The Flame Join us for Sunday Service at 10:30am June 3—Flower Communion We will celebrate our annual Flower Communion. Please bring a cut flower to share in this ceremony. Music: Donovan Johnson, piano. June 10—Ambition and Caste: India for Consumers In unraveling our human story, no place holds more answers in its living cultural tapestry than India. Stuart Shell, church member, visited the southwest coast of the country in January as part of a Rotary exchange trip. Awed by myth and seduced by sculpture, he has returned home eager to weave his eye-opening experiences into his daily Omaha routine. [Stuart discovered the quizzical overlay of globalization in a reverent land as a guest in the home of a dozen families. Hosted by enterprising leaders, he saw how restraint and power were shaping the lives of
June 2012 | Vol. 12: Issue 1
Our Monthly Newsletter
those he met.] Perhaps his biggest souvenir will be the impact this exposure is having on his personal relationships and goals in life. Join Stuart in a talk about the wonderment of India and the questions it has awakened for him. Music: Donovan Johnson, piano. June 17—Voices from the Civil War With worship leader Maria Wilson. Come to hear music and writings written during and inspired by the Civil War. We will be thanking our forefathers and our fathers during this retrospective of our divided nation 150 years ago. Music: Donovan Johnson, piano, featuring Skip Ciulla, Anne Wilder, and more.
Highlights Haiku for June
Page 3
Long-Term Building Report
Page 5
Religious Ed This Summer
Pages 10-11 June 24—What Makes a Church a True Community? Rev. Dr. Sarah Voss will revisit an old but important topic today, exploring the physical, emotional, and, most of all, the spiritual dynamics of a genuinely warm and healthy church community. Music: Donovan Johnson, piano.
Ahead
A Note from Your Pastoral Care Minister
Check out our online calendar.
By Rev. Dr. Sarah Voss
On the web you can see every event listed and which room it will be held in. Because events change and plans change, the website calendar is the best way to view what’s coming up. Please check it out at:
http:// www.firstuuomaha.org/ community/calendar
Our church has made many changes since I started January 1st as your temporary pastoral care minister. We have said goodbye to one minister and hello to another. We have engaged a new director of religious education. We have accommodated and reflected and experimented and grown. Now we are transitioning to summer mode, where we will return for a few months to one service on Sundays, where the Choir and Early Morning Risers will take a break, and so will some people. The church community has worked hard and accomplished much and the different pace of the summer routine will be a welcome slowing of our normal collective energy. But one thing is unlikely to slow down or stop. Our church members and friends still become sick, lose jobs, encounter adversity, worry, need support. Sometimes they get well, too, or find jobs, encounter fortune, want to celebrate some personal success or gain or milestone. Your board has provided for such needs by keeping me on as your pastoral care minister until Rev. Frank Rivas is formally relocated here on August 1st. Please let me know if I can be of help to you during these next few months. If you would like assistance in shaping a prayer or a spiritual path, if you would welcome additional emotional support and a chance to talk in confidentiality, if you’d like someone to help you put words to your gratitude or worries, or both, please let me know. You can call me at 402-558-9311, send me an email at SarahVoss@cox.net , or call the church office with a message about how I can get in touch with you. With all good will, Sarah
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Haiku for June By Kate Godfrey, Board President
Summer time is almost here!
bright sweet tune of hope we croon to our minister song of tomorrow
Join us every Sunday at 10:30am.
bored of the Board? NO! we are Phoenix rising, fresh minds… from eight voices—one.
Remember: we don’t go back to two services until September. Don’t be late (or early) to church!
silent pipes wait motor fixed, wiring done soon will the organ work? Midtown Cross’ Grande Dame primly sits, bloomers settled. weeds creep—pull them up! time to spruce things up! to plan! to help! to gift our offspring bright space. my Dear Ones, each month a note for you—a dream, a gift, a budding offering.
Something is happening . Save these dates: Be sure to do something 3
Kate Godfrey: Unitarian Universalist of the Year At the annual congregational meeting it was the great pleasure of the Nominating Committee to recognize Kate Godfrey as Unitarian Universalist of the Year. Kate and her husband Bruce have been members of our congregation since 1997. They have three children Alan, Miles, and Sophia, who participate in our religious education program. Kate has been active in many aspects of church life including R.E. and the Pagan Group. Most recently, she has made tremendous contributions serving as President-Elect, in taking the leadership in a challenging evaluation of the church and its minister and then assuming the presidency of the congregation at an unexpected and difficult time. Throughout these trials, Kate has demonstrated calm good sense and a strong commitment to the mission of First Unitarian Church. We are most fortunate to have a leader of Kate’s quality at this difficult time in the life of our church and proud to be able to recognize her with the distinction of Unitarian Universalist of the Year.
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Caring Team
A note from Douglas Lee-Regier The Caring Team is looking for rides for church members. One member lives in Elkhorn and another member lives near 80th and Center. If you can help with either person, please call the church office or Douglas Lee-Regier or email him at dleeregier@msn.com. Also we'd like information on anyone that needs our attention due to recent illness, surgery or other needs. It helps if can you let us know what the person would like: cards, calls, visits, or pastoral care. Please contact Douglas Lee-Regier at dleeregier@msn.com. Help us be a caring community! Thanks for your help! Douglas
Long-Term Building Report
By Ellen Shurson
Activities & Projects – 2011-2012 Window Restoration project. Approved by the board in the 2010 church year, this has been a lengthy project . The project included the complete removal of all the paint (lead removal certified contractor) on 8 windows in the original 1917 building. These included the windows in the Ministers’ office, and all of the first and second floor windows on the north side of the building, plus one of the portal windows. The portal window required some extensive wood repair. The weather stripping was either repaired or replaced, new, heavy duty, custom wooden storms were purchased, primed, painted and installed. Three remaining wooden storms for the third floor have been built but are yet to be delivered at which time they will be carefully preserved, painted and installed. This will mark the completion of this project. Now these beautiful windows will last another 100 years. Carolyn McNamara and John Wagner generously donated the cost of one entire window restoration and storm window. Steeple window project: All eight of the windows in the steeple were in very poor condition. They were crumbling with several panes of glass missing and patched with wood or plastic. New windows were built, primed and painted and installed. The project was financed by Dean Christensen in memory of his late wife Carol Christensen. Take a moment to look up before entering the church, and view our beautiful, iconic steeple. Storm windows RE wing: Three new storm windows were purchased. Two for the office and one for the Merritt Lounge. The window in the Merritt lounge was repaired. With the settling of the building the window had moved out of alignment with a large gap of more than an inch on one side. The window was put back into alignment and then a new storm window installed. The breezes once experienced while sitting near the window have been eliminated. EPA Painting of exterior: The exterior wood, excluding window frames, was painted by the Environmental Protection Agency at no cost to the church. The loose paint was scraped and then spray painted. This really just covered up areas that will need to be repaired, but in the short term the church looks better. And this painting will postpone a more thorough restoration of wood trim, and much needed repair to the metal flashing in the steeple. Roof repair: An active roof leak was discovered above the small bathroom near the Sanctuary. The flat roof membrane was repair and seems to have fixed the problem.
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Finance Matters By Walt Jesteadt, Treasurer
The congregation approved a financial plan for the 2012–2013 church year at the annual meeting in May. It included more money for advertising, payment of dues to the UUA and PSD, an increase in the budget for building maintenance, and a 3% raise for our hard-working staff, the first increase that many of them have received in several years. These are all things that we need to do to develop and maintain active programs. The problem with the new budget is that pledges for the new church year were much lower than expected. It is not clear why this is the case. Even though we lost members during the past year, our contributions towards pledges for the year that ended on April 30 were $210,000 and we had many routine non-pledge contributions that should have been counted as pledges. Had we done that, we would have come close to last year’s goal of $217,000. Contributions in recent months were much greater than usual, so our success last year was largely due to current members and friends. Our current pledge total for the new year is only $197,000, about $20,000 less than we might have expected based on last year’s results. Who among us does not think that next year will be better than the year we have just completed? Rather than reduce funding for church programs at the beginning of a new ministry, Rev. Frank Rivas proposed an auxiliary stewardship campaign in the fall. The Board took that suggestion and set a goal of $24,500 in additional pledges, both new pledges and increases to current pledges. A few people increased their pledges at the meeting and wrote checks on the spot. With similar enthusiastic support from everyone, we will have a successful fall campaign and will be able to fully fund the church and its programs.
Alain de Botton Featured at Tolerant Atheist Discussion Group The T.A.D.G. meeting on Thursday, June 7 at 7pm in the Common Room features a 20 minute lecture (TED lecture online) by author Alain de Botton. His theme is “What aspects of religion should atheists (respectfully) adopt?” In January 2012, de Botton published Religion for Atheists, a look at some of the more interesting and consoling benefits of religions for those who happen not to believe in religion. As de Botton put it: 'Religions are in the end too complex, wise and fascinating to be abandoned simply to those who happen actually to believe in them'. Table discussions will follow the lecture. Discussion may be enhanced by the participation of Atheists invited from the seven member groups in the Omaha Coalition of Reason: www.omahacor.org. The fun starts earlier. Come at 6pm for "Bring Your Own Dinner” and conversation. We’ll have the coffee on for you. RSVP’s are appreciated, and questions welcomed, to Jaime Alexander, jaimealexander@cox.net . If you are reading this, you are invited to attend. Almost coincidently, on Monday June 4, 7pm, the book club will be discussing Religion for Atheists. See the next page for Book Club information.
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Church Events
Book Club, Women’s Religious Group, Joseph Campbell RoundTable Book Club The Book Club meets Monday, June 4 at 7pm in the Merritt Lounge. We will be discussing Alan de Botton's Religion for Atheists. Contact Dave Richardson at drichardson@westside66.org to be added to the Book Club email list or for more information.
Women’s Religious Study Group A solitary crane In winter snow Needs no jewels 365 Tao, Deng Ming Dao Come join The Women's Religious Study Group. We meet every Thursday at 1:00 to 2:30 in the Merritt lounge.
Joseph Campbell Mythological RoundTable The Omaha Mythological RoundTable is an “emerging” chapter of the Joseph Campbell Foundation's (JCF.org) program to promote the study of mythology and the works of Joseph Campbell. We gather on the fourth Sunday of every month at First Unitarian Church of Omaha from 5 to 7pm for a one-hour video plus a one hour discussion. Topics include: the structure of myth, sacred stories, Jungian psychology, dream interpretation, comparative religion, and more. Participants are encouraged to bring a light snack to share. Donations for First Unitarian Adult RE and the JCF are welcome, but not required. Contact OmahaMRT@gmail.com details. This month we meet on June 24th at 5pm in the Whitney Young Room.
Check out the opposite page for information about our Tolerant Atheist Discussion Group that meets quarterly
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At Church This Month
Share the Plate, Bridge Group and Witches’ Tea Share the Plate PFLAG PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons, their families, and friends through: support to cope with an adverse society; education to enlighten an illinformed public; and advocacy to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Go here for more information: http://www.pflag-omaha.org
Bridge Group
Witches’ Tea
The Bridge Group will be meeting each second and fourth Sundays after the second coffee hour for about two hours. We will meet in the Whitney Young Room. The Bridge Group meets on June 10 and June 24 this month. If you want to learn, teach or play bridge, you are welcome to attend. The more, the merrier! Contact the church office if you want more information.
Whatever your interest in earthcentered spirituality, whether Native American (or other) Shamanism, Celtic Druidism, African Diaspora, Wicca and Witchcraft or other tradition or path, come and enjoy conversation, fellowship, and the occasional earth-centered experience with others who resonate with the UUA's Sixth Source of Spirituality. This meeting is held on the first Sunday. We meet on Sunday, June 3 at 7pm in the Merritt Lounge.
Share the Plate Every month, half of all the cash collected in the offering plates goes to a ministry of First Unitarian Church or to a cause that is aligned with our church values.
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Church Events Continued
Film for All Ages, Yoga and A Narrative Performance off-site Film for All Ages: Azur & Asmur Come enjoy this stunningly beautiful animated film and great moral tale! Truly a film with appeal and a message for all ages. The story is about two boys from very different cultures, initially raised as brothers until forcibly separated, who later are re-united in a dangerous quest to free the Djinn Fairy. Sunday, JUNE 3, 3:305pm in the Common Room. Recommended ages: 6 to adult (rated PG for thematic material, some mild action and peril). Check out http://www.gkids.tv/azur/. This is a Heart & Hand Auction event which is open to all. Freewill donations at the door—all proceeds to the church. Popcorn and lemonade provided. Hosted by Walt Jesteadt and Donna Neff.
Yoga 5:15-6:45pm Wednesdays in the Common Room
Islam and the West: A Personal Journey A Narrative Performance by Imran Ahmad
THE TEACHER: Liz has studied Iyengar yoga with advanced level certified teachers since 1998. She began teaching in Evanston and Chicago, IL, as an apprentice and continues to work toward certification.
June 1 at 8pm at Marrakech Gourmet Restaurant (near 33rd & California)
WHO SHOULD COME: This beginning-level course is open to all students and will focus on proper alignment, the use of props to accommodate all body types, and sequencing to progress students in standing and seated poses, safe inversions, twists and reclining postures. Cost: $45 for 4 weeks. Contact Liz directly with any questions at: lizcarvlin@gmail.com
The event is free and open to the public; however, seating is limited. Please RSVP by emailing imranevent@firstuuomaha.org. Imran is the author of the highly acclaimed non-fiction book, The Perfect Gentleman—a Muslim Boy Meets the West. His narrative performance is engaging, funny, intelligent, thought-provoking, self-critical, universal and ultimately, moving. Imran does not defend/attack any particular religious or political viewpoint. He is a British Muslim of Pakistani origin based in London. Sponsored by First Unitarian Church of Omaha.
Islam and the West: June 1 Join us at Marrakech Gourmet Restaurant. See above. RSVPs required.
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Summer Sundays in Religious Ed June 3, June 10 and June 24
Gardening Focusing on UU principle 7. We believe in caring for our planet Earth, the home we share with all living things.
June 17
Father’s Day Making a tribute to father figures in our lives.
Religious Education Have a blast at church this summer with Meka!
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Religious Education News By Meka Tate, DRE
May means Mother’s Day. I’m going to trust Hallmark and daddies and six-year-olds and grown-up kids who are mommies themselves to honor the mothers among us as they deserve to be honored – with brass bands, flags flying, breakfast in bed (and kitchens cleaned up afterwards). I wish for those mothers a memorable day full of love and laughter. Sadly, I don’t trust Hallmark to remember the feelings of the women who don’t fit Mother’s Day in quite the same wonderful way. Every year when Mother’s Day rolls around I wish there were just a
little more acknowledgement of not-so-traditional “mothers” in our midst – people who come in all colors, shapes, sizes, genders, and ages. Let us honor them all on this day. Women who conceived. Women who bore. women who reared. women who lost. women who let go. women who made different choices. And people of any gender who mother. Happy day. May each of you know your worth to all of us.
Sundays: July 8, 15, 22
Sunday, July 29
Irish Dance and Balliwood
Aisha Okudi
Focusing on UU principle 3. We believe that we should accept one another and keep on learning together.
A visionary, servant and entrepreneur whose story will take your breath away. She is a fearless woman who refuses to let her past predict her future. Be enlightened and learn about her mission to empower Africa.
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In May, the Sunday school students focused on mom the verb and made t-shirts and flip flops as a gift to the people in their lives who "mothered them"
Aisha Okudi to speak to the Sunday School class on July 29
New Member News By Carolyn McNamara Anne Wilder first visited First Unitarian Church on the recommendation of a co-worker and was impressed by an earthcentered sermon and the fabulous music. Combine that with the warm welcome she received during coffee hour and she knew she had found a home. She joined our congregation six months later on April 29, 2012 and immediately got involved in our music program, singing with the choir and the Early Morning Risers. She also enjoys the company of the Young Adults Group.
Having lived in Omaha since age three, Anne considers herself a native. She is an Operations Trainer with West Corporation where she trains agents for Express Script’s (formerly Medco) Prior Authorization Department. Not surprisingly, Anne’s big interest is music. In addition to singing, she plays the violin, the viola, various percussion instruments, the penny whistle, the recorder, folk harp, and bass guitar. She enjoys morris dancing (English folk dance), crafts of any kind, has a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, and belongs to Amtgard, a medieval sword
fighting reenactment group. In her free time, she volunteers at Amelia House in Council Bluffs playing violin for the residents. Please say “Hello” and welcome her to membership.
Best Time to Plant a Tree By Dixie Lemon There is a Chinese proverb which states, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the next best time is now." As I wrote that it occurred to me that I use plant/tree metaphors quite a bit. Maybe it's the old gardener coming out in me. It is obvious that we can't go back in time to plant trees which would be giving us shade by now, or to invest when Warren Buffett urged us to, or to finish that degree we always wanted. We can, however, project our thoughts to twenty years from now, or fifty, or one hundred. Think of acorns and oaks and compound interest, however meager it may be some years. Plant a metaphorical tree. Commit yourself to leaving a bequest to the church. Contact Dixie Lemon or any member of the Finance Committee. Those who follow will enjoy the shade.
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Summer Spirituality and Fun at Camp StarTrail July 29-August 3 2012
Wondering what a camper at Camp StarTrail might experience? Then ask one of the recent campers from our church (pictured here.) At Camp StarTrail in Ashland, Nebraska, UUs of all ages explore nature, share meals, sing songs, worship together, create art and get to know other UUs from the Prairie Star District. Photos and further details are available at www.psduua.org/Camps/ CampStarTrail. "Camp Star Trail is food for the mind, spirit, and body. It is a safe and loving community full of fun and insightful people that will provoke your thoughts, warm your heart, and make you laugh out loud! I can't wait until next year!" ~ Ben
Campers also have the unique opportunity to learn from and interact closely with a nationally acclaimed UU speaker. This year, the speaker is Rev. Nate Walker of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. He will serve as a personal spiritual trainer and will challenge participants to strengthen their ethical core while increasing their ability to care for those perceived to be the enemy. For more information and about Rev. Walker, please visit www.natewalker.com. "Camp Star Trail is a UUtopia. It's just what you need to recharge your spirit and refresh your mind. Once you go to camp, you can't imagine NOT going to camp again the next year."
A photo from last year’s camp featuring church members: Joan Benziger, Ben Wallace, Maria Wilson, and Jack Perry.
Temple Earth Nature Hikes By Kevin Mark and Kerry Case
Starting May 27th, join First Unitarian's "Witches' Tea" Earth-Centered Spirituality group on weekly nature hikes this Summer! Leaving from the Church parking lot around 12:15, we will carpool to a hiking locale, to be announced in the weekly enews and on the Facebook group the previous Thursday. Besides the hiking, some activities will include picnics, plant and animal identification, and brief presentations on ecological principles. These destinations will be as far away as a 45 minute drive, and the hikes themselves will be up to 60 minutes, so plan for up to 3 hours for each hiking activity. Participants will be responsible for their own health and safety, including wearing appropriate clothing and footwear, sun- and insectprotection, and bringing sufficient water and food. We will try to vary the hikes in intensity, allowing those with less robust mobility and fitness to participate in some, while others might challenge even the most fit. Please also bring a dollar or two to donate to the drivers to compensate for gas. Contact Kevin Mark or Kerry Case for more details.
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Board President Kate Godfrey
Board Members Dean Christensen Tony Host Louise Jeffrey Barb Herring John Wagner Maria Wilson Ron Withem
Trustees of the Capital Trust Tim Duggan (2013) Kenneth Deffenbacher (2014) Sandy Host (2015)
Submit items for publication to admin@firstuuomaha.org. Word limit is 200; deadline is the 15th of the month.
Board meetings are normally on the second Tuesday of the month and are open to members. Holland Lecture Series Committee Steve Hutchinson, Chair
Note from the Office Inadvertently, the office administrator, Catharine Dixon, left out the long-term maintenance report in the Annual Report for 2011-2012. She apologizes for the oversight. It has been added to the final report for our archives and it is now printed on page 5in this Flame. Sorry!
NAMI WALK NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS (NAMI) WALK JUNE 9, 2012 This year's walk is literally in our own back yard, so we want to make sure that we have a great turnout to represent our community at the 2012 NAMI Walk. Please join us and support those in our community living with mental illness while we raise money to support the Omaha Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness! Team Captains: Terri Lynn Brewer and Ben Wallace Fundraising for: NAMI Omaha Event: NAMI Nebraska Walk Come and join our First Unitarian 2012 NAMI Walk Team! The walk is on June 9th in Turner Park! Website: www.nami.org/namiwalks12/NEB/firstuu.
THE HEARTLAND PRIDE PARADE The Heartland Pride Parade is on June 30th in the Aksarben Village/Stinson Park. We NEED your input. Email, call, or text Kate Wiig (barbara.wiig@ops.org / 402-677-8697) with your FAVORITE UU hymn. Also, contact Kate Wiig if you have any float building experience, a pick-up truck, or a flatbed trailer that we could use for this event. See the following site for more ways you can help!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4EA5A82FA02heartland
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Ministry Team Leaders Adult R.E. Crystal DiGiorgi Archives Dave Richardson Building (short-term) Dave Rosser Caring Douglas Lee-Regier Chalice Guild Kay Lynn Goldner Community Meals Louise Jeffery Fellowship Nadine Keith & Judith Wright Finance Walt Jesteadt Fundraising Donna Neff Garden Sharon Conlon Governance Alex Nather Green Sanctuary Ken Deffenbacher & Glenn Pollock Long-Term Maintenance Ellen Shurson Membership Barb Ross Nursery Patricia Soto Partner Church Council Janet West R.E. Team Nicole Giron Religious Services Megan Gustafson UU Class Yvonne Price & Jaime Alexander Women’s Alliance Bev Fleckten YRUU Ben Wallace & Shawne Coonfare
eNews The Flame is published monthly, but a lot happens between issues. We offer a weekly email service to update you on church news sent directly to your inbox. If you would like to receive our eNews please contact the Office Administrator at admin@firstuuomaha.org
Staff Phone: (402) 345-3039 Fax: (402) 346-2662 Minister Rev. Frank Rivas minister@firstuuomaha.org Director of Religious Education Meka Tate dre@firstuuomaha.org
Office Administrator Catharine Dixon admin@firstuuomaha.org
Organist Patricia Will
Choir Director Bob McMeen
Choir Accompanist Patricia Allender
Early Service Music Coordinator/Musician Donovan Johnson
Nursery Aide Justin Deffenbacher
Custodian Bobby Medrano
Minister Emeritus Ronald Knapp
The Flame Editor Catharine Dixon
Proofreader Scott Kemper and Cyndi Nather
The Flame Mailing Team Anne Massoud, Evelyn Whitehill, Howard Bolton, Jeanette Ryan 15
The Flame
First Unitarian Church of Omaha 3114 Harney St. Omaha, NE 68131 June 2012
June 3窶認lower Communion 10:30am International
Cowperson
We will celebrate our annual Flower Communion. Please bring a cut flower to share in this ceremony. Music: Donovan Johnson, piano.
Chili Cook-Off January 21 - 6pm
Food Friends Music Costumes