News from Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville

The UUCH Service Auction is now less than 2 weeks away! The auction will take place Saturday, November 10th, at 6 p.m. We need YOUR DONATIONS to make it a success. D onations need to be at the church by November 5th.

Volunteers are needed to help set up and clean up, and we'll need auction table monitors, spotters, and runners. Donations of snacks and goodies are also needed. Want to help? Please sign up via email.

To sign up your talent or other contribution:

Fill out the forms available in the Fellowship Hall, or
Send an email with details about your contribution, or
Fill out the online form here.

We will once again offer you an opportunity to win a lovely quilt (donated by Susan Coddington) during a raffle. The lucky winner will be able to select one quilt from four options that can be viewed in the Fellowship Hall. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. Tickets will be sold after this Sunday's service.

ITEMS OF NOTE:

- Your forms and emails pre-register you as a bidder. REGISTER EARLY. Auction night checkouts will be in the order of registration.

- DOOR PRIZES will be given throughout the evening, and you must be present to win.

- Childcare will be provided.

Enjoy the magic of the auctions! Bid, eat, drink, and be merry!

Submitted by the Service Auction Committee

Huntsville Assistance Program

164 food items were recently collected for HAP, and a huge number of toiletries were collected for First Stop -- everything from toothpaste and brushes, to soaps and deodorants. You name it, you donated it!

The Social Justice Committee has a goal to collect at least 100 items each month for the food pantry.

Please put your nonperishable food items or personal care products donations in the basket in the church foyer for the Huntsville Assistance Program.

Thank you for your continued generosity!

Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee

Awareness Through Movement

Fridays at 10:00 a.m.

The Feldenkrais Method of Awareness Through Movement class will start again with a series of lessons focused on improving balance and breathing by improving the use of the muscles that support the hips and lower back. These lessons will use small, gentle movement, imagination, and sensing. Mats will be provided, but feel free to bring anything you might need to make yourself comfortable lying on the floor. If you are unable to lie on the floor, please let us know, and we will make an accommodation for you.

This Adult RE class, led by Sally Locklear, is drop-in, with no experience necessary. Everyone is welcome.

We will meet each Friday at 10:00 a.m., from September 28 to December 14.

UUCH Adult Religious Education focuses on the whole spiritual person, mentally and physically, so come join us!

For further information, contact Adult RE chair Nancy Finley.

Sponsored by the Adult Religious Education Committee

UUkulele Fun Group

The UUkulele Fun Group is open to everyone, regardless of skill level.

The group meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 5:45 p.m.

UUCH Choir

The UUCH choir practices on Wednesdays in the Choir Room. Our start time has changed to 7:00 p.m. Whether you know how to sing or would like to learn, we would love for you to join us! If you plan to attend but cannot, or if you have other inquiries, please contact Pam Siegler at 931-307-4994 or via email .

Girl Scouts at UUCH

We are living the Girl Scout way at UUCH and looking for friends to join us! Girl Scouts at UUCH meet biweekly to enjoy adventures, friendship, and fun together. We are recruiting girls and helpers for the 2018-19 school year.

Please stop by our table in the Fellowship Hall after Sunday services to learn more about our troop! Or contact Harper Goodman for more information.

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Board Members

President:

Susan Coddington

Vice President:

John Schulz

Secretary:

Nancy Finley

Treasurer:

David Bollinger

Trustees:

Ed Bernstein
Theresa Miller
Nick Wilbourn

Interim Minister:
The Rev. Edward L. Brock

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 Susan Coddington no later than one week prior to the meeting (i.e. the Tuesday before). You may text or call her, or send a copy of your request via email. The next Board Meeting will be on Tuesday, November 27.

The Overlook is a publication of The Unitarian Universalist Church, 3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville, AL 35810

Interim Minister:

The Rev. Edward L. Brock

Board President:

Susan Coddington

Editorial Board:

Kathy Heath
Nick Wilbourn

Newsletter deadlines are each Monday at midnight.
Any committee with newsletter announcements should 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 p.m. Children's Religious Education held concurrently. Nursery available for age 3 years and under.

For more info on any event, contact the church office.

Upcoming Service

Sunday, November 4, 2018

" Remembering Who We Are"

Rev. Ed Brock

This is the first of a two-part sermon series on Memory, which is the theme of this month's Soul Matters sharing circles to which many of our members belong. We are fortunate at this congregation to have such an active Soul Matters program. Soul Matters facilitates the opportunity for everyone involved to study and reflect on the same theme each month. We make the attempt to have our services reflect what is being studied in our Soul Matters groups. Please contact Nancy Finley if you wish to be a part of this important and exciting program.

Regarding my sermon for this week: we human beings are unique among the species of the earth in regard to the importance of memory. We are who we are to a large extent based on an identity flowing from our memories.

A society also has an identity based in collective memories. The identity flowing from these collective memories can affect all individuals living within that society deeply. We are living in a time when the larger society we are a part of has forgotten what this country represents. We all feel the winds of barbarism stirring in certain quarters of society. The recent horrific slaying at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh is one example of this. We are a people, it seems, who have forgotten who we are.

This Sunday I will explore what our best individual and collective memory calls us to be. This Sunday will also be New Member Sunday.

This Sunday in Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE)

Children and youth will continue lessons on the theme of INreach/OUTreach, exploring how to make a wonderful welcome at church and how to extend that welcome in service to our community and world

For more information, contact Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education, or Steve Rittenberg, CYRE Chair.

CYRE registration is open! All families, new and returning, should register each year. Click here to register!

Free Legislative Advocacy Training

Alabama Arise members believe that a better future for our state begins with everyday Alabamians joining together to speak up for change. That's why Alabama Arise will host a legislative advocacy training on Thursday, November 1.

The training will educate participants about key issues facing Alabama and offer practical advice on how to communicate more effectively with elected officials.

Please join us for the legislative training on Thursday, November 1, at 6:00 p.m. at UUCH.

Submitted by the Social Justice Committee

Upcoming Social Justice Opportunities

Phone Banking

What: UUCH will be phone-banking with FIAA, calling local residents to remind them of the upcoming election. We will not be promoting any particular candidates; we will just be encouraging people to get out and vote.
When: Thursday, November 1, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Stone Christian Center, 3220 Lodge Road (off of Mastin Lake Road, near Jordan Lane)
Who: Contact Brad Korb for more information.

CASA TEMP$ Work Day

What: UUCH will be helping to winterize two local homes near the church.
When: Saturday, November 3, at 9:00 a.m.
Where: Meet at UUCH
Who: Contact Gail Williams or Brad Korb for more information.

Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee

Creative Choir Stole-A-Thon

The Creative Choir invites you to join us for a Stole-A-Thon on November 3!

The expectation is that in this second of two sessions, we can complete 30 formal choir stoles for our solstice celebration, which will occur on Wednesday, December 19. If you are not in the choir but have sewing skills, you are welcome to join the creativity!

We made great progress this summer and enjoyed getting to know one another as we made the musical note/rainbow pride stoles seen during performances this fall.

The November 3 session will be from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Tea, coffee, and light snacks will be provided.

Bring sewing machines, cutting boards, scissors, irons, and ironing boards. Black thread, fabric, interfacing, patterns, spray starch, pins, and point turning tools will be provided. We need volunteers who are stitchers, cutters, peoples with ironing skills, and people willing to pin fabrics together. Come for the company, and discover skills that will progress this project along.

If you have questions, please contact Music Committee chair Rachael Scheib.

Sponsored by the Music Committee

First Sunday Potluck Lunch

Come, one and all, and join us for the November First Sunday Potluck Lunch. We will gather after the worship service on November 4. Our monthly tradition of sharing a meal with our church family brings to mind what Thanksgiving is all about, spending time with those who are dear to us. Come and bring a dish to share with your UUCH family, maybe one of your tried and true Thanksgiving dishes or something brand new that you've been waiting to try. Join us for a meal replete with good food, good friends, and good spirits.

Sponsored by the Hospitality Committee

Book Discussion on Optimal Relationships with Rev. Ed

Join Adult Religious Education for a discussion of Rev. Ed Brock's book Optimal Relationships: A Path Toward a More Civil Society.

Rev. Ed will lead this discussion with insights from his book that describe how fulfilling relationships are achieved, nurtured, and maintained. Through ample use of examples drawn from his decades of experiences as a minister and psychotherapist, his book explores the ways relationships move toward and away from fulfillment. Rev. Ed looks at one-on-one relationships as found in marriages and committed relationships, as well as relationships involving groups of people, as found in organizations of all types. Relationships are viewed from biological, emotional, psychological, and spiritual perspectives.

This book provides a road map for developing, nurturing, and keeping healthy and vibrant relationships in all aspects of life, as well as provides step-by-step guidance to help people improve their relationships.

The discussion will be held on Tuesday, November 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the Adult RE Room. Books are available for sale at the church, and there are a couple of copies available in the church library for those who need to check out a copy. If you are in need of childcare, contact Nancy Finley.

Start reading, and please join us. Everyone is welcome!

Sponsored by the Adult Religious Education Committee

UUCH-AHA
Annual Christmas Party

The UUCH-AHA (Alabama Hispanic Association) Christmas Party will be held at the church on Saturday, December 8, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. At this annual event, the AHA distributes Christmas presents to the children of selected families. UUCH hosts the event in our Fellowship Hall, provides a Christmas luncheon, and helps fund the gifts.

In order to once again make this party the success it's been in previous years, we need your help in one (or more) of the following ways:

Make a donation to help pay for gifts. During the month of November, all donations collected in our weekly Sunday offering will go to funding this event.
Donate food or money for the luncheon menu.
Assist with setup on Friday, setup on Saturday, and/or cleanup on Saturday.
Be a server at the luncheon.
Greet guests. Since many of our guests have difficulty with English, we ask you to PLEASE volunteer to help with greeting if you speak Spanish.

Questions? Contact Betsy Applegate (256-426-4153), Gail Williams (256-880-2925), Michele Clark (Social.Justice@uuch.com), Kathryn Heath (256-457-1753) or Jessica Schulz ( Hospitality@uuch.com ).

You'll want to be part of this heartwarming holiday event. You'll be giving a special gift to our Hispanic community as well as to yourself.

Sponsored by the Social Justice and Hospitality Committees, and by the Alabama Hispanic Association

November Sundays:

Gift Offerings

During the weekly offering each Sunday in November , UUCH is donating all offering plate cash and any checks noted for AHA to provide gifts for the teenagers in AHA families. Gail Williams and Michele Clark will also accept your donation directly. UUCH youth will have a shopping trip to buy the gifts in advance of the UUCH-AHA Annual Christmas Party.

Your generosity will help older children and teens in very needy families.

Sponsored by the Social Justice and Hospitality Committees

UUCH Board Report

October 23, 2018

The Board met for its regularly scheduled meeting on October 23, 2018.

The Board approved a "Facility Visioning Task Force" to be led by Rev. Ed Brock, who will also recruit members for the task force, to organize and coordinate all stakeholders for the purpose of completing all renovations, additions, and improvements to the building and grounds as defined by vote of the congregation and Board approval.

The Board is also working with Rev. Ed to review our church policies and by-laws, as well as develop tools for evaluation of ministers. This review of policies will be an ongoing process during the coming months. Several new policies are currently in draft form, and the Board will be finalizing them in the coming weeks. These include policies on Children and Youth Safety, Serious Covenant Breaches, and Fire Procedures.

The Board approved the use of the money gained from the book sale to be used to pay for sexton closing duties so that we do not have to rely on volunteers each week to close up the building.

A Safety Task Force charter was established. This task force will develop and monitor safe practices and emergency protocols in our building, including fire safety, extreme weather safety, intruder safety, first aid resources, fall prevention, building and grounds safety, and emergency response resources.

The next scheduled Board Meeting is November 27, 2018. The Board will meet at 6:00 pm, a half hour earlier than regularly scheduled time in order to work on by-law revisions.

Care List

This Sunday, October 28, 2018, at our Circle of Candles:

Theresa lit a candle of sorrow: My oldest sister, Rosemary, was hospitalized this week with an acute colon infection, but has been released, with further treatment to come. My brother-in-law, Bill, passed away this weekend. Wishing comfort to my youngest sister, Ceil, and her family.

LaDawn Edwards lit a candle of joy: My niece, Rachael, is visiting from Seattle. We share a love of reading, writing, thrift stores, and social justice, but our taste in shoes is mostly coincidence.