Sunday, January 17 - 9 AM at AUUF
The Women's Simply Salad & Soup Fellowship provides a delicious breakfast every third Sunday at the Fellowship. Help yourself before going to 9:30 AM worship service or to the Adult Religious Education class at 10 AM. Bon appetite!
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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.
During January, the elementary students will be watching brief videos and discussing their content.
Jan. 17: Earth Shapers - The Mound Builders
Jan. 24: The Eruption of Mt. St. Helens
Jan. 31: Volcanos of New Mexico
The nursery group will be focusing on the following topics during January:
Jan. 17: We Have Five Senses
Jan. 24: Our Bodies are Beautiful
Jan. 31: ??
Lesson plans are subject to change, but this is the plan.
Contact: Wes Phillips and Sarah Brown
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"Institutional memory is a collective set of facts, concepts, experiences and know-how held by a group of people. As it transcends the individual, it requires the ongoing transmission of these memories between members of this group."
~ Harvard Business School
Do you have a favorite memory of the Fellowship? Do you know of an important moment in our history that you want to be sure is remembered by all members? Help us get a more complete history of our Beloved Community by adding these memories and events to our new "History Wall". It is located on the hallway bulletin board across from the RE rooms. There are note cards you can fill out, or bring your own. The Ministerial Search Committee will be using this to give us a more complete timeline of our history and also to provide information and context to our many newer members.
Contact: Keralee Clay
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 "We do not look to a world to come that will be more valuable than this world. We cherish our bodies, this earth, this time and place that is within our grasp. We reverence the intimate, intricate, and unshakeable reality that all life is connected. We honor and respect the bonds that tie each to all, that weave us into an inescapable net of mutuality. We vow to care for the interdependent web of existence; we desire all life to thrive, and therefore we resist those social evils and systemic injustices that benefit a few at the expense of many, or that allow a privileged existence for some while others have their hearts and bodies broken by exploitation, prejudice, censure, or lack of access to the rights and resources needed for life."
--Rebecca Ann Parker, A House for Hope, p. 170.
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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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In addition to the events described in this newsletter, you can find a complete listing by clicking on the Calendar icon above.
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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January 17, 2016
Rita Chamblin and Pat Smith from First Unitarian Universalist Church in Lubbock will bring us a special Sunday service. We invite you to participate in this distinctive service by lighting a candle to mark each significant event, each turning, in your life over the past year.
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January 24, 2016
James Doores speaks on Evolution Science and its Deniers. The sermon covers Intelligent Design from 1925 and the Scopes Trial to the Present Day.
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January 31, 2016
Sharon Baker speaks on The Day That Changed My Life.
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Adult Religious Education
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Please join us at 10 AM each Sunday.
We are rotating three subjects. Each covers a different aspect of Adult Religious Education. All are welcome. No advance reading is necessary and no test will be given.
Jan. 17: Lecture #8 of Natural Law and Human Nature discusses "The Stoic Idea of Natural Law."
Jan. 24: Lecture #9 of The New Testament examines the "Noncanonical Gospels."
Jan. 31: Lecture #9 of Science and Religion covers "Geology, Cosmology, and Biblical Chronology."
Feb. 7: Lecture #9 of Natural Law and Human Nature presents "Biblical Views of Nature and Law."
Contact: John Gay |
Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade
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Monday, January 18 at 11 AM
The parade begins in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (1507 W. Amarillo Blvd) and ends at the Potter County Courthouse (500 South Fillmore). The parade is free. For additional information, call 806.679.7773.
Contact: Yvonne Moore
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Monday, January 18, 6 - 7:30 PM
The film discussion at this meeting is Half the Sky. It is a worldwide study of the oppression of women based on Nicholas Kristof's book of the same name. Half the Sky is a passionate call-to-arms, urging us not only to bear witness to the plight of the world's women, but to help to transform their oppression into opportunity. Our future is in the hands of women everywhere.
Contact: Amy Taylor
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Alternative Medicine Monthly Seminar
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 Tuesday, January 19 - 7 PM
(Every Third Tuesday)
Open to the Public-Free Admission
This month's seminar topic is Vitamin D: Why you need it and why you need it now! Focusing on alternative health and wellness, this monthly seminar is led by Rolf Habersang, MD, Medical Director of the ICAM Institute of Amarillo, and Pia Habersang, EdD, CNS, MSN, APRN of the Pediatric Wellness Center of Amarillo.
ICAM Seminar information: 806.468.4616
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 Tuesday, January 26, 7-8:30 PM
January's selection is Jamesland by Michelle Huneven. Three characters who are all somewhat adrift in their lives, a mentally disturbed man, a troubled descendent of William James, and a somewhat unfocused UU minister, maneuver their way, sometimes comically, sometimes movingly, toward a fuller existence.
Future selections for Spring 2016, if you want to order them all at once, include: Fortune Smiles: Stories by Adam Johnson; We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride; and Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf.
Contact: Dick Moseley
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 A grandson of slaves, a boy was born in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans known as the "Back of Town." His father abandoned the family when the child was an infant. His mother became a prostitute and the boy and his sister had to live with their grandmother. Early in life he proved to be gifted for music and with three other kids he sang in the streets of New Orleans. His first gains were coins that were thrown to them.
A Jewish family, Karnofsky, who had immigrated from Lithuania to the USA, had pity for the 7-year-old boy and brought him into their home, initially giving him "work" in the house, to feed this hungry child. There he remained and slept in this Jewish family's home where, for the first time in his life, he was treated with kindness and tenderness.
When he went to bed, Mrs. Karnovsky sang him a Russian lullaby that he would sing with her. Later, he learned to sing and play several Russian and Jewish songs. Over time, this boy became the adopted son of this family.
The Karnofskys gave him money to buy his first musical instrument; as was the custom in the Jewish families. They sincerely admired his musical talent. Later, when he became a professional musician and composer, he used these Jewish melodies in compositions, such as "St. James Infirmary" and "Go Down Moses."
The little black boy grew up and wrote a book about this Jewish family who had adopted him in 1907. In memory of this family and until the end of his life, he wore a Star of David and said that in this family, he had learned "how to live real life and determination."
You might recognize his name. This little boy was called: Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Louis Armstrong proudly spoke fluent Yiddish! And "Satchmo" is Yiddish for "Big Cheeks"!!!
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Citizen's Climate Lobby Update
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 Following the conclusion of the climate accord in Paris last month, CCL released an op-ed from Executive Director Mark Reynolds - After historic Paris agreement, U.S. must lead climate efforts by pricing carbon - and our volunteers sprang into action submitting Mark's piece to newspapers throughout the country. As of this week, the op-ed has been published in 32 papers
Here's an excerpt from Mark's piece:
Leadership from the United States is needed to marshal global efforts against carbon pollution. Right now, unfortunately, that leadership is less than inspiring.
Forced by a recalcitrant Congress to take matters into his own hands, Obama initiated the Clean Power Plan, which uses Environmental Protection Agency regulations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at power plants. The EPA rules have met with stiff opposition from congressional Republicans, and both the House and the Senate have passed resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act.
But instead of just saying "no" to the Clean Power Plan, Republicans could offer a market-based alternative that would eliminate the need for EPA regulations. By placing a fee on carbon and returning the revenue to American households, we can incentivize a clean-energy economy without increasing the size of government. Meanwhile, applying border tariffs to imports from nations that lack an equivalent price on carbon will protect American businesses and provide the incentive for all nations to establish a price on carbon - the single biggest step a country can take to meet its climate goals.
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 Barbara Child and Keith Kron, eds. In the Interim: Strategies for Interim Ministers and Congregations (2013).
A period of interim ministry poses unique challenges and opportunities for both congregations and ministers. Much more than a "caretaker" ministry, an interim ministry can help a congregation navigate and get the most out of a time of transition. In this practical and insightful volume, interim ministers and other congregational leaders provide a road map for a transformative and fulfilling interim period.
The transition from one settled minister to another requires a congregation to do much soul-searching, structural analysis, and evaluation of staff, leadership, and programs. These experienced interim ministers discuss the special needs of congregations and the roadblocks they can encounter. This book is a valuable tool for gaining insights into the transition our Fellowship faces for the next two years, especially for the Board members, leadership and staff, and every member who wants to understand its necessity and possibilities.
Barbara Child is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister and accredited interim minister who served continually in interim ministry for more than a decade. Keith Kron is the director of our Unitarian Universalist Association's Office of Ministerial Transitions.
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Just So You Know
 If your group (like Meet the Artist) is having an event that is open to the public and you wish to get your event mentioned in the newspaper, here are the deadlines Chip Chandler sent me:
- Get Out!: Noon Monday before Friday publication, and the section covers activities Fridays through the following Thursdays.
- Arts: Noon Wednesday before Sunday publication, and the section covers activities Sundays through the following Saturdays.
If a photo is to accompany the text, a high-resolution head shot is all that is acceptable. No frames or manipulations.
Amarillo Food Co-op Orientation
 Saturday, January 16, 2-4 PM
Chalice Abbey (2717 Stanley St. Ste. A)
This is an open invitation to anybody in the Amarillo area interested in being a part of establishing our first food co-op! We will talk about the basic steps needed to create the co-op as well as discuss the needs that could be met within the community by its creation. Please attend if you can. If not, contact Becky Heinen for the notes from the meeting.
FireSongs Songwriter Series
 Wednesday, January 20, 6:30-8:30 PM
FireSongs Songwriter Series is a new, weekly series that is unique in Amarillo, in that each Wednesday night, a different area songwriter or combo will perform entirely original material---no covers. We have a wealth of creative energy here in the Panhandle and this series aims to celebrate those who express this energy through songwriting.
The shows are at Fire Slice Pizzeria (7301 SW 34th Space 10, Summit Shopping Center) on Wednesdays from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. It's a listening environment, so talking is discouraged in the concert room while the show is going on, but this makes it a much nicer environment, and of course Fire Slice has wonderful food which may be enjoyed throughout the show. There is no cover, but reservations are suggested to guarantee seating in the listening room. Call (806) 331-2232. The artist performing January 20 is Yvonne Perea. The next performance, January 27, is by Blues Boy Willie.
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