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Sunday, June 30th Schedule

Members of the Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist fellowship of Rice Lake will be traveling to Menomonie WI this coming Sunday, June 30th., to attend a service and luncheon hosted by the neighboring Menomonie congregation.  The joint gathering will bring four fellowships:  River Falls, St. Croix and Rice Lake together in Menomonie.

The Service begins at 10:00 in the legendary Mabel Tainter Theatre, the original home of the Menomonie Unitarian fellowship.   Built by the Tainter family in memory of their daughter Mabel, the Tainters also established the first Unitarian fellowship in Menomonie.

A luncheon will follow the service, and guests are welcome to attend;  those in need of a ride may call BHUU to sign up and ride along with one of the Rice Lake members, 715-234-6337.

The Mabel Tainter Theatre in Menomonie, WI.

Sunday, June 23rd Schedule

Sunday June 23 will find the Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalists reflecting on the meaning of work, and take a corresponding look at the US job market.  The service begins at 10:30, conducted by member Judith Barisonzi who will lead the congregation to consider “What is work and why it is important?”  Or why it may not be.   

sign with the words good thought, be united

A time for discussion and nourishment always follows in the fellowship hall. BHUU is located at 230 W Messenger in Rice Lake, where all are welcome.

Our thanks to Jill Harding of Ellison Bay, WI for her Good Thoughts.

Sunday, June 16th

Sunday’s June 16th  Service at Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship carries the message of courage and action found in the stories of Quaker Action-American Friends Service Committee.  

BHUU member Linda Thompson will share the inspiration she’s found in these stories, both in the examples and characteristics of outstanding leadership.  There will be time to share experiences witnessed in leaders we admire, both within our own UUA organization and our community.  

The Service begins at 10:30 and is always followed by a time for nourishment and camaraderie in the Fellowship hall. 

A Quaker tapestry.

Sunday, June 9th Schedule

Rev Jane Smith, senior pastor of the Channing Memorial Church, Ellicot City, Maryland visits Rice Lake on June 9th. to conduct the service at the Blue Hills UU at 10:30 a.m.  Her message “Through the Lens of Hope” considers the challenges of life, asking the question “As we find ourselves in a place of need, how can despair be transformed into determination, and anger into action?”  

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 26th Schedule

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 Schedule

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.

Sunday, May 11th Schedule

“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.

judith b and judith g
the two Judiths

Annual Meeting – May 5th

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. 

pot luck at blue hills uu
A pot-luck gathering at BHUU

Sunday, April 28th Schedule

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
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

Audio Recording

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.”
  • Nontheism/Nontheist at WikiPedia
  • 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.