Volume 17, Number 3 – September 2015
We Are a Welcoming Congregation
There are many events planned over the next month. See the section below for the other events around the community. Please note the important event FROM THE PRESIDENT
SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2015
Mark this as a very important day for the future of our Fellowship and for all NUUF members, associates and friends. Our industrious CARE Committee is planning a Fall Retreat we call "Building Community". It will be a full day with lunch provided and will be led by an experienced consultant from UUA.
This is an opportunity to share ideas with one another as we seek continued revitalization (and have some fun together while we do it). Details will be forthcoming soon, so please plan to participate in planning our future. (Submitted by NUUF President, Bob Hanson).
Upcoming Services
September 6th Mary Beth O’Halloran - Everyday Mindfulness. Even people who think it would be good to meditate regularly don’t always follow through. The Buddhist practice of mindfulness (vipassana) and some Western traditions offer ways to meditate while eating breakfast and washing the dishes. Snacks to follow by Perkins and Wambach)
September 20th, Bobbi Groth - Chaplain to the Damned: Ministry at the Broken Edges
Our principles and purposes would have us declare that all human beings have worth and dignity, but what happens when we have to come face to face with people who have committed heinous acts against others? This sermon will talk about my years of providing pastoral work to persons who were dangerous, violent criminals, and explore how this issue challenges our UU spirituality. (Snack Volunteer needed for this service).
Notice
Saturday September 5th
NUUF Fellowship is reserved
Charles and Janice Reed will be having a family only memorial service for their son, Lawrence Reed, at the Fellowship on Saturday, September 5th. They have reserved use of the Fellowship from 1:30 until 4:00 P.M. on that date. Thank you (submitted by Candy Sorensen)
Our heartfelt sympathies are with them at this time.
NUUF Events at the Fellowship and Information
Adult R.E.: Generally Adult RE is on alternate Sundays at 10 AM. Topic is "Exploring the Roots of Religion”
Men's Group Meeting: The Men's meeting is on Tuesday Sept 8th at 6 p.m. Bring a side dish and you beverage of choice. No topic at this time.
Women's Group: The Women's discussion Group will meet on Tuesday September 22nd at 10:00 a.m. at the Fellowship. The topic to discuss this month will be "Are we like our Mothers or very different". Call Mary Ann Fields for more information. 715-385-2975
Caritas Update – since there has not been an update in a couple of months, below is a summary of activities for the Summer of 2015.
In June, Caritas volunteers assisted 32 clients. Seventeen were new clients and fifteen were repeats. A large part of what Caritas does includes referrals. That is one reason we report the number of referrals at the end of each month. The Wisconsin Works Program, referred to as W-2, is one such program. W-2 has strict guidelines and is for people who want to work and have dependent children. This program helps with transportation and child-care. It will also provide an internship and pay for housing if necessary.
One client in June, who is in the W-2 program, had funding discontinued because she missed a meeting with her counselor. She had been critically injured in a car accident but has since been reinstated in the program. Because her funding had been interrupted, she was behind in her child-care and car payments. Her Caritas team helped her with a check to the YMCA for child-care and also made a car payment to Ripco Credit Union.
In the month of June, Caritas made referral to 30 other organizations, programs, and businesses. Diapers, wipes, and bags of food were also given out. Disbursements totaled $2,061, which included $1085.14 to help with WPS bills and to get clients signed up on a monthly payment plan.
In July, Caritas was open five Thursdays. There were 16 new and 15 repeat clients for a total of 31 visits. Thirty-seven referrals were given. We made referrals to the St. Matthias Thrift Shop, Personal Products Pantry, Food Pantry, Salvation Army, Holy Family (for rent), Community Table, Jeff’s Auto, EnTouch, W-2, Eagle River Caritas, Vilas Food Pantry, and WHEAP. Again this month we handed out diapers and wipes, personal products, and bags of food.
Most of our time & effort was spent assisting our clients with their unpaid energy bills. We gave $2,445.54 in energy assistance to WPS & propane companies. We worked with the clients and the companies to get the clients signed up for a monthly payment plan. Other disbursements included $95.34 to Walmart, $113.91 to O’Reilly Auto Parts, & $210 in Krist gasoline vouchers. Clients received $35 in items from the St. Matthias Thrift Shop. (Submitted by Barb Logan).
Milestones
Sherry Zoars 09-01
Tim Kratz 09-01
Jonathon Beutler 09-01
Jerry Collins 09-05
Ruth Erbs 09-07
Rev. Sydney Morris 09-07
MacKenzie Reupert 09-08
Mollie West 09-10
Eileen Schultz 09-10
Greg & Dawn Holt 09-10
Pam Thul-Immler & Rick Immler 09-11
Sharon Reilly 09-11
Cathy & Dion Peterson 09-13
Erick Boustead 09-16
Tim Muench and Trish Kirk 09-26
Betsy Schussler & Rick Foral 09-30
Mark Your Calendar – Upcoming Community Events
Tues, September 1st
Marywood Is Organizing a Community Day of Prayer
If We Can As Individuals, Let’s Support This Event
Our friends at Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center, who have always been so supportive of our Martin Luther King activities, have organized a Community Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This will be held on Tuesday, September 1, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. in the Outdoor Cathedral at Holy Family Church in Woodruff. It will be moved indoors if the weather is inclement.
Carl Koch, who is active in Marywood activities, told some of us, who were working at the Food Pantry for NUUF this Tuesday, that he had called the NUUF phone number several times with no luck. He wanted our fellowship members to participate in this event. Members of Holy Family, of course, will be there. He said that Calvary Lutheran, Ascension, and St. Matthias have decided to participate too.
An article from The Guardian, entitled “Pope creates global prayer day for the environment,” had this to say about the day:
Save the Date continued
MARYWOOD EVENT continued (Tues Sept 1st)
The prayer day “will offer individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation” and reflect upon “the adoption of appropriate lifestyles.”
Francis has become a leading defender of the environment, particularly in the fight against climate change.
He published an environmental encyclical earlier this year, which denounced exploitation of the poor and the waste of the planet’s resources.
The RELIGION NEWS SERVICE had this to say about the encyclical:
…the document is significant for its unambiguous statement that “a very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system: mostly due to human activity.
The pope also writes that “technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels---especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas---needs to be progressively replaced without delay.”
According to fellow Food Pantry volunteer, Carl Koch, many of the Republican members of the Holy Family congregation are upset that the pope is speaking about this issue. Carl is hoping that many people from the Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will participate in the event at Holy Family next Tuesday, September 1.
Submitted by: Barbara Logan
Saturday, September 20th
JOG FOR THE DOGS
Hosted by the Oneida County Humane Society
The inaugural JOG FOR THE DOGS 5K is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 20, at the Minocqua Park Complex on State Hwy. 70 West. This is a 5-K course to either run, jog or walk. Dog lovers with dogs can bring them, but the dogs MUST BE on a leash. The run will begin at the Minocqua Park Pavilion, travels to the end of Pinemere Road, loops around Voss Rd., and back up Pinemere to the pavilion to complete the entire 3.1 miles. All proceeds benefit the homeless pets at the Oneida County Humane Society. Registration is $30 per person, which includes a T-shirt and dog bandana.
Saturday, October 3rd
Blessing of the Animals
A blessing of the animals will be held at the parking lot of St. Matthias Church. Pet owners need to bring their pets and a donation of pet food. The event starts at 10 a.m. Several NUUF members went with their pets last year and are encouraging all pet owners to attend this ecumenical event with them. (submitted by Barb Logan)
Saturday, Oct 17th
Food for Kidz
Volunteers still needed for the Food For Kidz. Contact Diane Reupert for more details.
Interesting Notes
The Importance of Walking
Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $7000 per month.
My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he’s 97 years old, and we don’t know where he is. I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people, who annoy me. The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.
I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I’m doing. I joined a health club last year, spent 400 bucks. I haven’t lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there. Every time I hear the dirty word ‘exercise’, I wash my mouth out with chocolate.
The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they’ll say, ‘Well, she looks good, doesn’t she.’
If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years……just getting over the hill.
We all get heavier as we get older, because there’s a lot more information in our heads. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
(Submitted by Barb Logan).
NUUF GALLERY
New Artwork is on display in the NUUF Gallery by Cathy Petersen and Sharon Reilly. If you have any artwork you would like to display: photography, paintings, fabric art, sculpture, even landscape/outdoor art, please contact Sharon reillyhi@earthlink.net.
NUUF and NEWSLETTER INFORMATION - From the Newsletter Editor:
This is a friendly reminder that all NUUF newsletter items are due by the 27th of the month. If you have news about upcoming events in Oct, Nov & December please forward those to me as early as possible (reillyhi@earthlink.net)
For distribution of announcements between newsletters or email/address corrections, contact Candy Sorensen at sorencan@yahoo.com or Robert Hanson, President, president@nuuf.com
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Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, P.O. Box 1881, Woodruff, WI 54568-1881
https://nuuf.com/joomla4
