December 23, 2021
This Week
Worship
January 2, 10:00am - online only
"Following the Star" 
Rev. Jami Yandle
 
Epiphany is the moment we knew our lives would be the same. In a thousand huge and miniscule ways, we experienced epiphany all throughout 2021. Now we are in 2022, knowing differently. What did we realize and when? What might we know next? 

Join us online for Worship at 10:00am. The link will be on the Live Oak homepage: www.liveoakuu.org.

Join us for Fellowship Time immediately following the service (approx. 10:15/10:30 or 12:15/12:30): https://link.liveoakuu.org/FellowshipHour
Share the Plate
New year, same needs at HCCM
Please dig as deep as you can and give to Hill Country Community Ministry, our Share the Plate recipient for January. HCCM is a Live Oak partner organization and it supports our important Fresh Food for All project.

The nonprofit is critical for many in Williamson County, where it's important to remember that a third of the population is Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE). In addition to food, HCCM provides clothing, eye exams and glasses, shoes to children and referrals for other needs.

Covid-necessary shifts to our Sunday services mean we can't always pass the plate around in person, so please remember to give online. Go to the Donate link on the Live Oak website’s home page. Use the drop down menu to designate your donation for “Share the Plate”. Half of all undesignated gifts in January also will go to the fund.
A Few Words from the Minister
Rev. Joanna is on vacation this week.


A Few Words from the DLFD
(Director of Lifespan Faith Development)
Faith Development 12.27 to 1.2.22
Here is January's schedule...read more


Special Notices
Worship Change Effective Immediately
In light of the omicron surge and in keeping with our Austin Public Health-based gathering policy, Live Oak will be moving to one 10:00 am service. When the forecast is 55 degrees or above, and dry, we’ll have an outdoor worship service that is live-streamed. Otherwise, the service will be live-streamed from the sanctuary; only service participants will be allowed in. 
 
Outdoor worship will be followed by faith development classes for all ages in our outdoor spaces. When there is livestream worship only, there will be no classes for children and youth. Some adult classes will have the option to join via zoom. You will find information about that on our What's Happening Page and Facebook. Check LiveOakUU.org every Saturday night to confirm plans for the next day. 
 
Based on what we are seeing in other countries, we are hopeful this change will be temporary. Thank you for all your efforts to stay connected with your fellow Live Oak members.
 
Rev. Joanna and C.T. Goss, President 
Year End Notice
The deadline for submitting reimbursements for 2021 expenses will be January 5th. Reimbursement forms and receipts should be submitted to Diane. Photos or scans for receipts are allowed.

Putting Christmas Decorations away
New year, it must be time to put the Christmas Decorations away
After the Sunday service on January 2 (around 12pm), we need some workers to take down the Christmas decorations and put them away. We will be doing this in as organized fashion as possible, because that makes putting the decorations up next December so much easier. We're not planning on supplying pizza for this event.

Did you know?
Did you know – we provided 770 pounds of food and other items to Hill Country Community Ministries (HCCM)? Pick up a few extra items for HCCM next time you’re at the store and drop them off at the church. Their monthly needs list can be found here. Currently they really need personal items like - Bar Soap, Dish Soap, Toilet Tissue, Toothpaste, etc.
Want a Live Oak Green Bag for HCCM Donations? You can pick one up on Sundays or at the church during office hours.
Make a New Years Resolution
As we start a New Year, make a resolution to learn more and become involved in the the Live Oak UU Church Social Justice Ministry. Complete this brief form to join the Social Justice Email Group and learn about the plans and activities of the Ministry.

Name Tags!
We need your name tags.
A few of us who attended the outdoor services took our name tags and just keep them to wear each week so we didn't have to going inside the church. We are going to update the tags at the end of the year and ask you to hang them in the Narthex (like olden times) so we have them to update now that we are meeting inside the building.

Nominations Deadline
It’s time to get in your nominations of organizations you’d like Live Oak to support with Share the Plate donations in 2022. The deadline is Dec. 31 for groups to be considered for StP through April. We will solicit nominations every four months next year. Recipients must be 501(c)(3) charities and will be chosen by the Social Justice Ministry Team. Send nominations with your name and contact information to Becky Gregory

2022 Spring Campout April 8-10
Let's gather at Cedar Breaks Park on Lake Georgetown for our first church campout since fall of 2019!
All Live Oak members and friends are invited! Camp for the weekend or join us just for the day and the evening potluck on Saturday April 9. Our campouts are casual and unstructured, except for our traditional potluck supper on Saturday evening, hopefully followed by a campfire if there’s no burn ban. If you’re not a camper but want to be, or if it’s been a while since you’ve camped, join our camping facebook group and ask all your questions!

Make reservations here. Be aware that sites are filling up quickly, especially for the spring. Some of us already have lakefront sites reserved from #12 – 26 and maybe past that. If you have a national parks pass, you can use it at this Corps of Engineers park!

Feel free to contact me, Jen Swan, with any questions.
LiveOakUU.org Pages to Visit:
Worship Service & Fellowship Hour: http://www.liveoakuu.org/
Community Outreach & Social Justice: http://www.liveoakuu.org/justice/
The deadline for the weekly e-newsletter and the Sunday announcements is midnight on Tuesday. The submission form can be found here
If you have any questions or comments about this Newsletter please email: editor@liveoakuu.org