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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 and links.
Sun. August 9
CYRE Kids Chat with Other UU Kids
(for ages 4-12)
9:00 a.m.
Worship Service
Jim Smoot
10:45 a.m
Meeting ID:
229 305 601
CYRE Summer R.E.
3:30 p.m.
Jr./Sr. High
YOUUTH Group
(upcoming 7th-12th)
4:30 p.m.
Mon. Aug 10
LaDawn's Garden Social (weather
dependent)
10:00 a.m.
Social Circle (Group C)
1:00 p.m.
Wed. August 12
5:00 p.m.
Meeting ID:
847 8458 5916
Worship Committee
5:30 p.m.
Music Committee
Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Thur. August 13
6:30 p.m.
PFLAG Meeting
6:30 p.m.
Sun. August 16
Worship Service 10:45 a.m.
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If you're interested in getting involved with UUCH's young adult group, we invite you to reach out to us. For questions or more information, please contact Nicole and Shalin.
Sponsored by the Adult Religious Education Committee
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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.
Sign up HERE to help provide items and fill the pantry.
Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee
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UUCH 2020-21
Board Members
President:
John Schulz
Vice President:
Nick Wilbourn
Secretary:
Nancy Finley
Treasurer:
Bob Locklear
Trustees:
Suzey Delacey
Jack Long
Bryan Walls
Minister:
Rev. Jaimie Dingus
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, August 25.
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The Overlook is a publication of The Unitarian Universalist Church, 3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville, AL 35810
Minister:
Rev. Jaimie Dingus
Board President:
John Schulz
Editor:
Nick Wilbourn
Main Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday
9:30 am - 1:30 pm
*Please email office if you need building access.
Minister's Office Hours:
By appointment only.
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
"Climate Change and UU Principles"
Jim Smoot
August 9, 2020
10:45 a.m.
After an overview of global climate change and evidence for human causal connections, Jim Smoot will discuss the connections between climate change issues and our Unitarian Universalist principles. He will touch on our ethical responsibilities to all life on Earth, as well as personal and community approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Jim's academic background includes a BS and MS (Univ. of Central Florida) and PhD (Virginia Tech), all in Environmental Engineering. His professional experience highlights include Professor of Environmental Engineering at Univ. of Tennessee; Senior Scientist and Manager at U.S. Geological Survey; and Senior Research Scientist and Head of Earth Science at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, where he also served as a NASA representative on the Federal Interagency Task Force guiding the National Climate Assessment process.
Meeting ID: 229 305 601
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This Sunday in Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE)
Families,
Join us for a strummin' good time in CYRE this Sunday from 3-4 p.m. Children and youth are invited to bring any instrument they'd like to a virtual interactive sing-along, hosted by the UUkulele Fun Group. Sing along to some classic family favorites, and learn some joyful new tunes! This session is sure to lift the spirits.
Following CYRE, we will meet for our biweekly YOUUTH Group from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
R.E. Collaboration
In addition to traditional R.E., on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. during August, there will be an opportunity for kids ages 4 years - 6th grade to join an R.E.-style Zoom call with fellow UU kids from around the country. These calls will last around 30 minutes and feature stories, lessons, and activities. This is a great way for your kids to meet UUs from beyond our Huntsville bubble. More information will be emailed to families.
Meeting links will be emailed to registered families. More details about our summer schedule can be found on our CYRE Facebook page and via email. If you are interested in joining us but you're not registered in the CYRE program, send an email to DRE Erin Reid. You can also click here to register your children and youth. We'd love to include you in our joyful and welcoming community of all ages.
Submitted by the Children and Youth Religious Education Committee
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New Church Office Mailing Address
Update those address books, because we have a new church mailing address. Please send all mail to our new P.O. Box, effective immediately.
P.O. Box 5545
Huntsville, AL 35814
Submitted by the Office
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New Book Discussion Coming in August
 Have you ever heard the joke about the woman who cut the end off of the ham and threw it away? When questioned about it she said, "That's what my mother did." When she questioned her grandmother she said, "Oh, my pot was too short for a full sized ham!"
Patterns of beliefs and behaviors are passed down from parent to child generation after generation. Is it possible that the adaptive behaviors from the trauma of 300+ years of slavery, black codes, and Jim Crow are still be being taught to the descendants of formerly enslaved Americans? This is the question Dr. Joy DeGruy set out to answer for herself. Armed with 3 advanced degrees, experience teaching at Portland State University, and several trips to study behavior in Africa, she has named the phenomenon she observes in African descendants living in the Americas as "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome."
Join us for a book study of her book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing. We will meet via Zoom on two Thursdays, August 13 and 20, at 6:30 p.m. Facilitators will be Summer Peters and Sally Locklear.
Adult RE has a few copies of the book available. If you'd like to borrow one, let us know. You are welcome to join in the discussion even if you have not read the book. If interested in attending, please email to register, and we will send you the Zoom link. Submitted by the Adult Religious Education Committee
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COVID-19 Relief Funds Available
Funds are available for members of the congregation who have been negatively impacted financially by COVID-19.
If you are a member of UUCH and have financial needs caused by the pandemic, please Board President John Schulz or a member of the Care Committee.
Submitted by the Board
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To give a plate offering to UUCH from your mobile device, text the amount (without 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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The UUCH Board conducted its regular monthly meeting on July 28, 2020, with the new Board members present. The current Board members are John Schulz, President; Nick Wilbourn, Vice President; Nancy Finley, Secretary; Bob Locklear, Treasurer; Suzey Delacey, Trustee; Jack Long, Trustee; and Bryan Walls, Trustee.
The Board discussed issues related to the closed status of our building during the COVID-19 pandemic. An official policy is being developed concerning building entry during the time of shutdown. Also, sanctuary renovations were discussed, with the awareness that the shutdown time would be a good time to get renovation work done in the church. Unfortunately, it is also a difficult time to find contractors available to do the work. The Board will continue to move forward on this.
In other business, the Board voted on the proportion of minister's salary that would be designated as housing allowance, discussed appointing a new editor for the newsletter, and approved a generous donation of a new piano for the Fellowship Hall by a congregant.
We have a need to audit the keys to the building and identify which congregants are in possession of them in order to make sure that that the current officers and committee chairs have access to one. We are asking anyone who currently has a key to the building to contact Office Administrator Holly Hinkle. An amended certificate of incorporation was filed with the county and state, which clarified our stated purpose as a charitable organization and the disposition of our assets if we were to dissolve; both required to qualify us to now file for 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. Neither of the clarifications change anything material about UUCH's operation, status, or assets. This allows us to now prepare and submit our 501(c)(3) filing. The next Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 25, 2020.
Submitted by the Board
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COVID-19 Office Expectations
Hi all. In the next few weeks, the Board will be releasing its official policy about Covid-19 health and safety guidelines. For now, since we have two new staff people who will be working from the church office, we wanted to remind everyone of some best practices for keeping us all safe. We have placed hand sanitizer and masks on a table outside the office. - If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please do not come to the church building for any reason.
- Anyone entering the building or coming within 6 ft. of another person needs to wear a mask.
- Please use the Hand Sanitizer provided when entering the church office.
Thanks for taking care of each other and helping us all stay safe and still connected!
Remember, those with UUCH keys, please notify Office Administrator Holly Hinkle of your key number(s) and what door(s) they unlock. If you have given this to the office in the last 2-3 weeks, there is no need to send it again.
Thank you for your assistance!
Submitted by the Church Office
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In Case You Missed It!
Worship Service Recording
August 2, 2020
Did you miss our virtual worship service last Sunday? Want a midweek 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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Our Little Food Pantry Needs You
Our outdoor food pantry is being heavily used, with an estimated 12 visitors per day, both families and homeless individuals. YOU can help keep it stocked by signing up on the SignUp Genius.
Remeber to place vegetables in zip lock bags so that they do not leak if spoiling.
Current requested items:
- sunblock
- bug spray
- wipes
- dog food
- school supplies
- soap & shampoo
- deodorant & other hygiene items
Submitted by the Social Justice Committee |
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Are you a fan of summertime peaches? The season is upon us -- fresh-picked, local peaches can be found at fruit stands and farmer's markets. Finding the perfect peach is always a bit of a gamble; sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But when you find the perfect fresh peach, it's an amazing moment!
When you bite into "the round jubilance of peach," does it bring back memories of perfectly ripe peaches from summers past? If so, Li-Young Lee's poem "From Blossoms" is the perfect poem for you. "From Blossoms"
by Li-Young Lee
From blossoms comes
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches.
From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.
O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.
There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom
to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.
Li-Young Lee, "From Blossoms" from Rose. Copyright © 1986 by Li-Young Lee.
Submitted by the Hospitality Committee
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 Care List - 8/2/20
Heather Kyemba lit a candle of joy: Sophia celebrated her birthday last week.
Mary Ann Conklin lit a candle of joy: My beautiful daughter visited me this week. What a joy. What a blessing. Jaimie Dingus lit a candle of joy: It is my absolute joy to begin as your settled minister this week!
Kathy Fisher lit a candle of concern: For Maria Lofgren Rhamstine. She, Tom (husband), and Sara (daughter) were tested for COVID-19 on Thursday. The doctor is pretty sure Maria has it based on her symptoms and blood work.
Suzey Delacey lit a candle of concern: Benjamin took a tumble on his bike. He's okay, but he rolled through some poison ivy! He is covered in bumps and itching terribly. Send calamine lotion!
Shalin Mody lit a candle of joy: After a week where I felt my brain was mush, I had a remarkably productive and satisfying Saturday. Definitely got a lot off my mind. :)
Theresa & Tim Miller lit a candle of joy: We are excited that daughter Allie and the grandkids are on the way to visit us!
Paul & Bridgit De Moor lit a candle of concern: For my niece, who has been in the ICU with pancreatitis. And, a candle of joy: To have our settled minister here virtually with us.
Bryan Walls lit a candle of concern: The first crewed landing of the SpaceX Crew Dragon is in a couple of hours. Prayers for a safe landing! Holly Hinkle lit a candle of joy: Joy and offer of thanks for her new position as Office Admin. I had a wonderful first week, and I look forward to many more! Kathy Fisher lit a candle of joy: Rev. Jaimie, we are delighted you are here! So glad to see you got a puppy! Becky Adams lit a candle of joy: Grateful for opportunities to grow. Mari Hinckley lit a candle of joy: Grateful for a huge turnout in Florence and a safe return of our protesters who joined them. Over 200 people!
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