UUCH Chalice
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The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville  
October 31st, 2013
Vol. 13 Issue 44
In This Issue
Reset Your Clocks
Lunch w/the Dead
Sharing Sunday
Fair Trade Chocolate!
Green Potluck
Upcoming Services
Sunday in RE
Service Auction
CASA's TEMP$
Video & Discussion
Harry Potter Night!
M4M Walk--register!
Broadmor Briefing
We Share the Plate
Care List
Spring Forward, Fall Back

Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday morning. Set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed Saturday night!
Lunch with
the Dead!

Friday, Nov. 1st,  11am-1pm

Join your UU friends and others for our annual "Lunch with the Dead" at Maple Hill Cemetery. Bring your own lunch, and a blanket or chair to sit on. You'll be able to see us from the north wall parking area.  

 

The leaves are usually at their peak on November first of each year, so the tree-filled cemetery is beautiful. If it sprinkles, we'll still be there; if it's pouring rain (which has only happened once in ten years) then we'll have to wait 'til next year!

This Sunday,
Nov. 3rd is a Sharing Sunday

On the first Sunday of each month, we

Share the Plate during the offering,

Share our Lunch with each other during Potluck and  

Share our Bounty by bringing Food Items for the Food Basket!  

 

Your Social Justice Committee asks that we bring non-perishable food items for the food basket this Sunday, to be donated to the Huntsville Assistance Program. The basket is in the sanctuary, near the coffee counter at the back. Our Goal: 100 Food Items per month!

 

Food items are welcome at any time, but we're making a special effort to bring items on the first Sunday of each month; we will share food with the larger community as we share with our Church friends and families.

 

Fair Trade Chocolate is back!
Equal Exchange Logo
This Sunday, Equal Exchange fair trade chocolate will again be for sale in the back of the sanctuary.

Be sure to try some of the samples during coffee hour this weekend!  

   

In addition to the yummy chocolate bars, we will be selling hot cocoa, baking cocoa, and chocolate chips for the upcoming holiday baking season and cool weather.  Proceeds are used for social justice projects, and our congregation's purchase of Equal Exchange products supports UUSC.

 

Remember,
we also have
Fair Trade, Organic, "Kaffeeklatsch" coffee for sale!  
With Fair Trade products, everyone wins!
Green Potluck
recyclelogo

In a move to a more environmentally sustainable world, our Social Justice committee has suggested that we Bring Our Own non-disposable plates, cups, etc. to our monthly Sunday Potlucks.

(In addition to being "green," bringing your own plates also saves the church money to help fulfill other goals!)

You may also want to remember to bring a bag for transporting home your dirty items! We'll continue to provide disposables for those who need them.

 
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Upcoming Services

UUCH Chalice
Sunday November 3rd, 2013
 

 

"The Root of the Matter" 

The Reverend Alice Syltie  

 

One of our most often sung hymns includes the words by Carolyn McDade, "Roots hold me close, wings set me free." It might seem that to be held by our roots, and set free by our wings, would be mutually exclusive.  And yet, it is only by inhabiting this paradox that we can truly feel at home in the world. This Sunday we come together to contemplate Rootedness, the theme for November.    

 

This Sunday we Share the Plate with First Stop. Please see the article below for details. 

This Sunday in Religious Education

 

Peace Group

We Are Many, We Are One

"Each Tree is Special" 

 

Justice Group

"Dia de Los Muertos"

 

Searchers Group

Building Bridges

"Judaism 1: The Birth of the Abrahamic Tradition" 

   

Over-Achievers Group

Building Bridges

"Hinduism: One God, a Thousand Faces" 

   

Nursery care (ages 0-3) will be provided as usual.

For more information, contact Erin Reid, our Director of Religious Education (256.694.6786 or [email protected]).  

Community Construction Zone Ahead!

The UUCH Service Auction will take place on Saturday, November 16th at the church. On that evening, the sanctuary will be transformed into a Community Construction Zone. The services and events that are sold at the auction provide a great way for you to meet and socialize with other members.  

 

In this construction zone, you can:

  • Spruce up your social life.
  • Measure your new acquaintances.
  • Join together with new friends.
  • Tighten up old friendships.
  • Construct new relationships.

We have received a request for someone to offer a Gutter Cleaning Service. Would you like to climb up the ladder and offer that service? Are there other services you'd like to see offered? Send your suggestions to [email protected].

 

Special Notice: You have been selected for promotion to deputy construction supervisor. Yes, that's right--we need volunteers to work as table monitors, spotters, and runners. We also need people to help with setup and cleanup. If you can volunteer to help, please sign up on the poster in the foyer, or talk to Eleanor Schweinsberg.

 

Please make your donation before midnight on November 10th. There are three ways to donate:

  1. Paper--Fill out a paper donation form and drop it into the box in the foyer.
  2. Email--Send your donation info in an email to [email protected]
  3. Online--Donate online at www.CommunityAuctionServices.com/register/uuch2013

Don't miss the food, the fellowship, and the fun on Saturday, November 16th. The doors open at 6PM. Door prizes will be awarded during  the evening. You must be present to win. No need to get a sitter--childcare will be provided.

See you there!

Service Opportunity with CASA's TEMP$

 

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."--Mahatma Gandhi 

 

Your Social Justice committee is coordinating participation by UUCH in CASA's TEMP$ weatherization program being held on Saturday, November 2nd.  This program has helped the elderly and homebound of Madison County keep their homes a little warmer and safer for thirty years. TEMP$ weatherization includes some or all of the following: covering windows and window air conditioning units with plastic, caulking, installing weather-stripping, installing storms doors, installing dead bolts, and installing smoke alarms. This will be a great opportunity for UUCH members to give back to the less fortunate in our community.

 

Interested volunteers will meet at the church at 9:00am this Saturday morning November 2nd, and then go out to the work area.  

Please contact Brad Korb at (256) 895-9303 if you have further questions.
Adult RE Video Discussion Nov. 6th

 

The Adult Religious Education committee is sponsoring a Video Discussion based on a lecture series by Robert Solomon, a philosophy professor at University of Texas, Austin. We will watch one of the video lectures from "The Passions: Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions" series; then afterwards, expect to have a reflective discussion on human emotions as ways of engaging with each other and with the world .

 

Join us at 6pm on Wednesday, November 6th for an hour or so. Gary & Barbara Hitt will co-facilitate. Contact Nancy Finley at least one week in advance if you need child care.

Unitarian Universalist
Church of HOGWARTS
All-Church Movie Night, Saturday, Nov. 9th!

 

Alohomora!  Join all ages for a screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, on Saturday, November 9, at UUCH.  We will gather in the castle great room at 6 pm with snacks and treats; show time is 6:30 pm.  Costumes and themed refreshments are encouraged. Hitch up your Hippogriff or your broom and come on out for an evening of magic!  All are invited!

 

This event is sponsored by the Children and Youth RE program. Contact DRE Erin Reid for more information at [email protected].
Miles for Midwives Walk:
Register by October 24th

 

Your Social Justice Committee is promoting the Miles for Midwives Walk on November 16th, 2013. The walk will benefit the Alabama Birth Coalition, which is an organization founded to promote the legalization of midwifery and out-of-hospital births in the state of Alabama. Many rural counties in the state do not have access to obstetrical care.

 

About Registration:

Go to alabamabirthcoalition.org and click "Get Tickets" for the Huntsville walk.  Admission includes live music, lunch for the whole family (provided by local restaurants), kids' activities, door prizes & vendors!  Call Anna Bertone at 919-428-6918 with any questions.

 

We will have a table at the event with UUCH information. Please see Gail Williams for more info on how to sign up for the walk, donate, or participate.

ModChalice Broadmor Briefing

 

  The Renovation Committee is extremely pleased with the great progress that has occurred at the Broadmor facility with the invaluable help from volunteers over the past few weeks. The front flower beds and playground have received many hours of loving tender care and it shows!  

 
Beautiful weather for Dirt-Digging! 

 

The Renovation Committee would like to thank the following people who have contributed to these efforts over the past few weeks:

  • Flower Beds (dig in the dirt crew): Leaders were Catherine Hall and Pam Korb; diggers included Jeff Cafferty, LaDawn Edwards, Nancy Finley, Denise Hunter-Gilbert, Echo Long, Jack Long, Deedee Moore, and Paul Wieland
  • Playground (Chalice Circle project): Kim Curry, Vicki Goodman, Bob Gregory, Brad Korb, Pam Korb, Chris Little, Sally Locklear, Derek Marlow, Tim Waskerwitz, Paul Wieland, and Gail Williams 

Please go by the Broadmor facility, see the progress, and thank the folks above!

 

--Brad Korb, Renovation Committee Chair

 We Share the Plate* with First Stop

  

STP logo As many as 25,000 people in Alabama may be homeless. As many as 3.5 million people in the U.S. may be using homeless shelters. These are estimates but the numbers are still staggering. In Madison County, we are privileged to have the assistance of First Stop.

 

STPFirst Stop is a daytime program that evolved to help people who are living on the streets and under the interstate bridges move into housing and return to self-sufficiency. They serve residents of Madison County. To qualify you must be a homeless adult, age 18 & older, no restrictions. At the First Stop Day Center (206 Stokes Street, 35805) they serve breakfast, provide photo ID cards, distribute meal packs, hygiene kits, blankets, and warm clothing as needed; they provide showers, laundry, and storage of personal items. They also perform crisis response, assess needs, create individual plans, help with referrals, and assist with finding housing. 

 

The First Stop program was begun by the IMS, but is now an independent agency. Like most social service agencies in Huntsville, it is struggling for funds. Thanks in advance for your generosity!

 

*When we "Share the Plate," all cash collected on the first Sunday of each month in the quarter (October, November, and December), along with any checks noted as "Share the Plate," will be halved with First Stop.

 

votives
Care List  

 

Our Circle of Candles on

October 27th included: 

 

A Candle of Joy for Vanessa Mantis: "George, my husband, starts his new job in Huntsville tomorrow! I'm so glad he found a local job so we can stay in the Huntsville area." (And all of us at UUCH are delighted to hear that wonderful news, Vanessa!)

 

A Candle of Joy for Melissa Shepherd: "Happy to be home from travel and delighted to have son Duncan home for a visit, so for a little while the whole family can be together."

 

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 Thursday, November 21st, 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.