The Prologue Monday, March 21, 2011

Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana

Congregation founded 1949 GLBTQ Welcoming Congregation since 1995 Green Sanctuary since 2007

Seeking the Spirit Building Community Changing the World

Sunday, March 27, 2011 9:15 & 11:15 a.m. To Dream the Possible Dream Reverend Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association Join us as we celebrate Association Sunday and kick off our congregation’s Stewardship and Green Spaces Capital Campaign with the President of our denomination Reverend Peter Morales. Reverend Macklin and Reverend Breeden will offer remarks and we will have splendid music woven throughout the service, including our Children’s Choir directed by Jill Courtney and our adult choir directed by Susan Swaney. Be on the watch for a few special guest musicians as well! Our offering for this morning will be received for our Unitarian Universalist Association with 25% still going to People and Animal Learning Services. You are invited to bring cookies or other food items for a reception between the services in honor of President Morales.

Sunday, April 3, 2011 9:15 & 11:15 a.m. Mozart’s Coronation Mass Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington Choir and Orchestra Directed by Susan Swaney As we continue to celebrate our Stewardship Drive and Green Spaces Capital Campaign we will be blessed with the opportunity to experience Mozart’s Coronation Mass. Soloists will include Amanda Biggs, Erica Whichello, Sam Cusack and David McIntosh. Please see the Ministers’ column for comments on the Mass from Music Director Susan Swaney. Reverend Breeden and Reverend Macklin will offer reflections.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 5:30 p.m. dinner, 6:15 p.m. worship Family Worship: Show and Tell with Our Elders Reverend Emily Manvel Leite Please join us for this annual event honoring the experiences and memories of people of all ages. We will share dinner, hear a story told by Reverend Emily, and enjoy a special show and tell time in small intergenerational groups. Church elders will be our honored guests. **Please bring an item that reminds you of an important place in your life.** All ages are welcome, with or without children!

Sunday, April 10, 2011 9:15 & 11:15 a.m. Commitment Sunday: Sweet Spirit of this Place Gospel Sunday Holy Rock Revival Band Reverend Breeden and Reverend Macklin We culminate our Stewardship Drive and Green Spaces Capital Campaign with our lively Commitment Sunday. During this service we will hand out and receive pledge cards in order to make our financial commitment to this congregation’s budget and capital campaign. Our Holy Rock Revival band will keep us revived throughout the worship service and our ministers will offer commitment commentary.

Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 1

From the Ministers There is so much going on we can’t begin to tell you about all of it, but we want to give you a taste, in hopes of making you hunger for more. Our Leap of Faith team travelled to Rochester, New York, to visit our mentor congregation and look at some new ways of doing things. You will be hearing about those ideas in the months ahead. On Monday, March 14th more than 40 adults and children from our congregation attended a rally at the Statehouse in Indy, in protest of the proposed Marriage Amendment, HJR6, which would discriminate against so many Hoosiers. Phil Cooper, of the Rainbow Rights Task Force, encourages us to send a message opposing HJR6 to all the members of the Senate Committee which you can do by going to the following link www.indianaequality.org/. Do it today to make your voice for equality heard. The next three Sundays are very special. First Peter Morales visits our congregation this Sunday, March 27th. It is a real gift that the President of our denomination of over 1,000 congregations is be able to drop in on us. We look forward to hearing his message. We hope you make a special effort to be there. On April 3rd, our choir under the direction of Dr. Susan Swaney will present Mozart’s ―Coronation Mass.‖ See Susan’s notes about this work at the end of this column. You certainly won’t want to miss this beautiful music. Finally, April 10th is our Commitment Sunday which will be a ―Gospel Rock Revival.‖ It will be fun, energetic and we want you to be there for the celebration. Free breakfast will be served before and after each service. Remember, we said we would make you hunger for more. Come eat, sing and celebrate with us. Here are Susan Swaney’s notes regarding the singing of the ―Coronation Mass.‖ ―When I came to this church 18 years ago, there was only one professional musician (that I knew of) in the congregation: a jazz saxophone professor. I am very pleased to say that when the choir performs Mozart’s sparkling Coronation Mass on April 3, the orchestra will include 4 violinists, a violist, two cellists, an oboe player, a horn player, three trombone players, and a percussionist from our congregation, as well as four home-team vocal soloists. ―Yes, we are performing a setting of the Catholic mass ordinary (Credo and all). Why? Because it is a spectacular piece of music that transcends time, politics, race, age, and even religion. I know from connections with other UU choir directors that there are congregations who limit themselves to music in which every member of the church can agree to the literal meaning of every word. Can you imagine? The mass ordinary has been sung, in church services and in secular concerts, for almost two thousand years. Mozart, who loathed and chafed under the Bishop he wrote it for, wrote great music anyway. Our choir, with members age 15 to 85, enjoys singing together music of a young 18th-century Austrian genius. ―And watching people sing together is the joy of my life. It is, in my opinion, the most inspiring result of human intellectual and social evolution. Every week, I have the privilege of seeing members of our choir concentrating as hard as they possibly can, reading a complex code, using musical skills they have acquired Annual Operating Budget/Capital Campaign over a lifetime or very recently, pushing their physical limits, becoming intensely tuned in to their collaborators, getting inside pieces written in many lands over many centuries, and radiating joy in the process. Why? Because good music is worth it.‖ —Susan Swaney Hope to see you all at service.

Peace—bill and mary ann MAM and Bill

Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 2

Reverend Mary Ann Macklin and Reverend Bill Breeden Seeking the Spirit Building Community Changing the World

Celebrating Becky Woodaman! Becky Woodaman is stepping down from her position as Religious Education Assistant. We want to express to her our heartfelt gratitude for her dedication and service to our children and congregation. For two years Becky Woodaman has cared for our children, beautified our space and supported our Religious Education volunteers. She has done the dishes for every Family Worship and made sure that there were supplies for all the teachers in every classroom on Sunday. Becky communicated with up to 12 different teams of teachers about which supplies they needed each week, bravely running errands through Friday afternoon traffic to obtain varied items such as rose water, puff paint and a rubber mallet. Becky’s art skills have been invaluable to our program; she illustrated Orders of Service that children could color and painted the beautiful sets for Intergenerational Worships. Becky cleaned and organized closets, classrooms and the RE kitchen; over and over again. Easy going and quick to smile her instant connection with our children and youth has helped keep them happy and safe. Happily, Becky is staying in the area and hopes to attend our Sunday Services more often with her sister Rachel who moved here recently from California. Becky lives with her husband Luke in Gosport who is involved in the Paper Crane Gallery and Studio a cooperatively-run emerging artists’ gallery located at 401 W. 6th St. Becky is leaving the RE assistant position to become the Coordinator at Heartwood, a non-profit dedicated to forest protection, so that she can offer more Riding Instruction on her horse Titus at Red Hill Stables. Please help me in thanking and celebrating Becky Woodaman and her service to UUCB! Cindy Port, Director of Religious Education, [email protected]

Middle School Pizza Party March 27!! Calling All 7th and 8th Graders ! Join us in RM 112 on Sunday March 27 during the 11:15 service for some games if you can, or find us outside or in RM 105 at 12:30p for the pizza party and more fun and games! Bring a friend! Please contact Cindy Port if you will be attending and have any special dietary needs. [email protected]

Attendance and Offering We have 452 certified members. Sun, Mar 13, 9:15: 67; 11:15: 145; RE: 68 Total: 280 (Mitch’s Daylight Saving Time change) Sun, Mar 20, 9:15: 105; 11:15: 200; RE: 88 Total: 393 Sun, 3/13 non-pledge offering: $529; Sun, 3/20 non-pledge offering: $407

Total to People and Animal Learning Services: $234 Our members voted in June 2010 to give 25% of our Sunday non-pledge offerings to People & Animal Learning Services (PALS) through July 2011, to help with its work in our community. For info on PALS, see this Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoH4Hn-maU4

Total Special Offering for Japan Relief on Sun 3/20: $1500+

The Prologue is published on the first and third Mondays of each month, with exceptions, by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana, Inc., 2120 N. Fee Ln, Bloomington, IN 47408-1646. Edited by Carol Marks, Church Administrator. Next issue: April 4, 2011.

Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 3

Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 4

Testimonial: Rare and Unexpected By Sheila McDermott-Sipe One of our first memories as a family at the Bloomington Unitarian Universalist Church is when an entomologist spoke to the kids during religious education and our oldest son Elias was given two Brazilian Death Head cockroaches in a glass jar to take home. We were enjoying a breakfast after the service and another couple commented, ―That’s not something you see as a centerpiece very often.‖ Indeed, this congregation is not one you Annual Operating Budget/Capital Campaign see very often! One of the things that really spoke to me during the Exploring Unitarian Universalist class was the focus not on a static creed but on a dynamic covenant which encourages continual discovery and a journey to spiritual awareness. Services on Sunday morning have always provided provocative themes to motivate my journey. I appreciate the humility and spiritual practice of this community which is born out of knowledge and awe of a myriad of religious traditions and stories. From a member of the congregation sharing the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic to a reading from the Lotus Sutra on one Sunday and a retelling of the biblical story of The Good Samaritan the next, this is a spiritual community that revels in and celebrates diversity as well as intellectualism. I appreciate the rituals of this congregation which celebrate our highest human ideals of reason and generosity from parents and guardians gifting their sons/daughters with treasured books to celebrate the age of reason to the flower communion service, a sacrament of giving reminding us all that we need to joyfully offer and receive unearned graces. There are so many reasons why I support this church. It has provided a spiritual home for my whole family, but it is a spiritual home that inspires pragmatism and engaging in social justice. Just as those Death Head cockroaches were a rare, unexpected, and enlightening addition to our breakfast that morning, so too has been our experience as members of this unique, liberal, spiritual community. Green Spaces: From Shabby to Spiffy By Cookie Lynch Soon we will launch both our annual Stewardship Campaign and a Green Spaces Capital Campaign to bring our building into good condition, correct drainage, create green space, become energy efficient and provide a welcoming place for members and potential members. One of our congregation’s most important goals has been to Annual Operating Budget/Capital Campaign be a force for good in this community--from fighting segregation in the 1960’s to working for peace and justice now. Becoming a force for good requires members and sharing this place with as many as possible. The Green Spaces campaign will help us put out the welcome mat. Recently, I permitted myself to really look at my church through the eyes of a visitor. Ouch! Sun damaged wood peeling off the exterior, cracks in cement, patio doors that don’t open and close. We call this our sacred place, but is this the care that such a place deserves? We have grown shabby. When we expect guests in our homes, we spiff up the place. Our sacred place always expects guests and, unlike our homes, we want these guests to stay. Let the spiffing up begin! We can be proud again. We can be the handsomest church in Bloomington. Many generations can be happy in our new outdoor spaces and refurbished indoor spaces. I say alleluia for better acoustics and reducing our carbon footprint. We need pledges to flow down like water so we can be surrounded by beauty, be friends of the earth and welcome new members who will spread the good news of a liberal religion. This is our moment to Renew, Reinvest, and, with joy, to Reach out. --Cookie Lynch

Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 5

Seeking the Spirit Building Community Changing the World

Green Spaces Will Improve Drainage by Richard Stumpner Even though it isn't visible to everyone, we have a big problem outside. Our drainage system is completely inadequate to deal with moderate to heavy rain. We have a drain near the middle of the courtyard, but the ground around it doesn't have enough slope to move the water to it, so puddles form. The entire area needs to be graded to give Annual Operating Budget/Capital Campaign more slope. The pipe that empties the drain is not buried deeply enough and will have to be replaced. Unfortunately, that pipe goes under the entry, stairs and sidewalk on the south side of the church. Much of that concrete will have to be taken out and replaced. It will be a mess. Existing drainpipes are undersized. Without increasing the system's capacity we will have residual water that seeps in the building. We frequently have water in the heat ducts in the RE wing, and its source is insufficient drainage. Water issues can become mold issues, especially as we make our building more energy efficient and reach LEED certification. Drainage will be costly to fix, but fix it we must. We need to take what are now just mole holes and turn them into viaducts. You can help address the drainage problem with your contribution to the Green Spaces capital campaign. This spring we will conduct two important fund drives at the same time: the annual Stewardship campaign and the Green Spaces capital campaign. One supports the day-to-day operations of the church and the other builds for the future, allowing us to Renew, Reinvest and Reach out.

Join the Green Spaces UU-OPOLY Scavenger Hunt and enter a drawing to win a $50 Bloomingfoods gift certificate. Grab an entry form from the Green Spaces display board in the Commons or from one of the architectural drawings posted around the church. Visit all 9 sites to see what exciting changes are coming with Green Spaces. Check each site off your entry form, sign and return the completed form to the Green Spaces display by April 3. The winner will be announced Annual Operating Budget/Capital Campaign in the April 4 Prologue.

Ready to become a member of UU Bloomington? If this is your community, if you feel at home here, join us! If you would like to make the commitment and become a member of UU Bloomington, the next membership ceremony is Sunday, April 17th , between the services, at 10:30am in room 207B. (Please note: We recommend participation in our "Exploring UU" class prior to signing the membership book.) To make arrangements to sign the membership book, please contact Judy Bennett, Membership Coordinator, at 332-3695 or [email protected], no later than Wednesday, April 13th.

Membership: 452 Delegates: 10 Did You Know? Did you know that because we have more than 450 members, we are now eligible to send ten (10) delegates to the District Assembly in Muncie IN on April 1-2? If you care to join us, please let Iris Kiesling know. Yes, that means we can also send ten (10) delegates to the UUA General Assembly in Charlotte NC in June 22-26. If you are interested in being a delegate, please contact Iris Kiesling 332-5224 or [email protected] Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 6

Seeking the Spirit Building Community Changing the World

UU Coffee House Friday, March 25th You need to get here early for this one! Join us at 7:30 pm in Fellowship Hall for coffee, tea, music and poetry. We are featuring Kaia, an a capella world music group of ―sassy women singing great music with soul and power,‖ and also the Hornbones, a trombone sextet playing classical swing/jazz. Patricia Coleman, Julia Dadds and Deborah Hutchison will share their writing. Children are welcome. A freewill donation is requested to cover costs. Any questions, please contact Dave Sharp, [email protected].

Calling All High Schoolers! Come join the YRUUs (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) this Sunday March 27th for breakfast and service. We will all meet at the Village Deli at 9:45 for breakfast and then carpool together to the church for the 11:15 service. If you have any questions or need transportation either to the Village Deli or home from Church please contact Abby Gitlitz (812)345-2470 [email protected], John Hoerr [email protected] or Allison Zimpher-Hoerr [email protected] We look forward to seeing you all then! The YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) our high school youth group, meets occasionally on Sundays. Please contact facilitator Abby Gitlitz if you have any questions about activities or need help with transportation. Newcomers welcome.

Grocery CHOPping is easy with a grocery card! Just slide the card in the reader--no signing, checks or ID when you check out. What could be GRATER!.

UU Men’s Group Meets Every Three Weeks The UU Men's Group will meet every 3 weeks on Tuesday evenings from 7-9 p.m. on the following dates: Apr 5, Apr 26, May 17, June 7. Meeting location varies: contact Chris Haynes, [email protected]

Applications for 25% of the Sunday Plate Fund are Due April 1 Applications are due April 1. Last year’s recipient, the Crestmont Boys and Girls Club, was awarded a total of $8,162. Contact Bret Davis Eartheart [email protected] or Jennifer Blankenship [email protected] for more information. –Social Justice Funds Committee

Family Game Night Friday, April 22 Families and those young at heart are all invited to join us on Friday, April 22nd from 6-8pm in Fellowship Hall for a pot luck dinner followed by fun and games. We hope you will get out of the house and come play with us. This is an event the whole family is sure to enjoy. Please bring a dish to share and your favorite game. Please contact Adrienne Summerlot (812) 219-7372 or [email protected] for more information.

Prologue Publication Schedule Our newsletter, The Prologue, is published on the first and third Mondays of each month, with minor exceptions in January and July. The deadline for articles, sent to [email protected], is 10:00 a.m. on the date of publication. The next issue will be published on Monday, April 4, and posted on our website www.uubloomington.org by Wednesday, April 6.

Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 7

Seeking the Spirit Building Community Changing the World

UU Seder Monday, April 18 The UU Seder will be held April 18. The UU Seder is a traditional but not Kosher celebration of Passover, with a UU influence. It includes a full meal as well as the ceremonial specialties. The celebration will begin at 6:30p.m. on Monday, April 18. Cost to cover expenses is $8 for adults. $4 for children. Ticket sales will begin April 10. We need a few people to help with clean up and they can join the fun for free. Call Ruellen Fessenbecker or see us at the ticket table on Sunday, April 10. Seder Committee members sought. We need a few people who like to help prepare the special foods and help with set up and clean up. Please join us for an organizational meeting on Sunday, April 3 at 12:30 in the Meeting Room back by the harpsichord. Contact Ruellen Fessenbecker for more information. 812-837-9550 or [email protected].

Team Ministry Our congregation is served by a ministry team: Rev. Mary Ann Macklin and Rev. Bill Breeden. Each minister serves the entire congregation; each has specific areas of focus. Ministers’ Availability Rev. Macklin’s regular day off is Tuesday. On call M, W, F afternoons, and Thursdays [email protected], mobile: 812-322-0205 Rev. Breeden’s regular day off is Thursday. On call M, T, W, F; [email protected], 812-360-1779 Membership Coordinator Availability Membership Coordinator Judy Bennett will be available at church in the meditation room (207b) on Thursdays 9am-11am. If you have questions please come by. Her email is [email protected]

UU Children's Choir Upcoming Schedule Our next UU Children's Choir performance is an exciting opportunity to sing a song with Malcolm Dalglish at the Sunday services on March 27th, when UUA's president, Rev. Peter Morales, will be here. We would love to have ANY youth singers (Kg and up) for this special opportunity, so if you have older youth in your family in addition to your children that usually join us, or know of any who might sing with us on this occasion, please let them know. PLEASE drop me a line to let me know if your child/ran will be able to sing with us. THANKS! Contact Jill: [email protected] Possible extra rehearsal between the 20th & 27th-- TBA Sun. March 27th: Sing both services. Rehearsal time before/during first service TBA.

Fellowship Potluck Dinners Our April list will shortly be formed. If you would enjoy gathering with friendly conversationalists for a delicious potluck meal, join us! Dixie Welch will include you in an April gathering in the home of a UU host if you contact her by March 28 at [email protected] or call her at 339-1075 (sorry, Dixie’s answering machine is malfunctioning by not actually recording messages even as it says it will).

Our Folks. . . Our thoughts are with Denise and Harold Ogren and their family upon the recent death of Denise’s father, Harry Fallon. A memorial service for Bob Bent will be held here on Thursday, April 21 at 2:00 p.m.

Japan Relief Fund For info on how to make a donation to help those suffering from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, go to the UUA’s website: http://www.uua.org/news/newssubmissions/179179.shtml

Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 8

Seeking the Spirit Building Community Changing the World

UUs Changing the World

Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Bring your grocery donations to services on the next Bounty-Full Sunday, April 3. The food pantry at Monroe County United Ministries welcomes donations of all nonperishable foods, but current needs include: canned vegetables: mixed veggies, potatoes, carrots, greens; canned meats: tuna, chicken, salmon; juice and other beverages; crackers, especially saltines; jelly and pancake syrup. Paper grocery sacks are also helpful for the Emergency Food Pantry; paper bags hold more than plastic ones.

Green Sanctuary Task Force on Global Climate Change Green Sanctuary Task Force’s March Task of the Month: Important Updates Over 130 UU households have signed up to participate in the Task of the Month Program, and we would love to see that number grow! If you have not yet signed up, please consider taking part in this important project. Find information and support at our coffee table in Fellowship Hall. Our streamlined sign-up and progress reporting forms are alphabetized so it’s easy for you to let us know when you’ve completed a task and if you need help or can offer assistance in completing tasks. You can also email Stephanie at [email protected] . We still have spots available for households interested in a special jumpstart program. We are in the process of organizing trained experts to help those households accomplish 4 of the 12 monthly tasks. We warmly welcome additional volunteers who will learn valuable weatherizing skills while having fun with other participants! Our monthly drawings continue for prizes that help accomplish the designated tasks. April’s drawings will be for shower timers. For more information about Task of the Month go here or come by and chat with us at our coffee table between services.

Adult Religious Education Starting Soon! Our spring Adult Religious Education offerings: *Attuning to the Sufi Path with Sara Steffey McQueen & Sharon Parsons *Mindfulness Meditation with Cetti Cherniak *Spiritual Practices for All Ages with Reverend Emily Manvel Leite *The Six Authentic Letters of Paul with Bob DeVoe *Live to 100 and Enjoy it! with Al Strickholm *Moving the Body, Centering the Spirit with Robin Lea Pyle *Cooking with Less Meat with Charlotte and Andrew Appel *Celebrate Your Mother with Barb Backler For more information, visit our website at uubloomington.org/re/adult/index.php and click on "ARE Spring 2011 Prospectus", or http://www.uubloomington.org/re/adult/Adult_RE_Prospectus_Spring_2011.pdf Sign up for classes by contacting Ruthann in the church office at 332-3695 or [email protected] or by visiting the ARE table in Fellowship Hall at church this Sunday.

Office Assistants Wanted: Two friendly, focused people with excellent computer skills, senses of humor, and mildly perfectionistic tendencies. Two 10-hr per week, year-round church office assistant positions available mid-April. Ideal for tech-savvy students. The church is within walking distance of IU campus. Work during ordinary weekday office hours, plus one or two Sunday mornings per month. Pay starts at $9.00/hour. Send letter of interest and resume by March 31 to Carol Marks, Church Administrator, Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, [email protected]. [Ruthann DuBois, our Office Assistant since July 2010, has taken a full-time position with Cook. We’ll miss her cheerful presence!]

Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 9

The Prologue 1st class pstg here Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington 2120 N. Fee Lane Bloomington, IN 47408-1646

812-332-3695 www.uubloomington.org The Rev. Mary Ann Macklin, Minister The Rev. Bill Breeden, Minister

Monday, March 21, 2011 Return Service Requested

For more calendar information, go to www.uubloomington.org and click on “Full Calendar.” Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 10