The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville 
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville, AL 35810  
May 30, 2019
Vol. 19 Issue 22
In This Issue
Upcoming Events  
 
Thurs. 5/30
Council Meeting
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.


Fri. 5/31
Concerts on the Dock
5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Lowe Mill Docks


Sun. 6/2
Sunday Service
Rev. Ed Brock
10:45 a.m.

First Sunday Potluck
12:00 p.m.


Wed. 6/5
Soul Matters Small Group (Group B)
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.


Fri. 6/7
Concerts on the Dock
5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Lowe Mill Docks


Sat. 6/8
Open Mic Coffee House
6:30 - 9:30 p.m.


Sun. 6/9
Worship Committee Meeting
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Social Justice Committee Meeting
9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Service
Rev. Ed Brock
10:45 a.m.

Music Committee Meeting
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.


Tues. 6/11
Finance Committee Meeting
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.


Wed. 6/12
Soul Matters Small Group (Group C)
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

UUkulele Fun Group
5:45 - 6:45 p.m.


Thurs. 6/13
PFLAG Support Meeting
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.


Fri. 6/14
Church Yard Sale
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Concerts on the Dock
5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Lowe Mill Docks


Sat. 6/15
Church Yard Sale
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Spirituality Workshop
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
U Ukule le  
Fun Group
The UUkulele Fun Group is open to everyone, regardless of skill level.
 
The group meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 5:45 p.m.
Huntsville Assistance Program 
The Social Justice Committee has a goal to collect at least 100 items each month for the food pantry. Please put your nonperishable food items or personal care products donations in the basket in the church foyer for the Huntsville Assistance Program. Please, no canned corn, beans, or peas! They are currently overloaded with those items.

Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee


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UUCH 2018-19
Board Members
 
President:  
Susan Coddington  
 
Vice President: 
John Schulz

Secretary:
Nancy Finley

Treasurer: 
David Bollinger 

Trustees: 
Ed Bernstein
Theresa Miller

Nick Wilbourn
 
 
Interim Minister:
The Rev. Edward L. Brock

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 Susan Coddington  no later than one week prior to the meeting (i.e. the Tuesday before). You may text or call her, or send a copy of your request via email. The next board meeting will be Tuesday, June 25 .  

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


Interim Minister:
 

The Rev. Edward L. Brock

Board President:  

Susan Coddington   

Editor:  

Nick Wilbourn 

 

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight.
Any committee with newsletter announcements should send submissions to news collator Amanda Schuber at
[email protected].  

 

Office Hours:

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
Monday - Wednesday - Friday 

Office Phone: 
256-534-0508
Office Email:
[email protected]

Minister's Email: [email protected]

Website: www.uuch.org 

 

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

 

For more info on any event, contact the church office.

 
Upcoming Service
 
The Really Big Picture, 
and  Why  It Is Important  
Sunday, June 2, 2019 
Rev. Ed Brock
 
Our lives derive meaning from the stories we are embedded in. These stories let us know where we came from and what our challenges are, and they help us to  understand where we want to go. On a much larger scale, the people in the United States derive meaning from the stories of how this country came to be, what its basic principles are, the ways it has strayed from its ideals, and the times our political life worked well. For many of the founders of this nation, the narrative of the nation they were creating was nestled in a larger story --the story of the Creation, Fall, and Redemption of humankind as reflected in the Bible.  
 
We live in a time when the traditional stories and myths that guided our forebearers are losing, or have lost, their power over people's lives. For example, over the last 100 years, the Bible story of the Creation, Fall and Redemption of humanity has seemed compelling to a smaller and smaller percentage of people in the U.S. This has made it possible for our country to be more fragmented and polarized for the simple reason that the core story that had given meaning, purpose, and direction to life is believable to a smaller and smaller group of people.  
 
As this has happened, something else has occurred during the last fifty years: our understanding of how our Universe began, as well as the story of its development and glimmers of where it is headed, have become known with greater and greater clarity, breath, and comprehensiveness. This is interesting for a lot of reasons, but one of those reasons is that it gives humanity a Big Story common and relevant to all.    
 
This Sunday we will explore the ways the Big Story encapsulating the history of our species and life on earth can provide meaning, commonality of purpose, and hope.  
   
 Future Services 
June 8: Rev. Ed Bock
June 16: Rev. Ed Brock   
June 23: Annual Pride Service 
 June 30: Amanda Schuber
 
June Worship Theme: Beauty 
 
 
 
Summer Fun and Learning! 
 
Consensus Building will be led by Matthew Bollinger, assisted by helper Erin Reid. The Sunday Supervisor is Audrey Fox.  
 
For more information on the Summer CYRE program, please contact Harper Goodman, RE Assistant, or Steve Rittenberg, CYRE Chair.
First Sunday Potluck Lunch

It's time again for our monthly potluck lunch. This Sunday (June 2) after the worship service, we'll join together to enjoy a joyous feast. 

Here's how to participate: bring a dish to share, label it with a tent card (you'll find them on the kitchen counter), and set your dish on the tables in the Fellowship Hall. Ovens will be set to warm if you'd like to keep your dish warm during the service. Drinks are provided. We all pitch in to clean up, making it a true community event. We look forward to seeing you there!
 
Submitted by the Hospitality Committee
Open Mic Coffeehouse

CELEBRATE!  
Come celebrate the end of the church year (or the beginning of summer, if you prefer) on Saturday, June 8. The festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m., and we will have nursery care for infants through preschool.

The microphones will be turned on, and the coffee will be brewed (decaf and regular, plus hot water for tea or cocoa). Bring some of your favorite cookies to share, your talent, and your attention to the great entertainment that your fellow UUCH-ers will provide.

If previous open mic events are an indication, we will have music, poetry, dance, comedy, and stories from performers of all ages. We will let the young ones and their family members go first so that they can leave early as needed. For those singers who need accompaniment, we will have a "practice" session in the choir room on Wednesday, June 5. (Of course, you are welcome to do your own accompaniment or bring it on a recording, if that's how you do it.) Please contact Tim Miller if you need accompaniment or if you have questions.

We will have sign-up sheets in the Fellowship Hall for entertainers, cookies, setup, and cleanup, though  signing up in advance is not required to help!
 
Sponsored by the Music Committee
Stewardship Campaign Update
 
 
This year's Stewardship Campaign was a wonderful success. The final results of the Stewardship Campaign will be announced this Sunday during the service. Please join us in celebrating the generosity of the members and friends of this congregation. There are a few people who have yet to turn in their pledge forms. If you have not yet turned in your pledge form, please get that information into the church office as soon as possible so that your contribution can be part of the final results announced this Sunday.

Submitted by the Finance Committee   
Yard Sale
 
 
The 2019 UUCH Yard Sale will be held on Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15.

If you are unable to bring your donations to UUCH between June 10-13, you may contact Dan McKitrick to arrange for pickup for that week only

Dan still needs a yard sale co-chair; if you can help, especially if you have worked at a UUCH yard sale in the past, please contact Amanda Schuber in the church office.
Spirituality Workshop  

 
On  Saturday, June 15 , from  9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m .,
Rev. Ed Brock will lead a spirituality workshop.

The workshop will consist of a series of presentations by members of the church on what spirituality means to them and how it has played a role in their life. Also, Rev. Ed will present several models of the spirituality journey as have come down to us through important historical figures. The workshop will have discussion, interaction, and didactic elements.

All are invited. If you have further questions, please  contact Rev. Ed through the church office. 

Submitted by Rev. Ed Brock
Our Gifts to Black Lives of UU    
Formed in the wake of several conversations among Black Unitarian Universalists in July 2015, Black Lives of UU (BLUU) is committed to expanding the power and capacity of Black UUs within our religious movement and providing support, information, and resources for Black UUs.   
 
Beginning this Sunday during our potluck after church, we will begin to raise money for this cause. We will continue to raise money for this cause during Sunday services on June 9, June 16, and June 23, dedicating our plate collection to this cause . This is an important and pivotal time for the Black Lives of UU movement. They need our support and demonstration of commitment to them as a vital part of our religious movement, and we thank you for helping us support this important cause.
 
Submitted by the Board  
Annual Meeting 
   
 
Annual Congregational Meeting 
June 23 at 12:30 p.m. 
 
After Sunday services on June 23, we will hold our annual Congregational Meeting. Please make every effort to attend; we need a quorum for the meeting.
 
Per our bylaws, we will send electronic copies of the mailing containing the information for the meeting to all members, using your newsletter preferences as a guide. If you currently receive a paper copy of the  
newsletter, you will receive a paper copy of the agenda and other information. If you receive the newsletter electronically, you will receive the materials electronically.
 
If you would prefer to receive the Annual Meeting materials in a different format than how you receive the newsletter, please notify Amanda Schuber in the church office (256-534-0508) as soon as  possible.
 
Submitted by the Board 
Mini MUUsicMakers  
   
 
This summer, youth Sarah Korb and Kristyn Smith will be leading a four-week music course during RE for children 5th grade and under. The purpose of this program is to introduce the world of music to children with activities that will teach rhythm, pitch, identification of musical instruments, etc. The program will be held on July 7th, July 14th, July 21st, and August 4th. It will culminate in a musical presentation during the service on August 11th. We ask that your child attends at least 2 of the 4 classes in order to participate in the presentation on August 11th.
 
There will be a sign-up for the class in the Fellowship Hall. Please contact Harper Goodman for more information. 
 
Submitted by Children's Religious Education  
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
Beyond Categorical Thinking  
August 17 and 18
 
Beyond Categorical Thinking (BCT) is an anti-oppression program designed to help congregations in a ministerial search process. The program, facilitated by a trainer from the UUA, includes a 3-hour workshop and a sermon at a Sunday service. Issues around race/ethnicity, gender/gender identity, visible and invisible disabilities, health concerns, and sexual orientation are addressed in the BCT program. 

By completing the program, congregations send a message to all of their members and potential ministers about their commitment to full equality and ongoing learning about anti-oppression. We are fortunate to have the Rev. Keith Kron, Director of the Transitions Office for the Unitarian Universalist Association, coming to UUCH for our Beyond Categorial Thinking program on August 17 and 18. More information will be coming soon, but put this important weekend on your calendar now. All members are encouraged to attend.
 
Submitted by the Ministerial Search Committee
Gorilla Trekking Presentation 

You are invited to  join Barbara and Gary Hitt for a multimedia presentation of the Mountain Gorilla Trekking trip they took to Rwanda and Uganda in 2018. The presentation will be Saturday, June 22, at 7:00 pm, in the Fellowship Hall.

In addition to making a challenging climb to the top of the mountain to see the gorillas, they encountered other exotic African wildlife and met some local people, including visits to a school and a pygmy tribe. Gary is an avid bird watcher and maintains their "Life List", and Barbara is a master photographer with the Huntsville Photographic Society who documents their adventures to share with others. Drinks and refreshments will be served. 
 
This was offered as a Service Auction item, and if you did not sign up, it is not too late! There are still spaces available. We are asking for a donation of $25 for adults and $10 for teens, with no charge for children. All proceeds will go to UUCH. 
 
Contact Barbara for more information or to RSVP. If you don't drive at night, please let her know, and she will try to arrange transportation for you.        
votives
Care List
 
This Sunday, May 26, 2019,  at our Circle of Candles:
 
Maria Coble lit a candle of joy: My son, James Paul Coble, graduated from Grissom High School on Friday. He is 18. He had a long road, including four hospital stays in three years. I am proud he made it to graduation finally! He has come a long way.      
 
Susan Coddington lit a candle of joy: I'm so happy to have my sister Shelia Drenning here today from Atlanta. 
 
Bobby Hall lit a candle of joy: I am sad that I will not be here in Huntsville to celebrate my 60th birthday. Instead, I will be trapped... in the summit... of the Eiffel Tower.  Everyone is invited to come help me. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
 
The Whole Congregation lit a candle of joy: Happy Birthday last week to Phyliss Varney! We hope you have a wonderful year! 
 
John Jeter lit a candle of joy: We have guests - Steve & Bonnie Gierhart of Brownsboro, AL, and Roger & Nancy Nelson from UUC Detroit.   
 
Caroline Strickland lit a candle of joy: I am thrilled that my cousins have come last Friday. We had a wonderful first weekend of summer. I had so much fun, and I'm so thankful for my family.  
 
Pam Siegler lit a candle of joy: Thank you with GREAT joy to the choir for a wonderful season of fulfilling music ministry.  
 
Arianna Kholanjani lit a candle of joy: I graduated high school last week! I can't wait to continue my education at UAH in the fall.   
 
Jack Long lit a candle of sorrow: Tuesday marks the 19th anniversary of my mother's passing. Wednesday mark the 2nd anniversary of my dear Echo's passing.  Both were strong women and are greatly missed.  
 
Andy Durbin lit a candle of sorrow: My grandmother Bonnie is waiting for the results of a recent test to determine if she has breast cancer.