September 2018

Rev. Scott Tayler ends his article with “What new vision is calling you?”, (see “A People of Vision”). For me the answer is very clear - I am called to nurture the ministries of the Fellowships in Fond du Lac and Stevens Point. As a reminder, this is my first year as a full-time minister and I am honored to serve each congregation on a half-time basis. My vision seeks to nurture the strong foundations and unique histories of both congrega-tions so that our collaborative ministry can become even more meaningful. I want to stress the word “collaborative”. Ministry is not just what happens on Sunday morning. It’s far more expansive and collaborative than showing up to hear a speaker and sing a few hymns. Ministry is about how we treat each other in healthy relationship - during the service, in coffee hour, at committee meetings, at so-cial justice activities, in small groups, and even when we greet each other outside our walls. Ministry is about pondering the big questions in life using our unique Unitarian Universalist lens of seven principles and six sources. Ministry is about having loving and supportive people to help us celebrate our joys and hold us close when we have deep concerns or are in pain. In short, ministry is finding meaning in collaboration. My role as your minister is to nurture this vision through collaboration with the congregational leaders and we have been meeting regularly over the summer to bring this vision to life. I believe our ministry becomes more meaningful and impactful when our programs are integrated. If we are collectively pondering the same questions everywhere in the Fellowship, then more people have a voice in the conversation which in turn creates deeper and richer discernment. We will be using monthly themes from the Soul Matters program founded by Rev. Scott Tayler. Each month we have an opportunity to formally consid-er the themes on Sunday morning, in the children’s program, and in guided small group discussions, and then our discernment often extends into everything we do. This is the powerful way we nurture our Fellowship and our faith. It’s a new vision I hope is calling you too! Peace, Rev. Jim

Monthly Themes: What Does It Mean to be a People of…

From Our Minister...1 Monthly Theme: Vision...5

From Our Minister… Nurturing Our Fellowship

RE Revamp, Justice Sundays…2

September : Vision October: Sanctuary November: Memory December: Mystery January: Possibility

February: Trust March: Journey April: Wholeness May: Curiosity June: Beauty

Service Schedule…3 Social Justice Focus: Veterans...4

Religious Exploration Revamp! By Brooke Decker

Last month, our Religious Exploration (RE) Committee met with Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy, the senior minis-ter at the Fellowship in Appleton to discuss her vast ex-perience with structuring classes for young elementary children. She had lots of great ideas and you will notice this year that our RE classes look quite different from past years. We are excited to show you and your chil-dren! Below are some ways children will participate in Sunday services and an outline of what the RE classes will look like. One of the RE Committee’s objectives is to help our children feel connected to our Fellowship as a whole. There are several ways we plan to accomplish that goal. First, our sessions will follow the same monthly themes as the Fellowship for its Sunday services. Second, chil-dren will be encouraged to help out in ways such as lighting the chalice, passing out Orders of Service and hymnals and assisting with the collection baskets. We will continue our tradition of reading a Story for All Ag-es and asking children to share their joys and concerns with the Fellowship. Lastly, before the congregation sings the children off, the RE teacher will light the class’s own chalice from the main one and take it with them to their classroom. To start their class each Sunday, the children’s chalice will be placed in the room and they will sing their gath-ering song. Next, introductions will be made, including acknowledging the “empty chair.” (Curious about that? Ask a child after class!) Children will also have a chance to share more joys and concerns with each other. Following that will be the main “lesson” tied to the theme from the Story for All Ages. It will take on vari-ous forms, including listening to speakers, reading or acting out stories, doing outside activities and many oth-ers! Afterwards children will engage in the monthly theme in a more hands-on way through different stations containing activities which will change throughout the weeks and months. To wrap up, a closing song will be sung in the classroom before the children join the con-gregation for the closing words.

We are looking forward to implementing this new for-mat for Religious Exploration! If you or your friends have school age children and are looking for a quality RE program, please join us on Sunday mornings!

Justice Sundays By Kelly Tielens

Starting this program year, the first Sunday of every month will be dedicated to living out our new mission and working toward our vision of the future. Our very first session, the inaugural “Justice Sunday” event, will happen on October 7th. Please join me at our normal time and meeting place to paint bowls for Empty Bowls Portage County. Empty Bowls is an international project that brings communi-ties together to raise money for hunger prevention. The local event is held annually at SPASH and benefits indi-viduals and families in our neighborhoods. All supplies will be provided, no artistic talent is required, and all ages can participate, so bring the whole family! Child-care will be available for your youngest artists, and the event is open to the public, so feel welcomed and en-couraged to invite friends and family. I look forward to painting with you!

Sunday, September 2 No Service Labor Day Weekend Sunday, September 9 Welcoming Waters by Rev. Jim Coakley As we enter our new fellowship year with our new mis-sion “to celebrate a spiritually diverse and welcoming community united in support of social justice” let us use our Mingling of Waters Celebration as a symbol of our empowerment. For the ceremony bring water that repre-sents you, collected from your travels, summer activities, a favorite local park or your own back yard. Added this year, please bring your favorite quote on social justice to share with the fellowship. Sunday, September 16 Social Justice Issues: Moving Towards Consensus by Gretel Stock-Kupperman Gretel will lead our members in a process of selecting one or more justice issues to focus on for the year. The process will involve looking briefly at the issues present-ed over the summer in our 12 Wednesday-night social justice salons. Gretel’s extensive background in facilita-tion will enable her to make this an informative and fun process for all. Sunday, September 23 Nurturing the Tree by Rev. Jim Coakley The metaphor of a growing tree fits our Fellowship nice-ly. In my first year as a half-time minister, I hope to build on our strong roots to nurture our health and growth as our branches reach out further into the com-munity. Sunday, September 30 Community Vision for the Green Circle by John Jury Once upon a time, some ordinary people had an idea that they worked together to make a reality for our communi-ty. Join us as John shares the story of the creation of the Green Circle from its development, to implementation, to the multiple uses it serves us today…. all thanks to a vi-sion.

Sunday, October 7 Monthly Justice Sunday– Hunger Prevention Facilitated by Kelly Tielens Our inaugural Justice Sunday supports Empty Bowls Portage County. Empty Bowls is an international project that brings communities together to raise money for hun-ger prevention. The local event is held annually at SPASH and benefits individuals and families in all of our neighborhoods. We get to paint the bowls for the event! All supplies will be provided, no artistic talent is re-quired, and all ages can participate, so bring the whole family! Sunday, October 14 The Sanctuary Movement & Our 5th Principle by Rev. Jim Coakley Our immigration nightmare is one outcome of ignoring our fifth principle: the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process. Sunday, October 21 Inner Sanctuary– Spiritual Practices by Sister Deb Weina How does one achieve inner sanctuary, or inner peace? Using her personal experience and diagnosis of cancer, Sr. Deb will briefly outline her discovery of inner strength and renew. She will also lean upon some of Ter-ry Hershey's wisdom from his book entitled, "Sanctuary: Creating a space for grace in your Life." Sunday, October 28 The Sanctuary of Fellowship by Rev. Jim Coakley Diverse people of faith living authentically in community.

Upcoming Services September & October

CREATING A PLACE TO CALL HOME

Creating a Place to Call Home is a 4-part video series which is designed to stimulate discussion within faith-based and other community organizations about some of the issues related to (a) serving persons with mental health needs and (b) welcoming Veterans into the community. For various reasons, people in both groups can sometimes find it difficult to integrate into a faith community. This video series aims to help our community explore addressing that issue. As part of the ongoing Social Justice Salons, this program will be presented during the month of September. Wednesday, September 5: 6:30-8:00 p.m. "Partners in Care." This video explores caring for Veterans and other persons with emotional and mental health problems. Wednesday, September 12: 6:30-8:00 p.m. "Trauma." This video examines the support faith communities can provide those who have experienced trauma. Wednesday, September 19: 6:30-8:00 p.m. "Moral Injury." This video engages with moral injury, whether it be that of a Veteran or someone else who has gone through a different sort of challenging, life-changing experience. Wednesday, September 26: 6:30-8:00 p.m. "Belonging." This video explores belonging, practices of hospitality, and flourishing amidst suffering as communities of care. The goal of this program is to determine how we, as a small congregation, can get involved and make a difference locally. Submitted by Richard Hadfield

There’s one quote we all need to remember this month. The author is unknown, but they’ve given us a great gift. Here it is: “What will mess you up most in life is the picture in your head of how it is supposed to be.” It’s not the place one usually starts when it comes to the topic of vision. Most often, conversations about vision tell us to hold on tightly to our pictures of how it is supposed to be, not be suspicious of them. We’re encouraged to “stay true to your vision.” We’re told, “Without vison, the people perish.” We’re warned that without a clear vision, we’re vulnerable to whatever winds blow. And let’s be clear: all of that is true. A clear vision anchors us. It gives us direction and hope. It is, indeed, a precious thing to which we should hold fast. But as our quote of the month makes clear, all that holding fast is also dangerous. In short, no vision is perfect. They are all flawed and limited. Every vision distorts even as it clarifies. On top of that, life changes. Some doors close, new ones open. If you stay true to the vision of what’s behind that closed door, you’ll just end up spending your life banging your head against the wall. And as Unitarian Universalists, we also know that one vision isn’t enough. As clear as our perspectives may be, we all know by now that none is complete. To see the entire view, we need everyone’s vantage point. So clearly being a people of vision is hard work. Knowing when to stay true to your vision and when to let go is a very tricky task. Figuring out when to keep your vision front and center and when to de-center it and make room for others intimidates the best of us. Yet, here’s the thing. If danger and hard work dominate the tone of this month, we will have done ourselves a disservice. Besides being dangerous, holding tightly to one single vision is also just no fun! We don’t just have to see things from others’ points of view; we get to see things from others’ points of view! Learning about the visions of others isn’t just a way of making up for your flawed perspective. It’s also an invitation to see the world anew! And while having to let go of precious visions and dreams is painful, it’s also exhilarating to evolve and grow. And maybe that’s the most important vision of all this month. Not that of a stern-faced people sticking to their single vision through thick and thin. But that of a playful people exchanging visions and helping each other encounter new and larger worlds. A people who don’t just ask each other “Are you staying true to your vision?” but who also say with a smile, “What new vision is calling to you?” By Rev. Scott Tayler Soul Matters– Team Leader and Founder