Happy 2009 from the Iowa Secularists!!

Friday, January 2. Cedar Rapids. First Friday Social 7pm at the home of Niles and Carol Ross.

Thursday, January 8. Coralville. Iowa City/Coralville meeting 7pm Old Chicago Pizza.

Saturday, January 10. A new, second Des Moines time and place! 10am Cup O Kryptonite, 4521 Fleur Dr. Suite F, Des Moines.

Thursday, January 20. Cedar Rapids.. Inauguration Party 6pm at the home of Niles and Carol Ross. Please bring snacks.

Thursday, January 15. West Des Moines. Des Moines meeting. 7pm, Firkin and Fox.

*More events will be added as they are scheduled.

For more information and to RSVP to Iowa Secularists Meetup events:
Cedar Falls/Waterloo
Corridor (Cedar Rapids, Iowa City)
Des Moines

After reviewing the current and predicted weather conditions for the entire state of Iowa, we have decided to cancel the event for this evening. The National Weather Service is predicting some pretty nasty conditions for this evening and we would prefer to not have you all out on the roads if that is the case. We are already talking about plans to reschedule the event - we will not be able to see the actual solstice sky at that point but we wouldn’t be able to do that tonight anyway with all of this cloud cover! Please check back here for more details on the rescheduled event. You may also email jsabel[at]iowasecularist[dot]org with questions.

Wednesday December 3. Cedar Rapids. Townhall meeting to meet with the Executive Director about the organization. 7-9pm at Lori’s house. Please RSVP for the address. * Rescheduled for Wednesday, December 17

Thursday, December 4. Iowa City. Townhall meeting to meet with the Executive Director about the organization. 7-9pm at Brian and Jaime Sabel’s house. Please RSVP for directions.

Thursday, December 11. Coralville. Iowa City/Coralville Meetup 7pm Old Chicago Pizza.

Saturday, December 13. Des Moines. Townhall meeting to meet with the Executive Director about the organization. 10am-12pm in the back meeting room at the Panera Bread on 42nd Street in West Des Moines.

Sunday, December 14. Cedar Rapids. Townhall meeting. 2-4pm at Niles and Carol Ross’s house. Please RSVP for the address.

Sunday, December 14. Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Meetup Holiday Giving Get-Together, 4pm at Jill and Andrew’s house.

This holiday the Cedar Falls/Waterloo Iowa Secularists would like to collect items for the following charities: Shoes That Fit, Toys for Tots

Please plan to bring any items you wish to donate to our house between 4-6pm on Sunday, Dec 14. I’d like to print out the IS logo and tie it to the items with holiday ribbons. Then, at 6:00 we will take everything to a drop-off site and go out to eat together. We can determine where depending on the interest of those in attendance.

Additionally, in the same spirit of giving - the UNI Freethinkers and Inquirers are sponsoring a local family for the holiday season and is asking if anyone in the IS meet-up group is interested in participating in this as well. More information is coming from Cody.

Wednesday, December 17. Cedar Rapids Townhall meeting to meet with the Executive Director about the organization. 7-9pm at Lori’s house. Please RSVP for the address.

Thursday, December 18. West Des Moines. Des Moines Meetup. 7pm, Firkin and Fox.

Thursday, December 18. Marion. Cedar Rapids Meetup. 7pm. Naso’s, 453 7th Ave, Marion.

Saturday, December 20. Iowa City. Capanna Coffee Meetup. Capanna Coffee Co. 136 S. Dubuque St., downtown Iowa City. 10:00am.

Saturday, December 20. Des Moines. Iowa Secularists Winter Solstice Soiree.

We will have our first Iowa Secularists Winter Solstice Soiree at the Drake Municipal Observatory! The Observatory is jointly operated by the City of Des Moines and Drake University and contains a refracting telescope which will provide an excellent way to observe the solstice sky!

We will begin at 7pm with appetizers followed by a tour of the observatory and a presentation. We will then have the opportunity to view the night’s sky at about 8:30pm, weather permitting.

This event is semi-formal and tickets are $30 per person. To purchase a ticket, please use the PayPal link located in the post below or send a check to Iowa Secularists, P.O. Box 883, Iowa City, IA 52244. Please have all tickets purchased or arrangements made by December 18th so that we may plan accordingly.

*More events will be added as they are scheduled.

On Saturday, December 20th, we will have our first Iowa Secularists Winter Solstice Soiree at the Drake Municipal Observatory! The Observatory is jointly operated by the City of Des Moines and Drake University and contains a refracting telescope which will provide an excellent way to observe the solstice sky!

We will begin at 7pm with cocktails and appetizers followed by a tour of the observatory and a presentation. We will then have the opportunity to view the night’s sky at about 8:30pm, weather permitting.

This event is semi-formal and will require a ticket for admittance.

Please note that the telescope must be kept at cool temperatures, so the observation portion of the evening will be as cold as it is outside on December 20th.

For more information on the Observatory, please visit the website here. This website also includes a page with directions to the Observatory which is located at the Waveland Park Golf Course in Des Moines.

Tickets are $30 per person. To purchase a ticket, please use the PayPal link below or send a check to Iowa Secularists, P.O. Box 883, Iowa City, IA 52244. Please have all tickets purchased or arrangements made by December 18th so that we may plan accordingly.

Please email jsabel[at]iowasecularist[dot]org with questions!

In an effort to help define what makes this organization what it is and where we are and should be going, the Executive Director and the Board of Directors have begun the process of composing a strategic plan. This plan will refine the focus of the organization to make us even better at representing non-religious Iowans and meeting their needs.

But, we need your help in order to do this well! First off, we need a baseline - an idea of where the organization is, who our members are, and why you are members. So to help with this first step, Brian Sabel, our executive director, has scheduled a series of townhall-style meetings where he will sit down with all Iowa Secularist members who can attend to get your view of IS. The dates, times, and places are subject to change but here is the schedule to date:

Waterloo/Cedar Falls Area
Nov. 15 from 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Waterloo Public Library, Meeting Room A

Des Moines Area
Nov. 22 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., and
Dec. 13 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
meeting room at Panera on 42nd Street in West Des Moines

Iowa City Area
Nov. 23 from 2:00-4:00 p.m., and
Dec. 4 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Home of Brian & Jaime Sabel (please RSVP for address)

Cedar Rapids Area
Dec. 3 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Lori’s home (please RSVP for address) *rescheduled for Dec. 17
and
Dec. 14 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Home of Niles and Carol (please RSVP for address)

Please RSVP for these meetings by sending a message to bsabel[at]iowasecularist[dot]org so we know how many persons to expect. Please note: these meetings are limited to Iowa Secularist members only and will be primarily business oriented.

We genuinely look forward to your participation in this important process for the Iowa Secularists. Your perspectives and ideas will help the Iowa Secularists to grow and sustain our organization. If you have any questions please feel free to email Brian Sabel at bsabel[at]iowasecularist[dot]org.

Tuesday, November 4. Election Watch Parties in Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls/Waterloo. *Note* The Iowa Secularists do not endorse any candidate or party. Comments made by members regarding these topics are solely their own opinions and are not representative of the organization.

Friday, November 7. Cedar Rapids. First Friday Social. Lori’s house.

Thursday, November 13. Iowa City/Coralville Meetup 7pm Old Chicago Pizza in Coralville.

Tuesday, November 18. Cedar Falls/Waterloo Meetup 7pm Location to be determined.

Tuesday, November 18. Iowa City UUSIC meeting. 7pm at the Iowa City Unitarian Universalists Society, 10 S. Gilbert St., Brian Sabel, Executive Director, will be speaking about the Iowa Secularists and Jaime Sabel will talk about Camp Quest.

Thursday, November 20. West Des Moines. Des Moines Meetup 7pm Firkin and Fox, 1451 22nd St.

Thursday, November 20. Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids Meetup 7pm Biaggi’s

*More events will be added as they are scheduled.

For more information and to RSVP for these events, please visit the Meetup sites.
Cedar Falls/Waterloo
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City
Des Moines

In addition, check out the events sponsored by student groups:
Iowa State Atheist and Agnostic Society (ISU AAS)

University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers (UNIFI)

We now have a new local group meeting in Cedar Falls/Waterloo! These events will be included in the monthly news and events but you can also sign up through the Meetup to get more information and to RSVP for events in that area. Please visit the Meetup site here. Thanks to Jill for getting this organized!

Friday, October 3. Cedar Rapids. First Friday Social. Java Creek Café, 588 Boyson Rd NE. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Meetup site here.

Friday, October 3. Des Moines. Movie Opening - Bill Maher’s Religulous. While the exact showtimes are not available yet, Century Theaters at the Jordan Creek Town Center has confirmed that they will be showing Bill Maher’s Documentary, Religulous when it opens on Friday, October 3rd.
Since the nature of this documentary may draw protests or other uncomfortable situations, strength in numbers is probably a good policy for attending. For that reason, the Des Moines Iowa Secularists will be meeting at Jordan Creek Mall to attend the opening as a group, to provide safety, comfort and ease to our members and any other secular-minded people who wish to join us! For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Meetup site here.

*Update* Century 20 at Jordan Creek Town Center was unable to secure the movie; it will be at Fleur Cinema instead, Fleur Dr, Des Moines

Friday, October 3rd. Iowa City. Dr. Paula Doress-Worters presents: Ernestine Rose, Early Women’s Rights and Anti-Slavery Activist
Brown Bag Lunch at the Women’s Resource and Action Center in Iowa City with Historian Dr. Paula Doress-Worters on Friday, October 3 at 12:00pm-1:00pm.
Join us for a presentation by Dr. Paula Doress-Worters, as she shares information from her work on Ernestine Rose, an early women’s rights and anti-slavery activist and atheist.
Dr. Paula Doress-Worters is the author/editor of Mistress of Herself: Speeches and Letters of Ernest L. Rose, Early Women’s Rights Leader.

Women’s Resource & Action Center (WRAC)
130 N. Madison St
Iowa City, IA 52245
319/335-1486

http://www.uiowa.edu/~wrac/events/ErnestineRose.htm

Saturday, October 4. Meeting of the Board of Directors.

Thursday, October 9. Iowa City/Coralville Meetup 7pm Old Chicago Pizza in Coralville. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Meetup site here.

Saturday, October 11. Cedar Rapids. Corridor Cleanup Effort (aka Operation: Rampant Destruction and Godless Mayhem). The responses to these Cleanup efforts have been awesome — our members have been getting a lot done for this great city, and it’s really helping to spread the word. We’ll be meeting at the Salem Church (225 1st Ave, at 10AM) as with the last few events. There is lots of work to be done, including gutting houses for inspection, mowing lawns, moving possessions (sometimes large) out of the houses, distributing food and water, and more. Winter is approaching soon, so there is no time to waste! Please RSVP as soon as you know whether you’ll be able to make it or not. This will help in deciding what the best use of our group will be. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Meetup site here.

Sunday, October 12. Cedar Rapids. Defeating the ‘No Religion’ Test Clause - with Brian Sabel, Executive Director of the Iowa Secularists. Brian will explore the idea that our cultural insistence of discussing the faiths of our political figures effectively defeats the Constitution’s prohibition of no religious tests for public office. What impact does this have on the political process? How does this affect the freedoms of all Americans? How can we respond to help preserve the Constitution’s guarantees of religious freedom? Peoples Church, Unitarian Universalist, 600 Third Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids. 9:45am.

Thursday, October 16. Cedar Rapids Area Dinner. Leonardo’s Pizza, 2228 16th Ave SW. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Meetup site here.

Thursday, October 16. West Des Moines. Des Moines Meetup 7pm Firkin and Fox, 1451 22nd St. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Meetup site here.

*updated* Saturday, October 25. Iowa City Coffee and Breakfast. 10am Capanna Coffee, 136 S. Dubuque St., downtown Iowa City. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Meetup site here.

*updated* Tuesday, October 28. Cedar Falls/Waterloo Meetup 7pm Location to be determined. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Meetup site here.

We have had a change in location for the Parenting Beyond Belief Seminar in Iowa City this weekend. Instead of at the library, we will be at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center in meeting room A on the main level. The address for the Rec Center is 220 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City. The seminar will still take place from 1-5pm. I am sorry for the last minute nature of this change!

The details for the Des Moines seminar remain the same.

As many of you know, we have recently added a level of membership know as the Lifetime member. This membership comes with all of the benefits of the Contributing membership but with a one-time payment of $1000. This level of membership was created especially for those who are committed to the cause of the organization and would like to contribute to its future. We have also added a Lifetime membership for couples - defined here as partners living in the same household for a one-time payment of $1500. Each partner will receive all of the benefits of the Lifetime membership. We have finally added this option to the Join page where all other levels of membership are also available. You can learn more by clicking on the Join and Contribute link on the right side of this page or by visiting http://iowasecularist.org/join/