September 30, 2021
This Week
Worship
10/10/2021
October 10, 2021
Design Your Life for Victory
Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford
 
This month, we’re talking about how to design a life worth living. Unitarian Universalism is a faith that knows we do not live for ourselves alone. Our theology is one of collective liberation and collective salvation. What will be your victory for humanity?


Join us for Worship at 9:30am: 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): https://link.liveoakuu.org/FellowshipHour
Share the Plate
October is National Cancer Awareness month--let's remember the youngest people cancer impacts.
Our October Share the Plate community partner is Camp Kesem. Kesem is a nationwide community, driven by passionate college student leaders, that supports children through and beyond their parent’s cancer. Kesem is the largest national organization dedicated to supporting children impacted by a parent’s cancer, at no cost to families. Their innovative and fun-filled programs provide children with peers who understand their unique needs, and create long-lasting impact. Over 5 million children have been impacted by a parent's cancer and Kesem serves about 10,000 children a year. www.campkesem.org

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”. In addition to those designated donations, half of all undesignated gifts in September will go to the fund.
A Few Words from the Minister
Looking Forward to Oct. 31
What are you doing the morning of Halloween? Read more
A Few Words from the DLFD
(Director of Lifespan Faith Development)
Here is what is coming this Sunday and what to expect during October. Read more
Special Notices
Speaking Against Censorship at Leander ISD Board Meeting
School Board meetings at Leander ISD have lately been filled with parents trying to remove books they deem objectionable, books that often deal with LGBTQ issues and racism. Rev. Joanna spoke at the September 30 meeting.

Social Justice Sundays
Get your piece of the justice pie.
Is there injustice in our community or does it exist only in the larger world beyond where we live? What might injustice look like where we live? Is it important for a Unitarian Universalist church to be in solidarity with community members who suffer from injustice? Why? How? What does it mean to be in solidarity?

Over the next 6 months, the Live Oak Social Justice Ministry team will be sharing information about each justice ministry to better acquaint members with our church’s commitments to “bend the moral arc of the universe” toward justice right here in our community. Whether it is helping to decrease food insecurity, increasing individual efficacy through literacy, fighting for reproductive rights, working for voting rights or dealing with climate injustice, members will have an opportunity to hear in detail the church’s work and why it is necessary, ask questions, learn how to get involved and make a difference.

This Sunday marks the beginning of our Lifespan Faith Development Social Justice series at 10:30 in the outdoor space where the service is conducted. Rev. Joanna will help kick off this series by taking questions and comments about her sermon that morning on spirituality, social justice and service and then we will move into identifying the justice inequities in our community and an overview of Live Oak’s effort to ameliorate them.

Join us. Find your piece of the justice pie.
Women's Labyrinth Group on Zoom
Sunday, October 10, 6:30-9 p.m.
Join us for a sharing circle followed by a finger labyrinth walk. During the next three months, we’ll explore the three-fold path of the labyrinth: Releasing, Receiving, and Returning. This month we’ll focus on Releasing: letting go of distractions, expectations, anything that keeps us from being fully present on the labyrinth. Feel free to bring a song, a poem, or a short reading. The group is open to women high school age and older. The Zoom link with be sent via email for those who are on the email list for the Women’s Labyrinth Group. If you need a copy of the Live Oak Labyrinth and/or the Zoom link, contact: Linda Webster

Membership Committee Needs Your Ideas!!
We miss you! We all miss each other! What can we do to get those lovin' fellowship vibes flowing?
The Membership Committee will be discussing ideas to strengthen the bonds of fellowship within our church community and we're hoping that you'll join us! Do you have a wild and crazy idea? Strong opinions? Thoughts of fancy? We want to hear them!

I know we're all sick of hearing how "unprecedented" things are, but heck, it's true. So we're trying to figure out what people want, what we miss most, and how we can start to find our ways back to one another.

Please join us on Oct 19th at 8pm to discuss fellowship needs and opportunities. If you are unable to attend but have ideas that you'd like heard please feel free to email Reverend Joanna, or Becky McPherson in advance.

Zoom ya' then!
HELP DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO OUR NEIGHBORS
Live Oak Church will be distributing food to our neighbors at Fresh Food Friday and need volunteers to help.

* Thursday, October 14th @ 1:00 p.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m. food needs to be separated into smaller quantities for distribution. Meet at Hill Country Community Ministries, 1005 Lacy Dr, Leander, TX 78641

* Friday, October 15th @ 8:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in the Live Oak parking lot. This is when we distribute the food to our neighbors. Volunteers are needed to set up, direct people to the drive through area, collect client information, and place food in the client’s trunk. You do not need to remain the entire 2 & 1/2 hours.

HCCM has asked for 7 people for each activity. We are asking you to please let us know if you will be able to participate in either activity, so we know if we have enough or too many people.

To RSVP or for any questions please contact Donna Durbin at: HCCM@liveoakuu.org

What Can one Small Church Do?
The Environmental Awareness Group met and the challenge of saving a planet is overwhelming! We are wondering, What environmental actions would you like the Live Oak community to take? Please click the question and give us your ideas.
Thank you. The Environmental Awareness Group
Live Oak Seniors' Coffee Hour
Join us for Coffee hour on Thursdays at 10:30am. On the 1st & 3rd week of the month, Rev. Joanna will lead a lively discussion. The other weeks will be an informal gathering. The Zoom link will be on the What's Happening page.
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LiveOakUU.org Pages to Visit:
Worship Service & Fellowship Hour: http://www.liveoakuu.org/
Community Outreach & Social Justice: http://www.liveoakuu.org/justice/
In the Community
Friday Film Series hosted by Wildflower Church
The WildEarth Climate Action Team offers a series of documentaries focusing on the World-wide Water Crisis and some of the solutions that are being applied or explored. Starting October 1, then every other Friday, four evenings of film viewing and discussion will be hosted. Following are the dates and films; details on the films and Zoom links will be provided in the next few weeks.

10/15 The Shadow of Drought: When California droughts end, people tend to return to apathy about conserving H20. This is no longer an option
Israel's Solution for a Water Starved World: In the middle of a desert, Israel applies planning, sound infrastructure and technology innovation to attain water self-sufficiency
 
10/29 The Last Drop: National Geographic film explores the growing water scarcity crisis in the U.S., especially the west, from public and personal action perspectives
The World's Water Crisis: Examines the looming global water crisis, asking hard questions about how it is managed or commodified, and how access may be ensured as a human
right. 
 
11/12 Dark Hobby: Dark Hobby , a beautiful expose, follows Hawaiian Elders, conservationists and scientists who fight the devastation to species and reefs caused by the aquarium trade.
 
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