The Overlook

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

March 17th, 2016

Vol. 16 Issue 11

In This Issue

Food Basket

Bunny Eggs?

Awareness Through Movement

UUGA

Upcoming Services

This Sunday in RE

Our Shared Journey

Piece of Cake!

Social Justice--This Sunday!

KnitWits Latest Project

Easter Egg Hunt!

New UU Class

Help With the Book Sale?

Care List

We CAN Do It!

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).
Suggested donations:

macaroni and cheese, pasta and sauce, dry beans and rice, boxes of cereal, bars of soap, canned meat, and peanut butter!

Thanks in advance!

Bunny Eggs?

In addition to Certified Fair Trade and Organic coffee from the Kaffeeklatsch, Your Social Justice Committee also sells Fair Trade chocolate from Equal Exchange.
Right now we have dark chocolate & almond bars, as well as chocolate Easter Eggs! (Fair Trade means no bunnies were harmed during the egg-laying process.) Pick yours up in the Fellowship Hall after Sunday morning services!

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. Classes are 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.

This Year's UU General Assembly

UUGA will be held June 22nd-26th in Columbus Ohio!

This year's theme is "Heart land: Where Faiths Connect." For further information, visit the GA website at www.uua.org/ga

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UUCH Calendar
UUCH Website

UUA Website

Mid-South District

Upcoming Services

Sunday, March 20th, 2016

"To Believe or Not to Believe: Is That Really the Question?"

The Reverend Alice Syltie

People are often divided by the categories of believer and non-believer. Are those truly valid categories? Is there a theological framework within Unitarian Universalism that helps us answer the question, "Are you a believer?"

Flower Communion and Child Dedication Ceremony Sunday, March 27th

We celebrate the season of new life with flowers and a Ceremony of Dedication for Babies and Children. In our Unitarian Universalist tradition we honor new life and welcome children into the world in a special Ceremony of Dedication. In the words of Shelley Denham's song, "we dedicate our hearts and minds to the spirit of this child." This special Dedication and Naming service will be part of our Flower Communion Service on Easter Sunday, March 27th. If you would like to have your baby or child dedicated, or have questions about this, please contact Rev. Alice Syltie for information.

And don't forget that each person from the youngest to the oldest is asked to bring a flower to share in the giving and receiving of flowers.

This Sunday in Children and Youth Religious Education

Children and youth will join with the Social Justice Committee in making meal packs for homeless outreach. Special thanks to the congregation for your generous donations of meal pack and hygiene items!

Childcare for ages 0-3 will be offered as usual in the Nursery.

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.

Our Shared Journey Update

Some are not able to attend a Cottage Meeting this year, but we still want to give you the opportunity to "Share the Journey" and support the Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville during our 2016 Annual Budget Drive. This week there will be a mailing going out to those who are unable to attend. It will contain a letter and your pledge form for the 2016-2017 church year. Please mail or return your completed form(s) to the church office by March 21st.

If you did not get a letter, or if you are new, or if you know someone else who would like to give to the church, there are blank pledge forms in the fellowship hall. Please let us know if you would like to support UUCH!

The UUCH Annual Budget Drive (ABD) is in full swing! ABD pledges account for 90% of our budget and allow us to plan for what is possible during the upcoming year (which starts July 1st). We celebrate what we are accomplishing, including the highest children's RE registration, highest UUCH membership, and highest average Sunday attendance on record. We celebrate the wealth of opportunities offered in Adult RE and Social Justice and the way that we care for one another and take the time to know one another. We celebrate our music and worship programs and our professional staff that works so well together. We love our new space and want to make it better for all to enjoy.

This year, if pledges allow, the focus is on living out two of our principles. We'll focus on the inherent worth and dignity of every person by making continued accessibility improvements to our church space, improving the audio and visual experiences of our community, and enhancing the outside church space for all to enjoy. We'll focus on a free and responsible search for truth and meaning by expanding our Religious Education programs by moving from the current part-time Children's RE position toward a full-time Director of Lifespan Religious Education over the next few years.

We've had a great start, with pledges totaling $174,514 so far. Thank you to all that have already pledged! We look forward to hearing from everyone!

THANK YOU TO THE HOSTS! The Cottage Meeting portion of the Annual Budget Drive is complete. We would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to all the Hosts who made this year's ABD Cottage Meetings possible. You opened your hearts and homes to support the church and the congregation, and it was a wonderful service that you provided.

HOSTS: Laurel & David Bollinger, Michelle & Glen Clark, Susan & Tim Coddington, Alice Dilbeck & Betsy Applegate, Audrey & Jon Fox, Steve & Bonnie Herold, Barbara & Gary Hitt, Denise & Todd Hunter-Gilbert, Pam & Brad Korb, Natalie & Ben Lambert, and Tom & Katherine Meier.

Jason Aycock, 2016 ABD Chair

Kevin Betts, 2016 ABD Co-chair

It's a Piece of Cake!

All-church invitation! Echo & Jack Long are holding a "Piece of Cake" celebration this Saturday, March 19th, from 2:00-4:00 p.m., here in the Fellowship Hall, and everyone at UUCH is invited. Come help Echo celebrate being cancer-free! Please R.S.V.P. to the Longs at 256-721-0237. Co-sponsored by your Care Committee.

Social Justice Meets this Sunday Morn

The Social Justice Committee will be holding a meeting this Sunday, March 20th, at 9:30 a.m. to set up for Sunday's RE Creative Service, where children and youth will assemble meal packs for distribution in the community.
justice scales

The meeting will take place in the RE wing. Child care is available, and we'll have bagels! For further information, please contact Tonia Betts at 256.882.9891.

KnitWits Latest Project! You Can Help!

The CARE Committee and the Knit Wits invite you to join us to help with our next ongoing project. We will be making patchwork Care Shawls with 9" squares made by many people and pieced together to create meaningful gifts for members of our congregation needing support.

Nine-inch squares make a shawl of many colors!

The next Knit Wits meeting will be the evening of Friday, March 25th at a location to be determined. Anyone interested in learning to knit or crochet--and those who are already proficient--are more than welcome! Please respond to Barbara Hitt (email bghitt1@comcast.net or phone 256-881-2531), if you would like to attend the meeting.

Easter Egg Hunt at Alice & Betsy's!
Sunday Afternoon, March 27th!

You and your family are invited to spend Easter Sunday afternoon with your fellow UUs in a day of relaxation and fun while welcoming the beginning of spring. (Rain or shine!)

What: Easter Egg Hunt

Who: Everyone is invited!

When: Sunday, Mar. 27th, 2-5:00 p.m.

Where: Alice Dilbeck and Betsy Applegate's home, in the Monrovia area.

Suggestions for what to bring:

Yourself and family--Eggs for the hunt (plastic filled and "real")--Baskets for gathering eggs--Goodies to share for munching--Lawn chairs and musical instruments.

We'll have badminton, croquet, activities for all ages, and "sitting-on-the-porch-talking-as-we-watch-others-expend-a-lot-of-energy." What could be more fun?!

Children are advised to wear or bring play clothes to fully enjoy the outdoor activities.

Directions to Alice Dilbeck's and Betsy Applegate's home are in the fellowship hall by the coffee, or you can call (256-534-0508) or email Deedee at the church office (uuch@uuch.org) for a copy.

We're Egg-cited! We'll be HOPPY to see you!

"New UU" Class Coming in April

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! Starting Sunday morning April 3rd, and continuing on April 10th and 17th, join us for this chance to learn and share. Meet for coffee 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. Childcare will be provided for each class. Come even if you cannot attend all three sessions; handouts for any missed sessions will be available. Contact Nancy Finley (finleyn@uah.edu) for further info.

UUCH BOOK SALE!

Four Days of Book Buying!

Wednesday, April 20th through Friday, April 22nd,

from Noon until 7:00 p.m.

AND Continuing

Saturday, April 23rd, from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Admission is FREE!

There will be no pre-sales!

Come browse through the HUGE SELECTION of used books, audio, video, magazines, rare finds and old favorites at BARGAIN PRICES--get there before the good ones get away!

What Can YOU Do To Help?

Donate your books to this great cause (and get a tax deduction).

Invite your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.

Bring your books to church any time before Sunday, April 17th, and leave them in front of the North Hall doors.

Plan to stay after church on Sunday, April 17th, for a book-sorting party!

Volunteer to work a shift at the sale. Look for sign-up opportunities during the month before the sale.

"When I get a little money I buy books and if any is left I buy food and clothes."--Desiderius Erasmus

Care List

At our Circle of Candles on Sunday, March 13th, candles were lit for:

Jack and Echo Long, a candle of joy: "We want to express our joy that Echo is now cancer-free. We could not have survived this without the help of many with food, blessings, and prayers. Please come to our party on Saturday!" (see article above for details.)

The Aycock Family, a candle of joy: "We celebrated our first birthday celebration for Auggie who turned 2! Also, we started the adoption process, and in 6 weeks we go before the judge to get a new birth certificate that will say 'August James Aycock.' Then we all shall celebrate! We will be 'liberated!'"

Barbara Hitt, a candle of joy: "Today is my amazing Mom's 98th birthday! She lives in Wyoming with my sister. I call her every day, and we work the USA Today crossword puzzle together on our iPads. And she tells me about what she is reading for her book club 'SOLAS'--'Smart Old Ladies Approaching Senility!'"

Steve Rittenberg, a candle of sorrow: "The doctors at MD Anderson asked Gina to return on March 23rd for a month of intensive chemotherapy. Thank you to all of you for your support."

We also lit a candle of joy for Erin Howard who won the Alabama State Spelling Bee! She also won an expense-paid trip to Washington D.C., to compete in the Scripts National Spelling Bee. Good luck, Erin!

We lit a candle of sorrow for Angel Hundley who could not attend on Sunday because she was taking care of her father who is suffering from the effects of chemotherapy for cancer.

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, March 29th, 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.

Website: 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.