News from UUCH

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April 09, 2026

Vol. 26 Issue 15

Upcoming Service

The Music We Can Still Make

Rev. Jaimie Simon

10:45AM, April 12, 2026

It’s time for our last hymn sing of the year! We will reflect on our April theme, Embracing Possibility, and learn a few more hymns from the Sing Out Love hymnal that remind us of possibility and hope! Join us as we commit to making the music we still can make.

This Sunday Events

Coffee Hour

Directly After Service

Music News

Sing with the UUCH Choir! We rehearse most Sundays after church and we would love to welcome YOU to the group! No experience is necessary, just come and sing!

Choir rehearsal this Sunday is at 12:10, after coffee hour. We will meet in the Music Room to avoid conflicts with other events scheduled for the Sanctuary.

Save the Date!

Our Annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for June 21, 2026 following service.

Restarting the Worship Arts Team

At our best, worship at UUCH is a collaborative activity. We include diverse voices. We seek wisdom from a variety of sources. We are inspired by each other's questions and stories, and the songs that stir each other's hearts. And to do worship well, we need a team of people who care about our collective worship experience to help guide us. Join Rev. Jaimie for the first meeting of the newly regathered Worship Arts Team on Thursday, April 16th at 6:30PM in the Adult RE room. This will be an opportunity to share your feedback about the worship offerings we have now, and to dream together about new possibilities. We will look at the upcoming worship calendar, delegate out some key tasks, and make plans for the future. All are welcome! Reach out to Rev. Jaimie with questions!

Staff Evaluations

At UUCH, we take seriously our responsibility to be a generous and empowering employer, and we understand that our paid Minister and Staff are among our greatest resources. To that end, it matters to us to help our Minister and Staff understand how their work is experienced by the congregation so as to guide them as they continue to grow in their roles.

To support that goal, we need to offer regular evaluations. This year, we are following an evaluation model from the UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC, that will ask you for your feedback on their work. Next week, you will get an email with links to two surveys, one for the Minister and one for the Church Staff. Everyone in our community is encouraged to fill both of these out, and to share your honest feedback. These surveys are confidential but not anonymous, because anonymous feedback does not support healthy relationships in congregations. The Board will have access to the results of the Minister Survey, so that they can incorporate congregational feedback into Rev. Jaimie's overall evaluation. And Rev. Jaimie, as chief of staff, will have access to the Staff survey results to incorporate congregational feedback into her evaluations of the staff.

This is your opportunity to offer kind, constructive, and honest feedback to the people who work hard each week to keep our church moving forward. The surveys will be open from April 14th until the end of the month. Please reach out to Rev. Jaimie Simon (minister@uuch.org) or Board President Laurel Bollinger (president@uuch.org) with questions or concerns.

Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE) News

This week in RE we will be combining classes to work on our annual CYRE service! The kids will lead our service on April 26th. This year's theme is our shared values, and everyone who wants to participate will have a part to play. We will have a rehearsal after service at 12:15PM in the sanctuary.

Easter Eggs Return

If you would like to return your empty eggs from the easter egg hunt for future use, please leave them in the fellowship hall or give to Jes Zelaya or Jessica Jackson!

Nursery Care

Nursery care is available during the service from 10:30AM–12:15PM.

Little ones can be signed in and out upon arrival and departure in the RE wing.

Celebrate Our Pledge Drive April 19th

On April 19th, we mark the end of the “Building Hope Renewing Faith” pledge drive with a special celebration during coffee hour. We’ll celebrate your generosity AND Rev Jaimie’s birthday!!

Many thanks to all who have pledged for the coming year! For those who haven’t gotten around to it, your pledge is welcome, much needed, and very appreciated!

Please fill out your pledge form online by clicking the link below. Or return a paper form to church via mail or fill in on Sunday in Fellowship Hall. For more information or help filling in your form, email stewardship@uuch.org.

Pledge Form Link

Social Justice Committee Meeting This Sunday, 4/12!

The next meeting of your Social Justice Committee will be held on Sunday, April 12th, at 9:30AM. We will meet in the Adult RE room in the RE Wing. All who may be interested in social justice events and activities are encouraged to attend.

At Sunday’s meeting, we will discuss our Little Food Pantry, Share the Plate recipients, and other upcoming social justice related activities.

Join us as we seek to make the world a better place for all!

Vegetarian/Vegan Potluck Dinner

The next Vegetarian/Vegan Potluck dinner will be held on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 5:30PM in the Church Fellowship Hall. This month, we’ll show the acclaimed film, Forks Over Knives. This 95-minute film examines the work and findings of nutritional biochemist T. Colin Campbell and former surgeon Caldwell Esselstyne. Forks Over Knives “…presents a simple, non-preachy case for ‘food as medicine.’” We think you will enjoy the film and learn a great deal from it.

First-time folks don’t need to bring anything. Those who have attended before are welcome to bring a yummy, plant-based dish to share.

Feel free to invite anyone you know who may be interested in attending.

For questions or more information, contact Cam at camrme@aol.com (256-783-9485).

ARE YOU READY TO BECOME A MEMBER?

If you’ve been attending UUCH long enough to know that this church community feels like your spiritual home, you may be ready to take the next step and become a member of this congregation.

On Sunday, April 19th, Rev. Jaimie plans to welcome new members as they “sign the book” and officially join our church. If you are ready to become a member or would like to find out more about the process, please contact Pam Korb at membership@uuch.org by April 12th.

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERSHIP

Because we are a democratic community, members are collectively responsible for the congregation. Members may vote at all congregational meetings, be elected to the governing Board, be appointed as committee chairs, and participate in all activities of the congregation.

Because we are a covenanted congregation, members have certain responsibilities to the congregation and to each other. These responsibilities are best fulfilled by:

Regular attendance at worship
Voting at congregational meetings
Making financial contributions
Contributing time and talent
Spiritual growth and development

Donate Food and Support Your Favorite Team!

Your Social Justice Committee is holding a food drive competition to determine who has the most school spirit! There are food donation boxes in the Fellowship Hall representing 7 college teams (plus an “other” box). Food donations are counted each week and the teams ranked based on the number of food items received. At the end of April, we’ll announce the winning team!

After the third week, Alabama supporters have taken the lead and a total of 94 food items have been donated in the past 3 weeks! You can help determine which team will be in the lead next week! Support your favorite team and help us feed those in need!

Spirituality for Elders

How do you understand your essential relations with life? What are your most cherished values? Hopes? Fears? How do they manifest in your behavior?

Folks of a certain age and life experiences, labeled “seniors" or "elders,” have a special developed lifeway that can be seen as "Spirituality." Let’s explore that.

We’ll look at the story of spirituality (religiosity, morality, values) in the human odyssey. Expect a bit of history and reports on "revelations"...no absolute truths here. Maybe some serious hunches. This is not theology, but the practical consideration of lives lived.

Rev. Doak M. Mansfield will facilitate informal seminar-style sessions (six) convening each first and third Monday of March–May. Next meeting will be April 20th at 10:30AM

Ongoing participation is encouraged but not mandatory.

Rev. Doak can be reached at doakmansf@gmail.com

FREE TAX SERVICE

Get your tax returns prepared for free!

This tax service is free to those who need it. It is sponsored by the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide and the IRS, offered at 8 locations in Madison County.

Main Location: Studio 60 Senior Center, 2200 Drake Avenue, Huntsville, 35805

Times: Monday–Thursday, 8:30AM–4:00PM, Friday 8:30AM–11:30PM

Dates: February 2nd–April 15th, 2026

Appointment Process: Come in person to fill out a request for appointment and pick up a tax package for completion at your convenience. You will be called back ASAP with an appointment date and time. You can request a late March or early April appointment if waiting on tax documents.

For more info, please contact Khoe Tran, IRS Certified Tax Preparer, at

kqtran1@yahoo.com

Upcoming Social Justice Events

Your participation is needed! Below is a list of local social justice events sponsored by groups that UUCH and/or our members support.

April 11th: Huntsville Green Team District 1 Earth Month Kickoff Cleanup at 9:00AM at the Richard Showers Center (Learn more here)
April 13th : UUA’s Side with Love Monthly Gathering at 7:00PM via Zoom (Sign up here)
April 15th : ACLU’s Organizing to Protect Democracy: Rapid Response at 7:00PM via Zoom (Sign up here)
April 17th : UU Immigration Solidarity Session at 1:00PM via Zoom (Sign up here)
April 18th : Indivisible Spring Fling at Butler Green Park from 2:00PM to 5:00PM (Learn more here)
April 22nd : Huntsville Green Team’s Earth Day Cleanup at 4:00PM at Bud Cramer Park, 600 Meridian Street North (Learn more here)
April 28th : ACLU’s People Power Action Call at 7:00PM via Zoom (Sign up here)
May 1st : UU Immigration Solidarity Session at 1:00PM via Zoom (Sign up here)

Here are some standing opportunities to get engaged with local organizations:

Food Bank of North Alabama: https://www.foodbanknorthal.org/volunteer/
First Stop:

Provide a meal for unhoused people (https://firststoporg.galaxydigital.com/)
Donate urgently needed items (https://firststop.org/category/needs-list/)
Other volunteer opportunities (https://firststop.org/ways-to-volunteer/)

ShowerUp (showers for unhoused people): https://app.initlive.com/web-admin/app/#/join-party?k=aagp6mlprpk46k
Land Trust of North Alabama: https://landtrustnal.org/support/volunteer/

For more information about a particular event or to list an event, please email social.justice@uuch.org.

Circle of Candles

Dan McKitrick lit a candle of Joy: "Congratulations to past UUCH Chorus members Angela Arnold and George Fletcher on their recent marriage."

Nicole S lit a candle of Joy: "The pagent on Sunday gave tears of Joy."

Laura Ballew lit a candle of Joy: "Ingrid had a successful surgery over spring break and is healing. The cyst has been biopsied and confirmed to be benign!"

LaDawn Edwards lit a candle of Joy: "Last week I bought out my business partner and am now the sole owner of The Dog Stop."

Spud Lambert lit a candle of Joy: "A little over a week ago, I finally took the first steps on a long journey towards transitioning to she/they."

Upcoming Events

Click the calendar to see all of our upcoming events!

Little Food Pantry

Many of our neighbors and many unhoused people visit our LFP frequently. Consider buying a few extra cans of soup or veggies to contribute! For suggestions of what to donate (and what not to donate), check out this list: Pantry Food Items. Remember that many families don’t have the experience or the equipment to handle dried beans (dry lentils in particular tend not to be taken!), and that the unhoused particularly benefit from cans that don’t require can openers. See the link above for fridge options! A little help from us can go a long way. Please, if you can fill up the pantry or fridge, note your name in the SignUpGenius so we can maximize efficiency while still feeding people. Also, you can bring non-perishables to church; there are baskets available. A big thank you to all who contribute!

Donate Online

via CDM+ Engage

Online:

Like our other online and mobile giving options, this option is through CDM+ Engage, is secure, and has a good option for "plate" donations as well as "pledge".

Donate

COVID Policy as of 10/25/2022

Submit to the Newsletter

Do you have news to include in the newsletter next week? Please submit your article to the newsletter through our request form no later than 10:00AM each Wednesday. Please make sure to complete a new request form each time you make a submission to the newsletter.

Minister

Rev. Jaimie Simon

Office Hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday by appointment.

Calendar: https://calendly.com/rev-jaimie-dingus

Email: minister@uuch.org

Make an Appointment with the Minister

UUCH 2025-26

Board Members

President:

Laurel Bollinger

Vice President:

Darlene Patten

Secretary:

Steve Rittenberg

Treasurer:

Khoe Tran

Trustees:

Vickie Goodman

Lynsie Lamitie

Foster Perry

Minister:

Rev. Jaimie Simon

Do you have an agenda item for the Board?

The Board respectfully requests that all agenda items for the meeting be submitted to Board President Laurel Bollinger via email no later than one week prior to the meeting (i.e. the Wednesday before). The next Board meeting is April 22nd.