Mark Your Calendars
Music Makers--Wed @ 6pm
Choir practice--Wed @ 6:45-8pm and Sun @ 9:45-10:10am
Sunday Morning Meditation--9:15am
Mindful Monday Meditation NEW SCHEDULE-
First and third Monday of the month @ 6pm
(See the Focus for further details)
Game Night 6-9 PM on the 1st Friday of Every Month
Arts & Crafts Night 6-10 p.m. on the 2nd Friday
Special Congregational Announcements
Thanks
Kellen Sequeira Thanks everyone who supported the 9th Grade Trip Soup Fundraiser? We raised $300 to help cover the cost of the bus for the trip! Thank you!
Whooping Cough: A Disease on the Rise
You may have read or heard about the recent increase in pertussis or whooping cough. In Wyoming and many surrounding states, incidence of whooping cough has more than tripled in the last few years. Infant deaths from whooping cough are also on the rise. In response to this epidemic, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is recommending that all pregnant women get vaccinated with the Tdap (tetanus, diptheria, and acellular pertussis) vaccine regardless of previous immunization status.
The choice to immunize is both personal and controversial. The purpose of this article is not to attempt to convince you to make one decision over another. My goal is to provide you with some basic information about this important subject so that you can begin to research a decision that may have lifelong implications for your family. Informed consent is the basis for any good medical decision, including the decision whether or not to immunize yourself or your children.
Pertussis affects more children under 12 months of age and this age group accounts for 95% of all deaths associated with the disease. This is partially because baby’s tiny airways are easily obstructed and during coughing spells it is difficult to get enough oxygen. Most babies get pertussis from their mother, father, siblings, or a care provider close to them. In adults and older children, pertussis may not be recognized as more than a cough or a cold. The previous statistics and the susceptibility of young infants to pertussis are the reasons for the ACIP’s recommendations.
One ingredient contained in the Tdap vaccine is causing a great deal of controversy, aluminum phosphate. The reason for adding this ingredient is sound science as it helps the body recognize the antigen in the vaccine and mount a more effective immune response. The problem is that no studies have been done to prove that the amount of aluminum given in the vaccine is safe for children or pregnant women. There are also no studies confirming that pertussis immunity from the mother will cross the placenta to the baby or will be passed through breast milk. What is known is that if the parents, siblings, and other caregivers are vaccinated, the newborn runs a much lower risk of contracting pertussis. Another strategy for protection is to keep your newborn away from people who are coughing, sick, or unvaccinated.
One of the most impartial analyses that I have read about the safety and efficacy of this particular vaccine can be found at:www.askdrsears.com/topics/vaccines/vaccine-faqs. If you would like to see more of my research or have further questions please feel free to contact me directly at prairienaturalhealth@gmail.com or 307-630-9547. This topic cannot possibly be covered in one short article but is important enough for the subject to be raised. As Unitarian Universalists we ask questions, seek truth, and look to science and other sources for answers. While there is no single answer that solves the increasing problem of pertussis, please take the time to get the facts and make an informed choice about what is right for your family. As always, your Faith Community Nurses (FCN) are happy to answer any questions or help you find the information that you need.
Shelly L. Montgomery RN, FCN and the Faith Community Nurse team
The UUCC Garden
Spring is here (the first day of Spring is March 20th)!! And as some people turn their thoughts to baseball, my thoughts turn to the UUCC garden. Over the past couple years, different UUCC members have volunteered for different sections of the garden to take care of it and nurture it. If gardening is something you like to do or would like to do, let me know and we'll get you signed up to help.
The other thought that has been rattling round my brain is turning some of our flower garden into a vegetable garden or inter-mixing vegetables in with the flowers. Birgitt Paul and Steve Scott have agreed to plan out and start some vegetables to put in the south west corner of the garden.
Pastoral Care Request
Home Visitation
Within our Beloved Community, we have some members who are not able to attend church on a regular basis. They may be home-bound for temporary or long term reasons. Would you be willing to be part of a regular visitation schedule, just to share the news of the church or attend to some simple needs?
We’d like to make sure each one gets a visit from a church member once a month, but if we can get enough volunteers, you would only be asked to do this occasionally.
Can you help us in our efforts to support and maintain contact with all our members and friends?
If so, please call or email Rev. Audette or Sandi Gaulke at 630-5856 stgaulke@openvistas.net Thank you!
I would like some input from the congregation if this sounds like a good idea and ideas on what to do with the produce. Please let me know as soon as you can as we are ready to move on this, because--spring is here!!
Kathleen Petersen 421-4496 or Kathleen_petersen@hotmail.com
COMEA Dinner
Our COMEA House dinner was a huge success for the month of March. We served over 80 people a meal a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal of corned beef and cabbage. We were asked by several residents to come back more often because we serve the best meals!
Did you know that the COMEA has been serving the homeless population since December 2, 1982? It was sparely furnished with a couple of dinette tables and a few chairs when it first opened. Its purpose was simply to provide folks with a warm place to stay the night and perhaps get a cup of coffee and a light snack. Clients provided their own bedding and slept on the floor. The shelter had a shower but residents also had to provide their own towels. The shelter now has accommodations for 50 men, 12 women and two families at a time. With a dining hall, kitchen and meals, beds, linen, towels and even a health care facility next door. Each resident is required to receive case management for the time of their stay and several different programs are offered to reach each individuals needs.
You may be asking yourself “How do I get involved in this great service to others?” It is as simple as this:
You are welcome to sign-up at the church at clipboard corner or you can sign up online at: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0D4AA8A722A02-april
While out grocery shopping the week of the dinner pick up the items that you signed up for and on your way home swing by the shelter and drop off your items.
And / Or
The best part is serving the food! That is just for an hour on Saturday evening from 5:30-6:30pm. And you are encouraged to then stay, make a new friend and share a meal with them.
We will be serving a dinner of Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli, Salad and Fruit this month. You can drop of your uncooked food at the COMEA Shelter any time starting Wednesday the 17th
If you are concerned about the financial commitments, the church has set aside some money in the budget for our COMEA shelter efforts. Simply sign up, keep your receipts and submit them to the church administrator for reimbursement.
Please feel free to contact Brenda Lyday at: brendalyday@gmail.com / 632-4146
Grace McDuffie at: mcduffie33@yahoo.com / 630-9595 if you have questions or need more information.
INTERFAITH FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
The Interfaith Family Support Services (IFFS) program hosts homeless families and helps them become self-sustaining. The goal of IFSS is to provide a “hand up” rather than a “hand out”. In Cheyenne this program consists of 10 host faith communities and several support faith communities which host homeless families on a rotating schedule. Families stay at each for one week and then transfer to the next faith community in the rotation schedule.
Our last rotation was the week of March 24, 2013 to March 31, 2013. All of the volunteers cannot be recognized as of this writing. Please accept our thank you for your assistance that week.
Our next rotation will be the week of June 2, 2013 to June 9, 2013. Following is a brief list of the hosting activities we provide to this program with volunteers from our church.
About two weeks before the June rotation we will be asking for your volunteer support for activities during that week. If you haven't volunteered and would like information, please contact one of the coordinators. We can have you co-host with an experienced volunteer for your first time. They will work with you and show you the ropes.
Also, if any volunteers have particular hosting duties or days they prefer, please feel absolutely welcome to sign up for your preference any time prior to our host week.
For more information please contact one of the UUCC coordinators:
Sharon Wisroth swisroth@bresnan.net 634-4862
Jim Gaulke gjgaulke@openvistas.net 630-1782
PLEASE NOTE: The coordinators are in the process of setting a date to meet with all of our volunteers to discuss the program. We would like to hear any suggestions, problems, concerns, or any other issues you may have with the program or process.
The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes
- Setup Volunteers – Saturday afternoon before the first Sunday
- Daytime Hosts - From 9:00am to 5:00pm (on the weekends)
- Dinner Hosts – From 5:00pm to 7:00pm
- Evening Hosts – From 7:00pm to 9:00pm
- Overnight Hosts – From 9:00pm to 7:00am
- Teardown Volunteers – Last Sunday Morning
Special Events Karen Armstrong's
Twelve Steps to a More Compassionate Life
Karen Armstrong believes that while compassion is intrinsic in all human beings, each of us needs to work diligently to cultivate and expand our capacity for compassion. Here, in this straightforward, thoughtful, and thought -provoking book, she sets out a program that can lead us toward a more compassionate life. The twelve steps Armstrong suggests begin with "Learn About Compassion" and close with "Love Your Enemies." In between, she takes up "compassion for yourself," mindfulness,
suffering, sympathetic joy, the limits of our knowledge of others, and "concern for everybody." She suggests concrete ways of enhancing our compassion and putting it into action in our everyday lives, and provides, as well, a reading list to encourage us to "hear one another's narratives." Throughout, Armstrong makes clear that a compassionate life is not a matter of only heart or mind but a deliberate and often life-altering commingling of the two. Karen Armstrong was the presenter at the Ware Lecture, UUA General Assembly 2011. An interest sheet is in the lobby. Date to be announced soon--keep an eye on our weekly eletter!
Committee on Ministry
meetings will be held on the 1st Tuesday of each month starting November 6, 2012. 5:15 pm Chalice Lighting – 6:30 ending. Church Library. Thanks, Ken Vernon
PASTORAL CARE COMMITTEE Chair: Sandi Gaulke
Mission Statement: “The UUCC Pastoral Care Committee is a co-ministry involving the minister, staff, and lay persons working together to provide a structured connection for offering support, care, and comfort to members and friends in times of need.”
This group strives to provide comfort and care to members who are home-bound, providing food or transportation to those who are ill, visiting people in the hospital, assisting each other through life transitions, helping with memorial services, generally keeping the minister aware of the pastoral needs of the church, and listening to friends.
Our current goal is to build a larger caring team to carry out some of these activities. There is not a large time commitment with this group, but the rewards are many! If this sounds like something you would enjoy being a part of – and many of you do this work already – please contact Sandi Gaulke, Ria, or Joan.
Navigators USA is an alternative scouting group, open to both girls and boys, which has been growing in popularity across the country since its inception in 2002.
Created by Robin Bossert, a Unitarian Universalistat All Souls in New York City, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in2000 stating that Boy Scouts of America, as a private organization,could set its own membership standards, including barring boys and leaders who were openly gay and/or non-Christian. We are hoping to start a Navigators USA chapter here at Cheyenne's UUChurch and are looking for interested youth and adults to help make this happen. All that is required to start a new chapter is to have fiveinterested youth (ages 7-17) and two adults to co-lead.
More information about Navigators USA can be found on the web at:
http://navigatorsusa.ning.com/
or in the UU World Magazine March 2011 or at this link:
http://uuworld.org/news/articles/179052.shtml
If you are interested, please contact Jerome or Michelle Swanson at
harryandred@wyoming.com
