From set up to clean up, the many members of the Fellowship who contributed time and efforts to make the AUUF booth a great success deserve kudos for a job well done. Many kids enjoyed making their own tissue flowers and several created their own rainbow pixie sticks. Numerous people stopped by (thanks to barkers Gene and Lyle) to find out more about the Fellowship and took pamphlets, cards, and stickers. And a few sore backs got relaxing massages, too. Several who attended the film screening dropped by to say how much they appreciated our hospitality Friday night. People at Memorial Park were also happy to see the recycling collection bins. Many thanks to all of you who contributed in so many ways to a very exciting week-end!
|
 |
|
Following the SCOTUS ruling making marriage accessible to everyone, there will likely be a rush to the altar. As a public service, David has added two new pages under the resources heading of our website: one offering information about the details of the process of getting legally married in Texas and one offering the Fellowship as a possible venue and his services as a minister to accomplish the couple's goals. The page on the legal process of preparing to marry contains some very helpful, practical tips to make negotiating the requirements easier. If you know of a couple needing help with "What do we need to do?" recommend the "Getting Married in Texas" tab under the Resources heading to them. It has a link to "Weddings at the Fellowship" for their convenience. Since many local ministers have indicated they will not be offering their officiating services to same-sex couples for weddings, the AUUF stands ready to help them find matrimonial bliss. |
| 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.
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.
Contact: Sarah Brown
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Sunday Worship - 9:30 and 11 AM
|
Guest speaker Jim Whitton - 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. His topic is Rethink World Hunger.
|
|
|
|
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."
|
July 19, 2015
David Green speaks on Heroes of Our Faith: Waitstill & Martha Sharp, discussing the lives and WWII refugee-rescue work of the famed Unitarian couple.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sunday, July 5 - 12:30 PM
Bring your potluck dishes and join other members of the congregation to share in the camaraderie and dining pleasures this first Sunday in July at 12:30 PM in Chandler Hall. If you don't have a dish to bring, join us anyway for good food and great friendships.
Contact: Rosemarie &
Bill Kirkland
|
Monday, July 6 - 6 PM
The Women's Covenant Group studies and discusses feminine spiritual and social topics. We are studying a UU adult RE curriculum, Cakes for the Queen of Heaven, a woman-honoring curriculum by Rev. Shirley Ranck.
Contact: Keralee Clay
|
Women's Simply Salad & Soup Fellowship
Wednesday, July 8 - 6:30 PM
Our women's group meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday for good food and great conversation. The meetings on 2nd Wednesdays are at the Fellowship-potluck style. On the 4th Wednesdays, the women meet at a different restaurant each month.
Contact: Ann Benedetti
|
|
|
Thursday, July 9 - 6:00 PM
The "We Agnostics" Alcoholics Anonymous group meets weekly on Thursdays at 6 PM in Chandler Hall. This AA group is for anyone with a desire to stop drinking and maintain sobriety, but particularly for those who are uncomfortable with AA meeting formats stressing particular religious beliefs.
|
|
Thursday, July 9 - 7:00 PM
(2nd Thursday every month)
Skeptics are welcome!
Are Christian ideas still relevant in today's world? Living the Questions is a discussion group using curriculum and media for the "church alumni association" for anyone whose questions about traditional Christian beliefs and ways of interpreting scripture have made them unwelcome elsewhere. The group meets once each month in the classroom at the Fellowship, with discussion facilitated by Lyle Raker.
|
Meet the Artist - Brent Biles
|
 Tuesday, July 14, 7 - 8 PM
Brent Biles is a local artist who has been writing songs and prose for over thirty years. Brent is the author of two novels, several plays, and around one-hundred songs. He plays guitar fairly well, piano passably, drums a little, and other assorted instruments not at all. Currently Brent spends a lot of time in Mexico soaking up the culture and the kindness of his fiancé Laura Contreras. He is, honestly, a little surprised that anyone has interest in his work, but he is happy to share drinks and talk about himself and his art for a short time with friends. He would also like to tell all the folks at the Amarillo UU Fellowship that he is glad he finally found a community of people in Amarillo who seem sane to him. It took a long time.
Brent will be sharing his art at Meet the Artist on Tuesday, July 14, at 7 PM in Chandler Hall at the AUUF. Invite your friends. Circle the date on your calendar now!
|
|
Wednesday, July 15, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
To 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.)
|
|
Panhandle Pride weekend got off to a wonderful start - what a joyous and affirming night we had on June 26! First, a Decision Day celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. The photo (thanks, John Hintz), shows only some of the people who came together to mark this historic day. Others were in the halls, the anterooms, and the kitchen keeping us fed.
This celebration was followed by a special screening of the PBS documentary, Stonewall Uprising. We had a standing-room-only crowd, and all were transfixed and incredibly moved by this story of how - and why - the gay rights movement was born. We have much for which to say "thank you" to those who first stood up to police harassment and, literally, took the blows. What progress for LGBT people in the intervening 46 years!
Our thanks to Texans for Marriage and Equality Texas for allowing AUUF to host the Decision Day celebration, to Panhandle Pride for letting us host the Film Festival, and to the many AUUF members and friends who brought delicious food and drink, made the popcorn, staffed the kitchen, worked behind the scenes in so many ways, and cleaned up afterwards. Also, a special thanks to Rev. Bernie Barbour for talking about his experiences in NYC during that time period.
All in all, the evening was a resounding success!
If you or someone you know took pictures at either event that evening, please share the pictures or names of those who took pictures with Martha so she might contact them to get photos. Thanks!
Contact: Martha Baird
|
Commit2Respond at GA in Oregon
|
 Last Saturday thousands of Unitarian Universalists gathered in Portland, Oregon, joined together with other people of faith and conscience, regional activists, and Indigenous partners for a powerful event to bear witness to the struggles of front-line communities (particularly First Nations), take a moral stand against climate change and the fossil fuels industry, and call for climate justice. Attendees heard from Lummi Nation Councilman and treaty rights activist Jay Julius, Lummi Elder, international climate justice activist, and totem pole carver Jewell Praying Wolf James, and President of the Unitarian Universalist Association Rev. Peter Morales.
Music, spoken word, and drumming were provided by Chinook Vice Chair Sam Robinson and other Citizens of the Chinook Indian Nation of Oregon and Washington; singer, songwriter, and activist Dana Lyons; and Aji James, founder of Earth Guardians Seattle.
Together all those gathered bore witness to the story, struggle, and wisdom of our Indigenous siblings, and then co-created a ceremony of sending blessings to the four directions and making spiritual commitments to climate justice and solidarity.
|
|
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
|
|
 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
|
|
|
|
Fuller Performs for High Noon on the Square
Fresh from his performance at Panhandle Pride, Mike Fuller performs at High Noon on the Square on Wednesday, July 8, at the Potter County Courthouse at 6th & Taylor. Lunch is available for $7.00 beginning at 11:45 AM catered by Chick-Fil-A (chicken sandwiches). Mike will be performing also for the Music in the Gardens series at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens on Thursday, July 16, at 7 PM. You may bring your picnic dinner, drink of choice, and lawn chairs for a comfortable outdoor concert. Entrance is $5 for members (show Botanical Gardens membership card) and $10 for non-members.
|
|
|
