Our
Society
Finance
Notes – the end is nigh!
The
end of the year, that is. December 31st marks the end of
the calendar year for tax purposes. In early January 2011, you will
receive a statement from Prairie that will list your donations for
all of calendar year 2010, which includes the second half of the
09-10 budget year and the first half of the 10-11 budget year. If you
would like to pay all or part of your 10-11 pledge so that it lands
in the 2010 tax year, please make sure that it arrives at Prairie
postmarked no later than December 31, 2010. If you have any questions
or concerns, you can speak to any one of the “finance team”
: Kathy Converse (finance chair,) Amy Armstrong (treasurer,) or Kate
Liu (administrator-bookkeeper.)
Watch
for New Adult Education Offerings!
UU
Parenting and UU Views of Immigration will be offered in March and
April. UU Parenting will be led by Rev. Jane Esbensen and Director of
Religious Education Rebecca Malke. UU Views of Immigration will be
“sponsored” by the Denominational Affairs Committee,
chair Christina Klock, as this is the study topic for the UUA for the
next three years. Each will consist of two sessions. These were two
of the topics of highest interest to members when surveyed. We are
excited to be able to offer these classes. Details will be announced
in a few weeks. Watch for information in flyers, Prairie Fire, and
online for registration.
Aileen
Nettleton, Acting Chair of Adult Education
Prairie
Elders meeting
Prairie
Elders is a group of over-65 Prairie members who meet once a month
(generally on the 4th Tuesday) at Oakwood, in the Nakoma room,
Heritage Oaks building, Oakwood Village West, for conversation and
mutual support. The next meeting will be Tuesday,
December 28th. At
1:30
we
begin with a “round robin” for all who wish to share
personal news. Topic discussion from 2:00
to
3:20. Call contacts below for
directions, parking or a ride. If convenient, bring your own beverage
cup and a few snacks. Newcomers welcome.
This
month's topic: Childhood Memories of Trains and Other Travel Modes. This should generate fascinating tales
of locomotives, trolleys,
ferries, busses, subways, trucks, cars with no defrosters, perhaps
even ship, wagon or dogsled. Share a story of any period from
toddlerhood through high school years.
Prairie
Elders aims to provide good times and mutual support for Prairie UU
Members and Friends over 65 and UUs living at the facility where we
meet. Our “round robin” format makes it easier to hear
and gives all the option of speaking. Topics alternate between
general issues and personal interests. Contacts: Donna Murdoch
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238-3802,
Gordon Cunningham 230-3367, Rosemary Dorney 238-4382 or Rose Smith
233-3363. Call Donna to add your name to the mailing list.
Doleta Chapru
Prairie Fundraising Trips 2011
Schedule
We will be scheduling the following
trips in the coming year. You will receive an individual notice of each
trip, but mark your calendars now!
**26 February 2011: Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture
for the 21st Century at the
Milwaukee Art Museum.
**18 June 2011: The Rotary Gardens in Janesville and a
luncheon boat trip on Lake Geneva.
**13 August 2011: The Emperors’ Private Paradise:
Treasures From the Forbidden City at the
Milwaukee Art Museum.
**8 October 2011: A scenic overnight trip to Decorah,
Iowa. Possible side trips to Grant Woods art collection at the Cedar
Rapids Art Museum, the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum in Burr
Oak, or the Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien.
**3 December 2011: Impressionism on Paper: Drawings from
Manet to Van Gogh at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Contact Pat Watkins with any
questions about the trips or to get on her mailing list.
-Pat Watkins
pwatkins (at) wisc.edu, 233-5795
WOW News
WOW
– Prairie's wild, outstanding women, meet once a month for
breakfast potluck and conversation. Our usual meeting time is 9am on
the first Saturday of the month, sometimes at Prairie and sometimes
at a member's home. In December we tried to meet on the 4th
, but bad weather caused us to have a very small turnout and the
making of gift baskets was postponed to the January meeting.
Our January meeting will be on Saturday the 8th,
at 9am at Prairie. February we will return to the first Sunday of the
month – February 5th.
For
the making of the baskets in January, WOW folks are asked to bring
small goodies to stock the baskets (lotions, soaps, food, etc) as
well as actual baskets, tissue, and ribbons for decorating.
Any
questions or emails to add to the email group call 276 8397 or email
marysomers44 (at) charter.net or Kathy Converse at conversekrtm (at)
msn.com.
Kathy
Converse, Winter WOW coordinator
Prairie
Book Club
The
Prairie Book Club meets monthly, usually the 3rd Sunday of the month after the service at
Prairie, at about 11:45
a.m. Bring potluck food to share. This is an open book club. You may
come whether or not you have read the book. For more information,
contact Mary Mullen, 608.298.0843 or mmullen(at)
chorus.net.
Sunday,
January 16 - Rabbit Redux, by John Updike. This one is
the sequel to Rabbit, Run. It follows Harry
“Rabbit”
Angstrom, working a dead-end job in Brewer, PA. His wife leaves him
and his 12-year-old son. During this chaotic time when the nation is
also in chaos (1969), Rabbit and his son are joined in their
household by an African American Vietnam vet and a wealthy white
teenager, Jill. Published in 1971.
Mary
Mullen
Book
Club Coordinator
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Prairie
Burglary from October 2009 Resolved
In
late October of 2009, someone broke a basement window in what is now
the nursery and entered the building, taking a television, a DVD
player, and a small amount of petty cash from the building. In the
course of the burglary, the responsible party left behind a few drops
of blood, having scratched his knuckles while trying to get into the
locked cabinet in the admin office. From this tiny amount of blood,
the burglar was identified – he was a “repeat
offender”
who targeted churches. He was ecumenical in his house of worship
burglaries, however, having hit a Unitarian Universalist church, a
Jewish Synagogue, and a Protestant church, too.
As
your administrator (and the one who called in the burglary,) I was
subpoenaed to appear at his preliminary trial in late spring 2010. He
waived his right to this trial as I was on my way in to the
courthouse, so I wasn't needed for the trial, but I chose to stay for
a while to talk with the DA and get some additional information to
share with you. I also went up to the courtroom to see him appear to
waive his rights. He is not a small man, and I am a little surprised
that he was able to get into Prairie by the window he chose.
There
was an offer on the table from the state at that time to cap his
prison time at 7 years - rolling all of his current offenses into one
package. The final disposition of the case on June 16th,
2010, was for him to serve 2 years in prison and 3 years on extended
supervision.
Before
the first trial had even occurred, we were able to put in a request
for restitution – for him to pay back the monetary value of the
items that were stolen. What I learned about the restitution process
is that we are in line behind his other victims. He will receive
prison wages of $4 per week, of which 25% goes to restitution. We
will be sharing that $1 per week with the other victims, and the
state would cut us a check once our portion builds up to $10, and
will continue to send us checks every time it builds up to $10. So
you can tell from that scenario that we will not be receiving our
money back in any short order.
If
you have any questions about the burglary, please feel free to ask
me.
Kate
Liu, Prairie Administrator
Humanist
Union News
The
Humanist Union's next monthly meeting will be on January 2nd
after the service, starting as usual with a potluck lunch at 11:45 am
followed by presentation and discussion 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Our
presenter will be Prairie member Mary Frantz and her topic is
"Bioethics beyond Terry Schiavo."
All who are
interested in hearing Mary talk are invited to attend.
Bob
Park
Humanist
Union
Rev.
Jane Esbensen marries in Sweden, December 6th!
 | | Jane and Mats |
On
a 32 degree day – practically a heat wave for Sweden –
our own Rev. Jane Esbensen married Mats Karlsson. Jane related the
following about her big day:
“Since
I was stranded in Sweden, unexpectedly, I had no special clothes for
the occasion, but that didn't matter either! Mats was there. Two of
Mats' (and now my!) good friends (Sig-Britt and Kurt) were there as
witnesses. And the officiant was there. What more could a person ask
for?
“An
official wedding party will be held on Dec. 27th for our friends in
Sweden who couldn't make this unplanned wedding. And then a very
lovely wedding party will be held in the summer for Mats' and my
children, and our friends, from both the States and Sweden ----- so
if you're free in August, and want to make the trip to Sweden, you
are very welcome to be there, too!”
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Minister
Search Committee forming
Even as we extend our
well wishes to Rev. Esbensen (and Mats), we need to get ready for the
task ahead of searching for a new consulting minister to serve
Prairie beginning in mid-2011. Two people from the previous search
committee have already committed to being on the new one, and we
thank them for being willing to share their time and newly acquired
expertise with the UUA search process. We will also be seeking new
people to participate, so if you are interested, please let me know.
It is a big job, so be sure you have the space in your calendar for
the task. We will have Rev. Jane with us until the end of June, so
let us enjoy that time with her and make the best use of her varied
skills while she is with us even as we prepare for the
future.
Barbara Park, Prairie UU Society President
barpark
(at) gmail.com
Prairie
Board Meeting Summaries
Highlights
from October 7, 2010
--The Board agreed that the Humanist Union is a Prairie organization. This has been debated in the past and is now clarified.
--Work continues on the new Prairie sign, including discussions with the city on placement.
--Our first Soup Sunday was a success and we will continue to offer these once a month, sponsorship to rotate amongst Prairie committees.
--The board discussed having representation via a liaison for committees not on the Board (such as the Caring Committee). Decisions on this will expected to be informed by the work on Governance.
--The board agreed that the new announcement procedure may need a few tweaks but is working well to keep the focus on the program, so will be continued.
--Parish meeting will be on Nov 14th.
--Due to some generous increases from pledgers, we are now meeting our budget
Highlights
from November 4, 2010
--Discussion
on retreat report and location for next year. Prairie
lost around $1100 on this year’s retreat; this was due to
undercharging for meals and some housing issues. Kate
will be pricing a retreat at Pine Lake in 2011 based on a two-day,
one night retreat format that will be just as family friendly but
less costly on housing. Discussion
and general approval regarding more visibility for
scholarships/supplemental contributions directly in support of the
retreat.
--Update
on sign proposal. The board
approved making an appeal to the city in support of a double-sided
sign for the corner of our property.
--Update
on By-laws change. An open
meeting for all interested Prairie folks to discuss by-law changes
will be scheduled soon - targeting the first week of Dec.
--Review
new announcement procedure. Is this working? The
board generally agreed that the new announcement procedure is working
well. The board agreed that
any fundraiser sales items should not be in the announcements, but
can be posted on the bulletin board in the back of the meeting room.
--Publicity.
Jane was interviewed today
by the Isthmus (Bill Leuders) who will also plan to attend the
November 14th service. Barb will ask Rebecca to be the lead on
publicity for Prairie since Rebecca has done excellent work to gain
Prairie more publicity and has a gift for good ideas and follow up.
--Consultant's
Report. Deferred until a
later time. The board did request that the consultant ball-park a
general figure for an addition. This will be good information to have
as Prairie contemplates future plans.
– Update
about the Thanksgiving Service. Jane has been excluded from the
ministerial planning for the Madison joint Unitarian Thanksgiving
service to be held at FUS. This is very disappointing and the board was
unanimous in support for Jane. We feel we should be a role model and
turn out in force in support of ALL members of the Unitarian community.
Barb is planning to call Mr.
Morales regarding the disappointing lack of inclusion. This is stemming
from the fact that Jane Esbensen is not Fellowshipped.
Highlights
from December 6, 2010
--Jane
Esbensen got married today in Sweden. She will be fulfilling her
contract with Prairie but moving to Sweden shortly thereafter.
Prairie will be re-convening the Search Committee. Al Nettleton and
Dorothy Krause will be the carryover members and others will be asked
to serve.
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6
--We
continue to have problems with the sound system at Prairie and are
actively working to resolve the issues.
--For
the current budget year, payment to outside speakers can be
determined by the Program Committee as long as they stay within their
budget. The Program Committee may consider adjusting payments as part
of the 2011/2012 budget.
--Options
for the Retreat continue with Kate Liu at the helm. Pine Lake said
that a one night stay would be no problem as long as we schedule in a
timely fashion; Bethel Horizons will be setting their spring schedule
for 2012 soon, so that may be an option. Stay tuned.
--Prairie
will continue to be listed in the Yellow Pages and with a few
changes, there is no charge for this listing.
--Dorothy
Krause will be convening a meeting after the holidays to talk about
updates/improvement ideas for Prairie’s website. All are
welcome.
--Rebecca
will look into advertising the Sunday program in the Isthmus.
--The
Board highlights will be published on Prairie’s website.
--The
Committee on Committees is actively working on matching Prairie’s
talent to open opportunities.
--RE
is looking for a responsible child care provider on Sunday mornings.
This is a paid position. Please see Robin Proud or Rebecca for more
information.
--The
UUSC has a 2-star rating on Charity Navigator. Christina will be
looking into what the UUSC has to say on this matter and report back
to the board.
Membership News
We
have had several updates and additions to our directory since the new
one came out in October. Our Admin has prepared a supplement for you
which went out on Prairie News a few days ago. If you didn't get one
and need it, please call Kate (271-8218) or email her
(admin@uuprairie.org) and ask. Also, if you get a paper copy of the
directory and need a paper copy of the update, please call her and
she'll send you one.
Green
Tidbits
Did
you know that you can bury wood under ground to improve the water
holding capacity and fertility of the soil? It's called hugelkultur.
Here is one link of many I found: www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/. You
can put the wood on top of the soil, or dig a trench to bury it. If
you want to grow plants on it the same year, add compost because the
decomposing wood will suck nitrogen out of the soil. Instead, the
compost will feed it and your plants should do fine. Imagine doing
this with all the sticks that fall on your yard over the course of a
year. That's a lot of carbon sequestration! I'm saving all our sticks
for next spring. Not quite sure where I will bury them yet...
And
for the winter... You can get good traction when your car is stuck
in the snow by putting a piece of carpet under each wheel. Carpet
about the size of the samples you find in carpet stores works well,
and it's easy to store in the trunk – and it sure beats having
the bucket of sand tip over in your trunk. Coyle Carpet has a semi
parked at the side of the building to hold the carpet that they take
from people's homes. They send it out to be recycled. You can get a
strip from the semi for free (bring your own sharp knife).
-Judy
Skog
UU
– UUA - UUSC News
UUA
President Issues Statement on International Transgender Day of
Remembrance
Though
International Transgender Day of Remembrance has passed (it was
November 20, 2010,) this is still a timely issue. Here is an excerpt
of President Morales' statement:
“As
long as anyone is harassed or ridiculed, we must demand an end to the
bullying. As long as anyone is judged because of their gender
identification or presentation, we must insist on a higher moral
standard. And if, God forbid, anyone is ever again physically harmed
or murdered because of his or her gender identity or expression, we
must rise up and seek justice.
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We
must put our faith into action, not just on this day of remembrance,
but every day.
In
memory of those who have been murdered, to all who feel their loss,
and to all who still struggle with oppression, you are not alone. We
are with you, standing on the side of love.”
For
the full text of the statement and information about how to get
involved, please visit
http://www.uua.org/news/newssubmissions/173981.shtml.
UUSC Targets Right to Water
"Water
Apartheid" - what is it? The United Nations Development Program has
given this name to the distress caused by the unequal distribution of
water, especially among the poor of the world. 1.1 million people
worldwide have NO access to safe drinking water. Each year almost two
million children die of dehydration and in the past ten years more
children have died from lack of safe water than everyone who have died
in all armed conflicts since World War II. The World Health
Organization sets 26.4 gallons per person per day as a basic human
rights requirement, but in many townships in South Africa and
elsewhere, access to water is limited to 13.2 gallons per person per
day. How many gallons per day do you use? On your latest water bill,
divide the number of gallons shown by the number of days on the
horizontal line under your name Divide by the number in your household,
then compare your usage per gallon with the UNHO's basic
recommendation. Then compare your number of CCF's with the individual
range of between 15-23 for Madison residents. To find out more,
including how you can help, visit http://www.uusc.org/actforwaterjustice
-Pat Watkins
Ithsmus
Article on Rev. Jane Esbensen mentioned in UU World online!
The
recent Ithsmus article about Rev. Jane was mentioned in the UU World
blog page – http://blogs.uuworld.org/media/. This page has many
interesting links to what your fellow UU congregations are up to
around the country, including erecting wind turbines as steeples,
finding alternate ways to celebrate “Black Friday,” and
much, much more.
Prairie
UU Society
2010
Whenona Dr.
Madison,
WI 53711
608-271-8218
| 