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Our
Society
WOW
to Meet May 1st
Prairie's
Women's group, also known as WOW, meets monthly for breakfast potluck
and conversation and an occasional project. We will meet next on
Saturday, May 1st, at 9:00 am, and are planning to do a ribbon
weaving project. Please bring a dish to pass and a small donation to
help cover the cost of supplies for the project, and enjoy the great
food and conversation.
Prairie
Elders meetings
Prairie
Elders is a group of over-65 Prairie members who meet once a month
(generally on the 4th Tuesday of the month) at Oakwood, in the Nakoma
room, for conversation and mutual support. New members are always
welcome. Topics alternate between general interest and more personal
items. For April 27th the
topic is
"Something you always wanted to know but were
afraid to ask." Afraid of feeling stupid? Topic too grand? No
way. Such a topic spurs fascinating discussions in our loquacious
bunch. For the May meeting, on the 25th, the topic is "Housing
Transitions." When, why and where do we choose to move if we can
no longer stay alone in our home? What are good outside sources of
information and advice? When do alternatives to moving make sense?
Some of us have
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3
made
transitions, some are pondering them and others have current or
prospective help at home. Let’s share what we know.
All
meetings begin with informal conversation at 1:30 pm, followed by
discussion beginning at 2:00 pm. If possible, please bring some
snacks to share and your own beverage cup. For more information about
the group or to arrange a ride, please call one of the following:
Donna Murdoch 238-3802, Gordon Cunningham 230-3367, Rosemary Dorney
238-4382 or Rose Smith 233-3363.
Your
Pledge.... "A Drop in the Bucket?"
I
recently read a meditation by Rev. Gordon McKeeman in one of the
Skinner House meditation series titled "A Drop in the Bucket"
that reminded me of our pledge process. He says that when trying to
accomplish significant things in life we can feel like our
contribution to anything that is important - fighting racism, social
injustice, environmental degradation, overpopulation- is just a drop
in the bucket. This feeling can prevent us from acting at all. What
is is the use? But he reminds that we are not asked to fill the
bucket - especially all alone.
"It might even be wise to remember that your drop may be one of
the last ones needed. (Why is it that our image is of the first drop
in the bucket?)"
Clearly a pledge process is like that.
We might feel that our small contribution is just that - too small
and insignificant to make any real difference. Not
So.
Every contribution makes a difference. We all support our Prairie
community with our time, our love, our ideas, our music, our care of
one another. None of us question that those contributions make a
difference. Pledging is the same. Each pledge gift becomes a part of
the whole. We are all strengthened by each individual
contribution.
Thanks to all of you who have already pledged.
It is deeply appreciated and helps our vibrant community continue and
thrive. I look forward to hearing from those of you who have put off
filling out your forms. If you have misplaced it, just e-mail me or
Kate. It's that easy!
Thank you all for your ongoing support
of Prairie - with heart, time, and -yes- with contributions.
Barbara
Park, Finance Chair
Looking
Ahead: Prairie Fall Family Retreat!
Please
set aside the weekend of September 17-19 for the annual Prairie
family retreat at Pine Lake Camp in Westfield, Wisconsin. It is
located in a beautiful, wooded area about an hour and a half drive
north of Madison. Facilities include a volleyball court, a baseball
diamond and a basketball court. There is also a picnic area with a
fire pit. At the lake itself there are canoes, rowboats and paddle
boats, as well as fishing. One cabin is set up to accommodate crafts.
There are many rooms available for meetings and workshops. Since it
will be earlier in the fall than last year, we should be able to take
advantage of some of these outdoor facilities.
Once
again, Phyllis Long will be serving as Program Coordinator. If you
are interested in offering a program, please let her know. It would
be helpful, if you want to offer a program, to let her know when you
will arrive at Pine Lake and how long you plan to stay. We will also
need people who would be willing to devote an hour or so to child
care, as we expect some babies and toddlers. You can contact her by
email plong373 (at) gmail.com, or call 608-325-7397. Of course, you
can also let her know Sunday morning!
This
year there will be an additional, lower-cost option available for
accommodations. We are taking advantage of the Birch Cabins, which
are bunk-house style. If you'd like to see the cabins (and the rest
of the camp), you can visit their website at
http://www.pinelakecamp.org/birchcabins.html.
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Another
new event we are planning this year is that we will all cook dinner
together at the Oakwood Center on the Saturday night of the retreat.
Plans are underway for a fabulous spaghetti dinner with sauces to
accommodate the full range of eaters, from vegans to carnivores.
Maybe we'll even be able to include some veggies from Prairie's
garden plot!
If
you have any questions about the retreat, please contact Phyllis or
Kate Liu (Prairie's administrator.) Registration for the retreat will
begin in August, which will come up sooner than we think!
Phyllis
Long, Retreat Program Coordinator
Kate
Liu, Prairie Administrator admin (at) uuprairie.org
Long
Range Planning Q & A with Speaker Andrew Kerr of Sauk City UU
In
connection with Prairie's year-long exploration of
ministry/ministerial relationships, the Long-Range Planning Committee
invites you to a brief Q&A session with Andrew Kerr of the Free
Congregation of Sauk County directly after his service presentation
on Sunday, May 2. To meet the ministry and logistical needs of the
congregation, the Free Congregation of Sauk County engages a Speaker
(Mr. Kerr), who is responsible for two services per month, and an
Administrator. Mr. Kerr will remark on the roles of Speaker and
Administrator, and how the congregation arrived at this arrangement.
Mr. Kerr has served as part-time Speaker since May, 2008; prior to
this, he completed 8 years of doctoral studies in Religion and
Philosophy at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. More
information
on his background is available at
http://www.freecongregation.org/about-us/staff/andrew-kerr/.
Information about the Free Congregation's current Administrator,
Michael Whaley, is available at
http://www.freecongregation.org/about-us/staff/michael-whaley/.
The Q&A session will occur immediately after the service and
conclude at 11:45 am.
Robyn
Perrin
Long
Range Planning Chair
Humanist
Union News
On
May 2nd we will meet with Andrew Kerr, Speaker of the Free
Congregation of Sauk County, and have a chance to find out how he
combines the outlook of a secular humanist with a naturalistic
theism. We
start with a potluck lunch upstairs at noon followed by program and
discussion. All with an interest in humanism are welcome to join us.
Parish
Meeting Sunday, 5/16/10
 Come
one and all! Our annual spring Parish Meeting promises to be
action-packed as usual. Below is the tentative agenda:
1. Approval of minutes of
previous Parish
Meetings
2. Update on Strategic Plan
3. Results of Ministerial
Planning Workshops
4. Questions on Committee, Task
Force,
Minister, and Officer’s Reports
5. Approval of Proposed 2010-11
Budget
6. Proposed Bylaws Change
7. Election of Officers
8. Gratitude for Service
9. Brief Announcements
The
Parish Meeting will follow the Transitions Service, and we hope most
of our families will be able to stay for the meeting. We will have a
youth RE party during the meeting, and hopefully a few of you can
volunteer to play with our youth instead of attending. Watch for
details and reports coming to you by email and printed out ahead of
time. See you there!
Rachel
Long, President, Prairie UU Society
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Social
Action Notes
The
Prairie Social Action committee will
begin collecting white socks for migrants in Arizona. The UU Church of
Tucson's ministry of No More Deaths gives medical aid to migrants found
in the desert or deported to an aid station in Mexico. A frequent
medical care given to migrants is to dress blistered and bleeding feet.
The UU Church of Tucson will be receiving the Bennet award at General
Assembly this June in Minneapolis for their work, and this is a small
but important way Prairie can support our larger UU social justice
ministries. Mary Somers and Nancy Graham will be able to take the socks
to Tucson in the fall when they return. There will be a basket in the
lobby of Prairie for members to leave socks.
Mary
Somers
Social
Action Chair
Rev.
Ralph's Ruminations
Dear
Prairie Members and Friends;
It’s
Springtime and the daytime temperatures have gone from Winter brisk 
to Summer heat! Living in South Central Wisconsin conditions us to
deal with the kinds of changes that our weather brings that can
challenge our sensibilities. We have little to control the way our
weather changes. However, this is not the case for the way we deal
with change in our congregational life. I have found the following
piece to be helpful and meaningful in providing a
“framework”
for understanding the social and interpersonal dynamics of
congregational life. It is especially insightful about the way a
congregation faces “transitions” and how
individuals
bring their internal needs, desires and expectations to deal with
“big” changes. I hope you will find some of the
insights
that Ken Brown makes applicable to making Prairie a healthier
congregation.
Change
in Small Congregations
by
Rev. Dr. Ken Brown, District Executive for the Pacific Southwest
District
Change
is always difficult, yet it happens every day in our lives in small
and big ways. It is also is a regular component of congregational
life. When a visitor shows up on a Sunday, the dynamics in a
congregation have changed, particularly if the newcomer stays. We all
need to be aware of the small changes, but the leadership needs to
plan for the bigger changes, like finding a new meeting space,
calling the first minister, changing the time of the worship service.
In small congregations the impact of such change can be more
immediate and problematic. Thus it is vitally important for the
leadership of small congregations to plan for such change. Having a
clear shared mission on which the congregation can build change is
the beginning. Any change of import must be based on a plan that
helps fulfill the congregation’s mission.
William
Bridges suggests, in his book Managing
Transitions, that it is
not the change that impacts organizations like congregations, it is
the transition. Once the plan for a change becomes clear to those in
charge of the planning, the leaders need to plan for the transition.
Too often the leaders of any change try to push or pull people into
the change without allowing for the transition that people must go
through.
Bridges
states that change is external, representing the different practice,
structure, or policy that a congregation faces. The transition is
internal; it is what impacts people; it is the psychological
reorientation that people go through that leads to the change. There
are three different processes that a congregation moves through to
get to the change.
The
first is saying goodbye to whatever must be given up in order to move
toward the change. Leaders need to be in conversation in multiple
ways with congregational members, to listen to their feelings and to
help them understand that any change means that some ways of doing
things will end. Only by listening to congregational members can you
help people understand
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6
that
while they may be giving up something they love, by moving to a new
site, for instance, or bringing in a new minister, that there are
other things that will be gained that will help the congregation
achieve its mission.
The
second step in the transition involves helping people move into the
neutral zone. Even after people have become willing to let go of the
way things were done in the past, they are not immediately able to
start anew. Bridges suggests that the neutral zone is the place where
people can process their feelings and begin to understand how the
change will help them and the congregation achieves their mission.
This may be an uncomfortable phase but the wise leader allows space
for people to sit with the impact of the change. The wise leader will
not push people into the third stage but will let them work things
through and calmly answer people’s questions.
The
last stage is moving forward into what Bridges calls “the new
beginning.” Moving into this stage means that people have
worked through enough of their emotions and questions to accept the
change. The trick is to recognize that not everyone will move to
stage three; in fact, at any given time some folks will not move out
of stage one. Leadership needs to recognize this fact of community
life and still move ahead.
One
problem in many congregations, particularly small congregations, is
that we allow a few people to block a change that has been well
thought out and fits with the congregation’s mission. This
last
step of communicating with those who insist on not moving into the
third stage is crucial. We need to say to these people that while we
care about them, the congregation is moving forward, and we hope they
will move with us, but if they cannot we understand. You might even
suggest they take time off for a while but if they have to leave you
understand. Leadership cannot be held hostage by a few people.
Threats of withholding pledges, quitting the congregation, or other
such actions should not prevent a congregation from moving forward.
This is difficult in small congregations where people feel they
cannot lose any members. But if a congregation is to survive into the
future such choices must be made.
Transition
work leaders must also recognize that the more time one spends on
managing the various stages, the longer it will take to move to the
new beginning. Yet if the leadership is willing to take this time,
the change will be easier in the long run.
Change
is part of being human, part of any congregation. Taking time to
understand transition is very important for making change in our
congregations. If you want to learn more about the work of William
Bridges, you can read his book Managing
Transitions,
from Perseus Publishers. Also remember that your District staff
understands the role of transitions in congregational life and may be
able to help your congregation in such situations.”
Vol
3.Track 9-Drive Time Essays: Small Congregations
Originally
released February 2009-UUA
Glad
to be journeying with you,
Rev.
Ralph
UU
Community News
Food
and Faith--A Sacred Connection
“Eating
is perhaps the most intimate way in which we engage with the world
around us… The manner and substance of our eating should
reflect our spiritual and ethical values, and a positive relationship
with the earth.”
--
Jack Kloppenburg, Professor of Community and Environmental Sociology
at UW-Madison
Well-known
UW professor and food activist, Jack Kloppenburg, will kick off an
afternoon of thought and action on the theme “The Sacred Act
of
Eating” on Sunday, April 25 from 2:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the
First
Unitarian Meeting House, 900 University Bay Drive, Madison. This,
the fourth annual “Food, Faith and Earth Day” event
will
feature an interfaith panel reflecting on sacred food traditions,
music, workshops, and exhibits. It will culminate in a community meal
featuring locally-grown food prepared by Chef Barbara Wright of The
Dardanelles Restaurant in Madison. Page 7
The
event is free except for dinner which is $8 with an advance
reservation or $12 at the door. For more information or dinner and
childcare reservations, go to www.foodfaithearthday.org.
Sauk
City UU Seeking part-time administrator
The
Sauk City Unitarian Universalist Congregation is seeking a part time
administrator to begin July 2010. For more information about the
position, please visit their website
http://www.freecongregation.org/about-us/staff/admin-position/.
Home
Hospitality for WIAA Track meet in LaCrosse
At
the UU Fellowship of La Crosse, their youth will be attending the
Heifer International Global Village in Perry, AK, this summer. They
are hoping to take advantage of the influx of WIAA state track meet
visitors in May by offering home hospitality to fellow UUs from
around the state. Their suggested donation is $60 per night. If you
will be traveling to the meet and would like more information, please
contact Kim Cobb, RE committee, at kimcobb (at) charter.net.
Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship of North Bay Offers WINE
COUNTRY HOLIDAY
The
UU’s of Napa, California proudly announce a new season of our
Wine Country Excursions. Again, we offer a variety of options for an
inside look at one of America’s most beautiful areas,
internationally known for fine wines, gourmet dining and spectacular
vistas. There much to see and do in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys: e.g.
wine tasting at renowned and boutique wineries; visits to art
galleries and museums; exploring the natural beauty of our hills and
valleys on miles of hiking and bike trails or by car on our highways
and back country roads. We
offer two choices: Both start
with
comfortable lodging in members’ homes with full breakfast (up
to 3 nights). You can choose a 2-day “Wine Country
Excursion,”
a guided, personalized tour conducted by one of our members--some
with wine industry experience--or lodging and self-guided touring. If
desired, we provide guidance, maps, etc.The program runs from April
through October. Our fees are below market rate for similar services
and all proceeds go to our
small fellowship. For complete
details contact: Tom Wilson (707-254-7443) or 2wilsons1dog (at)
comcast.net. We look forward
to sharing our lovely “home”
with you!
Prairie
UU Society
2010
Whenona Dr.
Madison,
WI 53711
608-271-8218
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