December 2013

THE FLAME

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History Revealed Discover our history with our quilt celebration on Dec. 8! The Question: WHAT ARE OUR DREAMS ? Special Services Christmas Eve Candlelight and Universal Worship on New Year's Day

The Monthly Newsletter of First Unitarian Church of Omaha

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Services: At The Core

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Transform your soul and spirit

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Make Holiday Shopping a Snap

Meet Our LeadersStaff

Minister

Frank Rivas Director of Religious

Education

Jan Wilson Office Administrator

Catharine Dixon Organist

Pat Will Choir Director

Bob McMeen Nursery Aide

Jackie Dross Custodian

Bobby Medrano Choir Accompanist

Keith Hart Early Service Pianist

Stan Harper Minister Emeritus

Ronald Knapp !THE FLAME

Deadlines are the 15th of each month. Send your submissions to [email protected] !Design: Shawna Foster Editor: Cat Dixon Proofers: Anita Horn, Cyndi Nather, Lana Hammel, Scott Kemper !Board meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of every month and are open to all members.

THE FLAME | FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF OMAHA |FIRSTUUOMAHA.ORG �2

Board Members

Tony Host (President), Dean Christensen, Lana Hammel, Lynette Ryder, Louise Jeffery (President-Elect), Stephen Miester, Ron Withem, John Wagner

Trustees of the Capital Trust

Tim Duggan (2016); Sandy Host (2015); Steven Hutchinson (2014)

Pastoral Advisory Team

Jaime Alexander; Joe Schaaf; Susan Thomas; Alan Volvoka

Ministry Team Council

Rev. Frank Rivas, Carolyn McNamara, Louise Jeffrey, Amy Barlow

Ministry Teams and their Leaders

Adult Religious Education - Crystal DiGiorgi Archives - Dave Richardson Caring - Douglas Lee-Regier Chalice Guild - Kay Lynn Goldner Community Meals - Dana Meister/Diane Withem Fellowship - Judith Wright/Nadine Keith Finance - Walt Jesteadt Fundraising - Donna Neff/Kathi Oliver Governance - Alex Nather House and Grounds - Dave Rosser Membership - Jackie Anderegg Office - Carolyn McNamara Omaha Together One Community - Kim Dunovan/Laurie Gift Partner Church - Janet West Religious Education - Sheri Conner/Donna Neff Religious Services - Megan Gustafason Women’s Alliance - Mary Bort Young Adult Group - Maria Wallace Youth Group - Ben Wallace/Shawne Coonfare

29 December - Sunday

If You Have Questions, So Do I!

(One service at 10:30am) !Kabin Thomas !When Kabin Thomas spoke to the Women's Alliance, he received rave reviews. So we wanted to give the congregation the chance to enjoy his stories and insight.


Rev. Frank Rivas At the Core: Calling Frederick Boechner defines vocation as “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” Religious leaders insist we each have a calling.

Join us at 9:30 and 11:15am on Sundays and for special holiday services!

8 December - Sunday

Celebrate Our Historic Quilt We honor our congregation’s history with the display and celebration of a quilt made in 1898 by First Women’s Circle.

24 December - Tuesday

7pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service A special choir performance for this joyous holiday season.

1 December - Sunday

At the Core: Emptiness (One service only at 10:30am) Before the internet, before the Xbox, before even tv, religions recognized the need to return to the basics - breathing, pulse, the primal experience of being alive. We will experience at least 10 minutes of mindfulness.


Rev. Frank Rivas !At the Core: Awe !Deeper even than gratitude is awe. At the still point, when our hemisphere tilts gently toward the sun, we gather in awe.

1 January - Wednesday

10:00am !Universal Worship Service This service will be conducted by Sufi leaders Jan and Richard Potter. The Universal Worship represents an ideal to bring all world religions together in order to promote tolerance, understanding, and spiritual awakening for humanity. We light candles and do readings from many traditions, and in this case, also rational thought and science.

The church filled for the Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil

My father joined the Marines before he graduated from high school. When the war ended, he married; in little more than a year, I was born. So my father put aside his dreams of going to college and instead learned a trade, tool and die making, in order to provide for his family. !He continued to value education, however. His personal reading ranged from Plato’s Republic to current issues of Scientific American, but religion was always one of his favorite topics. Every week, after returning home from Mass, we criticized the sermon over breakfast. Nothing was off limits. My father wasn’t sure that there is a God, but if there were, he insisted, God would not create people in order to damn them eternally. Nor did he believe that Jesus confused himself with God; he believed that such ideas were created by Jesus’ followers. !I think of this because the sermon Humility relied heavily on my father’s understanding. So much of who I am is derived from him, but this particular sermon directly reflected what he preached on Sunday mornings. No, he would not have referred to Gautama Buddha’s last words, nor the passage from John, nor the moments of Unitarian Universalist history, but I do that in part because he taught me to value education. Last Sunday I felt as though I had fulfilled part of his calling. !Thank you, Dad, for giving me the opportunity. !We do not create ex nihilo. We carry within us the dreams of our fathers; we carry within us the dreams of our people; we carry too the dreams of the communities whom we serve. May we use these dreams wisely so that others may carry with them one more generation of understanding. !Blessings and love, Frank

Annual Holiday Dinner At First Unitarian

Dec. 14 Social Hour 5:30 Dinner 6:30 Cost is $21 per person* RSVP by December 6 !RSVP FORM

Make your reservation by contacting the church office or placing your check in the weekly offering. !Name:______________________ Please Bring (circle one) Wine Appetizer Dessert !Will you need childcare? Names and Ages: _____________________________ !* We want everyone to be able to celebrate. If confidential financial assistance would make your attendance possible, contact Rev. Frank Rivas: [email protected] !The cost includes tip for the servers, delicious dinner, and clean-up. Celebrate the season with First Unitarian!

Rev. Elations Monthly News Column from our minister, Rev. Frank Rivas

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Dream List

• I dream of a community that will accept me as I am, one that I can enjoy being involved with. • That we could be open-minded and able to discuss anything without it getting personalized or offensive. • I would like to be inspired by the church

service almost every week. • A continuing and growing worship community option like early service

- informal, contemporary, great music. • An RE program with energy and enough kids to create a peer

community for them. • A peaceful and safe atmosphere with the equality and respect Dr. King

spoke of 40 years ago. Our church should work for that goal. • Planned and supportive parenthood for the development of children in

a safe environment. • Laughter. Poignancy. • Our power increases when we see challenges not as a barrier, but an

opportunity to come together as a community that won’t be defeated. • We are a vibrant, involved church that cares about justice and rights in

the larger community. • I dream that each person who comes finds a community where they feel

important and loved. • More youth involvement with the adult community. • A beacon of rationality to counter a morass of superstition. • Our potential developed. • This church to become a recognized and well-known force for good in

Omaha. • Acceptance, embracing, and supporting each other. Conscious

acceptance of differences.

!!

President’s Letter

At the all of our Board meetings, our first order of business is a Board discernment of our programs. We discuss what is going well, what can be improved, and develop action items. At our November meeting, I shared a summary of a workshop conducted in January 2012 that was well attended by church members and friends. I'd like to share some of that list with you. The full list will be available on our website, firstuuomaha.org !As for myself, I see teams forming, developing ideas and implementing them. I see thoughtful discussions and deepening friendships being developed. I see laughter and joy. I watch teenagers talk with their friends they have brought to church about how awesome YRUU is and why they should be here. This is our church. Always a work in progress and always needing you, the members and friends. !In faith, !Tony

What Are Our Dreams? As this year comes to a close, church board president Tony Host recalls the dreams we have for this community and the world it’s in.


Sonali in preschool

It is not happy people who are grateful, but grateful people who are happy.


Religious Education All are invited to the Dec. 1 Religious Council meeting at 11:30. Contact [email protected] or just show up in Jan's office!

Sunday School During Early Service, school-age children will do social justice projects helping those who are homeless and near homeless. !In between services at 10:30 we have a full curricula for preschoolers, K-6th, and teens. !During the late service we alternate between spiritual art development and youth choir. !For December, be sure to bring socks, gloves, and hats for our annual mitten drive. !Adult Religious Education on Thursdays 6pm During December, we’ll continue on our focus on meditation bringing in gurus and speakers. Discover your deeper self and a meditation practice that works for you. **Note, there will be no class Dec. 26. !

Youth in eighth grade and up meet at 7pm on Wednesday nights in the common room Our teen youth group welcomes all and provides sanctuary among people their own age. While having fun! !Women’s Religious Study Thursdays, 1pm We are currently reading Zealot by Reza Aslan. This is a historical journey into Roman Palestine and the emergence of a man called Jesus. It is interestingly written from an nondenominational perspective. We meet every Thursday in the Merritt Lounge from 1 to 2:30pm.

Xander Wiig works on the covenant


Women’s Alliance – December 9, 2013 Women from First and Second Unitarian Churches are invited to attend the Women’s Alliance (WA) monthly get-together on Monday, December 9th. The evening will begin with socializing and beverages at 6:30pm, “heavy” appetizers and desserts (that attendees bring) at 7pm and our annual “white elephant” holiday gift exchange at 8pm. Please plan to bring an appetizer or dessert, and a wrapped “white elephant” gift. Examples of white elephant gifts are “re-gifts” (such as the candlesticks that your aunt gave you, that don’t suit your taste) or gently used books or the throw pillows that came with your new

sofa that don’t match your décor. We ask for a donation of $12 for our December get-together, which goes to our education fund. If this will be your first time attending let us know and please be our guest. For our annual holiday project, we’ll be collecting children’s books to donate to a mid-town grade school. More details will be provided in upcoming weekly church announcements. !Please RSVP to Janet West no later than Friday, December 6 at [email protected] or 402-553-3162. Please indicate if you will bring an appetizer or dessert. Babysitting is available for those who notify Mary Bort ([email protected];

402-201-0970; or via private message on Facebook) by Wednesday, December 4. See you on December 9th!

Photo: 2013 Chili Cook-Off Winners

CHILI COOK OFF

Pull out your 2014 calendar and mark Feb. 1 for the Chili Cook Off, then pull out your best chili recipe and get ready to compete!


NEW MEMBER CELEBRATION 2013 THANKS TO CAROLYN MCNAMARA AND JOHN WAGNER FOR HOSTING THE FUN!

Top: Nathan Kramer, Bob McMeen and Tina Labellarte. Bottom: Rene Harper and Kay

McMeen.

Spiritual and Social Happenings in December

Join Spirit Circle on Dec. 1 at 6pm. We’ll observe the wheel turning back to Solstice with merriment and feasting, with a small ritual before we tuck into food. Bring something for the potluck if you can, or join us anyway. The more the merrier! !CommUUnity Night on Dec. 6 at 5:30 pm. Definitely fun for the whole family, join our potluck with your favorite food and a board game for this relaxing get-together in the common room. !Bridge Group on Dec. 8 at 12:30. All levels welcome! !

!Community Meals on Dec. 21 at 11:30am. Volunteers needed to serve our neighborhood at First Baptist. Contact [email protected] to volunteer! !


What We Want to Do Like most organizations, we depend on our website. It simplifies our lives by being available 24/7 to answer our questions and support our work. It can frustrate us by not performing all of the technological magic that we have come to expect in other aspects of our lives. If Amazon.com opened a church, we could order spiritual growth via the internet and download it directly to our Kindle. Why can’t we do that? !Deciding what to do about the website is quite complicated. There are a number of steps to complete before we can get our geek on and start coding. Where does one start? !Your Board of Trustees and Ministry Team Council have wrestled with this question and decided on an exploratory period focused on learning. An ad hoc team initially consisting of Catharine Dixon, Shawna Foster, Nathan Kramer, and Bill Ross has formed. !How You Can Help The team is planning a number of activities in January to help them learn what you want. More information about that will be forthcoming. !They need your help: !

1. If you would like to have a role on the project team, please volunteer. You will be welcome. !2. If you have information technology skills and/or a communication background, please identify yourself to the team if you would be willing to offer advice from time to time. !3. Please participate in the upcoming activities so that we have input from everyone. !Contact the team at [email protected]. !How We Plan To Do It We will be addressing the website project in three major phases. !Exploration Phase: The key questions in this phase are: What do we do? What do we want to do? What is the difference, the gap that we need to bridge? Our hope is to complete this phase by the end of February 2013. !The key resources needed in this phase are the users of the website. We need time from the individual ministry teams, the staff, and from the congregation to understand what they get

from the system and what additional functionality they need. !Decision Phase: The next major step is to work through a decision period to evaluate our options based on the information accumulated during the investigation period. The key questions in this phase are: !What are our highest priority needs? What are the costs versus benefits of our various needs? How much energy and attention will the project need to succeed? What resources do we have to staff and fund the project? !We would expect this decision period to last at least a couple of months but it will depend on how well the investigation phase has defined the potential objectives. !The key resources needed in this phase are the church leaders who are responsible for discerning our mission and priorities, and for raising and allocating church resources. !Implementation Phase: The third major step is the implementation phase. In this phase, we will create a plan based on the goals and resources defined in the decision phase.

Taking a serious look at our church

website


The 1890s for the country and for Omaha were much like the Dickensian observation made earlier in that century; It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity… !Many troubles, particularly economic, plagued the country, the city and the church. But fortunately for our church, in 1889 a remarkable man had been engaged as settled minister. When the Reverend Newton Mann arrived in Omaha he had already distinguished himself as a result of his advocacy of Darwin's Theory of Evolution. But he did much more that that. Perhaps his longest-lasting legacy was the creation of our "Bond of Union" which he wrote in 1891. !Prior to that, a "Statement of Belief" written in 1871 had been the main document by which our congregation was guided. That document declared "God is the Father" and further states "all men are sons of God" and "Jesus Christ was the Son of God." In 1890 under Reverend Mann, a "reorganization"took place which ultimately led to the creation of "The Bond of Union" as well as other reforms. Notes from the 1902

Yearbook point out that in drafting the new document "questions of belief were left out instead of being thrust to the front and in lieu of a set of debatable propositions was placed a simple Bond of Union." !"The Bond of Union" is a beautifully crafted document, which remains the statement to which new members attest when they sign the membership book. In comparison with the 1871 "Statement of Belief" it is interesting to note the absence of "God language." Instead of being a "dogmatic creed" it serves as a form of what in our era might be called a mission statement. !The language is remarkably modern in its clarity and precision.

Absent are the rhetorical flourishes and florid language that was common in the 19th century. Phrases such as "right living," "common cause" and "religion of character" leave little doubt that we are a religion of deeds not creeds. !Certainly, some phrases such as "pure religion' may be a little ambiguous in terms of 21st century discourse, but for most Unitarians it is often the ambiguities that create the deepest thinking and the most interesting discussions. !In many ways this document gives remarkable insight into the vision of our "foremothers and forefathers" as well as once again proving the proverb that "we drink from wells we did not dig and are warmed by fires we did not build."

The Bond Of Union - 1892 The recent rediscovery of the 1898 quilt and its celebrations have not only increased interest in this artifact but also in the historical context of the era of its creation By Dave Richardson

"We whose names are hereby subscribed associate ourselves together as a Religious Society for mutual helpfulness in right living, and for the advancement of sound morals and pure religion in the community: and we hereby pledge ourselves to bear our part in the common cause and to care for the welfare and influence of the Society of which by this act we become members. Basing our union upon this expressed moral and religious purpose rather than upon any dogmatic statement of belief, and emphasizing the religion of character and daily life above all creedal confessions, we invite to our membership all who are seriously drawn to us in our spirit and aims, and who desire to have with us their Church Home.” - 1892 Bond of Union


Quilt Showing At First Unitarian

Saturday, Dec. 7 Time: 10am-2pm !The restored quilt is a fascinating historical artifact of 1898 life in Omaha. After this showing, and a service that Sunday, Dec. 8 celebrating women’s work and the quilt as history and art, the quilt will be presented as a gift to the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln. !In 1898, a group of church ladies decided to solicit donations from area businesses to help raise money for First Unitarian Church which at that time was located at 17th and Cass Streets. Receipts of those donations appear on this quilt — see it for yourself on December 7!

From Gabor, our Partner Church Translator

I liked seeing Janet again and staying with her. I liked the way she was like, "Guys, I don't cook, so make yourself at home in the kitchen. Oh, and I'd like an egg too." I liked that she is still so deeply and honestly caring yet so easy going and cool, not to mention all that energy and optimism. (Oh, and I almost forgot, it needs to be said that she did cook an amazing dinner on our first night.)

I liked listening to Ron Knapp's hilarious stories and to Ann trying to make them stop (but not really). I liked the fairy tale church. I liked that everyone is there by choice and this makes them so active and involved: they feel like they're a part of something ... and they are. I liked that we also got to be a part of that something for a little while. I liked seeing Dave Olson again and meeting his lovely wife who makes one hell of a lasagna.

I liked the zoo with its "smile-and-wave" penguins, overhead sharks and indoor jungles and deserts. I liked the burger I had in the indoor jungle, too; I've never eaten a burger while looking at a monkey swinging on a vine before. I liked rural Nebraska with its family-owned golf courses, endless fields, honest farmers with their big machines and

just-like-in-the-movies diners. I liked visiting the community kitchen and seeing that everyone does something for charity. I liked walking across the Mississippi River on that crookedly awesome bridge and getting my must-have pic in limbo between Iowa and Nebraska.

I liked seeing Nadine again and the fact that she is still just one of the kindest and sweetest ladies I've ever had the privilege of knowing. I liked that she knew that I was a car guy and thanks to her, I got to see 150 near-perfect muscle cars and hot rods, drive a Corvette at 115 mph (in 3rd, because manual!) and eat chicken wings with a life-size Nascar hanging over my head. I liked that day a lot because it was one of the best ones of my life. I liked meeting all the nice people who had been to Transylvania. I liked the feeling of hearing two people singing in Hungarian in the church 10,000 kilometers from home. That was moving. I liked finally hanging out with people my age at Liz's birthday party, learning how proper nachos are served and eaten and having way too many laughs.

All in all, I think what I liked most was the people; their (your!) genuine friendliness and interest, kindness and hospitality. So yes, I kinda liked Omaha:) Thank you so much for having us.

So What Did I Like About Our Time In Omaha? Where Do I Even Start?

Gabor, the translator for Rev. Kati’s visit


Letter from Rev. Kati, Our Partner Church Minister (Translated by Gabor)

Through the invitation of our partner churches in Corvallis, Ore., and Omaha, my husband Boti, our translator Gábor and I got to spend a wonderful time in the U.S. between Sep. 26 and Oct. 15. !We arrived in Omaha from Corvallis on Oct. 7 and were greeted at the airport by a kind face, our dear friend and host Janet West. On our way home we stopped at First Unitarian congregation’s stunning church and got to meet a number of nice people. !That evening we met the congregation’s former minister, Ron Knapp and his wife Ann. Although we were still tired from the flight we thoroughly enjoyed Ron’s stories, which he has also collected in a book. !Tuesday morning we met Sarah Voss who gave us an insight into her interesting work and studies in theology. We had dinner with another old friend, Dave Olson. Wednesday, we visited the church and got a glimpse into the activities of the Sunday school and youth group activities. !Thursday and Friday was dedicated to sightseeing. We went to the Nebraska countryside, witnessed the farming culture, had fun at the nearby Safari Park, even tried our hand at golf. We had a wonderful dinner at Soul Kitchen gallery with all the people who had visited us in Firtosmartonos. The next day, we visited the amazing Omaha Zoo. !Later that evening, we presented a slide show of the Firtosmartonos congregation. Saturday the boys, Boti and Gabor, went go-karting - they must have missed driving. We spent the evening with Nadine, who made an amazing dinner. !Sunday was all about the service. At both morning services, I preached about "The Meaning of Suffering" based on Job 1:10. After the service, we had lunch with Shawna Foster who gave us useful insights into the workings of the Unitarian Universalist theological schools and the process of becoming a minister. We concluded our visit with a lovely dinner with church board members. A great deal became clear to me regarding the functioning of the church/congregation. !We met a lot of amazing people during our visit, I gained experience that I will use in my own congregations as well. Most of all, I feel our visit makes our partner-church relationship even stronger. A very special thank you goes to Janet for putting up with us. We are also grateful to all the wonderful people who made this trip a truly memorable one. !God bless, Katalin

Rev Kati, her spouse Boti, and their son

What does the scrip say?

Introducing a NEW, EXPANDED scrip (gift card) program to benefit First Unitarian Church! We now can order scrip cards for 100+ retailers and restaurants!! Many of your favorite stores are on the list. We will also still have Baker’s/Kwik Shop scrip cards available for groceries and gas. !A full printed list of scrip vendors will be available on Sundays at the UUnique Boutique (soon to be located in the Common Room). !Ordering is easy! !1. Fill out an envelope with your name 2.Check-mark the gift card(s) you want to purchase 3. Insert cash or check into the envelope and seal 4. Give the envelope (with payment inside) to Kathi Oliver or Donna Neff who will then place an order !5.Receive your order the following week at coffee hour (or reserve a pickup time via email) !

!By using same-as-cash gift cards to make your normal purchases, you don’t need to spend extra money AND First Unitarian earns a percentage from EVERY card purchased! !How much you ask? 3%-15% (depending on the vendor) !Example: Kathi wants to give her family gift cards for the holidays. She decides on one Menard’s gift card for her mom, one Old Navy card for her sister-in-law, and one AMC card for date night. By purchasing these three gift cards at coffee hour, she gives First Unitarian $8 back in profit but spends nothing extra compared to buying these gift cards elsewhere. (See above chart) !So, what does the scrip say? Make First UU scrip cards a part of your everyday and holiday shopping. !Buy it, try it, buy it now!

This holiday season, make your shopping easy while benefiting the church by buying a gift card from First Unitarian! Hundreds of options. Make your life easy and their spirits bright with Scrips!


First Unitarian Church of Omaha 3114 Harney Street Omaha NE 68131 www.firstuuomaha.org

December 2013

Documents

Transcript of December 2013