July 7, 2022
This Week
Worship
July 10th 10:00am - In Person or online
The Far Country
Rev. Eric Posa

We Unitarian Universalists speak frequently of our religious journeys. But in times of profound change, what does it mean for a congregation as a whole to be on a journey? We'll explore what being on a journey can mean for us.

After more than a decade of travel across the country, serving as interim minister to half a dozen different UU congregations, Rev. Eric Posa moved back to his native Texas in June 2022. He will begin long-term service as minister to the Denton UU Fellowship in August.
Share the Plate
Kind Clinic offers free care to all
Live Oak will share the plate in July with Kind Clinic, a nonprofit that provides sexual health services in Austin. It offers gender affirming care and STI/HIV testing and treatment. There are no fees for patients.

Kind Clinic locations in Austin are 101 West Koenig Lane and 2800 S. I-35 Frontage Road. You can learn more at www.kindclinic.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”.
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.

During seminary, Rev. Joanna served as Intern Minister for Church of the Larger Fellowship. This is a piece she wrote for those who lost a loved one to suicide.

Special Notices
Take Live Oak’s annual engagement survey!
Please take 3 minutes before July 31st to take Live Oak's annual engagement survey to measure how connected we are with each other over time and update directory information.

Please note that this survey also includes an opportunity to give feedback about programs funded by the church’s Endowment Fund.
SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY NEWS
Act local

HELLO FRIENDS! The overturning of Roe kicks access decisions back to the state. Local is where the action is! What to do? Contact local politicians. Five county district attorneys in Texas (Travis, Dallas, Bexar, Nueces, and Ft. Bend—note Williamson is missing) have courageously agreed NOT to pursue charges against violators of abortion laws. Call and thank them. Other officers who COULD choose NOT to pursue abortion violations are sheriffs, county judges, commissioners, constables, and mayors. Contact them. Chito Vela on the Austin City Council is working to restrict police from investigating abortion access. Support him. The Austin council will vote next month whether to decriminalize abortion within city limits. Contact them. Volunteer for Texas nonprofits to answer calls and give locations (and $) for abortions: Lilith, La Frontera, and Texas Equal Access. Let’s all channel our inner militant, let the local powers hear from us, and rebuild from the bottom up!

Reproductive Rights Team @ socialjusticeteam-members@liveoakuu.org

Women's Labyrinth Group on Zoom
Sunday, July 10, 6:30-9 pm
Due to the heat, we will be on Zoom in July and August. We gather for a sharing circle and a finger labyrinth walk. “In the heat of the sun, you are the shade/A well of water in a dry, dry land”—from a chant about Inanna, Sumerian Goddess. Where do you find refuge? What helps you cope during difficult times? How do you keep moving toward Center when the way is lost? The group is open to women high school age and older. The Zoom link will 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 labyrinth graphic and/or the Zoom link, contact: Linda Webster

Exploring Membership Workshops Scheduled
Interested in learning more about Live Oak Church? Why do we light a chalice? What does it mean to be a member of Live Oak? Attend an Exploring Membership workshop where we'll get to know each other, talk a little bit about Unitarian Universalism, and a lot about Live Oak.
The July workshop will be held July 17th following the Sunday service in the library. Childcare will not be available. The August workshop will be held August 21st following the Sunday service in the library and childcare will be available.

Local OWL Training Opportunity
No, not training owls, but training to be a facilitator for Our Whole Lives.
Although training owls would also be cool, First UU Austin is holding a weekend-long session for people wanting to certify as a 7-12th grade teacher for the UUA's comprehensive sex ed program Our Whole Lives. The training will be in Austin September 16-18. Register directly here or contact them with any questions. LOUU plans to hold a high school OWL class in the very near future so your training will have a chance to be put to good use right away.

THE LIBRARY NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Admit it, you have secretly always wanted to play librarian.
That's why volunteering to help re-organize the Live Oak UU library might be the right job for you. The books have all been cataloged (including all the new ones that were recently donated), but we need to move them around to make better use of space. Can you help us? To join the team, contact Cindy at dlfd@liveoakuu.org.

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, July 15th, 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. This means that we will no longer need volunteers on Thursday to sort the food, but we will need more volunteers on Friday to help with directing traffic, weighing the food, and helping people carry food to their cars. If you can help anytime on July 15th between 8:30 and 11AM, RSVP to Donna Durbin at: HCCM@liveoakuu.org


Live Oak Voting Rights Team Needs You!
Join us in the Fellowship hall after the service and help to increase voter turnout in Texas
On July 17, the Live Oak Voting Rights Team is sponsoring a VoteForward letter writing event in the Fellowship hall after the Sunday service. The goal of VoteForward is to help get people out to vote. Research has shown that adding a personal message to their standard letter is effective in increasing turnout in folks who are registered but not likely to vote. For more information about this nationwide program, check out the VoteForward website. We will be preparing letters to send to a pool of registered Texas voters in underrepresented communities urging them to vote November 8. This is a non-partisan effort to strengthen our democracy.

You can help with our event, July 17, in several ways. You can create your own account at VoteForward.org and print out your own list of voters to bring that day, or you can help fold, stuff, stamp, and address letters from the lists other Live Oak participants will be working on July 17. Stamps, envelopes, pens, and templates will be provided for all to share. You’re also welcome to come for information about the program and see it in action. You don’t have to be voting age to participate; just bring your willingness to help increase voter turnout in Texas. For more information contact Judy Reynolds or Wayne Gregory

Fill Up a Green Bag
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
In addition to helping distribute food through the Fresh Food for All Program our members contribute food as well. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1. Pick up a Live Oak Green Bag you can use when shopping for HCCM Donations (or use any bag). You pick one up in the narthex on Sundays or at the church during office hours.
2. When you go grocery shopping pick up a few extra items for Hill Country Community Ministries and drop them off at the church. The HCCM monthly needs list can be found here - https://hccm.org/pantry_list.php
3. Once the shopping is done empty your bag into the cart in the Narthex. Take your Green Bag home and use it again.
Annual Fall Campout in November!
The campout will be the weekend of Nov 11-13 at Cedar Breaks Park on Lake Georgetown. Make your reservations here. We usually camp in sites along the lake, in the teens and 20s. Some of us camp longer, arriving a day or 2 ahead of time and staying a day or 2 longer afterwards. Join the Live Oak UU Camping Group on Facebook for Q&A and camping discussion!


DON'T READ THESE BOOKS!
This summer we will be spending some faith development time exploring banned books, thanks entirely to the Leander ISD school board!

These banned book discussions will be happening the third Sunday of each month: July 17, and August 21.

In July, the K-5th grade class will be reading “A is for Activist,” “Nasreen’s Secret School,” and “Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation.” In August they will read “This Day in June,” “And Tango Makes Three” and “Worm Loves Worm.” No pre-reading is required but parents are encouraged to read these books ahead of time if you wish to know what they are about.

The 6-12th graders are not expected to do any pre-reading but it is certainly encouraged. In July, the two books are “New Kid” (recommended for middle schoolers) and “The Hate U Give” (high school). In August the selections are “Better Nate Than Ever” (middle school) and “Red at the Bone” (high school). The high school selections all include content warnings for adult language, violence and in some cases sex so you may wish to pre-read these with your child. Both books will be summarized and the reasons they have been banned will be discussed at the lesson but will be age-appropriate for ages 11 and up.

Adults, please pre-read the following books and come ready to discuss the reasons you think they have been banned in Leander ISD and other schools. In July the book is “Ordinary Hazards” by Nikki Grimes; and the August selection is “Red at the Bone.” While each of these books are young adult selections, there are content warning of adult topics.

In the Community
Genderfuul Retreat
Join us at camp July 8-10, 2022! The Genderfuul retreat is an affirming retreat where trans, non-binary & agender UU adults can build community with each other. From nature walks to spiritual discussions and crafts, we hope that each person is able to relax and connect with the sacredness of being genderful. Our chaplain will foster an environment where everyone is encouraged to acknowledge and value the wide variety of identities, experiences, feelings, vocabulary and traumas that come with existing in an often oppressively gendered world.
In addition to discussions, crafts, meals and lodging, the weekend will include swimming in the UBarU stock tank pool, walking the labyrinth, resting and renewing your body and spirit. Register at https://www.ubaru.org/genderfuul-weekend
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