Consultations and Contemplations - A message from your consulting minister                             Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz

Well, spring may have been late, and some of the blossoms may have been a bit slow relative to the calendar, but all that is behind us now (as far as I am concerned), because the strawberries are here.  

I was very pleased that they strawberries ripened in time for our end-of-the-year picnic—I was a bit worried that they wouldn’t.  For me, nothing says summer quite like the first of the local strawberries.  It feels like I’ve been waiting for that intensely red flavour burst all winter long.

Summer for me is also about being in the outdoors.  We were lucky enough to have great weather for our end-of-they year picnic, and it felt like a perfect way to bring in the season: in good company, in the sunshine, surrounded by trees and water.  

I was very glad to be able to wish so many of you a good summer in person.  Those of you whom I didn’t get see at the end of June, know that I was thinking of you, and I hope that the next two months are rewarding.

I’ll be on vacation for all of July, with the exception of a couple of days preparing and teaching a two hour workshop on personality styles and leadership at CUUL School, our Canadian Unitarian Universalist Leadership School (held here in Nanaimo this summer).  During July, I have a stack of novels and poetry to dive into, and I anticipate spending a lot of time puttering in the garden.  I will also spend one week at a retreat centre in Washington State, painting and relaxing by the Wenatchee River, and I will take a few smaller trips to see friends and family.

The first three weeks of August are my study time: I’ll likely be spending quite a bit of time in the office, but I won’t be attending meetings or events.  I use this time to do research for upcoming sermons and workshops and do some reading for my professional development.  One of the things I’ll be doing is looking at all the different ways of growing multi-generational community, particularly with an eye to understanding how we can support our families better.

Between July 1 and August 22 when I return to work, I will be available for pastoral care in emergencies only.  An emergency might be a life-threatening illness or accident, or the death of a family member, or similar traumatic incidents.  

During the time when I’m on vacation and study leave, your President, May Partridge and your Care and Concern chair, Reinie Heydemann, will know how to get in touch with me—please let them know if you think I should be contacted.  

Whether summer means a change of pace for you, or a continuation of your regular schedule, I hope that you will make time to savour the sweetness.  Like the first taste of the first berries of the season, there are moments that cry out to be entered into with gusto, and maybe shared with others.  Like the strawberries, these moments may come in small packages, but their sweetness is extravagant compared to their size.  

May your summer include many such moments, whatever they look like for you.

I look forward to hearing about these moments when I return to our shared ministry at the end of August. 

Yours in faith,

Karen

Email:  FUFON-minister@shawbiz.ca

President’s Corner 

“There are no perfect solutions – just good enough ones.”

 I try to remember this saying when problems emerge. Many times in my life on the job or in a volunteer position, I’ve begun a task with high hopes for a perfect outcome, and funny thing, mostly that perfect outcome does not present itself. Instead, what usually emerges, after much work with myself and others, is something else. Something neither all good nor all bad, but good enough. It works. It takes the larger project forward.

I’m thinking about this saying again as we continue into the transition we began last January. It’s been a challenging time in various ways for the board, committees and congregation. We knew intellectually that it was going to be this way as we moved forward, but emotionally it can be easy to forget that change will bring various problems to be solved as we proceed.  Some of those problems won’t be easy, and they won’t have perfect solutions. Our job will be to find solutions that are “good enough,” ones that keep us moving forward together – possibly not quite in the way of the original perfect outcomes we visualized, but ones that work. Solutions that continue to develop the potential in our community.

Recently we finished our first every-member canvas. It wasn’t perfect, but it took us forward. For many it was an opportunity to deepen their appreciation of FUFON, while for a few, it felt alien. It felt like something they did not want to participate in. And that’s OK; we all bring different experiences and attitudes to the table – if we differ in our thinking about what is holy, and that’s all right, then it should be all right to differ on how we want to make our contributions to FUFON, financial and otherwise – and be able to say so.

For me, it’s not a problem when people disagree. For me, it’s only a problem when people have concerns they don’t name. Because then it becomes very hard to find the “good enough” solution. 

Sometimes, initially, I’m  quite uncomfortable with someone’s ” speaking to me truth in love” (to use the expression often used in church literature), but in the long run, I am always intensely grateful for the thoughtful candour. Especially when it encourages movement into a dialogue where we can share perceptions and look for common ground that allows the “good enough” solution to emerge. 

For indeed, there are no perfect solutions to the stresses and strains of change.  But as noted in one of our initial transition workshops, we at FUFON have marvelous strengths and abilities to bring to these challenges.

So we can now relax and enjoy our summer, secure in the knowledge that FUFON is moving forward, knowing that our strengths make it possible to “speak truth to each other in love.” And through such dialogue, for us to find the “good enough” solutions. Which may turn out, in their own, unique ways, to be perfect.

So I invite you, always, anytime, to talk with me when you have a concern. 

May Partridge, President

Concurrent Boards, Fellowship and Foundation

Farewell to Tiffany

June 26th will be Tiffany Black’s last Sunday with us as our religious exploration facilitator. Tiffany is expecting a baby, her second, in November so will be a busy mom. Tiffany has been such a blessing to our program, designing a year long curriculum based on our mission statement, creating wonderful lesson plans each Sunday and welcoming all children who came through her door. We wish her all the best in health and happiness and want her to know she is welcome at FUFON any time.

Purpose:   To nurture the spiritual and ethical lives of our fellowship children

 Qualifications:

• Diploma or degree in Education, Early Childhood Education or Career Child and Youth Care  
• Or, in the process of completing any of the above programs.
• Or, an equivalent combination of experience and education. 
• Experience in developing, adapting curricula or programs to suit varied needs of children in a group.
• Experience with developing crafts and activities to meet learning outcomes.
• Interest in facilitating discussion around liberal spiritual values of inclusiveness, social responsibility, environmental awareness.
• Criminal Record Check and References required
• Access to and familiarity with email

 Duties:

• To implement &/or adapt the prepared curriculum to meet the needs of a group of children ranging in age and gender (4-11).
• Provide feedback to the Children’s Religious Exploration committee and minister regarding the curriculum, children’s needs, resources, supplies and group process.
• Briefly share the intended learning outcomes of the session with the congregation at the end of the service giving the children an opportunity to share what they did.
• Submit a brief preview of the next month’s program to the fellowship newsletter.
• Set up the classroom each week to receive the children; tidy up afterwards.

 Hours of work:

• 10:30 to 12:30 Sunday mornings September through June.  Arrangements can be made with the committee to cover scheduled absences. 

Compensation:

• This is a ten month contract position from September 2011 through the end of June 2012 with an honorarium of $50.00 - $75.00 (depending on experience) per Sunday.

Start date:

• September 4^th, 2011

Apply in writing with curriculum vitae to Martha Cosco mjcosco@shaw.ca

Closing date of applications: June 30^th, 2011

The Vancouver Island Unitarian Committee presents Summer Camp 2011 - "A Moving Experience"

At Camp Pringle on Shawnigan Lake Family Friendly Fun Programs for children, youth & adults. Swim, sail, canoe, windsurf, talent show with  music, song, dance, comedy, Sunday Worship – in the beautiful outdoor chapel. Fellowship and connection all in a beautiful meditative atmosphere.

Contact Sharon Fulton for more information sharonfulton@shaw.ca

Registration forms available at www.unitariancongregation.org/viuc

The lovely flowers that grace our Fellowship every Sunday are brought by volunteers. If you can contribute a single bloom or a bunch, or even a pot of flowers, please contact Meg Meredith.

Keep in mind some “Be’s” when you submit items to the newsletter.
Be Timely – It is considerate and very helpful to the editor to meet deadlines.
Be Brief – wordy is for novels. Newsletters need to be efficient in word use
Be Factual – include information as to: what, when, where, who
Be Aware – our newsletter goes on our website - accessible worldwide
Be Timely – It is considerate and very helpful to the editor to meet deadlines.

Please send items in “print ready format” to:
Ilse Holling ilseholling@shaw.ca
Deadline is the 15th of the month.