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NOW
Notice to ALL!If you have ''green thumbs" or not, should you have a houseplant or two, now is a good time to make a few cuttings with the BB&B in mind. Put them in water, for we are going to start potting on Tuesday, June 2nd. Come out to the Four E's Trees & Country Gardens Greenhouse at 9 a.m. or call Marge for pick-up at 864-2843. If you miss this first potting session, never fear. Keep your cuttings and watch for the next potting date! THANKS!!
Keep rummaging, everyoneOur Annual Giant Rummage Sale is Saturday, June 11. We need all sorts of items that are generally clean and useable. These items sell particularly well regardless of age: linens, bedding, Christmas/Holiday items, kitchen/household items, baby/children's clothing and accessories, yard/garden, large-size good clothes for men and women, furniture. Please bring donations to the fellowship between Sunday, June 5 right after service and Wednesday, June 8 at 4 p.m. so that they may be marked and sorted. Signup sheets are on the foyer table for setting up after service on June 5, marking and sorting June 6-10, selling Saturday, June 11 between 8 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., and the ever-important cleanup. We will have a dollar bag sale at about 12:15 p.m. Then the cleanup committee gets everything put away and the Fellowship back in its original state. We have a great time working together, and more and more Decaturites love to buy at our famous sale. Much help is needed to make our sale a success. Contact Vern Thistlethwaite if you need a pickup before or after June 5.
Meditation RetreatA day of relaxation and quiet meditation is planned for this nondenominational retreat. The free event, sponsored by the Covenant Group for Spiritual Growth, will be from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Saturday, June 25, at UUFD. Please bring a sack lunch and beverage, and wear comfortable clothing. The day will include three 20 minute, silent meditations, and videos by the spiritual teachers Eckhart Tolle and Huston Smith will be shown. There will be a discussion period, also. For further information and/or to register, email Ron Shafer. Please register by June 19.
Freecycle DecaturFREECYCLE DECATUR is a way to give and get items free with no strings attached. It is a part of a nationwide effort to reduce the amount of useable stuff that ends up in dumps. You must sign up to participate (free) and you must give before you take. There is an efficient group email system. Google FREECYCLE DECATUR and go to the local Yahoo-sponsored webpage to sign up - one more way to be environmentally friendly. Of course, our UUFD Rummage Sale will help us MAKE MONEY, so don't give away what we can sell.
In John's WordsDid you know that the Central Midwest District, of which UUFD is a part, is one of 20 districts across the United States? All of these districts work to further liberal religious values as part of the larger Unitarian Universalist Association of congregations. This CMwD we are in covers all or part of five states – Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan and Indiana –and serves 69 congregations with nearly 12,000 members. On April 15th -- 17th our district held its annual Assembly outside Chicago and my wife Gwen and I were able to attend due to a vote by the Board of UUFD and the financial support of you the members. Gwen and I had a great time, each of us attending different workshops throughout the weekend. Here is a flavor of what we experienced. In the Opening Celebration we heard from the combined choirs of the local UU congregations along with an exciting banner parade at the outset. (I had heard UUFD had a banner for such events but my search of the Fellowship hall just before leaving did not turn one up. I admit, I did not climb up in the attic, so it may well be there.) The theme of the Assembly was Creating Beloved Community: The Challenge and the Promise. The keynote speaker on this theme was Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, minister of The Fourth Universalist Society of New York City, a 165-year old Unitarian Universalist congregation on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she is a graduate of Yale University and Drew Theological Seminary. Rev. McNatt is a former editor at the New York Times Book Review and was a widely anthologized writer for more than 20 years before answering the call to UU ministry. She is author of three books, including her memoir, “Unafraid of the Dark;” a contributing editor to UU World, the magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association; an adjunct instructor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and a contributing columnist (“Reverend Mother”) for Beliefnet.com. I will speak in depth from her address to the Assembly in my sermon on June 5th. I can only tell you, it was a gentle thunderstorm of a sermon and you'll enjoy hearing what she had to say. Along with sermons and worship services twice daily and great food throughout the weekend, there was choice of some thirty workshops on topics from improving your congregation's care of guests, to social action and religious education ideas, to how to best grow and use the media in your local area. Gwen and I purposely attended different workshops so we could cover as many as possible and we both took copious notes. Through the months ahead you will see and hear the ideas I garnered from the weekend. Three workshops stood out for me:
As you can see, these workshops are practical, get to the core of issues in any UU congregation, and come with a large amount of handouts, all of which I have carefully filed for future reference. With this District Assembly now an annual event, possibly next year in April many of you from Decatur will be able to attend. It is for members, friends, leaders, and ministers from all across our District. Come hear my full report to the congregation on June 5th when I will be sharing from the sermon by Rev. McNatt and other workshop leaders. In faithful
service, John
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