Community Discussion Group Topics*
July 5 - Design Your Own Drug Abuse Control Policy Moderator: Gordon Taylor
July 12 - The Four Forces that Allow the Universe to Exist Moderator: Don Ferguson
*This adult group meets every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the Founders' Room for fellowship and thought-provoking discussions led by member volunteers. For a more detailed listing of topics, please see the Sunday bulletin.
Daytime Book Club Titles
July 29 - Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace, by Greg Mortenson
August 26 - Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan
We meet one Wednesday a month, at 10:30 a.m., in the Fellowship Library. All are welcome!
Office Closed
The Fellowship Office will be closed on Monday, July 6th in observance of Independence Day.
Women's Group
The Women's Group is a sacred space, on Sunday mornings at 9:30, for women to explore and express their feminine experience while connecting with other women traversing unique, yet similar journeys of womanhood. During July & August, we will be using The Book of Questions as our discussion starter. Drop in whenever you can. Contact Marilyn Faulconer at 439-2029 or Joan Albrecht at 299-2025.
Offering for July and August
The Social Concerns Committee invites plate offerings for
UU congregations affected by Hurricane Katrina. Almost four years after Katrina wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast, members of three UU churches in New Orleans are trying to spread the message: "It's not over yet!" The three most severely damaged churches are seeking help from UUs across the country. First UU Church and Community Church UU, both in New Orleans, joined forces with the North Shore UU Society in Lacombe, LA, to form Greater New Orleans UU and to raise awareness and $2.7 million to rebuild the churches. As of late May, GNOUU had raised $867,000. At the same time, the churches created the Center for Ethical Living and Social Renewal, a nonprofit organization that will focus on the needs of the greater New Orleans community. The Center partners with local social justice organizations, such as the New Orleans AIDS Task Force, and coordinates social justice lectures at each of the three churches. For more detail, please click
here to visit the UU World site, or read the June 8 issue of the UU World.
Memorial Garden Committee
The Memorial Garden Committee passed a major milestone at the June 7th Congregational Meeting when it announced it had approved a design for constructing a memorial garden at MVUUF.
The garden plan, drawn by Maury Wyckoff, begins at the Swamp Oak tree adjoining the wetlands with two short pillars topped by a trellis. A brick-lined gravel pathway runs south to a Weeping Willow, ending in a circle with a memorial plaque on the east and curved stone wall on the west. Two benches and decorative shrubs are spaced along the path's western side and the wall.
Our Memorial Garden will provide for the burial or scattering of cremated remains, and the honoring of deceased members & friends in a reflective setting. Individuals may have names of themselves, members & friends memorialized on a large bronze plaque, and burial sites will be along the path's eastern edge.
We are finalizing a Memorial Garden brochure which will be available shortly, along with a poster-size example of the garden design. We plan to construct the garden in stages, using mostly volunteer labor, and hope to have stage one completed by fall. Please see committee members John Bierman, Gary Courts, Sharon Harmer, Dane Mutter or Maury Wyckoff for further details.
~ John Bierman, Memorial Garden Committee
Evening Book Club*
July 14 - Change of Heart, by Jodi Picoult
August 11 - Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
*Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month, at the Boston Stoker in Centerville. New participants are welcome. Contact Ann Snively for more information.
Rev. Amy Russell on Study Leave
Amy will be on study leave from July 2 - July 31. She will be available for emergencies.
Social Concerns Discussion
The Social Concerns Committee invites the congregation to explore the meaning and importance of social action/social justice work and how it's done in both the Fellowship and other UU churches. We are holding two discussion sessions following our Sunday worship services on July 19 and Aug. 2.
Summer Film Series
The Social Concerns Committee is sponsoring its annual summer film series. Mark your calendars for July 10 (for viewing of "Health, Money, and Fear")* and July 24 (for viewing of "Sick Around the World")*. Both films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Founders' Room. Come join us for the viewing and a lively discussion afterwards. You'll also get an update on where we are with new healthcare proposals in Congress and what's being done locally.
*"Health, Money, and Fear" is a film produced by an ER doctor. It deals with the flaws in our healthcare system and how the system burdens our economy and weakens the financial solvency of our government. "Sick Around the World" is by Frontline correspondent T.R. Reid and examines the healthcare systems of other advanced capitalist democracies to see what ideas might help the U.S. reform its system.
Family Day!
Meet us at the park! Bring your lunch, swimsuits, towels & sunscreen and join Fellowship members at the Activity Center Park, 221 N. Main St. in Centerville on Sun., July 26. We'll head there immediately after service for a fun-filled day of sun & fellowship! For more information, please contact Carolyn Leman.
2009 MVUUF Annual Retreat at Grailville!!If you're interested in attending the MVUUF Annual Retreat at Grailville, you need to turn in your deposit & registration form by August 1. The
retreat will be Oct. 16-19. Click
HERE for a link to the registration form & information about the retreat. If you need more info, contact Ann Rismiller at
[email protected].
Food Fanciers*
July 31 - Cindi Remm & Lori Damron are going to demonstrate canning tomatoes & other veggies.
August 21 - we're having a "Canning Fest"! Bring in your veggies, we'll can them, then exchange what we've canned. Everyone will go home with freshly canned food - won't those veggies taste good right around December?!
* 2 p.m. in the Fellowship Kitchen
Save Your Water!
During your summer travels or when you're out hiking, remember to save a few drops of water for our Water Ceremony in September. At our in-gathering service on September 14, we celebrate a ritual where we each bring a vial of water to add to a communal bowl while we share our summer memories.
Smart Choices*
July 16 - meet at the MVUUF Library at 2 p.m. to check in and share "family bloopers".