Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

From the President

Sue Langley

And now the program year is coming to a close. Thank you to all who attended the Annual Meeting. We had good attendance! And thanks to all who presented information - there was much to share about the budget, potential changes in worship service times, the Program Ministry Council's work, the beginning process of the Governance Task Force, the Douglas/Chelan property task force ideas, the Social Justice Plate Partner nominees process, and the Endowment Committee's work. We passed a budget and voted on new members to the Board, Nominating Committee, and Endowment Committee. The Board has selected a date for a summer retreat to continue the work for next year.

As I think back on this year, there are many things that stand out to me, but I'd like to focus this final President letter on this: all of us in leadership positions this year were blessed to be part of Rev. Sara's first year in the pulpit. Working with her behind the scenes and seeing her capacity for compassion and leadership was a gift. She developed strong individual bonds with many in the congregation during her pastoral care work and bonding at coffee shops and other social events, as well as developing relationships with those outside of the congregation as she worked on social justice and interfaith issues. She dove right in to the administrative tasks of supervising staff and looking at all our processes with fresh eyes. She has strong connections with Unitarian Universalists leaders all over the country who strongly support her (did you notice who came to Boise for her Installation and Celebration Sunday?), and is encouraging us to take an active role in UUA and district events. She is working closely with many lay leaders to develop strong programs such as the chalice circles, Quest, adult R.E., and nurturing young lay leaders to become more involved as seen in the Soulful Sundown services and gatherings. Her worship services have been inspiring, out-of-the-box creative, inclusive, and deeply spiritual. We are blessed and lucky indeed!

I'll close out this final letter with some thoughts on the poem that Rev. Sara reads at the beginning of all her services. Perhaps others went through the same process as I did once I realized we'd be hearing it every week:

1. First, it just washed over me - "nice words I suppose, but didn't really catch all of them."
2. "All those Thou and Thine references...hmmm...not sure about it."
3. "So is she talking about God, or not? Still don't get the Thou and Thine thing."
4. "Ok, this could be metaphorical. I don't have to get caught up in Thou and Thine - doesn't have to be referring to God."
5. "Just breathe and let it be a meditation...peaceful"
6. "Corey Porch sure did an interesting interpretation of it with the drum when Rev. Sara was gone - how does that change its meaning?"
7. "Need-driven stranger line really stands out to me today as we are about to hear a sermon on feeding the gap"
8. "Someone else did the sermon today - didn't hear the poem - kind of miss it"
9. "'Woven whole' is an interesting phrase - that seems important today."
10. "Ok back to the hang-up with Thou and Thine - I really need to get over that"
11. "Going to church today - really looking forward to the centering poem"
12. "Ah, now that I see it in writing the line I love most is 'Thou art the deep to the deep in me calling'. Wow! That's the line written for me."

I think the beauty of this poem is that it washes over us again and again with challenging, confusing, beautiful, spiritual words where each line might not speak to you each time, but when you need one of those lines it will rise up to be your guide that day. It has certainly kept my interest all year. What line speaks to you today?

It has been a journey being the president this year - I have learned much and was able to work with so many wise congregants, staff, and leaders. I hand off the duty to Lori Watsen. Looking forward to her insight and knowledge.

Last Board meeting of this year is June 16th at 6:30pm. All are welcome.

Respectfully submitted,
Sue Langley

Sacred Spaces Celebrated this Summer

Emmie Schlobohm, Director of Religious Exploration

Have you walked around our grounds recently? Experienced the many lovingly tended spaces with all of your senses? Our Outdoor Sanctuary folks and a small group of other dedicated souls maintain our grounds with care and devotion. They are a gift to this congregation and our neighbors and the many people who utilize our grounds for holy celebrations. Our grounds are truly beautiful and the stories and history and soul of this place goes much deeper. From June 12th through September 4th, our children will be celebrating various sites on these hallowed grounds.

Sacred, holy, hallowed - these words, all connected and wrapped up in the concept of blessings and blessed, resonate within me as I think about this summer and the explorations of our children and the youth and adults who will be guiding them. Each week, we will hear its story and experience a particular sacred space with the person who created, tends, and/or knows the history and heart of that place...

- Sarah Cox - the Courtyard Fountain
- Linda Barlow - the Herb Garden
- Paul Schlobohm - the Greene Grove
- Mary Schwartzman - the Little Bridge and the Playhouse & Playground
- Miriam Woito - the Walk Through Time
- Jolene Schow - Jeremiah's Adventure Garden
- Jay Weschselberger & Mark Zimmerer - the Labyrinth & the Peace Pole And other sacred spaces, too!

Come join the celebration any Sunday this summer and learn more about these loving caretakers and sacred grounds that are a vital part of our beloved community. It really is all about the blessings of our community and building the connections between us all.

Sights and Sounds of our Sacred Spaces

In the spirit of exploring our hallowed grounds with all of our senses, here are some photos from last year's Celebration Sunday's activities (in a short video). Thanks to Jane Rohling for her lovely photos!

Planned Giving

Judy Holcombe

Be part of the legacy of BUUF by allowing BUUF to be part of your legacy. There are a wide range of planned giving opportunities such as including an estate gift to BUUF in your will, charitable bequests of appreciated assets like stocks and bonds, life income gift arrangements, and gifts of retirement and insurance plan benefits.

By making a legacy gift or naming the fellowship in your will/trust, you can help strengthen the fellowship's economic security, enhance its ability to serve its members and the greater community, and create an enduring legacy that will make possible continued support for the values and programs dear to you. Doing so can be as easy as changing beneficiary designations or updating your will. And it does not mean an immediate outlay of financial resources, unless you desire to do so.

Here are a couple lesser known planned giving opportunities with potential tax benefits:

• IRA rollover gift: in December 2015, a permanent extension of the IRA Charitable Rollover became law. If you are 70 ½ or older, making an IRA rollover gift can be used to meet all or part of an IRA minimum distribution requirement, and you pay no income tax on the gift. Donors may transfer up to $100,000 directly from their IRA to charity each year. The transfer generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you benefit even if you do not itemize your taxes. It is important not to withdraw the funds prior to a gift but to have the transfer come directly from an IRA to BUUF. A sample letter is on the back.
• Charitable gift of appreciated assets or benefits: the assets of qualified retirement plans such as IRA, 401K and Keogh may grow tax-free for years, but distributions are taxed as income to you or your heirs. If these plans are charitably gifted in an estate, the amount may be fully deductible and other assets can then be left to family members that would not generate income taxes.
• Naming BUUF as life insurance beneficiary: Some folks no longer need the life insurance they purchased years earlier. If BUUF is named as beneficiary, the amount may be excluded from your taxable estate. Also, if you make an irrevocable lifetime gift you are eligible for an immediate income tax charitable deduction of its cash surrender or replacement value.

Let that your values live on!

If you have already planned a legacy gift for BUUF, we extend our heartfelt gratitude. We are working to document and create a legacy circle and we would like to know who you are (no other details required). Please contact us and we'd be happy to talk with you about how you'd like to designate your gift to be used.

Contact Rev. Sara LaWall 658-1710, or Judy Holcombe 853-1568 for more information.
BUUF is an IRS-qualified 501(c)(3) and 170(c) charitable religious organization. Copies of tax-free status are available upon request.

Neighborly Dinners

Beginning Thursday, June 30, BUUF will be hosting regularly scheduled free dinners once each month for anyone in the area and in need of a little extra help making their food budgets stretch through the end of the month. We will be distributing flyers to our neighbors, and advertising the service within the agencies that serve low-income and homeless individuals and families.

This is a pilot project that will run through the summer, and it is partially funded by a Plate Partners collection from last year. But we need you!

We would like you to join us each month, and bring a potluck side dish, beverage or dessert to share. We will sit outside in the courtyard (weather permitting) and get to know our neighbors and each other. An entree will be provided each month--turkey, or lasagne or all-beef hotdogs.

Dinners are served buffet style from 5:30 - 6:30, with social time afterwards. Look for sign-ups in the entryways and on-line. We have recruited a group of a dozen volunteers to manage the monthly events, but we could use help with set up and cleanup and, of course, showing up (with food)!

The food sign up will be alphabetical, so...
A-F, bring a side dish to complement roast turkey (we'll provide condiments for sandwiches)
G-L, bring a green salad
M-R, bring a beverage
S-V, bring a dessert
W-Z, bring rolls or gluten free "breads"

Bring enough to serve 12 people, and there will be plenty for all who join us.

The other dates for this summer will be:
Thursday, July 28
Thursday, August 25
Thursday, September 29
And possibly, Thursday, October 27—perhaps a harvest soup pot meal using all of our collective veggies as we close down our gardens

If the program goes well, we will evaluate continuing it into another year, and perhaps making it a year-round program. Please join us to help make BUUF a truly welcoming place for all.

Spiritual Exercises
What does it mean to be a person of play?

from Soul Matters Sharing Circle resources

Experts on the social effects of play say that people who engage in purely enjoyable andpurposeless activities tend to be less violent, more empathic and trusting, and more adaptable to life's challenges. Unfortunately in our culture today, doing something without purpose is considered a waste of time - at least in our adult lives. But we need to engage in purposeless activities throughout all our ages and stages. Being deprived of play tends to make both humans and animals fixed and rigid in responding to complex stimuli; they fail to seek novelty and embrace newness, important skills for adaptation and survival.

Human beings are made for play. Play is the exuberant expression of our being. It points us to our true selves and is the fount of creativity and spirituality. The sages have known the spiritual value of play for eons; they have known that play keeps our search for meaning humble.

Try this spiritual exercise: divide a page into two columns and head one column with "Play as a Child" and the other with "Play as an Adult." Then list all the childhood play you can remember under the heading and list next all the adult play you think qualifies under its heading. When you complete both lists, see if you can find comparable activities between the two, or if you see a theme or a pattern emerging from your lists. The goal is to discover an activity that can you do in your life now that puts you in mind of those freeing and joyful times of your childhood.

When you nail down that special activity, make a two-hour play-date with yourself and engage in it! Journal our share with a family member or friend how the exercise felt for you and what discovered you made about yourself and your life of "play."

Explore more behind the science of play with Dr. Stuart Brown in his interview at On Being with Krista Tippet: Play, Spirit, and Character, June 19, 2014.