Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch, March 2011 Edition

Q: Which Sunday of the month is this coming Sunday?
A: It'll be the first Sunday, of course.

Q: How can you be so sure?
A: The Missoula Area Secular Society (M.A.S.S.) is having Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch again. It's so predictable, you can set your calendar by it.

Q: What is this Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch that you speak of?
A: It's a time for members of the M.A.S.S. and other like minded people to get together for good food and and engaging informal discussion on religion in society and government and it's effect on you and your fellow non-theists and whatever other related topics come up.

Q: How can I participate in this incredible resource?
A: Just show up. It's at 10:00 am on Sunday, March 6th in the meeting room at The Stone of Accord (4951 North Reserve Street) in Missoula, Montana (and again on the first Sunday of every month!) If you're not sure where to go, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the Meeting Room and she'll show you the way.

Q: Does it cost anything?
A: If you'd like to eat, then you'll be able to order food from the restaurant. However, M.A.S.S. does not charge anything to attend or participate in the discussion.

Q: What else does M.A.S.S. do?
A: They organize occasional public lectures on science, history, and critical thinking by respected authorities and scholars. They frequently volunteer as a group to help the less fortunate, such as at the Food Bank and the Povorello Center. The occasionally go on group outings to the Blue Mountain Observatory in the summer to learn more about the universe. And they also do a formal structured evening discussion group on the first and third Wednesday of every month.

Q: How can I find out more about all these other activities?
A: Sign up for their email newsletter.

Q: This is a wonderful group. I would still like to give them something as a token of my appreciation for organizing these great opportunities. What can I do?
A: The Missoula Area Secular Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax deductible donations may be made by check in person or by mail, or by credit card using that donation button on the right had column on this website. Membership dues are $20/year, but are not required to attend most events (including brunch). T-shirts in a variety of colors are also available for sale at brunches (with discounts for up-to-date dues paying members).

Q: Who took that delicious looking photo at the top of this post?
A: That photo was taken by Mark, which he licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license, allowing M.A.S.S. to use it for free as long as they give him due credit, which they appreciate immensely.

Q: Is it difficult to give all of your answers in the third person?
A: What do you mean? This is how they always talk.

Billboards, Beer, and Volunteers. Oh, My!

In the last post, I suggested that maybe our group New Year's Resolution could be to finally get the billboard we've been talking about for over two years. Well, our Board of Directors took that to heart and things are happening faster that we've grown accustomed to. In fact, I am very pleased to announce that we've signed the contract with the billboard company and our billboard is scheduled to go up July 18 - August 14 on Russell St. a few blocks north of the Good Food Store.

The only thing we have left to do is raise $870 by July to pay for it. The Board of Directors are completely confident that this is possible. We've all seen the news stories that say anywhere between 12% and 20% of Americans are "none of the aboves" in the religion category. That means there are thousands of Missoulians out there waiting to discover that they're not alone and that there are people who think like they do all around. We're gong to try to reach as many of them as possible leading up to the billboard, and the rest of them with the billboard itself.

There are all kinds of ways you can help. Donations are, of course, welcome and we'll take whatever you can afford. T-shirts are also available for purchase, and a great way to spread the word about us just by wearing it around town. But there's more than that. You can help organize activities that we can publicize to drawn in more members, or just come participate in the activities we have. Simply by being an active participant in the group, you're helping us achieve our mission of fostering vibrant community of non-theists in Missoula.

One way that you can become a (more) active participant is to join us on our outreach activities. On January 24th, several members of the outreach team met at the Food Bank to assemble sack lunches for Project Homeless Connect, and just yesterday we spent a couple of hours at the Poverello Center's "Joseph Residence" (a temporary housing opportunity for homeless families) cleaning out and organizing the toy/art room in the community center. There will be more of that to come, so if you would like to participate, sign up for our newsletter and be sure to check the box to be notified of outreach/volunteer opportunities. There's no obligation or minimum number of volunteer activities you're expected to pariticpate in. Just come help when you can.

We'll also be having a big event for you beer drinkers on August 24th at the Kettlehouse. Every Wednesday from 5-8:00pm, is "Community UNite" at the brewery on the Northside. Each Week a specific local non-profit is designated as the beneficiary and a portion of all beer sales from 5-8pm on that Wednesday go to that organization. We've been selected as one of the non-profits for 2011, and our night is Wednesday, August 24th. So, mark your calendar and come on out and drink your limit (3 pints), enjoy the company of many other fine non-theists, and help out a great cause in the process.

Of course, we still meet for brunch on the first Sunday of every month at the Stone of Accord on north Reserve in the meeting room at 10am. If you would like to join us but aren't sure where to go, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the meeting room and she'll show you the way.

Happy New Year

2010 was an amazing year for M.A.S.S. We received our 501(c)3 approval. We finished our new logo (with big thanks to Dan and Russ). Our T-shirts are made. Our bi-weekly Discussion Group (organized by Bill) is going strong and (thanks in part to James) has found a permanent home downtown. Several of our members were able to successfully challenge the church service at the County Fair and got it moved to an appropriate private venue.

And last but not least, we now have a sharp looking newsletter. You can sign up here. The primary newsletter, "Critical M.A.S.S." will go out about once a month, and if you sign up for any of the other available lists (such as for Volunteer/Outreach Opportunities), we'll send you notifications only as appropriate.

With all of that, one might wonder how we can top ourselves. What on Earth could we possibly have in mind for our 2011 News Year's Resolution? Well, how about a billboard?


Don't forget, Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch is this weekend, January 2nd, 10am at The Stone of Accord on North Reserve in the meeting room. If you're not sure where to go, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the meeting room and she'll show you the way.

Final Brunch of 2010

Many of us are taking a trip to Big Sky this weekend for an event hosted by the Bozeman Freethinker's, but unfortunately, not everyone is able to go. Therefore, the tradition of Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch will go on as scheduled. So come on out of that cold closet and join those of us still in town for some warm and friendly unsupernatural conversation.

When: Sunday, Dec 5th, 10am
Where: The Meeting Room at Stone of Accord, 4951 N. Reserve.

If you're not sure where to go, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the meeting room and she'll get you to the right spot in a flash.

"Frozen Food" photo (c) Lamoix Designs

The Biology of Stem Cells

The Missoula Area Secular Society is hosting another free public lecture.

When: Thursday, Nov 18th, 6:00pm
Where: Missoula Public Library, Large Meeting Room

Embryonic stem cells hold great promise for replacing cells in damaged tissue, even brain cells, but significant challenges remain before this can be realized. Not least of challenges is that stem cells may form tumors. It is difficult to cause stem cells to differentiate into exactly and only the type of cells needed for therapy.

The ethical and political considerations about research using stem cells require a clear understanding of stem cell biology. Research on stem cells is not human cloning, which should not be attempted, yet fear of human cloning is raised to prevent research on stem cells.

The Missoula Area Secular Society is proud to host Professor Mark Grimes for a free public lecture on the biology and politics of stem cell research. The lecture will be held in the Missoula Public Library in the large meeting room downstairs at 6:00pm.

After the lecture, some members of the Missoula Area Secular Society will likely migrate to a downtown restaurant to continue the discussion over food and drink, and cordially invite you to join them. Stick around after the lecture for details.

November Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch Meeting

Another month has flown by, Fall is officially here, and that means it's time for yet another Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch.

When: Sunday, November 7th, 10am
Where: Stone of Accord Meeting Room ( 4951 N. Reserve )

Need we say more?

"Snowy Leaves" photo (c) Janie Jones

Your Inner Fish

Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body, will be speaking at the University Theater at 8pm tonight.

Neil is best known as one of the discoverers in 2004 of the fossil that revealed a missing link in evolution between fish and land animals. He will discuss his 2008 book, Your Inner Fish, which tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth.

The event is free and open to the public.

Some members of the Missoula Area Secular Society will be meeting at about 6:45 at Food For Thought for dinner and then walking over to the theater at about 7:30. You are invited to join them, if you wish.