Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth 
October 2007 Newsletter
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Sunday Services for October
Sunday Services and Religious Education for October 2007 will be held at Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC, 2310 East 4th Street in Duluth. Please look carefully at service times. We thank our friends at Pilgrim UCC for their hospitality during our transition time. Childcare will be provided.
- Sunday, October 7: 4pm, Pilgrim UCC. It's Canvas Sunday! "Money Matters." Reverend Sally Hamlin, Interim Minister How does money matter in your life? Why are there taboos in talking about money in our culture, in our Sunday services? Find out more as we discuss the theology of money on our Canvas Kick-off Sunday.
- Sunday, October 14: 4pm, Pilgrim UCC "Who are UU?" Reverend Sally Hamlin, Interim Minister
Do you know someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning who they are? Why on earth should we discuss this topic from the pulpit? Come, find out more as we spend time together considering who UU are! - Sunday, October 21:4pm, Pilgrim UCC. "That Old Time Religion—UU style that is." presented by Ellie Connolly "My Creed," a sermon/service from 1917 by Dr. Charles Parker Connolly, resurrected by Ellie Connolly.
- Sunday, October 28: 10am, Pilgrim UCC (NOTE!!! Time change!) "Children's Sabbath- Creating a Harbor of Hope and Health Care for All Children." Reverend Charlotte Frantz, Minister, Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ and Reverend Sally Hamlin, Interim Minister, UUCD. Through a shared worship service we will lift up the needs of the children of this community and of those worldwide, and, through our traditions' sources, find the inspiration to act on behalf of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
Note: This service will be followed immediately by a "Meet the Candidates" panel discussion in the Pilgrim Fellowship Hall, focused specially on local children's issues.
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 NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER IS OCTOBER 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 firstuu@cpinternet.com. If at all possible, please email newsletter submissions (firstuu@cpinternet.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 Your Interim Minister, Sally Hamlin
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
Henry David Thoreau
And so, once again, the autumnal cycle of events at UUCD has begun.
By the time you receive this newsletter, we will have had our Ice Cream Social at Duluth Congregational Church, our Water Service at Park Point, and our first service at Pilgrim Congregational UCC. If there was ever any doubt, it is now clear once and for all: UUCD is a creative, flexible, and imaginative congregation!
You have already seen a great deal of change in your congregation, including a different location for holding weekly services until the permanent move to W. College Street. The building on West Winona is now being used only for UUCD's administrative needs, and most other meetings and events are scheduled to be held in alternative spaces. including members' homes. Make sure you check the website – www.uuduluth.org – for updates on locations and times of regular events and meetings.
You have said good-by to your previous minister, Karen Gustafson, and said hello to me. With my arrival, you have begun the two year process of search for your next settled minister. I have already witnessed so many wonderful things about UUCD that your settled minister will surely enjoy.
Here are just a few of the things I already know about you:
- You are a generous and visionary congregation. You have raised money to build a "green" building that will inspire and invite many to investigate Unitarian Universalism for the very first time;
- You have great leadership, from the staff, to the board, to committee members and chairs, to the heroes involved in all aspects of lay ministry;
- You possess fantastic attitudes and bring a ‘can-do' approach to each challenge;
- Your passion for justice and thirst for your mission is extraordinary;
- You support one another, minister to one another, and find ways to celebrate the joys of congregational life, honoring each individual's contribution and gifts.
There is so much more I have yet to discover about you, more to uncover of your gifts; there is more to unfold of UUCD's story. There is no seal on your story. Unitarian Universalists believe that scripture is not sealed. Your story as a congregation and the mark you will make upon the world is not sealed. In fact, that book has not even been written yet!
The road ahead over the next year will most assuredly be filled with more change, more challenge, requiring more from each of you. But you must continue to show up, with all that you have. You will be invited to go deeper, mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, perhaps more than ever before, as a congregation.
There will be times when you want to take a rest.
Do it. Take a break, a breather, a retreat. Take care of yourself, then get back in the game.
Because the world needs what we have. The world needs the message of Unitarian Universalism, and the specific and unique message that the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth brings to the world. Your belief in the strength of community can change people's lives. It has the power to inspire, to grow, to challenge, to support, to heal. It has the power to save lives.
So get excited, get on board, get going! There's a lot of work to do, but if we ‘advance confidently in the direction of our dreams and endeavor to live the life we imagine for the world, we shall surely meet with success unexpected in common hours'!
See you on Sunday!
A few other notes from the minister
Beginning in October, you will notice some subtle changes in our services together (and some not so subtle changes, perhaps). We will begin each service with a Welcome that includes an invitation to deepen and settle into quiet, as we listen in silence to the Prelude, followed by Opening Words and Chalice Lighting. This change will allow us to settle into our service with more intention, and honor the musical offering so lovingly prepared for us.
Also, starting in October we will celebrate congregant's birthdays on a monthly basis during Coffee Hour, with the choir (hopefully!) singing a special "Happy Birthday" to all who celebrate their birthday that month. So, please, hold your best rendition of the birthday song till after service, and join in with the choir during Coffee Hour instead!
It is my hope that our weekly worship service will begin to include more voices than just that of the worship leader. I believe that each of us is called to ministry, and I hope to hear more from you, as you begin to share with one another your personal faith stories, struggles, journeys and joys with one another. Stay tuned!
Board Report
Your Board of Trustees met on August 28, 2007 and worked through the following items:
- We moved acceptance of the June 26, 2007 minutes and July 24, 2007 corrected minutes.
- We announced our 2008 Canvass Committee: Chair-Tricia Bunten, Marty Sozanski, Jan Magree and Carol Burrows (thank you!) and the canvass begins October 7.
- We moved that any board member can sign Winona Street contracts for the president or secretary in their absence.
- We moved to send a letter of board support for healthcare reform for the Citizen's Federation UUA grant application.
- We encourage any and all members of UUCD to attend the Radical Hospitality Workshop offered by Prairie Star District on November 3 in Hanska, MN.
- We set October 6 for all day Interim Ministry Startup Workshop at Fryberger's home.
- We agreed to hold off on interior construction of the administration and religious education wing at College Street Project until we have a better understanding of remaining construction cost estimates.
- We agreed to devise a charge and seek applicants for a successor College Street Project Finishing Task Force to relieve the current Task Force.
- We were informed of a face-to-face meeting that resulted in a revised closing date of Sept 14, 2007 being proposed to the buyer of our Winona Street building to allow for inspections.
- We moved a counter proposal to the Promissory Note proposal by the Zeppa Family Foundation.
- We moved to finance a budget shortfall up to $150 for an interfaith billboard proposed by Standing On The Side of Love (Welcoming Congregation).
- We signed up for September Sunday Welcoming, Governance Council, and Board Chalice Lighting & Reading.
Sunday Nurturing Sessions
After-service information sessions will be held every other Sunday beginning October 7 until further notice as we progress toward our new home on College Street. The purpose of these sessions is to give all members and friends an opportunity to receive first hand from leadership the most current information and to ask questions about all that is going on within UUCD. See you there.
Under Construction
A column to answer questions about our new church home. Our new address!! 835 W College St
Volunteers
Thanks to Bunter Knowles and Chris Edwardson for the great work they did with the vernal pond at the western edge of our land. Another big Thank You to the volunteer crews who helped with the sanding inside the building. Stay tuned for more volunteer opportunities.
Building Progress
Site development is to be completed by the end of September. This includes earth berm around the building, shaping and seeding the slope north of the building, parking area leveled, drive way design, final touches on the sewer line across northwest of our land, and some general landscaping. The windows will be in by the time you read this article. If you haven't seen the building lately, we encourage you to drive by and see the progress! Note, the vernal pond project was designed and constructed by the Green Sanctuary committee, not as part of the Building Contract.
See more photos showing the construction.
College Street Project Task Force
Members: Lori Bauman, Alisa DeRider, John Evans, Ann Fryberger, Richard Fryberger, Warren High, Dave Stinson, Beth Travis-Betts, and Geiger Yount. Please call us if you have any questions or concerns.
Music Notes
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." Berthold Auerbach
Music, music, music! What better way to celebrate our resilience and strong community in times of flux? Yep, it is nice to have our good old (and new) hymnals in hand, hear the familiar tunes then join in singing those uplifting hymns we know in any location! There are plenty of thanks and utterances of appreciation to all the folks who provided music to feed our hearts, minds and souls during September:
The Choir and Strings Attached with music staff Cyndi Gritzmacher, 8VA (our own vocal octet) with music staff Karen Bauman, Bill Gritzmacher for narrating the musical rendition of We Begin Again in Love, and staff pianist Karen Bauman.
October Rehearsal Schedule
- Wed Oct. 10:
8 VA, 6pm. Pilgrim Sanctuary. 2310 E. 4th St.)
Adult Choir: 7pm. Pilgrim Sanctuary - Sun Oct. 14:
All Kid Singers, 3pm. Pilgrim Sunroom. (Pre-K through 6th)
Adult Choir. 3:15pm. Pilgrim Sanctuary - Sun Oct. 21:
Strings Attached: 3pm. Pilgrim Sanctuary (instrumental acoustic group)
8 VA: 3:15pm. Temple Israel (1602 E.2nd St.) - Wed Oct. 24:
8 VA: 6pm, Pilgrim Sanctuary
All Kid Singers: 7pm, Pilgrim Sanctuary
Adult Choir: 7pm, Pilgrim Sanctuary - Sun Oct. 28:
All Kid Singers: 9:15am, Pilgrim Upstairs Chapel
Adult Choir: 9:15am, Pilgrim Upstairs Chapel
Are you new to our congregation? Do you have children between ages 4 and 14(or so)? Does your child enjoy singing with other children? They are welcome to join our Sparks (preschool – grade 1) Flames (grades 2 – 5), Torches (grades 5 and up).
Phone music staff Cyndi Gritzmacher (728–9774) to get connected!
Previous singers keep a look out for an important letter soon to arrive in your mailbox!
We welcome YOU (adults and teens) to check out the Adult Choir or the acoustic group Strings Attached. Contact music staff Cyndi Gritzmacher (728-9774). For instrumental or solo vocal music making reach Music Programming Administrator Karen Bauman (525-4119 prior to 8 pm) for suggestions, getting scheduled, piano accompaniment or just to find out how to give it a try!
Did you know that the tune we have been using to sing the children out most Sundays is no longer available for use due to copyright issues with the composer? Our music professionals support group the Unitarian Universalist Musicians' Network has suggested that congregations find other meaningful selections to sing our children to their RE time Sunday mornings. With that being said we will be trying a selection in our standard (gray) hymnal. This selection is #414 As We Leave This Friendly Place. Expect to spend a few moments prior to the Board Welcome learning this little tune!
NEWCOMERS' GATHERING SUNDAY, OCT. 14
All NEWCOMERS are invited to get together with Sally (our interim minister) at 5:00 on Sun., Oct. 14--immediately after the 4:00 service at Pilgrim Congregational. This one-hour gathering will include a brief introduction to Unitarian Universalism and a time for questions.
There will be child care and a light snack. For more information, or if you have questions, please e-mail Molly Benson (calbenmn@chartermi.net).
Religious Education News
Through the month of October we will weave a little seasonal magic into our curriculum with "Harry Potter and the Seven Principles". There is no need to be Harry Potter savvy to have fun with this curriculum. Older students will mentor younger as they all explore our UU principles, build community and reconnect with one another.
Where will all this happen??? Pilgrim Congregational Church. When will this happen? 4:00pm on Sundays
We hope to see you there!
Special Note: On Sunday, October 28th, we will be doing a shared morning service with Pilgrim, our host congregation. Stay tuned for details!
I want to thank our busy UU families for your flexibility and willingness to help out. Your contribution to our R.E.cooperative is what makes our programming a success!
Sexuality Education for Grades 7 through 9: Fall 2007
OWL (Our Whole Lives) Human Sexuality Classes will be offered this fall by veteran OWL instructors, Dawn and Adam Stevenson. If you are interested in learning more about the program, you may contact them at 525-5642.
OWL Curriculum promotes abstinence while providing teens with comprehensive up-to-date information. It is the product of years of collaboration between Unitarian Universalist Association and United Church of Christ. OWL is a secular, holistic curriculum that teaches caring, compassion, respect, responsibility and justice as fundamental values of human sexuality.
YRUU NEWS
Our Youth Group will be meeting Wednesdays from 7:00pm to 8:30pm in the (totally awesome) "Tower Room" at Pilgrim Congregational Church. We will talk with others from other faith traditions, focusing on social justice education, learning about living our UU Values, and (oh yeah!) having fun!
We're looking for parents and teens to sit on YAC (Youth Adult Committee) to help steer our programming year.
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES:
- SAT, OCT 6th – SUN OCT 7th : YRUU OVERNIGHT RETREAT, Janette Pollay Camp
SAT, OCT 13th – SUN OCT 14th: PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT. YRUU/ CHUM Fundraiser at Concordia Lutheran 2501 Woodland
CARING CORNER
During this time of change, the Caring Committee is here for you! Let us know if we can help! We are also willing to mention important life changes that you would like to make known to the Beloved Community—new jobs, babies, spouses, etc.
Many thanks to all of you who are helping, caring, calling, bringing food, etc. Want to help? Email turtlejmm@sytekcom.com or call Warren or Julie.
CARING NOTES
- Beth Travis Betts reports that she is feeling better. She has had four chemo treatments as of this writing and has fourteen to go. She and Tom appreciate all your care and support. Thank you! Keep those cards coming!
- John Langdon has been diagnosed with lymphoma. He has decided to have chemo at SMDC. Treatment will include chemo on Monday of the first week and then two weeks off for six cycles or eighteen weeks total. John will need transportation from his home to St. Mary's in the morning and then home again in the afternoons on chemo Mondays. Please call before visiting. Cards are welcome anytime.
- David Backstrand is in the process of rescheduling his surgery. Stay tuned!
- Bob Hart is residing in Bay Shore Nursing Home (1601 St. Louis Ave on Park Point) for physical rehab after a bout with shingles and general weakening. If you wish to visit Bob, late afternoon is the best time. Cards are welcome!
THE WELCOMING CONGREGATION NEWS
Thanks to all that provided support at the Pride Festival in early September! The WCC's Unconditional Love service was also taken on the road to the Virginia UU church on September 30th.
Upcoming Events:
- October 14th service will be hosted by the WCC and Sally Hamlin. Please show your support by attending!
- Living the Welcoming Congregation classes – to be offered in January 2008, stay tuned for more information.
- Interfaith Billboard – Watch the billboards up by the mall late this coming winter. We are participating in an interfaith billboard that will announce (in rainbow colors) "We Support You On Your Faith Journey."
- Opening Our Doors Celebration – April 4-5, 2008 – We will be hosting the event in our new building and will be looking for lots of help from our UUCD community!
NEED MORE INFORMATION OR INTERESTED IN JOINING THE WELCOMING CONGREGATION COMMITTEE??
Stop by the WCC table between services. We'd love to have you join us. Our next meeting will be October 14th at 2:00 at Pilgrim Congregational Church. Call Karen B. or Julie M. for more information!
DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
Spirit Valley Young Mothers
In late August we welcomed a new baby boy named Jacen (yes, that is the spelling) who weighed 8lbs. 14 oz. His mother Angela received a complete layette from us. Mother and baby are doing well. Thanks to all of you who donated to the layette as well as other items. Donations are on hold for a while, except for books and dressers and desks with drawers that can be used for clothing storage. They need children's books and books for young adults, but not romance novels. If you have any of these items, please call Carol Michealson . The Spirit Valley Young Mothers facility is now full. However, two moms and their toddlers who were there when we began our affiliation in January 2006 will be leaving within the month. We will miss them, but wish them well as they go out into the world.
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 the third Tuesdays of the month and in October and November will be held in homes because our new building is not quite ready. Descriptions of the next few months' selections are below. More information about the books can be found by doing a Google search.
OCTOBER SELECTION – A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, Tuesday, October 16 at 7:15 p.m. at Carol Michealson's house, 2701 Hagberg Street, Piedmont Heights. Go North on Highway 53 from I35, turn left on Piedmont to top of hill, turn left on Chambersburg Ave., then an immediate right behind the Milk House, which is Hagberg. Go about one long block. Name is on mail box. Call 727-1754 for more directions. A Long Way Gone is one of the most important war stories of our generation. The arming of children is among the greatest evils of the modern world, and yet we know so little about it because the children themselves are swallowed up by the very wars they are forced to wage. Ishmael Beah has not only emerged intact from this chaos, he has become one of its most eloquent chroniclers.
NOVEMBER SELECTION – The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Cal Benson will lead this discussion of what he considers the best book in American literature on November 20 at 7:15, location unknown at this time. With the publication of The Sun Also Rises in 1926, Ernest Hemingway had his first great success as a writer. This is the novel that spoke for what Gertrude Stein called the "lost generation," the young men and women who lived through the heady and uncertain period following World War I. Depicting a group of lively but aimless expatriates who travel across France and Spain—drinking, fishing, and going to the bullfights at the Pamplona fiesta—this book gained a special hold on the young Hemingway's contemporaries.
DECEMBER SELECTION – Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, Tuesday, December 18 at 7:15, location unknown at this time. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the best selling author of Riding Lessons. When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her. Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.
For more information, contact Carol Michealson cmicheal@d.umn.edu.
CHUM -SHARE Food Drive, Saturday, October 27
The SHARE Food Drive celebrates neighbors helping neighbors. Church youth groups, Girl & Boy Scouts, and students will collect food for distribution to families without food through CHUM, the Salvation Army and the Union Gospel Mission. Volunteers can make a BIG difference in the drive's success in any of the following ways:
- Collect food the day of the drive: Food collection takes place between 9 a.m. and noon. Some groups distribute flyers or bags in their neighborhood a few days before the drive. Food collectors team with volunteers in large cars, vans or trucks.
- Weigh & sort food the day of the drive: Volunteers are needed at the East Food Shelf (120 N. 1st Ave. W.) and at the West Shelf (4831 Grand Ave., Our Savior's Lutheran Church) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Be a rover: Volunteer to pick up food from homes that were missed during the morning collection. Rovers are needed from noon to 4 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Meg Kearns or Terri Bunnell at 727-2391. Kearns can also be e-mailed at chumfs@chumduluth.org.
BE A PART OF THE PUZZLE -- "PUZZLE PEACE" !!!
"PUZZLE PEACE," the Northland Interfaith Children's Choir has set its schedule of fall/winter '07 singing opportunities. "PUZZLE PEACE" is an ongoing, family-friendly choir for youth, ages preschool through middle school, who want to sing for PEACE! Singers and families may choose the performance/s and corresponding rehearsal/s that work for them, whether one or ALL. Friends are always welcome!
COMING OCTOBER 20th The SPIRITUALITY CONFERENCE
College of St. Scholastica (with Sara Thomsen, singer/songwriter from Duluth!)
- SAT. OCT. 20 - Performance at closing ceremonies. 1:00 p.m., Mitchell Auditorium
- REHEARSALS:
COMMITMENT: 2 rehearsals (your choice) PLUS performance
- Sat. Oct. 13, 10:30-11:30a.m.,Mitchell Auditorium
- Tues. Oct. 16, 6:00-7:00p.m., TBA
- Sat. Oct. 20, 9:30-10:30a.m., TBA
Call 724-0308 if you have questions.
Sponsored by the Arrowhead Interfaith Council
PUZZLE PEACE -- putting the world together, piece by PEACE