Weekly Update

Greetings!

Sunday @ 9:30
Join John Miller for his chapel service called “The Omnipotent Individual” . . . . He writes, “As UU’s we recognize the importance of each individual being free to explore their own religious beliefs. There is also an organization that assists that exploration process. We will explore the balance between the organization and the individual.” There will be childcare during the service, and a fellowship time afterwards.

Upcoming Opportunities:
Please come and invite your friends too!

Buddha’s Birthday: First Friday + Buddhist Meditation Retreat
Join us for the last “First Friday celebration” until fall on June 6th. We will celebrate Buddha’s Birthday, hosted by the Buddha’s Path group at the church. Friday evening, 6pm, bring a dish to pass (vegetarian in honor of Buddha’s request we harm none.) We will practice chanting, meditation, and ‘bathe the Buddha”. It is appropriate to bring gifts of fruit or flowers to decorate the altar. And if you have a statue of Buddha you would like to share, please bring it along to adorn our altar.
Saturday Mediation Retreat (June 7) will be from 7am to 12:30pm. Those new to meditation are invited to arrive just before 8am for meditation instruction. We will have periods of sitting and walking meditation, a dharma talk by Eva, and simple lunch at the conclusion. Please RSVP for Ralph Burr at e-mail:  ralph.burr@yahoo.com   or phone: 277- 2271 (leave a message), so we know how many to plan for.

Breath and Sound Workshop:
Phil Jones a professional recording artist and sound therapist will led a workshop on the sacredness of Breath and Sound at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Ames. Sunday, June 15 at 12:30pm. Cost is $20. For more information there is a flyer at church or contact Lori Allen 515-292-5960

Thank you to all who helped clean the RE classrooms last Sunday. And a special thanks to Angie Stafsholt and Suzanne Bullard for donating the blue paint and painting the nursery and putting up the white letters, to Randolph Brain for edging near the ceiling, Nate Callahan for gluing and fixing the slide, and thank you to our friend Danielle Snowden for spending her free time helping to paint the tree and the train.

Sliding into Summer Slow-down
After our all-church clean-up and picnic we will be sliding into our summer slow-down. As people start to travel, and spend more time in their gardens our Sundays are slower, and we have fewer happenings through the week. I take some time off to plan next year and vacation. We will have services all summer give by our Worship Associates. Look for the Weekly Update from them to remind you about their upcoming service. In August we slowly slide back into a fuller, more robust schedule. And we have an All-Church Retreat on the weekend of August 17-18: think of camping on the church lawn, campfire singing, a sock hop with our own Folk Band, pancake breakfast, outdoor chapel service, time to share and plan for the coming year, and lots of fun.

Pastoral Update
Bruce Baugher sent Kathy KZ an up-date on his status it is posted on the caring chalkboard or email Kathy if you would like a copy.

Cup of Joe Join me at this afternoon from 4:30 to 6pm for a relaxing time to meet a few UU friends and welcome the weekend. This is my last one until August.

I’ve copied some clear information about Tornado Relief below.

Enjoy the many blessings of summer, of life,
Eva


+++++This from the BH Evangelical Assn communication about Tornado Relief+++++
News on the situation in Parkersburg…Vicki Reece shared the following information with me yesterday:
 
WEBSITE:  www.butlercoiowa.org
I believe a Daily Newsletter will be published.  They are trying hard to keep communication as clear as possible.
 
RADIO:  A special frequency is set up for Butler, I believe its 530AM.
 
VOLUNTEERS
All volunteer efforts are being coordinated by the Butler Sheriff's Office  319-267-9111.  They will assign projects.  When you come into town, go to the United Methodist Church, located just north of the blue water tower on Florence Street.  All volunteers are to log in with the Sheriff's Office (they are great guys).  FEMA keeps track of hours, and this affects some funding.  Logging in helps the town!
 
(Rev. Betsy Piette is pastor of UMC.  She lost her home and all her belonging in the tornado, and is doing a great job of hosting the thousands of volunteers being funneled through her church—the church sustained damage…but miraculously survived in the midst of devastation all
around!  The church is just east of the highschool, and north of the highschool.)
 
Volunteers--be as self-sufficient as possible.  Bring first-aid kit, wear boots, gloves, bring supplies.  Food is available at AMVETS, but you may want to have your own cooler and snacks as there can often be lines (that move quickly…but they are still lines.)
 
WORSHIP SERVICES
All churches will be having their services in their sanctuaries this Sunday!  Please be praying for them.
 
FOOD PANTRY
Northeast Food Bank is putting together food boxes at Waterloo and then they are being distributed in town.   This will be non-perishables.  
More to be coordinated, and I'm sure will be in place by Friday as far as food donations.  Watch website and TV for more information!  Barbara Prather is Executive Director of NE Food Bank.  HELP will be needed to man the food pantry once it is in place.
 
FEMA
All residents need to register with FEMA  1-800-621-3362.   (7am-7pm CT)  Pastors who receive their packets should fill out the small business forms for themselves too (yes, really)  Everyone should register...sometimes damage doesn't emerge till after the deadline has passed.
 
SHELTER
Shelter is located at the middle school.  If volunteers wish to stay overnite they need to coordinate it with the school 319-347-6621.
 
COUNSELING
Grief counselors can contact the school, 319-347-6621
 
MEALS
Meals are being served at Amvets.  This is a central location.  If you like cooking, point that out when you call the Butler Co at 319-267-9111.
 
AMVETS
Meals, snacks, water, sodas. FEMA office is located here.  Outside a place people can charge cell phones.  A good place to go to make connections—along with the Sheriff’s table at the United Methodist Church north of the water tower.
 
CLOTHES
At present they are asking for no clothes (there are already plenty of donations).  There may be a need for new underwear (in packaging), hygiene items, socks.  Watch for appeals on TV or website.
 
SENIORS
Those 60 or older may receive help from Hawkeye Valley that will help with rental deposits, grocery vouchers, insurance deductibles.
 
TORNADO FUND - A foundation has been set up through Lincoln State Bank,    Any donations to "Tornado Fund" will be used to help the town.
 
DEBRIS REMOVAL
This is the biggest issue right now... once a resident has cleared his/her property of personal items and hazardous waste, he/she can put a stake in the front yard that says removal is ok.
 
A WAY TO HELP.  Removal takes place from the front...and residents need help getting things up and out!!!   You will need the right equipment, gloves, and trucks. (Like I need to tell you this!)  Residents have total permission to remove debris if they find people to help.  Look at the website to see the hazardous waste and debris guidelines  (www.butlercoiowa.org)
 
THURSDAY we sent volunteers home, it was unsafe to operate machinery, and there was shifting in some of the walls with the rain.  This was decided and coordinated by Butler County.


--
Rev. Eva S. Cameron
UU Society of Black Hawk Co.
Cedar Falls, IA
USA
319-610-6605 mobile
319-266-5640 church
319-266-1111 home
www.uusbhc.org

 

Weekly Update

Hello!

As the rains are watering all our gardens, I am hoping for a dry day for our church picnic on Sunday. But it is fun to see all the animals happily enjoying the rains, and the grass getting even greener still!

Memorial Day Sunday
Chapel @ 9:30
Memorial Day Service. We will honor our dead soldiers. I invite you to bring an item or photo to place on the altar for anyone who you’ve lost at war.
Fellowship (10:15 to 10:30)
Join us downstairs for coffee and quick announcements about the all-church clean-up.
Work Party @ 10:30
Bring your work gloves, dust rags, polish, window cleaner, vacuums and gardening gear—for our semi-annual indoor/outdoor all-member clean up! Dress for work, and bring a fun heart . . . as we do have a lot of fun working together to spruce up the place.
Julie sends along this list of needs for the grounds clean up:
2 wheel barrows or garden carts
Battery powered drill-and bits (for driving hexhead screws and slot screws): to mount the new mail box
Grill scraper- to clean the grill John Miller left in the storage area from last year's bash
2 hedge loppers
weed whip-gas powered
dandelion diggers (to help weed the south window garden and other areas)
pitch forks
buck saw
shovels
Picnic @12:00
Bring a dish to share for our end-of-the-church-year potluck picnic and barbeque. Grill  and hot dogs will be provided, bring your own alternatives/meat & alcoholic beverages. I am planning on Root Beer Floats!  Let’s relax and welcome in summer together.

Sliding into Summer Slow-down
After our all-church clean-up and picnic we will be sliding into our summer slow-down. As people start to travel, and spend more time in their gardens our Sundays are slower, and we have fewer happenings through the week. I take some time off to plan next year and vacation. We will have services all summer give by our Worship Associates. Look for the Weekly Update from them to remind you about their upcoming service. In August we slowly slide back into a fuller, more robust schedule. And we have an All-Church Retreat on a weekend. (We’ll let you know which one soon.) But think of camping on the church lawn, campfire singing, pancake breakfast, outdoor chapel service, time to share and plan for the coming year, and lots of fun.

Cup of Joe Join me at this afternoon from 4:30 to 6pm for a relaxing time to meet a few UU friends and welcome the weekend.

Pastoral Update
We remember the Harbough-Williams friend, Bruce, who is still suffering from his accident in California. (Information was sent out earlier in the week.)
Happy Birthday to Jan Gallagher!


See you in church!

~~Eva
--
Rev. Eva S. Cameron
UU Society of Black Hawk Co.
Cedar Falls, IA
USA
319-610-6605 mobile
319-266-5640 church
319-266-1111 home
www.uusbhc.org

 

Weekly Update

Hello,

Sunday Service @ 9:30: RE Sunday!
Join us this Sunday as we celebrate all the people who helped teach this year—from little ones to senior citizens, people came here to learn all kinds of things you can’t learn elsewhere. We honor all those who made it possible. (If you taught this year, show up so we can thank you!) This is also Bridging Sunday, where we welcome our graduating Seniors into the larger UU faith. This year’s graduate is Jordan Bancroft-Smithe.  We will find out his plans and dreams for the future, and send him off with lots of love! Colton Questra is our Worship Associate, and the Family Folk Ensemble will play as well as the Hanson children!

Second Hour @11:15
    *  Buddhist Path  - Individuals are invited to meet with others who are interested in exploring  about Buddhist spiritual practices and their lives.
    * Walkin’ the Talk - Shalon Atwood will give a talk on the excellent work being done at Habitat For Humanity, including some houses where we can help. This is another opportunity to do something that can really change some one's life in a positive and meaningful way.
    •Garden meditation - Join Julie Fischer in the garden second hour for some fun, work and thoughtful actions.

Opportunities to Help
Office Nook set-up—Join Kevin Stafsholt and a band of merry men in moving the new office assistant’s desk, building shelves, and adding some fresh paint to the whole thing. Work begins this Saturday (tomorrow). Call or e-mail if you want to join in: <stafsholt@mchsi.com>
Habitat House Work Day--Join Betsy Brandt, Donna Kroeger ,Sue Campbell, and me. Our group is to go out to 824 W 3rd St in Cedar Falls from 8:30am-3pm on May 31st. Come and give it a try. We need your help! Sign up on the Social Action table. Del Carpenter is the site supervisor on that house and he will be giving instruction and safety information for the day.
Ground and Garden—Julie Fischer is always on the lookout for  people who would enjoy helping keep up our lovely gardens and grounds. No experience necessary. Just let her know you are interested, and she’ll point you in the right direction!

Next Week: Memorial Day Sunday (save the date!)
Chapel @ 9:30
Work Party @ 10:30
Bring your work gloves, dust rags, polish, window cleaner, vacuums and gardening gear—for our semi-annual indoor/outdoor all-member clean up! Dress for work, and bring a fun heart . . . as we do have a lot of fun working together to spruce up the place.
Picnic @12:00
Bring a dish to share for our end-of-the-church-year potluck picnic and barbeque. Grill will be provided, bring your own meat. Eva is thinking maybe Root Beer Floats would be fun!  Let’s relax and welcome in summer together.

Sliding into Summer Slow-down
After our all-church clean-up and picnic we will be sliding into our summer slow-down. As people start to travel, and spend more time in their gardens our Sundays are slower, and we have fewer happenings through the week. I take some time off to plan next year and vacation. We will have services all summer give by our Worship Associates. Look for the Weekly Update from them to remind you about their upcoming service. In August we slowly slide back into a fuller, more robust schedule. And we have an All-Church Retreat on a weekend. (We’ll let you know which one soon.) But think of camping on the church lawn, campfire singing, pancake breakfast, outdoor chapel service, time to share and plan for the coming year, and lots of fun.

Cup of Joe Join me at this afternoon from 4:30 to 6pm for a relaxing time to meet a few UU friends and welcome the weekend.

See you in church!
Eva
--
Rev. Eva S. Cameron
UU Society of Black Hawk Co.
Cedar Falls, IA
USA
319-610-6605 mobile
319-266-5640 church
319-266-1111 home
www.uusbhc.org

 

Weekly Update

Hello,

My mind is full of all the beautiful shades of green we have been enjoying this week as the world “springs” alive around us. Last night in Buddhist Path, I asked everyone to introduce themselves and share something beautiful they had seen or experienced in the past week. So many people spoke of the flowers, their colors, the scent, the many kinds . . . It was a lovely image to settle on.

This coming Sunday (9:30 to 10:45am) is our annual Flower Communion. If you’ve never been to one before, bring a flower (plucked or bought) for each member of your family. You will go home with another flower, that someone else brought. This lovely ceremony was started long ago in Prague, and is customary in most of our UU churches. We planned on doing a Child Dedication, but all the new families with children will be out of town this weekend. So we will honor mothers, and enjoy a story about beginnings of Flower Communion. Family Folk Ensemble will sing. Its a Service for All Ages.
Fellowship (10:45 to 11:15)
Children’s Chapel (11am)
Second Hour (11:15 to 12:15)
We have classes for children, youth and adults. The adults classes for this week are:
* Circle Way  - Deblyn Russell and Sue Wilson  will be showing the newly released documentary about which everyone is talking, " The   Moses Code ". This is your chance to be in the know  about this new film.
*Stories That Changed My Life - New series, join fellow UUs as they relate interesting and informative stories about events that changed their lives. This Sunday Esther Thomas will tell her story.

Upcoming:
Special Newsletter Deadline: Thurs. May 15. Help Gerry, our devoted volunteer newsletter editor work a minor miracle. She needs to create the newsletter in less time that usual since she’s got travel plans. Start sending her anything and everything now. We need events for both June and July at this time. Towards the end of July she will assemble a newsletter for August.  <sgchamberlin@cfu.net>

FVUUM: This week we’ll be at Friendship Village at 11am on Wed. May 14th. RSVP to Brian Forster if you’d like to attend lunch after chapel. (ph. 291-8427)

Pastoral Update:
Ask Chris Rediske about her new granddaughter born in late April!
Its been a while since we honored Mildred Pierce as our Uunsung Hero. She’s probably ready to have a few phone calls to keep her spirits up, since she is mostly home-bound at this time.
Do let Esther or me know if there are other Pastoral messages to share with our community.

Fridays at the Cup . . . Join me this afternoon from 4:30 to 6pm at Cup of Joe for an informal time to relax and share in the  company of others in our commUUnity.

Namaste!
~Eva

Weekly Update

Hello!

I write to you as the rains just being to gently fall, sitting on my comfortable back porch—where I enjoy watching the world go by. When I lived in India, the house had a back porch too, only there it was called a ‘veranda.’ But from that spot, I could see the high round shoulder of the mountain we lived on rising above me. I so enjoyed watching the rain clouds settle in over top of the mountain, and gradually slide their way down until I was in the rain.

What was I doing in India? Well, I was visiting Unitarians who live there, and doing some research for a book I hope to finish some day about our US connections to the Unitarians there. It was a fun sabbatical, and resulted in the creation of the Sponsor-a-Student program we participate in. BUT, we can’t always travel to meet our Unitarian and Universalist friends. So I have decided to try and share about some of our ‘cousins’ in faith from around the world each year, on what I am calling “International Sunday.” This Sunday’s visit will be to Transylvania! (Yes, the land of vampires!)

This Sunday’s Service (9:30am)
Come and learn a little bit about our deep Unitarian history in Transylvania. This region, once a hot-bed of progressive thought in Europe, still is home to many ancient Unitarian churches. Different from us in many ways, we share a common heritage, and over the past 20 years an increasing number of UU’s from this country have made pilgrimages to visit this homeland of Unitarianism. Ute Brandenburg and Carolyn Hildebrandt have special music to share with us, and its the first Sunday of the month, so we will honor our ThankUU recipients.

Children’s Chapel is at 11am

Second Hour (11:15 am to 12:15pm)
Classes for children and youth are ongoing.
Adults: If you’ve been coming to the church for a while, and are interested in learning more about becoming a member,  about Unitarian Universalism, or are ready to sign the membership book, please join Eva and members of the Outreach Committee for this New Member Session.
Conscious Living Julie Fischer and Juanita Williams will share stories of their eco-adventures. They invite you to bring opportunities of other ‘eco-adventures’ that you know of to share.

TODAY—First Friday @ 6pm
Yes, it is MAY already! Join us this evening for a celebration of Spring in the manner of the Celts. We will dance the May Pole, and give thanks for returning life. Bring a dish to pass—Irish food is the theme, but you are welcome to just bring anything to share.

Upcoming Events:
Help Habitat for Humanity—a UU workparty!
As part of our Walkin’ the Talk experience for May, we will be helping the Habitat people in building a house on May 31st. Please sign up on the Social Action table in the Fellowship Hall if you are able to help out. Let’s get a good group of UU’s out to make a family’ dream come true. Never done it before? That’s okay . . . Habitat is used to working with volunteers of all skill levels. I’m planning on going. I hope you will too!

Again, I haven’t any Pastoral Updates to share with you. After a long winter, people seem to be doing well. But please do let Esther or I know if you are in need of some support: physical or spiritual!

See you in church!
~Eva

--
Rev. Eva S. Cameron
UU Society of Black Hawk Co.
Cedar Falls, IA
USA
319-610-6605 mobile
319-266-5640 church
319-266-1111 home
www.uusbhc.org