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Upcoming Events
Please note that all meetings, worship services, and gatherings will be held online until further notice. Please check our Facebook page and website for updated information.
Thurs. 4/9
Contemporary
Buddhism
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Meeting ID: 918 277 304
Password: 109247
Coffee Chat with LaDawn
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Shame Combat: Exploring the Work of Brené Brown
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Meeting ID: 771 716 053
Password: 293320
PFLAG Meeting
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Sat. 4/11
Coping with Shocks and Changes Created by COVID-19
11:00 - 12:00 p.m.
Meeting ID: 480 978 675
Password: 622016
Sun. 4/12
Social Justice Committee Meeting
9:00 a.m.
Sunday Service
10:45 a.m.
Mon. 4/13
Better Breathing and Stress Reduction
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Meeting ID: 117 825 955
Password: 087859
Tues. 4/14
Amanda's Coffee Chat
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Meeting ID: 170 180 170
Wed. 4/15
Susan's Coffee Chat
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
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UUCH's Free Food Pantry is installed in the parking lot and is now stocked. The Social Justice Committee will restock the pantry with non-perishables, as needed, and you can, too.
See the Social Justice Committee for more information on what items are in need.
Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee
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UUCH 2019-20
Board Members
President:
John Schulz
Vice President:
Denise Runnels
Secretary:
Nick Wilbourn
Treasurer:
David Bollinger
Trustees:
Ed Bernstein
Jack Long
Bryan Walls
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 John Schulz
via email no later than one week prior to the meeting (i.e. the Tuesday before). The next board meeting is scheduled
for
Tuesday, April 28.
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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:
John Schulz
Editor:
Nick Wilbourn
Office Hours:
Monday:
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday:
7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Friday:
1:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Minister's Office Hours:
Wednesday:
10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Thursday:
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Other times by appointment.
Office Phone:
Sunday Services are held 10:45 a.m. to
12:00 p.m. Children's Religious Education held concurrently.
Nursery available for ages 3 years and under.
For more info on any event, contact the church office.
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Upcoming Service
Annual Flower Communion
Worship Committee
April 12, 2020
This Sunday is Easter for all of Christendom, and we at UUCH have a wonderful way of celebrating the arrival of spring, the resurrection of nature and our spirits, and the life-giving noises of animals and insects abuzz all around us during this wonderful time of year. It's time for Flower Communion!
We invite you to harvest a flower from your own home or yard to have with you for the service. Also, you may choose to decorate your person with flowers as we wave at each other via Zoom on Sunday. Children and adults are invited to draw, color, or otherwise create flowers to have with them for the Sunday service, as well. Let's see how creative we can be adding a floral theme to our service.
As we continue embarking on this new journey of virtual worship services, we invite you to submit photos of flowers from your home or garden, photos of prior years' Flower Communion services, or photos of other events at UUCH that were meaningful to you. These photos will be considered for a slideshow montage we will enjoy on Sunday during the virtual service. Please
email those photos to the church office.
Click here to join our virtual worship service at 10:45 a.m. this Sunday, April 12.
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This Sunday in Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE)
CYRE families, children and youth can stay connected to church community during this time in a number of ways. Registered families are invited to join the "UUCH Children and Youth Religious Education" Facebook group (UUCH.CYRE). Ms. Harper and I have been posting family faith development activities that are really fun. One of our families has already responded to the video challenge by making their own creative video about a unique dragon! It is awesome!
Also, watch your email and the Facebook group for an announcement about our CYRE Zoom gathering. We will gather together for a children and youth worship and then break out into a couple smaller groups for sharing and listening. We are also making plans for a YOUUTH group online gathering!
As always, you are invited to attend multi-generational weekly Zoom worship as a family. I love seeing you there! The worship team invites the participation of children and youth in offering special music, readings, or helping with the story for all ages. If you are interested in that, please
email me.
Thank you for being a part of this community. Each one of you is important to us, and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Erin Reid,
Director of Religious Education
Submitted by the Children and Youth Religious Education Committee |
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UU Virtual Easter Egg Hunt
The hunt is on! The UU Easter Bunny has scattered eggs among many church websites (including our own)! Enjoy hunting for the hidden prize. The hunt begins Easter morning, this Sunday, April 12.
Begin by following this link.
Submitted by the Children and Youth Religious Education Committee
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Hello and blessings!
In last Sunday's worship service, I invited you to to help shape the song of the month by giving me a word to place in the line, "Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on _____." This song is an African American spiritual with a tradition of people singing it and adding words that they find meaningful. The song is created in community. You are invited to add your own meaning. Maybe what gets you through each day could help someone else! On Sunday, I used "Freedom," "Bird Songs," and "Trust." From responses I've gotten thus far, it looks like this Sunday will be "Love," "Peace," and "Community." Shoot me an email,
and let me know your word.
On another note, you might be wondering why the Rite of Community song changed on Sunday from our customary "Go Now in Peace." The worship team wanted to honor copyright, and we do not have permission to stream this song online. We are also in the process of exploring how best to honor the wishes of Natalie Sleeth, the composer, who has not granted permission to sing the song with the altered lyrics used in many UU communities, including ours.
The song we sang instead, "Go Lifted Up," by Unitarian Universalist Mortimer Barron, was written expressly for the Rite of Community in UU services. He accepted the invitation to join our online worship last Sunday and granted permission for us to use his beautiful piece. He was so moved by our service that he emailed that he'd like to come to Huntsville from his home in Texas to participate in our service in person when it's again possible!
Stayed tuned next week when I'll write about my final philosophy of music!
Blessings,
Pam Siegler
Music Director
Submitted by the Music Director
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We Have a Candidate!
After several months of video and in-person interviews, and many hours of discernment and discussions, the Ministerial Search Committee (MSC) is excited to announce that we have a ministerial candidate! This candidate was at the top of the MSC's ranking of the three pre-candidates that we brought to Huntsville, and we were thrilled to learn that the candidate also choose our church as the match for them. We are very excited to be entering the final phase of our ministerial search.
Now that we have our candidate, MSC is hard at work finalizing the contract, performing a background check, planning the worship service for April 19 to announce the candidate, and a planning a two-week candidating period from April 20 to May 3, when the congregation and staff will have a chance to meet the candidate (virtually) and vote on whether to call the candidate as our next settled minister. We know that you are anxious to know who the candidate is and to learn more about them, so please join the worship service on April 19 for the big announcement of our excellent candidate!
Due to COVID-19, the candidate will not be traveling to Huntsville for the candidating period but will instead hold many meetings over the two-week period via Zoom. All staff and congregational members will have a chance to virtually meet the candidate in small group meetings, where you can have a more personal discussion with the candidate and ask any questions you have. In addition, everyone will have two chances to see the candidate lead worship services.
While virtual meetings may not be ideal, we have extended the candidating time to make sure than everyone has a good chance to get to know our candidate. We think you will enjoy these opportunities, as the candidate is very adept at Zoom meetings.
The upcoming key events are as follows:
April 19: MSC-led service where MSC will announce the candidate, and MSC members will talk about various aspects of the candidate and what excites us about them.
April 20 to May 3: Many small Zoom meetings will be held where everyone will have a chance or two to meet with the candidate.
April 26: The candidate will lead their first worship service.
May 3 (morning): The candidate will lead their second worship service.
May 3 (afternoon): We will hold a virtual congregational meeting to vote on calling the candidate to be our next settled minister.
There are many arrangements to be made, and we are working closely with the Board to make sure the process works well and is consistent with our bylaws and UUA's Transition procedures. We are very optimistic that this will be an exciting time for UUCH.
Stay tuned for additional details on all of the upcoming events. If you have any questions, please email us.
Submitted by the Ministerial Search Committee
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Better Breathing and Stress Reduction
During times of stress, we all tend to hold our breath. How can we let go of this habit and improve our capacity to breath? The Feldenkrais Method®, with its ability to improve movement and awareness, can be helpful for times such as we are currently experiencing.
Moving air into and out of the lungs is accomplished by movements of a system of muscles, including the diaphragm, muscles between the ribs, and other muscles in the chest, neck, and back. The diaphragm and intercostal (or "between the ribs") muscles do most of the work of moving air, but if the accessory muscles become stiff, expansion of the rib cage can be limited. Maintaining elasticity in these muscles is critical for the health of the respiratory system and for maximizing its capacity.
Join us for a series of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons with a focus on breathing. These lessons will be taught via Zoom. We will be lying on the floor, or a bed, or you can sit and imagine you are lying. Ideally you would arrange your camera so you can be seen, but as long as you can hear the instructions, you will be able to follow the lesson. In the Feldenkrais Method®, the teacher rarely demonstrates. Instead the student listens to the instructions, approximates them as closely as they can, and figures out what works for them. Each person finds how they can improve, instead of how to achieve a fixed goal. So you can make the impossible possible, the possible easy, and the easy elegant.
We will be meeting twice a week, Mondays 10:00-11:00 and Fridays 2:00-3:00, starting April 13 - April 24.
Meeting ID: 117 825 955 and Password 087859
Meeting ID: 833 893 149 and Password: 317497
Submitted by the Adult Religious Education Committee
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Worship Service Recording
April 5, 2020
Did you miss our virtual worship service last Sunday? Want a mid week re-watch?
Fear not, you can
click here to see the recording.
Remember, the building is closed,
but CHURCH is open!
Submitted by the Worship Committee
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To give a plate offering to UUCH from your mobile device, text the amount (with dollar sign) to 833-559-0257, and follow the instructions.
Like our other online and mobile giving options, this is through Vanco, is secure, and has a good option for "plate" donations.
Text giving is by debit or credit card only. To give from your bank account, you can still use the UUCH website or the GivePlus+ mobile app.
Submitted by the Finance Committee
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Adult Religious Education Classes
Thank you for your response to my inquiry about interest in attending classes and groups I will be leading. Below is the list of classes and groups, with dates and times that got the highest response. All of the classes will be held via Zoom.
A list of all these classes and links to them will be listed on the Zoom page of the church.
April 8 and 15 (Wednesdays) at 6 p.m.
The Uses of the Enneagram for Relationships
April 9 and 16 (Thursdays) at 2 p.m.
Contemporary Buddhism
April 9 and 16 (Thursdays) at 3 p.m.
Principles of Reliance
April 9 and 16 (Thursdays) at 4 p.m.
Shame Combat: Exploring the Work of Brené Brown
April 11 and 18 (Saturdays) at 11 a.m.
Coping with Emotional Shocks and Changes Created by COVID-19
Submitted by the Minister
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The novelty of self-isolating with our families has probably worn off, and the irritation of those OTHER people you live with may be rising. Creativity and giving to others are two effective tools to combat that restlessness, but what do you do NOW?
Givebackbox.com If you have been cleaning out closets and found plenty of useful items you don't need anymore, this website will send a prepaid shipping label that connects your box of castoffs (toys, clothes, books, etc.) with a charity that can sell them to fund job placement programs and other local initiatives.
Charitymiles.org has an app that lets you pick a nonprofit to benefit from your running/walking/biking by donating according to the miles you log on your Fitbit or phone. (Since we CAN go out to exercise, this gives even MORE reason to get up while it's cool and get moving.)
The Trevor Project helps struggling LGBTQ youth handle family problems, anxiety, and questions about coming out. If you're a good listener and like to text and chat, this could be a good way to make a difference from the comfort of your couch.
Freerice.com encourages trivia gamers to play, view ads, and earn food for the UN World Food Program.
Citizenscience.gov has people across the country giving their time to make our landscape prettier, safer, and more accessible -- from photographing ladybugs, identifying kelp forest satellite pictures, or deciding if a store's entrance would be wheelchair-accessible.
Freewill.com h
elps you create a last will and testament at no charge, including a little something for your favorite nonprofits.
Next time you are feeling stressed, try one of these to put your attention on somebody else's problems. . . and call your mother.
Thanks to the March 2020 edition of O Magazine for these ideas.
Submitted by the Care Committee
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Join us on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an online Coffee Chat on Zoom. Hosted by members of the congregation, this is a time to grab you favorite beverage and chat with friends.
These one-hour informal gatherings are designed to be a casual space for conversation and fellowship. We are looking for more Coffee Hosts for other days of the week, so if you are interested in being a host, please email Amanda.
Click on the links below to join our upcoming Coffee
Chats:
Submitted by the Care Committee
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Like a Good Neighbor. . .
We Fill the Pantry
Those who have been refilling the Little Green Pantry have noticed extreme need, especially the last week of the month. During a 30-minute stretch last week, a family of 2 was waiting next to the nearly empty pantry and received their food directly from the car trunk (while observing 6' safety zone.) The volunteer made 2 trips inside to fill the pantry and discovered that half of the first load had already disappeared.
Two weeks into the employer-initiated self-isolation period in Huntsville, many families are now running low. If you know of a person who is home without support, we are willing to contact them to offer assistance. If you would like to help but need to continue self-isolation, please
contact the Care Committee, and we can shop on your behalf.
Any food added to our Little Green Food Pantry would be helpful. We need a variety of items, including c
anned meats, cereals, mac and cheese, pasta, peanut butter and jelly, ravioli, energy bars, fruit cups/cans, pasta sauce, soups, packets of dried potatoes, canned milk, instant ramen, baby wipes, canned veggies, oatmeal, etc.
Please
contact the church office if you would like to schedule a drop-off and request assistance. Or feel free to stop by and stock the pantry on your own.
There is a black storage box located just outside the door that you can place extra pantry supplies in. We have a list of volunteers who will be stopping by to put extra supplies in the building and restock the pantry as needed.
If you would like to sign up to bring food and restock the pantry, please
click here to choose a slot(s).
Submitted by the Social Justice and Care Committees
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Cooking in Hard Times
Today's recipe comes to us from Nancy Pettus. She made these delightful, yummy, and easy-to-make brownies for Chili Fest, and I can tell you from personal experience that they are irresistibly delicious!
Mounds Candy Bar Brownies
Ingredients:
- 1 family-size (9×13) pan of brownies, prepared
- 5 1/3 cups shredded coconut
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 can of chocolate frosting
Directions:
- Prepare brownies, and let cool completely.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered sugar until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Spread coconut mixture over brownies.
- Place can of frosting in the microwave for 10 seconds (please be sure to remove foil liner and lid) until pourable.
- Pour frosting over the coconut mixture.
- Let cool, and serve.
Submitted by the Hospitality Committee
EDITORIAL CORRECTION: Last week's recipe called for "onion juice", which was a misprint. The recipe actually calls for chopped onion. Our apologies for the error.
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Soul Matters Small Groups
Soul Matters Small Groups are continuing to meet through Zoom! During this time of physical separation, UU "Soul Matters" Small Groups are a wonderful way to deeply engage in and with our church, build and strengthen connections with others in our spiritual community, and find wisdom and meaning along our own personal journeys.
We currently have five groups running at UUCH, and we encourage more people to participate in the program. Participants often say it is on of the most impactful activities they do at our church, and it's a great way to get to know yourself and others!
Soul Matters Groups are designed as a companion program to a congregation's worship and religious education ministries, using monthly themes such as "compassion", "forgiveness", or "truth" that are integrated in all aspects of the church. Being a part of a small group allows you to go deeper in the themes that are being discussed in worship or in children's curriculum.
What do you do in a Soul Matters Group?
Each month, participants are given packets that contain resources for individual exploration that include questions, exercises, readings, music, videos on the theme, and individuals can choose how they want to engage with the topic before meeting with the group. Participants then come to the group to discuss the theme. You control your own pace and the depth of your study, but there are plenty of materials to engage you through the month.
Soul Matters Small Groups follow a special format, designed to make sure that everyone who wishes to speak is heard, and that we listen to one another without debate, judgement, or interruption. Trained facilitators will guide the group through the format and help to make sure that the environment is a welcoming and moderated space for all to share and learn. Groups will meet by Zoom once a month at the same time, and meetings are usually about an hour-and-a-half long. If Zoom is new to you, don't fret! We have several experienced users that would be happy to walk you through how to participate in a virtual meeting by phone or computer.
How can I join a group?
If you are interested in participating or have questions, please contact Adult RE chair Lynsie Lamitie.
Submitted by the Adult Religious Education Committee
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Care List
This Sunday, April 5, 2020,
at our Circle of Candles:
LaDawn Edwards
lit a candle of Concern:
I worry that our Little Free Pantry will not keep up with the demand in our church neighborhood. The Care Committee would like to experiment with setting out a cooler where we could add fresh produce. Perhaps the gardeners among us would consider planting a little extra to share?
Melissa Hammel
lit a candle of
Sorrow and of Joy:
Sorrow for Erin losing her sweet kitten. Joy for all this amazing technology. Thank you to all the people who invented it.
Cullen
lit a candle of Joy:
I have a joy that I just NOW lost my tooth during the service.
Nicole
lit a candle of Joy:
Arthur had the opportunity to join me this beautiful morning
Mari
lit a candle of Sorrow:
Bill Withers, writer of "Lean on Me," which is in our hymnal, died.
Paul and Bridgit
lit a candle of Joy:
Grateful for this service and also road trips, which are keeping us sane. It is such a beautiful spring!
Nancy
lit a candle of Joy:
Abby is here with us!
Anglea
lit a candles of Joy:
JOY that my best friend from Ohio is online with us this morning, sharing the love that is UUCH.
Nick Wilburn
lit a Candle of Joy:
Thankful for the tireless work of the Ministerial Search Committee. I'm excited about (virtually) meeting our ministerial candidate in the coming weeks.
John Czachurski
lit a candle of Sorrow
: Tuesday my uncle, Lester Judy, passed. His children held a graveside service yesterday, but we will not be able to have a family get-together until summer -- we hope.
Betsy Applegate
lit a candle of Joy:
Cullen's mom and our daughter, Rachael Reavis, was able to join us today.
Lynda Lamitie
lit a candle of Joy:
I have safely returned to my Alabama home following my winter with Lelyn, my eldest and her family in Salinas, CA. She has joined the meeting today.
Lelyn Furey
lit a candle of Joy: I get to attend service from California, and although my mom and sister live across the country, we are able to be together.
Ken Sandin
lit a candle of Joy:
Thank you all who created and participated in this service.
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