From the Interim Minister

It is a relief to be back among you. I had no idea when I left for Greece on 2 Jan. that I would return on the 14th using crutches.

My injured knee--I ruptured my patella tendon in Athens on 10 Jan.--is healing nicely. With professional help I designed my own physical therapy regimen to assure complete recovery and full mobility in my left leg. Urological complications were identified and treated during my five weeks in Boston. Through the efforts of my doctors and other caregivers, my children, my friends, and those providing transitional housing during my convalescence, I fulfilled all of my objectives, including returning to Detroit before the end of February.

I am proud of you, the congregation, for carrying on the work of the church so capably. Each issue of the Newsletter brought news of Sunday worship leaders. Along with births and deaths, ongoing and special programs, a children's Valentine party, choir rehearsals, social justice films, district doings, MOSES events, support for UUSC, and all the vital interactions, formal and informal, that sustain our common life here at Cass and Forest.

My gratitude and the gratitude of the congregation flows in full measure to Colleen Dolan-Greene, our Moderator, to the Board of Trustees, to committee chairs and task force conveners. Also to the staff, and to all volunteers in every aspect of congregational life for the health and morale maintained at First UU during these two months. I am impressed!

I thank you for the many cards, letters, email messages, and phone calls that came my way during my recovery. Each was a joy to receive. I was and am sustained by your thoughts, prayers, and good wishes.

A number of you have asked me about my trip to Greece. It's a little like the question, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy your evening at Ford's Theater?" I'll report on this and other aspects of my/our year at the service on 20 March.

With my enthusiastic concurrence, the Board brought Larry Wheeler, an experienced UUA Fundraising Consultant, to First UU on 1 March to assist the Board and congregation in preparing a strategic plan. I returned to Detroit just in time to participate in these events. Larry brings great breadth and depth of insight to every congregation that seeks his counsel. I am glad that now he is working for us and with us to identify our strengths and help us realize our potential as a religious community. If you haven't met Larry Wheeler yet, I guarantee that you will like him and learn from him.

It's great to be back! See you in church. David.

Moderator’s Report

Dear First UU Members and Friends:

The last day of February brought our interim minister, David Parke, back to Detroit, and it is great to have him here. While he was gone I was surprised about how many things came bouncing to me as Moderator because the minister was not available. Therefore, I suspect that I welcome his return more than the average member of this congregation!

On March 1 and 2 First UU Church had an assessment visit done by Larry Wheeler from the UUA Congregational Fundraising Services Program. The Board asked for this assessment visit because our own efforts to work with the congregation to clarify our vision, mission and goals had been struggling and we felt the need for some outside eyes to help us identify next steps.

Larry Wheeler's visit was organized very quickly to take advantage of time he had available on his schedule. As a result we were not able to give members much advance notice of his visit. Despite the short notice, twenty- five members of the congregation and staff were able to meet with Larry. I want to personally thank each of you for participating.

Larry shared some ideas during his visit to help us with this year's annual canvas as well as ideas about how to more effectively recruit and welcome new members. His complete written report should reach us during the second week in March with his recommendations about possible next steps. I will share information about his report in a future issue of the Church Newsletter.

Think Spring!

Colleen Dolan-Greene

Moderator, 2003-2005

email

It is with deep sadness that we report the death of long-time church member Florence Baskerville. Florence died on February 27, 2005. A memorial service will be held for her on March 13^th at 3:00 P.M.

It is also with deep regret that we announce the death of Harrison Sims III (Tre) aged 27. Tre was Charlotte Allen’s nephew – some may remember him from Waterloo. He died on March 3

Canvass Information

• Pledges are being solicited for the church fiscal year which runs from July 2005 – June 2006.

• Member pledges enable the church leadership to budget expenses including the salaries of the minister, music director, choir director religious education director, office administrator, and building maintenance personnel.

• Dan Secrest is coordinating the canvass this year. Please contact Dan via email or phone to make a pledge, or if you have any concerns.

• Dan suggests that you pledge a percent of your income. The Unitarian Universalist Suggested Giving Guidelines recommend a pledge of 3% of income for someone earning $50,000 per year. Of course, your pledge will vary according to your financial capability, your level of commitment to the church, and other personal considerations.

• Live a generous life. Please keep the liberal religious flame alive in Detroit.

Dan Secrest email

Women’s Alliance

All are invited to noon luncheon in Memorial Hall with the Women’s Alliance, March 16. Please make reservations by noon on Monday, March 14 by phoning the church office at 313-833-9107 or Eiko Takemoto. The cost of the meal is $6.00. The program following the luncheon will be a musical video, “The Original Three Mo` Tenors”, with afterglow.

HI

I’ve bought a fantastic video that I think will provide a wonderful opportunity for us to get together and view. How about meeting me for lunch Wednesday, March 16 at noon? The Women’s Alliance will be having a luncheon of hot, nutritious food that we can share for $6.00. After the luncheon (1:00 P.M.), I will show the video of the original “Three Mo` Tenors”. I’ve prepared a cool repast for us - wine and grapes. The Women’s Alliance has offered cheese and crackers to keep us sober. Make your reservations early so I will know how many to prepare food for. We’re looking forward to seeing you. Love, Mildred Robinson

Address Change

Alex and Bessie D. Mercer now live at 625 Peninsula Ct., Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Buildings & Grounds

Article Six

Volunteers &Contractor’s Equipment

As mentioned in the previous article, “How To Paint Huge Sanctuary Windows,” this past summer, Gus’s Painting was called to help paint the large sanctuary windows along the Forest Avenue Parking Lot. The total cost was $7,600. As spring approaches, more window painting needs to be done. This time the Cass Avenue and Forest Avenue sanctuary windows along with many Church House units need work just to keep our building structurally sound. How expensive will this be and why is it so expensive? Volunteers are in the process of soliciting bids so the exact cost is not known yet. However, if you haven’t had the experience of preparing old wood to paint, it is hard to realize really how labor-intensive a process it is. The wood must be carefully stripped of old paint, scraped, sanded, wood fill any rot, prime, caulk, and then apply two coats of paint. Obviously, the more time spent on old, deteriorated wood the more expensive the process. And, many units are situated high enough off the ground to which access via ladder isn’t safe. In Gus’s case, a hydraulic bucket lift was used. Each machine is gigantic; the rental company delivers them using a large semi-tractor trailer to move the 12-ton unit! (Yes, that is 24,000 pounds!)

The bucket lift, also known as an aerial work platform, allows safe and quick access to any part of our building up to 40 feet. To put that in perspective, that allows access to the third floor windows of the Church House. Building & Grounds volunteers could only wish to have a machine like this since the rental cost is $700 per week! There were items that needed to be repaired that skilled Building & Grounds volunteers could do if they could safely get up 40 feet! With some coordination the wish came true. Gus’s Painting rented the aerial platform and they were using it only during the day. We asked for permission to use it when they were not. With official training received regarding operation and safety, the first evening it was delivered we had the machine growling and lurching up to the Church House. The aerial platform operator, also the author of this article, should inform you that he does not like heights. The bottom of the bucket platform is a wire floor that allows clear visibility of the ground beneath ones feet. The higher the aerial platform rises, the more even slight winds buffet the bucket around. The first evening of operation I remember inching up the lift by its joystick. Shake. Bump. Rattle. Whine and squeak. Should the machine make those noises? Every foot higher, the more I felt my legs shaking. The later into the evening it got, the darker it was and my mind was tricked into thinking that I was planted on steady ground.

It was mentioned earlier how safe and easy the machine is to use. But, it has to be close enough to the building for its boom to reach. Motoring up the Church House driveway on Cass Avenue with this 12-ton machine, the first task requiring completion before gaining access to the House was clearing some branches of the almost dead tree just to the north of the driveway. Like some other of our majestic trees on our grounds, this tree had grown wild. More then 75% of the branches were dead and were intertwined with a neighboring pine tree that had been damaged by the first tree growing into it. Some of the dead branches were only a few feet from crashing into the sanctuary windows. Using the aerial work platform is analogous to a tree company’s bucket lift, so that a tall tree may be safely trimmed from top to bottom. Over one week, one volunteer was able to trim five trees from top to bottom and remove two trees! The cost to have a tree company perform this work, as you could imagine, would rival painting the windows for $7,600! This is another example of the dedicated and hardworking Building & Grounds volunteers maximizing every dollar donated to maintain our building and grounds. Furthermore, Earl Harvey utilized his large pickup truck and rented a tree chipper. Operating the chipper, Earl, Dan Fitzgerald, and John Schultz chipped all of the tree trimmings. There were so many branches to chip that the operation took 7 hours that day! Kathy Fitzgerald, Alma King, Charlene Gage, Ruth Seifert, and Dan Wiest were busy distributing the chips along the flowerbeds and playground. Lastly, Carolyn Ludwig was planting bulbs beneath the soil for this spring’s flowering. In only one week, volunteers helped to uncover our building from behind a screen of overgrown trees along with removing trees that were growing into the building’s windows. And that was just the start of using the aerial work platform. Over two weeks, more then 60 hours were spent working on the Church House gutter and cornice system. It is incredible what $15 in roof tar can do to protect a building from water leaks. More about this adventure in historic preservation will follow in future articles! Dan Kosmowski

Social Service Initiative Committee

The Committee has printed a list of community services in the immediate area of the church. They will be available in the lobby of the church house and in McCollester Hall. Church members may feel free to refer persons to members of the Social Service Initiative Committee, which consists of Sally Borden, Ivan Cotman, Mary Neale, Nora Holt, Ruth Seifert and Lee Thume. This list will be revised and updated as needed. The Committee is still exploring resources and format for a presentation on issues of homelessness and mental health issues and their impact upon the church. Church members are welcomed to attend committee meetings and share their thoughts and concerns. The next meeting is March 24 at 10:00 A.M. The Board of Trustees granted approval to the committee to proceed with above mentioned activities in January 2005.

Worship & Ministry Committee

Forgive me for inconveniencing you by not holding the Worship Committee meeting on February 27 as announced. I simply messed up. I hope you will hang in there anyway! Our next meeting is Sunday, March 20, 12:30 P.M. in Memorial Hall. Your presence would be greatly appreciated – all are welcome.

Women’s Book Club

The next meeting of the Women's Book Club will be on Sunday April 3, 2005 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM in Memorial Hall. Our selection will be The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith by Irshad Manji. Please contact Maria Majer for additional information. All are welcome.

Choir

Our choir is open to all who enjoy singing and being with some really nice people. Rehearsals are in Memorial Hall, unless otherwise noted, and begin at 9:30 A.M. The schedule follows:

March 20, and 27 with performance on 27^th

April 3, 10, 17 with performance on the 17^th. April 24 – off

May 1, 8,15 with performance on the 15^th

May 22 & 29 off

June 5, 12, 19 with performance on the 19^th.

2005 Heartland Spring Conference and Annual Meeting – “Gather in Spirit” – April 8 – 10, 2005 in Cincinnati, OH

8 – 10, 2005 is the magical date for our Annual Meeting. It was so exciting last year, I was hoping that we could have a large number of us going this year to Cincinnati. The best part is that this year we will be guests instead of workers. We can just really enjoy ourselves. I’m especially anxious to have that Sunday afternoon, April 10^th open to see the new Black Heritage Museum recently built in Cincinnati. It’s been really talked about how spectacular it is. Another interesting thing we can do is visit the First UU Church which is almost right around the corner from the hotel where we will be. They are located right in the center of everything, just like our church. It will be interesting to see how they operate. The program is filled with interesting things to see and hear. There’s even live jazz at the hotel. Perhaps we can all get together and plan how we’ll get there. Now what’s very important to me is to get in on the early registration. As you know early plans are the most economical. Look at the details in the “Gather in Spirit” packets on the church house table. LET’S TALK – Mildred Robinson

Moses Update

Your First UU MOSES core team needs you! Come to our meeting on Sunday, March 27^th at 12:30 in Memorial Hall to see where we are, where we are going and how you can add your input to make our participation with MOSES a success. We will be offering mini-training sessions to explain community organizing terms and practices. These skills are great for helping the church grow as a community

Circle of Creativity

Are you interested in learning how to sew, knit, quilting, crochet? If you already know how to do any or all of these things you are welcome to join us, as well, for an evening of creativity and conversation. Join us the first Wednesdays of the month, beginning April 6^th at 7:00 P.M. We will be meeting in Memorial Hall at First UU Church. Bring your projects and a light snack to share. For more information call Peggy Wilkie or Irene Schultz.

Easter Breakfast

Join us Sunday, March 27 for our traditional Easter breakfast lovingly prepared by men of the church. The cost is $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children. For more information call Earl Harvey.

More news from The HUUD BOT

(Heartland UU District Board of Trustees)

Your district Board of Trustees works under a 'Policy Governance' model of nonprofit leadership. Under this model, the Board establishes ends (prioritized outcomes for member congregations to be accomplished through District programs and services) and gives the professional staff (District Executive) limitations policies (statements of what she cannot do) within which to accomplish the desired ends. The District Executive then works with other staff (Lifespan Religious Education Program Consultant and Office Administrator) and volunteers (Program Council & Consultant Teams) to develop and implement programs to accomplish these ends. This model gives the District Executive broad authority, responsibility, and accountability for accomplishing the goals. It frees the Board to work on strategic issues of vision. An example of the excellent work our staff and volunteers are doing is given below.

"Gather the Spirit" The HUUD Program Council, working with our District Executive and Program Consultant, has put together a tremendous program for our District Annual Meeting. This event will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 8-10, 2005.

The Keynote Speaker will be UUA Executive Vice President Kathleen Montgomery. Friday's activities include registration, a celebratory congregational banner parade, worship, budget and bylaws hearing, a reception honoring delegates, and live jazz! Saturday is packed full of worship, Kathleen Montgomery, a new idea swap and learning exchange, awards luncheon, workshops, free meetings with consultants (by appointment), the district business meeting, etc., etc., etc. Whew, what an excellent program they have put together! I urge you not to miss this! It is wonderful to meet with UU’s from all over the District and from UUA headquarters and our UUA Washington Office! Check with your office administrator for brochures, call the district office at 1-888-948-4883, or check our website, where you can not only register online but pay by credit card, an option not available if you mail in your registration forms. I look forward to meeting you in Cincinnati!

Jeff Wrisley
People's Church, Ludington, MI
Heartland District Trustee

Barbara Hamilton
Office Administrator
Heartland District of the UUA
317-634-5384 (toll free 888-948-4883)
Life is Good! Hug somebody today.

First UU @BUC - Redux

Our art show at BUC was a smashing success. We had fun, sold three, maybe four, paintings and networked with fellow UU's. The artists of First UU would like to thank the arts committee of BUC for inviting us. Also thanks to Mark Schwing, who organized the show. BUC (Birmingham Unitarian Church) had a 50th anniversary in 1999. A group that split off from First UU in 1949 founded them. A group that split off from BUC founded Emerson Unitarian Society. We could call our own First UU of Detroit, a "Mother Church". Mary Neale had not painted since she lost sight in one eye two years ago. Inspired by the show, she began painting again. Her new water color subject was not her usual still life, but terrorism. Terrorism is also the name of her painting. A young woman, who's sister is stationed in Iraq, came to the show and saw the painting. She found the painting useful and bought it. This is one way to support our troops. They need armored vehicles and they need us to use our skills to speak the truth. Mary is painting Terrorism 2.

This story illustrates the interdependent web of all existence which we are a part – Principle #7. Margaret Wilkie

Headline: Building Use Fees to Increase July 1, 2005

The Board of Trustees of First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit at its January 2005 meeting passed a motion that will impact all users of our buildings effective July 1, 2005. The Board has concluded that all users of the Church facilities should share in the cost of keeping our Church financially viable. This is in the long-term interest of Church members, Church-sponsored organizations and all others who use the Church facilities on a regular basis. The Church has essentially been providing free space to some community-based organizations for many years and less than market rates for building users paying fees.

On July 1, the Board plans to implement building usage fees based upon a standard per square foot charge similar to what is typically done for commercial and residential leasing. Members of the congregation and Church-sponsored organizations will continue to pay no or reduced fees for their use of space as they have in the past. However, all other current building users who pay a fee have been advised to expect an increase in their fees of approximately 50%. In addition, community-based organizations that are building users who have not been paying fees have been advised to expect to pay market-based fees or seek specific authorization for alternate arrangements from the Board.

The wording of the motion that the Board adopted on January 10, 2005, stated: “All space used by non-church groups will be subject to standard fees, with the only exceptions being those specifically authorized by the Board. Any such exception must be re-authorized by the Board on an annual basis. This policy will apply to single event usage and ongoing usage. Within 6 months all building users will be charged a fee regardless of whether they previously paid one.”

Let me provide a little background for this action. Last year the Church Trust provided a loan for operating expenses to the Board, and in exchange asked the Board to investigate and analyze the future of the Church's facilities. Specifically, the Board was to examine whether given our small congregation and the escalating expenses associated with our beautiful, historical but old physical plant meant that the Church should relocate and sell the Church's buildings. The Committee that studied this question and the Board concluded that being a city church is an essential part of our mission, therefore a long-term goal should be to maintain our Church at Cass and Forest. A second goal the Board recognizes is to balance the budget by substantially increasing both revenues from pledge income and from building usage income to offset increased expenditures.

The first important element to successfully pursuing both goals is the growth of our church membership. We are developing ways to increase the number of members while having all members support the Church by participating in Church events, volunteering their time, and providing financial support with their pledges. This year we are seeking to increase the number and size of pledges during the annual canvas as part of increasing our financial viability.

The second element is to more effectively utilize the space we have. The implementation of the motion to standardize building usage fees is a key step in more effectively using our space by increasing the income from building usage. This will help offset the cost of maintaining that space due to increased costs for insurance, utilities, and maintenance.

The moderator, Colleen Dolan-Greene, on behalf of the Board has sent letters to all regular building users to advise them that by July 1, 2005 a standard per square foot charge will be implemented as the fairest way of increasing building usage fees. The Building and Finance Task Force is now taking steps to determine the specific building usage fees to use. The Board recognized that there may be issues or concerns that regular building users want to communicate while the building usage fees are being developed and builder users are encouraged to make them known in writing to Dan Secrest, chair of Building and Finance Task Force. This can be done either by email to building&finance@1stuu.org or on paper in the Building and Finance mailbox outside the Church office. If you have any questions or comments about the building use fees, please contact Dan as soon as possible.

In addition, if you have other ideas about how to grow our Church or better utilize and maintain our facilities please feel free to contact Colleen Dolan-Greene, Moderator (moderator@1stuu.org), or Jim Harvey, vice-moderator (vicemoderator@1stuu.org).

Colleen Dolan-Greene
Moderator, 2003-2005

Item from the Internet

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your pet has passed away."

The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure? "Yes, I'm sure. The duck is dead," he replied.

"How can you be so sure", she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog and took it out and returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed the bird from its bill to its tail and back again. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly, jumped down and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."

Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. $150!" she cried. "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead?!!"

The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20. But what with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it all adds up."

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