The Overlook

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

September 22nd, 2016

Vol. 16 Issue 38

In This Issue

We Can Reach 100!

Awareness Through Movement

Join the Choir!

Safety First!

Upcoming Services

This Sunday in RE

SOLD!

Volunteer Weekend!

New UU for You!

Run, UUs, RUN!

Thanx for the Pix!

Personal Finance Class

Family Movie Night!

Your Chance for a Quilt!

Service Auction 2016

Care List

We Can Reach 100! bags of food

Your Social Justice Committee asks that we bring non-perishable food and personal hygiene items for the food basket this Sunday, to be donated to the Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP). Collection Baskets are located in the Foyer and in the Fellowship Hall.
Our Goal: 100 Food Items per month!
So please check your pantry, and/or pick up an extra item on your next shopping trip.

Suggested donations: macaroni and cheese, pasta and sauce, dry beans and rice, boxes of cereal, bars of soap, canned meat, and peanut butter!
Also toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, sanitary napkins and tampons, shampoo and conditioner...you get the idea!

Thanks in advance!

ATM: Awareness Through Movement on Saturday Mornings
(Note: Due to UUCH service events, the ATM class will NOT meet on Sept. 24th.)

UUCH Adult Religious Education focuses on the whole spiritual person--mentally and physically. We are starting another series of Awareness Through Movement® classes. Those who came to the first series found it very enjoyable, relaxing, and useful. The class focuses on gentle movement that can assist us in being more comfortable and pain-free in our everyday activities. Come learn how to use the core of your body to improve movement, balance, and chronic pain.

Everyone is welcome! This verbally guided Awareness Through Movement® class is for anyone who wants more ease and comfort in their movements. Class is drop-in, no experience necessary, and will be led by Sally Locklear. Wear comfortable, loose clothing, and bring a bath or beach towel to use as head support for comfort in side-lying.

These classes are held on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. For further information, contact Adult RE chair Nancy Finley.
If you need childcare for this event, please contact Nancy at least a week before the event

It's Not Too Late to Join the Choir!

UUCH Choir holds their weekly practices
each Wednesday, from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m. Come sing with us! Childcare is available.

Safe Space for Children and Youth
For the safety and enjoyment of our all-ages community, parents/guardians are asked to supervise children and youth in the church facility and grounds when they are not in their planned RE activity.

LIKE OUR PAGE!

SHARE OUR POSTS!

Quick Links...

UUCH Calendar
UUCH Website

UUA Website

Mid-South District

Upcoming Services

Sunday, September 25th, 2016

"Our Covenant With the World"

The Reverend Alice Syltie

When Martin Luther King, Jr. claimed that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," he was borrowing from Unitarian Minister and Transcendentalist, Theodore Parker, who expressed the sentiment a century earlier. Today, as we contemplate our place in the Global Community, these words still offer a perspective of hope. As a people of Covenant, what is our place and how do we sustain our energy to work toward the principles and values we covenant to affirm and promote?

This Sunday in Children and Youth Religious Education

We continue our "Storysharing" curricula based on our Soul Matters monthly worship theme of COVENANT. Children and youth will explore how our Unitarian Universalist principles relate to our Covenant.

Nursery care (ages 0-3) will be offered as usual.

The Children and Youth Religious Education Program is now registering for the fall and spring program, which began September 18th. Registration helps us plan for facilities, leadership, and safety needs. It also lets us be in touch with your family with special announcements and RE information. All participants in the RE program (ages infant to 18) should register each year even if you've registered before. Register online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WS8LDNP. Paper registration forms are also available at the church.

For more information, contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education (DRE) at dre@uuch.org or Audrey Fox, CYRE Chair, at children.re@uuch.org )

Goodbye to Governors Drive!

VP Denise Runnels and President Laurel Bollinger are all smiles holding the official checks at closing!

Exciting news! We've now officially sold our property on Governor's Drive. It served us well for many years, and we're delighted to see it move into its new role housing the Blossomwood Foundation, a local nonprofit charity that serves people in Nepal. When we voted to sell the property some years ago, we agreed that the Property Sales and Purchase Committee was authorized to seek out the "highest and best use" for the land and building, a term with specific meaning in real estate-that is, we agreed to sell it in the way that would bring the congregation the most money. How wonderful that in doing so we've also been able to allow the building to serve its best use in continuing to be involved in social justice work!

Closing Day: September 21, 2016!

From here, Property, Finance, and the Board will be gathering information about the best use of the sales revenue, which will be presented to the congregation for discussion and eventually for a vote. In the meantime, the Board offers its sincere thanks to the various members of the Property Sales and Purchase Committee, and to the Negotiation team the Board tasked with seeing us through the last hurdles before finally completing the sale. Great work, everyone!

Head's up! This is
"Service is Our Prayer" Weekend!
September 24th & 25th

As UUs, service and social justice are at the heart of our spiritual practice. On September 24th and 25th, UUCH has organized four different events to provide opportunities for each of us to volunteer to serve our church, neighborhood, and/or wider community.

There is something for everyone to do and we will need lots of help (cooking, weeding, selling tickets, sewing, cleaning, hammering, registering voters). We hope that you will consider volunteering for one or more of the events that weekend.

Contacts for each event:

UUCH hosted Pancake Breakfast to raise money for Chapman School: Tom Meier (Property@uuch.org) or Lynsie Lamitie (Lynsie.lamitie@hsv-k12.org)

UUCH Clean-up day: Tim Miller (Nominating@uuch.org)

Neighborhood Voter Registration: Nancy Finley (Adult.RE@uuch.org) or Gail Williams (Social.Justice@uuch.org)

Making Tote Bags for the Homeless Community: Audrey Fox (audrey.fox@gmail.com).

Please see the articles below for details on each event and the types of help needed!

Saturday, September 24th:
Pancake Breakfast
at Chapman School Cafeteria!

Our church is proud to be organizing and staffing a Pancake Breakfast fundraiser. The event is to benefit Chapman P-8 School students in need of outside financial assistance to participate in middle school team sports.

The breakfast will be Saturday, September 24th at the Chapman School cafeteria. Join your fellow UUCHers, the school children, and their parents, for a hearty breakfast, served from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. Buy your advance tickets in the Fellowship Hall after this Sunday's worship service--just $5 each! Kids 5 and under eat free. No time to grab advance tickets? Day-of walk-ins are encouraged, and donations will be graciously accepted. Chapman P-8 School is located at 2006 Reuben Drive, east of I-565 just north of Oakwood Avenue.

Contact Lynsie Lamitie (lynsie.lamitie@hsv-k12.org) or Tom Meier (Property@uuch.org) if you are interested in helping sell tickets to friends and family, or in volunteering at the event. We could use a few more helping hands for this worthwhile service project. Tickets are available from Gail Williams, Tom Meier, Lynsie Lamitie, Mac McSherry, or Nancy Finley.

So drop by for a hearty pancake breakfast September 24th, on your way to the church for our clean-up day!

Property Work Day--this Saturday, Sept. 24th!

Since the weather (ok, climate!) forecast is for a bit cooler weather by the end of the month, doesn't a couple of hours spent working outdoors on the church property sound lovely? Saturday, September 24th, we will work on tidying up and otherwise improving the vegetation around the church, starting at 8:00 a.m.--hopefully "the cool of the day." See y'all then!

Sunday, September 25th:

UUCH Neighborhood Voter Registration Drive

Noon-4:00 p.m.

UUCH is sponsoring a Neighborhood Voter Registration Drive at our church to help anyone that is not already registered. We will be registering people online or distributing paper forms for those who prefer to mail their registration.

We need help making signs to place around the neighborhood, staffing the registration table, or serving ice cream (we will be having free ice cream for anyone who drops by that day).

If you would like to help with this event, please contact Nancy Finley (Adult.RE@uuch.org) or Gail Williams (Social.Justice@uuch.org) and let them know how you would like to participate.

Sewing Sunday, Sept. 25th!

Join the Social Justice Committee and the UUCH Knit Wits on September 25th after church in the Fellowship Hall to sew fabric tote bags to donate to First Stop, helping with their mission to serve the homeless community in Huntsville. If possible, bring your sewing machine and some heavy duty thread! We will provide the fabric. Don't stay away if you can't sew, we will need helpers to cut the fabric for our very easy pattern. Snacks will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact Audrey Fox (audrey.fox@gmail.com).

So much to do--so many ways to help! Join us for a great weekend of service and fellowship!

"New UU" Class Continues on the 25th
Sunday mornings, Sept. 25th and Oct. 2nd,
9:00 a.m. in the Adult RE Classroom.

You don't have to be new to UU to join us for a fun discussion about what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and learn more about UUCH. This three-part series explores important themes in UU congregational life, such as worship, theology, history, covenant, faith development, social justice, and membership. It 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.

You do not have to have attended the first session in order to enjoy these last two! Childcare will be provided. Contact Nancy Finley (Adult.RE@uuch.org) for further information.

Run, UUs, Run! Sign up NOW

for the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run!

For the 7th year, UUCH is forming a team to enter the lucky 13th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run to benefit breast cancer awareness. This is an all ages 5K run/walk that takes place on Saturday, October 15, 2016, starting at 8:00 a.m. There will be a Survivors Walk at 10:00 a.m.

The race winds through beautiful downtown Huntsville, starting and ending at Huntsville Middle School at the corner of Lowe Avenue and Adams Street. On a beautiful Fall day, what more could you want than exercising with friends while raising money to find a cure for an illness that has touched so many in our church community?

To register, go to hhfi.convio.net or google "ribbon run 2016" and sign up to join team "Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville." Cost is $30. Registration is limited to the first 6500 people. Last year they closed registration early after they met their capacity goal, so sign up now! We must have 10 people registered by October 3rd--we have two already!

Look for further team announcements like where to meet on race day for our annual team photo. Thanks go to the Social Justice Committee for sponsoring us for this event! Please contact Becky Ellingwood with questions: (beckyel22@gmail.com).

Start stretching and hydrating now!

Fantastic Family Photos!

Thank you to all members and friends who had their portraits made last week for the UUCH Directory. A total of 92 families were photographed (153 adults, 51 children & youth, 9 dogs, 1 cat). Picture orders will be delivered in about two weeks. The new directory (scheduled to arrive in early November) will be a great tool to connect our congregation, helping us remember names and faces and providing current contact information.

The UUCH Directory Team of Pam Korb, Mona Smith, Diedre Moore and Tim Miller helped plan the directory and set up appointments during the weeks leading up to the photo sessions. Thank you!

Special thanks go to Mona Smith for lining up volunteer hosts for the sign-in tables for all five days of photo sessions. And thanks to all the hosts who generously gave their time to this worthwhile cause. Hosts were Jerome Belcher, Ed Bernstein, Paulette Bernstein, Kim Burrows, Shiela Burrows, Susan Coddington, Bette Goodman, Gloria Guay, Laurie Keller, Pam Korb, Lynsie Lamitie, Sally Locklear, Mac McSherry, Eleanor Schweinsberg, John Schweinsberg, Millicent Simmons, Nancy Stetson, Patsy Warvi, Virginia Warvi, Bob Weed, and Jefflyn Weed.

Thank you to Lifetouch Photography for providing this free directory service.

And last, but not least, my personal thanks to Brad and Sarah Korb who put the Fellowship Hall back in order after the photo sessions ended, and graciously enabled me to spend time assisting with this event last week.

With deep appreciation for everyone involved,

Pam Korb, 2016-17 Membership Chair

Wi$e Principles of Personal Finance and the Power of Financial Planning

An Adult RE Class Beginning Sept. 30th

Do money worries cloud your focus or invade your sleep? Do you want to learn how to use money as a tool in living a contented, generous life? Do money fights disrupt your relationships? Do you need help figuring out how to make ends meet? Is the answer no, but you think you can learn to do better?

If you answered yes to one of these questions, join UUCH Adult RE as we look at managing money as a spiritual practice. Through a book study and group discussion of wise advice, we will look at attitudes about money and learn how to manage it in a way that leaves room for matters of the spirit.

The four-session class will meet every other Friday at 6:30 p.m., beginning September 30th. (So, September 30th, October 14th, October 28th, and November 11th).

Everyone is welcome. Married couples and life partners are strongly encouraged to attend together (child care will be provided). Parents, bring your teenagers! Sign up in the Fellowship Hall after service or email Michelle Clark at michelle_e_clark@yahoo.com. Copies of the book and workbook are available courtesy of the Social Justice Committee. The first session has preparatory reading and exercises, so sign up early! Facilitators Jon Fox and Michelle Clark look forward to seeing you there!

My Neighbor Totoro
All-Church Movie Night, Saturday, Oct. 8th!

Join ALL AGES for a screening of My Neighbor Totoro on Saturday, October 8th. We will gather at the church at 6:15 p.m. with snacks and treats; show time is 6:30 p.m. Bring themed refreshments or your favorite movie snacks to share.

This event is sponsored by the Children and Youth RE program. All are invited! Contact RE Chair Audrey Fox for more information at children.re@uuch.org.

Quilt Raffle for the Service Auction!

Have you seen the beautiful quilts hanging up at the church? You can own one of these lovely quilts!! One winner will select his/her choice of the five quilts (Pictures Here), now on display in the Fellowship Hall.

Raffle tickets will be available every Sunday between now and the Service Auction when we will draw the name of the lucky winner. You can also mail a check to the church indicating that it's for the raffle, and we'll enter you in the drawing and mail your ticket(s) to you. Tickets are $5 each, or 5 for $20.

Proceeds are a part of the Service Auction and benefit the operating budget of UUCH. We also encourage folks to take a block of tickets to sell to family and friends. For more info, contact Alice Dilbeck (Finance@uuch.org) or Bob Locklear (Service.Auction@uuch.org).

Many thanks to quilter Shiela Burrows for her generosity and talent!

"Return to Treasure Island"
UUCH Service Auction 2016!

It's time once again for the UUCH Service Auction which takes place this year on Saturday, October 22nd. Donate your service items, and then come for the fellowship (and to bid for your desired treasure!) during the silent and/or live auction. Donate a service, dinner party, unique handmade articles, specialty foods...the list is endless!

Know a business that may consider donating? Discuss it with them and have them contact Bob Locklear at Service.Auction@uuch.org or 512-731-7726.

Have an item in mind you'd like to see at the auction? Send suggestions to Bob Locklear at Service.Auction@uuch.org and we'll list your request in the next newsletter.

There are 3 ways to donate:

Fill out the forms available in the Fellowship Hall and drop them in the Treasure Chest,
Send an email to Bob Locklear (Service.Auction@uuch.org) with details about your contribution, or
Fill in an online form at communityauctionservices.com/register/uuch.

Don't miss the food, friendship, and fun on Saturday, October 22nd at 6:00p.m! Childcare will be provided. Door prizes will also be given away throughout the evening--you must be present to win!

Care List

At our Circle of Candles on Sunday, September 18th, candles were lit for:

Echo Long, a candle of joy: "Jack is 66 today! Wonderful!"

Jack Long, a candle of sorrow: "I lost my sister-in-law 11 days ago. Her memorial service was Tuesday evening. My brother is inconsolable. He turned 61 yesterday. His wife had uterine cancer and lived a painful 4 months from diagnosis to death. Prayers for him are appreciated."

Alice Dilbeck & Betsy Applegate, a candle of concern: "Concern for Catherine Hall. Her pulmonary fibrosis was worsened recently by inadvertently inhaling insecticide. She is recovering, but tires easily."

Eleanor Schweinsberg, a candle of concern: "We wish Mona Smith well. She has had another fall and is being treated at Crestwood Hospital."

Rev. Syltie also lit a candle for Gina Rittenberg and her family.

If you have pastoral care needs, please contact the Reverend Alice Syltie at Minister@uuch.org. Care Chair Barbara Hitt will be out of town for a few weeks. Please contact Care Committee members Jefflyn Weed (256-882-9604) or Tim Miller (256-880-6792), should a need arise.

UUCH 16-17 Board Members

President: Laurel Bollinger

Vice-President: Denise Runnels

Secretary: Ed Bernstein

Treasurer: Greg Howard

Trustees: Susan Coddington, Kathy Heath,

and Lynsie Lamitie

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 President@uuch.org.

The next UUCH Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 27th, 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: Minister@uuch.org .

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.