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The 2013 February newsletter of the First Unitarian Church of Omaha
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Sunday Services At 9:30 am and 11:15 am
February 3 | Rev. Frank Rivas | Trust
Trusting life and trusting ourselves is part
of a religious heritage that reaches back to
ancient Scripture.
February 10 | Rev. Frank Rivas | Love
Days before Valentine’s Day, we reflect on
the transformative power of love.
February 17 | Rev. Frank Rivas | Shul
Jews sometimes refer to their synagogue as
a “shul,” Yiddish for “school.” We might
want to take a fresh look at how this school should look.
February 24 | Shelton Hendricks | Soul
Made Flesh: Joy of Materialism
In recent Sunday school classes the children dreamt about
what the ideal First Unitarian Church would look like. We
encouraged them to dream big, and they did. Roller coast-
ers, water slides, pools, fountains, a church dog, other
church animals, and, of course, electronic gadgets were
included in their drawings, which will be exhibited in the
Common Room gallery.
It’s also time for us to dream big, to imagine the church
we want to be five or even ten years from now. We might
be tempted to begin by thinking about our building, which
we love and which might indeed limit our dreams. Or we
might begin by thinking about numbers, about wanting
more people―especially more children. But I suggest that
we would do well to begin with the most fundamental questions:
What is our mission? (Is our current mission
statement adequate?)
Who do we want to be for one another?
For our children?
Who do we want to be in the broader community?
The Newsletter of First Unitarian Church of Omaha
The Flame February 2013
REV.
ELATIONS
2
elations
The Women’s Alliance will hold its next meeting on February 11 at 6:30pm in the Common Room.
Our speaker for the meeting is Elizabeth (Beth) Furlong. Beth is a faculty member at the Center for Health
Policy and Ethics at Creighton University. Beth’s education is in public health nursing, an area in which she
practiced and taught for several years. She will present a one-woman drama of Miss Lavinia Dock, public
health nurse and suffragist of the early 1900s.
Our dinner ($12) will be baked spiral ham with elegant potatoes, an Alliance favorite. The vegetarian
entrée will be cornbread topped with southwestern frijoles prepared by our own excellent chefs: Barb
Dewell and Lois Norris. If this is your first time, please be our guest. Reservations must be made no later
than Friday, February 8 to Janet West at 402-553-3162 or [email protected]. We hope to see you
at the meeting!
Rev.
Women’s Alliance
(Continued from first page)
As we address these foundational questions, our building and population goals will become clear.
We need not address our mission in isolation. Our liberal faith has a long tradition of both welcoming
diverse opinions and challenging one another. In addition, our faith tradition has emphasized the
importance of education. Finally, we Unitarian Universalists have a long tradition of community
involvement, and this church is located in an ideal place to make a difference in our community.
Over a century and a half ago, Unitarian Theodore Parker wrote, “The Church which did for the fifth
century, or the fifteenth, will not do for this. It must have our ideas, the smell of our ground, and have
grown out of the religion of our souls.” At a time when a new generation of electronics emerges every18
months, even the church of ten years ago might not do. We need a church that grows out of the religion
of our souls.
Blessings and love,
Frank
3
You are Invited to
A COFFEE HOUSE CELEBRATION
of Ron Knapp’s new memoir
MOMENTS
In a Life
Sunday Evening, February 24
7 to 9pm in the Common Room
Ron will read from his book
Kyle Knapp will entertain with his guitar and songs
Books will be for sale (signed by the author)
Refreshments: coffee, tea, punch, sweets, chips and dips
($3 from each book will go the church building preservation fund)
Valentine’s Day Bash
The First Unitarian Young Adult group has taken over party planning duties
for this year's Valentine's Day Bash. Our theme this year is "Back Off, Hall-
mark." At our church common room, the event will begin at 6pm on
Saturday, February 16. Karaoke, dinner, a photo booth, an anti-love song
serenade, cash bar, and a date auction (as a fundraiser for the church) will
be on the agenda. We hope everyone can join! All black entire is encour-
aged! P.S. Abby Cape is making yummy sweets...who can pass that up?
Our eighth annual Preserve Our
Building fund drive is now underway.
For our newcomers and others who
may not be familiar with the POB
campaign, a short review of POB
history may be appropriate. After our
sanctuary was refurbished in October
2004, made possible by gift of the
“Erickson Bond,” I found myself just in
awe of its newly resplendent beauty.
Thinking that our ability to fulfill our
future building preservation needs
should not be completely dependent on
hoping for a major gift, I wondered if
we could build a fund to lead the way towards funding a needed
refurbishment in the future. Thoughts
of “Wells we did not dig” and leaving
something for those yet to come led to
the creation the Preserve Our Building
Fund Drive.
The POB fund has grown with
contributions and interest to over
$32,000. Your generosity is wonderful!
The concept of many of us giving what
we can from year to year is proving to
be successful. Approval from the
congregation is necessary to spend
from this account. Please join in this
year’s effort.
Your check should be made payable
to First Unitarian Church of Omaha
with “POB” on the memo line. A
solicitation letter recently sent to
home addresses included a return
addressed envelope for your
convenience. The envelopes and blue
cards in the pews at church may also
be used for your POB donation
during Sunday offering, just annotate
the memo line, POB. Thank you for
supporting Preserve Our Building.
Preserve Our Building by Jaime Alexander
4
The “Preserve Our
Building” Fund Drive
is Underway.
5
I believe I still retain a florist's mixed excitement and dread regarding February. This is a month filled:
social events, my eldest child’s birthday, Valentine's Day, President's Day, etc. For a short month, there
is sure a lot to do (hence the dread). What has happened to the church year? Suddenly I have reached
the home stretch: Vision of Ministry, Budget, plan the Annual Meeting, and BOOM, I'm done.
In early January, the Board of Trustees met with the Senior Ministry Team to evaluate how our
governance has been working. What did we find? Just like February: mixed. We agreed that many areas
are going well: The revitalized Membership Team is going gangbusters. Our church's energy is more
directed towards our goals and Mission. We are blossoming under the leadership of our minister, Frank
Rivas. Projects are being accomplished (check out the fab new Merritt Lounge!), and we are in good
shape financially. Getting to this level of stability is the result of a great deal of hard work by staff and
volunteer alike. Kudos to us all!
At the same time, we are aware of the challenges of our present system: communication takes extra
steps; we have a top-heavy administrative branch which burdens some of our volunteers extremely; and roles are not always well-defined.
We need a bit of change. Not a great deal, as luck would have it. Presently, members of the Board,
SMT, and Governance Committee are exploring methods to simplify our system. One of our primary
concerns is empowerment. Our great volunteers are creative, capable, and dedicated. We need to trust
them. More on this as new developments occur.
Yours,
Kate Godfrey
President’s Letter
February
Partner Church Fundraising Luncheon
Sunday, February 24 after the second service
Hungarian Menu!
Donation to the Partner Church Fund
Adults: $6, Kids: $3, Family: $12
Soup, veggies, salad, bread!
We are sharing the plate with
Community Alliance, an Omaha
Organization that helps individuals
with mental illness to achieve their
unique potential, and to live, work,
learn and contribute in a
community of mutual support.
Community Alliance provides day
and residential rehabilitation,
family educational and community
support services at 19 locations in
the Omaha area.
Share the Plate
The Book Club will meet on
Monday, February 25 at 7pm.
Our selection is The Fatal
Shore by Robert Hughes.
Please contact Dave
Richardson for more info at
The Book Club
UU & You classes provide an
introduction to Unitarian
Universalism and our church,
along with an opportunity to
share our religious journeys.
Visitors, newcomers, and the just
curious are cordially invited to
attend on Sunday, March 3. The
class will convene in the Whitney
Young Room 15 minutes after
the ending of the 11:15 service.
That usually works out to a 12:30
starting time. A light lunch will be
served to bolster the always
interesting conversation. Ending
time will be 2pm. If you need
childcare, please let us know by
the Friday before. RSVPs or
questions can be addressed to
[email protected] or call
the church office at 402-345-
3039.
UU & You
6
At Church This Month Check out our calendar at our website: www.firstuuomaha.org
The Omaha Mythological
RoundTable is an “emerging”
chapter of the Joseph
Campbell Foundation's
(JCF.org) program to promote
the study of mythology and
the works of Joseph Campbell.
We gather on the fourth
Sunday of every month at First
Unitarian Church of Omaha
from 5 to 7pm for a one-hour
video plus a one-hour
discussion. Topics include the
structure of myth, sacred
stories, Jungian psychology,
dream interpretation,
comparative religion, and
more.
Contact
details.
This month we meet on
Sunday, February 24.
Joseph Campbell
Mythological
RoundTable
UU Circle Suppers are a
gathering of 6– 8 people who
meet for an organized dinner.
The host/hostess provides the
home or place firms up the date
with assigned guests and provides
the main dish. The host/hostess
then calls each guest to confirm
attendance, give directions and
assigns the part of dinner the
guest would like to bring:
appetizer, bread, vegetable, and/
or salad, dessert or beverage.
You do not need to be a host/
hostess to participate.
Our next Circle Suppers date is
Saturday, February 23.
Sign up today online by going to:
http://www.signupgenius.com/
go/10C0D44A9AE29A02-circle2
Circle Suppers
This year, Witches’ Tea will be
taking a journey through the
Wheel of the Year. This is an
exploration of the major holidays
that most Pagan or Wiccan
traditions follow.
February 3 marks our celebration
of Imbolc as we begin our “spring
cleaning.” There will be a full
ritual at 7pm in the Common
Room, with potluck to follow.
If you can't make it this month,
be sure to come out on March 3
for our discussion on Moon
Phases.
Witches’ Tea
7
At Church This Month
8
If Wednesday nights just aren’t your thing, join us for a YRUU overnight on Friday, February 8 through
Saturday, February 9—8pm to 8am at First Unitarian Church. We will watch a movie, play tried and true
games, try new team-building exercises, snack all night, and clean it all up quick as a wink before we have
to leave at 8am. This event will give us a chance to visit a variety of topics and activities that we generally
don’t have time for. I hope each and every Omaha UU teen can make it!
Parents, we are also looking for volunteer chaperones if you are willing to give up at least a few hours of
your sleep that night. Please contact Naomi Solomon ([email protected]) if you are willing to help out
in any way.
RE News by Meka Tate, DRE
With the start of 2013, the Child/Youth Religious Education Team (CY-RE Team) is determined to meet
regularly on the last Sunday of each month. This month, that would be Feb 24. (Note: Easter is the last Sun-
day in March, so we’ll meet March 24 next month instead, then April 28 & May 26). We will meet at
12:30pm in the 2nd-floor, middle classroom. There will be childcare and a light lunch. Meetings will last no
longer than 1 hour. Often called “RE Council” out of habits from the past, our new name better reflects our
focus: supporting our DRE Meka Tate, excellence in Sunday programming and fun family activities for chil-
dren and youth. Please join us in person if you can for the meetings—or get on our email list to be “in the
loop” for CY-RE activities and projects. We need your ideas and energy! The email address for the team is:
[email protected] or contact Donna Neff or Kate Wiig.
New Year—New Resolution—New Name: Child/Youth
Religious Education Team by Donna Neff
YRUU Overnight by Naomi Solomon
Starting in February the religious education program will be using a curriculum titled "UU Super Heroes." This is a
values-based Unitarian Universalist identity curriculum that will introduce the children to stories of courage and
wisdom. The curriculum shows the lives of various Unitarians while helping to confirm UU principles. In a sense it
promotes theology through biographies and helps children learn traditions in order to lead their own lives
spiritually and ethically. Most of the stories begin with the Super Hero’s childhood so that our kids will be able to
connect with the person and realize that people who do heroic deeds generally come from humble beginnings.
Great things can be accomplished by imperfect people and this curriculum shows this using games, songs
dramatizations and projects. Please join us every Sunday to learn about a new exciting UU Super Hero!
If you are interested in volunteering to teach or assist in teaching please contact Meka Tate at
[email protected]. We are also still looking for volunteers to be part of our "feature member" each month so
if you have a special skill that you would like to teach the kids, or if you just want to get to know the children
better please sign up!
9 9
CommUUnity Night is Back!
We are eager to announce that we are planning our first CommUUnity night in … awhile! This event
will be hosted by the Youth/Child RE Team.
We will meet in the Common Room on Friday, February 1st at 5:30pm.
If you haven’t participated before, CommUUnity Nights are a fun, laid-back all-church event. We
gather together for a potluck of side items (the main dish is provided by RE) and we don’t worry
about who is bringing what; we may get KFC chicken nuggets, sushi, and guacamole, but we’ll have
fun. We eat together as a group and then just chill. Kids are free to roam, play, run and take owner-
ship of their church. We give the teens the Merritt Lounge as a fortress of solitude against the chaos
of family life. The adults chill, talk, play games, and just enjoy each other’s company.
If you can’t bring anything or you are feeling too rushed to grab or make something last minute,
COME ANYWAY! There’s always plenty of food and what we really want is YOU!
10
The Merritt Scholarship
The Women’s Alliance Merritt Scholarship is accepting applications for its scholarship until March
31. To be eligible to receive the scholarship, the applicant must be a member of 1st or 2nd
Unitarian Church or a dependent of a member. The applicant may be planning to attend a two-year
college, a four-year college, graduate school, or professional school Fall 2013.
The application is available from the church office:
Send completed applications to:
First Unitarian Church of Omaha
Attn: Merritt Scholarship Committee
3114 Harney St.
Omaha, NE 68131
11 11
TADG Seeks Variety of Opinions
is Thursday, February 21 and starts at 7pm.
However the fun starts earlier. Come at 6pm for
“Bring Your Own Dinner” and conversation. The
coffee will be on for you. RSVPs are appreciated,
and questions welcomed, to Jaime Alexander,
[email protected]. If you are reading this,
you are invited to attend.
The Tolerant Atheist Discussion Group topic
for the Thursday, February 21 meeting is
“Scripture and God Language in Sermons.” As
always all members, friends, visitors and just
curious are cordially invited, especially if your
view on the topic differs from what you
presume the opinion might be of someone
attending a TADG meeting. Here is the back-
ground: In his December Flame column, Rev.
Elations, Rev. Frank broached the subject that
he had “heard from a couple of members who
were uncomfortable with the use of religious
language and passages from the Bible.” Frank
further commented that “These are authentic
concerns that need to be addressed” and that
the time he intended to do so at two sermons
in early January. But second thoughts prevailed
in that Frank, although he enjoys a good
argument, “Doesn’t want argument to be the
paradigm of the congregational
communication” (see January Flame). However
he eagerly accepted an invitation to come and
say a few words at the TADG meeting where
courteous argument can reign supreme.
If chaos and acrimony come to mind, assurance
of peace in the Common Room can probably
be presumed from the facts that the leading
word in the group’s name is “Tolerant.” The
discussions take place in small groups, and the
prevailing recognizable emotion from previous
meetings has been laughter. Again, the meeting
How the Women’s Alliance
Saved the Church
One of the most endearing stories of the history of
our church is the legend of how the Women’s
Alliance saved this church when it fell on hard times
in the years just preceding WW I.
The halcyon days of the ministry of the renowned
Reverend Newton Mann had ended in 1910.
Membership soon dwindled, and the minister, Dr.
Lillefors, resigned in 1912 to take a pulpit in
Fitchburg, MA. The following year, under a heavy
debt burden, the church was forced to sell its
original building on 17th and Cass to the German
Music Society (Musik Verein). Our longtime
archivist Marie Helms described it this way:
“The building was sold, but the Women’s Alliance
managed to hold the congregation together with
vespers, church school classes, and meetings which
were held in various available halls with visiting
ministers from other parts of the area.”
However, it appeared for a time that the church
could not be sustained. At an informal gathering of
members of the Women’s Alliance after the
memorial service for longtime member Mrs. H.D.
Reed, a pivotal moment in our church’s history took
place. It was one of those times that show us how
courage and determination can win the day. The
words of Mrs. G.W. Holdredge, secretary of the
Women’s Alliance, tells it best:
12
2019: Tw
o
Importan
t Eve
nts
2019 may seem a long way off;
however, that year is the conver-
gence of two important dates: the
150th anniversary of the Founding of
the First Unitarian Church of Omaha
and the 100th birthday of our build-
ing, which was completed in 1919.
“It was decided to keep together and do
whatever the Alliance could do to hold the
scattered remnants of the church together. There
were 19 names on the membership roll, but even so
small a beginning might prove the nucleus of the
church of the future. If we could do nothing more,
we could set ourselves the task of seeking out
Unitarians and asking them to join us in the search
for others.”
-from Women’s Alliance Report of1913
Within a few months Mrs. Holdredge was able to
report that the growth in membership to 57 was
“most gratifying.”
The next few years saw steady growth until in 1915
the Board of Trustees accepted a proposal made by
the Alliance to purchase a “Parish House” which
would serve the church until in 1918 the
construction of the church we now occupy began.
The sketches of Alice Blackstone and Natalie Fisher
by Eddith Buis which appear here are actually of
Women’s Alliance members of a later period than
the one discussed below. But Eddith thought the
sense of purpose and determination their faces
reflect is evidence that the spirit is still there.
Sincere thanks to the Alliance for their role in the
life of this church.
13
We have organized an effort in keeping with the revitalized spirit of this congregation, to
expand and enhance our membership. You may have noticed some of the changes occurring
in our vestibule to spruce up our welcoming effort for visitors. We are busy organizing a
welcoming process, a path to membership plan, new member recognition, an assimilation
plan for new members, and efforts directed toward retaining members we have. We will also
be reviewing ways we can recognize long-term members.
We have recruited some of you to help us and will be asking for more volunteers as we
form our overview and define procedures for each step we take. We welcome all
suggestions and feedback on how we are doing (and what we are doing). We want to make
this a congregation-wide effort and we hope you agree that we have a lot to offer and a large
potential for growth. An exciting time for all of us!
We will be periodically handing out more of our Points to Promote sheets that are
suggestions about what members can do to build community in our church, to expand our
presence within Omaha, to encourage visitors to return, and to promote new membership.
The members of our team are Jaime Alexander, Lana Hammel, Carolyn McNamara, Stephen
Meister, Ben Wallace, Janet West, Ron Withem, Barbara Ross, Bill Ross, and Judith Wright.
Energized Membership Team
By Jackie Anderegg, Membership Team Leader
Thank You from the
Partner Church Team
Thank you to all in the First Unitarian Church
community for giving to the Partner Church Fund.
This money is sent to our Partner Church in
Firtosmartonos, Transylvania, Romania, for pre-
approved projects such as scholarships for the
village teens to attend the Unitarian high school
and area colleges. Firtosmartonos is an agricultural
village of 250 Unitarians. The Partner Church
Team encourages those who have not sent a
check to support the Partner Church projects to
send a check to the office with “Partner Church
Fund” on the memo line. The money donated to
the Partner Church Fund is not used to support
any member of First Unitarian Church to visit our
Partner Church. Be sure to join us for the Partner
Church Fundraiser Luncheon happening after the
second service on Sunday, February 24.
Board
President
Kate Godfrey
President-Elect
Tony Host
Board Members
Dean Christensen, Lana Hammel,
Barb Herring, Louise Jeffrey,
John Wagner, Ron Withem
Trustees of the Capital Trust
Tim Duggan (2013),
Steve Hutchinson (2014),
Sandy Host (2015)
Senior Ministry Team
Jack Perry, Walt Jesteadt,
Carolyn McNamara, Ben Wallace,
Rev. Frank Rivas
Submit items for publication to
Word limit is 200; deadline is the
15th of the month.
Board meetings are on the
second Tuesday of the month and
are open to all members.
14
Thank You from the
Partner Church Team Adult R.E.
Crystal DiGiorgi
Archives
Dave Richardson
Building (short-term)
Dave Rosser
Caring
Douglas Lee-Regier
Chalice Guild
Kay Lynn Goldner
Community Meals
Louise Jeffery
Fellowship
Nadine Keith &
Judith Wright Finance
Walt Jesteadt
Fundraising
Donna Neff
Garden
Sharon Conlon
Governance
Alex Nather
Membership
Jackie Anderegg
Office
Carolyn McNamara
Partner Church
Council
Janet West
CY-RE Team
Donna Neff &
Kate Wiig
Religious Services
Megan Gustafson
UU Class
Yvonne Price & Jaime
Alexander
Women’s Alliance
Vanessa Timberlake
Young Adult Group
Maria Wilson
YRUU
Ben Wallace &
Shawne Coonfare
15
Ministry Team Leaders Contact
Phone: (402) 345-3039
Fax: (402) 346-2662
Staff
Minister
Rev. Frank Rivas
Director of Religious Education
Meka Tate
Office Administrator
Catharine Dixon
Organist
Pat Will
Choir Director
Bob McMeen
Choir Accompanist
Patricia Allender
Nursery Aide
Justin Deffenbacher
Custodian
Bobby Medrano
Minister Emeritus
Ronald Knapp
The Flame
Editor
Catharine Dixon
Proofreaders
Scott Kemper, Lana Hammel,
Cyndi Nather
The Flame Mailing Team
Anne Massoud, Evelyn Whitehill,
Howard Bolton, Shelton Hendricks
The Flame 3114 Harney Street
Omaha NE 68131
Partner Church Fundraising
Luncheon
Sunday, February 24 after the
second service
Donation to the Partner Church Fund
Adults: $6
Kids: $3
Family: $12
All members and friends of First Unitarian
Church are WELCOME!
