Sunday services begin at 11:00 a.m. in the Kiwanis Room at the Lochiel Kiwanis Centre at 180 College Ave. N., Sarnia

(enter at the Forsythe St. main door).

Feb 7: “Our City, Growth & Challenges”

Mayor Mike Bradley

Mayor Mike will join us today with his annual “State of the City” address; always informative and often amusing!

Feb 14: “A Different Kind of Love” – Allan McKeown

What will the future hold for Unitarianism – how do we remain “relevant” in a society where most children are growing up without any Sunday faith tradition? Allan will present the second part of his reflection “Our Greatest Strength – Our Biggest Weakness” as today (Valentine’s Day) he reflects on a different kind of love.

Feb 21: “A Personal Journey with Residential Schools”

Susie Jones

Susie Jones is a resident of Walpole Island and uses her personal experiences to bring awareness and education on this issue to groups throughout Lambton County. Her presentation will be an introduction to the road we can travel together as we work toward Truth, Healing and Reconciliation

Feb 28: “Sharing Our Faith Sunday” – Wendy Starr

With the theme this year of Truth, Healing and Reconciliation, we will explore ways that we can seek a new relationship with the Original People of this land. A chance to be creative over coffee hour will be included and a special collection taken to support the work of the CUC.

… a refreshing alternative for religious explorers

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

1 February Services

2 Executive Team Report

3 President’s Reflection

4 Charities in Canada Update

5 Upcoming Events

6 Connecting with UU Groups

Around the World

7 Other Info

“Anybody can create

community with people

who believe just like they

do. The true test of

community rests in the

ability to create it with

people who disagree

with us.”

- Lee Barker, Unitarian

Universalist Minister

February 2016

Unitarian Fellowship of Sarnia & Port Huron 180 College Ave. N. Sarnia, Ontario

www.uusarnia.com

The Flaming

Chalice

February Services

The stained glass chalice in the header hangs in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem, OR.

Page 2 The Flaming Chalice

Executive Team Highlights from the January 14th, 2016 Meeting

Former Unitarian Room: A large cupboard has been created in our former room

which will have a locked door for the storage of Unitarian articles including our Sunday service materials. A lighter weight storage box will be purchased when it comes on sale in mid-February to replace our current box.

Finance: As of the end of December, we are continuing to show a net budget surplus.

The Lay Chaplaincy Training Fund fees have been paid to the CUC. It was decided to pay our CUC Annual Program Contribution for 2016 in 2 instalments in March and September. A separate bank account has been set up at Libro for our Refugee Sponsorship monies.

At the end of December, the KIVA Investment team has made a total of 13 Kiva loans totaling US $1,480 (net after repayment) (with an additional $70 not invested and a $50 donation to Kiva) from the total US $1,600 commitment. The loans have been made to individuals and small groups in 6 different countries. Individual loans are described in the summary document along with the loan criteria and overall Kiva description (at end of document). The next status update is scheduled for July. Please feel free to contact Dwayne O’Neill or anyone on the team if there are any questions or comments.

Piano: We have purchased a piano from the Ravenous Gastropub restaurant for the

nominal cost of $50. This piano has been moved to the Kiwanis Room while the piano from that room now resides at Rosewood Manor retirement home.

60th Anniversary Celebrations: Pricing will be obtained for holding a Fellowship

dinner at the Holiday Inn in June. Other suggestions from the membership for our 60th anniversary celebrations are welcome.

Membership: A Fellowship Brochure and updated Visitor Information Packages have

been developed.

Program: The Program Team has an excellent line-up of speakers for our February

services.

Social Justice-Refugee Sponsorship: The final details concerning insurance

coverage and an agreement with the Mennonite Central Committee (our Sponsorship Agreement Holder) are nearing completion. Some work on the townhouse should begin by the first of February. Settlement Task Team Leaders are set to meet together at the mosque on Saturday, January 23rd to get to know one another and to map out the things that will have to be done between now and the arrival of a family and during the initial weeks of settlement.

.

“If you cannot find it in

yourself,

Where will you go for it?”

Chinese Proverb

Executive Team Report By Ann Steadman

60th Anniversary Celebrations!

2016 marks our Fellowship’s 60th year as a voice for liberal religion in the Sarnia and Port Huron area. The Executive is hoping to hold a celebration in June. To that end, we are

bringing together an Anniversary Celebration Team to plan and implement the celebration. If you would like to join this Team or if you have any suggestions to share please contact

Ann Steadman or Dwayne O’Neill.

The Flaming Chalice

Page 3

F

President’s February Reflection

“ Courage to stand

strong, faith to maintain a

positive outlook, and

hope for the future are all

stored in the rhythms of

winter.”

Joyce Rupp

Perseverance, Persistence and Patience

In last month’s newsletter, I provided a one page FAQ about our

“Refugee Sponsorship”. Not much has changed despite the best

efforts of both Dwayne O’Neill and me! As Dwayne said to me last

week, “this is like pushing a boulder up a hill”.

Now, our situation is not quite as bad as that of Greek myth’s

Sisyphus. Sisyphus was punished by being forced to roll an immense

boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down, repeating this

action for eternity.

We have not actually had our Refugee Sponsorship “boulder” roll

down the hill, but rather, for much of this past month, we have

been stuck in place.

Where have we been stuck?

Mainly in two areas: insurance and townhouse readiness.

We require “Abuse Liability Coverage” because refugees are

considered by the Canadian Government to be ‘vulnerable people’.

In order to get this coverage we have had to develop an extensive

abuse prevention policy. Our volunteers will have to go through a

process which will include reference checks, police screening and

abuse training. In the meanwhile, I have taken a ‘Trainer the

Trainer’ course from “Plan to Protect”.

Beyond a few safety issues that are the responsibility of the

landlord, we have decided to make some functional and cosmetic

improvements to the townhouse. The Fellowship has signed an

“Access Agreement” with the landlord and acquired tenant’s

insurance on the unit. Dwayne is heading up this project.

Despite numerous other blocks, snags and glitches there is also some

very good news! Some 13 members/friends are waiting to volunteer,

money continues to be donated, Goodwill has provided $500 worth

of vouchers and a number of folk are pitching in to help Dwayne

upgrade the townhouse.

During this past winter month, I have, at times, felt an “interior

winter” wondering “Will we ever get to the point of actually helping

a family of newcomers?” Then, in the words of Joyce Rupp, I have

been reminded that the “Courage to stand strong, faith to maintain

a positive outlook, and hope for the future are all stored in the

rhythms of winter.”

In Fellowship, Ann Steadman

Page 4 The Flaming Chalice

‘Charity chill’ melts under friendly government’ Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier has a rare opportunity to unlock the potential of

Canada’s 85,000 charities.

By: Carol Goar, Wed Jan 20 2016 …from The Toronto Star, January 20, 2016

One of Justin Trudeau’s first acts as prime minister was to disband Revenue Canada’s anti-charity hit squad.

He made it clear to Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier in her mandate letter that he expected her to take it

from there: “Allow charities to do their work on behalf of Canadians free of political harassment,” he wrote.

“Modernize the rules governing the charitable and not-for-profit sectors, working with the minister of finance. This

will include clarifying the rules governing ‘political activity’ with an understanding that charities make an important

contribution to public debate and policy.”

Environmentalists, anti-poverty activists, human rights defenders, foreign aid advocates, church workers and

altruistic citizens across the country let out a collective sigh of relief. Calvin Sandborn, legal director of the

Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria, said he was “thrilled by this reversal of policy.”

For most political observers, that was the end of the story. They ticked off one item on Trudeau’s long list of

promises and moved on.

But Lisa Lalande of the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centre took a deeper look. She wanted to see — and

perhaps help shape — the followup to the prime minister’s good-faith gesture. She brought 20 years of experience

in the non-profit sector, the advice of her former peers and her research into the reforms other countries had made.

Her report, On the Mend: Putting the Spark Back into the Government-Charitable Sector Relationship, is

now publicly available.

Lalande gives the Liberal government credit for thawing the “charity chill” that seized the voluntary sector four

years ago when former PM Stephen Harper created a special team of auditors with a budget of $13 million to

scrutinize the activities of charities that questioned or spoke out against his government’s policies.

But that’s just the first step, she maintains.

Federal regulators see charities as boundary-pushers, not problem-solvers, not contributors to public policy,

certainly not partners of the government. They enforce the rules without looking at the bigger picture. They penalize

deviators regardless of their intentions or the services they provide.

“A shared vision of the (non-profit) sector’s purpose and clarity about what constitutes an effective partnership

(with the government) are necessary to develop coherent policies,” Lalande says. Charities need fewer, not more,

bureaucratic constraints. They need a legislative framework that bolsters their efforts to support vulnerable

Canadians.

Policy-makers don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” she says. Several provinces — including Ontario — have

embarked on reform initiatives. Non-profit leaders have done a lot of brainstorming about how to strengthen their

sector. And countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Britain have already modernized their regulatory regimes.

Britain and Australia have created independent public agencies to rewrite the rules and monitor the activities of

charitable organizations. The U.K. Charities Commission, for example, allows political activity provided it is part of

a “wider range of activities aimed at furthering the organization’s charitable purposes.”

The Supreme Court of New Zealand has placed no limit on political activity as long as its purpose is charitable

and it “provides benefits to the public or a sufficient section of the public, not just an individual, an organization or

a closed group.”

None of these models fits Canada. With shared federal-provincial responsibility for the non-profit sector,

Lebouthillier will have to create or adapt her own framework. That might mean establishing an arm’s-length agency

to regulate charities; issuing new marching orders to the 270 officials in Revenue Canada’s charities directorate, or

coming up with a made-in-Canada hybrid.

“The charitable sector is ready for — and in need of — change,” Lalande says. Circumstances are as good as

they’re ever likely to be: a new minister with a long history of charitable involvement; a government that

understands the importance of voluntary organizations; a wave of goodwill toward Syrian refugees; and a desire to

cast off the secrecy and excessive partisanship that permeate Ottawa. “Now is the time to work collaboratively to

empower and protect the sector while strengthening its ability to work for the public benefit.”

Trudeau has seized the moment. Lebouthillier’s task is to work with Canada’s 85,000 charities to unlock the

potential of an army of willing volunteers and donors.

The Flaming Chalice

Page 5

Regular Events Book Club: Continues to meet on the 3rd Sunday of every month at 9:15 am at ‘Parkside Perk’ on Front St. In February,

we will be reviewing the book The 19th Wife (of Brigham Young) by David Ebershoff. Everyone is welcome to come out and join the discussion, whether you’ve read the book or not. Future selections are discussed at the meeting.

Men’s Group: The Men’s Group plans will be announced as they become available. Steve Lane will host a Super-Bowl get together on Sunday, February 7th. All are welcome.

Women’s Circle: Jazz Festival & Refreshments, Saturday,

February 27th, 7:30 pm at St. Giles Church on Lakeshore Rd. Meet in parking lot at 6:50. Cost is $10 each with proceeds to Syrian Refugees in Sarnia. Bring a friend and enjoy.

Small Group Ministry: Members meet every other Thursday afternoon at chosen locations. All are welcome. Contact Betty Learn for info at: 519-337-4039.

Good News from CUC’s Vyda Ng: In a recent email to current UU Fellowship Presidents, Vyda Ng said: “The Minister of Revenue announced that the political audits program for charities will cease once the current audits are completed. The CUC received a request for additional information in November 2015, which was supplied. We have had no further work about the status of our audit.” For the full announcement, please see http://news.gc.ca/web/article-e

What Inspires Us as Unitarians?

We are inspired by beauty, truth, love, and compassion that knows no bounds. We are inspired by elders, by children, by courageous people, by community. By nature, science, the universe, and the creativity at work in the world. By the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, The Tao Te Ching, by ancient wisdom. We are inspired by literature and poetry, artists and authors. As Unitarian Universalists, life is a constant source of inspiration, calling us to live with greater depth, connection and compassion.

Page 6 The Flaming Chalice

CONNECTING WITH UU GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD:

Unitarian Universalists (UUs) who are planning permanent or temporary stays in countries outside the US and Canada, or those who are planning short-term trips, can often find community within Unitarian, Unitarian Universalist (UU) group or congregations in places where they plan to be. There are UU congregations and groups in nearly 30 countries around the world – some are very small, and some are quite large. And, most of these congregations deeply enjoy having visitors and new members. (http://www.uua/international/affiliates/44318.shtml)

But, keep in mind that UUism varies dramatically from country to country, even more so than it varies from congregation to congregation in North America. While all global UU groups share a great deal in common, we also each have unique qualities. These qualities make our global faith diverse and beautiful, though they can also be surprising to a visitor. A visitor from the U.S. might be surprised, for example, that a Unitarian Church in Transylvania doesn’t include a “chalice lighting” during their service, or that a Unitarian church in the UK uses a hymnbook during worship that is unfamiliar. Other examples are abundant.

Please also remember that UU groups and churches around the world are likely to conduct their worship in languages other than English. But, there are English-language UU worship services outside North America in the following places:

Most Unitarian Churches in the UK (http://www.unitarian.org.uk) Two UU congregations in Mexico: San Miguel de Allende and Lake

Chapala (http://www.lcuuf.org/)

Unitarian and UU churches in Australia and New Zealand (http://www.anzuua.org/

Brussels, Belgium -3rd Sunday of the month Paris, France -1 Sunday per month (http://www.uufp.info/)

Frankfurt, Germany –2nd Sunday of the month

Amsterdam, Netherlands -1st & 3rd Sundays (http://www.nuuf.nl/) Geneva, Switzerland -3rd Sunday of the month

(http://www.genevauu.org/)

Also, remember the following suggestions for being a Good UU Guest: - Listen and learn, do not judge or try to change the congregation you

are visiting - Find a convenient time outside of the worship service to learn more

about each other - Offer to “stay in touch” after you’ve returned home

Travel Safe and Have a wonderful Visit!

“Unanswered questions

are far less dangerous

than unquestioned

answers.”

Anonymous

The Flaming Chalice

Page 7

Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) e-newsletter: To receive this

electronic newsletter from the CUC once per month, go the website at www.cuc.ca and click on the sign up link on the Home page. Also, copies of the “Canadian Unitarian” can be found on Sundays on the information table and are free to take home. Check out the “Sermon of the Month” on the CUC website.

“UU World” on line! The American quarterly magazine “UU World” is also

available as a weekly electronic newsletter. Highly recommended for UU’s! Go to www.uuworld.org and click on “get weekly email updates from UU World”.

Did You Know There Is UU Fellowship Without Walls? The Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) is the largest Unitarian Universalist

congregation in the world. For UUs and others, it offers an online spiritual home

beyond walls or geography. Unitarian Universalists find supportive UU fellowship and

words to inspire and comfort.

The CLF website states that, “No matter where you’re located, you can join our online

spiritual community. We serve anyone longing for a faith rooted in love that cultivates

wonder, encourages imagination and champions justice.” To check out the CLF go to

http://www.clfuu.org/ .

Other Info .

The “peace” symbol is recognizable around the

world, although it was originally designed in 1958 by

Gerald Holtom as the logo for the British Campaign

for Nuclear Disarmament. The symbol is a

combination of the semaphore letter “N” – a person

holding 2 flags in an inverted V position and the letter

“D” which is formed by holding 1 flag straight up and

the other straight down. Superimposing these 2

shapes forms the centre of the peace symbol. Holtom

said “I formalized the drawing into a line and put a

circle around it.” Because he didn’t want the symbol to

be one of despair and he thought “Peace” should be

celebrated, the symbol was then inverted.

The “Peace Sign” spread beyond the CND

movement and was adopted by the wider

disarmament and anti-war movements of the 60’s.

Page 8 The Flaming Chalice

Executive Team Meetings are open to the members of the Fellowship. They happen at 6:30 pm on the 2nd Thursday of the month from September to June at the LKC. The next meeting will be on Thursday, February 14, 2016.

Please consider sharing this newsletter with a friend and invite them to a service. Every Sunday

is “Bring a Guest” Sunday!

Each issue of the “Flaming Chalice” newsletter is printed by the Organization for Literacy Lambton (OLL): helping every person acquire the gift of literacy.

Newsletter Editor: Wendy Cornelis

To unsubscribe to this newsletter at any time, please send your request by emailto:

wendycornelis55@outlook.com

“Because of the role that religion has historically

played in denying gay, lesbian, bisexual and

transgender people their full humanity, I believe

that we now have a special calling to reach out

to our GLBT sisters and brothers. We need to

offer an explicit welcome, because the world can

still be a very unwelcoming place. We need to

offer radical acceptance, because neither family

nor society can always be counted on to be

accepting. We need to offer unconditional love,

because Love is at the heart of religious

community.”

— Allison Barrett, Canadian UU Minister