The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville 
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville, AL 35810  
July 11, 2019
Vol. 19 Issue 28
In This Issue
Upcoming Events

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.


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.

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
 

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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
[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 Spirit of Gratitude
Sunday, July 11, 2019
 
Being grateful doesn't always come easily, especially when the Universe seems to be working directly against you. This week we explore the simple gratitude that can be found in our busy and chaotic world. We will also honor the dedicated service of the volunteers that make the day to day operation of this church possible. 
   
 Future Services     
July 21: Ken Sizemore (Guest Musician) 
July 28: Michelle Clark (Guest Speaker)
August 4: Ana Schuber (Guest Speaker)  
 
This week music and art will fill the RE halls! There will be arts and crafts activities with Lynda Lamitie, assisted by helper Steve Rittenberg. 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 and Shalin Mody. 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.
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 
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 [email protected]
 
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
New Committee Chairs    
 

 
Our 2019-20 church year is off to a great start with the election of our new committee chairs!  We are eternally grateful to all those who are rotating off of committees and those returning for a another year, and we warmly welcome our new round of volunteers into leadership roles.
 
Care - LaDawn Edwards and John Jeter
Finance - Bob Locklear
Hospitality - Kathryn Heath and Jessica Schulz
Membership - Pam Korb
Music - Rachel Scheib
Property - Wanda Snoddy
RE: Adult (ARE) - Lynsie Lamitie
RE: Children/Youth (CYRE) - Steve Rittenberg
Social Justice - Ken Sandin and Emily Garrison
Technology - Will Garrison
Worship - Deborah Delacey 
votives
Care List
 
This Sunday, July 7, 2019,  at our Circle of Candles:
 
Miranda Durbin lit a candle of joy: I start a new job tomorrow, and I'm very excited.  
  
Suzey Delacey lit a candle of joy: Wishing Deb Delacey a happy birthday today!  I LOVE YOU!  
 
Barbara Hitt lit a candle of sorrow: I lost my dear friend, Doreen Foster, this week. Doreen was my biking, tennis, golf, and bridge friend. I will miss her and all the good times we had together.