September 2003 THE CHALICE NEWSLETTER OF THE OBERLIN UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP 317 East College Street Oberlin OH 44074 A welcoming congregation that seeks to be a spiritual home to people of free faith regardless of race, sexual orientation, class, or any of the other differences that might separate us SUNDAY MORNING PROGRAM SCHEDULE -- ALL ARE WELCOME Sunday School: 9:30 - 10:30 Child care: 10:30 - Noon Forum: 9:30 - 10:30 Social Gathering 10:30 - 11 Service: 11 - Noon Care for the very youngest children available during services and forums OUUF WEBSITE OUUF POTLUCK POOL PARTY Because of the rain Monday, the kickoff potluck/pool party at the home of Joan Webster and Ed Miller, 374 West College Street, has been moved to Friday, Sept 5th, from 4pm to 8pm. It's a potluck gathering with drinks & supplies provided. Please bring a salad or main dish and perhaps a munchie of some sort. A grill is available. Bring swimgear and towels. (OUUF made an effort to get this message out earlier by email, but we know that not everyone received it.) Sunday, September 7, 2003 INGATHERING water service -- 11:00 am Kim Peters, R.E. Director The Reverend Don Rollins Service Leaders Kim Peters and Don Rollins will lead us in an intergenerational service as we begin the new year. Be sure to bring your water samples (real or imaginary) from your travels as we celebrate the Water Service. All are welcome. WATER, THE JEWEL OF LIFE fellowship forum -- 9:30 am Eric Stewart, Forum Presenter This forum explores the relationship between humans and water on a person- al, local and practical level. We'll look at the issue of water conserva- tion from the perspective of water's properties and functions in ecological systems. The principles of Permacul- ture, a method of whole systems de- sign, will serve as a framework for our subject -- or we could say it will serve as the banks for the river of our conversation. We will discuss the work of Viktor Schauberger, an Austrian forester/scientist/mystic who articulated radical and vision- ary ideas about water during the first half of the Twentieth Century. All are welcome. FROM THE MINISTER... I'm thinking about the idea of wit- nessing as we begin a new year toge- ther. (You can relax; I'm not talking about conversion experiences or even promoting our own way of religion.) While I've yet to see the film, "Northfork", I've already been impacted by something said by one of its actors, Nick Nolte. While giving a recent interview about "Northfork", Nolte suggested that witnessing is the major theme of the movie: "...we come into this world alone, and that's pretty much how we leave. In between, we just want someone to notice us - to witness to the fact that we're here, that we matter." Hmmm... What is a congregation if not a place where we seek and give this kind of clear-eyed affirmation of life? Is this not the reason we keep coming back - to remind ourselves, and each other, that we're here? That we mat- ter? That come what may, we are not alone? This year, each of us is guaranteed to receive some measure of grief and joy, tears and laughter, confusion and celebration. We'll be surprised with unexpected blessings and weighed down by unimaginable problems. Bet on it. As religious folk, we seek the strength of character to be grateful for the former and resilient in the face of the latter. And, if Nick Nolte is right, all we really ask is that somebody witness both our joys and our sorrows. In advance, here's to the smiles and handshakes and hugs. Here's to the candles and stories and songs. And here's to our quest to make sure that, in our circle of hope, no one is without "witness". Peace, Don Sunday, September 14, 2003 CALL FOR A NEW THEOLOGY morning service -- 11:00 am Ed Vermue, Service Leader Ed will reflect on Catholic theolo- gian Thomas Berry's critique of the Judeo-Christian tradition and his call for a new theology, a new set of religious values, which takes the earth as more of its focal point. This will connect with the preceding Forum (below). All are welcome. COHOUSING fellowship forum -- 9:30 am Ed Vermue, Forum Leader Cohousing schemes attempt to build working, pedestrian-scale, earth- friendly neighborhoods/communities enjoying shared management, shared equipment and shared public spaces (playgrounds, gardens, woodlands, communal dining/guest facilities). The theory: We are better off finan- cially and emotionally when we share our lives, and the planet benefits too. Cohousing schemes are further defined through the needs and person- alities in the unique situation. Ed will show the 24-minute video called "Cohousing: Neighborhoods for People" by Zev Paiss; and read from a presentation at the June 2003 UUA General Assembly by Joani Blank, "Cohousing Communities: What's So UU About Them?" Discussion follows. All are welcome. HOLD YOUR WATER! Indeed, save some water from your summer travels! We'll begin the 2003- 04 fellowship year (on September 7) with the ritual known as the Water Service, combining our water samples as we celebrate our Ingathering. BOARD NOTES The OUUF Board will meet September 17 at 7:00 at the Vermue/Peters home. Visitors are welcome, and the right of OUUF members to participate in Board discussions is guaranteed by the OUUF Bylaws. Katie Styer Board Secretary VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Refreshments on Sunday morning are supplied by members and friends of the congregation. We invite you to please participate. Sunday, September 21, 2003 THE TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER OF INTERNATIONAL WORK morning service -- 11:00 am Barbara Fuchsman, Service Leader Americans often become involved in international projects to help people in crisis. Many non-governmental, individual efforts accomplish their goals. However, little has been said about how we are affected and trans- formed by coming into contact with other cultures. Barbara Fuchsman will speak from her own experience working for peace and human rights in Guatemala. All are welcome. TRAVELS IN COLUMBIA WITH WITNESS FOR PEACE fellowship forum -- 9:30 am Professor Michael Kay Forum Leader Witness for Peace member Michael Kay will show how multi-national corpora- tions and US foreign policies in Columbia are affecting ordinary people and contributing to the vio- lence in that country. Kay, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Toledo, has been part of two Witness for Peace tours in Columbia, the most recent trip being this sum- mer. All are welcome. HELP NEEDED FOR SITE TEAM The Site Team has been created to relieve the board of set-up/take-down chores. Now this team needs your help. We need team captains who are trained to be the first UU in and/or last UU out of OECC. In addition we need volunteers to help unload/load our storage shed and help with clean- up tasks. This is NOT an every week commitment. Please contact Peg Tucker, 775-0301; or Katie Styer , 775-0959. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Do you feel the tug of the invisible rope around your waist drawing us in? Sometimes the tug is violent, other times just strong and steady. But it is drawing us together. Once again. The threads of our Oberlin UU 2003- 2004 season began to be woven, ex- panding the web of years past, with the annual potluck at the Miller/ Websters on Monday, Sept 1. Teachers met earlier with RE Director, Kim Peters, at same location. Actual Services and Religious Educa- tion programming begin on Sunday, Sept 7; 9:30am. Youth, Children and RE teachers will meet in the Rainbow Room (end of administrative hallway), for an RE ingathering led by Rev Don Rollins and Kim. This will be a fun time celebrating being together once again and learning more about our teachers and minister! This will be followed by the Inter- generational Water Service. Kids, there will be a mini pool into which we will be pouring our summer water stories. Bring a jar and tell us yours! We are fortunate to have many teachers from last year return to keep our RE classes brimming with thought and creativity. We warmly welcome Shelly Rasmussen as she co-teaches with Kerry Langan with the preschoolers and kindergartners. Barbara Fuchsman will guide the learning of the grades 1-3 class. We are thrilled to have Nancy Boutelier work with Ed Miller and the grades 4-6 class. Joan Webster is back to teach the 7th and 8th graders. I have the privilege of working with our oldest teens. Don Rollins is keen to be able to spend a few of his Sundays with them as well through out the year. Also underway is the organizing of an ages 14 and 15 year old Oberlin com- munity wide "Our Whole Lives" UUA program to be lead by the trained leaders Peg Tucker and Tim Egan!! Stay tuned or contact me for more information! The RE committee, who offers insight, support and humor include veterans Joan Webster as the chair, Susan Egan as past DRE and appreciated newcomer, Edie Fuchsman. Others are welcome and our meetings are open to all. I look forward to another year together and thank you for your patience, support and confidence in me as the organizer of our RE pro- gram. Please call me with any ideas or questions you may have. Namaste, Kim Peters Director of Religious Education 776-0132 HOW TO FIND THE OBERLIN U.U. FELLOWSHIP OUUF meets in the Oberlin Early Childhood Center at 317 East College Street, marked by a large abstract statue of a parent and child. Service and Forum space is barrier-free. Parking in the front and to the east. Sunday, September 28, 2003 A UU RESPONSE TO ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION morning service -- 11:00 am Dave Burwasser, Service Leader The General Assembly of the UUA adopted a new Statement of Consci- ence, "Economic Globalization", this past June. While noting that global- ization has complex effects both beneficial and harmful to many, the statement calls us to help mitigate the adverse effects of globalization. A key sentence: "Seeing the world as an interconnected web challenges us to turn from self-serving individ- ualism toward a relational sense of ourselves in a global community of all living things, and toward practices that help create economic structures designed to serve the common good." All are welcome. SOLIDARITY IN A GLOBAL ERA fellowship forum -- 9:30 am Chris Howell, Forum Leader Chris Howell will examine the chal- lenges that globalization poses for labor movements, and the range of responses that national trade union movements have pursued. It's been a while since one of Chris's excellent Forums, and we welcome him back. All are welcome. MISSION: The Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship mission is to promote religious freedom with responsibility, to support each other with compassion, and to serve peace with justice. COVENANT: We the members and friends of the Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship covenant to live together in our quest for truth, love, social justice, and environmen- tal responsibility. In this spirit of caring fellowship, we offer our combined gifts and resources. CARING TEAM NOTICE In response to the need we have all felt to be able to respond to our UU families and friends during special times, a "caring team" is now in existence. The team is there to coordinate responses on behalf of OUUF to people in need during times of illness, bereavement, or personal crisis. We also want to acknowledge positive times such as births, anni- versaries, unions, and weddings. The Caring Team plans to offer support not only in terms of cards and visits, but also with practical matters like running errands and transportation needs. Currently the Caring Team consists of Gerlind Jenkner, Darlene Krato, Kim Peters and Don Rollins. It is an open and welcoming group with no meetings scheduled, only appropriate communi- cation when needed! Want to join us? Give one of us a call. Right now we are looking for someone to help us coordinate a "transportation bank" - a list of available people who could be contacted by the coordinator to help a friend in need. The team is here for all of us. Contact any member to initiate some caring action. Gerlind: 775-2492. Darlene: 774-6316. Kim: 776-0132. Don Rollins: 366-1027. COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY UPDATE The newly created Committee on Ministry (COM) met on June 9 and August 20, and will meet again on Sept 9 and 24. According to the OUUF bylaws, "The charge of this committee shall be to use the Fellowship's Mis- sion Covenant as a standard by which to gauge the effectiveness of its ministry and to make recommendations to enhance the quality of the Fellow- ship's ministry. This committee also serves as a means for managing and/or resolving conflict within the Fellow- ship, whether between congregants, professional staff, or congregants and professional staff." Members John Marshall, Cindy Frantz, and Keith Koenning will rotate monthly as chairperson/convenor. The COM has adopted a suggested meeting format and will be sharing the format with all OUUF committees and teams. The meeting format emphasizes advance written agendas and rigorous time management during meetings. The COM will keep members and friends informed of its activities. Questions or comments may be directed to September convenor Keith Koenning at 774-1502, or to John Marshall, Cindy Frantz, or Rev. Don Rollins. FUNdraising BRAINSTORMING SESSION Join Peg Tucker for a casual get together. She wants this to be a painless, fun brainstorming session to gather fundraising ideas for our fellowship. In brain-storming, we don't critique new ideas; we add more ideas! If you come to this get together we will not automatically assume that you are on the "Fundraising Team". We are trying to avoid burn-out. Hope to see you there Weds, Sept 17th, 7 pm. 12451 St. Rt. 58 (Tucker's back yard) Rain location: The Feve. BYOB and snacks; We will provide bonfire and marshmallows. NOTE: The conflict of this meeting time/date with the Board meeting was unresolved at press time. Watch Order of Service announcements. PORCH SALE Jo Huber has much "merchandise" on her front porch in need of sorting and marking for the Sept. 6th porch sale at 82 East College Street. PLEASE BRING YOUR ITEMS FOR SALE TO 82 EAST COLLEGE ST. BY SEPT. 5TH. We will have a sorting and marking party on Friday, Sept. 5th. from 10:00 A.M. to ? We also need extra tables (like folding picnic tables) for displaying things. Please sign up for a one or two hours helping at the sale on Sept. 6th from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M Also, we need a cleanup crew to take leftovers to the Goodwill in Elyria, books to the library, etc. Please call Jo Huber at 774-2062 stating what you can do to help. LET'S MAKE THIS A BIG MONEY MAKER!! BUY THE STAMPS -- FUND THE CURE The US Postal Service recently released its new "Fund the Cure" stamp to help fund breast cancer research. The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. It is important that we take a stand against this disease that affects so many of our mothers, sisters, wives and friends. Instead of the normal 37 cents for a stamp, this one costs 40 cents. The additional 3 cents will go to breast cancer research. A "normal" book costs $7.40. This one is only $8.00. It takes a few minutes in line at the Post Office and means so much. If all stamps are sold, it will raise an additional $35,000,000 for this vital research. Just as important as the money is our support. What a statement it would make if the stamp outsold the lottery some week. What a statement it would make that we care. We all know women and their families whose lives are turned upside-down by breast cancer. It takes so little to do so much in this drive -- 60 cents. Published monthly by the Oberlin Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship: member, Unitarian Universalist Association and Ohio-Meadville District thereof. Mail: MPO Box 0354, Oberlin OH 44074-0354. Phone: 774-5591. Website: Clergy: Rev. Don Rollins. R.E. Director: Kim Peters. Chair: Cal Frye. Vice Chair: Barbara Fuchsman. Treasurer: Virginia Erdy. Secretary: Katie Styer. Editor: Dave Burwasser. Webmaster: Cal Frye.