At 9:15, May 26th. Kent Shifferd of Northland College, Ashland, continues with Part II of the Forum topic begun last week at the Blue Hill Unitarian-Universalist fellowship in Rice Lake, concerning “Justice on Earth”. As poor, “front line communities” are forced to live with the degrading impacts of industrial civilization, the middle and upper classes reap the benefits – but not the costs. What can UUs do to even the imbalance? Come join in the discussion.
During the Service beginning
at 10:30, Professor Emeritus Robert Hasman of the UWBC draws us to consider
“Metaphorce”, as he describes it: the
power of metaphor to frame thought and discourse. What power does metaphor play
in our thinking and public speech? And as a Force to be reckoned
with.
shadows on the wal
Nourishment for body and soul always follows the service with fellowship and light refreshments; all are invited. The Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship is located at 230 W Messenger in Rice Lake, and is a Welcoming congregation.
Sunday May 19th brings Kent Shifferd, former faculty member of Northland College, to Blue Hills UU, to host the 9:15 Forum and discussion His topic concerns “Justice on Earth”: while the poor, known as “front line communities”, are forced to live with the degrading impacts of industrial civilization, the middle and upper classes reap the benefits. But not the costs. What can UUs do to even the imbalance?
The 10:30 Service, led by UWBC Prof Linda Tollefsrud, calls members to consider “What’s in a Name?” Is it more true that “the pen is mightier than the sword” or that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”? How shall we name the sacred? Is it too powerful to be named? Or, is our naming–or not–irrelevant?
Nourishment for body and soul always follows the service with fellowship and light refreshments; all are invited. The Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is located at 230 W Messenger in Rice Lake, and is a Welcoming congregation.
“The Judiths” tag team the morning at Blue Hills
Unitarian-Universalist fellowship on May 12th. Judith Barisonzi delves into “The Middle Class and Its Discontents” at the
9:15 Forum, inviting a lively debate and discussion that will follow her presentation.
The 10:30 Service
will be led by Judith Genereaux, offering hopes of “Living Large” in this
Twenty-first Century. Having read that reaching
one’s 70s is the “best time in life”, Genereaux will attempt to lead the fellowship
to consider the truth, and the
folly, of this point of view.
Nourishment for body
and soul always follows the service with fellowship and light refreshments;
all are invited.
A joyful morning is being planned at Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist fellowship this coming Sunday, May 5th. as members look forward to “burning the mortgage” and taking final ownership of the building that houses the congregation. Purchased in 1994, the former “Odd Fellows Hall” on Messenger Street, was re-created for use as a place of spiritual renewal and discovery by members of the Blue Hills UU and has become a welcoming destination.
The celebratory
morning will begin at 10:30 a.m. with an abbreviated service, followed by the Annual Meeting. Reports of Board Members and various
committee updates will conclude with a celebration commemorating the journey to
ownership of the building.
A communal Pot Luck
provided by members, with celebratory cake and champagne, will be shared in
observance of the end of indebtedness. All are invited to join in the fellowship of
the morning.
The
Forum on Sunday April 28th at the Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist
Fellowship in Rice Lake springs from a TED talk video entitled “How
Poachers Became Caretakers”, in honor of Earth Week.
In his home of Namibia, John Kasaona shares with us innovative ways he’s
found to
protect endangered animal species by giving nearby villagers (including
former poachers) responsibility for caring for the animals. And it’s
working.
A discussion of the presentation will follow the video.
Andrew Frantz
Guest
speaker Andrew Frantz, a student of Meadville-Lombard Seminary conducts
the Service at 10:30. His message will address the men’s movement in
UU and ways this may have changed and enhanced the lives of both the
individual and the congregation. Frantz has been a member of Oberlin
UUF since 2002, and is a full-time
graduate student with the goal
of being ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister.
Nourishment for body
and soul always follows the service with fellowship and light
refreshments; all are invited.
Hope-A 4-Letter-Word (MP3 file) – Recorded and edited on 4/21/2019. Please note that some of the audience responses had to be cut due to poor audio quality
Credit: Flickr User “Viv Lynch“, CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 License
Order of Service for 4/21/2019
Prelude Music – Tam Kjer Murke Cveto
Lighting the Chalice
Opening words # 652 – Call and
response
words by William Ellery
Channing (Unitarian preacher)
Welcome & Greeting
Song # 1007 There’s a River
Flowin’ in My Soul
Opportunity to Speak for
Social Action
Joys & Concerns
Reading our Principles(front of hymnal)
HOPE—a “4-letter-word” (presented by BHUU member Ken Hood)
Introduction
Parts 1 and 2
Reflection/Audience Feedback
Part 3
Song # 344 A Promise through
the Ages Rings
Opportunity for Sharing Gifts
Music: Beautiful Dreamer, written by Stephen
Foster
Extinguishing the Chalice
Closing Words # 691 (all
recite)
Help us to be the always hopeful gardeners of the spirit who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth as without light nothing flowers.
May Sarton (Unitarian poet)
Circle of Peace and Friendship (words written on the back wall say “Go well into life now, and when you need us, always remember that here you will find the hands of friends”)
Sources and Related Media
Danielle Muscato: “Humanism and social justice activism are inseparable. I do activism because I care about human welfare and meaning and health and happiness. I believe that humans are responsible for our own lives and welfare and that positive change comes about through human action. That’s the definition of humanism. Doing social justice activism is a foundational, integral aspect of being a humanist.”
HG Wells (quoting from near the end of The Time Machine): “The darkness grew apace; a cold wind began to blow in freshening gusts from the east, and the showering white flakes in the air increased in number. From the edge of the sea came a ripple and whisper. Beyond these lifeless sounds the world was silent. Silent? It would be hard to convey the stillness of it. All the sounds of man, the bleating of sheep, the cries of birds, the hum of insects, the stir that makes the background of our lives—all that was over.”
Ryan Bell reflecting on his interview with Prof. John Gray, a noted critic of Humanism (transcript typed by Ken Hood): “I don’t think we need to decide between the optimist and the pessimist. The real challenge of post-theism is to be a realist. Sometimes reality gives us reason to hope and sometimes it does not.” Relevant audio begins at 50:53 in the video.
Sincere Kirabo: “I don’t think it’s possible to fully realize my ambitions for social transformation. At least not in the US. I don’t consider acknowledging this as being pessimistic. I’m a realist. I may think or dream big, but I’m grounded enough to accept that the legacies of oppression that shape our world, and the conditions that perpetuate these legacies, are extraordinarily difficult to dismantle. Regardless, the fight is necessary. All of the battles waged and little victories won along the way towards those seemingly unattainable end goals help inch marginalized communities that much closer to a freer tomorrow. This in and of itself makes the fight worthwhile.”
Recommended listening: “Broken and Really Broken,” by David Breeden, Humanist minister at First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis.
Always a favorite Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist happening is “Soapbox Sunday!” As topics, concerns and frustrations bubble & brew in your consciousness, make a note to bring them to our attention this coming Sunday, April 21st at the 9:15 forum.
Former Board Chair
Ken Hood will conduct the Service at 10:30. Noting that “HOPE is a
Four–letter Word”, Ken will share with us stories from his time student
teaching and working with secondary school students. Together we will
reflect on the role of Hope–a sometimes helpful, sometimes dangerous
quality–within a non-theistic framework.
Nourishment for body
and soul always follows the service with fellowship and light
refreshments; it being third Sunday of the month, the congregation will
enjoy pot luck together. All are invited.
Our Forum tomorrow morning, April 14th brings our fellowship Treasurer Pat Shifferd to the foreground to review and explore the proposed budget for 2019-2020. Input from the membership is sought as we plan the coming year’s projects and events; we begin at 9:15 a.m.
Musical friends “February Sky” from da U.P. hey, Michigan, will enliven the 10:30 Service with their musical presentation “Acts of Creation -the Sacred Place of Art in Our Lives.” Phil Cooper and Susan Urban make up the folk duo, playing a number of acoustic instruments including guitar, cittern, mountain dulcimer, banjo and percussion. Always a favorite morning, their music ranges from traditional, modern and Gaelic folk to Susan’s original work.
Nourishment for body & soul always follows the service with fellowship and light refreshments, after which our BHUU Board will meet. All are invited to attend. Added delight: we actually believe it will stop snowing by then ~ as they say: Keep the Faith!
Members actively engaged with “Immigrant Advocacy” groups in Barron County, most especially as they involve the Somali families in Barron, will offer an informational Forum at the Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist church, 9:15 a.m. April 7th. Some of the challenges confronted within the community and ways we might be of assistance will be considered.
The Service at 10:30 a.m. will feature guest speaker Dr. Jane Shoup, Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences at Purdue University, Indiana. Noting that “our most unique trait as a species, our clever brain, has gotten us into a lot of trouble,” Dr. Shoup attempts to lift our spirits in sharing thoughts on how our species might cope with the world we now live in, as we “Hitchhike Towards Sapience”–the quality of being wise.
Nourishment for body and soul always follows the service
with fellowship and light refreshments; all are invited to participate.
Planned to be held earlier this month, the Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist
Fellowship will hold a Forum on “Climate Change & the Right to be Rescued”
at 9:15, Sunday March 31st. The topic will be addressed by Valerie Rude,
whose experience working with persons with disabilities has made her aware that
this issue is sometimes overlooked in planning for natural disaster
rescues. Time for discussion will be part of the Forum.
We expect our “little free library” to look something like this.
A “Work Day!” experience will take the place of formal service this same Sunday, as UU’s gather at 10:30 a.m. to build a “Little Free Library” which will be located on the premises as soon as the ground thaws. Member Dave Hart will supervise the construction with plans and materials. Bring your hammers, screwdrivers & saws. Those less comfortable with construction will sort through the BHUU library to select books to be offered.
Nourishment for body and soul always follows the service with fellowship and light refreshments; all are invited to participate.
