The Overlook
Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville 
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville AL 35810  
May 31, 2018
Vol. 18 Issue 22
In This Issue
Upcoming Events

Thu. 5/31
National Spelling Bee
Finals

Sun. 6/3
Sunday Services 
10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  
Sanctuary 
Share The Plate

First Sunday PotLuck

Tues. 6/5
Yoga
5:15 p.m.
Adult Religious Education Room

Wed. 6/6
Steady Steps - Balance in Sitting, Standing and Walking
11:00 a.m.

Sun. 6/10
Sunday Services
10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Sanctuary
HAP Needs YOU!
 
The Social Justice Committee
has a monthly goal to collect at least 100 items during each month for the food pantry.
 
Please put your nonperishable food items or personal care products donation in the basket in the church foyer for the Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP).  
   
THANK YOU for your continued generosity! 
Yoga at UUCH!
 
Adult Religious Education is offering a beginning Hatha Yoga Class each Tuesday evening at 5:15 p.m. led by Jessica Schulz. Yoga brings inner quiet and peace of mind, something that could enrich us all.
 

Come dressed in comfortable clothes and bring a mat if you have one (we will have some extras). We will meet in the Adult Religious Education Room. For further information, contact Nancy Finley at adult.re@uuch.org. 

Everyone is welcome!
UUkulele Fun Group
The Ukulele Fun Group  is open to everyone, regardless of skill level.
 
Look for its summer schedule to be announced.
UUCH Choir Announcement
The UUCH Choir is on summer break! We do not practice or perform during summer vacation. We will resume practice in August with date to be announced.

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UUCH 17-18  
Board Members
 
President:
Laurel Bollinger

Vice-President: 
Denise Runnels

Secretary:
Nancy Finley

Treasurer: 
Greg Howard

Trustees: 
Susan Coddington
Kathy Heath

Lynsie Lamitie


Ex Officio:
Reverend Alice Syltie

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 phone her at home or send a copy of your request to
President@uuch.orgThe next UUCH Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 26th.

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:  

Susan Coddington 

Kathy Heath 

 

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight.
Please send submissions to news collator Willette Battle at
uuch@uuch.org.  

 

Office Hours:

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  
Monday-Friday

 

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.

 
Upcoming Service

Sunday, June 3, 2018
        
This God You Don't - or  
Do - Believe In  
John Czachurski
   
The Rev. Forrest Church said that when someone would tell him "I don't believe in God" his response would be "Tell me more about this God you don't believe in!" This Sunday we explore different concepts of and ways of thinking about God.
 
* 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. 
 
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This Sunday in Children and
Youth Religious Education (C Y RE)  
 
Our Summer Religious Education program launches this Sunday with LEGO! Jennifer Garlen and David Sparks will lead and Harper Goodman will assist.
 
For more information, contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education, or Audrey Fox, CYRE Chair.
Reminder this is Potluck Sunday!

Please join us for a potluck immediately after the Sunday worship services. Bring a dish and let us
enjoy the warmth of the weather as we eat together. Fellowship is served along with potluck food. Get to know your fellow UUs!

--Hosted by your Hospitality Committee
Erin Howard is in the Finals of the National Spelling Bee!

Once again, our own Erin Howard is competing in the National Spelling Bee. After completing the oral preliminary rounds and being one of the top scorers on the written test, Erin (speller #98) has advanced to the finals.

The finals will be televised today, May 31st. Part 1 of the Finals will be on ESPN 2 from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CST. Part 2 will start at 7:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.


Good luck Erin!
Introducing Our Interim Minister
 
We are happy to announce that Reverend Ed Brock will be our Interim Minister beginning August 1, 2018. Rev. Brock recently completed a successful two-year interim at the Birmingham UU church and has extensive experience as an interim minister. As we move toward the goal of calling a settled minister, Rev. Brock's training, experience, and dedication will serve our congregation well during this important time of transition.
 
A native of Alabama, Rev. Brock grew up in Fairfield, Alabama, during the tumultuous Civil Rights era. Rev. Brock received his B.A. degree from Birmingham-Southern College and his Master in Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Rev. Brock is also a licensed therapist and author of the recently published Optimal Relationships: A Path Toward a More Civil Society.
 
For more on Rev. Brock and what to expect during interim ministry, click here .
Steady Steps - Balance in Sitting, Standing and Walking

Join us for a 4 week, fun class designed to help improve balance in sitting or walking. This easy class will help you take steps to improve your balance. With better balance, you will be safer and more efficient in your daily activities.

Come as you are, no need for exercise clothes. We will meet at 11:00 a.m. every Wednesday in June and finish in time to go to lunch. Everyone is welcome.

The class will be taught by Sally Locklear. For more information, contact Nancy Finley, Chair Adult Religious Education, at adult.re@uuch.org.

Love Books?
Like people who love books?
Have we got an
opportunity for you!

About every two years, UUCH holds a giant book sale. It's a fun social event, a church fundraiser, and a community/neighborhood outreach opportunity all wrapped up around . . . BOOKS!

What we have: fairly clear plans for the steps needed to make the sale happen, a small budget for expenses like pizza for volunteers, a tradition of many hands helping out, and a large assortment of books already assembled.

What we need might be YOU--a person or a small team of people willing to run the show (and maybe get dibs on the best books!). Timing is flexible--the team can decide when to hold the sale, and it's a fairly short-term commitment. The sale takes place in the Fellowship Hall, so weather isn't a factor.

Interested? Contact President@uuch.org to start the ball rolling . . . or page turning, or . . .
"Open Ears Listening Campaign"
Your Inputs Are Needed!

UUCH is partnering with Faith In Action Alabama (FIAA) to develop a faith based action plan to be presented to the next Alabama governor in January 2019. To develop this action plan, FIAA has initiated the Open Ears Listening Campaign to obtain input from Alabama residents on what we feel are the most pressing local and statewide concerns facing the people of Alabama.
 
UUCH will be hosting 3 sessions as part of the Listening Campaign and we encourage you to participate and have your voices be heard. Your answers to the seven Listening Campaign questions will be consolidated and forwarded to FIAA. The listening campaign sessions at UUCH will be held at the following times:

-   Sunday, June 10th, at 12:30 pm
-   Sunday, June 17th, at 9:30 am
-   Sunday, June 24th, at 12:30 pm

All sessions will be held in the Adult Religious Education room and should last less than an hour.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Michelle Clark, Brad Korb, or Gail Williams.

--Your Social Justice Committee 
Children and Youth Summer Religious Education -- 
 We Need YOU!

 
In the summer months, the Children and Youth Religious Education Program takes a special turn from the regular fall and spring curricula. We invite UUCH members and friends to plan a learning session for the children and youth. You'll be part of a teaching team as either the lead teacher or a helper; and we'll be sure to have a regular Religious Education (RE) teacher there as support. Even children and youth can partner with an adult to lead a session!

We invite you to sign up to lead a session that shares a special talent, hobby, skill, or learning area of yours. Here are some topics to get your creative juices flowing: yarn craft, music, finger painting, scrapbooking, nature walks, gardening, yoga, science, paper airplanes, drawing, Lego, origami, fossils, friendship bracelets, mythology, sidewalk chalk, pottery, cookie-making. The possibilities are limitless! What is a joy to you can be a joy to others.

Leaders will prepare a topic/activity that is adaptable to children ages 4 to 12. Senior high youth are invited to participate as leaders and helpers, or to attend the regular worship service in the sanctuary. Because of our exciting program growth, we'll need even more leaders and helpers this summer than before! So, don't be shy!

We have room for the sharing of your gifts. There's nothing like spending time with the children and youth at our church. Their energy, creativity, and intelligence are contagious. And they benefit from interacting with caring adults who make an investment in them. This is what multi-generational community is all about!


For the next month, we'll have posters standing in the church foyer and Fellowship Hall where you can sign up for a summer Sunday session. Alternatively, you can contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education (DRE), at  dre@uuch.org or Audrey Fox, CYRE Chair, at children.re@uuch.org.
share
Share the Plate*

This Sunday, we will share the Plate with The Angel Squad, a 501(c)(3), Helping Hands Projects volunteer organization.

The Angel Squad coordinates a network of people with different skills and big hearts who are ready to help anyone in any situation. Included in the Helping Hands Projects are homeless outreach and charity item distribution. This group collects donated items, sorts them, and delivers them to the homeless, other individuals, or local organizations or sells the items for the Angel's fund. Collected funds go directly to their clients' needs including items like diapers, food, and clothes.

They are helping hands with big hearts who are committed to showing charitable acts of love and kindness to the community through fellowship. They partner with other organizations on projects such as paying for medications, utilities, cleaning a house, fixing a car, you name it! They help when others won't. There are no restrictions.

For more information, go to passthelovedown.org.

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votives
Care List
 
This Sunday, May 27, 2018,  
at our Circle of Candles:

Jack Long: lit a candle of remembrance, sadness, and sorrow; My Mother, Eileen Doris Hildreth Long, passed on the 28th, 18 years ago; my best friend and loving spouse, Echo Bahngrell ("Bonn-grell") Brown Long, passed on the 29th, one year ago, Tuesday. The two most influential people in my life died one day apart on the calendar. Neither will soon be forgotten.
 
Suzey Delacey: lit a candles of sorrow; My thoughts today are on the 20 year-old Guatemalan girl shot in the head by the United States Border Patrol, and the 1500 children who were "misplaced" and lost by the United States immigration, and the children who are being detained in the same cells as sex traffickers; all in the name of "border control". What have we become?
 
Gail Williams: lit a candle of joy; My friend, Nancy Conklin visited here with her Mother, Mary Enn. Nancy lives in South Alabama and Mary lives in Madison.

Paul Anderson: lit a candle of joy; Daughter, Noelle, has her PhD qualifying exams!

Ward and Jane Welty: lit a candle of joy;  We celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary on Sunday, May 6th, in Key West, Florida.
 
Torin James Kyemba: lit a candle of joy; My sister counted down days. Days until school was out. Bam! Now AAA is Sophia's "old school". Sophia has graduated. She is going to New Century High. I am going to a room in 4th grade.  
 
Dan McKitrick: lit a candle of joy; Joy at being a new member of UUCH and looking forward to each Sunday morning for inspiration and fellowship. The Delacey family and I hope you'll join us on Saturday, June 23rd, to celebrate our pride in belonging to UUCH. Details will follow in the coming weeks.  
 
Nick Wilbourn: lit a candle of joy; Erin Howard, for the third year in a row, is representing Alabama at the National Spelling Bee this week. Erin and her family are currently on their way to Washington, DC. We wish Erin the best of luck and hope she brings the trophy back to Huntsville this year.