Great things are happening this Fall with our Chalice Lighters program! First, through your support ofHeritage UU Church’sFaithify campaign, we were able to help the congregation raise over $10,000 to create a nature sanctuary and green burial ground for our region bypurchasing and preserving 40 beautiful acres of farmland outsideCincinnati, Ohio. Heritage UU Church will receive $1000 from a Chalice Lighter fund dedicated to supportingFaithify campaigns. Although the campaign is over, you can still read about their plans here: https://faithify.org/projects/growing-green-burial-the-uu-way/.

Which brings us to the second good thing happening this Fall: We’ve found another MidAmerica congregation to support with ourFaithify funds! TheUnitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, (UUCUC) is partnering withFirstFollowers to open FirstSteps, a re-entry house for people returning to their community after incarceration. UUCUC has already committed $5500 for this desperately needed program. The goal of theirFaithify campaign is to raise another $8000 for the program. Chalice Lighters will contribute a minimum of $800 to help the congregation meet their goal, and we will contribute up to $1000 if they exceed it. You can find out more about their campaign here: https://faithify.org/projects/open-firststeps-re-entry-house/.

Finally, checks are already coming in for our Fall Chalice Lighter Call to helpPeoples Church inCedar Rapids, Iowa, take their Sunday morning music program to the next level by hiring a professional choir director and a professional weekly accompanist (or band leader) for the first time in at least 30 years or more. Donations will be accepted for this call through December 31, 2019. To find out more about—andmake a donation to—the Fall Chalice Lighter Call visithttps://www.uua.org/midamerica/giving/chalice-lighters.