Calendar
Programs are at 10 a.m. in our meeting room, unless otherwise noted.
(ZOOM CONNECTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED)
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April 5 – We continue with the final installment of the discussion of the book, From War to Peace: A Guide to the Next 100 Years by Kent Shifferd
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April 12 – Service with Dennis Peters. Let’s Talk About Memory. Lately I’ve been teased a lot about my ability to remember things. Or rather, my lack of ability to remember things. I’ve always been better at general concepts than specific details like: names, historical dates, etc. But it’s getting worse. I’ll get partway through a story and be reminded that I’ve told that one before. Or someone (and you know who you are) mentions an event, or a person’s name, and I give them a blank stare. I’d like to go into a little depth here… if I can remember what I wanted to say.
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April 19 – Tim Nyseth, a retired school psychologist and a Bahai, spoke to us last fall about world religions. He will present about Native American spirituality on April 19.
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April 26 – Service with Dennis Peters. Universalist Caroline Soule: Author, Poet, Editor, Minister. I don’t talk enough about Universalists. I think most of the Unitarian Universalist churches are often mostly Unitarian. The discussion today changes that a bit. Caroline Soule was the first president of the Women’s Centenary Aid Association. And she was the first woman to be ordained as a minister in the UK. Let’s take a look at this remarkable person.
Coming Up​
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Don’t forget to vote on April 7!
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May 3 is our Annual Meeting
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Next program committee meeting is April 16, at 9 am at Golden Leaf Café
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Ann Brand will speak to us on May 17 about mindfulness
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Retired doctor, Lorene Vedder, will speak to us about our broken health care system on May 31.
Environmental Series at Dragon Tale Books​
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April 16 at 6 pm – Sustainability in Action: What the City of Menomonie is Doing and How You Can Help, with Megen Hines, Menomonie Environmental Program Coordinator
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April 23 at 6 pm – Conserving Wisconsin’s Natural Legacy for Everyone, Forever with Sara Norman, Landmark Conservancy’s Community Engagement Manager
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Dragon Tale Books is located at 216 Main St. E., Menomonie. For more info, dragontalebooks.store
“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.”
— Chinese Proverb
Seven Principles
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person​
- Justice, equity, and compassion in human
relations​
- Acceptance of one another and
encouragement of spiritual growth in our
congregations​
- A free and responsible search for truth and
meaning​
- The right of conscience and the use of the
democratic process within our congregations
and in society at large​
- The goal of world community with peace,
liberty, and justice for all​
- Respect for the interdependent web of all
existence of which we area part
We Believe...
Unitarian Universalists do not follow a creed, or statement of beliefs expected of all members. Rather, we are encouraged to undertake our own search for what is meaningful and spiritual. That search may seek out other belief systems to understand them and perhaps follow parts that are of value to the searcher. Among any given Unitarian Universalist congregation, members may include humanists, atheists, Christians, Buddhists, agnostics, pagans, or a range of other beliefs. We consider all valid, and welcome them in our congregations.
Good Reads
"The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World" by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams
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Alan Watts books. He was known for interpreting and popularizing Buddhist, Taoist, and philosophy for a Western audience. He often said that he wished to act as a bridge between the ancient and the modern, between East and West, and between culture and nature. Examples: "Beyond Theology", "The Tao of Philosophy"
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"Am I A Hindu: The Hinduism Primer" by Ed Viswanathan
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"Quiet" by Susan Cain
The Chalice News
April 2026
Check Presentation to Arbor Place
In our ongoing efforts to support local organizations doing work we believe is important in our community, in March President Jill Smith presented a check to Lorraine Garland, a representative from Arbor Place. The funds provided come from our 50/50 Sundays, where 50% of our collection goes to the local organization. Lorraine described the work at Arbor Place to provide support and counseling on both inpatient and outpatient basins for alcohol and drug recovery. Arbor Place’s mission is described as to provide prevention, treatment, and renewal opportunities to individuals, families, and communities impacted by substance use and mental health disorders. Arbor Place has space for 40 inpatient clients, and also is able to serve women with small children on a residential basis.
Did you know?
There are only three centers strictly for women in chemical dependency treatment in the state of Wisconsin, and one of them is in Menomonie? It’s Arbor Place.
Dennis Peters recently gave a presentation on Hinduism. See KhanAcademy.org for interesting and lighthearted videos on Hinduism.
You Can’t Read That!
By David K. Williams
Traipsing around the internet a few weeks ago, I came across a list of books banned by Black authors. In retrospect it was during Black History Month, but when I went searching for the site again, I couldn’t find the original site, but with Google I readily came up with a similar list. And then remembered that March is Women’s History Month, so sought a list of books by women which have also been banned. Not surprisingly, several authors were on both lists.
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My source for the top ten banned books by Black authors was the ACLU of Massachusetts, and for the top ten banned books by women, Do Something.org. The following lists note title, author, year published and supposed reason for banning.
BANNED BOOKS BY BLACK AUTHORS
"The Hate U Give", by Angie Thomas (2017); supposed anti-police message
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", by Maya Angelou (1969): banned for vulgarity and sexually explicit material
"The Color Purple", by Alice Walker (1982): (Pulitzer Prize winner): for sexualized and racial content
"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, And You", by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X,
"Kendi" (2020): for vulgar language and discussion of race
"The Bluest Eye", by Toni Morrison (1970): for graphic content
"Song of Solomon", by Toni Morrison (1977): for descriptions of sexual abuse and sexual themes
"New Kid", by Jerry Craft (2019), banned as part of effort to stamp out “critical race theory” in schools
"Class Act", by Jerry Craft (2020): also because of “critical race theory”
"Hood Feminism", by Mikki Kendall (2020): for discussion of race and sexuality
"The 1619 Project", by Nikole Hannah-Jones (2019): for anti-diversity, equity and
inclusion efforts.
BANNED BOOKS BY WOMEN AUTHORS
"My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights", by Malala Yousafzai (2018): banned in Pakistan. (Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize)
"I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter", by Erika L. Sanchez (2017): banned in various school districts in Florida, North Carolina and Oregon
"You Should See Me In A Crown", by Leah Johnson (2020): banned in Oklahoma as “obscene material”
"The Hate You Give", by Angie Thomas, (2017): banned in Missouri school districts
"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings", by Maya Angelou (1969): for sexual and anti-white content
"The Bluest Eye", by Toni Morrison (1970) 73 instances of banning this book
"Juliet Takes a Breath", by Gabby Rivera, (2016): for sexually explicit and queer themes
"Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood", by Marjane Satrapi (2000): banned in Florida, Missouri, Iran and Lebanon
"The House on Manga Street", by Sandra Cisneros (1984): for inappropriate profanity, obscenity and sexual material
"The 1619 Project", by Nikole Hannah-Jones (2019), banned in Florida under the “Stop WOKE Act”
I was personally disappointed in how few of these books I had read, which quickly becomes a motivation to seek them out. While these may be the “Top Ten” books banned by Black or women authors, many other books also face this challenge. The American Library Association chronicles such efforts. It’s website notes that in 2024 there were 2,452 unique titles challenged in the U.S., which was actually down from the 4,240 titles challenged in 2023. Such efforts to ban threaten our right to read and freedom to receive and share ideas, a central part of democracy. How about putting a banned book on your reading list?
Quoteable Quotes
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“If I only knew who in fact I am, I should cease to behave as what I think I am; and if I stopped behaving as what I think I am, I should know who I am.”
— Aldous Huxley
I Believe...
We've invited members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Menomonie to share what it is they believe, and how their search brought them to that belief.
by Gene Holte
I belong to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship because of several things. First of all the seven principles. I believe that everyone has human worth and dignity. I believe that all people should be treated equally and fairly. I believe that everybody has some innate wisdom. I believe in a connection between all people and some greater entity. I believe in taking care of and not being wasteful with what we have thanks to Nature and our surroundings. I believe we should all try to leave the world a little bit better place than it was when we arrived. I believe people are basically good and disagree with religions that preach that we should feel guilty. I believe in treating the people the way I would like to be treated. AKA the Golden Rule. I believe that we should treat nature and animals with respect. I believe that everybody that works to contribute has a right to a better life. That would include Healthcare for all because everyone would benefit from a healthier Society.
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