News from Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville

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

Annual Pride Service

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Worship Committee

This Pride Sunday, we will be exploring the "T" in LGBT+ by sharing the Trans experience through the voices of those who have experienced transitioning first-hand. Join us in the journey of expanding our inclusiveness and confirming our identity as a Welcoming Congregation.

Future Services

June 30: Amanda Schuber

July 7: Annual Poetry Sunday

July 14: Amanda Schuber

July 21: Ken Sizemore (Guest Musician)

This Sunday in Children and Youth Religious Education (CYR E)

This week is all about summer fun and learning through ARTS AND CRAFTS! This session will be led by Patti Lovejoy McKee, assisted by helper Jim McKee. 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.

Alabama Arise 2020 Listening Session

Alabama Arise will host a listening session tonight, June 20, at 6:00 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church on Airport Road. Come share thoughts for issues and strategies that matter to you for the coming year.

Submitted by the Social Justice 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 this 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.

Adult RE: Studying the Bible

The Bible is one of the Sources of our UU faith tradition, but its dominance in our society can make it difficult for us to see it clearly. 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.

UUCH will offer an Adult Religious Education (RE) series in which we will discuss sections of the Bible, with an eye on both its ancient and modern functions. The series will be facilitated by Laurel Bollinger, a long-standing member of UUCH and Professor of English at UAH, where she has taught the Bible as Literature for over 15 years.

Sessions will include the following:

June 30: Genesis Creation stories

July 28: Parables

August 25: TBD

Join us in the Adult RE room on each of these Sundays at 9:00 a.m. If you need childcare, please let Nancy Finley know a week before the event. Everyone is welcome.

Sponsored by the Adult Religious Education Committee

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.

We will continue to raise money for this cause during this week's (June 23) Sunday service, dedicating our plate collection to this cause . Our contribution as a congregation will be $1200, which translates to roughly $10 per member. 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 THIS SUNDAY

Annual Congregational Meeting

June 23 at 12:30 p.m.

After the worship service this Sunday (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 have sent 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 should have received a paper copy of the agenda and other information. If you receive the newsletter electronically, you should have received the materials electronically.

If you have not yet received your copies of teh meeting information, please notify Amanda Schuber in the church office (256-534-0508) as soon as possible.

Submitted by the Board

Mini MUUsic Makers

This summer, youth Sarah Korb and Kristyn Smith will lead 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, and more. The program will be held on July 7, July 14, July 21, and August 4. It will culminate in a musical presentation during the worship service on August 11. We ask that your child attends at least 2 of the 4 classes in order to participate in the presentation on August 11.

There will be a sign-up for the class in the Fellowship Hall. Please contact Harper Goodman for more information.

Submitted by the Children and Youth Religious Education Committee

Poetry Sunday

July 7, 2019

The theme for this year's annual Poetry Sunday will be "Spirituality", in connection with Rev. Brock's powerful sermon series.

Everyone is invited to participate. If you would like to be considered for sharing, either a favorite or original poem, that speaks to this theme, please email the Worship Committee by June 30. Please include your poem in your email.

Submitted by the Worship Committee

Safety Task Force

The Safety Task Force is looking for new members to join us in developing and monitoring safe practices and emergency protocols for our building. The task force will:

promote a safe environment for congregants, visitors, and staff members.
create and monitor adequate and effective emergency procedures.
conduct training and drills to ensure that procedures are effective.
post safety information as required.
conduct periodic walk-through facility inspections.
update plans and policies as required.

For more information, please contact Property Chair Wanda Snoddy .

Submitted by the Property 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

Care List

This Sunday, June 16, 2019, at our Circle of Candles:

Kristen Clark lit a candle of joy and sorrow: It was wonderful to attend a beautiful birth for a doula client this week, a sweet 6 lb. 12 oz. baby boy who is his parents' first child. He has been in the NICU since birth and could use love and positive energy sent his way so he can get strong enough to join his parents at home.

Dan McKitrick lit a candle of joy: The UUCH "Hall" Sale made $1,260!

Kathy Fisher lit a candle of joy: All the music I played today has been Daddy's favorite hymns from the Cokesbury Hymnal, which our Methodist Church used on Sunday nights. Such fond and sweet memories.