UUFOM

It’s an effort for me to not wish away winter and at this time every year I am eager to get out into my garden and am heartened by early signs of spring: yellowing of the willows, cardinals singing, light on the horizon earlier every time I sit at my kitchen table drinking my first cup of coffee. But it is a wintry landscape. And the landscape here at UUFoM is anything but wintry. I so enjoy the Sunday morning sounds of a well used building: the buzz of conversation before and after the service as people cluster around the Book table or greet one another. So many signs of spring here!

The addition of 9:00 AM childcare on March 14th and 28th makes it possible for parents to stretch their minds, by attending Hot Topics, or to soothe their souls by slipping into the library for a hour (9:00-10:00 AM) to of silent meditation. Not wanting to wish away winter, so much activity was packed into January and February, that it’s hard to believe it’s already March. Adult RE opportunities continue in March. The final two sessions (March 1 and 8) of Bible Study for Skeptics looks at Christian Scripture, a.k.a. New Testament. Interested folks are welcome to join the class at this point.

As the end of this transition approaches, you continue putting down roots. You have the satisfaction of a successful canvass behind you, financial stability is a tree you want to see take deep root and flourish over a long period of time. The newly-formed Committee on Ministry and the emerging Congregational Covenant are containers for community building and clear communication. They’re sprouting now and will flower along with your ministry with your new minister. There is also the successful launching of the CUUPS chapter and the promise of an Interweave group—two important growth opportunities.

Rooting these new plantings takes time, the results of our work together won’t be evident until long after I’m gone; perhaps when I read a Candle Flame five years from now. Gardeners are accustomed to waiting, so interims make good gardeners or vice versa. Interim work is cultivating healthy congregations. Sometimes all I get to do is turn over the soil and hope for the best. It is such a privilege to be working with a congregation willing to till and plant. Being your interim minister is gratifying.

Faithfully,
Fran

Fragments from Fran: February, 2010

Last month I was so focused on celebrating your 2009 accomplishments and outlining our shared challenges between now and June that I neglected to say a word about my wonderful trip to India. It was an amazing experience: from the excellent tour company’s attention to detail to my personal introduction to the history, terrain, and culture of a continent I’ve been interest in most of my life.

In Methodist Sunday school we crafted clay houses that truly resembled the homes villagers live in today. Accompanying the craft was the lesson that missionaries were needed to save the heathens living in the houses. Thus was born my "what’s wrong with this message?" thinking. Since then I’d been wondering about the occupants of those villages. This trip was my first opportunity to find out.

My trip provided time in the countryside, including a tiger preserve, as well as time in Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Kujaharo, and Varanasi. One lasting impression is that I was in a culture where people are un-selfconsciously devout. I invite everyone interested to join me at 7:30 on Friday, February 19, for an evening of pictures and stories.

Anita and I worked together to create the Cec Frye’s Memorial Service. Because Cec had marked readings he’d used for memorial services and his musical preferences were known, our task was simplified It can be that easy. It rarely is. More often we don’t make our wishes known and our children are left to worry that the service they plan isn’t what we’d want. Or, your parents are aging and you know that planning the service will be your responsibility and you don’t know their preferences or how to bring up the subject. It’s easy to ignore making plans for the end of our lives, not the most comfortable topic to capture our time and attention. Yet, we want to make a difficult time as easy as possible for our survivors and if we’re in the survivor position, we’ll be grateful for some written direction.

If you’ve avoided these tasks, but are resolved to tackle them soon, mark your calendars to attend Paraministry’s Making Plans workshop, February 13, 9:30-noon. This is an opportunity to sign your Durable Power of Attorney form. Bruce Froelich will address some of the legal aspects and Tom Bailey will review financial matters. Rev. Fran will walk us through planning your memorial service and provide a form to use - - - or to take with you the next time you visit Mom or Dad. Speaking as one who coulda, shoulda, you’ll be glad you did!

Faithfully,
Fran

Fragments from Fran: January, 2010

Opening a new calendar signals a beginning. For you and us this year this is the beginning of the end of your transition and of our time together. Serving as your interim minister is a satisfying way to end my years as a full time interim minister. So many good things are happening at UUFoM that I’m eager to see where your spirit and energy take you in the next six months. I see the sanctuary full to overflowing and feel the goodwill on Sunday mornings. What a joy to be your interim minister. The efforts of the many have come together to create the lively spirit in your religious community. Let’s begin by saying thank-you, each and every one of you has reason to thank your Board of Trustees for having vision and the will to implement it. Thank your Endowment Committee for providing the money for the wonderful change in the lobby. Thank your Stewardship Committee, personally thank Steve Goodnow for his leadership. There are more, many more. Please read From Your Board President for a full list of 2009 accomplishments.

We will be together for another six months, another six months to strengthen your agility and flexibility and to be reminded that variety can be the spice of worship life. Beginning January 10 the Sunday Services Committee offers another order of service format, yet again shaking up the elements. Perhaps the biggest change is that the children will join every week.

January 24 you have an opportunity to participate in the first step toward developing a Congregational Covenant. During the service I will share my reflections on Covenant, at 12:30 Maxine Guettler and the Transition Team will answer questions and outline next steps.

Winter is my preferred time to offer Adult RE classes. I invite you to mark these dates on your calendar: January 21 to discuss Susan Neiman’s Moral Clarity: a guide for grown-up idealists. I’m eager to talk with some grown-up idealists about this engaging book.

From February 1-March 8, you have an opportunity to do some Bible Study for Skeptics, using Understanding the Bible by John Buehrens. This is a six week class, each week will cover a specific section of the Bible and members are welcome to attend all or any sessions.

On February 13 the Paraministry Committee and I offer Making Plans, an opportunity to review the documents we all need to have signed as well as taking some first steps toward leaving your survivors some idea of how your memorial service could reflect your wishes. How do you want to be remembered?

In this season of beginning
May we minister to one another with wisdom,
Meeting our friends with open ears, open eyes, and open hearts.
Let us each, as we are able, take part in one another’s happiness and enthusiasm.

Faithfully,
Fran

Fragments from Fran: December, 2009

"Each night a child is born is a holy night – a time for singing, a time for wondering, a time for worshipping." Sophia Lyon Fahs

This is indeed the season of change—the year turkey soup still simmered when Advent arrived on November 29. Advent, the four Sundays prior to Christmas, is a season of waiting. Not only waiting, as many remember from childhood, all the long month of December for Christmas morning to arrive, but waiting for the return of the light. We are entering the time of the year’s greatest darkness: long nights and too-short days. Advent is an opportunity to pay attention: "when seasons come as seasons do, old and known but somehow new . . . Mark the time."

Advent is a time to sit quietly and work on the very things we do so poorly—waiting, watching, pondering the mysteries of life, going quiet inside to hear the proclamation of peace and justice and hope and love in the world. Advent is a time for us to sit quietly and listen to messages of peace. In the midst of all the turmoil of the times, this is a time to search for the stillness that lies deep within our souls.

Lucky us. Here, there is no conflict between Solstice and Christmas. We can, many of us do, celebrate both. Solstice marks a natural event. The ancients were profound in their basic understanding that light equals life and sincere in their desire to bring it back by any means possible. Our understanding of the natural world frees us from their needs, their fears. However, Solstice can be an opportunity not only to be in touch with the mysteries of the natural world but also a time to examine your own struggles with Kronos, time—a time to take a look at any undesired chaos in your life—in the other eleven months of the year! The December 20 service will mark Solstice.

Christmas reminds us that spirit is more than inner feeling; it can be made incarnate in the world as truth spoken, as beauty created, as love and compassion given. The story of Christmas tells us that we, too, are part of the holiness of creation. Its message of peace on earth, goodwill to all is particularly poignant this year. It's a reminder that children are our strength for today, our bright hopes for tomorrow. On Christmas Eve at 6:00 PM, we’ll observe the Christmas legend which keeps alive hopes that we dare not lose.

It speaks well for the human spirit that our greatest religious celebrations take place at winter solstice time, as people radiate warmth, fellowship and love on these dimmer days. The Christmas season is surely the ideal time to try to enhance the lives of others, especially those close to you. To do something with thought, with care, and with love is what Christmas is all about.

Faithfully,
Fran

Fragments from Fran: November, 2009

Even though I try to begin and end each day listing the many blessings in my life, it’s in autumn, as days grow dark and cold, that I pay particular attention to the many people who brighten my life; the ways in which my life unfolds into being in the right place, at the right time. How fortunate I am to be working with this congregation, to be the keeper of my ancestral home, to have a healthy and happy family. If I were sharing the Thanksgiving feast with them this year, I’d be particularly grateful to be walking an hour every day. Being off my feet for nearly six weeks this summer heightened my awareness of how quickly we can become less able. I am very grateful that at contract time, I proposed to the Board that they grant me some extra time off in lieu of the raise it wasn’t possible to give.

That is how I’m able to be in India for three weeks! It’s a "Bucket List" trip for me. One of the more strenuous trips I want to take while I am able. Two friends and I are joining a 15-person tour of Northern India, from New Delhi to Varanasi and back. My interest in Hinduism predates my call to ministry. I am thrilled to be experiencing a slice of life in this ancient culture.

I’ve arranged to fill the pulpit with three different ministerial voices. On October, you’ll hear Rev. Shirley Ranck, now serving as Interim Minister in Flint; Rev. Karen McFarland, Consulting Minister in Brighton will here on November 8; and Rev. Mark Evens, Associate Minister in Ann Arbor, will be here on the 15th, accompanied by Jennifer Evens, his wife and a professional vocalist. In addition to these different voices, there will be at least two pulpit exchanges in 2010 - - - all of this to demonstrate a range of ministerial styles and voices.

On Thanksgiving Day, I’ll be in Varanasi, I’m quite sure we won’t be eating turkey. I may be so immersed in sights and sounds that I won’t even remember what I’m missing here. So I’ll wish you all Happy Thanksgiving now and trust that, if you won’t be with family, you will join the Feast at UUFoM.

Where ever you are, whatever the menu, I invite you to enjoy these words from the Rev. Gary Kowalski:

Each of us will be grateful this Thanksgiving in differing ways,
Gathered in our separate families,
Each with our own distinct recipes, customs and traditions;
For some will have pies of mince,
And others of pumpkin or apple;
And some will dine early
And some sit down late to the meal,
Passing on the wisdom of the elders
As to the question of whether the stuffing
Should have raisins or currants,
And whether to add sage to the gravy.
For such differences of opinion,
Make us truly appreciative,
Realizing that as there is no one right way
To celebrate the gifts of life,
So there is no wrong way
To share in love or friendship.

Faithfully,
Fran

Fragments from Fran: October, 2009

Along with mounds of mums and a profusion of pumpkins, your annual stewardship campaign is a sign of fall. Farmers are bringing in crops, one week I’ll pull in my driveway and the corn field bordering my yard will be cut, and all through Barstow Woods squirrels burying nuts add to the pleasure of my dog’s daily walks. Farmers plant so they can harvest, squirrels come hardwired to prepare for the coming winter. A stewardship campaign reflects what is growing in a congregation.

I marvel at the level of energy evident this fall. So much that goes on here is fueled by the gifts of talent and time that can only be fully realized by an underlying structure which requires the currency of money. In my letter for your search packet, I praised your financial situation, especially in this economy an adequately funded budget will be attractive to ministers in search. A successful canvass this fall will impress them. When you pledge, you are helping your Search Committee‘s efforts to bring you the best possible candidate.

Because I believe in your future and know how important this canvass is, I’m increasing my 5% pledge to 6%. I ask that everyone take a deep breath, look carefully at your budget and decide how much more you can give in 2010. All pledges, except from those already giving at extraordinary levels, need to increase. The percentage of members pledging is an indicator of interest to prospective ministers, it says something about congregational health which I don’t believe is in the minds of those who don’t make a pledge.

I think it’s mainly because you don’t think you can afford to pledge. What I challenge you to do this year is make a modest pledge which you will pay in cash. Giving to the collection is a good and wonderful thing but I see those gifts as over and above what we decide to pledge - - - the amount we say we’ll contribute to helping the congregation meet its monthly obligations. I consider my pledge to be the floor, not the ceiling, of my giving.

Giving is something that makes us feel whole and complete. It is through giving that we can have a feeling of satisfaction and wholeness. I'm not asking you to give until it hurts. I want you to give until is feels really, really good. And if you're not feeling good about your giving, try giving more! Only you have the capability to shape your future in ways that will fulfill your vision. I wish for each of you the good feeling of opening your personal checkbook to find that its register reflects your values.

If I were a member of this congregation, I'd pledge generously because it provides a community of worship and learning, a voice for justice and compassion in Midland, and because I want to be sure there is a loving community to raise the next generation of Unitarian Universalists. The best reason I can add to the above is that a successful canvass is a strong message to prospective ministers that this is a healthy, vibrant congregation. It's the best gift you can give your Search Committee and yourselves!

Faithfully,
Fran

Fragments from Fran: September, 2009

And so we begin again. The second year of your luminal time holds possibility and promise for many positive changes. The Appreciative Inquiry process so many of you participated in develop during the winter and spring continues to provide opportunities to deepen the spiritual life of members and friends as well as opportunity to both take Unitarianism Universalism out into the world as bring the world into the Fellowship. I’m looking forward to a busy year.of working together to make UUFoM the best possible congregation to welcome a new settled minister.

Last year I worked a sermon series and an Adult RE class around the curriculum for Children and Youth: Our Unitarian Universalist Heritage. I am pleased to have the opportunities offered by the RE curriculum for this year: Our Judeo-Christian Heritage. When my children were in elementary school I was a volunteer DRE. In those bad old days we sent our children out into the world culturally illiterate. Imagine my chagrin to learn, decades later, that my well-educated daughter did not know the meaning of Palm Sunday. We do our Children and Youth a grave disservice if we send them out into the world with so little knowledge of the culture we live in. Thank goodness we are now at least trying to do a better job. How wonderful to be able to teach them about Christianity and Judaism through a UU lens.

Bible stories are as essential to literacy as "Norse Gods and Giants", big favorite with my children, and those great books full of Greek and Roman myths. As an English Lit. minor , I have long appreciated the Biblical knowledge I gained from Methodist Sunday School. So much shorthand goes over our heads if we don’t understand references to Job, loaves and fishes, etc. The Bible is a collection of stories, an oral traditions written by many authors to meet the needs of certain peoples at different times and places. I encourage parents with children in the RE Program to embrace this opportunity. As author Karen Armstrong writes, in the introduction to her accessible book: The Bible, a Biography, "The Bible is the most widely-circulated book in history and one of the most influential texts of all time. Over centuries, the text has been revised, translated, interpreted and re-interpreted. Today, the Bible's origins remain uncertain, and its meaning is still debated." If you are "Bible scarred," this year is an opportunity to learn along with your children

Consider adding a good children’s Bible to your bookshelf, along with other tales from far away and long ago. I suggest The Children ‘s Illustrated Bible by Hastings and Thomas, available through Barnes and Noble. You might enjoy reading Karen Armstrong’s book or pick up some Cliff notes - - - I’m not joking; they provide a fine overview. Looking ahead to 2010, I’ll be leading a class using Rev. John Burhens’ book, Understanding the Bible. It will be available on the Book Table. Sooner than 2010, I invite parents with questions to join me after the August 30 service to talk about the year ahead in Religious Education. 12:00 in the McPeak Room.

Faithfully,
Fran

Fragments from Fran: August, 2009

If you stand very still, the miles will rush past; but you will travel far, too.
--- Margaret J. Hoehn

My "study leave" is coming to its end. The IV therapy will be completed just in time to return to Midland. I hope to have completed my reading list by then but heavy-duty antibiotics do numb the mind! The tome for this summer is Saving Paradise, a lens on the history of early Christianity which explores how paradise here and now was, over the ages, lost. I'm struck by the proposition that, "A society of ethical grace would measure itself by the well-being of its most vulnerable, by its enhancements of human sociability and love, and by the creation of sustainability and decent life for all." ‘Feels as though there's a sermon there.

As there is in Moral Clarity of which the NY Times Book Review wrote, "Neiman is deeply respectful of religious traditions and religious writing, and rightly dismissive of the kind of brash atheism that confidently insists there is no good in them. On the other hand, following Plato, she does not see ethics as the distinct preserve of the faithful." Instead, she writes, "religion is rather a way of trying to give shape and structure to moral concepts that are embedded in our lives." Time to think always provides me with more questions than answers. You’ll be hearing more about this reading as well as Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, a look at the politics of food.

I continue to explore the poetry of Kay Ryan, current Poet Laureate, whose poem Attention is with me this morning;

As strong as

the suction cups
on the octopus
are the valves
of the attention,

If threatened
or pulled off
they leave welts
and pink rings

but also
can unstick
unfelt
from things.

With Sand-hill Cranes wandering into the back yard, Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks coming to the sunflower-seed feeder, and hummingbirds buzzing about in the blooming phlox, there is a lot going on in my backyard! Since I'm still not venturing far from home, I feel fortunate to be so well entertained by avian life. I hope for each of you the joys of summer which feed your soul.

I'll see you soon.

Faithfully,
Fran

Greetings from my porch. It is a place to watch the sunrise through my little woods as well as observe the glow of the setting sun on the garden. A place to bracket the day with Mary Oliver's Sunrise:

I will be spending more summer here on the porch than I'd planned. Tethered to twice daily IV Antibiotics, I will certain get through my study leave reading list before I'm released, just in time to be back with you in August.

I am fortunate to be surrounded by family and old friends. All month they will be arriving and departing. My plans to be uber-hostess for a month-long house party become gratitude that they are all happily preparing to care for me. As they help me I trust they will find truth in Jeffery Lockwood's words:

Thank you for all of your good wishes. I hope for you some lazy summer days filled with friends/family, food, and fun. "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may . . ."

I am a person who is deeply moved by good music. It thrills me when respectful silence follows the special music. For me it is the time I worship during a service I'm leading. All too often I'm jolted back to reality by applause. Do any of you share my feelings? It's natural to applaud for a performance. However, I feel I'm safe in asserting that our musicians regard their special music offerings as an integral part of worship and will not be offended if there is no applause.

The Reverend Kendyl Gibbons, minister of First Unitarian Society in Minneapolis has said that, "the applause is a problem not only because it is, for some people, a distraction from the service but, because it's a way to dispel energy we're building up in too easy a way. If we are moved - by music, words or whatever - we let go of the emotion or tension in applause. What might happen inside us if we made ourselves hold it in? . . . if we made ourselves live with it at least for a short time?"

Some of this year’s pebbles will be evident ripples in the fall. Following up on Our Living and Our Dying, we're planning a Paraministry Committee Workshop on "Making Plans" and the formation of a Committee on Shared Ministry. I’m looking forward to our second year together, please make room for patience, good humor, and a willingness to risk stepping beyond your comfort zone as we work together to make UUFoM the best congregation possible when you welcome your next settled minister.

This year the Merry Month of May, when abundant life comes to the natural world, promises to be a month of exploration and celebration at UUFoM. On May 17th we will, with the children as a cloud of witnesses, have an infant dedication ceremony. The dedication ceremony is a celebration of the blessing of new life, an expression of the parents' hopes for their child, and a call to the parents and the congregation's members to lead and nurture the child's spiritual life as he/she grows. After that service there will be a time of remembrance celebrating the life of Ted Ilgenfritz.

I believe that one of the most important things we can do for our youth is to support them into adulthood, to keep them connected to Unitarian Universalism, and continue to minister to them as they become adults. Since I find this to be one of our most important and touching traditions and it is one of your UUFoM traditions; I'm delighted that, during the morning service on May 31st, graduating seniors, Jacob Guettler and Stephanie Martin will be recognized.

In addition to celebrating, there are opportunities to learn more about our Unitarian Universalist Association. UUA Moderator Gini Courter is stopping by on May 3, 1:00-2:30 PM for a conversation. Her visit is a rare opportunity to learn about what is happening at 25 Beacon Street, historic location of UUA headquarters, and how she views the issues on the 2009 General Assembly (GA) agenda. Later in the month, all who are interested can take part in absentee voting for the next UUA president. Those details are included in this newsletter.

After the June 14 morning service, there will be a time of remembrance celebrating the life of Esther Savage, a woman who lived her life to the fullest. In 2004 she wrote this poem:

Harbingers of spring, in the form of a flock of cedar waxwings, arrived last week. I'd seen the occasional robin a day or two before the migrating waxwings discovered the winter sweetened Mountain Ash berries on the tree outside my office window. Laden with berries a week ago, this morning it is picked quite clean and they have moved on to nesting grounds further north. Blue skies, birds, and sunshine help me contend with whatever March still has in store. I am eager for April's greening of the landscape.

However, all through the long winter signs of new growth here, a greening of this congregation, were apparent. At the midpoint of this transition year there are signs of spring at UUFoM. Attendance on Sunday morning continues to be high. The Social Justice Committee is joining forces with Making Connections to offer Potluck and Movie nights. The Transition Team and I are gratified and excited by your response to the Appreciative Inquiry workshops. The level of commitment to the life of this congregation is one of the reasons I'm delighted to be with you for another year.

On January 4th I introduced some changes in Sunday Morning worship. I promised the Program Committee we'd see how the congregation felt about them after six weeks. Thank you for your responses to the brief survey concerning changes in the order of service.

We're not done tinkering with Sunday worship. My July study project is planning for next year after digesting "Worship That Works," a 2008 Skinner House publication from a well-respected clergy couple's sabbatical research. There are so many different ways to come together on Sunday mornings!

Staying for a second year has its challenges. You know me and I know you so, on the plus side, our work together continues without that "getting to know you" phase. The difficulty, from my perspective, is that I am not your settled minister, I am here as a change agent and maintaining the necessary drive and distance, never easy, is more difficult in the second year. Together we will make great progress to create the best congregation possible for the next era of UUFoM's history with your next settled minister.

Winter
Let us not wish away the winter.
It is a season to itself, not simply
the way to spring.
When trees rest, growing no leaves,
gathering no light, they let in the sky
and trace themselves delicately
against dawns and sunsets.
The clarity and brilliance of the winter
sky delight, The look of fog softens edges,
lulls the eyes and ear of the quiet,
wakens by risk the unquiet.
A low dark sky can snow, emblem of
individuality, liberality and aggregate
power.
Snow invites to contemplation and sport.
Winter is a table set with ice and starlight.
Winter tends to warm light: fire and candle;
winter cold to hugs and huddles; winter
want
to gifts and sharing; winter danger to visions,
plans and common endeavors -
and the zest of narrow escapes;
winter tedium to merry makings.
Let us therefore praise winter,
rich in beauty, challenge,
and pregnant negativities.

Time is moving right along. As I write this the air is crisp, the sky is blue and it is easy to believe March is on its way. The Mountain Ash berries on the tree outside my office have finally lost their color and they are drying up, preparing the way for new growth. I’m keeping Greta Crosby's ode to winter in mind, try not to wish away any days between now and spring. Every day of a transitioning time is full of opportunity. Despite our anxieties, we do not want to wish it away. If we substitute "transition time" for "winter," Greta's words say it well!

winter cold to hugs and huddles;
winter want to gifts and sharing;
winter danger to visions,
plans and common endeavors -

The Board and I have recently completed the midyear Appraisal. We agree that the Fellowship is entering into the work of this year with a high level of participation and energy.

As you read this, the Search Committee focus groups are taking place. Please make time in your life to participate!

After the Appraisal is competed, it’s time to consider what happens next year. It is gratifying to have so many of you express your satisfaction with my ministry. It’s always wonderful to feel appreciated but we all need to remember that transition time is more about work than enjoyment. That you like my style of ministry is personally gratifying but not sufficient reason for me to be here a second year - in act it might mitigate against it - you know what you like about my style and could well benefit from experiencing yet another before you call your next minister. I have a one year contract with you. Extending it for another year needs the approval of the Ministerial Settlement Director, in consultation with Heartland District staff. That decision will be made soon. Challenging you is my responsibility. My role is that of prophet, not soothing psalmist. The state of this congregation is strong . . . and getting stronger. When I ask you to stretch yourselves, always believe that I'm confident what I'm suggesting is within your grasp.

Our Sundays together between now and July will go quickly; as the light returns, time has a way of accelerating! We're having a good year of Sundays together. But at this point in a transition year, I always feel it is important to challenge your flexibility by making some changes in the Sunday order of worship. Not that there is a great deal "wrong" with the order of worship we've been using for the past several months but there are other ways of doing worship and you'll want to be open to ways your new minister might enrich your worship experience.

If you've been in church the past two weeks, you're already aware of these subtle, or not so subtle changes. Rather than asking visitors to stand to introduce themselves, we'll be greeting one another during the Welcome. If you are sitting next to a visitor, please extend a warm welcome - - and the promise to continue the conversation during coffee time.

I'm working to eliminate the mistress of ceremonies aspect of the service, creating the sense that a service can flow, so we'll try having Melanie begin the hymns as the signal to rise as willing and able. In six weeks I think we can all learn "Spirit of Life," #123 , to sing ourselves into Silent Meditation.

Now for the not so subtle, to allow those who need or wish to leave at the end of the service, Congregational Conversation moves from the body of the service to 5 minutes after the Postlude ends.

In six weeks, there'll be a survey form in your order of service so you can let the Program Committee and me know how you feel about these changes.

In my September sermon on Peace, I mentioned "A Season for Nonviolence," inviting any of you who are interested to participate with me in this yearly 64-day, educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. Inspired by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world. As a human family we are asking, "How can any act of violence be recognized as a solution to the consequences of violence that we face today?" Violent actions and reactions are the scars of social, educational, and economic wounds... the voices of a spiritually-inarticulate culture.

The practice of nonviolence is initiated by choice and cultivated through agreement. The time has come to agree upon this as a global community – as if our lives, and those of our children’s children, depended on it. Our vision is of a better world for all human beings.

The 2009 Season for Nonviolence begins January 30 and ends April 4. Participation is simple: Google Search 2009 Season for Nonviolence, click on the first result, scroll down to 64 Ways to find the reflection schedule I plan to follow. Let me know, revdew@earthlink.net, if you'd like to meet with me 2-3 times to share our experience with this spiritual practice. The first gathering will be Saturday, February 14, 10:00 AM at the Fellowship.

"Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple," Natalie Babbit If you’ve been coming to church for a while you might be thinking about becoming a member. You can do that any time but our next Ingathering ceremony will be February 8. My former minister, and Mentor, Greta Crosby always included in her invitation to membership the welcoming words that "Everyday a member joins is a birthday for the church." We look forward to celebrating several such birthdays on February 8th. These are some of the questions new members have: "What kind of community is the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland?" "What do you stand for?" "How is your liberal tradition distinctive?

"It's a challenge, trying to put "who we are" into words. I find this list, created by Rev. Suzanne Meyer, a helpful resource. She says we in the liberal religious tradition have a "saving, healing, transforming vision of our own." We have good news, and our good news includes the following tenets:

I hope you, members, friends and seekers all, find this list helpful. For those considering membership, a New UU Class is coming up. The first session will be January 18, the second the 25th. Both following the morning worship service. The Membership Committee provides lunch. Peter Carlson and I coordinate these sessions. We both enjoy doing these classes and look forward to answering your questions!