Today At Our Fellowship

Thursday, September 26, 2024

This Weekend @ AUUF

Thursday 9/26/24

6:30 pm Choir Practice

Friday 9/27/24

Fall Frolic starts- King's Lake

8:15 am Private Rental

12:00-2:00 pm Freethinkers, In-Person

Saturday 9/28/24

Fall Frolic continues- King's Lake

8:30-10:30 am AA Slap Happy Group

10:30 am-12:45 pm Private Rental

Sunday 9/29/24

9:00 am The Forum In- Person & on ZOOM

11:00 am Sunday Worship In- Person & on ZOOM

Sunday continued

4:00 pm Anchorage Friends Meeting

Monday 9/30/24

3:30 pm Private Rental

6:30 pm Private Rental

Tuesday 10/1/24

Off-site Family cold weather shelter opens

4:30 pm Forum Planning Meeting

6:00-7:00 pm Community Connection

Wednesday 10/2/24

3:15 pm Private Rental

5:00-8:00 pm Connections Team Meeting

7:00-8:30 pm Buildings & Grounds Team Meeting

Thursday 10/3/24

5:30 pm Anti-Racism Team Meeting

6:30 pm Choir Practice

The Forum Live at AUUF & on Zoom

9:00 am Sunday, September 29, 2024

Click here to join on Zoom.

Click here for Speaker's bio.

Sunday Worship Live at AUUF & on Zoom

11:00 am Sunday, September 29, 2024

BE AWARE OF SELF-CARE!

Dennis Arashiro

September is National Self-Care Awareness Month, a time to remind us all

that self-care is as important as other responsibilities. Join us in sharing

ways of respecting, protecting and nourishing our own selves in body and

spirit.

Click here to join on Zoom.

We're Ready to Receive Your Auction Items!

It’s almost October and at AUUF, that means Auction Season! The small but mighty auction committee already has collected several bid-worthy items and requests have been sent to local businesses. What can you contribute to spark the bidding? A homemade pie, jams, entrée or pot of hearty soup? A gift certificate from a favorite business? Use of your cabin, kayak or mountain bike? You may drop items off downstairs beginning Sunday, Oct. 6, before or immediately after the 11:00 service. A member of the auction committee will be there to help. A member also will be there Sunday Oct. 13 and 20, as well as 1-3 pm, Tuesdays and 10:30-11:45 Fridays. Questions?

Email the committee at auction@anchorageuuf.com

New Congregational Administrator Joins AUUF!

The HR Committee and I are pleased to announce that we have hired Richard Stoneking as our new administrator. He started work on September 19 and is learning the ropes quickly. I hope you can introduce yourselves as time allows. As a reminder this is a half-time position (20 hours per week), with 16 hours in the office and four hours flex--either to be at home or the office as fits Richard's schedule. Below is what Richard has to say about himself.

"Richard comes to AUUF after gathering vast experiences both near and far. Most recently he was serving in the public accounting field doing everything from audits in the bush to taxes for clients with a slough of activities located across the nation. Now he's hoping to contribute his focus, organization, and hospitality to AUUF's congregation. Primarily working in the afternoons he plans to be available for any problem solving that you may face, simply stop by the offices upstairs and maybe you'll get to catch him in action."

Blessings, Rev. Lise

Friends & Family CPR Class

The AUUF Safer Congregations Team will be having a Friends and Family CPR Class on Tuesday, October 8^th from 6 to 8pm in Rooms 5 and 7 downstairs. Nurses from Providence will be teaching us CPR skills and other helpful information. We have space for 10 people to participate.

To sign up contact Linda McCool - msmccool@hotmail.com - please put CPR Class in the subject line.

Nominations for Yearly Awards

The Board of Directors is taking nominations for the congregation’s yearly awards. Nominations will be accepted through October 16th.

If you would like to submit a nomination, please send it to Kath Rutherford, board member, at krutherford13@gmail.com or 530-636-3019.

There are three awards that will be given out:

Volunteer of the Year Award: An award designed to recognize individuals or groups who have gone above and beyond in support of the AUUF mission.

Fred Hillman Distinguished Service Award: Named after long-time AUUF member and former Board president Dr. Fred Hillman, who passed away in 2014. Like its namesake, this award is meant to honor individuals who live the Seven Principals as part of their everyday life and who have made significant contributions to AUUF.

Shirley Dickens Memorial Tribute: Our recognition of a deceased member of the AUUF Fellowship. Those receiving this honor do so in recognition of their non-financial, extraordinary, long-term contribution to The Fellowship; an exceptional, end-of-life or single financial contribution to AUUF; or because of significant and distinguished contributions to the broader community.

Ring! Ring! Ring! Hello, Small Group Ministry is Calling . . .

Would you like an opportunity to get to know a group of people at AUUF on a more personal, deeper level? Would you like to learn how to listen to others, and be listened to without any mixed agendas? Would you like an excuse to share snacks and laughter, just because? Would you like the chance to work with others to do something for our congregation or our wider community? If any of this sounds appealing to you, then we hope you’ll sign up for Small Group Ministry!

Small Group Ministry (also known as Chalice Circles, Covenant Groups and probably more names I’m not aware of) has been around in UU congregations since the late 1990s. They were formed for all the reasons listed above, and to help us explore and define what’s most important to us as Unitarian Universalists. Our congregation often uses the SoulMatters curriculum to help us focus our conversations, or we simply discuss in our group what we’d like to talk about and go from there.

Below are some components and commitments present at each meeting:

Each group has six to twelve members, including a facilitator.
Each group meets 1-2 times a month on a regular basis for 6-7 months.
Participants commit to coming to the group meetings (the occasional missed meeting is okay, but attending is the norm) to build community with each other.
Each meeting starts with a Chalice Lighting and personal check-in.
Each person has an opportunity to discuss their thoughts about the topic for an uninterrupted time (deep listening) before the group goes to conversation mode.
The group respects confidentiality and each person’s journey.
Everyone gets a chance to bring and share their favorite finger food.
The group decides what project they’d like to work on to benefit the community. (It could be providing something for our auction, hosting a Soup Sunday, walking together in a fundraiser, etc.)

AUUF has hosted Small Group Ministry for several years, with many folks rejoining every year. Susan Orlansky will be hosting a week-evening group beginning in November, Rev. Lise may host a group, and we are talking to others who might be interested in hosting a group as well. Maybe that’s you?

If you have more questions, or are interested in attending or hosting, please email Rev. Lise at RevLise@AnchorageUUF.org with your availability and Small Group Ministry in the subject line.

Online RE Registration for 2024/2025 is now available.

Click here to register.

Coming of Age begins in October!

Click her to view/ download a larger image.

The Coming of Age Program for youth in Grades 8-10 (as well as High School juniors and seniors who have not had the opportunity to go through the program) will begin in October!

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions.

Jennifer Bluntach, DRE

dre@anchorageuuf.org

Submit your HALF PORTION NOMINATIONS by Oct 1!

Dennis Arashiro and Sara Hannon

Our Fellowship donates half of our Sunday collections each month to a charitable

cause selected by our congregation through the democratic process. Please nominate the causes you find worthy here and read more below:

WHAT: Now is the time to put forth your nominations for next year’s Half Portion for Social Action. Your passion for the causes you support can fuel effective positive action by identifying those receiving half the Sunday collections for a month.

WHO: Name the charitable funds or organizations you are nominating. They should have tax exempt status, usually designated as a 501(c)(3) organization. They should have a mission consistent with our principles and a demonstrated record of effective action.

WHEN: Nominations are due by October 1, 2024. After a period of vetting nominees, you will be given the opportunity to vote from October 13 to November 1 for 10 nominees as recipients of the monthly Half Portion for Social Action for 2025. The final schedule for the 2025 Half Portion will be announced on November 17.

WHY: 5th Principle: The Right of Conscience and the Use of the Democratic Process Within Our Congregations and in Society at Large.

HOW: Click here to declare your nominations.

Sunday Lunch Potluck at AUUF October 6

The Connections Team is hosting a lunch potluck at 12:30 in the social room at AUUF Sunday October 6. We had been trying to schedule one every 5th Sunday, but instead are thinking about working around the RE’s Soup Sunday schedule to provide more opportunities to socialize. Connections will provide some soups or other main dishes, and handle the set-up, clean-up. Please bring a side item, salad or dessert. See you there!

Are you ready to learn a whole lot more about UU and AUUF? Please sign up ASAP if you plan to attend our next Finding Your Way into Fellowship class, which is 3 sessions scheduled for Wednesday evenings Oct. 9, 16, 23 from 6:30-8:30. This class is for newer folks or people ready to become members of AUUF. You will discover how AUUF might fit into your own spiritual journey and you’ll meet some new friends along the way.

Email connections@anchorageuuf.org for questions or to sign up or to let us know of times that work better! We may postpone to different dates. if there aren’t enough enrollees.

Join Our Anti-Racism Team Book Read!

JOIN OUR ANTI-RACISM TEAM GROUP READ!

WE HAVE NOT STOPPED TREMBLING YET:

LETTERS TO MY FILIPINO-ATHABASCAN FAMILY

by E.J.R. DAVID

Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Dr. David, in a series of letters to his mixed-race Filipino-Athabascan family, explores the deep effects of colonialism and racial oppression that his children are confronted with. Weaving together deeply personal memories, family experiences and empirical data, he engages us in a journey of learning and healing.

Please join the Anti-Racism Team after the Worship Service in person in the Fellowship Library or online through the link provided on the AUUF website to discuss the many issues raised in the readings on:

SUNDAYS, 12:30 - 2 PM,

OCTOBER 20

NOVEMBER 3

NOVEMBER 17

David’s memoir can be ordered on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and The Writer’s Block. Copies are also available through the Loussac Library. If you have any questions, please contact Dennis Arashiro at the Social Justice Table in the Social Room at the Fellowship on Sundays or at elvischannel@yahoo.com.

Social Action Opportunities

Volunteers Needed for Family Emergency Cold Weather Shelter

AUUF is entering it’s 3rd year of helping at the emergency cold weather shelter for families (children and adults in a duplex in a neighborhood in Anchorage). We provide staffing coverage from 5 PM Tuesday (2 Tuesdays each month) to 9 AM (Wednesday), October through April. The coverage is broken up into shifts of 4 hours or less and there are always at least 2 of us on each shift.

We help with providing dinner, engaging with the guests, helping everyone get settled down for the evening (each family has their own room), making sure all are safe during the night, and helping the kids get off to school in the morning by calling established taxis.

If you think you might be interested in joining our volunteer team, please see Dennis in the social room after services on Sundays, or call me, Michele, at 907-341-9249.

This is a rewarding way to help those in need.

——————————————————————————————

An Easy Social Action Activity : Please join the Anti-Racism team in the social room after the 11:00 service on Sunday, September 22nd, to help stuff envelopes for the ACLU Prison Project. Each month, the ACLU sends out a newsletter to individuals who are incarcerated in Alaska prisons, giving them important updated legal information as well as some human interest items. This not only helps these individuals remain informed but also let's them know they are not forgotten. Who doesn't like to get mail, right? There will be a small group of us there for a couple of hours. Please consider joining us, for as little time or as long as you like. Thanks. (Michele Champion, 907-341-9249)

September 2024

HALF PORTION FOR SOCIAL ACTION:

Food Bank of Alaska

Hunger is a reality for many in our community, though it’s often hidden. Nearly 45 percent of families seeking food assistance in Alaska have at least one working member, and almost 65 percent are facing unpaid medical bills. With 1 in 8 Alaskans, or around 94,000 people, needing food assistance, hunger is closer than we might think.

Children and seniors are particularly affected. Over 1 in 6 children in Alaska face food insecurity, and 9 percent of seniors are at risk of hunger, placing Alaska 12th in the nation for senior hunger risk. Social Security is the main source of income for 18 percent of those relying on Alaska’s food distribution network.

Food Bank of Alaska, committed to eliminating hunger, distributed 6.7 million pounds of food last year through nearly 150 partner agencies. Their efforts included serving 50,119 children’s meals, distributing 22,998 senior food boxes, and providing over 5 million meals to those in need. During the Thanksgiving Blessing program, 9,997 families received holiday meals, and 79 rural sites were supported statewide. Additionally, 629,343 meals were secured through SNAP outreach.

September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about hunger in America and inspire action. This month, as we reflect on the reality of hunger in our own state, let’s join in the collective effort to make a difference.

This work is made possible by 1,064 volunteers who contributed 17,628 hours to help fight hunger. Every meal and every hour of service is a step toward a more just and compassionate society.

For more information or to get involved, visit www.foodbankofalaska.org or follow them on Facebook.

Go to anchorageuuf.org

Click on the Half-Portion note or Donate/ Pay

at the bottom of the home page.

Enter your donation under

“Half-Portion for Social Action”