Remember to save Sunday, February 16th from 2:00-4:00 p.m. for our Broadmor Property Open House.  Come join the Transition Team and the Renovation Committee as we view the work in progress at our new church home.  This will be a great opportunity to explore our new campus a bit more, hear the Renovation Committee's plans for the next few months, and participate in envisioning our congregational life in these new spaces.  

Renovation Committee Chair Brad Korb will offer a brief presentation at 2:30 p.m.; the rest of the time will be open for self-guided tours, snacks in the fellowship hall, and imagining UUCH in its new home. (Parents: All ages are welcome at this event, but the Broadmor property is currently a construction site, and children will need close supervision.) Members of the Renovation Committee will be on hand to answer questions, and Transition Team members will be eager to hear your thoughts and receive your comments.

It is the goal of the Transition Team to help facilitate the congregation's move to the new church building. Throughout the months to come, the team will be soliciting input and coordinating decision-making around the process of moving our congregational life into our new home; we hope you will be as excited about the possibilities as we are!  There will be a special opportunity to talk to the Team at the Feb. 16th open house, but please feel free to contact them at any time at with questions and comments at transition_team@uuch.org. The Team members are Rev. Alice (Chair), Tim Miller, Erin Reid, David Bollinger, Lynsie Lamitie, Denise Gyauch, and Nancy Finley (Board Liaison).   

Save the Date:

Broadmor Open House on February 16th!

If you've been attending UUCH long enough to know that this church community feels like your spiritual home, you may be ready to take the next step and become a member.  On Sunday, February 23rd, we will recognize several new members early in the service as they "sign the book" and officially join our church.

If you are ready to become a member or would like to find out more about the process, please contact Pam Korb (Membership chair) at bradkorb@mindspring.com by Tuesday, February 18th.

Rights and Responsibilities of Membership:

Because we are a democratic community, members are collectively vested with responsibility for the congregation. Members may vote at all congregational meetings, be elected to the governing Board, be appointed as committee chairs, and participate in all activities of the congregation.

Because we are a covenanted congregation, members have certain responsibilities to the congregation and to each other. These responsibilities are best fulfilled by:

Regular attendance at worship. Weekly worship cements the bonds of community, and keeps our attention directed to our highest values, while nurturing our spirits.

Voting at congregational meetings. Responsible participation includes imagining the needs of the entire congregation, rather than focusing only on one's own needs or desires. Consider how issues affect all members of the congregation, as well as potential members and others in the world outside the congregation.

Making financial contributions. Not only does this provide for the support of the congregation, but it also serves as a spiritual discipline.

Contributing time and talent. Congregations succeed because their members find ways to give of themselves, whether through singing, financial management, educating children, sharing their passion for social justice, organizing, cooking, greeting, maintaining the building and grounds--the list of tasks goes on and on. Finding ways to give back that nurture your own soul helps support your personal growth along with the growth of our congregation.

Spiritual growth and development. Working deliberately at your own spiritual development is a gift to yourself, to the congregation, and to the larger world.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! This month's Potluck and Game Night will feature an "impromptu" jam session. Musicians and non-musicians alike should have a great time. Bring your instrument be it a banjo or vocal chords. Or, if you are like me, bring food! Tim Miller, Tim Klug, and Alli Johnson will warm things up and anyone interested in joining the fun is welcome. This will be rather informal, so playing games and chatting are still expected while the music happens in the background.

Interweave is an Outreach Group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) peoples and their friends and allies. We sponsor this "Potluck and Game Night" on the 3rd Friday of each month to ensure a "safe zone" for the LGBTQ, but EVERYONE that supports the LGBTQ community IS WELCOME. 

This Month's Potluck/Game night will be held Friday, Feb. 21st, from 6:30-9:00 p.m., here at the church. Contact  Denise Runnels for more information.

The Children's and Youth RE Program invites all church members, friends, and guests of all ages to a party at the Little Gym in Jones Valley, on Sunday, February 23rd, 4:00-6:00 p.m. Come on out for some family fun, games, and treats! Toddlers, children, youth, and grown-ups: ALL ARE WELCOME!

Wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to be barefoot in the gym. You won't believe how much fun we're going to have. We'll have a head-over-heels good time! The address for The Little Gym in Jones Valley is 2124 Cecil Ashburn Drive. Contact DRE Erin Reid at eereid@hotmail.com for more information.

Increasingly, Americans are choosing to dine at restaurants that offer organic, fair-trade, and free-range ingredients for reasons of both health and ethics. Yet few of these diners are aware of the working conditions at the restaurants themselves. But whether you eat haute cuisine or fast food, the well being of restaurant workers is a pressing concern.

Adult RE  invites you to join in as we discuss what it means for us to be guests at the tables in restaurants across this country. We will discuss the 2013-2014 UUA Common Read, "Behind the Kitchen Door" by Saru Jayaraman on Sunday, February 23rd, at 6:00 p.m.

You can find a print version of the book at the UUA Bookstore (Click Here), Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Books a Million. An eBook is also available if you prefer or if you are unable to get a copy for yourself we have a few on the coffee bar at the back of the sanctuary that can be checked out. Keep an eye out for more  details to come. And START READING! 

This is the time of year that we start planning for our Annual Budget Drive (ABD), during which we collect commitments for financial support for the next church year.

The kick-off event for that effort will be Saturday evening, March 8th, at the Weatherly Heights Baptist Church fellowship hall.  We hope to have all members and supporting friends there, so please mark your calendars to save the date!   

As we will be providing dinner for all attendees, and childcare as well, we need your RSVP! Sign-up sheets are at the church, or you may want to respond through the e-invite that will be coming out soon.  

March 8th!  

Come help celebrate that we are  

At A New Threshold!

The Aesthetics Team and Renovation Committee have had several meetings with our architect to choose interior and exterior paint colors and carpet for the sanctuary. The painters have now painted the paneled walls in the sanctuary and foyer and it has made a huge difference! The painters have also painted ceilings in two RE classrooms and the covered walkways. In addition, the general contractor has replaced the exterior door in the North Wing and replaced rotten wood on the exterior. Once the weather gets a little warmer, the exterior sections will be painted.

There have been many changes at the Broadmor facility and we look forward to showing off the progress during the interim open house on February 16th.

--Brad Korb, Renovations Chair

From the Overlook is a publication of

The Unitarian Universalist Church,

2222 Governor's Dr. Huntsville, AL 35801

Minister: The Reverend Alice Syltie

Board President: Kevin Betts 

Editorial Board: Laurel Bollinger, Kathy Heath 

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight!
Please send submissions to news collator Deedee Moore at uuch@uuch.org.  

Admin. Office Hours: Monday 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; Thursday 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; Friday 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.   

Minister's Phone: 256.539-9607, email: revaluu@aol.com.

Web: www.uuch.org 

Sunday Services are held 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 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.