Perspectives for November 2024

Tonight, Wednesday November 6

7 p.m. in the Meeting Room

All are welcome to join us for a Post-election Meditative Service tonight at 7 p.m. in the Meeting Room.
We will gather in community for a time of music, singing, candle lighting, and reflection. We recognize the need to be together, to feel the power of community, and our potential to work together toward a more loving world, even, and especially, in this moment. All are welcome and please feel free to come with friends or neighbors. We encourage folks to carpool if able and to park off site. Childcare will be available. Livestream is available here.

On Vulnerability

When I chose the topic of vulnerability for our November theme, I didn’t realize how risky it might feel to tackle this topic so early in our ministry together. I chose it because I believe that our primary goal in this first year is building trust with each other, and trusting someone definitely involves some vulnerability. I also suspected we might be feeling vulnerable and anxious as the presidential election approaches.

I have a sneaking suspicion that these two concepts — trust and vulnerability — might be like two sides of the same coin. When we give someone our trust, it means risking getting hurt, if they break our trust. And when trust is low in a relationship or community, the feeling of vulnerability is higher. But, when trust is strong, it actually creates a context to be more bold and courageous - knowing you can rely on others and that you are not alone. In a community of trust, people can feel more brave to be themselves, to share their stories, and to accomplish great things together.

When we turn our attention to our country and its politics, we realize that trust has been significantly damaged over many years (even generations). There are a lot of reasons for it - propaganda yes - persistent misinformation and sewing of nefarious intent definitely reduces trust. But more than this is, the inability of our institutions to tackle significant problems in meaningful ways has undermined trust. And a situation of low trust creates fertile ground for misinformation, disinformation, and lies to grow in power. This in turn increases the vulnerability of our systems and of our people and communities. It is heartbreaking to witness.

And so, in this anxious time, rather than diving into vulnerability directly this month, I encourage us to think of the powerful values that often require some vulnerability. I’ve already named trust, but what about courage? Courage often requires risk and being willing to be vulnerable. And love, that requires being vulnerable too. Honesty, too, with ourselves and others requires being vulnerable. Even things like being open to lifelong learning means being willing to change your mind, or question what you thought you knew. This requires humility and sometimes that feels vulnerable.

So, if you are not quite in a space to tackle vulnerability directly, I get it! I am not sure I am either. So, I encourage you to think about some of the values, commitments and relationships you hold most central in your life and reflect on whether living them has required some vulnerability on your part. How then, has vulnerability, potentially, been a strength in your life?

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, Lead Minister

revsfg@uubloomington.org

In some sense, all learning involves vulnerability. It can feel vulnerable to admit you don’t know something, or have not mastered a skill. There’s vulnerability in learning that a long-held assumption is wrong, or that you, your ancestors, or systems you have benefitted from have done harm to others. Learning is all about shining a light in dark corners, pushing beyond current limits of knowledge, and shifting to look from another perspective – and sometimes we really don’t know what we’ll see and how our lives might change as a result.

That’s one of the reasons why it’s such a gift to learn in community. I would like to lift up two very different opportunities for learning at UUCB that are currently underway – but it’s not too late to join!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org, or NaNo for short) is an event that for decades has helped hundreds of thousands of people fulfill their dream of writing a novel. The challenge is to write 50,000 words in one month (November) on a topic of your choice. This year at UUCB we are debuting a UU NaNo group, open to anyone who wants to take on the writing challenge. We’ll meet periodically to enjoy each other’s company as we write, providing quiet spaces as well as a social space where people can compare notes, help each other when they’re stuck, and share portions of their writing if they wish. I’ll also send out daily writing prompts (optional, of course), in case you need inspiration.

Here’s the thing: You can join UU NaNo even if you aren’t looking to write a novel per se. Have you been thinking about writing your memoirs? Or just capturing some stories on paper to pass on to your grandchildren? Is there a concept that you’ve been mulling over and want to clarify your thoughts on? Do you have change or loss or uncertainty to process? NaNo is a great opportunity to do ALL these things. There is no expectation of sharing your work with anyone, and you can set your own schedule for writing. And there’s no expectation of polished writing: November is for getting it written, and after that you can get it right. Read here for more information, or go here to sign up!

Another option is to join our newly formed Indigenous Studies Working Group (ISWG). At the start of our worship services and other gatherings, we acknowledge that our church occupies land that was the ancestral homeland of the Shawnee, Potawotami, Miami, and Delaware peoples – and we pledge to learn their histories and build relationships that restore justice. ISWG is a way to take action on that promise. We began last month by reading An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, a book that challenges the dominant mythology of the founding of this country. We then formed subgroups that will look into various topics in greater depth. Each group sets its own schedule and each participant contributes the time and “bandwidth” that makes sense to them. Register here.

It takes courage to commit to learning hard truths, or to take on a personal challenge at a busy time of year. You can’t always know where journeys like these will take you, or how your efforts will be rewarded, but that vulnerability can be exhilarating. I hope you’ll join us.

Dr. Stephanie Kimball, Director of Lifespan Religious Education

kimball@uubloomington.org

Getting Involved: Activities and Committee Fair

Sunday, November 10

The Getting Involved: Activities and Committee Fair is happening this Sunday, November 10 after the service in Fellowship Hall. Our community is full of dozens of groups providing vibrant opportunities to get to know other congregants and contribute our skills in meaningful ways. Occurring after the recent Getting Involved: Social Justice fair, this fair will focus on social and volunteer groups and those groups providing structural support to the community.

I encourage you to attend and engage in conversation with folks about what is happening in our community. If you have a need to be more active, more involved, more social, or more intellectually stimulated, you just might find a group that fills this need–and, you might leave on Sunday with plans to join an activity you had never contemplated before!

New Members!

Nine new members signed the Membership Book on Sunday, October 6th. It is a joy to welcome folks into a new religious home and accompany them on their journey. Of these folks several wish to introduce themselves. Please give them a warm welcome should you see them around the church!

Abby Henkel Roman:

I grew up in Indianapolis and attended Circle UU Fellowship and UUI, where youth group was central in my coming of age. I found my way back to church last year when my wife and I sought to build our community and spend meaningful time with my mom and sister after my dad passed last April. I've lived in Bloomington for 15 years, coming here for graduate school at SPEA. I studied music at Earlham College and now work in climate change at IU, but am still an active musician, singing soprano with Voces Novae and composing choral music. Jess and I love our garden and our rascally puppy, June. I'm thrilled to join this vibrant church community where the UU drive to care for others and the earth is so evident. Thank you for welcoming my family!

Bruce Norton:

Married to Rachael Norton for 49 years, 2 kids, 2 kids-in-law, 4 grand kids. I am semi-retired from a profession I started when I was 14 years old: graphic design and sign artistry. I was born in Muskegon, MI and moved to Bloomington because of my wife’s career. I do oil paintings and I also enjoy woodworking.

Maddie Wallaker:

Maddie has lived in Bloomington for about 3 years. She recently completed her Master of Environmental Sustainability at IU and hopes to someday own her own property full of native plants. In the meantime, she continues to work in Housing at IU while researching community resiliency in her free time. Maddie also enjoys painting, crocheting, and learning new hobbies.

Rachael Norton:

My first job as an occupational therapist brought us to Bloomington from Michigan. I’m retired from IU Health. My hobbies include reading, book groups, cross-stitching, and quilting. My husband and I volunteer with Bloomington Meals on Wheels. We have 2 wonderful children, 2 amazing children-in-law, and 4 grandchildren we adore.

Anabel,

Connections Coordinator

connect@uubloomington.org

As we explore the theme of vulnerability this month, there will no doubt be many articles, conversations, and sermons on all kinds of vulnerability. As your technology coordinator, I’ll add my voice and talk about a kind of vulnerability which is much less often discussed in church, and which we would all do well to avoid: Digital and online vulnerability.

I wrote an article back in March that went into great detail about how online scams work, and how to avoid them. In summary: Scam artists increasingly target people via their affiliation to religious groups (especially during the holidays). Here’s the review section, quoted from my earlier article:

1. Check that the message you’ve received actually came from the sender’s address.
2. Make sure that requests are logical before responding to them.
3. Watch out for misleading links, even if a message seems otherwise legitimate.
4. If anything seems off, reach out by another method, or just delay the conversation.
5. Stay in community. Keep in touch with each other. Reach out in times of confusion, and be available for others to do the same. We’re all in this together.

If you would like more information on how to identify and avoid scam messages of all kinds, please read the full article. It’s informative, and even includes a fun exercise for the reader! Just one item from that article needs to be updated: Now that our interim period with Rev. Grant is over, all emails from UUCB staff will come from an address ending in @uubloomington.org. There shouldn’t ever be exceptions to this rule.

Rather than retreading old ground this month, then, I’ll dive into a few other aspects of digital vulnerability. Email and text scams are by far the most common ways to get taken advantage of online, but it’s all related (and can be quite interesting).

I’m guessing that when most of us think about our devices being compromised, we think of viruses and other malicious software which can take over our systems and use them for nefarious purposes. That’s what we’ll be exploring today.

The first and most important piece of advice I can give is to keep your devices updated. It won’t keep you completely safe, but keeping software up to date removes a whole class of digital vulnerabilities – those which lurk on the internet, ready to exploit already-discovered flaws in systems like Windows, MacOS, or your web browser. Even though it can be a nuisance, if your computer or phone asks to update, please let it do so.

While keeping your device up to date goes a long way towards keeping nefarious parties from installing software on your device without your knowledge, any of us can also be tricked into simply allowing bad software in. To use an analogy: It’s easier to talk someone into opening a door than it is to defeat a lock. Here are some common strategies to be aware of:

1. “Trojan Horse” software. Named for the horse statue of legend, malicious software can appear legitimate or ride along with (otherwise seemingly honest) software that you install intentionally. Make sure you trust the publishers of the software you’re installing. Phone games are an extremely common place to find this kind of thing. If you’re about to download an app or game, make sure to read the reviews. If there are a lot of people complaining about obtrusive ads and notifications, it might be better to find a different option.
2. Malicious web browser extensions. Modern operating systems have become much better at detecting and blocking trojan horses and viruses. However, much more of our business is now being done online, so web browser extensions have become a much more viable target. Extensions that claim to improve your search experience, add a better homepage, or other simple things can frequently fall into this category. I recommend that you use as few extensions as possible, and check regularly to make sure no new ones have been added by accident. Here are instructions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge (click on the browser you use).
3. Misleading notifications. On the modern internet, it is possible for websites to send you push notifications (pop ups usually in a corner of your screen, or at the top of your phone) without even installing software! This can be incredibly useful when the site in question is your email, an application you use, or (possibly) social media. However, this technology is also available to sites which don’t have your best interests at heart. If you’re getting nonsensical or badly worded notifications about your device being at risk, or sketchy-looking advertisements, those could be coming from websites which are trying to trick you (just like the email and phone scam artists we talked about in March). Here’s more information about how to disable these notifications per-site or across the board, again for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.

While we hear a lot in the news about ransomware, that kind of attack is harder to pull off. This means it’s usually more targeted toward corporate or government employees, attempting to cause disruption in our institutions. If you suspect that you may have ransomware on your computer, I recommend that you immediately power off your device, unplug it, and seek professional assistance immediately to avoid more of your data being compromised.

In my experience, though, most malware (malicious software) targeting home computer users falls into one of the categories I mentioned above. Frequently, the end goal is the same as email and phone scams we talked about in March: To gain your trust and trick you into paying for services that are either wholly fake or unnecessary. Misleading pop ups and notifications can be extremely effective and confusing, which makes it much easier to pull off the second part of the scam. Sometimes, that’s taking your money, but other times it can be to gain greater access to your computer (under the guise of fixing it) to install further malware.

Finally, I will close by offering the most important piece of knowledge you can have: It’s not personal. The kinds of cyberattacks I’ve mentioned are not targeting you, or any one person. Even if they say your name in the emails, even if they claim to know about horrible things that you’ve allegedly done on the internet, it’s not true. The whole point is to invoke a fear response and create a sense of urgency, which will make you more likely to fall for whatever trap is being laid. Slow down, take deep breaths, and phone a friend if you think something is fishy. As I said in March, I recommend a “Digital Buddy” system. Find someone (or multiple people) in the community who would be willing to offer a second opinion on any suspicious communications. Do the same for them. As ever, staying in community and relationship with one another makes all the difference.

Let’s all avoid digital vulnerability together! Please reach out if you’d like clarification on any of these points - you might inspire a follow up article.

Hans Kelson

Technology Coordinator

hkelson@uubloomington.org

As we move deeper into autumn, I’ve been thinking about November’s themes of trust and vulnerability. I was impressed with how Reverend Susan modeled vulnerability and trust with the “Question Box” service she organized in September. How bold was that – to open herself up to any question her new congregation could ask. And how trusting! She believed from the get-go that, in listening to her answers, we would seek to understand her. She trusted we would seek to grow in relationship with each other.

In a similar spirit, the board invites you to “Cookies and Conversation: An Open House with the Board.” Let’s talk about all that is going on in our growing community. Is there a particular issue you’d like to have addressed at the congregational meeting? What are your thoughts about the sale of the property next door? Do you have questions about our new governance model? How about support or suggestions for our minister? Come join us Sunday, November 17, at noon in the meeting room.

Pam MacLaughlin, Board Member At Large

UU Men's Group

Purpose: Fellowship and the opportunity to share experiences and feelings in an atmosphere of mutual support and acceptance. Our group shares many common features to a Chalice Circle, but is more free-flowing and does not have a designated facilitator. We are not a therapy group, but participation can sometimes feel therapeutic.

Membership: All are welcome: young or old, working or retired, gay or straight. Give us a try. We are a long-standing group that is always open to new members.

Time and Hosting: The third Tuesday of the month from 7 - 9 p.m. in the UUCB Library. Members share hosting.Information about meetings and topics/questions for a meeting are shared via the email: uucb-men@googlegroups.com. To join the email list, please contact Dan Wiseman using [this contact form] or join using this link: https://uucb.churchcenter.com/groups/building-community/uu-men-s-group

Format for meetings: We begin with a check-in period, in which everyone has an opportunity to speak in turn. We may speak of recent events in our lives, or how we feel in the moment. Individual check-ins are brief, unless there is something of personal importance that requires explanation. Most of the time is devoted to either a discussion topic and/or question(s) posed for deep sharing and listening. Members are encouraged to share from the perspective of their personal experience, but sharing of short readings related to the subject is also appropriate. We end standing in a circle of arms, in which a few words of closure may be spoken.

Topics: The host typically chooses a topic for discussion which may or may not be shared with the group ahead of time.

Other activities: Special events (social, community service) may be organized from time to time.

The Holiday Art Fair and Bazaar is UUCB’s biggest fundraising event of the year. December 6 - 7 the first floor of our building transforms into opportunities for you to lead or follow, meet other people, bake or make soup, sell stuff, restock shelves, put up shelves, remove shelves, make sandwiches for lunch, haul things before or after. If you’re new, we want to meet you and work with you!

The Book Sale will be collecting used books (and other things) to sell. They will be accepting donations on December 1 - 5. They’ll need help setting up – organizing all those books we’ll be donating!

The Café will want servers, sandwich makers, dishwashers, and other smiling faces.

The Cookie Walk wants your homemade cookies–the heavier the better because they’re sold by the pound!

The Gourmet Galaxy is looking for things like frozen soup (containers provided), rum balls, seasoned popcorn, flavored oils, sauces you've made from your garden abundance, muffins, mini bread loaves, whole bread loaves, bark or brittle, etc. If you'd like to donate something with persimmon we have persimmon pulp you can have for pudding, cookies, breads, or use your imagination! Gourmet Galaxy profits go to Women's Alliance which funds LOTS of charitable organizations in our town and activities in our church.

Our White Elephant sale this year will include a Golden Elephant which will hold donations that are a step above yard sale quality. Take a look in your basement or attic to see what you could part with. Then sign up to work a shift to help price or sell things.

The Art Fair is juried by outside artists who sell jewelry, glass, ceramics, wood, and many adorable artistic items that you should check out.

Sign up to volunteer with our sign up genius [using this link]. If you have any questions, or are having trouble signing up, contact Jo Bowman (office@uubloomington.org). Please join us in the fun at the Bazaar!

Hunger Task Force

Our Little Free Pantry is all spruced up and going strong! Located on the south side of Needmore Coffee Roasters near the corner of Pete Ellis Drive and Longview Avenue, and across the street from a city bus stop, the pantry is well situated to help food-insecure people who live nearby or use the area’s public transportation. Since the pantry’s opening in the spring of 2021, the UU Hunger Task Force has stocked it daily with food and essential toiletries, averaging about 500 pounds of goods per month. Judging from the many thanks we receive from the pantry’s visitors, it has become a much appreciated mini-institution in the neighborhood.

The siting of our pantry was facilitated by the non-profit Center for Sustainable Living in Bloomington, which introduced the Hunger Task Force to Katie Mysliwiec, owner and manager of Needmore Coffee Roasters, and the landowner, Matt Murphy, who welcomed the installation. Katie also graciously provided charming surroundings for the pantry in the form of landscape rocks and wildflowers.

The pantry itself was sturdily built by Dirk Herr-Hoyman and sturdily emplaced by Dick Stumpner, past and present UUCB congregants to whom we are ever grateful.

We also are ever grateful to the generous UUs who support the Little Free Pantry by donating food at the church and by supporting the Hunger Task Force fundraisers, as well as to UUs and citizens at large who periodically stop by and add items to the pantry shelves. It’s an easy and heartwarming way to make a positive difference in less fortunate people’s day-to-day lives.

-Lynn Struve, Hunger Task Force Co-Chair

November Task of the Month

Our November Task of the Month flier has ideas to reduce our impact on the environment during the upcoming holidays.

Here are a few of the tips in the flier:

• Deliver a homemade meal or baked goods;
• Give tickets to a local theater or a museum membership;
• Offer to babysit so parents can have a night out;
• Make a donation to a worthy cause in their name;
• And see a list of places to buy (or donate) used items.

Thanks for making a difference and spreading the word!

- Molly O’Donnell, Green Sanctuary Task Force Co-Chair

Does your health care insurance (including Medicare Advantage) have an ‘Over The Counter’ (OTC) free allowance that you can use to order or be reimbursed from for the purchase of a wide array of health care products? It could be a monthly, quarterly or yearly allowance which does not carry over, and it may have a value of up to $400/year! Some plans allow for automatic repeat purchases. Use it or lose it- OR pick out items for our task forces to use!

If you would like to utilize this benefit, order or purchase now with the following instructions. You may have the items shipped to the beneficiary or see the options below. Here are the task forces who are participating, the items that would be useful, and details for each one. Let’s do this!

Reproductive Justice Task Force:

Period products for Middle Way House - pads, tampons, menstrual cups

All Options Pregnancy Resource Center- diapers for children, wipes, diaper cream, breastfeeding supplies such as nipple cream, pumps, and bottles to fit the pump

Contact Nan McKinley to arrange for a hand off at church using [this contact form].

Items for All Options can be shipped there or dropped off at their center: 1014 S Walnut, Blgtn 47401 ***but they ask that you email them first for drop-offs. info@alloptionsprc.org

Homelessness Task Force:

Items for Shalom Center - Because of storage issues, they are limited in their ability to accept items not on this list.

Deodorant, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, laundry soap, and over-the-counter medications (pain relief, cold & flu, allergy, heartburn). Ideally travel-size, but family-size is also welcome.

They are available to receive donations at 620 S. Walnut Street during their open hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday – Friday). Items can also be put into the bin at church under the Social Justice table in the Commons or the bin outside, near the upper Portico Entrance. The outside bin is not for use in freezing weather. Contact Alan Backler using [this contact form].

RISE- Refugee and Immigrant Support and Education Task Force:

Items for this task force include: personal hygiene items, laundry soap, lip balm, antibiotic ointment, cough drops, small tissue packets, hair brushes, children's cough syrup, digital thermometers, first aid kits, and multivitamins.

Contact Jenny Vessels using [this contact form]. Items may be placed in the bin under the Social Justice table in the Commons.

November 10, 2024 - 10:15 a.m.
“Courage and Vulnerability”

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
Jason Michálek, Worship Associate
Vulnerability is so often seen as a weakness, but it take tremendous courage to put ourselves out there - whether it is for leadership, for our values, to take a risk for what we know to be true. How can we grow in understanding the power and strength in vulnerability?

November 17, 2024 - 10:15 a.m.
"How We (re)Build Trust"

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
Sarah Barnett, Worship Associate
Trust is an essential ingredient in relationships and in community. How do we nurture trust and how do we rebuild it after it has been broken?

November 24, 2024 - 10:15 a.m.

Multigenerational Thanksgiving Bread Service: “Strong Is What We Make Each Other”

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
Erica Whichello, Worship Associate
Gathering around a table to share a meal is one of the most powerful ways we embody community. In this service, everyone is invited to bring a grain-based staple (brown bread, sourdough, muffins, tortillas, challah, injera, naan, fry bread, for example) that is reflective of your family traditions during the holidays to share as part of the service.

Attendance-

10/06/2024: 243

10/13/2024: 289

10/20/2024: 255

10/27/2024: 251

Offering Total for September 2024: $1,793.66

25% Donated to Monroe County Habitat for Humanity: $448.16

Total Donated to UUA Disaster Relief Fund: $1,503.28

Total Donated to American Red Cross: $1,503.28