BUUF News – November 2008

Contents

EVERGREENE

Reverend Elizabeth Greene

Our congregation has a big celebration coming up!

On November 7, 1988—one of the most significant days in my life—this Fellowship ordained me to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. For 20 years we have been partners in ministry, sharing joy and tragedy, stumbling blocks and great accomplishments.

We celebrate our partnership on the weekend of November 22 and 23, and we have a very special preacher on Sunday the 23: Gini Courter, moderator of our Association. Gini chairs the UUA Board, of which I am the trustee from our district (Pacific Northwest), so I have had three years of her stimulating, amusing and deeply-intelligent leadership. If you have ever seen her lead a plenary session at General Assembly, conducting business among several thousand headstrong UUs, you have an idea of her skill and speaking ability. It is an honor to have her in our pulpit.

This weekend marks the anniversary of my ordination, but it is our long-term, dynamic partnership that is important. Not too many congregations and first-settlement ministers hang in together for 20 years. Such a long-term relationship has required—and will always require—affection, respect, honesty, humility, courage, creativity, and the ongoing ability to "forgive ourselves and each other, and begin again in love," in the words of our hymnal.

See below for more news of the weekend, and don't miss out on the festivities!

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Sue Philley, Board President

The Board is starting a new project to more publicly share some of our appreciation and thanks to those who are actively keeping our programs and facilities strong by donating their time and talent. We hope to list our Thanks in the Order of Service, yet we know that we may miss some folks. Please help us by sending an email to the to suggest someone you notice who should be thanked! Today, selected thanks go to: Louise Jacobsen, Miriam Woito, and Becky Groff for helping with the Together We Feed Our Faith: A Gift from Everyone mailing before and after Sunday, Mitchel Bethel for keeping the kitchen tidy and researching criteria for selection of our new database; Dave Ward and the Stewardship Committee for beginning to plan the Spring Annual Budget Drive and their November meeting with Larry Wheeler, our UUA consultant; Becky and Rick Groff, Webb Van Winkle, and Mary Schwartzman for removing rocks from the pasture on our new property on Chelan Street; and many others!

Are you wondering how you might extend your involvement beyond attending our excellent Sunday Services? Just speak with a Board member on Sunday morning or send that email out to describing your interest or skills or asking to discuss your interests more deeply with someone. We have specific needs right now for members and friends who may be skilled in data entry, finance, and communications. We are also forming a Sunday team to develop a Deposit Steward process modeled on how it's done at some other UU Churches. (Once a week, 2-3 deposit stewards count the Sunday offering, enter it into the computer, and take the deposit to the bank on Monday). This could be a huge help for our office staff! Also, it is not too late to join a Visiting Steward Team! Not only will you have fun, you meet or speak with three families you may not already know, and you will also learn about fund-raising and about the many programs and small group activities that can help you get acquainted and connected with new friends! In no time at all, you will be strengthening your own BUUF safety net!

Newsletter Submission Tips

Jennifer Grush-Dale, BUUF News Editor

A few reminders about submitting articles for our newsletter:

• Submission deadline is noon on the third Thursday of the month.
• Articles must be no longer than 200-250 words.
• Concentrate on the basics of your event (the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and then some on the HOW & WHY).
• Please do not send documents as ".DOCX". My computer cannot read them. Send them as ".DOC" or ".TXT".
• If you have a graphic or photo you want me to use, email that along with the story. DO NOT imbed the graphic in the Word document. Place it in the email as a separate attachment.
• Please email your submission to even if you know my other email addresses. This account is solely for newsletter related business & your submission may get misplaced if it is sent to a different account.
• Email is the best way to contact me about the newsletter. The answers to most, if not all, of your questions about your newsletter submission are on my computer, so you might as well contact me there anyway.

RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION

Guest at Your Table: Sharing our Blessings

Karen Raese, Co-DRE

Guest at Your Table is for everyone. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee's colorful collection boxes and Stories of Hope connect UUs to real people whose lives have been touched by the collective struggle for human rights. Families and individuals learn about UUSC's global human-rights mission, which puts our shared principles into action. Sharing our blessings through the Guest at Your Table box ensures that this human-rights work continues, while building UUSC membership. Our members and partners are the moral levers through which we move the world.

The Guest at Your Table tradition has built lasting connections to UU faith in action for more than thirty years. Join nearly every congregation in the country - and around the world - in welcoming a Guest at Your Table.

On November 23, children and youth will receive a Guest at Your Table box and copies of Stories of Hope in their Religious Education class. Congregational members are encouraged to pick up these items as well. Please put the box in a prominent place in your home, read the Stories of Hope together and make contributions to the box which will support the UUSC's work around the world. Please return your box in early January.

Children's RE Committee

Angie Tate

Thanks to everyone who helped with the Día de los Meurtos celebration. Thank you to Barbara Moreledge for chairing this event and to the committee for their support!

Our sign up boards for volunteer helpers in the RE classroom are looking really good. We still have slots to fill, but overall the committee appreciates the efforts the congregation has shown to get this new volunteer system up and running! We have three trimesters for RE, September/October/November, December/January/February, and March/April/May. For every child in preschool through 6 grade, a volunteer needs to sign up once each trimester to offer help in the classrooms. This ensures our safe congregation policy is being met.

We welcome additional members to our committee! The committee sponsors events and coordinates children's Sunday services by finding volunteers to assist the teaching guides and offering support to the DRE's to ensure RE runs smoothly. We meet the second Wednesday of the month. For further information about the committee call Angie at 336-0738 or email tateappraisal@msn.com.

Deck the Halls Celebration

Cathy Carmen, Co-DRE

What do you have planned for the first weekend in December...? Thanksgiving is just past and everyone is preparing for the upcoming holiday season with all the songs, decorating and merriment! We too at BUUF set aside time to celebrate. On Saturday, and Sunday, December 6 and 7 we have our congregational-wide Deck the Halls event. Saturday afternoon we gather to make ornaments for the tree, munch on some holiday treats while the children and youth of our Religious Exploration (RE) Program rehearse their parts for the Sunday worship service. Then be sure to come back on December 7 to hear the children and youth explore A 1001 Ways to Love and to Care this holiday season at the single, 10 a.m. service. This is an all-age, community event for everyone! So, don't miss it. Mark your calendars now—Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7. Be sure to watch for details throughout November in the weekly Order of Services.

Gearing up for Boston!

Cathy Carmen, Co-DRE

By the time this newsletter hits the stands, chances are the Jr. High youth bound for Boston in June 2009 will have already started fundraising in earnest. That's right, every two years an enthusiastic group of 7-9 graders (with the undying support of their parents!) make plans for this historic pilgrimage to the center of the UU world in our country. It takes a lot of time, energy and ultimately cash to get there.  So, look for them Bounders on Sunday mornings in the vestibules selling BUUF-wear (clothing items embossed with a chalice), taking orders to rake lawns, selling soda and water for any and all events, playing music for your potluck enjoyment and even offering to watch your child(ren) so you can holiday shop. There will be something for everyone so stay tuned! All of this and more will be announced in BUUF's weekly Order of Service. For details and more information as to how YOU might assist, please contact our FUNraising gurus, Amy Butts ( ) and Barbara Pinkerton ( ). Thank you for all your support!

COMMITTEES

Congregational Care Team Report

Barry Hope

Guess what? Your Congregational Care Team keeps track of you! Well, not invasively. However, you may be surprised to know that we actively discuss our directory on a regular basis. If we spot someone who we haven't seen or heard from in a while, we might call them, just to see if they're OK. You may consider it a perk. We of the CCT hope it doesn't bug you to occasionally receive a note or a call.

Our training for membership is on the horizon. If you have a penchant for caring for your fellow human beings, please take note that Life Skills Training (a prerequisite for joining the team) will be held on Saturday, November 8th, from 9 to 3. Lunch will be provided. Please join us; a positive experience is a promise!

As always, we invite you to call a CCT member. If you're in need of a sympathetic ear and some serious consideration, perhaps we can be of service. The team exists for you. Phone numbers are available on our brochure as well as on a poster located on a wall across from the fellowship's office suites. There is also a drop box available for your referrals. Since fall is a transient time and emotions run high, you're urged to share. CCT would love to hear from you. Please call any one of us if you're distressed.

Incidentally, transportation is available for BUUF services. Call any one of us to coordinate a ride! Please enjoy the variance of this season. Within it find peace.

BUUF IT Circle

BUUF IT Circle is a initiative to improve the data and technology to meet the future needs and goals of BUUF. With the rapid growth BUUF is experiencing, we need to put a dynamic system or systems in place. Any individuals are welcome to join regardless of their technical experience. For more information and ways to contribute please feel free to email Mitchel Bethel at or call 208-695-7912.

SOCIAL ACTION

Social Action Happenings

If you want to get involved with the Social Action Team, please join us the first Sunday of each month in the library at 8:30 AM.

Working at the Interfaith Sanctuary Housing Services is an interesting and rewarding experience. However, BUUF won't have a team at the shelter this year unless a few social activists step forward and volunteer. There are more female community volunteers than male community volunteers at the shelter so don't rule out this experience because you are a woman. You can observe for a Sunday night to see if this volunteer opportunity is right for you. Please contact Rick Groff at 336-4921 for more information.

The Summit on Hunger and Food Insecurity was held on October 10. There were more than 250 participants including four from Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. The Idaho Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger (IIRAH) will pick one of the top issues developed at this conference to advocate for in the coming year. As an Endorsing Body, Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will have an opportunity to join forces with other faith groups to advocate for policy change that will increase food security in Idaho.

IIRAH Webmaster Needed

Note to computer geeksters: put your skills in maintaining web sites to work and serve a social justice cause by adopting the Idaho Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger website as your very own. Talk to Rick Groff at 336-4921 for details.

Three Cups of Tea Guy

Greg Mortenson, the subject of the book Three Cups of Tea will be speaking at BSU on November 18. Whether you have read the book or not, you will be inspired by his efforts to promote peace through building schools in central Asia "One School at a Time" You can learn more about his social justice work at the Central Asia Institute website.

Peace One Day Fair

Many thanks to Debbie Epsen, her husband Kenny, and Don Bacon who staffed the BUUF Peace Pole Fair last month. Also to Barry Hope who loaned his canopy and Jay and Carol Wechselberger who helped decorate our booth that was well-received by the many spiritual-seekers of all faiths who attended.

BUUF ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

News from Partner Church Committee

Gwyn Reid

Thanks to the 105 volunteers who helped make Fesztival a success! Plans for an outdoor Fesztival on September 20 were dampened by multiple cloudbursts, but we learned that Fesztival could work as an indoor event. As food was being prepared on Friday morning, the aromas brought me back to a wonderful feast that Cynthia Alleman and I shared in Mészkõ with the Novak family to celebrate Emõke's confirmation.

Please join us for Partner Church Sunday on November 9 as we learn about the most recent visits to Mészkõ by our minister and members of our congregation.

We encourage anyone who is interested in strengthening our partnership with Mészkõ to become a member of the Partner Church committee. We meet at 4:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month. Drop by on November 11 if you're interested in learning more.

Humanists Ignore the Economy...

...and look at ourselves from another angle: not just what we think, but how we think. Brian Mulvey will introduce a subject popularized by George Lakeoff and not irrelevant to the world of political discourse: "Framing and the Architecture of Thought."

Please join us in the BUUF library. We start at 11am and quit promptly when the service ends, or at 12:15. No background reading required. For more information, please ask Rick Groff or Jeanette Ross.

The Other Book Club

Join fellow BUUF members and friends in the Other Book Club for upcoming discussions:

November 9, 7pm at the BUUF library: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan, who will be speaking in Boise on November 12 as part of the Log Cabin "Readings & Conversations" series, at the Egyptian Theatre.

December 14, 7pm Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama—location to be announced.

Other Book Club Special Event

The Other Book Club is going to be attending a presentation by Greg Mortenson, the author of Three Cups of Tea on Tuesday November 18 at 7pm at the Morrison Center. If you are interested in joining us, please let Jen Brazee ( or 908-2976) know by November 4, so we can have seating reserved.

UU Ride Program

Dan Bacon

We have a somewhat small group of people willing to give rides to members and friends needing them. If you would be willing to help some of our members with transportation, we are asking that people in these general areas consider helping people get to and from the Fellowship on Sunday mornings.

Near Zip Codes 83713 and 83704:
On N. Five Mile Rd a few blocks north of Ustick

Near Zip Code 83702:
Very near the intersection of 35th and State St.

Near Zip Codes 83712, 83706, and 83725:
Near Front and Broadway
E. State St. 3 blocks N of Warm Springs and Broadway, E of Pioneer Cemetery.

If you are interested, please contact  Dan Bacon at 462-4545 or .

November Sages

Tom von Alten

Lorissa Holt, author of A Gift of Life, and I Remember... will be our special guest on Thursday, November 13 (9:30am at the Kopper Kitchen, 2661 Airport Way), speaking about her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Hungary. Holt was born in Ukraine and spent 5 years of her childhood in a Nazi concentration camp before coming to Idaho as a teenager, settling on a farm in Emmett and raising three children. As a young widow, she earned a B.A. in English and found the Peace Corps to be her most interesting job opportunity.

The Senior Sages meet on second and fourth Thursday mornings (but just the second Thursday of November and December). Join us for lively presentations and discussion over a no-host breakfast. No reservation necessary, and no IDs are checked. Call Tom von Alten, 378-1217, for more information, or to be added to our reminder list.

Return of Ministry Lunches

Ministry Team, Christine Hanzlik, facilitator

Our minister, Elizabeth Greene, is getting busier and busier, so it is getting more difficult to "catch" her to engage in conversation. To help address this problem, the Ministry Team is resurrecting Ministry Lunches, no-host, informal, 1½ hour lunch conversations. Each month, there will be two of these events, one on a Tuesday at International Chinese on Glenwood near Chinden, and one at Washington Group Cafeteria, on the Myrtle Street extension, just after you cross Broadway (One Morrison Knudsen Plaza).

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 11:30, International Chinese

Friday, Nov. 21, 11:30, Washington Group Cafeteria

These are relaxed (usually) opportunities to share your thoughts, opinions and ideas, and to get better acquainted with our minister. Mark your calendar!

BUUF Music Notes

Carrie Bastian

We have a big musical decision coming up. Do we keep "Go Now in Peace" as our children's recessional, singing "may the love of God surround you," or do we choose a new song, "Children's Blessing"? You will have a chance to sing both songs and cast a vote for your favorite on Sunday, November 2. Please come and be a part of this decision.

You may have noticed the choir's increased richness and depth of sound. In the last month, we've added two new basses to the choir, Dan Peterson and Oli Morledge. And of course, we are thankful for the continued dedication of our faithful choir regulars. To create a balanced sound we need a few more sopranos, altos and tenors, but hey—we'll take more basses too! We rehearse every Wednesday in the sanctuary from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. Come join the fun!

Children's Blessing

by the Nashville UU Youth Choir with Jason Shelton

May your mind be open to new learning.
May your lips bring truth into the world.
May your heart know love
And your hands do the work of justice
as you go your way in peace.