The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville 
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville AL 35810  
May 24, 2018
Vol. 18 Issue 21
In This Issue
Upcoming Events

Sun. 5/27
Church Services
10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Sanctuary

Mon. 5/28
Memorial Day

Sun. 6/3
Share The Plate
First Sunday PotLuck
 
Services
10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Sanctuary
HAP Needs YOU!
 
The Social Justice Committee
has a monthly goal to collect at least 100 items during each month for the food pantry.
 
Please put your nonperishable food items or personal care products donation in the basket in the church foyer for the Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP).  
   
THANK YOU for your continued generosity! 
Yoga at UUCH!
 
Adult Religious Education is offering a beginning Hatha Yoga Class each Tuesday evening at 5:15 p.m. led by Jessica Schulz. Yoga brings inner quiet and peace of mind, something that could enrich us all.
 

Come dressed in comfortable clothes and bring a mat if you have one (we will have some extras). We will meet in the Adult Religious Education Room. For further information, contact Nancy Finley at [email protected]. 

Everyone is welcome!

* There will be no Yoga class on May 29th. *
UUkulele Fun Group
The Ukulele Fun Group  is open to everyone, regardless of skill level.
 
Look for its summer schedule to be announced.
UUCH Choir Announcement
The UUCH Choir is on summer break! We do not practice or perform during summer vacation. We will resume practice in August with date to be announced.

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UUCH 17-18  
Board Members
 
President:
Laurel Bollinger

Vice-President: 
Denise Runnels

Secretary:
Nancy Finley

Treasurer: 
Greg Howard

Trustees: 
Susan Coddington
Kathy Heath

Lynsie Lamitie


Ex Officio:
Reverend Alice Syltie

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, no later than one week prior to the meeting, i.e. the Tuesday before. You may phone her at home or send a copy of your request to
[email protected]The next UUCH Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 29th.

The Overlook is a publication of The Unitarian Universalist Church, 3921 Broadmor Rd. Huntsville, AL 35810

Minister:  

The Reverend Alice Syltie

Board President:  

Laurel Bollinger   

Editorial Board:  

Susan Coddington 

Kathy Heath 

 

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight.
Please send submissions to news collator Willette Battle at
[email protected].  

 

Office Hours:

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  
Monday-Friday

 

Office phone: 256-534-0508
email:
[email protected] .

Minister's email: [email protected].

Website: www.uuch.org 

 

Sunday Services are held 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 noon; Children's Religious Education held concurrently. Nursery available for age 3 years and under.

 

For further info on any event, call the church office:
256-534-0508.

 
Upcoming Service

Sunday, May 27, 2018
        
A Life Well Lived 
Amanda Schuber
   
This month our worship theme has been creativity; this Sunday we will explore the ways in which we create a life of meaning and purpose, drawing from the life of one of our own much beloved congregants, Ilene Sparks.

Our next two Sundays, we are honored to have our own John Czarchurski and the return of Ana Schuber from Tuscaloosa in the pulpit.
This Sunday in Children and
Youth Religious Education (C Y RE) 
Game Day! Bring your favorite games to play with church friends.
 
For more information, contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education, or Audrey Fox, CYRE Chair.
Interested in watching Erin Howard in the National Spelling Bee?

Once again, our own Erin Howard will be competing in the National Spelling Bee. If you are interested in watching Erin compete, the details are below. The competition starts next Tuesday, May 29th. Erin is Speller #98 this year.

The oral preliminary rounds are on Tuesday and Wednesday and can be viewed on ESPN 3 (espn.com). On Tuesday (Round 2), Group 1 (Spellers 1-104) will spell from 8:15-9:35 a.m. CST. On Wednesday (Round 3), Group 1 will spell from 7:00-8:25 a.m. CST. Being speller #98, Erin will likely spell near the end of each of those times. The other spellers from Alabama are also in Group 1.

Of those who survive Rounds 2 and 3, spellers with the top scores on the written test (up to 50 spellers) will move on to the Thursday finals.
The finalists will be announced shortly after Round 3 which is scheduled to end around 4:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday.

The Thursday finals will be televised. Part 1 of the Finals will be on ESPN 2 from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CST. Part 2 will start at 7:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.


Good luck Erin!
Children and Youth Summer Religious Education -- 
 We Need YOU!

 
In the summer months, the Children and Youth Religious Education Program takes a special turn from the regular fall and spring curricula. We invite UUCH members and friends to plan a learning session for the children and youth. You'll be part of a teaching team as either the lead teacher or a helper; and we'll be sure to have a regular Religious Education (RE) teacher there as support. Even children and youth can partner with an adult to lead a session!

We invite you to sign up to lead a session that shares a special talent, hobby, skill, or learning area of yours. Here are some topics to get your creative juices flowing: yarn craft, music, finger painting, scrapbooking, nature walks, gardening, yoga, science, paper airplanes, drawing, Lego, origami, fossils, friendship bracelets, mythology, sidewalk chalk, pottery, cookie-making. The possibilities are limitless! What is a joy to you can be a joy to others.

Leaders will prepare a topic/activity that is adaptable to children ages 4 to 12. Senior high youth are invited to participate as leaders and helpers, or to attend the regular worship service in the sanctuary. Because of our exciting program growth, we'll need even more leaders and helpers this summer than before! So, don't be shy!

We have room for the sharing of your gifts. There's nothing like spending time with the children and youth at our church. Their energy, creativity, and intelligence are contagious. And they benefit from interacting with caring adults who make an investment in them. This is what multi-generational community is all about!


For the next month, we'll have posters standing in the church foyer and Fellowship Hall where you can sign up for a summer Sunday session. Alternatively, you can contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education (DRE), at  [email protected] or Audrey Fox, CYRE Chair, at [email protected].
New Class in June
Steady Steps - Balance in Sitting, Standing and Walking

Join us for a 4 week, fun class designed to help improve balance in sitting or walking. This easy class will help you take steps to improve your balance. With better balance, you will be safer and more efficient in your daily activities.

Come as you are, no need for exercise clothes. We will meet at 11:00 a.m. every Wednesday in June and finish in time to go to lunch. Everyone is welcome.

The class will be taught by Sally Locklear. For more information, contact Nancy Finley, Chair Adult Religious Education, at [email protected].

votives
Care List
 
This Sunday, May 20, 2018,  
at our Circle of Candles:

Rev. Alice: lit a candle of joy;
For three years Pam Siegler has been working to expand her own knowledge of how to apply her many gifts and skills within the context of music leadership in a Unitarian Universalist congregation. She has done this through the Credentialing Program of our Unitarian Universalist Musician's network, the professional organization for UU music leaders. 
Pam has completed all of the requirements, which included course work, papers, special projects, a reading list, seminars, meetings, and regularly scheduled triad conversations with her advisor, another credentialed music director in our association, and her sponsoring minister, me. This year she will be recognized on stage at the Service of the Living Tradition at our General Assembly in Kansas City, as a Certified UU Music Leader. Erin and I plan to be there to cheer for her and celebrate this major milestone. A milestone for Pam, and also for our congregation.
 
We are fortunate to have professional staff like Pam Siegler and our Director of Religious Education, Erin Reid, who has also completed and been recognized for a great deal of Professional Development through the Liberal Religious Educators Association.
 
Kathy Fisher: lit a candles of joy and sorrow; Sorrows for: Please hold the Taylor family in your hearts as they mourn the loss of their son who was murdered last weekend. He was a former student; also, my three-year-old grandson will have open-heart surgery this coming Thursday. Joys for: I celebrated my birthday last week and now I am one year and one week older than Jefflyn Weed; also, I was able to walk around the block without my cane last week for the second time this month. It's been ten months since I've been able to do that!; finally, it is a pure joy to make music with our choir and to work with Pam Siegler!
 
Ashley Creekmore and family: lit a candle of sorrow; My grandmother passed away on Tuesday. We know she is in a better place and no longer suffering. We celebrate that.

Michele Clark: lit a candle of joy; Glen and I celebrated 18 years of marriage on Sunday. Life is easier with such a good partner at my side.

Maria L. Coble: lit a candle of joy;  We will attend Maria's sister's wedding on Saturday, May 26th. Mixed feelings about Maria learning, on Thursday, whether or not her job will be renewed, as she is a non-tenured teacher.