Live Oak Newsletter

Live Oak

Unitarian Universalist Church

November 17, 2022

This Week

Worship

November 20, 10:00am - In Person or online (visit www.liveoakuu.org for the link)

Feast of Bread and Cider - Sunday, Nov. 20

Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford

Join us this Sunday for our annual "Feast of Bread and Cider" worship service. In this service, we honor the heritage and family experiences each of us bring to this community. Please bring a loaf of a bread that is significant to your heritage or part of your family tradition. During the service, you will be invited to come forward to contribute your bread, and tell a little about it. And then we feast!

If you are also willing to be a helper -- slicing bread, pouring cider, etc - please sign up for a particular task here: https://link.liveoakuu.org/breadservicehelpersignup

More information on setup and tasks: https://link.liveoakuu.org/BreadServiceTasks

Share the Plate

Shelter for victims of family, sexual violence

The Social Justice Ministry team chose Hope Alliance as the recipient of Share the Plate donations in November. The organization is the only resource center and emergency shelter for people affected by family and sexual violence in Williamson County.

Hope Alliance provides free emergency shelter in Round Rock. Food, clothing, safety planning, case management, counseling and legal help are available without charge to clients. Demand for safe shelter is great; there is frequently a waiting list. There also is a 24-hour hotline providing support and advice on staying safe until entering the shelter.

You can learn more about the organization at www.hopealliancetx.org. Contribute to Share the Plate during Sunday services or donate on our website. All checks and envelopes marked “Share the Plate” and half of all undesignated cash during the services will be donated to recipients. Or go to https://www.liveoakuu.org/community/donate/

A Few Words from the Minister

Celebrating the Common Table

It's one of the most popular services of the year! Read more

Special Notices

Thanksgiving Potluck

Come, Gather in Community. Gather in Gratitude.

Come at 1:00 pm for drinks, snacks and set-up. We’ll eat at 2 pm. We’d love for folks to stay and watch football, visit, and eat pie through the afternoon. We will depart by 5:00 pm.

To make this a no-stress event, please bring your own place settings, flatware, and glasses for each person attending with you. Get as fancy or as simple as you would like. At the end of our time together, please take your dirty dishes and leftovers home with you. No fuss, no muss. The folks at each table get to clean up their area and volunteer for one other larger jobs such as carrying out the garbage or wiping the counters. Many hands will make light work and enjoyment for all!

The church will provide turkeys, drinks, tablecloths, and napkins.

We will also have a few self-directed activities for the kids.

Please use the signup sheet on the Welcome Table at church so you can let us know who is coming, how many in your party and what dish you would like to bring. Or go to Perfect Potluck: https://www.perfectpotluck.com/SHEW0919

**please write down ingredients in your dish for allergy alerts**

Get Your Family to Sing With You this Thanksgiving!

Since Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, we're going to have a special online service titled "Cozy Christmas Morn." We hope to have tons of great music by our members, but we need your help! We would love to have a video of you, you and your family, you and friends, etc. singing a holiday song. If you have family in town for Thanksgiving, why not get the singers to do a video with you?

Here's what to do:

a) Send an email to our Music Director, Curtis White, at music@liveoakuu.org. Let him know what song you plan to do (so we don't wind up with 5 versions of Little Drummer Boy).

2) Take a video of your family singing. Be sure to turn your camera into the horizontal position!

3) Send your video to minister@liveoakuu.org. If the file is too large, you can use WeTransfer.com (it's free).

Click on the picture below - it's linked to the Roots & Wings newsletter!

Read about the Voice of a Movement Class here

Almost time to hang the Greens!

It's beginning to feel a lot like the Holidays

Happy Solstice everyone! It's almost time to decorate the church for the Holidays. This year, we'll be hanging the Greens on Sunday, December 4th at noon, after the Religious Education classes. Live Oak will supply lunch in the form of pizza, salad, and soft drinks. (And, if we're lucky, we'll have an elevator to help with getting the decorations downstairs!)

Upcoming Board Meeting: 11/20 @ 1:00 PM

This month we will be talking about something very important: the 2023 church budget. We will also be discussing 2023 church goals and planning for the December Congregational Meeting. Please attend if you would like to give input on these topics. To tune in on Zoom, use the following link: https://link.liveoakuu.org/Policy

Upcoming Events in November

Environmental Awareness Team October Meeting

The focus of this month’s meeting will be on living lightly and living well. Please join us on Zoom for this thought provoking discussion. We welcome your participation in the work of this team. November 17, 2022 6:30pm on Zoom Zoom Link: https://link.liveoakuu.org/Environment Chris Mihealsick For More Information: environment@liveoakuu.org

(Photo taken at the church garden)

HELP DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO OUR NEIGHBORS

Live Oak Church will be distributing food to our neighbors at Fresh Food for All and need volunteers to help.

This month, on Friday, November 18th, Fresh Food For All participants will be able to select their own produce (Farmer's Market style), instead of having the prepackaged produce placed in their car trunks. We will need to help fill bags, direct traffic, weigh the food, and help people carry food to their cars. If you can help anytime on November 18th between 8:30 and 11AM. RSVP to Donna Durbin at: HCCM@liveoakuu.org

Let’s go Shopping

It’s time to grab your green bag or any shopping bag and help our neighbors. Bring food and other items for Hill Country Community Ministries (HCCM), our Fresh Food for All partner, to church and leave them in the Narthex. Some of the highlighted canned items are green beans, tuna, spaghetti sauce, corn, peaches, peanut butter, and jelly. Personal care items are always on the list, including feminine hygiene products. The list of all needed items can be found here.

Upcoming Events in December

Congregational Meeting

Save the Date

Our semiannual Congregational Meeting will be Sunday, Dec. 11, following the morning service. Members will vote on a proposed budget for 2023 and on whether to adopt the 8th Principle for Live Oak.

In adopting the 8th Principle, the church would commit to take action to "accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions." Watch the newsletter for more information about this new principle.

Please plan to attend. A quorum is required to conduct business at the meeting.

Preparation for our vote on the adoption of the 8th Principle!

Here are some resources for the upcoming vote on the 8th Principle:

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like (the) Christmas (Mitten Tree)

Here is your annual chance to play Santa’s helper

Join the LOUU Holiday Chorus TODAY!

The holidays are approaching and we would love your help bringing our favorite tunes to life!

Do you like to sing Christmas carols? Are you a fan of winter wonderlands? Do you have holiday cheer to spread this year? Well...

The LOUU Chorus is calling for singers of all experience levels. We would love to have you join us as we begin our preparations for the upcoming holiday season. No prior experience is required to join us, and we seek all voice parts. Children ages 12 and up are also welcome to participate.

We rehearse every Wednesday evening from 7:00 - 8:30 pm in the Sanctuary. You can email the LOUU Music Director for more information or get started singing by joining us at any rehearsal.

Bizarre or Bazaar? You choose!

Calling All Crafters (Elves or Not!)

Santa's elves are busy at the North Pole, and you could be busy helping Live Oak's very own Santa raise funds for Live Oak with your own handmade items. Do you do woodwork? Fiber Arts? Candles? Soap Making? Sculpting? Something even more fun that I haven't thought of? In conjunction with Selfies with Santa, Live Oak is hosting its own craft bazaar. It is a great way for us to use our creative talents and donate to LOUU. Please let Alison McPherson know if you would like to make a donation or help on the day of the event.

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In the Community

Texas UU Justice Ministry Matching Grant Opportunity

Support justice work in Texas!

The Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry has been awarded a matching grant from the UU Funding Program, to support our justice work in Texas.

We have until the end of the month until the deadline. IF (AND ONLY IF) we raise $5,000, it will be matched dollar for dollar. Every little bit helps. If you've been waiting to make an end-of-year gift, now is the time! Please give if you can.