Weekly Update

5/27/11 Weekly Update
Here's the latest news about our roof leak. 

For those of you who missed the news, our roof over the old part of the building (sanctuary, balcony, foyer, RE office) had such major leaks all over that it was literally raining inside the building on Wednesday. The original roofer was called, and they discovered that hail damage had left pock marks all over the roof at some point in the past, and it had all given way as we had those large storms with so much water. Many people responded to my plea for help, and most items were moved out of the spaces that were wet on Wed. evening.  Wet-vacs were run and de-humidfiers were brought. And we set up a worship space in the Fellowship Hall.

Since then, we've talked with 2 other roofers, the insurance company, and ServiceMaster for getting ourselves dried out. The damage is massive and not repairable. Happily, we heard today that our insurance company will be covering our roof for this damage to it, and the inside damage as well. Even better, our members, in their wisdom long ago, signed us up for Replacement cost insurance. So we should be able to manage this crisis without deep financial distress. We also have lined up a good roofing company, Service Roofing Co., who can begin to replace our roof on Tuesday.

This weekend, ServiceMaster will be tending to the drying out of things inside. So currently we don't need de-humidifiers to be emptied.

We will need your help on Sunday. During our normal 'clean-up' time we will need to remove all remaining items from the spaces in the old building, since the roofers have warned us that this will be a dusty and messy process. And then we will need to clean up and install new carpeting, and anything else that is damaged from water. 

The major tasks are:
1) Move Janet's office in Balcony to a classroom and set it up to be functional. Move any office items from the blue classroom to which ever room becomes the final office space.
2) Move all items and furniture from RE Office to a classroom for storage.
3) Scan the space for additional items left as of yet.
4) Organize the items behind the partition in the Fellowship Hall (the space we are now jokingly referring to as "Tim's Office" due to the preponderance of music supplies.
5) Additional items as we learn of them--this process shifts each day. 

Please try to keep things in functional groups. Currently all Buddhist Path items are in the Senior High Room. I think we should keep that space fairly open, for church meetings as well as Buddhist Path.

If you are looking for your mail slot, it is in "Tim's Office."

John Miller has been on top of this crisis since the beginning. He will be holding a Q&A session immediately following the service if you want to hear more about this, or learn the details. Please give him your thanks for all the extra effort!

Meanwhile, I planned a while ago to be in Manchester for part of the holiday weekend, and I have decided to keep those plans. I've moved a lot of stuff, and been up on the roof several times this past week. Also I am processing a difficult development in my mother's health. (See Pastoral Update). And am ready for short break. I'll be back with more energy next week!

Thanks to each and everyone one of you who showed up to help, and for those who are coming on Sunday. Many hands sure do make light work!

~Eva




Sunday 5/29/11

9:30 am Sunday Service: Memorial Day Chapel
Bill Chene & Karen Impola as Worship Associate
This Chapel Service will honor all those who have served our county.  You are invited to bring a picture or keepsake in memory of someone special to you.

10:30 am Update From the Prez--Come hear what's the latest news about our roof leak situation from John Miller: a chance to hear the whole story, ask questions, and learn details about restoring our building to good "health."

11:00am All Church Clean-up

Please wear your work-clothes and bring cleaning supplies for both indoor and outdoor work.  We don't have a custodian, so we all have to pitch in to make our beloved church space shine – kids and grown-ups alike!
12:00 pm Potluck & Picnic
Bring a dish to pass and if you wish, something to cook on the grill.  We'll have the fire hot and we will celebrate the coming of summer with some old-fashioned root beer floats!



Calendar Updates for this Coming Week

Monday

6:00 pm Cedar Prairie Vegetarian Potluck

Wednesday

6:30 pm Theoretical String Band

Thursday

7:30 pm Buddhist Path

Saturday

1:00 – 3:00 pm Nature Lovers small group

Office Update
During the months of June and July the Weekly Update will be put out by the Office. Please submit announcements and pastoral updates to Janet by Thursday morning, so they can be included. <administrator@uusbhc.org>

While we are in the midst of restoring our building, the Office has moved to a RE classroom. Please look for Janet during her normal hours, but not in her normal location.



Pastoral Update
We are happy to announce the birth of Robyn and Jeff Heiden's grandson. His name is Jackson Heiden Kimball. Born early Tuesday morning at 8lbs 11oz. to their daughter Lisa and son-in-law Travis.

Eva's mother Joan did not have surgery this past week, as it was discovered that she seems to have 2 concurrent cancers. The doctors are trying to come up with a solid diagnosis and treatment plan. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.



Announcements

YOU CAN HELP THE HOMELESS...

The Cedar Valley Hospitality House is collecting used bicycles and collecting donations to purchase pup tents for homeless people in the local area.  Bicycles must be in good working condition and can be dropped off at the Hospitality House, located at 1003 Mulberry St. in Waterloo (phone 319-234-1311).  The pup tents will be distributed to those who are unable to find other nighttime shelter or wish to stay outdoors during the summer months.  The cost of each single-occupant tent is $40.  Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to the Hospitality House at P.O. Box 1505, Waterloo IA 50704.  The Cedar Valley Hospitality House is a nondenominational day shelter for the homeless.  Contributions are tax-deductible.  More information at: www.cvhospitalityhouse.org

"Evolutionize Your Life"

Michael Dowd & Connie Barlow are excited to announce their 5-week "Evolutionize Your Life" online course: a uniquely evidence-based approach for overcoming self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors and cultivating healthy relationships. 
The four-fold purpose of the course is to help people...
    1. Appreciate and respectfully manage their compelling, unconscious physical and relational instincts. 
    2. Consistently interpret life (including chaos and setbacks) in ways that serve them and others.
    3. Replace unhealthy habits of thought and behavior with healthy ones.
    4. Gain measurable skill in communicating and relating to others in mutually-enriching ways.
The course launches June 1 (although people can join anytime and go at their own pace).
http://bit.ly/EvolutionizeYourLife5WeekCourse

WCA Honors our former member Clarence Alling

June 2 event and exhibition to celebrate former Arts Director

The Waterloo Center for the Arts will honor the legacy left by local artist and former Arts Director Clarence Alling with an exhibition of his work and an opening reception on Thursday, June 2. An accomplished studio potter, Clarence Alling also spent many years serving as Arts Director for what has now become the Waterloo Center for the Arts.  This exhibition, Clarence Alling: A Legacy in Art, will showcase hundreds of his pieces and will truly be a reflection of his long-standing career as an artist and the significant gifts he left to the community.

The Celebration of Clarence Alling reception will be held Thursday, June 2 at 7:00pm and is open to the public.  The exhibit will be on display in Law-Reddington Gallery from June 2 through August 31, and always free and open to the public to view.

Rev Eva Cameron
minister
Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk Co.
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
319-610-6605
www.uusbhc.org
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

Weekly Update

5/20/11 Weekly Update
Yippee! Wahoo! Our Children's Sunday School team has been offering fun and inspiring classes for our children and youth all year. Now's the time to show them some support and love for all their hard work AND to cheer on our kids! The kids will be presenting this Sunday's service along with their teachers. So set down your shovels (the gardening can wait a bit), put up your bikes (there's still a number of days until RAGBRAI--Mike Knapp can tell you exactly how many!), set down that iron (its close enough to summer everyone will expect you to look a bit rumbled anyway), and just don't start the New York Times until after lunch!
You are going to love seeing our kids in action! And they are going to love seeing your smiling faces!
You will learn about what they've been studying all year with their brand-new curriculum. Aren't you curious?
AND it's also time for our annual "Bridging" ceremony – where we gently guide our High School Seniors over the "bridge" that leads them away from their youth programming and into our midst as a bright young adult.
Come wish them well on their journey--wherever it is that takes them in the coming year. 

See you in church!

~Eva

(ps-please read the pastoral updates, there's some significant news)


Sunday 5/22/11

8:30 am Music Rehearsal

9:30 am Sunday Service: Religious Education Sunday REAP Council & WA Maureen Murphy

11:15 am Children's RE trip to Hartman Reserve

11:15 am Adult RE:  Sixty for Six discussion of Current Events

Calendar Updates for this Coming Week

Tuesday

7:00 pm Committee on Ministry

Wednesday

6:30 pm Theoretical String Band practice--all are invited to come out & give it a try!

Thursday

7:30 pm Buddhist Path--all welcome.

Saturday

3:00 – 5:00 pm Bryn's Graduation Party and Art Show (Carolyn Hildebrant and Thos Sumner's daughter) Come celebrate Bryn's graduation from University of Iowa with a B.A. in Music (Cello Performance) and a B.F.A. in Studio Art (Printmaking)! Next: an internship at the Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale, New York.  

Pastoral Update
Don Wendt is in the Care Unit at Friendship Village. He has been doing rather poorly, and this is hard on Dorothy. I am sure that she would appreciate little notes, cards, and calls from those she knows to help boost her spirits (and give her something to share with Don when she visits). Dorothy Wendt 600 Park Lane, Waterloo, IA 50702

We've had an update from Betsy Brant today. Lynn and her son-in-law Iku died yesterday morning. She writes, "He had been unconscious for several days in the hospital hospice unit. We are all somewhat numb but working through funeral arrangements and so on.  The memorial service at [her daughter] Valerie's UU is Weds. We'll be back week after next most likely." You may reach her at <bbrant@cfu.net>

Eva's mother, Joan Reeves, will have her breast cancer surgery on Tuesday (May 24). Cards and notes can be sent to 98 Bedford Center Rd. Bedford, NH 03110. Please send energy or keep her in your thoughts and/or prayers. I'll keep you posted on what the prognosis and  further treatments turn out to be.




Meditation

This past week, I sense a weariness--as many are winding down the school year with turning in grades or preparing for the school year to end. The spring has been wearying for many as the weather has not been as obliging as we'd like to outdoor fun. And, I know, people have worked hard in my absence, (and the absence of a Director of Religious Education), to keep things going well at church. I've always found solace in Adrienne Rich's poem "All I Cannot Save" from Natural Resources in The Dream of a Common Language. I hope it brings a flowering to your spring.



My heart is moved by all I cannot save
So much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those, who, age after age,
Perversely, with no extraordinary
Power, reconstitute the world.



Announcements

What's that? I can't hear you...
The tech team who runs the sound board on Sunday mornings is looking for some willing volunteers to be trained for the job.  It's easy once you've been trained and we work on a flexible rotation so you don't have be there every week.  Training takes about an hour and after a short apprenticeship, you'll be making everyone in the service sound great!  Contact Neil Martinsen-Burrell (290-6134, nmb@wartburg.edu) if you're interested.




And while we are talking about volunteers . . . .
this is the time of year that some people choose to shift their energy in the work they do for our church community. Please let us know if you are planning on resigning from one committee, and also let us know what things you are thinking might be fun to do next year!

I am aware that we will need lots of help with both our Children's and Adults' Sunday School programs. Our volunteers this year worked extra hard and will need others to take a turn next year. We will need those who like to organize, and those who like to teach.
Our Caring Committee needs new leadership.
Our Festival Sundays team needs creative people to help plan those monthly services.
Our Choir needs more singers!
Sunday services need Worship Associates each week to help with the service. Would you like to work in helping to plan and conduct services?
This summer, musicians willing to help bring music to our Sundays, should contact Tim.
And our Garden always needs those willing to weed and harvest this time of year!
Of course, any and all areas of the church life could use your loving energy. Both leadership and simple help are both welcome. And new ways of doing things are always possible! If you'd like to get involved, and aren't sure how . . . please contact Eva (minister@uusbhc.org or 319-610-6605)



Volunteers Needed for Green: What Does it Mean?
Exploring Our Sustainable Community
A science and environmental Field Day for Cedar Valley 9th Graders, May 24th at UNI.
Over 1000 9th graders from Cedar Falls and Waverly will be participating in a science/environmental field day at UNI on May 24th. This day will provide the students the opportunity to explore what it means to be "Green" in our society. They will attend interactive classroom presentations, visit an exhibit hall and hear a keynote address from Chad Pregracke founder of Living Lands and Waters (http://www.livinglandsandwaters.org/)
Volunteers are needed in many capacities! If you are available on the 24th we would love to have you be a part of this event.  If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Michaela Rich (michaela.rich@uni.edu).



Our Larger Faith aspires to give to their community

(and YOU can help!)

The UU community ministry in Turley, Okla., which UU World featured on the cover of the Spring 2011 issue, is competing for a free fruit orchard. Learn more about the difference an orchard would make in this "abandoned place," and vote daily for A Third Place Community Foundation. (Here's the story about A Third Place:<http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/172162.shtml?utm_source=f>
And, here's the link to vote to help them win the orchard <http://www.communitiestakeroot.com/Plant/Index>

Rev Eva Cameron
minister
Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk Co.
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
319-610-6605
www.uusbhc.org

Weekly Update

5/14/11 Weekly Update
I'm writing you this a day later than usual. . . . Yesterday I got the news that my mother does indeed have breast cancer. I feel fairly confident that she'll be successful in battling the this disease. But yesterday emotions washed over me as I remembered all the details of my breast cancer diagnosis back in 2002. I needed some time to think about what I wanted to tell you. We don't know so much yet about what kind of treatment she will need, but I'll keep you posted if I find I need to go visit her. She lives in New Hampshire, so its not a quick trip to get there.

I had been planning to tell you this week about my lovely Mother's Day last Sunday. And I think I'll include that too . . . since our lives are an amazing mix of joy and sorrows. (And I have always felt it was good to seek and pay attention to all the is going well, when sorrows come my way.) So last Sunday I got to spend the afternoon out hiking in the sunshine with Chuck looking for mushrooms in the woods. We didn't find any mushrooms, but it was so lovely to be out doing something I love with someone I love on that day. In the evening I got a big hug from his daughter, who said she was really happy to have me as an extra mother in her life. This past year we have grown close, and its such a joy to have another young presence in my life. A few years ago, I thought my time with kids would only come if I happened to have grandchildren nearby. But we never really do know what our lives will bring. I'm really enjoying this journey!

See you in church!
~Eva


Sunday 5/15/11
8:30 am Music Rehearsal
9:30 am Sunday Service: Music Sunday: "Music to Move the Soul" Rev. Eva Cameron, Tim Purdum & Worship Associate Maureen Murphy.
Music has an ability to reach out and touch us in ways that are simply amazing.  Join us for this celebration in music and words, as we honor the music and musicians that have nurtured us on our religious journey.  The Adult Choir, Children's Choir, Theoretical String Band, and guest musicians will be part of a service celebrating our diverse musical gifts and how they help us connect with each other, the world, and the sacred.  Be prepared to sing along on some great familiar hymns!
10:45 am Fellowship Time
11:00 am Children's Chapel (balcony)
11:15 am Sunday School for Children & Youth
11:15 pm Adult RE
Sixty for Six: Ruth Ratliff will speak to us about the Episcopal Church.

Calendar Updates for this Coming Week

Tuesday

7:30 pm Board Meeting

Wednesday        Calendar Deadline

11:00 am Friendship Village UU Ministry

WOW is on summer recess.

No evening activities other than Theoretical String Band which will meet.

Thursday

7:30 pm Buddhist Path

Friday           Newsletter Deadline

Saturday

10:00 am – 10:00 pm Rental

Announcements

What's that? I can't hear you...

The tech team who runs the sound board on Sunday mornings is looking for some willing volunteers to be trained for the job.  It's easy once you've been trained and we work on a flexible rotation so you don't have be there every week.  Training takes about an hour and after a short apprenticeship, you'll be making everyone in the service sound great!  Contact Neil Martinsen-Burrell (290-6134, nmb@wartburg.edu) if you're interested.


And while we are talking about volunteers . . . .
this is the time of year that some people choose to shift their energy in the work they do for our church community. Please let us know if you are planning on resigning from one committee, and also let us know what things you are thinking might be fun to do next year!

I am aware that we will need lots of help with both our Children's and Adults' Sunday School programs. Our volunteers this year worked extra hard and will need others to take a turn next year. We will need those who like to organize, and those who like to teach.
Our Caring Committee needs new leadership.
Our Festival Sundays team needs creative people to help plan those monthly services.
Our Choir needs more singers!
Sunday services need Worship Associates each week to help with the service. Would you like to work in helping to plan and conduct services?
This summer, musicians willing to help bring music to our Sundays, should contact Tim.
And our Garden always needs those willing to weed and harvest this time of year! And the grounds need weeding and tending.
Of course, any and all areas of the church life could use your loving energy. Both leadership and simple help are both welcome. And new ways of doing things are always possible! If you'd like to get involved, and aren't sure how . . . please contact Eva (minister@uusbhc.org or 319-610-6605)

Volunteers Needed for Green: What Does it Mean?
Exploring Our Sustainable Community;
A science and environmental Field Day for Cedar Valley 9th Graders, May 24th at UNI.

Over 1000 9th graders from Cedar Falls and Waverly will be participating in a science/environmental field day at UNI on May 24th. This day will provide the students the opportunity to explore what it means to be "Green" in our society. They will attend interactive classroom presentations, visit an exhibit hall and hear a keynote address from Chad Pregracke founder of Living Lands and Waters (http://www.livinglandsandwaters.org/)
Volunteers are needed in many capacities! If you are available on the 24th we would love to have you be a part of this event.  If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Michaela Rich (michaela.rich@uni.edu).




Office Update
Please send your summer calendar dates to the office administrator@uusbhc.org.  The deadline is next Wednesday, May 18th.  This next newsletter covers both June and July so please send me those dates as well as sending your articles to Gerry newsletter@uusbhc.org.  The Newsletter deadline is Friday May 20th.

Rev Eva Cameron
minister
Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk Co.
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
319-610-6605
www.uusbhc.org
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.