Volume 14, Number 8 – February 2013
We Are a Welcoming Congregation
Upcoming Services
February 10 - 10 am Toni Lieppert Polfus
February 24 - 10 am Rev. Denise Tracy
March 10 - 10 am Richard Olson
March 23 - 10 am Rev. Dr. Bobbi Groth
Events
February 6 - 6:30 pm “Science on Tap” at the Minocqua Brewing Company Topic: Wisconsin’s Northwoods: A Changing Landscape in Changing Times.
February 12 - 6:00 pm Mardi Gras celebration at Norwood Pines
February 25 - 6:30 pm Middle Eastern Books and Films. Discussion group led by Elaine Strite
Adult R.E.
February 3 - 10 am Who Matters in American History?; History Did Not Begin with Us
February 3 - 10 am T.B.D.
Many thanks to Diane Reupert and the Social Justice Committee for organizing our Martin Luther King Day event
on January 27 at Nicolet.
Message from the President
It was with great regret that I resigned from the board president position last week. We couldn’t have anticipated how things would work out when my husband returned home. He requires 24/7 care at this point. Because of this I am no longer able to fulfill the commitments required of the position, as almost all of my time is taken up with Nestor’s care and the unexpected difficulties that have come with it. I anticipate that supportive care will be available in the future, but when is dependent on paperwork and governmental agencies.
I look forward to returning to the fellowship for services and events in the future. Thanks to everyone who supported me during my time as president. -—Laurie Figueroa
Community Table
Thanks to those who helped out with the Community Table—you know who you are. We served a Nesco full of chili, 20 lbs of baked potatoes, toppings, —salad, corn soufflé, brownies, bars and smiles, along with the contributions from the Methodist and Faith Free Evangelical churches. There was a lot of food left over. I would love to see UUs coming to the community dinner to eat. THE COMMUNITY TABLE IS NOT ABOUT FEEDING POOR PEOPLE. It’s quite a buffet. We never know how many people will show up for the meal, and in January, the diners tried mightily to make it through all of the offerings, but fell short. It’s our duty to be there so that all those folks who come regularly don’t have to stuff themselves to such an extent. It can’t be good for them.
The next Community Table that NUUF serves is May 21, 2013. Please put it on your calendar now, and plan to be there, if not to bring food or work, then simply to eat. That was always part of the plan.
Five Meals to Claim at NATH
So far, none of the upcoming meals have been spoken for, so the schedule’s wide open.
The dates the NUUF has committed to provide a meal at Frederick Place are:
FEB 24 (& 25)
MAR 24 (& 25)
APR 28 (& 29)
MAY 26 (& 27)
& JUN 23 (& 24).
Let me know if any of these sound good to you! At this time, the only weekend I know I’ll be unable to cover is the one in June. Yet I would like to think others will step up instead! Thanks for your interest—Jana (ph. 356-4746)
2nd Annual Mardi Gras February 12
Don’t forget to join us for the 2nd Annual Mardi Gras in Minocqua to be held Tuesday, February 12th at Norwood Pines Supper Club. No admission, but please come and make a generous donation to the Lakeland Area Food Pantry. Music will begin at 6:00 provided again by the Old Orleans Dixie Six (Bob Hanson’s group). Norwood will be providing food. Costumes are encouraged, but not required. This is a really fun night out for a good cause. Our Fellowship and our Social Justice Committee are sponsors of this event that we are hoping will continue to grow and continue to increase support for the Food Pantry.
Middle Eastern Books and Films
Elaine Strite is offering a class about Middle Eastern culture as seen through movies and books from the region. The focus will be on internal conflicts between generations, rich and poor, urban and rural, ruler and ruled.
There will be six sessions: three movies and three books, all produced/written in the Middle East and/or by Middle Easteners. The sessions will be held on the last Monday of each month, beginning January 28, at 7:00 pm at NUUF. The first session presented a movie, “La Grande Voyage,” a Moroccan-French collaboration about a father and son who drive from France to Mecca for the father to make “hajj” (pilgrimage), fulfilling one of the five tenets of Islam.
The next session will be held Monday, February 25, and will be a discussion of the book, A Palace in the Old Village, by Tahar Ben Jelloun, a Moroccan writer who lives in France. This pairing of movie and book will focus on parent-child tensions in the Middle East, especially in families that emigrate to Europe or the Americas. The book is available, used or new, through both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
I would like participants to help select the other two books, based on suggestions I make. The course is offered free of charge.
All sessions will be the final Monday of each month from January through June 2013. The specific dates are: January 28, February 25, March 25, April 29, May 27, and June 24.
I understand that the spring is a traveling season for many of you and 100% attendance may not be possible. Come when you can and let me know as soon as possible whether this course is of interest to you, so I can have an idea of how many people will take part. It should be fun. —Elaine Strite
A Thank-you from Audrey Williams
Audrey Williams made a donation to the Fellowship with the following words:
This contribution is a thank you to Mel and Kay Hoff, Joyce Barnes, Bev Strauss, Barb Logan, Frank Patin, Tom and Elinore Sommerfeld, Barb Beutler and all the bakers who made those wonderful cookies, the clean-up crew, and anyone else in the Fellowship that I may have unintentionally missed who helped make the tribute to Jim a Memorial.
I was proud to share the community of our Fellowship with my family and friends. They were all impressed.
I look forward to attending the Fellowship in March when I return from California.
—My sincere appreciation, Audrey Williams
A Positive Response to our MLK Presentation
Dear Diane,
I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed Lecia Brooks’ presentation yesterday at Nicolet College. Thank you and NUUF for bringing such a wonderful speaker from such a prestigious organization to our area. I enjoyed the questions and discussion that followed as well. I was particularly interested in the general disappointment that there have been no other events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I have only been living in the northwoods for a few years and I was surprised that there appeared to be no recognition of the day.
My goal, as a Chamber of Commerce Events Coordinator, for 2014 is to promote Martin Luther King Jr. “Day of Service” by working with our non-profit members and creating a list of projects that people could volunteer to help out with that day. Publicizing the day, the projects and service. Thank you, NUUF and Ms. Brooks for lighting a spark.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”
All the Best,
Beth Wetzler
?Nonviolent Communication Study Group
For anyone interested in learning about and practicing Nonviolent Communi-cation (a.k.a. Compassionate Communication), there will be another book study group forming in February on Friday evenings at the NUUF. We will again be discussing the book, Non-Violent Communication: A Language of Life, by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. (Participants are responsible for obtaining their own copy of the book.) We will gather at the NUUF at 5:30 p.m. to share food and conversation, then create our study circle from 6-8 pm. The month of February will be a “try-out” time; in March the group will “close” to newcomers, and the remaining participants will commit to meeting each Friday evening through the month of July, to study the book and related material.
For an informative approach to this subject, you may want to consider attending the following event at Many Ways of Peace in Eagle River (manywaysofpeace.org): Thursday, January 24, 6:30PM-8:30PM, “Compassionate Communication” with Kathryn Gonzalez, an introduction to Compassionate and Nonviolent Communication, based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg.
“Science on Tap” with Tim Kratz, Tom Steele, and Susan Knight
The University of Wisconsin’s Trout Lake Station and Kemp Natural Resources Station are announcing a new monthly event called “Science on Tap” at the Minocqua Brewing Company in downtown Minocqua, WI.
The event is also sponsored by Minocqua Brewing Company, Minocqua Public Library and the Lakeland Badger chapter of the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association. All parties hope the series will let people who live in or visit the Northwoods learn about the landscape and will also let researchers hear the concerns, interests and observations of anyone who’s been out on a boat, tromping through the woods or simply looking out their own back door.
The first event will take place on Wednesday, February 6th at 6:30pm-7:30pm. Tim Kratz, Ph.D, Director of the UW-Trout Lake Station and Tom Steele, Ph.D, Director of Kemp Natural Resources Station will lead a discussion called “Wisconsin’s Northwoods: A Changing Landscape in Changing Times.” The discussion will focus on the Northwoods’ storied history of human impacts - from logging and fishing to development and tourism. People have long been making their mark on this unique ecosystem and Steele and Kratz will share what they know about the last one hundred years of change in Northern Wisconsin and lead a discussion on what the future may hold.
The “Science on Tap” series will occur at Minocqua Brewing Company at 6:30pm on the first Wednesday of every month. The goal is to have a fun and informative event where people can grab a beer, ask a few questions and get to know the folks who are exploring the past, present and future of Wisconsin’s incomparable Northwoods.
WHEN: Wednesday, February 6th, 6:30-7:30.
WHERE: Minocqua Brewing Company, 238 Lakeshore Drive, Minocqua - Phone: (715) 356-2600. Have dinner before the event and mention that you are attending Science on Tap and receive a 10% discount on your meal.
NEXT EVENT: March 6, 6:30. Topic: Climate change and what it means for the Northwoods.
Milestones
Bob Hanson 02-01
Barbara Beutler 02-03
Myrle Wasko 02-03
Pam Thul-Immler 02-04
Cora Holt 02-04
Mark Bruhy 02-05
Andrea Billings 02-06
Jerry Buerer 02-07
Judith Maloney 02-12
John Viste 02-12
Catherine Parker 02-13
Wenda Sheard 02-13
Jim Rusak 02-14
Kate Egan Bruhy 02-14
Terri and Terry Hoyt 02-14
Ron Reupert 02-16
Claire Polfus 02-17
Sophie Singleton 02-22
Billy Hurlburt 02-22
Elaine Strite 02-21
Jack Hafner 02-21
Ardis White 02-25
Tom & Elinore Sommerfeld 03-02
Jan Anderson 03-02
Tony Zoars 03-09
Iris Linder 03-10
Ed Semon 03-11
Dick Fields 03-12
Nancy Junkermann 03-12
Sally Back 03-12
Charles Reed 03-13
Kayla Norris 03-19
John Viste & Elaine Strite 03-21
Connie Downey 03-22
Lara Tenório 03-23
Sally O'Brien 03-24
Dan Rondello 03-24
Terry Hoyt 03-27
Pat Bickner 03-29
Sophia Figueroa 03-29
Marti Hall 03-31
NUUF and NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
P.O. Box 1881
Woodruff, WI 54568-1881
Laurie Figueroa, President
president@nuuf.com
The NUUSLetter is published monthly.
Next Deadline: February 27, 2013 Please send submissions to Pat Bickner at bickner@gmx.com. Please put “NUUSletter” in the subject line.
For distribution of announcements between newsletters or email/address corrections, contact Candy Sorensen at sorencan@yahoo.com.