PCD Currents Issue about Chalice Lighters and New Orleans Congregations

December 4, 2006
News from the Pacific Central District of the UUA


To subscribe to PCD Currents, go to their registration page. It's an excellent weekly publication. This issue is of special significance.

Reflections from New Orleans
Witnessing the Aftermath
The photo shows our District Staff group in the gutted sanctuary of the First UU Church of New Orleans. You can see what it used to look like on the home page of their web site. Now it is an empty room, currently used to sell Christmas trees. But the holiday lights are up, and their chalice is still on the wall. I’m typing this note while sitting in Louis Armstrong International, reflecting on my week in New Orleans. Today I participated in the worship service for the First UU Church of New Orleans . They hold their services in the chapel of the Presbyterian church across the street from their own building. I had a tour of that building on Friday, and will include a couple of photos in this issue. But what I will remember most will be the warm welcome of the congregation, and their wonderful children who stole my heart! We were also given a tour of the Ninth Ward. Our guide, Alice, is a Registered Nurse who has lived there all her life. She pointed to the homes of her brother, her sister, her mother...the homes are spray painted, as if gang-tagged by graffiti, with a code that announces the date they were inspected, the number of dead people found, the number of animals and anything known about them (“two dogs-- ran under porch”). We saw what appeared to be a large empty field next to where the levy broke, then saw it wasn’t empty at all, that there were house foundations laid out like coffins, each marking where a family had once lived. Alice told us the stories, in a level voice, a matter-of- fact tone, about how the people had been affected, about how help has still not arrived, about how their own efforts to rebuild and her own work to open a neighborhood clinic have been delayed by administrivia. Story after story after story.

Each story increased my sense of horror, shame, compassion. . . determination. I spoke with so many people there, from cab drivers to hotel staff to local Unitarian Universalists. They are all still dealing with so much devastation in their lives, every last one of them, and all hoping they have not been forgotten by the rest of us. I promised them, just as you would have, that they have not been forgotten. I told them we are still talking, still praying, still writing and reading about them, and still raising money on their behalf. Friends, you should be proud of everything you have done to support the people of the Gulf Coast. Know that our work is not yet finished, and our continued help is still desperately needed. If you are able, contact me to learn how people of all abilities and skill sets can volunteer in the region. And please participate in our special Chalice Lighters Call to support our Gulf Coast congregations! Thank you.

The Current Chalice Lighters Call
A Very Special Call for the Gulf Coast Congregations!

This photo shows the main entrance to the First UU Church of New Orleans, now covered up. The sign reads: Rebuilding! Get Ready for a UU center for spirituality and social justice renewal in New Orleans! "A step too big for most to take on their own." Our Chalice Lighters program offers hope in the face of such challenges, by reaching across congregations to weave a tapestry of support that taps into the power of our collective generosity. Our current Call reaches beyond the boundaries of our District, asking you to extend your financial support to help rebuild the flood devastated Gulf Coast region, a community that will rebuild because they can count on us in the face of this catastrophe. We have been invited by our Southwestern and MidSouth Districts to join with them as allies and issue this very special Call. If you have not already signed up to be a Chalice Lighter, there is no better time to do so. And if you are one of our loyal Chalice Lighter participants, please consider giving extra generously to this Call. Your donations will be used to support our UU congregations in the Gulf Coast region, and help empower the most vulnerable members of the communities who have lost so much, but whose spirits remain strong.

What Everyone Should Know About Chalice Lighters
Grant money available to PCD congregations

Three times a year, any "fair share" congregation in the PCD may apply for a Chalice Lighter grant to help fund a plan to increase membership. Grant applications are available directly from the PCD office at (510) 601- 1437, and are due on March 31, September 30, or December 31 of each year. The PCD Growth Committee meets soon after each of those deadlines to make the difficult decision about which proposal to fund for that period. The money for these grants comes from dedicated Chalice Lighters from all over the District. These are people who have taken the initiative to sign up to be Chalice Lighters, pledging to support these three calls a year at the dollar level that's right for them:
Basic = $10 per call
Believer = $20
Builder = $50
Benefactor = $100
Beacon = $250

Once a grant proposal has been selected, a call letter goes out to our Chalice Lighters, telling them who will receive the grant and for what purpose. Once our Chalice Lighters receive the call letter they mail their pledge to the PCD office. Congregations interested in applying for a grant are encouraged to begin by submitting an “Intent to Apply” form, also available from the PCD office– this will notify the Growth Committee to have one of its members contact you, and help you prepare the strongest possible proposal.

What Kinds of Things Get Funded?

A Sampling of How Chalice Lighters Make a Difference Thanks to the generosity and commitment of our Chalice Lighters we have been able to fund the guerrilla marketing work of the Regional Marketing Group, including the radio ads than ran last spring. This work has also included the creation of two portal web sites, uuba.org and uuvalleysierra.org, allowing cross-congregational outreach efforts to use a common web site in promoting Unitarian Universalism in their regions. Last year’s winter call benefited the UU Community Church in Sacramento, supporting their move into a new site that allows them to hold their worship services on Sunday mornings for the first time! The grant was awarded to get a sign that can be seen from the freeway, to announce their new location to their new neighbors, and to expand staffing.
Our Fresno congregation used their grant to expand their summer Chalice Camp program, and it doubled in size. Our Sierra Foothills congregation used a Chalice Lighter grant to hire a Marketing Director and Volunteer Coordinator, who has significantly upgraded all their promotional materials and set up systems for improved involvement of members old and new. Our Chico congregation is putting their grant money toward hiring their first Consulting Minister, and our UU Fellowship of Stanislaus County used their grant to take their music program to an entirely new level. All "fair share" congregations are eligible to receive a Chalice Lighter grant. In selecting the proposals to receive grants, preference is given to those congregations who have a large percentage of their members enrolled as Chalice Lighters, for projects that include shared funding, involve more than one congregation, and for ideas which may be replicated by others. (Brochures are available at UUP each Sunday, or downloadable here.)

How To Become a Chalice Lighter
Support Our One Out of Two at Ten Campaign

It's easy to sign up as a Chalice Lighter, either by going to our web site, or calling (510-601-1437) or writing to our District Administrator, Chuck Rosene, and saying "sign me up!" You will then receive a Call Letter three times a year, inviting you to participate in each by sending us your check, according to your chosen pledge level. The One Out of Two at Ten campaign challenges every congregation in the District to raise its level of participation in Chalice Lighters to at least one out of every two members at, at least, the ten dollar level. We’re asking half of us to step up and support this very worthy program. We currently raise about $10,000 a call for Chalice Lighter grants. But if we had just one out of two of us participating in this program, just half of us, we’d be raising more than $100,000 a year! We could be giving out grants of $30,000, $40,000, and more! It’s another wonderful example of how much we can accomplish by working together. We really can make this happen, but only if we take it on together. Help us spread the word: we're going for One Out of Two at Ten. Cheers, applause, and expressions of gratitude to all our current and future Chalice Lighters, and a Blessed Holiday Season to All!