The Overlook

Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville AL 35810

January 21st, 2016

Vol. 16 Issue 03

In This Issue

GAYT Boxes!

We CAN Do It!

We Want Your Books!

Awareness Through Movement

Ala. Arise Meets

Fair Trade for Good

Upcoming Services

This Sunday in RE

Social Justice News

Circle Suppers Set

"Just Mercy" Book Discussion

New Member Ceremony Soon

Service Auction Reminder

Donor Plaque

All Hail the Queen!

Care List

Time to Return

GAYT Boxes

Now that we are through the holidays, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) Guest at Your Table program is wrapping up, and it is time to return your Guest at Your Table boxes!

There are three ways you can return your contribution to the UUSC:

Bring your box to church and place it in the basket in the Fellowship Hall (cash or check; if cash, provide the information on the side of the box)

Send a check directly to UUSC at

UUSC,

PO Box 808,

Newark, NJ 07101-0808

Donate on-line at this link: GAYT

Thanks for your contributions!

We CAN Reach 100!

The Social Justice Committee's goal is to collect and donate 100 items per month. CAN you pick up an extra CANNED good, nonperishable food item, or personal care product next time you are out shopping? Please do, and put it in the basket in the church foyer to be donated to the Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP).

To read more about the Huntsville Assistance Program, please visit their website.

We Want Your BOOKS!

We know UUs are Avid Readers! Save your books to donate to the UUCH Book Sale to be held in April. NOW is the time to start saving and boxing up your tax-deductible books, CDs, and DVDs. You still have time to read your more recently acquired books before donating them.

At each of our prior book sales, members and friends have collectively donated over 5,000 books. We need thousands of books to have a successful sale. So look through your shelves and stacks, and box up what you've already read. You may end up replacing them with books that you'll purchase at the sale (for a steal of a deal!).

Whenever you're ready, BOX up your books and bring them to church. Boxed books are preferred because they stack better for storage. Drop your boxes off near the door to the North Wing hall (storage wing) near the Sanctuary foyer.

We'll accept all types of books (subject only to some basic ethical considerations)...fiction, non-fiction, hardback, paperback, textbooks, children's, picture, how-to, religious, political, etc. We want your best books, your boring books, your big books, your small books, fancy books, plain books, intellectual books, silly books, any and all books you can bear to part with!

And remember, if your shelves look empty and lonely, you can always come to the sale and Buy More Books!

Awareness Through Movement!

This Saturday!

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. Classes start again on Saturday, January 16th! Classes will be held on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. until further notice.

For further information, contact Nancy Finley at finleyn@uah.edu.
If you need childcare for this event, please contact Nancy at least a week before the event.

Plan to Attend the Alabama Arise 2016 Legislative Preview

To learn about the issues the Alabama Legislature will be addressing in their next legislative session (beginning in early February), come to the Main Library in Huntsville to attend the Alabama Arise 2016 Legislative Preview.

The event will be held Thursday, February 25th from 7-8:30 p.m.

Discussion Topics will include: Stop and Debt Trap; Restore Voting Rights; Untax Groceries; Expand Medicaid; Ban the Box; Death Penalty Reform; and Fund the HTF.

UUCH is a member organization of Alabama Arise and we are encouraged to attend! These sessions should prove to be very informative for everyone.

Good for Everyone!

Your Social Justice Committee is selling Certified Fair Trade and Organic coffee from the Kaffeeklatsch, and Fair Trade chocolate from Equal Exchange. There are a variety of yummy flavors, and ingredients include a clear conscience! Pick yours up in the Fellowship Hall after Sunday morning services!

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Quick Links...

UUCH Calendar
UUCH Website

UUA Website

Mid-South District

Upcoming Services

Sunday, January 24th, 2016

"People of Resistance"

Angel Hundley and
the Reverend Alice Syltie

Our worship theme this month asks, what does it mean to be a people of resistance? This usually brings to mind images of civil rights movements and standing up actively against something, as it should. But is that the only way to be a people of resistance? I've had many conversations through the years with fantastically moral, socially engaged UUs who don't feel like they can claim the "activist" label. Perhaps because our connotation of activist is too narrow.

What would happen if we saw praise, joy or the creation of beauty as a form of resistance? What if the world needs our praise as much as our picket signs? What if it needs the creation of beauty as much as the elimination of injustice?

Join us this Sunday as we think about the various ways we can be a people of resistance, how we can not only Stand on the Side of Love, but also generate and stand in love.

This Sunday in RE

Creative Service Day! All ages will make special preparations for the youth-led multi-generational worship service on February 14th. Get ready to make your UU Valentines!

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.

Social Justice News

Our next Social Justice Committee Meeting will be held Sunday, Jan. 24th at 9:30 a.m., in the Fellowship Hall.

Do you have an idea for a Social Justice project UUCH should work on? Would you like to get involved with current projects? If so, please join us for our next meeting; we'll discuss spring activities. If you need child care, please let Tonia know at (256) 882-9891.

Please keep the donations coming for the HAP food pantry--they are greatly appreciated. With holiday busy-ness, we collected 61 items in December. Let's try to reach our monthly goal of 100 items in January. Thank you for your generosity!

Sign Up! There's a Place at the Table for You!

Circle Suppers! Jan. 28th, 29th, & 30th!

Do you enjoy potluck but find the room too crowded for conversation? Do you yearn for a more intimate setting to dine and chat with your fellow UUs? If so, join us for Circle Suppers--the opportunity to share a potluck-style meal in the home of one of your church friends!

We have many different locations and meal themes from which you can choose. Sign up online or on the poster in the Fellowship Hall. Please be sure to include your contact information so your host can coordinate what type of dish for you to bring. Children are welcome at many events and require a reservation as well. Sponsored by your UUCH Hospitality Committee!

UUCH Adult RE Book Discussion:

Sunday, Jan. 31st at 9-10:30 a.m.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Each year, the Unitarian Universalist Association "Common Read" invites participant congregations to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. A Common Read can build community in our congregations by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a basis for deep, meaningful conversations. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (2014) is this year's selection. A significant part of this book deals directly with cases that are right here in Alabama, and UUCH readers will find this a challenging glimpse of justice in our state.

Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has dedicated his legal career to defending those who are trapped by an often capricious, political, and willfully unjust criminal justice system--poor people, people of color, children, and others over whom the system has run roughshod. This award-winning book speaks to justice, mercy, and compassion--themes of concern to us as Unitarian Universalists and as human beings. It is a compelling read from a brave activist and a gifted writer that will inspire you, and will give you hope that something can be done.

For a more in-depth look at Just Mercy, join us for a book discussion on Sunday morning, January 31st at 9:00 am. Read the book in advance, and join other UUCH congregants to discuss some of the important topics explored in the book. Books may be purchased at the UUA Bookstore Just Mercy site, or at many on-line bookstores. There are also a few copies in our fellowship hall available to borrow. Coffee and snacks will be provided. Childcare will be provided if needed; please notify Nancy Finley finleyn@uah.edu at least a week in advance if you would like childcare provided.

Everyone is welcome! We encourage all of you to read this amazing book. Please contact Nancy Finley, if you have any questions.

Photo Credit: Nina Subin

New Member Ceremony is Jan. 31st

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 by Sunday, January 24th.

Service Auction Reminder

Did you buy or offer a service at the service auction in November? If so, please make sure that you have scheduled events on your calendar and, if you're a donor, that you contact buyers to coordinate deliveries of services, for unscheduled events. Thank you letters, with lists of buyers and their contact info, went out to donors via email in November, shortly after the auction. If you are a bidder, you received a receipt the night of the auction, but sometimes people lose these or forget to add scheduled events to their calendars. If you need a new copy of either your donations and their buyers, or of what you bought, just contact Alice Dilbeck at amdilbeck@gmail.com. She can generate a new list for you.

Capital Campaign Donor Plaque Names

As promised during our Capital Campaign that raised around $500,000 and enabled us to move to our current stained glass chalice

building, we will create a plaque to commemorate all donors who gave a donation of record for the Capital Campaign. A paper copy of that list will be placed on the wall in the Fellowship Hall from Jan. 20th until Feb. 7th. Please check this list to ensure that your name is represented as you would like, and mark it up if corrections are needed.

If you are new to UUCH and did not participate in the Capital Campaign, it's not too late to do so! You can make a donation of record specified to be for the Capital Campaign between now and Feb. 7th and be added to the plaque. If you made a donation but do not find your name on the list, please contact Alice Dilbeck at 256-656-7419 or amdilbeck@gmail.com. Please note that Capital Campaign donations are different than those for the Annual Budget Drive, which supports annual ongoing operations.

Chili Queen Shiela Burrows is Crowned!

It was quite an evening! For the next year, Shiela Burrows can proudly wear the chili crown and cape and wave the Coveted Red Ladle! We bow to her venison chili expertise!

Luscious chili from 18 UU chefs made the blind taste judging difficult for judges Bryan Walls, Jerome Belcher, and Malcolm Goodman. Decorations by Fran Alexander, Gail Williams, Linda Harris, and Theresa Miller created Chili Hall. Masters of Ceremony Fran Alexander and Vanessa Miller guided the evening fun. Over 80 UUs and friends savored chili and fixin's as they were regaled with music and dancing coordinated by Vanessa Miller. Thanks to Susan and Tim Coddington for setting up the sound equipment and Howard Miller and James DeForest for running it.

Here is the list of Winners:

Best in Show: Shiela Burrows (Venison)

Mild: Alice Dilbeck (Beef & Pork)

Medium: LaDawn Edwards (Buffalo)

Hot: Jason Aycock (Vegan)

White: Emily Hartman (Chicken)

Veggie: Tim Miller (Vegan)

And Brad Korb won the door prize: a Chili Chef Apron, of course!

Thank you, thank you to all who participated by decorating and bringing chili, music, and side fixin's. Several of you get a very special thank you for staying to help clean up so that we ended on the same high note from the rest of the evening.

Blessings to you, from the Hospitality Crew
(Audrey, Betsy, Cherie, Fran, Jefflyn, & Kathy)

Care List

At our Circle of Candles on Sunday, January 17th, candles were lit for:

Kirsten and Josh Clark, a candle of joy: "Twin baby lambs were born to one of our sheep this morning! Experiencing the miracle of new life is always an exciting honor and the best part of raising animals."

Kathy Heath, a candle joy: "Thank you to everyone who performed last night at the Chili Cook Off. The entertainment was wonderful! "

Hospitality committee, a candle of thanks: "We salute this year's Chili Cook Off Queen, Sheila Burrows, and the other winners--Alice Dilbeck, Emily Hartman, Jason Aycock, LaDawn Edwards, and Tim Miller. We also salute the warm community that came out to taste and savor. Special thanks to Vanessa Mantis and Fran Alexander for emceeing, music and UU chili spirit."

Theresa Miller, a candle of sorrow: "My 76-year-old sister Lois who has rheumatoid arthritis has had a bad break below her right knee and is in a rehab facility now. She is having a hard time healing and has had to go off all of her rheumatoid arthritis meds, so is having a very rough time of it. Prayers please."

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 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!

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.