Perspectives for June 2026

All this year, we have been exploring themes that are essential to the Beloved Community. The Beloved Community is an idea popularized by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a community rooted in love of self and neighbor that seeks the fullest unfolding of the personality of each person. A community that cannot tolerate racism, discrimination, or poverty because of the damage these do to the dignity and flourishing of the human spirit.

Throughout this year, we reflected on the importance of values necessary for the Beloved Community – including truth, imagination, inclusion, gratitude, history and memory, hope, interdependence, joy and resilience – each of these a quality necessary to nurture a community where love is the center, where justice is the guide, and where human dignity is promoted and protected.

The Beloved Community is an ideal vision for human community. Who knows if we can ever shape our society into its beauty, but as with so many things in life, it is not about the destination. It is about how we live; how we seek to fashion our lives and our world, especially the parts of our world that are ours to shape. This includes our friendships, families, partnerships, and our congregation and how we seek to infuse them with the values and practices of truth, of gratitude, of care and sanctuary, hope and joy, interdependence and gratitude. When so much feels beyond our control, let us remember the things that are within our grasp and remember that the good we nurture ripples out and weaves itself into the fabric of humanity and community.

This month, we’ll seek to bring it all together imperfectly reflecting on what it means to nurture Beloved Community.

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

Lead Minister

revsfg@uubloomington.org

Last month, I wrote that we need 38 volunteers per year to fully staff our children and youth religious education program, and asked that people sign up here for next year. As of this writing 16 people have signed up (THANK YOU!), and an additional 5 have expressed interest. Assuming all five of the latter group do end up signing up, we currently have 17 openings remaining.

I know the next church/school year seems like a long way off, but actually it begins in August, just two months away. That means that now is prime planning time for your religious education staff! A program with 21 volunteers will look very different from a full program with 38 volunteers and will require very different plans and materials. The number of volunteers signed up by June 1st will determine the nature of next year’s program, so please do not wait to sign up.

There are a number of ways we could scale back our programming to match the number of volunteers who sign up.

One option would be for us to return to a “one-room schoolhouse” model, where children and youth of all ages gather in one space. There are many advantages to this sort of approach: kids build relationships across ages, older children potentially learn to mentor and assist younger ones, and everyone learns flexibility and patience. However, we typically have at least 20-25 children present for both first and second service, and we do not have a space available for use by that many children on Sunday mornings.

Another option would be to only offer children’s programming during one service. But which service? Many families tell me that Sundays are the only days when their children can enjoy a relaxed morning, so they strongly prefer attending the second service. Other families tell me that their children are up early anyway on Sunday mornings, or they have other obligations in the afternoons, or that second service overlaps with younger children’s nap times. Whatever the reason, these families strongly prefer attending first service. In fact, most people, with or without children in their household, seem to have a preferred service time. Our volunteers and staff work hard to ensure that no matter which worship service you attend, the same things are available: coffee and other refreshments, music, greeters, a powerful message, childcare, hearing assistance, etc. If the aspects of our church community that you rely on were only offered at the “other” service time, what would you do?

Theoretically, we could hire paid staff to provide Sunday morning religious education for children and youth. Obviously, that would require additional funds in our budget, so it is not a solution for this coming year. Additionally, it would rob the congregation of the opportunity to form cross-generational relationships which have been shown to benefit both children and adults and strengthen the congregational community as a whole.

Reverend Susan and I have also discussed the possibility of adding more all-ages services to our annual cycle. In some congregations, all services are designed for all ages, and services are followed by religious education for all ages. There are some lovely advantages to this kind of approach, but for a congregation of this size there are significant challenges as well.

There are hybrid solutions, too. Perhaps we’ll combine classes during one service and offer separate age -groupings in the other. Perhaps we’ll add a few more all-ages services to the calendar. Maybe some alternate idea will emerge.

Ultimately, it will be the congregation that determines the type of religious education experience available to our children and youth. I know that the congregation understands that religious education significantly impacts children and youth’s experiences of a church and their willingness to stay engaged or re-engage as adults. Now more than ever, children and youth need a safe space to be themselves, to hear messages of hope, and to be included in the work to build Beloved Community. And I know, too, that this congregation understands the importance of welcoming and supporting people of all ages if we are to grow, survive, and thrive as a community and a movement. With nearly 500 members, it seems well within reach to have 38 religious education volunteers per year.

Here’s what volunteering for children’s religious exploration classes entails in 2026-27, assuming we are able to offer our full program:

• Be present to children and youth, willing to listen and connect with them and affirm them as valued members of our congregational community.
• Commit to teaching an average of 1.5 times per month (18 Sundays per year);
• Attend a teacher training/orientation on August 1, 10am - 3pm (lunch provided);
• Attend a monthly discussion group in person or online (optional but strongly encouraged)

If you are able to help next year, please fill out this form by June 1. Teaching in our religious exploration program is fun and rewarding! No prior experience is necessary, and your staff aim to make it as easy as possible for you to participate. As always, I’m happy to answer questions or talk through any concerns you may have.

In faith,
Stephanie

Stephanie Kimball, Director of Lifespan Religious Education

kimball@uubloomington.org

We are pleased to announce that Maria Renner, a seminary student and UU from Indianapolis, has accepted the position of ministerial intern. We will welcome Maria starting on September 6, 2026, when she will begin her 10 month internship with us. Look out for additional information on special events to help welcome Maria upon her arrival. In addition, we will provide more details on the various roles Maria will be assuming at UUCB.

Maria is currently a seminary student at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Since she will also be doing course work, she is unable to work full time as our intern. We have negotiated a 75% time position from September through the end of June. We believe this will help provide additional ministry support to our growing congregation, and it will meet the UUA’s requirements for an internship. Maria will be commuting from Indianapolis for the position.

Maria sent us the following introductory greeting:

Hello UUCB,

I’m honored and excited to be joining the congregation as your ministerial intern beginning this fall. I am a Mexican American Master of Divinity student at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Over the past several years, I have been involved in worship leadership, pastoral care, religious education, and congregational life within Unitarian Universalism in Indianapolis. Outside of ministry and seminary, I enjoy hiking, spending time outdoors, and being with my son.

I look forward to participating in the life of the congregation, building relationships and continuing to grow in ministry through our shared work together. I’m grateful for this opportunity and excited to meet you all in the months ahead.

Thank you again,

Maria Renner

We have registered to participate in Bloomington’s annual 4th of July Parade! This event has historically been a fun and energizing opportunity to gather and connect with others in our congregation. It is also a valuable opportunity to represent the welcoming and affirming nature of our community to others in the region who may be in need of a supportive space.

If you are interested in participating, please register HERE so that we have a rough estimate of our group size.

We will reach out to those registered to gather folks who might be interested in planning. Questions? Contact Anabel, Connections Coordinator, at connect@uubloomington.org.

The theme for the month of June is Beloved Community. Appropriate to that theme, our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held following the service on Sunday, June 7 from 12:15-1:45pm in the Meeting Room. In addition to the regular annual business (voting on the FY27 budget, Board and Committee elections, selection of the 25% plate recipient), we will vote on two important matters for our beloved community: a new Congregational Covenant and Emerita status for Rev. Mary Ann Macklin.

The Covenant describes the commitments that the congregation makes to each other (“right relations”) and to our shared ministry. Emeritus/Emerita status may be conferred on ministers who have served UUCB for many years and with distinction, and are retired from active service. This status allows the individual to vote at the UUA General Assembly.

I look forward to a large and enthusiastic turnout!

Bill Lonnberg
UUCB Treasurer

Our Congregational Covenant frames our intentions to be in right relation with others even in conflict, to support each other as we search for truth, and to go forward in community. The Right Relations Committee serves as a resource for the congregation as we live our covenant and can be called on for guidance when conflict arises.

The current members of the committee, appointed by the Board in consultation with the Minister, are Denise Breeden-Ost, Mary Mahern, Charlie Pickle, and Drew Schrader.

The committee is available to help support congregational relationships. For congregants experiencing interpersonal conflict, we can offer:

• A listening ear for individual discernment.
• Conversation and questions to help clarify what's happening, concerns, hopes and intentions, and options for moving forward.
• Shared reflection on how our Congregational Covenant applies to the situation.
• Facilitation or mediation of a discussion, if all parties agree.

We will:

• Respect the dignity and worthiness of every person.
• Listen with care and consider all perspectives.
• Be mindful of the role of identity and power in relationships and conflict.
• Hold situations in confidence as far as possible.
• Continue to learn about right relations, communication, and conflict, and share what we learn with the congregation when appropriate.
• Model healthy communication and conflict care ourselves.

We encourage you to reach out to us if you're experiencing conflict in the congregation; if you're feeling hurt or think you may have hurt someone; if you're not sure how to handle a situation. Together, we can move through conflict toward wisdom, care, and community.

You can reach us by emailing rightrelations@uubloomington.org.

In his 1967 book, ‘Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?’, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote: “Racism is a philosophy based on a contempt for life. It is the arrogant assertion that one race is the center of value and object of devotion, before which other races must kneel in submission. It is the absurd dogma that one race is responsible for all the progress of history and alone can assure the progress of the future. Racism is total estrangement. It separates not only bodies, but minds and spirits. Inevitably, it descends to inflicting spiritual and physical homicide upon the out-group.”

In her 2021 book, ‘Cracking the Healer’s Code: A Prescription for Healing Racism and Finding Wholeness’, Milagros Phillips writes: “White people also need to see how the myth of race and the belief in racism and supremacy oppress them. They are expected to be silent in the face of institutional and systemic violence toward People of Color. They are expected to go along to get along. Their complacency and complicity with the system of racism dehumanizes them and numbs them to the plight of others. In exchange for their silence, they are lavished with access and opportunities not available to Black people and People of Color. The oppression of compliance is hidden behind privilege for White people, so they don’t see it.” Additionally, she writes, “Racism is institutional, systemic, internalized, personal, and interpersonal.”

Reflecting on these quotes, the current conditions in our country, and our June congregational theme of “Beloved Community,” the Racial Justice Task Force works to dismantle racism in ourselves and our institutions through education and action. As chaos seems ever more present, we continue to work toward community. We invite you to join us on this journey and to help guide and expand our work. You can sign up on Church Center or talk with Task Force members in Fellowship Hall after the June 14th service.

Looking back: Over the past year our task force organized a trip to Crispus Attucks Museum in Indianapolis, joined the Bloomington Multi-Faith Alliance Faith for Racial Equity’s (BMA-F4RE) community read of Cracking the Healer’s Code: A Prescription for Healing Racism and Finding Wholeness and hosted two events with its author, Milagros Phillips. We discussed race-related issues at our regular meetings and at other speaker and author events. We provided financial support to Crispus Attucks Museum, CAW Inner City Youth League, SCCAP/Thriving Connections, NAACP of Monroe County, Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana Honor Fund, and the Shawnee Seed Sanctuary. More details are provided in our Annual Report.

Looking ahead: We will be organizing at least one field trip, co-sponsoring an event about the Mound People of Ohio with the Indigenous Studies Working Group, joining BMA-F4RE for a community read of Getting to Reparations: How Building a Different America Requires a Reckoning with Our Past by Dorothy A. Brown, and seeking out other opportunities for education, action, and community building.

Ongoing: Our task force continues to have the honor of serving as the organizational home for Resilience Productions, a theatre company founded in 2016 by Danielle Bruce, Gladys DeVane, and Elizabeth Mitchell—three women who believe in the power of storytelling. Together, they research, write, and produce original live performances inspired by historical events. Resilience Productions brings to life the often forgotten and unknown stories of African Americans, women and other unrepresented voices whose contributions have shaped our American history. The Racial Justice Task Force helps with 5-50 Club fundraising and provides and serves refreshments for Resilience Productions performances.

Resilience Productions celebrates their 10th Anniversary this year with Tomorrow’s Sentry: Preparing the Future to Preserve the Past, a historically inspired play that explores the experiences surrounding segregated education and broader social issues in Bloomington and Monroe County from the post–Civil War era through the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, to the present. The play’s central theme is today’s youth becoming tomorrow’s adults and the keepers of our history. Public performances will take place October 2-4 in the John Waldron Arts Center.

The Social Justice Funds Committee is proud to present our nonprofit nominees for the 2026-27 fiscal year 25% Sunday Plate Fund! Please take the time to read the descriptions of each nominee below. Organization representatives will be available in Fellowship Hall after the service on May 31st and June 7th to answer questions and discuss their work. Presentations will be made during the June 7th service and voting will take place that afternoon at the congregational meeting. Thank you for taking the time to get to know these organizations and the great work they are doing in our community!

Farm to Family Fund

The Farm to Family Fund (F2F) is designed to make healthful food more available to low-income households and to support farmers. At the close of markets, they purchase produce, eggs, and dairy at half price. This food is donated to the Community Kitchen, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, Pantry 279, and Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

F2F also doubles SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits at the Winter Market and the Bloomington Farm Stop Collective, enhancing food equity in our community. In 2025, F2F doubled about $30,000 of SNAP benefits.

Bloomingfoods had matched SNAP benefits with funding from the state. That funding is no longer available which corresponded with an increased use of SNAP at the Farm Stop.

Sunday plate funds would support the SNAP matching. As an all-volunteer organization, 99% of F2F’s $160,000 annual budget goes directly to the purchase of food and SNAP doubling. As an added bonus, F2F has a grant that would match Sunday plate donations 2 – 1, making a $50 donation worth $150.

The Hunger Task Force supports this nomination because it fits their goals of feeding people that can’t afford nutritious food. The Green Sanctuary Task Force supports this because F2F’s support of local farms helps build resilience.

Nominated by Marcia Veldman

Friend’s Place

Homelessness is a word we hear too often. We no longer stop to think about what it means not to have shelter, until we read about a homeless person frozen or stabbed to death.

In 2016, Friend’s Place was founded, the only year-round, non-religious shelter for homeless adults in 7 counties. The clients are primarily women, making it the largest year-round emergency shelter for women in our area. They also prioritize Monroe County residents, people fleeing domestic violence, and people facing discrimination, especially members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2025, Friend’s Place provided 14,122 nights of shelter to 297 people and placed 53 people into their own homes. That takes blood, sweat. tears, and $$$$$.

25% of the UU Sunday plate would be used to establish Friend’s Place’s Path to Permanent Homes, which provides essential financial support for: • apartment application fees • security deposits • utility assistance • rental assistance • moving expenses, and • Welcome Home Kits, which include basic necessities.

Please vote for Friend’s Place Path to Permanent Homes on June 7th at the congregational meeting. Bring hope and homes to our neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Nominated by Mary Blizzard

Shawnee Seed Sanctuary

Every week, we profess an acknowledgment of past harm and a desire for restorative justice in our relationship with Indiana’s indigenous communities. In an effort to make these words real, meaningful relationships have formed with Shawnee people here in Indiana.

The Shawnee Seed Sanctuary, spearheaded by local Shawnee scholar Ryan Conway and his wife Andrea, aims to save endangered sacred corn seeds developed in Indiana in the early 1800s. These sacred seeds are the living embodiment of a past alliance of 15 Native nations at Prophetstown, born from the hybridization of corn varieties each nation brought with them. They were thought lost, but had been saved by the Shawnee’s Ho-Chunk allies and recently rematriated. By restoring these seeds to the land where they were born, the organization hopes to rekindle cultural connection for Shawnee youth, safeguard Shawnee biocultural heritage, and bring members of those 15 nations back together for the first time in 200 years.

Funds from the Sunday plate would cover the Prophetstown Planting Project budget of $8,000 for 2026-2027, supporting harvesting supplies, field preparation, planting on one acre at Prophetstown in spring 2027, and travel and accommodations to help members of those nations gather for the harvest.

Action must follow words for them to have true meaning. There is no better way for our congregation to make our commitment to restorative justice a reality than by partnering with our Shawnee neighbors in their effort to restore these sacred seeds to the soil where they were born.

Nominated by the Indigenous Studies Planning Group (Zach Ammerman, Barbara Backler, Judy Berkshire, and Stuart Yoak)

A self-proclaimed “LeftNeck,” and “tree-hugger that watches NASCAR,” Grant Peeples is a folk singer in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Billy Bragg. His concerts ring with laughter and applause and moments of contemplative silence. Stage 33 (Bellows Falls, VT) described him as “darkly hilarious and deadly serious, often at the same time.” The late American author and journalist T.D. Allman cited “the humor, compassion and wisdom of his songs,” and their “unflinching social insight and cultural acuity.”

Grant lived as an expatriate on a small island off the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua for eleven years where he installed the island’s first flushing toilet, rescued sea turtles, and built an eco-resort and dive shop. Upon his return to the US in 2006, he experienced a homeland whose changes bordered on futuristic. Much of what he writes about today is informed by that experience.

He has produced 14 studio albums of mostly original songs, 5 of which were produced by iconic Roots producer/performer Gurf Morlix. His 2023 release A Murder of Songs rated #16 on No Depression’s Readers Poll of theTop 20 Roots Music Albums of the Year. He is currently touring in support of a new release, Code to Live By, which the Dean of American Rock Critics, Robert Christgau, praised with his highest “A” rating, and called it “the most explicitly leftist album I’ve come across in far too long.”

Grant tours coast to coast and is a repeat performer at Kerrville Folk Festival, the Woody Guthrie Festival, Antlers & Acorns Songwriters Festival, Moccasin Creek Festival, and The Florida Folk Festival, among others. FolkForum.nl described him “…a pure storyteller, in the best American folk tradition…” and his show “…one of those gems that you will remember for a long time...”

You won’t want to miss. . . GRANT PEEPLES
with The Midwest Liberation Front Band and The Breedens with special guest, Maggie Jesseph
7 pm - June 12, 2026 • Unitarian Church of Bloomington, 2120 N. Fee Lane
Pre-concert ticket sales between services $15 • At the door ticket sales $20
Sponsored by the UU Homelessness Task Force

Are you looking for an opportunity to connect with other UUs while also enjoying some time in the out-of-doors? Wednesday Walkers may be just for you! We meet every Wednesday morning, 9:00 in the warmer months and 10:00 when it gets cooler. No special equipment or training required! We walk for about an hour, give or take, and move at a pace that works for everyone. We choose a different location each week for variety and are always open to new recommendations on where to walk. Our walks are a wonderful opportunity to get to know others in our beloved UUCB community as we enjoy the beauty that nature has to offer us.

New members are always welcome. Join the email list on Church Central to be notified of where we are walking each week. If you have any questions, just contact Kathy Gilbert and Ann Kamman at this link.

All Services During the Month of June are at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, June 7
Dr. King's Vision of the Beloved Community
Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
It was Dr. King who popularized the idea of the Beloved Community. What did he mean by this vision and how is it still relevant today?

Sunday, June 14
All Our Relations in the Beloved Community
Ryan T. Conway (Pakawi)
What if we understood the plants and animals around us as non-human kin, here to help us serve our purpose in the Cosmos? What if corn were more than a commodity? What if we understood her as a spiritual being, tied not just to our nutritional survival, but to our vital, umbilical connection to Mother Earth, and a gift from our Creator? A Native perspective on the Beloved Community would consider all these beings as integral to our vision of an achievable, better world...and, moreover, would consider our care for them as a fundamental prerequisite for restoring balance within the human community. If these sacred kin can once again be recognized as those who nourish us and heal us...might we also be willing to renew our relationships with them, so that they may teach us about wisdoms we have obviously long forgotten? The sharing of a single, sacred seed is a spiritual act of renewal, an object lesson in faith, and a material manifestation of solidarity. Join us, Sunday June 14th, as we braid together a vision of Alliance suitable for renewing our relationships and co-creating our Beloved Community.

Ryan T. Conway (Pakawi) is a seasoned community organizer, farmer, and independent researcher with extensive experience in food systems and policy governance. As a proud citizen of the Shawnee Tribe, Ryan actively engages in tribal life by teaching the Shawnee language and cultivating ceremonial corn, while researching and preserving traditional medicine and foodways through the IU Institute for Indigenous Knowledge. With a rich background spanning academic research, nonprofit leadership, and small-business ownership, Ryan applies a holistic and integrative approach to research design and project execution, fostering innovative and community-centered solutions. Examples include the Shawnee Seed Sanctuary, a new 501c3 he is empowered to Direct by a board of Shawnee Elders, and the Prophetstown Seed Alliance, a growing network of seed-saving and food-sovereignty among the 14+ tribes of the original Prophetstown Alliance.

Sunday, June 21
Leadership in the Beloved Community
Revs. Susan Frederick-Gray and Mary Ann Macklin

Leadership matters in a community and society. What is the leadership that is needed to nurture beloved community? How do we cultivate and support the ethical and compassionate leadership we need?

Sunday, June 28
Nurturing Beloved Community
Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
How do we create in the context of our communities the qualities of love, compassion, inclusion, dignity and justice that are necessary for the Beloved Community?