Berrien Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Leaving for Internship

It is Summer Solstice as I sit down to write this column, the longest day of the year, to be followed immediately by the beginning of the gradual diminishment of daylight hours into increasing darkness. (Just call me Suzy Sunshine!)

I love the lengthening of days that begins in December, thrive in the greater light of spring and summer, and begin to feel slightly depressed as we approach Summer Solstice and its denotation, at the very beginning of summer, of summer’s end and the fleeting nature of time. I thrive in the light, and in being able to step outside into mild temperatures and gentle breezes that caress skin bared of long sleeves and over-garments. I love summer, and toward its end will begin trying to clutch its dying remnants in my grasp, to slow its inevitable demise. Fortunately, the grief of summer’s loss is tempered by the beauty of autumn which I love nearly as much as summer, save for its movement into winter cold and darkness.

Last Updated (Thursday, 02 July 2009 13:34)

General Assembly

Two of us from BUUF are at General Assembly in Salt Lake City this week -- Our Religious Leader Beth Lefever, shown here carrying the UUFE banner for the traditional banner parade (OK Beth, we forgive you!), and office administrator Gretchen Ohmann. If you're on Facebook, search for the Centeal Midwest District group for more photos and comments from people in our district. The UUA website has streaming video of several events that you might want to view.

President's Address on the Occasion of BUUF's 50th

Author: Gary Cook, Board President |

I may be the only one here who has signed the membership book twice: once in 1989 and once in 2006. It’s probably appropriate, because my two memberships are in two different histories of my life. I was gone for about ten years, spending four of them in South Bend, as a member of First Unitarian there. Like a line from the Barry McGuire song from the 1960’s: “...You can leave here for eight days in space/ but when you return, it’s the same old place...” : well, yes and no. On my return here to BUUF, I noticed how nicely the building had been reworked, the presence of children and the large percentage of (at the time) unfamiliar members as well. I was relieved to find several people I left behind still here. I was relieved that what I liked about BUUF had remained, and I’ve been trying to put my finger on it since. More things than not remained the same. Here are some things that seem constant:

Last Updated (Friday, 05 June 2009 06:15)

Finished with our Fiftieth

Author: Beth Lefever, Religious Leader |

The celebration of our 50th anniversary did not go off without a hitch, but still it was a delight.

Eric Scott shared original piano and guitar compositions as we feasted, Gloria Weberg and other BUUF thespians presented a skit that was both moving and humorous, and Kate Fuller shared comments about the founding of the church, and about Marv. Our DRE, Dave Sarra shared some thoughts about our future, and Board president Gary Cook shared some thoughts about what he loves about BUUF. Gretchen Ohmann donated T-shirts commemorating the event ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you didn’t get yours), as well as a tote bag listing BUUF’s founders, which Gretchen presented to Kate. Gretchen is making a larger portrayal of the tote bag design which she will contribute to the Fellowship as a wall-hanging.

Last Updated (Friday, 05 June 2009 06:14)

Voices of A Liberal Faith

What is Unitarian Universalism? Watch Voices of a Liberal Faith to find out more.