Jeff Davis, a trustee on the Board serving a 2014-16 term, resigned from the Board of Trustees due to a change in his work schedule that made it impossible for him to attend Board meetings. Please join me in thanking him for his service and we hope he is able to join us again in the near future.
Per our by-laws (Article VI, Section 4: In case of a vacancy, the Board shall appoint a successor from the voting membership to the unexpired term...), the Board voted at the April 12th Board Meeting to appoint Karen Logan to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. Karen has already been a tremendous asset to our fellowship and we are thrilled that she in stepping into this leadership position. Join me in congratulating and thanking her.
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Gary Biggers Robbie Devine
Katherine Devine Cody Dye
Rosalie Falcon Cecelio Falcon
Kelley Mickey Joe Paiz
Tricia Regan Jeanette Springer
Gene Strouse Johnnie Strouse
Virginia Whipkey
Reinstate: Keith Jones
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What's happening in Children's Religious Education?
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Our Children's Religious Education (CRE) program is divided into two groups by age. In CRE, which meets each Sunday at 11 AM, we challenge our children with interactive studies about religion and science.During upcoming weeks, our elementary-age children will continue their study of homes, using the Creating Home curriculum from the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). [This program] helps children develop a sense of home that is grounded in faith. Together with your group you will ask questions about the purpose of having a home and the functions a home serves, for us as humans and for other animals. The program speaks of home as a place of belonging and explores the roles each of us play in the homes where we live. The program introduces the concept of a "faith home"-your congregation-which shares some characteristics with a family home. Like a family home, a faith home offers its members certain joys, protections, and responsibilities.
Our younger children (up through pre-kindergarten age) will have a different focus each week, as follows:
April 26th - Each Tree is Important - Weather permitting, we will walk outside and look at and hug various trees, perhaps take some bark rubbings, and pick up fallen leaves for a craft to be carried out on a different Sunday. If the weather is not fair, we will read stories, color pictures, and talk about trees.
May 3rd - Using Paper Products Responsibly - We will talk about recycling and taking care of the planet, with a focus on paper products. Click here for more information. Contacts: Vicki Schoen and Sarah Brown
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Revelation comes to those who are radically hospitable to what they do not know. The choice to take the next step is an act of holy curiosity. It could also be called an act of faith.
Rebecca Ann Parker, A House for Hope (2010)
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In addition to the events described in this newsletter, you can find a complete listing by clicking on the Calendar icon to the left.
Want more detail? Check both the News and the Events sections of our website, uuamarillo.orgAlso on our website, you can learn more about our Fellowship and our faith, Unitarian Universalism.
All events are held at the Fellowship, 4901 Cornell St., unless otherwise noted.
If you are unsure how to reach any of the individuals named as contacts, please email the AUUF office or call our Office Administrator, April Myers, at 806.355.9351 and leave a message. She will return your call during her office hours, which are M-W-F from 9 AM to noon.
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Sunday Worship - 9:30 and 11 AM
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April 26, 2015
Special guest Darryl Birkenfeld will speak on Conservation in the Texas Panhandle.
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May 3, 2015
David Green is speaking on The Heretic Next Door, discussing the surprising varieties of religious belief within American mainstream and evangelical faiths, and the civic importance of maintaining freedom of religious expression.
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May 10, 2015
In Askville, David Green answers questions on religion, ethics, and social issues submitted by members and selected at random.
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Garden Workday & Grass Class
Saturday, April 25 at 9 AM
Please join us for a Garden Workday & Grass Class. We'll discuss using ornamental grasses to design a lovely and low maintenance garden space. It's time to get your hands dirty and enjoy the wonderful weather while we can.
We will have information handouts so please let us know if you can make it so I can print enough. Click here to RSVP.
Contact: Deb Winters
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Fiction Book Group
Tuesday, April 28 at 7 PM
On April 28, the group will discuss The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan: The building of the Thai-Burma railway in 1943. Won the Man Booker prize.
The Fiction Book Group meets monthly (except May & December) to discuss the best in new literature, facilitated by Dr. Dick Moseley.
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Men's Fellowship
Wednesday, April 29 at 6:30 PM at Furrbies (map)
Join the fun and fellowship - you'll find plenty of choices on the menu and just as many different topics to discuss as you get to know your UU brethren, but don't expect an agenda. The conversations evolve naturally.
Furrbies' address:
210 SW 6th Avenue
Contact: Eric Berg
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Election of Officers and Trustees: 2015-2016
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 AUUF is self-governed by a democratically-elected Board of Directors which includes 4 Officers and 4 Trustees. This is in keeping with the 5th Principle of Unitarian Universalism: That we affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. We are delighted to announce that our Beloved Community has elected the following individuals to serve as officers of the Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship from June 1, 2015 through May 31, 2016. The election was held during the 2015 Annual Congregational Meeting on April 19, 2015.
Please join us in welcoming these individuals to our governing Board!
President: Keralee Clay
Vice-President: Jerry Goebel
Secretary: Sharon Baker
Treasurer: Mary Kay Wells
Trustees serve for a term of 2 years:
Ed Van Petten (entering 2nd year of term; will serve through May 31, 2016)
Karen Logan (completing remainder of the unexpired term to which Jeff Davis was elected; will serve through May 31, 2016)
Kristy Fuller (entering 1st year of term; ; will serve through May 31, 2017)
Bruce Fielder (entering 1st year of term; ; will serve through May 31, 2017)
We wish to express our gratitude to the officers for their continued service, and also to outgoing Trustees Larry Campbell, Martha Baird, and Jeff Davis for their many contributions.
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Call for Committee Volunteers
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 As we prepare for the new fiscal year to begin on June 1, the Board is looking for volunteers to assist in the various committees for the upcoming year. If you have attended a service in the last few weeks, you have noticed that I have been highlighting a committee a week in the announcement segment, "Better Know a Committee". This has been an attempt to help members and friends get to know these committees and to understand the number of people it takes to make our Beloved Community keep moving forward. Are you wanting to get more involved, but do not know where your talents fit in? Take a look at the list of of our committees and find one (or more!) that strikes your fancy! We need chairs for many of the committees and members for all. To be a chairperson, you must be a current AUUF member, but friends of AUUF are always welcome to work with committees.
Click here to see the committees and their current chairpersons. If you have any questions, feel free to seek them out or contact Keralee Clay, Board President
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Our 7th Principle in Action
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 During the past month, we have each made some change to protect our planet. How can we do even more and increase the amount of reusable materials that we recycle? The Social Action Committee wants to help! You may not know that there is a no-cost recycler in Amarillo, Four States Recycling. They do not charge for the service, but also do not pick up items. Some of our members and friends already take their materials to this company - and are willing to help those who can't or aren't comfortable doing so themselves. Note: Please do NOT bring your items to the Fellowship - we're bursting at the seams! For details on participating in this effort, see this article, Our 7th Principle in Action, on our website. Contact: Janda Raker
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 In this series, AUUF new member Gary Biggers will provide his own (admittedly subjective) summaries and recommendation ratings for books related to our faith.
Paul Rasor. Faith Without Certainty: Liberal Theology in the 21st Century (2005).
For readers who want to delve into the nuts and bolts of the kaleidoscope of liberal theology, this is your best choice. The intended audience, as stated by the author, includes clergy, theological students, and interested lay people. And it delivers with in-depth analyses of varying perspectives, tensions, and challenges we face while working to strengthen the liberal religious tradition. Rasor uses mediation, flow, autonomy, and ethics as the criteria for examining similarities and differences between various forms of liberal theology. This is not light reading, but it is very effectively written.
Recommendation level
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Promise Project Fundraiser: Mark Twain's Maid
Thursday, May 21 at 7:30 PM at St. Andrews Church, Parish Hall Support the Panhandle Promise Project in their work of mentoring at-risk children to thrive. The mission of this project is to keep the PROMISE to help break the cycle of incarceration through education, positive mentoring relationships, and activities that support those relationships with youth whose family is incarcerated. The entire program will be free of charge to children and their families. Come to this fundraiser and enjoy the one-woman show, Mark Twain's Maid, with Karen Tracy. As Mark Twain and as his maid Katy, Tracy captures his great political sayings and temperament. The play weaves together his interesting character and wit. This 'one woman' show will delight and entertain you like no other! The Congregations Church in Naugatuck, CT writes that "Her words painted pictures that made scenery unnecessary."
Mary Emeny has purchased a table for up to 9 individuals from our Fellowship; others are encouraged to attend at the cost of $50/person.
Contact Mary Emeny if you can come! (344-4585).
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Unitarian Universalist Association 2015 General Assembly
June 24-28 - Portland, Oregon
Early Registration Deadline: April 30
 Every two years, thousands of UUs from the US and Canada gather for an inspiring and enlightening five days of worship, lectures, workshops, and fellowship. This year's General Assembly is in beautiful Portland, OR. The theme is "Building a New Way," focusing on entrepreneurial ways we can move beyond established institutional forms of "being" UUs.
Several of our Fellowship members are already planning to attend, three of which can be voting delegates (chosen by our board) during GA business sessions. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to hear Dr. Cornel West deliver the Ware Lecture, along with numerous UU leaders offering great ideas to bring back home to our Fellowship.
Click here to register and arrange lodging. Registration fees rise after April 30! Attend all five days, or any single day; fees vary. To volunteer to serve as a voting delegate, please contact Board President Keralee Clay.
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Musica Variada
Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 PM
Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts 
Join Amarillo Opera's Musica Variada for an encore performance of Latin Grammy nominated group Trio Ellas. An annual favorite, this concert spotlights the rich diversity of the Texas Panhandle in an evening of song. Tickets available through panhandletickets.
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