UUCH Chalice
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The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville AL 35810  
February 12th, 2015
Vol. 15 Issue 07
In This Issue
UUs Care

Bringing in food and hygiene items for our Food Basket really does make a difference. Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP) makes good use of our donations. 

 

HAP is an interfaith network of Madison County congregations providing volunteers, information, and financial resources to help those in need. HAP focuses on those who need temporary assistance. HAP provides not only food boxes but also assistance with rent/ mortgage and utility bills.

For more about HAP, visit their  website.

 

Awareness Through Movement on Saturday Mornings*  
 
UUCH Adult Religious Education has begun another series of Awareness Through Movement� classes.
Classes focus 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!
Class is drop-in, no experience necessary, and is 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.

These classes are being held in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m., continuing until further notice.

*Please note: There will be no ATM class on Saturday, February 28th--Sally is going out of town for training that weekend.

For information, contact Denise Runnels If you need childcare for this event, please contact Denise at least a week before the event.

Good For
Your Heart!

Dark Chocolate (in moderation, of course) has been proven to have beneficial effects for your heart! 

Social Justice can hook you up with some fine Fair Trade Chocolate!  

Look for it after church on Sundays, on the coffee table in the Fellowship Hall.


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Upcoming Services

UUCH Chalice
Sunday, February 15th, 2015
 
 

"'Choose Kind':

A Youth-Led Multigenerational Service"

 

In her bestselling novel, Wonder, R.J. Palacio quotes Dr. Wayne Dyer: "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind." In this multigenerational service, our own UUCH youth, through drama, music, art, and more, will explore how loving kindness offers real power to transform lives, promote healing, and deepen our connections to each other. Youth have been preparing and helping create this service for the last three weeks, and the RE children have made a special gift for the congregation. This is a fun, colorful, interactive service you won't want to miss. (A note for families with young children: activities will be engaging and appropriate for all ages, and the service will be shorter than usual so that our younger members can participate comfortably).   

 

As a congregation-wide social justice activity, all are invited to bring to this service an item to share with the church's homeless outreach. 

 

The Social Justice Committee and Religious Education Program will be holding a creative service Sunday in March where children and youth will assemble meal and hygiene packs for distribution in the community.

 

Needed items include individual servings of canned fruit, cracker packs, pudding cups, juice boxes, canned meat (pull-tops, e.g. Vienna sausage), travel-sized hygiene products, and gallon-sized Ziplock bags. This will be an ongoing collection through March 15th.

This Sunday in RE
 

Children and youth will participate in the all-ages service in the sanctuary. RE classes will not be held. Childcare for ages 0-3 will be offered as usual in the Nursery.

 

Safe Space for Children and Youth

2 hearts
Please Remember:  

For the safety and enjoyment of our all-ages community, parents/guardians are asked to supervise children and youth in the church facility and grounds when they are not in their planned RE activity.


  For more information, contact Erin Reid, our Director of Religious Education (DRE) (256.694.6786 or eereid@hotmail.com).   
From Your Minister
 

Wow, my dear congregation, what an amazing week this turned out to be. What a joy it was on Monday morning to watch couples who had waited so long to be legally married emerge from the Madison County Court House with an honest-to-goodness marriage license in hand.  And then to see the tears and smiles of all who gathered to be married, or bless the marriages. Prior to being there, I wasn't really able to imagine how this event would look or feel. I found myself swept up in an unexpected array of emotions. I have heard many of you say you never thought you would see this day arrive, at least in Alabama. Maybe it is a good lesson in faith, our theme for February.  

 

While I am writing about emotion, I want to share how deeply grateful and moved I was for the love and support I felt from you after my mother died and at her memorial service. I've learned a lot about grief over the last year and the biggest lesson is that your brain simply does not function at full capacity. Maybe not even at a fraction of its capacity.  So, in planning her memorial service, I thought of very few of the important details. Thank goodness for my congregation of amazingly thoughtful and loving people who remembered everything I forgot. Barbara Hitt, Care Chair, and Audrey Fox, Hospitality Chair, reached out and you all responded to make it a beautiful celebration of Mom's life and a warm and comforting reception with family and friends who attended. Our whole family wishes to express our deepest thanks for all the ways you showed up and were present with us in our time of loss.  

 

Life can certainly be a roller coaster of joy and sorrow, sadness and celebration. I'm glad we are together to share this ride. 

 

In love and hope,

Rev. Alice 

"New UU" Class Continues This Sunday 

 

rainbow chalice What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist? Guided by the UU Tapestry of Faith Curriculum, this 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, and you need not have attended the first sessions as a prerequisite for this last class. So mark your calendars now for Sunday morning, February 15th, in the Adult RE Classroom for this chance to learn and share. Meet for coffee or tea at 9:00 a.m.; discussion starts at 9:15. Nick Wilbourn and Nancy Finley will facilitate the discussion. Contact Nancy Finley (finleyn@uah.edu) for further info. And Childcare is available for this event! 

Start Cleaning Those Closets!   

 

The church is sponsoring its annual yard sale on Saturday, April 25th, with a rain date being the following Saturday. Start emptying your drawers, garages, attics, and closets! Please make sure that clothes smell fresh as daisies and that donated items are not torn or broken. On the other hand, keep in mind that one person's junk is another's treasure! Contact Bonnie Herold (bherold51@gmail.com) with questions.
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Care List  

 

At our Circle of Candles on Sunday, February 8th, a candle was lit for:

 

Mari Hinckley, a Candle of Joy and Sorrow: "My cousin, Randy, died last Sunday at age of 51 of a heart attack, BUT it allowed me and Kristabelle to see family we hadn't seen in almost 5 years."

 

Pam Korb, a Candle of Joy: "Happy to see Eddie Bradley back with us this morning after an arm injury, surgery and physical therapy. Welcome back, Eddie!"

 

John and Anita Czachurski: "Alzheimer's is a long, slow descent over the years with few milestones to report, but this week we had one. On Monday, we moved Anita's mother into a Memory Care Unit."

 

Theresa and Tim Miller, a Candle of Concern: "Our daughter, Vanessa, is struggling with gallbladder problems and has consulted with a surgeon. This weekend she is first trying a detox under a naturopath's care. Please send her positive thoughts and prayers as she tries to heal and know how to best care for the problems and related anxiety."

 

Kathy Heath, a Candle of Joy: "It is a joy to have June Norton with us today!"

 

Denise Hunter-Gilbert, a Candle of Joy: "When something is quietly and consistently great, we sometimes forget the effort it takes, and the people who make it GREAT. This is a heartfelt thanks to Denise Runnels and Nancy Finley for a great Adult RE program."

 

Alice Dilbeck/Betsy Applegate, a Candle of Joy: "Same sex marriage begins in Alabama tomorrow! We could not imagine this over 20 years ago when we came to this church and participated in the first welcoming congregation workshop! It's truly amazing and wonderful."

 

For Bobby Hall, a Candle of Concern: "We learned last night that Bobby's Dad is in the ICU in the hospital." 


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.
UUCH 14-15 Board Members

 

President:  Denise Hunter-Gilbert

Vice-President: Angel Hundley 

Secretary: Bobby Hall           

Treasurer: Jerome Belcher   

Trustees: Millicent Simmons, John Fox, & 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 Denise Hunter-Gilbert, no later than one week prior to the meeting, i.e. the Tuesday before. You may leave a copy of your request in her Mailbox at the church office, or contact her at UUCHBoardPresident@uuch.org.

Notice:
Next UUCH Board Meeting will be on
Tuesday, February 24th, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.
Thanks for your cooperation!

From the Overlook is a publication of

The Unitarian Universalist Church,

3921 Broadmor Rd. Huntsville, AL 35810

Minister: The Reverend Alice Syltie

Board President: Denise Hunter-Gilbert 

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: 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Mon-Tue-Thu-Fri.

For Wednesday access, please call in advance. 

Office phone: 256.534-0508, email: uuch@uuch.org.

Minister's 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.