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Newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka
4775 SW 21st Street • Topeka, KS 66604 • 785-272-9233 • www.uuft.org
Proud to be a Welcoming Congregation
February 2015
A Month of Sundays . . .
February 1 – To be Announced.
February 8 – Hugs and Quiches. Raising Children in Community--how we
support families and children to be their best and contribute to both the UUFT
community and the broader community. Contact Rev. Sarah if you have a story
you’d like to share about how UUFT has helped your family or how a young person in
our community has changed or inspired you. *We need volunteers to make quiche!
http://www.perfectpotluck.com/meals.php?t=ZIFO9293
February 15 – Interfaith Power and Light Preach In on Climate Change. Rev.
Sarah and guest speakers from local organizations share ideas for how to build hope
and resiliency in our advocacy for environmental change in our own lives and in
public policy and initiatives.
February 22 – “When Love is Not Enough.” While we often use the word “Love”
to substitute for the life-affirming energy in each of us and in our relationships and
communities (instead of a personal God, for example), the word “love” is
used to describe number of person-person relationships which are not life
affirming and often are even destructive. We will explore the importance of
the OWL curriculum and what we might teach our children (and ourselves)
about love vs. Love.
Services begin at 10:30 a.m.
Pulpit Editorial
Below is the Pulpit Editorial Don Chronister will
present February 25.
I have done the unthinkable. Pause. Yes, it is
true.
I have volunteered to chair a brand new
stewardship committee to look at our culture of
giving and receiving and to design a year round
stewardship effort that makes it easier to talk
about money and to develop a 5 year plan. The
primary responsibility of the stewardship
committee will still be the annual pledge drive.
The stewardship committee will develop and
document a fundraising manual specifically for
UUFT based on the UUA’s FORTH materials,
which have been proven to work in many UU
congregations.
Why, Don. Why did you do this? Pause.
No one had to convince me to take on this task.
I feel called to provide leadership as a spiritual
commitment to this community. A year ago when
Vicki and I put our money on the table in the form
of challenge grant to raise the funds to hire Rev.
Sarah, I made a commitment to all those who
contributed to the challenge fund to work on
stewardship.
Every Sunday a group of youngsters gather in
front for the story for all ages. In 5 years, when
they are 10, 11, 12, wouldn’t it be great to have a
full time DRE and an established stewardship
program to make sure we can afford our dreams.
As many of you know, I have undertaken a
Jungian quest to discover who I am authentically
at my very essence. Jungian’s call it a “Journey
of the Soul”. With the use of archetypal energy
(the energy of the Warrior, the Lover, the
Magician, and the King) and their respective
shadows, I have a language and paradigm to
understand myself at a very deep level. Much
deeper than I have ever been able to get before.
I have completed rituals for both the warrior and
the lover. One of the pieces of the warrior ritual
included a pledge of loyalty to something greater
than myself. A warrior who is loyal only to
themselves can become possessed by their own
shadow and can be very cruel and sadistic.
What I chose to pledge my loyalty to was my
spiritual home. If you allow me I will read to you
that oath.
Loyalty Oath
I pledge my loyalty to my spiritual home. My
spiritual home resides in two places – UUFT and
in the natural environment. UUFT represents the
building and the human community that I love and
have invested hundreds of hours of volunteer
time, thousands of dollars, and is a source of
comfort and identity for me and my family. The
natural environment has always been a holy place
for me, from Flint Hills to Rocky Mountains, from
Lake Shawnee to the Pacific Ocean, from the Kaw
to the Mississippi all are held in reverence as
being sacred. I feel closest to God when I
encounter the mystery and the beauty of the world
we live in.
And wouldn’t you know my loyalty was tested
within a few weeks of taking this oath. I have no
choice, my time, my money and my talent are
committed to UUFT. Don’t ask me to choose.
The process will also help me examine my own
issues with generosity, as I was brought up in a
household of scarcity and tend to see the world in
that way. It is particularly difficult in the consumer
based society where we are manipulated to want
the latest fad or technology.
I do have some background with fundraising.
When I was the Executive Director of the Topeka
Youth Project for eight years, a local non-profit, I
had to raise over a $100,000 each year from the
private sector between individual giving and
corporate giving. In fact, I would suggest our
biggest competition is the private non-profit sector
and we can learn a lot from the way they do
business. Things like different solicitation letters
for millennials, generation Xers, Baby Boomers,
and the silent generation. Each generation has
radically different needs and capacity to give.
Handwritten thank you’s to donors.
I am looking for 4 additional members who
have a long term commitment to UUFT and to its
financial health. Judy Sasser has felt called to
help organize the stewardship conversations and
Rev. Sarah is very committed to get this
committee up and going. I am looking for a
commitment of 2 to 3 years. I need people with
fundraising experience. I need big picture people.
I need people to help document the process so
others can repeat it in future years. Search your
heart. If you are interested, talk to me or Rev.
Sarah or send us an email. I will be scheduling a
meeting in the near future to let you know exactly
what you are getting into before you commit.
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Wednesday Book Group
The Wednesday Book Group meets 1-3
pm every second and fourth week of the month.
On January 28th we will be starting a new
book Peace Be With You: Monastic wisdom for a
terror filled world by David Carlson. The author
visited modern-day deserts of monastic
communities across America
exploring the questions of how do
we react to terrorism? and
Can Christianity and Islam
live in peace or is
confrontation our only
choice? Written 10 years after 9/11 it tells the
stories of the reactions of these communities to
that event and their viewpoint of how we live best
in a violent world. Be prepared for exploration of
the Gospels and a view of Christain monastic life.
Book is available from second hand sellers on
Amazon.com. We will start with the first 50 pages
on the 28th with discussion led by Joanne
Roudebush.
Social Justice Committee News
Upcoming Opportunities to Stand on the Side
of Love
Our next Social Justice Committee meeting will
be Wednesday February 4th at 7:00 pm. Please
join us!
February 7th –Harvester’s volunteers will meet
on the east side of KNI (23rd & Randolph) to
distribute food packages at 8:30 am. Snacks and
Hosts needed for Last Minute Folk, arrive at
UUFT at 6:30 pm. Contact Bailea Meeks & Bobbi
Schaeffer to sign up.
February 13 –Servers needed at Let’s Help
Lunch
Warm wishes for safe travels to Phil and Joanne
as they travel to Nicaragua with the Fair Trade
Equal Exchange program!
The committee is also excited to see our youth
getting ready to attend the annual UU-UNO event
in New York this spring! Be sure to watch for
travel fundraising, we hope to send six students
and two adults to learn about the UN efforts in
criminal justice.
Harvesters volunteers needed February 7th
Join the Helpin’ Harvesters crew at 9:00,
Saturday, February 7th as we enjoy another
terrific day of fun & fellowship while providing
needed nutritional food bags for low income and
senior citizens of Topeka. This is a wonderful
opportunity for families to work together in this
beneficial effort. A sign up sheet is located at the
Sunday morning visitors’ table. Contact Bill Lucero
(232-5958 or [email protected]) for further
information.
February 2015
From Rev. Sarah
What does it mean to be a person of Compassion?
This month, as we delve into Love and Compassion as our monthly theme, I invite you to consider the way in
which love and compassion might be the other side of Justice. In one of my January sermons I suggested
that the way we care for ourselves has impact on how we care for others and even in how we reach out to
our wider community and the world. Learning to take care of ourselves and to be gentle with ourselves is
one doorway into compassion which we may extend to others. I also asked us to think about the way in
which we might be compassionate within a framework of healthy, interdependency rather than within a
cultural norm of unhealthy co-dependency. This is connected to whether we reach out to others in ways that
create or maintain dependency on their end to our own detriment or whether we reach out to others in a way
that invites and assumes an exchange and is in support of our own needs and lives rather than at odds with
these. For example, sometimes being a person of compassion means setting a clear boundary.
Sometimes, in Unitarian Universalist congregations we use the word “Love” to point to ultimacy as a way to
reframe an idea of the holy or God that is more of a process and set of actions than an “entity” or presence.
In this way we may all participate in creating ultimate reality, or the holy—there is something greater than us
which we are co-creating with one another and our environment but this “something” is more of an energy.
Some people call this quantum theology!
One thing we can be sure of, is that this Love or process of developing and engaging compassion is not easy
or “soft” or passive. It is complex, challenging, and full of life’s “messiness.” It is not just about offering our
compassion and love but also about receiving from others. Often, being a person of compassion means
seeing the world and each other as it is (and as we are), with all of the pain, destruction, violence and
general mess and not looking away or judging these/each other. And frankly, this has to begin with you
loving and forgiving yourself, offering yourself compassion. Sometimes I ask, “what would it look like to be
gentle with myself?” As we move though this month we will look at what compassion means in the face of
raising children and being in community; in healing our environment and changing both our practices and
policies related to the environment; and in how we can “walk with” those we hope to advocate for and with,
those we hope to offer love and compassion.
…Rev. Sarah
January 31 Help Make Sundays Great (or more great!)
9:30-11:30 training on Audio/Visual, greeter/usher, worship elements (chalice lighting, readers, song
leaders, etc.), worship associate and worship leaders. We will begin all together and then split up for
individual areas of training. Some pieces may end earlier than others. RSVP [email protected]
February 11 Forum on Climate Change featuring guest speakers from Sierra Club, the Climate and Energy
Project, and from Washburn’s Environmental Studies program. At UUFT. Time TBA
New UU class: Led by Vicki George and Rev. Sarah. Begins January 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. for
six Sundays sessions. Covers UU theology, religious practices and history, UUFT organizational structure,
and how to become a member. RSVP to Vicki George [email protected] or [email protected].
Dinner for new members (2014-2015) at Rev. Sarah’s house on February 20. New member ceremony March
1 2015.
Spirit in Practice Course January 15-March 12 7-8:30: (Written by Erik Walker Wikstrom and led by Rev.
Sarah with guest leaders). Developed in response to many Unitarian Universalist adults' desire to engage in
life-giving spiritual practices, the workshops of Spirit in Practice provide avenues for deepening spirituality
and affirming spiritual growth in the congregation. Participants are invited to reflect, share, and grow
together, exploring ways to nurture their connections with the sacred in everyday life. Spirit in
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February 2015
Practice weaves Unitarian Universalist values, principles, and sources with four "strands:" spiritual
development, ethical development, and Unitarian Universalist identity development, and faith development.
RSVP [email protected] or Susan Arnold [email protected]. Minimum 6 participants for class to make.
Calling all Storytellers! Sunday March 15 will be a storytelling concert. Do you have a story you’d like to
tell? Submit your story offering to Rev. Sarah. We want all ages to participate! There are 2 minute stories
and 10 minute stories—we want a diversity of stories and story tellers. [email protected]
Last Minute Folk
GREG KLYMA
FEBRUARY 7th, 2015 –
SATURDAY, 7:30 PM
Greg Klyma is a prolific
songwriter, multiinstrumentalist and seasoned
performer, bringing to every
stage a catalog of material
that assumes his audiences
are both smart and able to
laugh. His enduring themes,
articulate and amusing
stories, and populist ideals
make him one of those rare young artists who is
carrying the torch of Woody and Ramblin' Jack.
He rolls in off the road, pulls out a guitar, and
proceeds to take us back to the basics: family,
love, gratitude, and laughter. It's the timeless
art of the true troubadour, keeping alive the
American folk tradition. (www.klyma.com)
Equal Exchange / Fair Trade Report
Prepared by Phil Roudebush
Total net sales in 2014 of Equal Exchange /
Fair Trade products were $4,486. Almost a third of
the sales were obtained at the April UU Regional
Assembly here in Topeka plus the December
Crafts Fair at the Fellowship. Use of the Square
account for credit/debit cards has helped with
sales ― 35% of overall sales and 63% of sales at
the Assembly / Crafts Fair booths were with credit
or debit cards.
Donations to the “coffee can” generated $603
last year, which funds the purchase of coffee, tea,
condiments and accessories for the beverage
area. This has been a big success and does not
have to be budgeted otherwise. Thanks to
everyone who contributes money to this effort!
We currently offer 14 types of coffee, nine teas,
13 chocolate bars/cocoa drink/baking products
and olive oil. Other products are offered
seasonally. We will be discontinuing some
products and adding others as demand dictates or
as new products are available. There is always a
need to add interested volunteers ― let Phil
Roudebush or Judi Salyer know if you are
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interested in supporting this important social
justice and outreach activity.
Why Equal Exchange Sales Matter
• Our community enjoys delicious coffee, tea,
chocolate and food products
• Sales help small-scale farmers support their
families, build their own businesses and improve
their communities
• More than 600 UU congregations now
participate in the UUSC Coffee Project. In 2013
alone, UUs purchased 77,200 pounds of fairly
traded products through the UUSC Coffee Project
and have the highest participation rate of any
denomination in Equal Exchange's Interfaith
Program.
• For every pound of fairly traded products sold
through the UUSC Coffee
Project, Equal Exchange
donates 20 cents to the UUSC
Small Farmer Fund. Together,
we build sustainable
livelihoods, while advancing
human rights — particularly
the rights of women, youth,
and indigenous peoples.
Fair Trade Trip to Nicaragua
Joanne and Phil Roudebush will be making a
trip to Nicaragua during the third week of February
to further explore the Equal Exchange program
and our involvement in selling Fair Trade products
at the Fellowship. They will be joining members of
other protestant congregations from across the
U.S. who are already committed to Fair Trade
sales and interested in better understanding and
implementing these efforts. Objectives of the trip
include: 1) First‐hand experience of coffee farming
and Fair Trade programs in order to deepen our
relationships with Equal Exchange and the Fair
Trade movement; 2) Visit with and learn from a
range of Nicaraguan people who can provide both
personal stories and context (historical, political,
agricultural) to enrich our understanding of
farming, food systems, and international trade;
and 3) For participants to return home motivated
and equipped to share what they learned in their
communities and beyond. Activities will include an
orientation to Nicaragua’s political history; two
days at a coffee cooperative including homestays
and meals with local families; visiting a women’s
February 2015
crafts cooperative; meeting sweatshop union
organizers; and discussions about fair trade
versus free trade. Joanne and Phil will plan and
deliver a Sunday morning program about their
experiences later in the year.
FEBRUARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
1
NEW UU CLASS MEETS SUNDAYS
THROUGH FEBRUARY 15, 9-10:00
A.M., EMERSON LIBRARY
4
SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE
MEETING, 7 PM., UUFT
5
SPIRIT IN PRACTICE COURSE, 78:30 P.M., THURSDAYS THROUGH
MARCH 12, SCANLAND HALL
7
LAST MINUTE FOLK CONCERT,
GREG KLYMA, 7:30 P.M., UUFT
11
FORUM ON CLIMATE CHANGE, TIME
TBA, UUFT
Send articles for the UUFT Beacon to
[email protected] . Deadline is the 20th of each
month.
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February 2015