Meal Pack Success!
For March 23rd's Creative Service Sunday, the children's RE classes assembled over 120 meal and hygiene packs to be distributed to the area's homeless residents. All ages of students worked hard together to assemble the packs, and a good time was had by all. Thank you to all who donated items to make this a successful event!
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This Sunday's Potluck:
Bring Your Own
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. 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.
(In addition to being "green," bringing your own plates also saves the church money to help fulfill other goals!)
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This Sunday, April 6th, 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.
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Social Justice is Delicious!
Your Social Justice Committee has Equal Exchange Fair Trade chocolate for sale in the back of the sanctuary each Sunday.
We also have
Fair Trade, Organic, "Kaffeeklatsch" coffee for sale!
With Fair Trade products, everyone wins!
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Upcoming Services
Sunday, April 6th, 2014
"The Spirit of the Dance"
The Reverend Alice Syltie
and the Huntsville Feminist Chorus
The Huntsville Feminist Chorus will sing selections from their spring concert, "Spirit of the Dance," bringing together, song, rhythm, and movement in a joyful celebration of life and world community. The chorus will share an eclectic array of songs from West Africa, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East that embody this month's worship theme of Freedom.
This Sunday, we Share the Plate with an unusual project! See the article below for details!
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This Sunday in Religious Education
Peace Group
We Are Many, We Are One
"We Need Our Families"
Justice Group
Holidays and Holydays
"Passover"
Searchers Group
Building Bridges
"The 1800s: 5 New Religions"
Over-Achievers Group
Building Bridges
"Islam, Part 2"
Nursery care (ages 0-3) will be provided as usual.
For more information, contact Erin Reid, our Director of Religious Education (DRE) (256.694.6786 or eereid@hotmail.com).
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Annual Budget Drive Update
Our Annual Budget Drive (ABD) has been a resounding success. At this point the commitments received for the 2014-15 church budget total over $192,000. That is almost a 20% increase from last year! Those commitments came from 83 households, which is the same number we ended up with last year.
There are still quite a few households we have not yet heard from, so the ABD effort is now entering a follow-up stage. Any canvassers with assignments still not visited should report the status to their team leads and/or to Jon Fox. The follow-up effort will be organized by Jerome Belcher.
Haven't been contacted? Please email Tim Miller (tim.miller.hsv@gmail.com) or Jon Fox (drjonfox@gmail.com) to be included in the group of committed supporters of UUCH as we enter this new year "At a New Threshold!"
Tim Miller, ABD Chair
Jon Fox, ABD Co-Chair
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This Saturday: April 5th!
All-Church Work Day at Broadmor!  Attention Everyone! It is time for another fun workday at the Broadmor property. We will be gathering on Saturday, April 5th to roll up our sleeves and accomplish some of the tasks needed to get us closer to moving to our new church. There will be varied tasks for everyone at many different skill levels. Can you paint? Can you do paint prep-work, like taping? Can you use a screwdriver? Can you gather pine needles? Can you move pews? Can you make coffee and help with refreshments? All together we can make it happen! We'll start at 9:00 a.m., and will finish around 12:00 p.m. Drinks and light snacks will be provided. Here are some of the jobs we hope to accomplish: - Paint the RE Wing Hallway
- Unbolt and move pews to prepare for carpeting
- Paint awnings
- Install new smoke detectors throughout the building
- Exterior cleanup (branches, pine needles, mulching, etc.)
- Remove chancel rails
 Please bring work gloves, screwdrivers, cordless drills, paint brushes and rollers, rakes, step ladders, crow bars, and other basic tools. Children will be under their families' supervision during these activities. Childcare with space for rest and play will be provided for small children as needed. Remember, the address for our new church is 3921 Broadmor Road. For further information, please contact Brad Korb, Renovation Chair, at bradkorb@mindspring.com. See you there!
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Who Will Be Crowned Chili Czar?
Get Your Tickets for the
Annual UUCH Chili Cook-off!
 Calling all chili lovers! Mark your calendar for
Saturday, April 12th! Unlock your Secret Recipe and rev up your taste buds for an evening of flavor devoted to tomato, bean, and spice! Who will win the coveted Red Ladle?
In order to better accommodate the adoring food fans,
admission will be limited to 90 ticketed diners and chefs. All chefs entering a crockpot full of chili
(mild, medium, hot, white, or vegetarian)
will receive one free ticket.
Everyone else 13 or older pays $5 each.
Kids 3-12 are $3 each with a family cap of $15. (Childcare provided, as usual.)
Chili should be delivered by 5:00 p.m. for judging that begins at 5:30 p.m. Music and other live entertainment is being organized by Susan Coddington.
Sides, chili fixings, crackers, baked potatoes, and little kid food will be provided. The hospitality committee would appreciate donations of cornbread or desserts. See Denise Hunter-Gilbert for tickets, on sale now. It's a small price to pay for such a legendary culinary competition!
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Spring into Action--Saturday, April 19th! Volunteer with Deep Roots of Alabama
 Deep Roots of Alabama is kicking off a Farm2School program at Morris Elementary, and they need our help! Come out to organize the greenhouse, start seedlings, etc. It should be fun work! If you plan to come, please let Tonia or Kevin Betts know at (256) 882-9891 or kevin.m.betts@leidos.com. Or, you can just show up! If you have gardening tools, they may be helpful.
What: Deep Roots is a Huntsville-based organization working to teach gardening skills and good nutrition in our community, particularly in under-resourced areas.
Where: Morris Elementary--just west of the Botanical Gardens--4801 Bob Wallace Ave.
Why: Morris Elementary is an under-resourced school, and the Farm2School program will provide healthy veggies and an opportunity to learn gardening to Morris students.
Questions?: Please call Tonia at (256) 882-9891
Hope to see you there!
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Adult RE on Saturday Mornings: Movement Class Starts Again April 19th
UUCH Adult Religious Education focuses on the whole spiritual person--mentally and physically. We are starting another series of Awareness Through Movement® classes on Saturday, April 19th. Those who came to the first series found it very enjoyable, relaxing, and useful. The class focuses on gentle movement that can assist us in being more comfortable and pain-free in our everyday activities. Come learn how to use the core of your body to improve movement, balance, and chronic pain.
Everyone is welcome! This verbally guided Awareness Through Movement® class is for anyone who wants more ease and comfort in their movements. Class is drop-in, no experience necessary, and will be led by Sally Locklear. Wear comfortable, loose clothing, and bring a bath or beach towel to use as head support for comfort in side-lying. Join us each Saturday morning from April 19th to May 24th at 10:00-11:15 a.m.
For further information, contact Nancy Finley at finleyn@uah.edu. If you need childcare for this event, please contact Nancy at least a week before the event.
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Easter Egg Hunt at Alice & Betsy's!
April 20th!  You and your family are invited to spend Easter Sunday afternoon with your fellow UUs in a day of relaxation and fun while welcoming the beginning of spring. (Rain or shine!) What: Easter Egg Hunt Who: Everyone is invited! When: Sunday, April 20th, 2:00-5:00 p.m. Where: Alice Dilbeck and Betsy Applegate's home, in the Monrovia area. Suggestions for what to bring: Yourself and family--Eggs for the hunt (plastic filled and "real")--Baskets for gathering eggs--Goodies to share for munching--Lawn chairs and musical instruments. We'll have badminton, croquet, activities for all ages, and "sitting-on-the-porch-talking-as-we-watch-others-expend-a-lot-of-energy." What could be more fun?! The landscape surrounding Alice and Betsy's home is in transition. Children are advised to wear or bring play clothes to fully enjoy the outdoor activities. Grassy areas are aplenty, but there is more red dirt at the moment than before. We don't want to spoil anyone's Easter best! Directions to Alice Dilbeck's and Betsy Applegate's home are on the name tag table at the church, or you can call (256-534-0508) or email Deedee at the church office (uuch@uuch.org) for a copy.  We're egg-cited! We'll be HOPPY to see you!
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Broadmor Briefing
The Renovation Committee is excited to announce that we are now under contract with an HVAC contractor! After review of 3 competing proposals, the Renovation Committee recommended and the Board approved of signing a contract with the Hutchens Company. They will begin work in the next week or so on replacing the HVAC units that previously conditioned the Sanctuary, foyer and kitchen areas. Due to cost concerns, we decided to move the balcony HVAC addition to Phase 2, since the balcony won't be used on a regular basis in the near future. The Renovation Committee is sponsoring a property workday at the 3921 Broadmor facility on Saturday, April 5th. Reference the related article above for details and we hope to see you there!
--Brad Korb, Renovations Chair
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We Share the Plate* with
"100 Gardens for Haitian Families"
Usually, our "Share the Plate" donations are earmarked for a local charity; but this time, we are doing something a little different! For this quarter, we will be sharing the plate with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) in support of their "100 Gardens for Haitian Families" project.
 As part of Justice Sunday 2014, the UUSC is encouraging congregations, families, individuals, youth groups, community groups, and others to build food gardens in our communities, and to sponsor urban food gardens in Haiti. The UUCH Social Justice Committee has decided to support this project and to make it the recipient of this quarter's Share the Plate. In addition, UUCH will be participating in Justice Sunday on April 13th.
For each $250 donation, one family in Haiti will receive training and materials for their gardens. The goal of this program is to help 100 Haitian families grow their own food and achieve food sovereignty and sustainability. Once families don't have to buy all their food, they are better able to cover other basic expenses, like school fees for their children. Food sustainability can be at the heart of lifelong sustainability for thriving families and communities in Haiti--and you can help make it happen!
More information on this project can be obtained from the web site below:
http://www.uusc.org/reflect-understand-act#garden
*When we "Share the Plate," all cash collected on the first Sunday of each month in the quarter (April, May, and June), along with any checks noted as "Share the Plate," will be halved with the "100 Families" project.
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 Care List
At our Circle of Candles on Sunday, March 30th, candles were lit for:
LaDawn Edwards: A joy to "commend Tim Miller and John Fox for their vision, leadership, and good humor during our successful budget drive."
Bette Keane: "Sparky's daughter had a beautiful healthy baby girl on March 18th--Cecelia Grace."
John Czachurski: "Today is my Dad's 90th birthday! Our family gathered this weekend to celebrate his gifts to us all."
Care Chair Barbara Hitt is traveling for a few months. If you need assistance from the care committee, please call Millicent Simmons (256.551.0366) or Nancy Stetson (256.650.6116).
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UUCH 13-14 Board MembersPresident: Kevin Betts
Vice-President: 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 UUCHBoardPresident@uuch.org.
Notice: Next UUCH Board Meeting will be on Thursday, April 22nd, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. This meeting will be at our Governors Drive location. Thanks for your cooperation!
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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.
Office phone: 256.534-0508, email: uuch@uuch.org.
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.
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