BUUF News – June 2014

Contents

Summer Sundays Single Service at 10 am

During the summer months, BUUF goes to a single service at 10 am. Single services will begin June 8 and continue through Labor Day weekend, Sunday, August 31.

Flower Communion is June 8

The Flower Ceremony, sometimes referred to as Flower Communion or Flower Festival, is an annual ritual that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community.

Originally created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Norbert Čapek of Prague, Czechoslovakia, the Flower Ceremony was introduced to the United States by Rev. Maya Čapek, Norbert's widow.

In this ceremony, everyone in the congregation brings a flower. Each person places a flower on the altar or in a shared vase. The congregation and minister bless the flowers, and they're redistributed. Each person brings home a different flower than the one they brought.

Don't forget to bring flowers June 8! Single Service at 10 am.

And join together after the single service for a potluck luncheon to honor our teachers. Please bring a dish to share and your plates and utensils.

Pride Parade June 21

Please join us for the Pride Rally and Parade on Saturday, June 21 at 10am on the steps of the Capitol.

The Rally begins at 10 and the Parade starts at 11. We would like people to carry our two banners in the parade. We are hoping for a good turnout since Idaho Gay Marriage Ban Rejected has been put on hold.

Contact nancy2014@boiseuu.org if you are going to attend. If we have a booth, we will need members and friends to help man it and give out information about us. Again contact Nancy Harms if you are able to help.

11am-5pm is the festival and Bar Crawl in BoDo.

8-10pm is Pridefest Youth Celebration

Be sure to put June 21 on your calendar now!

In The Interim

As we come into June, we come to the end of the "Program Year."

Summer is always more of a low-key time in the life of a church. You have traditionally gone to a single service at 10 am lead by lay people and guest speakers. This year, the first single service will be June 8. The Religious Exploration program is still alive and well, still is engaging hands, hearts and minds and exploring the meaning of justice, though in a less formal format.

I definitely encourage you to stay connected and come to church when you are in town. The Worship Committee works hard to offer services of depth and meaning. And there is still a grand community that gathers each week. Some look at coming to church as a spiritual practice.

And BUUF still has plenty going on.

First, I encourage you to attend on June 8 for Flower Communion. This is a wholly Unitarian ritual in which everyone brings a flower to add to the common bouquet. And everyone goes home with a different flower, a reminder of the beauty and diversity of the community. It's always one of my favorite Sundays of the year.

Oh yes, on June 15, we celebrate Pride Day. What a grand time to celebrate all the great work of the congregation and the wider community in advancing LGBT rights and all the progress we are making toward marriage equality.

AND THEN, join the BUUF contingent marching in the Pride Parade on Saturday, June 21 to show up for BUUF and its mission in the world. You have done so much this year to be proud of. Your presence at the Capitol advocating (and sometimes being arrested for) the Add the Words campaign as well as showing up in protest against discriminatory legislation helped make a difference. You are certainly not alone in this work, and marching in the Pride Parade will show you both how powerful and important BUUF is and how much strength there is in numbers.

And that's just June. Once you show up in June, I hope it becomes a summer habit.

One last thing to contemplate over the summer....

At the Annual Meeting I spoke about the Five Interim Tasks and told you that one still in need of attention is Leadership Development. Over the summer, I encourage you to consider how your particular gifts can best serve. Many committees and groups start with retreats in August and September. Which group can best use your time and talents?

This puts me in mind of a chalice lighting used at Starr King School for the Ministry where I attended seminary.

"With the kindling of this flame, we reaffirm our commitment to accept Life's gifts with grace and gratitude and to use them to bless the world."

So I ask you to consider your gifts, graciously and gratefully, and consider how you can be a blessing to BUUF and to the world.

As for me, I will be taking the summer completely off. If all goes according to schedule, I will complete my treatments in August, have some time to rest up, and be fully ready to return to your service in September – for Water Communion, another of my favorite services.

Warm blessings and love to you,

dana

President's Message

Phew! We made it through another Annual Meeting. According to our bylaws, the annual meeting "shall be held each year on the third Sunday of May, in order to elect Directors, Nominating Committee members, Endowment committee members, if needed, and to transact any other business that may properly come before the Congregation." Mission accomplished! (See the next article welcoming new Board Directors and Nominating committee members.)

About our 2015 Budget...

A successful annual giving drive was completed by a 75-member team of volunteer's who contacted 180 households and raised over $264,000. GOOD JOB! For the first time in two years, the Board presented, and the congregation passed, a balanced budget. Revenue is up $12,000, and this year the social Outreach Contributions to the community totaled $14,500.

While our revenue is up, so are expenses. The greatest of these costs ($10,600) will pay for our now full-time minister (6 weeks more than we did last year as Rev. Dana joined us in mid-August). Additionally, we have to cover a $7,500 deficit created this year.

To balance the budget, we juggled a few thing. First, we celebrate the fact that we did not cut staff hours! However, the single biggest cut made was to staff and minister professional expenses, just over $1000. The staff was very gracious in accepting these cuts, which I am grateful to them for. It means having to forego other development opportunities. And of course, we were unable to give them a raise this year, which should be a worthy goal for next year.

In addition to the minister and staff expenses, 57% of the line-items in our budget were reduced. Many committee and areas will feel this. Concern was voiced about where these reductions took place, rightfully so. The Music Committee is concerned about funding an accompanist that will be needed more frequently than in the past. The Building/Grounds Committee will need to reduce paid labor and probably rely more heavily on volunteers. The budget for the office supplies decreased to reduce paper/printing costs, and more emphasis will be placed on accessing the electronic copy of our monthly newsletter. Of course, all efforts will be made to meet the needs of our less-technologically adapted audience so no one is left out of the communication loop!

Due to these cuts, you may ask if it's possible to target your funding to help out certain ministries. While no one can stop you from earmarking funds to give to certain areas, it is strongly discouraged to do so. Here's why: Targeted funds do not benefit the whole and may leave other ministries that are equally important, in the lurch. (To learn about BUUF Policy on giving, please review BUUF's policy, linked from the governance archive.

If you want to know how you can really help – Increase your pledges to the general fund. These funds will be targeted to ministries where there is the greatest need. Truly, the Board's deepest desire is to fund the ministries of the congregation, and not just to "keep the bills paid."

A SHOUT OUT to Committee Chairs! If you have not talked with the Program Ministry Council, please do so. The Strand Leaders are: Justice Outreach Ministry – Debra Smith, Our Home Strand – Paul Schlobohm, Stewardship Strand – Miriam Woito, Worship Strand – Mary Hester, Education Strand – Strand Leader Position Open and Co-Chairs – David Fitch and Cathy Carmen. The PMC email address is buufpmc2014@gmail.co. As the congregation moves to align our Fiscal and Program Year calendar timelines, we need to have the committees engaged this summer so you can revisit your mission/vision statements as well as define goals and ways to meet them. It is our hope committees will host retreats to plan for the coming program year. In September, a Congregation Meeting will be held to discuss the funding priorities for the ministries so we can kick off the Program Year with the focus looking towards meeting the ministry's strategic goals.

What does this mean for all committee members, and those who wish to get involved with the ministries at BUUF? First, you have a vital mission and roll for the congregation! Don't forget that your work allows us to minister to each other and fulfill the broader UU principles we are called to practice. It's hard to do when budgets continue to get cut... but we are still doing the work and doing it well. Keep it up! And encourage participation and invitation so folks new to BUUF feel invited and encouraged to participate in the ministries you too are passionate about!

Thank you everyone for the work you are doing and the creative avenues you will pursue in the year ahead. Together, we will continue to help each other grow our ministries with each other and to the world at large.

Have a safe and wonderful summer vacation!

In fellowship, Robyn

Welcome New Board Members

Robyn Broyles

Please welcome our newly elected Board Directors and Nominating Committee Members, and express your appreciation to outgoing members. As of July 1:

Board of Directors:

Past President - Robyn Broyles

President - Roger Sherman

Vice President - Sue Langley

Secretary – Catherine Fitch

Treasurer – Debbie Johnson

Director – Bryan Jennings

Director – Claudia Fernsworth

Director – Marcia Lyons

Director – Craig Raese

Nominating Committee:

Jennifer Grush-Dale

Susie Hardy

I would also like to express appreciation to our Directors and committee members who committed their time, talent and passion in service to BUUF over the past couple years. Bill Reid and Barry Hope, our outgoing Board Directors, have been a pleasure to work with these past years. Bill did not miss a single board meeting that I'm aware of, in the 3+ years he served. Thoughtful, inquisitive and strategically-minded, Bill helped evolve us towards a programmatic congregation.

Barry Hope stepped in as Director and completed a single year of service to the Board. Aside from volunteering at all events possible, and lending his voice and concerns to all critical issues, he helped the Board develop position descriptions so the Nominating Committee could have a prepared document that explains to possible candidates what the Board expectations are.

Angie Tate and Eileen Geddings, our outgoing members for the Nominating Committee, had the job of querying the skill-sets all members of our congregation to find candidates for key leadership positions. Given the experience of Judy Holcomb, Roger Sherman and Sue Langley, I'd say they did a fantastic job of filling our congregations needs these past three years!

When you see any of these folks, try to get to know them a little bit and don't be afraid to bring your thoughts and concerns to them. I have every confidence they will take it to heart and act on behalf of the whole congregation.

Religious Exploration

Our Ministry with Families

Emmie Schlobohm, Director of Religious Exploration for Children and Youth (DRE), 658-1710, dre2014@boiseuu.org

As my understanding of my ministry here in our congregation deepens, I have found that it is, at its core, a ministry to and with families. Not only does our Religious Exploration program strive to create the sacred space, both physical and emotional, for children and youth to explore, discover, grow and transform, but we also encourage families to connect with the sacred and profound and invite them into community.

And as fellow travelers in this congregation of beloved community, you too have a vital part to play. In an excellent article in the latest edition of the UU World titled Spiritual Innovators: Into the Beyond by Terasa Cooley, she writes

"[R]ather than trying to create something young people may like, we can create the openness in our congregations that will invite younger people to create something they will like. We may just find that our children and grandchildren will want to connect with this movement after all."

I would challenge you to look at your own ministry, whatever you see it as, and explore how you are being intentionally inviting and welcoming to our youth, young adults, and young families. Are you creating space in your own ministry for new ideas and new voices? May we all work together to invite and welcome those new voices and ideas as we go forward into our bright future.

Honor our Teachers! June 8 Teacher Appreciation Luncheon & Potluck!

RE Team – Jen Grush-Dale, Co-Chair

Come one! Come all! You are most enthusiastically invited to bring love to give and food to share in thanks to our Religious Exploration guides, advisors, and nursery care providers. Immediately following our first single service Sunday of the summer, the RE Team will be hosting our annual celebration and appreciation of our fabulous RE teachers with a potluck in our sanctuary. Please join us in honoring the commitment and joy these fine folks give to our children and youth each and every Sunday.

Are You Ready to Guide a Class in Religious Exploration for Children and Youth Next Year?

Emmie Schlobohm, DRE

This is not a question we take lightly. Our young people are a miraculous bunch! They bring smiles, laughter, and joy to us all every week. The essential qualities for a guide or advisor are a love of children, empathy and the ability to listen, and a willingness more to share who you are than what you know. Our teachers are mentors and companions of the children and youth on their religious journeys and they often find that they learn so much about themselves and their own faith journey in the process. And then there are those moments when you are witness to the sacred "Ahas" in a young person's life. The blessing of seeing a profound recognition or a vital spark deep in their eyes.

Religious Exploration for children and youth is looking for teams of guides and advisers to lead and follow our youth through next year's explorations, discoveries and transformations. If you would like to join in on the phenomenon that is Religious Exploration, please contact Emmie Schlobohm, DRE, at 658-1710 to find out more about teaching in our classrooms - nursery through high school.

Summer in Religious Exploration for Children

Emmie Schlobohm, DRE

Religious Exploration for children continues throughout the year and it looks a little different in the summer. Nursery care for our youngest congregants (infant–2 years old) will continue in our nursery. Starting on June 15 and continuing through August 31, we will be having some changes from the regular church year routine. All children, ages 3-11, start together in the sanctuary with their families, as we do during the regular church year. After the children say their affirmation and the congregation sings them into the RE wing, these children will meet in the Olympia Brown classroom (the second classroom door down the north hall) for an all-ages welcome and in-gathering. Weather permitting, all elementary ages and their adult guides will go outside for their RE time as much as possible. We will split into age-specific groups and continue with our RE time with age-appropriate activities. Additional information about our summer curricula can be found in the Information Center in the north vestibule and from the RE Team. Youth, 12 and over, are welcome to stay in the sanctuary with their families or can come to the RE classrooms to assist our adult guides. Questions or comments? Please contact me, Emmie Schlobohm at 658-1710 or dre2014@boiseuu.org.

And as for my summer, the beginning of the summer is my time to transition from the current program year and to launch the summer RE program. Wrapping up the past year and dreaming and scheming for the year to come while supporting the Summer RE Coordinator. July is time for slowing down. I will be focused on reflection and a deepening of my ministry to families and am looking forward to catching up on some reading and to prepare for new beginnings in August. Late summer is filled with planning and putting the new program year's pieces into place and play. I will be anticipating the return of the hustle and bustle with the knowledge that the joyful dance will continue. This is an exciting time for our congregation and we are on a wondrous journey of self-discovery. May we enjoy the ride together and experience glorious transformations!

In Gratitude to our Graduates

Emmie Schlobohm, DRE

There is a bridge between childhood and young adulthood. Here at the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship we celebrate the journey over that bridge as a welcoming rite of passage. In early May, six of our senior high youth crossed that bridge and journeyed toward exciting adventures as a part of our Bridging Ceremony. Our celebration included the gifts of a very special member of our community - Lance Pittman created the chalices that we gave to the "bridgers" as tokens of our love and esteem. Our young people are truly phenomenal and we are all blessed to have heard their voices and seen them shine. We would like to take this opportunity to once again acknowledge them and their families at this time of passages, beginnings, and endings.

Our Bridging Seniors and their families are:

Tresa Bild — child of Renee and Ralph Bild

Megan Boice — child of Cathy Carmen and Linden Boice

Meredith Butts – child of Amy and Mike Butts

Michael Duke – child of Dena and Steve Duke

Galvin Olsen-Smith – child of Sarah and Steve Olsen-Smith

Elia Sherman – child of Cathy and Roger Sherman

COMMITTEES

Program Ministry Council – Ride the Wave into the Summer!

Cathy Carmen, PMC Co-Chair

My family and I enjoy whitewater river rafting. This summer we look forward to not just one but two opportunities to explore some beautiful, remote areas of the West from the vantage point of a raft. In June we head for Oregon to raft the Rogue River and we're honored to have been invited to join friends on their much-sought-after private permit on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River! We are excited! Hopefully all of you have summer plans...but what about the programs of our church community? What happens with them during the coming summer months?

During our ministerial transition, the Program Ministry Council or PMC, has its sights set on supporting all committees. How? By encouraging them to gather together over the summer to begin to access just how this past year has gone. What has been accomplished? What worked or didn't work as a committee? Try taking out and dusting off those mission/vision statements crafted just a year or two ago and see where you stand in relation to them. Might an update or two be needed? Like the streams and creeks that feed rivers, the committees and groups within the PMC are the life-blood of what we do! It's the small, steady flow of work, ideas and goals that create the larger body of what we do as a congregation. What happens at the PMC level is important because it feeds into the Board and their decision as to what the overall direction of the congregation shall be.

So, ride this wave; host a dinner meeting or retreat this summer and then report the results to your Strand Leader or contact David Fitch or myself at buufpmc2014@gmail.com. The PMC would like to have those results of all the committees' work by the end of August.

Oh- I hope your summer is filled with fun, relaxing moments and all you need to refresh your commitment to the life of our vibrant BUUF community.

Fundraising News

Claudia Fernsworth

The May Silent Auction did well—we will know how well after all the items are pick up and paid for. The results will be reported in the July Newsletter and in a few Sunday Orders of Service.

Mark your calendars for July 27. From 6:00 to 8:00 pm, our courtyard will be filled with wonderful music played by the duo Four Shillings Short. The program is "Around the world in 30 instruments" (Doesn't that sound interesting?). This will be a family friendly event. Pack your picnic, blanket, sunhat, kids, grandkids, neighbors, friends, co workers, etc and come on over. Tickets will be on sale soon. Adults $10, Seniors $7 children under 16 free. Four Shillings Short will be playing at our 10:00 am July 27 service if you want a preview.

Financial Corner

David Woito

Each month we would like to highlight an aspect of BUUF's budget and ongoing operating expenses. This month we would like to talk about our facilities and maintenance. Where would we meet on Sundays, how would we have our weekly activities, and how would we grow our presence in the Treasure Valley without our wonderful build and grounds? Did you know that even with the addition of our energy efficiency improvements last year, we still spend just over $10,000 on utilities a year? We also spend about $3000 on phone and internet? And we will spend about $20,000 on building maintenance, custodial, and grounds. All three of these categories add up to about $33,000 or $634 per week or $132 per member or $170 per pledge? This is in addition to the current building mortgage which also runs an additional $43,000 a year. So essentially it takes about $300 per member or $400 per pledge to pay for our mortgage and building and grounds maintenance.

Contribute to BUUF's Budget While You Shop!

Wanda Jennings

Do you shop at Fred Meyer? Do you have a rewards card with them? BUUF is signed up to receive a percentage of your purchases. Connect your card at fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. Click "link your reward card now" and choose Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. If you don't have a rewards card with Fred Meyer, consider getting one to help BUUF's budget.

Changing of the Guard

The Worship Committee has a new chair, Susie Hardy. The Worship Committee does the behind the scenes work to make the Sunday Services run smoothly. The members of the committee work together as a team; with Rev. Dana planning the sermons, Carrie Bastian planning the music, and Emmie Schlobohm helping to ensure that the children and youth are included.

One member of the committee coordinates each Sunday Service, rounding up greeters and chalice lighters; as well as setting the stage for a smoothly run service.

Welcome Susie when you see her and please help support the Worship Committee.

Thanks, Wanda Jennings, Outgoing Worship Committee Chair

JUSTICE OUTREACH

June Plate Partner: TVAA

Debra Smith

This month's Plate Partner (our social justice offertory recipient) is the Treasure Valley Artists' Alliance (TVAA) academic scholarship program. Begun in 2010 by a group of artists, including Jeannette Ross, and Mike and Melissa Chambers, this 501C3 was formed "to strengthen the bond of community between artists...and to promote educational opportunities." Numerous BUUF members and friends have joined the Alliance and have exhibited at many of its shows. TVAA "is entering a new phase in its mission by investing in the next generation of artists." The organization awarded its first scholarship this year—to Boise State University student Mariana Guiterrez, a Mexican artist whose work deals with ideas of bureaucracy, specifically the bureaucracy associated with the U.S. Immigration process.

BUUF is proud to include the makers of art among its recipients of social justice outreach funds, for humans are nurtured not by bread alone, but by the provocative and compelling works of artists. We are happy to contribute 25% of our offertory for the month of June to that cause. And, of course, if you'd like 100% of your donation to go to the scholarship fund, note that on the contribution envelope, or indicate it on the memo line of your check.

Gratitude from Habitat for Humanity

Wanda Jennings

Thanks to your generosity, BUUF donated over $1000 to the Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity as our April Outreach.

Help Needed by Habitat Build July 19

Wanda Jennings

If you would like to contribute your time and effort as well, we will need 10 people to help build a home on Saturday, July 19. No experience is necessary. We will also need someone to provide lunch for 25 people (our own volunteers and others).

To reserve your space please contact Wanda or Bryan Jennings 2014@ 362-7563 or desertfox42014@cableone.net.

Habitat for Humanity's ReStore Needs Your Help

Wanda Jennings

ReStore sells new and used residential home improvement materials for that summer do-it-yourself project at prices up to 50% below retail. All proceeds support Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity in building affordable housing in Ada County. ReStore is located at Five Mile and Overland.

Volunteers are needed to help in the store, and the store accepts donations of new and used building and home improvement materials that are clean and in working condition. Call ReStore at 375-5256.

If you live in the far end of the valley, the Canyon County Habitat for Humanity office, along with its ReStore, is located at 5214 E. Cleveland Blvd., Suite C, in Caldwell, phone 459-1758.

DVD of Two Who Dared Available in BUUF Library

Bryan Jennings

The film "Two Who Dared: The Sharps' War" is now available for checkout in the BUUF Library. This is the true story of Unitarian minister Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha, a social worker, who left home and family to travel to Prague during the early days of the German advance across Europe in 1939. There, working with local organizations, they helped hundreds of Jews, dissidents and others escape the Nazi onslaught. This moving and inspirational documentary was made by their grandson, Artemis Joukowsky. It provides a glimpse of what a small number of individuals can do to change the shape of the world for generations to come.

ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Appreciation Sunday Celebration!

Sunday, June 1, 12:30 in the Greene Grove

Following the worship service, "The Sacred Art of Appreciation," come join us to celebrate long-serving congregants as they step down from positions of leadership and service. After the second service, we will adjourn to the GreeneGrove, and share refreshments, music, stories, and a brief ceremony to honor and appreciate those who have served us so long and so well. This year we will be acknowledging the service of the following Looooong-serving volunteers:

Mary and Alan Schwartzman, Jolene and Patrick Schow, Barbara Alexander, and Coston Frederick, all retiring (or having retired) from leadership and/or service on the Landscaping Committee

Warren Bean, retiring from his long-serving position as Building Steward

Jane Breckenridge, stepping back after having orchestrated a comprehensive giving policy, among many other services

Mary Osterman, having retired from the Congregational Care Team, among many services

Elaine Durbin, having stepped down from the Interim Ministry Transition Team, and years and years and years of service

Charlotte Thompkins, who served a chair of the Music Committee, and coordinated and scheduled all the music for more years than there are keys on the piano

Besse LaBudde, who served for years in social justice, as well as having been the coordinator for our ministry with Whittier Elementary

Don Schutte, who served loyally on the Sunday Services Committee, and encouraged us to elevate the role of celebrant in our services, a tradition that Rev. Dana hopes continues to evolve.

Come, let us honor them joyfully!

First Sunday Potlucks for the Summer!

Bring a potluck dish and join us after the Worship Service on the first Sunday of July and August brought to you by the Festivities Committee. We'll picnic outside if the weather allows. This is a great way to get to know other BUUFers.

Please join us on July 6th and August 3rd.

Bring a potluck dish to share and your own utensils and plates. In order to address the diversity of dietary needs, think about bringing a vegetarian or vegan dish and labeling it as such.

Many hands make quick work, so plan to help with the clean up!

Contact Wanda Jennings 2014@ 362-7563 or desertfox42014@cableone.net or Karen Raese 2014@ 853-3865 or craigraese2014@cs.com .

Fellowship Connections Council

David Woito

Happy June to everyone from the Fellowship Connections Council. We are happy to report that the four Chalice circles that we started this Spring are still meeting and are involving over 30 people. The Chalice circles are meeting once every two weeks for discussions on topics provided by Dana. We are starting to look forward to the Fall and growing our Chalice Circle program. Please contact Nancy to volunteer to lead a Chalice Circle- we should need 10-12 leaders for the Fall sessions. You will be provided with topics, you can pick the meeting time and location, and then the people will sign up. We are especially trying to recruit a leader from Nampa/Caldwell. We will try to start about mid Sept and run up until Thanksgiving. We will then form new Chalice Circles for the Winter/Spring session. Please volunteer to Nancy at nancy2014@boiseuu.org . If you are currently in a Spring Chalice Circle, you are now an expert, please consider volunteering to lead a Fall Circle.

n addition, in honor of the summer, we will wait until September to publish any more "want ads" but in addition to Chalice Circle leaders, Paint the Town is Saturday June 7. Please let Bill know at WilliamBhall2014@cs.com if you can volunteer. Also we continue to need volunteers for the Farmer's Market program all throughout the summer and fall. Have a great summer.

The Fellowship connections team still consists of one leader and no team. We have a lot of opportunities this Fall to help members and friends connect with BUUF. Please volunteer to join the team and help out in the fall. Please let Nancy know if you are interested.

Playing with Fate

Jeanette Ross

The theme I suggested for our conversation this month was, I confess, mischievous. Talk about your favorite god or goddess, any secret dabblings in the arcane or the occult. Have you had your palm read? Do you glance at your horoscope now and again? Have a preferred superstition? Dan couldn't attend but did let me know he is partial to the Norse goddess Freya, with her chariot pulled through the air by cats. Yeowza!

The stories that emerged were much more interesting than my thematic prompt. One woman of many skills (she's amazingly caring and, surprise, has high mechanical aptitude, and bigger surprise, once took on the guise of fortune teller with absolutely no prior experience or preparation. She was busy all night telling (i.e. inventing plausible) futures, wearing what was intended to be her Halloween costume.

Woody has spent some years acting the role of Santa Claus. He would the children if they had tried to be, indeed if they HAD been good this year before asking what they wanted for Christmas. He listened thoughtfully and then said, "I'll see what I can do." What he didn't expect, at first, was the way older folk, in their 20's and 30's would, if nobody was around to see this, perch on his lap and say what they'd like as a gift. "They'd take on this reverent demeanor, and I realized that something valuable can be taught at that moment." He also led sweat lodge ceremonies inside a prison, for several years. "I put a similar spin there, and they would believe me when I said that their family was okay on the outside and they would, in the future, get along better with other prisoners. When they got out they'd invite me to meet their families."

Paul spent years in northern California, heard Mortimer Adler speak at Berkeley. In a commencement address Adler said that a college education prepares us to learn, which is our task for the rest of our lives. Paul: "When I looked around at the faces of the graduates, I could see those words have the same affect as fortune-telling." Woody saw a similar response to Bob Kustra's words of guidance in a recent commencement speech.

I'd brought several games and game pieces, and we turned them into sources of wisdom arising by chance. We humans are meaning-makers, and as Adler suggested, our job is learning by accident as well as intention. Next month we meet at the same time, date: drop by the BUUF library June 15 after the single service, about 11:15am.

A Community of Spirit - Quest

Patricia Heeb

Twenty-five BUUF folk along with minister Dana are joined together in the Quest program, initiated last September to foster individual spiritual development through daily spiritual practice and communal fellowship. As the 18 participants and eight ministry team members have moved through the planning, the weekend retreats, the monthly groups and the individual meetings with a spiritual companion, we have become a 'Community of Spirit' as Rumi suggests. Halfway through the program, we are learning to see beyond our perceived limits and too-often negative self-reflection. We are learning to open our hands when we need to be held and to release worry, to cherish silence and to see the open door of our own prisons. We are beginning to see that our 'widening rings of being' will bring not only awareness and peace to our personal lives but will leaven the spirit of the whole and cherished BUUF community. We are, indeed, on a quest.

History Keepers

Janelle Wintersteen

Since BUUF have now put together a Search Committee to choose who are next minister will be, History Keepers wishes list the people who served on the last ministerial Search Committee that selected Elizabeth Greene. The Chairperson of that committee was Jo Hamill, who represented BUUF to the northwest as a member of regional RE committee and had served as President of Friends of Channel 4. Edith Hope, BUUF's first paid staff member, part time secretary, was another member. The well-remembered John Harms and Dr. Fritz Ward, now retired from BSU, were members. So was Mavis Roberts, one of the few business owners in the Fellowship. All of these people had been at the church since between 1961 and 1968. Tyra Hansen Stubbs, a lawyer, Chuck and Dorothy Hansen's daughter served and as did Morgaine O'Hearne, who sometimes struggled to get to meetings as she and her husband were living up on Thorn Creek. Tyra had been a part of the RE program when BUUF first organized and Morgaine had joined the Fellowship at 1975 when she was 19. This was approximately 1987, when long distance calls were expensive, there was no internet and fax was in its infancy. Jo Hamill was one of the few BUUF people, outside of David Keyes, our interim minister, who had any experience meeting with UU's outside of Boise. Boise had existed in a certain degree of isolation from other UU's. This was one of the many things that changed for us in the next quarter of a century.

First Friday Intergenerational Game Night: All Welcome!

Debbie Espen

Bring your favorite game(s) or play what others bring. Last time we played Payday! with adults and a kid. We meet in the Balazs room (BUUF South Wing) on Friday June 6 at 7PM.

Sage Summer

Tom von Alten

The BUUF Sages carry on in summer months, meeting 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. In June we'll be at our usual venue, the Kopper Kitchen (2661 Airport Way), 9:30 am, on June 12 and June 26. Newcomers are welcome! We have presentations from members or guests, informal discussion of topics of interest, and a no-host breakfast as you like it. Contact Tom von Alten at 378-1217 or tva2014@fortboise.org for more information, directions, to be added to our reminder list, or program ideas.

Exploring Pagan/Nature Spirituality: All Welcome!

Debbie Espen

We meet on the Second Friday of each month. In June we will explore and celebrate the Solstice, Sun worship, Sun gods and goddesses, and everything sunny! Bring sun images/items. Wear yellow! Bring your poetry, information, rituals, songs and sunny thoughts! Also, your inner Juno! Friday 7PM, June 13, BUUF South Wing.

The Other Book Club

Erin Logan

Come join us for lively discussion on books and other topics. We meet on the second Sunday of the month from 7 to 8:30 PM .

June 8, we will be discussing Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. We will meet at the home of Erin Logan, 2116 N. 17th St., Boise. 208.336.4960 We will also go over our reading list for the fall. So bring suggestions.

July 13, we will be discussing A tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. We will meet at the home of Jane Breckenridge, 1684 N. Spring Hollow Way, Star 898-4256

If you'd like to receive our emails, let me know at erins49602014@msn.com

Happy Reading.