Join us at the UU Fellowship for a cozy soup supper Friday, February 4 at 6 pm. This is all brought to you by Sally Malm. Please contact her at 854-7235 and tell her if you will bring soup, bread-and-butter, appetizer or dessert. There is also a sign up sheet in the foyer.
Category Archive: Announcements
Permanent link to this article: http://uufdc.org/2011/01/soup-s-on/
Honest To God
By Phil Sweet
John Lees has been persistent with me about having a discussion about this book written in 1963 by the Anglican Bishop of Woolwich, England, John A. T. Robinson. Honest To God had a tremendous, life-changing impact on his thinking. There will be a potluck and discussion of the book following the worship service on January 16th. Nothing in the book will be surprising to UU’s. John Robinson died in 1983 so we will draw our own conclusions relative to the relevance of religion. Was Robinson suggesting that religion itself was a form of heresy? It will not be necessary to read or reread the book. I will give a synopsis and you bring ultimate questions related to meaning.
Please contact Lynn Lees (lynnajohn@earthlink.net) if you plan to attend the potluck to let her know what you will bring. Then plan to stay on for the first workshop on preparing Living Wills at 2 P.M.
Permanent link to this article: http://uufdc.org/2010/12/honest-to-god/
Establishing a Living Will
By Chuck Lauter
In February, 2010 Joan Shiels gave an outstanding presentation on Living Wills*, exhorting each of us to make sure we had provided this documentation. Each of us has the right to determine our own medical care! However, if we become incapacitated, someone has to make these decisions. In the absence of clear directives from the individual, chaos reigns; witness Karen Quinlan in New Jersey, a number of years ago, or more recent national cause celebs. Such situations cause great anxiety and anguish for the family. Joan stated that the greatest gift we can give to our families is a properly executed living will.
UUFDC has delayed establishing a program on living wills because other local religious groups were doing so. In a show of hands at a recent Sunday service, it appears that few have taken advantage of those opportunities. Therefore, SRC and Adult Enrichment have combined to provide an opportunity for UUFDC members to prepare a living will. This written, legal document spells out the types of medical treatments and life-sustaining measures you do and don’t want, such as mechanical breathing (respiration and ventilation), tube feeding or resuscitation. In some states, living wills may be called health care declarations or health care directives. As defined on the Mayo Clinic website.
A two-session workshop on living wills will be held at the UU January 16 and February 6, 2-4 P.M.. These workshops will be a hands-on Opportunity for UU Members and Friends using the State of Wisconsin Notice To Physicians and other documents to make our future wishes known. Each question on the forms will be explored and then each person will write her/his own answers. Participants will then be encouraged to discuss the forms with family and other concerned parties, returning to the second session to complete the document, signed and witnessed.
Joan has advised us that the greatest difficulty will be getting people to attend the workshops since we do not want to confront our own mortality. Please attend, recognizing Joan’s plea that this is a great gift to our families. Set aside January 16 and February 6, 2-4 P.M., for this important activity.
Permanent link to this article: http://uufdc.org/2010/12/establishing-a-living-will/
Help Decorate Our Mitten Tree
In early December, Bob Lindahl and Ray Di Iulio will venture out onto Robert and Liesbeth Fickes’s land in search of our holiday tree. They will cut, transport and set it up in the Gathering room. When their work ends, our fun begins. It is time to decorate our tree.
Mittens, hats and scarves, that ultimately will provide warmth to those in need in Door County, are being collected now for our tree. Any size, shape or color will be greatly appreciated, by the girls and boys of all ages who will wear them and by those who will enjoy the tree during the holiday season. Buy them, knit them, or donate them from your stash of new winter clothing. A green plastic bin is in the foyer awaiting your contribution.
Let’s fill our Mitten Tree and give warmth – from our hearts and our donations – this holiday season.
Cynthia Oliver
920-854-5919
Permanent link to this article: http://uufdc.org/2010/11/help-decorate-our-mitten-tree/
New Board Member
Who is it that is a charter member of UUFDC, created the Update newsletter, did all the publicity in the early years, chaired the publicity, program and caring committees, served as secretary, and published many of the books, brochures and orders of service for many years?
If these are not enough clues, the correct answer is Helene DiIulio! And now Helene has been appointed to the Governing Board to fill the Education and Enrichment position. She will coordinate all the various activities in this portfolio. And with all her vast experience, we know she will do it well!
Thanks to Lynn Lees, previous E & E chair, for all her hard work setting up our RE program.
UUFDC is fortunate to have such talented volunteers in our midst.
Permanent link to this article: http://uufdc.org/2010/11/new-board-member/
Alternative Gift-Giving
By Meg Vermillion
How can anyone not find excitement in giving an animal to a family that not only provides sustenance but is reproductive with the offspring being shared with neighbors and friends? That is the premise of the Heifer International, an organization that has paired gifts of livestock with recipients to help build a better future for themselves and their communities.
Our Social Responsibility Committee concluded that an effective direction for our Fellowship was to encourage all 100+ members and friends to give to Heifer! Our suggestion is that you include your grandchildren in this effort. There is nothing more fun than browsing the Heifer catalogue, filled with pictures and animal stories from all over the world. Have your grandchild chose an animal, explaining that this will be a part of their holiday gift that they are sharing with the world so that everyone can have food on their table.
Several Committee members have been doing this for years and can attest that everyone benefits, your own family and the family receiving the animal. One can contribute to a portion of an animal, helping you to decide how much you want to give to Heifer. There are catalogues in the entry way and you can also go to the web site: heifer.org to request a catalogue.
We all agree that there is a great deal of hope found in the generation of our grandchildren, as many of them are already world citizens or at least are aware! We ask you to support their awareness and act to help developing countries.
Permanent link to this article: http://uufdc.org/2010/11/alternative-gift-giving/
UUFDC Dedicates Memorial Garden
The UU Fellowship Memorial Garden, located in the meadow behind the building, was formally dedicated Sunday, October 24, 2010 by Memorial Garden Task Force Chairperson Rev. Cynthia Johnson.
The serene setting will have uniform-sized memorial plaques on the Memory Wall and, if desired, have ashes buried in the common ground garden.
Work of the Task Force included meetings, tours, charts, timetables, minutes, interviews, articles, photographs, Google searches, and more meetings. At the first meeting of the Task Force in December 2008, a vision was developed:
- Beautiful
- Harmonious with the emphasis on nature in Door County
- An informal feel
- Reflect Unitarian Universalist values
- Memorial plaques that are identical in size and information, probably the name and dates of birth and death
- A peaceful place that invites a meditative spirit
- Handicapped-accessible
- Places to sit
- Space so that 30 or so people could stand there for a service of the interment of ashes
- Close to the parking lot
- Low maintenance so that its existence would not increase the work load for the Fellowship
- Policies and procedures formally adopted and well-known to members and the person(s) or committee responsible for seeing that they are carried out in place before the actual project is begun
- A destination for people who may come to look at our gardens and surroundings.
The Task Force includes Lynn Lees, Ray DiIulio, Cynthia Oliver, Sarah Naber, Dottie and Lloyd Gerrits, Garrett Cohn, Jack Redell, and Cynthia Johnson with additional help from Al Johnson, Helene DiIulio, Bob Lindahl, and others. Beth Coleman was a helpful resource early in the process. Our UUFDC gardener Peter Witt wisely referred us to the key person who made it happen: Bob Kaminski, a tireless on-site worker and behind-the-scenes Door County marvel. We love having stone walls constructed from stones from Willard Kramer’s Sister Bay farm and stunning boulders courtesy of Pat Hockers. Thank you!
Memorial Garden
By Jack Redell
A meadow that contains the dust
which remains at the end of a life;
a space shared with others—
a very small space.
The peaceful quiet place of remembrance
for the ashes of the cremains—
crust of the dust
the sum of all pains
washed away by summer rains
along with the happiness acquired
during an existence
ended prematurely, always too soon.
Most of the former life
evaporates in the heat of a fire
eventually to be dispersed
into a universe.
What doesn’t burn
is placed in a meadow
to disappear under a blanket
of winter snow
reappearing in spring
as a peaceful
quiet place
of remembrance
Permanent link to this article: http://uufdc.org/2010/10/uufdc-dedicates-memorial-garden/
Fellowship Administrator
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County is now accepting applications for a Fellowship Administrator. This is a part-time position averaging 20 hours per week and beginning in October. For the complete job description, click here.
Applicants should send resume with cover letter to contact@uufdc.org or to:
ADMINISTRATOR
P.O Box 859
Sister Bay, WI 54234
Permanent link to this article: http://uufdc.org/2010/08/fellowship-administrator/