It seems almost unreal, but here I am writing my last column of the regular church year. From my vantage point, it has been a remarkable year. I don’t think I could have asked for better. The people of this congregation have been warm and open and welcoming. It’s been a real joy and a pleasure to work with you all, and I look forward to many more years with you.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for helping me and my family feel welcome and make a home here in Los Alamos. I’m sure there are some of you who I’ve neglected to thank in person for your part in helping with this transition this year, and for that, I offer my apologies. I am grateful for every kindness I’ve received this year, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this community.

And now it’s off on some summer adventures. I’ll be on vacation for most of the month of June, first visiting with family in Iowa, and then off to perform my brother’s wedding in New York before heading to Florida for Ministry Days and General Assembly in Fort Lauderdale. (Shameless plug: If you’re attending GA, might I recommend the workshop celebrating the release of Reverend X: how Generation X ministers are shaping Unitarian Universalism. If you’re not attending, keep the book in mind for your summer reading list!).

July will be a study month for me. I’ll be in the area for most of the time and available for emergencies, but most of that time will be spent reading and preparing sermons for the coming year. If you see me in the office, it might be a mirage! I’ll be on a personal retreat at Ghost Ranch at some point during that month, and preaching at the annual Los Alamos/Santa Fe combined church picnic.

The worship committee is hard at work preparing a slate of interesting summer services to include some familiar faces from the congregation and some special guests. Environmental topics seems to be the emerging theme for our summer services. My thanks goes to Evan Rose and the rest of the committee for their work.

The new church year proper will begin on August 17th, this year, coinciding with the beginning of the school year. This is the time of year when people new to the community are most likely to be shopping for a church, and we want to be in full swing when our potential visitors come looking for us. When we return, there’ll be several new changes in place.

First and foremost is the beginning of our experiment with two services and Religious Exploration programs on Sunday. The congregation voted to give a dual service program another try, and we’ll begin with the new year. Services and Sunday school will run concurrently at 9 and 11 a.m. each week. More information on RE programs and registration will be forthcoming from Joyce and the RE Committee. It will feel odd, at first, I know. I know I’ll feel a little odd preaching to two smaller crowds, at least at first. My deepest hope is that we’ll be well on our way to filling two services, with a little help from some new and improved public outreach. I encourage everyone to commit to the spirit of experimentation and play in the coming year. Try both times out and see where you’re most comfortable. Be willing to tell us how it feels. Talk to the two service team members about what works and what doesn’t. Most of all, have patience. Whether this trial succeeds or fails, it requires open and understanding hearts on all our parts.

One of the public outreach experiments we’ll try next year will be “Bring a Friend to Church” Sundays. One Sunday each month will be designated as such, and we’ll run an “Introduction to UU” mini-workshop tied to the service for those visitors who wish to learn more. Most of us know someone in our lives who is one of those infamous “UUs, but doesn’t know it yet” people. Take a chance. Let them know it. Bring a friend to church!

Our last major change came in April, when the board elected to experiment with a new charitable outreach program. Beginning with the new church year, the “Change for Change” program will be phased out, and we’ll begin a 50/50 split of the entire collection plate with one charitable designee each month. Many churches in the association are now doing this, or even going so far as to give the entire plate away. In each case, the amount of charitable giving as well as the financial benefits to the congregation have increased. Steve Tenbrink and I will keep an eye on the results through December, and the board will evaluate the success of the program in January to determine if this is an endeavor worth continuing.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for the lovely gift at my Installation. It’s an exquisite piece of pottery, and I’m stunned by the generosity of the congregation. It sits in a place of honor in my office. Stop in and take a closer look if you get the chance.

I wish you all rest, renewal, and safe travels in the coming months. Take care of yourselves, and I look forward to the time when we gather together again.

Rev. John Cullinan

It is hard to believe, but this is the last time I will write this column as president.

It has been a busy year, but a good year as well.  The committees have functioned very well.

Everyone did the job they had agreed to do at the beginning of the year.  Now we have to look forward to next year when  Kersti Rock will be your new president.  I hope everyone will be as helpful to her as you have been to me.  Please, do sign up for the committees.  All these jobs need to be done to have a viable church community, and it is enjoyable to work with others and make new friends in the bargain.  Let us make next year as successful as this year has been.

The installation service was lovely.  The music was great.  Mary Hrbek organized the reception/dinner and it was more than we could have wished for.  The room was beautifully decorated with flower arrangements on every table, and the food was fantastic.  Our out of town guests were most impressed with the quality of the experience.  Thanks to everyone who helped make this event one of the high lights of the church year.

“John, Help me.  I can’t get this sock on.  My underwear won’t go over my feet.  I do not dare bend enough to do it myself!!”  During my recovery from hip surgery, I realized that it is so frustrating to have to ask for help and be dependent on others for the smallest little thing.  It undermines one’s self-confidence.  You have doubts.  Is someone coming to help?  How long do I have to wait?  What if I can never do this for myself again!  The frustration of it all.  I AM going to figure out how to do it somehow!!

I have always been happy to help others.  I would offer, or people would ask for help, but until you have been helpless yourself, it is hard to imagine what it is like to have to ask! You have no choice.

My experience is that people do want to help if they are aware that help is needed.  To be able to give help makes you feel good and happy.  So there really is no stigma attached to asking for help when you need it.  Just think of it as making someone else’s day.  It is amazing what people will do for someone who truly needs help.  That is why we have the caring committee.  The members really enjoy caring for one another, and it is so much more pleasant to ask people you know than it is to depend on strangers.  So, I would urge every member of this church who needs some temporary help during an emergency to ask the caring committee to take over.  It is so wonderful to belong to a caring extended family.

People ask me how I am doing.  Well, the doctor is very happy about my progress.  In August John and I hope to go to Colorado with our grandchildren and their parents for some nice mountain hikes, and I am going to be ready to do it.  I may need a cane for rough terrain, but that is all right.  The doctor says that I am doing great, and thank you for asking.

And now, as a farewell, I want to thank all of the members and friends of this church for all the support you have given me during my tenure as your president.  That made the experience a very happy one.  I am most grateful to all of you.  I am planning to try some other jobs next year and make some more friends.

Love to all, 
Mia McLeod
2007-2008 Church President

Vacation Church School
Vacation Church School will be held July 21-25 with a sleepover on Friday night.  The theme for the sixth year running is “Hogwarts Los Alamos,” and new adventures and surprises await this year’s students.  Hogwarts LA is a branch school of wizardry and witchcraft for children entering first grade through sixth grade.  Middle school students participate as Head Boys and Girls and Prefects.  The classes will be held from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.  Last year we had over 30 children enrolled, so please register your young wizards and witches early to ensure a spot.  After I receive your registration form, an invitation will be sent to your child by way of Owl messenger.  There is no cost, but we would like parents to sign up to bring snacks each day.  Registration forms can be picked up at the greeter’s table.  Contact Professor Regal Duea (Joyce Zaugg) if you have any questions. 

Curriculum for 2008-2009
With the passage of the two services proposal for next year, the RE committee will offer two programs this fall.  The fall RE schedule will look like this:

9:00 a.m. Children in the first fifteen minutes of the service
9:15-10:15 a.m. Children attend RE programming (3 and 4 year-olds in regular classroom setting; kindergarten-5th grade attend workshops)
10:15–11:00 a.m. Child care for children whose parents are attending the Forum
11:00 a.m. Children in the first fifteen minutes of the service
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Children attend RE programming (3 and 4 year-olds in regular classroom setting; kindergarten-5th grade attend curriculum based program)

The theme for the Workshop model, to be held at the earlier service, will be our six UU Sources.  As a reminder, they are the second part of our UU Principles and Purposes.  Rev. John will focus some of his sermons on the six sources this coming church year.  The sources are basically:

Experiences of Awe and Wonder
Words and Deeds of Prophetic women and men
Wisdom from the world’s religions
Jewish and Christian teachings
Humanist teachings
Earth-centered traditions

I have developed a schedule showing when we will do each rotation and the dates on which the different age groups will be in each workshop and have asked Mike Begnaud to post it on our web site for you to peruse.  There are three schedules—one for each trimester.  Each trimester has two complete rotations.  Intergenerational services and Sundays when there will not be RE classes are also depicted on the schedule.

We will offer a religious exploration class for 3 and 4 year-olds at each of the services.  The committee has chosen the curriculum Chalice Children written by Katie Erslev.  We have taught this course before and it is very popular with teachers, parents, and children. 

The RE committee has decided to offer the latest programs from the Tapestry of Faith series for the second service session.  We will use Wonderful Welcome for the kindergarten/first grade class, Moral Tales for the second/third grade class, and Windows and Mirrors for the fourth/fifth grade class. 

Uniteens will be a program-based youth group and will use Neighboring Faiths as their programming focus.  Uniteens includes 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders.  Uniteens will meet at 11:15 a.m.

YRUU will be a program based youth group.  They have been talking about doing a social action-type focus for their programming.  YRUU will meet at 11:15 a.m.

We will offer nursery care for our youngest UUs from 8:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Here is an updated and finalized Sunday morning schedule:

Note that the finalized schedule above is different from the original proposal, which had Uniteens/YRUU at the earlier service, and the workshop and curriculum models switched.  This is to allow for childcare during the Forum hour. 

Here are some things you might want to think about.  

• What session will best meet the needs of our family? 
• Do we want to enjoy a carefree breakfast and read the paper, then head off to church for the 11:00 a.m. service and RE program?
• Do we want to go skiing, golfing, or hiking and want to take advantage of an early 9:00 a.m. service?
• Would my child do better in a variety of activities such as are offered in the Workshop model or would my child do better in a structured curriculum based model? 

I know this is complicated and may be confusing.  Please stop by my office for a chat about any aspect of next year’s programming.  You can also pick up copies of the schedule.  An online registration form will be up on our website soon.  Please fill out as soon as possible as this will help us in planning for next fall.

Position Opening:  Youth Program Coordinator (10 hrs/week) 
The Unitarian Church of Los Alamos is seeking a person to fulfill the role of youth program coordinator.  The person applying for this position should have a high school or equivalent diploma, be able to work with youth in 6^th-12^th grade, be able to work productively with volunteers and staff, and have a working knowledge of the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of modern youth.  This position is for 10 hours a week for 42 weeks per year.  There will be no Youth Coordinator Program responsibilities on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s and during the months of June and July.  The Youth Program Coordinator is supervised by the Director of Religious Education.  Compensation is $15.00 an hour.  Since this is a part time position, there are no benefits.  The Unitarian Church of Los Alamos is a fair compensation congregation that follows the UUA fair practices guidelines.  A complete job description is available at the DRE office.

To apply, please email your resume and cover letter to Joyce Zaugg, Director of Religious Exploration, at dre@uulosalamos.org.  In your cover letter, please describe what interests you most about the Youth Program Coordinator position.  For questions or more information before applying, contact Joyce at the email above or at (505) 662-2346.

DRE Summer Schedule
My summer schedule will be:

June 2^nd-15^th Vacation, two weeks
June 16^th-July 27^th Work; this includes a week at GA
July 28^th-August 12^th Vacation, two weeks
The final two weeks of vacation will be taken over winter holiday and spring break

Joyce Zaugg
Director of Religious Exploration
662-2346
dre@uulosalamos.org

Sometimes, when I’ve spent enough time working in my own church and I haven’t been circulating in the wider religious community, I can forget just how special and unique our churches can be.  A few months back, I was at a conference in West Virginia where I was only one of two UU ministers attending.  Most of the other ministers were Baptist or Presbyterian.  When I sat down at meal time with them, I was usually asked a variation of the question:  “What do UUs believe?” I’d explain that our members held a variety of beliefs and came from a variety of traditions.  Their eyes would grow wide with a mix of horror and amazment.

“What do you preach, then?” they’d ask.  “I must be challenging to satisfy everyone on Sunday!”

And they’re right.  Perhaps the most challenging part of this job is creating a Sunday service that speaks to as many different needs as possible.  What I’ve learned over the last year is that it’s impossible to create a service where every element works for every person.  There’s such a wide variety of beliefs and needs out there (I’m still learning new things about people here every day) that it’s impossible to create a “one-size-fits-all” service.  The most I can do is make sure that my Sundays in the pulpit include at least one element that meets someone’s needs.  Add to this mix the monthly lay-led service and the intergenerational service (along with our weekly forums), and we’ve achieved quite a variety of experiences to be had in a month of Sundays here in Los Alamos.

Many of you have come to talk to me about what works and what doesn’t work for you in the services.  Most of you, I’m happy to say, have an element of the service you like for every element you dislike.  Some want to light a candle each week, while others would rather keep to themselves.  Some join in the spirit of the pastoral prayer, while others look out the window and quietly meditate.  Some like the head sermons, while others like the heart sermons (and many of you like both!).  Some enjoy the intergenerational services, while others choose to stay home those Sundays.  This is as it should be.  Really it’s the only way it can be with 163 individual needs to speak to.  It’s OK to prefer some elements over others.  It’s not OK to expect your needs to be the only ones served.  Just remember that the element of the Sunday service that does not speak to you is needed and expected by someone else in the congregation.

The Sunday service cannot be all things to all people.  I encourage everyone to find within each Sunday service those things they can hold onto, and I challange everyone to explore those areas of personal discomfort and remember that the person sitting next to you might need the very thing you reject.

❦

On May 4^th, the Two Service Discernment Team will present their final town hall meeting before the annual all-congregation meeting.  The team will present the survey results and their recommendation to the congregation prior to a vote on the 18^th of this month.  This will be the last opportunity to ask questions, present alternative ideas, and have concerns addressed before the vote.  I encourage everyone to attend.  Lunch and childcare will be provided.

❦

We’re still looking for two more delegates to this year’s General Assembly in Ft. Lauderdale this June.  The congregation has funds available for those willing to serve the church in this capacity.  Please see Kersti Rock or myself if you are interested.

❦

Finally, I want to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the installation service a success, and to those who came to celebrate with us for making our guests feel so warmly welcomed.  Thank you all for making it such an unforgettable day.

Rev. John Cullinan

This month I would like to talk about the Robinson memorial window.

So many new people have joined the church since the stained glass window was created and installed, that it is time to enlighten everyone about its significance and history.

Elmo Robinson was our first minister.  He came to us when we changed from a fellowship to a church.  He and his wife Betta were loved by everyone.  ”Robbie,” as he was affectionately called, was a retired University professor when he took on the task of being our minister.

He had been a lifelong Universalist.  When he retired from the ministry in Los Alamos he and Betta stayed in town.  It was a sad day when Robbie passed away.  His wife survived him by about ten years.

When Betta had passed away it was suggested that we have something in the church to commemorate our first minister.  Somebody suggested that it would be nice to have a stained glass window.  Everyone agreed that would be a lovely memorial.  I suggested that we should ask Challis Thiessen to create one for us.  I knew Challis, because I had been asked to give her weekly Physical Therapy treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.  She had studied art in college.  She was intrigued by the nuances in color, surface texture, and pattern variety of stained glass panels.  She had made many small stained glass pieces, each of which was more beautiful than the ones she had done before.

But she had never undertaken a multi-panel piece before.  After careful consideration she made the decision she would do it if we would have patience as she could only work a few hours a day before her hands were too tired and painful to work longer. We agreed and signed the contract.

I was in charge of raising the money.  Lew Agnew also was on the committee.  All the members and friends who had known Robbie pitched in and we had enough money in hand before we needed to make payments.

Challis went to work.  First she interviewed several old-timers about Robbie’s hobbies.  Robbie and Betta were interested in preserving nature.  They owned a redwood grove in California so that no one ever would be able to cut down these majestic trees.  The tree in the window depicts a California redwood tree.

Challis had the habit of picking out pieces of glass for each small detail from multiple glass panels.  If she saw a leaf shape in the middle of a panel that was just right in color and texture she would take it from that spot.  For instance:  the bottom panel contains a fallen log.  The end of the log has tree rings.  I always wondered where she found a piece of glass like that.  She hunted among multiple sources and finally found a very thin slice of petrified wood that precisely depicted the tree rings she needed for her design.  All of you should give the window a careful look and admire the fine detail.  It is unique for a church window.

Then she talked to me about the symbolism of the Flaming Chalice.  Challis decided that since the Chalice was the most important symbol of the church she would put it in the sky with rays of light flowing from it.  Look at the top panel at what a magnificent job she did depicting the centrality of the Flaming Chalice in Unitarian Universalism.  It took her two years to finish this work and it was worth waiting for.

The first Sunday after the window was installed I observed two small girls trying to pick up the colors the sun shining through the window projected on the floor of Robinson hall.  They tried repeatedly to hold the colors in their hands but lost them every time.

Betta and Robbie always had high tea with sherry in the afternoons.

To celebrate the installation of the window we had a high tea in Robinson Hall with Duncan MacArthur and John McLeod in full Scottish dress serving sherry.   It was a lovely formal occasion.

We have enjoyed the window immensely every time we are in Robinson Hall.  The window will always remain an integral part of our church building no matter what we do to the building itself.

However, the lead winding in stained glass needs to be inspected after 50 years.  Lead gets soft and the window will disintegrate with time.  After the first 50 years the window has to be inspected every 25 years and the glass has to be rewrapped if the lead starts getting soft.  The first inspection is due in 2035.

The window celebrates both Elmo Robinson as our first minister and the wonderful artwork of Challis Thiessen.  Arch Thiessen, widower of Challis, came specially to view the window and the new plaque explaining the significance of the window and honoring the artist.

Carl Newton installed the plaque before Arch’s visit on Sunday, March 30, 2008.

Mia McLeod
2007-2008 Church President

Senior Recognition
This year we have two young men who will be graduating from our program and going on to college next year.  

Drew Holsapple is the son of Kris Raber and Kevin Holsapple and the brother of Seth Holsapple.  Drew has been attending our church since he was 2 years old.  Drew has been a childcare provider for the past six years.  He has attended most of the classes we’ve offered over the years including Neighboring Faiths, Coming of Age, and Our Whole Lives.  Drew has been very active first in Uniteens and now in YRUU.  For the past three years, he has been a supervisor working mainly on the playlot.  He has been an excellent role model and mentor to many of our young people.  Drew has contributed so much to the church it is hard to list everything here in this short article.  He has set up luminarias for the holiday party, did readings for the Christmas Eve service (several times), helped decorate Robinson Hall for vacation church school, ran the balloon dart game for the Halloween party, and hid hundreds of Easter eggs.  Drew even played the role of Hagrid for our Hogwarts, LA summer camp.  He has a good relationship with all the children he watches over on Sunday mornings.  They really like him a lot.  Currently, he is helping teach OWL.  Thank you, Drew, for being such a kind, sensitive, hard working, and conscientious member of our church community.

Colin MacArthur is the son of Nancy and Duncan MacArthur.  Colin has been attending our church since before he was born.  The church community waited with happy anticipation when Nancy was pregnant with Colin.  His first involvement in our church community was in the Nursery.  He attended Religious Exploration classes throughout his childhood.  The only time he did not come was when he spent a year in England.  While in England, he attended Sunday school at the local church.  Colin chose not to participate in our youth groups, but instead contributed his time and energy toward committee work.  He has been on the Religious Exploration committee for the past four years.  He has been on the Partner Church committee and also building and grounds.  He has been an active participant on the RE committee and takes his membership seriously.  He has made many good suggestions that have improved safety conditions for our children.  He has been invaluable in planning and presenting meaningful children’s worship services.  He began his work as a childcare provider when he was in sixth grade and continues to this day.  He is the supervisor in the Art room.  He has excellent rapport with the children and they look up to him.  Colin, too, is helping teach OWL.  Thank you, Colin, for being a person of high integrity, for searching for the best for our children, for all your good and practical ideas, and for your warm smile. 

Both Colin and Drew have been wonderful mentors and role models to the younger child care providers we have on staff.  Thanks to them we have excellent teens filling their shoes next year.  But, with that said, they will be very much missed by their co-workers, parents, children, and me.  We will give special recognition to these two young men during the May 4^th service.  Please come join us for the service and for cake during coffee hour.

Vacation Church School
Vacation Church School will be held July 21-25 with a sleepover on Friday night.  The theme again this year is Hogwarts Los Alamos.  Hogwarts LA is a branch school of wizardry and witchcraft for children entering first grade through sixth grade.  Middle school students participate as Head Boys and Girls and Prefects.  The classes will be held from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.  Last year we had over 30 children enrolled so please register your young wizards and witches early to ensure a spot.  After I receive your registration form, an invitation will be sent to your child by way of Owl messenger.  There is no cost, but we would like parents to sign up to bring snacks each day.  This will be the sixth year that Hogwarts LA has been running.  New adventures and surprises await this year’s students.  Registration forms can be picked up at the greeter’s table.  Contact Professor Regal Duea (Joyce Zaugg) if you have any questions. 

RE Dates
Last day of Sunday school is May 18.
Teacher Recognition is June 1 and this is an intergenerational service. 

Thoughts on Two Services
Some members of the church have asked for my thoughts on the plans to try two Sunday services again. We just tried this two or three years ago and we were not successful.  Now we’re investigating whether to try it again plus have two religious exploration programs. 

Here are my reasons for supporting the idea:

1. We have too many children for the recommended space.
   This is our class size projection for fall 2008:     

   Nursery—3
   Preschool—9
   K/1^st grade—10
   2^nd/3^rd  grade—12
   4^th/5^th grade—11
   6^th grade—4
   7^th/8^th grade—5
   9^th-12^th grade—20

   Total=74 students

   The accepted recommendation for adequate space is 35 square feet per child.  I calculated the square footage for all our classrooms and how many children they would accommodate. The breakdown is as follows:

   As you can see, in four of our classes we need to find space for 10 or more students plus two-three teachers.  We only have two rooms that even come close to those recommendations—the Art room and the Assembly room.  If we have two sessions for the Preschool through 5^th grade, we would have 5-6 children in each session plus two teachers. That would be an ideal class size for the rooms we have available.  Our plan is to have one session for 6^th, Uniteens, and YRUU.  We will use the Art room for both a classroom (the art center for the Workshop Rotation Model) and a YRUU room.
    

2. Will we be able to recruit enough teachers for two programs?  Many members don’t realize that we have had two programs every Sunday for at least the past 30 years.  We have 14 volunteer teachers and two paid staff (Nursery) during the first session that runs from 9:30 am until 10:15 am.  We have eight paid teens working during the second session that runs from about 10:45 am until 12:00 pm.  We have 16 teens on staff, but they do not all work every Sunday.  They take turns so everyone has a chance to earn a little money and gain valuable experience.  The children are in the service along with the teens for the period of time from 10:30 until 10:45 am.  We also must recruit people to be advisors for our three youth groups.  We have two advisors for Chalice Children, two advisors for Uniteens, and three advisors for YRUU.  I have looked over the surveys and I am confident that we will be able to recruit enough teachers and paid teens for both sessions.  I was really pleased with the number of people who said they were willing to teach if their commitment was only ten weeks at a time.
    
3. Will two RE programs be a lot of extra work and burn out our DRE?  As I said previously, we have had two programs for many years.  The second RE session that we’re proposing for next year will involve a lot of prep time to get everything set up for the Workshop Rotation Model, but once it is set up, week to week work will be minimal.  The RE Committee and I will take two weeks this summer to prepare the rooms so that we can start our second service program on August 17^th.  Some people may not realize how much time I spend each week planning activities, children’s worship, and supervising and managing the teen staff each Sunday for the second hour.  I don’t anticipate much more time being spent on the second service program we have planned for the coming year.  We will learn and make adjustments throughout the year.

I hope the congregation decides to try two services and two RE programs.  My hope is that this experiment will prove to be a good decision and that by making more room for our children, they will want to come more often and that new members will feel comfortable and want to continue coming.  We have a lot to offer our children.  I want everyone to feel there is inviting and plentiful space in which to explore and learn.

Joyce Zaugg
Director of Religious Exploration
662-2346
dre@uulosalamos.org

One of the great joys of this job is being able to collaborate with others on meaningful worship services. Our recent poetry service is one example. We had a wonderful volunteer response, the participants enjoyed themselves, and there’s already interest from many in repeating the format sometime next year.

Our monthly intergenerational services are another example of collaborative worship. Joyce Zaugg and I have been working hard all year to develop a series of services that are truly for all ages, and we’ve enjoyed the planning and presentation process, and learning from our successes and mistakes. This month’s service (”We Light This Chalice . . .”) promises to be our best yet (the closest we’ve come to the model we’ve been hoping for), and we hope everyone will join us.

Another way of creating collaboration in worship is by getting members involved in the planning and presentation of worship each Sunday. We already do this to some extent with our monthly lay-led services. However, this is a fairly limited option. I’d like to open the opportunity for more of you to take part in the presentation of worship each week.

To that end, I’m pleased to announce the formation of the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos’s “Worship Associates” team. Beginning this September, Worship Associates will assist the minister in the planning and presentation of Sunday services, leading the congregation in certain elements of the liturgy (i.e., Candles of Community, Responsive Readings), in some cases even writing their own words to these elements. A team of eight to twelve associates work with the minister and the Worship/Music committee throughout the year to assess and maintain the quality of the services, to guide guest and lay speakers through our service elements, and to provide a familiar face and a sense of continuity on the Sundays when I’m out of the pulpit.

Associates should have a strong sense of religious identity and sense of commitment to the congregation. As well, associates should have little or no fear of speaking in front of a large group. If you’ve ever watched what’s going on on Sunday and thought, “I’d like to try that,” this may be your opportunity. A job description and application are inserted in this month’s Voice. A group training will be held in May, date and time TBA. If you’re interested, please turn the application in to the church office by May 2nd. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to come and talk to me.

Continuing on the subject of Sunday Services, our Second Service Discernment Team has been hard at work after our town-hall meetings gathering together your hopes and concerns surrounding a possible second service, and drafting a model of a possible plan for next year. Our next step is to gather still more feedback from you. On April 13th, the team will hand out a survey at the beginning of the service to our members and friends, with the intent of gathering some more specific information regarding our possible model of dual service and religious education sessions. The surveys will be collected at the end of the service.

If you have further ideas, hopes, and/or concerns surrounding this topic, or if you just want your voice to be heard, I encourage you to attend that morning and give us your feedback. If you are unable to attend, but still wish to fill out a survey, we”ll have some available in the office.

One of my public ministry goals here in Los Alamos has been to have a regular piece in the Friday edition of the Monitor — a liberal religious counterpart to the weekly “Bible Answers” column. The trouble with this plan is that I’ve never done anything like this before, and I have no idea where to begin. And so, I’m looking to all of you to help get me “unstuck.” If you’ve got a question you’d like to see answered in public, or some other topic that can be briefly addressed in the space of a column, please send me an e-mail here at the office. I’d appreciate any help I can get.

I hope you’ll all be able to attend my installation service scheduled for Saturday the 26th at 4:30 p.m. This is as much if not more of a celebration for you as it is for me, and I look forward to solidifying my relationship with you (and to the party after!). Please come, and help all of our visiting guests feel welcome.

As usual, Friday morning coffee with Rev. John continues each week at the Daylight Donuts from 9-10:30 a.m. Please join me.

Rev. John Cullinan

There are so many people with food allergies. One hears of new ones all the time. Many people can just look at some food and say: “I am not going to try that, because I suspect that it might have something in it that I am allergic to.”

But would it not be better if the allergic person knew for sure what is in the dish being served?

One Sunday I was approached by a member who had attended one of our potluck dinners. He got a terrible migraine afterwards and suspects he got it from food that may have contained MSG. MSG cannot be detected by taste, looks, or smell. Other allergens cannot be detected easily such as finely ground nuts, or peanuts, eggs, or gluten. Peanuts are so dangerous that people can die from anaphylactic shock if they only get a smidgen. We would like social events to be fun and not life threatening. There are so many people with so many different allergies that one can not possibly prepare dishes that avoid all allergens. But let us try to solve the problem of allergies as best we can.

When our daughter, Marieke, was married we had a caterer who made a great variety of food for the reception and to the delight of our allergic guests each dish had a card listing the ingredients that might cause allergic reactions. Everyone got lots to eat. No one had an adverse reaction. And the caterer said that making the cards was no big deal!

I have noticed that the Sunday coffee snacks often have an informative card which tells about possible allergenic ingredients. I think it would be a nice courtesy to all our allergic friends if we made a habit of displaying such a card that lists possible allergens with each dish. People who are allergic are of course responsible for what they eat, but we can all work together to make it a little easier and less stressful for people with allergies. And people who have food allergies should always feel free to ask if their particular nemesis can be found in a dish that looks so very tempting.

That brings me to this month’s big event: the installation of Rev. John Cullinan. When we had the last funeral reception someone who is not familiar with our church and its wonderful cooks asked who our outstanding caterer was. What a compliment! For the reception after the installation service we will again ask people for a donation in food and I hope that we will again do better than any caterer could. The food can be delivered after 3:00 p.m., to the lower level of the Senior Center where the reception will be held. The service starts at 4:30 p.m. If you have questions please contact Mary Hrbek who has kindly volunteered to be in charge of organizing the reception.

There will be many out of town guests. We will need home hospitality for many of these visitors. If you have space and would like to put someone up overnight please contact Marilyn Petschek. She is organizing this part of our celebration.

Let us make this the best installation and reception ever! I am looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Mia McLeod
2007-2008 Church President

This next month the RE Committee will be planning the children’s program for next fall. One thing they are considering is the Workshop Rotation Model. A survey that will be distributed on April 13th will mention the Workshop Rotation Model so here is a brief description.

The Workshop Rotation Model (WoRM) was first developed in the Chicago suburbs in the early 1990s by Presbyterian churches seeking to solve their chronic Sunday school problems—“school” orientated curriculum, bored children, struggles to recruit teachers, and low attendance. Adults enjoy going to conferences because of the variety of workshops that are typically offered. They thought perhaps children would enjoy workshops, too. So these churches decided to experiment with “workshops” for the children each week. These developed into the Workshop Rotation Model.

Some Unitarian Universalist churches have taken this Christian based model and adapted it for UUism with great success. A five-week unit is developed using the same story as a focus. Workshops are created to teach this story in a multiple of ways. For example, suppose we chose the story of Clara Barton (a famous Unitarian who started the American Red Cross). She was an important humanitarian who we want our children to know about. Here are the workshops we could have to focus on this story.

1. An arts and crafts workshop. The children would learn some basic first aid and then make their very own first aid kit to put on their bicycles for emergencies.
2. A drama workshop. The children would write a script of Clara Barton’s life and acted it out with costumes and props. They could also video tape the skit with a digital movie camera.
3. A science workshop. A doctor could teach this class how to use a stethoscope. They could look at blood or bacteria under a microscope.
4. A games classroom. In this workshop the children would be asked to create a board game that related to Clara Barton and her life journey from nurse on the battlefield to establishing the American Red Cross.
5. The computer workshop. In this workshop, teachers show children how to find information about Clara Barton and create a product that would demonstrate something they discovered about her.
6. Other workshops that might be developed depending on the story or theme could be an Audiovisual or Music or Puppet Theater workshop.

A teacher is recruited to do one of the workshops for five Sundays corresponding to the number of age groups we have. The children rotate through the workshops attending one workshop each week. The teacher stays put, but the children rotate. Teachers are recruited based on their talents and abilities. A person who loves acting would teach the drama workshop, a computer programmer the computer workshop, etc.

In addition to workshop leaders, many congregations that use this model are able to involve a variety of people who have not been a part of the educational program. Some congregations recruit shepherds, who act as guides for a group of children and meet and escort the students to the morning’s workshop. Shepherds provide weekly continuity for the children.

That’s the Workshop Rotation Model in a nutshell. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (Joyce Zaugg, DRE).

Curriculum Process
The RE Committee is in the process of selecting curriculum for 2008-2009. If you have any suggestions or would like to be a part of the process, please contact someone on the committee. We appreciate your ideas.

Committee members: Mary Hrbek, Chair; Kris Raber, Dianne Wilburn, Joan Alexander, Colin MacArthur, Jim Cooley, Rev. John Cullinan, and Joyce Zaugg, DRE.

Vacation Church School
Vacation Church School will be held July 21-25 with a sleepover on Friday night. The theme again this year is Hogwarts Los Alamos. Hogwarts LA is a branch school of wizardry and witchcraft for children entering first grade through sixth grade. Middle school students participate as Head Boys and Girls and Prefects. The classes will be held from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Last year we had over 30 children enrolled so please register your young wizards and witches early to ensure a spot. After I receive your registration form, an invitation will be sent to your child by way of Owl messenger. There is no cost, but we would like parents to sign up to bring snacks each day. This will be the sixth year that Hogwarts LA has been running. New adventures and surprises await this year’s students. Registration forms can be picked up at the greeter’s table. Contact Professor Regal Duea (Joyce Zaugg) if you have any questions.

RE Dates
No Sunday school or OWL classes on March 30th or April 6th.
No Children’s Choir on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Joyce Zaugg
Director of Religious Exploration
662-2346
dre@uulosalamos.org

There have been a couple of moments in the past few months where I’ve pulled into the parking lot here at the church fully expecting to be the only one around, only to find a lot full of cars. “Oh, no,” I think to myself, “What meeting have I completely forgotten about?!”

Really, I have no reason to be worried. Instead of stumbling on a forgotten meeting (I should know better, I keep a pretty tight calendar), I usually find myself walking into a book discussion group or a youth event. I sometimes forget how much goes on around here during the week.

There’s been a lot of talk in the last few years, both in the media and in some popular books, about the importance of the “third place” — places of social environment that are neither the home (the “first place”) or work (the “second place”). Ray Oldenburg, in his book The Great, Good Place, calls these third places anchors of community life that foster broader and more creative interaction among people, and are important for helping people establish a sense of place in the world.

Many businesses have gone out of their way, of late, to intentionally establish themselves as “third places” — Starbucks, with its comfortable chairs and wireless internet, is perhaps the most notable. However, when I see the level of activity that goes on here during the week, I realize that we’ve created a thriving “third place” here. I’ve heard from more than one member recently that, at least here in Los Alamos, churches are the main outlet for meeting new people and making friends and deep connections. We seem to be no exception to that rule. Since arriving here, I’ve experienced a community that extends well beyond these walls, and well past Sundays. And our coffee is cheaper than Starbucks.

As we go through the discernment process as to whether or not we should add a second service to our schedule, the one worry that I keep hearing from people is that a second service might lead to a loss of community. It’s a legitimate concern, to be sure. If you’re like me and you view Sunday as the center of the church week, there’s certainly a concern that a split in service times will equal a split in the church family. However, my brief time here has shown me that this is a congregation that knows how to build a community beyond Sunday.

Recently, I sat down with a small group of members and friends to ask how they connect with the community, here. The number one answer was, of course, Sunday services, especially coffee hour (has there ever been a study done on the relationship between caffeine and social bonding?). The next answer was Knife and Fork, which has been talked about as a point of pride here at the church since my arrival, and rightly so (kudos to Elaine Morris). Beyond that, people name the choir, teaching RE, the philosophy group, ladies’ lunches, book discussions, and even their committee work. It’s probably also worth noting that the new Covenant Circles program filled up to the max before the first meeting was ever held. In short, this community knows how to build and maintain community connection throughout the whole week, and is always ready to build and embrace new avenues of connection. This church is, and probably always will be, the original “third place.”

Speaking of community, March 23rd (Easter Sunday) brings about an opportunity to welcome its newest members. The membership committee and I will preside over a signing ceremony during the service for those friends and visitors who have decided they are ready to make the commitment to membership in our congregation. Several longtime friends and visitors are currently taking the “New UU” classes which will wrap up this month, and will be given the opportunity to be welcomed as new members by the whole community. If you’ve been thinking that the time may be right for you and you’d like to be included in the new member ceremony, please contact either myself or KokHeong McNaughton by March 7th.

Some practical notes. Thank you to all our members and friends who took time out to attend one of the “Building Our Future” town hall meetings last month. I appreciate all of your time and care and ideas as we move through this process.

Please remember the annual all-congregation dinner at the Hilltop House on the 15th of this month.

As usual, open coffee with the minister continues at Daylight Donuts from 9-10:30 in the morning on Fridays.

Finally, I’ll be out of the office from the 3rd through the 6th this month as I make my first pilgrimage to the UU mecca of Boston and attend the annual first-year ministers’ seminar.

Rev. John Cullinan