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Memorial Service and Visitation
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Martha Baird's mother, Timmye Pollard, died Tuesday afternoon at her home, at the age of 89. She had been in failing health for some time, and in the past few weeks under hospice care. Martha has been spending many days and nights by her side, and was with her when she died.
A memorial service for Timmye will be held on Saturday, August 22, at 10 AM at First Baptist Church. A visitation will be held Friday, 5-6:30 PM at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home.
Please join me in surrounding Martha with our loving support at this time, and in the days to come.
In peace and love,
David Green
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Volunteers Needed for CRE
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We really need someone to volunteer in the Nursery and someone to volunteer in the Elementary classroom on August 30th and September 6th.
You do not have to come up with a lesson plan unless you want to.
Contact: Sarah Brown
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| 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 be focusing on the following topics during August:
August 23: Muhammed -- A view of Islamic life and a study of other views of the world and God from a different perspective.
August 30: Memories -- The role memories play in worship and how we can work them into our services.
In the nursery, we are discussing:
August 23: Everyone is Afraid of Something
August 30: We Can Be Angry Without Hurting Others
Lesson plans are subject to change, but this is the plan.
Contact: Wes Phillips and Sarah Brown
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A recent study from the USDA released in February 2014 is shocking: "In the United States, 31 percent-or 133 billion pounds-of the 430 billion pounds of the available food supply at the retail and consumer levels in 2010 went uneaten. The estimated value of this food loss was $161.6 billion using retail prices. For the first time, ERS [Economic Research Report] estimated the calories associated with food loss: 141 trillion in 2010, or 1,249 calories per capita per day."
According to the National Resources Defense Council in 2012, 40% of America's food grown, processed and transported never was consumed. Even the average college student generates 142 pounds of waste food per year! And this food waste is more than a drag on the economy; it is threatening our climate patterns. Food disposed in landfills rots and produces methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Landfills are the third largest source of methane because of that waste. Meanwhile, 49 million people in the USA feel the effects of food insecurity. Just take a look at the report of Hunger in America in 2015. What can we do at home or outside the home to make a difference? Check out this graphic display of food waste in America's homes and what we can do to reduce that needless waste. You can find additional information from the Ethical Eating efforts in UUA.
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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 Tuesday- Friday from 9 AM to noon.
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Sunday Worship - 9:30 and 11 AM
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David Green speaks on Not Silent: Rachel Carson, discussing the life and legacy of the environmentalist author of "Silent Spring."
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Ellen Robertson Green will speak on I've Been Zappo'd! What can an online shoe store teach us about how we treat each other? Ellen describes her experience of customer care and employee service training at the online retailer Zappos.com, and how the positive culture of Zappo's can be applied to any organization and our interpersonal relationships.
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September 6, 2015
David Green speaks on Faith Without Certainty, discussing the challenges and benefits of religious ambiguity, inquiry, and skepticism.
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August Path to Membership
Saturday, August 22 - 9 AM
This gathering is designed for prospective members, and anyone interested in Unitarian Universalist history and the beliefs and practices of our Fellowship and faith tradition. All materials are provided. Deadline for RSVP was August 14. THIS IS JUST A REMINDER FOR THOSE WHO ARE SCHEDULED TO ATTEND TOMORROW.
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Adult Religious Education
Sunday, August 23 - 10 AM
Opening the intellect with programs and discussion about religion and science. Join the group in this exploration with 30-minute videos followed by discussion, which is facilitated by John Gay.
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Women's Simply Salad & Soup Fellowship
Wednesday, August 26 -
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
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Nothing Much Buddhist Covenant Group
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Monday, August 24 - 7:30 PM
 Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered throughout the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. Hanh has published over 100 titles on meditation, mindfulness and Engaged Buddhism, as well as poems, children's stories, and commentaries on ancient Buddhist texts. More information about the Zen Master and the Plum Village Mindfulness Practice Centers is available here. The Nothing Much Buddhist Covenant Group has elected to read and discuss Thich Nhat Hanh's latest release, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering. Pick up a copy and join our meditation on 2nd and 4th Mondays every month.
We will discuss Chapter 3: "Looking Deeply" on August 24.
Contact: Rick Todd
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Fiction Book Group - Preview
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Tuesday, August 25 - 7 PM
Selection for August: Some Luck by Jane Smiley - Early twentieth-century farm family followed across forty years of American experience.
The Fiction Book Group meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month (excluding December) at the Fellowship to discuss a new novel or collection of essays chosen by retired English professor Dick Moseley, who also facilitates the conversation. All are welcome to attend, read the month's selection, and enjoy delving deeper into some of today's best new literature.
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We Agnostics Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
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Thursday, August 27 - 6 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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Wednesday, August 26 - 8 PM
 Every 4th Wednesday of each month the Men's Brotherhood meets from 6:30-8 PM in Chandler Hall. This covenant group provides men a private place for discussing feelings, for developing the trust to share without judgment in a confidential and safe environment, for permitting open discussion of concerns and receipt of the collective wisdom of others who have dealt with similar problems, and for finding ways to use new insights to improve one's everyday life.
The July meeting will draw lessons from David Green's book Mend: Being the Man She Needs as a springboard for discussing personal relationships, perspectives, and communication.
Contact: Rick Todd
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SUUFI (So. UU Fall Institute)
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 What is SuuFi...? =
So. UU Fall Institute
@ The Mountain Retreat (Highlands, N.C.)
October 4-9, 2015
An award-winning storyteller and a UU minister together inspire us to a destination of "A Renewed Sense of Self & Potential", a state of fresh thinking, new approaches, new understanding, aligned purpose and meaningful action. Balancing cerebral with sensual, SuuFi offers plenty of hands-on and heart-engaging activities.
In the fall coolness of western NC mountains, in Highlands, at 4200 feet elevation and with a 40 mile vista, join this "boomer week" to explore new concepts, hike new trails, meet old and new friends, find serenity and avoid traffic, and relax at our UU Retreat and Learning Center, The Mountain.
Click here to register by August 25 to get $25 discount. Program Details, Flyer, Schedule & "Remembrances", 2014 photo essay on website. 4, 5 and 6 day packages priced at $370, $465, & $560, respectively.
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Outdoor Day and Campout at Buffalo Lake
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 For UUs and friends who are lovers of the outdoors-we're planning an outing at Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, with opportunities for hiking, photography, bird watching, nature study, camping, and just hanging out! This event will reflect our 7th Principle: respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Save the dates- Friday evening, Sept. 18, and all day Saturday, Sept. 19. We have reserved the Group Education Area, which includes a large covered area with several picnic tables, and those who plan to camp can do so right around that area, with tents, campers, trailers, etc. Handicap-accessible primitive toilets are available nearby.
Contact: Janda Raker at 352-0589 or e-mail Ljraker@suddenlink.net.
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 We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling and other related cases, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.
Read House Joint Resolution 48 introduced April 29, 2015, oftencalled "We the People Amendment."
The 2016 general election is still over a year away, and already candidates for Congress and the Presidency are lining up in droves to parade themselves in front of corporate billionaires looking to buy their next vote.
The floodgates of unlimited political spending opened by Citizens United has turned our electoral process into an open auction, and now more than ever we need a constitutional amendment to end corporate rule and legalize democracy.
We have the opportunity to make corporate personhood and money as speech a defining campaign issue this election cycle.
Reversing the SCOTUS decision to grant corporations personhood can only happen through Congress. You can sign the petition online. If you missed Minnie Venable's report on the General Assembly of the UUA in Portland, you can find information about this movement initiated by organizations and churches around the country on the AUUF website page. On September 13, the congregation will have an opportunity to vote whether to add the Fellowship to the list of affiliates in support of Move to Amend.
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Autumn Circle Dinners, 2015
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 Many UU members have indicated they'd like to host a circle dinner in the early fall. In many cases, it's because they enjoy entertaining outside. So let's do it, in or out!
Once we start the sign-up sheets, we're going to ask that new UUs, those who have only been attending our fellowship (whether members or not) two years or less, sign up in the first couple of weeks, with longer-standing attendees signing up afterward. That way we can be sure that all the "newbies" get to attend. And it will ensure that almost everyone will get to dine with some folks they don't know so well.
Remember a "stranger is a friend you haven't made yet." And if they're UUs, you're going to love them! Prospective attendees, watch for further information.
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Karen Armstrong. Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. (2010)
Recognized world-wide for her erudition and readability, Karen Armstrong once again takes a complex subject and unpacks it eloquently, yet simply, for those of us who are mere mortals. Her elaboration on the role of compassion in the world's religions and the twelve steps necessary for individuals to attain depth of understanding and more effectively unlock our potential for more compassionate living is no overnight transition. In fact, the author provides a step-by-step map for a lifetime of growth. This book offers such practical guidance that it could easily be a life-long source of challenges toward self-improvement for any mortal.
Recommendation level
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Newsletter and Website Submissions
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As always, we are eager to publish information regarding committees, boards, Adult RE, CRE, events, and services, but we need your help. The website and Facebook page can be updated daily, but the newsletter cannot. New information needs to be submitted (submissions@uuamarillo.org) by noon Wednesday if you want it to appear in the Friday morning newsletter. If you need an event placed on the website calendar, you may submit that request with description, image (or we can provide one), starting and approximate ending time, specific location, date (or dates for a recurring event), and name of contact person. Help us help you get your message out in a timely manner.
PLEASE, EVERYONE CAN MAKE ALL THESE COMMUNICATIONS MORE EFFECTIVE BY READING THEM EACH WEEK--ESPECIALLY THE WEBSITE AND NEWSLETTER!
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Music in the Gardens - The Martini's
The final concert of this 2015 season is here! The Martini's perform Thursday, August 27, 7 PM at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens. Bring your lawn chair, picnic basket and drink of choice to enjoy the music and the gardens. $5 each for members (bring membership card) $10 each for non-members.
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