Share the Spotlight!

UUCH is a community of Shared Ministry, and we invite YOU to share the spotlight.

Have you ever admired or envied the person who reads announcements and gets the service going on Sundays? Have you ever wondered how EASY it is to do it? Do you want to practice your speaking in front of a loving audience without having to compose anything? Are you craving an opportunity to ring the bowl? Do you want to show off your new haircut?

Being a host for our worship services could be for you! You don’t have to be a member of any committee to try it. You can do it only one time, or you can continue to be part of the rotation. Whatever is right for you. It’s TOTALLY SCRIPTED! No worries, no need to ad lib. 

Contact Suzey Delacey at pseuzieq@gmail.com to get access to the spotlight.

Letter from Sandra

Hello Everyone!

I am delighted to inform you that at its recent meeting, the Board approved a one-month extension of the interim work we have been doing together. For the month of March we will be able to prepare for the arrival of a new staff person, an event everyone has been eager to celebrate! We will continue our discussions regarding staff and program successes. And we will think deeply and carefully about the ways to answer the needs of families in Huntsville for spiritual growth and justice making.

In thinking about how to respond to the needs of children, youth and families in your area, I am posting the concluding thoughts of a recent article written by Rev. Sarai Rice, a member of the Congregational Consulting Group:

“Perhaps it would be more helpful to think about our members the same way Bolino and Phelps suggest we think about our staff. We can:

• Focus on “creating an environment so attractive that people will want to come in.” This might look like functional and comfortable work rooms, some designed for small-group conversation and others for large-group participation, with a focus on relaxed seating, good lighting, and easy-access technology that allows people not in the room to feel involved and engaged. Churches often act as if any space will do because our mission is so important. But in our current culture, we can no longer afford to forget that our members, like our staff, have other options.
• Listen to what members say they value—flexibility, autonomy, transparency, appreciation, respect. Our ability to develop and honor flexible programming may even make us more attractive to the younger participants and those from diverse backgrounds that we so desperately hope to reach.
• Emphasize spiritual outcomes more than attendance. Churches have rarely been good at defining and measuring the changes we hope to see in our members’ lives. But if we can get clear about those changes, and if we’re successful in creating them, it shouldn’t matter when our members are in the building. What will matter is that they are living the lives they’ve been called to live and doing the work they’ve been called to do.”

Here is a link to the full article.

I am grateful to you for your introspection and your commitment to Unitarian Universalism. Alabama needs you now more than ever.

In faith,

Sandra Greenfield (my pronouns are she/her)

RE Transition Consultant living on the tribal lands of the Cocheco in NH

sandra.l.greenfield@gmail.com

Join UUCH at the Community Kite Festival

March 4, 2023, from 11am to 3pm at John Hunt Park.

The 11TH Annual Community Kite Festival, “SOARING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE,” is on March 4, 2023, from 11am to 3pm at John Hunt Park. It is free and open to the public. UUCH is supporting this event by hosting an exhibit table along with many other organizations in our community, and by encouraging all our members and friends to attend the festival. It will be a fun day of kite flying, social justice networking, food trucks, music, and art activities for the entire family.

The Kite Festival was organized by AshaKiran in order to “foster inclusiveness, diversity, equity, and harmony across all ethnic and social backgrounds by bringing people together through kite flying and family friendly activities.” You can bring your own kite, purchase one there, or just sit on a blanket and watch.

The Festival includes an area for booth exhibits where local organizations can present information about their goals, and network with each other and the public. They call it a “social justice outreach event.”

The host organization for the event, AshaKiran, was started in 2006 to help foreign-born individuals experiencing crises such as human trafficking, sexual assault and domestic violence. Asha Kiran also focuses on working to overcome barriers such as language, cultural and/or religious stigmas.

How you can participate:

• We need some people to help set up our exhibit table and staff it from 11 am to 3 pm (in 1 or 2 hour shifts).
• We want everyone to come enjoy the festival – bring your family and friends. Wear your “Stand With Love” t-shirt if you have one.



If you would like to volunteer to help set up or staff the UUCH exhibit table, contact Nancy Finley at finleyn@uah.edu or Brad Korbat Bradley.s.korb@gmail.com . If you have any questions, just let us know. Hope to see you at the Kite Festival!

Sponsored by the Board

You Are Invited to a Cottage Meeting in March! Sign Up Now!

The 2023 UUCH Annual Budget Drive (ABD) begins this Sunday, Mar 5th. Join us for a kick-off PARTY – to celebrate us – during the potluck after church. We will celebrate each other, learn about the ABD, and HAVE FUN! Please bring a savory dish to share. Dessert will be on us!

And as part of the 2023 ABD, Cottage Meetings are returning to UUCH after the long pandemic hiatus.

Cottage Meetings are small gatherings held either in member homes, at the church, or via Zoom. You will enjoy food and fellowship, make connections with others and share your aspirations and dreams for our church. You will also get your questions answered about our Annual Budget Drive and be asked to fill out a pledge form – online or in hardcopy.

There are several Cottage Meetings to choose from in March – one to fit your schedule. Sign up for a Cottage Meeting now using this link.

You may also sign up manually on the poster in the Fellowship Hall at church, but do that soon!

Several Cottage Meetings are designated as child-friendly so the whole family can attend. Efforts will be made to accommodate dietary restrictions so that everyone feels welcome. Please note any dietary restrictions on the signup form.

Whether you are a long-time member or someone who only recently started coming to UUCH, your support is the key to all the great things the UUCH can accomplish. The Pledge form you'll fill out at the Cottage Meeting, along with the Pledge forms from everyone else, will be the basis for creating the annual operating budget for the 2023-2024 church year that starts in July.

At Cottage Meetings, we celebrate things we have accomplished on OUR SHARED JOURNEY over the past few years, and look at where OUR SHARED JOURNEY might take us next. We hope you will be part of OUR SHARED JOURNEY by attending a Cottage Meeting in March!

Zena Tucker 2023 ABD Co-chair

Tim Miller 2023 ABD Co-chair

Sponsored by the Stewardship Committee

Adult RE sign up table

Have you notice the ARE signup table in the fellowship hall? Please make it part of your coffee hour routine to peruse our offerings for engagement in adult religious education.

Sponsored by the Adult RE Committee

SoulCollage Sunday Afternoons

Coming soon, we will be restarting our popular SoulCollage® group. Based on the work of Seena Frost, SoulCollage® is an easy, creative way to get in touch with your right brain, intuitive self. 

We will be using cut out images, our imaginations, a bit of glue, and some card stock to create a collaged card. By musing and journaling with this card, we can explore and express ourselves in ways we might not have thought possible. Finally, we will gather in a circle of community to share as each one feels comfortable.

All materials will be provided, but feel free to supplement by gathering images from magazines, online photo sharing websites, or bring photos of loved ones and pets.

Using images instead of language helps us to connect with the parts of ourselves that may be hidden from our everyday view. As we learn more about ourselves, we become able to recognize patterns in thought and action that no longer serve us. Each card is personal and unique because everyone chooses images that speak to them.

“The most original contribution to the battery of tools for deep self-exploration and psychology in years.” --Stanislavsky Geof, M.D. Ph.D. author of Psychology of the Future--Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research

Sponsored by the Adult RE Committee

Share the Plate with Project Share

During the first quarter of 2023, UUCH will be sharing our plate proceeds with the Huntsville Utilities Project Share program. All plate proceeds received from the Thursday before the first Sunday through the Saturday after the first Sunday will be split with Project Share. In March, this includes plate donations received from March 2nd through March 11th.

Project Share began in 1988 and is a unique partnership between Huntsville Utilities and The Salvation Army. Project Share is designed to assist members of our community with their utility bill during the winter months. In addition, a small portion of donations is set aside for the Home Uplift Program that assists qualified homeowners with making their homes more energy efficient to reduce the need for utility assistance. The program helps utility customers aged 62 and older and/or certified as disabled. Participants must also meet income eligibility guidelines. The Salvation Army screens potential recipients, determines eligibility, and decides who will receive assistance.

This past winter, Project Share funds assisted 589 families with the donations received from Huntsville Utilities’ customers and employees. The need for assistance is now greater than ever due to the increase in the number of households that need utility assistance since the start of the COVID pandemic. Every dollar donated to Project Share goes to those in need of utility assistance. Please consider giving generously to this important program during the first week of the month.

Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee

Circle of Candles

Kathy Fisher lit a candle of Joy: "This past Sunday was my grandson Joshua's birthday."

Kathy Fisher lit a candle of Sorrow: "The first of my cousins died of cancer recently. Loved him dearly."

Carol Youkey lit a candle of Sorrow: "I am mourning the loss of my longtime close friend who died in a fire at his home in Madison on Febuary 15th."