From the ministerial intern

The UUFA Welcomes New Intern

Greetings from your new Ministerial Intern! My name is Dawn Cooley, and, as many of you probably have heard, I will be your student minister this year. First columns like this one can be difficult to write on issues only, since most of you are initially wondering who I am and what I will be doing at the fellowship. Brian, my Intern Committee, and I will be fleshing out the explicit details to the second question in the coming months, but I do know that I will be teaching a Building Your Own Theology class on Wednesday evenings, working in some capacity with young adults, attending various committee meetings, contributing on Sunday mornings, and working with some local social justice organizations.

In answer to the first, let me briefly summarize the details for you: I grew up in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. I have a B.S. in computer science. My spouse and I moved from the D.C. area to Minneapolis in 1999. I have two amazing daughters: Evelyn is starting kindergarten this year, and Josephine is two and a half. Though I have been their primary caregiver for the past five years, I managed to graduate from the United Theological Seminary (UTS) in 2004, do a part-time internship at the First Unitarian Society in Minneapolis, and put in several hours a week at Stonetree Congregational Services. In June, we relocated from Minneapolis to West Des Moines. My in-laws live nearby and will be handling most of the daytime childcare duties. Though I am sorry not to be living in Ames, I am sure most of you will understand that having Grandma and Grandpa providing free, reliable, loving childcare outweighs the commute I will have.

My first experience with the UUFA was when I attended a conference-style ministers' retreat at the congregation in 2002. I am not sure whether it was fall or spring, but I remember it because I brought Evelyn, who was just learning how to walk. I adored your nursery, your sanctuary, and your open spaces. The UUFA members I met were friendly and helpful, and it was a great experience. Additionally, I had heard of your minister, as he was one of the UU graduates of UTS who paved the way for other UUs like me.

So when the opportunity arose for me to do a full-time internship, Ames was a logical candidate. The more I talked with Brian and Brenda, the more excited I became about the possibility, and by the time the fellowship voted to become a teaching congregation, I was sitting on the edge of my seat with hope for the outcome.

Some people say that there are no coincidences-that things happen the way they do for a reason. I am, in general, not one of these people. But I also confess that I experience a sense of mystery when I look at the many events of my life that align in a rather amazing way. For example, my need for an internship and your readiness to have one. You have so much to teach, and I am so ready to learn. I have so much energy and am eager to share my talents with you. Whether divinely inspired or happy coincidence or somewhere in-between, I am grateful that you said "Yes" to having an intern, and I appreciate the opportunity to both serve and learn from you. It's going to be a great year!

– Dawn

From the director of youth and children's ministries:

And Summers Are Supposed
to Be Relaxing???

June was a busy month for me. After sorting, purging, and organizing the upstairs for a week in preparation for Prairie Flower preschool's move to our building, Terry Alexander and I chaperoned 11 high school teens on their mission trip with the Urban Immersion Service Retreat Center in Minneapolis for a week. We were sent out to different agencies to help with such things as sorting clothes for a free clothing day, moving furniture on and off trucks for an agency called Bridging, gardening at a community gardens and women's crises center, and painting a woman's fence. Most of the evenings offered an educational component for two hours. On the final evening, Emma Welch facilitated a moving ceremony called Affirmation Cards which gave us the opportunity to think deeply about our connections and care for each other.

Two days after coming back from the mission trip, I went to the UU General Assembly in St. Louis for a week. The day before GA started, I attended a Good Officers training sponsored by LREDA, the religious educators' professional organization. Good Officers provide support to religious professionals who experience unique challenges in their congregations. I enjoyed the energy, the workshops, the worship services, and even the business meetings of GA.

July was a mixture of working at home and vacationing. I will resume my regular office hours in early August.

Super Summer Sundays continue: children in preschool thru 6th grade are welcome to join in the activities facilitated by our teens on Sundays at 10 a.m. These classes will continue until Sept. 10 when we switch back to two services and our regular religious education classes. It's important for parents to remind their children to respect the teen caregivers as well as to respect the new supplies that Prairie Flower has brought.

Parents, please remember to always sign your kids in and out on Sundays. This helps us track attendance and more importantly to track where your children are.

See you in September or on Sundays,

— Benette

IRIS urges UU collaboration and individual volunteers

- Bob Anderson, IRIS President

"Sometimes I feel very depress and I cry all day. At the beginning I tried to talk with some friends about that, but it was not helpful for me ...I cannot tell my husband too, because he has to concentrate on his studies ..." The wife of an Asian student attending ISU wrote this during a planning meeting sponsored by IRIS. The Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS) has been actively involved with international exchanges and other educational programs for more than 10 years. Our mission is to promote international education, development, and peace through rural initiatives. Our programs are funded by the State Department, but all of our programs are made possible only because of the generous contributions of Iowans.

Over the last few months, however, we have been considering other ways to promote our mission here in Ames. One critical need involves the families of international students attending Iowa State University. ISU brings nearly 2,000 international students to its campus each year, and about 400 of those students are accompanied by a spouse and children. In typical cases, well-educated, professional wives are left stranded to cope with children, new food, a new culture, and often a new language with little money. They have traded their secure home environment to be with their husbands, and, according to a recent study by Natalia Juan-Miguez, they are feeling frustrated, bored, hopeless, homesick, lonely, and indifferent. IRIS will be developing programs and seeking volunteers to help in several capacities: for example, providing transportation, mentoring, establishing a child care cooperative, serving as conversation buddies, or serving as family mentors.

I believe that we all will benefit if we encourage international students to become involved in the UU Fellowship. If you would like to join us in creative peacemaking, please visit our Web site at www.IRIS-Center.org or contact IRIS at 515-292-7103 or bob@iris-center.org.

CARING MINISTRY COUNCIL: NEW BABIES

Early in 2006, the UUFA Caring Ministry restructuring created a sub-committee, New Babies, to coordinate visits to a family when a new baby is born to give them a rose and a book from our Fellowship Family. There are currently 13 volunteers on this subcommittee; Lisa Eslinger and Trish Strah are co-chairs.

- Lynne Van Valin

DAYTIME CIRCLE

The Daytime Circle meets in the Tower Room at 1:30 p.m. every other Monday. This month, we meet on August 7 and 21. Note that the meeting on the 21st will be in the Library as the main floor is reserved for the Summer Kids Camp. We are an open circle, including new members as they come, but we maintain confidentiality to encourage people to share what is of deepest concern to them. If you have questions, please call Tom Janicki or Lotus Miller for more information.

- Lotus Miller

DENOMINATIONAL CONNECTIONS

Nine UUFA members attended GA in St. Louis in June. They will share their experiences, insights, and calls to action during Wellspring Wednesday sessions.

- Kitty Fisher

DUSTIN BERGER MEMORIAL LIBRARY

To find out what's in the Dustin Berger Memorial Library, you can check the notebook to the right of the desk. It lists almost all our books (we're not quite current with the printouts) by author, title, or accession number.

-Barb Abbott

EMERGENCY RESIDENCE SHELTER

	Emergency Residence Project	Shelter Meal Volunteers 8/1: Mathews 8/9: Kimber 8/16: Marten/Thies 8/23: Earnshaw 8/30: Marsden
Providing Food and Shelter

Our schedule is full up to November! Way to go! What is needed now are people willing to be on an emergency last-minute list in case the scheduled person cannot make it.

- Joanne Barnes and Chris White

GALLERY IN THE ROUND

Good news for art lovers! Mary Elizabeth Young, handmade paper and watercolor artist, will have an exhibition in the Gallery in the Round opening Aug. 12 for this unusual show and for the opening reception Friday, Aug. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. Mark your calendars. We'll hope to see you there.

HELP HELP HELP HELP
NEW MEMBERS NEEDED FOR THE ART COMMITTEE

1. Able to lift heavy pieces of art work. Must be available on the Saturdays we hang for about 2 hours, (4 or 5 times a year).
2. No heavy lifting but organize and collect insurance forms. Create, print out and place name tags by the art works. Must be available on the Saturdays we hang to do the above.
3. Someone to organize the receptions-usually on a Friday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Buy paper supplies, make coffee, set up tables, and unlock and lock doors.

Contact Jean Dow if you are interested or would like to discuss how you might help.

- Jean Hagert Dow

PRAIRIE SAGE CIRCLE: EARTH-BASED SPIRITUALITY

The season of Lughnasadh, the grain harvest, the first of the three harvests, is upon us. With it, taking stock in our personal harvest brings us a chance to look inward and glean that which is whole, healthy, and capable of sustaining us. It allows us to release to the winds of change the chaff that encumbers our day-to-day life. Join us in our spiritual journey as we explore our own personal harvest with John Stowe's Earth Spirit Warrior. Our new meeting time will be the fourth Monday of each month in the Tower Room at 7 p.m. We'll meet Aug. 28.

- Tammi Hartmann

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY & ACTION: TRADITIONAL

Habitat for Humanity of Central Iowa will be the recipient of our August collection split. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and plan to build at least seven homes in Story, Hamilton, or Hardin counties. We can help Habitat partner families cross the threshold of opportunity by donating the $150 to cover the cost of a front door. $500 donations can put siding on a Habitat home, providing an effective means of protection from the elements. And we can help Habitat put a roof over the heads of families in need by donating $2000 for shingles.

- Alissa Stoehr

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY & ACTION: ENVIRONMENTAL

UUs adopted a Statement of Conscience on Global Warming during the General Assembly held in St. Louis, in June. In an action-packed Plenary, there was resounding consensus among delegates for a strong, action-oriented statement. Many of the 38 amendments ultimately incorporated were those supported by a collaborative Earth Community Amendments Consensus group comprised of the UU Ministry for Earth, the UU Service Committee, the UUA Commission on Socially Responsible Investing, and members of interested UU congregations. The amendments served to strengthen the connections between global warming, our religious values and principles, human rights, and justice. They included a call for denominational response, a call to UUs to reduce our personal energy consumption and carbon emissions by at least 20% by 2010 or sooner, and provided clear guidelines for other congregational and individual action. The Statement of Conscience may be viewed at www.uua.org/csw/SOCFinal06_GW.pdf. Also, please read the article on the next page about CO₂ offsets.

- Erv Klaas

Green Corner

More on Global Warming: Carbon Offsets

by Erv Klaas

The recent documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth" makes a convincing argument that global warming is changing our global climate because of the build-up of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. The UU Ministry for Earth believes that global warming is an urgent moral crisis that demands unprecedented changes in how we live our lives, while recognizing the reality that most of us cannot immediately give up our cars, remodel our homes with alternative energy options for heat and electricity, or avoid some air travel. As we work hard to change our behaviors and move our society as rapidly as possible towards sustainable solutions, what can we begin to do right now?

One way is through carbon offsets (also called renewable energy certificates), which represent the reduction of CO₂ in one location to offset the CO₂ produced in another, like your home or car. For example, a clean zero-CO₂ wind farm in Kansas can offset the CO₂ produced by a coal-fired power plant near your home. Carbon offsets help reduce the cost of clean renewable energy, which further helps develop the technology.

You can purchase carbon offsets through Carbonfund.org, a Maryland-based nonprofit organization founded by UUs. It supports only high energy projects certified by groups such as Green-E and Environmental Resources Trust. When UUs choose to offset their energy consumption through carbonfund.org, 7% of your donation will be used to support the UU Ministry for Earth's Green Sanctuary program, its ongoing advocacy for sustainable UUA practices, and the development and distribution of resources for worship and education related to our seventh principle.

So, go to Carbonfund.org and calculate your carbon footprint. I used the average energy consumption values given in the easy-to-use calculator for my car, home, and plane travel and found that I am responsible for about 10 tons of CO2 annually. I could look at my utility bills and calculate my home energy use more precisely. At this level, I can purchase carbon offsets for just $5.50 per ton ($55 per year). When filling out the contribution form, make sure to choose "UUMFE" as the referral you provide.

Attendees to the UU General Assembly in St. Louis in June offset over 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide. 990 UUs chose to offset their average carbon emissions associated with attending GA. This is a great start to making GA carbon-neutral. This action means that over 2 million pounds of CO2 will be removed from the Earth's atmosphere!

We can all be part of the of the solution to reduce CO2. To learn more about the work of the Ministry for Earth, visit www.uuministryforearth.org.

Dustin Berger Memorial Library: Book Review

Take the Cannoli

by Sarah Vowell

— Nancy Schroeder

From the president

New Year's Resolutions

The cicadas' incessant rasp became especially loud this past weekend. That sound's dominance as a background noise annually reminds me that the midpoint of summer has passed and fall is coming, ready or not.

I still have many summer activities left to enjoy, but I've also begun thinking about, and planning for, the fall, which in many ways seems more "new year" than New Year's does. Keeping that in mind, here are some new developments, plans, and resolutions for the Fellowship's new year.

Our application to Chalice Lighters was approved, and we will receive a grant to help fund Dawn Cooley's ministerial internship with us this year. I quote from Brenda's e-mail announcing the award: "I take that [grant] as recognition from the district of the possibilities next year's arrangements hold for us all-and also as acknowledgment of our Fellowship's record of using Chalice Lighter grants effectively in the past and building on the groundwork they helped establish." I might add that this is a very good example of why each of us as individuals should consider being a chalice lighter. For the paltry sum of $30 a year, one can have a visible positive effect on the UU movement in Prairie Star District. I encourage you to sign up!

Certainly our Ministerial Internship position for this coming year is a new development for our Fellowship. Having Dawn with us will give us a chance to sample a different ministerial style and the opportunity to nurture a minister-in-the-making. This new relationship has all kinds of potential that I'm sure we will enjoy throughout the year. Look elsewhere in this newsletter for other Ministerial Intern news.

New and déjà vu: This fall we welcome the return of the Prairie Flower Preschool to our facility. They outgrew us before our most recent expansion, but are coming back as the school year starts. Having other groups share our space can be challenging, but we have always sought to have our space be put to as much good use as possible. Prairie Flower shares a good deal of membership as well as child-rearing philosophy with us.

And a "new look": Thanks to Ken Lane's planning and the Hazelnuts' hard work the ground surrounding our building is once again becoming a visually pleasing, inviting landscape. The new trees are growing and other plantings seem to be surviving the hot weather in good shape.

And plans: Ideas abound for more ways we can live our principles and purposes. Reaching out to foreign students in this community is one new possibility. Community building via UUFA audio-archives (a la NPR's StoryCorps) is another. And, of course, all our other interest and affinity and service groups have taken a summer breather and will be starting anew come September.

Resolutions? Well, I resolve to get my newsletter contributions in on time this year. And I challenge you to come up with one UU-related resolution that you'd like to make to yourself that will send you into our new year with enthusiasm and anticipation.

— Mary