You're Welcome at UBBC!

Sunday Worship Service 9:30 AM

Sunday School for all ages

Coffee & refreshments at 10:30

Adult forums at 11

411 South Burrowes Street
State College, PA

814 237–2708

email UBBC

 

House of Care Dinner Held Sunday, Oct. 25

The House of Care dinner raised more than $1,000. Many thanks to Pat Gong for making awesome meatballs and Karen Moser for making the delicious sauce. Jeanine Lozier, a House of Care board member, was able to obtain money from local businesses to support the event. UBBC's Board of Missions contributed $200. We are most appreciative of all these efforts.

Nineteen high school and middle school youth participated in this event.  They helped cheerfully with set-up, decorating, cooking, serving, and clean-up.  We can all be proud.  Youth included Emma and Ian Gregory, Clay Barkman, Ry Boggess, Brittany Hamilton, Graham Nye, Liz Smeltzer, Amanda Ritter, Laura Beyerle, Hannah and Carolyn Hay, Shannon Daniels, Harry Yeatman, Henry Ziegler, Audrey and Eva Kreiser, Grace and Emily Kiver, and Chanelle Murray.

The House of Care is a five-resident personal care home for lower-income members of our community who have health concerns and need assistance with activities of daily living. Located at 515 W. Beaver Avenue in State College, House of Care is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. For more information, see http://www.thehouseofcare.org.

In Our Church Family

Rejoice in the marriage of Bob and Natasha Etzweiler Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. The ceremony took place at Camp Blue Diamond. Bob and Natasha’s address: 659 West Hill Road, Putney VT 05346

Rejoice in the marriage of Tom and Rachel Langston Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. The ceremony took place at the New Covenant Church of the Brethren in Chester, VA. Tom and Rachel’s address: 301 Hill Street, Apt. B, Farmville, VA 23901

A Memorial Service for Elsa Lisle was held at UBBC on Oct. 24, 2009. Her family has suggested that memorial contributions be made to: Centre County P.A.W.S, 1401 Trout Road, State College 16801, or UBBC, 411 S. Burrowes Street, State College 16801.

From the Trustees

By Courtney Burroughs

The stairs outside the organ are complete with railings. Work on the landscaping, walkway and two benches around the peace pole has begun.  The next project in the Capital Improvement is to improve the lighting and install new cabinets in the library and replace the ceilings in the library, offices and hallways outside the library and offices. The Fergus memorial, that was moved to make room for the name tag cabinet, has been installed on the wall opposite the courtyard entrance.

Two Thank You Notes

Dear Bonnie and UBBC friends,
Thank you for your generous hospitality. We totally enjoyed our time at State College – good food and fellowship and a comfortable bed.  I especially appreciated the welcoming space for dialogue and sharing. It felt like a space prepared with love and embrace. We all came away nurtured in spirit and thankful to be in relationship with UBBC.
With blessings,  Katy Friggle-Norton
Central Baptist Church, Wayne, PA  (on behalf of the Churches Supporting Churches delegation which visited UBBC Oct. 15-16)

Dear UBBC Family,
I want to thank you for the lovely gifts upon my departure. The huge mum will have a prominent place on the front porch and the placemats will be used during the holidays.  Even more appreciated is your friendship.
Thank you,
Janice Sherer

New Orleans Here We Come!

Have you heard the news? The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County (UFCC) and UBBC
are joining forces for a Social Justice Project: helping to rebuild New Orleans! There are lots of ways for
you to get involved!

March 6-13, 2010: Take on the challenge; join in the fun, be a part of the action! Working with the
Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal (www.celsjr.org/), a partner agency of the Unitarian
Universalist Service Committee, participants aged 14 to 100 will invest themselves in rebuilding (projects
available at all ability levels).

GET READY! Attend the organizational pizza-lunch meeting on Nov. 1, 2009, 12:30 p.m., at the UBBC.

GET SET! The cost in New Orleans will be $20/day for housing and $90/week for food (total $230 per
person). Estimated air travel, $300. Participate in fund raising to help defray costs so the trip is affordable
for anyone who wants to go (Contact Karen Moser <kmoser2 @ verizon.net> if you are interested
in having your windows washed, working on fund raising efforts, or if you would like to make a financial
contribution).

GO!! Space is limited. Make your $100 deposit by Dec. 1! (Check to UBBC; Justice Trip Deposit on the
memo line).  Questions? Contact Karen Moser at kmoser2@verizon.net.

Youth Fundraiser at Hoss’s Restaurant

Please consider participating in our youth fundraiser to support participation in National Youth Conference and Work Camps during 2010.  Eat at Hoss’s on Sunday, Nov. 15th; present the fundraiser coupon when you pay your bill, and 20% of the check will go to our youth programs. Coupons will be available on Nov. 1st, 8th, & 15th after church in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall.

Work Camps 2010

The 2010 Work Camp Schedule is available on the following web site: http://www.brethren.org/site/
PageServer?pagename=grow_youth_ministry_workcamps_schedule.

There are work camps available for young adults, senior high youth, and middle school youth.
Registration begins on Jan. 25, 2010 at 7 p.m. central time. Please contact Karen Moser if you are
interested.

National Youth Conference (NYC)

NYC will be held in Fort Collins, CO on July 17-22, 2010. Registration will begin on Jan. 5, 2010 at 8
p.m. central time. The cost of early registration is $425 and increases to $450 after Feb. 15. Registration
will close on April 5. A deposit of $200 is due at time of registration and balance due by April 5. Money
is non-refundable. T-shirts will be $15 and can be ordered at the time of registration. NYC website
is www.2010nyc.org. Please let Karen Moser know if you are interested in attending. (Taken from
The Link, The Middle PA District Newsletter.)

The Everett Church of the Brethren is working with Bollman bus to arrange a trip to NYC and back and
has invited any Middle PA Youth to join them. Final arrangements for cost will be made in the coming
weeks. Plans are being made to stop at places like the Indianapolis 500 motor speedway, the Arch in St.
Louis, Eisenhower’s boyhood home in Kansas, and in Colorado Springs.  We will spend two nights getting acclimated to altitude and have time for a Pike’s Peak trip, visit Garden of the Gods, and have an optional horseback ride. On the way back there will be special stops as well.  Please let Karen Moser know if you  are interested in taking this bus trip.  (Taken from The Link, The Middle PA District Newsletter.)

November Forums

Nov. 1: Film, “Health, Wealth, and Fear” with discussion led by Charlotte deLissovoy
Nov. 8: Chris Calkins, PhD, Director Health Initiatives, PSU will speak.
Nov. 15: Dick Dixon will speak about health care
Nov. 22: TBA
Nov. 29: Advent Wreath Making

 Stewardship Education
This month we begin the annual stewardship emphasis. Using the lyrics of the hymn, “What Gift Can We Bring” by Jane Marshall, we will “…give thanks for the past, for those who had vision, who planted and watered so dreams could come true.”
“Give thanks for the now, for study, for worship, for mission that bids us turn prayers into deed.”
and, “Give thanks for tomorrow, full of surprises for knowing whatever tomorrow may bring, we’re given God’s word that always, forever we rest in God’s keeping and live in God’s love.”
On Sunday, November 22 we will dedicate our commitments for the coming year.

Tuesday, Nov. 9 - Women’s Mission Interest Group
We will meet at 12:15 p.m. at the  home of Billie Doty. The hostess is Barbara Hamilton and devotions will be led by Peg Sherman. Bring your own lunch and be prepared to help make Christmas stockings.

Progressive Brethren Gathering
“Ready at the Thresholds: Progressive Brethren Gather,” Nov. 13-15, 2009 at the Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, Elizabethtown, Pa
The world is changing, with serious decisions before us about steps that we will take as a people of faith and vision. We are standing at thresholds – theologically, socially, and politically. Together we share the creative and important task of identifying the passages and discerning
which new worlds we will step into.  Keynote speaker and member of the Jesus Seminar, Dr. Jonathan Reed will engage participants in exploring the thresholds of our lives and in the Church. Group conversations, individual reflections, worship, workshops, music and good company will characterize this gathering.  For more information talk with Bonnie Kline Smeltzer, 237-2708 or register online at: http://www.womaenscaucus.org/Events/Summit/
main

2009 UBBC Alternative Christmas Fair Coming Your Way !
It’s that time of the year when the clock and the calendar seem to speed up and December is here
before we know it. University Baptist & Brethren Church will again host the annual Alternative
Christmas Fair Sunday, Dec. 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the church basement.
The fair showcases 20 local, national, and international charitable organizations that offer goods and services to those in need. It’s a convenient way to give a thoughtful gift to those hard-to-shop-for people on your holiday list or simply a way to make Christmas giving more meaningful. At the fair, donations are made to charities of choice in the form of a gift to friends or family members and attractive gift cards are provided.
This UBBC tradition started small more than 25 years ago and has grown in size and scope to include a delicious homemade soup and barbeque luncheon, bake sale, and Alternative Children’s Fair. Come and do your holiday “shopping” and enjoy the food and let the kids
enjoy the games!  Participating organizations include:
• Alternatives in Community Justice
• House of Care
• CentrePeace
• Bread for the World
• Interfaith Mission
• Centre Volunteers in Medicine
• Meals on Wheels
• Centre Wildlife Care
• Mid-State Literacy Council
• Church World Service
• Park Forest Day Nursery
• Clearwater Conservancy
• PAWS
• Friendship Tutoring Program
• Red Cross Disaster Relief
• Habitat for Humanity
• State College Food Bank
• Heifer Project
• Youth Service Bureau
• Hope International
• Women’s Resource Center

Capital Fund Campaign Update

In early July, the Capital Improvements Funds Campaign began officially as letters went out inviting financial support for improvements at UBBC. Projects include a new roof for the education wing, the sound system upgrade, new Robin Alley and front sanctuary steps, peace pole landscaping, sanctuary painting, exterior painting, and facility updates to the
Library, offices, and Fireside Room including energy efficient windows. As usual, UBBC members and friends are responding generously. We invite you to join these efforts with an outright gift or a three-year pledge of support
separate from annual stewardship contributions. We hope to have the campaign completed by the end of the summer.
Meanwhile, work on some of the projects is already underway! Financial updates and progress will be shared throughout the month of August. Please feel free to contact any member of our committee--Bonnie and Peter Marshall, Robert and Dottie Neff, Peter and Mary Lou Bennett, Neill Johnson, Courtney Burroughs, Fay Jester--if you would like to discuss a gift or have questions about the campaign.

UBBC Member Featured in Book

Marie Hamilton, founder and retired director of Centre Peace, is the subject of a new book written by Melanie G. Snyder. Brethren Press is promoting Marie’s story with the following: Grace Goes to Prison: An Inspiring Story of
Hope and Humanity. In 1975, a 37 year-old homemaker and former Avon lady named Marie Hamilton started visiting a group of prison inmates with one simple idea: to look for and affirm the good in them. During the following 30 years, she expanded that vision, creating unique programs to educate, empower and support inmates to be successful when paroled. Her volunteer work has challenged conventional wisdom about how to deal with criminals. She’s had no
formal education in criminal justice, she isn’t part of the “system,” yet her programs have become an integral part of Pennsylvania’s prison system. Discover how this unassuming woman touched the lives of thousands by tearing down walls of mistrust, bringing respect and humanity to people on both sides of prison bars. To order copies of Grace Goes to Prison, contact Brethren Press via phone: 1.800.441.3712 or on the web at: http://www.brethrenpress. com

ChurchNews cont./Stewardship

Update from the Implementation Team The Implementation Team shares these joys of current and planned
church activities and new ministries:

1. Six Fellowship Teams have been formed with members serving as greeters, ushers and servers during Fellowship Time. Please let Carolyn Bellanti know if you have not been contacted for a Fellowship Team.
2. Weekly suppers and a neighborhood picnic are in the planning stages to start this fall.
3. Many small groups are currently in operation and new small groups are planned for later this year.
4. We are recruiting a small group to plan an all church spiritual retreat next spring 2010.
5. We continue to explore shared ministries to participate in the New Orleans "Churches Supporting Churches" program.
If you want more detailed information about any of these activities, contact I-Team members Bonnie Marshall, Margaret Hopkins, Courtney Burroughs, Carl Nagy or Dale Roth.

Standing on Holy Ground Bulletin Board:

We invite everyone to participate in adding to a bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall with the same name. Please post ideas and suggestions to help all of us remember that earth is Holy Ground. Book Review: Animal, Vegetable,
Miracle, A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver Barbara Kingsolver, a popular novelist, writes about moving her family from Arizona to a farming community in Virginia. Her intent is to bring her family closer to their roots and to work together to live a sustainable lifestyle that appreciates life. The goal was to spend a year eating locally by purchasing food from neighboring farms and growing food in their backyard. The book goes through the year month by month and discusses gardening, raising animals, and cooking as the year progresses. Each chapter records the types of food grown during each month, gives factual research information on farming techniques and practices used on organic farms and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO’s). She also gives
practical menus and recipes for the food being harvested during each month. This book illustrates practical ideas for carrying out the eating locally experiment as well as anecdotes and stories that make the book enjoyable to read. More information can be found at http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/.

If you would like to share a book that you think others will enjoy, please send your review to Karen Duclos Moser at kmoser2@verizon.net.

Stewardship Education: Life Without Plastic

A 2008 article in Money magazine discussed a growing trend to give up the use of credit cards altogether. Studies have shown that people making purchases with credit cards spend more on average than people using cash. For example, a 2003 survey of supermarket receipts found that credit card users had 30% bigger bills than cash users and purchased twice as much in nonessentials. Need help controlling your spending? Try a cash only economy for a while, and see if it helps you. To read the entire article online, go to: http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/16/ pf/without_plastic.moneymag/index.
htm?postversion= 2008061618.

Electronic Delivery

In an effort to be good stewards and caretakers of the earth, we are looking at ways to reduce both our carbon footprint and costs. Please indicate if you would like to receive future monthly newsletters as a PDF attachment, via e-mail.
If so, please contact the office at ubbc@verizon.net with your name and e-mail address. If you'd prefer a paper copy by mail instead, or if you no longer wish to receive a newsletter - we want to know that, too.
As work begins on a redesign of our church website, it is anticipated that past newsletters will be available in an archive. We look forward to hearing from you and want to make the news you need available in the format that works best for you.

Janice Sherer, Administrative
Assistant

Meet Erin Thomas, Nursery Care Worker

Hi everyone! My name is Erin Thomas and I am so glad to have been chosen to be the full time care taker for your children in the infant and toddler room. I began this position at the end of December and have been at the Church every Sunday since that time. Please stop down and introduce yourself even if you don’t have little ones. I would like to get to know more people at the church.

I was born and raised in State College. I am 25 years old, and I currently work for Penn State at the Applied Research Laboratory. I have been a Staff Assistant there for a little over 2 years now. Since I started at the church, Sunday mornings have been so enjoyable with the kids and I look forward to many more. It is truly amazing to see them change and grow. They are so much fun to be with.

Thank you for welcoming me into your church.

Thoughts From my Experience by Karen Duclos Moser

I also attended the day of thinking and learning about Creating Healthy Congregations sponsored by the Middle PA District Shalom Team. The day was structured with a general keynote presentation and then five break out sessions that were run during the late morning and again in the afternoon.

Our day began with an overview of congregation types and attributes presented by Stan Dueck. I think that it would be interesting to explore this idea and take time to identify what type of congregation UBBC is and then find out how this information is helpful in determining working structures of our church.

During the morning session, I attended “Having Difficult Conversations,” a session that addressed the topic of difficult conversations within church and personal life. It was an opportunity to think about and explore the processes of communication and how to avoid typical roadblocks to good communication.

During the afternoon, I attended a session that looked at the young adult experience at church. A panel of five young adults helped us to see church from their eyes. On the panel were two people from UBBC, Erica Harp and Tyson Daniels. The panel looked at three questions: “why do I attend church,” “what I appreciate about my church” and “what can churches do to improve and attract young adults.” It was good to hear ideas for improving young adult attendance and involvement in church including worship and activities. What interested me most was Erica’s and Tyson’s responses to the questions because it gave me insight into how two young adults view our worship and programs.

The day was a good experience for me. It was good to ride together with others from our congregation and get to know them better, and have meaningful discussion about our practices and traditions at UBBC.

UBBC to Pilot Fellowship Team

By John and Carolyn Bellanti, Maxine Marak, Marianne Schrader

The “Team Development Sub-Committee” of the Board of Deacons is organizing a pilot fellowship team to determine how Fellowship Teams could be implemented at UBBC. This pilot team will meet in March and begin its activities in April—so keep an eye out!

Background: The Empowered Team identified several congregational needs: To be more welcoming of newcomers and to engage them in church activities; To provide open and welcoming smaller groups within the larger church; to make the Coffee Time/Fellowship Hour more inviting. Because these needs coincide with one of the missions of the Board of Deacons, the Deacons have been exploring ways to address them.

All-inclusive, intergenerational Fellowship Teams could meet these needs in a new way for our congregation. We propose creating six teams which would each undertake to share in the tasks of greeting and welcoming newcomers, in planning and hosting Coffee Hour, and in creating a supportive network among themselves by combining planning and training for carrying out their tasks with a potluck dinner or dessert night, etc. Each team would be responsible for Fellowship two months out of each year.

We have learned about this process from the Unitarian Fellowship, and we are working on developing the process for our church and its needs and values.

Because it is a new concept, we are proposing to try it out as a Pilot Project. We urge all of you who are excited or curious about the team concept to volunteer to be on the Pilot (temporary) team. You would be signing up for a social/planning potluck dinner and the sharing of a few tasks for four weeks. We hope for at least 30 team members (counting family members). Please e-mail the Bellantis at belljc@comcast.net to sign up.

We encourage everyone to see how the target month goes. We urge you to use the same e-mail to give us feedback and suggestions, to ask questions, and to be open to the possibilities.