August 4, 2022
This Week
Worship
July 31st 10:00am - In Person or online (visit www.liveoakuu.org for the link)
No Feeling Is Final: Holding On in Hard Times
Rev. Erin Walter

Pandemic life has been a slow-motion roller coaster. Some days we feel almost normal, while other days bring us to our knees. Drawing upon the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke and her own spiritual practice of music-making, Unitarian Universalist Rev. Erin Walter will reflect on how we may endure ongoing uncertainty while also embracing joy and gratitude where we find them.

Share the Plate
Muslim Community Center offers rent help
Our Share the Plate recipient for August is the Humanitarian Assistance program at North Austin Muslim Community Center. It provides about $10,000 a month in rental assistance to qualified applicants, some of whom are refugees. You can learn more about the Center and its supportive services at namcc.org.

You can 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 the Donate link on the Live Oak website’s home page. Use the drop down menu to designate your donation for “Share the Plate”.
A Few Words from the Minister
Rev. Joanna will be on sabbatical through August 31. During this time, we will be sharing some of her writings.

This week's article:
Many of us are, I believe, actually afraid of hopelessness. We feel it is a vampire outside our door, asking for entry, and we must be unequivocal in never issuing an invitation. Hopelessness will suck us dry.

Special Notices
The Conversion to LED Lighting is Complete!
I am pleased to report that the church/school building lighting has been replaced with LED lighting. 

A special thanks to Diane Stepakof-Fay for ordering almost 400 LED bulbs. Thank you to Ray McPherson, Bill Dower, and my grandson John, all assisted with the project. A special thank you to Matthias Granberry who coached me on how to convert the fluorescent ceiling fixtures. He not only did the research on how to proceed with the project but also helped with the early work. His encouragement and reassurance made this outcome possible. We were able to accomplish this conversion with minimal involvement of an electrical contractor. The financial savings by doing the work with volunteer labor equates to a significant amount of money.

Thank you to the Board for prioritizing the allocation of funds for building maintenance.

Tim Buckley
Nonprofit nominations
Send your suggestions for Share the Plate

Do you support a worthy nonprofit in our community? The Share the Plate Committee will accept nominations for new recipients until Aug. 11. The Social Justice Ministry team will select recipients at its next meeting for the months of September-December.

Nominees must be 401(c)(3) organizations. Please explain in your nomination how the group fits with Live Oak's principles and missions and details on the aid it provides. Add in any personal information or knowledge you have about the nonprofit. Include a website or other contact information for the organization and your name.

Send nominations to sharetheplate@liveoakuu.org by Aug. 11.

SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY NEWS
Knowledge is Power

HELLO FRIENDS. Knowledge is Power! We have seen Texas turn farther and farther to the right with laws passed that are opposed by the majority of Texans. Texans do not want government in the doctor’s office or the bedroom. Finally, we have the information we need. CNN’s recent “Deep in the Pockets of Texas” revealed a dark secret: two billionaires in West Texas are controlling Texas politicians and ordering the uber-right laws.

Texas is one of only ten states that allows unlimited campaign contributions and two billionaires have taken full advantage. Conservative State Senator Kel Seliger explained, “Texas is [now] a Russian-style oligarchy, pure and simple.” These two West Texans have put in huge amounts of money, (one, $15 million; another, $11 million so far) to get their candidates in office and order the bills and the votes they want. Politicians are punished if they are not “100 percent” voters for the oligarchs’ dictates. These bills are anti-GLBTQ+, anti-“critical race theory”, ban abortion, offer bounties for turning in neighbors, ensure unlimited access to assault weapons, among others. Claiming the US needs to be returned to its origins as a Christian nation, the oligarchs next target is reducing/eliminating public schools so children will attend Christian or home schools. Seliger bluntly stated, “They are wealthy people willing to spend a lot of money to get policy the way they want it, and they get it.”

What can we do? First, we MUST get out the vote! Our vote matters more than ever. Second, we MUST elect candidates who don’t answer to mega-donors. Third, we MUST work on a bill limiting campaign contributions, so politicians answer to voters, not billionaires. But MOST OF ALL, we cannot get discouraged! We CAN use this knowledge for power. Power to get this turned around. According to Babe Ruth, “You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up.” Texans: we need to be those citizens, the ones who WON’T GIVE UP. We won’t give up until we return Texas to a representative democracy!

Contact the Social Justice Ministry team at socialjusticeteam-members@liveoakuu.org



Save the Date
We'll be celebrating Live Oak's 30th Anniversary on
October 1st
LOUU Voting Pledge Card Now Available
Let's be a 100% voting congregation!
The Live Oak voter pledge card is now in circulation. Look for the cards and the return box in the lobby each Sunday. We want to document how many registered voters, VDRs (Volunteer Deputy Registrars) and pollworkers we have at Live Oak. Those under 18 can sign too on the "I will vote when I'm eligible" line.
In the Community
UBarU Annual Star Party
August 27-30, 2022
The 2022 UBarU Star Party (USP) is being held over three nights in late August since it offers a phase of the Moon that is better-suited for deep-sky viewing than over Labor Day weekend 2022. This is our sixth comprehensive star-party event (which includes, in addition to the star parties: astronomy-related lectures, meals, lodging, and more) offered at our IDA-certified Dark-Sky Park in Mountain Home, Texas. Please register via https://www.ubaru.org/ubaru-star-party

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