Calendar Prep
(aka Martha's Memory)

Corporate Factoids
    • Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 52 are corporations and 48 are countries, and these corporations have sales figures between $51 billion and $247 billion.
    • Nestlé's marketing of powdered milk in the 1980's caused the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million children through the contaminated water used to make the infant formula. Nestle is still one of the most boycotted corporations in the world, and its infant formula is still controversial. In Italy in 2005, police seized more than two million litres of Nestle infant formula that was contaminated with the chemical isopropylthioxanthone (ITX).
    • Seventy percent of world trade is controlled by just 500 of the largest industrial corporations, and in 2002, the top 200 had combined sales equivalent to 28% of world GDP. However, these 200 corporations only employed 0.82% of the global work force.
    • WTO rulings have often resulted in national governments being sued by corporations simply for placing national interests above corporate profit. The overall effect is the harmonizing of international regulations and standards to their lowest denominator. The success of corporate influence on the global economy is measurable, as 70% of global trade is now controlled by just 500 corporations...  MORE at
http://www.stwr.org/multinational-corporations/key-facts.html

• VACATIONS -
     * Phone your Joys and Concerns to Jake Walsh's voicemail: 541-342-6184 by noon today to be shared at tomorrow's service.  ????? 
     * Phone your Joys and Concerns to Rev. Edgar Peara (541-684-8285) by noon today to be shared at tomorrow's service's Candlelighting.  ????? 
     * Summer Candlelighting requests should go to the Worship Team from June 15 through Aug 2. Jake Walsh
* Candlelighting - Contact Rev. Forsey or 541-686-2775 ext.1  by Saturday noon to leave a message (name, phone #, message) about your joys or sorrows to be announced at tomorrow's service.

Gallipoli - Memorial at Anzac Cove by Ataturk
"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives…
You are now living in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours…  You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace; after having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."   Ataturk, 1934   http://tinyurl.com/37xfgdd
   
 "...the Government of the United States...gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance... May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. 
- President George Washington in a letter to the warden of Touro Synagogue in Rhode Island, 1790   

Quoting from a 1943 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the judge wrote, “One's right to life, liberty, and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections.”  http://newsok.com/article/3519080

  Pilgrims' 400-year legacy alive in Plymouth
The congregation established by the Pilgrims in 1620 belongs to the Unitarian Universalist Association today. The Pilgrims rejected professions of faith like the Nicene Creed. Instead, they formed the church around a covenant, or promise to work together in religious communityóa concept new to the English-speaking world. They also rejected hierarchical church authority, believing in each congregationís right to self-governance by the vote of its members, a democratic structure called ìcongregational polityî that UU churches still practice.  http://tinyurl.com/37sqt6w  

Verify all committee heads/leaders for the website - last done _____

Update links throughout the website - last done ____

In Blessing the World, the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker quotes a member of a congregation she served who explained why he tithes. His insight applies equally well to giving time and energy to the church instead of money:    "To tithe is to tell the truth about who I am. If I did not tithe, it would say that I was a person who had nothing to give, a person who had received nothing from life. A person who did not matter to the larger society or whose life’s meaning was in providing for his own needs alone. But in fact, who I am is the opposite of all of these things. I am a person who has something to give. I am a person who has received abundantly from life. I am a person whose presence matters in the world, and I am a person whose life has meaning because I am connected to and care about many things larger than myself. If I did not tithe, I would lose track of these truths about who I am."
      Work devoted to something greater than yourself lifts you out of the narrow sphere of individual concerns, enlarges your perspective, and provides context for the joys and concerns of your own life. It’s a reality check, bringing us constantly back to the truth of our Seventh Principle, in which we affirm the interconnected web of all existence. No lay leader gets to act alone. It means working for and with a group of people who have intertwining needs, hopes, fears, and expectations, all to help fulfill a common mission that binds them together. What better opportunity to learn over and over again that we are mutually interdependent? Lay service means claiming your own strand of the interdependent web while honoring the needs of others. It means being a firsthand witness to the power of diversity united in a single mission.
    There is yet another level that opens up most fully when you see service to your congregation as a spiritual practice, when you look at leadership through a spiritual lens. Leadership can provide countless opportunities to learn more about yourself—your strengths and challenges—and how you work with others. You will have the chance to practice patience and learn about listening, really listening, to people with whom you disagree, yet who may well have something you need to hear. These are valuable lessons. And they are only the beginning.
      Lay leadership can’t truly be a spiritual practice if you consider its spiritual dimension only as a set of fringe benefits. The challenge is to radically reconceptualize the very purpose of lay leadership, not from the congregation’s perspective but from your own. Selfless giving is undoubtedly a spiritual virtue, but if that comes to dominate your involvement in church life, then that community will become for you a place of work and pressure, no longer your true spiritual home. Imagine how your work for the congregation might be transformed if you approached it primarily as your spiritual practice, and secondarily as helping the church fulfill its mission. You may find that this approach will actually make you a more effective leader. Think of your time and energy as congregational resources, and yourself as a responsible steward of those resources. A key aspect of that stewardship is to avoid burnout, so tailoring your lay leadership so that it truly grows your soul is essential.

2011

First Week
1M   Jan3, Feb7, Mar7, April4, May2, Jun6, Jul4, Aug1, Sep5, Oct3, Nov7, Dec4
1T   Jan4, Feb1, Mar1, April5, May3, Jun7, Jul5, Aug2, Sep6, Oct4, Nov1, Dec5,
1W  Jan5, Feb2, Mar2, April6, May4, Jun1, Jul6, Aug3, Sep7, Oct5, Nov2, Dec6
1Th Jan6, Feb3, Mar3, April7, May5, Jun2, Jul7, Aug4, Sep1, Oct6, Nov3, Dec7
1Su  Jan2, Feb6, Mar6, April3, May1, Jun5, Jul3, Aug7, Sep4, Oct2, Nov6, Dec1

Second Week
2M  Jan10, Feb14, Mar14, April11, May9, Jun13, Jul11, Aug15, Sep12, Oct10, Nov8, Dec12
2T   Jan11, Feb8, Mar8, April12, May10, Jun14, Jul12, Aug8, Sep13, Oct11, Nov8, Dec13
2W  Jan12, Feb9, Mar9, April13, May11, Jun8, Jul13, Aug10, Sep14, Oct12, Nov9, Dec14
2Th Jan13, Feb10, Mar10, April14, May12, Jun9, Jul14, Aug11, Sep8, Oct13, Nov10, Dec8
2F   Jan14, Feb11, Mar11, April8, May13, Jun10, Jul8, Aug12, Sep9, Oct14, Nov11, Dec9
2Sa  Jan12, Feb12, Mar12, April9, May14, Jun11, Jul9, Aug13, Sep10, Oct8, Nov13, Dec10
2Su  Jan9, Feb13, Mar13, April10, May15, Jun12, Jul10, Aug14, Sep11, Oct16, Nov13, Dec11

First and Third Weeks
1&3Su  Jan2,16, Feb6,20, Mar6,20, April3,17, May1,15, Jun5,19, Jul3,17, Aug7,21, Sep4,18, Oct2,16, Nov6,20, Dec4,18
1&3T  Jan4,18, Feb1,15, Mar1,15, April5,19, May3,17, Jun7,21, Jul5,19, Aug2,16, Sep6,20, Oct4,18, Nov1,15, Dec6,20
1&3W  Jan5,19, Feb2,16, Mar2,16, April6,20, May4,18, Jun1,15, Jul6,20, Aug3,17, Sep7,21, Oct5,19, Nov2,16, Dec7,21
1&3TH  Jan6,20, Feb3,17, Mar3,17, April7,21, May5,19, Jun2,16, Jul7,21, Aug4,18, Sep1,15, Oct6,20, Nov3,17, Dec1,15

Second and Fourth Weeks
2&4T  Jan11,25, Feb8,22, Mar8,22, April12,26, May10,24, Jun14,28, Jul12,26, Aug9,23, Sep13,27, Oct11,25, Nov8,22, Dec13,27
2&4W  Jan12,26, Feb9,23, Mar9,23, April13,27, May11,25, Jun8,22, Jul13,27, Aug10,24, Sep14,28, Oct12,26, Nov9,23, Dec14,28

Third Week
3M  Jan17, Feb21, Mar21, April18, May16, Jun20, Jul18, Aug15, Sep19, Oct17, Nov21, Dec19
3T  Jan18, Feb15, Mar15, April19, May17, Jun21, Jul19, Aug16, Sep20, Oct18, Nov15, Dec20
3W  Jan19, Feb16, Mar16, April20, May18, Jun15, Jul20, Aug17, Sep21, Oct19, Nov16, Dec21
3Th Jan20, Feb17, Mar17, April21, May19, Jun16, Jul21, Aug18, Sep15, Oct20, Nov17, Dec15
3F   Jan21, Feb18, Mar18, April15, May20, Jun17, Jul15, Aug19, Sep16, Oct21, Nov18, Dec16
3Su  Jan16, Feb20, Mar20, April17, May15, Jun19, Jul17, Aug21, Sep18, Oct16, Nov20, Dec18

Fourth Week
4M  Jan24, Feb28, Mar28, April25, May23, Jun27, Jul25, Aug22, Sep26, Oct24, Nov28, Dec26
4T  Jan25, Feb22, Mar22, April26, May24, Jun28, Jul26, Aug23, Se27, Oct25, Nov22, Dec27
4W Jan26, Feb23, Mar23, April27, May25, Jun22, Jul27, Aug24, Se28, Oct26, Nov23, Dec28
4Th Jan27, Feb24, Mar24, April28, May26, Jun23, Jul28, Aug25, Sep22, Oct27, Nov24, Dec22
4F   Jan28, Feb25, Mar25, April29, May27, Jun24, Jul29, Aug26, Sep23, Oct28, Nov25, Dec23
4Su Jan30, Feb27, Mar27, April24, May22, Jun26, Jul24, Aug21, Sep25, Oct23, Nov27, Dec25

• SUMMARY OF SOME CONTACT ADDRESSES
Alicia - minister@uueugene.org
Candee Cole (DRE) - uucedre@gmail.com
Tom Sears (Music) - tesears@comcast.net
Office/Kim - office@uueugene.org

Pastoral Associates, Sally DeCou - sdecou@comcast.net 541-998-2110, Fred Schultz 
   Newsletter info goes to publications@uueugene.org
   UUpDate info goes to happenings@uueugene.org
   Webpage info goes to webteam@uueugene.org
   Listserv issues - listmanager@uueugene.org
   Come get involved — Join a Listserv.  Choose a list and subscribe at http://www.uueugene.org/listservs.html

ACCOMPANISTs
Jean Weick is the pianist whenever the Chamber Singers sing.  
Lynn Smith is the pianist for the Sanctuary and Chalice Choirs.

Candle lighting for Joys & Sorrows
During the summer contact our Worship Associate chair: Jake Walsh 541-342-6184 or jakewlsh@msn.com - Call by Saturday noon to leave a message about joys or sorrows to be announced at Sunday's services.

Seminaries for UUs (non-exhaustive)
Andover Newton Theological School (USA)
     http://www.ants.edu/
Earlham School of Religion (USA)
     http://www.esr.earlham.edu/
Harvard Divinity School (USA)
     http://www.hds.harvard.edu/
Manchester Harris College, University of Oxford (UK)
     http://www.hmc.ox.ac.uk/
Meadville Lombard Theological School (USA)
     http://www.meadville.edu/  (note changes)
Pacific School of Religion (USA)
     http://www.psr.edu/
Starr King School for the Ministry (USA)
     http://www.sksm.edu/
Seattle University School of Theology (USA)
     http://www.seattleu.edu/stm/
Unitarian College Manchester (UK)
     http://www.unitarian-college.org.uk/

• VISION QUEST OPPORTUNITY - January 1-15, 2011  Southern Algeria
      Every January, two UUs lead a vision quest and camel caravan journey with the nomadic Tuareg people of the Sahara Desert. It is a deep cultural and spiritual adventure into a land few people ever have the opportunity to visit. A 2011 flyer is available through this link:  http://tinyurl.com/26cxl9g

COCMS - 2010b
Juliakay Clark 541-344-0589
Sally DeCou 541-541-3944
Erik Fisher 541-343-3608
Judie Hansen (Secretary) 541-338-2959
Jeff Jackson 484-3960
Maren Peterson-DeGroff (Chair) 541-513-3730

KnitWits
The REEL Story
Aweigh We Go
Sexton - As Sexton, XX is responsible for setting up the facilities for our many and varied functions as well as performing routine maintenance.
Pepper Tree Outreach
We serve children in our community who need help with school work and guidance with life skills.

STORAGE?

World Labyrinth Day™ is celebrated around the world on the first Saturday in May.
World Labyrinth Day™ is a day that brings people from all over the planet together in celebration of the labyrinth as a symbol, a tool, a passion or a practice.
World Labyrinth Day™ can be whatever you’re inspired to make it. A day to inform and educate the public, host walks, build permanent and/or temporary labyrinths, create labyrinth art and more.
If there are only right ways to walk a labyrinth, it follows that there are only right ways to celebrate World Labyrinth Day. We enthusiastically encourage you to "find your way.”
http://labyrinthsociety.org/world-labyrinth-day

Sabbath Challenge - choose your Sabbath day.  Interpret the following in your own balanced way.

Avoid technology.
Connect with loved ones.
Nurture your health.
Get outside.
Avoid commerce.
Light candles.
Drink wine.
Eat bread.
Find silence.
Give back.
http://www.sabbathmanifesto.org/

The Sabbath Manifesto - UnPlug Challenge MARCH 20, 2011
     The Sabbath Manifesto is a creative project designed to slow down lives in an increasingly hectic world. We’ve created 10 core principles completely open for your unique interpretation. We welcome you to join us as we carve a weekly timeout into our lives.  (Note the "Cell Phone Sleeping Bag"... and the National Day of UnPlugging)  http://www.sabbathmanifesto.org/

Prayer, Defined?
Meditation (all kinds?); moment of silence; a petition or entreaty made to God, a god, or another object of worship; the slightest chance or hope; the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed;   ...

• eSCRIP
     To participate, go to http://www.Escrip.com and use the code 9615102 For those without computer access, paper sign-up sheets are available in the office and the social hall. Further information on the website at http://www.uueugene.org/finances/escrip.html

 • LOCAL LISTSERVS
     Join a local UUCE Listserv - Members and friends may subscribe to one or more listservs at <http://www.uueugene.org/mailman/listinfo> or contact listmanager@uueugene.org for help. Consider UUCE-Share (more personal), UUCE-Chat (banter, news, theology, silliness), and certainly UUCE-News (four church-related calendar UUpDates a month)...

        OR

• DON'T MISS ANYTHING
To receive church-related announcements (one per week) including links to more in-depth information, such as how the Strategic Planning is going, what documents and reports are available, as well as what is happening at church next week, subscribe to the UUCE-News email listserv. Contact listmanager@uueugene.org for help, or go directly to http://lists.uueugene.org/mailman/listinfo, click on "UUCE-News" and follow the directions there to subscribe.  Or ask the listmanagers to help out:  listmanager@uueugene.org. If it doesn't suit you after all, it is easy to unsubscribe.

• PHOTOS OF UUCE EVENTS
     Thanks to Jerry Russell for recording recent events with his photos - take a look at  http://picasaweb.google.com/uu.eugene
to see images from our Sign (is) UUp unveiling at the new location, the Three Basses evening, Valentine Dinner and Music, and the sold-out Let’s Be Frank event — and watch for updates.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  If YOU do not wish a photograph of yourself to be published, please help us help you. Review the photos on the site (above) and if your image is there, let us know and we will remove it immediately. We will also note who you are and try not to take photos of you. We are currently creating a policy for such personal information (photos, phone numbers, email addresses) on the web. Your input would be welcome to maroz@comcast.net

"I forgive myself for not being God. And I forgive God for not living up to my expectations. Yes, I reckon a whole lot more forgiveness would do us all a lot of good. And what is forgiveness but open-hearted acceptance of what is?"
- Rev. Mark Gallagher, UU, Me and My Shadow at
http://www.msuuf.org/Sermons/20040208sermon.html

• SAFETY AT OLDE CHURCH
     Please take note of the location of fire extinguishers and first aid kits at UUCE. 
     ~ Fire extinguishers are in the library (on the south wall), in the kitchen near the phone (just left of the entrance from the Social Hall), downstairs in Rms2 and 5, in the downstairs office in the furnace room. There are smoke detectors in the Religious Education (RE) rooms. 
     ~ First aid kits are in the Social Hall above the trash receptacle near the exit to the deck, in the downstairs office under the sink, in the drawer of the purple cabinet in Rm3, on top of the tall cabinet in Rm2, and inside the tall cabinet in Rm2.   - Ken Ross, Facilities Council

• UUA GENERAL ASSEMBLY - June 22-26: 2011 Charlotte, NC
     Future GAs are all in hot climes during hot months -
              June 20-24: 2012 Phoenix, AZ
              June 19-23: 2013 Louisville, KY

  The largest major world religions according to number of adherents:
     1. Christianity 2,100,000,000 – 2,200,000,000 [Jesus, also referred to as Jesus Christ]
     2. Islam 1,300,000,000 – 1,600,000,000 [Muhammad]
     3. Hinduism 950,000,000 – 1,400,000,000 [Lord Krishna]
     4. Buddhism 250,000,000 – 500,000,000 [whether the Buddha declared his revelation to be divine is a matter of dispute]
     5. Sikhism 20,000,000 - 30,000,000 [founder Guru Nanak is regarded as divine]
     6. Judaism 12,000,000 – 18,000,000 [Moses is regarded as divinely inspired]
     7. Bahá'í 7,600,000 – 7,900,000 [divine founder: Baha'u'llah] 

========

Definitions: “Family”--Any UU who wants to celebrate with other UUs of all ages.

http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/2010.htm

Earth Calendar -
http://www.earthcalendar.net/index.php

Holiday Insights - Tradition, fun, facts and more
http://www.holidayinsights.com

Multifaith Calendar
http://multifaithaction.org/calendar_overview.htm

American Holidays
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holidays_of_the_United_States

A Calendar of Traditional Holidays in Britain
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/holidays.html

Calendar of Mexican festivals and Holidays http://www.vivasancarlos.com/Calendar.html

World Religion New Years Observations http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/NewYears.htm

Jewish Calendar
http://www.chabad.org/calendar

Mystic's Wheel of the Year
http://www.wheeloftheyear.com/

Holidays of India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holidays_in_India

Holidays and Celebrations in China http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/holidays/china/china.html

Egypt Holidays
http://www.asfory.com/egypt_holidays_calendar.html

Hate Groups in Oregon 9/1/08 - per Southern Poverty Law Center
American National Socialist Workers' Party (Neo-Nazi)
Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
National Prayer Network (General Hate) Clackamas
National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (Junction City)
Brotherhood of Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (La Pine)
Daughters of Yahweh (Christian Identity) Portland
National Socialist Movement (Neo-Nazi) Portland
Northwest Hammerskins (Racist Skinhead) Portland
The Apostles of Adolf Hitler (Neo-Nazi) Portland
Volksfront (Racist Skinhead) Portland
National Socialist Movement (Neo-Nazi) Sisters
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp#s=OR

Henry Institute - National Survey on Religion and Public Life
<http://www.calvin.edu/henry/civic/CivicRespGrant/SurveyFindings.htm>

www.realclimate.org/index.php/feed/atom/

======================

Second Commandment thoughts
An aspect of this commandment that is often ignored is that of intergenerational guilt and punishment. According to this commandment, punishment for the crimes of one person will be placed on the heads of their children and children’s children down through four generations — or at least the crime of bowing down before the wrong god(s). Today it would be a grave crime in itself to punish children for the acts of their fathers. No civilized society would do it — not even half-way civilized societies do it. Any “justice” system that visited the “iniquity” of a person on their children and children’s children down to the fourth generation would be rightly condemned as immoral and unjust.
Should we not do the same for a government that suggests this is the right course of action? That, however, is exactly what we have when a government promotes the Ten Commandments as a proper foundation for either personal or public morality. Government representatives might try to defend their actions by leaving out this troubling portion, but in doing so they aren’t really promoting the Ten Commandments anymore, are they?
Picking and choosing what parts of the Ten Commandments they will endorse is just as insulting to believers as endorsing any of them is to nonbelievers. In the same way that the government has no authority to single out the Ten Commandments for endorsement, the government has no authority to creatively edit them in an effort to make the as palatable as possible to the widest possible audience.
<http://atheism.about.com/od/tencommandments/a/commandment02.htm>

Iconoclasm (see 2nd Commandment)
One of the earliest debates among Christians over the way the 2nd commandment should be interpreted resulted in the Iconoclastic Controversy between the mid-8th century and the mid-9th century in the Byzantine Christian Church over the question of whether Christians should revere icons. Most unsophsticated believers tended to revere icons (they were called iconodules), but many political and religious leaders wanted to have them smashed because they believed that venerating icons was a form of idolatry (they were called iconoclasts).
The controversy was inaugurated in 726 when Byzantine Emporer Leo III commanded that the iamge of Christ be taken down from the Chalke gate of the imperial palace. After much debate and controversy, the veneration of icons was officially restored and sanctioned during a council meeting in Nicaea in 787. However, conditions were put on their use — for example, they had to be painted flat with no features which stood out. Down through today icons play an important role in the Eastern Orthodox Church, serving as "windows" to heaven.
One result of this conflict was that theologians developed a distinction between veneration and reverence (proskynesis) which was paid to icons and other religious figures, and adoration (latreia), which was owed to God alone. Another was bringing the term iconoclasm into currency, now used for any attempt to attack popular figures or icons.
<http://atheism.about.com/od/tencommandments/a/commandment02_2.htm>

Third through 10th Commandments...

---

XMAS ITEMS
http://www.whybelieveinagod.org/didyouknow.html
• The holiday season comes from the winter solstice, the first day of winter, which is the shortest day of the year. Usually falling on December 21st, it has been celebrated in the northern hemisphere since prehistoric times. It was marked as the beginning of "the return of the sun" because, after that, the days start getting longer.
• The ancient Hebrews referred to the winter solstice as the rebirth of light, calling it Nayrot, the festival of lights. When Judah Maccabee defeated the Greeks and captured Jerusalem in 164 BCE, he rededicated the temple shrine during Nayrot, renaming the holiday Hanukkah. But because the Jewish calculation of Hanukkah is based on a lunar rather than solar calendar, Hanukkah can begin almost any time in December.
• The ancient Romans held their festival of Saturnalia, the feast of Saturn, at this time. It featured wild parties, gift giving, and halls decked with laurel. However, they miscalculated the solstice date, seeing it as falling variously on December 23rd to 25th.
• When Roman Catholicism replaced ancient polytheism, the Church found it practical to adopt the old Roman holiday, renaming it Christ’s Mass. But this popular move, made in the third century, didn’t meet with complete approval. Christians in the Middle East viewed their European brethren as idolaters and sun worshippers for repackaging this pagan festival as the birthday of Jesus.  
• As Christianity spread across Europe, the various “barbarian” cultures added their own pre-Christian solstice practices to Christmas. Thus the evergreen tree was introduced by Germanic peoples; holly and mistletoe, sacred to the Druids, came from the Celts; and the Yule log and caroling were provided by the Anglo-Saxons. 
• But some Christians condemned these trappings, especially the Christmas tree, citing Jeremiah 10:1-5 in the Bible: “Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen . . . for one cutteth a tree out of the forest. . . . They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”  
• In the early American colonies, most Protestants wouldn't celebrate Christmas, viewing it as a Catholic holiday. This was why George Washington's largely Protestant troops didn't object to crossing the Delaware on Christmas night to attack the Catholic Hessians the next morning. It was just another day to them.
• Only in the 1800s did the holiday begin to gain wider acceptance. Northern European customs were introduced into the United States by the flow of immigrants. So numerous individuals set out deliberately to fashion a secular celebration of the season that would be acceptable to Protestants.
• American cartoonist Thomas Nast created the secular Santa Claus out of the varied European "Old Man Winter" folk images (having their roots in the Norse god Odin). Some fabled attributes of the Catholic Saint Nicholas were added. As for the colors of Santa's suit, they were quite varied until codified in the twentieth century by Coca Cola through its advertising.
• The song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” featuring the line “so be good for goodness sake,” was written in 1934 by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie as a holiday children’s song. It became instantly popular when Eddie Cantor sang it on his radio show that November.

http://www.whybelieveinagod.org/didyouknow.html

Catholics on the Move, Non-religious on the Rise
American Religious Identification Survey is Third in Landmark Series
http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/
HARTFORD, Conn. - The Catholic population of the United States has shifted away from the Northeast and towards the Southwest, while secularity continues to grow in strength in all regions of the country, according to a new study conducted by the Program on Public Values at Trinity College. "The decline of Catholicism in the Northeast is nothing short of stunning," said Barry Kosmin, a principal investigator for the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). "Thanks to immigration and natural increase among Latinos, California now has a higher proportion of Catholics than New England."

Used:  Conducted between February and November of last year, ARIS 2008 is the third in a landmark series of large, nationally representative surveys of U.S. adults in the 48 contiguous states conducted by Kosmin and Ariela Keysar. Employing the same research methodology as the 1990 and 2001 surveys, ARIS 2008 questioned 54,461 adults in either English or Spanish. With a margin of error of less than 0.5 percent, it provides the only complete portrait of how contemporary Americans identify themselves religiously, and how that self-identification has changed over the past generation.

In broad terms, ARIS 2008 found a consolidation and strengthening of shifts signaled in the 2001 survey. The percentage of Americans claiming no religion, which jumped from 8.2 in 1990 to 14.2 in 2001, has now increased to 15 percent. Given the estimated growth of the American adult population since the last census from 207 million to 228 million, that reflects an additional 4.7 million "Nones." Northern New England has now taken over from the Pacific Northwest as the least religious section of the country, with Vermont, at 34 percent "Nones," leading all other states by a full 9 points.

"Many people thought our 2001 finding was an anomaly," Keysar said. We now know it wasn't. The 'Nones' are the only group to have grown in every state of the Union."

Not yet used:

The percentage of Christians in America, which declined in the 1990s from 86.2 percent to 76.7 percent, has now edged down to 76 percent. Ninety percent of the decline comes from the non-Catholic segment of the Christian population, largely from the mainline denominations, including Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians/Anglicans, and the United Church of Christ. These groups, whose proportion of the American population shrank from 18.7 percent in 1990 to 17.2 percent in 2001, all experienced sharp numerical declines this decade and now constitute just 12.9 percent.

Most of the growth in the Christian population occurred among those who would identify only as "Christian," "Evangelical/Born Again," or "non-denominational Christian." The last of these, associated with the growth of megachurches, has increased from less than 200,000 in 1990 to 2.5 million in 2001 to over 8 million today. These groups grew from 5 percent of the population in 1990 to 8.5 percent in 2001 to 11.8 percent in 2008. Significantly, 38.6 percent of mainline Protestants now also identify themselves as evangelical or born again.

"It looks like the two-party system of American Protestantism--mainline versus evangelical--is collapsing," said Mark Silk, director of the Public Values Program. "A generic form of evangelicalism is emerging as the normative form of non-Catholic Christianity in the United States."

Other key findings:

** Baptists, who constitute the largest non-Catholic Christian tradition, have increased their numbers by two million since 2001, but continue to decline as a proportion of the population.

** Mormons have increased in numbers enough to hold their own proportionally, at 1.4 percent of the population.

** The Muslim proportion of the population continues to grow, from .3 percent in 1990 to .5 percent in 2001 to .6 percent in 2008.

** The number of adherents of Eastern Religions, which more than doubled in the 1990s, has declined slightly, from just over two million to just under. Asian Americans are substantially more likely to indicate no religious identity than other racial or ethnic groups.

** Those who identify religiously as Jews continue to decline numerically, from 3.1 million in 1990 to 2.8 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2008--1.2 percent of the population. Defined to include those who identify as Jews by ethnicity alone, the American Jewish population has remained stable over the past two decades.

** Only 1.6 percent of Americans call themselves atheist or agnostic. But based on stated beliefs, 12 percent are atheist (no God) or agnostic (unsure), while 12 percent more are deistic (believe in a higher power but not a personal God). The number of outright atheists has nearly doubled since 2001, from 900 thousand to 1.6 million. Twenty-seven percent of Americans do not expect a religious funeral at their death.

** Adherents of New Religious movements, including Wiccans and self-described pagans, have grown faster this decade than in the 1990s.

Professors Kosmin and Keysar are, respectively, director and associate director of Trinity's Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture. The Program on Public Values at Trinity College comprises the Institute and the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, which is also directed by Professor Silk. ARIS 2008 was made possible by grants from Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the Posen Foundation. To receive a copy of the ARIS 2008 Summary Report by email, contact any of the above.

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Unleashing Your Congregation’s Generosity

Marty Wertheim martywertheim@yahoo.com
for SWUUSI   July 25, 2007

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” …Albert Einstein
“Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle” …source unknown

Before we start:
     • How many of you are:
           • Canvass/stewardship committee chairs or members (current or future).
     • Treasurers or finance chairs?
     • Both?
     • Other?

If you’re a canvass/stewardship chair…are you doing it because you enjoy it or because no one else at your church will do it?

“My time today will be well spent if …

Agenda
     • Where we started (Horizon UUC 2001)
     • Turning the canvass upside down (2002)
     • Shaking it up (2004)
     • Pathways Church 2007
     • Lessons learned
     • Your questions / My questions

Where Horizon UUC is in Spring 2001
     • Solid growth in membership 1995- 2000
     • Called 2nd minister September 2000
     • Positive congregational surveys
But…
     • Terrible pledge drive spring 2001
     • Started FY 01-02 with $35K budget deficit

What had gone wrong?   A few things were obvious:
     • Emphasis on the canvass had been declining for previous 2-3 years
     • Canvass had little organization or publicity
     • Were simply mailing out letters and a brochure, and hoping for the best

What to do in 2002?
     • Differences of opinion – some thought that going back to a face-to-face model in 2002 would solve the problem.
     • Decided to take a closer look.
     • Asked for suggestions on UU-Money
     • Several people recommended Creating Congregations of Generous People by Michael Durall.
     • Read Durall’s book…it was a real “eye opener”
     • Became aware that there were more problems than we realized and that we needed to make some major changes
     • Also realized we had an opportunity to make a difference – not just in financial results but in the overall life of the church

Other things we discovered were wrong
     • Appeal was based on budget requirements
     • No appeal to commitment or generosity
     • Senior Minister was detached from the canvass
     • Firewall between spiritual and financial side of church activities – raising money was seen as an unpleasant chore rather than an expression of faith
     • New members were not educated
           • “Nobody asked us to pledge”
           • “It costs $125 to join”
     • People could join without attending a class (altar calls on New Member Sundays)
     • Canvass chair reported to finance committee

Activities June-October 2001
     • Organized committee
     • Everyone on committee read Durall’s book
     • Developed “working assumptions” document - presented to Board at June retreat
     • Got designated as a separate committee reporting to the Council
     • Full day planning retreat in September
     • Presented “wish list” to ministers

Working Assumptions 2002
     • At least two purposes to a pledge drive: to raise money and to encourage people to become church owners, not customers
     • People share based on their perception of how the church impacts their lives, because they value UU’ism, and for other intangible reasons
     • People aren’t motivated by budgets, increased expenses, etc., but they do want to know in general terms where their money is going
     • People are generous if they are asked to share and if they are reminded of what the church means to them
     • People’s generosity increases if they know what others are pledging – especially church leaders
     • Horizon’s “money culture” is minimal. It needs to be elevated, but we have to be careful to provide a positive rather than negative message

The 2002 Plan
Face to face canvass
     • Communication strategy
     • Senior Minister’s wish list
     • 3% goal
     • Kick-off event
     • High donor recognition event (first time for Horizon)
     • Follow-up

The Face to Face Canvass - WHY we did it
     • We were too scared not to do it
     • Wanted broad-based participation in the canvass
     • Wanted personal contact among members
     • Wanted to re-affirm the commitment message

The Face to Face Canvass - HOW we did it
     • Recruited canvassers based on commitment and ability to communicate, not pledge levels
     • Matched people based on geography or affinity, not pledge amounts
     • Pledge cards in sealed envelopes - canvassers did not know past year or current pledge. Enabled members who lost jobs to take part
     • Training: share your “Horizon Stories”
     • No budget or finance training. Provided finance committee hotline for canvassers on Canvass Sunday (nobody called)

Senior Minister's Wish List (Bringing the Mountain to Mohammed)
     • Promote the idea of a canvass as a time for spiritual growth, reflection of values, bonding and joy through sharing; not as an unpleasant chore we have to do to pay the bills
     • Let people know that they are appreciated for their financial support as well as for their work in the church (agreed to host the high donor recognition)
     • Three-minute testimonials during Sunday services for 4 weeks up to Canvass Sunday. Schedule near “Joys and Sorrows” (Balked at first but was OK when we assured him we wouldn’t talk money during the service)
     • Both ministers co-lead Canvass Sunday service (did this)
     • Personally sign solicitation and acknowledgement letters (didn’t sign acknowledgement letters)
     • Disclose own pledge (% or actual amount) to promote openness about giving and lead by example (did this…and it was a big step)

Communication - Newsletter
     • November “Caring, Commitment Canvass” introduced the committee and the campaign
     • December “Canvassers Needed” - allegedly to recruit volunteers but really to introduce the idea of a “feel good” face to face canvass
     • January “This Column Brought to You by the Letter ‘M’” use of money to express our religious values
     • February “Does your Checkbook Reflect your Values?” and “Canvass Q&A”
     • March “A Church…a Family” and more “Canvass Q&A”

Communication - other
     • Inserts in the Order of Service - four Sundays
     • Quotes from members including children and youth.
     • I support Horizon because…
     • Horizon has changed my life by…
     • I am a UU because…
     • Testimonials during the service
     • Several informational emails
     • Flyers and posters around church
     • Pledge letter with bookmark (10 reasons to support Horizon)
     • Email and call from canvasser
     • No brochure, pledge distribution graphs or sample budgets

Results
     • Approximately 70% of members visited at home or Starbucks
     • $296K by end of campaign vs. $231K previous year
     • Overall positive feedback for face to face canvass

2004 - A Different Model
     • Had done face to face canvass in 2002 and 2003
     • More difficult to recruit canvassers in 2003 than 2002 (somewhat surprising considering the positive feedback in 2002)
$14,000 reduction in 2003
     • Michael Durall wrote Beyond the Collection Plate in 2003 – further insight on how churches promote or limit growth and financial health
     • Durall came to Horizon in October 2003 as part of “church revitalization” effort – recommendations included community outreach as a way to grow and strengthen the church

2004 Canvass Plan
     • Incorporate community outreach projects into canvass
     • Ask board for outreach line item in budget
     • Ask board for personal pledge commitment
     • Communication strategy same as 2002 & 2003
     • Set goal at 5% of net income

Board Pledge Commitment
     • Blind survey protected individual confidentiality
     • Each board member wrote on a piece of paper the percent of income he/she intended to pledge
     • Results published in newsletter: average was 5.2%

Projects and Pledges (P2)
     • Idea - motivate members to share within the church by sharing with the community
     • Organized projects with 14 agencies: Red Cross, Camp Summit, Friends of the Family, Pediplace, Metrocrest Social Service Center and others.
     • All scheduled for Saturday before Canvass Sunday
     • Projects were typically ½ day for 5-20 people (adults or teens)
     • About 120 people participated
     • Simple dinner at church that evening - each project team shared their stories
     • Collected pledges at dinner or at lunch on Canvass Sunday

Results
     • Increased from $282K to $307K
     • Number of pledges declined – from 192 to 164
     • Average pledge increased from $1,476 to $1,877 (skewed by two new pledges of $10,000 each)
     • Very positive feedback on P2. “More meaningful than canvass visits”
     • Took longer to get the pledges in than in years when we had face to face canvasses

Pathways Church - a Brief History
     • Started in 2003 as a UUA experiment in church-planting
     • Started with three ministers and an executive director
     • UUA pulled support late 2005, a year earlier than expected. Had to lay off two ministers and executive director.
     • Congregation was determined to stay together.
     • Amazing stewardship campaign in Spring 2006. Average pledge was $2,900, median was $2,400
     • Moved to new rental space in June 2006 (had been holding services in middle school cafeteria)
     • Pathways Stewardship Campaign 2007

Plan:
     • Board commitment on pledge percent of income
     • Outreach projects (similar to P2)
     • “Celebration Sunday” model
     • Concerned that 2006 results were result of financial crisis, and that we would have trouble repeating in 2007

We got our Crisis for 2007...
     • Rev. David announces he will leave Pathways end of June
     • Announcement comes a month before Stewardship Sunday (I was notified ten days earlier but couldn’t tell my committee)
     • Went back to UU-Money to ask for advice and encouragement

UU-Money (listserv) Responses
     • “Tell them the truth... tell it earlier rather than later.... and remind them that there may be no time in the history of your congregation that it would be more important than now to insure financial stability and strong congregational support”
     • “I suggest that you acknowledge the admiration and appreciation you have for your departing minister and send him off with your warm support and wish him well in his new ministry. The implication here is that of a developing ministerial career. If that is so, your congregation can enjoy having been an effective part of that”
     • “If the minister is leaving on good terms, the canvass is a chance to kick off the search process for someone who will be just as admired and respected”
     • “The church is not the minister, after all, and perhaps your letter can address the shared ministry of your congregation and the need to continue to support that ministry with pledges”

Pathways 2007 - (continued)
     • Re-wrote pledge letter, acknowledging grief over Rev. David’s leaving, and framing the Stewardship Campaign as the start of Pathways “next stage”. Sent a week later than planned.
     • Rev. David gone the two Sundays preceding Stewardship Sunday
     • Rev. Susan Smith, District Executive, preaches week before Stewardship Sunday

Results
     • Fifty-five people took part in outreach projects
     • Got 80% of pledges at Stewardship Sunday service. Remaining pledges within 10 days
     • Total pledged dollars slightly higher than 2006
     • Average pledge was $2,260. Median was $1,560. Not bad, but well below previous year.

Analysis
     • Lost $24,000 from two moves and two resignations (both resignations happened before Rev. David’s announcement).
     • Thirty increases 9 decreases and 9 same level.
     • Major gap between members joining after June 2006 and “older” members. Average pledge for newer members was $1,028 vs. $2,888 for older members.

Lessons Learned
Key Ingredients of any Canvass regardless of Model

Pledge leadership by example (minister and/or board). “Fair Share” giving guides are meaningless without this.
     • Compelling, uplifting message of commitment, spirit and generosity
     • Communication, Communication and Communication. Paper the church.
     • High energy and involvement
     • Congregation-wide event or kickoff

Face To Face Canvass
     • “Do not be trapped into thinking that significant gifts will be received in any other manner than a visit to the home”
     • The Green Book: a Canvass Manual for Unitarian Universalist Congregations (1985)

     “Do not be trapped into believing the above statement”
               Marty Wertheim (2007)

Horizon’s best years were 2004 and 2007 – without a face to face canvass (visited high donors in 2007)
     • Third and fourth best were 2002 and 2003 – with face to face canvasses
     • First Jefferson switched to Celebration Sunday model in 2007 – 28% increase
     • Conducting a face to face canvass –
     • Forces you to get organized
     • Forces you to communicate
     • Forces you to get a a lot of people involved
     • But you should be doing all these things regardless of which model you choose

Other advantages of face to face canvass
     • Gets more people involved - about 1/3 of your pledge units need to be canvassers
     • Act of recruiting canvassers generates publicity for the pledge drive
     • Gets people talking to each other and creates new relationships
     • Don’t believe it results in larger pledges
     • Lots of work – especially in larger churches

The Budget - the chicken or the Egg?
     • Do the canvass first, then do the budget
     • When canvass goals are based on the budget
     • It fosters a mind-set of scarcity rather than abundance (most church budgets are bare bones)
     • Inspiration is replaced by anxiety
     • No motivation for “break-through” increases
     • But…make sure your new member orientation includes Church Finances 101

If You Don't Have a Budget, how do you set the Goal?
     • From Pathways April 2007 newsletter:
             “Has a goal been set for the Stewardship Campaign?

     • “Yes. The goal is for all of us to:
          • Feel a renewed commitment to Pathways and our Unitarian Universalist faith
          • Believe that our pledge strengthens our relationship with Pathways, with each other, and with our community
          • View generosity and sharing as a fundamental part of our DNA and our Unitarian Universalist principles”

Elevating your Money Culture
     • You can’t do it overnight
     • Sermons throughout the year stressing generosity – not just on “Canvass Sunday”
     • Disclosure of pledges – minister, board members, canvass chair, anybody else that’s willing
     • Article on money-talk in the newsletter – discuss reasons for money anxiety, how money can be used to promote our principles.
     • Special collections throughout the year for specific causes
     • Avoid songs/skits that create anxiety
     • Minister should have access to pledge data
     • Canvass chair should screen board candidates (not to limit board positions to the highest pledgers, but rather to avoid blatant misers)
     • Thank you letters that confirm pledge amounts – signed by president, vice president, canvass chair, minister, …
Expect some complaints – but don’t worry about them

Recruiting your committee
     • First, get clear on your own vision of what the canvass should be
     • Next, identify candidates and communicate your vision and enthusiasm to them
     • Select candidates based on commitment to the church and needed skill sets. Don’t worry about how much they’ve pledged or whether they’ve had fundraising experience
     • Look for future leaders, future board members (canvass committees provide leadership training)

Lessons Learned (continued)
     • Make sure your high-level donors know that they are appreciated.
     • Draw inspiration from individual successes as well as overall financial increases
     • Get minister and worship team involved early
     • Make sure prospective new members are getting educated…so important!
     • Have a follow-up plan and a hard close date
     • Stay in contact with your minister. You may be the first person to become aware of someone’s financial difficulties or dissatisfaction with the church.

Resources
     • Creating Congregations of Generous People by Michael Durall. Don’t even think of doing another canvass without reading this book
     • The Abundance of our Faith. Winning sermons from the UUA annual stewardship sermon contest. Read, be inspired, plagiarize
     • Beyond Fundraising by Wayne B. Clark. Some good suggestions, especially if you’re using a face-to-face model, but a little heavy on hawking UUA consulting services. Read Durall’s book first. And please don’t call your canvass a “budget drive”.
     • UU-Money email list. Mostly for treasurers and finance chairs, but often have some good canvass discussions and valuable advice. Go to www.uua.org/members/emaillists.

Finally --
     • As a stewardship/canvass chair there’s only so much you can do. You can’t create commitment. That’s up to the other ministries in your church. You can only awaken it.
     • Think like a minister, not like a treasurer.

Questions?
Your questions for me
My questions for you
     • What other models have you found successful?
     • Do any of you have an “advance gifts” campaign? How does it work?
     • How do you recognize your top donors?
     • Does anyone (other than your minister) disclose his or her pledge amount or percent of income?