UUCH Chalice
The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville AL 35810  
October 22nd, 2015
Vol. 15 Issue 43
In This Issue
More Chocolate is on the Way! 

The word is out--there is a new batch of Fair Trade Chocolate arriving at UUCH, including new flavors like Chocolate Raspberry!  

Your Social Justice Committee invites you to visit the coffee table in the Fellowship Hall--where delicious Fair Trade chocolate is sold--to order your Certified Fair Trade and Organic coffee from the Kaffeeklatsch. All profits go in support of our Social Justice efforts.

Awareness Through Movement

Everyone is welcome! This Feldenkrais group class is designed to improve self-awareness and mobility. The class will be verbally guided through gentle movement sequences. These new movement patterns will enable you to move with greater ease and fluidity.
 
This Adult RE class is drop-in, no experience necessary, and is led by Sally Locklear. Wear comfortable, loose clothing, and bring a bath towel to use as a head support. This class will be held on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. until further notice.
 
For further information, contact Nancy Finley at [email protected]. If you need childcare for this event, please contact Nancy at least a week before the event.
We Can Do It!
bags of food
Please continue to help fill the baskets in the foyer and fellowship hall with non-perishable food & hygiene items, which we donate to the Huntsville Assistance Program.
All donations are welcome and appreciated!
UUA Common Read: Just Mercy

The UUA's 2015-2016 Common Read is Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Author Bryan Stevenson advocates for those wrongfully trapped by the U.S. criminal justice system, including poor people, people of color, women, and children. The book speaks to justice, mercy, and compassion, timeless and important concerns for people of faith. UUCH Adult RE will host a book study on this in January, but you can order the book now from the UUA Bookstore! ARE also has a few copies to lend: See Nancy Finley ([email protected])
 for details. For more about the Common Read program, see the website.

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Upcoming Services
UUCH Chalice
Sunday, October 25th, 2015
 
 
"Roots and Wings: The Life-Long Process of Leaving Home"
The Reverend Alice Syltie    
 
Roots affirm our connections to family and significant others, while wings reflect our need to know we are separate individuals, capable of our own thoughts and feelings.

While physically we may leave home as young adults, we revisit the metaphorical work of leaving home throughout our lifetime. As we close out our month of Letting Go, we will explore the tension that grips us as we continually experiment with the boundaries between these two seemingly polar opposites.
giving heartThis Sunday in RE

We continue our shared journey with Heart Talk for Kids with all ages, this week focusing on Session 4: Needs. Children and youth in Peace, Justice, Searchers, and Transformers Rooms are given concepts and tools to grow in our ability to communicate with each other in empathy. Transformers (grades 7-12) will do Small Group Ministry this week.
 
There are still spaces available in Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education for Youth, which begins on November 8. If you are interested and were not able to attend the parent meeting on Oct. 18th, please contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education.
 
Questions about Religious Education at UUCH may be directed to Erin Reid, our Director of Religious Education (DRE) (256.694.6786 or [email protected]) or Jessica Zelaya, RE Chair (256.322.2210 or [email protected]). Register online for the UUCH Children and Youth RE Program at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WS8LDNP.  
Campfire/Camp-out is This Saturday!

The campsite is ready and the date has been set: our Fourth Annual Be Out Camp & Cook-Out, sponsored by Interweave, is scheduled for this Saturday, October 24th! We will have "independently communal" foil dinners. That is, the community (that's you) brings vegetables and other ingredients to share but then you make your own individual foil packet of food for the coals. There will be chatting, singing, and cooking, and eating, and for some of us, sleeping. Dinners go on the coals starting at 5:00 p.m. so please bring your veggies up by then if possible. If you expect to be later than 5-ish, pick something other than a veggie to bring.
 
We will try to get the same site as last year, Monte Sano State Park Tent Camp Site #20, but we will not know for sure until we camp. (Look for the "Interweave Halloween" sign!) The gate code is also a last minute tid-bit, you can either get it from the park store (if they are open when you come), try to call Denise on her cell phone, or walk in and find us to get the code.
 
Everyone is invited. If you plan to stay the night, let Denise Runnels ([email protected]  or 256.509.4002) know. Denise R. is also the person to go to if you have any questions.
UUCH Service Auction 2015!

Get ready for the donations that will soon be piling up like coconuts for the annual UUCH Service Auction that takes place Saturday, November 14th!

Have you thought of a donation that shows your talent? Dinner parties, wine tastings, guided
hikes, specialty breads ... these are just some of the fabulous items from past years that are sure to be back!  
 
Have an item in mind you'd like to see at the auction? Send suggestions to Bob Locklear at [email protected] and we'll list your request in the next newsletter.
 
Want to volunteer on Treasure Island? We need table monitors, spotters, and runners as well as people to help with setup and cleanup. If you can volunteer to help, sign up on the poster in the Fellowship Hall.

There are 3 ways to donate:
1) Fill out the paper forms available in the Fellowship Hall and drop them in the Treasure Chest,
2) send an email to Bob Locklear ([email protected]) with details about your contribution, or
 
Don't miss the food, friendship, and fun on Saturday, November 14th at 6:00 p.m. Childcare will be provided. Door prizes will also be given away throughout the evening. You must be present to win!
Social Justice Meets This Sunday

justice scales The Social Justice Committee will meet Sunday, October 25th at 9:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We will be discussing CASA TEMP$, the Alabama Hispanic Association Christmas dinner, and other fall projects. Everyone is welcome, and we'll have bagels. If you have questions or need child care, please contact Tonia at (256) 882-9891.
"New UU" Class--You Can Still Attend!
 
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!

Join us this Sunday morning (October 25th) and again on November 1st for this chance to learn and share. Meet for coffee, juice, and snacks at 9:00 a.m. in the Adult RE room located at the end of the Religious Education (South) wing; discussion starts at 9:15. Pam Korb and Bobby Hall will facilitate. Childcare will be provided for each class. Each session stands alone, so come even if you cannot attend all  sessions; handouts for any missed sessions will be available. Contact Pam Korb ([email protected]) for further info.
The Chalice Circle Experience--
This Sunday, Oct 25th


Time:  12:15 till 1:45 or 2:00p.m. 
Place:  Meet in the Adult Religious Education Room.  
We will have a little food to tide you over and Childcare will be available.  
 
Join 9 or 10 of your UU church friends in a facilitated circle of sharing and exploration on our theme of Letting Go. No preparation is necessary. All you have to do is show up and be ready to embrace a new experience.

This Sunday, following the worship service, is your chance to try out the Chalice Circle experience at UUCH.  Participating in a Chalice Circle this Sunday does not obligate you to continue with a group. New groups will be formed based on future interest expressed. Think of this day as a gift, especially to the curious.  
 
This Sunday, and in the future, Chalice Circles will have access to the material generated by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle. A few years ago I attended a five-day seminar with the Reverend Scott Tayler to learn about the Soul Matters Program that he developed while serving as co-minister of the First Unitarian Church of Rochester NY. As a result of that seminar, about 35 of us serving as ministers of UU congregations across the country began sharing resources on the monthly themes we jointly chose for each upcoming church year. Rev. Tayler is now the Director of Congregational Life for the Unitarian Universalist Association, and the Soul Matters program has grown to include close to 150 UU congregations across the country. Theme-related resources are now generated for use by Religious Education and Music Professionals, as we have embraced the goal of linking our Small Group ministry programs to the larger life and worship of the congregation. I would love to see our congregation move in the same direction as many UU congregations. Here are words from Rev. Scott Tayler:
   
"Unitarian Universalism is about connection. We are a religion that sees people struggling, not against our own sinful souls, but against a shallow, frantic, and materialistic world that all-too-often leaves us disconnected from our deepest selves, life's gifts, and needs greater than one's own. And so our congregations work to heal that divide by helping each other listen to our deepest selves, open to life's gifts, and serve needs greater than our own."
 
I look forward to the opportunity of welcoming you to this introduction to the possibility of deepening your connections to one another and to our Unitarian Universalist faith community.
                                                                    
--Rev. Alice
UUCH All-Church, All-Ages  
Halloween Party! 
 
Ghosts & Goblins, Creatures & Critters, Kids & Adults--come one, come all to our all-church Halloween Party! Friday, Oct. 30th, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 
 
jackolanterns The Halloween Party is an all-ages party, for children and adults alike, sponsored by the Children and Youth RE Program. We'll have dancing, a cakewalk, and "best costume" contests. Favorite dance tunes for all generations will be provided by the Music Machine DJ. Fun for everyone!
 
Sign up in the Fellowship Hall for bringing Halloween snacks, making spooooky cakes for the cakewalk, and helping with set-up and clean-up. For more information contact Jessica Zelaya, RE Chair (256.322.2210 or [email protected]).
Help Prepare Our Senior Citizens for Winter on November 7th

Your Social Justice Committee invites you to participate in a community service project with CASA (Care Assistance System for the Aging) in Madison County. For several years, UUCH has participated in the annual Taking Energy Measures Personally = $avings (TEMP$) program sponsored by CASA. The TEMP$ program is an annual one day event in which teams of CASA volunteers weatherize the homes of clients by putting plastic on windows, insulating pipes, caulking breaches, installing smoke detectors, replacing storm doors, and performing other small repairs. Special skills are not required, but an interest in basic household type repairs and/or interest in interacting with seniors in our community are desired.TEMPS
 
The TEMP$ program work day will be Saturday, November 7th, starting in the morning and lasting for 3 to 4 hours depending on the number of people who participate and the number of tasks to be done. UUCH usually sponsors two homes in the Huntsville/Madison County area.
 
Please contact Brad Korb at [email protected] or 256-895-9303 if you have any questions or are interested in participating.
Thrive Alabama Sets Dinner Theatre Fundraiser for November 7th.

If you are interested in enjoying this event with other UU's, Social Justice Co-Chair Tonia Betts is coordinating for a sponsored table. Please call Tonia at 256.882.9891.
 
Enjoy a fun evening of dinner and a play as Thrive Alabama presents a Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre at Campus No. 805. The new event space is located at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Governors Drive in the former Stone Middle School. There will only be two performances: Nov. 7th at 1:30 for $35 and 6:30 p.m. for $50.
 
Mistaken identities and unexpected surprises abound as the wedding party plots to keep Sonny from marrying away the family fortune! And of course... this IS a murder mystery... someone has to die! The audience will help the clueless detective find the murderer!

Lunch and dinner along with dessert will be served by Bubba's Silver Spoon Catering. Dress for a southern wedding.
 
Buy tickets at www.thrivealabama.org. Advance purchase only by Nov 3rd. Additional information at 256-536-4700 ext. 139.
votives Care List 
 
At our Circle of Candles on Sunday, October 18th, candles were lit for:
 
Amanda Schuber, a candle of concern "for my family, specifically my younger brother Jacob and my Mom. Jacob has faced life-long mental illness, and he's once again found himself in the judicial system. Mental health services continue to fail him. This causes a huge amount of pain and stress on our family."
 
Angel Hundley, a candle of joy: "I am thankful for all the well wishes, visits, cards, food, and a care shawl that were brought to me after my recent surgery. I felt very loved and cared for by our church community. Thank you!"
 
Lynsie Lamitie (via Denise Runnels), "Dad has finished his fourth treatment out of six and is on track to be home by the end of November. And I'm so thankful for my church family's support!"
 
Linda Harris, a candle of joy: "Today is my life partner Jim Smoot's birthday!"
 
Nancy Finley and Becky Ellingwood, a candle of joy: "Thanks so much to Jefflyn Weed and Tonia Betts for organizing our team for the Ribbon Run yesterday."
 
Tonia Betts, a candle of joy: "Thank you to everyone who turned out yesterday to walk, run, or roll the Liz Hurley 5K. It was a special joy to have Becky walking with us!"
 
If you have pastoral care needs, please contact the
Reverend Alice Syltie at [email protected]Care Committee Chair Barbara Hitt will be out of town for a few weeks. Please contact Care Committee member Tim Miller ([email protected], 256.880.6792) should a need arise. 
UUCH 15-16 Board Members

 

President: Laurel Bollinger 

Vice-President: Angel Hundley 

Secretary: Ed Bernstein           

Treasurer: Jerome Belcher   

Trustees: Millicent Simmons, John Fox, & Denise Runnels 

 

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 Laurel Bollinger, 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 [email protected].

The next UUCH Board Meeting will be held
Tuesday, October 27th, 2015 at 6:30 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: Laurel Bollinger  

Editorial Board: Laurel Bollinger, Kathy Heath 

 

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight!
Please send submissions to news collator Deedee Moore at
[email protected].  

 

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: [email protected].

Minister's email: [email protected].

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.