Chalice Lighters

Chalice Lighters is a program designed to help UUs throughout Prairie Star District be part of “lighting the chalice” for individual congregations: helping congregations to get started, or to get over that next barrier to growth. The program works through modest periodic donations from a large number of donors like you.

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	You possess only a small light, but uncover it, let it shine, use it in order to bring more light and understanding to the hearts and minds of men and women. Give them, not hell, but hope and courage.
— John Murray (Universalist Preacher, 1741–1850)

Call #1 for 2011-12: Michael Servetus Unitarian Society, Fridley, Minnesota

Every call to contribute to Prairie Star District's Chalice Lighters program offers you the opportunity to help another congregation do one of a variety of things: hire a new religious professional, expand its building, or increase its ability to share our liberal religious message with those who may not have heard it before. This year's first call is no exception.

You can help to fund an ambitious project that Michael Servetus Unitarian Society in Fridley, Minnesota hopes will result in congregational growth. If you were to visit Michael Servetus on an average Sunday, you'd find a sanctuary filled to the brim with members, friends, and visitors--the result of substantial growth that has followed the congregation's decision to bring in the Rev. Dana Reynolds as their first called minister. After exploring a number of options, the congregation has decided it was best to stay in its current space for a few more years. So, in addition to adding a second service on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month, the congregation would also like to increase its capacity and expand its presence via digital media and web technologies.

By upgrading their ability to record and broadcast their Sunday morning services, Michel Servetus Unitarian Society hopes continue its growth trajectory in three ways. First, the purchase of high-quality video recording equipment and monitors will allow them to broadcast their services into their social hall, thereby increasing the seating capacity on Sunday mornings. Second, the congregation plans to use DVDs of those same services to reach current and potential members and friends who are shut-in or unable to attend Sunday morning services for other reasons. And third, those same recorded services can be viewed by groups of liberal religious people who live an hour or so to the north and west of Fridley who have no Unitarian Universalist congregation nearby.

Your tax-deductible contribution will enable the purchase of the hardware and software necessary to achieve these goals, and Michael Servetus Unitarian Society will be able to reach out to interested individuals and groups who are unable to be present on Sunday morning. By answering this call, you will be ensuring the continued strength and growth of our tradition. Send your check to the District office or contribute by credit card online below.

Call #2 for 2011-12: Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church, Overland Park, Kansas

Imagine the possibilities if your congregation’s building were to quadruple in size. What kinds of new programs and services might you be able to offer that you were unable to offer before? That’s the situation in which the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church in Overland Park, Kansas finds itself. They have recently purchased a former elementary school in Lenexa, Kansas that is significantly larger than their current space (46,000 square feet on 14 acres vs. 12,000 square feet on 3.3 acres). Suddenly many of the hopes and dreams the congregation has had over the years now have the potential to be fulfilled.

One dream that is high on the list is a fully-functioning, commercial grade kitchen. Such a kitchen would give Shawnee Mission the ability to serve their community in a variety of ways: processing “Plant a Row for the Hungry” produce donations from the 40 Community Garden plots the congregation is planning on their new property; offering space to a local food bank to teach nutrition classes to low income individuals; and serving as a host congregation for the local Interfaith Hospitality Network, which provides homeless families with emergency shelter and meals. Dreaming further, the congregation envisions eventually operating their own community soup kitchen in conjunction with a food pantry. Obviously, such dreams require a significant amount of money to come true—over $32,000 for the kitchen alone.

That’s where you come in. When you answer this call, you’ll help the Shawnee Mission UU Church move toward fulfilling these dreams by funding such integral kitchen components as a three-compartment sink, a new refrigerator/freezer and 84" stainless steel work table. These three items alone represent 25% of the proposed kitchen renovation budget. Your contribution to this Chalice Lighter call will help get Shawnee Mission well on their way to serving their new community and living out our Unitarian Universalist values of justice, equity, and compassion.

Of course, a fully-function commercial grade kitchen will increase the congregation’s ability to offer hospitality to visitors and guests as well. Send your check to the District office or contribute by credit card online below. Your gift is tax-deductible.

Call #3 for 2011-12: to be announced

Social Justice Fund

You have the opportunity to also contribute to the new Social Justice Fund which was created to make grants of up to $1,000 to congregations for use in integrating social justice work into the active life of their congregation. Recipient congregations are expected to fund a portion of program costs. The intention of these grants is to build community awareness of UU values in action. Examples of programs to be funded are: workshops on self-sufficiency and welfare rights; nutritional weekend food supply for elementary students; UU Social Justice Empowerment workshops; micro loans; Green Sanctuary/Earth Ministry projects. You can help turn up the volume for our liberal religious voice by making a gift to this important new fund.

Donation Form

To donate by check, please print a donation form. To donate by credit card, use the form below.

Donation type:

$60.00

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