The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville 
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville, AL 35810  
July 18, 2019
Vol. 19 Issue 29
In This Issue
Upcoming Events

Sun. 7/21
Worship Service
Ken Sizemore
10:45 a.m.


Tues. 7/23 
Board Meeting
6:30 p.m.

Soul Matters Small Groups (Group A)
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.


Wed. 7/24
UUkulele Fun Group
5:45 - 6:45 p.m.

Ministerial Search Committee Meeting
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.


Thurs. 7/25
Faith in Action Meeting
5:15 - 7:30 p.m.
Location TBD


Sun. 7/28
ARE: Studying 
the Bible 
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Adult RE Room

Worship Service
Michelle Clark 
10:45 a.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
 
UUCH Free Food Pantry 
UUCH's Free Food Pantry is installed in the parking lot and is now stocked. The Social Justice Committee will restock the pantry with non-perishables, as needed, and you can, too.

See the Social Justice Committee for more information on what items are in need.

Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee

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UUCH 2019-20
Board Members
 
President:  
John Schulz
 
 Vice President: 
Denise Runnels

Secretary:
Nick Wilbourn

Treasurer: 
David Bollinger 

Trustees: 
Ed Bernstein
Jack Long
Bryan Walls

 
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 John Schulz  via email no later than one week prior to the meeting (i.e. the Tuesday before)The next board meeting will be Tuesday, July 23 .  

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:  

John Schulz   

Editor:  

Nick Wilbourn 

 

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight.
Any committee with newsletter announcements should send submissions to news collator Amanda Schuber at
uuch@uuch.org.  

 

Office Hours:

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

Office Phone: 
256-534-0508
Office Email:
uuch@uuch.org

Minister's Email: minister@uuch.org

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
 
"Family Ties: Songs of Family Relationships, from Babies
to Old Folks"
Sunday, July 21, 2019
 
While based in Nashville for almost 30 years, Ken Sizemore performed as a solo artist, as part of the folk duo "Judith and Ken", and with the folk trio "The Folk Revival". He has done thousands of concerts, clubs, listening rooms, coffee houses, banquets, musical church services, and festivals over the years and has played for audiences throughout the US. He returns to Nashville several times a year to perform folk music programs. Ken moved to Panama City in 1999 and has continued to perform all over the southeastern US since then.  
 
 Future Services     
 
July 28: Michelle Clark
August 4: Ana Schuber (Guest Speaker)  
 August 11: Annual Summer Hymn Sing  
August 18: Rev. Keith Kron (Guest Speaker)
August 25: Ingathering / Water Communion
 
This week, music and nature abound! We will be making bird feeders with Barbara and Gary Hitt. Grades 5 and below will continue with our Mini MUUSic Makers program, led by Sarah Korb and Kristyn Smith, with the help of India Truman. 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.
Celebrating Your Generosity!     
     
   
 
$220,278: Highest Budget Drive Total  
in UUCH History!   
 
On Sunday, June 1, we celebrated the results of the UUCH 2019 Annual Budget Drive. Total pledge commitments received thus far from 93 households are $220,278 -- a record high!  
 
We are still happy to accept new pledge commitments. Pledge forms are located in the Fellowship Hall, or you may email the church to confirm the amount of your pledge.
 
We want to thank each of our donors for your generosity! Your pledges have provided a financially strong basis to help search for and attract a new minister while maintaining strong programming, outreach, and operations.  
 
Special Thanks to Our 2019 Stewardship Meeting Hosts!  
 
In late March and early April, stewardship meetings were held in member's homes to kick off the 2019 UUCH Annual Budget Drive. Members and friends attended these events, each facilitated by Rev. Ed Brock, enjoying food and fellowship with each other and making pledge commitments of financial support to our church community.  
 
The following host families generously shared their time, their food, and their homes with us this year. Our heartfelt thanks go out to each host: 
 
Susan & Tim Coddington  
Barbara & Gary Hitt  
Pam & Brad Korb  
Sally & Bob Locklear  
Jessica & John Schulz  
Diane & Bryan Walls  

Thank you, 

Jo Broussard, 2019 ABD Chair  
Bob Locklear, 2019 ABD Co-chair
Adult RE: Studying the Bible   
     
The first in our Bible Study series was an interesting look at creation myths in the Bible. We will continue the series in July with a look at Parables. The discussion will be facilitated by Laurel Bollinger and  Michelle Clark.  
 
This series offers a UU Adult Religious Education context where we will discuss sections of the Bible, with an eye on both its ancient and modern functions. While the Bible can be read for many different reasons, at least one reason is for the window it offers into the ancient world, a window that may also help us understand its role in modern society. 
 
Join us in the Adult RE room on July 28 and August 25 at 9:00 am. If you need childcare, please contact Adult RE chair Lynsie Lamitie at least one week before the event. Everyone is welcome. 
 
Sponsored by the Adult Religious Education Committee
What's in a Name?   
 
Did you know that our weekly email newsletter has a name? Before we moved into our current building five years ago, our church was tucked away on a slope up the mountain, overlooking a beautiful vista of trees. It was that hilltop view that inspired our newsletter to be dubbed "The Overlook".  
 
The time has now come for us to rechristen our newsletter, so we are having a contest!  The office will accept name suggestions through the end of July, and we will have a vote at the August 4 potluck! So get creative, and send your name suggestions to Amanda Schuber by July 28!   
 
Submitted by the Church Office 
Faith in Action Meeting   
 
Faith in Action meets July 25, at The Fellowship of Faith (3203 N. Memorial Pkwy), from 5:15 - 7:30 p.m.  Dinner will be served.  
 
Submitted by the Social Justice Committee 
New Picture Directory     
 
SAVE THE DATE: October 22 and 23
 
Schedule your hair appointment, coordinate your wardrobe, and groom the dog. It's time to update our church picture directory! 

We will again work with Lifetouch Photography, and every sitting will include one FREE portrait, along with several new offers and discounts. Detailed information and sign-up slots will be announced in early fall, but put the dates on your calendar now, and start practicing your best camera smile. 
 
Submitted by the Membership Committee 
Ministerial Search Update    
   
By this time next year, we may be preparing to welcome our new settled minister to UUCH. We need you to make this a successful search!  
 
Reflective input from the congregation is the base of a good search. It is with your ideas in mind that your Search Committee can represent our church and start looking for potential candidates early next year.  
 
In the next few months, there will be multiple opportunities for you to share your thoughts and opinions. In September, we will be asking each of you to complete a survey about your ideas about our church and future leadership. In October, we will have a series of cottage meetings and focus groups to hear from each of you and to have the opportunity for us to collaborate and discuss our visions together.  
 
Information gathering is one of the most important phases of a search and will move us forward to our new future. So begin to reflect on what makes this church an important part of your life and the community. How can we be even better? What should our future look like? What type of leadership can help facilitate our visions?
 
Other upcoming ways you can be involved in the search is by participating in our church video that we will send prospective candidates. In September we will be calling on you all to join us in this project. If you don't already have Beyond Categorical Thinking on your calendar the weekend of August 17 and 18, put it there now. This workshop will help us all learn and discuss ways we can strengthen our commitment to equality and anti-oppression in the search process and all church activities.  
 
Keep an eye on upcoming newsletters for detailed information, and of course, any time you have questions, please contact us. Our email address is MSC@uuch.org
 
Submitted by the Ministerial Search Committee  
 
    Do You Know Your Biases? 
Beyond Categorical Thinking  
 

 
When you think of our new settled minister, do distinct images come to mind? Is it a person of a particular gender, race, or age? Beyond Categorical Thinking is a highly recommended part of the search process for our congregation. In finding the person who would be the best match for our minister, we could potentially let biases keep us from knowing that a particular person would be the best match for us.  
 
Credentialed ministers in our faith who are people of color, bisexual, gay, lesbian, female, transgender, differently abled, young, old, ethnically different, or of a different class often face discrimination as part of the ministerial search process. In our efforts to find the best match, our congregation will host a Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop and worship service on August 17 and 18, 2019. We will have Keith Kron, the Director of Transitions for UUA, come and meet with our search committee, lead the Sunday service, and facilitate a 3-hour workshop, where we will have a chance to examine how we can avoid letting prejudice become a part of our search process.  
 
This is yet another way for us to put our faith into lived experience and learn more about systemic discrimination in our culture. This opportunity also allows the entire congregation fuller participation in the search process. It will allow us to explore our hopes and concerns for a new minister, learn more about the search process, and see how our own history (both personal and congregational) might interfere with our efforts in this search.  
 
Plan on coming on Saturday, August 17, at 9 a.m. for the workshop, and Sunday, August 18, at 10:45 a.m. for the worship service. If you have questions, contact your Ministerial Search Committee.
 
Submitted by the Ministerial Search Committee
votives
Care List
 
This Sunday, July 14, 2019,  at our Circle of Candles:
 
Rachael Scheib lit a candle of joy: The flowers growing on the vine are not grapes, but butternut squash -- dinner!   
  
Anonymous lit a candle of joy: For over a decade, I've struggled with the VA for compensation for a traumatic event while serving. The last year of this struggle has by far been the roughest financially. The generosity of others in this church has, at times, ensured my child and I could get by, and I am forever grateful. Now I will be in a position to pay it forward, and I can't think of a greater feeling. Thank you all!