February 2008 Newsletter

Vision: We will be a beacon of progressive religion in our region, inspiring positive change in the world.
Mission: Caring for one another, growing spiritually, and working for justice.

Sunday Services and Religious Education for February 2008

All services during February will be held at 10:30am 835 W. College Street

Sunday, February 3: Association Sunday. Hal Bertilson
Hal will present the exciting goals the Unitarian Universalist Association has set to grow leadership, diversity, numbers, spirit, and witness through the "Now Is the Time" Campaign.

Sunday, February 10. The Foundations of Wholeness: Reverend Sally Hamlin, Interim Minister and Suzanne Wasilczuk, candidate for Unitarian Universalist ministry, preaching. What does it mean to be "whole"? What institutional supports are necessary for this to occur? What does our history tell us about this?

Sunday, February 17. Hoping for a Good Life. Reverend Sally Hamlin, Interim Minister
What part does hope play in creating the life you desire and the world you envision?

Sunday, February 24. Speaker: Kim Crawford, Director of CHUM's Gabriel Project
This service will help inform us, as a member of CHUM, about its newest endeavors to lift up the issues of homelessness, hunger, unemployment and need in Duluth.

Guidelines for Newsletter Submissions

The newsletter for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth is produced monthly and released by the first of each month. It is available online at www.uuduluth.org. The deadline for submissions to the March 2008 newsletter is February 17. Priority will be given to items received on time; late submissions may not be included due to space constraints.

Submissions should be directed to the Congregational Administrator at uucduluth@gmail.com If at all possible, please email newsletter submissions (uucduluth@gmail.com) rather than handwriting them or leaving a print copy in the church office. When emailing, please both embed and attach submissions in a .doc (Microsoft Word) format, and write "Newsletter" in the subject heading. Be sure to include a contact name and phone number.

From our Interim Minister, Reverend Sally Hamlin

Dear UUCD members,

Photo of Sally Hamlin WHEW! How can it be February already? Where has the time gone? My time with you is now at the half way mark, and as we have turned the corner on 2008, with so much underway, it feels good to sit for a minute and reflect on where we have been together on this journey of Interim Ministry.

The Transitions Office of the Unitarian Universalist Association does an excellent job of keeping up with all the comings and goings of ministers in our congregations. This office, under the leadership of John Weston, has the formidable task of tracking all this movement and describes itself thusly: "Transitions advises congregations that are seeking ministers and ministers seeking positions in all forms of ministry. Through a Transitions Representative in each district, the Transitions Office trains and supports ministerial search committees and recommends ministers for their consideration. Transitions also oversees the training and placement of interim ministers. Go to (www.uua.org/aboutus/professionalstaff/transitions) if you want more information.
So it is good to know we don't have to figure all this out by ourselves. There is an actual office that supports you in your ministerial changes and offers expert and reliable resources with which to do this.

However, as with any new process, there is a learning curve involved, and, as I have said to you before in this column and in other places, the process of ministerial transition is no different.

The good news is that you are ready to learn and have already navigated several of the steps of the change in professional leadership. Last spring, in April, a small group of you, appointed by your Board of Trustees, quickly learned how to apply for an Interim Minister*, and after several intense, busy weeks, including lots of phone calls, meetings, emails and phone interviews, they invited me to be your interim for this year.

You also now have in place a Ministry Transition Team*, which will help guide you through the steep learning curve of the congregational work of the interim ministry period, including the Five Developmental Tasks of Interim Ministry, which I preached about January 13. They have held two Sunday information gathering sessions after two months of self-study and examination of all the documents from the Transitions office that describe the steps involved in Interim and Settled ministry. They have their work cut out for them as they determine and suggest the best ways for this particular congregation to navigate this interim period. They are dedicated and enthusiastic, focused and joyful. Expect to hear lots more from them in the near future.

The Ministry Transition Team (above) is different yet from the Ministerial Search Team*, which will be appointed by the Board of Trustees after a decision is made about whether you will have an additional one or two year interim ministry. Depending on your direction, this will convene either next month or in March 2009. In order to do a good job, this team will need about eighteen months to do the work of calling your next settled minister. This is intense work, involving months and months of dedication, is not work for the faint-hearted. But it is work for those with lots of heart, and for those with a sense of humor and a deep love of this congregation. If you are interested in participating, I suggest you contact the executive committee of the board.

You may also have heard about the Committee on Ministry (COM)*, and wondered what it is. The COM meets monthly with your minister to discuss and evaluate how the whole ministry of your congregation is going. This committee usually disbands during an Interim Ministry period, because its work is to evaluate and consider the settled minister's work and how the plan for all aspects of the congregation's ministry is going for the congregation. However, because I am a newly minted minister (Class of '07) and am in Preliminary Fellowship, they will continue in their work because I need a team of congregants who can evaluate my ministry for the next three years, so that I fulfill the qualifications for Final Fellowship with the UUA. In addition, this committee has been charged by the Board of Trustees to evaluate the congregation's progress during this interim year, and my work with you. They may contact you for input on this evaluation which is due to the UUA Transitions office on February 15, 2008.

Are you confused yet? If you are not, it must be because all of this has invited you into the deep sleep of the bored and of those who dislike bureaucracy... but that, as I often say, is another sermon entirely!

It has been my complete joy to serve you. I am learning and growing in my understanding of what it means to serve a congregation, and in my understanding of self-care and the ongoing commitment our faith tradition calls me to.

In the meantime, we are all on the move. Momentum is building on College Street as we gather for work and worship. Eventually we will obtain our certificate of occupancy and all the administrative functions will move permanently to that location. I look forward to being the first minister to serve you in this new building, and to look out to the woods and trees through the birch tree windows, waiting for spring to come.

And, don't forget! We are getting a bus together to go to Omaha Nebraska for the Prairie Star District Assembly (www.psduua.org) the second weekend of April, 11-13. This happens the weekend after you host Opening Our Doors, the interfaith welcoming congregation event that is going to be spectacular. This will include a Friday evening concert ($15), and an all day Saturday conference to be followed by a gourmet dinner (all for $20!!!).

Then in mid-May, we celebrate the official opening of your new building with a Building Dedication ceremony led by Reverend Bill Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association on Friday evening, and other special events planned for Saturday and Sunday.

Like I said in the beginning- WHEW!

Fasten your seat belts! Hold on, here we go!
See you on Sunday,

(* for more information on these and other definitions, go to www.uua.org)

Sally

To: The incomparable UUCD: Making It Home! – REALLY!

Ann talking to the congregation at first work-ship My letter to you this month is my attempt to help you understand the progression of our building process over time including what our new home means to our checkbooks. Before I do this, I want to express the deep gratitude I know you hold in your hearts for the three groups that have so remarkably dedicated themselves to our dream; the College Street Project Task Force, the College Street Project Finishing Team, and the Green Sanctuary Committee. I feel quite confident that none of these folks understood at the outset of this project just how challenging it would become as they learned about the uncertainty, difficulty and pride of producing commercial construction with "green as an overriding influence. Following is a brief description and approximation of the Major Areas of Cost Overruns from the College Street Project – Phase I.

Flexibility – Original Estimate $180,000, Actual $234.000 = overrun of $54,000.
Much of this overrun is in our electrical sub-contract for things such as conduit for security, audio visual, technology, theater production, solar panels, etc. Another major area of flexibility is in the Religious Education wing designed for moveable walls to allow for youth demographic changes over time. The built in flexibility of our design and resulting overrun enables us and future congregations to make substantive modifications in the future without costly demolition and reconstruction expense.

Underground Parking Garage – New 15,500 s.f. @ $60 s.f. = overrun of $775,000.
The advantage of this overrun is 15,500 s.f. of usable space not in the program statement. This increased space allows 35-40 parking spaces without asphalting more of the planet that leads to global warming, it also provides three large storage spaces, and handicapped elevator access. Entryway

Site Development – Original Estimate $77,000, Actual $384,654 = overrun of $307,654.
This was the area of largest surprise. No one imagined what our wonderfully located property would carry this much expense. The lovely pond at the western edge was built to replace two ponds overtaken by the building footprint.

Sewer/Water Extension – Original Estimate $46,000, Actual $66,400 = overrun $20,400.
Through tireless effort we were able to work this expense overrun down by $40,000.

Green Initiatives – Original Estimate $0, Actual assume approximate overrun $100,000.
Several "green aspects of our building are in above items. However, other green initiatives include positioning the building below the hill to shelter from winter winds, placing windows for south solar gain, harvesting favored trees, an extensive green roof and underground parking that accomplishes very little to no run-off from our property, sustainable materials and products such as tile, carpeting, paint, on demand hot water, and more. TOTAL APPROXIMATE OVERRUNS: $1,257,054

At the end of the day our building speaks our principals as best we could manage with the help of our major benefactor the Zeppa Family Foundation. We have an asset valued at approximately $4 million, and TOTAL APPROXIMATE DEBT : $613,500

For this debt amount to hold, we must collect every dollar pledged. The leadership of UUCD is acutely aware of this debt, and we will all work diligently to eliminate this debt as soon as possible and hopefully before interest begins to accrue on 9/1/10.

We are acutely aware that some of you have already pledged and given as much as you can, and we thank you most sincerely for your generosity. What is of paramount importance here is that you know that your value is in your being with us, not in how much money you are able give.

This second part of this letter is to give you some insight into the possible future additions to our building that evolved but were not implemented during Phase I of the project but may be implemented as future funding is secured. However, before getting into these future additions, the board gratefully acknowledges the volunteers who have stepped up to continue our project after Phase I is complete. The College Street Project - Phase II Team includes Warren High, Geiger Yount, Chris Edwardson, Julie McDonnell, Ann Fryberger, Bev Harries, Mary Melander and Carole Stinson. This team and others will be working on the following:

Debt Free Kitchen – The one remaining construction area needing completion is our kitchen. As you know from a recent mailing, a team has formed to ask you to contribute to the evolution of this important area of our congregational life. We are seeking bids on completing the construction aspects of the kitchen, and our Kitchen Finishing Team is working to prioritize and reduce the cost of our professionally designed kitchen equipment list with the goal of having a commercial dream kitchen as we secure funding.

Wants – Many items evolved from town hall meetings, needs and wants lists, and member comments since the project began. Many of these have already been integrated in the construction aspect of the building. On the other hand, many items remain for future funding. The major items that we would have included in Phase I if affordable include religious education partitions, portable acoustic planter partitions between sanctuary and gathering space, flooring on east west wings, energy shades and solar panels, chancel and other furnishings, cabinetry and shelving, remaining portions of security/audio/visual/technology and theater components, welcome hutch, social hall tables, chairs, and cooking and serving equipment.

Aesthetics - Perhaps some day we will decide to add aesthetic elements to our beautiful building such as works of art, glass, sculpture, wood carvings, banners, flags, landscaping, memorial gardens, trails, play areas and gardens, etc. to further beautify our home. We've got a great start with our Green Sanctuary Committee's fabulous pond. We have years ahead of us to further beautify our religious home.

My hope in writing this letter to you is that I have helped you see that our building is almost complete, that I believe we have manageable debt, and that our future is what we make of it. I am not in any way trying to ignore the disappointment that many, including the entire task force, feel about not having a finished building and especially the missing kitchen and other things. However, I also cannot help but believe that you understand that everyone from UUCD involved in the project have gone well beyond the call of duty to make our dream come true.

Finally, as you might guess, your continuing support is needed and deeply appreciated. Funding the kitchen is part of the overall goal to thrive in our College Street home. If you did not pledge in the 2006 Building Fund Appeal (BFA), this is an ideal time to step forward with a commitment to the total project (mark your check "post-BFA) or to the kitchen (mark your check "Kitchen) or proportionally to both. Please be clear in the memo section of your check as to how you want your generous donation to be recorded. Many of you have paid your BFA pledge in full and may see your way to give now to the kitchen "pot. If you have not completed your BFA matching grant pledge, keep in mind these pledges must be paid in full by August 31, 2009 to collect the match.

If you have questions about your individual status with pledge balances call the office 724-0308 or Geiger Yount at home. Last but certainly not least, everyone is encouraged any time to make debt reduction contributions by writing "ZFF debt in the memo line.

What excites me most about all of this is that from our new home, UUCD has the chance of a lifetime to shine our beacon of progressive religion into our region to call all to our faith who want to Nurture Their Spirit and Help Heal the World guided by the Principles of Unitarian Universalism.

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.
In faith, Ann Fryberger, President.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: GRAND OPENING WEEKEND

MAY 16 Building Dedication with Rev. Bill Sinkford speaking
MAY 17 Open House events
MAY 18 Back to the Future and Beyond. Service on Sunday morning

Progress Towards a Kitchen!

We are working together to raise approximately $100,000 towards completion of our kitchen! Your support has enabled the Kitchen Task Force to begin purchasing some quality used items for the kitchen as they become available. Prior to the generous matching grant of $15,000, a gift of $10,000 was contributed to the kitchen. In less than a week, as of January 15th, you sent $3615 in towards securing the matching grant, and an additional $6100 was promised. Hurrah! When we receive an additional $11,385, we will receive the matching grant. We are sincerely grateful for your support and anticipate a successful campaign to provide our congregation with the means to serve our congregation and community.

The Kitchen Task Force is completing a priority list with costs for the different stages of completion for you to review. Bids have been solicited for the completion of the construction phase of the kitchen as well so that we may give you an accurate estimate of the remaining costs for completion.
Your continuing support is needed and deeply appreciated. Checks may be dropped in the plate at church or sent to 145 West Winona Street. Please mark "Kitchen in the memo area.

HURRY! Kitchen Fundraiser for College Street ends on February 28, 2009 – Please make your pledge for the kitchen as soon as possible but before this initiative ends on 2/29/08. Every dollar you give gets doubled by the 2 for 1 match up to $15,000 by Diane Daniels.

**P.S. from your Finance Council and Congregational Administrator: Please continue to write separate checks for your gifts to the Operating Fund, the Building Appeal, and the Kitchen. We use separate bank accounts for the Operating funds and the College Street funds. THANK YOU for ALL your support!!**

You're invited to Dinner!

Do you enjoy getting together with other UUs for good food and conversation? David and I propose a series of dinners in our home starting on Leap Day, February 29, with the goal of having fun and raising funds for the kitchen. We ask that you contribute $25 per person (or more if you add a tip!) – 100% to the kitchen. We provide all the food and drink. Attendees will add the spice of conversation and getting to know folks better. To include yourself for one or more of these parties: geigman@aol.com

Your Giving Statements for 2007

By the time you are reading this, you should have received your year end 2007 giving statements, or they should at least be in the mail to you.

If you contributed more in 2007 than appears under the Current Fiscal Period heading, it may be due to our policy of applying payments first to any previous year's pledge that was not paid in full. We do this unless we have received a request to lower the pledge from the pledger. If we have applied any of your payments to a previous year's pledge, it appears on the statement under Prior Fiscal Period, but it shows that the payment was made during the year 2007.

Every year there are pledgers who suddenly find that they must either defer some or all of their payments to the next year or must lower their pledge amount for the year. This can be done at any time, even after the fact, but we urge you to contact us as quickly as possible. The sooner we learn of such situations, the better the financial decisions your Board can make.

With gratitude for all you do,
Ann Fryberger

Board of Trustees

Your Board of Trustees met on December 18, 2007 and worked through the following items:

We heard the Treasurer's report regarding the operating budget
We passed a motion to elect Malcolm McCutcheon as Secretary of the Board and voted Larissa Schmitt to fulfill the term of resigned board member Katie Neff Dawson
We received a report about preparing for our first service at College Street on January 6, 2008
We received a report about the work done to finalize the language on the mortgage of our College Street property to the Zeppa Family Foundation and passed a motion to grant the Board President and Secretary to sign the College Street legal documents requested by the Zeppa Family Foundation.
We received a report on the newly formed Ministry Transition Team that has suggested a two year interim period.
We designated the Committee on the Ministry to complete the Interim Ministry progress report due to the UUA by February 15th.
We received a report that Hal Bertilson and Sue Daily will provide our Association Sunday program and collection on February 3, 2008.
We received a report that the Personnel Committee conducted a six month review of the new Congregational Administrator's position.
We were asked by the Board President to disseminate our new 2008 & Beyond Congregational Goals to each committee requesting them to discuss with their committees and report back on how each group could implement one or more goals.
We received a request to begin the book Churchworks by reading one chapter each month in preparation for a short discussion.
We decided to hold a board retreat in February and spend half the time on developing a Fundraising Policy and the other half on 2008 & Beyond Congregational Goals.
We received a report on and request for attending the Prairie Star District Annual Conference in Omaha, Nebraska April 11-13, 2008. The Leadership Development team will be asked to help facilitate a bus or van to the conference.
We received a report from Dan Burrows (Acting Vice President) that he is willing to serve as Board President for 2008-09 program year.
We received a proposal for updating the sign at College Street and made some slight additions.
We authorized the President to write letters of thanks to the congregations that offered their space to us during our transition from Winona to College Street.
We volunteered for the various monthly volunteer opportunities required of board members for Sunday Worship Welcoming, Governance Council, and next month's board meeting Chalice Lighting & Reading.

Board of Trustees 2008

Please bring issues, compliments and complaints to any of the Board members. We welcome your input. Feel free to contact board members with questions, concerns, or compliments.

President: Ann Fryberger ann@thefrybergers.net
Vice-President: Dan Burrowsdburrows@d.umn.edu
Secretary: Malcolm McCutcheon mmccutch@chartermi.net
Treasurer: Paul Borrmann kdonn@cpinternet.com
Administration Trustee: Alison Lutterman alutterman@duluthmn.gov
Membership Trustee: Kathy Heltzerkheltzer@charter.net
Outreach Trustee: Paul Eckhardt paulxdoug@charter.net
Worship, Religious Education and the Arts Trustee: Tara Richter tararichte@gmail.com
Planning Trustee: Larissa Schmitt larissa.schmitt@gmail.com

Elevator Speeches

Our February elevator speech comes from Ann Fryberger:

"Unitarian Universalists do not have a formal creed, are pluralistic in faith, and are devoted to justice. We support each person's search for their own truth and meaning in such things as creation, nature, existence, meaning of life, deities, and afterlife. We respect all religions yet believe that no one faith has a monopoly on truth which manifests itself over time. We believe that spiritual practice helps us live a good and purposeful life and believe in promoting social justice.
Thanks, Ann!

Our wonderful new building will be attracting lots of visitors. How will you answer when someone asks, "What's a Unitarian Universalist? We'd love to share your response. If you are willing, please send your elevator speech to pschwarz@css.edu.
Penny Schwarze, Membership Steering Committee

Congregations in Transition

Wow… do we qualify, that is definitely us! We really haven't been fully unpacked from moving in about 10 years. Our minister of nearly 21 years has moved on, leaving us with wonderful memories, growth and untold stories. "Pastoral size congregation – Program size congregation, we have been in the process of this change for a number of years, even some great sessions on program congregations. But, how many of us can really talk about what a program congregation is and whether we are one? In addition, data from the last survey suggests that about 40% of our membership has joined within the last four years. Our guess is that there is a huge spread in knowledge within our congregation and very different understandings of where we have been, who we are and where we are going.

Based on years of organizational analysis, these factors are exactly why an interim ministry is important to our congregation. This period of time allows for us to do the work as a congregation to prepare us for our future together. Following are the five developmental steps identified by the Alban Institute, an independent center of learning and leadership development with a focus on congregations:

Claiming and honoring our past and healing its griefs and conflicts
Illuminating the congregation's unique identity, its strength, its needs and its challenges
Clarifying the multiple dimensions of leadership, both ordained and lay, and navigating the shifts in leadership that accompany times of transition
Renewing connections with available resources within and beyond the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Enabling the congregation to renew its vision, strengthen its stewardship, prepare for new professional leadership, and engage its future with anticipation and zest

Recently this committee invited you to attend feedback sessions regarding the term length of our next interim minister. It is an example of the processes you can expect in the future, giving us opportunities to reflect and grow as a congregation. To the extent that we work through developmental steps, our chances of securing and maintaining a settled minister are greatly enhanced. The Ministry Transition Team will not be the search team for our settled minister, but will be working through this process with you throughout the next months to enhance our health and effectiveness as a congregation. Thank you in advance for your participation.

The Ministry Transition Team

Judy Blanck
Barb Lund
Kathy Heltzer
Jan Magree
Ruth McCutcheon
Bob Seitz
Jim Seitz
Marree Seitz
Sally Hamlin

Our Annual Conference: An Opportunity For Growth And Fun

The Prairie Star District (PSD) of the Unitarian Universalist Association holds a conference each spring that has been growing in participation and popularity for several years running. On April 11-13, we will gather in Omaha, Nebraska for a weekend of workshops, worship, and sharing with Unitarian Universalists from all corners of our district. And if enough of us from UUCD go—perhaps 20 or more—we can investigate chartering a bus for the trip to Omaha.

The theme of this year's conference is "Rebuilding a Faithful Democracy. Keynote and special lectures will be based on this theme. The heart of the conference is a wide variety of workshops held on Saturday; titles include "Affirming Social Justice in Prairie Star Congregations, "Understanding Global Warming Issues, and a track (three consecutive workshops) entitled "Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive, Multicultural Unitarian Universalism for All.

The conference is an opportunity for us to benefit from the rich programming opportunities available to us as members of the Unitarian Universalist Association and its Prairie Star District. Best of all, our congregation will host this conference in April 2009!

Registration materials for the 2008 conference will be posted on the PSD Web site by mid-February! Let's go!!

Kathy Heltzer, Marty Sozansky, Tim Stratton, Suzanne Wasilczuk

The Sacred Seasonal Sanctuary

Now that we have seen our new sanctuary space it is time to consider how it will be adorned. This will be a process over time, as we use the space, but it is time to begin.

We are looking for a few people who would be interested in developing a vision for the space and beginning to implement that vision. If you are interested please call the church at 724-0308 or Bev Harries.

TIME and TALENTS – What are yours?

Have you experienced being in our new building? Its not done yet, but it will be soon! Many volunteer hands have contributed to making it ready for our use on Sundays in January while construction continues during the week. THANKS to the Friday sweep-up, Saturday set-up, and Sunday clean-up crews!

Our goal: "Certificate of Occupancy. Then what?

People will be coming to our new "green building and calling for information. Our staff will find it difficult to get unpacked and set up for working if they are constantly interrupted. Here's where your TIME is needed - to provide reception services:

Greeting visitors
Answering questions
Answering the phone
Returning phone calls

If lots of people can give a few hours a week, our staff can get on with the business of running the organization.

Do you have a TALENT to enrich our space? There are lots of tasks that can call upon your creativity and imagination: To name a few:

Assist the worship committee
Create bulletin boards
Develop room use policies and procedures
Make signs
Monitor supplies
Support the membership task force

Please consider whether you have TIME or TALENT to contribute to this ministry to each other. You may be called to discuss how you might participate, or someone might engage you in the conversation on a Sunday morning. You can call or email Jan Magree to discuss it further – or to volunteer! jsmagree@cpinternet.com

Green Corner

In 2006, UUA Social Justice issued its Statement of Conscience on the Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/socialjustice/index.php. On February 24, at noon in the library, join in discussions about personal, congregational, denominational, and advocacy activities recommended in the UUA Statement of Conscience and through the UU Ministry for Earth.

Under Construction

A column to answer questions about our new church building

Work-ships: Thank you so much for coming to the work-ships. As you can see, our building is still a work in progress. The work-ships are going well and it has been fun actually being in our new building! Excitement is radiating throughout the building with all of your wonderful selves present.
Building Fund Appeals (BFA): We really appreciate how everyone is continuing to pay their BFA pledges. Thank you for keeping this up – we cannot stress enough the necessity of this continuing.
Accessible: After all these years, we truly have an accessible building. This has been long in coming and we are incredibly grateful for this finally coming to fruition.
College Street Project Task Force: Members: Lori Bauman, Alisa DeRider, John Evans, Ann Fryberger, Richard Fryberger, Warren High, Dave Stinson, Beth Travis-Betts, Geiger Yount and of course, our very own, Chris Edwardson, Owner's Representative Extraordinaire. Please call us if you have any questions or concerns.

CHUM Annual Meeting February 21, 2008

All members of congregations which are part of CHUM - including UUCD - are warmly invited to attend CHUM's annual meeting and have the chance to learn about the work, challenges and triumphs of CHUM in the past year, while meeting others from around the city who actively support CHUM. This year the meeting will be highlighted by a talk by Sr. Lois Eckes, Prioress of St. Scholastica Monastery (& former director of the McCabe Renewal Center) on Making Room for HOPE. Please join us for an informative evening on Thursday, February 21st at Duluth Congregational Church (3833 East Superior St.); social and goodies at 6:30 PM, meeting at 7 PM.

Religious Education

Greetings UUCD Families,

The dust hadn't quite settled, but UUCD still managed to have a magical first service in our new, green home on January 6th. It was wonderful seeing so many new and familiar faces!

Sitting post-holidaze in our amazing new building, it was apropos that children shared their thoughts regarding the value of both tangible and intangible gifts. Several congregants shared with me just after service just how impressed they were with the wisdom and insight offered by our youngest members regarding the importance of gratitude, joy, love and community.

Speaking of gifts, UUCD was able to donate nearly two dozen warm tangibles (mittens, hats and scarves) to the Damiano Center from our Mitten Tree Collection! Thank you all for your contributions.

We continue to make rapid progress (thanks to our amazing volunteers) but there are still sharp edges, building materials and dust (have I mentioned the dust?) everywhere. If your child has asthma, I recommend you keep them home till this final sheet-rock phase is complete (that should be soon!)

That being said, we want you to know that our toddler care and young child care will continue to be offered. Hopefully, by the time you read this, our Sunday School rooms should be painted and ready!

We deeply appreciate child and parent flexibility during these early months. I will send out regular emails to families keeping them updated regarding progress. If you'd like to be included on the RELIGIOUS EDUCATION EMAIL LIST, please send me your email address. You are also welcome to call or email with questions, Carol Turner cgeot1@gmail.com

NURSERY HELP NEEDED!

We have several dates that we will need volunteers for the nursery: March 23, April 27, May 11, May 25, May 31. Please contact Carol Turner if you are available to pitch-in. Thanks! cgeot1@gmail.com

Music Notes

"Music should be something that makes you gotta move, inside or outside.
Elvis Presley

January was a flurry of excitement and movement as we explored the College St. social hall with singing and worship. What joyful sounds resounded! Many thanks to the multitude of musicians who provided such uplift during our Sunday "work-ships

Young UU Singers, the Choir, percussionists Clara and Eva Goellner, guitarist Dan Burrows, Strings Attached, vocal octet 8VA, choir director Cyndi Gritzmacher, and music programming administrator Karen Bauman

February Rehearsal Schedule

Wed Feb. 6th CHOIR (potluck, too!)5:30 – 8 pm hosted by Wartmans.
Sun Feb. 10th CHOIR 9:30 am College St.
Sun Feb. 17th STRINGS ATTACHED 9:30 am College St.
Wed Feb. 20th 8 VA 6:00 pm Duluth Cong. CHOIR 7:00 pm Duluth Cong. (Duluth Congregational Church is located at 3833 E. Superior St.)
Sun Feb. 24th 8 VA 9:00 am College St. CHOIR 9:30 am College St

Have YOU music making wonderings?

UUCD offers many opportunities to share your gift of music with our community

Choir is for folks from 6th grade and up with child care available on request
Strings Attached is acoustic in nature and rehearses just prior to the 3rd Sunday of the month service
8 VA is a vocal octet and is currently full
Young UU Singers is a children's vocal group currently "on hold until we formally move into our new building
Individual Musicians often grace our Sunday with gathering music or a prelude or an offertory. Piano accompaniment is available!

How can YOU get involved?

Just phone choir director Cyndi Gritzmacher or Music Programming Administrator Karen Bauman. We look forward to hearing from you!
Seeking a High Soprano for a lovely 3 part women's voice selection. Contact Karen Bauman.

Copyright Law and UUCD's Music Program

I recently contacted Carolyn McDade composer of the hymn Spirit of Life asking to include the hymn lyrics (including 4 verses not in our hymnal) on our Jan. 6th order of service. Her response (through an assistant) included the following:

"…the verse for "Spirit of Life that is in the UU hymnal is the only one written and authorized by Carolyn. …If you have in your possession other verses that have been penned by different song writers, please ask them to find their own melody to carry their thought. Such verses should not be sung to the melody that Carolyn has written.

This is a striking example as to why following copyright rules is so important. Most individuals who have a copy of the added verses most likely assume that they are Ms. McDade's and that it is fine to reproduce them for general use.

Respect for the creative endeavors of composers, lyricists and writers includes obtaining permission to copy or project their work outside of the copyrighted page.

This is an important issue for the UUMN and the organization is working with legal staff at the UUA to develop licensure which would allow for the reproduction and projection of music contained within our hymnals. Until such a license has been created, UUCD's music staff will work to honor the property rights of composers and copyright law. If you have questions or would like to discuss this please contact me.

Karen Bauman, Music Programming Administrator

Attention Visitors And Newcomers!

As you may know, Newcomers' Orientations are held regularly at UUCD as a way for newcomers to learn about Unitarian Universalism. However, these information sessions are currently on hold while we transition to our new building.

Instead, you are encouraged to attend one or more of the New UU classes where you can receive a Newcomers' Packet and where much of the same information will be shared. (For more information about these classes, please refer to our website or newsletter or call our Congregational Administrator, Kathy, at 724-0308.)

Welcome!--and thanks for your understanding during this exciting transition time at UUCD!

UUCD Wiki Now Open For Business!

An easy way for anyone from UUCD to notify people about event/meeting/service cancellations or changes or to learn about same, our webmaster Helen Mongan-Rallis has made a wiki for us. Here's how it works:

To Notify Folks About Something:

Go to the wiki at http://uucd.pbwiki.com/FrontPage
Login: the password is "unitarian (lowercase) and then type in your name (first name is fine) and enter your email address.
Click on the blue "Edit page at the top of the page. This opens the window in an editable form.
Any committee chair or group leader can then type in the name of the event/meeting/service, and tell people about changes or cancellations.
Once changes are made, click the save button.

To Look For News: To access wiki news go to our website at www.uuduluth.org and click on the wiki link on our home page.

By using a wiki, anyone with the password can edit the wiki. It will take some time for many people to begin to use this technology but over time it could become quite valuable in communication between UUCD programs and committees especially between newsletters. We encourage everyone to begin to use our wiki.

Spirit Valley Young Mothers

IT'S NOT TOO LATE FOR LAYETTE ITEMS FOR A BABY GIRL! A new mom by the name of Megan arrived in early December. Her baby daughter is due in February. We have begun a tradition of supplying each mother with a layette of new baby things: a blanket, several receiving blankets, sleepers, diapers, an outfit, wash cloths and towel, crib sheet and pacifiers. A box for collecting these items can be found by the welcome table and will be presented to Megan in early February.

They don't need to be wrapped. Thank you for your help!

In March the director of Spirit Valley Young Mothers will give a history of the program and ways to be involved.

For questions, contact Carol Michealson, cmicheal@d.umn.edu

UU Pretty Good Book Club

The UU pretty good book club is open to everyone, not just members. If you enjoy reading good books and discussing them, why don't you join us. Meetings are usually the third Tuesdays of the month in the Library at UUCD on College Street. Watch for location changes in Order of Service Announcements.

February Selection: Middlemarch by George Eliot, Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at Marty Sozansky's. Considered to be Eliot's masterpiece, the novel is a complete study of every class of Middlemarch society--from the landed gentry and clergy to the manufacturers and professional men, farmers, and laborers. The focus of the novel is on the thwarted idealism of its two principal characters, Dorothea Brooke and Tertius Lydgate, both of whom marry disastrously.

March Selection: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Tuesday, March 18, 7:15 in the Library. This book is also the community read for March. Book bags are NOT available, but the library has about 50 copies of this book, so reserve a copy soon. "Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls.

April Selection: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Tuesday, April 15, 7:15 p.m., Library. Combining an unerring instinct for telling detail with the broader brushstrokes you need to tackle issues of culture and politics, Patchett creates a remarkably compelling chronicle of a multinational group of the rich and powerful held hostage for months.... Even more compelling are the protective, almost familial affections that arise, the small acts of kindness in what is, inevitably, a tragedy. Brilliant.

For more information, contact Carol Michealson at cmicheal@d.umn.edu.

Special Events Updates: Reasons to Celebrate!

Uncommon Goods ‘n' Goodies a Resounding Success! Neither temporary location, last minute changes in the date nor being squeezed in around a Solstice Celebration and a Congregational Vote can stop UU's from pulling together a great Bake and Craft Sale! A near sell-out garnered almost $1800 from a wide array of scrumptious treats, creative crafts and CDs from our own talented musicians! Hugs and High Fives to everyone who pitched in!

Room for "Moore stuff! Now that one of the desks and the bistro table was sold after last month's article, Diana and Chollie Moore announced that they have room to start accepting our clean, boxed items again for the Annual Rummage Sale this summer! (Psst! I think one desk is still at large.) Give the Moores a call.

UU're Home/My Home/We're all Home! Time to "stoke up the fires again for the Bed and Breakfast fundraiser. The process of recruiting Hospitality Hosts has begun (hopefully, our previous hosts along with a new batch!) If you are willing to offer a room in your home for a fee to be donated to UUCD, please give me a call for more details.

Help Wanted: New Special Events Chair: Looking for a few Imaginative Individuals or Creative Co-Coordinators willing to organize Fundraising/Special Events! I, Gloria Walters, have given my six month notice as Special Events Chair. Please contact me if you are interested in taking over. You will be guided and supported throughout the process of learning the ropes!

Please contact Gloria at dansing52@yahoo.com if you have questions, ideas or want to "dive in to the Special Events "Pool of volunteers.

PSD Annual Conference 2008: Rebuilding a Faithful Democracy

April 11–13, 2008. Omaha, Nebraska

Speakers:

Keynote Speaker: Charlie Clements, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
Arthur M. Judy Lecturer: Rev. Meg Riley, Director of Advocacy and Witness, UUA

Location

The host congregations, First and Second Unitarian Churches of Omaha, look forward to welcoming you at Embassy Suites Hotel in Downtown/Old Market, Omaha — in the heart of the historic dining and shopping district and downtown's riverfront development!

Plan now to extend your trip to include visits to:

Henry Doorly Zoo
Joslyn Art Museum
Lauritzen Gardens
Omaha Children's Museum
Durham Western Heritage Museum
Fontenelle Forest
Strategic Air & Space Museum
Girls and Boys Town
many music and theater venues

Adult Enrichment Programs: Winter 2008 (February-March)

All offerings are free except for A Sense of Place and will be located in UUCD on College Street unless otherwise indicated.

Book Discussions

The Real Wealth of Nations by Riane Eisler will be a five-part discussion led by Hal Bertilson, Ph.D. of UUCD’s Social Justice Committee beginning Thursday, January 31 in the nursery at Winona Street and continuing at College Street when available. Hal teaches in the psychology department of UWS and is a social activist. In this powerful book, eminent social scientist Riane Eisler shows that the great problems of our time – such as poverty, inequality, war, terrorism, and environmental degradation – are due largely to flawed economic systems that set the wrong priorities and misallocate resources. Conventional economic models fail to value and support the most essential human work: caring and care giving. So basic human needs are increasingly neglected, despair and ecological destruction escalate, and the resulting social tensions fuel many of the conflicts we face today. Eisler offers a bold reformulation: a caring economics that transcends traditional categories like capitalist and socialist and offers enormous economic and social benefits. She describes how to put this model into practice through new government and business policies and practices, innovative economic indicators that incorporate care giving activities, and new social structures. And she lays out practical steps we can take to move towards a society based on this more humane economic model.

Discussion topics are: January 31: pp. 1-46 (Reasons to care; We Need New Economics; Economics Through a Wider Lens); February 14: pp. 47-91 (It Pays to Care-in Dollars and Cents; the Economic Double Standard); Feb. 28: pp. 93-138 (Connecting the Dots, The Economics of Domination); March 13: pp. 139-185 (The Economics of Partnership, Technology, Work and PostIndustrial Era) and March 27: pp. 187-235 (Where we are and where we are, The Caring Revolution). For more information about the book or course, email Hal at hbertilson@uwsuper.edu

Global Warming Discussion Noon-1:30, February 24, Library. Led by Jo Thompson. This discussion will cover the UU position statement on the topic and be an opportunity for discussion. People can decide what areas of the UU recommendations they would like to pursue. Jo is an Environmental Biologist and is employed by the US EPA, but she is not speaking on behalf of the EPA, just her own concern about green house gas emissions (and the world's energy crisis). She believes these are the most important issues facing the world’s people today. More information on the UUA statement concerning global warming can be found at: www.uua.org/socialjustice/socialjusticestatements/8061.

A Sense of Place, which is an eight-week course by the Northwest Earth Institute, will be led by Barb Akre of the Green Sanctuary Committee. Cost of books and materials is $20 payable at the first session. Because books need to be ordered three weeks prior to the beginning of the course, the deadline for signing up is February 15.

We are just beginning to inhabit a building - but also land, which will be a home for our UU community for many generations. What are our hopes and goals for this land? What is the history ? natural, and human - of this land? How will this land serve us ? and how will we serve the land? We can ask the same questions about our City, and about our Bioregion. Discovering a Sense of Place is a Northwest Earth Institute course which encourages us to become familiar with and live in harmony with our land -as the only practical and effective way to become familiar and live in harmony with the Earth. A Discussion guide includes seven lessons of four or five readings each, ranging from Aldo Leopold and Wallace Stegner to Gary Snyder and Barry Lopez. We will supplement these by revisiting a Duluth Energy Resource Center book published in 1986, Resettling Duluth, which explores the human and natural history of Duluth and our immediate bioregion. Part of the design of NWEI courses is that each participant brings his/her own experiences (and if desired, resources) to the discussion. Call Barbara Akre if you have questions.

Discussions will be held on Wednesday evenings, beginning March 5th. The first two sessions will be in the social hall; the remainder will be in the library, unless College Street rooms are not ready yet. Topics include:

March 5, Session 1: A Sense of Place: "Of all the memberships we identify ourselves by (racial, ethnic, sexual, national, class, age, religious, occupational), the one that is most forgotten, and that has the greatest potential for healing, is place." -Gary Snyder
March 12, Session 2: Responsibility to Place: "The right local questions and answers will be the right global ones." Wendell Berry
March 19, Session 3: Knowing Your Bioregion: "A bioregion is a place defined by its life forms, its topography, and its biota, rather than by human dictates; a region governed by nature, not legislature."
March 26, Session 4: Living in Place: "It is not enough to just 'love nature' or want to ‘be in harmony with Gaia. Our relation to the natural world takes place in a place, and it must be grounded in information and experience." -Gary Snyder
April 2, Session 5: Mapping Your Place: "We map, each of us, mentally and physically, every day of our lives. We map to keep ourselves oriented, and to keep ourselves sane." -Jan DeBlieu
April 9, Session 6: Building a Local Community: "Taking part in the common life means dwelling in a web of relationships, the many threads tugging at you while also holding you upright." - Scott Russell Sanders
April 16, Session 7: Empowerment: "Act with the authority of your 16 billion years!" Joanna Macy
April 16, Session 8: Optional Celebration: "What a privilege to be actors in shaping the history of a place so full of promise."

The Health Care Crisis series will be postponed until Fall 2008. If you would like to make a presentation or be involved in this series, please contact Carol Michealson at cmicheal@d.umn.edu. Presenters so far are Sue Dailey, Geiger Yount, Faris Keeling, Jan Magree, and Carol Michealson.

Watch for a spring series on "whiteness" with Sue Dailey, Hal Bertilson, and Sally Hamlin.

The UU Pretty Good Book Club selections are found in another section of the newsletter.

Busting Boxes: Sexuality and Gender Outside the Box (Welcoming Congregation) has been postponed until the College Street building is ready for evening activities.

Announcing "New UU" Classes!

Have you been attending UUCD services, but have questions about Unitarian Universalism?
Have you been a member for while, but have a need for an update/refresher about basic UU?
Are you brand new to UU and want to find out more?
Are you considering "signing the book" (becoming a member)?

If so, this series may be for you!

WHAT: Topics and Dates

February 10, 2008 Session One: The Free Mind: Our UU history and the core principles of our faith.
February 17, 2008 Session Two: UU Spirituality: Our spiritual practices and the quest for spiritual depth
February 24, 2008 Session Three: Meaning and Community: Benefits of being in a religious community and opportunities for involvement.
March 2, 2008 Session Four: UUCD Tour: Our building’s green design, room use, etc.

TIME: Each session will last about forty-five minutes, and will begin about ten minutes after Worship Service.

WHERE: "New UU" will be held in the Library.

NOTE: No prior registration required and no need to attend all sessions. Attendance is highly recommended for those considering membership. For more information, contact Molly Benson.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth

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