| Children's Religious Education Update |
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.
The older children will focus on "co-creating" community, which is how members of a community work together to share responsibility for all the functions of the community. This Sunday will be Vicki Schoen's last as teacher/CRE chair. Her contributions have been a great asset to our children and we wish her the very best in her endeavors. Thanks, Vicki!
In the Nursery, we continue with Unit 3: We are Alike, We are Different, exploring similarities and differences among races, including fears, anger, and goals. This topic will continue throughout the month of July.
Contacts: Vicki Schoen and Sarah Brown
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AUUF Committee Chair Openings
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AUUF has several committee chairs unfilled and is eager to replace those who have served faithfully in those positions for some time. The chairs needing volunteers include Child RE, Adult RE, Membership, Caring, and Personnel. If you wish to review the responsibilities of the committees and the chair in particular, you can read what the position entails in the AUUF Policy document starting on page 17. During the August First Sunday Potluck Lunch, AUUF will be conducting a Committee Fair in which the committee chairs will briefly explain the work of that committee and have people join a committee that suits their interests.
Contact: Keralee Clay
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AUUF needs people to volunteer to mow grass/weeds on Saturday morning and/or use weed eaters to trim/edge the sidewalks, etc. It would be great if we could have enough volunteers to rotate Saturdays and reduce the burden on the few who now do such a great job.
Contact: Tad Clay
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 Sharon Baker is eager to find some others who enjoy playing party bridge during the day. Combining fellowship with mental strategies is a great way to keep the faculties alert and sharp. "Studies have shown that playing cards--bridge, specifically--helps reduce the risk of developing cognitive disorders and boosts immunity."
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This group plays bridge for fun, not as cut-throat competition The group members can decide the particulars of when and where. If you are interested in a regular bridge gathering, please email Sharon.
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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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Vivien Young, the new executive director of Wildcat Bluff Nature Center who finds the flora and fauna and general ecology of the Panhandle very different from her native Scotland, will speak on In My Defense: Belonging Anywhere.
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Guest speaker Jim Whitten - a good friend of the Fellowship - is Southwest Area Director of The Hunger Project, an international nonprofit agency dedicated to responding to and alleviating the root causes of the global hunger pandemic.
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July 12, 2015
In an occasional series focusing on each of the Seven Unitarian Universalist Principles, David Green speaks on The First Principle, discussing "the inherent worth and dignity of every person."
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| Screening:Stonewall Uprising |
June 26 at 7 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM) at AUUF
The kickoff event for Panhandle Pride is a Film Festival at AUUF on Friday, June 26: a special screening of the documentary Stonewall Uprising. Are you wondering why gays have Pride events in June? When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world. Join us for this special screening, made possible by Panhandle PBS and American Experience, and take part in the discussion led by Rev. Bernie Barbour, pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church, following the screening.
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Sunday, June 28 - Noon - 6 PM
Memorial Park, 28th & Washington (map)
The anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, is a day of celebration, remembrance, and fun in Memorial Park from noon to 6 PM. Furrbie's is providing hot dogs with buns. Bring your own drinks (no glass containers, please). Bring side dishes for the potluck picnic lunch. The day has much to offer in entertainment-both live and DJ music, games, booths from a multitude of vendors, the honoring of the National Teacher of the Year--Shanna Peeples, and other highlights. To learn more about the festivities, Click here.
Contact: Yvonne Moore
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UUA Witness Ministries-Faith, Race, and Justice
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Nine people dead in Charleston, SC, in a brutal, horrific and racist act intended to terrorize the Black community. How will we respond? We have prayed, we have cried, we have held vigils. Some of us have reached out to AME churches in our communities. If you haven't done so yet, please do. They need our support and solidarity.
How will we respond for the long term? Only a huge movement for liberation can transform the deeply embedded institutional racism and white supremacy of our nation. That movement has begun and the challenge is there for us Unitarian Universalists. We need to bring our people, our theology, and our resources to build it and be part of it.
At General Assembly this week, a coalition of UUs has brought together a track of programs on Friday and Saturday called: Faith, Race & Justice: Witness & Advocacy That Matter.
Speakers include organizers from several faith traditions along with UUs who are working with Black Lives Matter, Moral Monday Forward Together, Ferguson Action, multi-faith community organizations and advocacy groups led by formerly incarcerated people. We will examine how to step up our witness, our advocacy and our organizing efforts to build this movement for love and justice and strategize next steps for taking this home.
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 The list of readings on #Charlestonsyllabus provide ample information about the history of racial violence in the USA, serving as a foundation for the horrendous tragedy that took place in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. They also give insights on race, racial identities, global white supremacy and black resistance. Dr. Chad Williams, Associate Professor of African and Afro-American Studies at Brandeis University, conceived this site as a resource for educators to use as springboards to conversations in the classroom. Dr. Williams has stated: "#Charlestonsyllabus is more than a list. It is a community of people committed to critical thinking, truth telling and social transformation."
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Susan J. Ritchie. Children of the Same God: The Historical Relationship Between Unitarianism, Judaism, and Islam. (2014)
Dr. Ritchie explores in-depth the multi-religious, multi-cultural communities in Eastern Europe that encouraged development of greater cooperation and tolerance between Jews, Muslims, and Unitarians. The influences of the Ottoman practice, Transylvanian resistance, and Unitarian development, especially in America, have created through history some amazing alliances and some troubling distresses. This book exposes an aspect of Unitarian history most accounts give little attention beyond the Edict of Torda and some verses by Rumi.
Recommendation level
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 Keith Kron and Susan A. Gore, eds. Coming Out in Faith: Voices of LGBTQ Unitarian Universalists. (2011)
"This collection of poignant testimonials illuminates the lived experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Unitarian Universalists. Coming Out in Faith also helps to raise awareness of Unitarian Universalism's active role in promoting a vision of humanity that not only embraces LGBTQ people but actively seeks to learn from the unique strengths they bring to questions of personal faith and organizational vitality."
This Skinner Books blurb and Amazon.com description is succinct and accurate. To be a welcoming congregation, members need to be aware of the intensity of courage being enabled by acceptance and supportive policies within the UUA.
Recommendation level
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 Mark your calendar!! On July 15 at AUUF from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, learn the basics of PowerPoint, one of the most effective visual communication tools ever devised, and never again be boring in front of a crowd! For beginners and experienced users, David Green will offer easy steps, shortcuts, and tricks for creating compelling presentations from scratch for business, family, and fun. This two-hour, hands-on seminar is open to all Fellowship members and the public. Install the latest version of Microsoft PowerPoint on your laptop and bring it with you! (If you have Microsoft Office 2010 on your computer, more than likely the latest PowerPoint is included in that set of programs.)
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All Things Artful: 4th Annual Arts Festival
Saturday, July 11th from 4 - 7 PM
Sunset Center's sculpture garden and Amarillo Art Institute. 
All Things Artful will highlight the art of the handmade, and include everything from various art demonstrations, to locally produced artisan foods right from the source! There will be samples to try, and live homegrown Texas Bluegrass music by the well-known Boxcar Bandits. Texas wines will be featured, with several wineries offering tastings. Specialty coffee, bottled wine, baked goods, as well as locally raised beef will be on sale for attendees to take away. In addition, guests will be able to indulge in homemade ice cream, and keep a unique handmade bowl filled with their choice of flavors for each full-price admission paid. Come and celebrate the arts in all their forms, from traditional painting and pottery to the art of producing delicious and healthful homegrown, and homemade delicacies, while at the same time supporting the Amarillo Art Institute. Attendees of the 9:30 AM service on June 28 and July 5 are eligible for a drawing of 2 tickets to the event. Tickets are $40.00 per guest and $10 per child 10 years old & under Click here or call (806)354-8802 for information & tickets
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