Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 55 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
January 5, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 13
Dear Barbara, In This Issue
JusticeCON Happening
Welcome to the New Year! Anne Miller Award
A UU Young Adult CON Time seems to be flying by so quickly that I Youth Events for the New Year almost don't believe that we're now past
Allies for Racial Equity 2011, although I must admit I liked writing 1-2-12 earlier this week on my checks 2011-2012 District Directory
(though I didn't much like writing the Certification Deadline Approaching
checks!). MUUSJN Receives UUA Grant
Leadership Training Southern Style Over the holiday break, I had the occasion to listen to a presentation by someone who Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley Registration Open for District District Executive Assembly 2012 has studied the texting patterns of teenagers in the Boston/New England area. MWUUL Online Workshops
Many of these young people text 8,000-10,000 times a month-I sure District Calendar hope they have unlimited plans! While that number is astounding to Congregational Bulletins
me, and it is really large, I also know that for teens, texting is a very ATTENTION! New Officers easy, quick thing. With their knowledge of texting abbreviations (my knowledge begins and ends with LOL-laugh out loud), many of these
are short, but still, 8,000 means over 250 texts a day!
It's a staggering number, but what was more intriguing to me was her
assessment about this. She said "They are so busy communicating that they don't have time to connect." Registration Now
I began wondering: how often do I, and do our congregations, spend Open! the energy to communicate, but fail at connecting? Much of what we Heartland District say is data sharing: the services are at 10 this week, not 9:30; the Assembly potluck is on Friday, and those whose names begin with L-R bring March 30-31, 2012 the main dish; there's a congregational meeting on January 15th; it's Lansing Community your turn to take out the garbage. College Lansing, MI But it strikes me that much of what we really want is that connection - to be seen, to be recognized, to be heard into existence. I know I long for much more than that data sharing. I want to know that who I am matters, and that there's something I can do to make the world better, even if it's only the small part of the world that comes into my house. I believe this is also why people come to our congregations - to connect with other people, with their own best selves, with their sense of transcendence or mystery and wonder.
So how are you doing? In the flurry of email you send every day, how much of it is connection? In the conversations at work, school, the world outside your doors, how much of it is connection? And in your home - are you communicating or connecting? I know I want to tip the balance in my life. Perhaps it's a New Year's Resolution, but I tend to view it as living more and more into the delight of human living.
Connect with you again, soon! Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed In faith, "Torn Between Fuzzy Lisa
Aspirations and Hard Realities"....This year we are Faith Development pleased and honored to present the Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed as our keynoter JusticeCON Happening! for our District Assembly March 30-31, 2012.
Great news, our first MidAmerica Click HERE for District regional youth conference will be Assembly details and to happening on March 2-4, 2012 at the register First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, MI.
Midwest UU This unique experience will be focused on social justice, and, in particular, Leadership
preparing youth and adult leaders to gear up for work around JusticeGA in Nancy Combs-Morgan Phoenix. No, it doesn't mean that to Faith Development Director attend our JusitceCON that you must go to Phoenix this summer, but it does allow for folks to mobilize and get informed about all of the critically important actions that are evolving from this historic general assembly. Registration is open for these We are asking for youth/adult teams to come from MidAmerica free online workshops. To congregations, which includes Heartland, Prairie Star and Central participate all you need is high Midwest districts. The youth/adult teams will find out how to speed internet access and a mobilize in your local community for the "National Day of Witness" separate phone line. Registration closes at 5:00 pm on June 23rd, where UUs across the nation are asked to "Stand on Central Time the day before the Side of Love" for immigrants rights. The registration will be up each webinar. shortly for JusticeCON, but we hope you will save the date! Click workshop title to learn In faith, more and register. Nancy Board Responsibilities
Anne Miller Award for Excellence January 12, 2012 January 17, 2012 The Heartland District Lifespan Religious Education Committee is now accepting Youth Advisor Series nominations for the Anne Miller Lifespan January 26, 2012 Religious Education Award for the Heartland February 21, 2012 District of the UUA to honor significant March 15,2012 contributions to lifespan religious education.
The Anne Miller Award for Excellence in Lifespan Religious Education District Calendar is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to religious education for children, youth and adults over the years. The Ohio Valley Unitarian Universalist District Lifespan Religious Education Committee originally established the award in 1989. The Heartland District has carried on this tradition, giving the award at its District Assembly each spring.
Nomination deadline: February 1, 2012
Learn more... Nomination Form January 13-15, 2012 Borderlands/Commonlands A UU Young Adult CON People's Church of Kalamazoo, MI
January 21-22, 2012 Create-A-CON UU Church of Lexington, KY
Borderland/Commonlands January 27-29, 2012 CONfuzion January 13-15, 2012 People's Church of Kalamazoo, MI People's Church of Kalamazoo, MI March 2-4, 2012 Register/Learn more.. JusticeCON First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, MI Youth Events for the New Year March 30-31, 2012 District Assembly Lansing Community College Create-A-CON Lansing, MI Registration now open! Heartland District's Southern Jr. High CON April 13-15, 2012 Jr High Election CON January 21-22, 2012 Indianapolis, IN UU Church of Lexington, KY May 2012 (dates TBA) Learn more Sr High Bridging CON Bloomfield Hills, MI Register MidWest UU Leadership Webinars
CONfuzion Congregational Bulletins
Heartland District's Northern Jr. Heartland Congregational High CON Monthly Mailing October 2011 January 27-29, 2012 UUA Congregational People's Church of Kalamazoo, MI Bulletin Learn more November 2011 Register December 2011
Allies for Racial Equity
Colonization Privilege & ATTENTION! Resistance: New Officers Have you elected new officers
Preparing for Justice GA 2012 recently in your congregation? February 17-19, 2012 First Jefferson UU Church Make updates NOW at: Fort Worth, TX my.UUA.org
Flyer Contact Us Brochure Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive 2011-2012 District Directory [email protected] The 2011-2012 Heartland District Directory is now Alternate email: [email protected] available online at the Heartland website. Nancy Combs-Morgan Faith Development Director [email protected]
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator [email protected]
More About Us To request the new password, contact Barbara Hamilton at [email protected].
Has your congregation recently installed new officers? Do you have news you want to share with UUs in the Heartland If so, be sure to send an update to the District office District? Send articles or announcements to and to myUUA.org [email protected]
Submission deadlines: District Congregation Update Form Articles & Announcements: 12:00 pm on Wednesdays District-sponsored Events: 12:00 pm on Mondays Non-District Events: Certification Deadline Approaching! 12:00 pm on Wednesdays
Your comments and suggestions Just a reminder (gentle, I hope!) that the annual for the newsletter are always deadline for Certification of your membership, appreciated. Click on the link religious education enrollment, budget numbers, below to send us a message.
attendance, and the congregational poll is coming Barbara Hamilton up-you have until 5:00 p.m. on February 2nd! District Administrator Newsletter Editor Click here to complete the process! [email protected]
MUUSJN Receives UUA Grant UUA AWARDS MUUSJN IMMIGRATION REFORM, PUBLIC WITNESS GRANT
The Michigan UU Social Justice Network (MUUSJN), a state-wide network of UU justice advocates and allies, was recently awarded three grants totaling $9,700 from the Unitarian Universalist Funding Program to implement an "Engaging UUs for Immigration Reform and Public Witness" project. The $2,500 challenge grant will allow donations to the Network to be matched with UUA funds over the next year. It also includes a $2,000 fund raising technical assistance grant. Activities under the grant include:
Develop a database of UU activists who agree to respond to immigration issues; Encourage UUs, particularly youth, to attend the 2012 Justice GA; Host one or more discussions of Justice GA follow-up actions; Create opportunities for UUs to attend immigration reform training/workshops; Coordinate with other immigration reform organizations on campaigns; Develop and implement a plan for MUUSJN to become a non- profit organization; and Provide information UUs need to publicly witness their values on a range of issues.
Congregations are invited to become members of MUUSJN. Their $100 dues can also be paid by sharing a plate collection on behalf of the Network. Individual dues start at $25, or $40 for a family. For more information go to: www.uujustice.org or contact Randy Block, MUUSJN Director, at 248-549-5170.
Leadership Training Southern Style The Southern Regional Leadership planning team invites Heartland District congregational leadership to a taste of leadership training southern style when it is most appreciated - February in warm, sunny, Orlando Florida.
Learn more...
Peter Kandis [email protected] Dean, Southern Unitarian Universalist Leadership Experience
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 55 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
January 19, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 14
Dear Jennifer, In This Issue
For All That is Our Life
Thank You Messages Abound Charlotte Cowtan Award
Anne Miller Award We all know that the weather has been
MidWest Leadership School 2012 decidedly strange this past year, with massive storms, fluke happenings, and Certification Deadline LOOMS! weather that just won't behave. But the New Workshop for District great part of this is that Unitarian Assembly
Universalists have shown that neither rain District Administrator Update
nor sleet nor snow nor dark of night will Around the District
stop them from helping out when help is Our Place in the Web of Life Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley needed. District Executive Registration Open for District
Assembly 2012 Two districts have recently issued updates
MWUUL Online Workshops through on-line communities, one from Mid-South and another from Mass Bay/Clara Barton. District Calendar
Congregational Bulletins
This word from Mid-South: ATTENTION! New Officers A deep felt thank you from Mid-South District. It has been a hard and long road towards recovery from the tornadoes that ripped
through Alabama on April 27th. 2011 is a year that many are longing to have well behind them. But one thing they will not too quickly
forget is the support their fellow Unitarian Universalists offered them during this time. Your generosity added up to over $88,000.00 and helped us know we were not alone in recovering from the devastation Registration Now of these tornadoes. All the money has been given to many families Open! who lost most of what they owned and in a couple of cases all of what Heartland District they owned. Again, thank you all so much. Assembly March 30-31, 2012 Word from the Mass Bay/Clara Barton region is that your giving in Lansing Community the wake of fierce winds there helped one of our congregations College restore its steeple and provided much needed and appreciated Lansing, MI assistance to two families who lost everything.
It is marvelous how you/we rise to such occasions, and I am very grateful to be working and making my spiritual home in a body of people who care so deeply for their companions. I hope we're as generous to those we don't call "ours," too, but knowing UUs, I'm sure that's the case.
Thank you, then, from those of us here in the Heartland District Office-we so appreciate all that you do, for those in your midst, those across the continent, and those around the world. This witness of your generosity is wonderful to behold.
Let me end with this quote from activist Dorothy Day:
People say, what is the sense of our small effort. They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed directions. Each one of our thoughts, words, and deeds is like that. "Torn Between Fuzzy No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. Aspirations and Hard There's too much work to do. Realities"....This year we are pleased and honored to In faith, present the Rev. Dr. Mark Lisa Morrison-Reed as our keynoter for our District Assembly March Faith Development 30-31, 2012. Click HERE for District For All That Is Our Life.... Assembly details and to register That headline may resonate with you as the title of one of my favorite hymns, Midwest UU (#128, Singing the Living Tradition), Leadership with the next stanza going on to express, "we sing our thanks and praise, for all life is a gift which we are called to use."
The hymn beautifully expresses one of Nancy Combs-Morgan the deepest core messages of Unitarian Faith Development Director Universalism, which is that we are Registration is open for these called to "use" our talents, resources, and commitment for a free online workshops. To greater good. participate all you need is high speed internet access and a With that in mind I want to lift up the unique experience coming separate phone line. up...JusticeCON. On March 2-4, 2012 at the First UU Congregation Registration closes at 5:00 pm of Ann Arbor, MI, the first regional youth and adult conference to Central Time the day before mobilize UUs in the MidAmerica region to the call of service and each webinar. justice will be happening. This will be a very different kind of Click workshop title to learn social justice youth conference, for the hope is that TEAMS of youth more and register. and adults will be attending together so that they can go back to their home congregation and help to motivate and mobilize their Youth Advisor Series congregations to "Stand on the Side of Love." January 26, 2012 February 21, 2012 With JusticeGA (our next General Assembly in Phoenix, AZ) on the March 15,2012 immediate horizon, we wanted to make sure that congregations across the country were being responsive to the critical issues around immigration reform. One theme will be on immigration District Calendar reform, but there will be a host of other issues which the teams will receive great resources for reflection and multigenerational action. Please have a look at the JusticeCON link. You will note that we have a bit more to the registration process, and if folks have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or call my cell phone at (859) 494-2424.
We really hope to see you there! January 21-22, 2012 Giving grateful praise and thanks, Create-A-CON Nancy UU Church of Lexington, KY
Charlotte Cowtan Award January 27-29, 2012 CONfuzion The Heartland District Board of People's Church of Trustee is now accepting applications Kalamazoo, MI for the Charlotte Cowtan Award. March 2-4, 2012 This award recognizes a congregation JusticeCON in Heartland District for the work First UU Congregation of they have done to promote Unitarian Ann Arbor, MI Universalism in their community, in the District and through out the March 30-31, 2012 world. This award was named in District Assembly honor of our first District Executive. Lansing Community College Lansing, MI This award is open to all the District's congregations, no matter the Registration now open! size. This award will be given to the winning congregation at our annual meeting, March 30 & 31, 2012 in Lansing, Michigan. April 13-15, 2012 Jr High Election CON Please return your application to the District office by February 10, Indianapolis, IN 2012. May 2012 If there any questions, please contact Board Member, Rae Jane (dates TBA) Araujo, at [email protected], or call her at (513) Sr High Bridging CON 638-5746. Bloomfield Hills, MI
MidWest UU Leadership Anne Miller Award for Webinars
Excellence Congregational The Heartland District Lifespan Religious Bulletins Education Committee is now accepting
nominations for the Anne Miller Lifespan Heartland Congregational Religious Education Award for the Heartland Monthly Mailing District of the UUA to honor significant contributions to lifespan religious education. October 2011
The Anne Miller Award for Excellence in Lifespan Religious UUA Congregational Education is presented to an individual who has made an Bulletin outstanding contribution to religious education for children, youth December 2011 and adults over the years. The Ohio Valley Unitarian Universalist January 2012
District Lifespan Religious Education Committee originally established the award in 1989. The Heartland District has carried on this tradition, giving the award at its District Assembly each ATTENTION! spring. New Officers Have you elected new officers Nomination deadline: February 1, 2012 recently in your
congregation? Learn more... Nomination Form
Make updates NOW at: my.UUA.org
Don't forget your congregation's page in the MidWest Leadership School District Directory. Click on the link below to find our 2012 directory update form and to see how your congregation page appears Save the Dates! in the 2012 Heartland July 15 - 21, 2012 District Directory. Contact [email protected] to Unitarian Universalist Association of get new password for Congregations directory. MidWest Leadership School Make updates & upload MidWest Leadership School (MWLS), a part of the Unitarian District Directory
Universalist Association's nationwide network of leadership schools, will be held July 15 - 21, 2012 (Sunday thru Saturday), on the Contact Us campus of Beloit College in southeastern Wisconsin. MidWest
Leadership School is sponsored by the Central MidWest District, in Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley collaboration with Heartland District and Prairie Star District of the District Executive Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. [email protected]
Alternate email: Get details... [email protected]
Certification Deadline LOOMS! Nancy Combs-Morgan Faith Development Director [email protected] Those who are regular readers to our newsletter will remember that January is nudge month! All Barbara Hamilton congregations need to report your membership District Administrator numbers (along with other pertinent data) to the [email protected] UUA no later than February 1st at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time! This allows you the right to vote at More About Us General Assembly, and sets the Fair Share giving rate for your congregation.
Get all the details by checking out the UUA website certification central! Do you have news you want to New Workshop for District share with UUs in the Heartland District? Send articles or Assembly announcements to Once again, the workshop entries for next [email protected]
year's District Assembly are outstanding. We Submission deadlines: have one more to add to make your selection Articles & Announcements: 12:00 process even more difficult. pm on Wednesdays District-sponsored Events: 12:00 pm on Mondays Building Community Through Chalice Circles Non-District Events: is being offered by Sally Hattig and Catherine 12:00 pm on Wednesdays Olson of First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor in Michigan. Go to the Your comments and suggestions Heartland website to learn more. for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on the link below to send us a message.
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator Newsletter Editor [email protected]
District Administrator Update I debated whether or not to say anything, but so many people have sent emails wishing me a quick recovery from my most recent carpal tunnel surgery to my left hand that I felt a quick update was needed.
As it turned out, I didn't have the surgery in December as planned. A persistant bout of the flu in the days before the surgery caused me to rethink the wisdom of undergoing anesthesia while suffering a hacking cough.
So to all of you wishing me well, thank you. I hope you all know how wonderful I think you are. We'll soon be into gardening season - can't wait to see those tender new sprouts peeking through the dirt - so the next surgery will have to wait until next Fall.
In the meantime, my ten digits are working just fine and Aleve works its magic when they aren't.
I look forward to seeing you all again at District Assembly in March.
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator
Around the District UU's Plan Local Immigration Program March 3, 2012
With the help of a generous grant from the UUA Funding Office's Fund for Social Responsibility, the UU Council of Greater Cincinnati (UUCGC), comprising six UU congregations, is planning a major conference on Immigration Issues.
Phoenix UU minister Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray will the keynote speaker, presenting information about developments nationally and especially in Arizona, which have been at the forefront of the national immigration debate. The US Supreme Court has announced that it will hear appeals related to the Arizona Immigration law in April.
Read full article...
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows An Introduction to Carnism April 15, 2012
Dr. Melanie Joy, a longtime activist for social and environmental justice and animal welfare, explains carnism, the invisible belief system that shapes our perception of the meat we eat.
By illuminating carnism, Dr. Joy helps us become more empowered citizens and more active social witnesses. Parental/guardian discretion is advised for younger attendees.
Learn more... Our Place in the Web of Life
Environmental Justice Curriculum, Module One Thursday, January 12, 2012 (7:15 pm EST) or Monday, February 6, 2012 (7:00 pm EST)
Are you looking for a way to find effective focus for your environment and justice work?
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the number and scope of messages about opportunities for personal group energies and talents to address?
Do the information and news channels send messages of opportunities that seem too numerous or too big for our personal and group energies and talents to address?
Do you need help in leading congregational environment and justice work? Learn more...
Registration now open - Facilitation Coaching Webinars
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 55 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
February 2, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 15
Dear Jennifer, In This Issue
A Sunday to Remember
This week has been magical. Important APF Announcement UUA Nominates Two Moderator
Deep, moving, transformational. One of Candidates
those weeks it is hard to talk about, and Youth MidWest Leadership School yet, that has restored my spirit. Charlotte Cowtan Award
Anne Miller Award One part of my ministry is that I chair the UUA's Committee on Military Ministry, the District Assembly Registration
OPEN! committee that helps support our military
chaplains and chaplain candidates. In that Around the District Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
In Memory of Wells and Mary Behee role, I work alongside our official Endorser, District Executive Sarah Lammert (who is also the Director of Registration Open for District
Ministry and Faith Development). Sarah, in Assembly 2012
her brilliance, obtained a grant to bring our military MWUUL Online Workshops chaplains/candidates together in the first ever retreat for our District Calendar military ministers.
Congregational Bulletins
For four days, we met in a hotel room overlooking the Atlantic ATTENTION! New Officers Ocean as the chaplains spoke about the work they do, sharing from their hearts the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and struggle of their ministries. These men and women work in some of the most diverse ministry settlements; primarily with young adults. One of our
chaplains is currently in Afghanistan, and two others will be deploying there later this year. Imagining them helping service members retain their sense of identity, and humanity, in the midst Registration Now of situations that can rob them of both. Their care to return these Open! women and men home in one piece-physically, emotionally, Heartland District psychologically, and spiritually-moved me into and beyond tears. Assembly These chaplains serve those who protect our freedom, those who March 30-31, 2012 would give their lives for their brothers and sisters, for whom life Lansing Community holds no guarantees. College Lansing, MI It was a privilege, a true honor, to be witness to their care and concern, for the depth of their commitment to healing the human spirit, to holding the souls of their people so close and dear. I come home renewed, recommitted, and with blessings and prayers flowing to them every day.
I also come with a commitment to help our congregations not only learn how to welcome military members and their families, but to embrace this as a needed ministry. If I'm describing your congregation, be in touch. There are hurting hearts and wounded souls who need our loving embrace.
In faith, Lisa
Faith Development
A Sunday to Remember... Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed "Torn Between Fuzzy As I travel through the Heartland, and Aspirations and Hard in our sister districts, Central Midwest Realities"....This year we are and Prairie Star districts, I encounter pleased and honored to moments of tremendous inspiration. present the Rev. Dr. Mark This last Sunday, I was blessed to be in Morrison-Reed as our keynoter St. Louis, MO, at Eliot Unitarian Chapel, for our District Assembly March 30-31, 2012. where I experienced a sequence of random inspirational moments. Click HERE for District
Nancy Combs-Morgan Assembly details and to First, when I got out of my car I could Faith Development Director register hear hearty singing and drumming literally pouring out into the neighborhood coming from their sanctuary; upon entering I encountered an open, welcoming space Midwest UU which showed tremendous evidence that many generations were Leadership there. The moment that I most remember was walking by a 4-5 grade RE classroom and an exiting child turned back to say to another class member, "see you next Sunday."
Then lo and behold while visiting with their talented DRE at Eliot
Chapel, Scott Stewart, a multi-racial family came looking for him to register their two children. This family all had an expectant look in their eyes, indicating that they were feeling like something special Registration is open for these was taking place at church that morning for them. Wish I could free online workshops. To have captured the range of emotions and images I had that morning participate all you need is high - it was a joyous moment of a multigenerational community taking speed internet access and a great joy in their shared experience; a place of fellowship, music separate phone line. making, and faith making. Registration closes at 5:00 pm Central Time the day before each webinar. With that image in mind, and so many other images of congregations throughout the Heartland who successfully create Click workshop title to learn joyous multigenerational communities, I would love to share that more and register. there is a tremendous new Adult Religious Education resource: Youth Advisor Series New online adult curriculum! In ten workshops, What We February 21, 2012 March 15,2012 Choose: Ethics for Unitarian Universalists by Rev. Amber
Beland and Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti, explores how we do and could make choices grounded in our "deed over creed" UU faith. District Calendar Examine frameworks for ethical decision making, from Kant's categorical imperative to personal experiences one has lived in one's social/political place in the dominant society.
For more information, go to the Tapestry of Faith Programs for Adults on the UUA website.
In faith, Nancy Combs-Morgan March 2-4, 2012
Important APF JusticeCON First UU Congregation of Announcement Ann Arbor, MI Dear Friend, March 30-31, 2012 I know that these are challenging District Assembly economic times for many of us. Over Lansing Community College the past few months, I have been in Lansing, MI Registration now open! discernment with congregational leaders about the Annual Program Fund April 13-15, 2012 (APF) contributions. In consideration of Jr High Election CON the financial challenges many of our Indianapolis, IN congregations continue to face, I have decided that the requested APF contribution will remain at the May 10-12, 2012 current $58 per member for Fiscal Year 2013 (beginning July 1, Worship for All Ages 2012). Renaissance Module Register | Flyer APF contributions, made by member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), provide the primary source of May 11-13, 2012 funding for our essential work. Your congregation's contribution will Sr High Bridging CON allow the UUA to support every aspect of congregational life, from Bloomfield Hills, MI the hymnal and music to your minister and the religious education curricula. July 15-21, 2012 MidWest Leadership School Our greatest strength comes from our interconnectedness and Youth Leadership School mutual support as partners in this religious community. Your congregation can make the difference in sustaining our UUA next MidWest UU Leadership year and into the future by fully budgeting for and contributing to Webinars the Annual Program Fund. If you have additional questions, please contact [email protected] or call us at 617.948.6512. Thank you for your UUA continued support. Congregational Faithfully, Bulletins Rev. Peter Morales January 2012 President, Unitarian Universalist Association February 2012 UUA Board of Trustees Nominates Two
Candidates for Moderator ATTENTION! In 2010, delegates to General Assembly amended New Officers the bylaws of the Association to provide a Have you elected new nomination process for Moderator. The Board of officers recently in your Trustees was charged with nominating one or more persons for the Moderator position effective congregation? with the election that will occur at General Assembly in 2013. The bylaws require the Board do this work and announce nominations by February 1, 2012. Make updates NOW at: my.UUA.org The Board created rules for this process whereby a Moderator Nominating Committee was formed to solicit interested candidates Don't forget your and recommend to the Board one or more qualified persons. congregation's page in the Following interviews by the Board of these recommended District Directory. Click on candidates the Board has selected two very fine Unitarian the link below to find our Universalist leaders as our nominees for the position of Moderator directory update form and of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA): Jim Key from to see how your Beaufort, SC and Tamara Payne-Alex from San Jose, CA. congregation page appears
in the 2012 Heartland Both nominees have extensive leadership experience professionally District Directory. Contact and as Unitarian Universalists. Jim has served as president of the Southeast District and is current chair of the UUA Audit Committee. [email protected] to Tamara is a former long term member of the UUA Board of Trustees get new password for and the Ministerial Fellowship Committee. directory.
The process is not closed. Persons interested in being a candidate Make updates & upload may submit a petition for nomination after March 1, 2012. More District Directory information will be available for all candidates after that time.
The Board appreciates the work of the Moderator Nominating Contact Us Committee and the very dedicated Unitarian Universalists who offered their candidacy and have helped make this new process Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley work. We are grateful. District Executive [email protected] Tom Loughrey Alternate email: Secretary-Unitarian Universalist Association [email protected]
Youth MidWest Leadership Nancy Combs-Morgan School Faith Development Director [email protected] Youth Leadership School Barbara Hamilton MidAmerica Region UUA District Administrator [email protected]
July 15-21, 2012 More About Us Beloit, WI
Midwest Leadership School is a weeklong intensive experience designed to engage participants in all aspects of leadership in a Unitarian Universalist faith community. For the second year we are pleased to offer Midwest Leadership School for Youth (ages 14-18) Do you have news you want in tandem with our Adult School. It will challenge and train to share with UUs in the Unitarian Universalist youth in three areas: Leadership Skills Heartland District? Send Development, Worship, and Religious Values & Heritage. This articles or announcements Leadership School is an intentional community and learning to [email protected] experience. It equips young UU's with a foundation that deepens their religious development and expands their ability to contribute, Submission deadlines: both in their UU community and beyond. Articles & Announcements: 12:00 pm on Wednesdays Learn more... District-sponsored Events: 12:00 pm on Mondays Non-District Events: Charlotte Cowtan Award 12:00 pm on Wednesdays The Heartland District Board of Trustee is now accepting applications for the Your comments and Charlotte Cowtan Award recognizing a suggestions for the Heartland District congregation for the work newsletter are always they have done to promote Unitarian appreciated. Click on the Universalism in their community, in the link below to send us a District and through out the world. This message. award was named in honor of our first District Executive, Charlotte Cowtan. Barbara Hamilton District Administrator Application deadline: February 10, 2012 Newsletter Editor [email protected] Learn more...
Anne Miller Award for Excellence The Heartland District Lifespan Religious Education Committee is now accepting nominations for the Anne Miller Lifespan Religious Education Award for the Heartland District of the UUA to honor significant contributions to lifespan religious education.
Nomination deadline: February 1, 2012 Learn more...Nomination Form District Assembly Registration is OPEN!
You know what they say...the early bird gets the worm!
If you didn't register for District Assembly by this past Tuesday, you didn't get the worm. However, nearly 50 people did take advantage of the savings with Early Bird registration, which just could be a record. Could it be our keynote speaker, Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed, is a popular guy?
District Assembly is March 30-31, 2012. Don't delay! All pre-registration ends on March 25th. After the 25th, only onsite registration will be available. REGISTER NOW!
Around the District "Dedicated Lives: 162 Years of Liberal Ministry and Its Ministers in Lansing, Michigan 1849-2011"
Authors Ed Busch, Shirley Beckman, and Harry Schwarzeller present the lives of 42 ministers who served to lead the long, continuous progression of Universalist and Unitarian/Universalist congregations in the Lansing area. They were a diverse lot of dedicated men and women, and this collection of biographical sketches reveals much about the guiding values, aspirations, and personal motivations that sustained them on their life journeys.
To order copies, visit: www.createspace.com/3395591 Read full press release...Learn more
AVAILABLE: Baldwin 626 Classical Organ with Preset Options Silent Touch Series with double board and full, removable pedalboard; two built-in speakers. Works well. The organ was purchased new in 1985 for $15,000. Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church in Cincinnati is looking to give this organ to a good church home. The recipient would be responsible for any costs to move the organ.
Contact: The Rev. Bill Gupton at 513-231-8634, or [email protected]
The Rev. Wells E. BeHee (1925-2011) Mary Evelyn Newhall Behee (1926-2011)
The Rev. Wells E. Behee, 86, of New Madison, Ohio succumbed December 15, 2011 to injuries sustained in a car accident on December 13, 2011, which took the life of his wife, Mary. He died at Heartland Nursing and Rehabilitation Center surrounded by his loving family. He was born October 22, 1925 on the Hurd Farm in Royalston Township, Niagara County, New York
Rev. Behee received his bachelor of arts from St. Lawrence University and his bachelor of divinity and his master of divinity from Canton Divinity School. He was a veteran of the Second World War and saw action at Iwo Jima. He married Mary Evelyn Newhall of Lynn, Massachusetts in 1949. He served as minister of the Universalist Unitarian Churches at Woodstock, Eldorado and New Madison, Ohio. He received his masters of education at Miami University and went on to teach high school education at Arcanum.
Mary Evelyn Newhall Behee, 85, of New Madison Ohio passed away on December 13, 2011 in a tragic car accident. She was born March 1, 1926 in Lynn Massachusetts.
Mary was educated in the Lynn school systems, graduated from Salem Teacher's College, received a certificate of religious education from Canton Theological School at St. Lawrence University, and her teaching credentials from Miami University. She married the Rev. Wells E. Behee in 1949.
Mary and Wells Behee were best friends and enjoyed traveling together. They recently had celebrated their 63rd anniversary. They are survived by five children, six grandchildren, and six great- grandchildren.
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 55 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
February 16, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 16
Dear Barbara, In This Issue
Upcoming Trainings and Webinars
There's something to be said What is your Board up to now? about reading! Fair Share Giving Rate to Increase
A Dozen Good Ideas
Not only does it provide me with the Heartland Congregation Featured possibility of enjoyment, I find that I'm Immigration Workshop
always learning new things, and how to say Questionnaire old things in new ways. So I always have a Around the District couple of different work books going at any
2012 Living Legacy Pilgrimage
time, mostly for work, but sometimes for Registration Open for District fun. Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
Assembly 2012 District Executive This week, the main one is "Liberating MWUUL Online Workshops
Hope!: Daring to Renew the Mainline District Calendar
Church" by Michael Piazza. It is about how progressive congregations Congregational Bulletins can ensure that they are still progressive in the years to come. Too ATTENTION! New Officers often we stay with what we know, not with what might be different, and what we could be and do. I know that this is a theme that I
often repeat here, but it's worth it. To the degree that we aren't open to possibilities, that can predict our vitality in the future.
Here are three quotes from the book I've found helpful. They are all about what we do, and how we choose to do it. Registration Now Open! The first is a quote from hockey player Wayne Gretzky, one Heartland District of the all-time greats. Gretzky said, "I missed every shot I Assembly didn't take." March 30-31, 2012 Then this, by Piazza, about burnout. "In my experience, Lansing Community burnout is almost always the result of not doing the right College things or not doing things right." Lansing, MI The third, Piazza again: "If no one will die, give it a try."
These quotes remind me it's okay to take a risk, and without one, I'll still be doing the same old, same old, stuff, suffering burnout, feeling bad about my abilities and not daring to look at anything differently. It's important to remember that if I, if we, don't try, nothing will be won, and that too often I elevate the stakes inappropriately. It's exceedingly rare that any new idea will kill someone, or even injure them. But the idea not ventured forth means that we might lose all kinds of opportunities and possibilities. The lives we trap in burnout are our own, and those we care about. Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed But if we dare to take a shot, if we dare to try something new, WOW! -then we could discover how to keep our congregations, and "Torn Between Fuzzy Aspirations and Hard ourselves, vital and alive. Realities"....This year we are pleased and honored to "Liberating Hope!" is filled with things I want to remember. I present the Rev. Dr. Mark started to create a PowerPoint over breakfast with its wisdom, and Morrison-Reed as our keynoter I've highlighted much and turned down dozens of corners. I for our District Assembly recommend it to you all-that is, if you want to revitalize your March 30-31, 2012. congregation for the future. Hope can set us free. Click HERE for District In faith (and hope!), Assembly details and to Lisa register
Faith Development Midwest UU Leadership Check out these upcoming trainings and webinars!
UU Identity Renaissance Module
April 27-29, 2012 Villa Maria, PA Registration is open for these Jr/Sr High OWL Training free online workshops. To May 18-20, 2012 participate all you need is high speed internet access and a UU Church of the South Hills Pittsburgh, PA Nancy Combs-Morgan separate phone line. Faith Development Director Registration closes at 5:00 pm Central Time the day before What We Choose: Ethics for Unitarian each webinar. Universalists New adult curriculum is online! Click workshop title to learn Manish Mishra-Marzetti explores how we do and could make choices more and register. grounded in our "deed over creed" UU faith. Examine frameworks for ethical decision making, from Kant's categorical imperative to Youth Advisor Series personal experiences one has lived in one's social/political place in February 21, 2012 the dominant society. March 15,2012
What is your Board up to now? District Calendar
With the start of 2012, your Board of Trustees is actively engaged with the other districts in our region, working on creating a regional governance structure for 2013. An email was sent to congregation Ministers, DREs and Administrators updating them on what March 2-4, 2012 Amy Taylor JusticeCON Heartland District President has been going on. We encourage the sharing of this information with you, First UU Congregation of especially those of you joining us as Ann Arbor, MI delegates at our District Assembly on March 30-31. March 30-31, 2012 You can find more information at the: MidAmerica Blog: Consider District Assembly Our Future Together http://www.midamericauua.org/blog Lansing Community College Lansing, MI We have also been busy preparing for our District Gathering in Lansing, MI. There are bylaw changes, motions and reports to be Registration now open! prepared for the meeting packet. Thank goodness our district staff handles the details of making this meeting a success. Thank you April 13-15, 2012 staff! Jr High Election CON Indianapolis, IN
Fair Share Giving Rate to April 15, 2012 Ordination of Ministerial Increase Intern, Duffy Peet. After much deliberation, we announce that UU Church of Greater the Fair Share giving rate to the Heartland Lansing, MI District will increase to $22 a member effective for the fiscal year from July 1, 2012 May 10-12, 2012 to June 30, 2013. Worship for All Ages Renaissance Module The increase to this amount was actually Register | Flyer
approved by delegates to the Heartland May 11-13, 2012 Annual Meeting in 2006 and was to have gone into effect July 1, Sr High Bridging CON 2010. We've been able to hold the increase off for a few years, as we Bloomfield Hills, MI knew that the economy was making it tough for everyone in
Heartland. July 15-21, 2012
MidWest Leadership School But we can no longer continue the operations and service delivery Youth Leadership School you've come to expect and appreciate without this increase taking effect now. We've given up over $15,000 District-wide these past MidWest UU Leadership two years and have cut wherever we could, and whatever we could. Webinars Now there's no more room to cut. So we're coming to you to ask for the support you voted for six years ago. UUA We thank you for your continued support of Heartland District. Congregational Bulletins Lisa Presley January 2012 District Executive February 2012
A Dozen Good Ideas
Committee on Ministry: A Dozen Good ATTENTION! Ideas and One Caveat New Officers February 28th and March 15th, 2012 Have you elected new officers recently in your This webinar will explore how you can congregation? make your Committee on Ministry a better functioning one. Find out in this webinar how best to structure your COM, what their job should be, and how to help your congregation Make updates NOW at: become more vibrant through this work. my.UUA.org Presenter: Rev. Barbara Child Host: Rev. Lisa Presley Don't forget your congregation's page in the Details and Registration District Directory. Click on the link below to find our directory update form and to see how your congregation page appears in the 2012 Heartland District Directory. Contact [email protected] to get new password for Heartland Congregation Featured directory.
Make updates & upload District Directory
Contact Us The following excerpt is from the February 2012 issue of InterConnections. We are pleased to welcome Harmony UU Church as Heartland District's Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley newest member congregation. District Executive [email protected]
Alternate email: Things to Consider When Naming a Congregation [email protected] When a Unitarian Universalist group began to form in 2009 in suburban Cincinnati it wasn't long before its members needed a Nancy Combs-Morgan name for the group. They thought about naming the new Faith Development Director congregation for the town where they met, but then they opted for [email protected] something else. "We noticed all these contemporary nondenominational Christian churches, which all had names like Barbara Hamilton Wellspring and Crossroads," says Lindsey Sodano, one of the District Administrator organizers of the new group. [email protected]
More About Us "Interestingly," she says, "these congregations are our main competition when many liberal people look for a church. They go there mistakenly thinking the modern music and laidback minister will translate to beliefs and values similar to theirs. After attending and listening to the anti-LGBT messages these visitors end up with us." Do you have news you want Sodano's group picked the name Harmony, a Unitarian Universalist to share with UUs in the Church. "We wanted to get on the radar of church shoppers, so we Heartland District? Send went with a modern one-word name," she says. Other names articles or announcements considered were "Discovery" and "Beacon." Read more. to [email protected]
Visit the Harmony UU Church website. Submission deadlines: Articles & Announcements: 12:00 pm on Wednesdays
Immigration Workshop Questionnaire District-sponsored Events: 12:00 pm on Mondays Non-District Events: 12:00 pm on Wednesdays
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on the link below to send us a Heartland will host the Immigration Issues and Actions workshop on message. March 31st at District Assembly in Lansing. Barbara Hamilton Workshop facilitators invite you to complete a short congregational District Administrator survey to aid in planning. They hope to build awareness of Newsletter Editor immigration issues, encourage members to get involved, recognize [email protected] past, ongoing, and future activities, and learn resource needs as part of this workshop.
The survey was emailed on February 14th by the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network (MUUSJN) to 138 justice contacts from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. If someone from your congregation has not yet completed this Immigration questionnaire, you are invited to complete it by going to: www.uujustice.org
For more information, contact Rev Dr Deane Oliva at 270-779-9222 or Randy Block at 248-549-5170.
Around the District UU Church of Evansville, IN Director of Religious Exploration (Part-time Job Opening) UUCE is looking for the right person to bring a values-based approach to their children, youth and adults of the church. Go the UUCE website to learn more about their congregation. See a job description and how to apply, or to ask question on the UUCE Help Wanted page.
Heritage UU Church Director of Religious Education Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church in Cincinnati, OH, a welcoming and inclusive congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, seeks a part-time Director of Religious Education to guide our children's education program. Applicants should send a resume and a letter of interest by April 7th to The DRE Search Committee, c/o Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church 2710 Newtown Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45244, or email to [email protected]. Read full job description.
2012 Living Legacy Pilgrimage
2012 Living Legacy Civil Rights Pilgrimage October 6-13, 2012 Registration is now open! This Pilgrimage is much more than a Civil Rights history tour through Mississippi and Alabama. We will be visiting some of the historic sites and meeting veterans of the Civil Rights Movement. We will also be spending time together and with guests exploring what racism, white privilege, and barriers to equality look like today in Southern towns we visit---and in our own hometowns.
Don't miss your chance to be on the bus! Register early before the seats are filled. For more information and to register, please visit www.uulivinglegacy.org.
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 55 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
March 1, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 17
Dear Barbara, In This Issue
Calling all Talented Youth Leaders
Time seems to be traveling so District Assembly Deadlines
fast, all of a sudden. Social Justice Events Universalist Heritage 2012 New As I write this, it's Leap Day, and in just a England Tour
couple of weeks we'll be leaping into GA Prep-Two New Resources
Daylight Savings Time. Then it will be a Midwest UU Summer Assembly leap into the Heartland District Assembly, Earth Day 2012 a leap into spring, and a leap into General Registration Open for District
Assembly! Assembly 2012 Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
MWUUL Online Workshops This year's Assemblies, whether District or District Executive
General/National, will be important District Calendar
events. At the Heartland Assembly, we'll Congregational Bulletins
get a chance to look more deeply into our Association's history of ATTENTION! New Officers diversity. Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed will be doing our keynote: "Torn Between Fuzzy Aspirations and Hard Realities."
His work in helping UUs understand our relationship to people of color has led to him authoring several books: Black Pioneers in a
White Denomination, How to Open the Door (an adult education
curriculum); his recent memoir, In Between: Memoir of an Registration Now Integration Baby, and Darkening the Doorways: Black Trailblazers Open! and Missed Opportunities in Unitarian Universalism. He also co- Heartland District edited the meditation manual Been In the Storm Too Long. Assembly
Mark and I have been friends for over 25 years, and I always learn March 30-31, 2012 something new from him and find myself inspired over and over Lansing Community again. He is a gem. I encourage you to come to DA to gain your College own experience. There will also be terrific worship and workshops Lansing, MI on a number of ways to "do church better." Registration is still open!
Then, in June, General Assembly will bring us to another "new" point. This year, the focus of General Assembly will be learning how to be better partners in the work of justice. We will have the chance to explore issues of immigration, and beyond, and understand how we in our local areas can partner with others to move the world a little closer to justice. It will be fascinating to
see how this all works. Registration for GA can be found by clicking
HERE. Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed
I hope you'll find your way to connecting on the larger scale. We "Torn Between Fuzzy can gain so much from each other, and take back joy, ideas, Aspirations and Hard excitement and commitment to our local congregations. I'll be Realities"....This year we are pleased and honored to there, and hope to see you there, too! present the Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed as our keynoter In faith, for our District Assembly March Lisa 30-31, 2012.
Faith Development Click HERE for District Assembly details and to
register Calling All Talented Youth
Leaders Midwest UU Leadership Yes, this is a clarion call for talented youth to consider attending our Youth Midwest Leadership School.
This will be my third year serving as
Dean of the YMLS, and I must attest that it has been a transformational experience. I am so proud of this Nancy Combs-Morgan Registration is open for these Faith Development Director offering for MidAmerica youth. If your free online workshops. To congregation is considering sending participate all you need is high adults to the MWLS, then I would also hope you consider sending speed internet access and a talented youth from your congregation. separate phone line. Registration closes at 5:00 pm Youth Midwest Leadership School is a weeklong intensive Central Time the day before experience designed to engage participants in all aspects of each webinar. leadership in a Unitarian Universalist faith community. We are Click workshop title to learn pleased to offer Midwest Leadership School for Youth (ages 14- more and register. 18) in tandem with our Adult School on the Beloit College Campus on July 15-21, 20112. It will challenge and train Unitarian Youth Advisor Series Universalist youth in three areas: Leadership Skills Development, February 21, 2012 Worship, and Religious Values & Heritage. March 15,2012
This Leadership School is an intentional community and learning experience. It equips young UUs with a foundation that deepens District Calendar their religious development and expands their ability to contribute, both in their UU community and beyond. Youth who are motivated to learn and engage should be encouraged to attend. They should be able to manage their time and needs in an environment that includes long days filled with group and individual learning opportunities, along with theological reflection. Youth entering grades 9-12 may attend; youth grades 10-11 are especially encouraged. Congregations sending adult students would especially benefit from sending youth! March 2-4, 2012 JusticeCON How to Register? First UU Congregation of Tuition is $550 per student, $200 Ann Arbor, MI deposit required to reserve. Early bird discount, if PAID IN FULL March 30-31, 2012 BY MAY 1: $495 for one student; District Assembly $450 per student if more than one Lansing Community College from the same congregation attends. Lansing, MI Youth tuition includes housing, food, and materials. Registration Information and Forms Registration now open! Registration Deadline JUNE 1, 2012. Full payment of registration fee due 6/15/12 April 13-15, 2012 Jr High Election CON In faith, Indianapolis, IN Nancy April 15, 2012 District Assembly Deadlines Ordination of Ministerial Intern, Duffy Peet. UU Church of Greater March 25th Pre-registration closes Lansing, MI
May 10-12, 2012 March 16th Deadline to register for childcare. Worship for All Ages Renaissance Module Register | Flyer To get group discount at conference hotels, make reservations by: May 11-13, 2012 Sr High Bridging CON March 3rd for Lexington Lansing Hotel Bloomfield Hills, MI March 9th for Ramada June 10, 2012 March 16th for Quality Inn Ordination of Ministerial Intern, Bruce Beisner St. John's UU Church Cincinnati, OH Social Justice Events July 15-21, 2012 MARCH FORTH FOR JUSTICE MidWest Leadership School Youth Leadership School March 3-4, 2012 With the help of a generous grant from the UUA Funding Office's MidWest UU Leadership Fund for Social Responsibility, the UU Council of Greater Cincinnati Webinars (UUCGC), comprising six UU congregations, is planning a major conference on Immigration Issues for March 3, 2012. UUA
Phoenix UU minister Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray will keynote, Congregational presenting information about developments nationally and Bulletins especially in Arizona, which has been at the forefront of the January 2012 national immigration debate. The US Supreme Court has announced February 2012 that it will hear appeals related to the Arizona Immigration law in
April.
For more information, visit the conference website. ATTENTION! New Officers New UU Social Justice Network in Louisville Have you elected new For the last several months, the three Louisville UU churches - officers recently in your Clifton Unitarian, First Unitarian Church, and Thomas Jefferson congregation? Unitarian Church - and their Social Justice Committees have been working to form a new UU Social Justice Network. The network has the ability to unite resources and people and increase the Make updates NOW at: effectiveness of their voice in the community. Mission Statement my.UUA.org Upcoming events: April 27, 2012: Clifton Unitarian Church Social Justice Film Series Don't forget your showing of "Hot Coffee". Hot Coffee reveals what really happened congregation's page in the to Stella Liebeck, the Albuquerque woman who spilled coffee on District Directory. Click on herself and sued McDonald's. After seeing this film, you will decide the link below to find our who really profited from spilling hot coffee. directory update form and to see how your June 24, 2012: First Unitarian Church Joint Service in Support of congregation page appears GA's Focus on Immigration. in the 2012 Heartland District Directory. Contact Universalist Heritage 2012 New England Tour [email protected] to get new password for directory. Universalist New England in Autumn Make updates & upload District Directory Exploring Universalist Sites
Past, Present, and Future Contact Us September 24-30, 2012 Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
District Executive For a full week, travel through areas of New England that are rich [email protected] with Universalist history. At most sites informative guides will be on Alternate email: hand to share their expertise and to engage participants in lively [email protected] discussions of the significance of our history to our lived
Universalism today. Nancy Combs-Morgan
Faith Development Director UHF Tour Flyer [email protected] UHF Tour Registration
Barbara Hamilton GA Prep - Two New Resources District Administrator [email protected]
More About Us
UUA Offers New Discussion Guide on Doctrine of Discovery At the January meeting of the UUA Board of Trustees, the Trustees voted to place a responsive resolution to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery on the business agenda for the 2012 Justice General Do you have news you want Assembly. What is the Doctrine of Discovery? Why have our partner to share with UUs in the organizations in Arizona called for its repudiation? How are we as Heartland District? Send Unitarian Universalist people of faith called to respond? Download a articles or announcements new three-session discussion guide suitable for in-person and online to [email protected] conversations, individual reflection, and journaling. Submission deadlines: Articles & Announcements: Top Ten Ways to Help Youth Prepare for Justice General 12:00 pm on Wednesdays Assembly District-sponsored Events: Does your congregation have youth going to Phoenix? Are you a 12:00 pm on Mondays youth advisor or sponsor for one or more youth at Justice GA? This Non-District Events: is for you and for your youth! 12:00 pm on Wednesdays
Midwest UU Summer Your comments and Assembly suggestions for the newsletter are always What are you doing for your appreciated. Click on the summer vacation? link below to send us a message. Have you ever wondered what it Barbara Hamilton would be like if everyone in the District Administrator world had an attitude of Newsletter Editor openmindedness, tolerance, concern for the planet, and support for each other that [email protected] UUs do? For one week each summer, we experience such a world.
That world is MUUSA!
Join us on Sunday, July 1st to Saturday, July 7th at MUUSA, the Midwest Unitarian Universalist Summer Assembly, where you can vacation with other Unitarian Universalists in a beautiful natural setting with activities and fun for all ages. We invite families, singles, and couples to join us at our inter-generational retreat, where you can enjoy workshops, classes, and leisure time. We gather at Trout Lodge, located in 5,200 acres of pine and oak forest on a private 360 acre lake 75 miles southwest of St. Louis, Missouri, near Potosi.
Save the date now and make your summer vacation planning easy. The 2012 theme, "Living Once Upon a Time: the Stories Deep Within Us," will be led by Reverend Keith Kron. Your stay includes three buffet meals a day, comfortable housing, relaxing at the beachfront, watercraft use, opportunities for horseback riding, creating in the arts and crafts center, your choice of morning and afternoon workshops, and much, much more!
We offer a nursery and day camps for our youngest campers and unique program with separate housing for our junior high and senior high youths. Our campers rave about MUUSA!
To hear more, visit YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNWMdbrjxuE and view our video to see what a week at MUUSA is like. You can register today at www.muusa.org. Have questions? contact Susan Porter, Registrar at [email protected]. We can't wait to welcome you to the most fabulous week ofthe year!
Earth Day 2012
Now available! Earth Day 2012 Environmental Justice and Immigration
Earth Day, Sunday, April 22nd, is just two months away! To help you plan worship services and other activities for your congregations, UU Ministry for Earth has produced the 2012 Earth Day materials collection.
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 55 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
March 15, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 18
Dear Barbara, In This Issue Opportunities for Faith It feels as if we're off to the Development Leaders
Let's Get Together! races!
MWUUL Online Workshops
Elsewhere in this newsletter you'll see Conceivable: Dismantling Injustice
information urging you to register for the Justice GA Heartland District Assembly-only a couple Our apologies weeks away! It's promising to be a great New Website for CLF one, so I hope you'll say "what the heck!"
Around the District and join us, even on a spur of the moment. Registration Open for District Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
Assembly 2012 And then, just around the corner, there District Executive
will be Justice GA in Phoenix-a chance for Midwest UU Leadership Series
us as UUs to learn more about how to do District Calendar sustained justice work with a variety of partners, how to locate the Congregational Bulletins causes necessary and close to us in our local environment, and how ATTENTION! New Officers to live out the faith tradition that we share. We on the MidAmerica staff understand social justice and other work in the community to be the "acting out" of our faith commitments. A faith/belief structure without an outlet does disservice to us all-it cheapens what can be, and how deeply we are committed to the world. So think again about attending: Phoenix is not that far away, nor is
June! Registration Now
I'd love to know how you, in your congregations, are active in your Open! community. How do you make Unitarian Universalism visible? Heartland District What are you doing to lower the walls of your congregation, inviting Assembly people in to share your space? How are you being host to the March 30-31, 2012 world around? And how are you stepping out into the community, Lansing Community and making your presence visible? Send me an email: College [email protected]. I'd love to know what you're up to, and share Lansing, MI it with others.
In faith, Lisa
Faith Development
Opportunities for Faith Development Leaders
You may have read in prior newsletters about the Worship Renaissance Module happening this May 10-12, at People's Church in Kalamazoo, MI Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed (also in this newsletter). "Torn Between Fuzzy Aspirations and Hard
This module is one of our offerings for Realities"....This year we are leaders in faith development. We have Nancy Combs-Morgan pleased and honored to renewed our commitment to making Faith Development Director present the Rev. Dr. Mark sure that there are engaging and Morrison-Reed as our keynoter helpful faith development trainings for religious educators, for our District Assembly March ministers, seminarians, and other leaders who take particular 30-31, 2012. interest in UU faith development. In addition, we have confirmed that there will be a Curriculum Renaissance Module happening in Click HERE for District Cedar Rapids, IA on November 8-10, which I will also be taking part Assembly details and to in. register
In MidAmerica, we continue to seek feedback and further ideas on Midwest UU what our faith development leaders are needing to enhance your Leadership work in our congregations. Let me know if there are other trainings that you are interested in, we will be finalizing our webinar offerings as well for this Spring, Summer and Fall.
In faith,
Nancy
Let's Get Together! Registration is open for these free online workshops. To District Assembly 2012 participate all you need is high Please join us, your Board of Trustees, at the Heartland Annual speed internet access and a District Meeting in Lansing, MI on March 30 & 31. We know firsthand separate phone line. that you are in for a treat when you hear our keynote speaker, Rev. Registration closes at 5:00 pm Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed. Central Time the day before each webinar. Come as a designated delegate and vote on bylaw changes, to fill Click HERE to see a calendar elected positions and on a proposed motion. Learn about the big of all upcoming webinars. governance changes coming next year. Connect with other UUs, learn together at workshops and from each other, share, worship Youth Advisor Series and have fun together. We look forward to meeting you in Lansing. March 15, 2012 Your Elected Heartland Board of Trustees Small Congregation Don't miss these deadlines! Workshop Series March 25th Pre-registration closes March 31, 2012 April 21, 2012 March 16th Deadline to register for childcare. May 19, 2012
To get group discount at conference hotels, make Welcoming the Stranger - reservations by: Greeter 101 March 3rd for Lexington Lansing Hotel April 19, 2012 March 9th for Ramada
March 16th for Quality Inn District Calendar Midwest UU Leadership Online Workshops
Youth Advisor Series April 17, 2012 Inspired by the good work of Anne-Marie Davidson, Youth Coordinator in the
Pacific Northwest District of the UUA, March 30-31, 2012 who had the notion to offer a series of District Assembly youth advisor virtual webinar sessions, Lansing Community College we will now be offering our own series Lansing, MI here in MidAmerica (Prairie Star District, Registration now open! Central Midwest District and Heartland District). This last September, Nancy April 13-15, 2012 Combs-Morgan offered 2 "Basic Youth Advisor" webinar sessions, Jr High Election CON which were well attended, but there were many requests for more Indianapolis, IN sessions. These new hour and 15 minute long evening sessions will include resource sharing and coaching for new and continuing youth April 15, 2012 advisors and youth coordinators. Presenter: Nancy Combs- Ordination of Ministerial Morgan, Coordinator of Emerging Youth and Young Adult Intern, Duffy Peet. Ministries for MidAmerica Region UUA More details & UU Church of Greater registration... Lansing, MI
Small Congregation Series May 10-12, 2012 There will be three different workshops: Worship for All Ages The New Unity Story Renaissance Module March 31, 2012 Register | Flyer Using Social Media May 11-13, 2012 April 21, 2012 Sr High Bridging CON Attracting Young Adults Bloomfield Hills, MI May 19, 2012
The Rev. Andrew Pakula was our theme June 2, 2012 presenter at last fall's Small Congregation Ordination of Conference in Des Moines, IA. Andy's presentations were extremely Megan Lloyd Joiner well received by those in attendance. So well received, in fact, First Unitarian Church that we've asked him to do a series of webinars for us based on his Cincinnati, OH presentation. Andy will cover the same topics he did at the
conference: The New Unity Story, Using Social Media, and June 9, 2012 Attracting Young Adults. Presenter: Rev. Ordination of Bruce Beisner Andrew Pakula More details & registration... St. John's UU Church &
Heritage UU Church Welcoming the Stranger Cincinnati, OH - Greeter 101 Monday, April 9, 2012 July 15-21, 2012 Think of a time when you have felt truly MidWest Leadership School welcomed. Maybe it was coming home after a Youth Leadership School long time away. Maybe someone took you in when you were far from home. Relive those feelings for MidWest UU Leadership a moment. Feel that warmth again; see those smiles and feel those Webinars arms embracing you. What a gift it is to be welcomed." - Peter Morales, UUA President UUA Congregational Join Lori Emison Clair, Director of Congregational Life in Des Bulletins Moines, Iowa as we consider all that we can do to welcome the stranger! February 2012 More details & registration... March 2012
Conceivable: Dismantling Injustice
ATTENTION! New Officers Have you elected new officers recently in your congregation?
Make updates NOW at: my.UUA.org Central Midwest District Young Adult Steering Don't forget your Committee Presents UU Young Adult Conference congregation's page in the May 4-6, 2012 District Directory. Click on Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation the link below to find our directory update form and Springfield, IL to see how your congregation page appears Join us for a modern twist on an anti-racism/anti-oppression in the 2012 Heartland weekend. We will focus on racial, gender, and sexual orientation District Directory. Contact prejudice; where they arise from and what can we do as individuals [email protected] to to try and improve what is going on around us. get new password for Download the flyer to print & distribute directory. Register Online Make updates & upload District Directory Justice GA
Contact Us
Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive [email protected] There is Something for Everyone at Justice GA Alternate email: [email protected]
Our children will be engaged in UU community Nancy Combs-Morgan Our older children will be involved in a Justice Faith Development Director Day Camp [email protected] Our youth & young adults will be leading and working on every aspect of Justice GA Barbara Hamilton Our elders will be providing counsel District Administrator Our ministers will be be providing care [email protected] Our lay leaders will be resolved Our local partners will be supported , and More About Us Our interfaith partners will be inspired.
Everyone is welcome at Justice GA: first-timers, GA veterans, free- thinkers, leaders, introverts, scooter-users, skeptics, humanists, singers, families, delegates, and vegans. Come, and make it your own. www.uua.org/ga Read Phoenix Brochure. Do you have news you want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? Send articles or announcements to [email protected]
Our apologies. Submission deadlines: Bruce Beisner, currently serving as a student minister at Articles & Announcements: Hopedale UU Community in Oxford, OH, is being ordained on 12:00 pm on Wednesdays June 9th, not June 10th as was published in our last newsletter. District-sponsored Events: 12:00 pm on Mondays Bruce is being co-ordained by St. John's Unitarian Universalist Non-District Events: Church and Hertiage Universalist Unitarian Church in Cincinnati, 12:00 pm on Wednesdays OH. The ordination is scheduled for Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 4:00 pm at St. John's UU Church. Your comments and suggestions for the We apologize, Bruce, for the misprint. Thank you Rev. Bill newsletter are always Gupton for calling our attention to the mistake. appreciated. Click on the link below to send us a New Website for CLF message.
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator Join the Spiritual Expedition with the new website from the Newsletter Editor Church of the Larger Fellowship: Quest For Meaning. [email protected]
Around the District
Noted author to speak on Christian Dominionism and the religious right March 13 and 14, 2012 Frederick Clarkson, journalist and author of multiple books on the religious right, will speak in Louisville at two different events in March, addressing the rise of Christian Dominionism and its connection to both the larger religious right and its implications for the political process. Learn more...
All Souls Unitarian Music Series 2012 Sunday, March 25, 2012 Organ Concert: Robert Richter, Assistant Organist Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Indianapolis, IN
Sunday, April 22, 2012 Organ Concert: Peter Rogahn, Music Director and Organist Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Indianapolis, IN Learn more...
What are you doing for your summer vacation? July 1-7, 2012 Midwest UU Summer Assembly (MUUSA) Have you ever wondered what it would be like if everyone in the world had an attitude of open-mindedness, tolerance, concern for the planet, and support for each other that UUs do? For one week each summer, we experience such a world. That world is MUUSA! To hear more, visit YouTube. Register
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 55 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
April 5, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 19
Dear Jennifer, In This Issue
MidAmerica Region Vision What a high it was at our Standing on the Side of Love
National Day of Witness District Assembly last week!
Immigration Movie Now Available
I'm still walking on clouds-from the chance Films on Immigration
to be with you all, to the fabulous worship, New Compensation Guidelines mind and heart expanding keynote address Sr High Bridging/Election Con
with Mark Morrison-Reed, the diligence that 2012! delegates showed in discussing business New Models in Lifespan RE
Workshop
issues, and in the fun that transpired. It was
a good time, and it makes me look forward Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley Ordination of Megan Lloyd Joiner to next year (well, after a few days off with District Executive "The Prosecution of Judge Waite" my feet up!). DA12 Evaluation & PowerPoint
Presentations It also put me in the mood for two things: General Assembly in
Midwest UU Leadership Series Phoenix, our Justice GA, and trying to find a way that we can continue to expand our reach in the human rights arena. Both District Calendar
working with immigration issues, but also how do we expand the Congregational Bulletins
openness and reach of our congregations to those looking for a ATTENTION! New Officers spiritual home. To do work in the greater world, making it safe and welcoming for others is important, but so is the work that we can,
and should, be doing to make our congregations open to those who hunger for our spiritual message.
Resources abound. Check out the UUA website Cooking Together:
Recipes for Immigration Justice Work for information on Justice GA District Assembly and immigration issues. Check out the MidAmerica UU Leadership Evaluation website for archived webinars on how to welcome others. Yet more important than finding the tools, I hope that you will find the An online survey for the 2012 courage, heart and commitment to make the changes that are Heartland District Assembly is possible to spread our reach, to ensure that we're not the best kept now available and has been sent to Assembly attendees. secret in town. Your opinion is important to us. Remember, your District staff are here to help you make it possible. You bring the will, we'll help with the tools. Just call or email. We District Assembly Evaluation want to partner with you.
In faith, Lisa
MidAmerica Region Vision History was made at our District Assembly District Assembly in Lansing, MI, March 31, 2012 when the PowerPoint MidAmerica Regional Vision was rolled out Presentations for the first time. PowerPoint Presentations The Staff initially chose the target of July shown at District Assembly will be available on the 1, 2013 to be working as a cohesive regional Heartland website by the end staff. The Heartland Board and the Boards of the week.
of Prairie Star and Central Midwest districts have all passed motions to work with each Amy Taylor, President other to create a regional (MidAmerica) Heartland Board of Midwest UU governance structure to be in place July 1, Trustees Leadership 2013.
Let me share information about our current "policy style governance" vs the traditional "program board" structure most people are familiar with. A Program Board is involved in the day-to- day decisions of running the organization and providing services, for example: should we have volunteers mow the church lawn or hire someone to do it. This work often becomes so consuming that the Registration is open for these Program Board never has time to get to the work of visioning. When free online workshops. To you have a "Policy Board" then the day-to-day decisions and running participate all you need is of things (Service) is delegated to someone not on the Board (such high speed internet access as a minister or executive). A Policy Board has the responsibility of and a separate phone line. monitoring through reports received, visioning the future of the Registration closes at 5:00 pm organization, and linkage with stakeholders. In our case, "services" Central Time the day before are provided by the staff, Lisa Presley & Nancy Combs-Morgan, and each webinar. soon all of the regional staff will provide services to our members; Click HERE to see a calendar the Heartland Board receives monitoring reports and works on of all upcoming webinars. visioning the future. Youth Advisor Series The monitoring reports are for accountability. The Policy Board is April 17, 2012 also responsible for "Linkage" which is the connection with our members and the responsibility of deep listening and discerning Small Congregation where there is energy. The Heartland Board used a short survey of Workshop Series questions as a linkage activity at the District meeting. Linkage can April 21, 2012 be done many different ways: surveys, calls, webinars, etc. The May 19, 2012 other piece for the Policy Board is the ENDS statement which is a very special type of goal, one that designates the results for which Welcoming the Stranger - the organization exists, the recipients or beneficiaries of those Greeter 101 results, and the worth of the results or the results for certain April 19, 2012 recipient groups. ENDS are what we measure against and use to guide the work of the Board. The Heartland Board, this past year, District Calendar chose to adopt the UUA Board ENDS statement. We have not yet chosen a governance structure for a new MidAmerica Regional Board, but we will begin this work very soon. Before determining a governance structure, we needed clarity of our vision for the MidAmerica region.
Here is the vision that will guide us and take us into the future:
The MidAmerica Region: April 13-15, 2012 Building a new era in Unitarian Universalism InCONceivable Jr High Election CON The MidAmerica Region where Unitarian Universalists: UU Church of Indianapolis, Visibly Live Our Faith IN Create Connections Grow Our Membership April 15, 2012 Welcome All Persons of Good Will Ordination of Ministerial Intern, Duffy Peet. Please continue to send your questions, concerns and support to me UU Church of Greater at: [email protected] Lansing, MI
Working for our faith, May 10-12, 2012 Amy Taylor, President Worship for All Ages Renaissance Module
Faith Development Register | Flyer
May 11-13, 2012 Standing on the Side of Love CONsanguinity Sr High Bridging/Election CON for the National Day of Birmingham Unitarian Witness Church, Bloomfield Hills, MI In preparation for the Saturday, June 23rd National Day of Witness, the June 2, 2012 leaders in the fair food movement are Ordination of asking Unitarian Universalists from the Megan Lloyd Joiner Heartland to stand with the migrant First Unitarian Church farmworkers from Immokalee, Florida. Cincinnati, OH Nancy Combs-Morgan They have been valiantly fighting the Faith Development Director huge grocery chains across the United June 9, 2012 States to come to the bargaining table to achieve a fair wage and Ordination of Bruce decent working conditions. Beisner St. John's UU Church & You may not realize that over 90% of all tomatoes come from this Heritage UU Church area in SW Florida. Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) has asked Cincinnati, OH our help to convince Kroger stores to come to the bargaining table for a fair wage. July 15-21, 2012 MidWest Leadership School On June 23rd, go to your local Kroger store wearing Standing on the Youth Leadership School
Side of Love t-shirts and deliver as many letters as you can to the MidWest UU Leadership manager of your local Kroger (contact me for sample letters). In Webinars addition, they ask that if your congregation does a Kroger gift card fundraising effort, to tally how much your congregation has been UUA spending at Kroger - reference that in your letter. Don't hesitate to form a paper chain of Kroger receipts. Congregational Bulletins If your congregation, campus ministry group, or any youth and young February 2012 adult leaders are particularly fired up, we are asking UUs to come to March 2012 Cincinnati, OH for the Kroger Corporation shareholder's meeting this April 2012 late May or early June (I will send out the date, when they confirm). Send me an e-mail at [email protected] if you are interested. Let's make this an enormous Standing on the Side of Love action at the Kroger headquarters this summer. Don't hesitate to invite your ATTENTION! inter-faith community partners who stand for justice! New Officers
Have you elected new Keep March 2013 in mind, for I am organizing an Fair Food Spring officers recently in your Break alternative to Immokalee, Florida - contact me if this is something your youth or young adults would be interested in as congregation? well.
Standing on the Side of Love, Make updates NOW at: Nancy Combs-Morgan, (859)494-2424 my.UUA.org For more information on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, go to their website at: www.ciw-online.org
Immigration Movie Now Available Don't forget your congregation's page in the The UUA has received permission from Frontline for Unitarian District Directory. Click Universalist congregations to show "Lost in Detention," provided no on the link below to find admission is charged. This permission means that individual our directory update form congregations do not have to request public performance permission and to see how your to screen this film. The documentary examines current US congregation page appears immigration policy and the enforcement system, including stories of hidden abuse in detention centers. in the 2012 Heartland District Directory. Unitarian Universalists have an extra reason to watch this Contact compelling documentary. The Frontline documentary's [email protected] to correspondent is Maria Hinojosa, who will deliver this year's Ware get new password for Lecture at General Assembly in Phoenix directory.
For more information, visit Cooking Together: Recipes for Make updates & upload Immigration Justice Work. District Directory
Other Films on Immigration Contact Us Faithful Witness and Action has compiled a list of powerful films that are ideal for educating Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley yourself, your family, your friends, and, if District Executive applicable, your congregation on immigration- [email protected] related issues. Alternate email: [email protected] Whether you're just looking for an entry point on the crucial human rights topics related to immigration or seeking Nancy Combs-Morgan a backdrop to a community-wide dialogue that may spur policy Faith Development change, these films are some of the best. Also check out other Director amazing stuff posted to these pages. [email protected]
Nancy Lawrence Barbara Hamilton Assistant to the Executive Vice President District Administrator Unitarian Universalist Association [email protected]
New Compensation Guidelines More About Us The Office of Church Staff Finances has just posted the 2012-2013 UUA Recommended Salaries for congregational staff and newly revised 2012 Geo Indices.
The UUA Salary Recommendations, effective for Do you have news you congregational years beginning July 1, 2012, want to share with UUs in received the approval of the UUA Compensation, the Heartland District? Benefits, and Pension Committee earlier this month. They were Send articles or developed through a process that included a comparable wage announcements to analysis using wage data obtained from three national sources - the [email protected] most prominent of which is the Economic Research Institute (ERI). Submission deadlines: ERI uses census, federal wage surveys, and other wage data for their Articles & Announcements: database. The UUA Salary Recommendations are heavily influenced 12:00 pm on Wednesdays by wages paid in the general economy - wages restrained by the District-sponsored Events: ongoing recession. More details can be found at the Office of Church 12:00 pm on Mondays Staff Finance website. Non-District Events: 12:00 pm on Wednesdays
Your comments and suggestions for the Sr High Bridging/Election Con 2012! newsletter are always appreciated. Click on the link below to send us a message. CONsanguinity Barbara Hamilton May 11-13, 2012 District Administrator Newsletter Editor Birmingham Unitarian Church [email protected]
Bloomfield Hills, MI
For youth 9th-12th grades and their chaperones.
Flyer...Register online...
New Models in Lifespan Religious Education Workshop The UU Church in West Lafayette, IN has graciously opened up an event that will be at their congregation on Saturday, May 19th, to any area congregational leaders who would like to join us.
The theme of the morning session (from 9:30 until noon) will be new models of UU lifespan religious education. There will be next step "how-to's" in terms of implementing some of these newer models, which include the "thematic church" and the "rotation model."
If you can join us, please let me know at, [email protected]
Get details... Ordination of Megan Lloyd Joiner First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati and The Universalist Church of West Hartford join together to celebrate the ordination of Megan Lloyd Joiner to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry on Saturday, June 2, 2012.
Megan Lloyd Joiner, MDiv Ceremony to be held at First Unitarian Intern Minister Church, 536 Linton Street, Cincinnati, OH.
Ceremony to be broadcast live at The Universalist Church, 433 Fern Street, West Hartford, Connecticut
"The Prosecution of Judge Waite" The Just Peace Task Force in Bloomington, IN, along with South Central Move to Amend, is co-sponsor of two performances of "The Prosecution of Judge Waite" -- a play that describes the birth of the concept that corporations are people with constitutional rights as a made-up idea which was set into our law by a corrupt court reporter in the late 19th Century.
UU Church of Bloomington minister, the Rev. Bill Breeden, will be "Judge Waite", and the play is scheduled for performances on May 25th and May 26th.
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
April 19, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 20
Dear Jennifer, In This Issue
Faith Development Director
New Compensation Guidelines We UUs often feel as if we have, or at least should have, control over the universe, or at Sr High Bridging/Election Con
2012! least our corner of it! And we're also really proud of being comfortable asking questions, New Models in Lifespan RE
Workshop but we often betray our discomfort at not having answers! CONceivable Nominating Committee: UUA
Both of these are positions of privilege. It's Positions Available only when you've had experiences where you Publication Deadline have been able to control the outcome of Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley DA12 Evaluation & PowerPoint things that you expect to be able to do that District Executive Presentations
in the future. It's not a bad thing--having Midwest UU Leadership Series control. At least to a certain extent. We all District Calendar want to make sure that our lives have meaning, and that we are not
Congregational Bulletins forced to do things with which we disagree. That's a right that everyone should have, but it's one that not everyone gets to ATTENTION! New Officers experience.
For those of us who have the ability to control how things unfold in some part of our lives, we often get frustrated when we can't do it in other parts of our life. When that happens, we are often surprised, hurt, annoyed, and occasionally act out. District Assembly That's one reason why life in our UU congregations is sometimes hard. Evaluation We each expect to be able to influence our lives, and also our An online survey for the 2012 congregation's direction. Yet sometimes the direction in which we Heartland District Assembly is want to do the influencing is the exact opposite of the direction that now available and has been the person standing next to us is trying to exert her or his influence! sent to Assembly attendees. It is hard, at those moments, to step back, ask questions, and look at Your opinion is important to the larger picture of what is happening. us. District Assembly Evaluation Yet that's exactly what we need to do. When our feathers start getting ruffled, we need to check out to see if we're really headed with the wind, or at cross-direction to the winds of others in our District Assembly congregations. How does what we want fit with the mission and PowerPoint vision of the congregation? How can we best live in the community Presentations without huffing and puffing, but instead lending our wind power to PowerPoint Presentations the collective whole? How, in other words, to I fit my desires into shown at District Assembly that of the community in which I am a part? will be available on the Heartland website by the end Hard to do, and hard to figure out. But that's part of the delight of of the week. being in community--working with others to find ways to expand our own horizons, and to move the Good Ship UU ahead through whatever Midwest UU waves we encounter. Leadership Remember: the District Staff are here to help you chart your course, and sort out where you want to head. It's a lot easier to do that in calm waters then when the winds are blowing!
Don't let the winds of spring blow you of course, but instead learn how to harvest that wind power for the benefit of you all!
In faith, Registration is open for these Lisa free online workshops. To
participate all you need is Faith Development high speed internet access and a separate phone line. Registration closes at 5:00 pm Central Time the day CONceivable: Dismantling before each webinar. Injustice (Springfield IL) Click HERE to see a I hope folks have gotten the word out calendar of all upcoming webinars. about this wonderful young adult opportunity coming up this May. This young adult conference in Springfield, IL Small Congregation is open to YA leaders throughout the Workshop Series MidAmerica region (see below). April 21, 2012
May 19, 2012 Young Adult/Campus Ministry Nancy Combs-Morgan Faith Development Director Welcoming the Stranger - OWL Greeter 101 April 19, 2012 Also, there is great news to share that MidAmerica has received a grant from the Youth and Young Adult Office in Boston for training District Calendar young adults who want to be leaders in offering young adult OWL, Our Whole Lives, our comprehensive sexuality education series, on campuses throughout Heartland, Central Midwest and Prairie Star Districts.
The Young Adult/Campus Ministry OWL training will be in St. Louis, MO on August 23 and 24th. May 5, 2012 Installation of Please contact me if you know of young adults who want to be Rev. Shelley Page trained to lead young adult OWL on campuses. We would ask that Grosse Pointe Unitarian the young adult leaders have a connection to a local campus ministry Church, MI group. May 10-12, 2012 Nancy Combs-Morgan, (859)494-2424 Worship for All Ages Renaissance Module New Compensation Guidelines Register | Flyer The Office of Church Staff Finances has just posted the 2012-2013 UUA Recommended May 11-13, 2012 Salaries for congregational staff and newly CONsanguinity Sr High revised 2012 Geo Indices. Bridging/Election CON Birmingham Unitarian The UUA Salary Recommendations, effective for Church, Bloomfield Hills, congregational years beginning July 1, 2012, MI received the approval of the UUA Compensation, Benefits, and Pension Committee earlier this month. They were developed through June 2, 2012 a process that included a comparable wage analysis using wage data Ordination of obtained from three national sources - the most prominent of which Megan Lloyd Joiner is the Economic Research Institute (ERI). First Unitarian Church Cincinnati, OH ERI uses census, federal wage surveys, and other wage data for their database. The UUA Salary Recommendations are heavily influenced June 9, 2012 by wages paid in the general economy - wages restrained by the Ordination of Bruce ongoing recession. More details can be found at the Office of Church Beisner Staff Finance website. St. John's UU Church & Heritage UU Church Cincinnati, OH Sr High Bridging/Election Con July 15-21, 2012 2012! MidWest Leadership School Youth Leadership School
CONsanguinity MidWest UU Leadership May 11-13, 2012 Webinars
Birmingham Unitarian Church UUA Congregational Bloomfield Hills, MI Bulletins
February 2012 For youth 9th-12th grades and their chaperones. March 2012 April 2012 Flyer...Register online...
New Models in Lifespan Religious Education ATTENTION! Workshop New Officers The UU Church in West Lafayette, IN has Have you elected new graciously opened up an event that will be at officers recently in your their congregation on Saturday, May 19th, to congregation? any area congregational leaders who would like to join us. Make updates NOW at: The theme of the morning session (from 9:30 until my.UUA.org noon) will be new models of UU lifespan religious education. There will be next step "how-to's" in Don't forget your terms of implementing some of these newer models, which include congregation's page in the the "thematic church" and the "rotation model." District Directory. Click
on the link below to find If you can join us, please let me know at, [email protected] our directory update form
and to see how your Get details... congregation page appears
in the 2012 Heartland District Directory. Contact [email protected] to get new password for directory.
Make updates & upload
CONceivable: Dismantling Injustice and District Directory
Reaching for Hope Contact Us
Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive [email protected] Alternate email: [email protected]
Nancy Combs-Morgan Faith Development Director [email protected] Join us for a modern twist on anti-racism/anti-oppression weekend. We will focus on racial, gender, and sexual orientation prejudice-- Barbara Hamilton where they arise from and what we can do as individuals to try and District Administrator improve what is going on around us. You are invited to spend the [email protected] weekend meeting with young adults from around the Midwest doing social justice, attending workshops, enjoying contemporary worship More About Us and good food with old & new friends. Participants may sleep at the church or make other arrangements for overnight lodging.
Date: Friday, May 4, 2012 7 pm Central, through Sunday, May 6, 2012 8 am Central Location: Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation 745 Woodside Road, Springfield, IL Do you have news you Cost: Sliding Scale: $40.00 - $90.00; scholarships available. want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We Contact: Elizabeth Kueny, [email protected] publish every other week-- More Details: click here. Send articles or Scholarship Applications: click here. announcements to [email protected]
Influence Unitarian Universalism in a Great Submission deadlines: Way! Articles & Announcements: 12:00 pm on Wednesdays District-sponsored Events: 12:00 pm on Mondays Non-District Events: 12:00 pm on Wednesdays
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on the link below to send us a The UUA Nominating Committee seeks candidates and suggestions for message. volunteer positions elected by the General Assembly (except Moderator and President). The brochure describing all of these Barbara Hamilton opportunities is here. The application form is here. District Administrator Newsletter Editor We have begun our "recruiting season," looking for the best possible [email protected] candidates. We are looking for individuals to serve on the UUA Board of Trustees, as Financial Advisor, and as members of the Presidential
Search Committee, Commission on Appraisal, General Assembly Planning Committee, Commission on Social Witness, Nominating Committee, and the Board of Review. The brochure describes the specifics of these opportunities.
Our deadline for receiving applications for any of the open positions is August 15, 2012.
With best wishes,
Your UUA Nominating Committee
Next Publication Date: May 3, 2012
Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, Wednesday May 2 Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday April 30
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
May 3, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 21
Dear Jennifer, In This Issue
"Collaboration is the Key" This week, I came into a heightened Now Available! 2012 District awareness of the boundaries I cross, and Annual Report what those crossings teach me. Heartland Congregation Receives
Bennett Award What kind of boundaries? There are the UU History & Heritage Prizes geopolitical ones of the various states that 2012-2014 comprise the Heartland; and, of course, the Emerson Church Celebrates 50 ones between countries when I'm lucky Years enough to travel farther away. But more Inclusive Justice - Together in
often, the boundaries I cross are ones that Faith we humans make for ourselves (and yes, we Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley New Website! UU Ministry for create the geopolitical ones, too, but these District Executive Earth others are different). My best friend (outside
CLF Offers Online Worship of my partner) is a staunch political conservative, while I am not. I regularly consort with police officers Tapestry of Faith Youth Program
Field Test (I served for a decade as a police chaplain), and with folks in the military (including our UU chaplains). I live in a working class Important New Leadership
Opportunity! neighborhood, though I'm far from working class. I am a life-long Unitarian Universalists who also finds my spirit nurtured by the rituals DA12 Evaluation & PowerPoint Presentations of the Catholic Church. And I lived in Canada for twenty years, and Midwest UU Leadership Series hold dual citizenship.
District Calendar
Being a stranger in a different country for those twenty years left its Congregational Bulletins impact. I was able to discern things about the Canadian culture that ATTENTION! New Officers is like water to the Canadian "fish," and at the same time, I was able to better see the water that Americans swim in, too. I learned how to observe, and ask questions, and bring curiosity to the interactions.
This curiosity allows me to see what I would not be able to see if I simply presumed that if folks look like me, they will think and feel like me, too. That's often not the case, and the blind assumption, it's true, can get in the way of true conversation, real connection and District Assembly deeper learning. Evaluation I'm thinking about this, too, because this week I'm off at training to An online survey for the 2012 learn how to help UUs look at issues of cultural difference in ways Heartland District Assembly is that I believe can help us become the religious movement we want to now available and has been be. Shaming our way to anti-racist behavior will never work, but an sent to Assembly attendees. invitation to curiosity and growth might just be the way. Figuring out Your opinion is important to us. what boundaries we're crossing, where they lie, and how to cultivate openness and curiosity is my goal. I'm learning this so that this is one District Assembly Evaluation of the new skills and gifts I can bring to our MidAmerica region-ways of helping our congregations step tenderly into the path of becoming District Assembly multicultural. Stay tuned. Be curious. I'll be sharing more over the PowerPoint months ahead. Presentations
In faith, PowerPoint Presentations Lisa shown at District Assembly
will be available on the Heartland website by the end Faith Development of the week.
"Collaboration Is the Key"... Midwest UU Rev. Peter Morales, our President of the Leadership Unitarian Universalist Association made this statement recently to our expanded staff team at the UUA, letting us know his vision of how we can succeed as a vital and transformative faith.
If collaboration is the key to our success, I certainly saw that firsthand at the three
Registration is open for these district assemblies that I attended in the Nancy Combs-Morgan free online workshops. To last few weeks. Heartland, Prairie Star, Faith Development Director participate all you need is and Central Midwest district assemblies high speed internet access were all tremendous experiences in deepening relationships and and a separate phone line. sharing ideas, as well as resources. Registration closes at 5:00 pm Central Time the day As President Morales went on to express about the Unitarian before each webinar.
Universalist's he encounters who overflow with talent, ideas, and Click HERE to see a passion -- he could have been describing every leader I encountered calendar of all upcoming at these district assemblies. I so deeply appreciate the gifted webinars. religious educators, youth advisors, ministers, and the many, many congregational leaders who seek deeper conversations, deeper relationships and growing our faith. Let us seek to further enhance Small Congregation our collaborations with the goal to share our talent, ideas, and Workshop Series passion! May 19, 2012
In faith, They Joined, They Love Nancy Combs-Morgan Us... Now What? June 4, 2012 P.S. Looking forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming Bridging Conference for youth in Bloomfield Hills and the Worship District Calendar Renaissance Module in Kalamazoo, MI. Don't forget that the "New Models of Religious Education" workshop in Lafayette, IN, on Saturday, May 19th from 9:30-12:00 is open to leaders who are interested in what is on the horizon for religious education in our congregations!
Now Available! 2012 Heartland District Annual
Report May 5, 2012 Installation of Annual reports reflecting the state of the district Rev. Shelley Page Grosse Pointe Unitarian are now available. Church, MI 2012 District Assembly Program May 10-12, 2012 Worship for All Ages Renaissance Module Register | Flyer & Annual Reports May 11-13, 2012 CONsanguinity Sr High
Heartland Congregation Receives Bennett Bridging/Election CON Award Birmingham Unitarian Church, Bloomfield Hills, People's Church of Kalamazoo MI Wins the UUA's 2012 Bennett Award for Congregational May 19, 2012 Action on Human Justice and New Models of Religious Social Action Education
June 2, 2012 News just in that People's Church Ordination of has been selected as the recipient of a UUA award for exemplary Megan Lloyd Joiner leadership and action in the areas of Human Justice and Social First Unitarian Church Action. Cincinnati, OH
The UUA Bennett Award Panel was very impressed by our June 9, 2012 commitment to a diverse and dynamic justice ministry. From Ordination of Bruce involvement with ISAAC and the Michigan UU Social Justice Network, Beisner to the various social justice committees ongoing-a community St. John's UU Church & prisoner release project, a Green Sanctuary Committee, Habitat for Heritage UU Church Humanity, Martha's Table and mentoring at Lincoln Elementary Cincinnati, OH School-they were inspired at the breadth and depth of our ministry. They admired our steady progression toward a healthy, multicultural July 15-21, 2012 and anti-racist/anti-oppressive justice-oriented congregation and MidWest Leadership note that this deserves to be publicly recognized. They were also School pleased to see how People's has consistently made use of UUA Youth Leadership School resources to help strengthen our justice programs. MidWest UU Leadership
Webinars Read full article...
UU History & Heritage Prizes 2012- UUA Publications 2014 Congregational Bulletins The deadline for all UU History & Heritage prizes is April 2012 JUNE 1 OF THE YEAR IN WHICH THE PRIZE WILL BE May 2012 AWARDED. Thus, in 2012 we welcome submissions for the Youth Heritage Prize, Seminarian History Prize, InterConnections: and Heritage Project Prize. A Newsletter for Congregational Leaders Please direct submissions and questions to Dan April 2012 McKanan at [email protected]. As appropriate, winning submissions may be considered for publication in the Journal of Unitarian Universalist History. In addition to the $500 award, ATTENTION! all winners will receive a free one-year membership New Officers in the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society. Have you elected new
officers recently in your See full list of prizes... congregation?
Make updates NOW at: my.UUA.org
Don't forget your Emerson Church Celebrates 50 congregation's page in the District Directory. Click Years on the link below to find Emerson Church in Troy, MI is delighted to our directory update form present Mr. Jim Scott, UU composer, poet, and to see how your performer and activist, at the 50th congregation page appears Anniversary Celebration scheduled for Sunday, in the 2012 Heartland May 20 at 10:30 AM. District Directory. Jim Scott will present his gifts of music during Contact Emerson's 50th Anniversary service, joining [email protected] to with the special choir with voices from the get new password for New Hope Congregation and Emerson Church, directory. under the direction of Debby Tyler, music director at New Hope Congregation in New Hudson, MI. Make updates & upload District Directory In addition to a wonderful musical program planned for May 20, Emerson will welcome Revs. John Corrado and Kenneth Phifer to speak. Kathy Silver, Heartland District Vice-President will bring Contact Us greetings from the District and Rev. Suzanne Paul, Emerson's Consulting Minister will facilitate the special service. Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive All are welcome. [email protected] Alternate email: Inclusive Justice - Together in [email protected]
Faith Nancy Combs-Morgan Faith Development
"Reaching the Moveable Middle" Director Conference [email protected]
May 14, 2012 Barbara Hamilton Keynote "Reaching the Moveable Middle" District Administrator by Macky Alston [email protected]
Macky Alston, acclaimed documentary filmmaker, will introduce the More About Us film and take questions after this special showing of Love Free or Die. His awards include the Gotham Open Palm Award and Emmy nominations for three of his films and he has appeared in press around the world, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, and The New York Times. Do you have news you Flyer/Registration... want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We New Website! UU Ministry for Earth publish every other week-- Send articles or announcements to [email protected]
Submission deadlines: Articles & Announcements: 12:00 pm on Wednesdays District-sponsored Events: 12:00 pm on Mondays Honor Local Eco Heroes! Nominate Guardians! Non-District Events: Send Pictures! Earth Day Resources! 12:00 pm on Wednesdays
The new UUMFE website is ready for your use. The website has Your comments and been redesigned, refreshed, and re-energized - all to help you in your suggestions for the personal and congregational activities to care for Earth. newsletter are always appreciated. Click on the
CLF Offers Online Worship link below to send us a message. The Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) offers weekly online worship. Barbara Hamilton District Administrator Are congregations concerned about reaching Newsletter Editor out to people who work on Sunday mornings, [email protected] people who are sick or housebound, or people who live too far away from a bricks and mortar congregation? For times when you can't get to church, now church will come to you.
Next Publication Join the spiritual expedition! Sundays at 7:00 pm and Mondays at Date: May 17, 2012 1:30 pm (Eastern Time). Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, www.QuestForMeaning.org Wednesday, May 16 Click on Reflecting Click again on Worship Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, May 14 Questions? Call Beth: 617-948-6150.
Beth Murray Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) Tapestry of Faith Youth Program, Virtue Ethics, in Field Test! Virtue Ethics offers a UU-based exploration of moral frameworks, ethical choices, and how our behavior shapes our character. In twelve 90-minute workshops, the Virtue Ethics curriculum guides youth to discover how integrity, humility, generosity, and other classic "virtues" do and could operate in their real lives. The program offers stories, activities, role play scenarios, reflection, and faith in action opportunities.
Field testers may use some of the workshops, all the workshops, or an extended program including additional workshops leaders design themselves, following the program template.
The attached flyer describes Virtue Ethics and the benefits and responsibilities of field testing. Please share with religious educators and youth advisors!
Get more details... Important New Leadership Opportunity! In an effort to broaden and deepen volunteer leadership opportunities in our Association, The UUA Board of Trustees has created an "Appointments Committee" of persons not currently serving on the board. This committee will have seven members plus a trustee liaison, and will recruit and recommend candidates for board-appointed committees. Committee members will be responsible for recruiting persons to serve on entities that currently include, but are not limited to: Open UUA Committee Journey Toward Wholeness Transformation Committee Election Campaign Practices Committee Appointments committee Investment Committee Committee on Socially Responsible Investing Audit Committee Retirement Plan Committee Employee Benefit Trust Board appointments to: General Assembly Planning Committee Commission on Social Witness Presidential Search Committee
In accordance with UUA Board policy, the Appointments Committee is expected to recommend individuals so that the membership of committees and task forces reflects the full diversity of the Association, especially in regard to historically marginalized communities, but also balancing amongst size of congregation, lay and ordained, geography, age (including youth and young adults), and gender, among others. The committee shall consult with groups and organizations, including those traditionally underrepresented in Unitarian Universalist leadership, to help inform the appointment process. The committee shall collaborate with the Nominating Committee to develop systems and processes for recruiting, selecting, and training appointees and candidates, and shall assist in providing training, support, and monitoring to further the work of other committees.
The time commitment is significant, with an anticipated six meetings a year, at least two in person. Work between meetings can be significant. Persons considering service on this committee must enjoy phone calls and in depth conversations with references and applicants. The ability to timely respond to phone and email contacts is critical, as is discretion and the ability to manage detailed information. These positions require evaluation and discernment skills, and a commitment to the transformation of the UUA into an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multi-cultural faith community.
Deadline for applications is May 18, 2012. The board expects to make the appointments by the end of June.
Online Application For questions, contact Nancy Lawrence at [email protected]
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
May 17, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 22
Dear Jennifer, In This Issue
In Appreciation Summertime, and the living is Diane Melvin-Credentialed
Religious Educator easy! Greater Cincinnati Pride Interfaith
Service At least, that's what it feels like up here in MidWest Leadership School
Michigan this week. Wonderful balmy temps Deadline Extended
in the 70s, and nights in the great-for-sleep MyUUA Offline: May 25 - June 1 40s. It makes me long to be outside, DA12 Evaluation & PowerPoint
playing, digging in the garden, doing things Presentations
other than the work that sits before me in Midwest UU Leadership Series my computer and on my phone! Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
District Executive District Calendar
I'm sure you feel that way too, but there's a Congregational Bulletins
pattern that I'm observing in congregations. I know when I was a ATTENTION! New Officers parish minister, this was the time of year when I felt like I was running on fumes. Taking vacation only in the summer meant that by
the time May and June came around, I was at the end of 9-10 months of energy cycle. I was exhausted. I felt blessed that there
were so many "have-to" services: flower celebration, Mother's Day, graduation, Father's Day, youth Sunday, and on and on. My sermonic
wells were getting shallow, so I loved the respite. District Assembly Evaluation But for me on District Staff, there is a very different rhythm. Rather than being the slide into summer with little going on, instead it An online survey for the 2012 turns out that spring can be one of the busiest times. The folks who Heartland District Assembly is now available and has been wanted to get things sorted out by the end of the year realize it's sent to Assembly attendees. coming fast and furious, so the requests for information and Your opinion is important to coaching escalate. Also, conflicts that might have been on slow us. simmer earlier in the year rise up to near full boil as the sun returns- District Assembly Evaluation no more hibernation, as congregations seek solutions to issues small and large. Add to that the ministerial search season where ministers are moving, and congregations are seeking interims, and it is a District Assembly chaotic mix that only serves to increase my desire to be outside PowerPoint away from it all! Presentations
And yet, like you, I know that running from things isn't a good way to PowerPoint Presentations shown at District Assembly handle them. And it's very good for me to remember that tempers will be available on the get shorter, that folks are harried and hurried and longing to get Heartland website by the end away from it all into the lazy, hazy days of summer. of the week.
So my advice: take that time for yourself. Breathe deeply the air Midwest UU that surrounds. Take another. Remember that there is little that is Leadership so urgent that we can't take a moment to smell the flowers, mow the lawn, take a walk around the block. Important things will hold, as we take a moment to hold on to the preciousness of life, and of the natural world leaping back to flower and life.
Then remember, your District Staff are here to help. Give us a call, drop us an email. We all do better together than alone. Registration is open for these In faith, free online workshops. To Lisa participate all you need is high speed internet access P.S. The summer is a busy time for your Heartland staff. Nancy and a separate phone line. and I will be at GA at the end of June; we will both be at the Registration closes at 5:00 pm MidWest Leadership School (youth and adult) for 12 days in mid- Central Time the day before July, and we'll both be doing meetings or workshops at the end each webinar. of August. We'll also try to squeeze in some days off, I'm sure. So think ahead-we won't be as available as we're serving you in Click HERE to see a calendar of all upcoming these other ways.
webinars.
Faith Development Small Congregations: Attracting Young Adults
May 19, 2012 In Appreciation They Joined, They Love As our programming year winds down, I Us... Now What? want to express my deep appreciation June 4, 2012 for the many volunteers who make our district events a reality. I've just come District Calendar from People's Church in Kalamazoo, MI, where Diane Melvin (see the piece below) and gracious volunteers helped us to have a wonderful "Worship For All
Ages Renaissance Module," with Nancy Combs-Morgan attendees from Prairie Star, Central Faith Development Director Midwest, and Heartland Districts.
I then moved down the road, heading east to Bloomfield Hills, for May 19, 2012 our "Bridging Youth Conference," hosted by the talented folks at New Models of Religious Birmingham Unitarian Church and our District Youth Steering Education Committee (DYSC). Special thanks go to Kimery Campbell and the many volunteers who helped the 70 youth in attendance have a June 2, 2012 profound sense of community. With many tears and hugs, we had an Ordination of extended blessing for the bridging seniors. Two of those bridging Megan Lloyd Joiner seniors have been serving nobly on our DYSC; Karalyn Grimes First Unitarian Church (Lansing, MI) and Brian Rinehart (Lousiville, KY) -- MANY thanks to Cincinnati, OH these talented youth leaders! June 9, 2012 In faith, Ordination of Bruce Nancy Combs-Morgan Beisner St. John's UU Church & Heritage UU Church Cincinnati, OH
July 15-21, 2012 MidWest Leadership School Diane Melvin - Credentialed Religious Educator Youth Leadership School
Diane Melvin, Director of Religious Education at MidWest UU Leadership People's Church in Kalamazoo, MI was awarded Webinars her "credentialed religious educator" status at a recent meeting of the UUA Religious Education UUA Publications Credentialing Committee meeting in Boston. Diane was also this year's recipient of the Anne Congregational Bulletins Miller Award for excellence in Religious Education awarded by the Heartland District April 2012 Lifespan Religious Education Committee. May 2012 InterConnections: In her Reflection Paper, written for the credentialing process, Diane A Newsletter for says: Congregational Leaders April 2012 "Many of my life experiences have come together to contribute to my formation as a professional religious educator. My mission in life May 2012 is to foster healing and peace within individuals, in the world and with the earth. ATTENTION! I believe that as people connect with their own inner sense of peace and purpose, they are then better able to work for peace and New Officers justice in the world, and for healing of the earth as a natural Have you elected new extension of their religious path. officers recently in your congregation? I strive to foster these qualities in people of all ages by helping them deepen their own religious lives as well as supporting them in creating the kind of world in which they wish to live." Make updates NOW at:
my.UUA.org Congratulations to Diane for these achievements in her work as an outstanding Heartland religious educator! Don't forget your
Submitted by, congregation's page in the Kathy Silver District Directory. Click Director of Religious Education on the link below to find New Hope Unitarian Universalist Congregation our directory update form and to see how your Greater Cincinnati Pride Interfaith Service congregation page appears in the 2012 Heartland Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. District Directory. Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church Contact [email protected] to Join us in celebrating the "Spiritual Side of Pride" with an interfaith get new password for evening of song, scripture, prayer and inspiration. Over a dozen directory. clergy and lay leaders from across the rainbow of religious perspectives will lead this service which honors how diverse faiths Make updates & upload respect and embrace people of all sexual orientations and gender District Directory identities.
Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Council of Greater Contact Us Cincinnati. For additional information, please visit www.cincinnatipride.org Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive Read flyer... [email protected] Alternate email: [email protected]
Nancy Combs-Morgan MidWest Leadership School Deadline Extended Faith Development Director to June 1st [email protected] The deadline for registration has been extended. Barbara Hamilton Register and send your $150 non-refundable District Administrator tuition deposit A.S.A.P. [email protected]
Registration MUST be done More About Us online, or on a printout or copy of this form.
Registration details... Register online... Do you have news you MyUUA Offline from May 25 - June 1 want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We
publish every other week-- The UUA's online data updating system, Send articles or my.UUA.org, will be offline for approximately announcements to one week at the end of this month. On the [email protected] afternoon of Friday, May 25, users who visit the log-in page will see a notice that the Submission deadlines: system is offline for maintenance. We expect Articles & Announcements: the system to be back online by Friday, June 12:00 pm on Wednesdays 1. District-sponsored Events: 12:00 pm on Mondays We apologize for the inconvenience while this system maintenance Non-District Events: is taking place. Please let me know if you have any questions. 12:00 pm on Wednesdays
Nick Rafeal Your comments and Unitarian Universalist Association / Data Services suggestions for the 617-948-4654 newsletter are always
appreciated. Click on the link below to send us a message.
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator Newsletter Editor [email protected]
Next Publication Date: May 31, 2012 Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, Wednesday, May 30 Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, May 28
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
May 31, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 23
Dear Barbara, In This Issue Introducing New Small Growth
I remember the first sermon I wrote Grant Fund
- not a very good one - but when I MWUUL Upcoming Workshops wrote it, it was with pencil on a UU Barn Church-50th Anniversary pad of paper. A New Welcoming Congregation
UU Choir Festival in Ann Arbor I wrote only on one side, so that I could cut DA12 Evaluation & PowerPoint it apart and paste it back together in what I Presentations
hoped was a more logical order. It didn't Midwest UU Leadership Series help the sermon much, but it was an easy
District Calendar way to do things. Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
Congregational Bulletins District Executive
That method of writing is pretty much what I ATTENTION! New Officers still do-hopefully with better results! But even though I use a computer now instead of a pencil and pad, it's the same thing, just faster. I still cut and paste, this time electronically. I write fast, and then sort it, and try to come up with elegant ways to connect what I want to share with the "audience" in the congregation. District Assembly But this week, this week I'm in a training that is challenging me to do Evaluation things differently. Rather than assuming "church as usual," I'm being An online survey for the 2012 asked to realize that I need to do things differently. Rather than Heartland District Assembly is think of paper as the medium, what changes when I begin to think now available and has been virtual and computer networks instead? What changes when I sent to Assembly attendees. view myself as a collector of other people's information that I Your opinion is important to then share, rather than the creator of everything? What does it us. mean to be part of a learning community, where everyone learns District Assembly Evaluation together, and brings their own insights, rather than relying on an
"expert" to provide "the answers"? District Assembly That's what I'm learning, and I can't wait to share it with you all. Be PowerPoint in touch if you want to know more! Presentations
In faith, PowerPoint Presentations Lisa shown at District Assembly will be available on the Heartland website by the end of the week.
Chalice Lighters Introduces New Small Growth Midwest UU Grant Fund Leadership Historically, the Chalice Lighter Program in the Heartland District has allowed congregations to dream bigger than their own budgets and create something special or new in their congregation.
This spring, we did not receive any Registration is open for these applications for a Chalice Lighters call, so free online workshops. To we've decided to launch a different kind of participate all you need is call - the Small Growth Grants call. Grants high speed internet access of no more than $1,000 will be designed to help congregations take and a separate phone line. the first step in a new program that they believe will help growth. Registration closes at 5:00 Consider it a micro-loan, with the "payback" being increased UUs in pm Central Time the day the Heartland, rather than having to pay back the money. before each webinar.
It's something new, and we're hoping that it catches fire with your Click HERE to see a calendar of all upcoming imagination. What could a few hundred dollars help you do? webinars.
Read full Call letter... They Joined, They Love Small Growth Grant Fund criteria for application... Us... Now What? Make a donation now June 4, 2012
"For New Congregation
MWUUL Upcoming Workshops Presidents" June 12th and June 14th,
2012 "They Joined, They Love Us,...Now What?" For membership committees and professionals:
Explore best practices retaining members in our District Calendar Unitarian Universalist congregations. Monday, June 4, 2012 6:45 PM Central; (7:45 PM Eastern) For more information see http://www.psduua.org/Workshops/NowWhat
June 2, 2012 Ordination of Megan Lloyd Joiner First Unitarian Church Cincinnati, OH
June 9, 2012 "For New Congregation Presidents" Ordination of Bruce Review some simple basics for ways an incoming president can make Beisner the year more productive and even enjoyable for the board and the St. John's UU Church & whole leadership. Heritage UU Church Offered twice Cincinnati, OH Tuesday, June 12, 2012 and Thursday June 14, 2012 July 15-21, 2012 Both at 6:45 PM Central (7:45 PM Eastern) MidWest Leadership For more information see School http://www.psduua.org/Workshops/NewCongregationPresidents Youth Leadership School
MidWest UU Leadership
Webinars
UU Barn Church Celebrates 50th Anniversary UUA Publications
Congregational Bulletins April 2012 May 2012
InterConnections: A Newsletter for Congregational Leaders April 2012 May 2012
The congregation of Emerson Church Unitarian Universalist marks 45 years in the white barn church on Livernois ATTENTION! The congregation of Emerson Church Unitarian Universalist is not huge - 70 members - compared with nearby Kensington Community New Officers Church and Woodside Bible Church, two of the largest evangelical Have you elected new churches in the country. officers recently in your congregation? But the UU's, as they refer to themselves, have held strong in a former dairy barn on Livernois, a registered historical site known as the white barn, for 45 years. Make updates NOW at:
my.UUA.org The Emerson congregation celebrated its 50th anniversary in a special celebration at the church May 20. Don't forget your
Read full article... congregation's page in the District Directory. Click Harmony UU Church - A Welcoming on the link below to find our directory update form Congregation and to see how your congregation page appears in the 2012 Heartland District Directory. Greetings! I'm thrilled to inform you Contact that the following Heartland [email protected] to District congregation has just been get new password for recognized as a Welcoming directory. Congregation: Make updates & upload District Directory
Harmony Unitarian Universalist Church Contact Us 300 W. Church St., Mason, OH 45040 Congregational contact: Kathy Dunsmore [email protected] Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive I'm sure you're well familiar with these folks-they are a wonderful, [email protected] passionate bunch, and I was so excited that they decided to make Alternate email: Welcoming Congregation work a part of their start-up as an emerging [email protected] congregation. What a great model! Nancy Combs-Morgan Alex Kapitan Faith Development Congregational Justice Administrator Director Multicultural Ministries / LGBT Ministries [email protected] Unitarian Universalist Association
Welcoming Congregation Barbara Hamilton
UU Choir Festival in Ann Arbor District Administrator [email protected] First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor website More About Us
Do you have news you want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We publish every other week-- Send articles or announcements to [email protected]
Next Publication Date: June 14, 2012 Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, Wednesday, June 13th Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, June 11th
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on the link below to send us a message.
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator Newsletter Editor [email protected]
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
June 14, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 24
Dear Barbara, In This Issue
In Memoriam: Rev. Nancy Shaffer General Assembly is just around the Upcoming OWL Trainings in corner, and that's great! (And a bit scary, District since there's a lot of work I need to do On Medical Leave between now and then!) UU Congregations Team Up
General Assembly is the annual gathering of Welcoming Congregation Program
New Look UUs to do business, learn, share, worship, and act for justice together. This year, if you Illuminations UU App Now
Available haven't heard it already, is different: we're DA12 Evaluation & PowerPoint doing a Justice GA, a chance to help
Presentations support our congregations in Arizona, and Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley the communities there, to deal with District Executive Midwest UU Leadership Series immigration laws that are punitive and District Calendar
that often fail to recognize the inherent worth and dignity of UUA Publications every person. Participants will educate themselves, and then learn ATTENTION! New Officers ways to not only help in Arizona, but to bring the message and work NEW OFFICE HOURS home to our various local communities.
There are other differences: this year, congregations could have "virtual" delegates attend and participate in business. Business will be held to the minimum, but it is exciting that attendance and participation aren't restricted to those traveling to Arizona.
Many events will be live-streamed: you can find more information District Assembly on the UUA website. Why not organize a viewing at your church or in Evaluation your home so that you can attend worship, or plenary, or Ware An online survey for the 2012 Lecture, or Service of the Living tradition. Remember, though, when Heartland District Assembly is you're contemplating these, the various time zone issues: Arizona is now available and has been on Mountain STANDARD Time-three hours different from Eastern sent to Assembly attendees. Daylight Time, and two hours different from Central Daylight Time. Your opinion is important to us. GA also means that Nancy and I won't be readily available to you in District Assembly Evaluation the same way-being deeply involved in that community means we might not be able to track email and phone as obsessively as we try District Assembly to every other day! PowerPoint Enjoy-and I hope to "see" you in Phoenix! Presentations PowerPoint Presentations In faith, shown at District Assembly Lisa will be available on the
In Memoriam: Rev. Nancy Shaffer Heartland website by the end of the week. We are sad to announce that the Rev. Nancy
Shaffer, who most recently served as Associate Midwest UU Minister at First UU Congregation in Ann Arbor, MI passed away June 5th at age 61. Leadership
While in Ann Arbor, Nancy was diagnosed with a brain tumor and retired from ministry and returned "home" to Davis, California. Nancy continued to write poetry and reflections
throughout her illness and was ably supported by our Davis congregation. A service celebrating her life will be held at First UU Congregation on Sunday, June 17th at 1:00 p.m. Midwest UU Leadership's new webinar schedule will be available in late Upcoming OWL Trainings in District summer or early fall 2012. As reported to the Lifespan Religious Education Committee (LREC) by Natalie Spriggs-Trobridge Director of Religious Education UU Church of Indianapolis District Calendar
We have confirmed that the the trainers will be available to lead the 7-9 & 10-12 OWL training August 17-19 in Ann Arbor.* Registration should be available within the next couple of weeks as we work out the expense details. We are going to do our best to keep the registration fees to a minimum for participants. In the meantime, you can help us achieve this by sending an email to [email protected] to let me know how many you would expect to register from your congregation July 15-21, 2012 (if you haven't already). MidWest Leadership Thanks! School Youth Leadership School
All-City OWL Program from the Cincinnati Churches (the UU Council MidWest UU Leadership of Greater Cincinnati might be considered the umbrella group) has Webinars been working to prepare a Senior/Junior High OWL Training with our UCC friends who are a part of the SONKY (Southern Ohio Northern UUA Publications Kentucky UCC) group. The UCCs would be hosting the event at their church and the UUs would be providing meals and support people. The event would, hopefully, be self-funding and we think we have Congregational Bulletins almost enough people just in the Cincinnati area to fill the attendee May 2012 spots. The trainers names are Kat Holtz and Fred Smith. We had June 2012 several possible dates but the best is looking to be the first weekend in August - InterConnections: August 3, 4. and 5. A Newsletter for Congregational Leaders There is another OWL all track training in St. Louis on: April 2012 August 24-25, 2012 - All Levels - Event Website May 2012 Sponsor: Central Midwest District Trainers: Laura Ann Stuart, Peter D'Ascoli, Kristie Monast, and Neal DenHollander Contact: Michelle Richards, [email protected], ATTENTION! (574) 266-7710 New Officers
Have you elected new Smile officers recently in your congregation?
On Medical Leave - Nancy Combs-Morgan Make updates NOW at: my.UUA.org
Nancy Combs-Morgan, our Faith Don't forget your Development Director, is on congregation's page in the medical leave until June 25th. District Directory. Click on the link below to find Nancy has suffered a broken our directory update form wrist and finger during a mishap and to see how your while walking her dog. congregation page appears in the 2012 Heartland Heal quickly, Nancy. District Directory. Contact [email protected] to UU Congregations Team get new password for Up directory. As part of the Prison Book Ministry, Community Unitarian Make updates & upload Universalists in Brighton, MI District Directory
(CUUB) teamed up with New Hope UU Congregation of New Hudson, MI to deliver 49 children's books (for Contact Us the visiting room) and 367 books to the inmates of the Handlon Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley Correctional Facility in Ionia, MI. District Executive We are Standing on the Side of [email protected] Love! Alternate email: [email protected]
A notice is posted on the CUUB and Nancy Combs-Morgan MUUSJN websites. Faith Development CUUB website Director Link to the MUUSJN post [email protected] Welcoming Congregation Program Barbara Hamilton New Look District Administrator You may be interested to know that the UUA has [email protected] recently overhauled all their web pages on the Welcoming Congregation Program - check them out. More About Us
We have a brand new page on Welcoming Congregation Refresher NEW OFFICE HOURS Programs, a revised 10 Things Your Congregation Can Do resource, and much more, including a brand new Pride resource, just released Beginning July 1, 2012, the last week! Heartland District office will have new hours of If you ever get questions from congregations I hope you'll feel free to operation. send folks to our web pages above and also connect them with me-I'm so happy to be here as a resource in the important work of welcome Monday - Thursday and inclusion of all kinds. 8:30 am - 4:00 pm EST Alex Kapitan Congregational Justice Administrator Multicultural Ministries/LGBT Ministries Unitarian Universalist Association www.uua.org/multicultural www.uua.org/lgbt
Illuminations App Now Available
Illuminations, the UUA's first app is now available in the iTunes App Store! The Android version is right around the corner and will hopefully be ready by GA.
Want Inspirational Words, 7 Principles, and Chalice Lighter all in one? Get the Free UU Illuminations App for iOS and Do you have news you Android devices. want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We Staff groups are welcome to promote the app through their various publish every other week-- communication channels. Below you will find talking points and Send articles or information about the app that you can use when promoting announcements to Illuminations. [email protected]
Illuminations has over 350 Inspirational Words, a Chalice Next Publication Date: Lighter with several chalice options, and a 7 Principles Guide June 28, 2012 in English and Spanish, along with examples of the Principles Deadline for articles and in action. The app is free and currently available for iOS announcements: Noon, devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad) and will be available Wednesday, June 27th for Android devices very soon. Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, June 25th The Timely Words feature delivers Inspirational Word notifications on a daily or weekly basis. This feature can be disabled. Your comments and suggestions for the The chalice lighter comes with 5 chalice designs. Tap the newsletter are always screen to light it and tap it again to extinguish the flame. appreciated. Click on the Alternatively you can blow, near the microphone, to link below to send us a extinguish the flame! message. Inspirational Words and the 7 Principles can be shared via Facebook, Twitter, and email. Barbara Hamilton Updates, information, and support can be found the District Administrator Illuminations Facebook page: Newsletter Editor http://www.facebook.com/IlluminationsApp and on [email protected] UUA.org/illuminations The logo and screenshots can be downloaded from the
Facebook Image Albums: http://www.facebook.com/IlluminationsApp/photos Questions about the app from staff can come directly to me, Larry Stritof [email protected]. All other constituents should use [email protected] The app can be found in the app store or via this direct link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/illuminations-unitarian- universalist/id531010625
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio
June 28, 2012 Volume 6, Issue 25
Dear Barbara, In This Issue
MidAmerica Youth & Young Adults
This year's UUA General Youth Advisor CON 2012 Assembly (GA) was a game- Petoskey Newest Heartland
Member changer. Ride for LGBTQ Rights
For those of you who've been watching UUA I am not Super Woman! activities for a while will know that at the DA12 Evaluation & PowerPoint 2010 GA, delegates agreed to a compromise. Presentations
Arizona had recently passed SB1070, the Midwest UU Leadership Series
anti-immigration legislation that sparked a District Calendar Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley call for boycotting Arizona, and yet, the UUA Publications District Executive Arizona UU congregations wanted us to still ATTENTION! New Officers come to help them fight against these
NEW OFFICE HOURS policies and laws. Thanks to the efforts of many, a compromise was negotiated: we would go to Arizona, but we would have a "Justice GA" with only the necessary business done, and the rest be focused on issues of justice.
When that decision was made, no one could know how many people would show up for Justice GA, nor what it would look like. Nearly 4000 people attended, and the workshops and worship focused on District Assembly what it means to be faithful people working for justice. The "usual" Evaluation workshops weren't there, and instead, there was training and An online survey for the 2012 reflection on how we live out our UU values, and how we help to Heartland District Assembly is shape the world in an image of greater justice. I learned how to now available and has been help lawful permanent residents apply for citizenship-an sent to Assembly attendees. incredibly detailed process (can you remember every address you've Your opinion is important to lived at over the past 10-15 years, and every time you've been us. outside the country for more than 24 hours?). Other people explored District Assembly Evaluation media training, immigration's multiple issues, while others looked at how to form a congregation-wide social justice effort. There were District Assembly reflection groups: chances for people to meet in small groups once a PowerPoint day to reflect on how this GA was impacting them; and there were the regional "take-home" groups where those who wish to continue Presentations this work met together in state groups to take the next steps in PowerPoint Presentations bringing the issues home. shown at District Assembly will be available on the It was powerful. Every bit of it. And perhaps most powerful was Heartland website by the end watching wave after wave, bus load after bus load, of UUs, many of the week. clad in the bright yellow Standing on the Side of Love t-shirts, arrive Midwest UU at the demonstration outside of Tent City on Saturday night. The Leadership infamous Tent City is an outdoor, canvass created, jail where the temperatures can soar around the 120s in summer, and drop low in the winter nights. The Rev. Bill Shultz, now head of our UU Service Committee, and once the head of Amnesty International, USA, declared the conditions there some of the worst he's seen around the world. And so, Saturday night, over 2500 UUs showed up and demonstrated against the cruelty of Tent City, accompanied by local organizations. The Phoenix Police Department helped make sure that there were no confrontations between us and the Sheriff's Midwest UU Leadership's Office-the "owners" of Tent City. It was amazing to see the expanse new webinar schedule of candles waving, and to know that we were making a statement will be available in late and showing our solidarity. During other events at GA, over $120,000 summer or early fall was raised to support ongoing work to eradicate horrible conditions 2012. for immigrants in Arizona.
We came away changed. The style of how we do GA changed. There District Calendar were "off-site" delegates connected, voting and debating by electronic means. GA workshops centered on how to make our faith palpable through action. Expectations about how we live out our UU values rose, and I bet that in future years, we'll be doing more linking of what we believe with what we do. Once we've seen the potential, we'll not go back to "business as usual." There's too much at stake to do that. Our world needs us to act, not just talk. Our world needs us to move that arc of justice closer to the world. July 1 - Sept 3, 2012 In faith, Summer Office Hours Lisa Monday - Thursday
8:30 am - 3:15 pm (EST) MidAmerica Youth & Young Adults July 15-21, 2012 MidWest Leadership Dear Friends: Although I must remain on School medical leave through June 30th, I will Youth Leadership School continue to share the exciting work of the youth and young adults in our MidWest UU Leadership MidAmerica Region. Webinars
In Our Beautiful Blue Boat UUA Publications Home Congregational Bulletins Nancy Combs-Morgan Faith Development Director MidAmerica Perhaps this headline is familiar to May 2012 Coordinator for Emerging Models of you, coming from the beautiful song June 2012 Youth and Young Adult Ministries by Peter Mayer, "Blue Boat Home." Whenever I hear this moving piece, I InterConnections: think about shared moments of singing this with UU youth at our A Newsletter for Youth Midwest Leadership School. They know this hymn well, for it Congregational Leaders resonates with their life experiences. I encourage you to consider April 2012 using this piece, which is in our hymnal supplement, and also to visit May 2012 the author's website, Peter Mayer. The primary reason that I was thinking about "Blue Boat Home" is that there is a new, engaging blog recently launched by our national Youth and Young Adult Office, which is http://blueboat.blogs.uua.org. Take a moment to check out ATTENTION! this new blog, which has great links and resources for both youth and New Officers young adult ministries. Have you elected new officers recently in your Read more... congregation?
Youth Advisor CON 2012 Make updates NOW at: my.UUA.org
Don't forget your congregation's page in the District Directory. Click on the link below to find our directory update form and to see how your
Youth Advisor CON 2012 congregation page appears August 3-5th, 2012 in the 2012 Heartland Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockford, IL District Directory. Contact The second annual AdvisorCon is for youth [email protected] to advisors from the MidAmerica Region (Central get new password for Midwest, Heartland, and Prairie Star). This directory. event is an opportunity for the adults engaged in ministry to and with Unitarian Universalist youth to create a supportive community, Make updates & upload discuss issues related to youth ministry, worship, and to learn District Directory together as we strive to provide high-quality youth programming to youth at a congregational and regional level.
Contact Us Highlights: Community Building and Networking Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley A discussion of the creation of a MidAmerican Youth Advisor District Executive Network - Activities designed to support advisors in creating [email protected] empowering youth communities in cooperation with youth Alternate email: Questions? Contact Heather Godbout, 708-308-2260 [email protected] Or, Nancy Combs-Morgan, [email protected] Nancy Combs-Morgan Read more & register... Faith Development Director Petoskey Becomes Newest Heartland Member [email protected] Congregation Barbara Hamilton District Administrator [email protected]
More About Us
NEW OFFICE HOURS
Beginning July 1, 2012, the Heartland District office will have new hours of operation.
Monday - Thursday
Rev. Dr. Leisa Huyck (left) accepts UUA Membership Plaque from 8:30 am - 3:15 pm EST Amy Taylor, Heartland Board President, on behalf of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Petoskey, MI as Heartland District's newest member congregation.
Phil Cooper's Ride for LGBTQ Rights
"Elliptical Indiana: Standing for Equality, Love and Justice"
Phil Cooper is touring Indiana this month on an ElliptiGO, riding 50 miles per day. Elliptical Indiana focuses on engaging people in Do you have news you discussion regarding House Joint want to share with UUs in Resolution 6, HJR-6. This proposed the Heartland District? We amendment to the Indiana publish every other week-- Constitution states: "Only a marriage Send articles or between one (1) man and one (1) announcements to woman shall be valid or recognized [email protected] Phil Cooper as marriage in Indiana. A legal status UU Church of Bloomington, IN Next Publication Date: identical or substantially similar to July 12, 2012 that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or Deadline for articles and recognized." announcements: Noon,
Wednesday, July 11th June 2nd through July 4th he will be collecting signatures from Deadline for Events: Noon, people who will pledge to vote against HJR-6 if it gets to the ballot Monday, July 9th in 2014.
Your comments and Phil writes: One thing I started doing as I prepared for this tour was suggestions for the to begin reading a book, Bridging the God Gap, by Roger Schriner, a newsletter are always UU minister. This book is about people who are believers, atheists appreciated. Click on the and agnostics having conversations about their views. I have not link below to send us a finished and have not been reading on tour, but just the same it is an message. enlightening read and spot on to the conversations we are having on this tour. My belief pattern tends along the atheist or agnostic end Barbara Hamilton of this continuum. I don't believe, but I don't know. District Administrator Newsletter Editor Read Phil's full article.... [email protected]
Friend Phil on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/philip.cooper.946?sk=wall Philip Cooper, [email protected] , Rainbow Rights Task Force
I am not Super Woman! Recently, as I was telling a friend how overwhelmed I was with all that was changing in my life, and how frustrated I was because I just wasn't keeping up the way I use to (or wanted to). She asked me to open my shirt and said, "I don't see the red S on your chest. You are not Super Woman."
I'm familiar with the transitions we face when going from childhood to "teenagenous" to adulthood, but I wasn't prepared emotionally for the transition to being a "senior citizen".
My oldest grandson, who is studying psychology at Indiana University, told me not long ago that 60 is the new 40, and 80 is the new 60. I said, "Well, that explains it!" My brain is still thinking in terms of being in my 40s, but our society and my body are telling me I'm 65 and ready for Medicare and retirement and slowing down and taking it easy.
Yes, I'm ready for retirement, but not in terms of slowing down or taking it easy. I'm ready to spend more of my life on the things I "want" to do, rather than the things I "need" to do. As much as I enjoy being 65, I was not ready for this transition. It's overwhelming at times.
I am not Super Woman...but I am strong and can adjust by taking one step at a time; by doing something every day, no matter how small, that gives me a sense of accomplishment; by checking one more thing off my "to-do" list.
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator
Heartline OnLine July 12, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 1 A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.
In This Issue Dear Barbara,
A Renewed Sense of Appreciation This time of year, it gets a bit crazy Follow Up to Justice GA! for your Heartland staff.
You Can Help with Fire Recovery
Our Whole Lives (OWL Training For some of you, you might be scratching your heads thinking "but we get less busy at our congregation in the summer-why is
District Staff so busy?"
There are a few of things. First of all, we're Quick Links Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley wrapping up our fiscal year, so we're District Executive balancing books, checking things twice, and Heartland District Calendar getting everything shipshape for the new year. That always brings excitement and drudgery (yes, even me, a former financial person, says that year end is drudgery!). But other things are exciting!
Second is the preparation for MidAmerica Region's MidWest Leadership School for youth and adults. We are the only area in the nation where these schools not only meet at the same
July 1 - Sept 3, 2012 time, but work together, play together and worship together. Summer Office Hours Five of our MidAmerica staff people are madly preparing for the Monday - Thursday students who will arrive at Beloit College for their intensive 8:30 am - 3:15 pm (EST) week on Sunday! We're planning education sessions, worship, fellowship, and many ways for them to learn. This year, 10 of July 15-21, 2012 the 35 youth and 9 of the 36 adults are from Heartland District. MIdWest Leadership School They will go back energized to help their congregations be Youth Leadership School more.
And third is the work on how we, as staff in Central MidWest, Midwest UU Prairie Star and Heartland Districts, will continue the move toward unified program structure for MidAmerica. Over the past Leadership years, we've done a lot together: joint trainings on leadership, New webinar Our Whole Lives, Renaissance Modules for religious educators, schedule will be webinars on almost every aspect of congregational life. Right available in late now, I'm sorting out two parts of our life together: how we summer or early fall 2012. support congregations in ministerial and other
professional staff transitions, and how we combine our MidWest UU Leadership Webinars financial resources to maximize the bang for your bucks.
Now, for some, this work (especially the financial stuff!) might seem like drudgery, but for me it's magical. The magic comes UUA Publications from the question that lies underneath it all: how is it that we can transform the "usual way" of doing business into UUA Monthly something that's new, expansive, permission-giving, and Congregational Bulletin brings greater benefit to our region?
InterConnections: A Newsletter for Too often we just keep on going along, trimming budgets here, Congregational Leaders making do there, but this time, this time I get to ask: what would we do differently? I don't know those answers yet, but I love trying to imagine them. It's almost as good as a swing in a ATTENTION! hammock.
New Officers Exciting times this summer, and hopefully, still some time to lay Have you recently elected new back in that hammock and catch a cooling breeze. I wish you officers in your congregation? well this summer-both time for deep imaginative reflection and for the laying back. May you find restoration, and Make updates NOW at: transformation, both! my.UUA.org In faith, Don't forget your congregation's page Lisa in the District Directory. Click on the link below to find our directory update form and to see how your congregation page appears in the A Renewed Sense of Appreciation 2012 Heartland District Directory. Contact [email protected] to get I most heartily have a renewed sense new password for directory. of appreciation for the faithwork that we all endeavor to undertake. With Make updates & upload District my last month of medical leave, due Directory to a broken wrist and finger, I was compelled to slow down and reflect Heartland District Staff on the bigger picture.
Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
With limited mobility I read more, District Executive observed more, and, yes, I must Nancy Combs-Morgan [email protected] confess I watched hours of classic Faith Development Director & Alternate email: [email protected] MidAmerica Coordinator of movies. In between, I also got caught Emerging Models of Youth and up in the 24-hour news cycle that is Nancy Combs-Morgan Young Adult Ministry everywhere, and with each Faith Development Director challenging story, I kept being reminded how what a gift it is to [email protected] be a Unitarian Universalist. I absolutely love being part of a faith
which seeks tolerance, loving kindness, and sustainability. Barbara Hamilton
District Administrator These three core values will be centering themes of our Youth [email protected] Midwest Leadership School, which is on the immediate
horizon. We have talented youth coming from MidAmerica. In More About Us
addition to intensive leadership development, we will be immersing ourselves in a day of community service in Beloit, WI.
I will be at Leadership School until the 21st and will be thankful for the faith nourishment of such a wonderful, shared, endeavor.
In faith, Nancy
Follow Up to Justice GA!
Justice GA was a hit-in that it helped us, as UUs, understand how we can make a difference in the world, and that making such a difference is how we live out our Unitarian Universalist values.
To continue the work of Justice GA-whether you were there or not-you can learn much by watching the report of Kay Montgomery and Harlan Limpert from GA. Click here to get to their presentation.
There you will learn about the Restoring Trust Campaign and consider taking part in the Standing on the Side of Love online training about breaking the isolation of immigration detention and starting a visitation program in your community. The training is July 25th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 7:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time, and you can click here to register for that session. More than 34,000 are held in detention every day-and we can make a difference by visiting those who are awaiting disposition of their cases.
More steps about how your congregation can carry on this work, whether you were at GA or not, can be found in Kay and Harlan's report-there's both the video and a transcript that has all the links.
You Can Help with Fire Recover
Mountain Desert District Emergency Relief Fund
Standing in solidarity with all who have experienced the devastation of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, the High Park fire in Ft. Collins, the Flagstaff fire in Boulder, the Pine Ridge fire in Grand Junction, Lightner Creek/Weber fires burning in Durango and other fires burning in Montana at the same time, we are establishing The Mountain Desert District Emergency Relief Fund.
This Fund will allow us to offer timely financial assistance to our Unitarian Universalist community as they begin to recover and rebuild following the fires. Informed by other districts where fires have raged, we know there can be serious secondary impact from a fire-smoke damage, health problems, loss of employment, etc. Even with good insurance many families will incur unexpected costs due to the fires.
As we pray for containment of these wild fires, we recognize the continued vulnerability of these communities to flash flooding and other natural disasters heightened by the fires. This fund will become a continuing source of assistance across the mountain west.
How to Donate
Our Whole Lives (OWL) Training in Ann Arbor
Grades 7-9 and 10-12 August 17-19, 2012 First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, MI
Details & Registration
Do you have news you want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We publish every other week. Send articles or announcements to [email protected]
Next Publication Date: July 26, 2012 Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, Wednesday, July 25th Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, July 23rd
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on [email protected] to send us a message.
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.
July 26, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 2
Dear Barbara, In This Issue
DISTRICT-REGION, What?? I hope you enjoy and find a lot of interesting Faith Development in the and useful information in this issue of our
Heartland newsletter.
Video & Reports from GA12 I've been away at MidWest Leadership
DRE Position Open in Danville School this past week in Wisconsin, but will be back with an article in our August 9th newsletter.
Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive
Quick Links
Heartland District In the meantime, stay cool. Calendar In faith, Lisa
DISTRICT - REGION, What??
Here are the abbreviated July 1 - Sept 3, 2012 governance structures of the Summer Office Hours Unitarian Universalist Monday - Thursday Association, and what is 8:30 am - 3:15 pm (EST) happening in ours at the district level. We are a July 1, 2012 "bottom up democracy" with New District Fiscal Year the power and accountably begins. coming from our independent congregations/fellowships and member organizations that make up our UU Association (UUA).
Midwest UU This is why it is so important for our congregations to have Leadership delegates participate in the UUA General Assembly where the annual business (like election of the Moderator & President) of New webinar schedule will be available in the association happens. The UUA is made up of 19 districts. late summer or early fall 2012. You probably know we are the Heartland District. Our district is Kentucky, Indiana, part of Michigan and western Ohio. Our MidWest UU Leadership district is the eastern boundary of the MidAmerica Region Webinars having three districts, with Central MidWest in the middle and Prairie Star the western boundary. The UUA has four other regions, each containing four districts.
UUA Just as each congregation has a governance Board, the same Publications is true for each district. Regions have not had any governance structure. This may be changing. Starting in 2010, the District UUA Monthly Boards of the MidAmerica Region began exploring the Congregational possibility of a regional structure. Bulletin In 2011, all three boards voted to create a Regional Board to InterConnections: A replace the existing three Boards. There are a lot of reasons for Newsletter for Congregational this, which you will be hearing more about. Just as each district Leaders member congregation sends delegates to General Assembly, we send delegates to the District Assembly to conduct its business. On April 12-13, 2013 the Heartland District Assembly will be ATTENTION! in Muncie, Indiana. It will be very important to send delegates to this 2013 meeting. The MidAmerica Districts will be asking at New Officers their 2013 meetings for a vote to replace our District Boards with Have you recently elected new one Regional Board. When will you start hearing more details officers in your congregation? about this? After all three MidAmerica Boards and lead staff of the three districts meet in late August in Rock Island, Illinois to Make updates NOW at: fine tune the proposal. In September, we will start sharing my.UUA.org information for comment and feedback.
Don't forget your In 2013 there will be a vote. Please look for information in future congregation's page in the newsletters and information packets sent to your office District Directory. Click on the administrators and ministers and boards. The plan is to get link below to find our directory information out in as many ways as possible so you can have update form and to see how input, make comments, and be informed before you come as your congregation page delegates to the April 2013 Heartland District Assembly in appears in the 2012 Heartland Muncie, IN. District Directory. Amy Taylor, President Contact Heartland Board of Trustees [email protected] to get new password for directory. Faith Development in the Directory Update Form Heartland
District Staff "WE'LL BUILD A LAND"
Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley That line from one of our most District Executive beautiful UU hymns, "We'll Build A [email protected] Land," was on my mind this morning Alternate email: as I was reflecting on the [email protected] transformative feeling created by 45 of
our youth leadership attendees Nancy Combs-Morgan spending the day at a community Nancy Combs-Morgan Faith Development Director based agency, Caritas, in Beloit, WI Faith Development Director & [email protected] last week. MidAmerica Coordinator of Emerging Models of Youth and
Barbara Hamilton Young Adult Ministry We painted, cleaned, and donated District Administrator goods for their food pantry and clothing bank. We hope to [email protected] always have a day of service included in our leadership school. More About Us We also had a great deal of fun and faith building as you can see in this video.
YMLS 2012 TUESDAY Save the date for a few upcoming events, such as a Youth Leadership Development Conference in W. Lafayette,IN, Sept 28-30th. We will have registration materials up soon!
In faith, Nancy
Video & Reports from GA in Phoenix, Arizona (as appears on the UUA website) General Assembly (GA) 2012 has been a gathering with multiple ways of engaging in justice work for people of all ages. Joining with the people of Arizona, we have worshiped, witnessed, learned and worked together. We leave General Assembly grounded in our faith, energized for justice and with resources to bring this work home to our congregations.
Enjoy GA through our video, social media, photography, and articles from UU World.
Full Article | More from General Assembly 2012
UUA Nominating Committee Deadline
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Nominating Committee nominates candidates for all positions elected by the General Assembly except for President and Moderator. Candidates for elected positions may also be nominated by petition.
Positions to be elected at the 2013 General Assembly are: Board of Trustees, Financial Advisor, Presidential Search Committee, Commission on Appraisal, Commission on Social Witness, General Assembly Planning Committee, Ministerial Fellowship Board of Review, and Nominating Committee.
Application deadline is August, 15, 2012
Click HERE for application and other information.
Heartland District Directory 2012-2013
The 2012-2013 Heartland District Directory is now available on the Heartland website.
To protect the people whose personal contact information appears in the directory, a password is required to view the directory. The 2012-2013 Directory will require a different password than the 2011-2012 Directory. To request the new password contact the District office.
Updates to the District Directory may be submitted to the District office electronically at any time using the Directory Update Form.
DRE Position Open in Danville
The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Hendricks County, a small, but growing congregation located in Danville, IN is seeking a part-time Director of Religious Exploration (DRE).
The DRE will work approximately 13 hours a week to oversee the Religious Education Program that serves children ages 0-18. Flexible hours. Supported by an active RE Committee. Background in religious studies or education preferred. Does not have to be a UU, but have comfortable familiarity with new ideas.
For more information or to submit resume go to www.uucchc.org/youthrejob.htm
Do you have news you want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We publish every other week. Send articles or announcements to [email protected]
Next Publication Date: July 26, 2012 Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, Wednesday, July 25th Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, July 23rd
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on [email protected] to send us a message.
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.
August 9, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 3
Dear Barbara, In This Issue
Faith Development - A Time for Welcoming Becoming A SmUUgler!
Fifty for the Freedom Road A lot has been written about Justice GA, but I Conversations with UUs of don't think I've told you about my very favorite
Color part of the whole adventure: becoming a SmUUgler! Navigators Provide New Scouting Options One of the features of Arizona law is that they
Mountain Seeks Next Interim have outlawed Ethnic Studies from high Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley school classrooms. No more African District Executive Director American, Hispanic, or other "ethnic"
SAVE THE DATE! emphasis in education-just the basic "American," even though the vast majority of us in this country came from other places.
As a result, more than 80 titles were removed from the libraries in Arizona high schools. In response, the group Librotraficante began to recreate libraries with the banned books in them. And Quick Links the GA connection? UU Humanists mounted a campaign to have ministers "smuggle" a copy of one of the books into Arizona for GA. This resulted in a library of over 400 books given to one of Heartland District our Arizona partners to ensure that the freedom to read and Calendar study is not abridged.
I was privileged to be a SmUUgler! I proudly carried my copy of Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States with me, handed it in, and got my button confirming that I was a SmUUgler! Yes-you can't keep education, reading, and knowing you're not alone down by banning books and studies from schools.
July 1 - Sept 3, 2012 Now the UU Humanists are at it again-they are making sure this Summer Office Hours important work doesn't stop. See the article below, and I hope Monday - Thursday you enjoy your work at being a SmUUgler as much as I did! Si, 8:30 am - 3:15 pm (EST) se puede! (Yes, we can!)
July 1, 2012 In faith, New District Fiscal Year Lisa begins.
Faith Development - A Time for Midwest Welcoming UU Leadership I want to be sure to welcome two new New webinar Directors of Religious Education...Rev. schedule will be available in Leslie Woodward, who is now serving late summer or early fall 2012. at Heritage UU Church in Cincinnati,
OH and Joan DeVillez at the UU MidWest UU Leadership Church of Evansville, IN. What a Webinars blessing to have these talented souls
working to foster Unitarian Universalist faith formation. Nancy Combs-Morgan UUA Faith Development Director & MidAmerica Coordinator of If you have time, be sure to check out a Emerging Models of Youth and Publications super new religious education Young Adult Ministry resource, One and One, an e- UUA Monthly newsletter from the Ministries and Faith Development Staff Congregational Group of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Bulletin In the current issue is news about "Sing to the Power", a new InterConnections: A leadership development curriculum for fourth and fifth graders. Newsletter for Congregational Leaders Follow this link - http://www.uua.org/documents/mpl/one/120725_issue63.pdf
ATTENTION! One and One Archival Page here: http://www.uua.org/leaders/leadership/184669.shtml New Officers Have you recently elected Feel free to send your comments and subscription requests new officers in your to [email protected] congregation? If you have further interest in a full immersion into Unitarian Make updates NOW at: Universalist curriculum and new ways for curriculum mapping, be my.UUA.org sure to Save the Date for a Curriculum Renaissance Module this November 8-10th in Cedar Rapids, IA. Don't forget your congregation's page in the For registration: District Directory. Click on the www.psduua.org/Workshops/RenModCedarRapids11-2012 link below to find our directory update form and to see how In faith, your congregation page Nancy appears in the 2012 Heartland
District Directory.
Contact [email protected] to get new password for directory.
Directory Update Form
District Staff Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive [email protected] Alternate email: [email protected]
Nancy Combs-Morgan Faith Development Director [email protected]
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator [email protected]
More About Us
"Fifty for the Freedom to Read: A Followup to the Justice GA"
On September 21, Heartland congregations and UU related groups will have an opportunity to continue the Librotraficate (Book SmUUggler) project initiated by HUUmanists at the Phoenix General Assembly. GA goers from well over 150 UU congregations and Humanist groups brought over 400 copies of the 80+ books removed from Tucson classrooms, when the state of Arizona outlawed the teaching of Ethnic Studies. The books were part of a dramatic week-long display at the HUUmanists booth in the entry to the Exhibit Hall, and the volumes were donated, at the close of GA, to form a lending library at the new headquarters of the Phoenix community organization, Puente.
The Librotraficante organization and HUUmanists hope to have at least fifty simultaneous followup events nationwide, one week into Hispanic Heritage Month, on Friday, September 21 (or alternately, on Sunday the 23rd.) Each event will be unique, with the details selected by local participants - elements of an event in your church or fellowship might include: A display of several titles from the "Banned in Tucson" list (we suggest a minimum of six different books). Twenty "Banned in Tucson" titles are available from the UUA Bookstore for less than $20.00 each. Brief remarks on issues such as censorship, the freedom to read, Hispanic culture and literature, and immigration reform, including mention of the UUA's Standing on the Side of Love and Bringing the Justice GA Home projects, by your Social Justice Chair, Congregational President or Minister. Other speakers could include a local librarian, and spokespeople for the local Hispanic community. Recital of the titles and authors of all 83 books, and/or readings of passages from selected titles. Make printed copies of the list available. Hispanic music, poetry and refreshments. Two or more of the elements above can can be combined into a simple event for minimal cost Two people working no more than eight hours each between now and September 21 should be able to organize and promote this event.
A more high impact event (involving four or five primary volunteers) can be structured by adding one or more of the following: Purchase and donation by individuals of books to one of the existing underground libraries (HUUmanists is currently collecting for a new library in El Paso, as well as for the Tolleson High School library in Phoenix). Announcement of a coalition with other local groups to start an underground library in your community. Collections of children's books to be added to the mostly adult titles at the Puente library. If you decide to put on a "Fifty for the Freedom to Read" event, please let HUUmanists know by contacting Roger Brewin at 773 881 4028 or [email protected], so that we, and Librotraficante, can coordinate national publicity.
If you need help with local publicity, we'll be happy to send you sample press releases. Just let us know the rough outlines of your planned event.
For more information, see the HUUmanists.org website.
Conversations with UUs of Color
Hello, colleagues,
The suggestion that UUs of Color would benefit from faith development resources specifically for UUs of Color, created by UUs of Color, has been floating about for a while: Mark Hicks mentioned it during his Fahs lecture at GA 2011, and it was briefly discussed at other gatherings I have attended.
I would like to put the question directly to the community that would be affected. Attached is a flyer that will go in the next congregational mailing, to DRUUMM, and to other entities, inviting Jessica York people to join me for an online conversation. UUA Youth Programs Director
Please feel free to disseminate this information. Let me know if you have questions or comments.
Jessica York Youth Programs Director Unitarian Universalist Association [email protected]
Navigators Provide New Scouting Options
Mason, OH - A group of youngsters has gathered in a park for an introduction to camping.
Adult leaders guide them through the do's and don'ts of backpacking, then assist as the kids practice pitching tents. To top it off, everyone gets a taste of that campout staple, s'mores.
Their smiles say the kids are enjoying the scouting experience. But these are Navigators, not Boy Scouts. If they were Scouts, Brad Frey couldn't be a co-leader.
The Mason resident, a former Eagle Scout, is gay. Brad Frey, who is gay and not allowed to be a Boy Scout leader, teaches Navigators, Owen Russell and Gretchen Bush, to put up a tent at a meeting at Read full article... Mason's Pine Hills Park Cincinnati Enquirer/Carrie Cochran (Thank you Lindsey Sodano, Harmony UU Church in Mason, OH for sharing this story. It is Lindsey's hope some other Heartland congregations will consider sponsoring Navigators troops.)
Mountain Seeks Next Interim Director
An interim director for The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands, North Carolina is being sought for a two-year term to begin in March 2013.
The Mountain is a place special to many Unitarian Universalists since its founding in 1979 (home to Leadership Experiences and Leadership Schools for UU congregation leaders, Mountain Camps and CONs for youth, RE Weeks, SEUUMA weeks, gatherings of the UU Musicians Network and other events for UU professionals, and a place of retreat for many!).
Learn more...
Save the Date!
Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein will be coming to Central Midwest District on November 2-3, 2012 in Palatine, IL in a workshop open to all. You can learn more of her thoughts at her blog - PeaceBang, an independent on-line ministry of the Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein
The Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein is the minister of the First Parish Unitarian Church in Norwell, Massachusetts. She hails from
The Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein Connecticut and has degrees from Northwestern University and Harvard Divinity School. She received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Andover-Newton Theological School in May 2011. Her great loves outside the church are musical theater, cooking, and traveling. She lives in an eighteenth-century parsonage with her cat, Ermengarde, and dozens of unfulfilled to-do lists.
Do you have news you want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We publish every other week. Send articles or announcements to [email protected]
Next Publication Date: August 23, 2012 Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, Wednesday, August 22nd Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, August 20th
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on [email protected] to send us a message.
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.
August 23, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 4
In This Issue Dear Barbara,
Faith Development - Bridging As you are reading this, I am and Beyond Bridging: A Handbook for winging my way to an historic
Congregations event...the meeting of the three Boards of
Loss of Heartland Minister Heartland, Central MidWest and Prairie Star Save the Date! Leadership Districts! All Board members, and 4/6 of our MidAmerica staff, will be gathering to Development Conference
explore in more depth the joys and Louisville Congregation Seeks complexities of regionalization! Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive Choir Director Unless you've been sleeping, or are pretty new to this newsletter and UUism, you should be aware that the staff is planning on regionalizing our service delivery effective July 1, 2013. You should also know that the Board of the three Districts are recommending to their constituencies that the Quick Links governance also be regionalized. This weekend is when they will be working on more of the details: what will that governance look like; what do we wish to promise to our Heartland District congregations, and what do we want the congregations to Calendar promise to us; who shall we become?
All of these are important questions. You'll be receiving many more communications over the next few months as the details are sorted out. But what's most exciting for me is this: so many people are trying to figure out how do we make Unitarian Universalism become even more alive in MidAmerica. How can we reach out to those who need our tradition, and how can we bend that arc of justice a little closer July 1 - Sept 3, 2012 to the earth? Summer Office Hours Monday - Thursday These are the kinds of questions that propelled me into 8:30 am - 3:15 pm (EST) ministry. It is a delight to be sharing them with the volunteers on our District Boards. I am so proud of the leadership these September 3, 2012 folks are taking, and so look forward to our time together this District office closed for Labor weekend. Day Stay tuned for more information. If you get a chance, say September 28-30, 2012 Thank You to one of our District Board members. You can MidAmerica Leadership find their names and info on our Heartland District website. Development Conference They are doing incredible, ground breaking work, and I'm (watch this site for details: honored to know them. www.midamericauua.org) In faith, Lisa Midwest UU Leadership Faith Development - Bridging and New webinar schedule will be available in Beyond late summer or early fall 2012. Here is great news of a new MidWest UU Leadership "bridging" resource that has been Webinars greatly anticipated.
October 25 & 30, 2012 When our high school youth face that Safety Planning for experience of transitioning into young Congregations adulthood, it certainly is a time to extend a blessing from the
December 6 & 11, 2012 congregation. There are lots of ways Robert's Rules and Meeting to approach the bridging experience, Nancy Combs-Morgan including an extended "Coming of Faith Development Director & Management MidAmerica Coordinator of Age" program that then culminates in Emerging Models of Youth and a bridging ceremony. Young Adult Ministry UUA Publications So many youth have expressed to me the profound emotion UUA Monthly they experienced while going through bridging. So, even Congregational though it is early to be thinking about bridging next spring, it Bulletin isn't too early to get this new resource (see below) and to make plans for the spring! InterConnections: A Newsletter for Congregational Leaders I am looking forward to taking part in an all track Our Whole Lives training in St. Louis this week, and hope to engage with folks about new ways to integrate young adult OWL on ATTENTION! campuses and in our congregations. There is a significant interest from young adults in relational faith development and New Officers what better way to explore that than with "Our Whole Lives!" Have you recently elected new officers in your congregation? In faith, Nancy Make updates NOW at: my.UUA.org Bridging: A Handbook for Don't forget your congregation's page in the District Directory. Click on the link below to find Congregations our directory update form and to see how your congregation The Bridging ceremony is an page appears in the 2012 important milestone, not only in the Heartland District Directory. life of an individual but also in the life of a family and a faith community. Contact [email protected] to get Bridging: A Handbook for new password for directory. Congregations is a blueprint for a year-long program marking the Directory Update Form transition from youth to young
adulthood, and for the ceremony by Gail Forsyth-Vail and commemorating this transition. It Jessica York District Staff invites parents and caregivers to express their support for the young person's journey while acknowledging the significant Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley changes and feelings the family experiences when a young District Executive person moves into adulthood. [email protected] Alternate email: Forsyth-Vail and York offer congregations meaningful advice on [email protected] supporting youth on the cusp of young adulthood. This handbook from the UUA's Resource Development Office will Nancy Combs-Morgan help you create a spiritually fulfilling community event for your Faith Development Director entire congregation. [email protected]
Barbara Hamilton District Administrator [email protected]
More About Us
Loss of Heartland Minister It is with deep sadness that we report the death of W. Edward Harris, Ed, on August 10, 2012. Prior to that, Ed served as a police reporter, copy editor, and research assistant for US Rep George Huddleston, Jr. In the 1960s, he was very active in the Civil Rights movement in Birmingham, AL, and the ACLU. There were multiple death threats against him and his family members for his work at the time. He was active in many political campaigns, and social justice causes. Ed wrote 7 books and countless articles throughout his politically active life.
In 1965, he said to his wife Sandra, "I have to go into the ministry. Nothing else is worth doing." He attended Crane Theological School at Tufts University in Boston. Ed served 8 UU congregations, including All Souls Unitarian in Indianapolis, UU Indianapolis as interim, and as founding minister of UU Community Church of Danville, IN. He was made Minister Emeritus at All Souls and was a member of that congregation until his death.
Ed's life will be celebrated at a public memorial service at All Souls Unitarian Church in Indianapolis at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 8th, 2012. His memory, though, will live on in those he touched with his life and his ministry. I remember him as a gentle man, and a gentleman, and someone whose commitment toward the best in life was palpable. He taught me what honor in ministry is like, with care and compassion. He will be deeply missed.
SAVE THE DATE! Leadership Development Conference for Youth and Advisors
September 28-30, 2012 Unitarian Universalist Church West Lafayette, IN
Registration details available soon at www.midamericauua.org
Download flyer...
Louisville Congregation Seeks Choir Director
First Unitarian Church, a welcoming and historic Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation in downtown Louisville, KY is seeking a part-time choir director. Interested candidates, please send letter of interest and resume to: [email protected] First Unitarian Church Get more details... Louisville, KY
Do you have news you want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We publish every other week. Send articles or announcements to [email protected]
Next Publication Date: September 6, 2012 Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, Wednesday, September 5th Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, September 3rd
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on [email protected] to send us a message.
Heartline OnLine A bi-weekly publication of the Heartland District of the UUA serving 56 member congregations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.
September 6, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 5
In This Issue Dear Barbara, This past weekend, I was on a family Faith Development - The houseboat trip on Lake of the Woods in
Landscape is Changing Ontario to celebrate my mother's 90th
LDC Registration NOW Open! birthday...It was peaceful, quiet, bright at night (that moon was so big!), and a good Combs-Morgan Hosts time to be together. This week, as I return to
Webinars DE-ness, I have been reflecting on some of UUA Common Read: The New the lessons learned. Here are a few:
Jim Crow Objects are not always as close as
they seem. On water, the next 2012-2013 Youth CON island (there are 14,000 of them in Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley District Executive Schedule Lake of the Woods!) seemed close enough to touch, but as we motored ahead, I was Audio for the Visual & Learning surprised how long it took to get to them. Yes, I was
Impaired driving a 45,000 pound vessel, maxing at 2000 RPM, Video Contest: Standing on the but it was strange how much further away things were
Side of Love than they seemed to the naked eye. Without the usual visual clues (cars, blocks, traffic signals, houses), it was Jim Scott Concert in Lexington hard to judge distance and how long it would take to get there. OWL Training in Cincinnati Sometimes things are closer than they seem.
FYI...For Your Information Depending on which chart we were using, the scale was very deceiving. On one set, an inch took 10 minutes, on the other, about 1. So it was necessary to always check which chart we were on in order to know when we had to go straight, turn left, turn right. Knowing when to turn was the difference between a Quick Links delightful journey or being on the rocky shoals. Sometimes the beacons are hard to see, and harder still to decipher. Buoy markers were all along our path - Heartland District sometimes quite close together, other times farther still. Calendar They stuck up only about 3-4 feet, it seemed, so sometimes when they were on the horizon, they "hid" in
the waves, or around the corner of an island. And some of them weren't so clear at first sight. Red and green we knew marked the channels; but what about the red black red and the black red black and the yellow ones with triangles pointing in different directions? Which side to go on for the directional ones, and what about the isolated danger ones? You don't always stop moving when the trip is over. As I sit writing this, 30 some hours after leaving the ship, my body is still trying to compensate for the sway. Everything is just a tad bit off, even though I know the ground on which I stand is solid.
There were more - about when has a team really come up with September 28-30, 2012 a team plan, or when is that "plan" merely a suggestion that MidAmerica Leadership doesn't need to be followed; about knowing who is in charge Development Conference when; and more - but I found myself reflecting on REGISTRATION NOW OPEN congregational life. Too frequently what we want to accomplish seems too far away, other times way to close or soon, and almost always people are looking at different scaled charts. Midwest UU Then, once any change has been navigated, it often takes time for folks to catch up with the lack of motion-they still sense the Leadership changes, and that can be disconcerting. New webinar schedule will I'm sure you can draw other analogies, and make other be available in comparisons. Yet I'm struck how in the midst of beauty - late summer or early fall 2012. sunrises, Northern Lights, bald eagles, waves and gentle rain - we can learn a lot, simply by watching. I got away from the MidWest UU Leadership "office," and at the same time, got many reminders about what Webinars it means to live in the midst of change. Delightful, and sometimes the footing gets a bit shaky. Know that we here in October 25 & 30, 2012 the Heartland are ready to help stabilize your craft in the midst Safety Planning for of change, and cheer you on as you round new islands, and Congregations take on a different chart!
December 6 & 11, 2012 In faith, Robert's Rules and Meeting Lisa Management
UUA Publications Faith Development - The
UUA Monthly Congregational Landscape is Changing Bulletin In my 9 years as a UUA staff person,
I can't remember a more fluid time InterConnections: A Newsletter when the landscape is radically for Congregational Leaders changing, and in which the "horizon"
is ours for the making. Now is the time when we can say that ATTENTION! collaboration with regional/district staff and our congregational leaders New Officers is the norm and not the exception. Have you recently elected new Nancy Combs-Morgan officers in your congregation? For example, in the realm of Faith Development Director & MidAmerica Coordinator of dreaming of enriched opportunities for Emerging Models of Youth and Make updates NOW at: youth and youth empowering adults Young Adult Ministry my.UUA.org to experience a broadening of their leadership skills, there is a direct opportunity on the immediate Don't forget your congregation's horizon. page in the District Directory. Click on the link below to find The "Leadership Development Conference", Sept. 28-30 at the our directory update form and UU Church in West Lafayette, IN, is open to youth and adults in to see how your congregation the MidAmerica Region who seek to expand their youth ministry page appears in the 2012 leadership skills. We will be having a very talented adult Heartland District Directory. trainer, Tim Murphy, and an equally talented youth co-trainer, Rianna Johnson-Levy, who will be modelling the best in youth Contact [email protected] to get leadership development. new password for directory. We are transitioning to a new system of regional registrations, Directory Update Form so, PLEASE, be sure to save the dates.
I'm convinced that layer upon layer, and step by step, we are District Staff building a region where UUs of all ages will be a part of creating Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley wonderful opportunities for their faith development. District Executive [email protected] Having spent the last weekend of August at an amazing Young Alternate email: Adult "Our Whole Lives" comprehensive sexuality training, I [email protected] came away with the deep conviction that making "OWL" available in new formats, in places where young adults Nancy Combs-Morgan congregate, such as college campuses, is an essential plan Faith Development Director when seeking to "speak" to young adults in a relational way that [email protected] lifts up self-care and self-awareness. I will keep folks posted on opportunities for young adults in MidAmerica to be able to take Barbara Hamilton part in OWL workshops. District Administrator [email protected] I am so excited to see the landscape changing, where we connect with people on the broadest spectrum in ways that More About Us touch their lives directly.
In faith, Nancy
Registration NOW Open! Leadership Development Conference for Youth and Advisors
September 28-30, 2012 Unitarian Universalist Church West Lafayette, IN
Register NOW at www.midamericauua.org
Download flyer...
Combs-Morgan Hosts Webinarsfolks --
Dear Folks...Here are some of the fall webinars that I will be hosting.
Tuesday, September 11th and Thursday, September 20th 6:45 (Central), 7:45 (Eastern) "Let's Talk"...A webinar for leaders in youth ministry, especially geared for new youth advisors and youth coordinators. We'll "talk" about key pieces to keep in your youth ministry tool box. Resource ideas will be shared on intentionally starting and sustaining your youth group and expanding youth involvement in your congregation. Call in: (209) 647-1600 Passcode: 469074#
Wednesday, September 12th and Wednesday, September 26th 12:00 p.m. (Central), 1 p.m. (Eastern) New Directors of Religious Education:Start As You Mean to Continue...What are the foundational components to starting, or continuing, your religious education ministry? Encounter some of the rich resources in UU religious education, with ideas shared on ways to engage with the on-line "Tapestry of Faith" curricula. Whether you are brand new in your position or have been serving for a time, join in the conversation. Call in: (209) 647-1600 Passcode: 469074#
Am working on ideas for October and November -- will be scheduling at least 2 webinars "Service and Learning" one for youth and one for young adults.
Nancy Combs-Morgan, Facilitator MidAmerica Coordinator of Emerging Models of Youth and Young Adult Ministries
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
UUA has just announced this year's Common Read: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander.
Michelle Alexander, an attorney and civil rights advocate, asserts that American systems of law enforcement, prosecution, and incarceration disproportionately and adversely affect Americans of color. The book has won the NAACP Image Award and the Constitutional Commentary Award and the San Francisco Chronicle has called it "the bible of a social movement."
Youth CON Schedule 2012-2013
Click on image below to see the 2012-2013 Youth CON schedule offered by the Heartland DYSC - District Youth Steering Committee
Audio for Individuals with Visual and Learning Impairments
We are pleased to announce that starting with the Fall 2012 UU World issue there will be recordings available for online listening or downloading for a selection of articles in UUA.org
The link is: http://www.uua.org/publications/uuworld/audio/220067.shtml
Video Contest: Help U.S. Voters Stand on the Side of Love
"Voting on the Side of Love"
Imagine, in this election season, if a simple, compelling video message changed the world. It could happen. And we want you to be involved!
Jim Scott at UU Church of Lexington, KY
Jim Scott Concert September 15, 2012 UU Church of Lexington, KY
Get details Reserve tickets
OWL Training Re-scheduled
Our Whole Lives (OWL) Facilitator Training Program Grades 7-9 & 10-12 Curriculum November 9-11, 2012 First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati, OH
Get details
FYI...For Your Information
UU Women's Federation launches new website...get the new issue of newsletter, the Communicator, and the handout from General "Assembly workshop, "Circles of Reflection".
Illuminations App now available for Android!...Illuminations is now available for Android. Get it in the Google Play Market or if you are an Apple user: ITunes App Store!
Do you have news you want to share with UUs in the Heartland District? We publish every other week. Send articles or announcements to [email protected]
Next Publication Date: September 20, 2012 Deadline for articles and announcements: Noon, Wednesday, September 19th Deadline for Events: Noon, Monday, September 17th
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter are always appreciated. Click on [email protected] to send us a message.