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    Last Saturday Mark and I went to Pittsburgh for the Three River Arts Festival downtown. Soon after parking we crossed paths with an older man standing with a clip board on the edge of the arts festival. He asked us if he could have a moment of our time as he was a graduate student seeking help for a project he was working on. I said "sure."

    He looked pleasantly surprised, skipping only a couple of beats as he went on to explain that he was writing his thesis on nutrition, and the project he was working on was for children in the inner city who needed to get some basic nutritional needs met. I knew he was going to ask for a donation, what else could it be, but I was genuinely interested in the work he was doing. Plus I was impressed that this youthful 62 year old (he volunteered his age), was in graduate school.

    Mark and I both listened attentively, while he told us of the study findings the non-profit organization was revealing, and the benefits they were offering to counter the problems. It sounded good to us, so we gave him a donation. (Having canvassed for Greenpeace for two years, I am very sympathetic to people who are willing to step out in front of strangers and ask for money, particularly when they are a volunteer, as this man was).

    As we were leaving, the man said to us, "You're not from around here are you?" Mark said, "No, we're from Meadville." The man smiled knowingly, "Yea, you two have good energy; I can tell you’re not from the city." We all laughed as Mark and I dove into the crowds of the Pittsburgh Arts Festival.

    There is a lot to be said for the lifestyle of small city living: Doors left unlocked, purses left out in the open, eye contact with strangers walking down the street, always running into someone you know, bank tellers who know you by name, the coffee shop that knows what you want to drink, and taking the time to listen to someone who is doing good work. Sure, there is crime here, but nothing like the large cities.

    Have a good summer where ever you may travel, and then come home where the energy is a little more friendly.

    As you enjoy your summer adventures, please make a note for yourself to collect a small sample of water from your travels. At the September 11 service, we’ll collect all the waters from our returning members and friends during our worship service.

Coming home.

    We had spent the last several days traveling and living out of a suitcase. As we slowed to a stop at the top of our driveway, I looked at the gentle slope of our yard and the familiar gray saltbox house standing steadily from the field. Upon entering the house, I set to work opening all of the windows and relishing the cross breeze from the back door to the front. Immediately, my wind chimes began their concert. I stuffed the washer and filled it with the familiar scent of our laundry detergent. Next, I visited all of my house plants with my watering can. Afterwards, I traveled to the backyard and replenished our dog’s water dish and spoiled him with a can of Alpo prime cuts in gravy. Lazily, I walked around the yard pulling at some stray weeds and enjoying newly formed flowers. I took a deep breath and observed the tranquil setting. Ahhhhh, it was good to be home.

    Home. I think now of its meaning. From the time my kids could first pick up a crayon they inevitably drew the square with the roof on top. My daughter tops her houses with a slightly skewed roof line representing our own salt box style home. For me, I, at once, picture two houses. My childhood home built by my father and my home now built by my husband. Both buildings erected from the blood, sweat, and tears of family. Each nail, each board, each coat of paint lovingly administered by grand-mother, mother, father, brother, husband, wife. There were months and months of hard physical labor and, unfortunately, some near disasters: my father’s basement walls caving in from too much rain, my fall from ten feet into our unfinished basement, the shattering of my parent’s new chandelier, my dad’s bruised stomach from cleaning out the cement mixer with a broom while it was still running. Then there were the occasional heated arguments. You want that where?! What color?! How much?! And, of course, there was laughter from silly mistakes and downright exhaustion. Occasionally, we pull out our photo albums and reminisce. What a journey! And the journey continues as we work to make our house a home with children, pets, flowers, paintings, books. We also have built in the intangibles: love, comfort, warmth, security. I do not take my house for granted.

    My kids scream as they race to the sandbox, and I quickly return to the present moment. I walk around back to our deck. My husband joins me with some ice water. We sit back, prop up our feet, and watch the kids build their castles.

    Just a reminder that children in grades K-5 are invited to participate in the summer program entitled UU Super Heroes. The program is scheduled for July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7. There will be a culminating worship service on August 14. This Sunday we will meet in the Arthur room at 10:30. If you have not registered your child please do so when your child comes to class this week. The registration form is at the front desk in the Parish House.

    Kate conducted four services and approximately 31 pastoral visits/conversations. Attended the new member picnic, the Searle-White cookout auctioned last year, and the annual church picnic. Held weekly meetings with Venessa and Lee Ann. The DRE’s annual evaluation with the RE chair has been completed – the review was very positive. Met with Worship committee, COCM, Ministerial Evaluation committee, chair of PR/Communications, and Finance committee. Held Salon book discussions April 19-May 31 to great effect.

    President of Women’s Services Board that meets monthly, plus committee meetings. Attending UUMA Professional Days and General Assembly June 21-27 in Fort Worth; preaching at Chautauqua July 31 and North Hills, Pittsburgh Aug 14. Invited to serve as the arrangements portfolio on a national UU ministers’ committee in charge of planning the every-7-year midyear conference, set for 2009. This will involve some travel and extra work, but it will not affect my responsibilities for this congregation, which is my priority. Mike McGrath made the point that all professional people do jobs to advance their profession. Performed three weddings. Vacation is scheduled from July l-August 7.

    Both income and expenditures in May are in line with budget expectations. On the cash side, we have spent $8,500 more than we have taken in. However, because of collections related to the capital campaign, the bank deposit balance remains sufficient to cover immediate expenses. The Finance Investment Committee needs to meet to review funds allocations and plans in order to improve the overall yield on Church financial assets.

Properties.

    Len Nichols asked Dave to mention that the chimney was leaking. Len had earlier obtained a quote of $450 to replace the cap, for which the Board approved $500. Inspection showed that the chimney needs to be rebuilt, at a cost of $590. Mike Thomson said the Properties Committee is way over their budget, so payments will come out of the Capital Campaign. A motion to pay whatever it costs to fix the chimney passed. It was agreed that the Properties Committee should have discretion to make cost decisions. Dave said he will clarify this when the Bylaws are reviewed next year.

Fellowship.

    Upcoming events: Golf scramble at Cross Creek Resort July 12; Worship Committee brunch September 11; 6:59er in the Parish House with a potluck dinner and movie, "What the (Bleep)" on September 16; Annual Gathering October 22; Bazaar and Lunch and Brunch November 11 and 12; an Open House Sunday for December 4. For the Annual Gathering, a singing group, "Pieces of East," is planned for the dinner and a concert open to the public with a free will offering. The group of five will be fed and housed for two days and a stipend of $200. Since the Board must approve the Annual Meeting date, Oct 22 was so moved and passed. –Carlin Almes

Social Action.

    We are designing an Event Calendar to help plan more effectively for upcoming events. Sue Fuller intends to start a committee to help our congregation re-establish our relationship with our Transylvanian partner church in Rumania. Our food pantry is still full; we will announce when we have more room for food storage. Breastfeeding and Community Health Event August 7; we are planning another brunch talk on this topic. Mark has a presentation about the Green Roof Initiative – is this a Board agenda item or should it be presented to the Properties Committee? We seek a logo for the Social Action section of the Oracle. If we had enough volunteers and money, we would like to work on (l) a Social Action email list; (2) Jailed African tribe members in Cambridge Springs; (3) Asberger/Autism religious education program; and (4) Pesticides on school property. We would like to have a consultant from UUA come to our congregation to give us advice on how to improve our social action within our community, but it is too expensive. We will put this expenditure in the budget for next year; the Board approved this idea when it was cheaper to do. – Tracy Smock

Public Relations.

    The expanded committee is holding meetings. First step will be an assessment study looking at all aspects of communicative technology. Sarah priced the cost of publishing the Oracle: about $72 per issue. The printing cost is more than the postage cost at this point. Discussion ensued about putting the Oracle on line; Dave recommended that a notice be placed in the Oracle of changes being considered. – Sarah Sargent

    The Summer Program begins July 3 and the curriculum will be UU Superheroes. A youth group leadership workshop will be held some time in July or August, led by our DRE district consultant, Karen Lapidus. – Emily Boughton

Worship.

    This summer, guest speakers will be Alison Wohler and Aaron Kerr (Allegheny chaplain). Non-clergy speakers include Bill and Sue Fuller, Josh Searle-White, Inner Voices, Mary-Lib Whitney, and Lee Ann Wester. Our surveys and new sign-up methods have been successful. We are grateful to all who volunteer. A fundraising brunch is planned for September 11, which is our "Gathering of the Waters" Sunday. We are engaged in long-term planning in conjunction with the proposed 3-year budget cycle. – Rebecca Hecking

Membership.

    At our last meeting we held a Ministerial Review discussion for the Committee on Ministerial Evaluation. We completed our 3-year budget for the Finance Committee. Current membership is 157. – Carolyn Chase

    The 3-year budget process was discussed. Each standing committee is responsible for input to Jerry no later than August 10 for the tentative budget to present to the Board for adoption. Treasurer Mike Thomson provided samples of budget planning worksheets with histories of financial data from 1999 to 2005. Each committee has a worksheet to assist it; direct further questions to me, Mike Thomson, or any member of the Finance Committee.

    Mike McGrath, Board VP, will be in charge of the annual pledge drive for 2006. He plans to schedule the drive for September/October. Mike Thomson said we are approaching a cash flow situation in which we will need to begin withdrawals from the Endowment Fund. This was approved by the Board for the 2005 Budget but so far this year has not been used.

    Brainstorming and investigation of other or alternative fund-raising methods will be an ongoing topic for this Committee since we are responsible for developing fundraising policy, protocol, and procedures, as well as assisting in strategies. The next meeting is Sunday, August 14, at 9 am. – Jerry Almes

    Dave Anderson is acting chair. They are asking people for input: likes, dislikes about the church, meeting with people in small, already established groups. It is hoped draft recommendations can be made by July 18 and a final report by August 15.

    Part of the report will include a need for a job description for the minister. The financial impact must be obtained before the budget negotiations. Therefore, Dave is calling for a change in the date of the August meeting of the Board, to August 22, to plan the budget and review the ministerial evaluation committee results. All agreed.

Old Business.

Former Presidents’ Meeting.

    Kate reported on the feedback about this February meeting from the Ohio-Meadville District consultant, Rod Thompson. It is late because Rod has been ill. He suggested instituting an in-house Leadership Development program. Help folks recognize their leadership styles, gain tools for leading meetings, supporting volunteers, etc. He also encouraged us to find ways to feel good about the future. Kate suggests we have a couple of Sundays in the fall celebrating our 180^th anniversary. We could emphasize our religious liberalism, and she could do a short series on what is religious liberalism, historically and in the 21^st century. She would love to hear church members speak on this as well. This would help us claim a stronger sense of identity. Rod also encouraged someone from the Board to speak with the board president at Kent, since they recently did a restructuring and are about our size. (Dave has already made contact with him.)

    Dave said the Former Presidents’ meeting was one of the best meetings he’s ever attended. He is excited about wanting to evaluate new structures, such as elimination of the Board, or take committee heads off the Board. When his term expires, he would like to form a committee to evaluate the bylaws, leadership development, and other polity matters. Kate’s small group idea would be a part. He seeks new ideas, new formats, sees the church growing out of some traditional methods. There could be a committee on committees, or a past-president committee.

Behavioral Covenants.

    Kate suggested behavioral covenants should be in place for handling possible unsteady people in the congregation. We need to have "rules" in place, and this should be done when there are no problems.

New Business.

    Jerry asked about the status of the OMD leadership training programs that are to be held September 21-24. It had been suggested that we offer to host the meeting. Kate will find out whether a meeting place has been decided.

    The Capital Drive continues to chug along. Several of us continue to call on the members and friends of the congregation to gather pledge cards for the planned renovation projects. The total raised to date is approximately $109,000 and the total received to date in the mid $20,000 range.

    Several people have asked why we have not started on some of the larger projects. The answer is: because we applied for a matching grant on all of the projects. Any money we spend before the decision on the grant, cannot be submitted for matching funds IF we receive the grant. Since we applied for over $95,000 in grant monies, it seems worthwhile to wait for the grant decision to start our large renovation plans!

    We continue to ask for pledges at all levels of our requests. Please do not take it as any kind of a slight in any way if we have not approached you as yet. The goal still remains to have 100% church involvement in the campaign. We would very much like to finish the capital drive before the annual drive begins in the fall. So, if we have not called on you already... it should be soon!

    ALL levels of pledges are important. All of us have a stake in our part of the history of taking care of our beautiful church!

    At the last meeting of Inner Voices Writing Group, we decided to meet only once a month for July and August – July 6 and August 3, in the Parish House. Carolyn Chase has been doing a superb job of leading the group for the last 3 years, but now needs a break. Mary-Lib will be taking over for her during the summer. In the fall, Mary-Lib will facilitate the first meeting of the month, and facilitation will rotate through the group for the second meeting. Spread the word, bring friends – they don’t have to be members of the church.

    The topic for the July 6^th session will be, "Write about the family dynamics during holiday dinners or picnics. Capture the subtle and more obvious traditions your family upholds." If this doesn’t excite you, try something else. Prose, poetry, autobiography, fiction, a chapter from a book you’re writing.

    As temperatures start to rise, so does our anticipation of another great season at Chautauqua. The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship believes it has put together a season of speakers to challenge your thinking and broaden your outlook. Here is what lies ahead for you on Sunday mornings at 9:30 at the Hall of Philosophy.

• June 26 Rev. David Bumbaugh, Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary

• July 3 Rev. Frank Hall, Westport, CT

• July 10 Rev. David Weissbard, Rockford, IL

• July 17 Rev. Alison Wohler, In Search

• July 24 Rev. Scott Tayler, Rochester, NY

• July 31 Rev. Kate Walker, Meadville, PA

• Aug. 7 Rev Michael McGee, Arlington, VA

• Aug. 14 Rev. Richard Gilbert, Rochester, NY (retired)

• Aug. 21 Rev. Martha Munson, East Aurora, NY

• Aug. 28 Nancy Bechtolt, Fellowship member

In addition, we offer two great lecture series.

    The first series, held during Week 2 (July 4-8) will feature Rev. Frank Hall. Using Ralph Waldo Emerson's words, he calls the series ‘Through the Fire of Thought.’ In it, he will discuss issues related to the nature of God, man, liberalism, heroism and loss. His personal friendship with Christopher Reeve will be the basis of his talk on heroes.

    The 9^th edition of our "Ethics in Everyday Life" seminar series during Week 5 (July 25-29) offers this first class collection of speakers:

    David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize winner, New York Times business reporter, and author of Perfectly Legal; Charles Brock, Oxford Don and expert on Islam; Ira Cooperman, former Air Force Intelligence officer speaking on ethics in American intelligence; Laurence Houlgate, retired professor of philosophy, speaking on family ethics; and Rev David Weissbard giving ethics a UU perspective.

    Join us as often as you can – and bring your friends!