As I mentioned Sunday, our theme for May is Tradition.

The question we ask ourselves is, "What does it mean to be a people of tradition?" Unitarian Universalists have a long history of arguing with tradition. It has often been seen as a threat. We know what it means to have rules and rituals that tightly bind us and limit what we can think or who we can love. For a long time the message of Unitarian Universalism was "Don't be afraid to throw tradition out!" UU preachers and theologians have talked about it as "chains," tethers," even "a jailer." More recently, however, we began to see that we were "throwing the baby out with the bathwater." We realized that the question was more complex and that tradition can be a gift, not just a threat. We are more inclined to agree with W. Somerset Maugham, who wrote, "Tradition is a guide and not a jailer."

Tradition can be a connection to the wisdom and wonder of the past. We are even coming to realize that tradition can be a source of freedom. Voices of the present oppress and mislead as much as voices of the past. Opening ourselves to the voice of tradition is sometimes the only way to safely navigate the shallowness of modern day "wisdom." G.K. Chesterton put it this way, "Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to that arrogant oligarchy who merely happen to be walking around." And then there's the way that tradition helps us imagine the new. As the poet Carlos Fuentes reminds us, "There is no creation without tradition; the 'new' is an inflection on a preceding form; novelty is always a variation on the past."

Complex indeed.

As Unitarian Universalists we would want to choose carefully. We hold in our hearts traditions and memories that we value. We remember fondly the family gatherings and meals for special holidays. We honor the prophetic voices of the past. And, yet, with our busy lives, and the deluge of data coming at us, we are more likely to pick up a prepared meal and take our information from short posts, or our favorite bloggers. Tradition has become more absent than oppressive. A newer UU voice is saying to us, Yes. Choose carefully. Don't be bound. But maybe most important of all: "Hold on and make room!" This is the voice we are invited to listen to this month. People of tradition know that tradition guides, heals, inspires and connects us. People of tradition also know that these gifts of tradition can't live on without our help. So, this month, let's make some room. Let's make tradition more than a memory. Let's invite it back in and allow it to be a gift.

In love and hope,

Rev. Alice  

UUCH will have a volunteer day with Habitat on Saturday, May 9th from 8:00 a.m. until noon(ish). No special skills required (other than being 18 years old!) More details will be available later. Please let Tonia Betts know if you plan to attend at (256) 882-9891. Hope to see you there!

Our church facilities need your help! We will be holding a property work day at our old facility on Governor's Drive on Saturday, May 16th from 9:00 a.m. to noon. There will be indoor and outdoor projects available for all ages and abilities. Please bring work gloves, loppers, clippers, rakes, cleaning supplies, and an eagerness to spruce up our beloved old place so we can get it sold!

We will also be holding a property work day at our Broadmor facility in June (tentatively scheduled for June 6th). Stay tuned for more details in a future newsletter.

We look forward to seeing you at one or both of our upcoming work days!

George Fletcher and Brad Korb 

Property Committee Co-Chairs

Meeting begins in the Fellowship Hall shortly after the worship service ends. Light luncheon to be provided.  

In addition to our usual election of new officers, votes will be taken on three proposed bylaw amendments:  

(1) our new address,  

(2) the new name of our organizational unit (Mid-South District is now UUA Southern Region), and  

(3) in our ongoing efforts to be more environmentally conscious, that written notice of future Congregational Meetings be delivered electronically with the option of requesting a hard copy if preferred.  

Everyone is welcome, and Members are especially encouraged to attend--we need a quorum!

Together with the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, we of UUCH will be ordaining Denise Gyauch, who served as our Ministerial Intern Fall 2013 through March of this year, in just a couple weeks.

When: Saturday, May 23rd

Service starts at 2:00 p.m.

Reception to follow

Where:  First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville

 1808 Woodmont Blvd.Nashville, TN 37215

The ordination-planning team absolutely guarantees a good time. Highlights include:

• Anthem by the joint Huntsville and FUUN choirs
• Peter Mayer (really--THE Peter Mayer) singing twice in the service
• A sermon by Dan McKanan, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity at Harvard University (and an old friend of Denise)
• Cake (because you can't have a party without cake!) provided by UUCH

Questions: 

Please email Denise at denise.gyauch@gmail.com.

Most of all, please join us!

If you will not get enough of Peter Mayer (of "Blue Boat Home" and "Holy Now" fame) during Denise Gyauch's ordination, consider extending your road trip to Nashville to attend a concert in the sanctuary of First UU Nashville that evening, Saturday, May 23rd, at 7:30 p.m. Peter's latest CD, Third Street, was released in November and this concert will highlight a mix of new songs as well as some old favorites. Tickets are $15 advance, $20 at the door.

Huntsville guests may reserve tickets at the advance price by emailing UUCH administrator Deedee Moore (uuch@uuch.org) by Wednesday, May 20th. Include the word TICKETS in your subject line, with your full name and the number of tickets you plan to purchase in the body of the email. You will then be able to pay the advance price at the door.

Thanks to your generous contributions (and ruthless closet-cleaning) our Social Justice Committee counted 146 pairs of shoes donated during the recent shoe drive. Your shoes were given to the Huntsville Assistance Program, who will in turn send them to micro-business sites to refurbish and recycle. Thanks so much!

Social Justice Meeting Set.  

Your Social Justice Committee will be meeting again at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday May 31st to make plans for the summer. We'll have bagels! Please call Tonia Betts with questions (256) 882-9891. Hope to see you there!

In the summer months, the Children and Youth Religious Education Program takes a special turn from the regular fall and spring curricula. We invite UUCH members and friends to plan a class session for the children and youth. You'll be part of a teaching team as either the lead teacher or a helper, and we'll be sure to have a regular RE teacher there as support. Even children and youth can partner with an adult to lead a session!

We invite you to sign up to lead a session that shares a special talent, hobby, skills, or learning area of yours. Here are some topics to get your creative juices flowing: music, finger painting, scrapbooking, nature walks, gardening, yoga, science, paper airplanes, drawing, Lego, origami, fossils, friendship bracelets, mythology, sidewalk chalk, pottery, cookie-making. The possibilities are limitless!! What's a joy to you can be a joy to others.

Leaders will prepare a topic/activity that is adaptable to children ages 4 to 12. Senior high youth are invited to participate as leaders and helpers, or to attend the regular worship service in the sanctuary. Because of our exciting program growth, we'll need even more leaders and helpers this summer than before! So, don't be shy! We have room for the sharing of your gifts. There's nothing like spending time with the children and youth at our church. Their energy, creativity, and intelligence are contagious. And they benefit from interacting with caring adults who make an investment in them. This is what multi-generational community is all about!

For the next month, we'll have a poster standing in the church foyer and fellowship hall where you can sign up for a summer Sunday session. Or, you can contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education, at eereid@hotmail.com.

Your Board met on Tuesday, April 28th. Members of the Finance Committee joined us to discuss the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The rest of the evening was spent discussing other items for the annual Congregational Meeting scheduled for May 17th, 2015, such as the proposed slate of nominees for the Board and the Nominating Committee, and bylaws changes initiated by our move to Broadmor.

At our Circle of Candles on Sunday, May 3rd, candles were lit for: