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The Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship will gather Sunday March 10th to review the book choice for the “Common Read,”an event which all UU fellowships take part in each year. 2019’s book choice is a collection of essays entitled “Justice on Earth: People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class, and the Environment.” The text considers the work and involvement of various UU congregations. Kent & Pat Shifferd will lead a discussion of the book, expected to be cover the full morning beginning at 10:00 to 11:30.

Update: Service has been cancelled for today due to the weather

Update: Due to the heavy snowfall all activities at BHUU have been cancelede for Feb 24, 2019. Please stay safe!

The 9:15 Forum will take the form of advance planning for administrative issues of the fellowship on Sunday, February 24^th.   Members are urged to attend and share their thoughts to help form direction and decisions for the future of our UU.  Community residents interested in the UU as a viable voice in the area are welcome to attend.

One of our most looked forward to Service hours will begin at 10:30 a.m.  “Music & Poetry Sunday” invites those attending to share favorite poems to read, whether their own creation or beloved work of other poets, and have opportunity to request specific hymns within the Service.   

With an active industry in frac sand mining in Barron County, it becomes critical for residents to learn as much as possible about the process and ramifications. Dr Dale Crisler of the Canton area has been active in the effort to bring attention and information to both his own Town Board and county residents. He will continue this mission as he leads the 9:15 Forum at our fellowship on Sunday, February 17^th to consider the topic “Issues in Frac Sand Mining.”

During the formal Service at 10:30, Pat Shifferd will address the “Role of the Arts in a Time of Change.” Asserting her belief that the arts are essential to building a more just and sustainable society, Shifferd seeks to make the connection between Art and the UU “7th principle”:  Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

BHUU Board Meeting – Starting at noon and going 2-3 hours. Linda Thompson will host the meeting at her house (please email Linda if you need the address). The menu is “bring your own lunch.” This will be an open board meeting to discuss important items we need to plan for our fellowship.

Strategy Meeting – The Immigrant Advocates of Barron County (a local advocacy group which our fellowship supports) will meet at 1:30 PM at the Rice Lake Public Library.

Your presence is welcome if you are able to attend either of these meetings.

Unitarian Universalists recognize and honor six basic “Sources” as the rock for the belief systems and philosophies shared by UU fellowships.  At the 9:15 Forum Sunday February 10, Kent Shifferd and Robert Hasman will lead a discussion centering on these Sources and how they may be particularly meaningful to each of us as individuals.

The 10:30 Service will be led by Judith Barisonzi, with a goal to consider  “The UU View of Evil.”  Noting that “it has always been difficult for Unitarian Universalists to reconcile the often dark complexity of human nature with belief in the value of each individual human being,” the fellowship is invited to “ponder evil” and its implications for a spiritual outlook.

Our Sunday, February 3rd Service will take a somewhat different format: the morning will begin at 9:30 by watching a video of the “Ware Lecture” presented by Brittany Packnett to the UU General Assembly of 2018.

Established in honor of “the distinguished services of three generations of the Ware family to the cause of pure Christianity” these lectures have been presented to the Assembly each year since 1922. Ms Packnett is an educator, organizer, writer, and speaker, and has become a sought-after voice in the work of social change. She serves as “Teach For America’s” Vice President of National Community Alliances, where she leads civil rights work with communities of color.

The fellowship will then break for refreshments and announcements, followed by chalice lighting and then return to a discussion of the Ware Lecture for as long as people wish to stay. This will replace the formal Service for this Sunday.

“Diabetes Prevention” will be the focus of the Sunday January 27th Forum at 9:15 a.m. Exercise Physiologist Chad Johnson of the Dept of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Lakeside Medical Center in Rice Lake, will share information and answer questions.

The Service begins at 10:30, conducted by Brian Rude, who will share his observations on the implications of “The Moynihan Report”. Compiled by former Secretary of Labor Daniel Moynihan, the controversial document called for national legislation to improve the lives of black Americans. Kept secret for a time, the report became an important contribution in the history of civil rights in America.

Refreshments and community discussion will be shared after the service.

Those attending the 9:15 Forum on Sunday, January 13th are invited to share what they’ve been reading to stay energized and interested through the dark winter months.  Bring the book, the name of your favorite author, and your enthusiasm and tell us what you’ve found.

Our 10:30 Service will consider the “Six Sources” of Unitarian-Universalist thought, with the addition of what speaker Jude Genereaux considers to be the primal, the actual First Source:  “Art.  Visual and Written.”  What is the lingering impact to one’s religious base that springs from the instinct to create?  To one’s  exposure to art?  The congregation is urged to bring their own example to the session.

A time for food and fellowship always follows the service;  all are invited and welcome to attend. 

The first Forum of the New Year, 9:15 a.m. January 6th will be a UU favorite –“SOAPBOX SUNDAY” – an hour of open dialogue and discussion.  Bring your thoughts and passion front & center and let’s hear what you have on your mind;  the start of all good activity begins with finding community.

Our 10:30 a.m. Service will be led by Waldo Asp.  An ordained Methodist minister, Dr. Asp taught English, philosophy, logic and ethics at the college level.  This Sunday he will speak to “A New Year–A New Age”, noting that “Much of what I once thought was true and of value, is now seen to be of little consequence”, leading us to explore new world realities being ushered in.

Presentation of the TED Talk “How We can Face the Future Without Fear” will be shown at the 9:15 UU Forum Sunday December 30th . As discussion leader, Pat Shifferd will lead the congregation in considering the topic as we move into a new year.

Former Board Chair Ken Hood will continue the theme within the Service at 10:30, focusing on anticipation of 2019. “Come prepared to consider your hopes, dreams, and aspirations; the fellowship will spend some time in quiet reflection and writing as we look back on 2018 and forward to 2019.”

A time for fellowship and noshing follows the service; all are invited and welcome to attend.