The Religious Worlds Institute is a project of The Interfaith Center of New York and Union Theological Seminary, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lynsie Lamitie was one of 25 teachers from across the United States selected to participate in an exploration of the diverse religions lived and practiced in New York City. Participants studied the constitutionality of teaching various religions, experienced lived religion in context with the people of various faiths, and encountered the sacred in public places. The larger hope of the Institute is for students to be prepared to participate in the civic life of a pluralistic society.  Lynsie will share stories and reflections from her experience at the Institute. 

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).  

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 this Friday, August 15th, from 6:30-9:00 p.m., here at the church.  Contact Denise Runnels for more information.

It's not too late to participate!

What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist? Guided by the UU Tapestry of Faith Curriculum, this three-part series explores important themes in UU congregational life, such as worship, theology, history, covenant, faith development, social justice, and membership. This program focuses on introducing newcomers to Unitarian Universalism, but those who have been at UUCH for a while will also be able to share and connect with others as we explore our own beliefs and how they intersect with the UU tradition.

Everyone is welcome! You don't have to have attended the first one in order to gain from the second & third classes. So mark your calendars now for the Sunday mornings of August 17th and 24th for this chance to learn and share. Meet for coffee or tea at 9:00 a.m.; discussion starts at 9:15. Pam Korb and Nick Wilbourn will facilitate the discussion. Childcare is provided for this class series. Contact Pam Korb (bradkorb@mindspring.com) for further info.  

Our new facility continues to be a busy place: pew installation is occurring in the sanctuary; work in the north hall bathrooms continues to progress with painting, fixture installation, and countertop installation; replacement of the RE Wing windows has begun and they look great!

Our next volunteer workday is planned for August 23rd, so mark your calendar to come out and lend a hand! See the related article above.

--Brad Korb, Renovations Chair

Kathy Fisher: "I am thrilled to tell you my sister and brother-in-law bought a house in town and will be moving here within the month. This will be the first time I've ever had family in town. Also I just found out this morning that David Stone's sister and brother-in-law live on the same street!"

Becky Ellingwood: "Thanks to all of you who shared expressions of concern during the recent passing of my mother. You are all a very supportive community."

Pam Siegler: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the care of this community during my cancer treatment and recovery. Your gifts of food and love were like the Care Shawl that wrapped me with a sense of peace."

Angel Hundley and Denise Hunter-Gilbert: "We thank our church community for sending us to SUULE at the mountain this past week. We learned and felt so much and look forward to sharing it with all of you."

Tonia Betts: "Thank you to the great group who turned out yesterday for the Habitat for Humanity work day. We laid sod, removed floors and cabinets, and had a great time. And thank you to Amanda Schuber for setting up the day for us."  

If you have pastoral care needs, please contact the Reverend Alice Syltie at revaluu@aol.com. 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 bghitt1@comcast.net.