UUFD NOW Newsletter

February 2005

Seekers, Part 2

The second class in the Seekers Series – adult religious exploration discussions, will be Sunday, Feb. 6, from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

The focus is the work of philosopher and mystic Eckhart Tolle, the author of the best-selling book "The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment."

Tolle incorporates teachings from Jesus, Buddha and other great spiritual teachers. Tolle speaks of the nature of presence, true self-knowledge, our longing for freedom, reactivity and the egoic self and participation in the play of form.

Top

Internet Interest

Jennifer Gardner, our Webmaster, reports our site, UUFD.org, was visited 87 times in December. People spent about four and a half minutes per visit, looking at an average of three pages. Jennifer has recently come upon a reliable counter for our Web traffic.
Take some time to dial up the site and see what the public is seeing!

Top

In John's Words

With Dick Zaker (president-elect of the Fellowship) about to kick off our annual pledge drive for the financial support of the Fellowship, I'd like us to consider a few ideas.

I'm reading a fascinating book about what makes some people generous and others less so, or not at all. The definition of generosity in giving, Michael Ducal says in “Creating Congregations of Generous People,” includes sharing our time and talent with those organizations that strive to make the world a better place.

Generosity, I would add, also encompasses being hospitable, giving people the benefit of the doubt, practicing forgiveness and other traits that characterize our religious values.
The book makes the point that members of mainline traditions are rarely challenged to increase generosity. “Over time, congregations inadvertently reinforce the belief that giving little is acceptable,” Ducal adds. “Unfortunately, the small-gift mentality that exists in many congregations diminishes people's capacity to grow spiritually in personal faith and to grow in character as human beings.”

Let’s consider the kind of givers commonly found in our UU congregations, according the UU consultant Dan Hotchkiss. First are the “practical givers.” These folks donate because they like being part of a group that is accomplishing a worthwhile project. These Practical Givers respond to others’ leadership ... especially leadership by example. They want the “case” for the fund drive to be well-prepared, and they don’t mind being asked to give, especially by someone in their own giving bracket.

The second type is the “spiritual giver.” They say a spiritual person is a generous person. If giving is mostly a response of gratitude to life or God, as an _expression of one's own spirituality, one need not quibble about how the money will be used, Hotchkiss says. The Spiritual Giver contributes because it's the right thing to do, perhaps even because it's what the great spiritual exemplars they honor would have done. The Spiritual Givers don't need a huge amount of detail about the budget.

The third type of giver is the “Dues Payer.” These people want to know what they are getting for their money. They want to know the smallest amount they can give to not be considered a “freeloader.” Dues Payers give to erase a debt created by using a congregation’s services.

This outline of types of givers is not exhaustive. There can be extremes within each group. Sometimes the practical giver will give because she or he wants to dominate. Spiritual Givers may believe God and the universe will shower them with a reciprocal abundance. Dues payers include those who are willing to shoulder a full share of the ‘overhead costs” incidental to the services they use.

Wherever you are on your life journey, possibly you will find your giving like that of the Native American belief — that when you receive a gift, you must give something to someone else, because that's how you keep the energy flowing in the community. We have been given gifts in such abundance!
In Faith,
John

Minister's office hours
in February will be Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 10 to noon.

Top

Joys and Concerns

February birthdays: Athena Pajer, Feb. 5; Sue Donovan, Feb. 10; Noah Jackson Feb. 19.

Best of luck to Gary Brennan, who was nominated to run for the Decatur Township Board of Trustees at the recent Democratic Party caucus. Several UUFD members attended that session.

Kathy Sorensen’s mother, Mary Lee Owen, passed away at her home in California on Jan. 19 after a long illness. Our condolences.

We note Vern Thistlethwaite’s mother has been ailing, as well.

We wish Joan Brown well with her continuing heart problems.

Top

Around the Fellowship

Attention all service leaders! The Program Committee has purchased two CDs from the Springfield Fellowship that will help us sing better on Sundays when we don’t have a pianist.
One has holiday music, and the other contains 32 songs from our hymnal. Both are the piano accompaniment to the hymns played by a wonderful pianist from Springfield. There are three copies of each CD. Contact Kathy Sorensen, Program chair, if you’d like to use one for a service.

Thanks to Rev. Biedler for giving the UU perspective on the "why" of the Asian tsunami in a recent Herald & Review article. His picture also gave a "face" to our congregation for the community.

Top

Dollarsense

Please remember to note on checks written to UUFD that money is designated toward your pledge. If you're giving cash toward your pledge, please indicate it on an envelope or otherwise to make sure it's put toward your pledge amount. Thank you.

Top

On the Board Walk

On Jan. 16, the Board heard wreath sale profits stand at about $480 … Marge Evans has agreed to be the overall chairman of the next Books, Bites & Botanicals, which was set for Oct. 8 … Marge, Kathy Kline and Carolynn Devore will look into a Web of Life game, to be played at the Festival of Spring … Dave Snoeyenbos was confirmed as the permanent replacement for Ed Seymour on the UUFD Trust Board … John Hays and Jennifer Gardner are exploring a fund-raising possibility at Pastabilities restaurant

Top

Greetings from your Prez

I really like January! It’s too cold for gardening, and with all those flowers asleep, there is oodles of time to catch up. Now there’s time for reading, writing, cleaning the basement — all those little things I have been meaning to get to.

But these have been melancholy days, too. On the 15th, we said our “good-byes” to Ed Seymour. John gave a very memorable tribute, and Ed’s extensive family was a joy to meet. They passed on their love with a sumptuous reception, complete with homemade pies.
Some of you may not have had the privilege of knowing Ed, for his long illness had kept him from joining us for some time. Ed was a rock for UUFD since our founding days. He was a loyal, active member, past president, founder and longtime member of our Trust board.
The Trust was organized in 1989 to support our Fellowship. It continues to serve as our safety net, providing funds for very special needs. This has happened several times when we needed repairs on our building.

Three trustees are elected by the membership as trustees for the Trust and serve six-year terms. Currently serving are Vern Thistlethwaite, Ken Robertson and Dave Snoeyenbos (formerly interim for Ed). The preamble to the Trust well explains its purpose:
We assemble, as members of
the Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship of Decatur, to be
among friends. We are united
in the belief that religion is a
home of many shapes. We
believe that character, not
creed is the measure of a life.
To this end, the “Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship of
Decatur Trust” was created.

Through the UUFD Trust, the future of the Fellowship is made secure today. The Trust is a way to bend the arm of time, so that an act today is felt a generation away.

It was Ed’s wish that memorials be made to the UUFD Trust. Your donation is truly a tribute to him.

I hope your basement got a better cleaning than mine. Now, let’s welcome in valentines and the groundhog. Spring is not so far away.
Marge

Top

Little Congregation that Could

Think a small UU congregation can’t do big things? The 2004 Bennett Award for Congregational Action on Human Justice and Social Action has been given to the Berrien Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in St. Joseph, Mich.

The Berrien Fellowship, with only 42 adult members, co-sponsored a citywide forum for criminal justice reform in response to outrage sparked over the death of a young African-American man in an accident during a police pursuit.

The program brought together an array of criminal justice officials with members of the community to examine strengths and weaknesses in the justice system. Much-needed reforms were identified, including jury selection, racial profiling and racial imbalances in sentencing, setting of high bonds and lack of training for indigent-defense lawyers. An atmosphere for continuing dialogue was established.

Top

Salute to Ed Seymour - and those who liked him

Ed loved UUFD's turnaround
By John Hays

While Ed Seymour was one of the earliest members of our Fellowship, I didn't join until 1991. We didn't become close friends until 1997, when one Sunday after the service, Ed invited me to have lunch the following Wednesday at Red Lobster, his favorite restaurant. Then he really surprised me when he said, "I am thinking of going to our church board and suggesting we sell the building."

1997 was a tough year for all of Decatur, with strikes, factories downsizing or closing and a declining population. His first comment that Wednesday was that he was simply expressing his frustration, due to several families moving to jobs elsewhere. Our RE took a serious loss.

Ed and I continued meeting on Wednesdays, and in our discussions, something positive did occur — the beginning of our UU Men's Lunch Group. After all, the women met twice a month for lunch, along with a monthly book club and socializing at our many potlucks.
In contrast to 1997, it has been a joy, when visiting Ed at St. Mary's, to tell him of the new-found energy and activity at UUFD, especially during the past six months! I could tell him that Sunday attendance is up; most Sundays have had new visitors, and even our committees have more members involved! And, when it was suggested we have a choir at our revived Christmas Eve service, 15 members and friends joined in song!

Ed didn't speak much, but after hearing our good news, he had a smile on his face, and I knew he was pleased, as our Fellowship meant so much to him for over 50 years.

Many help with memorial service
Numerous people deserve thanks for making Ed Seymour's memorial service something to remember. Not only did the Jan. 15 program honor Ed's memory and provide a meaningful gathering for his family, but it "opened the doors" of UUFD to the public in a positive way.
Those who played important roles in the planning and execution of the event include Jeanne Robertson, John Biedler, Mark Sorensen, Deonne Orvis, Darwin Shroyer, John Hays, Vern Thistlethwaite and Dick Zaker. Many others worked hard, too, and apologies for not listing their names here.

Here is the quotation chosen for the front of the memorial service program, "Trembling with Joy," by the Inuit Shaman Uvavnuk:
The great seat
has set me in motion
set me adrift
moving me like a weed in a river
The sky and the strong wind
have moved the spirit inside me
till I am carried away trembling with joy.

Top

Browse Our Past Newsletters

Top

In a nurturing environment of openness, mutual respect, and friendship, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Decatur is a welcoming, diverse congregation. We share values and seek to celebrate life and support one another in our inward and outward searches for spiritual meaning, provide a liberal religious presence, and strive for compassion and justice in our community and our world.

Our newsletter is printed monthly. Dick Zaker is the editor and Jennifer Gardner makes it available on the Web. Articles can be submitted through e-mail at newsletter@uufd.org, by putting them in the newsletter mailbox at UUFD, by mailing them to him in care of the fellowship, or by leaving a phone message for Dick at 429-1355.