Forests are always changing. In Colorado, where I grew up, whole mountain sides can be covered by Aspen groves. In the summer, with their distinctive black-flecked white bark, and their wavering spade-shaped leaves, they create pools of light unlike what one finds under lodgepole and bristlecone. Yet no grove is permanent; over time the aspen thin out as taller evergreens crowd in. Differing evergreens come and go, until a fire or beetles start the cycle again. “Celebrate Diversity” proclaims one bumper sticker often found on UU cars, but underlying that celebration must also be a willingness to embrace change. The aspens, in serving the larger community, never disappear from the big picture, but they no longer dominate the places they used to.

Thursday, March 18, 2010
7:00 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Muncie
4800 W. Bradford Drive

Bob Milne, renowned ragtime and boogie-woogie pianist, humorist and educator, will perform. Bob is acclaimed as the best ragtime pianist in the country, has been declared a "National Treasure" by the U.S. Library of Congress. He performs some 250 concerts a year, including concerts to packed houses around the world as a United States Department of State Music Ambassador.

Tickets available at the UU Church office: Adults $12 in advance ($15 at the door); Students with ID $7; Youth under 18 $5. For information and "will call" tickets, call (765) 288-9561 or send e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Visit http://bobmilne.com for more information, and click "Read more..." to enjoy the videos on this page.

Saturday, March 20, 2010
3:00 p.m.

The Muncie branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW) will show "A Powerful Noise" here at the UU Church in the Woods. This powerful documentary film takes you inside the lives of three different women in very different parts of the world. Much of the potential of half the population of the world is being ignored and wasted. March is Women's Month and this film will kick off Women's Week in the BSU Women's and Gender Studies Department starting the week following the debut of this film. All are welcome to come view this free presentation followed by discussion and refreshments. Bring your friends!

So why are we announcing the UUSC Haiti Relief Designated Offering on Easter Sunday so many weeks in advance?

The poorest among us are wealthy in comparison to Haitians, even before this disaster. Being wealthy by world standards means we have access to clean water, basic nutrition, health care, clothing and shelter. Research by the UN World Institute for Developmental Economic Research shows that assets of about $2000 per adult place a household in the top half of the world in wealth distribution. (StarPress, Dec 6, 2006).

Wendell Barry gives us this advice: "Saving is the precursor to generosity." In the weeks until Easter, please consider the ways you can prepare for generous participation in Easter Sunday's designated offering for UUSC's Haiti Relief.

For more information on the UUSC approach to Haiti Relief, go to the Designated Offerings page or read the article in the 2/16/2010 Unigram.

If you will be away on Easter, you can send a check to the church office designated for Haiti Relief.

Bea Sousa
for Worship Associates.