There's still time! (to register for the retreat,)
 

Annual Church Retreat

Friday night August 12 - Sunday August 14

Ross Camp, West Lafayette

Workshops, campfire, contra dancing, Sunday morning worship, and more!

Registration forms and more information available on the back table in the sanctuary.
 

Stop by the church when it's open, or call church secretary at 742-0460.

To register, drop your registration form in the church mail slot as soon as possible or BEFORE 1:00 ON FRIDAY!

 

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Yo! Youth! Listen up!

Folks, we have a belief among Unitarian Universalists that everyone should have a voice.  To that end we are planning two events for the 8th through 12th grades during the All-Church Retreat.

First, Kyler Laird is leading a session in which the participants will build a new website exclusively for the "Older Youth" (8th-12th grade).  We, meaning the youth plus their two adult aides, will build it from scratch, and make it as amazing as we want.  The site will be PG-13, and so we will need moderators from among the older Older Youth, and apprentice mods from among the younger Older Youth, and a few adult mods who will be nominated and invited by the Youth to moderate.  We want a website that is totally fashionable and cool, and not embarrassing, with a decent forum, and maybe some blog space.  You have to come because if you leave it to the adults, well, you can just imagine what it will look like.  (cat coughs up hairball)

Second, it's obvious that people drop out of "Sunday School" at an alarming rate when they get out of elementary school.  Let's fix that by making Youth RE worth attending this year.  During the 2005 - 2006 RE year, we are studying The Unitarian Univeralist Faith.  That part is required: there is no point in being part of a religion if you have no idea what its meaning and history is.  (The first part of the history is particularly gory, and the problems are interesting, so you may like it better than you expect.) 

             
However, there are various ways we could study the material, and the trick is to find ways to make it interesting enough that people jump out of bed at 6:00 am and shout, "Yahoo!  I get to go to RE this morning!!!"  OK, maybe not.  How about, "Yeah, it's OK.  I'll go: RE isn't sucky any more."             
 

How do we get to that point?  Beats me.  That's why we want every youth to come and tell us how to improve Youth RE.  OWL was terrific this year.  Why?  What worked?  Can we apply that to the rest of RE? What else would make it good?  If you're one of the RE drop-outs or thinking of dropping out, come and tell us why.  After all, we can't improve things if we don't know what's wrong with them.            
 

You wanted a voice?  You've got one.  Come to the Retreat and use it.

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Highlights from July Board Meeting

The board is working to resolve a bat problem in the building.

Stewardship is working on the annual  canvass.

Annual report will be ready for next board meeting.

Discussed getting 3rd member of Finance Committee.

Work is in progress for hiring a church secretary.

 

The Church Mouse Award for July goes to Marty Becker for the many, many ways in which he contributes to the well-being of the church.  Most recently, his efforts included meticulously cleaning the back stairs and outfitting them with new weather-strips to keep us from slipping.

 

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New Choir Schedule

I would like to announce with joy and anxious anticipation that our choir year is about to begin. Singers of the Lafayette UU congregation are heartily invited to join us in our joy as we prepare for the new year. If you have a joy for singing, then come with us as we deepen our worship experience and share our wealth of voice with our congregation. If you are unsure as to whether choir is right for you, then you can test the water by joining us to prepare for Ingathering Sunday on August 21. Regular rehearsals will be on Thursday evenings at 7:30pm, beginning this week on Aug. 11.  If you have any questions contact Denise Gilliland (765)258-3093.

"This singing art is sea foam, the graceful movements come from a pearl somewhere on the ocean floor.....Stop the words now. Open the window in the center of your chest, and let the spirits fly in and out." - Jalal Al-Din Rumi.

-Denise Gilliland, Choir Director 

 

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Be one of UUS!

We are proud to announce the transformation of the Young Adults group into the Unitarian Universalist Symposium, or UUS!

                UUS will continue to focus upon building a greater sense of community within the church. Like its predecessor, the Young Adults group, UUS will meet weekly for great food and conversation, and we will also participate in monthly service activities!

                Young Adults will remain as a group officially affiliated with Purdue intended for mostly Purdue students (Young Adults are typically defined as college students and those between 18-35).

                UUS will be built around the theme of small group ministry that is found at many other UU churches. Specifically, the concept of small group ministry fosters the creation of new small groups within the congregation to promote intimacy and familiarity.

                UUS will meet every Wednesday at 6 PM beginning in September, although the final decision of which week day may change. Our first official service project will be two group members volunteering as greeters during every Sunday in October (an upcoming fundraising dinner in September for Pride Lafayette will be a service project of Young Adults officially).

                Our mission and vision statements follow.

UUS Mission: We are building a bridge via small group ministry to provide outreach to the congregation at large.

UUS Vision: Everyone is welcome to attend our meetings, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation or other demographic distinction.

                A new email listserv for UUS will be created at www.uufolks.org, which is an experimental church interface that Kyler Laird has created to faciliate church and committee communication and information exchange. If you wish to be added to the UUS email list, please notify me.

 

                Alanna Steffen and Charles Coley will serve as co-coordinators of UUS. Stay tuned for announcements and publicty about UUS within the next month!

                It is important to note that Young Adults will continue its strong existence and presence in the church as UUS. UUS will maintain ties with the fledgling Young Adults student group through coordination of activities and meetings.

                Until September, everyone will continue meeting at the weekly Young Adults meetings on Thursdays at 7 PM at the homes of group members and at local restaurants.

                If you have any questions, you may contact Alanna Steffen or Charles Coley.

                I hope you'll decide to "Be One of UUS!"

 

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Book Group

7pm, Monday, September 12, 2005

The Namesake: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Book Group meets on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7pm at Borders Bookshop in Wabash Landing in the lounge area where it joins with  Panera's.

All are welcome to join us for discussions of books selected by participants. 

For more information contact Dagmar Murray.

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Help still needed with Purdue food service project

The sign up sheets for our Purdue food service project August 13-28 are on the back information table.  The earnings will be used for our Social Responsibility Committee's projects. 

A big thanks goes to Bill Asher, Mary Ann Foley, Marge Hood, and Sue Robinson for their July work.

-Sue Robinson

 

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You can help the Women's Shelter!

The Women's Shelter has an ongoing need for gently used blankets, towels, and alarm clocks. There is also need for over-the-counter medications (brand new, factory-sealed, only). If you are able to donate any of these items, please leave them in the box labeled "Women's Shelter" located in the downstairs hall near the kitchen. Many thanks.

-Jean Tyner, Social Responsibility Committee

 

 

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Outdoor Group plans outing this Sunday

The Outdoor Group is planning an outing in conjunction with the church retreat in August.  We'll be hiking at Fall Creek Gorge, aka "the Potholes," a fascinating area of Warren County owned by The Nature Conservancy near Attica.

                Its steep walled canyons, tumbling waters, and potholes - large, circular openings in the sand rock that form the bed of the canyon - provide a picturesque home for unusual flora and thriving fauna.  Join us on Sunday, August 14 after the worship service at Ross Camp (where we'll carpool from) for another outdoor adventure. Children, dogs on leashes and sturdy shoes are encouraged.

                For more information see Tandy Easley or Mark Krivchenia.

 

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Update on the bat problem

We have had recent communication with the person who has begun work to remove the bats from the building again, and we are moving forward (slowly).  

                She gained new knowledge about bat relocation indicating that it is good to wait until August to make absolutely certain that all young bats leave.   She ordered the wire last week so it should be here in another week.  

                Patty Wood, our Building and Grounds coordinator, has been put in touch with her so that she and Patty can make the arrangements for the final wiring and cleaning.    When she cleans the attic, she will "candle" the entire area - any cracks or openings she finds using this method, she will seal. Good news!

-Noemi Ybarra, Past Board Chair

                                 

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Religious Education Happenings

RE Co- Directors Sarah Boulac and Michele Tomarelli
RE Committee Co-Chairs: Beth Misner, Cheryl Fowler