UUA GA 2024

Dear UUCH,

Big things are happening in our wider UU Movement. This past week, I joined about 3500 UUs from across the country and the world to participate in General Assembly, the national gathering of the Unitarian Universalist Association, which took place entirely online this year. This year was historic in many ways. I recommend reading this article from our UU World Magazine to hear all about GA!

But today I want to tell you about the most important vote that happened at this year’s GA. After about 4 years of work, community conversation, study, struggle, and so much copy editing, our association voted overwhelmingly to adopt new language for Article 2 of the UUA By-laws.

“Rev. Jaimie, really? A by-law amendment, how important could that be?”

Well, this by-law amendment is very important. Article 2 is the place in the UUA’s By-laws where we articulate the central threads that hold us together as an association of congregations. For about 40 years, those threads were our 7 Principles and 6 Sources. But these threads were always intended to be renewed and changed. We don’t have to stop loving our principles, but this year we got new language, 6 values with love at the center to guide us and connect us.

Share the Plate with Habitat for Humanity

During the third quarter of 2024, UUCH will be sharing our plate proceeds with Habitat for Humanity of the River Valley. All plate proceeds received from the Thursday before the first Sunday through the Saturday after the first Sunday will be split with Habitat for Humanity. In July, this includes plate donations received from July 4th through July 13th.

The need for affordable housing in Madison and Limestone County is great. Of the families in our area who make less than $48,000 a year, 42% of them pay 50% or more of their gross income for housing. This is a statistic that needs to change. When people spend all of their money, time, and energy on their home, it leaves little for education, improvement, peace, or purpose.

There are only a few organizations working to solve this problem – Habitat for Humanity of the River Valley is one of the largest and most effective. Their goal is to continue working to reduce the need for subsidized housing by partnering with families who need help and the community who can help them. We are all better off when our community has better homes for our families.

Habitat for Humanity offers partner families the opportunity to own a home that is stable and affordable. The homes are not free and homeowners are required to pay a monthly mortgage at 0% interest until they pay off the cost to build the home. The organization partners with their clients to ensure that they are receiving the financial and homeownership education and counseling that they need in order to be successful homeowners.

For more information, please visit their website here.

Please consider giving generously to this important local organization.

Thank You to UUCH Greeters!

We appreciate the warm smiles and welcoming presence provided by the following people who served as UUCH Greeters at one or more worship services during April, May, and June 2024:

Jo Broussard, LaDawn Edwards, Nancy Finley, Vickie Goodman, Barbara and Gary Hitt, Rusty Johnson, Pam Korb, Lynda Lamitie, Dan McKitrick, Sandy Moore, David Patten, Nancy Pettus, Steve Rittenberg, Cam Scales, Nancy Stetson, Sarah Storm, Zena Tucker, Bob Weed, Gail Williams

Thank you for providing this simple yet important service to our church family!

Click HERE to sign up to greet on an upcoming Sunday.



Submitted by the Membership Committee

LATE: A Love Story

We hope you can join us on Saturday, July 13th, for a special event hosted at UUCH.

The Facebook Event can be found here.

Read more below:

Poverty, by America: A Book Discussion

Sunday, July 14th and August 11th at 12:15 pm in ARE room

"To understand the causes of poverty, we must look beyond the poor. Those of us living lives of privilege and plenty must examine ourselves… Most government aid goes to families that need it the least. If you add up the amount that the government is dedicating to tax breaks — mortgage interest deduction, wealth transfer tax breaks, tax breaks we get on our retirement accounts, our health insurance, our college savings accounts — you learn that we are doing so much more to subsidize affluence than to alleviate poverty… And this is the way we designed it.” - Matthew Desmond

This exercise asks you to read Matthew Desmond’s highly celebrated book, Poverty, by America.

As the above quotation suggests, it is a book that challenges those of us in the middle and moderately affluent classes to look at the ways we knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. This is not a role we are used to. When it comes to economic injustice, we privileged liberals are much more comfortable naming the problems than being named as the problem.

But alongside that discomfort lies a feeling of being liberated. Desmond is not out to guilt his reader. Rather, his aim is empowerment and understanding. You will leave this book with more compassion, more commitment, and a clearer path forward.

If you are looking to join a social justice project, this is the one being done by the Adult Religious Education

Childcare can be provided upon request. Please contact Teri Thomas, adult.re@uuch.org

Save the Date!

The fabulous coloratura Ariana Maloney is teaming up with Pianist Ron Guthrie and Poet/Narrator Susan Hazen Guthrie for an evening of beautiful music, poetry, and song! Ron and Susan will present Poulenc’s wonderful "The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant," and Ron will perform Spanish songs and opera arias with Ariana. 

Saturday, July 20th at 7:30 pm at Roberts Recital Hall on the UAH Campus.

Admission is free; donations are welcome. 

More information here.

Blood Drive at UUCH!

UUCH will be hosting a LifeSouth Bloodmobile on Sunday, August 4th, from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm. This coincides with our montly potluck lunch, so you can eat lunch and donate blood!

Please consider donating blood on August 4th. The need is especially great during the summer months!

For more information, click here.

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.

• July 11^th: Huntsville Community Connections on Emergency Disaster Services at 9 am at the downtown public library
• July 16^th: Alabama Arise Town Hall at 6 pm via Zoom (https://www.alarise.org/event/2024-town-hall-tuesdays-a-better-alabama-is-possible/)
• July 17^th: Green Sanctuary 2030 + the UU Climate Justice Revival at 6 pm via Zoom (https://sidewithlove.org/allevents?pn=1)
• August 5^th: UUA’s Climate Justice Revival Info Session at 4 pm via Zoom (https://sidewithlove.org/allevents?pn=1)
• August 6^th: Alabama Arise Town Hall at 6 pm via Zoom (https://www.alarise.org/event/2024-town-hall-tuesdays-a-better-alabama-is-possible/)
• August 7^th: Green Sanctuary 2030 + the UU Climate Justice Revival via Zoom (https://sidewithlove.org/allevents?pn=1)
• August 13^th: UUA’s Climate Justice Revival Info Session at 11 am via Zoom (https://sidewithlove.org/allevents?pn=1)

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

• First Stop:

1. Provide a meal for unhoused people (https://firststoporg.galaxydigital.com/)
2. b) donate urgently needed items (https://firststop.org/category/needs-list/)
3. c) 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

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

Circle of Candles

Grayson lit a candle of Joy: "My Aunt Chelsea is coming to visit next month! Finally :)"

LaDawn Edwards lit a candle of Joy: "After a 40 foot tree fell in my yard, Brad responded to my Facebook post with his chainsaw and can-do attitude. Thanks for all the help!"

Nancy Finley lit a candle of Joy: "Big thanks to all who came out to be in the Pride Parade yesterday to support the LGBTQiAT community. UUCH had a large turnout and a great time."