The 

Beacon 

Bits

A weekly publication of Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church

NW Color Logo w Name  
    

October 15, 2014 

 

 

Greetings!   

  

We hope that you can join us this Sunday morning, October 19, 2014      


for

We Are All Going to Heaven

by
guest speaker David Shontz

  


With Music By
the Folk Choir

Service times:  9:30am and 11:30am

 

Fall Religious Education Programming    

 

9:30 Service: 
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:  Jim Nadler discusses Obama Care

 

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 Story
Church Work Party

This coming Saturday (October 18th) is the day! Please join us as we clean up the grounds and do maintenance on the interior. We will begin at 8:30am, stop for lunch (pizza and salad provided) and go until we finish. If enough people come out to help we may be finished by noon.

You may be asking what you can bring:

If you prefer to work outside you could bring a pair of clippers, loppers or a rake. We have gloves at the church.
If you are willing to wash windows please bring a squeegee a bucket and a towel.
If you don't mind picking up a paintbrush wear paint clothes.

Questions? Email Kate at [email protected]

 

 

 

 
Foundations: Church Governance
Board of Trustees Meeting

The Board of Trustees met last Sunday.  The agenda can be reviewed here.  A copy of the meeting minutes will be available soon.

To review the minutes from the September meeting, click here.
 
Northwoods Needs

On the church administrator's office door there is a list of church needs. Right now this is what is on the list: Copy paper and kitchen snacks (pretzels, cookies, nut mixes.)

A big thanks to Vicki and Chris who brought several rolls of paper towels recently.  Bob Long donated envelopes.  Darbi Lockridge donated a case of copy paper that was on sale at Office Max, and they delivered the paper right to the church door.  Mary and Marci donated creamer packets.  Several people have anonymously left supplies on the office desk...thanks to you too! 

 

Four Ways to Raise Funds for Northwoods

Did you know that you can easily raise money for Northwoods by doing what you already do: grocery shopping, shopping online, or even using a surfing the web? 

For more information, click here

 

 Northwoods Service Auction - Seuss on the LUUse!
 
The Service Auction is coming!  The Service Auction is coming!!  Out on the sidewalk, between services, find out what The Service Auction is and why YOU need to be a part of it.  Pick up (and fill out) your service auction donation contracts.  Get ideas for parties, services or items you can donate.  Sign up for a date to hold your party.  Sign up to get your own, individual bidder number.  The more contracts you fill out, and the earlier you turn them in, the more raffle tickets you earn.
 
Our theme is Dr. Seuss this year, so come out and play!!  Date:  Saturday, November  15, 2014.  Any questions?  Email: [email protected]

Service Auction Links and Information:

Service Auction Contracts

Service Auction Event Calendar

Service Auction FAQ


 

Spiritual Life
Northwoods Progressive Christian Fellowship

Happy Fall Weather all,

After some discussion of possible workshop sessions for the Fellowship, we have decided to focus on PRAYER.

Each of us is asked to forward a question on this topic of Prayer to Hallie Moore ([email protected]) for a collaborative discussion.
One question already submitted: To whom do you pray? We'll discuss our personal answers to these questions. John Shelby Spong has written a book called Honest Prayer (which is probably out of print. But, just checked and Amazon has 6 copies left.) There is a YouTube clip of an interview with him also regarding his changing attitude toward what is prayer. Looking forward to sharing our thoughts.

We will meet Sunday evenings at 6pm for about an hour and a half, November 9, 16, 23 in the Garden Room at Northwoods.


Looking forward to sharing our thoughts.

 

 
Congregational Life
Care and Concern

Goodbye, Friend
Jay Poudrette passed away peacefully last Thursday.  There will be a celebration of life service soon at Northwoods.  If you are interested in attending please contact Jamie in the office for the time and date. 

Pen Pal Request
Long time church member, Lynn Kileen is settleing into her new home in Ohio and is missing her friends at Northwoods.  If you are interested in sending letters of support and encouragement please contact the church office.


 
 
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.


To schedule your appointment, click here.

 

 

FaithsTogether Celebration

 

Every year, Lord of Life Lutheran Church hosts FaithsTogether to celebrate religious diversity in our community. This year, the theme is Cultivating a Compassionate Community. Each religious community is invited to present a 2 to 3 minute part of the program. This might be a song, a skit, a reading, etc.


If you are interested in participating by representing Northwoods and Unitarian Universalism, please contact Cyndie Mahaney ([email protected].)

 

 
Health and Wellness:  End in Sight

Our Health & Wellness group is planning a workshop on October 26th called "The End in Sight" and it is on death and dying. We will have a number of speakers and exercises, such as writing one another's obits, which may include truth or fiction, planning our own memorial/funeral service, which will be guided by a local funeral director, plus we will be sharing ideas on what we want to leave behind, as well as how we want to be remembered and what goals we can set to achieve "the end" we envision for our lives. We also have a therapist who will speak on the topic of grief and will help us plan a grief support group, which is greatly needed.

For our potluck, we will share whatever food/drink we have enjoyed most in life and it does not have to be healthy. For those of you who would rather join the lunch bunch, you can always come back and participate in the workshop.

 

If you have a particular expertise in this area and want to give a talk or lead an exercise/project, please contact Peggy Walton, as we have a limited number of slots available. We hope to make this fun and informative. So please mark your calendars!


 

Brew CrUU
 
We are taking a different approach to fulfilling the church's need to staff the kitchen on Sunday morning during coffee hour. We are no longer publishing a schedule of who will work on any given Sunday. Instead, we ask that if you are willing to make coffee, put out snacks or clean up the kitchen just go in and do it! If someone is already in there doing it, ask if you can help. If you want to bring snacks to share, but don't want to work in the kitchen, just drop them on the counter. It's best if you put a note on the item so the Brew Cruu volunteer knows that food is available to put out. If you want to help, but would feel better with a little training please let Jamie (Church Administrator) know and she will connect you with someone who can help you.

Lost and Found 
 
This Sunday there will be a table set up across from the bathrooms full of Lost & Found items. Any uncollected items will be donated to the Women's Shelter store.  Among the items found is a Beijing 2008 Olympic Games cap with 2 signatures on the bill. If this is yours, please contact Jamie to retrieve it.

 

Lunch Bunch Goes French

Join the Lunch Bunch for French country cooking this Sunday after the second service at La Madeleine(Market Street near Six Pines.)

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

 

Asimov Humanists: Meets 2nd Saturday each month, 10am-12 in The Garden Room. Contact Karyl Paige 281-435-2644

 

Drum Circle:

Contact the church office 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 several times in the fall, winter, and spring for discussion, study, and fellowship, and sponsors vespers services for Advent and Good Friday. For  more information and dates, contact Bob Long.  

 

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.

 

Spiral Scouts

If your children are interested in participating in Spiral Scouts, please contact Cyndie Mahaney ([email protected]) for a meeting schedule.  Spriral Scouts is a co-ed, Pagan based scouting program for all ages.

 

 

Help! We need somebody, not just anybody...
Harvest Festival Coordinating Team sought


Last year, DFD Sarah Prickett started what she hoped would be an annual tradition, the Fall Harvest Festival. Last year, we had carnival games and prizes, a potluck, trunk or treat, a costume contest, and art for honoring ancestors from many traditions around the world.

Unfortunately, at 3/4 time, Sarah has had to cut a few things out of her plans, and the Harvest Festival was one of them. However, this was a great and well-attended event for people of all ages last year, with over sixty folks young and old in attendance, and numerous congregants and kids have asked if it will happen again.

This is where you come in! If there are enough interested volunteers to make the festival a success, then we will be able to put on a fun event for everyone to enjoy, with much of the work being done by a volunteer team with supervision from Sarah when needed. If you're interested in joining that team, please contact Sarah and let her know. 
 
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
 
Millbend Thanks Many!

Hooray!  John Batdorf blew us away with his music on Saturday, Oct. 11th.  His CD on Recovery is amazing, says Teresa Allen, who bought 2 copies and hopes all who missed the concert will attend another local house concert this Saturday.  Email [email protected] for details.

Thanks to  Daphne, Chris Mair-Miley, and Toby Picker who volunteered in the kitchen, and Karen Williams who donated more food.  Thanks to Ann-Marie Kennedy , Dawn Newcomer, Elisa Kaplan and others who promoted the event-- especially through social media and at the "Coming out for Love" event (including set-up of the room and snacks).  Bob Long and Travis Inman worked the gate.  Pat Hanna totally handled the set-up and sound.  It was a relatively small audience, but many newcomers to the church enjoyed the music and I am proud that the bulletin boards, hallways and sanctuary looked so lovely for our guests.  We raised $102 for the Woodlands Interfaith Clinic.

Plan now to attend our Nov. 8th coffeehouse with Adler & Hearne.  Many Meet-Up groups will be invited with an incentive to purchase tickets early, so we could sell out.  Plan ahead.  Call 281-350-3052.

 

 
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


Saturday October 18, 2014
10:00 AM        Women's Book Group
4:00 PM           Service Auction Piano Practice/Lessons

Sunday October 19, 2014
6:00 PM           Zen Mind Buddhists

Monday October 20, 2014
7:00 PM           Northwoods Writers' Group

Tuesday October 21, 2014
5:00 PM           Blue Mountain Meditation
7:00 PM           Folk Choir Rehearsal

Wednesday October 22, 2014
7:00 PM        Worship Arts Team Meeting
                       Northwoods Ensemble Rehearsal

Thursday October 23, 2014
6:30 PM        Paul Klein & Klay Vage Rehearsal

Friday October 24, 2014
10:00 AM      Northwoods Play Group
7:00 PM        Dharma Group

Sunday October 26, 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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