Get Ready to “Break A Leg”! 

NUUC’s Music Program is preparing, for the first time, to mount a full-scale Christmas production. “Amahl and the Night Visitors” will be performed on the evenings of December 14 and 15 at 7:30 pm (so mark your calendars early!) 

”Amahl” is a one-hour opera sung in English, and is one of the most beloved shows for the Christmas season since it was first shown on TV in 1952. Filled with humor, pathos, dancing shepherds, and some hauntingly lovely music, it tells the story of a dreamy, crippled shepherd boy’s encounter with the legendary “Three Kings” of the Christmas tale.

Fifteen-year old Kris Nathan will be playing the pivotal role of Amahl, and was recommended to NUUC by the director of Columbus Children’s Theatre. The other principals will be more familiar to you: Barb Lubberger as the Mother, Nick Marconi as King Balthazar, Kurt Zielenbach as King Melchior, and Nathan Hamm as the exuberant and slightly deaf King Kaspar. The NUUC Choir will form the nucleus of the Shepherd Chorus. Marlene Metz is pulling double duty as director and a Shepherd, and Wade Jones has agreed to the most courageous task of all: playing over 60 pages of music!

If you are interested in contributing to this production, please give Barb Lubberger a call (614 246-6461) or e-mail (blubberg@wowway.com). In addition to the actors and singers, we will need assistance with the stage and set construction, gathering props, distributing flyers, and soliciting advertisements (for the program). Above all, plan to attend a performance and bring a friend or two with you!

Meijer shoppers: Earn double Community Rewards for NUUC from Oct. 1-Dec. 31. Meijer credit cards linked to the rewards program earn 2% for purchases; PIN-based debit cards and cash purchases earn 1%. See the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall for applications and more details, or visit www.meijer.com/rewards. (Our NUUC Rewards Membership number is 994116).

OMD Chalice Lighters Campaign
The following interview was conducted with Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, District Executive, of the Ohio-Meadville District of the UUA, regarding the District’s desire to revive its Chalice Lighters Program.   This important program provides essential funding for congregations in our district who need help with new outreach projects or growth initiatives.   If you have any questions about OMD Chalice Lighters, please call the OMD Office (330-948-2600) or send them an email at office@ohiomeadville.org. You may also contact Rev. Becelaere directly at:

Rev. Joan Van Becelaere
District Executive
Ohio-Meadville District of the UUA
jvanbecelaere@ohiomeadville.org
330-641-5896 (cell)

“Letting Our Light Shine”: An Interview with Rev. Joan Van Becelare, OMD District Executive

Recently, the Ohio Meadville District (OMD) initiated a Resource Development Team to work with congregational and wider district support programs such as Chalice Lighters and Friends of the OMD.   Members of the Team sat down with district executive, Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, to talk about plans to revive the OMD Chalice Lighters Program.
 
Rev. Van Becelaere, what is a Chalice Lighter?
A Chalice Lighter is an individual or couple who pledge to respond with a contribution of at least $10 when a call comes from the OMD Board that it's time to light a chalice for a congregation within the Ohio Meadville District.  Chalice Lighter calls are made to support specific growth initiatives in individual OMD congregations.

Four times a year, people will receive a letter explaining which congregation has applied for a Chalice Lighter call and what the funds will be used for.  Chalice Lighters commit to respond to four calls each year and will be asked to contribute each year until they notify the Ohio-Meadville District Office that they no longer wish to participate. 
 
Why does the program exist?
The Chalice Lighter grant program assists the growth of both emerging and existing congregations in the OMD.  Sometimes in their organizational lives, Unitarian Universalist congregations take big steps to further their outreach and growth. Each step is the lighting of a new flame to spread our faith.  It is part of our covenant with one another as Unitarian Universalists to help congregations at these crucial times to grow and prosper so that we may continue to be a force for progressive change and a liberal religious voice within society.  

We have hidden our light under the proverbial bushel for too long. The time is now to share our message of religious freedom, hope and acceptance with friends and neighbors. We need to advance the light, spread the word and share the faith of hope and courage.
 
What kinds of activities are funded by Chalice Lighter grants?
Chalice Lighter grants are intended to help congregations by providing funds to implement new growth initiatives. Some congregations have used their grants to improve their buildings and grounds, to help provide professional leadership, including religious education leadership, or engage in new forms of outreach into their communities.  New and existing congregations have received grants to fund publicity campaigns, signs, hymnals, chairs, and religious education materials. 
 
Here in the Ohio-Meadville District, chalice lighter grants have been used to fund a number of different growth needs.  This fall, the Canton, Ohio congregation purchased their first building, an old used car dealership and former motorcycle repair shop.  They had raised their own funds to tear down some walls, paint and put in new carpeting, but they needed financial help to purchase chairs and a church sign. For a few months, they tried using folding chairs and camp stools – which was uncomfortable to say the least.  They applied for a Chalice Lighters grant and a call went out in August.   

And previous grants have been awarded to:

* The West Virginia Cluster of UU Churches to sponsor short radio ads on NPR for six months,
* The Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent to renovate the front doors of their building and the steps leading into the church.  The front doors had been closed for several years because of needed repair and were able to be opened again with a chalice lighter grant.
 * The Ginger Hill UU Congregation in Pennsylvania to repair and upgrade their new building in Slippery Rock and,   
* The UU Fellowship of Ligonier Valley to have a new sign outside their building so visitors could find the church with greater ease.

OMD Chalice Lighter grants are funded exclusively through contributions from Unitarian Universalists in the Ohio-Meadville District who participate as Chalice Lighters.

 How did the Chalice Lighter Program begin?
The program was the inspiration of Will Townsend, a member of the UU Fellowship of Montgomery, Alabama (Mid-South District), who in 1988 envisioned a system by which individual members of UU congregations could help to light chalices across the South--to pass on the light, to spread the word, to share the faith of hope and courage. The program soon spread to the entire UU Association, including the Ohio-Meadville District.
 
Our OMD Chalice Lighter Program has been dormant for the last couple of years, but now we are seeing a resurgence of interest on the part of congregations and individuals alike who are willing to step up and put their money where it truly counts: towards the immediate health and well being of our district congregations.
 
How do individuals sign up to become Chalice Lighters?
Information about the Chalice Lighters Grant Program as well as a pledge form can be found on the Ohio Meadville District's website: http://www.ohiomeadville.org.  Or, people can pick up our Chalice Lighter brochure in their congregational pamphlet rack, fill out the form and mail it to the OMD Office. On select Sundays, there might even be a Chalice Lighter representative with an information table in your congregation. 

Becoming a Chalice Lighter is as easy as filling out that form.  Once your form is received by the district office, your name will be added to the rolls.

How do congregations apply for a grant?
Grant applications are available on our district website, http://www.ohiomeadville.org. Grant proposals must clearly outline how the funds will help further congregational growth or outreach.   Groups that wish to apply for a grant to initiate a new congregation should meet with the district executive before applying for a grant.
 
Who selects the applications that will be funded?
The grants are administered by the Ohio-Meadville District Board of Trustees, who reviews each grant application and selects the grant recipients.  The decision can be difficult, since only one award can be made per granting period, and the applicants are always worthy.
 
Are there other ways that interested people can help?
An additional way to help is by serving as a Chalice Lighter/OMD Representative.  The local rep will actively promote the program with a goal of enrolling at least 30% of the congregation as Chalice Lighters. The local rep will also keep the congregation’s leaders aware of the funding potential of Chalice Lighter grants.  The only requirement for a local rep is an enthusiastic belief in the value of Chalice Lighters, a basic understanding of how the program works, and sensitivity to the stewardship needs of your own congregation.  Our goal is to have a Chalice Lighter/OMD Representative in every district congregation.

Contact the district office for more information by calling 330-948-2600, or sending an email to: office@ohiomeadville.org.

Finally, can you say a few words about why you think people should become Chalice Lighters?
There are a number of excellent reasons to join with your neighbors who are already Chalice Lighters.  Being a Chalice Lighter brings the knowledge that your $10 (or larger) contribution has immediate impact and directly supports the growth of liberal religion in the district.   The more of us who take the Chalice Lighter pledge, the more resources the program will have to offer to growing congregations.   Opportunities for growth abound in our district and the support of Chalice Lighters is critical.  A little help makes a big difference in spreading the Good News of Unitarian Universalism throughout the Ohio-Meadville District.

I hope everyone will accept the invitation to become an OMD Chalice Lighter and help spread the light of our liberal faith in this part of the country.

As the great Universalist preacher, John Murray, once said, “You possess only a small light, but uncover it, let it shine. Use it in order to bring more light and understanding to the hearts and minds of men and women. Give them not hell, but hope and courage.”   Together we can let our light shine here and now.