December 16, 2021
This Week
Worship
Sunday, December 19th
9:30am and 11:30am
The Ancient Yuletide Carol
Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford

Whose holiday is it, anyway? Historians point out the pagan roots of Yule amidst voices calling for a more religious and less inclusive Christmas. In truth, the holiday has always been a melding of traditions, a pluralistic celebration of humanity and the world in which we find ourselves. 

Join us for Worship at 9:30am in person or online: the link will be on the Live Oak homepage: www.liveoakuu.org. The 11:30am service will not be live streamed.

Join us for Fellowship Time immediately following the service (approx. 10:15/10:30 or 12:15/12:30): https://link.liveoakuu.org/FellowshipHour


Share the Plate
Our December Share the Plate recipient is the Minister’s Discretionary Fund at Live Oak. This fund enables Rev. Joanna to respond to members facing an immediate hardship or others who seek help from our church. Rev. Joanna has used the fund to address such needs as travel expenses to a parent’s funeral, school tuition and Covid-related medical expenses.

Go to the Donate link on the Live Oak website’s home page. Use the drop down menu to designate your donation for “Share the Plate”. In addition to those designated donations, half of all undesignated gifts in December will go to the fund.
A Few Words from the Minister
Joy and Woe Woven Fine
On Saturday, Dec. 11, Santa Claus came to town, and specifically to Live Oak. And on Tuesday, Dec. 14, members gathered in the sanctuary for the Blue Christmas Vespers to give witness to the other side of the emotional coin. Read more


A Few Words from the DLFD
(Director of Lifespan Faith Development)
Faith Development 12.13 to 12.26.21
News for the remainder of December! Read more


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Special Notices
Not Too Late to Vote for Congregational Meeting Items
If you still want to vote for Congregational Meeting items, it is not too late. Just click on the form to vote. Voting will end Sunday, December 19th. You can also watch the Congregational Meeting if you missed using the YouTube Link.

Year End Notice
The deadline for submitting reimbursements for 2021 expenses will be January 5th. Reimbursement forms and receipts should be submitted to Diane. Photos or scans for receipts are allowed.

Winter Solstice In-Person Labyrinth Walk
at Live Oak Labyrinth
Tuesday, December 21, 3pm
Please join us at the entrance to the Live Oak UU Labyrinth. Light is returning, just as we are returning to the Live Oak Labyrinth! All are welcome—adults and children. We walk on the shortest day to prepare for the longest night on the Winter Solstice. We also celebrate the return of the light—the spark of the divine light in each one of us, the warmth of community, and the promise of renewed hope for 2022.
NOTE: Masks are optional outdoors for vaccinated persons. Masks are required for unvaccinated folks. For more information: Linda Webster,

Name Tags!
We need your name tags.
A few of us who attended the outdoor services took our name tags and just keep them to wear each week so we didn't have to going inside the church. We are going to update the tags at the end of the year and ask you to hang them in the Narthex (like olden times) so we have them to update now that we are meeting inside the building.

Nominations Deadline
It’s time to get in your nominations of organizations you’d like Live Oak to support with Share the Plate donations in 2022. The deadline is Dec. 31 for groups to be considered for StP through April. We will solicit nominations every four months next year. Recipients must be 501(c)(3) charities and will be chosen by the Social Justice Ministry Team. Send nominations with your name and contact information to Becky Gregory

Mitten Tree Thank You
As usual, LOUU gets an A+ in holiday cheer!
Your contributions to our blankets and board games collection for the Hill Country Christmas Bureau were once again overwhelming, in the very best way. We collected about 100 items to be sent off to the Elves. Thank you for helping make this year another success in spreading holiday cheer.
SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY UPDATE
The Social Justice Ministry Team met on December 12th and the meeting minutes describe planning to address Voter Rights and Health Disparities along with other initiatives. The team is seeking ideas and involvement of all church members. If you would like to keep informed of the activities of the team, please subscribe to the email group.
Questions: Contact Wayne Gregory

IN SEARCH OF A PERSON!
As the Social Justice Ministry develops a Voting Rights initiative we have become greatly impressed with the important work of the League of Women Voters. If you are a member of the league please contact Wayne Gregory.

Environmental Awareness Group
MEETS TONIGHT You are invited to join us Thursday 12/16 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, zoom link here.

Seeking: Your Pandemic Experiences
Religious historian and writer Diana Butler Bass has been talking about how after the 1918 pandemic, churches didn’t write anything about their experience. It’s like they just wanted to move on and forget about it. I know we’re not at the end yet, but I want to begin creating a repository of videos by members sharing a little of our experiences, things we learned or realized, and our hopes for the future based on this experience.

Excerpts from some of these videos will be used in our online worship service December 26. So, here’s what I need from you ... read more

Ted Lasso Coming to Live Oak in January
Our January worship series will be drawing inspiration from the TV show on the Apple+ app, "Ted Lasso." You don't need to have seen the show to enjoy this series, but if you'd like to see it, but haven't budgeted for another streaming service, email minister@liveoakuu.org and ask for the "Ted Lasso Scholarship." If you're a Live Oak member, we'll get you all set up.

2022 Spring Campout April 8-10
Let's gather at Cedar Breaks Park on Lake Georgetown for our first church campout since fall of 2019!
All Live Oak members and friends are invited! Camp for the weekend or join us just for the day and the evening potluck on Saturday April 9. Our campouts are casual and unstructured, except for our traditional potluck supper on Saturday evening, hopefully followed by a campfire if there’s no burn ban. If you’re not a camper but want to be, or if it’s been a while since you’ve camped, join our camping facebook group and ask all your questions!

Make reservations here. Be aware that sites are filling up quickly, especially for the spring. Some of us already have lakefront sites reserved from #12 – 26 and maybe past that. If you have a national parks pass, you can use it at this Corps of Engineers park!

Feel free to contact me, Jen Swan, with any questions.
HELP DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO OUR NEIGHBORS
Live Oak Church will be distributing food to our neighbors at Fresh Food Friday and need volunteers to help.

* Friday, December 17th @ 8:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in the Live Oak parking lot. This is when we distribute the food to our neighbors. Volunteers are needed to set up, direct people to the drive through area, collect client information, and place food in the client’s trunk. You do not need to remain the entire 2 & 1/2 hours.

HCCM has asked for 7 people for each activity. We are asking you to please let us know if you will be able to participate in either activity, so we know if we have enough or too many people.

To RSVP or for any questions please contact Donna Durbin.
LiveOakUU.org Pages to Visit:
Worship Service & Fellowship Hour: http://www.liveoakuu.org/
Community Outreach & Social Justice: http://www.liveoakuu.org/justice/
The deadline for the weekly e-newsletter and the Sunday announcements is midnight on Tuesday. The submission form can be found here
If you have any questions or comments about this Newsletter please email: editor@liveoakuu.org