February 2018 Newsletter
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UUFB NEWS February 2018 February Sunday Services February 4, 2018 Rev. Duffy Peet Mark Your Calendar The Search for Truth and Meaning for February… It has been asserted that as human beings we must make meaning of 4th, 11th, 18th ~ Mission/Vision what we encounter and experience if we are to thrive or possibly even Focus Groups survive. In the process of making meaning we seek to discover what is 6th ~ Support Group for Caregivers true and what may not be true. Within Unitarian Universalism, it is generally recognized that truth and meaning do not reside within a 7th ~ Talking with Neighbors single book, one area of knowledge, or any particular religion. Instead, 8th ~ Sharing the Journey Unitarian Universalism af$irms that each person must search and discover for himself or herself where truth and meaning may be found. 8th, 10th, & 11th ~ Family Promise We will consider the search and where it may take us as we seek to $ind 12th ~ UU Humanist Group truth and meaning. 13th & 27th ~ UU Buddhism Group February 11, 2018 Stephen Guggenheim & Laurel Yost 14th ~ UU Men’s Group The Power of Music Lay Presenters The power of music is in its incredible ability, through the use of 18th ~ Food Bank Sunday sound and vibration, to reach into our hearts and brains and bodies, 18th ~ New Member Orientation putting us in touch with our deepest emotions and memories as well 18th ~ UU Earth-Based Spirituality as connecting us with one another. Simply put, we are hardwired for Group music. In exploring this amazing power of music, several musicians from our Fellowship will share their music and what it means to them. 18th ~ Family Day Event Please join us for this shared musical experience. 21st ~ Women’s Group February 18, 2018 Rev. Duffy Peet 22nd ~ Fork & Spoon The Right of Conscience The irst portion of our Fifth Principle lifts up the “right of conscience.” 25th ~ Farewell Party for Bill & Jo Mallory There are echoes here of well-known Unitarians such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. But what is meant by the right of conscience? And lest we not abuse this right, when and how shall we act on it in ways that are both $itting and bene$icial to ourselves and others? February 25, 2018 Eric Bliss, PaciXic Western Region (PWR) UUA Congregational Life White Supremacy: Staff & Youth Ministry Specialist & Rev. Sarah Schurr, PWR A Look in the Mirror Congregational Life Consultant, Guest UUA/PWR Speakers As the Unitarian Universalist denomination tackled issues around white supremacy within their of$ices in Boston last spring, there was a call from UU s around the U.S. to take a look within ourselves. Billings, Glacier, and Bozeman have jointly planned a “teach-in” on the topic of white supremacy with much advice and input from those who led larger “teach-ins” around the country. We will be mixing up the format of the service a bit to include some experiential activities and video presentations. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bozeman Sunday Service: 10:00 a.m. www.uu$bozeman.org 325 N. 25th Ave. 406-586-1368 Bozeman, Montana Rev. Duffy Peet minister@uu$bozeman.org Ministerial Musings ~ February 2018 The most popular holiday in February is quite possibly Valentine’s Day. By saying that I don’t mean in any way to disparage Ground Hog’s Day or President’s Day, but they just don’t have the level of appeal that Valentine’s Day does and for good reason. Valentine’s Day recognizes and encourages a person’s passion. It celebrates love, more particularly romantic love, or eros as the ancient Greeks referred to it. This year as I think about Valentine’s Day and how it honors love, I am thinking not just about the romantic love it celebrates, but the many aspects of love that we can, and I believe ought to, honor on this holiday and throughout the year. For example, I recall making Valentine’s Day cards for my mother when I was in grade school. According to the ancient Greeks this type of love was identi$ied as storge or familial love. Familial love doesn’t typically get the same attention as romantic love here in the U.S. on Valentine’s Day. In portions of Canada, families receive more focus on the third Monday in February. If this shift in focus appeals to you, I encourage you to check out the “Holidays and Holy Days” event the Religious Education Committee will be sponsoring this month. Philia, or affectionate love, is a third type of love the ancient Greeks identiied. This type of love is present in close friendships. I recognize it in the connections I witness within our Fellowship. For the ancient Greeks, this kind of love held a higher value than did eros. Eros can come on very rapidly and have great intensity in the short term. Philia, however, develops more slowly and grows over an extended period of time. As I think about philia and eros, Aesop’s tale about the race between the tortoise and the hare comes to my mind and I think of the tortoise as philia. And as Valentine’s Day approaches, I am also thinking about a fourth kind of love the ancient Greeks held in high regard, what they called agape or selless love. This is the kind of love that is referred to in the Fourth Source listed in our Principles and Purposes. This Source refers to “Jewish and Christian teachings, which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.” The Buddha also encouraged his followers to develop and practice this kind of love. I believe this was the kind of love that Martin Luther King, Jr. held as the foundation of his message of hope for a better world for all. While civil rights typically seems to be the primary focus on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, I would suggest that the holiday ought to also remind us of the power and the importance of love. Not of eros or romantic love but of agape or selless love and what can be done with that kind of love when it is put into action. Here is an MLK quote on love that re$lects what I am referring to: But I want to tell you this evening that it is not enough for us to talk about love, love is one of the pivotal points of the Christian faith. There is another side called justice. And justice is really love in calculation. Justice is love correcting that which revolts against love. It would seem that Cornel West was rephrasing King’s message when he wrote, “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” So as February begins and Valentine’s Day approaches, I am thinking about love and the important work that lies before us. The work needed to manifest justice in our community, in our country, and in our world as we develop and practice love in public. ~ Rev. Duffy Peet (minister@uu$bozeman.org) 2 Mission & Vision Focus Groups ~ February 4, 11 & 18 During 2018, the congregation will be involved in updating our long-range plan, last done in 2005. As part of that process, we need to look at our Mission and Vision Statements. February 4, 11, & 18, you will have the opportunity to participate in a focus group after a Sunday service to give your ideas about our mission and vision. (We used this same process in planning for getting a new home for the UUFB). In light of our new building, both of these efforts are extremely important and we hope that we will have at least 80% of our Members and Friends participating. Stay tuned for more information! ~ Tonya Stevens ([email protected]), Sue Slade ([email protected]), & Amanda Cater ([email protected]) New Membership Orientation If you are considering becoming a member of the UUFB or would just like to learn more about this Fellowship and the Unitarian Universalist Association, we encourage you to attend an Orientation Session at 11:30 a.m., following the service on March 18. If you would need child care in order to attend, please contact Susan Backer ([email protected]). M Valet Service The new Valet Service, which can assist Members/Friends from their car to the building each Sunday, is very successful. Many users of the service have expressed very positive comments and great appreciation for the help they have received. Thanks and much appreciation to Bill Goold, Dan Sweeney, John Berg, and Jim Gaffney who have volunteered as valets in December and January. Now, in order to continue the service, more volunteers are needed. If you are willing to volunteer your services on Sunday(s) between 9:40-10:00 a.m. and 11:00-11:20 a.m., please contact Beth D’Atri ([email protected]). QACC Box The Committee on Ministry (COM) has installed a suggestion box for our Fellowship. We call the box our "Questions/Appreciations/Comments/Concerns" box—QACC for short. This will be another way to give everyone an opportunity to communicate your thoughts, feelings, and questions with the minister and leadership of the UUFB. The box is located on the table in our Fellowship Hall. Details are on the form on the side of the box. Members of the COM will be happy to answer any questions you may have. ~ Jack Fisher ([email protected]), Elizabeth Rose ([email protected]), & Rose Toth ([email protected]), COM Members 3 Religious Education Corner February Holidays/Holy Days Event: Celebrating Family Day Family Day is a Canadian holiday that is observed on the third Monday of February.