|
Nora Unitarian Universalist Church April, 2005 April 3 – “Top Ten Reasons to Raise Your Pledge” – Nora
Church is a bargain! April 10 – “My Portrait of Jesus” -
We will install Don Rollins as our new parish minister on Sunday,
April 24. The service time will be at 4:00 PM. Supper will follow in the Fellowship
Hall. See invitation
on page 3 of newsletter. LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP & PRAIRIE STAR MEETING On Saturday, May 14, from 9:30 to
11:30 A.M., there will be a Leadership Meeting at the church. This is an opportunity
for anyone who is involved on a committee
or plans to be in the future to learn some skills that can help them. As we
build the future here at Nora it is important that we learn how to make the
most of that time, get everyone’s input, and then get starting to build.
There are other chances to be involved too. The Prairie Star Meeting is April
8, 9, and 10th in St. Paul and the General Assembly is June 23 – 27th.
There is also leadership training in Beloit, Wisconsin. If you are interested
in information on any of these events, please contact Sheldon by phone or email. TEAM/COMMITTEES TO MEET The committee on Ministry will meet on April 14 at 7:00
PM at the church and the social justice committee will meet on Sunday, April
17 after services. NORA WOMEN’S SOCIETY The Nora Women’s Society will meet on Tuesday,
April 26, for a noon potluck. On the agenda will be planning for the Syttende
Mai dinners. We will be serving
on Friday, May 20 at 4:00 and 6:30 PM. Meatballs will be made on Thursday unless
more reservations are received. Volunteers for serving and clean-up will be needed.
Contact Carol Chambard if you are able to help. MONEY MATTERS The Board of Trustees spent much of its March 20 meeting discussing
the budget for Fiscal Year 2005 – 2006 and will finalize the budget at its
April 17 meeting. The Finance Team is gearing up for the Pledge Drive and will
hold
area meetings again to present the church’s financial needs and to receive
feedback from members. Letters with times and locations will be mailed soon
to members and friends in the area. The date for the congregational meeting
on the proposed budget will be announced later. SUNDAY MORNING DISCUSSION Our Sunday discussions continue each week before the service at
9:00 AM. We meet in the Iverson Room (downstairs) to consider a wide variety
of topics. Don Rollins
leads the first session of each month. The April 3 discussion will be based on
the UUA pamphlet, “Unitarian Universalist Views on Death and Immortality.” TO KEEP IN TOUCH Good news! Lee Schmitt is home from a tour of duty in Iraq. We are grateful for his safe return and appreciate his presenting the service and sharing his experiences and observations on Sunday, March 20, when Rev. Rollins was recuperating from surgery. The potluck lunch following the service on April 3 will be another time to welcome Lee home. Carol and Alon Chambard and Bonita and Algot Blomquist
celebrated their 54th anniversaries in March. Algot also celebrated his 75th
birthday. Congratulations
all around. NEVER ON SUNDAY “Never on Sunday,” a musical, comedy and food extravaganza will be held
on April 10th at the Holiday Inn. Proceeds will be used for Putting Green’s
solar club house and a sound system for the Rhein Rivers Arts Center. Pre-comedy
music will be provided by Juanita Gilbert, Don Rollins, and James Zents. There will
be food from area restaurants and four comedians. Music and food are from 5:00 – 6:00
PM. Comedy is from 6:00 – 7:30 PM and post-comedy music will be provided by “Who’s
Your Daddy” from 7:30 – 8:30 PM. Tickets are $18 at the Chamber, Cash-Wise
and HyVee. LUNCH BUNCH The gourmet group will meet at LeMays in Lake Crystal on Wednesday,
April 6 at 11:30 A.M. This is a social occasion for everyone, and turnout has
been growing.
It would be a good idea to carpool for the trip to Lake Crystal. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Thank you all very much for your contributions of your time and energy, and supplies for our Easter Breakfast. We earned $140. The children will use these funds for service projects for the coming year. The funds from last year’s Easter Breakfast and Smorg were used to purchase materials to fill bags to send to the children in Iraq. Our focus will continue to be child-centered. Meet your RE committee. Julie Sellner and Jeanie Hinsman have graciously volunteered to be on the RE committee. The purpose of the RE committee is toe help with the planning of RE, including curriculum selection, groupings of children, and assisting with the operation of the RE program. The RE committee will meet in April and begin planning for next year. Please feel free to talk with any one of us about ideas you may have for RE. Remember we still need you to help us out with RE by teaching the weekly RE class. COA News: We are underway with beginning the COA program. Look for more news in future newsletters. April dates: RE Wednesday, April 13th. We will be making our version of Nora UU Church t-shirts. Please bring a colored t-shirt with you to RE Wed. We will have fabric paints available for you to use to design your own t-shirt. We will also practice songs to sing the next time we visit the Madelia Care Center. HELP WANTED: The Juniors class will be making birds’ nests baskets. We are looking for plastic berry baskets or mesh vegetable bags, pieces of yarn and string and fabric that can be cut for the birds to use for their nests. Please place on the back counter of the Kaffe Stuva. We have some fabric paints/markers for our RE Wed. t-shirt project. If you have any fabric paint/markers around your home, we’d be happy to use them. Thank you. Thank you to those of you who
have volunteered to teach an RE class. Your help is greatly appreciated. There
is room for a few more volunteers, so please talk
with Anne if you have questions and/or are interested in helping out.
I am ready for spring, ready to be free of ice and snow and cold, biting winds, the short days and long nights. I am ready to see the hills and valleys green again, the streams free of ice and singing on their way to the sea. I saw the winter birds at the feeders. I heard their chirps and trills. I am ready now for the spring birdsongs of the bluebird and robin, and the gabble of the geese flying in V formation high overhead. Buds on trees and bushes are feeling the warmth of spring, feeling the urge to burst into bloom. I see spring in the early blooms on crocus and daffodil, the red spires of alders in the marsh, the blooms of the pussy willows in the swamp. I am waiting for the peepers to tune the swamps and bogs into a symphony of ringing bells, music for the early evening hours, reaching far into the nights. Spring is yielding its longer hours of sun, bringing a warmth that is so much like an arm of friendship around my shoulders, like a face of affection pressed to mine, the warmth of a hand clasping mine. I am ready for the
renewal of life that comes each year with the vernal season, bringing a whole
new world to my countryside. NAME TAGS The name tags that were ordered in February are here. Please see Sally
Hanson after church. The cost is $6.50 per tag and should be paid when you
pick up
the name tag.
|
Back to the Top