WE CAN REACH 100!
The Social
Justice Committe
e's goal is to collect and donate 100 items per month. CAN you pick up an extra CANNED good, nonperishable food item, or personal care product next time you are out shopping? Please do, and put it in the basket in the church foyer to be donated to the Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP). Suggested donations:
macaroni and cheese, pasta and sauce, dry beans and rice, boxes of cereal, bars of soap, canned meat, and peanut butter!
Thanks for all you do!
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All church members and friends are invited to an informal "town hall" meeting after church on April 30th to discuss and learn about the next steps we hope to take in making best use of funds from the sale of the Governors Drive property. We will not be making decisions at the meeting, but we will share information to clarify how we are moving forward, specifically how we will go about making decisions, including issues possibly up for vote at the Annual Meeting in May. In this town hall meeting, we will hear from the finance committee and our Next Steps Task Force.
Questions in advance may be directed to Board President Laurel Bollinger (
[email protected]) or Task Force members
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Annual Budget Drive (ABD) Update
We are in the final stages of wrapping up the ABD, and we are excited to announce that we have raised over $199,000 in pledges from 93 households! On behalf of myself, Glen, and the rest of the ABD team, I would once again give a sincere thank you to our members and friends for their generous support of UUCH.
If you were intending to make a pledge and had not gotten around to it, please mail it back this week or bring it with you to church on Sunday. Blank forms are also still available at the church if you did not receive one in the mail. Maybe we can still break $200K!
Kevin Betts (ABD Chair) &
Glen Clark (ABD Co-Chair)
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UUCH
Annual Yard Sale!
Good news to the spring cleaners among us! The annual
UUCH yard sale will be held at the church on Saturday,
May 20, 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Mark the date, gather your goods (after making sure they're clean, stain-free, and intact), and start delivering them to the north wing where Willette will answer the doorbell from 10 to 2 weekdays. If you want to deliver them on Saturday, you can make arrangements with Bonnie Herold; or you can always bring them when you come to church on Sunday. Bonnie Herold has put out a call for helpers to sort and box already donated items this Friday the 21st at
9 a.m. If you are available and can help, please come join us for a couple of hours. If you would be available on the following Saturday, the 29th, please let Bonnie know as she is considering putting together another sorting party on that day. If you have a pickup truck and are willing to collect large items the week of the yard sale, or have questions, email Bonnie Herold at [email protected] or text/call (256) 289-1374.
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Members: Save the Date!
Annual Congregational Meeting
May 21st, 2017, at 12:30 p.m.
Please make plans to attend, because
we need a quorum! Also, per our bylaws, we will send electronic copies of the mailing to all members, using your newsletter preferences as a g
uide. If you currentl
y get a paper copy of the newsletter, we'll send paper copy of the agenda and other information. If you receive the newsletter electronically, we'll send you the agenda electronically. Please make sure that the church office has your correct email address! If you would prefer to receive the annual meeting notices in a different format than you get the newsletter, please just let the church office ([email protected] or 256.534.0508) know as soon as possible. Thank you!
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2016 Opening Parade
General Assembly 2017
June 21-25, 2017
at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70130.
By going to New Orleans, we can both celebrate our successes and recommit to the relationships that have been forged with this community. Plan your trip! Important dates and programming updates may be found here: http://www.uua.org/ga.
CLICK HERE
This is close enough to drive from Huntsville!
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President:
Laurel Bollinger
Vice-President:
Denise Runnels
Secretary:
Ed Bernstein
Treasurer:
Greg Howard
Trustees:
Susan Coddington
Kathy Heath
Lynsie Lamitie
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
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From 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:
Laurel Bollinger
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. Mon-Fri.
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.
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April's Theme: Transformation
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Upcoming Service
Sunday, April 23, 2017
"People of Transformation"
Angel Hundley
Our worship theme this month asks, "What does it mean to be a community of transformation?" Join us this week as we reflect on the only constant in the universe--Change.
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This Sunday in Children and
Youth Religious Education
We continue our
"Storysharing"
curricula
based on our
Soul Matters monthly worship theme of TRANSFORMATION.
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 Wonderful Wednesday
Salad Supper 
Craft the salad of your dreams! Join fellow UUs Wednesday to enjoy the "make a salad" event, April 19th at 6:00 - 6:45 p.m. The freshest of veggies, sides, and meats will be available. Pick your favorites for your salad. And, as always, dessert!
Sponsored by Hospitality
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 Adult Religious Education
Film Series
Want to change the world?
Find out how humans
themselves change!
Film discussion on
Wednesday, April 19th
7:00 - 8:00 pm
(after the Wonderful Wednesday dinner).
In keeping with this month's theme of "Transformation," our Wednesday night film will be
"Three Myths of Behavior Change - What You Think You Know That You Don't" a TEDx talk by Jeni Cross.
As a professor and consultant, Dr. Cross has helped schools, government agencies, and activists implement and evaluate successful programs to improve community well-being.
In this short film, she talks about how our biggest limit to changing others is our own common sense. After the film, Nancy Finley and Denise Runnels will facilitate a discussion. For more information, contact [email protected]. Childcare will be provided.
Everyone is welcome.
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Let's hear it for the Volunteers!
The April 15th church-wide workday was a great success, thanks to all of the workday volunteers. We exceeded our goal and finished all of the mulch for the safer and more beautiful swing set area. This was a major accomplishment, as you can see in this homemade video highlighting the three days of hard work, where we put our helping hands into action: http://goo.gl/Hjhxu5
Shout outs to Jason Aycock, with sons T. and L. Aycock, Kim Burrows, Shiela Burrows, Glenn Clark, Nancy Finley, George Fletcher, Steve Herold, Gary Hitt, Brad Korb, Tim Miller, Kip Shepherd, and Paul Weiland.
Feel like you missed out? There are many opportunities left over we would love your help with. If you can arrange an afternoon or morning to complete a task, we have lots of ideas, including washing, repairing, clearing out vines and privet to make a small group area back in the trees, repairing play castle boards, and many others. Email [email protected] with your general interest areas and we'll get started.
--Property Committee
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March for Science 2017 
Saturday, April 22nd 1- 3 pm
In Unitarian Universalism, one of the six Sources of our Living Tradition is:
Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
Given that the respect for the quest for knowledge is so important in our tradition, the UUCH Social Justice Committee would like to bring to the attention of our church community this event that will be held in Huntsville.
On Saturday, April 22, scientists and friends of science will take to the streets in Washington, D.C. and in more than 400 other cities around the world in a peaceful and non-partisan show of support for scientific research and evidence-based public policy. Organizers of the Washington march have recognized the Huntsville event as an official satellite activity.
The Rocket City Science March organizers are a group of volunteers from the Huntsville metro area who want to protect the funding and publishing of peer-reviewed, empirical science without government interference. In a high-concentration STEM city, we see free speech of peer-reviewed science as vital to our success as a community and our progress as a country. It is time for people who support scientific research and evidence-based policies to take a public stand and be counted.
Meet in front of
UAH's Shelbie King Hall on the corner of Sparkman and Technology Drive and march 1.3 miles to the Space and Rocket Center.
A family- friendly event.
Everyone is welcome!
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Children and Youth Program Updates
The UUCH Children and Youth Religious Education Program periodically updates the congregation on matters concerning the CYRE program and multi-generational community. In this newsletter, we wanted to let you know about some changes in nursery and childcare practices, and we also wanted to offer a refresher on some of our long-standing safety guidelines.
Nursery and Childcare
We have been growing by leaps and bounds in our nursery and in childcare service offered for all-church events, classes, and meetings. Some important information for families:
- The Nursery is for ages 0-3; older children should remain with their families before church and during times when they are not in their RE activities. Some 4-year-olds do continue to use the nursery for a time as they transition into the older room.
- We are pleased for the nursery to be a welcoming space where parents can bring infants and toddlers for play, naps, nursing, etc., even when nursery staff are not present. A parent should always be present with their own children in the nursery when un-staffed and in any church space when children are not in their RE activities or childcare.
- It is also important that parents personally accompany their children to nursery or childcare and sign them in, providing a cell phone number that can be reached in case of emergency. Children will remain in nursery/childcare until a parent returns to sign them out.
- Finally, we also invite parent support in fostering our brand-new Nursery and Childcare Covenant: "Respect. Share. Help. Be safe. Have fun."
Safe Congregation
The Children and Youth Religious Education Committee promotes these safe congregation practices in all of our programming:
- Each class has at least two teachers present for each session.
- A Sunday Supervisor sits in the common area during all RE class sessions.
- RE classrooms are outfitted with a window in each door to promote safe classroom space.
- Non-teacher adults do not have ready access to classrooms.
- We promote and communicate family commitments (see below).
- We practice healthy communication and reporting regarding situations that seem unhealthy or dangerous.
UUCH Family Agreements Commitment
As a reminder, when families register each year to participate in the CYRE Program, they commit to the following guidelines for the safety and enjoyment of all participants:
- Treat each other with respect and kindness according to our UUCH Covenant.
- Make an effort to attend as regularly as we can.
- Check-in at the RE Welcome Area in the foyer and get our name tags.
- Supervise children and youth in the church facility and grounds when they are not in their planned activity. (All playground use will be supervised by a parent/guardian).
- Honor RE begin and end times and pick up children in the Peace, Justice, and Searchers room at noon.
- Respect off-limits areas to children, including the kitchen-except in special circumstances, and with supervision-storage and utility rooms, the balcony, and the attic.
Parental supervision is especially important at all-ages events, on the playground, and during social times when RE classes are not in session. The entire congregation plays a role in making a child-friendly and safe church. Thank you for your commitment to our all-ages community!
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Care List
This Sunday, April 16th, 2017 at our Circle of Candles:
Barbara and Gary Hitt
, a candle of gratitude for or all the cards, hugs, kind words, Facebook comments, and love offered for the loss of Barbara's Mom last Sunday.
John Jeter
, a candle of sorrow: Robert Hughes, 49-year-old son of his high school classmates and friends, Bobby and Elaine Wood Hughes, passed away on Good Friday.
Diane Walls,
a candle of sorrow: Bryan's mother, who is in hospice care in Nashville is not doing well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, now gathering to be with her.
Rose Deverzley
, a candle of gratitude: To her Dad's extended family for having cared for him; to her friends, including members of the UU congregation, who reached out in love and support. A very special thanks to Kathy Fisher, who was there, for and with her, through every step of the way these past several months. Thank you!
Brad Korb
, a candle of joy: Many thanks to Tom Meier for organizing and leading the effort to make the playground safer for our children.
Ilene Sparks
, a candle of joy: for the over- whelming joy and thankfulness to have her dear friends, Laurie and Ross, in church on this beautiful Easter Sunday and for her friends, Gail and Howard Williams, for transporting her to church and elsewhere."
Kirsten Clark
, a candle of joy: Kirsten was honored to attend the birth of a beautiful baby girl this week. Her mother labored courageously to bring her into the world. Kirsten remarks that new life is miraculous and birthing mothers are so strong!
Cheri Smith
, a candle of thanks to everyone for the prayers and healing thoughts. Vicky's surgery went really well!
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