UUCH Chalice
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The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville  
August 15th, 2013
Vol. 13 Issue 33
In This Issue
Calling Young Artists
100 a Month
Coffee!
Upcoming Services
Sunday in RE
IMPORTANT MEETING
Interweave Potluck
Dig Deep Roots
Social Justice Meeting
Directory Update
Care List
Attention, Young Artists!  

hand drawingheart  

On Sunday, August 25th, Bonnie Herold will be leading the RE class in illustrating her picture book, Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places. So the congregation can witness first-hand the talent of our young artists, Bonnie will present it via PowerPoint in the Fall. This sweet story about Peggy the Pig finding love will be made available at the Service Auction. 

In July, we collected 85 Items for the HAP Food Pantry. Thank You!
bags of food
The Social Justice Committee's goal is to collect and donate 100 items per month. Can you pick up an extra canned good, nonperishable food item, or personal care product next time you are out shopping?  Please do, and put it in the basket in the church foyer to be donated to the Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP).  
Warm Up Your Pipes!  

 

Our UUCH Choir resumes practice on August 21st!  

 

Choir will meet every Wednesday night to practice from 7:15 to 9p.m., under the Direction of the knowledgeable and kind Vanessa Miller Mantis. We are always welcoming new members, so if you feel musically inclined, please join us!

 

If you have questions or might need childcare to participate, contact Music Chair Susan Coddington
The Best Part of Waking Up... 

  coffeecup

...Is Justice In Your Cup 
Fair Trade, Organic, "Kaffeeklatsch" coffee for sale!  Bags of coffee are available at the back of the sanctuary after Sunday services
.

 

Proceeds are used to help fund Social Justice projects--everybody wins!
Quick Links...
Join Our Mailing List
Upcoming Services

UUCH Chalice
Sunday August 18th, 2013
 

"It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"

Laurel Bollinger

What is it about the idea of Apocalypse that so fascinates us? It seems that everywhere we turn, people announce the impending end of the world--from the possible and scientific (ecological disaster, asteroid collision) to the more fictional (zombie apocalypse, alien invasion). Where does the idea of the end of the world originate, and what does it have to teach us as Unitarian Universalists?


Laurel Bollinger is an Associate Professor of English at UAH, who has taught apocalyptic literature at the graduate and undergraduate levels. 

This Sunday in Religious Education

 

Summer RE continues at CAMP UU-BE-LONG:

 

Sign Language! with Bobby Hall.

Erin Reid is helping, and Supervisor is Heather Kyemba.

 

Nursery care (ages 0-3) will be provided as usual. For more information, contact Becky Ellingwood, our RE Chair.

Calling All Members:
Very Important Meeting This Sunday, August 18th

 

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The Property Search and Purchase Committee (PSPC) and the Board of Trustees are excited to inform you that we have completed our due diligence on the former Highland United Methodist Church, and after several rounds of negotiation, have reached a new agreement with the seller to purchase the property for the revised price of $300,000.  Based on the recommendation from our PSPC, your Board of Trustees believes that it is time for the congregation to
vote on whether we purchase this property with plans to make it our new church home.  Per our church bylaws, we are calling a special Congregational Meeting for Sunday, August 18th immediately following the worship service to vote on the property purchase.  A light lunch will be served, and child care will be available.

 

This is a very important meeting in the history of our congregation, and we ask that members please make every effort to attend this meeting to take part in the discussion and final decision process.  We need at least 20% of our members present for a quorum, but we would like to have far greater attendance to support such an important decision.  Unfortunately, per our church bylaws, we will not be able to use absentee or proxy ballots as part of this process, so members must be present to vote on this resolution

 

As was discussed at the Annual Meeting as well as at various PSPC Town Hall discussions, this property meets many of the search criteria that our members laid out when we voted to move three years ago. The candidate property is in the target area in Huntsville and is large enough for growth.  It has a spacious sanctuary, a fellowship hall, a play area for children, and plenty of parking.  The church is also in our target price range, allowing us to make the purchase prior to the sale of our existing building.  While the majority of the PSPC and Board are enthusiastic about the property and believe that it is spatially and financially a good option for UUCH, it is an older building and will need significant repairs and renovations to make it our desired church home.  Detailed information will be presented at the congregational meeting regarding the phased renovation plan and the financial numbers related to the proposed move, including the total expected renovation costs, mortgage value, and expected facility operational costs.

 

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you on August 18th!

Kevin Betts, UUCH President,

on behalf of the Board of Trustees and PSPC members

Interweave Potluck and Game Night!

 

chalice w/rainbow flame Everyone is Welcome. 

UUCH's Interweave is an Outreach Group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) peoples and their friends and allies. On the 3rd Friday of each month, we hold a "Potluck and Game Night" to eat, play, and have a good time in a "safe zone" for the LGBTQ. We hope that our allies will come out and join in the fun so that we have a good mix of LGBTQ and A's participating. 

 

This Month's Potluck/Game night will be held Friday, August 16th, from 6:30-9pm, here at the church. Contact Denise Runnels for more information.

Come Out this Saturday
and Volunteer at Deep Roots

 


This Saturday, August 17th, the Social Justice Committee has scheduled a volunteer day with Deep Roots of Alabama.  We will meet at the Village Church community garden at 8:30 am and play in the dirt for an hour or two.  Our volunteer day in April was fun and successful, so please come out and join us for this great cause!  If you have gardening tools like shovels, trowels, etc., you may wish to bring them.

 

Directions to the Village Church:

Take Memorial Parkway north to Oakwood Ave.

Turn right on Oakwood

Go � mile or so and turn left on Virginia Ave.

The Village Church is not far on the left, 2103 Virginia Ave.

 

Questions?  Call Tonia Betts at (256) 882-9891, or Saturday you can call Kevin at (256) 426-1691.

Social Justice Committee Meets Aug. 25th

 

justice scales Our first Social Justice Committee Meeting for this church year will be on Sunday, August 25th at 9:30 am.  Everyone is welcome--come and help plan our fall outreach activities!  We'll have bagels.  If you have questions, you may call Tonia Betts at (256) 882-9891
Constant Change is Here to Stay!
We Need YOUR Info for a Directory Update

We have posted the "old" directory info on a wall at the church. Please check your directory entry to see if it is correct, and follow the posted directions to make sure your corrections are made. Parts to check:  

  • Adult names, membership status, birthdates.
  • Phone numbers and email addresses
  • Children's names and birthdates
  • Street/mailing address, including zipcode  

If you cannot make it up to the church before August 31st, and you have changes to be made in your entry, please email your changes to the church office at [email protected]

  • To combat the spam filter, please write "directory changes" in the title of the email.
  • Please include your actual Name somewhere in the email, so we know who we are changing!

We welcome additions! Just remember, if you are in the directory, you may be contacted by friends--and committee chairs!  We are hoping to have the new directory available by mid-September. 

votives Care List 

 

In our Circle of Candles on August 11th, requests for candles came from: 

 

Jack & Echo Long, who are "glad Jack is home after spending 5 days in Huntsville hospital for 'Acute Delirium'."

 

Rev. Alice Syltie, who said "Thanks to everyone for the cards, calls, meals, and good wishes. David hoped to be here today, but just wasn't up to it. Thanks also to the worship committee and to our student minister John Czachurski for today's sermon.It's a blessing to have such good people to carry on while I am out of the pulpit."

 

When you fill out a Circle of Candles form to be read during the service, please indicate on the form if you do not want your concern mentioned in this newsletter.   

 

If you have pastoral care needs, please contact the Reverend Alice Syltie at [email protected]. Barbara Hitt is Chair of the Care Committee, and may be reached at home, (256) 881.2531; on her cell, (256) 348.5845; or by email at [email protected]  

UUCH 13-14 Board Members
President: Kevin Betts     

V.P.  Denise Hunter-Gilbert 

Secretary: Bobby Hall           

Treasurer: Jerome Belcher   

Trustees: Nancy Finley, Kathy Heath, & Laurel Bollinger  

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 Kevin Betts, no later than one week prior to the meeting, i.e. the Tuesday before.You may leave a copy of your request in his Mailbox at the church office, or contact him at

Next UUCH Board Meeting will be on August 27th, 2013 at 7pm. Thanks for your cooperation!

From the Overlook is a publication of

The Unitarian Universalist Church,

2222 Governor's Dr. Huntsville, AL 35801

Minister: The Reverend Alice Syltie

Board Pres: Kevin Betts 

Editorial Board: Laurel Bollinger, Kathy Heath 

 

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight!
Please send submissions to news collator Deedee Moore at
[email protected]  

 

Admin. Office Hours:  

Monday 10am- 1pm; Thursday 9:30am-12pm ; Friday

10am-2pm  

 

Office phone: 256.534-0508, email: [email protected] 

Minister's Phone: 256.539-9607, email: [email protected]

Web: www.uuch.org 

 

Sunday Services are held 10:45am to 12 noon;  

Children's Religious Education held concurrently.   

Nursery available for age 3 years and under.

For further info on any event, call the church office:
256. 534-0508.