Sunday, July 12, 2015 12:30 PM
Chandler Hall of AUUF
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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
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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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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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David Green speaks on Heroes of Our Faith: Waitstill & Martha Sharp, discussing the lives and WWII refugee-rescue work of the famed Unitarian couple.
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July 26, 2015
As one of our representatives to the Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly, Minnie Venable will report on the decisions voted by the assembly and other activities in Portland, Oregon, June 24-28. The theme of the GA in 2015 was Building a New Way.
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Nothing Much Buddhist Covenant Group
Monday, July 13 - 7:30 PM
Nothing Much Buddhist Covenant Group continues its study of the book 10% Happier by Dan Harris. We shall be discussing Chapters 9-12. Keep your meditation practice consistent and persistent to train the brain to find its focus.
Contact: Rick Todd
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The Zen of PowerPoint
Wednesday, July 15, 6:30 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 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 PowerPoint on your laptop and bring it with you!
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We Agnostics AA Group
Thursday, July 16 - 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.
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Meet the Artist - Brent Biles
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 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!
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Save this Date! Let's Have a Party!
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 On Friday, July 31, at 6:30 PM, all "sociable" UUs and guests are invited to the Fellowship for a Game Night/ Ice Cream Social. We'll have lots of games available (for adults and "big kids"), like dominoes for Chickenfoot and Mexican Train, cards for Hand and Foot, dice for Farkle and Yahoo, a game of Rummikub, and others as we think of them or as they're suggested. You can play something you know well or perhaps learn something new. We'll try to end around 9 p.m., but April says if we're having a "grand" time, we can stay until 10!
We'll have sign-up sheets on the bulletin board for those who plan to attend, so we'll know how many tables to set up and also sign-up sheets for refreshments. Either homemade ice cream or "store-bought" will be welcome, as well as toppings, and perhaps some cookies, brownies, etc., for those who don't eat ice cream. Drinks will be provided or bring your own.
If you won't be at the fellowship in the next couple of weeks but would like to sign up or have questions, call Janda and/or Lyle Raker at 352-0589 or e-mail.
The Social Committee says, "Hope we have a full house!"
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The original Constitution of the United States that was ratified in 1789 had only one reference to religion [Article 6]: No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
The de facto motto of the United States, adopted as part of the Great Seal of the U.S. by an Act of Congress in 1782, was E. Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One). Congress changed it 174 years later (1956) to "In God We Trust."
The original "Pledge of Allegiance" was written in 1892 by Baptist Minister Francis Bellamy who did NOT include the words "Under God." Those were added by Congress 62 years later (1954).
The U. S. didn't issue Paper Currency until 1861, and "In God We Trust" did not appear on it for 96 years (1957).
Just after the Red Scare in 1950's, CONGRESS changed the Pledge of Allegiance and our Nation's Motto out of the FEAR of COMMUNISM.
In a time when fear is traded like a commodity, and the word SOCIALISM is being used to create the same fear as the old word COMMUNISM, let's REMEMBER that our country was NOT founded on fear. NO, our nation was founded out of HOPE for a better world where all people are EQUAL-that we are ONE from Many. We still have work to do to reach that lofty goal, but LOVE, not fear, should be our motivation!
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Thom Belote, ed. The Growing Church: Keys to Congregational Vitality. Boston: Skinner House, 2010.
Ten UU ministers present essays on ten key aspects of successful church growth as their experiences in their home churches attest. Writing a valid mission statement, focusing worship services, balancing power, and promoting relationships that satisfy the spiritual needs of the congregants-all these practices and more have transformed people and churches. These essays contain sage advice for clergy and laypeople of Unitarian Universalist churches eager to increase their numbers and their effectiveness.
Recommendation level
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Fuller Performs for Amarillo Botanical Gardens
Mike Fuller is performing 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. In case of inclement weather, the concert will move into the auditorium. Entrance is $5 for members (show Botanical Gardens membership card) and $10 for non-members.
Peace Farm Speaker
 The Peace Farm will be sponsoring a presentation at the Cornette Library on West Texas A&M campus on Monday, July 13 at 6:00 p.m. Lon Burnam will speak on "70 Years into the Nuclear Age: How do We Stop the Madness?" Mr. Burnam served in the Texas House of Representatives for 18 years from 1997-2015 as a representative from Ft. Worth. He has served for 12 years as Director of the Dallas Peace Centerand for two years as Director of the Texas Nuclear freeze Campaign in the 1980's. He has been involved with The Peace Farm in Amarillo since it was founded in the 1980's. Prior to the presentation there will be a reception at 5:30 in the atrium of the Cornette Library.
The presentation will be in conjunction with a photo display from the Peace Memorial HistoryMuseum in Hiroshima, Japan commemorating the 70thyear anniversary of the bombing of that city. The display will be at Cornette Library from July 13 to the end of July.
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