Working in partnership with members of School District 77, members of the Social Action Committee organized and sorted over 1,000 books which would have otherwise been incinerated.

Each year the school district upgrades entire curricula. In the past the old books have been sent to the incinerator if a buyer could not be replaced. In 2007, Diane Dobitz, co-chair of the Social Action Committee started a program to save these books and have them shipped to Africa.

This year the entire K-6 Math curriculum was upgraded. Working with Brenda Skelly of the school district we consolidated all the old texts by grade and organized four pallets of books. These were shipped to Books for Africa in St. Paul courtesy of Volk Transfer. Here is an excellent video showing how these books will be used: http://www.booksforafrica.org/BooksForAfrica.mov

In addition, hundreds of math books, illustrated atlases, and a social studies curriculum is being sent to the Lakota Tribe in Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota.

Special thanks to all the support we received from the school district including Brenda Skelly, Steven Johnson, Wayne Johnson, and the folks at Volk Transfer for their help and assistance in making this possible each year.

- Peter Johnson

I am pleased to announce that the next event being offered by our UU Humanities Series will be an afternoon devoted to forgiveness on Saturday, October 18 from 2-6

The details of the program are still in the planning stages, but the current plans include a keynote speaker, a panel discussion on forgiveness, a short ritual and then a meal together.

We have been very fortunate to have already secured noted author and lecturer Kent Nerburn as our Keynote speaker. Kent will also be speaking at our Sunday Service on October 19.

Kent Nerburn is the highly acclaimed author of eight books on spiritual values and Native American themes. He received his B.A. in American Studies summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in Theology and Art with distinction from Graduate Theological Union in conjunction with the University of California at Berkeley He has taught at Bemidji State University, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and Red Lake High School on the Red Lake Ojibwe reservation, where he developed and directed Project Preserve, an award winning oral history project in which students collected and published the memories of tribal elders.

He is widely sought after as a lecturer and and reader. He has spoken at universities and tribal colleges across the country and has been featured on both C-SPAN and The History Channel. His commentaries on the Red Lake shootings were published in newspapers from New York to the Bay Area and were broadcast on NPR affiliates, as well as through the Pacific News Service. He recently traveled to the Netherlands and Belgium where his book, Neither Wolf nor Dog, is the best-selling title of The Netherlands Association for North American Indians.

Nerburn lives in northern Minnesota with his wife, Louise Mengelkoch, and their son, Nicholas.

Books by Kent Nerburn:

• Calm Surrender: Walking the Hard Road of Forgiveness
• Small Graces: The Quiet Gifts of Everyday Life
• Simple Truths: Clear & Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues in Life
• A Haunting Reverence: Meditations on a Northern Land
• Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy
• Letters to My Son: A Father’s Wisdom on Manhood, Life, and Love
• Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
• Road Angels: Searching for Home on America’s Coast of Dreams
• Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads With an Indian Elder
• Native American Wisdom
• The Soul of an Indian 2^nd Edition: and Other Writings from Ohiyesa
• The Wisdom of the Native Americans

Kent also has a blog at: http:KentNerburn.com/

Do you want to help lift individuals and families out of poverty around the world? You can for as little as $5 with the Social Action Committee’s new project, UUFM-Micro, supporting Kiva.org loans.

What is Kiva? Kiva.org is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to entrepreneurs in the developing world. By combining microfinance with the power of the Web, Kiva.org is creating a global lending community of people.

The Loan Cycle:
1. Lenders pick a business and make a loan.
2. Kiva.org transfers funds to Field Partners (local microfinance institutions), who disburse loans to each business.
3. Over time (usually 6-12 months), Field Partners collect repayments and provide updates at Kiva.org
4. Funds are returned and Kiva lenders may withdraw or re-loan.

Why: By helping people out of poverty we not only empower them, but we effect change. These loans allow them to buy in bulk, expand their businesses, purchase land, educate their children, and more. Statistics show that as poverty is reduced birth rates go down, marriages stabilize, malnutrition rates are decreased - ultimately, the cycle of abject poverty is broken.

How: You can make loans now at kiva.org and start your own portfolio of loans. With the holidays coming up, think of them as an alternative to commercial Christmas gifts and make them in someone’s name or you can give Kiva.org gift certificates in increments of $25 and let the recipients start their own loan portfolio.

UUFM-Micro - Or, the Social Action Committee is putting the finishing touches on the UUFM-Micro project which would allow any interested UUFM friend or member to join our money together and make these loans as a group. Whether you can commit $5, $25, $100 or more, think of the change we could accomplish together! Our goal is to have the program active by the beginning of the new year. We will have another informational meeting with all the details and we will be able to start collecting funds at that time. Right now we have received pledges of matching funds up to $800!

Questions: If you would like more information about Kiva.org, about this project or how to get involved, feel free to call Becky Rossow at 388-1660 or email admin@juniperberries.net.

Hi, All:

I had the pleasure of delivering a talk at the Fellowship recently that took me on an interesting path. I discussed my frustration at being a “working girl,” and a UU and feeling the two didn’t fit. A huge impetus for my talk was the article in the fall issue of UU World entitled “Not My Father’s Religion”(www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/36467.shtml - wish I could figure out that hyperlink thing in this window, but I just gave it ten minutes of my life, which is too much).

At any rate, in reading Muder’s article I was really struck by some unspoken prejudices I hold that I think are worth examining. I believe the text of the talk is on the UUMankato.org site under “Sermons.” I’ve been intrigued by comments some in the congregation have made to me, intrigued by those who haven’t commented, and really interested in the editorials in the current issue of UU World.

BTW - I did attend the workshop on Radical Hospitality I referenced that day and realize that it will truly take a change of being, a change of heart to be welcoming to all - even liberal Christians, even Republicans, even cell-phone-toting, I-pod-listening youth ;-}

Let me know what you’re thinking!

11/16/2007  Looks like I’m talking to myself, but serendipity requires me to note when I come across relevant material, here’s an interesting blog entry on hospitality on the Sojourner’s website.

Our guest speaker, Tom Vellenga, gave us much food for thought yesterday when he spoke about trying to form a unifying theme of progressive politics.

I had the privilege of being the worship leader for yesterday’s service. In working with Tom over the last two weeks, I had time to reflect on what the unifying theme of my world view is. For me it is the idea that WE ARE ALL ONE. (By “we” I mean not just the people living on this planet, but the planet itself — the rocks, trees, plants, air, the sun, moon and everything in the universe.)

Thanks to Tom Vellenga for joining us yesterday, and for the work he is doing at the Heartland Democracy Center.

A few people commented on the closing words for yesterday’s service, so I’m including them here. They can also be found at: http://www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/closings/submissions/6006.shtml

Cherish Your Doubts by Michael A. Schuler

Cherish your doubts, for doubt is the servant of truth.

Question your convictions, for beliefs too tightly held strangle the mind and its natural wisdom.

Suspect all certitudes, for the world whirls on — nothing abides.

Yet in our inner rooms full of doubt, inquiry and suspicion, let a corner be reserved for trust.

For without trust there is no space for communities to gather or for friendships to be forged.

Indeed, this is the small corner where we connect — and reconnect — with each other.

Posted by: Marianne Johnson

In May 2006 our congregation raised $429 as part of the UU Ten-Tree Challenge. This money was used to purchase and plant ten trees around the greater Mankato area. Trees were planted at:

• Habitat for Humanities houses
• Living Links group home and main office
• UUFM grounds

Here are some excerpts from an email from the founder of the program, Rev. Phil Schulman’s:

Thank you very much for writing me to share your good news. Thx also to Diane and the rest of the crew. I am particularly excited by the Habitat for Humanity connection.

Three cheers for UUFof Mankato!

One of my favorite reports was the one that shared the idea of giving away (little) trees to each new person that joins the congregation. I really really hope that idea catches on.

Thank you SO much for seeing the value in this. My estimate is that we have planted over 2000 trees. The potential of this project is much bigger than that but not just in numbers but what it could mean to us

Thx again and congratulations!
Phil

We will be using this space to let everyone know about our activities and what is happening around the UUFM in Mankato, MN.

If you have a story idea contact our office at uufm@hickorytech.net