BUUF News – September 2007

Contents

EverGreene

Rev. Elizabeth Greene

When I first make the transition from that easy-living, summer feeling to the slightly faster-paced "regular-year" way, I'm often ambivalent at best. As in: "Do I really want to go back? I'm having such a good time sitting in my swing, looking at the hills!" Then I gird my loins, get back into the swing of things, realize how much I love and appreciate this congregation, and all is well. I am very glad to report that that's where I stand right now, looking forward immensely to our first Sunday of the program year, September 9, mingling our vacation waters, sharing a sermon, seeing all the kids' shiny faces.

As you will begin to note starting with this newsletter, there has been much behind-the-scenes work till now, creating great programs and activities for my sabbatical. (January 16, 2008-August 1-2008) One of my very favorite colleagues, Rev. Margaret Keip, will preach and meet with groups once a month during my absence—you can find all kinds of information by and about her in this newsletter.

The Sabbatical Task Force and the Sunday Services Committee have been working together with inspiration and gusto, lining up excellent preachers and speakers for the Sundays when Margaret is not here. The Congregational Care Team (formerly known as Pastoral Care Team) has plans afoot, as do many other teams, committees and groups.

I am excited, of course, since I haven't taken a sabbatical since 1995, and I remember how incredibly invigorated and rejuvenated I was after that one. I'm still here until mid-January, of course, reveling as always in the work I love and am called to.

Stay tuned!

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Em-bracing the Journey

Emmie Schlobohm, Board President

Welcome Back! Whatever your adventures were this summer, I hope they were filled with warmth (not too much heat), fun and lots of friends and family. Your BUUF board has been busy and there's many exciting adventures for our community just over the horizon.

Though we had to say goodbye to our beloved Director of Religious Education, Jennifer Thrall Thomas, we welcome our two new excellent co-DREs, Cathy Carmen and Karen Raese. Our families and children are in good hands! This year our children will have opportunities during both services to continue their adventures in our expanded religious exploration program.

By the time you read this, our new floor in the Great Hall will be installed or very close. Many hard-working people and countless hours went into this project and we all appreciate the amazing commitment to our community.

Keep your eyes and ears open for an exciting upcoming opportunity to further support our beloved community with a campaign to retire our mortgage.

My recurring theme this year will be for you to follow your passion. What floats you boar, calls to you, and makes all the colors of the world around you a little brighter and more vibrant? Talk to me or any other member of your board and find out where you can use that passion to make the world a better place, from our BUUF community to our Unitarian Universalist national and global communities. There are so many opportunities to soar!

Who Is This Stranger Arriving to Meet You?

It's been said that a stranger is a friend one has yet to meet, and I fondly expect this will prove true both for myself and hopefully many of you. I've been Rev. Margaret Keip for half my life, and Marge for decades longer, so if you hear Elizabeth call me each of those, she's right on. I'll be flying in to spend once-a-month weekends with you during her sabbatical. My co-minister husband Fred and I are retired together in a sunny house nested in woods just outside Grants Pass, OR. We're emeritus ministers of the UU Church of the Monterey Peninsula, serving together there for 25 years, following which I continued into interim minister for another 8½ years, serving 6 congregations, all but one of them in the West. Though we two met as Midwestern Lutherans, our own 'parallel journeys' carried us serendipitously into Unitarian Universalism, and then sequentially into ministry, with degrees along the way from Purdue and Starr King School for the Ministry, and then honorary doctorates from Starr King. Our three children and four grandchildren are now scattered cross-country with their families, from California to North Carolina. I continue to consult with congregations on request and serve on the Pacific Northwest District's healthy congregations team and now the PNWD Board of Trustees, having been appointed to fulfill Jennifer Thrall-Thomas's term. As Jennifer is missed on that board and Elizabeth will be missed by you when she's away, I bring my warm body and heart to bridge the distance. This is, for me, a heartfelt privilege.

– Margaret
Rev. Margaret Keip

Come and Join In! Fun, Food, Fellowship!

Debra Smith, chair Sabbatical Task Force

Meet Reverend Margaret Keip, our once-a-month visiting minister during Elizabeth's sabbatical, at a reception held in her honor on Saturday, September 15, at the Fellowship. The evening begins with a "hosted" potluck at 5 P.M. "Hosted" means that the Sabbatical Task Force and the Sunday Services Committee will provide a turkey and a ham, and desserts (our talent lay in that direction, we've discovered!) You bring the whole family, and a side dish, salad, or beverages. If the weather is grand, we'll set up outside in the courtyard. There'll be a brief ceremony to welcome Margaret, followed by casual conversation time (and dessert!) when you'll all get a chance to welcome her personally.

Reverend Keip will commence visiting once per month beginning in January, and concluding when the program year ends in May. Her housing for the stay has been generously donated by Erin Logan and Bob Smith. Kathy Hall will act as her liaison and hospitality coordinator. Committees and individuals will be able to meet with her on Saturdays during her visits. Margaret's schedule will be managed by Gerry, our office manager.

We have a rich program year planned for Elizabeth's sabbatical, with some of our favorite visiting UU ministers, and extraordinary guest speakers who have compelling stories to tell. So don't miss your opportunity to celebrate the first event in our sabbatical experience, an experience that promises we shall participate in parallel journeys right along with Elizabeth, alike as traveling souls. Heh! That sounds like an appropriate theme for the year—"Parallel Journeys: Traveling Souls."

RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION

Religious Education /Exploration at Both Services

Karen Raese, Co Director of Religious Education

This fall we embark on a big change for BUUF—Religious Education (RE) at both services. The BUUF Board and Religious Education staff decided last spring to take this giant step. We have been in conversations about it, thought a lot about and now we are ready to do it. Cathy Carmen and I are working together to make this work. If you have any questions, concerns or are willing to assist with teaching please let one of us know. As we all know, change is never easy so lets all be kind to each other as we work this through the inevitable glitches. Know that we have the best interests of all children in mind.

In order to help everyone understand how RE will work, I have prepared a class schedule which is printed in this newsletter. Please review this and then contact me if you have questions about RE. My goal is to have the same curriculum used at both class times. If there are older youth (junior or senior high) who are interested in assisting in the 9:00 elementary age classes, I would be delighted to talk to them. In the past, this has provided a valuable volunteer experience for our youth. Lastly, I am still recruiting teaching guides for the elementary RE classes. If this is something you are interested in please contact me.

Welcome Children & Teens to Religious Exploration

Angie Tate, RE committee chair

The Children's Religious Exploration Committee is in high gear! We are energetic with the bustle of a new fun filled religious education year. We, as committee members are the supporting cast for our co-Directors, Cathy Carmen and Karen Raese as they guide our program year. The congregation is needed to make RE run smoothly. We welcome all classroom helpers! In accordance with our Safe Congregation policy, an additional adult is required in each classroom. You need not be a parent to enjoy the children's program! Please consider donating healthy snacks to get the year started out right (no peanuts or nuts please). The snack hamper is located in the north wing across from the Preschool/kindergarten classroom. The RE program needs assistance with celebrations like Deck the Halls or the Easter Egg Hunt, help in the nursery or serve on the committee. We meet the second Thursday at 7PM at BUUF. Call Angie Tate at 336-0738 if you are interested or contact one of the following committee members, Barbara Morledge, Gena Delucchi, Amber Stigile or Sharon Barlow Palm.

RE Registrations Needed

Karen Raese, Co Director of Religious Education

We need your child(ren's) registration form to help us plan for the children's religious education/exploration classes starting September 9. Look for the purple forms located in the north wing information center, on our website or by contacting the BUUF office. Please return yours as soon as possible. Thank you.

This is the Church of the Helping Hands

Karen Raese, Co Director of Religious Education

In children's Religious Education /Exploration we light the chalice together each Sunday. It is one of our few rituals. These are the words that we say together:

We light this chalice to celebrate Unitarian Universalism
This is the church of the open mind
This is the church of the loving heart
This is the church of the helping hands
Together we care for the Earth
And work for peace and friendship in the world.

And there are hand motions that go with it. Even the three and four year olds learn to say this while they make "u" shapes with their little fingers, put their hands up to their heart, outstretch their helping hands, and so on throughout the ritual. It really speaks our principles in a way our children can understand them. This is what we believe as Unitarian Universalists. This is what we teach our children. However, we have one area that we need to work on together as a faith community—those helping hands. Our volunteer needs are increased this fall as we gear up for expanded RE classes. Offering religious education/exploration classes at both services is a big step for BUUF and it means that we need more adults to step forward with their helping hands. All families involved in the religious education program are required to assist in classes but the religious education of our children and youth is not just up to parents or grandparents. We need everyone's assistance. Consider how your helping hands might be involved in religious education/exploration. We still need assistance with nursery care, classroom teachers/guides and adult/teen helpers in all classrooms. Want to put those helping hands to work in Children's RE? Please contact Karen Raese at 658-1710 or

Chalice Lighters Needed

Karen Raese, Co Director of Religious Education

Participate in one of our favorite rituals. Children and youth are needed to light the chalice each week. Sign your child(ren) up to light the chalice during the service time of your choice. Children must be at least 5 years of age. All first time chalice lighters receive a special BUUF chalice lighter pin. See sign up sheets in the north wing information center. For more information contact Karen Raese at 658-1710.

Jr. High OWL Begins this Fall

Cathy Carmen

The Jr. High OWL (Our Whole Lives) the UU human sexuality class will be offered to all youth in grades 7-9 at BUUF. This 26 week class is taught every-other-year and alternates with our Coming of Age program for this age group. OWL facilitators will be Kendra Bridges and Bill Reid and the class will be offered on Sunday mornings from 9-10:30 beginning in October. A mandatory parent meeting will be held on September 23, following the 11 o'clock service for all interested families. Come meet the facilitators, hear an overview of the class and find out when it will be held. If you wish your teen to be a part of this class, you must attend this important meeting! Contact Cathy Carmen at 658-1710 for information and details.

Summer RE: Around the world and back again!

Cathy Carmen

Our Summer RE Program, UU World Travelers, has taken our youth to may far-flung destinations! As we wrap up our world tour and settle into our program year schedule, we are grateful for the many travel guides who made it all possible. Thanks to Gena Delucchi, Jeanette Ross, Cathy Carmen, Claudia Fernsworth, Sharon Barlow-Palm, Janette Young, Lizzy Duffy, Nimi Sandhu, Mary Schwartzman, Chris Chesak, and Kathy Hall for all their imaginative, fun-filled lessons. A special thanks to our Summer Coordinator, Irene Duffy, who is off to serve a year of volunteer service with City Year in South Carolina. We wish her well!

COMMITTEES

Be a Super Hero!

At the Committee and Volunteer Fair Sunday, September 9

A great big THANK YOU to all of you heroes who do so much to help out at BUUF. This Fellowship could not keep running without you, our wonderful volunteers.

Want to be a Super Hero? We are asking Committees, social groups, chalice circle groups, and anyone with a volunteer opportunity at BUUF to come prepared to answer questions on September 9. Committees and groups are asked to provide at least one knowledgeable person to staff a table/area to explain 2007-08 volunteer opportunities and answer questions. Handouts and other information on activities are welcomed! Please contact Wanda or Sue by September 4 to reserve a space so your group is represented.

We are asking EVERYONE to prepare to be a Super Hero by signing up for your passion at our Committee and Volunteer Fair on Sunday, September 9 following the 10:00 service. While the potluck is being prepared and eaten you can be learning about BUUF's many committees and volunteer opportunities. Some of those opportunities include:

• Maintenance Committee Leader
• Building and Grounds Council Leader
• Ceremonies and Celebrations Council Leader
• Young Adult Leader
• Art Committee Leader
• Volunteer Coordinator
• Office Helpers
• Chalice Circle Spiritual Seekers
• Celebrants for Sunday Services

Committee Members are needed for:

• Sunday Services
• Congregational Care (formerly Pastoral Care)
• Membership
• Stewardship
• Religious Education
• Social Action
• Green Sanctuary
• Interior Design
• Maintenance
• Marketing
• Personnel
• Fundraising
• Choir
• Art Committee

New Chalice Circles will be forming at this time, giving you an opportunity to join in this spiritual endeavor. Chalice Circles are small (4 to 12 people) groups which meet once monthly (or more frequently if desired). They may be Focus Groups (such as the Single Parents Group) or may cover random subjects chosen by the group. Chalice Circles are not Religious Education courses. They are ongoing opportunities for mutual ministry.

You may also sign up for Adult Religious Education Classes at our Committee and Volunteer Fair.

Contact Wanda Jennings 362-7563, or Sue Philley 208-340-9450 cell, .

"The Green Gopher Project" Update

The BUUF male response to the gopher problem at BUUF was a great success!

Sadly, it was not enough to solve the problem.

History:

An old gardner once said that gophers are territorial. If another male (human or gopher) marks his territory with urine, gophers will move on.

A BUUF eye witness watched this method work in a large California pasture. Could it work in Idaho?

July 8: 60 holes were treated

July 22: 20 holes were treated

August 4: 111 mounds had to be raked before we could mow.

Facts:

• We have co-existed peacefully with the gophers at BUUF since 1998.
• During this time, most of the pasture lands have been replaced by houses.

We can only conclude that:

• By 2007 the gophers have moved into BUUF's pasture & multiplied.
• If the "Green Gopher Project" had been successful we likely would have created a problem for our neighbors
• Such large gopher and vole populations exclude co-existence.

Tremendous thanks to Wanda & Brian Jennings. Few groups would have dared try such a theory. Thanks to everyone who "contributed" to this project. We are proud of BUUF!

Result: This leaves the solution in the hands of the Landscape Committee.

We will do our best to use the most humane and environmentally safe solution possible.

Very Sincerely,
BUUF Landscape Committee

The Bridge Event Center at BUUF

Stakeholders' Update

In June, BUUF experienced a 6 month set back for The Bridge Event Center. In essence, we pioneered The Bridge Event Center (BEC) just as Idaho State Property Tax law changed. The new law is to our advantage, but requires we function under the old law until January 1, 2008.

June, 2007  Ada County Prosecuting Attorney's office challenged BUUF's property tax exempt status for CY 2007.

July, 2007  Chip Cole presented BUUF's position to the Board of Equalization to save BUUF from an estimated $21,000 in property taxes.

July 6, 2007 BUUF won a property tax exemption for CY 2007 in a hearing before Ada County Commissioners but had to agree to remove BEC web site. Chip also advised we should refrain from any aggressive marketing for the remainder of 2007.

In CY 2008 BEC at BUUF will be able to rent space for non-exempt uses provided we pay property tax for such use. Detailed accounting is already in place for BEC to prorate taxes for BUUF. Chip is working with the Idaho State Tax Commission to help draft clear rules for such prorating.

BEC Committee & Staff : Suzanne Woodcock is our new BEC Committee Chairman and 9 excellent part time staff are trained and ready to go. The BEC Committee includes: Chip Cole, Mason Morfit, Gerry Morris, Emmie Schlobohm, Jolene Schow, Mary Schwartzman and Event Coordinators Amber Stigile & Sally Grimes. Feel free to contact us with questions and ideas.

See BEC's Rental Criteria Ad in this newsletter.

BUUF Booth

Don't try to say that 5 times fast!

Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will have an information booth at the Hyde Park Street Fair, September 14 through 16. We will need lots of volunteer ambassadors to meet interested booth visitors, answer questions and represent our Fellowship.

If you could volunteer some time—2 hour shifts would be ideal—please email and indicate your time availability. We will also have a sign-up clip board at the Sunday service September 9.

This should be a wonderful opportunity to inform people about our UU faith and Boise congregation, so I hope we can muster some outstanding participation for this weekend event.

Mészkõ Partner Church News

This afternoon members of the Partner Church Committee enjoyed a meeting of eating Charlotte's tomatoes, Cynthia's attempts at Hungarian fresh pickles, and talking about travels to Mészkõ, past and future. We are re-energized after seeing our Mészkõ friends in July and meeting the new minister, Robert Balint and his family, Reka, Dalma and Matyas. (Robert is tech savvy and informed me that he reads BUUF news on-line so he knows what we are up to!)

We traveled throughout Transylvania and Hungary for two weeks and spent three days in Mészkõ. While we were there, the village celebrated the installation of Robert as minister with a service and a lovely dinner for 130 people. One picturesque Sunday afternoon, sitting under apple trees, we met with the Mészkõ church board and members. We brought Twister games and decided quickly that Twister is now a game not to be played with children but rather by children.

Much renovation has occurred recently in Mészkõ and we discussed this at the board meeting. The village restoration projects have turned into joint efforts, involving BUUF and the broader Transylvanian Unitarians. The growth is not only material but also spiritual, as this significant history is passed onto younger generations. We will be telling you more in future postings and in a November service.

Planning is underway to bring about the third annual Fesztival, September 29, 12-4pm with lots of opportunities for volunteering and fun!

New Fellowship Hall Flooring

By the time you read this, the Fellowship Hall will have new flooring. Gone will be the gouged and splattered concrete fringe and gone will be the cantaloupe colored interior of the floor that delineated the lines of our expansion. The scars of growth will be gone and we will sit as one great big community above our new marmoleum floor for the first time September 9. Our greatest hopes are that it looks good, makes us feel good and lasts a good long while. The floor is not the bamboo we envisioned but it is the greenest floor that we could afford with the existing Chalice Lighter Funds and the infusion of funds that the Board was willing to put toward this project.

Let us celebrate its color, its pattern and its completion. Then let us care for it. Our new floor is not indestructible. It will be susceptible to damage from scratching and dragging of chairs and tables. If we truly are concerned about the amount of resources we use we will take time to care for our floor. How well we treat it is a measure of how long it will last for us and we hope this floor will last a long, long time.

New Couches in Senior High Room

Over the summer, the Senior High Room received an anonymous donation to purchase new user friendly couches. Check them out. Not to worry, the old classic orange and green charmers that were replaced found great homes.

SOCIAL ACTION – Outreach will benefit health care for all

Julie Fanselow

The Treasure Valley is home to a truly special organization: Terry Reilly Health Services. TRHS exists to be sure everyone has access to quality health care. It especially focuses on people who are uninsured, poor, living in rural areas, non-English-speaking, homeless, or otherwise facing barriers to getting the care they need.

TRHS operates medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics across southwestern Idaho. People pay what they can based on income, and no one is turned away for inability to pay.

Terry Reilly Health Services will be the recipient of the September social outreach offering. Twenty-five percent of this month's non-pledged collection plate donations will go to help the organization. If you write "social action" on the memo of your check, the entire amount you donate will benefit this cause.

Have you ever wondered whether your favorite justice organization could be the recipient of BUUF's monthly social action outreach offerings? If you'd like to nominate a cause for consideration, write a brief note about the group and what it does, and give it to social justice chair Rick Groff (or email him at ). Thanks to everyone who helps BUUF reach out to our community and the wider world through these monthly outreach offerings!

Book Nook Is Coming Back!

The BUUF Book Nook will reopen on Sunday, October 7. Come by and gather a harvest of reading for those cozy autumn and winter days.

Clean Out Your Closets for Whittier

Besse La Budde

Back-to-school time is when we discover, with amazement, how much children have grown over the summer! My older grandson grew three inches, and I have reminded my daughter, as I am reminding you, that the children at Whittier Elementary School are always in need of good used shirts, sweaters, pants, socks and shoes. Place clean clothing you can spare in the marked boxes in the North entry way. If you do not have children in your family from which you can obtain good used clothing, do consider asking a neighbor. I was once given a pile of beautiful clothing outgrown by a friend's grandchildren when she learned of our assistance to Whittier. Also, I have in the past sometimes purchased children's shoes from the shop at the Senior Citizen's Center for as little as 50 cents. And Walgreen's on Glenwood has children's socks 6 pair for $3.00. A little money can sometimes make a great difference.

September Coffee & Tea Bargain

Don't miss the finale on our sale on Equal Exchange Coffee/Tea. BUY TWO GET ONE FREE. That's 3 bags of regular coffee for just $12 (3 bags of decaf for $14) and 3 boxes of tea for $6. This is a close-out sale so get yours while supplies last. See the display on top of the book nook in the sanctuary.

Social Action Events

Rick Groff

The Social Action Team hopes that you will participate in social action this church year. We will be walking in the CROP Hunger walk on October 21 and raking up leaves in November. Other planned events include Guest at Your Table, Donna Pendley Memorial Music Fund for Whittier School, Martin Luther King Day March, Food Bank donation and sorting, UUSC Justice Sunday March 16, Mama Jam, and Paint the Town. We will be collecting caps and mittens and preparing hygiene kits for Whittier School again this winter.

Please join us at our next Social Action team meeting September 9, 2007 at 8:45 AM.

BUUF ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Dia de los Muertos

Barbara Morledge

Mark your calendars now! The popular, annual "Day of the Dead" returns this year on Friday, November 2, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. The religious education committee sponsors this traditional Mexican holiday celebration. An inter-generational event, we celebrate the lives of those who have left the mortal world. Bring a dish to honor your loved ones who have passed on. My Mom was known for her pies; my Swedish father loved meatballs, so I guess I know what I'm bringing! Bring mementos and photographs to create small "alters" to honor the dead. These alters will be displayed at our Sunday service on November 4. Contact Barbara Morledge to volunteer or get more information at: . Hope to see you there!

MEMBERS

Congregational Caring Team

Barry Hope

"What's in a name?" you may ask. Is there life after Pastoral Care? At our annual retreat we noted that, through the years, people occasionally misinterpreted "Pastoral Care" as meaning, among other things, caring for the minister. Attempting a name more nearly honed to what the team does, we came up with Congregation Caring Team (CCT). Whew, how's that for taking license? Infused with energy as this feeling of domain took hold of us, we commenced to have a most satisfying retreat indeed! Thank you, David & Catherine Fitch, for providing your ample residence as a meeting ground.

Future events to take note of include CCT Sunday on October 14 and the Life Skills Training (require for joining the team) on Saturday, November 3 from 9 to 4. Each year, persons are invited to join the caring team. If you believe you have a calling to be a part of this intimate and discrete group, we urge you to take the bait. Teach me to take the bait and I might give for a lifetime! For the season to take and give may be yours. This year's Life Skills Training group hopes you will join us! The reward clearly speaks for itself.

The BUUF CCT invites you to contact any one of us. The dog days of summer are passing quickly now. The new sanctuary floor is upon us. Amidst some occasional jostlings, life is good! There is a request for assistance drop box in the BUUF office. Please don't forget our passages album, drop by and take a few minutes to fill in a life event you'd like to share. This is a tome well read.

The Value of Right Relationships

Barry Hope

One of the outgrowths of the UUA General Assembly in Portland was the value of right relationships within a congregation. During our retreat, CCT brain stormed some thoughts in this direction. Some of the characteristics we evinced were as follows: respect others' boundaries, communicate our own boundaries, maintaining an institutional structure to provide a safe arena for expressing opinion, actively promoting diversity, acting out of compassion and speaking from the heart, honest listening, taking turns with responsibilities, accepting that everyone has something to offer, being able to enjoy and actually have fun within the plethora of human experience! These are some of CCT's thoughts, but the calling goes out universally in order to modify the challenges of right relationship.

Mingling of the Waters—September 9

To kick off the theme of this sabbatical year, Traveling Souls: Parallel Journeys, bring a small amount of water from your summer travels and join us in mingling the waters on Sunday, September 9. This is the first Sunday of the new program year, Grandparents' Day, and Committee Fair Day.

Singing Our Lives Together

Tom von Alten

Take a deep breath, let it out, and... relax. Do it again. Add a note, or two, make a melody. Join friends in harmony, and you have... the BUUF choir! Our weekly rehearsals may start with the jangles and stress of busy weeks, but by the end, we are together, relaxed, laughing, and refreshed.

Join us! Experience is welcome, but not a requirement. We have a place for you, your breath, your voice. The enthusiasm is contagious. We meet Wednesday evenings at the Fellowship, 7:15pm in the main hall, and sing about one Sunday a month. Contact our Choir Director, Carrie Bastian, at 283-4152 or or Music Committee chairman Tom von Alten at 378-1217 or for more information.

Accompanist(s) Wanted

We are looking for a regular choir accompanist, and the Board has allocated a small portion of our budget to pay for this work and performance (which has been all-volunteer up until now). For occasional pieces, we add guests (or choir members) on percussion, flute, strings... Interested in playing along? Contact Carrie or Tom as above, or our musician coordinator, Charlotte Tompkins at 322-2467, or .

Foregoing Stars in Our Crowns

BUUF Humanists, invigorated by their year of social action and dramatic performances (most recently as "Voices of Humanism" for a summer service) will plan discussion topics and projects for the upcoming year, at their usual place— with one difference. We will continue to meet on the second Sunday in the senior high room, but will shift to 11am to allow the seniors to use their room during early services.

One topic: what does the language of faith mean to us? This chewy subject will be narrowed down quickly enough to prepare for a Sunday service presentation this winter.

Visitors, observers and questers are always welcome. Questions? Ask Rick Groff or Jeanette Ross. We're in the BUUF Directory.

Celebrants Needed

Elizabeth Greene is the Celebrant at most of our Sunday Services. She does the Call to Worship and lights the chalice, she conducts the Joys and Sorrows portion of the service, leads the offertory, guides the congregational commentary and she extinguishes the chalice.

Elizabeth will be taking a Sabbatical from January 16 to August, 2008. Who will be the Celebrant? Could it be you? Are you comfortable speaking in front of a group? Have you had experience leading the service or would you like to learn to lead the service?

There will be two separate training sessions for Celebrants: Saturday, October 27 from 10:00-12:00 and on Wednesday, November 14 from 7:00-9:00. You may choose to attend either training session, but you must be trained to be a Celebrant.

Be prepared to sign up at the Committee Fair on Sunday, September 9 or at Margaret Keip's reception on Saturday, September 15.

Friendship Dinner!

It's Suppertime! Come join your BUUF friends for an intimate dinner in someone's home on Saturday, September 22. It is a great way to get to know people better. Sign up on the clipboard and someone will call you to bring a dish and enjoy lively conversation. Contact Wanda Jennings at 362-7563 or .

More Newcomer Greeters Needed!

While the "regular" greeters hand out Sunday Orders of Service, newcomer greeters pay special attention to visitors. Our goals are to assure that first time visitors to BUUF feel very welcomed and informed. (They're given a newcomer packet of brochures and any information they request.) We direct them to sign the guest book and assist them with "guest" name tags and also point out the "welcome to BUUF" coffee mugs. The labels and mugs are to help all of us identify newcomers, to meet and welcome them, to make their visit satisfying.

Newcomer greeters serve only 15 minutes a month. As well as being a great service to BUUF, it's fun and satisfying. Call Sandy Layser (376-8579.)

The Other Book Club

Join the Other Book Club on September 9 to discuss The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. The group gathers at 7:00 at the home of Erin Logan, 1702 Ridenbaugh in Boise. To RSVP or ask directions, call Erin at 336-4960, or e-mail at .

BUUF Quilters

Join other BUUF quilters to make a shared quilt to auction at our BUUF auction in February 2008. We'll have an initial meeting at BUUF on September 25 at 7:30pm to choose a pattern and color scheme. Bring any quilt-able fabric scraps you have at home—we may be able to work them into the theme. For questions contact Harriet Shaklee at 371-3634 or . We'll choose a date in October for a half or full day quilt-a-thon on the quilt top.

Fall for the Senior Sages

Tom von Alten

Spice up your 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month with a breakfast out, a chance to chat with new and old friends, and a presentation and discussion about topics of interest. On September 13, Mary Lou Brownson will provide a report on the new book by Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great - How Religion Poisons Everything. Hitchens is a British journalist and contributing editor to Vanity Fair, "one of our great political pugilists" according to Publishers Weekly.

Our second program for September will be interesting too, but we don't know what it will be about yet. Do you? Call me at 378-1217 or email to get with the program, be reminded early in the week, arrange a carpool, or for any other questions.

We gather at 9:30am at the Kopper Kitchen (2661 Airport Way), over a cheery, no-host breakfast. It's never too late to start a good habit; join us on Thursday Sept. 13 or Sept. 27!

IONS Group

Barbara Edwards

The July IONS meeting featured Marcine Quenzer, Native American artist, who provided a most interesting program. In her presentations, Marcine tells the stories while displaying paintings of events in the stories. She tells the story of the Peacemaker who actually created peace in this hemisphere for a period of time. Many of the stories are reminiscent of stories told in the bible.

Marcine also spoke about Blue Thunder's efforts to heal the earth. In 1993, he and others performed earth healing ceremonies near Yellowstone, after which the earthquake activity subsided. Blue Thunder has been performing earth healing ceremonies in Boise recently.

In her website, Marcine states that "Mother Earth is calling for all cultures to come together in sacred ceremonies NOW to restore balance and harmony". Marcine's many paintings depict scenes from Native American traditions and legends handed down through centuries. A few of her paintings were actually inspired, in a manner similar to Akiane, the Indigo child painter. For further information, Marcine's website is www.marcinequenzer.com.

UU-Buddhist Practice Group

Tuesdays, 7-8:30 pm, Pre-School Room, Begins Oct. 2

Many UUs are drawn to explore Buddhist philosophy and practices. Meditation and mindfulness provide a direct and immediate experience of day-to-day reality, in contrast to purely intellectual inquiry. Moreover, UUs find Buddhist teachings to be remarkably resonant with the seven guiding principles of their own tradition. For example, both UUs and Buddhists revere "a free and responsible search for truth and meaning," as well as "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."

The most recent issue of UU World (Summer 2007) features two articles on "Unitarian Universalist Buddhism." The Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship (UUBF) is an active organization with over 100 practice groups in UU congregations across the U.S. and Canada. The UU Sangha, the journal of the UUBF, provides essays, meditations, personal reflections, and a calendar of events of interest to UUs. The official website of the UUBF is: http://www25.uua.org/uubf

The time has come to start a UU-Buddhist meditation and discussion group at BUUF. We propose to meet weekly on Tuesday evenings for sitting and walking meditation. We'll subscribe to the UU Sangha and discuss related books and articles. We anticipate that our practice group will become formally associated with the UUBF.

If you are interested in becoming a founding member of BUUF's UU-Buddhist Practice Group, please contact Mike Philley (378-1714; ) or Lynne Tolk (376-1336; ). They will be glad to answer any questions you may have. More information will be forthcoming in the BUUF newsletter.

PNWD & UUA CONnectivity

Young Adult Fall Con 2007

October 12th through 14th

West Hills UU Fellowship, Portland, OR

Contact Kristy @ to get Connected!

Registrations forms available at www.pnwd.org

WIDER COMMUNITY

Buying Our Talk on September 15

Simplifying your life? The Idaho Earth Institute, our good friends who provide earth-friendly classes and co-sponsored the popular David Korten presentation this spring, earn most of the funds for their outreach programs with a yearly rummage sale.

You can help by donating out of your excess (you know what I'm talking about)— by volunteering a couple of hours sorting, pricing and working the sale. The sale is 8:30 to 3pm Saturday, September 15, at 1520 12th street (12th and Eastman in Hyde Park). Yes, it's the weekend of the Hyde Park fair. Contact Jeanette Ross at 378-1217 for details on where to leave donations and how to sign up to help.

FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Fellow BUUF-ers,

This is Jen Grush-Dale, your newsletter editor here. Over the summer I have been busy creating a new look for our newsletter making use of our new, very attractive logo. Along with the new look, a few of us have gotten together to create easy to understand guidelines and helpful hints for writing and submitting newsletter articles.

Along with layout changes, I have made a few changes to the guidelines as well. You can find a complete list of those changes at our website, www.boiseuu.org. One of the changes you will notice is the change in length—200-250 word maximum. You will also notice new section headings. I hope this allows people to find what they are looking for more quickly.

Thanks to all of you who submit articles and other items to the newsletter; without you, I couldn't do this!

Warmly,
Jen