Weekly Update

9/24/10 Weekly Update
Its fall! Its fall!  What a lovely day its turned out to be after all the rain. What a change! Life is all about change, but sometimes we forget. Fall is the perfect time to consider what has changed in your life, what is about to change, what really needs to change. Do you still have the right 'tools' for your life . . . from the 'stuff' we keep in our houses, to the emotional resources for who we want to be . . . unless we take the time to assess our situation, and perhaps re-stock, or de-clutter, we may find ourselves sorely unprepared. Life is a Pilgrimage! Are you ready to take the next steps on the journey? Take a moment and prepare. 

See you in church!

~Eva

Sunday 9/26/10
8:30 am Music Rehearsal
9:30 am Festival Sunday: "Fall Equinox" Festival Sunday Team.  Worship Associate: Stephen Orsborn
Continuing with this month's theme we will harvest our spiritual tools for the journey of life!  Join us for a celebration of the full abundance of life.  We will also have the Social Action "Walkin' the Talk" collection for "One Iowa".
10:30 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: "Current Events" (balcony)

Calendar Updates for this Coming Week
Monday

6:00 pm Cedar Prairie Vegetarian Potluck

Tuesday

7:00 pm Committee on Ministry

Wednesday

5:00 pm Children's Choir

5:30 pm Dinner (Please RSVP to administrator@uusbhc.org

by noon on Monday)

6:15 pm Adult Choir

6:30 pm Cedar Valley Meditation Group (high school room)

7:30 pm Theoretical String Band

Thursday

7:30 pm Buddhist Path (balcony)

Friday

Nature Group Campout through Sunday (contact Sheri Huber-Otting)

Saturday

7:30 pm Comedy Café

Other items
New Art in the Sanctuary
"88 Notes" was created during August, 2010.  The sculpture evolved on its own, after the keys of our old moldy piano were bleached and left on the back porch to dry. It was obvious from the first time I saw them in numerical order, radiating solidly from the center, that this was a chalice in the making.  There was nothing else it could be.  Once the concept was there, I found that I couldn't stop looking at the form. It drew me in and wouldn't let go.  Now I'm sharing it with you.  Enjoy.  Moria Brown

Office Update
Office hours are Monday & Thursday mornings from 8:30 am to 12:30pm and Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.  If you are in charge of any event at the church, please let me know the time, date and location of your meeting.  I will be gone the week of October 11th so the sooner you send me any calendar information, the better.  Thanks!  Janet

Pastoral Update

Our sympathies to Del Carpenter who's mother died this past week. He is in Nebraska for the funeral and then will be in Indiana for the burial. You can send him messages of love and condolence at <delcarpenter@cfu.net>

Glenyce Butsch fell last Friday and was taken to Allen Hospital.  She is now in Skilled nursing at Western Home.  Her daughter is here and the diagnosis was congestive heart failure I believe.   Her address is Glenyce Butschy, 1100 Grove St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613

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

9/17/10 Weekly Update
I hope you are enjoying this fabulous fall Friday!
I'd like to take a moment to turn your attention to the small details of life. Our space, our building, is OUR building. We don't have any hired help to clean, straighten, pick-up or turn off lights. So, as this church year gets going full swing, please don't forget to do a little extra for this space we all use. Take a moment before you leave a space--look around. Ask "what can I do to leave this place looking nice for the next person who comes around?" Please turn out lights, check windows, lock doors, just like you would at home. I know sometimes when we are talking with friends it takes a little more concentration to remember to do this, but let's all kick in and work together. You don't have to have opened a window to close it, although that would be GREAT. You don't have to have turned the lights on to turn them off, but that would be GREAT. If you find an old cup laying about, carry it to the kitchen and wash it. And if you have some extra time, run the vacuum, wipe a wall, or straighten a cluttered surface--just like at home. I think some times people are afraid to touch anything because they don't know who is in charge, or if they are disturbing something someone else wanted there--I want to empower you to feel like creating order from chaos is a good thing, a healthy thing, and one that we want to see happening around the place more often.

Oh yeah, and one more thing . . . with the exception of Shanlee McNally, your mother isn't around . . . so just take charge, clean up, pick up, lock up . . . and know that you are just as 'in charge' as anyone else!

Thanks for attending to this!
~Eva


Sunday 9/19/10
coffee, and announcements in the Fellowship Hall.

8:30 am Music Rehearsal

9:30 am Yom Kippur Message: "The Weight We Carry" Rev. Eva Cameron, preaching.  Worship Associate: Lisa Kratz
"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love."  Join us as we explore this in relationship to our monthly theme of preparing for the journey.
10:45 am Fellowship Time
10:45 am Involvement Fair
11:00 am Children's Chapel (balcony)
11:15 am Sunday School for Children & Youth
2:30 pm Sunday Afternoon small group

Calendar Updates for this Coming Week
Monday

7:00 pm Ministry Council

Tuesday

7:30 pm Board Meeting

Wednesday

5:00 pm Children's Choir

5:30 pm Dinner (Please RSVP to administrator@uusbhc.org by noon on Monday)

6:15 pm Adult Choir

6:30 pm Cedar Valley Meditation Group (high school room)

7:30 pm Theoretical String Band

Thursday

7:30 pm Buddhist Path (balcony)

Office Update
Office hours have changed.  I will continue with Monday & Thursday mornings from 8:30 am to 12:30pm.  I have added hours on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.  Please be advised that I am keeping the church calendar now, so if you are in charge of any event at the church, please let me know the time, date and location of your meeting.  I will be gone the week of October 11th so the sooner you send me any calendar information, the better.  Thanks!  Janet

Other Items
A note from Nancy . . . our District Executive
Last weekend I was in Ames to do the start-up for Charlotte Cowtan, their Interim Minister, and I had a tour of their water-damaged building. The carpet tiles have all been torn up, there are cracks in the walls and the doors don't fit into the doorframes, and there are cracks along the foundation at the front of the church. The offices and youth room are not usable. Those of you who have visited the Fellowship in past years know that their building is built next to a hillside. Although there were pipes at the base of the hillside to carry the water away, the amount of rainwater overwhelmed the drainage system. It's possible that some of the soil under the foundation has been washed away, leading to the foundation cracks. Estimates to fix the building are in the $100,000 range.

Shawnee Mission UU Church in Overland Park, KS, also suffered water damage earlier in the summer, when Kansas City was deluged by rainstorms. The cost to fix the lower level and replace materials is about $18,500.

More information about the fund which has been set up, how to make donations, and how the money will be distributed is available here: http://www.psduua.org/News/FloodReliefFund2010   Let's help these congregations recover from these difficulties.

Thanks,
Nancy

Nancy Heege
Prairie Star District Executive
122 W Franklin Avenue #303
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-230-3273


Pastoral Update
Our condolence to Nate Callahan who lost his brother Chuck to colon cancer this past week. He joins his family in Des Moines this weekend for the funeral. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Notes and cards can be sent to: 1822 Orchard, CF, 50613
We celebrate the birth of Marilyn Desmond's Great Granddaughter, Makenzie Alexandra Kleiner.
Please let us know of other life events we should share with the congregation.

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

9/10/10 Weekly Update
I write this to you from a Rest Area in southern Iowa. I am returning home from taking my daughter Irene and her boyfriend Justin to Tulsa. This morning they flew from there to Australia, (by way of LAX). They plan to be gone for a year on an grand adventure of exploring themselves as they explore the world. You learn all sorts of things as you go about life, if you are looking! Just today I noticed a man using his laptop at the picnic table in this Rest Area. I discovered I could take a driving break and get caught up on this Weekly Update! I also got a chance to read the historical marker posted here, which speaks about several utopian communities that formed in southern Iowa in the mid-1800's. It seems people traveled from several different places in the world, including France and Hungry to participate in their dream of living life within the network of a better social structure. Its been a long time since I read the real history of these movements, but seeing them mentioned made me think about our theme of Pilgrimage of Life. These are people who made daring choices to attempt a dream. It invites me into thought about my life choices . . . some more daring than others. But choices nonetheless. What choices have you made along your life's journey that have helped you live your dream?

Sunday 9/12/10
8:30 am Music Rehearsal
9:30 am "Pilgrimage of Life" Rev. Eva Cameron
An exploration of this year's Spiritual Theme. We begin our journey together as we look at what it means to belong to a religion of spiritual journey.  What resources do you need on this journey?  What do you expect to find along the way?  What has shaped you and formed you?
10:30 am Fellowship Time
11:00 am Children's Chapel (balcony)
11:15 am Sunday School for Children & Youth
11:15 am Adult RE: Sixty for Six "Current Events"

Calendar Updates for this Coming Week
Monday

8:30 – 12:30 pm Office Hours

Tuesday

7:00 pm REAP Council Meeting

7:15 pm Religious Services Council

Wednesday    **Calendar Deadline**

11:00 am Friendship Village Ministry

1:00 – 5:00 pm Office Hours

5:00 pm Children's Choir

5:30 pm Dinner (Please RSVP)

6:15 pm Adult Choir

6:30 pm Cedar Valley Meditation Group (high school room)

7:30 pm Theoretical String Band

Thursday

8:30 – 12:30 pm Office Hours

7:30 pm Buddhist Path (balcony)

Friday    **Calendar Deadline**

7:30 pm Community Drum Circle

Office Update

Office hours have changed.  I will continue with Monday & Thursday mornings from 8:30 am to 12:30pm.  I have added hours on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.  Please be advised that I am keeping the church calendar now, so if you are in charge of any event at the church, please let me know the time, date and location of your meeting.  I will be gone the week of October 11th so the sooner you send me any calendar information, the better.  Thanks!  Janet

Pastoral Update

Lara Martinsen-Burrell wrote to me yesterday: As residents, volunteers, and professionals work to put out the Fourmile Canyon Fire in Boulder I send love and light.  I am inspired to be reminded of the pioneering spirit of the town as I imagine many are taking in stride the fire, as that's the community attitude.  May healing come swiftly as the people and animals temporarily and permanently relocate.  

These are the thoughts and prayers living in my heart as the place I called home until 6 years ago deals with the fire.  My immediate family is out of harms way.  Niwot, their home is almost another 10 miles from the fire.  The area where Neil and I lived is being evacuated, and my favorite trails have burned... but I imagine that means next spring or so there will be amazing wildflowers.  All the same, tears...ah change.

We also hold the residents of CA who have been effected by the explosion in our hearts and prayers.

Tomorrow, as the country remembers the anniversary of 9/11, I invite us into a place of speaking openly of love and tolerance. Hold the survivors in your hearts. Hold our world, wounded by this and many acts of hatred, in your hearts. Try and plan to do at least one extra act of love tomorrow.  Love actively. Teach your children, grandchildren or neighborhood kids to do the same. Together is the only way we can move forward on this.

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

8/20/10 Weekly Update
I've been reading Forrest Church's book Love and Death: my journey through the valley of the shadow just this week. He was a UU minister at our church in NYC until quite recently, when he died of cancer. This passage captured me:

"It takes courage to laugh, especially when the things we are struggling with are no laughing matter. The most healing aspect about the courage to laugh is that it keeps us from attaching additional strings to our troubles, no matter how serious they are. . . . Whether leavened by humor, lifted by contemplation, or lightened and expanded by neighborly concern, the moment we stop defining (and restricting) it on our own narrow terms, life opens up. Once we understand the secret to it all--that "it's not about me"--we no longer cast fear's shadow. How liberating this is. Rising out of our self-pity, we shake off the temptation to whine, "Woe is me!" and "Why do these things always happen to me?" Rather than wondering why we don't have what she has and can't do what he does and can't be who they are, we take the opposite tack. We do what we can, want what we have, and embrace who we are."

Here's a link I love to watch that speaks to this same theme:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc4HGQHgeFE>

What do you have? What can you do?
As we prepare to pack for our journey, our Pilgrimage . . . ponder these things.
See you in church!
~Eva

Sunday 8/29/10
8:30 am Music Rehearsal
9:30 am Festival Sunday: Water Communion by The Festival Team.  Worship Associate: Staci Chananie-Hill  
Bring a small vial of water to share from some place that has brought you joy and comfort in the past year.  Sometimes people bring water from a vacation spot, or an old family farm.  Sometimes people bring it from a new home or their backyard garden spigot where they spent happy hours watering their garden.  We bring all this water to share, representing the oneness at the center of who we are, even as our life's journeys are different.
10:30 am Fellowship Time
11:15 am Sunday School for Children & Youth

Calendar for this Coming Week
Monday
8:30 am to 12:30pm Janet in Office

6:00 pm Cedar Prairie Vegetarian Potluck

Wednesday
1:00 pm to 5:00pm Janet in Office

~~WOW--Workshops on Wednesdays~~

5:00 pm Children's Choir

5:30 pm Dinner

6:15 pm Adult Choir

6:30 pm Cedar Valley Meditation Group (high school room)

7:30 pm Theoretical String Band

Thursday
8:30 am to 12:30pm Janet in Office

7:30 pm Buddhist Path (balcony)

Other items
Don't forget HearthFest is TOMORROW! Organized by our own Sheri Huber-Otting after listening to a sermon by former minister Rev. Mark Alstrom about doing what you can  . . . she has been doing this. Show up and enjoy. Show up and tell her thanks for living love out loud! Its at Gateway Park--there's a big spread in the paper about the schedule.


Pastoral Update
Keep little Garrett King in your thoughts, prayers and light. He had to have finger surgery this past week after shutting his finger in the car door!

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

8/20/10 Weekly Update

Change is a natural part of life. Some things change so slowly, so naturally we barely know they are happening--like getting new skin. It happens, and yet unlike a snake that has an old skin left behind, we have little to notice as this constant change in who we are is taking place. Other changes are more dramatic and visible. These sometimes take our breath away in their suddenness. The Buddha teaches that one of key reasons we feel such pain and hurt in the world is that our minds like us to pretend that the world is steady, and unchanging. When we cling to this mindset, then we get hurt when change (which is natural) occurs.

Currently we are experiencing change in our church family, as we will no longer have Kathy as our DRE. And Kathy and Leigh have decided not to attend church anymore. Their big hearts and infectious enthusiasm will be surely missed. I hope you'll write them notes with messages of love and stories of things they contributed that you enjoyed about them. Even when change happens, that doesn't mean that we cannot pause and be thankful for the time that we did get to spend with another human soul on this life-journey. Each person we meet gives us gifts, and it is wise to remember that. In the saying 'good-bye', in the saying 'hello.'

I would also encourage you to trust the actions of many loving souls in the church leadership who deliberated hard and long. We can never know all sides to a story, and so as you listen to one side, or another, remind yourself--it is this, and much more.

As we experience this sudden change, we hope that you will offer some extra help to enliven our Religious Education program. Our leaders, Michaela Rich (who is the Council Chair) and Diana Harwood (the Children's Sunday School team captain) are working very hard to create a great experience for people this year. So even if you've never helped, or even if you feel like you've already put in your time, please step forward and offer to do one small thing to make a difference. Together heavy loads are light.

To anyone who is in pain, or confusion, or anger . . . I am sending my loving thoughts your way, that your path will become easier. I am glad that tomorrow night we will get a chance to be together, and relax and enjoy the potluck supper. Sharing food and stories of the summer will be a comfort and a joy. So please come!

~Eva



All Church Retreat
Saturday

4:00-5:30 pm REAP--Teacher Training (sanctuary)

5:00 pm Games and Gathering

6:00 pm Potluck meal on the lawn

6:00-9:00 pm OWL --Parent Introduction (balcony)

7:30 pm S'mores with campfire sing-along

Campout for those who would like to stay overnight
Sunday

8:00 am Pancake breakfast

9:30 am Chapel service on the lawn
10:15 am Visioning session with Eva ending at noon



Calendar Updates for this Coming Week
Wednesday

5:00 pm Children's Choir

5:30 pm Dinner --Pizza

6:15 pm Adult Choir

6:30 pm Cedar Valley Meditation Group (high school room)

7:30 pm Theoretical String Band

Thursday

7:30 pm Buddhist Path (balcony)

Pastoral Updates
Dick Shane has moved within Friendship Village to Lakeview Lodge. He is no longer driving, and so will be looking for rides to church. With all the recent moving around, Brian Forster has agreed to assemble a list of where to find all our resident UU's.

Please let us know if you need help or would like to be remembered in people's meditations and prayers.

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.