From the minister

Social Justice Revival Imminent

Our first 30-degree morning forced me to get out one of my heavier jackets to walk the dogs in the morning. As we strode through the early morning darkness, my bare hands in my pockets to keep warm, I encountered lost objects, left in the coat when the weather warmed last spring. Along with the lint and used-up tissue, there was the lost pair of gloves and a ticket stub from a spring concert. Besides being grateful for finding the gloves, I smiled remembering the fun evening we’d spent at the concert. These aren’t commonly thought of as treasures, but it’s often surprising how many things are close at hand, but that we’re unaware of—and when we find them, it brings us a moment of happiness and gratitude and a chance to reflect.

Similarly, while participating in our Social Justice Council meeting last month, I was pleasantly reminded of all of the ways the Fellowship is involved in various community justice programs. It’s easy for us to forget about these activities; they are often in the background. We might remember the MICA food pantry when we walk past the grocery cart in the Fireside Room, or we might recall that we do serve meals at the Emergency Residence Project when we see the names listed in the order of service.

Along with these excellent programs, the Social Justice Council has plans to help revitalize our congregational activities in our community. The AMOS house meetings are a first step toward raising awareness about institutional issues that cause injustice in our own community. Everyone is invited to attend an event on Oct. 22 at the Des Moines Civic Center where we’ll be sharing our ideas with candidates for state and local offices. We’ll share rides, leaving the Fellowship parking lot at 2 p.m. sharp.

Our environmental justice group, headed by Erv Klaas, hopes to finish up the Green Sanctuary certification program. We’d love to see more of our congregation’s many environmentalists planning and implementing projects to raise our awareness of local and national issues. As members of the UU Ministry for the Earth, we’re able to access great resources for classes and worship services.

In the human services area, facilitated by Alissa Stoehr, we’re beginning the CROP Walk to Fight Hunger and working with Amnesty International.

The youth of the congregation (who also have a seat at the Social Justice Council) will be active in all of these areas, as well as participating in Reggie’s Sleep Out (which helps homeless youth) and leading the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF with our younger members.

After going through these activities and many potential ones, the council noted that we might be in for a revival of social justice activity here at the Fellowship. While we encourage Fellowship people to seek justice in their daily lives, we also want to ensure that our Fellowship is visibly working for justice in our community and that we’re providing opportunities for everyone to help with this noble work.

In the end, each of us has a responsibility to support and plug into these efforts. If there is a current project you’d like to join, contact one of the members of the Social Justice Council. If there is an area you would like us to explore, the same procedure follows. As Margaret Mead reminds us, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

– 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

Children and Youth in the Fellowship

We have a superb group of children and teens this fall. I hope everyone, especially those without children or teens in the RE program this year, will take the chance to visit one of our classrooms, meet these engaging young people, and help the teachers. As I said at the ingathering and teacher dedication, we are all responsible for encouraging and supporting our children and youth as they explore the deeper aspects of life.

Throughout the year there will be opportunities for intergenerational activity such as all-congregational services (an opportunity for you to sit with a family and kids), the Secret Friends program next spring (an opportunity to be a surprise!), the winter holiday play on Christmas Eve (an opportunity to gather with family and friends), the winter solstice ceremony/bonfire/potluck (an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of winter with light, warmth, and community), social justice projects (an opportunity for you to interact with younger people while they work for others), Youth Sunday services for the 7th and 8th graders and for the high school students, (an opportunity for you to support the developing leadership skills and unique talents in teens), Fine Arts Sunday, (an opportunity for you to play music with our children), the Coming of Age graduation ceremony (an opportunity to recognize and honor 7th and 8th graders after nine months of personal and spiritual growth), the Bridging Ceremony (an opportunity for you to express your wishes and hopes for graduating seniors), youth conferences (an opportunity for you to chaperone teens at a district UU youth conference and dive into youth culture!), and youth retreats (an opportunity for you to hike, canoe, sled, worship with, and play games with teens).

Are there more opportunities for you to interact with children and teens this year? As always, yes!! Just ask me or someone on the RE or Youth-Adult Committees. In the course I'm taking on adolescents and families, most of the research tells us that nuclear families (of all types) can't and shouldn't provide all the care and guidance children and teens need. The presence of a caring community (extended families, faith communities, etc.) in the life of a child contributes to his/her positive development and represents security, values, ethics, and love.

I invite all of you to be that active presence in the lives of our children and teens.

- Benette

Meditation Opportunities

Saturday, October 7, 2006, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.:

Meditation Retreat

Hong Yang Shi, a Buddhist nun, is offering the following from her traditions. Meditation instruction will be given in the Buddhist tradition. Participants will be introduced to sitting, movement, and chanting meditation within the Mahayana tradition. Keep clothing loose and modest. Bring a large towel or light blanket throw. All are welcome; you need not be Buddhist to come. This instruction is for adults and children able to follow detailed instructions and keep quiet.

Sundays, 6 to 7 p.m., starting Oct. 15:

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Group

Looking for ways to slow down, be more mindful, and connect more deeply with what matters in your life? Starting Sunday, Oct. 15, the Rev. Brian Eslinger and Joel Geske will host an Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Group at the Fellowship. We'll meet on Sunday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m., practicing short units of different styles of mediation while reading our way though Jon Kabat Zinn's Wherever You Go, There You Are. Please purchase or check out a copy of the book before the first meeting and read the introduction through page 13. If you have trouble getting a copy, please contact the Rev. Eslinger.

ART COMMITTEE

Mary Elizabeth Young will be taking her exhibit down on Oct. 21. That will give time for the annual UU auction to use the hanging space.

- Jean Hagert Dow

CARING MINISTRY COUNCIL

One of the important parts of our Caring Ministry is sending cards to members or friends of our Fellowship family. We have a subcommittee that sends cards when directed. Please let Lynne Van Valin know when there is a need for a card. We also keep cards on the lower shelves of the pamphlet rack in a box marked “Caring.” If you feel someone needs a “group” card, please put one out with the person’s name beside it so we know who it is going to. We all are involved in caring for each other so please help us make sure others know we car

- Lynne Van Valin

CHRISTIAN AFFINITY GROUP

Ever feel that Jesus has been kidnapped by the Christian Right? Saving Jesus, a 12-week, small group, DVD-based exploration of Jesus Christ for the third millennium has been purchased by the Fellowship and is being viewed and discussed by the Christian Affinity group. The series will feature leading religious voices of our day: John Bell, Marcus Borg, Rita Nakashima Brock, Walter Brueggemann, John Cobb, Dom Crossan, James Forbes, Matthew Fox, Hans Kung, Amy-Jill Levine, Rebecca Ann Parker, Stephen Patterson, Helen Prejean, Tex Sample, Bernard Brandon Scott, Jack Spong, Jim and Jean Strathdee, and Emilie Townes. We meet from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month. This month we meet on Oct. 15 in the Tower Room.

- Nancy Schroeder

CONSCIENTIOUS KNITTERS

The Conscientious Knitters are inviting anyone interested in learning to knit to join us at our next meeting. We’ll provide materials and all of the instruction you need to begin constructing wonderful projects using pointy sticks and a string. Our next meeting will be at 3:30 (early start time to give plenty of instruction to beginners) on Sunday, Oct. 8. We will meet in the Tower Room.

- 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 Oct. 2, Oct. 16, and Oct. 30. 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

DENOMINATIONAL CONNECTIONS

The Wellspring Wednesday on Oct. 4 will be a discussion about our UUA annual General Assembly (GA). Those who attended this year’s GA in St. Louis will share their experiences as we prepare for attending GA 2007 in Portland, Oregon.

- Kitty Fisher

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.

- Deb Kline

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Olan Mills will be here Oct. 18 through Oct. 21 to photograph our members and friends for our 60th anniversary pictorial directory. In the past, the directory has helped us connect names with faces and is invaluable helping newcomers get acquainted with our Fellowship family. See the article on page 11 for more information.

- Cindy Scholten

MUSIC COMMITTEE

The group who met to discuss ideas for our music program has decided to try something new. At about 10:40 a.m. on some Sundays, the pianist for the day or the choir (when they’re singing) will lead an informal hymn sing. If you hear hymns on the piano before the service, come join us and choose a favorite from our song book. We’ll try this for a couple of months and then get some feedback to see if people enjoy this addition. If you have questions or comments, please contact Ginny Molgaard.

- Ginny Molgaard

PARTNER CHURCH

Mark your calendars for the following: (1) On Saturday, March 24, 2007, we will celebrate Transylvania Night, a festive night with dinner and entertainment, and (2) the Second UUFA Pilgrimage to Transylvania will occur in late May or early June, 2007. More details to come.

- Kitty Fisher

LEARN HUNGARIAN FOR WHEN YOU TRAVEL TO ROMANIA!

POTLUCKS

Did you know that FELLOWSHIP means Forging Everlasting Loving Links to Others While Sharing Hospitality In Potlucks? Potlucks are being planned for the second weekend in October. I’ll be looking for hosts. If you would like to be added, deleted, or if you are eager to host this month, give me a call. If you don’t call me, I’ll call you.

- Bobbie Warman

WOMEN OF WISDOM

Women of Wisdom (WOW) is an open group of Fellowship women, ages 55 years and older. We meet on the third Monday of each month for conversation and fellowship. The October meeting will be Monday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Tower Room.

- Lynn Avant

WOMEN'S SPIRITUALITY GROUP

The Women’s Spirituality Group meets on the first, third, and fifth Tuesdays of the month. This month, we will meet on Oct. 3, 17, and 31 at 7 p.m. in the Tower Room. UUFA women of all ages and their friends are invited to attend these bimonthly discussions fostering spiritual growth and connection. We center each meeting around a spiritual concept.

- Cheryl Lawson

WOMEN'S BOOK GROUP

The UU Women’s Book Group will meet Monday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. in the Tower Room to discuss the book Jane Austen in Boca: a Novel by Paula Marantz Cohen. A review from Library Journal: “A clever update of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, this first novel is set in a Jewish retirement community in Boca Raton, Fla. The author’s perceptive observations of life among the retirees of Florida are combined with skillful parallels to the plot and characters of the original novel.” Join us for a fun discussion of this novel! We are an open group, and we welcome new members at any time.

Oct. 13–14: Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City sponsors Dr. William Doherty

• Friday, Oct. 13, 7–9 p.m.: Who Has Time to Be Married or Partnered?: A workshop for all couples who consider themselves in lifelong relationships.
• Saturday, Oct. 14, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: See How They Run: When Did Childhood Become a Rat Race: A workshop for parents, grandparents, guardians, professionals and concerned citizens regarding today’s culture of parenting.

If the frantic pace of life is “depriving your children of their time to be children, your family of time to be a family, or you and your partner of time to be a couple,” mark Friday evening, Oct.13, and Saturday morning, Oct. 14, on your calendars. Dr. William Doherty, scholar, researcher, author, family therapist, and Unitarian Universalist will be speaking in Iowa City. Bill is a past president of the National Council on Family Relations and the author of Take Back your Marriage: Sticking Together in a World That Pulls Us Apart, The Intentional Family, and Take Back Your Kids: Confident Parenting in Turbulent Times. He is a professor and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. Bill has practiced as a marriage and family therapist for 30 years and gives professional and community talks all over the United States and around the world. Bill and his wife, Leah, were members of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City (UUSIC) and had a son and daughter in the religious education program when they lived here. These workshops are presented by UUSIC and the Community Mental Health Center and will be presented at the Iowa City Public Library. We’re asking for a $10 suggested donation per person, per program, in order to replenish UUSIC education funds that are making this weekend possible.

Oct. 27–29: PFLAG sponsors the Rev. S. Michael Pater

The weekend of Oct. 27–29 the Ames Chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is sponsoring activities featuring the Rev. S. Michael Pater, of the Urbandale United Church of Christ. His presentations will include a workshop entitled Homosexuality and the Bible on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Christian Church, 611 Clark in Ames. This workshop is free and open to the public. The UUFA Board has agreed that our congregation will join other religious groups in Ames in sponsoring this social awareness education effort. (Ames PFLAG will receive our October offering split.) But we know that there may be individuals in the congregation who would like to personally support this activity as well, and there are many opportunities to do so. If you are interested, contact Linda Trudeau.

Friendships International Offers Involvement Opportunities with International Students

Friendships International is a host-family program jointly sponsored by ISU’s International Education Services Office, ISU’s Intensive English and Orientation Program, and the Ames community through local churches and civic organizations. ISU hosts more than 2,500 students from over 100 countries. Students are here from three months to several years depending on their individual programs.

Friendships International is involved in pairing international students or families with individuals or families living in Ames. The goal is to build friendships that will go beyond the academic programs of the university.

Somewhere between 60 and 90 percent of international students never enter an American home. American life as depicted on TV, in newspapers, and experienced in campus dormitories is frequently a distorted picture. We have an opportunity to provide a more realistic picture.

Community members who participate in Friendships International are asked to meet with their students at least three times a semester. Relationships can be developed through meals, family times, community programs, sight-seeing, holiday celebrations, and sporting events.

The purposes include providing foreign students and scholars at Iowa State University an opportunity to enrich their educational experiences through meeting Americans and participating in American lifestyles and also to build international understanding, goodwill, and enhance the prospects of world peace.

I have been asked to serve on the steering committee of this group and will supply more information as it comes to me.

The way we at the UU can become involved is to volunteer to sponsor a student or family. Please feel free to contact me by email or at a service. I am just getting started with this group, but should be able to provide more information as time passes.

At this time, the only other highly involved congregations are the evangelical churches and Cornerstone Church. The Friendships International coordinator encouraged me to bring in UU folks to add diversity to the “family side” of the organization. Contact me if you are interested.

- Bob Anders

Calling All Iowa State Students!

• Do you like FREE FOOD?
• Are you, or do you think you might be, a Unitarian Universalist?
• Do you know how many other UUs there are on campus?
• Are you interested in meeting any of them?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the questions above, please come to the UU Campus Ministry Startup Dinner, Sunday, Oct. 29, from 7–9 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1015 N. Hyland Ave. For questions, directions, or just to chat, contact Dawn Cooley at intern@uufames.org.

From the UUA Director of Friends of the UUA

UUA Phonathon Set for October

As a supplement to periodic mailings, Friends of the UUA will be conducting a fundraising phonathon beginning the week of Oct. 9 and continuing through mid-November. Outreach Associates, a telemarketing firm located in Pittsburgh, will be phoning members who are currently active Friends of the UUA to ask them to renew their support and to consider becoming Sustaining Friends. (Sustaining Friends agree to provide recurring monthly contributions, which increase the efficiency and effectiveness of donations as we reduce the frequency of solicitations to that group.) Our contract with this firm requires that all callers must be courteous, respectful, and succinct as they offer identified Unitarian Universalists an opportunity to support our Association directly. Your feedback about the calls will help us to monitor their quality. We have established a Friends Phonathon Hotline to facilitate that feedback: Members may call 617-948-6525 to leave a message to ask to be placed on the “no call” list or to share a comment directly with a UUA staff member.

Your willingness to support the UUA enhances our ability to provide services and programs to member congregations and presents avenues for future growth of Unitarian Universalism throughout the country.

- Cynthia Salloway

Stewardship Testimonial

by Joan Mathews

Willy-nilly I have become passionate about the finances of the Fellowship. Ten years, more or less, on the Finance Committee, during which I was co-treasurer for two years, and as a founding member of the Stewardship Committee, has given me considerable insight into the money, or lack thereof, of the UUFA.

I have heard the dreams and wishes of what we would like for the Fellowship—more parking, better chairs, a music minister, and the list goes on.

Thanks to all of you, the Fellowship had its most successful pledge drive ever last spring. The Stewardship Committee is gearing up for the pledge drive next spring. As you think about what you would like for the Fellowship, ponder deeply if you are doing ALL you can financially. Then, in February when the pledge drive rolls around, increase your pledge. Let’s push our giving to an even higher level next year so we can move our collective dreams and wishes to reality.

AMOS Update

The AMOS (a Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy) Committee has almost completed its house meeting campaign. We had six meetings during which attendees could offer their concerns, opinions, excitement, and thoughts about living in mid-Iowa. We’ll compare notes with other congregations in early October to see which issues are of most concern. Those issues will be presented at the Oct. 22 “accountability session” in Des Moines to gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver, major religious leaders in Iowa, and several candidates for the Iowa legislature. From that meeting, we hope to establish ongoing relationships with lawmakers to influence public policy. WE NEED YOU to attend the Oct. 22 meeting at the Polk County Convention Complex. AMOS wants 1,000 people to turn out for this event—to show lawmakers and others that AMOS is an organization dedicated to working on social justice issues in a bi-partisan manner. This is also an opportunity to demonstrate that UUs are living their mission statement. It would be great to see families turn out for this event and let your kids see grassroots organizing at work. If you can attend, let Benette Sherman or Tammi Martin know. A sign-up sheet will also be available on Sundays.

From the president

UUFA Board of Trustees Sets Direction for 2006–2007

This is the perfect opportunity to report to all of you the results of the UUFA Board retreat. The gathering was held on a gloomy, overcast day, but inside the meeting room there was a great deal of warmth and energy. All the board members (except Brian, laid low by the strep bacillus) were able to attend at least most of the day, and everyone added their input and ideas in working toward a board covenant in the morning and in planning our year’s direction in the afternoon.

Our ministerial intern, Dawn Cooley, led the afternoon planning session that resulted in four main goals. We started in small groups asking for two to four goals that members felt were important for the Fellowship to pursue. Of course, there was some overlap, and there were some ideas that could be grouped together in a more inclusive topic, but in the end these goals enjoyed strong consensus:

Long-Range Planning:  As a community, we’ve undertaken this process a number of times in the past, often when we were facing a major issue such as adding on to our building. A number of topics arose at the retreat that would be well served by examination as part of a long-range plan:

• parking (or rather, the lack thereof) and its companion issue, purchase of the “house next door”;
• considering whether to expand staff and/or increase staff hours to keep up with the workload of supporting our increasingly active volunteer congregation;
• examining the Sunday services—for example, should we continue with “identical twin” services or explore the “fraternal twin” system of having services with different music and generally different ambience?
• supporting growth in music and arts experiences in our UUFA community; and
• considering whether we should become a teaching congregation and welcome ministerial interns on a regular basis.

Community Engagement and Outreach:  Many of our UU principles naturally encourage us to social action locally, nationally, and globally. The Board agreed that emphasizing this topic would help us direct more member energy to efforts already underway, such as AMOS; and tackle new ones like the Friendships International opportunity described by Bob Anders on page 9. And these activities have the added benefit of advertising to the larger community in the best possible way who we are and what Unitarian Universalism stands for.

Stewardship Support:  Because the Stewardship Committee created last year has such an important role to play in gathering the resources that will enable us to realize all our goals, the Board felt that it was important to give some extra encouragement and attention to helping it gain momentum. We will ask that committee to report to the Board each month to keep us abreast of developments.

Continue Building Internal Community:  Both this and the previous goal are continuations of goals the Board adopted last year. Because inclusion and a sense of belonging are so important to the health of our Fellowship, we felt it was especially important to continue to emphasize ways to make this happen.

Each of these four topics will be discussed in turn at future board meetings so that we can translate them from goals to action. Halfway through the year, I hope to have a bit of a review to see how we are doing.

As a beginning step, the board members agreed that we should create a Long-Range Planning Committee right now. We envision that the committee will become an on-going one rather than the ad hoc variety that has existed in the past. We intend that the committee will include a variety of experiences, ages, and viewpoints. Anyone who would like to be a part of this committee, please contact me.

- Mary