The 

Beacon 

Bits

A weekly publication of Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church

NW Color Logo w Name  
   

September 17, 2014 

 

 

Greetings!   

  

We hope that you can join us this Sunday morning, September 21, 2014     


for

Signing
How the choices you make and the way you sign convey different meanings

by
Guest Speaker Gay Lynn Pierce

  


With Music By
Folk Choir

Service times:  9:30am and 11:30am

 

Fall Religious Education Programming    

 

9:30 Service: 
Spirit Play (preK-K) Room 7
Explorers I (1st-3rd grade) Room 3
Explorers II (4th-6th grade) Room 10
Building Bridges (7th-12th grade) Teen Room

Between Services
Adult Forum: In the Beginnings, led by Karyl Paige,

in the Garden Room between services, 10:35 -11:25 

 

11:30 Service:
Spirit Play (preK-K) Room 7
Explorers I (1st-3rd grade) Room 3
Explorers II (4th-6th grade) Room 10
YRUU (senior high youth group, 9th-12th grade) Teen Room
 

Childcare is available for younger children during and between services, and the family room will be open to parents and guardians who would like to continue to listen to the service while tending to their children's needs.

 

Hearing assistance equipment available at the Membership table
Top Stories

Pathways to Membership Class 

This Sunday  

 

If you are considering membership at Northwoods, or if you would like to learn more about the Unitarian Universalist faith, join us for the Pathways to Membership class.   

 

The next class is this Sunday, September 14 at 1pm.  This is a unique opportunity to take all three Pathways

sessions in one condensed class.  

   

For more information, or to register, please contact the church office 281-298-2780.  Childcare available upon request.

 

 

BOOK SALE! 

Help Northwoods' RE program, help yourself!

SALE ENDS SUNDAY! 

 

This is the last week for the Northwoods Book Sale! We'll be collecting the order forms Sunday Sept. 21, and have some available if you haven't picked one up yet.  

 

But these are not just any books. Alison Livecchi is a local ambassador for Barefoot Books, an award-winning publisher of high quality children's books, and is coordinating this effort.

 

These are beautiful books! They have gorgeous illustrations, represent diverse people and places, and enrich imaginations and creativity. These are the kinds of books children and adults alike will treasure, and they make absolutely beautiful gifts as well! (Books will be delivered well in advance of the winter gift-giving season.)

 

What makes Barefoot Books so unique? They contain engaging content that respect the intelligence of children by using language that does not speak down to children. Stories represent a variety of cultures. The illustrators are handpicked to match with authors in order to create a work of art where the illustrations are equally important to the story. But best of all, these books grow with your child and contain layers of learning. They can be read over and over, each time discussing and discovering more things. Most books contain reference pages with factual information to extend the learning found in the story.

 

Barefoot sells board books, paperbacks, hardbacks, and chapter books. In addition, many books have CDs, puppets, games or activities to correspond with the themes in the books. If you are interested in seeing what we have to offer, check out the entire catalog at alison-livecchi.barefootbooks.com. 

From the Minister
 
 

Dearly Beloveds,

 

You are gathered here before your emails, because you care about this congregation.

 

So do I.

 

It is a well-known fact that a sabbatical is a hard time for a congregation to weather. It is also a well-known fact that sometimes, when we finally give ourselves some time off, that's when we actually get sick.

 

I have heard many of you being concerned about me, and I am deeply grateful. I also want you all to know what I told the Board on Sunday: If any single one of you were on the couch in my office, with anything going on...I am doing everything for myself that I would advise you to do.

 

Ministers are no different from you. We go through family issues, health struggles, insomnia, mental health challenges, kid stuff, work things, celebrations, worries, and the resolve to wake up again, and keep on walking, because there is so much that is worth being grateful for. As much as I wish I could be part of the Guardians of the Galaxy...I'm pretty ordinary.

 

That said...I hear your concern, and I appreciate it, and...I have a lot of tools under my belt (but no cape). As I say to my youngest daughter, often, it will be okay.

 

In the meantime, I wonder what you all have stored up in your tool belts, that you haven't looked at, lately. Things that can tighten down? Loosen up? Draw? Anchor you? Bring you home? Take you to another dimension? 

 

Whatever you need, you have. I, as a fellow human being, understand that sometimes, it takes time to marshal those resources and figure out just, how, that dang thing works. And, I stand by the one tool that I will never relinquish - We are Not Alone. I'm glad to be back with you, in this community of love, hope, support, and promise. Look to each other, when you forget your tools.

 

In love,

 

 

Ellen

 

 

Notes From the DFD
 
 "Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start."

-Maria, The Sound of Music

 

Dear friends,

 

How simple the above lyric seems- but it's something that is definitely easier said than done! Too often in my own life, I am already bogged down with worry about The Next Thing before I even remember to start at the beginning of whatever it is I'm working on right now. Our lives are often such a rush, from one thing to another, that starting anything at the beginning is a luxury we seldom experience.   

 

So if we can't start at the beginning, where can we start?   

 

Right here.

 

Our lives have already begun. Many of us already have established a vocation, a family, a personality, an identity, a set of beliefs about ourselves and the world. The beginning seems like it's far behind us.

 

But we can begin again. I am reminded often of dear friends in Arkansas, yurt-dwelling, chicken-raising, unschooling free spirits with two kind, bold daughters. They were not, however, always this way, even though they have carried these dreams with them their entire life together. Every now and then they ask themselves as a family, "What would it look like to start leading the life we want, right now?" and a few years ago, they began the painstaking work of crafting that life they envisioned for themselves. It wasn't easy, and there were sacrifices all around. Sure, it might have been easier to build that yurt when my friends were in their twenties, or when they didn't have a toddler, or for them to wait for "the right time" or when the kids were grown. But they didn't.  And now they truly live in a house that looks like all their dreams, to borrow from last week's worship story. 

 

It's true that there is no erasing the past. There is no clean slate. But that doesn't mean we can't begin again. Yes, it often means taking a step into the unknown, abandoning the familiar for the unexpected, trusting to grace or intuition or some higher calling. But it also means that what is possible in your story, for you, is far more brilliant than any other life you can imagine. Because it's real, and it's full of possibility. And whatever adventure lies ahead in your dreams is already waiting for you. 

 

In faith,

Sarah

 

Foundations: Church Governance
Endowment Sunday, September 21

On Endowment Sunday, we express our thanks to all of the generous donors who have contributed to the Northwoods Endowment Fund.  There will be a small thank you in the services and the Endowment Committee will be set up outside to discuss all matters relating to the Endowment Fund including Planned Giving and the recently announced formation of the Northwoods Legacy Society, a group to consist of all Northwoods members who have included the church in their estate plan.  The Endowment Committee currently consists of Bill Levine, Dave Sherwood, and Keith Armstrong.  See you there!

Please contact me if you have any questions.  It is easiest to reach me by email or cell phone (281-413-1044).

Thanks in advance,

Dave Sherwood
Member of the Northwoods Endowment Committee

 

Sunday Collections for the Minister's Discretionary Fund

This Sunday,
as we take the time to recognize the generosity of our members in ensuring the long term health of our church, let's not forget that sometimes we need to help in the short term as well. 

For this Sunday, and one Sunday each quarter, all of the undirected cash donations in the collection plate, and all checks marked "Minister's fund" in the memo field, will go
 to the Minister's Discretionary Fund. This fund, which is administered by Rev. Ellen, is a source of help and financial support for the members of this community in times of need, crisis, or scarcity. This community has provided thousands of dollars of support for our members in the past year, but the fund is currently perilously low.  No one gets through life without times of struggle, and this is one of the ways we help one another, just as our covenant says.

Please give generously, knowing that the money is a source of confidential assistance for those we know and love, and that it is available to you in your time of need. To request confidential assistance, speak with Rev. Ellen. And thank you for being a generous and caring community.


 

 
Reminder:
Checklist for the Last One Leaving

The last person to leave a room needs to leave it like this:
  • All tables put back in place, chairs stacked if applicable
  • Doors to the hallway closed, doors to the outside locked
  • Nothing left on tables/cabinets/TV top that doesn't live there permanently
  • Lights out
  • Thermostats: AUTO" setting (where applicable), high of 78, low 68. Same temps for non-programmable thermostats, seasonally adjusted
  • White board, markers, eraser and easel left set up in the Garden Room
  • If dishes were used, they should be put in the dishwasher or washed

The last person to leave the building needs to leave it like this:
  • All outside doors checked and locked
  • All lights out except in the entry way (they are usually in that position anyway)
  • All hallway doors closed, including the sanctuary. The only doors to be locked inside the building are the Music Closet (downstairs), Minister's office, LFD office, and the Sound Room (upstairs)
  • All furniture put back in place and/or put away in the Storage Room (no unused tables left in the hallways please)
  • Kitchen cleaned up:
    • No dirty dishes left in the sink - everything put away per the labels on the cabinet doors
    • Trash emptied (if full)
    • Recycle taken out (if full)
    • Compost emptied
    • Dishwasher turned on (if full)

 

Work Party

 

Hello all ~ When I took on the job of Building & Grounds 4 years ago or so I did it with the expectation that I would have lots of help and support from the congregation to maintain the building. As I said at the Congregational Meeting when I accepted the position, "I'll do this, but I don't fix toilets." That's still true. I just find people who can and will do that. Well, it's your turn. Our next WORK PARTY to clean and maintain our beautiful building is on October 18th, 8:30AM, until we're done. If lots of you show up we can be finished before lunch. If the faithful few show up we will be working until 2:00 or 3:00. Either way, I will provide pizza and salad at noon.

 

We have all kinds of inside and outside jobs to be done:

  • Since we can no longer afford a service to clean the windows that job is on the list
  • Spot cleaning the carpets (we have machine now that was donated by Sharon Ossowski). If you know how to use a carpet cleaner, please volunteer
  • We have a tree to cut down and haul. Please bring a chainsaw and gloves. And a strong back...
  • The Mediation Garden is overrun with understory growth. The street side of the building needs lots of attention this time
  • Coffee grinds and crumbs grace every drawer and cabinet in the kitchen so they all need a good cleaning
  • Trash cans need washing
  • Chairs need fixing
  • Growth needs trimming

 

If you happen to have any spare stepping stones we would like to put some in the median walking paths.

 

Question? Contact Kate  [email protected]

 

 

Spiritual Life
Thank You DBLE Folks!

Thank you to Linda Nadler, Ann McAlpin and David Shontz for attending the Dwight Brown Leadership Experience (DBLE) for a week last month. Per the DBLE website, "DBLE is an intense and deeply spiritual  experience that focuses on the presence and functioning of individual leaders to help form them into a team, serving Unitarian  Universalism as leaders to their congregations and elders of the faith." Feel free to ask them about their experience.

We also take this time to recognize those who attended such a training in years past:

Rev. Ellen Cooper
Scot Bealer
Stephanie Coleman
Shari Wood-Merriam
Olivia Carrender
Dorothy Kennedy
Sarah Prickett
Alex Sherwood
Darbi Lockridge
Jenn Simpson
Mary Branson
Chloe Hawkins-DeCaire
Mary Chimarusti
Lisa Cronce


 

Come Drum With Us

Drum Circle: September 20 

 

Please mark your calendars for our Fall Equinox Drum Circle on September 20th.  Come celebrate the harvest of the Fall Equinox with us! We will gather in the church sanctuary at 6:30 for Drum Circle followed by a feast. Please bring an instrument(s), a dish to share and a beverage. You are welcome to bring something for the alter, as well. If you don't have an instrument, there will be extras that you are welcome to use. You are also welcome to invite friends and family to this event.

 

For those of you who are new to Drum Circles, here is an interesting quote from Wikipedia by Mickey Hart, drummer for the Grateful Dead: 

 

"Typically, people gather to drum in drum "circles" with others from the surrounding community. The drum circle offers equality because there is no head or tail. It includes people of all ages. The main objective is to share rhythm and get in tune with each other and themselves. To form a group consciousness. To entrain and resonate. By entrainment, I mean that a new voice, a collective voice, emerges from the group as they drum together."

 

Our Drum Circle also has a spiritual focus and is a sacred event which includes rituals such as smudging for purification, calling of the directions, and preparing an altar. We invite dancing and singing during the drumming as well.

 

Since we do not offer childcare at our events, we encourage those with young children to closely supervise their children so that the sanctity of the event is maintained and all play a part in the spiritual connection that is created through the rhythms of the drums. For safety reasons, we cannot have children running through the church at any time during the event, including the feast.

 

It is our goal for all who attend to feel welcome and to participate in a meaningful spiritual experience.

 

We hope to see you there.

 

 
Congregational Life
Coming Out for Love Event
Coming Soon!

On Saturday, October 11, from 1 to 5 PM, we will again partner with our sister congregation, Plymouth United Church of Christ, to celebrate the second annual Coming Out for Love!  On that day we will celebrate the lifelong process of discovering ones gender expression and self-identity, and we will promote community awareness of gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender rights. The focus of this year's event will indeed be Celebration, and we will vividly illustrate this through music, poetry, prose, and the visual arts.

We will again be joined by organizations who provide support and community for those who are in all stages of that journey, who educate to clarify the many questions that arise, and who advocate to ensure equal opportunity for everyone.

You are invited to participate in this event, to assist in the planning and in its execution. You are also encouraged to offer your talents as a performer in the visual, musical and spoken arts!  Please contact Bob Long at [email protected] or you may call him at 281-914-9837 to offer your support!
 
November Blood Drive:
Partnering with Muslims for Life

The next blood drive at Northwoods will be on Saturday,
November 1 from 12:30 to 5pm, and we are excited to partner with Muslims for Life. 

To honor the victims of 9/11 and emphasize Islam's essential teaching regarding the sanctity of life, the Ahmadiyya Muslims Community, USA began organizing blood drives all across the nation in 2011. The "Muslims for Life" Campaign has now become a Nationwide Annual Event.

  • 2011: In 168 cities, 269 blood drives collected a total of 11,803 pints of blood.
  • 2012: 376 one-day blood drives collected 11,170 pints.
  • 2013: 261 blood drives collected 10,377 pints.
  • In three years 906 blood drives were organized and 33,350 pints collected potentially helping to save more than 100,000 lives!

For more information, please visit the Muslims for Life Website. 

 

 

 

NUUC Membership Resource Directory

We are an amazingly resourceful congregation! Join us in creating this directory which will help make our collective resources accessible to each other.

 

FAQs:

  • Will the directory be available electronically? The first directory will be available as a document - just like the current membership directory that is sent via email to members. If there is enough interest, the Membership Resource Directory could become a password-protected web-based application on the NUUC website.
  • I don't know if I want to stand up in front of a group and talk about my World View. Do I need to answer that question? We hope you feel comfortable sharing your World View with your Northwoods community. If someone asks you to talk about your World View, you can always decline. Perhaps you can offer a book or another resource to help out. 
  • What if some committee asks me to join them because of my experiences and knowledge? You can consider their request and choose whether or not to accept. You can also offer to participate based on your availability to volunteer.

To complete the submission form electronically, click here for a Resource Directory Questionaire, then email Vicki Bradley:  [email protected] the results. You can also give your answers to Vicki in person on Sunday at Northwoods. 

 


 

 

Lunch Bunch 

 

Join the Lunch Bunch this Sunday, September 21, at 1:00 pm at Noodles & Company, 1555 Lake Woodlands Drive.  

 

Questions? Ask Beth or Phil Marshall.

 

 

 
Volunteer for Lay Ministry

Lay Ministry is currently looking for your assistance. If you are able to provide a meal,  transportation, or visit with someone who needs company, please contact Joan O'Connell at 832-302-4517.
 
 
REMinistryReligious Education
RE Text Alerts

Stay informed with up to date information about upcoming Sunday programming for children, youth and adults by signing up for RE Text Updates. Click here for more information. 
Membership

New to Northwoods?

Considering membership?  

Want to catch up on your UU history and theology?  

 

Join us for Pathways to Membership class. The next class will be in October. This class is recommended as a prerequisite for signing our Membership Book. Please register by contacting the church office. Childcare available upon request

 

Board of Trustees
The Northwoods UU Church Board of Trustees meets at 1 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month.  The Board is responsible for governing policies, finances, human resources, buildings and grounds, and congregational communication.  The Current Members of the Board are:  

 

Larry Loomis Price President

 

Ann McAlpin

President-Elect

 

Stephanie Coleman

Past President 

  

AJ Livecchi  

Treasurer   

 

Bob Long 

Parliamentarian

 

Kathryn Donohue

Secretary 


John DeCaire

At Large

 

 

   
Committee on Ministry


The Committee on Ministry meets on the fourth Sunday of each month and is responsible for the shared ministry of the congregation in the areas of Spiritual Life, Congregational Life, Religious Education, and Social Justice and Outreach (SEE Justice). Current Members of the Committee on Ministry are:

 

David Shontz 

Chair

 

Mary Chimarusti
Mary Branson

Susan Blackmore
Linda Nadler 

Beth Marshall 

Congregational Life

Chair:  Kate Rhoad

Membership Coordinator: 
Helen Sherwood
 
Ministries Meetings and Groups

Spiritual Life

Drum Circle:

Contact Peggy Walton

at 936-718-7777  for more information.

  

CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans).

Meets every 2nd Sunday of the month in the Sanctuary at 1 pm. Contact Tess Bennett.  

 

Northwoods Progressive Christian Fellowship:

Meets the third Friday of each month for fellowship. The group  sponsors Vespers Services four times during the year. For information contact 

 Susan Hammond

at 281-465-4683.   

 

Zen Mind Buddhist:  

A meditation and discussion group that meets on the 1st and 3rd Sundays at 6pm.  For information, contact Carolyn Cash. 

 

Blue Mountain Meditation: Meets Tuesdays at 5:00 pm at Northwoods.

Contact Hallie Moore .


Folk Choir Rehearsal:

Meets on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Contact Rusty Rhoad at 281-419-1984.  

Congregational Life 

Avant Garden Gallery:

Artists are invited to display their works in the gallery.  For scheduling, click  here. 

 

Coffee Hour:  

Between church services (10:30-11:30 a.m.) every Sunday.


Courageously Coed Book Group: 

Meets on the second Monday at 7pm in the Garden room.  Click here
for the 2014 book list.  Contact John Hammond
for more information.

Health and Wellness Group:  Meets on the 4th Sunday of the month after Sunday services.  For more information, contact Peggy Walton.


Men's Group:  

Meets the first Thursday of the month.  Contact Mark Smith.

  

Men's Book Club:
Meets the first Saturday of the month at 10:00am in the Garden room. Click here for the book list.  Contact Wally Gardner.

 

Women's Book Club:

Meets the third Saturday of the month at 10:00am in the Garden Room.  For more information contact Shirley Locke.

wUU hUU:   

Contact Darbi Hamilton or Kristin Ongeri for more information about the Young Adult Group.

 

Northwoods Writers' Group:   

Meets 1st and 3rd Mondays. Bring something you've written to read. For information contact Rusty Rhoad at 281-419-1984.

 

The Ewe Ewe Knitting Ministry:  

Meets on the 1st, 3rd & 5th Thursday of each month in the room 3. Contact Cyndie Mahaney

 

Circle of Friends:  

A women's group that meets the 1st and 3rd Fridays at 10:00am.

Contact Maxine Devries.

 

Northwoods Playgroup: Meets on alternating Fridays and Thursdays from 10:00am-1:00pm. For more information please contact Amanda Hanson. 



SEE Justice:

SEE Justice:

Monthly meeting the first Sunday of the month 12:30-2 pm in the Garden Room. Contact  Paul Nelson  for more information.

  

If you would like to nominate an organization to be the recipient of Share the Plate Sunday, click here for more information on how to do so. 

 

Millbend Coffee House:  Live music every second Saturday at 7:30 pm at the church. This event is sponsored by Northwoods and is open to the community. Contact Teresa Allen at 281-350-3052.

 

 
Curious About Other Faiths? Like to Drive? WE NEED YOU!

This year, the youth RE program centers around Building Bridges, a UU curriculum exploring other religions as well as our connections to them as a faith. In the course of this class, we hope to go on a number of field trips, to a Hindu temple and an Islamic mosque, to a Jewish synagogue and a Buddhist temple, as well as to a couple of different worship experiences in different Christian denominations. If you would be interested in chaperoning, and driving on these trips, or if you have a relationship to a faith community that we might like to visit, please contact Sarah Prickett at [email protected].

Sarah is also looking for a volunteer Field Trip Coordinator to handle some of the logistics for these visits. If you'd be interested in helping plan these trips, or even one or two of them, please let her know that as well.
 
Get involved with Religious Education!
There are many ways to help, large and small.

For me, one of the joys of serving Northwoods is working with  individuals to share their unique passions and talents with others, especially the younger souls in our midst. There is one truth that lies at the heart of our decision to gather as a faith community: We need each other. We are better, stronger, braver together. Our knowledge and experiences are incomplete, and by coming together, we create something greater even than the sum of its parts. We experience this in worship, when we come together to make a more just and loving community, in fellowship, and when we learn together.

Teaching and attending religious education classes and other faith development opportunities is part of how we weave the connections between us more tightly, and in the coming year, there are many ways to participate in this part of our life together. Watching the love and joy blossom within people as they grow and explore is part of the faith development that Northwoods offers both teachers and learners. (Because we are all teachers and learners, always.)

As I prepare for the coming church year, I am actively recruiting volunteers for the religious education program. Not just classroom teachers, but occasional childcare volunteers, Children's Chapel assistants, Acting DFDs (for the Sundays I am not here), a field trip coordinator for the Neighboring Faiths youth RE class, and more, including some behind the scenes help. If working with children or youth has ever interested you, I hope you will consider taking an active role in this year's religious education. To learn more about our programs, or for help discerning the volunteer role that will make your heart sing, please contact me at dfd@northwoodsuu.org.
 
 
YRUU T Shirts: Get Yours Now!

If you've ordered a Standing on the Side of Love T-Shirt from YRUU, please plan to pick it up one Sunday this month! And If you haven't ordered one, never fear, they ordered a few extras that are available for purchase! 
 
If you haven't seen the shirts, they are the traditional bright goldenrod color, with our QR code on the sleeve that directs people to our website. The back reads, "Love is the spirit of this church", Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church, The Woodlands, TX. 
  
This fundraiser helps to support our YRUU program, plus it is good advertising for our church and a great message for our community!  The cost is only $15.
 
Thanks for supporting our youth program! 
 
 
SEE Justice
 

Raising the Voice of UUs in Houston (via TEXT!)

 

For over a year, now, Rev. Ellen and other Houston-area UU ministers have been brainstorming, planning, strategizing, and training, so that we can roll out the Unitarian Universalist Voices for Justice project (UUV4J). The brainchild of big dreams, and a hearty, "Why NOT!?," it's ready to roll.

 

How it works:  You opt in to text alerts. When something happens in our greater Houston community, around one of three issues, (Reproductive Justice, Religious Freedom and Tolerance, or GLBTQ Rights), an alert will come to your phone detailing the when, where, and what of our uniquely-positioned religious response. UUs have a religious voice on these issues, but too often, the dominant religious voices don't include ours. There are designated media contacts, people trained in PR/Media, and we're all stocking up on our Standing on the Side of Love shirts, which will be worn, should there be a response needed.

 

How to Opt In: From your text-enabled phone (regular text messaging rates apply), text 313131 with a message that says UUV4J, and then follows with your name, email, and congregation. If you don't have text capability, but want to be involved, notify Rev. Ellen. 

 

How to get a TShirt: Our Youth Group is selling Northwoods-specific shirts as a fundraiser, for $15. Contact Peggy Walton at [email protected] If you'd like a shirt, but find cost prohibitive, contact Rev. Ellen.

 

There is at least one practice run-through scheduled in the near future, to help you get oriented. Don't delay! Together, we can raise up our voice when it is needed the most. You are encouraged to sign up, show up, and represent your faith!

 

 

 
Chasing Ice
 
At 1:00pm on Sunday September 21st, Northwoods Green will host a screening of the amazing documentary, "Chasing Ice", in conjunction with the People's Climate March taking place in major cities across the planet. Please join us in petitioning our senators about urgent climate action. We ask that you bring a local, low-impact (vegetarian) dish to share as we learn about the current impacts of climate change.
 
"Stunning...Timely... " New York Times
"These images breathe life into an ice world" Forbes
"Hauntingly Beautiful" Huffington Post
"Heart Stopping" Roger Ebert
"Amazingly beautiful" Five Stars - New York Daily News
"Visually Breathtaking" Variety
 
In the spring of 2005, acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment for National Geographic : to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth's changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a skeptic about climate change. But that first trip north opened his eyes to the biggest story in human history and sparked a challenge within him that would put his career and his very well-being at risk.
Chasing Ice is the story of one man's mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
As the debate polarizes America and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Balog finds himself at the end of his tether. Battling untested technology in subzero conditions, he comes face to face with his own mortality. It takes years for Balog to see the fruits of his labor. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Chasing Ice depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet.


 

Recycles Phones and Cartridges at Northwoods

I'd like to remind people that we are taking donations of used cell phones, inkjet cartridges and other items for recycling.  The recycling bins for these items are on a table just outside the office in the hallway.

Full details of what can be donated are listed at the www.fundingfactory.com website. Thanks!

For more information, contact Natalie Moloney 832-439-0914.

 

 

Upcoming Conferences 

Faith and Reason Seminar:  Septmber 18-20
Join progressive spiritual leaders and scholars to discuss Confronting Poverty from the Heart of Faith  For more information, click here.

1st Women's Interfaith Peace Conference: September 20

Theme: Building Peaceful Communities through Interfaith Dialogue

For more information, click here


 

 
Food Collections

The hungry aren't only hungry at Christmas and Thanksgiving.  They are hungry all year long and you can do something to help.  Food donations have been very low lately.  Please bring a non-perishable food item to church on Sunday and drop it in the basket in the hallway next to the office. 
 
Calendar, Beacon Bits Submission Policy, and Contact Information

Coming Up At Northwoods


Sunday September 21, 2014
1:00 PM    Pathways to Membership Class
   Northwoods Green: Chasing Ice Video Showing
6:00 PM    Zen Mind Buddhists

Tuesday September 23, 2014
5:00 PM    Blue Mountain Meditation
7:00 PM    Folk Choir Rehearsal

Wednesday September 24, 2014
7:00 PM     Worship Arts Team Meeting
    Northwoods Ensemble Rehearsal

Thursday September 25, 2014
6:30 PM    Paul Klein & Klay Vage Rehearsal

Friday September 26, 2014
10:00 AM     Northwoods Play Group
7:00 PM       Dharma Group

Sunday September 28, 2014
1:00 PM    Committee on Ministry
                   Health and Wellness Group





 
Submission Policy

Send submissions for the next issue of The Beacon Bits to [email protected] no later than 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Any member of the Northwoods family may submit material to the Beacon Bits.  Ideally, most submissions will come from a contact person or chairperson of a group or ministry team. The Beacon Bits will not publish any advertisement or notices promoting individuals or businesses.
 

Contact Information

 

Congregational Administrator: Jamie Thompson, [email protected]   

Phone 281-298-2780   

Church Office Hours:  Tues. - Fri. 10 am- 3pm 

 

Minister: Reverend Ellen Cooper, [email protected]  

 

Director of Lifespan Faith Development: Sarah Prickett, [email protected]
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 12-4pm
  

 

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