Dear MidAmerica Chalice Lighter,

Chalice Lighter grants are funded by small donations from individuals like you—donations that are pooled together to help congregations from across our large MidAmerica Region of the UUA with specific growth projects.

The MidAmerica Regional Chalice Lighter Committee (made up of representatives from all three of the former UU districts in MidAmerica) considered three applications. We are pleased to announce the results of the Winter 2017 Regional Chalice Lighter call:

• The Beacon UU Congregation in Troy, Michigan is replacing the old, single pane, energy inefficient windows in their historic building. This will save money and conserve energy while making their sanctuary and meeting spaces safer, warmer and more inviting during the cold months in Michigan. This renovation will help to promote and nurture growth and prosperity year round, in a warmer, more comfortable and welcoming space.
• The Community UUs in Brighton, Michigan hopes to recruit a full-time professional minister to join their staff in the summer of 2018. Their purpose is to grow in capacity and serve more members and friends. The congregation has a current strategic plan to fund and hire a full-time professional minister and has a ministerial search team in place and ready to go.

For this Winter 2018 Call, please donate by March 31, 2018

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

There are several ways you can participate in the Chalice Lighter program, with four suggested levels of donation:

$20 Believer $50 Builder
$100 Benefactor $250 Beacon

These are amounts that would be donated three times each year upon receipt of the Call Letter in Fall, Winter and Spring.

If you’d prefer, for tax purposes, to make one donation per year (please send the $60 minimum donation or any greater amount to be divided among the next three Calls) you can send in your check now, and we will hold the funds and divide them equally across the three Calls. If you want to make an annual donation, please be sure to note “Annual” in the memo field of your check.

• You can go to the Chalice Lighter webpage: http://midamericauua.org/programs/chalice-lighters
  and click on the Donate option of your choice; or
• Write a check out to MidAmerica Region. Please note “Chalice Lighters Spring 2017 Call” or “Annual Donation” in the memo line and send it in the enclosed envelope to the MidAmerica Region, 2355 Fairview Avenue #312, Roseville, MN 55113.

For those of you who are annual donors, you are receiving this Call Letter and will receive subsequent letters to keep you updated on what your funds are being used for. You are not being asked to send more money once you have made your annual donation for a given calendar year unless you wish to do so.

Thank you again for your generosity!

Sincerely,

The Chalice Lighter Committee

Emily Jaycox, St. Louis, MO
Heidi Lackmann, DesMoines, IA
Jennifer Thomas, Bowling Green, KY
Daniel Talhelm, East Lansing, MI
John Blevins, Kansas City, MO
with staff support from Rev. Phillip Lund