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." January 11, 2008 Prairie Fire is the semi-monthly newsletter of Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society. View past issues at www.uuprairie.org. President: Rachel Long, ra_a_l@tds.net; 608-328-4899 Editor: Dan Proud, admin@uuprairie.org; 661–0776 PRAIRIE CALENDAR Saturday, January 12 *9:00 a.m. Wild Outstanding Women meet at the home of Kathy Converse, 630 Pickford St. Sunday, January 13 9:00 a.m. Choir rehearsal *10:00 a.m. “Behind Every Great Man: The Peabody Sisters" presented by Robin Proud *11:45 a.m. Book Club potluck and discussion 11:45 p.m. Prairie Board meeting *7:00 p.m. Meditation group led by Lisa Glueck Wednesday, January 16 6:30 p.m. Midweek Meal @ Prairie *6:30 p.m. Spanish Speakers meet at Kate Tucker's, 4504 Camden Rd. Sunday, January 20 9:00 a.m. Choir rehearsal *10:00 a.m. “Yip Harburg: Lyricist/Poet/Activist” presented by Susan Hagstrom *11:30 a.m. Chili Pledge luncheon and program *7:00 p.m. Meditation group led by Lisa Glueck Monday, January 21 7:00 p.m. Communications Committee Tuesday, January 22 *1:00 p.m. Prairie Elders meet at Oakwood West Wednesday, January 23 6:30 p.m. Midweek Meal @ Prairie Saturday, January 26 *7:00 p.m., Playreaders meet at the Hagstroms' Saturday-Sunday, January 26-27 *Wild Wintering RE event Sunday, January 27 *10:00 a.m. "The Transient and the Permanent Through Generational Eyes" led by Rev. Ralph Tyksinski Sunday, January 27–Sunday, February 3 Interfaith Hospitality Network volunteer week Tuesday, February 12 *7:00 p.m. Building Your Own Theology class Saturday, February 16 *Long Range Planning workshop Tuesday, February 12 *7:00 p.m. Building Your Own Theology class starts at Prairie Sunday, February 24 11:30 a.m. Potluck and Annual Prairie Auction, Orange Schroeder, auctioneer. Saturday, March 15 Fundraising Trip to Chicago Art Institute for Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper exhibits (* = Details follow in this issue.) NEXT INPUT DEADLINE SUNDAY, JANUARY 20 DETAILS OF COMING PROGRAMS Sunday, January 13 We all know the important 19th century figures Horace Mann, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott and William Ellery Channing. But few know of the support and education these great men and others received from Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia Peabody. Denied formal education, the sisters read widely, learned languages and introduced philosophical and social concepts to the men who owed them some part of their success. Robin Proud will introduce us to these fascinating women who were way ahead of their time. Sunday, January 20 The January 20, 2008 service will be about the poetry and lyrics of Yip Harburg, lyricist for the Wizard of Oz, Finian's Rainbow and one of the best union songs around, "Brother, can you spare a dime". Yip (short for Yipsel) Harburg was a unique artist on the Broadway stage and in Hollywood, not even letting either the depression or being blacklisted slow him down. I like his turn of phrase for his chosen work : “Words make you think thoughts. Music makes you feel a feeling. But a song makes you feel a thought." Come and listen to some of his discourse, both in song and in word. Sunday, January 27 Rev. Ralph will be exploring how our generational identity shapes our values, our perceptions of events, and affects the way we choose to define the meanings that connect us to the deepest levels of our experience as we journey through life. Today's generation of iPod users and Internet travelers, Wikipedia wonks, experience their world in vastly different ways from those who spent their teens in the 30's, 40's and 50's (GI generations); or those who are labeled Gen Xer's and spent their teens in the 60's 70's and 80's (the "consumer" generations). Some of the values that will be discussed may be those that will be affecting our conversations that we, as Prairie members, will be having in all-parish meetings on long range planning, the first now scheduled for Saturday, February 16. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION LOOKING FORWARD TO 2008 IN R.E. Classes have resumed for RE and we're off to a great start. Grades 1-3 have been learning about Judaism while the 4-6th grade class has started Christianity. High school students have begun their month-long lessons on Hinduism. This Sunday they will have a speaker talk about her life as a Hindu and on January 20 will visit the Hindu Temple in Pewaukee. January 26-27 is our annual Wild Wintering event. We'll be going to Schwoegler Park Towne Lanes bowling alley on Grand Canyon Drive for some food, fun and of course bowling! If you are interested in being a volunteer or to drive students to the bowling alley and back please let me know. High school students are in the process of forming their own youth social action committee. Interests include the environment, human rights and free Tibet. We will have our first meeting on Sunday, January 27 at 9 a.m. We'd love to have some adult input and welcome anyone to come and help lead discussions and letter writing campaigns. There are many opportunities to get involved in our RE program: teaching, overnights, carpooling and the RE committee, to name a few. To help, contact me at youthcoordinator(at)uuprairie.org or RE chair Karen Deaton at karendeaton(at)tds.net. See you Sunday, Rebecca Malke (YREC) youthcoordinator(at)uuprairie.org JANUARY RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS 13—Baptism of Jesus (Christian) 13, 14—Maghi (Sikh) 17—Blessing of the Animals (Hispanic Christian) 19—Ashura (Islam) 20—World Religion Day (Baha'i) 22—Tu B'shvat (Jewish) 22-25—Mahayana New Year (Buddhist) OUR SOCIETY PRAIRIE STRATEGIC PLANNING TASK FORCE The Prairie Board has approved a plan proposed by the Task Force to facilitate preparation of a Long Range plan to guide Prairie activities over the next 5 years. Here are hoped for outcomes from the process: 1, A clear sense of what the congregation feels are the important needs and opportunities to address both inside and outside the church 2. Ensure the planning is a highly participative and inclusive process consistent with Bond of Union, Prairie Mission, and Covenant of Good Relations. 3. Identify 4-6 priorities that will be the primary focus for the next 5 years and will clearly reflect what the congregation said is important. 4. Create a direction-setting document that is accessible, readable, and used to make key programming, budgeting, staffing, facility, and policy decisions. 5. Delineate specific actions (with clear account- ability) that will be needed to reach our goals. 6. Create an ongoing process to regularly review and update the direction-setting plan. 7. Create a communication strategy to inform and educate all the key church stakeholders (con- gregation, board, professional staff, committees, and others who receive the church’s services). Central to success in preparing the plan is wide participation by Prairie members and friends in three all-congregation workshops that will focus, respectively, on (1) developing vision statements, (2) specifying our ministry needs and objectives to achieve our vision, and (3) identifying our facility needs. The workshops will be facilitated by UUA Central Midwest District consultant Dan Wiseman and will be held on Saturdays about 2 months apart. Please plan to come to these Saturday workshops on February 16, April 5 and May 31. After each workshop the Task Force will post results, ask for more comments, prepare a draft summary, hold a listening session for more comments, and obtain Board input including potential Board actions to implement goals identified. Dan Wiseman has already provided valuable input in preparing the plan and will meet with the Task Force on January 10 for further planning. Dan is a professional facilitator whose business is to aid organizations to prepare strategic plans. I have been particularly impressed by the focus and simplification in his planning materials. Here is the planned schedule of activities: 1st Congregational Planning Session: Sat. Feb. 16 Mission and Vision (with Dan Wiseman) Draft Plan Part 1 distributed for comment late February Congregational Review of Plan Part I Sun. March 9 Board review of Plan Part I Thurs. Mar. 13 Plan Part I distributed, Committees generate mid-March action items to accomplish plan goals 2nd Congregational Planning Session: Sat. April 5 Our Ministry (with Dan Wiseman) Draft Plan Part II distributed for comment mid-April Spring Parish Meeting Sun. May 4 Congregational Review of Plan Part II Sun. May 11 Joint old/new Board Meeting, review of PP II Sun. May 18 3rd Congregational Planning Session: Sat. May 31 Facilities (with Dan Wiseman) Draft Plan Part III distributed for comment early June Congregational Review of Plan Part III Sun. June 15 Board review of Plan Part III Sun. June 22 Plan Part III distributed, Committees early July generate action items to accomplish plan goals Draft of Strategic Plan distributed for mid-August comment, incorporating action items from Committees Fall All-Congregation Retreat Sept. 11-13 Congregational Review of Draft Strategic Sun. Sept. 28 Plan Board Meeting, Final Draft Strategic Plan Sun. October 19 reviewed Final Strategic Plan Draft distributed late October Final Strategic Plan Presented for Sun. Nov. 9 Approval at Fall Parish Meeting Ken Skog, Chair WHERE DO YOU LAND ON THE RELIGION SELECTOR? During the discussion portion of the service on January 6, David Siegfried mentioned taking an online survey that then tells you what religion most closely matches your views. I have done that also, along with my family, and it was a "very" interesting exercise. There are probably several sites that do this, but the following link is the site we used: http://www.selectsmart.com/RELIGION/ Erin Bosch WILD OUTSTANDING WOMEN MEETINGS On two Saturdays, January 12 and February 9, the Wild Outstanding Women of Prairie will discuss 'What brings passion into their lives' from 9 to 11 a.m. at the home of Kathy Converse, 630 Pickford Street. We will continue with our breakfast potlucks so please bring food to share. All Prairie women and friends are welcome. Any questions to Kathy at 238-1856 or Mary Somers at 276-8307. SPANISH SPEAKERS TO MEET JANUARY 16 Spanish Speakers will meet at 6:30 p.m. for potluck and conversation at Kate Tucker's, 4504 Camden Rd. For directions or information, call Kate Tucker at 221-2168 or Rosemary Dorney at 238-4382. BOOK CLUB WINTER SCHEDULE The Prairie Book Club meets after the Sunday service on the specified dates, usually starting about 11:45 a.m. Participants bring food to share. We meet in the “couch room” downstairs. Anyone is welcome, whether you have completed the book or not. For more information, contact Mary Mullen, 298-0843, or mmullen(at)chorus.net. Upcoming Prairie Book Club selections: January 13 —Call It Sleep by Henry Roth is about three years in the life of an immigrant Jewish boy in New York in the early 20th century. Henry Roth wrote this book, then didn’t publish another for 60 years. February 10 —Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma is about the murder of the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and also delves into how Islam treats women (suggested by Donna Murdoch who, I believe, has read the book. Read some background on Van Gogh and a review of the book at http://www.salon.com/books/ review/2006/09/27/buruma/index_np.html. March 9 —Arthur Miller's autobiography, Timebends, will be discussed. PRAIRIE EXTRAVAGANZA ON JANUARY 20 Come to our Prairie Extravaganza with the UU Players and Singers on January 20 following the Sunday service! There will be singing and a play of support for our pledge drive, " Oh Scrooge, Can You Spare Us a Pledge?” All players are UU people and all songs are fun. Support our Prairie Pledge Drive. Learn about our proposed budget while we entertain you! Enjoy home-cooked chili. 11:45 Lunch 12:15–1 p.m. Play with songs and pledge info Play Director, Andy Somers, Music Director, Doleta Chapru. Head Chili cooks, Dirk Herr-Hoyman and Kate Liu Vegetarian and meat options are available. Child care is provided. MEDITATION GROUP MEETS ON SUNDAYS The new meditation group is scheduling sessions on Sundays 7 p.m. in the high school RE room. All are welcome to join us. "Formal" meditation experience is not needed! The time it takes to meditate will probably vary from 30-45 minutes. Some meditations will be led, some will be silent throughout, and some will be led by tape cassette. If you plan to come, think about the position in which you will be sitting or lying. If you will be on the floor, you may wish to bring a pillow, or even an extra layer of clothing. Namaste, Paula Pachciarz PRAIRIE ELDERS RESUMES MEETINGS Prairie Elders Meeting, Tuesday, January 22, 1:00-3:30 p.m. Note time change. We meet at the Nakoma Room in Heritage Oaks at Oakwood Village West. [Oakwood needed part of our former time slot for its own programming.] TOPIC: Topic for January’s round-robin discussion: “Family history stories.” Define this as you wish – a genealogical surprise, a story passed down through your family, a childhood incident, a famous relative, or, if you don’t know your family or would rather not claim them, bring a story about some other interesting clan or just enjoy listening. Time allotted to each person varies according to attendance, typically 3-5 minutes with informal discussion as time permits. Typically, we begin and end our gathering with casual conversation. Participants are welcome to come and go as necessary for appointments, rides, chair attendants, etc. REFRESHMENTS: Please bring a small handful of snacks to pass and your own beverage cup. ABOUT US: Prairie Elders aims to provide good times and mutual support for Prairie UU members and friends over 65. We welcome other UUs who live in the facility where we meet. Newcomers, let us know if you need directions or a ride. For information about the group, please contact Donna Murdoch 238-3802. Rosemary Dorney 238-4382 or Rose Smith 233-3363. PRAIRIE PLAYREADERS WILL GATHER Prairie Playreaders meets on January 26, 7 p.m., at the Hagstrom residence, 916 Shorewood Blvd. RSVP to SusanTanyaAmI(at)aol.com or 238-4970 (Susan) or 238-4382 (Rosemary Dorney). Prairie Playreaders gets together to read plays aloud (the host usually has treats and dessert as well). For this meeting, Rosemary Dorney and I are going to co-host the reading of the play "The Belles Stratagem" by Hannah Cowley. This play will be performed by American Players Theater this coming summer, so fellow playreaders can come and get an advanced reading! (If enough people are interested, I would be willing to organize an outing to the play at APT as well.) Susan Hagstrom MOVIE GROUP WILL MEET JANUARY 31 The Movie Group will meet at Prairie, 7:00 p.m., Thursday, January 31, to view The Remains of the Day. This 1993 Merchant-Ivory production, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, was nominated for eight Oscars. Anthony Hopkins, James Fox, Christopher Reeve, and Emma Thompson take us through nooks and crannies in an upstairs/ downstairs view of a lordly country house in the final days of the British Empire. The film starts at 7:00. Bring snacks to share. ADULT CONTINUING EDUCATION BEGINS IN FEBRUARY Mark your calendars! Prairie is joining with FUS to offer “Building Your Own Theology.” This Discussion Course will be held at Prairie, beginning on Tuesday, February 12, 7:00-9:00 p.m. and continuing on succeeding Tuesdays for eight sessions. The course concludes on April 1. The course will have as co-leaders Nick Schweitzer from FUS and Ralph Tyksinski from Prairie. Nick has been teaching this course at FUS for several years and Ralph has used some of the course materials in programs he has conducted in other settings. “Building Your Own Theology” is not an academic exercise; it has to do with the very stuff of our lives. This course invites you to develop your personal credo: your fundamental religious beliefs, values, and convictions that inform and direct the living of your life. As UUs, we directly or indirectly say to our younger learners: “You are only at the beginning of your journey; religious and spiritual growth is a life-long process.” This course is designed to foster that very search. You will be guided in coming to terms with questions about human nature, ultimate reality, history, ethics, and religious meaning. To register, call Ralph at 608-873-6041, or email him at revralph341(at) yahoo.com. SAVE THE DATE Save the date of Sunday, February 24 for the annual Prairie auction. PRAIRIE VIEWS WILL ALLOW ATTACHMENTS Since its inception in 2002, the email list Prairie Views has not allowed attachments. At that time, this was a sensible policy as there were many problems with email viruses came by way of an attachment. Since then, the world of email has gotten smarter about how to deal with attachments, with better virus and spam protections. The world has also gotten more sophisticated with the use of email attachments, which are used to send pictures and documents by just about every email user. In recognition of this changing environment for email, Prairie Views is going to have attachments enabled on January 26. This change in policy was proposed by Communications and approved at by the Board in December. If you are concerned about receiving attachments on Prairie Views, you should cancel your subscription by sending email to Dirk (hoymand(at)gmail.com) or Dorothy (DorothyK(at)Charter.net). With this change, you will be able to share modest-sized attachments to the Prairie community; for example, a few choice photos of a recent event. Sharing a bit of joy with others is good and it's hoped this will increase our mutual appreciation of each other's participation in the Prairie community. Do be mindful of sending email that will be of general interest to the Prairie community; this is a community resource that is useful if it's used wisely. Dirk Herr-Hoyman REV. RALPH'S RUMINATIONS Prairie members will be gathering on Sunday, January 20, after the morning service to do what members of churches and synagogues do every year. It’s called by various names: pledging, stewardship, tithing, paying your dues, etc. In the mainline Protestant Christian tradition, stewardship activity is often based on Biblical texts. In literature from the United Church of Christ, for example, parishioners are encouraged to “grow in Christ,” or to become “spiritually mature” in their faith. Charitable giving in the Jewish tradition can be expressed differently through the concept of tzedakah, handed down from generation to generation. Translated from the Hebrew, tzedakah means “righteous giving,” in which sharing is not a matter of individual preference, prayer, or reflection but rather a duty and an expectation, a matter of honor and justice. Many Jews believe that not giving would be like failing to provide for their children—an unworthy thought. However one interprets this practice today, one finds in many of the Reform Jewish synagogues a businesslike system that asks members to contribute their dues based on a fair share portion of one’s personal income. The one tradition describes giving as a matter of spiritual growth; the other as a matter of duty and righteousness. Though different, both are religious motivations based on one’s relationship to the holy as it is made manifest in the congregational setting. Both address the question: What kind of people are we, and what kind of people do we wish to become over the course of our lives? It should be noted that denominations such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the Assemblies of God are “high-expectation” or “high-demand” churches that expect members to tithe (give 10 percent of their incomes), usually as a minimum. At the other end of the spectrum are congregations with few if any expectations about giving. This is where you will find a liberal religious denomination like Unitarian Universalists. We encourage members to give but leave it to the individual member(or family unit) to determine the amount. Monetary support is viewed as a matter of private choice. Here is my point in these observations. We, as Unitarian Universalists, need to embrace a broader and more encompassing foundation for our charitable support in 2008 than one based solely on private choice. As a kid growing up I remember those old-fashioned Popsicles, the ones with two wooden sticks. (My favorite flavor was chocolate!) They were made so that kids could break a Popsicle in two and give half to a friend. Eating a whole one by yourself was never as much fun. As children, we were encouraged by our parents and other adults to share. We may not have wanted to; at times we may have been forced to. (I had two older brothers who could be quite persuasive!) But when I was a kid growing up in Chicago, being called “stingy” was a terrible moniker to be tagged with. As adults, few of us would wish to be known as miserly, the grown-up equivalent of being a “stingy” child. I believe that being a generous person is one of life’s great privileges. This is true whether we give money to churches and synagogues, or to colleges, museums, symphony orchestras, or other nonprofit organizations that enrich our lives. Our definition of generosity should also include sharing our time and talents. May I suggest that generosity be considered as one of Prairie’s core values? In his book, Growing a Beloved Community, Tom Owen-Towle writes: “What does it mean to assert that healthy congregations are “holy”? It means we create an environment where minds are stimulated, hearts fortified, souls plumbed, consciences goaded, bodies embraced, and spirits restored. It means that we seek to serve whole human beings, acknowledging that the hallowed is present amid the ordinary and the commonplace.” On January 20, let us consider not only the sustaining ways but also the transformative ways our generosity can continue to create and nurture a healthy congregation, so that we may grow together, for each other, for our children, and for the beloved community that we want to see thriving and vibrant in 2008 and beyond. Glad to be journeying with you, Ralph A LOOK AT OUR LIVES: HOW GREEN IS OUR MEETING HOUSE? [This is the first in a series of monthly guest articles that discusses what Prairie and Prairie members are doing to align our lives with our Mission Statement principles.] Recently several people have asked about Prairie’s status as a “Green Congregation.” Although Prairie has not engaged in a formal process to work for green certification, we have a long-standing commitment to goals of leaving a gentle environmental footprint. The Prairie Meeting House is quite energy efficient. Among the efforts we have undertaken are installing an efficient heating system with dual electronically-controlled boilers; triple-glazed windows in the meeting room and double-glazed windows in the kitchen and restroom wing; foam insulation on exterior walls and a well-insulated attic; fluorescent and LED lighting; and an automated thermostat system. Additional improvements that can be made, however, including upgrading very old fluorescent fixtures to ones with electronic ballasts, replacing rotting single-pane windows in the basement, and replacing the 30-year-old refrigerator. The Housing and Property Committee continues to work for even greater energy efficiency in our meeting house. We can be proud of our long-term attention to being “Green.” Al Nettleton, Housing & Property Committee Chair MEMBERSHIP IN MEMORIAM Rachel Helen McCutchen Siegfried January 10, 1925–January 2, 2008 Our mother, Rachel, loved nature, especially wildflowers. She could be found in the garden any day of spring or summer—-before it got too hot. Maybe she like to cook—she sure was good at it. We ate a lot of vegetables and had to clean our plates, for she was from '30s Oklahoma and nothing went to waste. Her mother taught her to work hard from a young age taking care of the house and her four brothers. She was frugal and smart about things so we learned to be self sufficient. She came of age during the war years, worked in defense plants and met and married Bob Siegfried, a young chemist, in 1946. They had a family of us four kids, Maggie, Jean, John and Dave and she took good care of us all while dad got his degrees and worked at the University. After she and dad divorced, she put a LOT into the newly formed Prairie Unitarian Society and had been active there until just the last couple of years when it became too hard for her to go out. She settled into a career as a professional seam-stress, “Wonder Wopman,” until her retirement. Even so, she still fabricated a steady stream of custom shirts, scarves, quilts, jackets and the like for us kids and our kids, her grandchildren. She also put a lot into the Women's Political Caucus, the Welfare Rights League, League of Women Voters and was always on the Social Action Committee, R.E. Committee or Grounds Committee at the Church. She loved to sing. She was a member of church choirs, Madison Civic Chorus and sang along with the Hit Parade in her youth, no doubt. Later we heard her rich alto filling in the words to old standards on the radio. With her leading the singing, we achieved “Peace through Music” on our family road trips. Our last memories of her are singing Christmas carols with her, and our singing her to her last sleep. DIRECTORY UPDATES Updates to our membership: John and Mary Frantz Mary.Frantz(at)monroe.k12.wi.us Dave and Marcia Johnson colomapines(at)hotmail.com (If your directory omits the Smiths:) Rose and Galen Smith 218 DuRose Terrace, Madison, WI 53705-3323 233-3363 sgsmith2(at)wisc.edu GETTING TO KNOW OUR MEMBERS: JOHN AND MARY FRANTZ John and Mary Frantz are two of our newer members, having joined Prairie just over a year ago at the age of 83. Both are physicians who have long worked at the Monroe Clinic Hospital, although John retired from his practice a couple of years ago. They had children, all girls, two of whom are deceased. The Frantzes became UUs at the UU church in Denver back when their first children were in pre-school. Mary relates that she was attracted to UUism after reading a book by Sophia Lyon Fahs. After Mary finished med school in Colorado, they began working in Monroe and joined the historic Universalist church there. The congregation dwindled and the church closed about ten years later, so the family began attending First Unitarian Society (FUS) in Madison. They attended FUS part-time for a long time before becoming members, but around the time the church made multimillion dollar plans to expand, they looked around for a smaller UU community. Their friend Rachel Long recommended Prairie, and in 2006 they gave us a try. At Prairie they felt comfortable immediately and became members after three visits. Mary recalls that the thing that sealed their decision was the "wonderful" retreat in September at Bethel Horizons. John and Mary do not fit my stereotype of what a physician's life is. Their passions are the outdoors, education, civic service, and gardening. They have hiked, biked, backpacked, camped, kayaked, and climbed mountains all over the world, including trips to Tierra del Fuego, the Boundary Waters, and Alaska. This coming May they are planning a trip to Denali in Alaska, and they continue to hike and bicycle and stay in elder hostels on their travels. A notable period in their family life was a two-year stint with the Peace Corps in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in the 1960s. Three of their five children accompanied them, although Margaret, the eldest of the three, studied in Kabul during that time. They taught in a small medical school started by the Peace Corps, which primarily served the tribal Pushtu people. It was a tremendous learning experience. They and their children were struck by how happy the people there were despite the poverty. They were impressed by the friendliness and closeness of the community. Some of us bid on a wonderful evening of Afghan cuisine and a slide show of their Peace Corps experience hosted by the Frantzes last fall. Mary describes John as always having had "a fertile mind" and as being one "who always liked to spout his ideas." In the mid-80s, as they worked with an architect to design a new home in Monroe, John engineered a solar energy system for the house. He has become a prolific writer in the last few years. He began by contributing articles on medicine, getting published in the local newspaper, the state medical society, and the Milwaukee Journal, and then he branched out into all kinds of science and even into politics and religion. He organized a large number of his articles into a book that he freely shares with Prairie members, and now is busy working on a second book under the general topic of Sustainability. Other current activities include John running for a spot on the County Board (after years on the city council), and Mary serving on the local school board (for the last six years). The Frantzes enjoy circle dinners, Humanist Union meetings, the annual retreat, Sunday services, and getting to know the people at Prairie. Many of us have gotten to know them, and have a lot to learn from such an active and vital couple. Dan Proud PRAIRIE-SPEAK We UUs are prone to use abbreviations and acronyms as much as anyone, but they can be puzzling to our audiences at Here are a few that creep into the pages of the Prairie Fire and into announcements and conversations at Prairie. We welcome suggestions for entries that you would like to add. CMWD = Central Midwest District con = (youth) convention CSS = Congregation Shaarei Shamayim (group who uses our building) FUS = First Unitarian Society (the one designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) GA = General Assembly of our denomination IHN = Interfaith Hospitality Network JRUUC = James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation (east side of Madison) MUUYACM = Madison Unitarian Universalist Young Adult and Campus Ministry (pronounced moo-YAHK-um) NCC = National Council of Churches RE = Religious Education UUA = Unitarian Universalist Association UUSC = Unitarian Universalist Service Committee UU-UNO = Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office UUWF = Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation YRUU = Young Religious Unitarian Universalists 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