What do Unitarian Universalists Believe?
Our beliefs are diverse and inclusive. We have no shared creed. Our shared covenant supports “the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” Though Unitarianism and Universalism were both liberal Christian traditions, this responsible search has led us to embrace diverse teachings from Eastern and Western religions and philosophies. Unitarian Universalists believe more than one thing. We think for ourselves, and reflect together, about Life’s important questions.
UPCOMING SERVICES
Regular Services : 10am
12/11 Ernie St. Germain . The oral tradition of spirituality.
12/18 4:00 pm Holiday program followed by a potluck
12/25 Terry Hoyt
ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION : 10am
Adult RE meets on alternate Sundays from our regular service
12/04 The Birth of Unitarianism
12/18 Postponed due to Holiday program.
SAVE THE DATE
Annual Holiday Service and Potluck : Sunday, December 18 at 4pm . Celebrate the season with our annual Holiday service with a potluck to follow. David and Suzy Foster will be our hosts as Bob Hanson's Brass Quintet, Trillium, the UU string duet, and our UU choir will perform holiday songs, including many sing-a-longs. Music, fun, good food and good conversation are guaranteed! I hope to see you all there! Patty Buehler
Men's Discussion Group : Tuesday December 12 at 6pm
12/12, Monday, Men's discussion meeting, 6:00 pm, Potluck and Talk Circle
Women's Discussion Group
Because of the Holidays there will be no Women's discussion meeting in December
RETREAT : Saturday, December 10, 10a – 3p : (lunch will be provided) Please put this important event on your schedule and join us for a review of actions generated by last year's October Retreat, consideration of a new covenant on Right Relations, and a revealing review of triangulation in communication.
The Steering Committee formed in October, 2015 included Bob and Cheryl Hanson, Pam Thul-Imler and Barbara Logan. The three remaining members will lead this Retreat program while encouraging input from all attendees.
We promise to make this a thought-provoking and informative opportunity to bring our community closer together.
MILESTONES
Paul Braunstein 12-03
Dawn Holt 12-06
Natalia Graf 12-08
Julie Wambach 12-12
Julie White 12-14
Cathy Peterson 12-14
Guthrie Linder 12-15
Diane Reupert 12-19
Laurie Figueroa 12-20
Bob and Marilyn Feser 12-22
Suzy Foster 12-27
Marilyn Hendry 12-27
Dan Padberg & Sally O'Brien 12-30
Dana Collins 12-30
Peter Frost 12-31
If your Birthday or Anniversary is missing, or you see something that needs correcting, please contact Candy. Thanks
The Northwoods UU Fellowship welcomes new members Mike Haasl, Sophia Figueroa, Cara Hettich, Esther & Mike Dolphin, Joanne Bahcall, Ed Stoever, Jason Hoff and Joan Junge (Unfortunately Joan is missing from this photo)
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Science on Tap . Wednesday, December 7. 6:30pm :
Genetically Modified Crops: What are the Benefits & Risks?
Presented by Joe Lauer, UW Madison
At Minocqua Brewing Company
Wade Fernandez Concert . Saturday, December 10 at 7pm : After another whirlwind European tour including Bad Ailing, Rosenheim, and Tuntenhausen Germany, Trofaiach, Bad Voslau, and Payerbach Austria, Wade returns to Piney Ridge. As most of you know Wade can soothe and Wade can rock while honoring his Menominee Indian Reservation home and roots. His voice, guitar, flute, drums, and songwriting flow from the powerful gift of Native America heritage. See videos here
His more recent awards and honors include: 2014 NAMMY Top Finalist for "Artist Of The Year" & "Album Of The Year" and 2013 Winner of Indian Summer Music Awards for "Best Folk Song of the Year" & "Best Pop Song Of The Year" also finalist for Rock, Blues, & Country. CDs are available here
The concert is at 8395 Woolpy Drive in Minocqua. From Paul Bunyan’s Restaurant on Highway 51 take Old Highway 70 West 1 mile to Dr. Pink on the left. Take Dr. Pink South 0.8 mile to Woolpy Drive on the right. Take Woolpy Drive 0.2 mile to the end at # 8395. Email Jerryw@earlham.edu for reservations. Be sure to let us know how many in your party. Call (715) 356-6276 if lost or if you need more information. Gratuities for the performer $10 to $20 per person.
Bats in the Boathouse Press, which publishes Tara Woolpy’s novels—available from
Amazon and at the concert—sponsors this and all of our concerts.
Speaker, honoring Martin Luther King, Jr . Sunday, January 15 : Lecia Brooks from the Southern Poverty Law Center in Birmingham Alabama will be our speaker . Please save the date. Time & location TBA
The Spirituality (Program) Committee will soon be preparing a list of Sunday speakers for our 2017-2018 fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. If you wish to present a Sunday program, please contact Dick Fields or one of our other committee members. We are always looking for new speakers to fill our pulpit. If you know of someone you would like to present a program, please let the committee know.
New Day for America
Following November 8, Diane Reupert shared these links with the Social Justice Committee. Included here are those links and a Discussion Guide borrowed from one of those online publications.
• (SURJ) Showing Up for Racial Justice hotline, toolkit, etc
• Bringing Justice Home
• Talking to people about a Donald Trump Presidency
• Discussion Guide
A Discussion Guide Borrowed from : Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)Toolkit
• Drop shaming, blaming, and stereotypes.
• Be prepared to listen, especially when you don’t agree.
• Find a stopping point. You are not likely to change someone’s world view in one sitting. End when the conversation is in a place of agreement, and revisit it again later.
Getting Started Many families prefer to keep the conversation away from the holiday table. That said, we know these spaces can also be the spots where we have the most influence. Here are some ways to get the conversation started:
• “I am feeling really [sad/scared/upset] after this election.”
• “What are you thinking about the election?”
Most people shut down if they feel like they are being attacked. Try thinking about what you know about this person. Are they a parent? Do they volunteer in their community? What are their values? Approach from this place, not from one of disagreement.
Action
Create New Traditions
Holiday are often surrounded by myths. Families can create new traditions that honor indigenous struggle, both past and present.
Engage Children in Action
◦ Write and send Postcards to Governor of North Dakota in support of #NoDAPL:
Office of Governor, State of North Dakota, 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58505
• Draw pictures and notes and send them to community leaders and organizations thanking them and committing to work with them in the coming months
• Make family goals to take action together in the coming year, such as how much you can donate or fundraise, how many events you want to try to go to, or what kind of impact you want to have
Give to the Resistance at Standing Rock One powerful way to act over the holidays is to raise money to support the resistance at Standing Rock. Make time during your meal to speak about the resistance. Ask people around the table to contribute. Don’t be shy about making a direct ask - we’re not asking for a favor, we inviting people into a movement and giving them an opportunity to participate in the resistance. Here is where to send money.
Move Your Money One key factor moving the pipeline construction forward are banks that are financing the pipeline’s construction. Many of us bank at the institutions providing the funds to move the project forward. Withdraw support for these businesses by moving money and choosing a bank that shares our values. Click here to learn more about how to move your money.
REMINDER
Now that the holidays and family visits are fewer, January might be a slower month for some. Keeping fresh and interesting events on the calendar is up to all of you. Send your postings on to me by December 27 at cm@newnorth.net. As always, write your prose, your announcements and updates (details) into the body of your email. From there your copy can be transferred correctly to our newsletter. As always, thanks everyone. Catherine
For distribution of announcements between newsletters or email/address corrections, contact Candy Sorensen at sorencan@yahoo.com or Robert Hanson, President, president@nuuf.com
As a friendly reminder, if you know someone who is interested in joining the Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, please contact Candy Sorensen at: sorencan@yahoo.com or call 715-892-2997. Also take time to "LIKE" us on Facebook.com. Click here on Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for direct access if you already have a Facebook account. We're posting pictures, reminders about upcoming events and more.