We’ll be watching this webinar at 23 Edwin tomorrow night. You’re invited to join us. Bring snacks if you like that sort of thing. Here’s the promo from the UUA:
Leadership Development and Recruitment are often difficult in congregations who always seem to have too many jobs and not enough energy. During this webinar, we will explore solutions that include setting goals for your Lifespan Faith Development Program that naturally grow leaders in the congregation, inviting more diverse and inclusive leadership, and cultivating a culture of leadership development that hinges on servant leadership and the celebration of those who have served.
Avoid nonstick cookware coated with Teflon made with the chemicals PFOA and PFC. In 2013, PFOA was found to be dangerous and replaced with PFCs which have not proven to be any safer. Better options are cast iron, stainless steel, carbon steel and ceramic coated cookware
When I mention to people that before entering the ministry I spent 25 years in newspaper journalism, they often ask what I miss from that former life. The truth is: not much. At about the time I was leaving for ministry, the newspaper world was changing dramatically. Newspapers were shrinking, the demands on reporters were exploding, and compensation was falling. There is still good work to do in journalism, but it’s a rougher go these days than it was.
Still, there is one recurring moment when, even now, 15
years after leaving the field, I feel the old tug of newspaper life. And that’s
on Election Day. It was always an electric moment. As reporters, we were among
the first to get the election returns, and the adrenaline was pumping as we
called in to the candidates for their responses and then banged out our stories
as fast as we could for a deadline that was always NOW.
I had those same feelings watching the returns from the Iowa
caucuses the other night. I sympathized with the beleaguered newsfolk, who I’m
sure were tearing their hair out as the caucus machinery fell apart and they
were left with nothing to report. But it also reminded me that for the quirks,
faults and frustrations with our electoral system, it is in the end a marvel of
sorts.
That for over 200 years we have managed to maintain a system
that at least in concept and over the years increasing in fact assures every
citizen a say in their government is kind of amazing. Yes, there have been
setbacks: the Supreme Court has hobbled the franchise through the Citizens
United decision, which put moneyed interests in the driver’s seat in campaigns
in an unprecedented way, and by shrinking the effectiveness of the Voting
Rights Act, once again endangering representation of minority voices. But the
bones of a good system are in place and are waiting to be built on.
This is all a way of calling attention to the importance of
the UU the Vote campaign that our congregation has joined in. Our country may
be consumed in partisanship these days, but UU the Vote goes deeper. It takes
us to the heart of trying to make our democracy truly representational. Look at
the bulletin board in Sandburg Hall and you’ll find many things that we can all
do to help assure that every person, especially people in marginalized
communities, have a voice in our elections.
We can’t know how this work will impact the ultimate results
in the election, but we can help bend the arc of justice toward a fairer and
more equitable system of government.
Here’s your chance to support this year’s Coming of Age (COA) class and have a blast doing it!
Join us for Trivia Night on February 22, 5-8pm in Sandburg Hall. There will be a mac ‘n cheese bar (with lots of healthy/delish sides and toppings, plus vegan and gluten-free options), awesome all-ages trivia and some games thrown in too to keep the fun going! This event sells out!
Why join us, besides all the fun and great food? You’ll be supporting our CoA Youth trip this summer to Beard’s Fork, West Virginia, hosted by the UU College of Social Justice. Our CoAers will get first-hand experience working and learning alongside community members with diverse perspectives on West Virginia’s past, present, and future. They will be putting UU values into action, confronting the environmental, social, and economic injustices that revolve around coal mining.
Tickets are $20 for adults/teens, $10 for kids 12 & under, and free to those going to the complimentary childcare area downstairs. ($60 max per family).
Buy your tickets after either Sunday service in Sandburg Hall over the next two weeks. And buy ‘em soon – this event sells out. Hope to see you there!
