Volume 15, Number 10 –April 2014
We Are a Welcoming Congregation
Upcoming Services
Services are on alternate Sundays at 10 AM
April 6: Rev Dr. Bobbie Groth Living in the State of Not-Yet. Many scriptures and proscriptive self-help books tell us what a perfect world would look like. But no matter how hard we work for justice, we live in a time far from perfect, and life throws us curve balls that sometimes put us in dread. How do we live in times that are not yet ok, not yet what we want, or not yet what we've worked for? Drawing on Buddhism and other religious contemplatives, this will be a sermon celebrating "keep calm and carry on"!
April 20: Sharon Reilly Passing Through--The Story of the Passenger Pigeon and Our Relationship to Wild Creatures We are all passing through life as individuals and as species. 2014 is the centenary anniversary of the death of Martha, the last surviving Passenger Pigeon. To mark the anniversary of this extraordinary extinction, I will give a presentation on the lessons learned from 100 years of conservation and wildlife management. My presentation will review the history of the Passenger Pigeon and how it became extinct. This will be followed by some reflections on conservation efforts and successes as well as other failures. The Passenger Pigeon is now a symbol of our failure to act soon enough to a wildlife disaster. Are we walking into another wildlife disaster? What are the roles of individual citizens in protecting wildlife? What are some of the lessons learned from this irreversible loss?
April 26 (Saturday): Jerry and Tara Woolpy: Seder Service 6 PM. Please see details below.
Events:
Adult R.E.: Adult RE is on alternate Sundays at 10 AM. Starting on January 19, 2014 we will begin “Conquest of the Americas” taught by Professor Marshall C. Eakin, Vanderbilt University
04-13 The Atlantic Slave Trade Haciendas and Plantations
04-27 American Silver and Spanish Galleons The Sword and the Cross
Seder Service at NUUF: Again this year we are doing a community Passover Service and Seder dinner at the Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship as we have done every other year for the past two decades. As before the service is scripted to include many of the Passover traditions as well as a current perspective. The service is read in paragraphs around the dinner tables and there are songs to be sung, both fun and serious. The menu includes traditional Jewish fare. We hope you will join us at 6 PM, Saturday, April 26, at NUUF. If you care to help with the preparation, let us know and we will provide recipes. If you would like to bring non-perishable food to donate to the local food pantry we will see that it is delivered to them. But the best gift you can provide is to join us for the celebration. Please let us know if you will be coming and how many in your party (by email at jerryw@earlham.edu or phone 715 356 6276). Bring friends, bring neighbors, bring anyone you think may be interested, to a ceremony marked by the expression, “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” There are no charges. The Northwoods Unitarian Fellowship provides this celebration for the community. Jerry & Tara Woolpy
Regional Assembly: It's not too late to sign up to attend the first ever Regional Assembly on Saturday, April 12, in Wausau. Visit http://www.midamericauua.org/events/regional-assembly/wausau for more information or to register.
NUUF Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting for the Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will be held on May 17th at 11:00 am at the Fellowship. A potluck will follow. Please join us for business, fellowship and lunch.
News about Ed Semon: Ed is recovering from a stroke in Oregon, near his family. Cards and well wishes can be sent to:
Ed & Jeanine Semon, c/o Jeff & Betsy Kauffman, 9 Hidalgo St, Lake Oswego, OR 97035-1044
News about Sister Ann Wittman: Sister Ann had her second femoral bypass surgery on her right leg early on March 26. She was expected to be in the hospital overnight.
The NUUF book group will discuss Behind the Kitchen Door, by Saru Jayaraman, on April 24, in the conference room at NUUF at 6:45 p.m. This book is the 2014 multi-generational Common Read selection of U.U.A. and focuses on wages, hours, and working conditions for low-wage workers in restaurants. The study guide can be found at http://www.uua.org/re/multigenerational/read
If you are unable to obtain a copy, contact Rich Uspel, (715) 282-5916.
Nicolet College's Arts Series presents "Love Letters" by A.R. Gurney, May 2-4 & May 8-10. This production is triple-cast. Emily Bodensteiner & Rich Uspel have the stage Sunday, May 4 at 2:00 p.m. and again Friday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. Kay Anderson & Jim Nuttall star Friday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 10, 7:30 p.m.; Kristin Larsen & Al Higgins star Saturday, May 3, 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, May 8, 7:30 p.m.
Service for Ella Toigo: The service to celebrate the life of Ella Toigo will be Friday, July 4. More details to follow.
Volunteer Opportunity: The Pastime Club, an adult day care center for those with memory loss, is looking for volunteers. We are looking for people who can join our active group of volunteers to help make our members’ day memorable. We need volunteers to help out with day to day activities; like kitchen duties, playing games, cards and socializing with our members. We also are looking for musicians, people who would enjoy reading to our members and sharing their hobbies or life experiences. We are open Mondays and Thursdays from 9am to 3pm.There are morning and afternoon time slots. Our current volunteers have stated that time spent at the Pastime Club is very rewarding and fulfilling. If you are interested in volunteering, even if it is once a month, please contact Marilyn Towers, Program Director, at 715-356-3404.
Concert at Woolpy's: Lil Rev returns for another home concert at Tara and Jerry’s, Saturday, April 19, at 7.
If you were here last year, you know Lil Rev is known for his ukulele and harmonica stylings. He is also a seasoned multi-instrumentalist equally adept at old time banjo, flat-pick guitar and blues mandolin. He performs for kids, seniors, veterans, developmentally disabled and anyone who is willing to listen. Rev has over 24 years of music therapy experience, working throughout the Milwaukee community, uplifting, empowering and entertain all. Pete Seeger said, “Listen to this! Lil Rev is great!” And Rabbi Larry Milder added, “Lil Rev is the Jewish Pete Seeger: a voice that just pulls you in, a raconteur, and folksinger in the classic tradition of songs of justice, dignity and Jewish Heritage.
General Assembly: This year's General Assembly will be held in Providence, Rhode Island on June 25-29. For more information or to register, visit http://uua.org/ga/registration/index.shtml. If you are interested in being a delegate, please contact John Viste.
Dinners at Frederick Place: We will be fixing and serving dinners at Frederick Place on April 27, 28, 2014. Please contact Diane Reupert if you can help.
Mardi Gras: Thanks to all who participated at last month's Mardi Gras celebration at Norwood Pines. Through the combined effort of Norwood Pines Supper Club, NUUF, and the St. Francis Project of St. Matthias Episcopal Church, we raised $2,765.00 to support the Lakeland Food Pantry.
Save the Date: NUUF turns 25 in 2014! We're planning a dinner party and celebratory service the weekend of August 23 and 24. More details later. Questions? Contact Elinore, Chair of the Anniversary Committee.
From the President: The NUUF Annual Meeting is scheduled for May 17 at 11:00 am. It will be followed by a potluck. I hope that you all can attend. It should be an interesting meeting. We have a few modest changes to the By-Laws to deal with. And, we need to elect some new board members and committee chairs. Maybe, after the potluck, we will have a “Talking Circle” to talk about the next 25 years of NUUF. What do you think?
About 20 of us met with Denise Tracy in March to talk about the future of the Fellowship. It was a good session and I'd be happy to share the notes of the meeting if you are interested. We have a few issues to work on, but all-in-all people are feeling very positive about our community and its future.
The Mid-America Region is having a conference in four places on April 12, one of which will be Wausau. Barbara Logan will represent the Fellowship. If anyone else would like to attend, we have two more ‘places’ at the event.
A final word to all our friends who fled the cold and snow - "Come back home, all you winter migrants. The snow is going to melt now. It is going to get warm. You have missed an interesting winter. But, you don’t want to miss the spring, the summer, or the fall. We miss you all." John
"Like" us--Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship--on Facebook. We're posting pictures, reminders about upcoming events and more.
Milestones
Tara Reed 04-03
Joyce Barnes 04-08
Steven Cyra 04-13
Trish Kirk 04-13
Joe Strauss 04-14
Jessica Reupert 04-14
Laurie & Nestor Figueroa 04-15
Doris Eberlein 04-16
Tony Dallapiazza 04-19
Aaron Rusak 04-20
Matthew Rusak 04-20
Stephanie Perkins & Gary Pajonk 04-22
Barbara Logan 04-23
Annamarie Beckel 04-28
Xylina Graf 04-30
-
NUUF and NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
P.O. Box 1881
Woodruff, WI 54568-1881
John Viste, President
The NUUSLetter is published monthly. Newsletter Deadline: 27th of the month. Please send submissions to Elinore Sommerfeld at esommerf@aol.com.
For distribution of announcements between newsletters or email/address corrections, contact Candy Sorensen at sorencan@yahoo.com.