We've had a great start, with pledges totaling $70,600 so far. Thank you to all that have already pledged! We look forward to hearing from everyone!

 

The Annual Budget Drive theme for this year is Our Shared Journey. Today, I'd like to share with you a part of my shared journey.

 

Tim and I moved to Huntsville in 2002. We had lived in many places and had decided that it was time to settle at least for a bit. Our boys were young, Raine was 7 and Liam was 4, and we wanted to give them some sort of stability during their school years. We selected Huntsville mostly because it was closer to my family but also because of the high-tech opportunities in the area.

 

I had grown up in Alabama not too far from Huntsville, so I was fully aware of what we would be facing both socially and politically. Everywhere else we had lived, the question of where we went to church was never an issue. Thank goodness, because we didn't go to church. But I knew that in Alabama that would not be generally acceptable. Unfortunately, I no longer believed in 2002 as I did when I left Alabama in 1983. I say "unfortunately," but I really mean "fortunately" because my search for a new church home led me to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville. Our Unitarian Universalist principles rang true for me and I knew after attending this church for several weeks that I had found a group of kindred spirits; I had found "my people."

 

Quickly, I became active in the church. As part of my journey, I have spent many years as an RE teacher, starting with our older youth and working my way down to the lower grades. Currently, I am one of the teachers for the Justice class. I'm also a trained OWL facilitator, providing sexual education to our youth. I have learned so much and have become a better person by being a part of our RE and OWL programs. Most importantly, I've learned that the children in our congregation are amazing. Each week, I am surprised by their ability to think for themselves and to be comfortable enough in this place, our church, to voice their thoughts, opinions, and dreams. We did this. We as a congregation have made this a safe place for our children to grow and mature not into mini-me's of us, but into their own intelligent selves with the basics to continue growing and developing into leaders for the next generation. We are allowing them to continue the journey.

 

From my first visit to this church, the music here has touched my soul. So obviously, a big part of my shared journey with this church involves music. I have been a member of the choir for many years. Not only am I the current Music Chair, I occasionally fill in as the pianist. I love singing in this choir. On NPR, I heard about a study that found that the heart rates of choir members calm when singing together, and most importantly the heartbeats fall into a shared rhythm, becoming synchronized with the song's tempo. So being in choir is really my therapy. I am calmer after choir practice mostly because I am sharing my journey in a very physical way as my heartbeat synchronizes with the other choir members.

 

So on this Valentine's Day, I am reminded of how much I love this church. I love the environment that we have provided for our children here. I want this community to be around for many generations after I'm gone. That's why I give freely of my time and my money in support of our church. I want our current and future members to have a church home that is a safe place where we can grow together, be ourselves, and share our thoughts, dreams, and desires. In committing my money to UUCH, I am ensuring that our shared journey continues.

 

Thank you,

 

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, March 29th, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. Thanks for your cooperation!