Prairie UU Society, 2010 Whenona Drive, Madison WI 53711–4843 (608) 271-8218 admin@uuprairie.com Located off the south frontage road (West Beltline Hwy Rd.) near the Seminole Hwy exit. PRAIRIE FIRE "As the prairie stretches out until it becomes one with the sky, let us reach out to touch and be one with the natural world and with one another." March 23, 2007 Prairie Fire is the semi-monthly newsletter of Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society. View past issues at www.uuprairie.org. President: Mike Briggs, (608) 835–0914 Editor: Dan Proud, admin@uuprairie.org; 661–0776 PRAIRIE CALENDAR Saturday, March 24 9:30 a.m. Left Hand of God Covenant Group meets at home of Susan and Dirk Herr-Hoyman Sunday, March 25 *10:00 a.m. “Molly Ivins on Democracy” presented by Paula Pachciarz and others *11:30 a.m. Bylaws amendment discussion Tuesday, March 27 *2:00 p.m. Prairie Elders meeting, Nakoma Room, Heritage Oaks Building, Oakwood Village West Wednesday, March 28 6:30 p.m. Midweek Meal @ Prairie Sunday, April 1 9:00 a.m. Choir rehearsal *10:00 a.m. “Feelings of the Heart,” presented by the Rev. Ralph Tyksinski *12:00 noon. Humanist Union potluck lunch and program on Naturalism Monday, April 2 7:30 p.m. Hospitality and Membership Committee, at Prairie Wednesday, April 4 6:30 p.m. Midweek Meal @ Prairie 7:00 p.m. Board Meeting Sunday, April 8 9:00 a.m. Choir rehearsal *10:00 a.m. “A Line of Poetry Strays into Memory,” presented by Anne Lundin and Mary Mullen *11:30 a.m. Book club discusses Confessions of an Economic Hit Man Friday-Sunday, April 13-15 Central Midwest District Assembly, with the theme, "Congregations Alive!", Oakbrook, Illinois Wednesday, April 18 6:30 p.m. Midweek Meal @ Prairie 6:30 p.m. Spanish Speakers meet and eat at home of Mary Somers, 4467 Crescent Rd. Sunday, April 22 *11:45 a.m. Parish meeting and potluck (* = Details follow in this issue.) NEXT INPUT DEADLINE SUNDAY, APRIL 1 DETAILS OF COMING PROGRAMS Sunday, March 25 “Molly Ivins on Democracy” (with the Raging Grannies). On Sunday, March 25, Prairie will offer a program on Molly Ivins and her unique expression of "the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process . . ." Though it is tempting to discuss her astute skewering of certain prominent politicians, we will instead focus on how she viewed the responsibilities of citizens, the media, and legislators in a democratic society. Her witty and pointed newspaper columns will provide grist for our discussion, and the Raging Grannies, the Greek chorus of our times, will provide the music. Presented by Paula Pachciarz, Doleta Chapru, Karen Marion, Bob Park, and Deb Szarka. Sunday, April 1 In the presentation, “Feelings of the Heart,” Rev. Ralph will explore some implications of recent research on empathy and its neurological connection to the way humans interact with one another. It's April Fools Day and Palm Sunday in the Christian calendar. It should make for some interesting insights into how we behave in relationships. Sunday, April 8 “A little Madness in the Spring / Is wholesome even for the King.” So wrote Emily Dickinson around 1875. This Easter Sunday, April 8, Anne Lundin and Mary Mullen will lead a program of “poetic madness” to celebrate National Poetry Month. We hope you have some spring poems to share. They need not be the “sweetness and light” type of spring poem. In fact, expect a dialogue between the image of spring as a time of lovely awakening and spring as the cold, rainy, and even depressing time of year. Of course spring is also a metaphor. Or spring may be just incidental to a poem that references the season. If you have a favorite poem related to spring, please contact Mary at mmullen(at)chorus.net or 298-0843, so your poem can be put into the mix. A spring poem committed to memory that you could recite would be especially welcome. Meanwhile, ponder on these words from Robert Frost’s poem which begins, “Nature’s first green is gold,” and ends, “Nothing gold can stay.” OUR SOCIETY PARISH MEETING APRIL 22 Prairie’s spring parish meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 22. We’ll begin the meeting at 11:45 a.m. Bring a dish to pass for a potluck lunch. The agenda includes the election of officers for 2007-2008, consideration of several changes to our bylaws, a discussion of Prairie’s plans for building a new meeting house, and reports from committees and officers. If there is anything else you would like to have on the agenda, let me know. In this issue of Prairie Fire you’ll find background pieces on the proposed bylaw changes and planning for a new meeting house. Please do your best to read these before the meeting so that our deliberations can be kept as short as possible. Call or email me with questions or concerns. On March 25, after service, there’ll be a working session on the proposed bylaw changes. If you have questions or concerns, please bring them to the working session so we can get closer to consensus at the parish meeting. Peace, Mike Briggs President [For a related article, see page 7.] BUILDING A NEW MEETING HOUSE One of the important decisions we’ll make at our parish meeting on Sunday, April 22 will be whether to proceed with taking the next steps toward building a new meeting house on our land at Fitchburg Center. When Prairie bought a 1 3/4-acre parcel there about 18 months ago, we agreed with the sellers that if we don’t plan to begin construction within two years of the purchase date they have the right to buy back the land, paying us what we paid for the land plus three per cent a year. Bill Dalrymple, who is our contact at Fitchburg Center, has said recently that they will exercise that right next fall, if by this spring we haven’t actively started to raise money and take other steps toward building. Our architect, Bob Shipley, has given us new building plans that should enable us to construct a building more than 150 per cent of the size of our present building for $750,000. Based on a spreadsheet prepared by Ken Skog (thanks, Ken!), we should be able to afford that without bankrupting ourselves and without taking on a huge debt. If we can relocate as planned, our regular operations will be fully funded and we’ll be able to afford a half-time professional minister. Copies of the architect’s sketches and his proposed budget, plus a copy of Ken’s numbers, will be on the welcome table for your review over the next few weeks. Some of our newer members (and some of our older members) might appreciate some background. This short history of Prairie’s growth planning over the last few years is based on material prepared by Mary Mullen last year (thanks, Mary!). Since August 2001, Prairie UU Society has been working toward two goals: obtaining a part-time minister and growing our membership. The first goal has been partially met. Last year we were served by Jody Whelden as our quarter-time consulting minister. On October 22, 2006, we voted to have Ralph Tyksinski as our quarter-time consulting minister. (Ralph is actually working half-time, donating a quarter of his time to us to meet his credentialing requirements.) Prairie’s long-range plans foresee up to 200-250 adult members and a youth religious education program of at least 70 children ranging from infants through high school. In April 2003, the Parish passed a resolution stating a goal to move to a larger space by April 2008. The resolution indicated that a larger space was needed to “…provide more and better space to meet our growth needs, because it is not feasible to meet those needs in Prairie’s present building.” Progress toward relocation During 2003 the Long Range Planning Committee identified and evaluated 11 properties/buildings to determine if they could be suitable for us. This included property in the Fitchburg Center. In a March 2004 resolution, the Parish voted to form a committee to work with Fitchburg Center and an architect to prepare concept drawings (requested by Fitchburg Center), and negotiate an agreement to purchase land for the Parish to consider. In July 2004 that committee interviewed four architectural firms and chose BWZ Architects of Middleton, Wisconsin, to prepare the conceptual drawings. When some limitations were discovered with the original location at the Fitchburg Center, the committee determined that a different site, adjacent to Eagle School, would serve us better. Based on ideas solicited from Prairie committees, BWZ developed a program statement and presented three conceptual designs to the committee in late autumn 2004. Prairie members provided feedback throughout. On April 10, 2005, the parish approved a resolution to offer to purchase the land adjacent to Eagle School as a site for a new meeting house. The land was bought for $300,000, with approximately $90,000 in funds from Prairie’s CDs and long term loans from Prairie members and friends, on the condition that the congregation break ground on the new church building within two years, because Fitchburg Center does not want its land sitting idle. Since then, there have been a number of listening sessions held with the congregation and with the RE leadership, including a very well-attended session at the retreat in September 2006. Where We Stand Now Early in 2006, the congregation reviewed a revised conceptual design and BWZ produced drawings and a model to help with fundraising. Recently, the building’s size has been scaled down to reduce our construction budget. The planned new meeting house at Fitchburg is now 6,980 square feet, with a construction budget of $750,000 for site preparation, parking and the building (including fees and contingencies). The new building will include several features that Prairie badly needs right now: an office for the minister, a multi-purpose room for small meetings, a larger room for the RE monthly meetings of the whole and for other gatherings, and an upgrade of all RE classrooms, which will be dry, above ground with adequate windows. The meeting room will be big enough to accommodate memorial services and other groups larger than attend our normal Sunday services. Our funding goal is ambitious, but so is our desire to grow into a larger, even more vibrant congregation. Here is how we could meet our needs for financing the new building: Selling our current building should generate $375,000, assuming that the property would sell for $450,000 and that we’d have to pay off a mortgage of $75,000. We have preliminary pledges totaling $164,000. Adding that to the expected proceeds from selling 2010 Whenona Drive, we’ll have $539,000. If we can raise another $205,000 in pledges from members and friends, we’ll need a mortgage of $103,643. Based on the numbers in Ken’s spreadsheet, that is feasible. We could handle it with just a few more pledging members than we now have. The annual payment on the mortgage would be $9,126 for a 30-year loan at 8 per cent interest. Of course, if we can raise more money from pledges, we could reduce the mortgage or make the building a little bigger again. A decision to continue with building plans at the parish meeting will be the springboard for the official launching of Prairie’s capital fund-raising campaign and, at the appropriate time, putting Prairie’s present building on the market. Later will come a parish decision as to whether to accept any offer made on Prairie’s present building, and a decision by a bank to offer an acceptable mortgage on the new building. Unity in Diversity The board represents a diversity of opinion as to whether Prairie should proceed with plans for building at this time. There probably won’t be a unanimous recommendation from the board at the parish meeting on April 22. However, on that day we do need as a congregation to make a decision on relocation. Different points of view will probably be expressed by board members and others, and whatever decision we reach-–planning to relocate, or staying where we are-–will certainly not be by a 100% to 0% majority. Whatever decision we reach, I do hope as your president that we will reach it in a spirit of respect and concern for each other, and that in a spirit of community we will unite to make the decision a reality for Prairie’s future. Feel free to contact me or any other board member with questions or comments. Peace, Mike Briggs uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu simple ways to help your congregation grow Developed by Art Brewer, First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto bring someone to a sunday service talk with someone you don't know during coffee hour wear your name tag every sunday tell a return visitor that you're glad they came back uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu UPCOMING BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS The Prairie Book Club meets monthly after the Sunday service at Prairie. Bring food to share. Anyone who has read the book or simply wants to listen to the discussion is welcome to attend. Remember that there’s a link to the poster of our book club selections on Prairie’s Web site. See http://uuprairie.org/NovDecBooks.htm or find the page through the Prairie calendar entries for book club meeting. Prices are those current at http://amazon.com as of November 18, 2006. Sunday, April 8. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. Non-fiction, “a former respected member of the international banking community describes how as a highly paid professional, he helped the U.S. cheat poor countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then take over their economies.” (Democracy Now) 320 pages, $6.44 & up. See http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins/dp/ 0452287081/sr=1-1/qid=1163862031/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2391547-8734245?ie= UTF8&s=books HUMANIST UNION TO DISCUSS NATURALISM At the next Humanist Union meeting on Sunday, April 1, the topic will be "Naturalism, a Science-based Alternative to Faith-based Religions," led by Galen Smith. This will be followed with a related program on Sunday, May 6, at which Randy Converse will present ideas from a 90-page monograph by his brother, Steven, "Free Enough: Doing What Comes Naturally," which has been published on the Web at http://naturalism.org/. On both occasions we will start with a potluck lunch at noon, with the presentation and discussion running from about 12:20 to 1:30 p.m. Details are available at http://humanist.madisonwi.us/events.htm. PRAIRIE ELDERS MEET TUESDAY, MARCH 27 2:00-3:50 PM, NAKOMA ROOM, Heritage Oaks Building, Oakwood Village West. The room is open at 1:30 for those who wish to come early for casual conversation. After 2:00 we introduce newcomers and share personal information. The meeting lasts until around 3:40. Participants are welcome to come and go as necessary for appointments, rides, etc. TOPIC: UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND STORIES. We use a round-robin format. REFRESHMENTS: Please bring snacks to pass, if convenient. Hot and cold beverages are furnished. NOTE: Bring your own cup if you can. DIRECTIONS: Oakwood Village West is in the 6100 block of Mineral Point Road, several blocks west of Whitney Way. Follow the main entrance road veering left and up the hill. Heritage Oaks is the new building on the right. Its visitor parking entrance is directly across from Oakwood’s one-story Resale Shop. The parking lot’s automatic door is to the right of two yellow posts and marked by a yellow arrow on the driveway. Drive in and find a spot near the clearly marked elevator shaft. The Nakoma Room is on the first floor. From the elevator go to the right and past the mail boxes. Turn left by the reception desk. A few handicapped stalls are farther up the hill in front of Heritage Oak’s main entrance. Inside, turn right Immediately past the receptionist’s desk. For directions, rides, parking and further information, contact Donna Murdoch 238-3802, Rosemary Dorney 238-4382 or Rose Smith 233-3363. REV. RALPH'S RUMINATIONS We are beginning to observe the many signs of Spring, signs of birthing and rebirthing in our south central Wisconsin communities. As this process inexorably takes place I’m reminded of the words of Rev. Jane Rzepka, minister of the Church of the Larger Fellowship: “In this, the season of steady rebirth, we awaken to the power so abundant, so holy, that returns each year through earth and sky.” In our observations we may be considering the marks of health that our various communities are showing from the effects of our days of wintering. How about the signs of health for our Prairie UU Society community? May I suggest that one could consider some of the following remarks outlined by Dr. Peter L. Steinke at last year’s General Assembly in St. Louis for this kind of exploration. How do the following characteristics of a healthy congregation apply to Prairie? • Healthy congregations focus on mission. Does Prairie UU Society use its mission statement to organize its activities? A good mission statement, Steinke noted, is no longer than a sentence, with no more than one comma, "can be understood by a 12-year-old and can be repeated at gunpoint." Mission helps mobilize the energy of the community; if the congregation isn't focused on mission, it will focus on its past, its budget, problems or something else. • Healthy congregations focus on challenge. What are Prairie UU Society’s most pressing challenges? Most congregations, Steinke pointed out, go under-challenged, but are like people who feel better when they exercise. Congregations sometimes need to create small challenges, and meet them with successes and good outcomes. • Healthy congregations focus on strengths. Congregations need to stop trying to recover old strengths they no longer have, but to focus on those they do have. This means building up options; feeling trapped without options builds anxiety. • Healthy congregations manage conflict. It is almost impossible, Steinke said, to change without crisis. In one study Steinke cited, those congregations that were able to change had strong pastoral leadership, laity with a high level of education and/or a willingness to learn, and were willing to bear conflict. Where change did not occur, there was always an aversion to conflict. Healthy leaders, he added, have a greater toleration of pain in themselves and others. • Healthy congregations see clarity. These congregations have clear boundaries, have defined what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior, and are willing to confront if needed. As we move forward in the coming weeks and months it may be of help to keep in mind these signs of healthy maintenance for a more robust and wholesome Prairie UU Society. Sharing in the Journey, Rev. Ralph I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW AM FOUND It's the time of year again when hats, scarves, gloves, and even coats get left behind at Prairie. By the time we get ready to leave from church, it sure does seem like a nice day, doesn't it? April 15—Tax Day—is the day when owners get their last chance to reunite with those castoff clothes. We've got a really nice black leather coat. Come and get it. CALL FOR DELEGATES You can represent Prairie UU Society and join the larger UU community at the District and National Assemblies. Delegates will vote at business meetings, as well as attend educational sessions and network with other UU's. The Central Midwest Assembly, with the theme "Congregations Alive!" will be April 13-15 in Oak Brook, Illinois. General Assembly will take place June 20-24 in Portland, Oregon. If you are interested in attending either of these events, please contact Nancy Schraufnagel, Denominational Affairs Committee, at 273-3195 or schraufnancy (at) hotmail.com. Delegates must be appointed by the Board, but any UU is welcome to attend these conferences. JESUS CAMP MOVIE BRINGS UW STUDENTS TO PRAIRIE On March 15 the Humanist Union sponsored a public showing of the movie "Jesus Camp," which follows a group of young children to a Pentecostal "Kids on Fire" summer camp, showing them learning to become dedicated Christian soldiers in God's army as it aims to "take back America for Christ". The documentary, which was nominated for an Academy Award, is a "first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future". Thanks to Christopher Hallquist of Atheists, Humanists & Agnostics at UW-Madison, the crowd of 20 viewers included 8 UW students. Among the students were 3 from Campus Crusade for Christ. The movie was followed by a stimulating and cordial discussion which left participants feeling very positive about the potential for dialog among people with quite different religious perspectives. SPANISH SPEAKERS WILL MEET Spanish Speakers will meet on Wednesday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. for potluck and conversation. The meeting will be at the home of Mary Somers, 4467 Crescent Rd, phone 276-8397. For questions or rides, call Rosemary Dorney at 238-4382. ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER AVAILABLE EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) is here! No more searching for a pen during the offertory or trying to remember when you paid your pledge and how much. Your pledge will be automatically paid from your checking or savings account. It takes 1-2 weeks to get this set up. Forms will be available in the lobby or can be sent to you. Please return them to Robin Proud (661-0776), and see Robin with any questions. CHANGES TO PRAIRIE’S BYLAWS At our parish meeting on April 22, we’ll consider a number of changes to the bylaws. Your board will recommend that the bylaws be changed to:   1.    Provide for a system of electing Prairie’s president that would involve a member serving as president-elect for one year, as president for one year, and as past president for one year.  This could be modified if someone wishes to serve as president for two years.  The position of vice-president would be abolished.  This change is to provide better continuity of leadership for Prairie. 2.    Change the definitions of a member and of the membership committee to bring them up to date and reflect current practice. 3.    Change the descriptions of professional and lay ministry to bring them up to date and reflect current practice. 4.    Provide for a youth member of the board for more engagement by our younger members. The texts of the proposed bylaw changes will be made available on the welcome table on Sunday mornings for members to review, and will be included in the Prairie Fire. On Sunday, March 25, there will be an informal review session for members to suggest wording changes ahead of the parish meeting, in the hope that on April 22 we can proceed to vote on the bylaw changes without taking up a lot of time tweaking their wording. Peace, Mike Briggs, President PRAIRIE WEB SITES Society Home Page: http://uuprairie.org/ News Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/prairienews/ Views: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/prairieviews/ Social Action: http://socialaction.madisonwi.us Humanist Union: http://humanist.madisonwi.us RELIGIOUS EDUCATION SPRING IS HERE! It's amazing how much your mood will change once spring has arrived. All winter long you're cooped up in your home staring at the snow and then suddenly the sun's warmth beats down on you and brightens up your day. As a child I always enjoyed this time of year because the snow melted and I could go around my parent's yard collecting all the toys that had been buried under the snow. Unfortunately, in our neighborhood there are not so much toys on the ground as there is garbage. March 25th will be another service Sunday for our RE students. Weather permitting we will be doing some "spring cleaning" around the neighborhood and then going to the park. If the weather is bad we will stay inside and clean up the RE space. I am in need of some volunteers to supervise the clean up. If interested please let me know ASAP. RE students' hard work will be rewarded next month with our annual overnight event: Spring Fling. Students and their guests will come to Prairie Saturday evening for fun at the park, food and indoor games. In the evening there will be movies and of course, a lively game of Wink! Permission slips and fliers will be out soon. It doesn't take warm weather to get our RE students out and about. Even in the snow they're furthering their education. On March 2nd-4th our high school students went to this year's Spring CON held in Kirkwood, MO. Mei-Lien Converse, Toby Wacker and Reuben and Madeline Arnold took the 6-hour trip to enjoy a weekend of educational fun. I would like to thank Carl Wacker for volunteering to be their advisor and brave the snow to take our youth to the conference. Many thanks Carl! Please let me know if you would like to volunteer for any of our RE events. Our program is free and our daycare is free, all we ask for is some help from time to time. I often see the same parents and church members volunteering their valuable time. We are always looking for some fresh faces to help educate and supervise our youth. Come on out and play I guarantee you'll have a great time! Rebecca Malke (YREC) youthcoordinator@uuprairie.org 2007 UUSC HOLIDAY CARD CONTEST Creative UUs of all ages are invited to submit original designs for 2007 UUSC holiday cards. Each year, UUSC holiday card sales help support our worldwide work for human rights. One of these cards could be designed by you! Create an original design that reflects the joy of the holidays, and justice, equity, and compassion. Please visit www.uusc.org/ia/ holiday_cards/2006/contest2007.html for submission guidelines and to the 2006 award-winning card. Submissions must be received by April 27, 2007. Mail submissions to UUSC Holiday Card Contest, 130 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 or use E-mail: volunteerservices@uusc.org UNITARIAN-UNIVERSALIST NEWS WILLIAM SINKFORD'S OPEN LETTER TO CONGRESS To Members of the United States Congress: The United States has spent at least $400 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The astronomical cost of these operations is exceeded only by the staggering human toll, and both counts are far beyond what any of us could have imagined when we invaded Iraq in the spring of 2003. Now, four years later, the administration is asking you to approve $100 billion to prolong this disastrous conflict and to return exhausted soldiers to a dangerous and embittered land. While this money would allow our nation to send more brave citizens into harm's way, it would do little to guarantee that they will be fully trained and equipped, or that our wounded veterans will receive adequate medical treatment once they return home. And the increased funding does nothing to ensure a speedy end to the carnage in Iraq. We have already failed our troops in so many tragic ways. The best way to support them now is to bring them home and to ensure that they and their families are given all of the respect, compensation, and care they deserve. Rather than a surge of troops, we American taxpayers deserve a surge of truth. Because citizens of all faiths and political persuasions are being asked to pay to prolong the violence, it is our moral obligation to reckon the true cost of the war before we agree to continue it. To give a true reckoning, we must honestly confront what we have done in Iraq, and we also must acknowledge the many vital needs we have left unfunded because we chose to put our money toward war. Until we can adequately prepare and protect our troops, until we can provide them with premium medical services when they return home, and until we can guarantee a speedy and just end to the Iraq conflict, I urge you not to spend another American dollar on this war. I hope you will take a moment to review the enclosed balance sheet. These concerns are neither Republican nor Democratic. They transcend partisan differences. They are moral concerns that affect all of us. William Sinkford President, Unitarian Universalist Association UU CHURCHES HOST VACATION TRIPS April 13–15 D.C. Annual Cherry Blossom Festival: www.cedarlane.org/cbfestival.pdf June 24–July 3 Northcentral Alaska: www.wuurld.org July 3–12 Southeast Alaska: www.wuurld.org July 15–17 Niagara Falls: http://www.uunex.net/ or (716) 791-4453 July 16–30 Alaska: www.wuurld.org UU CAMP LAFORET IN CARBONDALE, COLORADO JULY 29–AUGUST 4, 2007 Did you ever think about going to a UU summer camp or spending a week in Colorado during the summer? Why not combine the two and come to Camp LaForet in Carbondale, Colorado? Located at the foot of Mt. Sopris between the hot springs in Glenwood Springs and the music festival in Aspen, Camp LaForet has activities for all: workshops and support groups for adults, a children’s program led by experts, and a special haven for teens and young adults. Workshops may include music, massage, yoga, poetry, drama, mindfulness, nutrition, dance, meditation, and more. Afternoons are free for hiking, rafting, trips to surrounding areas, massage, games, and the gifts you bring to share. Evenings feature such activities as Dances of Universal Peace, talent night, and the Friday Night Party. Of course, there will be plenty of time to see old and new friends and just hang out, too. Come join in the fun! We’ll be celebrating Camp LaForet’s 50th anniversary in 2008! Please explore our website for more information or to register: www.CAMPLAFORET.COM OTHER NEWS MARTIN MARTY, DIANA ECK ON RELIGIOUS PLURALISM APRIL 12-13 The Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions delights to announce lectures by two of the foremost scholars of religious pluralism in the United States, Martin Marty and Diana Eck. The lectures are FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Both lectures will take place in 1100 Grainger Hall, 975 University Avenue, Madison. For further information, go to: http://lisar.lss.wisc.edu/events/pluralism.html, or contact the Institute at 608 263-1821. Thursday, April 12, 2007, 8:00 PM - Martin Marty, Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus, at the University of Chicago: "Why We Can't All Just Get Along: And Why Getting Along Alone Is Not Enough." Friday, April 13, 2007, 8:00 PM - Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Member of the Faculty of Divinity; Director, Pluralism Project, Harvard University: "Explaining American Religious Pluralism". NONVIOLENCE TRAINING WITH MARSHALL ROSENBERG MAY 1-2 Marshall Rosenberg is coming to Madison for two days of training in nonviolent communication on May 1 and 2. There will also be a free talk on Monday night, April 30, at the Memorial Union (UW-Madison Campus), Langdon St., Madison, as part of the UW's Distinguished Lecture Series. Marshall is an international peacemaker, author and founder of the Center for Nonviolent Communication. He wrote the seminal work "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life" and has conducted NVC trainings around the world. For more information about NVC, check out the Center's Web site at www.cnvc.org. During the workshop participants will learn about the four-step process of compassionate communication. Participants will present their own personal communication challenges. Dr. Rosenberg will assist participants in using the NVC model to facilitate resolution of conflicts where all parties get their needs met. Multiple day attendance both enriches and reinforces learning. The workshop will take place at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison, Tuesday and Wednesday, May 1-2, from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day. Lunch and parking are included. The two-day fee is $179; single-day fee is $119. There will be a discount for students, and a limited number of scholarships are available. For more information and to register online go to www.regonline.com/speakpeace. This event is being sponsored by the UW-Extension and co-sponsored by the Madison Buddhist Peace Fellowship. SPEAKING PEACE IN A WORLD OF CONFLICT Conversational Judo with a Heart Connection Two days of interactive training in nonviolent communication will be led by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, Tuesday and Wednesday, May 2 and 3, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Alliant Energy Center.  The cost is $179 for two days, $119 for one day, or $20 a day for students. Dr. Rosenberg is an international peacemaker, teaching in war zones, prisons, business and family-oriented settings. With a teaching style both intimate and powerful, Rosenberg shares easy-to-grasp and effective methods to get to the root of violence and conflict. This participatory training offers opportunities to interact and practice Nonviolent Communication (NVC) concepts both as individuals and in small groups. Bring your toughest, most intractable situation and see how NVC works. NVC builds skills that improve the quality of relationships and deepen personal empowerment. Learning these skills can help you to: Get to the heart of conflict and disputes Transform criticism and blame into compassionate connection Motivate using "power-with" rather than "power-over" strategies Hear the needs behind whatever anyone does or says Identify solutions that are satisfying to everyone Resolve conflicts peacefully Prevent future pain and misunderstanding Register online: www.regonline.com/speakpeace Questions?  Call 608-263-5130 or email:   dnolden@dcs.wisc.edu Dept. of Professional Development & Applied Studies, UW-Madison, Division of Continuing Studies in collaboration with The Dane County Timebank and Madison Buddhist Peace Fellowship The scope of relief needed was broad and the institutional hurdles huge.