From the minister

We Can Make a Difference

As a Community, as Individuals

Last month I had the pleasure of being the kick-off speaker for the Prairie Star District’s Southern Cluster Campout. This gathering, held at a beautiful camp just south of Topeka, Kansas, was a chance for congregations in that area to get together for some training, inspiration, and (most of all) fun. One of the highlights of my time with the group was meeting members of the group from Hutchinson, Kansas. This new congregation of around 30 people is very interested in learning how to create a viable religious community. They are doing it so that their children have religious education, so that they have a place to go for inspiration and support, and as a beacon of hope in their community. The next day I joined the new congregation in Decorah, Iowa, as they worshiped in their new space, an historic, turn-of-the-century Scandinavian Lutheran chapel. On this, the first Sunday of their new RE program, they had 60 adults and 45 children. As people lit candles of joy and sorrow, several told how much this new congregation meant to them, and others gave voice to the feeling of excitement in the air.

These two groups are examples of the many emerging congregations springing up throughout the Midwest. By the tens and twenties, people are meeting in houses, gathering in senior-citizen centers, and even moving into old church buildings. The energy and enthusiasm among these people is infectious. More and more, these groups are turning toward the district and toward fellow UU congregations for support and advice. Usually, they aren’t asking for monetary assistance but for how-to advice: how to do Sunday worship, how to set up an RE program, how to structure their governance. As we are part of that conversation, we can help these congregations get off on the right foot and be more likely to grow and thrive in their towns. Imagine if each town in Iowa had a Unitarian Universalist congregation. Rather than think of megachurches as the only way to grow our faith, we can help create viable small congregations that are places of learning and justice in their communities.

I often think of our prophetic role as a leading Iowa congregation. We have so much history, starting as a small Fellowship, growing through many stages and phases. We have so much knowledge and experience to offer that I hope we will see sharing this as part of our mission. In the long term, engaging in such creative activities will make a huge difference in our state.

While we as a community can engage in making such a difference, we as individuals have another responsibility. As you may be aware, this is an election month. Our democratic process is calling us to go forth to the altar of freedom and place our name on the rolls of those who believe that peaceful governance is possible. Each time we vote, we are engaging in a revolutionary act that says change can happen with the point of a pen instead of the point of a gun.

We can foment peaceful change by helping small groups of UUs learn how to become congregations that welcome and support their families and communities, as well as by marking our ballots and letting them fall into the boxes with those of our fellow citizens. When we do so, we are engaged in creative tasks that deepen and strengthen our faith.

– Brian

PS: Please note that our Wednesday night programming is going full steam. I hope those of you who are not signed up for the Building Your Own Theology class will take advantage of the variety of opportunities offered throughout the month. (See page 3 for details.)

From the director of youth and children's ministries

Focus on Peace, Justice, and Community Building

I have recently been watching a rerun of Eyes on the Prize, a documentary on the Civil Rights movement, on PBS and consequently thinking about leadership, community, religion, youth, heroes, and sacrifices. I also watched a Frontline documentary called Country Boys about two adolescents from difficult family situations in eastern Kentucky. This documentary also brought up the same issues of leadership, community, etc. Both of these viewings and a course I'm taking on Adolescents and Their Families offered some clarity about what we offer and do at the Fellowship.

This year our RE committee and the YAC (Youth-Adult Committee) are trying to put more focus on peace, justice, and community building. Eyes on the Prize showed the importance of youth who, despite the danger, demonstrated for equal rights. It showed young adults making impassioned speeches. It highlighted the importance of a faith community that offered a place for planning, rejoicing, inspiring, and showing compassion. I hope the Fellowship can be like those churches where so much energy was created and that we can inspire our children and youth to not just take a stand, but to move toward peace and social justice. Our high school youth recently participated in CROP Walk and raised almost $500 to fight world hunger. For their environmental concern, our 7th- and 8th-graders labeled storm drains. Our younger children learned about UNICEF and will have trick-or-treat for UNICEF, raising money to help other children have better lives. They will be involved in different social action projects once a month until May.

Country Boys emphasizes the importance of a few caring adults (non-parents), a church, and a supportive school that can change the direction of troubled and challenged youth. Our Coming of Age program, which pairs mentors, caring adults, with 7th- and 8th-graders, can provide a supportive environment and opportunities for greater self-awareness and unconditional acceptance.

Research on youth, as shown in my online course, indicates that effective monitoring, supportive communities, extended family, role models, and affiliation with a faith community all support positive developmental outcomes for youth. It's difficult for nuclear families to supply all the experiences and contexts for positive development. Imagine what the Fellowship could do or be-an after-school alternative, a hang-out for teens on weekend nights, an example of social justice at work (I'm thinking of the free dinners offered by First United Methodist), a place to find foster grandparents, a place for quiet reflection.

- Benette

From the office administrator

Tips for Making Your
(and My) Life Smoother

Fall is here! We’re turning back our clocks, many trees are bare, and our snowbirds are making their plans to head south. If you get the paper version of the newsletter and forward your mail for the winter, please inform me so that I can pull your newsletter from the bulk mail pile. You also can help me do my job by keeping me informed of what your committees are doing. If you have an email distribution list, I would love to be on it. You guys are great at reserving the space needed here at the building; it’s when plans change that I often am out of the loop. Next, for those of you who print your PDF newsletter and get black boxes, the simplest way to correct this is to “Print as Image.” It takes longer, but it will print exactly what’s on the screen. Finally, there are several electronic ways to stay informed about the Fellowship. Many of you know about the electronic newsletter. If you currently receive a paper copy and wish to go on the electronic list also, just drop me an email and specify that you want to be on both. You can also get the weekly Order of Service/Bulletin by email, as well as our handbook with member and friend contact information.

- Becca

The Play's the Thing!

Our family Christmas Eve celebrations are always made brighter by the play created by our young people. Preparation for this year's play is about to begin! If your child is interested in participating, please contact the Fellowship office with name, age, and acting experience.

Scripts will be available Nov. 12 in the Fellowship office. It is exceedingly important that parents help their aspiring actors learn their lines before the first rehearsal, which will be Nov. 19. Rehearsals will last from 3 to 4 p.m. Major characters may be asked to come early or stay later. Rehearsals will continue each Sunday of December, with the final dress rehearsal on Dec. 23, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Our performance will be on Dec. 24 at 5 p.m.

By now you are wondering, what is the title of the play? Our in-house playwright and director is arguing with his muse as to just which play we will be performing this year. If you have any other questions, contact the Rev. Brian Eslinger, and he will attempt to answer them.

ARCHIVES COMMITTEE

The 60th anniversary display in the Fireside Room during November will feature photos from the 1970s. See if you can recognize anyone!

- Susan Franzen

CARING MINISTRY COUNCIL

A time when caring is paramount is when there is a death in our Fellowship family. The Memorials subcommittee of the Caring Ministry Council helps with the nuts and bolts of the memorial reception. If you are interested in this ministry and would like to be added to our list, please contact Trish Strah or the Fellowship office.

- Lynne Van Valin

CHRISTIAN AFFINITY GROUP

There's still a chance of getting in on the viewing and discussion of Saving Jesus, a 12-week, small-group, DVD-based exploration of Jesus Christ for the third millennium. We meet from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month. This month we meet on Nov. 19 in the Tower Room.

- Judy Mongin

CONSCIENTIOUS KNITTERS

Attention all practitioners of the needle arts: Conscientious Knitters meet 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Tower Room on the second Sunday of the month (Nov. 12). We've developed a core group that enjoys trading ideas, solving problems, and spending quality time together while creating satisfying projects.

- Marty Helland

DAYTIME CIRCLE

The Daytime Circle meets in the Tower Room at 1:30 p.m. every other Monday. This month, we meet on Nov. 13 and Nov. 27. We are an open circle, including new members as they come, but we maintain confidentiality to encourage people to share what is of deepest concern to them. If you have questions, please call Lotus for more information.

- Lotus Miller

DUSTIN BERGER MEMORIAL LIBRARY

The Dustin Berger Memorial Library Committee was delighted to host the central Iowa chapter of the National Church Library Association's annual fall meeting. This group meets twice a year, fall and spring. We started in our library with coffee and browsing at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, but moved to the Youth Room (luckily empty) because there were so many librarians present-19! They came from their respective churches in Ames, Des Moines, Iowa Falls, and Newton. Topics discussed were the merits of card catalogs versus computer catalogs versus Internet catalogs, attendance at the national convention, the wording of the constitution for the National Church Library Association, and the location and agenda for future meetings. A question-and-answer period followed the meeting. This part of the meeting is especially important because we are able to help one another with particular problems. Much information was gained. We look forward to the spring meeting, which will be held at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Des Moines. Come in to see and use our very special library.

-Anita Beal

HISTORICAL JESUS GROUP

Are you interested in the origins of Christianity and the historical Jesus? Do you enjoy books by John Dominic Crossan, Paula Fredrickson, or Karen Armstrong? If yes, this long-established book club may be for you. In September, we will begin reading and discussing Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman.

- Marty Helland

KINETIC SPIRITS

Come as you are. Dance how you feel. Join us for free-form movement to music. Your favorite CDs welcome.

Thursdays from 4:15-5:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall (except on Thanksgiving-enjoy your turkey or vegetarian alternative that day!)

- Deb Kline

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Eight new members signed the book during New Member Sunday on Oct. 15. If enough interest is shown, an Information Seeker class will be held Nov. 18, and a New Member class will be held Dec. 2.

- Cindy Scholten

MEMORIALS AND GIFTS

The Memorials and Gifts Committee has been established by the UUFA Board of Directors to compassionately assist individuals and families in the UUFA community to memorialize and honor their loved ones through gifts to the Fellowship. In addition, this group will assure that long-range plans of the UUFA building, grounds, and programming are met appropriately through these memorials and gifts. Contact the UUFA office or any of the four Memorials and Gifts Committee members for guidance and help in this process: Lynn Avant, Kay Berger, Susan Franzen, or Lynne Van Valin.

- Lynn Avant

PARTNER CHURCH

Transylvania, here we come! Please join the Partner Church Committee on its second trip to visit our partner congregation in Tordátfalva! The trip starts June 4, with a tentative return date of June 18. We are developing a joint work project that will benefit the village, and we will tour Unitarian historic sights. This opportunity to meet fellow Unitarians in Transylvania is truly a unique experience! Transylvania Night, a dinner/entertainment fundraiser for our partner church, is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, March 24. Committee members will be talking to you about your previous offers of help. Please put the date on your calendar!

- Kitty Fisher

LEARN HUNGARIAN FOR WHEN YOU TRAVEL TO ROMANIA!

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY & ACTION: TRADITIONAL

The Social Responsibility and Action Committee is divided into three subcommittees. I am the chair of the Traditional Efforts Committee. My goals for the committee are to provide opportunities for the congregation to be active in changing our community and the world in positive ways, to provide a forum for the congregation to become educated about and to discuss important social issues, and to serve as a prophetic voice that challenges each of us to live up to our ideals through these actions. Some of the things I have been working on to get more people involved with this committee are explained in the first edition of The UUFA Traditional Efforts Bulletin, which was emailed to interested parties. (It's also on the bulletin board in the Fireside Room.) Highlights are:

• I will have an educational display posted in the Fireside Room each month to educate people about social issues. For October, I created a display about the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. In November, I will have a display on poverty in Iowa, and in December, there will be a display about HIV/AIDS in Iowa. If you have any ideas for future displays, please let me know.
• I am trying to start an "Ames for Darfur" chapter. This is an organization that will advocate for the people of Darfur and plan some activist and educational activities in the community. If you are interested in joining, please let me know.
• I will participate in Wellspring Wednesdays once a month to facilitate a discussion around various movies. On Oct. 11, a group of six watched The Exonerated, which told the stories of innocent individuals who had spent years on death row. The movie being shown in the Tower Room on Nov. 15 is American Blackout. This movie chronicles the recurring patterns of voter disenfranchisement from the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections in Florida and Ohio while following the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. McKinney not only took an active role in investigating these election debacles, but found herself in the middle of her own after publicly questioning the Bush Administration about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. American Blackout won the Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
• UUFA will again be participating in the Holiday Shopping Nights with Worldly Goods. Our event will be on Tuesday, Nov. 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. I need volunteers to talk with customers throughout the event and to also provide refreshments. I like to think of this event as "gifts that give three times." Anything purchased during this event gives once to the recipient, once to support the free trade artisans, and once to our congregation. Worldly Goods will donate 20 percent of the sales during this time period to UUFA.
• The Traditional Efforts Committee is now responsible for choosing the recipients for the Sunday offering splits. If you have any ideas about nonprofit or community organizations that could benefit from our monetary donations, please contact me, and I can add them to our list. Half of the November undesignated collection will go to our Partner Church in Tordátfalva. These proceeds will be used to purchase building materials needed for restoring the parsonage in Tordátfalva, our partner church village.

- Alissa Stoehr

Charity-based Fundraisers Coming

Beyond Welfare

Did you miss your chance to have a rummage sale this summer? Do you still have those things in the basement that you wanted to clear away this summer? It's not too late! Dust off and donate your unwanted books, toaster ovens, good-as-new clothes, trinkets, CDs, and other great stuff to the Beyond Welfare Rummage Sale, scheduled for Nov. 3-4.

Beyond Welfare will be accepting your valuables from 1 to 8 p.m. Nov. 1-2 at The Light House in Ames, 122 South Sheldon Ave.

Beyond Welfare is a nonprofit organization that believes all people deserve to have enough money, meaning, and friendships in their lives. The group sets out to end poverty in the county by building strong friendships between people living at or below the poverty line and those with sufficient means.

While eliminating isolation, Beyond Welfare believes anyone struggling in poverty has enough inherent intelligence-with community support-to find meaningful solutions. It fosters personal empowerment, interpersonal relationships, and community-building efforts across all cultural and class lines. When woven together, Beyond Welfare believes, these three efforts can and will end poverty in Story County.

For more information about donating your treasures to the sale and about drop-off arrangements, contact Beyond Welfare.

Good Neighbor
Emergency Assistance

Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance will have three fundraising opportunities before the end of the year. On Sunday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m., Northminster Presbyterian will host Good Neighbor's Annual Combined Choir Concert and Fund Raiser. There are 14 faith groups participating, and it should be a great concert! Tuesday, Nov. 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. is Good Neighbor's Worldly Goods Holiday Shopping Night. Worldly Goods will donate 20 percent of its sales from that time period to Good Neighbor. And, on Dec. 20 and Dec. 23, from noon to 9 p.m. Good Neighbor volunteers will be providing gift wrapping at the Ames Borders. If you have questions, contact Dawn Cooley at 515-292-5960.

Alternative Gift Market

Tired of shopping for the "perfect gift" for your friends and loved ones? Find perfect gifts by shopping the Alternative Gift Market in one of two ways. On Saturday, Dec 9, the Alternative Gift Market will be at the Annex of First United Methodist Church in downtown Ames. Alternative gifts will also be available at the Fellowship after the 10 a.m. service Nov. 26 and between services Dec. 3, 10, and 17. Choose from more than 30 local and global charities to honor your friends and relatives for the holidays, weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. Special alternative gifts will be available for children to buy for friends and relatives. If you have questions, contact Bonnie Bowen.

From the Building and Grounds Coordinator

Tool
Users
Needed

TOOL USERS wanted for four minor tasks. Those who have not yet evolved to the tool-user level need not apply. Higher forms wanted.

1. Plug needed to fill a gap in the rock rail on the roof of the new addition. Tool skill: stir epoxy filler with stick and daub into gap.
2. Door opener button needs to be fiddled with occasionally. Tool skill: screwing with small Allen wrench.
3. Twigs and leaves need to be removed from the roof scuppers twice a year. Tool skill: ladder and glove use.
4. Occasionally affix yellow tape to the edges of top steps on new stairway. Tool skill: cutting with scissors without cutting self.

If qualified, contact Rich Van Valin or leave a message at the office.

Volunteers Needed on Gulf Coast

A year after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it is clear that recovery and rebuilding-of individual lives as well as communities and buildings-will be ongoing for a long time. The need for hands-on help is tremendous! The best and fastest way to offer volunteer help from your congregation is to contact the UU Katrina Volunteer Coordinating Center at uukatrina@bellsouth.net. You may also call the office at 225-926-2283, 225-223-3203, or 225-223-2876. The folks in this office (managed and housed by the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge) are in touch with needs in both Mississippi and Louisiana and can direct your congregation's volunteers to the work that is most urgent. UUs have given generously to the UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund, building a sum of over $3 million to help in the region. We now have UU volunteer coordinators in both Louisiana and Mississippi, ready to work with any groups and individuals who can lend a hand! Thank you for helping as much as you can!

- UU Volunteer Coordinators: Rev. Marilee Baccich, Jinnie Trabulsi, Cheré Cohen

From the president

Keeping the (Fellowship)
Home Fires Burning

This month this column is definitely not writing itself. The political season with all its aura of conflict and tension, conviction and choice, promise and foreboding, seems to sop up time and attention and energy. Crises of various sorts all over the world are almost paralyzing in their enormity. So why should I—or any of us—expend resources to "keep the home fires burning" right here in the Fellowship? Why should I write this column?

Because the Fellowship is that joint endeavor of all of us that has the potential to give back more energy and strength than we put into it, that's why. And that's why I've been spending time this fall looking at the ways we gather the contributions of each of us individually (e.g. through our committee structure) to create a Fellowship that is greater than the sum of its parts.

I realize that the word "committee" carries with it lots of negative connotations. Board members (and especially Amy Slagell) came up with lots of alternative terms: cadres, knots, guilds, troupes, clusters, teams, commissions, groups. So pick the term you like and think of it as the way we organize ourselves to get things done.

The number one negative connotation of "committee" is the assumption that it means meetings that often take up time to no positive purpose. We try very hard to make sure that, IF meetings happen, it is because they are the best way to impart information, gather input, resolve problems, and make plans. I think that a good example is the Sunday Morning Program Committee. Not all our groups work by holding regular meetings, however. Some—the Caring Ministry, for example—are loose confederations of folks who spring to action when a certain type of response is needed.

You'll begin to hear about all the individual committees on Sunday mornings. Representatives of each of our working groups will be making a brief presentation about what that group does to keep us a functioning Fellowship. I hope you'll enjoy these short introductions and will find your interest piqued to the point that you get involved with one of them, if you've not already done so.

- Mary

Want Maximum Return for Minimum Effort?

Adviser Needed for Campus Group

The UU Student Group on campus is reforming but must have a half-time (or more) permanent employee of Iowa State willing to be the adviser. This is a very easy way to make a difference and help create a UU presence on the ISU campus! Contact Dawn Cooley at intern@uufames.org with questions or if you are interested.

IMPORTANT NOTE: being the adviser does not mean being the organizer!