March 7, 2019
Issue #490

Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday March 10.

Set clocks ahead by an hour.

With the sounds of Spring also comes ...  Boom Whackers. Children and youth were introduced last Sunday to a "whacky" collaborative musical instrument. These are pitched plastic tubes you get to whack on the floor and make music with your friends. More fun to come.

 

Paella Dinner: Teen and middle-school families are warmly invited to come have a fun and tasty evening March 23rd. A youth-friendly menu will be served and there will be a supervised game room downstairs. The youth will be invited to come watch the flamenco dance performance. RSVP by buying tickets online. (See info in the Paella Dinner article.)

 

We will miss you, Julie. As you probably know, Julie Prentice is moving across the country with her husband to be closer to their family. We will miss her warm generous presence, yet also glad this opportunity has come for closer family ties. Julie has been dedicated to working with and supporting RE as a teacher, team leader, and briefly as the Secretary for the RE Committee.

 

Welcome, Rich Cohen - Rich is joining the RE Steering Committee. He is energetic and ready to roll up his sleeves. Please add him to your contact list. You may have met Rich back in 2014 when he was at UUCM previously. Now he is back interested in how to connect parents and families within UUCM. 

 

Fair Trade Chocolate sales this Sunday.  Our source of chocolate is Equal Exchange, a cooperatively owned small company contracting with small farms to have certified fair labor practices. (No slavery for instance.) Equal Exchange donates 10% of its profits to the UU Service Committee. The portion of profits taken locally goes to support the Youth Leadership Fund.

 

Last chance to start OWL class for children in grades 4-7.   Contact Jeffrey Melcher  ASAP and we can get you in under the wire this week.

 

Please sign up  for the retreat sooner rather than later.

 

Together we can.

Alone, I run uphill into the wind against a disharmonious culture of fear and oppression.

Together we can,

Dance a healthy vision into being; creating our own breeze to ripple a new future.

JSM

Upcoming dates link to the UUCM calendar for saving on iCal, Outlook, etc.

Please come March 10 for an inspiring service followed by a delicious brunch and conversation. Help sustain UUCM for another year of community, service, music and worship as we continue to grow under the ministry of Reverend Marcus Hartlief.

March 16, 2019 from 10 am - 12 Noon: UU Writing Circle: Writing to Find the Voice Inside postponed from March 9th.  Join us in the Clara Barton Room for the writing group sponsored by Adult Ed and led by Kat Braeman. Write for ten minutes and share with the group. Writing can build community and be a spiritual quest. Call Kat at 202/549-3696 or email kajudge@gmail.com  for more information.

 

Sorry, I have a conflict on the 9th and have to be in Napa.

Friday, March 15,  7-9 pm  Fireside Room
Kristina Gale and Ray Meluch are our Remarkable People for March. 

 

You might know Kristina Gale as a Dinners for 8 hostess or a greeter, but not that she started a long-time career before she learned to drive.  You will also learn more about being half-Ingrian, half-Finnish and growing up 10 miles from the border of the Soviet Union.

Ray Meluch is our hip and scientific "sound man" and does magic with our microphones when needed.  But there is more to know in his history, including an Oscar.....

Come to the Fireside Room for a Friday evening of sharing, and learning more about our common interests and intriguing differences in life experience. 

May 17    Sarah Tiederman and Anne Spatola

Saturday March 23, 2019

6:00 to 8:30 pm

Tapas and Paella dinner - No host bar

Flamenco dancer

Raffle

Admission $45.00

Raffle tickets $5.00 or 5 for $20.00

Buy tickets online.

 

As spring enlivens the countryside, come join us in a special celebration with a wonderful Spanish-inspired dinner. We will start with Tapas (small plates of delectables enjoyed in Spain with a glass of wine, sangria or sparkling water) and follow it with a variety of Paellas. We will be entertained by a local flamenco dancer, Andrea La Canela. The evening will end with delicious Spanish desserts and a raffle.

Dinner will accommodate vegan as well as gluten free diets.

For carb-free and allergy needs, it is recommended to purchase a ticket ahead so that we will know how to best make the event special for you as well.

If you missed last year, no worries, this year's retreat which will be held May 3-5, 2019 will be here before you know it!

Paper copies of the Retreat form are now available on the Retreat poster in the foyer at UUCM. Please fill one out and return it to Thomas Ervin.

 

Consider what workshop you may like to offer the congregation at this year's retreat. Here is an example schedule from last year.

The Retreat is an all-congregational event running from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning at Walker Creek Ranch in West Marin. We offer a flexible attendance/pricing plan to ensure that everyone can attend as their time and budget allows. You can stay in a semi-private lodge or family style dormitory with separate bedrooms for each family and bathrooms down the hall. Meals include Friday night dinner; Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and Sunday breakfast. We have a campfire on Friday night, a Barn Dance on Saturday night, worship services, discussion groups, hiking opportunities, a ropes course, arts and crafts, and many more fun activities for young and old. This is a chance to connect with those in your community at a deeper level and enjoy the fresh air and lovely grounds of Walker Creek Ranch. We are taking reservations now. Additional details will be available as we get closer to the event. Questions? Contact Thomas ( thomas.ervin@comcast.net)

General Assembly is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association. Attendees worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend; congregations must certify annually to send voting delegates. The 2019 General Assembly will be June 19-23 in Spokane, Washington. Most General Assembly events will be held in the Spokane Convention Center. https://www.uua.org/ga

GA HOUSING AND REGISTRATION ARE NOW OPEN

FINANCIAL AID FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Members and friends who live in Terra Linda, Novato, and further north must drive right past the Smith Ranch Road P&R lot.  We could keep in mind that on days when we are not in a rush we could stop there and share cars. At about 10:20 am we could proceed to the Congregation's parking lot.  There would be no need for prior arrangements.

For return to our car at P&R, there is no problem, since people leave at all hours.  Just go out to see who is leaving and hitch a ride.

Suggested by Nani Ranken.

Also consider carpooling with your neighbors.