ministries

Summertime is Busy Time (part 2)

Benette works on her credentialing program, Boston trip,
fall planning for RE programs

I’m sure August will be a busy month for all of us as we go on vacations, get ready for school, accompany youth on the Boston trip, and catch up on all those yard chores. It’s been a busy summer for me. I finally finished the RE credentialing program and submitted my 200+ page portfolio to the Boston office. I travel to Philadelphia in late October for an interview with the RE credentialing committee, which will decide if I am granted the status of being a credentialed religious educator. I decided to continue with the DRE job (which is 49 weeks, but 40 hours/week), and I look forward to our collaboration developing and implementing programs which are in the best interests of our children and youth.

I will be gone on the Boston trip August 1–10. If you have questions about the RE program, please direct them to Sharon McGuire, the RE chairperson, or Brenda Witherspoon, the UUFA president.

– Benette Sherman (515-292-5960)

Dates to Remember

Aug. 1–9: ............................. Boston Youth trip via charter bus

Aug. 21–23: ............................... Children’s summer day camp

“Me in the Universe” 9 a.m. – 3 p.m

Sept. 11: ................................ RE begins with 9 and 11 services

Children start on the main floor for the

water communion* and ingathering.

Children’s RE Program

We will continue with the curriculum we used last year, Stories of Our World Family. We will focus on our Jewish and Christian heritage, UUism, and Earth-centered spiritualities. Our teaching positions are completely full–what a gift that is! Our registration is top-heavy with youth this year and will continue that way for several years, while our numbers of early elementary youth are much smaller. Consequently, we’re trying something new this year–multi-age grouping with preschoolers (starting at age 4) through 1st- or 2nd-grade children. We’ve had feedback from former RE teachers that when only 2 or 3 children show up on a Sunday, it’s challenging to meet our goals of building community, leadership, peer sharing, and so on. We’ve had multi-age programming all summer, and it seemed to work well. If, by some chance, we have a huge enrollment in young children this fall, we’ll adapt. For the last few years, we have had more children enrolled for the 11 a.m. session, so if you are new to the Fellowship, please consider registering for the 9 a.m. session.

I will be sending all parents a calendar, parent helper list, and other information later this month.

Nursery Program

The nursery program is for infants and toddlers up to 4 years of age. We hope to hire a nursery coordinator before the school year starts. The nursery program includes circle time, free play, snack, and a closing circle.

Youth Program

The 7th- and 8 th-graders will be using a new curriculum called Traditions with a Wink, learning more about UUism, and our traditions and rituals. The high school class decided to focus on Art and Spirituality, another home-grown curriculum.

Fellowship Job Opportunity: Nursery Coordinator

The Fellowship would like to hire an experienced childcare provider who will serve as our Nursery Coordinator. The hours will be Sundays from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., starting Aug. 21. Background checks and personal references are required. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Benette at dycm@uufames.org or 515-292-5960.

Changes Ahead for the Fellowship Office ...

... starting with the newsletter distribution

Greetings from the newest face around the Fellowship. My name is Becca Wemhoff, and I became the Fellowship Office Administrator at the beginning of July. I’m originally from a small town in Nebraska; I came to ISU in 1985 to try to get a graduate degree in Computer Science. And I’m still trying to finish that degree, which is why this half-time job was a perfect fit from my point of view: it allows me time to supposedly work on my thesis.

Happily, I found that I knew quite a few people in the Fellowship, whether from ACTORS, ISU, or the Roosevelt neighborhood. And quite a few people have recognized me because I am also known around Ames as “Becca the Balloon Lady.” (And any kid that stops by gets their own balloon!)

an electronic copy will be that you'll get your newsletter earlier-it will go out the same day as the printed version, and email is a bit faster than snail mail!
However, if you decide to remain with a printed copy, please remember to send us any address changes as soon as you can. Since we request return service from the post office, the newsletters are not forwarded to your new address, even if you have forwarding enabled. We have to pay the post office in order to pick up your newsletter with your address correction, and then we pay new postage to mail it out again.
I'm looking forward to meeting all of you, and, with the help of the new pictorial directory, eventually learning everyone's name!

- Becca Wemhoff (515-292-5960)

THANKS FROM SMPC SURVEY GROUP

- Carole Kazmierski

On behalf of the Sunday Morning Program Committee, I want to thank all 97 of you who took the time to complete the survey regarding Sunday morning programming. The full survey results are now posted on the UUFA Web site, www.uufames.org, and a printed copy of the survey results can also be found in the Fellowship office.

At each meeting of the program committee, we typically start with a "check in" and talk about our individual reactions to the past month's programs. This survey gave all members of the Fellowship, not just the members of the program committee, this opportunity to "check in" and share their personal views. You have given us much useful feedback about what's meaningful and what's annoying.
In reading through the comments, I was struck by the wide range of opinions represented. Your answers were thoughtful, detailed, and full of passion. What we do on Sunday morning obviously matters, and most of us have strong sentiments about how Sunday's sixty minutes should be spent.

The program committee is just beginning its discussion of survey results, and I expect our upcoming meetings will be lively ones. In the months to come, we will likely be making some modifications in response to what we learned from doing the survey. As always, we appreciate your continued feedback and welcome any of you who might be interested to join our committee.

THANKS TO BUILDING INVENTORY WORKERS

- Joan Matthews

The adage "many hands make light work" was borne out July 21 when fifteen members and friends inventoried the Fellowship's physical assets in less than a day. Thanks to photographers Don Roberts and Fred Vallier. More thank-yous to the scribes and counters, Margy and Gene Chamberlain, Peggy Gurau, Lena Jennings, Don and Joan Mathews, Martha Nebgen, Phil and Terri O'Berry, Jean Peterson, Marion Vallier, and Bobbi and Roy Warman. Finally, thanks to Bill Larsen for keeping the group updated via e-mail prior to the event, and Liz Weber for tracking down an inventory form for us.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE MEANT TO ME!

- Sue Haug

Dear Friends: the movers are boxing up 30 years of Iowa accumulations, and tomorrow I will be leaving. The going-away party you gave me last month was fabulous beyond belief! My years in Ames were so enriched by friendships and activities in the UUFA. You can get my new address from the Fellowship Office. . Please keep in touch and stop by if you are in the area.

SMILE!

Pictorial Directory Photos in October

Olin Mills will be photographing members and friends of the Fellowship from Wednesday, Oct. 19, through Saturday, Oct. 22. You will be able to make appointments online, on Sunday mornings, or through the Fellowship office (515-292-5960). Sign-up for appointments will start in September.

We want everyone who calls the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames their religious home to be photographed. Every family and/or household that selects a pose for the directory will receive a free directory and a complimentary 8×10 portrait.

The system is set up so that you will only have to come to the Fellowship once for photography, viewing, and selection. A purchase is not obligatory.
In the past, the directory has helped us connect names with faces and is invaluable for newcomers to get acquainted with our Fellowship family.

Please plan to have your photo be a part of our new directory.

Questions? Call Cindy Scholten.

Dustin Berger
Memorial Library

The library committee would like to remind the Fellowship of the library use policy developed last fall. Please respect this policy. Thank you.

Committee & Group News

POTLUCK DINNERS

Potluck dinners, small groups ranging in size from 6 to 16 and meeting in homes for food, fun, and conversation, will be starting again the second weekend in September - 9, 10, and 11.There will be sign-up sheets at the visitors' table in August. Hosts are lined up and are given names to contact to arrange the food.

While it is not required that you host to participate in potlucks, we can always use more hosts. Hosting should be casual and fun. The sign-up sheets are for the year and will ask for name, address. phone number, the number of guests you can take if you can host, and if you have a preference for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I'd also like to know if you would be interested in Sunday after the first service or Sunday after the second service.

Potlucks are a longtime tradition in the Fellowship and are a good way to get to know each other better.
Call me if you have questions or to be added to the list.

- Bobbie Warman

GALLERY IN THE ROUND

Aug. 19 - Oct. 19

• Jeff White, artist & architect
• Reception: Aug. 19, 5-7 p.m

Oct.19 - Dec. 3

• All-Fellowship Art Exhibit
• Only original pieces. No copies, kits, or patterns. Current work.

- Jean Dow

FIRST FRIDAY FAMILY FELLOWSHIP FUN

Sept. 2, 6-8 p.m. Fireside Room

Game Night returns! Pay just $4 for pizza and drinks. RSVP (for the pizza count) to Adela Licona or Jennifer Williams.

UUFA WOMEN'S BOOK GROUP

Sept. 12 7 p.m. Tower Room

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl

The Women's Book Group is an open group, welcoming new members at any time. Please call if you have questions.

- Barbi Greenlaw

AUCTION COMMITTEE

Oct. 29

UUFA Auction, 6:30 p.m.

- Wayne Beal

Next Board Meetings:
7pm, Wednesday, August 10
(with potluck dinner at 5:30)
7pm Wednesday, September 14