No objections to agenda provided.  Check-in among those present.

Mark plugged for more male participation in pastoral care.  John Seeley is only male representative.  Praised the retreat for it pastoral care efforts.

Covenant Exercise:  Men put forth the following:
Say what you’ll do and do what you say
Respect each other
Don’t make it too personal — respect each other’s opinion, personhood and time,
Assume good intention
Have fun
Listen with an open mind

Charter was read by all members present.  A couple of typos were found, Russ to update and put on uuaamen.org

Past and future goals:  was determined it would be best if saved to next meeting when full council will be present.

Meetings Dates:  March 18 (9-11am), May, Aug, Oct, Dec – First Sunday ½ hour after last service ends

Russ gave update on Men’s Dinner.  All is well in hand for the Feb 3 event.  Marketing and sign-ups are underway.  Goal is 120 men and male youth, and $1000 to Neutral Zone.

Tentative Officers, to be voted on via email (Ken to put forth email)::
Chair – Steve or Jeff
Secretary – Russ
Treasurer – Ken

Other jobs discussed:

• Retreat – Steve will chair if Jeff chairs council
• Men’s Circles – John Preston
• Men’s Dinner – TBD
• CoA Dinner Coordinator – Terry volunteered to help coordinate

Meeting adjourned at 2:30:

When:  Friday, February 3, 6pm – 9pm

Where:  UUAA Social Hall

Dinner:  Catered by Movable Feast

Featured Speaker:  Jeff Kass, Literary Arts Director at the Neutral Zone, educator at Pioneer High School, author of Knuckleheads (book signing after program)

Donation;  $20

• Purchase Tickets in UUAA Social Hall Jan 8, 15, 22, 29
• Purchase Tickets Online (with PayPal or Credit Card)

Youth (9th-12th Grade):  Free

Questions?  Email Russ Blaesing (blaesingr@gmail.com)

See you there!

Outdoor Service Project:  Noon
Dinner: Saturday May 7 (Gather: 6:30, Dinner Served at 7 sharp)
Bring:  Salad, side dish, or dessert to share.  Dogs and Burgers provided
Cost:  Free to UUAA Men (paid by Men’s Fellowship)
Ceremony:  8:30pm in "The Grove"

Click here to tell everyone what you’re bringing!

The dinner program will include an introduction of the boys and mentors from this year’s COA program, you will have the chance to work with the youth outdoors, and discuss the COA experience with the boys too.  We’ll follow this by a short talk on the "Initiatic Experience". The dinner will be potluck with burgers/dogs and supplied by your Men’s Fellowship,

After dinner, all men  of the congregation are invited to attend the Boy’s Initiation Campfire Ceremony, which takes place way out in the back of our property, in "The Grove". This important and moving ceremony is to honor our boys entrance into the circle of men, and to show them our love and support.

The land is quite muddy sometimes, dress appropriately.  IMPORTANT: Bring your own : work gloves (if helping during the day), camp chair, flashlight, drum or other percussion (if you have one)

Any questions or concerns please contact Bob Hospadaruk, Jeff Poliner, or Rick Witten. Please forward this to any other UU men and Men’s Groups you know of!
PS – if you can show up early, 5:30, to help set up  or grill, please email Bob Hospadaruk : hospadaruk@gmail.com

1. We opened at 10:45 AM. Russ recapped the past year with the Men’s council and Men’s fellowship.
2. We brainstormed ideas for events in the upcoming year
   • • constructing a basketball court
     • constructing a volleyball court
     • constructing a disc golf course
     • fixing up/relocating the game room
     • having men “posted” at the game room or sports court to engage kids
     • starting to look for speakers/themes for men’s dinner
     • putting together a men’s fellowship event calendar, including when to get started preparing for events
3. Russ reviewed the new charter for the men’s council – it is approved unanimously
4. Men’s council election
   • Russ Blaesing, Jeff Surfus and Bob Hospadaruk put forward for another two-year term
   • Dave Meyers stepping down
   • John Preston and Jim Carbone step up to be put forward for two-year terms
   • John Russell stepped up for one-year term
   • Slate approved unanimously
5. We adjourned at 11:20 AM.

Now, let’s use them!  Who’s up for a fire?

• Cleared the fire pit area
• Installed a fire ring
• Installed pea gravel and wood chips around the fire ring
• Cleaned up paths, put mulch in wet areas
• Dug about 20 post holes and installed trail markers in each.
• Cut all the wood for the benches (12 in all).  Were not able to complete the project due to a glitch in the wood size.  This will be corrected in the next couple of weeks.
• Prepared dinner (thanks Ken and team!)
• Had a great feast with local food and great beverage

Present: Russ Blaesing, Steve Camron, Mark Evens, Bob Hospadaruk, Terry Madden, Ken Powell, Tom Reischl, Jim Schaefer, Jeff Surfus

Absent: Kevin Sullivan, Dave Myers

Visitors: Bryan Debbink, Tim Richards

1. We opened at 11:30 AM with a chalice lighting by Terry Madden.
2. Minutes from the meeting of 3/14/2010 were approved.
3. Tim Richards and Bryan Debbink attended the meeting as part of the Board’s goal of meeting with the leaders of groups in the congregation, to discuss the UUAA Ends Statement start conversations about how groups envision their work.
   • Bob remarks that the Men’s Council has grown beyond what he originally envisioned
   • Some events that have been happening for several years (Men’s dinner, men’s retreat) have become institutionalized
   • Tim remarks that the need for organizational structures has grown as the congregation has grown
   • Men’s council contributes to community, stewardship and spiritual life of the congregation
   • Terry points out that it also contributes to social justice and the UU culture
   • There is a need for the Men’s Council to help foster and support smaller men’s groups
   • Terry points out that the Men’s Council is the leadership for the Men’s Fellowship, which is a very big contingent
   • Russ mentions that the Men’s Council Charter is something that has worked well, and other groups may want to look at
   • Some discussion of ways to publicize what we have accomplished at other congregations that may want to develop a men’s program
   • Can the board help inform new men in the congregation about the men’s fellowship – whom should someone contact about joining a men’s circle, getting involved, etc
   • Some possibilities – email address, brochure, involvement table, staff contact
   • May need to look out for friction at boundary with SGD
4. Russ gave an update on Kevin.  He has been fighting cancer for two years.  Family may need some help getting house ready to sell.  Nancy Shaefer is the main ministerial contact for the family.  There are some pastoral care needs to fill.  Mark will send link to the pastoral care calendar to the Men’s Council.
5. Jim will look at the current treasury balance and share it with the group
6. Men’s dinner report
   • Exceeded our target – 105 attending
   • Collected $1457
   • Sent a $525 donation to the pancreatic cancer foundation
   • Don’t have an itemized list of expenses
   • Need to tighten up financial stewardship
   • Pre-planning could have been better to make sure work was distributed more evenly
   • Some concerns about state that fire pit was left in
7. Courageous conversations status
   • Fallout from Dicken elementary mess affected Alpha Phi Alpha and schedule
   • Terry is hopeful that event can be rescheduled for the fall
8. Jim reports on the Community Building/BBQ event
   • 40 people signed up
   • Will try to stay within $1500-1600
   • Men’s Council approved up to $1800
   • Russ will make sure announcements go out to all channels (Don Winsor can help)
9. Jeff reports on Retreat status
   • Location set – Judson Collins Center in Onsted
   • Checking on criteria for using canoes – need lifeguard – worth it?
   • State park land abuts the Center
   • Themes getting set – Intentional living
     • Intentional eating
     • Intentional health
     • Intentional parenting
     • Intentional spending
10. Russ and Bob on status of boy’s outing event
    • Looking at canoeing/camping experience
    • Weekend after Labor Day – 9th-12th grade boys, canoe down Huron River, camp overnight
    • Need to figure out men’s participation, vetting issues
    • Would come to about $33/head
    • Discussion about how much to subsidize
    • Russ and Bob will come back with a proposal
11. Visioning exercise
    • Collective vision points
      • Core of successful events that take place each year
      • Men in the congregation feel welcome, and feel a strong connection to each other
      • Low barriers to getting involved
      • Variety of options for involvement
      • Mentoring aspect – SGD, senior members and newer members of men’s fellowship, sharing experiences
      • Fostering wholeness, connection among the Men’s Fellowship
    • Discussion of men’s circles
      • Need to keep forming new ones, due to congregation size and turnover
      • Not all circles need to be the same – diversity of experiences may be useful
    • Terry, Ken and Mark will help collate the thoughts from this discussion
12. Next meeting 9/12/2010 – 12 PM-2 PM
13. We adjourned at 1:30 PM.

Bench Building & Trail Marking: 12PM to 5:30PM

Barbeque: 5:30 to 8 PM

UU Men: come join together for some bench building and trail marking. We’re building 11 benches, cleaning-up the fire pit area, installing a fire ring and marking a trail on the “back 40”. Afterwards we will celebrate with a barbeque. If you work, there is no charge, otherwise pay $6. We will provide the main entrée, soft drinks and a few side dishes.

SIGN-UP IN SOCIAL HALL or Contact:

Jim Schaefer jtrombone@comcast.net

Russ Blaesing blaesingr@comcast.net

Ken Powell powell@umich.edu

The “Courageous Conversations – Face to Face” gathering has been planned for June and a community service project scheduled for the fall of 2010.

The first meeting will be at the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor from 8:45 – Noon on Saturday, June 12, 2010. During the gathering the men from each group will be divided into small groups and will have an opportunity to talk and listen to each other as individuals with unique experiences. The hope is that through conversation enough trust will be established to be able to identify a community service project that members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor will be able to join together in order to accomplish tangible results.

The morning will be divided into three small group session with two co-coordinators, Michael Johnson, President of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Terence Madden, member of the Men’s Council of the First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor. Twenty men, ages 25+ from each group have been invited to participate. The second gathering will be at the work site identified at the June 12 meeting.

Desired Outcomes:

1. To engage in open, honest conversation together.
2. To collaborate on identifying a worthwhile project in the community to which both groups of men together can contribute.
3. To come together and work on starting and/or completing an identified community project.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities. The objectives of this Fraternity shall be: to stimulate the ambition of its members; to prepare them for the greatest usefulness in the causes of humanity, freedom, and dignity of the individual; to encourage the highest and noblest form of manhood; and to aid down-trodden humanity in its efforts to achieve higher social, economic and intellectual status.

The First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor has been a vital liberal religious voice in the Ann Arbor community for over 140 years. We are an intentionally multigenerational, multiracial, multicultural religious community of over 500 members who worship together, work together, laugh together and nurture our children with a UU perspective of our World. We gather to encourage and inspire each other’s individual spiritual journeys, to honor and care for the natural world around us, and to join forces in furthering social justice in the Ann Arbor area and the wider world.

For more information, contact Terry Madden (terence.madden@gmail.com)