Bringing You the News of the United Unitarian Universalist Congregation Waukesha, Wisconsin

ComUUnicator

Bringing you the news of the United Unitarian Universalist Congregation Waukesha, Wisconsin

January 2016

OFFICE HOURS Tuesday & Friday 506 N. Washington Avenue 9am – 3pm Waukesha, WI 53188 262-544-1050 MINISTER’S HOURS www.UnitedUUC.org Tuesday 10am-12pm Friday 10am – 2:00 pm

United Worship Services Every Sunday at 10:30 AM

January 3, 2016 Coffee House Service Guest Speaker: Meg Whaley

Everyone is invited to share a special talent or something that is meaningful to you. Please speak with Meg Whaley if you have any questions

January 10, 2016 “The Rocky Path” Speaker: Rev. Schuyler Vogel

Most of us, deep down, just want to be happy. We want to live feeling connected to others, to contribute something meaningful to the world, to carve out some space that we can call our own. Few of us want obstacles in our path, and yet we get them regardless. This Sunday we’ll talk about making sense of the resistance we face in our lives and how to live fully and purposefully anyways.

January 17, 2016 “A Faith Resistance” Speaker: Rev. Schuyler Vogel

There is a lot wrong with the world we live in. Poverty, inequality, racism, the list goes on and on. How do we resist this status quo without being consumed by anger or despair? How do we act as change agents without viewing those in opposition with scorn and arrogance? On this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we will explore King’s legacy in relation to these questions, and what it means for us as religious liberals.

January 24, 2016 “Question Box Sunday” Speaker: Rev. Schuyler Vogel

Have questions you’ve always wanted answers to? Wondering what our minister thinks about God, faith, or any other big religious question? This is the chance to ask! In our annual Question Box Sunday, our minister will discuss questions submitted by members of the congregation, moderated by our Director of Religious Education, Darlyn Buelow.

January 31, 2016 To be announced Guest Speaker: Chris Larsen Office hours Rev. Schuyler Vogel [email protected] Tuesday 10am to 12pm 262-544-1050 & Friday 10am to 2pm

SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER DEADLINE:

TREASURER’S REPORT Please note that the Church Treasurer will not be available from January 4th to February 3rd. If you have any financial questions during those dates, please contact Patty in the office.

Also, quarterly pledge statements and receipt letters for donations made to UUUC in 2015 will be handed out on Sunday January 3rd or mailed shortly thereafter. TREASURER'S REPORT for 2015-16 Fiscal Year Income Amounts from Amount Budgeted for the 7/1/15 - 12/20/15 Year 7/1/15- 6/30/16 Pledges $30,227 $69,350 Other Income $8,673 $41,666 Total Income $38,900 $111,016

Total Expenses 51,064 $104,484 Income - Expenses ($12,164) $6,532

Endowment Balance on 11/30/15 is $214,612 Mortgage Balance on 12/1/15 is $146,323

Thank you United!! The congregation donated $639 to the Hope Center at the Christmas Eve service! The Center helps those in need in Waukesha County, focusing on preventing homelessness. Thank you for your generous contributions to help this worthwhile organization. Threads United Threads United will meet on at Marcia’s January 6 & 20 at 9:30AM

SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE NEWS

*We will be preparing a meal for Hebron House on January 17 after the service in the kitchen. All cooks welcome!

*Jim Hahn, Executive Director of the Greater Waukesha Area Literacy Council, will speak to us about his organization and specifically how our congregation can be involved with this important social issue. The meeting will be from 12 to 1 in the sanctuary on Sunday, January 24, 2016.

*We are still collecting non-perishable food for the Food Pantry as well as underwear, socks and toiletries. You will find the barrel and baskets in the vestibule. Your donations are very much appreciated!

For the month of January, we are focusing on collecting SOUPS AND STEWS for the food pantry

January POTLUCK is Sunday, January 10

This month’s potluck is “Chili Lunch”

The Sign- up sheet is in the fellowship hall. Call or email Kaye Wickenberg for more information about what we need.

POTLUCK SCHEDULE FOR 2015-2016 SECOND SUNDAY EACH MONTH

MONTH &THEME

January 10: Chili lunch

February 8: Soup and sandwich

March 13: Potato special

April 10: Mexican fiesta

May 15: Salad Day

(Mother’s Day is on May 8, so Potluck is moved to the following Sunday)

The Zen Path

Starting in January, 2016 Mike Zinke, a Zen Bodhisattva Teacher from the Great Lake Zen Center and member of the Waukesha United UU congregation, will be leading a once monthly session discussing following the path of Zen to find peace in your everyday life. The sessions will be one hour long and will start with a dharma talk followed by a question and answer session pertaining to Zen practice/teachings and a short meditation period. The meditation sittings will be very informal so if you have never sat meditation or feel that it is something you might have trouble doing, please come and try. Different meditation techniques will be explained to help you feel comfortable in sitting. Mike has been practicing Zen since 1992 with the Kwan Um School of Zen, first with the Original Root Zen Center in Racine then with the Great Lake Zen Center now being relocated from Milwaukee to West Allis. Mike became a Dharma Teacher and a recognized member of the clergy in 1999. He has since expanded his practice and Zen study to his current position as a Bodhisattva Teacher.

Sessions will be held on the second Thursday of each month with the initial session starting January 14, 2016 and will run from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. If you have lot of knowledge of Zen, a little knowledge of Zen or no idea what Zen is about, please join us for the sessions and join in on the discussions.

Dates to remember in January

January 6 & 20 at 9:30AM – Threads United, meets at Marcia’s

January 6 & 20 at 6:30PM – Buddhist Study Group, meets at Mukwonago Linden Grove

January 14 at 7PM - The Zen Path

January 17 at 12:00PM - Social Actions Committee- Hebron House meal

January 19 & 20 at 6PM - Soul Matters

January 20 at 4:30PM Board Meeting

January 22 – February Newsletter deadline

SNOW CLOSINGS

On occasion, services need to be canceled due to bad weather. If this should occur, United is linked to WTMJ and WISN to inform you if we are open or closed for worship. If you have any questions about closures, please check with tmj4.com or WISN.com

UU Buddhist Study Group

An ongoing program and outreach offering for those interested in learning about Buddhist teachings and practices continues to be offered at the Mukwonago Linden Grove campus twice monthly. This group began during the time in 2007-09 that our congregation was led by Reverend Marcia Marino, who initially guided us in reading and exploring “A Path With Heart” as written by Jack Kornfield. During her tenure our congregation was housed in rented UCC space, but just at the time she departed in summer 2009, the group moved to the conference room offered to us at Linden Grove. Some time afterward the congregation moved our services into a different space in East Troy, but the group remained where we had found a home welcoming us, and we later did the same when the new building was purchased. Those who have come to explore the open group include both members and friends of the congregation, and individuals who live in the LG facility.

Over the course of years, our group has covered material by a range of authors from different viewpoints, in book form and also from magazine article length. We share a reading aloud during each meeting, and we share our thoughts and questions related to the book we agree to read outside of the meetings. We take an informal approach to study and learn through one another’s perspectives. We welcome anyone who has an interest, whether they have chosen to read along or just come to converse. We include a seated meditation, typically silent but on occasion instead a guided meditation or a walking meditation. We welcome those who know they want to meditate and study with a community, and equally welcome those who don’t know for sure if they will be able to commit to that, or who know they don’t want to actually become Buddhist, but are curious just the same.

Patti Kies has been the group’s facilitator/lay leader since the time Reverend Marino asked for a co- facilitator and then moved on to another position a few months later. Patti had been deeply interested when the group began, as it provided an opportunity for discourse that she had tasted during a summer retreat in 2003 when Thich Nhat Hanh had been in Wisconsin. Patti has a certification as a school psychologist, but that study did not emphasize Buddhist psychology. Patti also has earned a certification as a leader of the Dances of Universal Peace, and that process required an emphasis in the teachings of one spiritual tradition other than that an aspirant was raised in, for which Patti chose Buddhism. Patti has continued since attaining the level of certified leader to reach for a greater understanding of the precepts that are central to Buddhism and has committed to ongoing learning with others who wish to explore the way.

It is with joy that we are able to say we can share options with anyone who wants to learn more about their own capacities for openness, peace and compassion, through either the existing Mukwonago-based Buddhist group or the newly forming Zen group. There are no barriers to trying both.

The current Mukwonago group meets twice monthly, on the first and third Wednesdays (in January dates are the 6th and 20th) from 6:30-8pm. The address is 837 County Road NN. If you would like to have occasional email updates regarding the group, contact Patty Vanderpoel in the office at [email protected] to add your name to the uubuddha list.

SEWUUC OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS

The Southeast Wisconsin Unitarian Universalist Congregations (SEWUUC) has created a scholarship fund to assist a person or persons from one of our neighboring congregations to attend an important leadership event. $500 is available in 2016 for two people to attend the Mid-America UU Regional Assembly in St. Paul, MN, April 29-May 1, 2016, or one person to attend the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Columbus, OH, June 22-26, 2016. For complete scholarship information and an application, contact United’s representative to SEWUUC, Maria O’Connor, at [email protected] or 262-470-5957. Application deadline is January 29, 2016. February 2016 Newsletter Deadline January 22, 2015 All report & articles must be UU related

SUNDAY GREETERS AND COFFEE HOSTS Greeters Coffee Hosts 1/3 Dave A & Lisa B 1/3 John & Kaye W

1/10 Meg & Moni W 1/10 POTLUCK

1/17 Kim J 7 John H 1/17 Geoff B & Ellen P

1/24Jennifer & Pam B 1/24 Alex & Marcia R

1/31 TBD 1/31 Carol & John P

THE LESTER SMITH’S: TWO SAMARITANS HELP RENOVATE THE CHURCH Susan Bergmann Historian 2015

As our congregation tries to raise money to complete the fellowship hall, I was reminded of the many times our congregation has raised money to make repairs and improvements to our church. In 1947 our original church on Main St in Mukwonago was in dire need of repairs from years of water damage. As has often been the case when the church has needed help, a Good Samaritan stepped forward with a $2,000 gift to the church. That’s approximately $22,000 in today’s prices. We know a great deal about the work that was completed as it was the subject of an article in the “News of Churches and Church People,” by an unknown author.

The article didn’t say who donated the money, but with a little bit of sleuthing I found that the 1947 will of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Smith helped the congregation make the necessary repairs. The renovation was completed in 1949.

Who were these generous people? I only found two references to Lester Smith, both in an article in the 1989 Landmark by Libbie Nolan, who commented that, “He was the Sexton who rang the bell calling folks to church and Sunday school.” For those of you who are not familiar with the church on Main Street, it had a bell tower and the congregation rang the bell every Sunday until we sold the building in 2007. Libbie also said that “the ladies Aid, the Entertainers, and the Junior League, “put on many dances, masquerades, dinners, and bazaars. Ladies cooked dinners on the old coal ranges in the downstairs kitchen and Lester Smith pulled it all upstairs with a dumb waiter for serving by young ladies on the second floor.” Even though we don’t know much about the Lester Smiths, they were obviously quite active in the church and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their thoughtful gift that helped repair the damaged building.

According to the article in the News of Churches and Church People, it was 1949 when “the church received a sizable financial gift designated for repairs from a deceased member. The cedar shingles that were 70 years old had leaked badly causing damage to the plaster and had caused the paper on the walls and ceiling to loosen. The entrance looked like a giant jig saw puzzle with cracks in the plaster crossing from top to bottom. This eyesore was the first thing people saw when entering the building. The first repair was to install Tru-lock asphalt shingles, which greatly improved the appearance of the exterior of the building.”

With the roof repaired the contractors began work on the interior in March. Five layers of paper had to be removed before new paper could be hung. According to information found on the wall after the paper was taken off, the first paper was hung in 1891 and none had ever been removed. A good portion of the ceiling had to be plastered again, before the three painters could begin painting. To save money the minister (Rev. Norman Sparbel) redid the windows. Up to this point the windows were plain window glass and it was felt that the harsh daylight was not conducive to a worshipful atmosphere. With the help of a paint brush and a stipple brush the windows were redone so that they appeared to be a frosted amber glass. The children had a different perception of the frosted windows. The Rintelman sisters told me that the minister didn’t like the children being distracted by what was going on outside and that the frosted glass stopped them from gazing out of the windows. (Susan Bergmann 2002)

As part of the renovation the entrance hall walls were covered with Sanatex with a grained pattern, so that the cracks disappeared. Other projects in the refurbishing included a new rail and curtain around the choir loft. Again the minister, with a little knowledge of woodworking and sewing, went to work to keep the expenses down. A door was cut by one of the members from the church into the club room for the minister. This was the room that was later used as an office for the minister and for the board room.

The Men’s Club put a new ceiling in the kitchen and upstairs club room, and built pedestals for use in the church. (We think those may be the pedestals that we have at the back of our Sanctuary) The Young Women’s Club moved into the kitchen with their paint brushes after the men had finished. The work was completed April 6, 1949 and a rededication service was held on Palm Sunday. The Women’s Club then completed the restoration by painting and papering the upstairs club room.” Redoing our Fellowship Hall looks relatively easy in comparison to the 1949 renovation.