This Sunday, January 3rd, 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 filling the Food Basket!
Please don't forget to bring non-perishable food and hygiene items for the food basket, to be donated to the Huntsville Assistance Program.
All donations are welcome and appreciated!
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Mark Your Calendar for Circle Suppers!
Circle Suppers are informal potluck dinners held in host's homes--just for fun! It's a great way to get to know your church friends a little better. So we'll be coordinating a round of Circle Suppers to be held around the end of January, from January 28th through February 1st. Please look for the sign-up sheets, coming soon!
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Hospitality Helpers!
Here's an easy way to become more involved in your service at UUCH. You can be a Hospitality Helper! One way Hospitality Helpers participate is to sign up for a monthly First Sunday Potluck to work with Hospitality Committee members on the Potluck after-church service. Call or email Hospitality Chair Betsy Applegate if you'd like to help!
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Coming in January: Let's Read This Book Together
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. 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 (finleyn@uah.edu) for details. For more about the Common Read program, see the website.
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Upcoming Services
Sunday, January 3rd, 2016
"Return Again"
The Reverend Alice Syltie and
the Huntsville Feminist Chorus
The Huntsville Feminist Chorus will sing selections from their winter Solstice program, Return Again. The theme's words come from the song of the same name included in our Unitarian Universalist hymnal, Singing the Journey. In this season of the rich dark, returning light, and celebration of rebirth, we return again to our highest values of peace, love, and connection with our entire global community. When faced with daunting challenges, we resist despair and return again to the hope that strengthens our interdependent web of all existence.
Also this Sunday we Share the Plate with Friends, Inc. For more about this organization, see the article below.
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 This Sunday in RE
We continue our shared journey with Heart Talk for Kids with all ages, this week focusing on Session 8: Gratitude. Youth in Transformers will attend the worship service in the main sanctuary that features the Huntsville Feminist Chorus' solstice program.
Nursery care (ages 0-3) will be provided as usual. Questions about Religious Education at UUCH may be directed to Erin Reid, our Director of Religious Education (DRE) (256.694.6786 or eereid@hotmail.com) or Jessica Zelaya, RE Chair (256.322.2210 or asuriai@yahoo.com). Register online for the UUCH Children and Youth RE Program at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WS8LDNP.
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Sunday "Brunch" Potluck, January 3rd!
 Please join us for a specially themed potluck/brunch this Sunday, January 3rd to help ring in the New Year! Hospitality Helper Tom Meier will be flipping flapjacks along with Hospitality Helpers Shelia and Kim Burrows. Join the fun and bring your favorite breakfast or brunch dishes. We'll brunch after the morning church service, as always. We will have two fragrance-free tables at the potluck.
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Adult RE SoulCollage® Workshop
This Coming Monday!
SoulCollage® is a creative process that requires no artistic ability. Using collage techniques, cards are designed based on intuition. The cards reflect our inner self and help us get to know ourselves better, discovering our own wisdom.
 This journey begins with the first card so it is never too late to get started with your own SoulCollage® cards. The process is designed to allow each person to work as deeply and intensely as they are comfortable doing, knowing the pace is right for them. The only skill needed is the ability to use scissors. That's it, just cut and paste images from the hundreds we've pulled from magazines to your 5" x 8" card.
Veteran card makers, bring the cards you've made to date. Newcomers, come prepared to be surprised at what you find.
Denise Runnels and Nancy Finley will co-facilitate the workshop. We will meet in the UUCH fellowship hall Monday evening, January 4, at 6:00 p.m. and create until 8:30 p.m. Check out soulcollage.com for more information about the SoulCollage® process we are following developed by Seena B. Frost. Or ask Denise ( drrunnel@gmail.com) for more information about the process and / or the workshop.
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A Chili Cook-off Hot Time!
 The 2016 UUCH Annual Chili Cook-off will be held on January 16th! Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and judging begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 each for those 12 and older; Children 3-11 are $3 each, with a family cap of $15. Admission is free for Chili Cooks! Advance ticket purchase isn't necessary.
We are looking for volunteers to provide side dishes, chili accoutrements (cheese, sour cream, crackers), salads, cornbread or rolls, and desserts. Please sign up via this website (http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044ea9a62aa3fd0-2016) or the poster located in the Fellowship Hall.
Chefs vying for the Chili Crown should also preregister (via the website or poster) prior to the event.
(Who will win the coveted Red Ladle?)
Open mike entertainment is an important part of the evening! Contact Vanessa Miller Mantis (vanessa.mantis@me.com or 256.585.0260) if you'd like to be part of the show!
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Are You Ready to Become a Member?
If you've been attending UUCH long enough to know that this church community feels like your spiritual home, you may be ready to take the next step and become a member. We will welcome new members during a Sunday service in late January as they "sign the book" and officially join our church.
If you are ready to become a member or would like to find out more about the process, please contact Pam Korb (membership chair) at bradkorb@mindspring.com.
Rights and Responsibilities of Membership
Because we are a democratic community, members are collectively vested with responsibility for the congregation. Members may vote at all congregational meetings, be elected to the governing Board, be appointed as committee chairs, and participate in all activities of the congregation.
Because we are a covenanted congregation, members have certain responsibilities to the congregation and to each other. These responsibilities are best fulfilled by:
- Regular attendance at worship. Weekly worship cements the bonds of community, and keeps our attention directed to our highest values, while nurturing our spirits.
- Voting at congregational meetings. Responsible participation includes imagining the needs of the entire congregation, rather than focusing only on one's own needs or desires. Consider how issues affect all members of the congregation, as well as potential members and others in the world outside the congregation.
- Making financial contributions. Not only does this provide for the support of the congregation, but it also serves as a spiritual discipline.
- Contributing time and talent. Congregations succeed because their members find ways to give of themselves, whether through singing, financial management, educating children, sharing their passion for social justice, organizing, cooking, greeting, maintaining the building and grounds--the list of tasks goes on and on. Finding ways to give back that nurture your own soul helps support your personal growth along with the growth of our congregation.
- Spiritual growth and development. Working deliberately at your own spiritual development is a gift to yourself, to the congregation, and to the larger world.
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Anne Rutledge's Last Published Work
is Now On Sale
This is a note that may be helpful to members seeking a copy of Anne's last book. It was actually published for public release on the last day of her life. It was my mission to achieve this goal for her and wow, it arrived on time. She had received the galley several weeks prior to the final printing.
 Anne's life, as she describes in Granddaughter of a Runaway Slave Boy: A Memoir is available on online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other book seller websites. The retail price of the book is $19.95.
(The link to Anne's book on Amazon is Here. And the Barnes & Noble link is Here.)
On a related note, an article about her memoir will appear in the December issue of Old Huntsville. I hope you can catch it as well as a copy of her book.
The article summarizes Granddaughter of a Runaway Slave Boy by describing "the barriers and perceptions for a woman of color in the years of segregated Alabama and the fight for civil rights. Anne holds nothing back, whether it paints a sympathetic or unsympathetic canvas of herself, her family, or environment. Regardless, her heartfelt passion for life crashes through these barriers that, for those who are able to place themselves in others' shoes, will be both exhilarating and thought-provoking."
Sincerely,
Mary Esther Johnson
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We Share the Plate* with Friends, Inc.
Everyone Needs A Friend...
When a person is diagnosed with a serious illness or disability, they face a variety of new situations, treatments, and changes in lifestyle brought about by that illness. Through caring volunteers, and with no cost to the patient or their family, FRIENDS, INC. offers multiple support services to seriously ill and disabled patients, helping them to cope with their new circumstances and enabling them to maintain their independence. 
FRIENDS, INC. volunteers receive ongoing training and support. Volunteers are offered opportunities that meet their interests and availability, and are allowed great flexibility in scheduling as there is no minimum time commitment required.
FRIENDS, INC. is a non-profit organization, committed to making a positive difference in the lives of the seriously ill, disabled, and elderly in Huntsville and Madison County. As a non-profit, FRIENDS, INC. relies on grants, private donations and community support to meet our mission and vision.
*When we "Share the Plate," all cash collected on the first Sunday of each month in the quarter (January, February, and March), along with any checks noted as "Share the Plate," will be halved with Friends, Inc.
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 Care List
At our Circle of Candles on Sunday, December 27th, candles were lit for:
Rondi Kelton, a candle of joy: "That my mother Eva Patterson is staying with me in my home during the holiday season, and that we enjoyed seeing the full moon together. I am so grateful when I hear her read to Raina Grace."
Ilene Sparks, a candle of joy: "On the rainy night of December 23rd, Santa Claus brought me a precious kitten, an abandoned long-haired cutie. She immediately took over. She is very smart and cuddly. I have named her Misty--a nickname for Mistique."
Haley Clark, a candle of joy: "Happy Birthday! Tomorrow is Vincent's third birthday."
Steve Rittenberg, candles of joy and sorrow: "I feel joy when I think about the support my wife has received from everyone here, and sorrow as she prepares for her third cycle of chemotherapy."
Denise Runnels, a candle of sorrow: "With sorrow and sympathy for Lynsie and Lynda at the death of father and husband Lee."
Lynsie Lamitie: "My Dad, Lee Lamitie, died around 10:00 p.m. on Christmas night. He had several infections that his body was too weak to fight. We are so sad to lose him, but happy his suffering is over. We will celebrate his life Wednesday [Dec. 30th] from 3:00-6:00 p.m. at my parent's house. Thank you for all you've done."
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.
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UUCH 15-16 Board Members
President: Laurel Bollinger
Vice-President: Angel Hundley
Secretary: Ed Bernstein
Treasurer: Jerome Belcher
Trustees: Millicent Simmons, Jon 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 UUCHBoardPresident@uuch.org.
The next UUCH Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 26th, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. Thanks for your cooperation!
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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 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.
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