The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville 
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville, AL 35810  
July 4, 2019
Vol. 19 Issue 27
In This Issue
Upcoming Events

Sun. 7/7 
Worship Service
Poetry Service
10:45 a.m.

Potluck Lunch
12:00 p.m.
Fellowship Hall


Wed. 7/10
Soul Matters Small Groups (Group B)
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

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


Thurs. 7/11
PFLAG Meeting
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Adult RE Room


Sun. 7/14  
Worship Committee Meeting
9:00 a.m.
Fellowship Hall

Social Justice Committee Meeting
9:30 a.m.
Fellowship Hall

Worship Service
Amanda Schuber
10:45 a.m.


Tues. 7/16
Council Meeting
6:30 p.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
Soul Matters Small Groups (Group B)
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

UUkulele Fun Group
5:45 - 6:45 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. In May we collected 182 items!

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 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
 
Annual Poetry Sunday
Sunday, July 7, 2019
 
Join us as we enjoy original works and those of some of our favorite poets at this year's Annual Poetry Sunday.  Our theme this year is Spirituality.
   
 Future Services     
July 14: Amanda Schuber
July 21: Ken Sizemore (Guest Musician) 
July 28: Michelle Clark (Guest Speaker)
August 4: Ana Schuber (Guest Speaker)  
 
This week is all about Music! Grades 6 and up will be learning the ukulele with  Theresa Miller, assisted by helper Angela Arnold and Glen Clark. Grades 5 and below will start our Mini MUUSic Makers program with Sarah Korb and Kristyn Smith. The Sunday Supervisors are Michelle Clark and Nicole Wright.
 
For more information on the Summer CYRE program, please contact Harper Goodman, RE Assistant, or Steve Rittenberg, CYRE Chair.
Please join us this Sunday, July 7, after the service for our monthly potluck lunch. It's a great opportunity to relax and enjoy a meal with friends old and new.  
 
Bring your favorite dish to share (easy or difficult -- no pressure!), and drop it off before the service, either on the tables set up in the corner of the Fellowship Hall or in the warming ovens in the kitchen. Please tell us about the food you are sharing by filling out one our handy tent cards. 
 
Submitted by the Hospitality Committee 
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 Nancy Finley at least one week before the event. Everyone is welcome. 
 
Sponsored by the Adult Religious Education 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  
   SoulCollage  
 
This fall we will be restarting our popular SoulCollage group. If you enjoyed the previous group and want to learn more about the process, or if you are curious about SoulCollage, please check out this book. It's an easy read, with many pictures of SoulCollage cards that Seena and others have created. 
 
"Seena Frost's work with SoulCollage represents an insightful and original path to the depths... I cannot recommend this too highly." - Jean Houston, author of A Mythic Life: Learning to Live Our Greater Story.

Watch this space for more information about how to be a part of this fun and exciting group.

Submitted by the Adult Religious Education Committee
 
 
 
   
 
 
Share the Plate
 
The UUCH Board has approved an evolved Share the Plate (STP): Beginning August 2019 through May 2020, we will try a new STP model, in which we receive STP donations at each Sunday service for two-month periods -- allowing us to help five recipients per year.
 
The first regular plate-partner ( August - September) will be Knight's Village , a nonprofit organization with a purpose to address, coordinate relief, and provide education to the homeless and less fortunate in the Huntsville area. Patti McKee, who nominated this nonprofit, has invited a representative to introduce the organization to the congregation during the Sunday service on July 14.
 
Members and friends of the congregation may nominatefuture plate partners through the Social Justice Committee. Each proposed partner should be a 501(c)(3) charity that engages in community service. In making its selections, the Social Justice Committee considers the following factors (among others):
  • What would the funds be used for?
  • Would the proposed use of funds help to positively transform our local, national, or world community?
  • Does the proposed use of funds relate to a UUCH social justice interest, worship theme, or religious education topic? 
  • Has UUCH, its minister or staff, or a UUCH committee collaborated with the organization before?
  • Is information about the organization's governance and finances publicly available, consistent with transparency and accountability?
  • Are the organization's administrative and fund-raising costs in line with its expenses on programs and services?
  • Does the organization have a documented record of effective community service?
To encourage nominations, we do not require that each nomination address all seven factors; the Social Justice Committee can do follow-up research as needed. Please do tell us how you came to learn about the organization you are nominating and what you know about its success in pursuing its mission. Personal accounts of your experiences as a volunteer or beneficiary are welcome, to the extent you feel comfortable sharing them.  
 
We are especially interested in using the STP program to build upon the existing connections between our congregation and the many nonprofits that serve our community.
 
Submitted by the Social Justice Committee
 
 
 
   
 


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
votives
Care List
 
This Sunday, June 30, 2019,  at our Circle of Candles:
 
Mary Geham lit a candle of joy: I am a friend of Gloria Guay, and I'm glad to have the opportunity to visit. I'm a member of Community Church Unitarian Universalist in New Orleans.  
  
Dan McKitrick lit a candle of joy: I'm so thankful for the friends I make here at UUCH and for their generosity in donating to New Futures, Inc. "Love is Eternal."  
 
Jonathan Creekmore lit a candle of sorrow: My father will have a heart ablation procedure tomorrow in Memphis. Hopefully this will fix his AFib episodes. I am traveling to be with my parents during the procedure.