2015 Fall Call

We are pleased to announce three award recipients of our 2015 Fall Call. The committee for the Regional Chalice Lighter program met and considered the applications received. The committee is comprised of representatives from all three of the former districts. The committee is issuing this call to all who are signed up to be Chalice Lighters in the region. We hope that you will generously support these growth projects at these congregations:

  • Bismarck Mandan Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Church in Bismarck ND to take their quarter time clergy person to a half-time position in order to provide more ministerial support and guidance with the goal of developing a thriving congregation. By enabling their minister to participate in more church services, committee meetings and activities, they hope to “Weave a Vibrant Web and a Future of Promise.”
  • The Hopedale Unitarian Universalist Church of Oxford OH to renovate their Religious Education space and create an outdoor environmentally friendly playground. Their goal is to foster new membership and to retain their current families. The congregation has indicated that meeting the needs of the children and families is a priority. They also want to reach out to potential members of the local community through social media.
  • White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church in Mahtomedi MN to help fund their St. Croix Valley Outreach Project, using ACS, an innovative and powerful membership database system which will allow the congregation to connect with 150 member households in the targeted area in new and unique ways and link them to each other, community events and church activities. This is a two year project and progress reports will be shared with MidAmerica so we all can benefit from White Bear’s experience.

We thank you for your support of the growth of Unitarian Universalism in the Midwest!

For this Fall Call, please make an online donation or send in your check by November 30, 2015.

There are several ways you can donate: Online at our website or you can make a check out to MidAmerica Region, with a note “Chalice Lighters Fall 2015 Call” in the memo line and mail it to: MidAmerica Region, 2355 Fairview Avenue #312, Roseville, MN 55113

We deeply appreciate your generosity in contributing to the MidAmerica Chalice Lighter program. There are several ways you can participate in the Chalice Lighter program, with four suggested levels of donation. These are amounts that would be donated three times each year (Fall, Winter & Spring Calls) upon receipt of the Call Letter: $20 Believer, $50 Builder, $100 Benefactor, .$250 Beacon. You may also make a single annual donation in a calendar year, preferably at a minimum of $60, which would be split among the subsequent three calls.

If your congregation does not have a Chalice Lighter Ambassador, please let us know so we can work with your leaders to recruit and support someone to be an Ambassador.

Lastly, we are hoping to move most Chalice Lighter notifications and donations to our online system, so please consider switching to use the online system if you are not currently using it.

Again, please know that we, and the congregations who have and will receive Chalice Lighter Grants, are deeply grateful for your generosity!

Sincerely,

The MidAmerica Region Chalice Lighter Committee
John Blevins, Kansas City MO
Emily Jaycox, St. Louis, MO
Heidi Lackmann, Des Moines, IA
Karen McMillin, Oak Park, IL
Kathy Silver, Dexter, MI
with staff support from Rev. Phillip Lund and Dori Davenport Thexton