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Announcements |
The
Winter WomanSpirit 2013 conference, There
Is Something About the Women: Art and Activism, will be held from
February 1-3 in Brookfield, WI. This year's presenter is Holly Near.
For more information and to register online, visit
www.womenandreligion.org.
HumanLight
Holiday Party Tonight! The
Humanist Union sponsored annual HumanLight holiday party will take
place from 5 to 8 pm at Prairie's Meeting House tonight. Bring the
whole family for our potluck supper, singing, dancing and a generally
festive time. (Donations of non-perishable items for the Allied Drive
Food Pantry will be collected at the door.)
Lost and Found! A pair
of Simmons binoculars were left on the podium at Prairie. The
binoculars are the type used for watching wildlife. Also found was a
wooden recorder. Both are safe and sound in the office. If either are
yours, please please contact Dan Klock (271-8218 or admin@uuprairie.org).
The
next Spanish Speakers Potluck will
be held on Monday, January 21, at the home of Ema Pachon, 1459 E. Main
St., Madison. Please bring a dish to pass if you can – everyone
is welcome! Please call Rosemary Dorney at 238-4382 for directions,
parking tips, or for more information. See you there, and Happy New
Year!
President's
Corner
Merry
Christmas, Happy Solstice, Happy Human Lights, Happy New Year.
This is clearly the season for celebrations brought forward from
ancient times to get us through the cold, the dark, and the snow (of
which we now have PLENTY!)
We
are starting
a new practice for the Prairie Fires for 2013. Sandy and I will
alternate writing a column, so once a month there will be a
President’s Column and in the alternate Prairie Fire there will
be
a Minister’s Column. (She will undoubtedly pick a more
interesting title than that!)
At
this time of
year, it is tradition to look back at the old year and forward to the
new. For Prairie, I think this has been a good year. We
passed the new by-laws and are plugging along with a changed
governance system. We hired Sandy Ingham as our minister
and she is finally settled into place, although she says that she
hasn’t quite wrapped her head around being back in the Midwest
and
back into Parish ministry. Granted, it is a big change
from the hot, dry southwest and hiking the Grand Canyon. We
also continue to mourn those who we have lost in the past year and
beyond, our all purpose musician and dear friend, Doleta Chapru, our
far flung wanderer and teacher of small children, Dave Zakum, and,
further back, our friend, woodsman, and thoughtful commentator, Dave
Johnson. Their passing has left us with a gaping hole in our
hearts. On the other hand, we have increased our numbers with
many new friends. Such is the circle that constantly moves
around us.
So…on
to the
New Year. It will hold joys, especially with all of the
children crowding the rug on Sunday mornings, and new members and
friends to get to know and who will hopefully become an important
part of our community. We will also grapple with the dilemma to
purchase or not to purchase the house next door. That will be a
big challenge for us going forward and may we tackle it with the same
wonderful community spirit that everyone has shown during the
governance discussions.
So
a Happy New
Year to all.
Barbara Park
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