MINISTER’S REPORT
RSC, October Meeting
Unitarian Church, Davenport

Rev. Roger Butts

First Things First
First, thanks for all you do. It is good to work with you. Your commitment is a model for this church. I hope you enjoy the rest of the calendar year and the coming winter and find lots of good meaning and beauty all around you.
The Schedule.
October 19: What is your costume????
October 26: Celebration Sunday
November 2: With Steve Klein, Election Sermon (This is a long standing tradition in the Unitarian tradition, in which the minister lays out a discourse on what are pressing and important matters that the next administration might consider).
November 9: Kristallnacht (The Apple Story/The apple meal).
November 16: RSC
November 23: ARTS SUNDAY
Interfaith Thanksgiving Service: Edwards Congregational United Church of Christ
November 30: Roger (possibly with Greer Burke Anderson)
December 7: Assocation Sunday with Kathy Bowman
December 14: RSC
December 21: Pageant. Christmas pageant.
December 28: Roger

Music, Harmonia, Tyson, the Choir and our church.
I think Harmonia, the group that sang yesterday at the Matthew Shepard service, gave us a glimpse of what is possible around music. And having small groups lead the congregational singing was I think a nice touch. Hope to see more of that in the future.

Worship Associates.
As you can tell, I have been attempting to use lots of different worship associates. In the past few weeks: Laurie Bertsche, Ashley Klaas.

Equipment.
How is our conversation going along regarding computers, projectors, etc?

Study Leave.
I will be taking study leave, with part of my time in Chicago, in January. I appreciate the congregation’s willingness to honor this important part of the ministry here.

Sabbatical.
I will announce by early January if I am taking a sabbatical next yea.

Thinness.
Someone said to me: Guard yourself against thinness in the services. I appreciated hearing that. I know when I am off and I have suspicions when I am on. The more interaction with worship associates the better the service. The more involvement from Tyson and or Sarah, the better the service. I welcome your thoughts, your suggestions, your idea, your suggested themes, your potential readings (Unless you keep them for your service!!!). I am likely harder on myself than you’d ever be on me, but I do want you to know that I welcome any feedback. I have a commitment to my spiritual practices, and sometimes that helps me to keep a good focus and sometimes things are just too much with me and the service can slip. I’m working on it! I promise.
The six week Reflection Questions.
a. Evaluation. I have come to see that passing out a sheet on Sunday morning for six weeks is not necessarily the best way to proceed. I believe that the next installment I will try to get published as a booklet, and pass out all six weeks at the first Sunday and made available at the next five weeks for those who have not yet received a copy of the booklet.

b. Next installment.
November 30-December 24: Home for the Holidays
Kristallnacht.
November 7-9. Visit beyondkristallnacht.blogspot.com for information.

Darwin’s Birthday. Joseph Leman.
I have spent some time with newcomer Joseph Leman. He is a biology teacher at Augustana and is very interested in liberal religion and Unitarian Universalism in particular. I have asked him to be a point person on the Darwin’s birthday celebration in February. More information to come.