The United Unitarian & Universalist Society

Upcoming Events

Sun, Mar 14, 10:30	Adult Education: Understanding the Bible The Adult Education Class continues at the Linden Grove Upper Conference Room. Linda will use the book Understanding the Bible by John Buehren, however you need not read the book to attend. If would like to read the book and missed the first class, please email Linda at minister@uumuk.org for the suggested reading.
Sun, Mar 14, 12:30	Sunday Service: "Why the Bible Matters": Rev. Linda Hansen With the help of UU minister John Buehrens' book, Understanding the Bible, and some of her favorite biblical stories, Linda will explore her belief that the Hebrew and Christian scriptures reflect some of humanity's best efforts to remember, to question, to make sense of the most difficult and most wonderous of human experiences - oppression and liberation, exile and return, death and renewed life, betrayal and loyalty, despair and hope.
Mon, Mar 15, 7:00	United Voices Choir Rehearsal Join your voice with others and join this lively group! Meets at the UU Church of the Lakes in Elkhorn.
Wed, Mar 17, 7:00	Buddhist Group The Buddhist Group meets at the Upper Conference Room in Linden Grove. Read more about this group in the article below.
Sat, Mar 20, 10:00	Spring Equinox Day Held by the Dances of Universal Peace. Come celebrate Spring's arrival. Please register to attend! An article on this event is below.
Fri, Mar 19, Noon	Newsletter Deadline The deadline for the church newsletter is the third Friday of every month. A quote read on the internet says: "A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it's better than no inspiration at all." Here is your inspiration to send your articles and photos to the church office! (If emailing photos, please resize them.)
Fri, Mar 19, 7:00	Dances of Universal Peace Dances are taught every time- no experience necessary and all ages are welcome! Held at the UCC.
Sun, Mar 21, 12:30	Sunday Service: "Living Generously"; Rev. Linda Hansen Using stories from her own experience, from Robert Fulghum, and from film, as well as philosophical guidance, Linda will do her own version of a "word" sermon on the meaning of generosity. *Bring a dish to share! POTLUCK follows the service.*
Wed, Mar 24, 6:15	Religious Services Committee Meeting The RSC meets at the church office. You can email the members of the committee at services@uumuk.org.
Sun, Mar 28, 10:30	Adult Ed: Understanding the Bible The Adult Ed class continues. You do not have to complete the readings to participate. The class meets at the Upper Conference room at Linden Grove.
Sun, Mar 28, 12:30	Sunday Service: "Holding Depression Up To the Light"; Rev. Linda Hansen "April is the cruelest month" wrote T.S. Eliot. Whether that is our experience or not, this may be a good time of year to consider the kinds of sadness/melancholy/depression to which we are prone and how we can respond to them as individuals and as a community.
Thursdays in March	*Meet with Linda, members and friends from our congregation and from other congregations at Espresso Love in downtown Mukwonago at 10 a.m. for conversation and beverages!*

Meet Our Consulting Minister, Rev. Dr. Linda Hansen!

Come meet and talk with Linda! She will be at Espresso Love in downtown Mukwonago on Wednesdays or Thursdays at 10:00 am (alternating months, March is Thursdays). This is a wonderful time to enjoy a cup of tea, coffee or other delicious beverage and visit with Linda and others in a casual, relaxed setting. If you aren't able to attend during the day, members host Tea with the Minister at their homes during the evenings on various dates.

Adult RE starts March 7th
Starting March 7th, Linda will begin facilitating a new Adult RE course called Understanding the Bible based on John Buehrens' book Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals (available at the UUA bookstore for $14). Buehrens is a UU minister and former UUA President. In his book, he offers us helpful background with which to approach the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and then helpful insights for working through both. You do not need to read the book, but you might find it helpful if you're interested. Please bring a copy of the Bible with you to class. We'll meet on Sundays, 10:30-11:45 a.m. in the Upper Conference Room at Linden Grove and continue to meet for six more Sundays: March 7, 14, and 28, April 11 and 25, and May 2. Everyone is welcome!

Linda will have office hours on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 am - 2 pm. Feel free to stop and visit her or call her at the office at 262-363-5686. The church office is located at 201 Main St. in Mukwonago. We are located in the back of the building.

Linda can also be reached at other times by sending her an email at minister@uumuk.org.

News for Buddhist UUs

The Buddhist Group has concluded the Dalai Lama book we had been working from and has put aside the Hsuan Hua book without finishing it for the time being. This is a time for a new start and the possibility of bringing new people into the group who find they wish to learn what Buddhist thought may offer to their lives. We have agreed together to make use of texts available in online format so that people do not have to deal with the purchase of or sharing of actual physical books, and see how we like that approach. For the next six meetings, February 17 through May 5, we will be using a book that all can read by reaching the same website. People can print it out if they choose, or just read it from the screen, or of course join the discussion without having read, and even read and stay home rather than meet with us. People can also print the text for others if they have no internet access. The text for this first week is directly found by following this link- buddhanet.net/4noble3.htm and this brings you to the introduction to the book. Everyone is encouraged to get into the site itself- going indirectly to the text. This would be instead going to buddhanet.net without the specific suffix that takes you to the page, and poking around. How to reach the book as a whole is done by this series: buddha.net home page, click on link in the bar beside home that says 'Buddhist Studies', drop down and click on 'Buddhist Teaching', from the list that opens in the next page choose 'Four Noble Truths'. You will see that the book is in six sections, and the first is three chapters long, including the preface and introduction. That is where we are beginning. We will spend March 3rd on the next larger section written about the First Noble Truth. Anyone who does not see this until after the meeting tomorrow, please join us regardless as the first book section is very short and catching up should not be at all difficult. We will also talk about whatever else we find available by investigations on buddhanet and see what this leads us to after we complete this first book later in the spring. If you have questions, please send them to buddha@uumuk.org. As ever, welcome is extended to anyone and it is not required that reading be done in advance. Namaste.

Spring Equinox Day Dancing Lightly

Dances of Universal Peace and other experiences to celebrate Spring's arrival in the body and soul.
Let light and a sense of lightness into your weary being.
The Spring Equinox falls this year on Saturday, March 20th. We will gather to dance and celebrate in the daylight, sprending the day together from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., sharing poetry, meditation, a potluck meal, and our readiness for the new season. Come ready to dance and chant and learn how to sense the newness that comes when we till up the resting ground and begin to plant what will flourish in the future. Connect gloriously with what starts anew in you when the season shifts and the divine encourages growth in all aspects of our world. This event is to be held at the United Church of Christ on Highway NN in Mukwonago. Cost of the day falls between $30 and $60 with participants identifying the cost they feel they can pay. Please register in advance- send an email to buddha@uumuk.org for registration.

ANNUAL CHURCH AUCTION

The church auction is fast approaching; the warm days of April will soon be here. So it is once again time to start thinking of what to donate for the auction. Will it be tree trimming or that hand knit scarf? Or maybe a tea party in the garden or a pizza party in the theater. Dream a little dream and see where it takes you and then donate it to the auction.
So now that you are in the mood for donating and are hopefully intrigued to see all the things that your other UU friends are donating, you are probably saying "when will these lovely donations be auctioned off?" That would be April 17th!
Donations slips are available, email churchoffice@uumuk.org for one, or if you have any questions.

Church Closings

During severe weather you can go to Channel 12, WISN for church closings. You can also go to wisn.com to view closings online. In addition, the church office telephone answering machine will have an updated message regarding closings, the number is 363-5686. Meetings that take place at member's homes or for committees may be cancelled, but not shown on WISN or on the office phone. Please call the host/hostess if in doubt.

Potlucks

Potluck meals will be on every 3rd Sunday, immediately after the service. Check the News & Events page for any special schedule shifts.
Please bring a dish to pass for the potluck. If you are visiting, please stay, enjoy the many delicious dishes and get to know us!

Visit our land, check out the sign & new plantings!

Stop by our future building site off of Miramar Road (map at right). Note the glorious new "Coming Soon" sign and the recently planted trees and bushes- over 250 were planted on the land April 22nd- Earth Day!
The 6.8 acres of land has a south-facing slope and is half way between Mukwonago and East Troy centers.
The remaining land bounded by I-43, Spieas Skoney Rd., and Walnut St., is still for sale as 2 separate parcels. We will share a 50 foot wide driveway easement with the owners of those parcels.
Congratulations to us all, and special thanks to the many folks who made the land purchase a focus for the past several years.
Next up: we are now planning our new building and working with the general contractor on a plan that meets our vision and purpose and that falls within our budget. A special thank you to Guy for all your hard work in getting us to this point!
These are exciting times for us!

Accepting Donations Through PayPal

Make your pledge or donation with PayPal! If you have a www.PayPal.com account, you can make your pledge or donation using the church's email: churchoffice@uumuk.org to send payment. Remember, it's free to do if you pay from your paypal or bank account. Credit Card payments will incur a fee. If you have any questions, contact the church office.

Raise funds for U U&U Society at Pick 'n Save

If you shop at Pick 'n Save in Mukwonago you can help raise furnds for the church! Designate the church (#877680) when you fill out a Savers Card application. If you already have a Savers Card you can update it with the church information.

More ways to stay informed

Online Newsletter: If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can view a fit-for-public-consumption version of the newsletter here: www.uumuk.org/data/newsletter.pdf

Printed Newsletter: If you are interested in learning more about the United U&U Society of Mukwonago, you can get our monthly newsletter, containing information about upcoming events as well as articles by the ministers and members. Come to our Sunday service, or e-mail the office at churchoffice@uumuk.org to ask to receive the newsletter.

To submit information for publication, e-mail churchoffice@uumuk.org or mail it to 201 Main St. Mukwonago, WI, 53149. The deadline is always the third Friday of the month.