UUCH Chalice
The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville AL 35810  
December 1st, 2016
Vol. 16 Issue 48
In This Issue
STP logo
This Sunday, December 4th, is a Sharing Sunday  On the first Sunday of each month, we Share the Plate during the offering, Share our Lunch with each other during Potluck, and Share our Bounty by filling the Food Basket! Please don't forget to bring non-perishable food and hygiene items for the food basket, to be donated to the Huntsville Assistance Program. All donations are welcome and appreciated!

Join the UUkulele Fun Group!
Here's your chance to learn an instrument! Our UUkulele Fun Group meets every other Wednesday from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. to enjoy ukulele playing.
This group is for all levels of familiarity with the ukulele--from the "very beginner" to more "seasoned" players. We learn from each other, jam, share music, and simply enjoy this lively instrument. No prior experience necessary; this is an easy instrument to learn. All ages welcome.
 
So join the ukulele bug that is sweeping the country, and come make a little music with us. This group is sponsored by UUCH Adult RE. Contact Nancy Finley finleyn@uah.edu or Glen Clark for further information.

Safe Space for Children and Youth
For the safety and enjoyment of our all-ages community, parents/guardians are asked to supervise children and youth in the church facility and grounds when they are not in their planned RE activity.

SHARE OUR POSTS!
Quick Links...
Join Our Mailing List
December's Theme: Presence  
Upcoming Services
UUCH Chalice
Sunday, Dec. 4th, 2016
 

"The Happiest Time of the Year, Right?"
The Reverend Alice Syltie

The season is upon us. For some it comes as brightly wrapped boxes with ribbons and bows: For others it brings bittersweet memories of seasons past. Where do you find yourself this holiday season? Eagerly anticipating a round of parties, great food and family gatherings, or somewhat weary just thinking about making lists and checking them twice? Or perhaps the words of poet William Blake, "Joy and Woe are Woven Fine," speak to you. Having compassion for ourselves and for others may bring comfort and meaning to the holidays. This Sunday let us be there for one another in both joy and grief.

This Sunday we Share the Plate with First Stop, Inc. For more on this program, please see the article below
This Sunday in Children and Youth Religious Education 
        
Christmas Pageant Preparation! This Sunday we will be making decorations and props, learning songs, and CASTING PARTS for the Christmas Pageant on December 18th. There are parts for everyone! Please come on out and be part of this annual tradition.

Parents/guardians should plan to come to the RE area following the service to confirm children's participation. More information is in the article below.
 
Nursery care (ages 0-3) will be offered as usual.
 
Register for the UUCH Children and Youth Religious Education program by going to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WS8LDNP. Paper registration forms are also available at the church.
For more information, contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education (DRE) at dre@uuch.org or Audrey Fox, CYRE Chair, at children.re@uuch.org.
All-Church Movie Night! 
The Muppet
Christmas Carol
This Saturday, Dec. 3rd!  
 
Join ALL AGES for a screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol on Saturday, December 3rd. We will gather at the church at 6:15 p.m. with snacks and treats; show time is 6:30 p.m. Bring themed refreshments or your favorite movie snacks to share.

This event is sponsored by the Children and Youth RE program. All are invited! Contact RE Chair Audrey Fox for more information at children.re@uuch.org.
Deedee's Retirement Party--This Sunday!

After 20-something years as our church's Office Administrator, Deedee Moore is officially retiring on her birthday, December 23rd!

At this Sunday's potluck (December 4th), we'll be celebrating with her!
Bring "Celebratory" food, whatever that means in your home. We'll have a large cake for Deedee (don't tell her!), so desserts are covered.
null It's Pageant Time! 
 
Our UUCH Annual Christmas Pageant will be performed during the Worship Service on Sunday, December 18th!xmaspag

Children who participate in the pageant should:
  • be at least 4 years old (we have parts for youth and adults too!)
  • be able to attend a short rehearsal during RE on Sunday, December 11th
  • be able to arrive at church early (9:45 a.m.) on the day of the pageant (Dec. 18th) for a quick run-through
  • be able to supply simple costume items (e.g., bath robes, etc.--no sewing or elaborate costuming required)
If you'd like to be part of this exciting production, please come to RE THIS Sunday, December 4th, for our Christmas Pageant Prep day and Casting of Parts. Parents should plan to come to the RE area and confirm children's participation following the service. You may also contact Erin Reid at (256) 694-6786 or dre@uuch.org. T here are parts for Everyone!
SoulCollage® this Monday!
 
Don't really understand what SoulCollage® is all about? Well, it is similar to Unitarian Universalism in that it is "about" many things to many people. For some, it is an easy way for the less artistically talented to create something very personal and beautiful, to enjoy some small part of the feeling talented artists feel when they create. Some simply enjoy the intimate community in which we create our cards. Still others just find the process "plain ole fun." Overall it is a way of creatively expressing components of ourselves, a visual reminder that each of us comprises complexity!  

Join us Monday, December 5th, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, as we continue to explore Seena B. Frost's SoulCollage® process, beginning (or continuing) to build our deck of cards. Everyone is welcome! No experience necessary! All you need to know is how to use a pair of scissors and a glue stick. Denise Runnels and Nancy Finley will co-facilitate this Adult RE workshop.
Alabama Hispanic Association
and UUCH Christmas Dinner
Saturday, December 10th,  
11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. 
 
We need your help to bring Christmas cheer to local Hispanic families in need! Alabama Hispanic Association (AHA) reaches out to these families to provide a Christmas gift to children, and UUCH provides a nice Christmas dinner.
 
How can you help? In the upcoming weeks, sign up to bring a dish on the poster in the Fellowship Hall or click here to volunteer on the "Sign-Up Genius" list. You can also sign up to work a shift at the dinner. Childcare will be available, or children are welcome to help out at the dinner.

Thanks so much to those of you who have donated money thus far. The UUCH Youth Group uses these donations to buy gifts for the older kids and teenagers that AHA does not have covered. Social Justice co-chairs Gail Williams and Tonia Betts will be happy to receive additional donations.

If you have any used coats, clothing, blankets, or other items you would like to donate to the families, please bring them to the Fellowship Hall by December 8th.
 
This is a great heart-warming holiday event--please be a part of it!
We Share the Plate with First Stop
 
STP logo First Stop, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation established in 2001 to reduce the number of homeless persons in Huntsville/Madison County, Alabama communities.   

First Stop's overarching goal is to promote the overall rehabilitation of homeless citizens in Huntsville and Madison County communities. That includes facilitating their transition from the "street" into permanent housing and assisting with their reintroduction to their workforce.firstop  

First Stop provides its homeless clients with life-management-skills training and seminars to enhance their personal well-being. Individualized case management is the most critical element to our long-term solution in promoting continued stability and growth--insuring physical and mental health monitoring, referral to proper health care and access to available social service benefits. Since our incorporation, we have maintained a 90-percent retention rate among clients placed in permanent housing.  

First Stop's efforts are funded through federal, state and local grants, planned outreach/fundraising efforts, generous contributions from organizations and gifts from interested individuals.  

More information is available on their web site www.firststop.org.  

*When we "Share the Plate," all cash collected on the first Sunday of each month in the quarter (October, November, and December), along with any checks noted as "Share the Plate," will be halved with First Stop, Inc.
 
Soul Circles are Forming!
 
Don't forget--Soul Circles are forming! We are bringing small groups into the Soul Matters shared thematic ministry alongside our Worship and Religious Education ministries. Our "Soul Circles" will meet monthly. Each month, prior to meeting, group members will receive preparatory information designed to help them engage more deeply with the monthly theme we are experiencing in our congregational worship. Group members covenant with one another to practice deep listening, speaking from both the heart and the head as they share their soul-journeys through living into the monthly themes. Monthly meetings are scheduled to last no more than two hours.
 

If you would like to join a Soul Circle please contact John Czachurski at johncz711@comcast.net and let him know which of the following times you can be available: 

  • Sunday Afternoons (after Sunday Worship or Potluck)
  • Sunday Evenings
  • Wednesday Afternoons
  • Wednesday Evenings
Please indicate all of the days/times that could work for you, so that we can more smoothly match available group members with available facilitators.
votives Care List
 
At our Circle of Candles on Sunday,  November 27th:
 
No candles were requested at last Sunday's service, but as we do each week, a candle was lit for those joys and sorrows that remain in our hearts, yet unspoken.
       
If you have pastoral care needs, please contact the Reverend Alice Syltie at Minister@uuch.orgBarbara Hitt is Chair of the Care Committee, and may be reached at home, (256) 881.2531; on her cell, (256) 348.5845; or by email at care@uuch.org.
UUCH 16-17 Board Members

 

President: Laurel Bollinger 

Vice-President: Denise Runnels  

Secretary: Ed Bernstein           

Treasurer: Greg Howard   

Trustees: Susan Coddington, Kathy Heath,

   and Lynsie Lamitie 

 

Do you have an Agenda Item for the Board?  
The Board respectfully requests that all agenda items for the meeting be submitted to Board President Laurel Bollinger, no later than one week prior to the meeting, i.e. the Tuesday before. You may leave a copy of your request in her Mailbox at the church office, or contact her at President@uuch.org.

The next UUCH Board Meeting will be held
on Tuesday, December 20th, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. Thanks for your cooperation!

From the Overlook is a publication of

The Unitarian Universalist Church,

3921 Broadmor Rd. Huntsville, AL 35810

Minister: The Reverend Alice Syltie

Board President: Laurel Bollinger  

Editorial Board: Laurel Bollinger, Kathy Heath 

 

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight!
Please send submissions to news collator Deedee Moore at
uuch@uuch.org.  

 

Admin. Office Hours: 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Mon-Tue-Thu-Fri.

For Wednesday access, please call in advance. 

Office phone: 256.534-0508, email: uuch@uuch.org .

Minister's email: Minister@uuch.org.

Website: www.uuch.org 

 

Sunday Services are held 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 noon;  

Children's Religious Education held concurrently.   

Nursery available for age 3 years and under.

For further info on any event, call the church office:
256. 534-0508.