the nUUsletter

More Church?

by the Rev. Jeff Briere
During Lent, I organized a series of late afternoon meetings on Fridays for people who wished to meditate and discuss the implications of certain quotations. I had collected a quotation or two for every day in Lent. The sessions included a sharing of food, music and thoughts about the issues raised by the quotes.

The sessions achieved three things: We all got to know each other a little better and we all had our heads and ideas stretched by the conversations. And the most important thing is that several of the participants want to continue, perhaps not as often, but with the same format.

There was support in the group for all, and connections were made that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. In church life, this is what happens when a small group of people come together. Relationships grow and deepen. Bonds are formed between people and between the church and congregants.

Church is more than a few hours on Sunday morning, or it can be more, if you make it more. You may not be attracted to a discussion of issues raised by quotes, but I’ll bet there is something that stokes your fires. Some of the groups meeting regularly at church are the Twisted Knitters, the Book Club, Funeral Consumer’s Alliance, mUUsic jam and Acting Out! Special one-time events happen around here, too, like the Seder and Circle Suppers.

Church can be more if you make it more. You can deepen your relationships and feel connected to something outside yourself when you organize and participate in small group meetings. It will enrich your relationship with the church, too.

If you have an interest or an activity that you’d like to share with others, let me know. We’ll set up meetings and get it organized.

General Assembly

June 23-27 - Fort Worth, Texas

Treasured Words

by Karl Hunt

The bad news is that the church is operating on a revised budget due to lessened income expectations. Fancy words that mean we haven’t kept up with our goals in Sunday offertories and building rentals and that we project less pledge income for the rest of the fiscal year, primarily due to a loss of pledgers. Our income for January through March is below the monthly average we need to bring in.

The good news is that our expenses have been less than projected, thanks to the diligence of those who make purchases for the church. I should also note that a few folks (sometimes identified as angels) have made extra-ordinary contributions that have allowed some much-needed purchases and improvements.

Our pledge income to date is right on target! This means that you are honoring your commitment of support to the church and that you understand how important that support is to our congregation. Thank you!-

I want to encourage you to continue meeting your pledge obligations. Please remember that our fiscal year ends on June 30; your pledge for the current fiscal year needs to be paid up by then. It is critical that we don’t lose any more income, as we cannot expect to keep operating expenses as low as they have been the past few months.

Congregation Meeting

Our annual Congregation Meeting will be held Sunday, June 5 at 1:00 p.m. This meeting is open to all voting members of the church. At this meeting, our annual budget will be presented and the Nominations Committee will provide their slate of nominees for our consideration. In addition, an Endowment Committee Policy will also be presented. (Following the worship service, and prior to the meeting, a potluck luncheon will be held.) The Congregational Annual Meeting is very important in the life of our church. Please make every effort to attend. Thanks.

The Interdependent Web

by Steve Hollingsworth

We, the undersigned religious leaders, hold that compassion and respect for a family's private decision making, respect for the rule of law, and respect for medical expertise are things of great value—are in fact moral goods that we jettison only at our peril.
—Interfaith Religious Leaders
[March 25, 2005]

When John Paul II died all eyes were diverted from the sorry spectacle that had just gone before. I refer, of course, to the political and media circus that was the life and death of Terri Schiavo. The later event, as many observed, offered a useful lesson about the former. John Paul died at home in his apartment without heroic interventions.

Whatever the issue Unitarian Universalists (UUs) some-where have vetted it, wrestled with inherent ambiguities, and given any who would attend what they need to make informed decisions consistent with their own moral compass. End of life issues are no exception. The 1978 General Assembly (GA) sup-ported living wills in a resolution. The 1988 GA resolved to support “The Right to Die with Dignity.” Both resolutions are carefully nuanced documents that acknowledge the “full and undivided conflict of opinion.”

The “undersigned religious leaders” mentioned above include UUA president Bill Sinkford and our own minister, Jeff Briere. I agree with their sentiments but I nevertheless feel that some of the arguments of the pro–life side have been dismissed too quickly.

Terri Schiavo wasn’t dying. We have no reason to believe she was suffering. We know that her true wishes were not unambiguously expressed. What was the problem with keeping her feeding tube? Without any doubt concerns about the right to die becoming the duty to die are well-founded. Any person who watched the 60 Minutes episode where Jack Kevorkian assisted the death for which he was eventually convicted recognized there was something unwholesome going on. He was too vested in the outcome being death.

If we can set aside the fulsome piety on the one hand and internecine family wrangling on the other, we can find the right answer in looking to Aristotle’s golden mean. Where lies the middle way?

Under law, we declare a person legally dead after a seven-year absence. If all best medical science says without contradiction that there is no Terri Schiavo heard from in fifteen years, that is enough. The courts came to the right answer but possibly for the wrong reason. The debate is not over.

Acting Out!

Kate Briere is Acting Out. Really. She’d like you to join her for a series of scene studies in dramatic literature. This is sorta like a book club discussion, only with live action. No dramatic training or special skills required—Kate will tell you all you need to know. The sessions are scheduled at 7 pm for three Mondays in May— the 9th, 16th & the 23rd.

Theatre Night

The Book Club invites everyone for an evening of theatre on May 12th at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. The play is A Lesson Before Dying based on the book by Earnest Gaines. Curtain is 7 pm and plans are afoot to get together after the show. Call the Box Office 423/267-8534 to reserve your tickets.

Board Highlights

by Fred Tregaskis
At the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees on April 20, 2005, these items of business were recorded.

The Treasurer's report indicated that cash flow and costs are according to budget. Denominational dues will impact expenses and the Councils agreed to minimize expenses.

An Endowment Committee Policy was approved for recommendation to the Congregation at the Annual Meeting.

The board changed the Pot Luck Luncheon from May 15 to June 5 in order to provide lunch between the service and the Annual Meeting on June 5.

The Canvass Committee reported a pledge total of $87,220 pledges so far.

The Board endorsed production of the Play The Exonerated as a cooperative effort with other churches. Kate Briere will direct.

The expense of wiring the sound system to the new booth will be $1300. The Board agreed that completion is necessary, but the expense was not anticipated in the current budget. One angel has already contributed $300.

Revisions to Credit Card and Sales Tax policies recommended by Finance Committee were approved.

The next Board of Trustees meeting is Thursday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m. Board meetings are open to all.

Everything You Need to Know about Sales Tax

Members who perform work for the church often have to buy something related to what they’re doing. We are a nonprofit organization and are exempt from sales tax. If you make a purchase for the church, please use one of the sales tax exemption forms available in the bin on the office door. Also make sure you keep and turn in a receipt so that you can be properly reimbursed.

In 2001 we made official policy that reimbursement would not be made for sales tax. That policy was recently reconfirmed by the Finance Committee. Clearly it’s inconvenient to come to the church to get a form, fill it out, take it to the store, and so forth. And I do not like telling someone who helps the church that sales tax will not be reimbursed. One tactic that can help is to get a form when you’re at church and keep it in your vehicle.

To be fair to everyone we need to enforce the policy for every situation. Often the amount is involved is small and wouldn’t make much difference one way or the other. The Treasurer has the authority to reimburse small amounts of tax if getting an exemption proves to be difficult. Nevertheless, I would hate to tell someone that made a large purchase with a substantial amount of tax that we can’t pay them back when we’ve been doing it in other cases.

CHIONS

The May 14 presentation will be on a Richard Wagner opera, Tristan und Isolde. This intensely romantic work on magical love, loyalty and betrayal is know as the work which sets the pace for most musical thought in the 20th century.

James Stroud is a retired UTC Professor of Music who continues to teach at the UTC Cadek Conservatory and, at UTC and Southern Adventist University as an adjunct professor of cello. Dr. Stroud is familiar to area audiences as a performer on the cello and teacher of a number of the outstanding young cellists in the region. He has made two previous presentations to CHIONS on Richard Wagner operas.

Circle Dinners

Circle Dinners return on May 7th! Just ask anyone who participated in the last go–round: This is an event you don’t want to miss. You can be a host or a guest. Every group has the same menu. The host prepares the entree and guests prepare other courses. Sign up for good company, good food, and good fellowship. These dinners give you an opportunity to become better acquainted with newer members. To register, call the church office or Lee Adler at 423/843-3796.

Angel nUUs

Three rather important steps were taken recently to improve sound reinforcement and recording in the sanctuary. Walt Angel Jenison built an excellent sound booth, we have arranged for mic lines and speaker lines to be rerouted, and Wendy Angel Sapp has donated a CD recorder.

We are now looking for an angel to help route the microphone lines to the sound booth and improve wiring for the mixer. An anonymous angel kick-started this endeavor with $300. About a thousand more is needed to complete the job.

We are also looking for two special angels: an angel who knows the difference between amperage and voltage and an angel who knows the difference between a washer and a gasket. If you are an Electrician Angel or a Plumber Angel, we sure would be happy if you flew into the church someday soon. Please contact the minister or the office if you feel angelic. We are sincerely grateful for all the work that all the angels, named and un–named, do for our church. Thank you so much.

Circle Dinners

Circle Dinners return on May 7th! Just ask anyone who participated in the last go–round: This is an event you don’t want to miss. You can be a host or a guest. Every group has the same menu. The host prepares the entree and guests prepare other courses. Sign up for good company, good food, and good fellowship. These dinners give you an opportunity to become better acquainted with newer members. To register, call the church office or Lee Adler at 423/843-3796.

Twisted Knitters

The Twisted Knitters meet on Monday, May 2nd at 7 pm. Bring your kprojects and kyarn for a knight of koffee, konversation and, of kourse, knitting!

Question Box Service

by the Rev. Jeff Briere

On Sunday May 15th, we hope to answer all your questions at a Question Box Service. This service has somewhat of a loose tradition among Unitarian Univer¬salist ministers, but I have been unable to determine where and when it began. The idea is that answering your questions will make up the bulk of the sermon.

Both Dolores and I will answer questions. You may submit your question on a 3x5 card and put it in the artfully-decorated shoe box on the round table any time up to May 8th. You may also submit questions that morning—just put them in the offering plate.

Your questions can cover just about any topic concerning church life: religion, money, theology, history, politics, social action, whatever it is that puzzles you or what you’d like to hear Dolores and I answer.

Your question may not be answered during the service, but any question with a signature will get a reply. Both Dolores and I reserve the right to say, “I don’t know.” at the time, but find the answer later.

mUUsic Jam

The mUUsic jammers meet Saturday May 14th at 3 pm. Anyone who plays an instrument or sings is welcome to join us. Any style of music is acceptable, and all levels of musical skill are expected. Bring sheet music or chord charts for your favorite songs and take home new songs and good memories.

Book Club

The Book Club has selected Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides for the May 19 meeting at 7:00 p.m. You are invited to join us for the discussion and fellowship.

New UU

On the first three Tuesdays in May, the Rev. Jeff Briere will offer a course for new members and for those interested in learning a little bit more about Unitarian Universalism. The New UU is a class covering the history of Unitarianism and Universalism, the history of this church and your own religious journey.

We’ll begin the class at 7 pm and we’ll be done each night by 9. That’s the 3rd, 10th and 17th. We are sorry for the short notice.

Diversity & Economics Think Tank Forum

Programs sponsored by Women’s Council on Diversity during the month of May. Gender in the Workplace Workshop will be held Monday, May 2, from 2 to 4 at the United Way, 630 Market. Post HS Education & Local Employers will take place Tuesday, May 10, from 11:45 to 1:00 at Forest Ave., UMC, and, Economics & Diversity Think Tank Session is Tuesday, May 24 from noon to 1:00 at Jewish Cultural Center.

Interfaith Hospitality Network

by Monique Lewis

On June 5th, our church will host 4 families who are temporarily without a home. These families are accepting help from the Interfaith Hospitality Network, a network of about 40 churches in Chattanooga which provide meals and housing. We extend our hospitality three times a year and from June 5 11, we will need dinner preparers, evening hosts, overnight hosts, and folks to help set up the classrooms downstairs.

I challenge you to do something new! Check out the sign up board at the church and put yourself down to help someone who is down on their luck. Does your contribution count? Yes! We need about 60 volunteers to make the week run smoothly and every job is important. The family we hosted in January moved into the Family Housing and Learning Center and the father is now employed. We provide housing, food, and compassion to help families turn their lives around. If you’re not certain about what a host actually does, call Monique Lewis at 847 1523 with your questions.

Green Sanctuary Initiative

by Sandy Kurtz

At the Going Green service on April 17, the GSI Com¬mittee reviewed the application sent to UUA Seventh Principle Project for our church to be accredited as a Green Sanctuary. It was filled with numerous actions that will involve us all. Already underway is a Master Plan for landscaping our new parking lot with native plantings. A meditative comparative religions trail is to be designed as well. We have already begun several sustainable living actions you may have noticed. We have incorporated some energy saving measures, we are using less paper and Styrofoam products, and Bill Wynot is looking after our recyclables each Sunday. Of course, let Green Sanctuary Initiative members know if you wish to join a committee or participate in any of the actions in our Green Action Plan. GSI members are Nancy Anderson, Pat Fogarty, Claire Hale, George Helton, Sandy Kurtz , Bill McGuiness, Buck O’Rear, and Fred Tregaskis. Coordinators for the Plan Sections are Dolores Wood/Eleanor Hull for Religious Education, Daniel Justice for Worship & Celebration, Buck

O’Rear/Richard Ralston for Sustainable Living, Sandy Kurtz for Environmental Justice, and Linda Helton for Communications.

During the service, several people made Green Promises and some made the suggestions below as to how we could help our Earth. All their responses are on our web site. Go to the text of this service and take a look!

New Member Barbecue

The Membership Committee and the Fellowship Com¬mittee have arranged a barbecue for new members and the Board of Trustees. We encourage new members who joined recently and those who joined last fall (You know who you are) to attend this casual family event. It will be at the church on Friday, May 20th at 6:30 pm. Please contact the office. Leslie Walters or Jeff Briere for more information.

Walking the Labrynth Workshop

A workshop on walking the labyrinth will be held at St. Marys, Sewanee on May 3 and also on September 27. Their website is www.StMarysSewanee.org. The title of the workshop is “Seeking The Soul’s Self.”

Religious Education - Who Owns the Earth

During May, our Way Cool Sunday School program will explore the Unitarian Universalist 7th Principle, “We believe in caring for our planet earth, the home we share with all living things.”



Each Sunday, the classes of children and youth will participate in one of the following activities as they consider ways they might work (and play) to live inter-dependently.



The Wendell Mann playhoUUse: “Who Owns the Well?” To help us think about how we share the earth, we will act out a story from West Africa.



The UUniverse: In our rain forest room, we will explore the interdependent nature of Nature with games and an outdoor treasure hunt.



The Art stUUdio: We will use a variety of visual and print media to create a web of humankind.



The playgroUUnd: Games will give us an opportunity to explore the concept of our connections with one another through play.



mUUsic: Time for celebration! This Sunday morning party may occur in all rooms downstairs during the 11:00 service on May 29th. We will create a joyful noise and a collage to celebrate our year together exploring our UU principles. On the 5th Sunday we will also invite the rest of the congregation downstairs to see an overview of our curriculum this year after their service.



Children's Chapel: Jeff Briere will lead a meditative worship of the interdependent web for ages 5-10 on May 22nd.