Perspectives for August 2024

August is here and our shared ministry is beginning! As I write this column, I am surrounded by boxes in my family’s new home in Bloomington. Slowly, slowly, we are getting unpacked, box by box. Already, members of the congregation have been so helpful and welcoming - helping my husband, son, and me find what we need to get settled and make Bloomington our home. Thank you!!

Over the past couple of years, we have all been through a time of transition. Saying goodbye to one ministry with the retirement of Rev. Mary Ann Macklin, and the end of my term as UUA President, and then both entering a time of intentional transition and discernment with your interim minister, Rev. Connie Grant, and my time of sabbatical and discerning a new call for my ministry. After so much transition, it feels good to be moving into a settled ministry; and I hope it feels the same for you!

Of course, the beginning of this ministry will also be a time of transition and learning. I am grateful to have the month of August to focus on settling in - to my office, to my home, into your community. I will begin leading services and preaching on September 1. I am grateful for the UUA’s suggestion to have newly settled ministers wait a month before preaching. It gives me a chance to listen to the conversation that has already been happening. Listening is such an important part of preaching and leading services, because I understand worship as a conversation rooted in the community and people and the hopes and opportunities for learning and growth we share.

As I settle in, some of my first priorities will be getting to know and build relations with the staff and the congregation Board. I will also begin meeting with a Settled ministry planning team who will help me deepen my knowledge of and relationships with the congregation. They may be reaching out to see if there are members willing to host a small gathering that can help me meet members in smaller groups in the first few months of our ministry. Keep that in mind in case that is something you would like to do.

During August, I plan to be in the office Tuesdays through Thursdays, some Fridays, and at services on Sundays. Mondays will be my day off. As I settle in, my schedule may change as I find what works for me and the congregation. Please email me if you wish to meet with me.

By the time you read this, August 1 will be here and we will have already begun the first days of our shared ministry. I bring to this time anticipation, and also intention and care as we begin this new ministry together!

Love,

Susan

revsfg@uubloomington.org

While many children (and adults) are heading back to school this month, religious education at UUCB stays in summer mode until after our Water Communion service in September: on Sunday mornings, childcare is available for children 3 and under, Spirit Play continues for ages 4-6 in room 105, and children and youth ages 7 and up meet all together for all kinds of fun activities in room 208.

However, in the coming weeks there is a lot going on! Please mark your calendars:

Backpack Blessings: August 11, during worship

Unitarian Universalists value learning. Each August, as children, youth and adults head back to school in one form or another, our congregation offers blessings for their journeys, and a special token to clip to backpacks or other places as a reminder that our love goes with you.

Youth Empowerment Initiative Meeting: August 11, 12 p.m.

Our congregation is participating in a program that will provide up to $40,000 to support mental and spiritual health, particularly among our youth. All youth are invited to contribute their ideas! We’ll meet initially on August 11 at 12 p.m. in Room 103. Please register.

Spirit Play Teacher Training: August 17, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Anyone interested in helping with our Spirit Play class is invited to attend a teacher training (ideal as a refresher for those who were trained in the past, as well as those who are brand new) on Saturday, August 17 from 10-12. Please contact Stephanie (kimball@uubloomington.org) for more information or to sign up.

Indigenous Studies Group kick-off Aug 25, 12 p.m.

After many months of gathering interest, we are ready to get started! This group will meet on Sunday, August 25 at noon (future dates to be determined by participants). We will choose topics together, then explore them through various means (reading, video, field trips, etc.) and at our own pace, meeting monthly to share what we’ve learned and discern a way forward. Sign up here to join the group.

Aug. 31 Coming of Age Orientation (for mentors and parents of youth CoA participants): August 31 (see email for details).

Coming of Age Kick-off (for mentors and youth participating in Coming of Age): September 1 (see email for details).

Teacher Orientation for New and Returning Children/youth RE Teachers and Advisors: Sept 7:

This is an important opportunity for new and returning teachers to learn about our religious education policies and procedures, and to meet with your team members. Please contact Stephanie (kimball@uubloomington.org) with any questions.

Religious Education Fair: September 8 in Fellowship Hall

Join us after the Water Communion to learn about 2024-25 religious education offerings for all ages! Teachers and facilitators will be available to answer questions, share resources, and help you sign up. Refreshments will be provided.

Parent Religious Education Orientation: Friday, September 13, 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Parents, please join us for this opportunity to learn more about our children/youth religious education program, visit your children’s classrooms and talk with their teachers, and get to know other parents! Refreshments provided. Childcare will be available, as well as special activities for older children. Please register so we can plan for adequate food and staffing!

First day of fall Religious Education for children and youth: September 15

After the Time for All Ages on September 15, children and their teachers will head to Spirit Play, Kids’ Club, and MSYG (Middle School Youth Group). Registration required.

PARENTS: PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHILDREN AND YOUTH FOR 2024-25 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

• Register now if you anticipate your child(ren) will attend any of the following: Childcare, Spirit Play, Kids’ Club, Middle School Youth Group, YRUU (High school Youth Group), and/or OWL for 7th-8th graders.
• You must register even if you have registered in the past.
• Please complete ALL fields.

-Stephanie Kimball, Director of Lifespan Religious Education

kimball@uubloomington.org

Our choir has been off for the summer, but we will resume rehearsing tomorrow, August 8, at 7 p.m. in the Meeting Room!

Choir schedule (starting August 8):

Thursday evenings, 7 - 8:30 p.m. Childcare available upon request.

Sunday mornings, 9:30 a.m. rehearsal, 10:15 a.m. service. Childcare is always available.

Choir exercises body, mind, and spirit. Enhances your vocal fluency and keeps your voice young and flexible. Engages deep listening. Improves posture and lung capacity. Calms and focuses the mind (you won't have time for any other worries during rehearsal). Gives you the best seat in the house for the children's moment. And occasionally puts you smack in the middle of a masterpiece!

Choral singing can have many benefits, including:

Mental health: Choral singing can improve mood, self-esteem, and reduce stress and depression. It can also increase feelings of purpose and meaning, and sensitivity to others. Singing releases oxytocin, a hormone that can reduce anxiety and help with public speaking.

Musicality: Singing in a choir can improve your ability to hear music, appreciate harmony, and strengthen your ear.

Physical health: Singing involves deep breathing, which can improve lung function. Choral singing can also regulate heart rate, and group singing can trigger the immune system.

Social bonding: Singing in a group can promote social bonding.

-Susan Swaney, Music Director

music@uubloomington.org

An Impactful Community and Tradition:

In the last weekend of July I attended a facilitator training in Indianapolis for the Adult levels of the Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum. It was energizing and affirming to be surrounded by UUs full of such passion and commitment to fostering empowerment and knowledge within our communities. This, too, was an organic opportunity to network with staff and leaders from other midwest and east coast congregations. This enthusiasm was an indicator to me of the impetus we have as a religious tradition to work together to serve our local communities and inspire broader change. I see this collective action toward change in our congregation’s current work to register voters, to provide safe spaces where we can discuss death and other topics often avoided, to gather resources dedicated toward reproductive rights and the livelihoods of those with very little, and so much more. I feel it is our coming together and our cocreation of a supportive community that makes this possible. This community has provided me with such sustenance and care; and it is so meaningful to serve in a role dedicated to its wellbeing.

Community Engagement Opportunities:

As we continue into the second month of the church year, and under new leadership, I am looking forward to all we will continue to collaborate on. Those looking to increase involvement in the community, or who are interested in exploring the new opportunities and offerings arising during this time of change, are welcome to reach out to me. I would love to chat in-person, over the phone, or virtually to help folks discover opportunities to get involved, volunteer, or learn more about UUCB. Just reach out! Some current volunteer needs include: help with coffee on Sunday mornings, additional folks to help light initial candles for Joys and Concerns, and new members for the Membership Anniversary Call Team, which reaches out to congratulate members during the anniversary month of their joining in a previous year. Folks looking to join the Welcoming Team are also invited to reach out to me with a brief description of interest and related experience. All folks are welcome to email me at connect@uubloomington.org with questions or interest in any of the above activities.

Upcoming Membership Opportunity:

For those looking to solidify official membership status in the church, our next two-day Exploring UUCB membership class will be held on September 22nd and 29th, 2 - 4 p.m., and registrations are open! Click HERE to register. Completion of this course is required prior to joining membership. This class is also an excellent opportunity for those looking to simply learn more about Unitarian Universalism, its values, principles, and history, and to learn about the activities, governance, and history of UUCB in particular with no obligation to join as a member. I will be presenting this class along with a co-facilitator from the congregation and guest presentations from others. Snacks and an engaging discussion space provided.

Thanks to all for being a part of this community. It is through the engagement and participation of each of us that this community thrives and inspires.

Anabel Watson, Connections Coordinator

connect@uubloomington.org

Our congregation can celebrate some good financial news! At the July Board meeting Treasurer Bill Lonnberg announced that while the fiscal year 2023-24 budget showed using $53,000 from operational reserves, $0 will be required. Equally welcome was the Pledge Drive Committee’s final report in the July 19 Friday Update, announcing that the amount pledged to the church's 2024-2025 operational budget is 99% of the budgeted pledges. The fiscal year 2024-25 includes using $27,342 from operational reserves. However, the excellent pledging response to-date increases the likelihood of using less, or perhaps zero, operational reserves. We all should be very grateful for the Pledge Drive Committee's work. This is a new committee, its members having taken on their duties at the end of 2023, and so this achievement is doubly admirable.

The Board is looking forward to its coming work with Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray. She begins her position as Lead Minister August 1 and will attend the Sunday services that month before assuming the pulpit in September. On August 11 the Board will hold its annual retreat with Reverend Susan, at which we will implement new policies adopted in the past months. Primary among these are the review of an annual Board planning document and the determination of the format and process of Board and minister self-assessments.

At the July Board meeting, we revised and finalized the UUCB Personnel Manual as well as a Safer Congregation Manual for our Children’s and Youth Religious Education programs, soon to be posted at the church website. Both documents represent part of the policy and procedure clarifications that the Board undertook in the last two years in collaboration with Interim Lead Minister Connie Grant. With her assistance, the congregation is well prepared to embark on this new stage in our history. Reverend Grant is beginning a new interim ministry this month in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. We wish her and her congregation all the best.

-Linda Pickle, Vice President

Just Peace Task Force

Back from the Nuclear Brink

Seventy-nine years ago this month, after Hitler's suicide and Germany's unconditional surrender, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing about 140,000 people by the end of 1945 and leaving survivors with increased rates of cancer and chronic disease. On August 9, the United States used a plutonium bomb on the city of Nagasaki, killing 74,000 and again leaving many of the survivors with cancer and other illnesses.

Peace activists around the world mark these sad anniversaries – often Hiroshima, because it was the first, but sometimes (as this year in Bloomington) Nagasaki, because it was the second and even more disgraceful that we used these weapons of annihilation a second time. (Our vigil will be at 5 p.m. On Friday, August 9th on Courthouse Square. Please come if you possibly can.)

The congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington has a proud history of nuclear dissent. Long-time congregation member Howard Gest was a Manhattan Project scientist and was one of the signers of a letter to the President asking him first to do a demonstration shot and not use nuclear weapons on the civilian population. President Truman ignored the letter, if he ever read it. In his speech triumphantly announcing the Hiroshima bombing, Truman threatened Japan with “a rain of fire and fury like the world has never seen,” a threat repeated decades later by Donald Trump against North Korea.

It is perhaps some comfort that Nagasaki was the last time the world used nuclear weapons, separating us from that horror by almost a lifetime. Or was it? Defense scholar Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, also had a trove of nuclear documents he intended to release. He hid them outside his brother's house; they were destroyed and scattered in a severe storm. Ten years ago, Ellsberg, gifted with a remarkable memory and intellect, published the greatest book on the subject, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. Ellsberg points out that to point a loaded gun at someone is to use it, and in that sense many American presidents have used nuclear threats as a tool of foreign policy. The risk, of course, is that miscalculation will take adversaries and the world over the nuclear abyss.

How that could happen is the subject of investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen's riveting new book Nuclear War: A Scenario (Duton Press, available via Morgenstern's or Amazon). The story starts when North Korea launches two nuclear missiles aimed at the United States, one aimed at the Pentagon, the other at the Diablo Canyon nuclear reactor in California. These are detected almost immediately, but the drama comes as U.S. decision-makers try to figure out what is happening and what to do. American policy calls for the launch of massive nuclear retaliation before a weapon actually strikes American soil. The U.S. has targeted North Korea extensively, and these plans are activated. But these plans call for nuclear missiles to fly over the North Pole and descend into North Korean airspace. This means crossing parts of Russia, and that triggers a full scale Russian nuclear attack on the United States. In the pandemonium of the North Korean attack on Washington, communication had broken down, and the American president had never reached his Russian counterpart. A nuclear exchange on that level would likely kill all human and most other life on Earth, if not immediately, then through nuclear winter and the death of almost all plants.

Relations with Russia and China are deteriorating, and key arms control treaties are being abandoned. The United States is currently “modernizing” its entire nuclear arsenal, a process estimated to cost two trillion dollars over a decade. Worse, it raises the probability that we and our adversaries will resort to actually using nuclear weapons.

A group of experts and ordinary citizens has put forward an agenda known as Back from the Brink to reduce the risk of nuclear war. It advocates:

• Signing a legally binding No First Use treaty;
• Ending the sole, unchecked authority of any U.S. president to launch a nuclear attack;
• Taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert;
• Canceling the plan to replace its entire nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons;
• Negotiating with Russia to cut nuclear arsenals to 650 deployed warheads and 450 reserve warheads during the first term of the coming Administration.
• Actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.

Today few in the public or the policy elite have even considered Back from the Brink. We can and must change that. We can hold local events; host national speakers here in Bloomington; speak out in the national press and get the attention of the next President. America's course is truly insane, threatening the survival of life itself. There are specific steps we together can take to avert such unimaginable catastrophe.

For the Just Peace Task Force:

David Keppel

The August Task of the Month has tips for the impact of paper & household products and for adopting earth-friendly cleaning methods. Here are a few of the tips in the flier:

• Use old clothes instead of paper towels and water and white vinegar for many household cleaning jobs.
• Buy in bulk and reuse the containers.
• Carry a reusable bottle for water, tea or coffee.
• Use reusable shopping and produce bags.
• Take containers for leftovers when you eat out.
• Buy secondhand household goods, clothing or books.
• Look for FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper Look for Green Seal® certified cleaning products, paints…
• Local resources:
  • Buy Bloomingfoods and Fresh Thyme grocery cards from the Hunger Task Force table in Fellowship Hall, and 5% of your purchase cost goes to Shalom or Little Free Pantry!
  • Only Bloomingfoods carries Field Day 80% post-consumer 100% recycled toilet paper, paper towels and napkins;
  • Only Fresh Thyme carries zero-waste laundry detergent sheets;
  • Both Bloomingfoods and Fresh Thyme carry:
    • 100% recycled aluminum foil;
    • Recyclable, FSC-certified resealable and/or compostable sandwich bags;
    • Shampoo bars (more variety at Fresh Thyme);
    • Boxed laundry detergent.
  • The library sells secondhand books, puzzles and CDs.
  • Buy and sell at the White Elephant during the Bazaar!

- Molly O’Donnell, Green Sanctuary Task Force Co-Chair zero.gstf@uubloomington.org

The 2024 Midwest Unitarian Universalist Summer Assembly (MUUSA) was held at our church July 3-7. Here are some “Muusings” put together by BLUUSA, the UUCB planning committee for the event.

Ruellen Fessenbecker: Many many thanks to everyone at UUCB who helped make the MUUSA, UU camp experience a success. Thanks to pie bakers, cookie makers, dishwashers, kitchen helpers, workshop leaders, office staff, folks who helped prepare the church for the event and those who cleaned out the shed for demolition, and any others I haven't listed. The camp was an enjoyable and profound experience. People commented that camp felt like the old camping experience. We received MANY compliments on our church. The campers found it to be beautiful, welcoming, convenient to get around, and hospitable. Campers also appreciated the other UUCB members who helped serve food and did other tasks. I actually heard two campers say that they were looking for a place to retire and now are considering Bloomington! For me it was especially poignant to see my dear camp friends and my dear UUCB friends in church together on Sunday, sharing the good news of Unitarian Universalism with enthusiasm and joy. 

Ann Kamman: I think I most enjoyed watching my (now grown) daughters connect with their friends made years ago at camp. I'm truly thankful for those opportunities for them to meet others their age and keep in touch. That's both community and leadership in action.

Steve Krahnke: When Ruellen Fessenbecker and I were "muusing" during the bazaar that

Bloomington might be a workable location for MUUSA this year (as we search for a new, permanent location, hopefully in the woods on a lake somewhere), I had no idea that so many UUCB people would come together to make camp a reality. This was a perfect example of what UUCB "means" to me: a loving group of people who regularly give of their expertise and time to benefit other people. From UUCB staff, to kitchen volunteers, to workshop hosts, UUCB created a beautiful environment for campers of all ages. I love camp, and I loved being able to share it with people from near and far this summer.

Connie Loftman:  MUUSA 2024 will go down as one of the best assemblies ever, and I have been to over 40 of them, starting in 1979!  Many thanks are due to the UUCB congregation and its staff for allowing us to take over the church premises for five days.  You were the pie bakers, cookie makers, dishwashers, kitchen helpers, and many of you were workshop leaders, too. Our next assembly will be “Next Week”, which actually means summer 2025. Won’t you join us then?

Guy Loftman:  Connie and I were founding members of the Last Resort String Band in 1980, though there have been many years since then when we couldn’t play with them. This year we got back in the band, with Connie on banjo and Guy on guitar. It was great, and made even more so because our grandson, Nola Cusack, joined the fiddle section and did an excellent job.

Jane McLeod: Being able to involve so many UUCB friends in MUUSA this year was a true delight, bringing together two communities that have meant so much to me over the years. I especially enjoyed working with, and forming relationships with, the outstanding kitchen crew (Ruellen Fessenbecker, Ann Kamman, Mary Mahern, Carol Marks, Devin and Sally McGuire, Joan Middendorf, Barb Murray, Linda Pickle, Chris and Dinorah Sapp, Allison Tomusk, Mary Ann Williams, Amy Wolf). Their playfulness, skill, and good humor made serving lunches to 150 people easy! I was also tickled to see so many of our MUUSA campers chatting with our UUCB friends at community hour after the July 7th service—a great coming-together of UUs from throughout the Midwest.

See you next week!

In June of 2024, a grassroots group assembled with the intention of reactivating campus ministry for the Fall 2024 Semester.

After several meetings, we have begun to work towards recruiting for and organizing a UU Student Organization on IU Campus.

Now more than ever, campus ministry is essential to the spirit of Unitarian Universalism. With our country’s political polarization, loneliness epidemic, and the many serious issues that the younger generations are facing, the need for community and for spiritual experiences has never been greater.

We believe that the time to reach out from our unique and welcoming spiritual home is always now. As Unitarian Universalists, we have always benefited from the perspectives and drive of the youth. Much can be said about the lasting influence of the Liberal Religious Youth on our traditions.

If there is a person in your life who is going to IUB at this time or will be in the immediate future, please send them our contact information so that they have the opportunity to take part in this exciting new adventure.

Use this form to get in touch about campus outreach.

-David F.

Chalice Circles are small groups of usually 7 to 10 people who gather to practice deep listening. The focus of each meeting is a topic that serves as a springboard into reflection on deeper issues of who we are and what gives our lives meaning. At the core of each session is deep listening. Questions are posed and each person responds in turn. The other participants provide the speaker with rapt attention. They don’t ask questions; they don’t give advice – they listen deeply. These groups meet one or more times a month from October through May and are led by a trained facilitator.

Members wrote in their evaluations that the groups provided meaningful interactions. Other comments were "I now feel more 'at home' in the church after my chalice circle participation"; "The circle gave me an opportunity to grow emotionally and spiritually."; "I felt seen and heard" and "I got to know familiar friends better and meet new ones".

Signing up for a chalice circle can be done online or in person after church starting September 1. There are groups meeting in person or over zoom. Some meet during the day and others meet in the evening. Weekend and weekday groups are available. Childcare will be available for some meeting times.

-Ruellen Fessenbecker

The UUCB Women’s Alliance started in 1959, and began to manage the annual church Bazaar, build fellowship, and give service and financial support to the church and selected church and community projects, as voted upon by the membership.

We meet in Fellowship Hall on the 1st Thursday of each month (with some exceptions) at 11:30 a.m. for a brown bag lunch with drinks and desserts provided. Then we have a program and a brief business meeting. Our $25 annual (July to June) dues provide donations to many non profits as well as within our congregation. We’re mostly visible working the Gourmet Galaxy booth of the Holiday Bazaar in December. We encourage women of our congregation to join us. It’s a great way to get to know other people.

Previous programs have included local nonprofit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM), All Options Pregnancy Resource Center, Better Angels, and college professors about their subjects: Professor James Madison discussed his book on the KKK in Indiana. Professor Angela Jackson-Brown discussed the topic of "Where Do We Go From Here," regarding race relations, racial history, and how we can foster growth and unity.

Our own member, Earon Davis, discussed his book, Exposing Systems of Anti-Jewishness: How Bigotry Spread Through Christianity, Islam, Marxism, and Fascist Europe.

A representative from the Bloomington-Monroe County League of Women Voters will be speaking on voter education. We often have a holiday music program in December. Our favorite programs have been those provided by our members - about the art we do, items we’ve collected, our favorite books, and how we have handled retirement.

To view the Women's Alliance page on the UUCB website, click here.

-Ann Kamman

Mark your calendar for the UU Bazaar, which will be held here at the church on December 6 and 7. The bazaar is an event that involves many people in the congregation. There will be a cookie cruise, the gourmet galaxy where there will be sales of homemade jams, breads, candies and other treats, the white elephant sale, used book sale, a cafe featuring homemade soups and sandwiches and desserts, booths presented by the task forces and of course, the artisan booths in the meeting room. It is an old fashioned church bazaar with a modern twist.

Many, many people are needed to put together this effort. There will be a chance to sign up to staff a booth, donate items, wash dishes or the wide variety of tasks involved.

Our most immediate needs are for someone to help organize the white elephants and someone to keep track of persimmon trees and those willing to pick up and/or process persimmons. If you are able to help in one of these areas, please contact Ruellen Fessenbecker using this form.

Current Member Number: 448

Attendance-

07/07/2024: 270

07/14/2024: 167

07/21/2024: 183

07/28/2024: 194

Offering Total for July 2024: $3,966.37

25% Donated to Habitat for Humanity: $991.59