April 8, 2021
This Week
Worship
April 11, 2021
10:00am
From Liberal to Liberatory 
Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford
We are a liberal religion, seeking wisdom from liberation theology. Join us this Sunday as we explore the continuum of liberal to liberatory, and the religious challenge laid before us.

Join us for Worship at 10:00am: the link will be on the Live Oak homepage: www.liveoakuu.org

Join us for Fellowship Time immediately following the service (approx. 10:45/11:00) https://link.liveoakuu.org/FellowshipHour

OR

Join us for a Town Hall meeting to discuss changes to the bylaws at 11:00am. See below for more information. The link will be on the What's Happening page.



Share the Plate
Healthcare Is a Human Right. Share-the-Plate to clear their debt.
Our April 2021 Share the Plate community partner is RIP Medical Debt. RIP uses donors’ funds to wipe out medical debt from the neediest cases, and every $1 donated forgives $100 in medical debt. Every day 79,000,000 Americans choose between paying their medical bills and basic needs like food and shelter. Sixty-six percent of all US bankruptcies are due to medical debt and 25% of all US credit card debt is medical debt. RIP specifically focuses on “hot spots” around the county, those places most in need of medical debt relief, and Texas is one of those hot spots. So far they have paid off nearly $4 billion in medical debt and have provided relief for nearly 2.5 million American families. You can read more about their mission at ripmedicaldebt.org.

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 April will go to the fund.

February recipient: Minister's Discretionary Fund $2750
A Few Words from the Minister
"I Don't Know Who I AM Now" or The Importance of Not Assuming for a While
The next 5 months are probably going to be kinda weird. Uncertainty and anxiety flying all over the place. Duck! And then after that ... it's also going to be kinda weird, but a different kind of weird, as we move into the After Times, and figure out what exactly they're going to be like, and what exactly WE are going to be like.  Read more

A Few Words from the DLFD
This week's faith development news... read more
Special Notices
Early Newsletter Deadline Next Week
I'm going to do the newsletter on Wednesday next week. I get my second shot that afternoon and am taking Thursday off in anticipation of feeling awful. Please submit your articles by midnight on Tuesday (4/13).
Thanks!
Diane
Last Call for VANCO
There are a few people that haven't changed their electronic payments from VANCO to Breeze. We are going to be cancelling our VANCO service. If you still need to change, please do the following:

  • Go to the VANCO payment page at http://bit.ly/byebyevanco
  • Log in to: see your existing automatic transactions.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to delete those transactions.
  • Then go to the Breeze online contribution page at https://louu.breezechms.com/give/online
  • Go through the (much simpler) steps to set up your new contribution.

Questions? Email asst-treasurer@liveoakuu.org.

Women's Labyrinth Group on Zoom
Sunday, April 11, 6:30-9 p.m.
We gather for a sharing circle followed by a finger labyrinth walk. Spring is the time of the Maiden, and we wonder: How is Maiden energy alive in us? Please join us as we walk the twists and turns of our lives and support each other along the path—the path that “calls us from the center of who we are and who we long to be.” The group is open to women high school age and older. The Zoom link with be sent via email for those who are on the email list for the Women’s Labyrinth Group. If you need a copy of the Live Oak Labyrinth and/or the Zoom link, contact: Linda Webster.

Bylaws Rewrite Townhall
Three diligent members have been working to simplify and update our bylaws (the base governing documents of our church) for the past 6 months. You are invited to attend a town-hall meeting about the bylaws update on April 11 following the service. There will be a short presentation on material changes to how we govern (like changes to voting rules on the board) followed by plenty of time for Q&A. Feel free to review the updated bylaws before the meeting and send feedback to Linda to collate. The goal is for these updates to be voted on in the May congregational meeting. Read more

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.

* Thursday, April 15 @ 1:00 p.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m. food needs to be separated into smaller quantities for distribution. Meet at Hill Country Community Ministries, 1005 Lacy Dr, Leander, TX 78641

* Friday, April 16 @ 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 at: HCCM@liveoakuu.org
Taking the First Step
The earth is warming up and it won’t cool off overnight. In the mean time, the Live Oak Environmental Awareness Group is taking on the challenge by working as a team. You are invited to join us on the 4th Thursdays of each month. Learn more about the group’s activities by contacting Chris Mihealsick: environment@liveoakuu.org
ABE Tutors Needed
Do you want an activity to punctuate your week, give you something to look forward to, help you remember what day it is? Our Adult Basic Education program needs 2 tutors right away. We're getting one student who realizes it's time to get his GED but falls short of the requirements for the Literacy Council Williamson County pre-GED program, and another who didn't learn to read or write properly due to civil war in her home country of Liberia. Our program offers one-on-one lessons to students. Training is provided. If you can spend 1 1/2 hours each week giving an online lesson and about thirty minutes for preparation, this may be just the volunteer opportunity you've been looking for. Contact Kim Ono or Mary Hengstebeck for more information.
Opportunity – help your neighbors learn English on Zoom.
If you have been thinking you might want to help, we invite you to observe some classes.
Getting to know our wonderful students, is a great way to have a positive influence in our community. Our goal is to increase student’s confidence so they can talk with people at stores, their neighbors, their children’s teachers, and health professionals. Our goal is not perfect grammar or perfect pronunciation.
Anyone who wants to teach or assist, will work with current teachers to become familiar with our classroom activities. You determine when and how much you want to participate. Conversation classes are 1.5 hours, and we structure them so that the students are doing 80% of the talking.
If you would like more information, please contact Mary Hengstebeck or 512-983-7009.
Live Oak Seniors' Coffee Hour
Join us for Coffee hour on Thursdays at 10:30am. On the 1st & 3rd week of the month, Rev. Joanna will lead a lively discussion. The other weeks will be an informal gathering. The Zoom link will be on the What's Happening page.
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LiveOakUU.org Pages to Visit:
Worship Service & Fellowship Hour: http://www.liveoakuu.org/
Community Outreach & Social Justice: http://www.liveoakuu.org/justice/
In the Community
UBarU Camp & Retreat Center is offering e-events to help you connect with camp and with each other. All the details are at http://ubaru.org/home/e-events. The cottages are available for personal and family get-aways. Just send me an email and we can confirm plans. Details about rates and accommodations

Each Friday at 6:30 p.m.   Join us for Friday Fellowship with Rev. Betty. Friday Fellowship includes meditation, readings, homily and discussion. All are welcome! Co-sponsored by UU Free Range Ministry and UBarU Camp & Retreat Center registration

Each Friday at 10 a.m. Friday  Dance as a spiritual practice, for all ages (adults and kids), genders, abilities, and fitness levels. Set an intention for joy, energy, movement, and community. Open to UUs and wider community, led by Community Minister Rev. Erin Walter. Questions or song requests, contact erinjwalter@gmail.com  link

April 16-18 Women-aligned Retreat - Details at www.ubaru.org
May 28-31 Family Camp  - Details at www.ubaru.org

Youth Summer camps- dates are based on age of camper
Details at www.ubaru.org

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