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January 1, 2003

MEMBERSHIP SERVICE

OUUF will be welcoming new members at the January 5 service. Please contact Don (440+366-1027) if you'd like to know more about membership in the Fellowship, or are ready to join. We'll be offering a two-session introduction to UUism and membership sometime in February; look for details in the next newsletter.

FROM THE MINISTER...

By the time you read this all of the holidays, religious and secular, will have run their course. (Unless you count Super Bowl Sunday.) But as Howard Thurman said, in an oft-used reading, the work of the [holidays] is just beginning: working in support of our values; working as a good partner, spouse, friend or parent; working to leave this world a better place than we found it.

The congregations I serve are the religious home to angels - people who do works of kindness and compassion throughout the year, not just during the holidays. In Sandusky, there are angels like Bill and Jayne Djubek, who give of their time and energy in the service of a stubborn fellowship determined to survive. In Oberlin there are angels like Katie Styer and Ed Vermue, who have one "official" job in their congregation, but at least a half dozen more, all because of their passion for a handful of values they live and want to pass on to their children. And in North Olmsted, there are angels like Marianna Carney and Francis Bishop, two birthright UUs, one with vision and the other with practical skills, who together bless their congregation with countless hours.

Have I missed anyone? Of course! Big or small, no UU society exists solely because of a couple of people. So to all the angels who work on behalf of our liberal religious tradition I offer my gratitude, and say again what an honor it is to be associated with people such as yourselves. This new year may bring "dangers, toils and snares", to borrow from Captain John Newton's old hymn, but be heartened to know that, come what may, we're in the company of some mighty fine folks (angels?).

A weekend with all the fun of Summer Institute and none of the program- ming. Some community meals, lay-led worship at the open and close of each day. Hiking, swimming, games, pizza, music, laughter.

Registration information is available from Dana Bjorklund or Linda Coulter at 216+397-0613 or Kathie or Joel Slater at 330+673-2789 .

JEFFREY STEWART MEMORIAL FUND

Tax-deductible donations in memory of Jeff Stewart can be made to the Jeffrey Stewart Memorial Fund, devoted to providing scholarships for training in yoga instruction, and ecological design and building tech- niques. Contributions may be made payable to the Oberlin UU Fellowship (memo: Jeffrey Stewart Memorial Fund) -- OR to Bannister Family House, USCD Medical Center, 200 W. Arbor Drive #8916, San Diego CA 92103. Bannister provides lodging and support services for families and patients at the Center and was a great help to Jeff, his life companion Lori Larson, and his brother Michael. Address further questions about the Memorial Fund to Eric Stewart (775-4047).

UNDERGROUND COFFEEHOUSE

Join UUs, college students and other Oberlinians for the next Underground Coffeehouse: Friday, January 19, 8-11 P.M. at First United Methodist Church, 45 S. Professor. Come play, sing, read or listen. A $1 donation and canned food item are requested. The coffeehouse is a chemical-free environment.
PS: North Olmsted UU Congregation hosts a coffeehouse on the second Friday of each month, staring at 8:00 PM. Come check it out!

FROM THE PROGRAM CHAIR

Filling the calendar with themes and people for Services and Forums is a challenging task but one which brings with it more opportunity for questioning one's own spiritual needs, those of the Fellowship, and the meaning of conducting worship within a UU perspective. The members of this year's program committee are: Ed Vermue (chair), Barbara Fuchsman, Carol Wilde, and Virginia Erdy. Please give feedback on our weekly programs to any of the members of this committee. Also, if you have an idea for a future Service or Forum, please pass that information on as well. Leading a Service is a won- derful opportunity to explore creat- ively the thing you are passionate about and sharing that interest with the Fellowship. It is an exciting, rewarding process with which you can receive help if you wish.

This is your Fellowship, it (and you) will benefit from your sharing. If you have lots of fresh ideas, please consider becoming a part of the program committee next year.

This will be an evaluative and planning meeting tied in with RE fellowship and thanks to all teachers and committee members. Arrival time 4:30 pm, supper 5 pm, dessert & discussion 6 pm. Regrets only: 776-0132.

CURRICULA

OUUF BOARD NOTES

NEXT BOARD MEETING is January 26, at 6:00 (to avoid the important Super Bowl) at the Peters/Vermue home, 70 King Street. Visitors are always welcome, and the input of OUUF members is both welcome and guaranteed under our Bylaws.

Cal Frye has taken over the mainten- ance of the membership/Chalice label database. Thanks Cal!

OUUF has 30 pledges for a total of $17,015. Because our investments have been diversified they have remained stable the last few months.

Don Rollins hopes to attend train- ing from the UUA concerning campus ministry in March.

Director of Religious Education Kim Peters has visited all of our Sunday School classes. She will do this again in the spring. She reports that our Sunday School attendance is good.

The Program Committee is exploring the possibility of always having a forum, even when there is not Sunday School, so that we have consistent start times on Sunday morning to be more welcoming to newcomers.

Construction on the outdoor chair shed has started.

Katie Styer has verified with OECC that in the event of a Saturday snow storm the parking lot will be plowed prior to our Sunday morning activi- ties. The board will need to devise a plan for sidewalk shoveling, hopeful- ly using some of our energetic mid- elementary aged children.

Like any historical figure, there is no shortage of opinions regarding Martin Luther King, Jr. -- his life and his legacy. This is a service about a multi-faceted prophet and some of the ways he and his message are interpreted.

Adults meet for a brief explanation of our RE program and then an open invitation to sit in on any or all RE classes.

What do we mean by prayer? What is its purpose? How, and to Whom, do UUs pray? How should prayer make us feel? To what degree do UU "appreciations, joys and concerns" resemble prayer?

Oberlin has a proud and public his- torical connection with the Under- ground Railroad, which spirited escaped slaves to freedom in Canada. Roland is the Archivist for Oberlin College and an expert on local his- tory and the Abolitionist movement.

A service employing the dance where other liturgy might use hymns.
All are welcome.

We will trace the history of sacred dance, which includes Greek and American Indian roots; hear some of the rhythms; and learn some common movements.

Words and concepts help the rational mind work. But many spiritual ques- tions and answers can't be expressed well. In fact, our minds' dependence on words may very well keep us ignor- ant. Nonverbal modes of consciousness may be helpful to our spiritual health.

Actions in the domain of the very small are governed by a set of rules -- called quantum mechanics -- that are both different from and richer than our familiar rules of classical mechanics. All agree that these rules have spiritual implications, but many disagree on what these implications are! Do we live in a participatory universe? Is the human a part of every action in the cosmos? Does an atom always have a position? Is quan- tum mechanics responsible for healing prayer? Is there such a thing as certainty? Is faster-than-light communication with the past -- and the future -- possible or even inevitable?

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.