The Flame
JUNE 2013 THE NEWSLETTER OF FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF OMAHA
Pride 2013 Coming! Many chances to volunteer! See page 3 for details.
REV. Elations
his glory days at Dunder-Mifflin.
Anne and I made a point of watching the final episode of “The Office.” Even though we’ve become Christmas-and-Easter Officers, we still consider ourselves to be part of that faith. In the last episode, Andy reflected that while he worked at DunderMifflin, he dreamed of his glory days in the Cornell a cappella ensemble; now that he works for his beloved Cornell, he dreams of
Sunday Service at 10:30 am
The task of life is to realize that this, right now, is the moment worthy of our attention. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a great believer in knowing our past, in knowing the 144-year history of our church and in knowing the far longer history of our denomination. I’m also a great believer in want to become and developing strategies for getting there.
Our primary task, however, is to share this moment of our lives with one another. Our primary task is to present ourselves as we are and to accept others as they are. (continued on next page)
In This Issue: President’s Letter Event Calendar The Judy Lecture Partner Church Lunch
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June 2—Flower Communion Please bring a cut flower to participate in the church tradition of sharing. June 9—Mick Milson—Walking in Your Shoes Mick, a recent graduate of the Siena Francis House Miracles Treatment Program, will share his poetry and play Native American flute as he chronicles his recovery process. He will answer any questions after the service. June 16— Come Sing a Song with Me Music is an integral part of our Sunday worship together. We’ll share how music affects our spiritual experiences and experience music together in worship. Featuring a time to sing as one hymns by request. Ask for an old favorite or maybe give us all a chance to learn something new! June 23—Pride—What Is Your Pride Story? Be proud of being gay, a Trekkie, a UU Christian, or even a republican! Let’s celebrate our diversity. If you would like to share your story during the service, please contact Maria Wilson. June 30—TBA
Our District Attendees! More info in our President’s May Letter on Page 4.
CALLING ALL KEYS! RETURN YOUR CHURCH KEY! The church has switched to a key fob system to allow for hands-free entry. If you were assigned a metal key, come in and get your replacement key fob for hands-free entry convenience! For more information, contact Catharine in the church office at admin@firstuuomaha.org.
REV. Elations (continued from page 1) Our primary task is to remember that this one short life is a blessing and that the blessing is magnified by sharing our lives with one another. For the next couple of months, I will not be preaching. I’ll be working part of the time: attending General Assembly, interviewing candidates, actively participating in the board retreat, performing weddings, planning for next year. Part of the time I’ll explore Nebraska with Anne and our beast. Part of the time I’ll paint walls. I look forward to returning to the pulpit in August and to beginning a new church year. Have a wonderful summer. Live in the moment. Know that life is blessing. And know that you are not alone. Blessings and love, Frank
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Pride Parade 2012
Volunteers Needed for Pride 2013! Saturday, June 22 is the Heartland Pride event at Stinson Park (Aksarben Village).Volunteers are needed the week before to help decorate the float for the parade.Volunteers are needed the day of the parade to walk proudly for First Unitarian! The parade is at 10am. We are teaming up with Second Unitarian Church this year and selling sno-cones at the event starting at 11am. Many volunteers needed! A signup sheet with “preferred times” will be available in the Common Room starting in June.
A theme for the Heartland Pride 2013 has not been decided yet. Do you have ideas for a float we could create to represent our church? You can email your ideas to Kathi Oliver at Kathryn.lewis.kl@gmail.com or comment on the event page on Facebook. Please see Kate Wiig or Kathi Oliver for additional parade information. We have a blast creating the float, walking in the parade and selling snocones. You will not want to miss this annual church tradition! If anyone wants to carpool, please let us know.
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Reminder: Please be sure that if you are the last person to leave the church you check to make sure all three doors are locked: the west side door, the front main door and the backdoor. Any questions? Call the church during office hours or call Dave Rosser at 402-541-4393. Thank you!
The Women’s Alliance does not meet in the summer. See you in the Fall!
Atheist Advocate will speak at Tolerant Atheist Group
Atheist Advocate will speak at Tolerant Atheist Group Discussion Mike Lewis, founder of Nebraska Secular Advocates, will speak at the June 6 TADG meeting. Mike will discuss his founding of the NSA for the purpose of bringing secular viewpoints to the attention of the Nebraska Legislature. Imagine that, lobbying for atheists! Mike will tell of NSA’s lobbying efforts to date. He expressed interest in opinions on what issues should the NSA lobby secular views? Conversely, what issues should they not? The potential for discussion is enormous! Discussions may be enhanced by the participation of Atheists invited from the seven member groups in the Omaha Coalition of Reason: www.omahacor.org. The meeting will be in the Common Room on Thursday, June 6, starting at 7pm. However, the fun starts earlier. Come at 6pm for "Bring Your Own Dinner” socializing and conversation. We’ll have the coffee on for you. RSVPs are appreciated, and questions welcomed, to Jaime Alexander, jaimealexander@cox.net. If you are reading this, you are invited to attend.
Share the Plate Our Share the Plate this month is PFLAG—which is an organization that advocates for lesbians and gays in Omaha. They’ll receive half of our plate offering, which is typically $300-$500. Thanks for your generosity! The Book Club We will meet on Monday, June 3 in the Merritt Lounge. The book The Pages of Our Membership Book chosen for June is Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals. Please contact Dave Richardson for more info at drichardson@westside66.org.
President’s Letter — June The Board did a lot of discernment in preparation for the annual meeting and getting ready to transition to a new board. There are many positive things happening at the church that we want to encourage and nurture. And there are areas that we need to improve upon. The Membership Team has been implementing a Path to Membership Program. They have come up with a simple “four P’s” of responsibilities of membership. One of these “P’s” is Pledging. Last year this church responded generously to a supplemental pledge request when our annual stewardship campaign came up short. We have come up short again this year and this is perplexing. To support the vision and mission of the church, maintain the progress we have made, and address the problems we have identified, no one on the Board or Program Council wants to cut programs. We presented a plan at the annual meeting that uses the supplemental funds to balance the budget. These funds were from the generosity of our membership but we will not be able to do this next year unless we address the finances of the church. It has been my experience from other UU churches that no one likes to talk about money or what it takes to run a church. It is typically not addressed with potential/new members nor is it adequately addressed with settled members. And we need new members. When we have a month-long pledge drive and still have about 60% of pledge units not having responded, something
is wrong. When we have volunteers contacting those pledge units, fellow church members, and not getting responses, returned phone calls or emails, something is wrong. It should not be this difficult. The reality is that it takes about $1,000 per member, about $19.25 per week, to support the ongoing operations of this church. Our fair share commitment per member to UUA/PSD is $81. We have very generous members who pledge much more than that. And we have very generous members who may be pledging less than that but are pledging a significant amount of their available income. The church has developed Stewardship Guidelines based on income for members to consider in deciding their pledge amount. The guidelines are based on the simple notion that it takes contributions ranging from 2% to 5%+ of our incomes to fund our dreams for First Unitarian Church. Undoubtedly, we have a few members who have special circumstances and thus cannot contribute a minimum of 2%, but most of us should strive to contribute two cents for each dollar of our income. Our Stewardship Guideline levels are: Basic member 2% of income Supporting Pillar 3% of income Sustaining Pillar 4% of income Superlative Giver 5% or more of income We need to be having this conversation this year. This church belongs to each of us.
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We pledge to fund the daily operations and to ensure that the church and its resources are here for us and for others now and in the future. In Faith Tony Host
Sing, Dance? Play an instrument?
If you would like to share your talents during a service this summer, please contact Judi Torneten. She is especially looking for talented youth who would like to step out into the limelight and shine this summer. She’s a music teacher, so she’s willing to help prepare you for your best performing experience possible. Please email her at jtdiva@gmail.com.
Events Sunday Service is at 10:30am followed by a coffee hour
23 PRIDE Sunday 12:30 Bridge Group
june
events
calendar
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Flower Communion 11:45 Partner Church Lunch 11:45 UU and You - New Member Class 7pm Spirit Circle
7pm Book Club
1pm Women’s Religious Study Group (every Thursday at 1pm)
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5:30pm CommUUnity Night
11:30 Group viewing of Judy Lecture 12:30 Bridge Group
Flame Deadline 10am YoU Retreat
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2pm Transition Omaha
6pm Young Adult Game Night
Heartland PRIDE Parade
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More events at our website.
www.firstuuomaha.org
12:30 Bridge Group 1:30 Midsummer Ritual and Potluck
Who Do You Miss? By Jackie Anderegg A few years ago, I missed attending church for a few months for no other reason than the busyness of life, as I recall. Elaine Wells called me just to say that she had noticed I had not been in church recently and she missed seeing me there. That call made a big impression on me and I started showing up again. So, how about noticing who you miss? Look around your pew and notice who is not there. How about calling/emailing that person just to say you noticed the absence? And is he/she okay? Is he/she aware of what is coming up on the church calendar that you think he/she may enjoy? Even if you get an answering machine or no reply to your email, those contacts matter. We are all here to be more connected to other people. Each of us has chosen this
6pm Tolerant Atheists Discussion Group
particular church as our community and it matters to have our presence count and our absence noticed. So, think of the loveliness of being noticed when you’re present and the significance of your voice saying to someone, even if you don’t know him/her well, “I’ve missed seeing you.” I truly think if this congregation did little else, but connect with people we miss, we would strengthen our church immeasurably. From within. Let us Membership Team know of your ideas about what we can do and should do to notice more about members so no one slips away unnoticed. Meanwhile, if you can just make a call, write an email, or text. You’ll get membership gold stars and the satisfaction of being an even finer human being that you already are.
Spirit Circle Come join us, Sunday, June 2 at 7pm in the Merritt Lounge for discussion and exploration of different methods of meditation. If you can’t join in that day, our Midsummer Ritual will be on June 30 at 1pm on the east lawn. Because we are holding a ritual on June 30, we will not be meeting July 7. This is so we can try to celebrate Solstice a little closer to the actual date. A potluck will follow the June 30 event in the Common Room.
UU of The Year The Community Meals Team that worked with Mary Leidy throughout the year
The members and friends of First Unitarian Church of Omaha are proud to recognize Mary Leidy as our 2013 Unitarian of the Year. Mary has been a member of the Unitarian churches of Lincoln and Omaha for over 45 years teaching Sunday school and serving as a member of the Board of Trustees.
She gives innumerable rides, takes children who have never been there to the zoo, pays for dance lessons and costumes, provides clothing and toys, and offers paid jobs to teens. Her approach of attention and charitable love to “her” families conveys worth and encourages them to view themselves as important.
Mary lives the seven principles. She helps families and individuals in quiet ways. She champions the value of education, provides food, rent and other money, helps with the acquisition of major appliances (and once an automobile!); models charity, hard work and selfreliance. Mary maintains contact with some of the families she serves for as long as twenty years. She is a true philanthropist: a lover of humanity.
Mary is an important role model for the interfaith volunteers serving at Community Meals. She exemplifies the spiritual goals of Unitarian Universalism. She lives what we aspire. For all of this, for your cheerful and humorous attitude, and your willingness to do anything— from shopping, budgeting, and cooking to swinging a mop, your church family proudly recognizes you today, Mary.
Mary is the face of the children’s craft table at Community Meals. She has purchased all of the materials for this important interfaith activity from her own pocket for the last three years.
Sadly, just days after she was given her award, Mary passed away and her memorial service was held at First Unitarian on Friday, May 24.
Mary actually knows the individuals, families, the children, the parents and guardians she serves. 7
history
MAUD CLOUD, MEMBER OF FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF OMAHA The photograph to the right is of Maud Cloud sometime in the1920s; the photograph below is of Maud sometime in the 1980s.
Maud Cloud (1883-1985) One of the truly inspiring stories of our church is that of Maud Cloud. Maud lived to the age of 102, her life spanning the terms of 17 U.S. presidents from Chester A. Arthur to Ronald Reagan. She was raised in the Presbyterian church, but as an adult she found her spiritual home at the First Unitarian Church of Omaha; her membership spanned nine decades of our church’s history from Newton Mann to Ron Knapp. Maud’s father ran a barber shop at 14th and Farnam for many years. Her mother was a teacher and a graduate of Fisk University, the distinguished, predominately black university located in
Nashville, TN. Fisk is home to the world-renown Fisk Jubilee Singers. Maud graduated from Central High (then known as Omaha High School) in 1903. Her yearbook said her favorite author was William Ellery Channing, the great 19th Century prophet of early Unitarianism in America. She carried with her a vast storehouse of memories of the city’s history. One of the most lasting memories of her youth was the famous Easter Tornado of 1913 which severely damaged her home at 22nd and Ohio. Maud was also a gifted artist and musician. Her paintings often hung in our Worcester Gallery in the Common Room. She was an 8
accomplished pianist and she also played trombone in “The Patriotic Girls Band of Omaha” which helped raise funds for WWI Red Cross campaigns. She was an active member of the church and served in many lay leadership roles including those
By Dave Richardson 2019 may seem a long way off; however, that year is the convergence of two important dates: the 150th anniversary of the Founding of the First Unitarian Church of Omaha and the 100th birthday of our building, which was completed in 1919.
all-important years of the Women’s Alliance’s campaign to preserve our church. There are numerous photos of her working at various church events. She reminisced in a letter about her many years at First Unitarian and how much she enjoyed working on church projects. Maud was the proprietor of her own business, a professional employment agency which was officed in the old Woodmen of the World building. Nowadays, it seems irrelevant to mention that someone is of mixed racial heritage in judging one’s lorem ipsum dolor met set quam accomplishments, but in her nunc parum earlier days, racial discrimination was a dominant characteristic of American society and those deemed to be of even partial African-American ethnicity faced
many barriers to success and acceptance. Maud overcame these barriers. In her later years Maud lived at the OEA Manor and later at Maplecrest Manor. During those years she especially appreciated visits and automobile rides with her many church friends, most prominent among them was Marie Helms whose life we celebrated recently at her memorial service on May 11 of this year. 1n 1983 as Ms. Cloud approached her 100th birthday, a Central HS student interviewed her for a class project and recorded this quotation, “The fundamental things I learned in my early childhood are still with me. I have my beliefs, but as a Unitarian I respect 9
MAUD CLOUD
other viewpoints. I am not disturbed by what others believe or think. As to age; I never think about my age. Inside I feel just the same as I ever did.” The cupboards on the south wall of the Common Room were installed by John Hruska in 1987 as part of a bequest from Maud Cloud to help preserve our church archives. Those cupboards and shelves were later remodeled during the renovation of the Common Room in 2005, but they still remind us of the woman who was a big part of that history she wished to see preserved.
The Judy Lecture •Common Room •Sunday, June 9 •After the 10:30am service •Coffee and snacks provided by the Membership Team •Discussion lead by Tony Host, Church President
Why the Sarah Joslyn Society? By Carolyn McNamara
I’ve heard it again and again. “We build on foundations we did not lay. We warm ourselves by fires we did not light.” But what does it mean? I love this place. I found a home here. It is a place to grow, a spiritual home, a community. I love the beautiful building and the people that fill it, and I want it to be here for others to enjoy. What have you received from First Unitarian? What do you love about it? Why not invest in its future? There are many ways your investment can make a difference. Maybe you want more space for classrooms and religious education. Maybe you want to ensure the building is lovingly cared for. Maybe you want to ensure that future generations can find a place of religious freedom. Please remember what you have received from First Unitarian and pay it forward.
One of the highpoints of the Prairie Star District Conference this year was a sobering and challenging look at the future of Unitarian Universalism unless we make some changes. The annual Judy Lecture was given by Rev. Christine Robinson who has spoken at our church. She built a significant church in Albuquerque, New Mexico helping it grow from around 200 members to over 800 members. She has thought-provoking ideas about mission, growth, advertising and the delivery of our messages. So, anyone interested in building the future of this church, expanding our community, enhancing and changing how we do things here, may find her ideas fascinating and worth discussion and thought. And maybe even action. The lecture lasts about an hour and we are inviting church members and leaders to hear her, and to respond to her challenges. Her ideas are timely for our energized community!
money right now. This is about looking forward, about investing in the future of this church. If you love it as I do, will you join me? Will you join the other 70 members of the Sarah Joslyn Society who have decided to provide security to our church by investing in its future? Contact Dixie Lemon or any member of the Finance Team to learn how. “We sit in the shade of trees we did not plant. We drink from wells we did not dig.” ‘Nuff said.
There are many ways to do this. Leave a bequest to the church. Include First Unitarian in your will. Make the church a beneficiary on a life insurance policy. This isn’t about another collection or fund drive. You don’t have to part with your 10
UU & You Offered Sunday, June 2 Unitarian Universalism and You classes provide an introduction to Unitarian Universalism and our church, along with an opportunity to share our religious journeys. Visitors, newcomers, and the ‘just curious’ are invited. The class will convene in the Whitney Young Classroom 15 minutes after the ending of the 10:30 service. A light lunch will be served to bolster the always interesting conversation. The class lasts about an hour and 30 minutes, so ending time will be about 1:15pm, although those interested in a brief tour of the church may be a little later. If you need childcare, please let us know by the Friday before. RSVP or questions may be addressed to uuclass@firstuuomaha.org or call the church office: 402-3453039.
CommUUnity Night
June 7
5:30pm
food, fun, fellowship!
If you haven’t participated before, CommUUnity Nights are fun, laid-back, all-church events. We gather together for a potluck of side items (main dish provided by RE) and we don’t worry about who is bringing what. We just have fun! This evening is also Meka’s goodbye party. Come say goodbye to Meka, our Director of Religious Education, as she leaves the church for other pursuits. We eat together and chill. Adults talk, play games and enjoy each other’s company while kids and teens are free to roam and play. If you can’t bring anything or you’re feeling too rushed to grab or make something last minute, come anyway! There is always plenty of food and what we really want is YOUU! 11
Our Partner Church
Luncheon Menu June 2 at 11:45am Two Hungarian soups—meatball soup and vegan soup served with sourdough bread with butter and honey, sliced smoked sausage, cucumber spears and sour cream Hungarian cookies Price: $5/person; $12/family
Our District Attendees! More info in our President’s May Letter on Page 4.
Partner Church Fundraising Luncheon on Sunday, June 2 at 11:45am Rev. Katalin Cserey, and her husband, Boti, will be traveling to Omaha and Corvallis OR, in September and October of this year. For the first time in the history of the Partner Church relationship, the minister from Firtosmartonos will be visiting the United States, Omaha, and Corvallis OR. The minister in Firtosmartonos is also the minister to the Partner Church of the Corvallis, OR Unitarian Church. Since neither Rev. Katalin nor her husband speak English, Gabor Ugron has been asked to accompany Rev. Katalin and Boti. Gabor is a multi-talented young man who speaks Hungarian, Romanian, English, and German. He is an experienced translator and a fun person. Our UU friends at the Corvallis church estimate that the cost for each church will be about $2,000 for air travel. Rev. Katalin, Boti, and Gabor will fly to Omaha on Monday, October 7, and stay in Omaha until Monday, October 14, at which time they will fly back to Romania. While in Omaha, they will meet the members and supporters of our church. They will also visit places of interest in the Omaha area. Right now the team is thinking about the Durham and Quilt Museums, the state capitol, the Henry Doorly Zoo, and a local farm. Rev. Katalin will preach at First Unitarian Church on October 13. The Partner Church Team is planning two special projects to raise the travel funds for our Transylvania visitors. THE RON AND ANNE KNAPP CHALLENGE PLEDGE Ron and Anne Knapp have pledged $50.00 to help pay for the travel of our Transylvanian visitors. This is a challenge pledge. To participate, members and friends of First Unitarian Church are asked to also pledge $50(more or less; all pledges will help). The Team will periodically announce the total amount given in the enews. The Team will also keep you informed of developing plans and arrangements. 12
René Harper signs First Unitarian’s membership book
New Member News by Carolyn McNamara René Harper initially visited First Unitarian Church while in high school and remembers being struck by the building’s “beautiful simplicity.” When she returned last fall, she found that she agreed with our principles, and saw that our church members are involved in various causes that she also believes in. She found our church to be a welcoming place where she can tend to her spirit. She became a member on February 10, 2013. René and her husband Stan, an elementary music teacher, have two daughters — Savanna (18) and Novella (2) — and they are excited about becoming first-time grandparents this fall. Music is a huge part of their lives and a constant in their home. René comes from a musical family and she loves to sing whenever she gets the chance, often accompanied by her husband on saxophone and her brother on guitar.
The first time René heard our choir, she was pleased to see that the director was Bob McMeen. Bob was her choir director at Central High School and Pat Allender was the accompanist. René joined the choir that day and soon also began performing with the Early Morning Risers. René is the creator and owner of an online boutique where she makes “dollies, stuffies, and lovies" for kids of all ages. She regularly donates her creations to children in need. She loves to crochet, embroider and sew, and enjoys writing poetry and prose and reading and collecting quotes. René likes to garden and dreams of having a little farm with chickens, goats and a colony of bees. She is passionate about open adoption and educating others about it. Her youngest daughter came to their family through adoption. Please say “Hello” and welcome her to membership. 13
YRUU News by Naomi Solomon Looking ahead to the next school year, YRUU is going to continue as a combined youth group serving teens from both churches. This will work well with our strong volunteer advisors who each have years of experience and the creation of a covenant for right relations between the leaders of each church. Teens and parents of the teens: please look for more information later this summer about the creation of that covenant, as you are strongly encouraged to attend the facilitation session in August to let your ideas be heard.
Check out our website: www.firstuuomaha.org
YoU RETREAT
FAQ: Do I have to attend each month? No, you do not. Is there a cost? No, there is not. Is there childcare? If you need child care, please contact Royal. What should I wear? Comfortable clothing. What are the dates? Check the First UU Calendar; dates are posted there. What time? Classes will most always be 10am-12pm For more information please call Royal at 402-575-7006 or email him at chaplainroyal@inclusivelife.org.
What is this “YoU Retreat?” Please allow me to share with you the answer to that question. Beginning in June of this year, we will offer (open to everyone and anyone) “YoU Retreat” meaning we will share two hours of time together. This is about helping you schedule, create and take time to pay yourself, heal yourself, allow time for yoU! I know for many of us, our calendars certainly seem to control us instead of us managing them! We will begin with an opening ritual (that may change as the group shares and participates), and each person will share up to 5 words that describes how they are feeling in that moment. We will practice a moment of silence and we will practice a moment of meditation. A therapeutic group activity will be scheduled for each month. June is AJ Wight who will lead us into mindful-relaxation techniques. AJ is a certified
personal trainer at 24-Hour Fitness in Omaha. We will then gather again to begin the closing of the day by sharing a longer moment of silence and a longer moment of meditation. Of course there will be time to share up to 5 words that describe how you now feel. We will have tea and water to share. We ask that all cell phones and similar instruments be turned off (as they will not be allowed to be used during our time together). For July we have an art teacher, mother and artist who will be helping us make create a personal item. August, a wonderful person, will be sharing her knowledge about journaling. COMING SOON: We have another artist who will be sharing her talents with us so that each of you can create something on your own AND a larger group-piece! Our own Douglas Lee-Regier will share therapy & Reiki with us. We have an essential oils presenter who will be joining us as well.
Congratulations to Shawna Foster, church member, for graduating May 19 with her Masters in Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. 14
First Unitarian Leaders
Tony Host Board President
Frank Rivas Minister
Pat Allender Choir Accompanist
Dean Christensen, Lana Hammel, Louise Jeffrey, Stephen Meister, Lynette Ryder, John Wagner, Ron Withem Board Members
Catharine Dixon Office Administrator
Mary Marion Nursery Aide
Pat Will Organist
Bobby Medrano Custodian
Tim Duggan (2013) Steve Hutchinson (2014) Sandy Host (2015) Trustees of the Capital Trust
Bob McMeen Choir Director
Ronald Knapp Minister Emeritus
Spirit and Mindfulness Group Sundays, 11:45am
Submissions
Meeting in the Merritt Lounge, this group is open to those who wish to gather in community in prayer, intentional thought, and to be mindful of those who need support. This support can heal us as a community; by naming our concerns for one another and knowing we are named by others. Royal Bush is available for more information. His email address is: chaplainroyal@inclusivelife.org.
Deadline is the 15th of every month. Word limit 200. Editor: Catharine Dixon Proofreaders: Scott Kemper, Lana Hammel, Cyndi Nather Mailing Team: Anne Massoud, Evelyn Whitehill, Howard Bolton, Shelton Hendricks Board Meetings Held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month and are open to all members. Contact FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF OMAHA 3114 HARNEY STREET OMAHA 68131
There is a box in the foyer for anyone to share a concern, a care or a prayer request. Thank you! MINISTRY TEAM LEADERS Crystal DiGiorgi Adult RE
The Flame
TEL: 402.345.3039 FAX: 402.346.2662 www.firstuuomaha.org
Louise Jeffrey Community Meals
Alex Nather Governance
Jaime Alexander New UUs Class
Nadine Keith, Judith Wright Fellowship
Jackie Anderegg Membership
Vanessa Timberlake Women’s Alliance
Walt Jesteadt Finance
Janet West Partner Church
Maria Wilson Young Adult Group
Douglas Lee-Regier Caring
Donna Neff, Kathi Oliver Fundraising
Donna Neff, Kate Wigg Religious Education
Ben Wallace Shawne Coonfare YRUU (Youth Group)
KayLynn Goldner Chalice Guild
Sharon Conlon Garden
Megan Gustafason Religious Services
Dave Richardson Archives Dave Rosser Facilities
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Join us for Flower Communion on Sunday, June 2 at 10:30am
Sunday, June 2
Sunday, June 2
Flower Communion
Partner Church Lunch
Join us for this yearly tradition at First Unitarian Church of Omaha. Bring a cut flower to share during the service. Our Flower Communion is a ceremony that symbolizes how we all come together to make a beautiful garden and how, in doing so, we learn from each other.
Following the service please join us in the Common Room for a soup lunch. For all the details plus the menu see page 12.
The Flame
FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF OMAHA 3114 HARNEY STREET OMAHA NE 68131