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Live Oak
Unitarian Universalist Church
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Finding Our Way Back
Rev. Jami Yandle
A service about the saving grace of Unitarian Universalism set through the lens and artistry of Beyoncé.
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Share the Plate
Muslim Community Center offers rent help
Our Share the Plate recipient for August is the Humanitarian Assistance program at North Austin Muslim Community Center. It provides about $10,000 a month in rental assistance to qualified applicants, some of whom are refugees. You can learn more about the Center and its supportive services at namcc.org.
You can contribute to Share the Plate during Sunday services or donate on our website. All checks and envelopes marked “Share the Plate” and half of all undesignated cash during the services will be donated to recipients. Or 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”.
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A Few Words from the Minister
Rev. Joanna will be on sabbatical through August 31. During this time, we will be sharing some of her writings.
This week's article:
I felt as lifeless as one of those Middle Eastern deserts you see in National Geographic, just hill after hill of hot sand, without a tree or a bit of vegetation to break up the view. My baby daughter had just completed six months of chemotherapy for kidney cancer. She was returning to health; my spirit was not. I had lost all faith and sense of meaning.
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Office Closed
The office will be closed from 8/18-8/22. Messages will not be returned until 8/23.
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What's Happening with the Elevator?
The contractors have been waiting a long time for the electrical panel to arrive. It's here. It's installed. It's not very exciting to look at but it gets us a lot closer to completion of the project! After it's been inspected, we can schedule the installation of the actual elevator!
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Thirty and Thriving!
Join us on Saturday, Oct 1 from 3-7 p.m.to celebrate the 30th anniversary/birthday of Live Oak UU Church!
All members and friends, both current and former, are invited.
We're going with a carnival/circus theme so there will be popcorn and cotton candy (along with other food) and music under the Big Top (sanctuary)!
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Upcoming Board Meeting
Here's a preview of the agenda for the August 21 Board Meeting.
Items to be voted on: Homeless Encampment Policy from Social Justice Ministry Team, Stewardship Committee Charge, Community Ministries Guidance Document, Boy Scout Troop Sponsorship
Items to be discussed/presented: Endowment Committee Orientation, Board Retreat Planning, Engagement Survey Results
The board will also be reviewing the current Board priority list.
The Live Oak Board meets on the 3rd Sunday at 1:00pm in Room 106 and on Zoom. All church members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
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Exploring Membership Class August 21st
Interested in learning more about Live Oak Church?
Exploring Membership Class August 21st
Interested in learning more about Live Oak Church? Why do we light a chalice? What does it mean to be a member of Live Oak? Attend an Exploring Membership workshop where we'll get to know each other, talk a little bit about Unitarian Universalism, and a lot about Live Oak.
The August workshop will be held August 21st following the service in the library and childcare will be available.
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Environmental Awareness Team August Meeting
After suffering through a summer that gave witness to Global Warming, the Environmental Awareness Group is having their first meeting of this church year. Please join us as we plan our study topics, meeting schedule, and activities.
August 18, 2022
6:30pm on Zoom
Chris Mihealsick
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SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY NEWS
"Fire Up!"
HELLO FRIENDS!
Two notices of interest!
First, a great opportunity! The Texas Tribune is asking for feedback on Texans’ political concerns and policy priorities for the fall election. Deadline is the end of August. The feedback will be used as a guide for the Tribune to “dig deeper” into issues that matter to US, regular Texans. The Tribune requests that we avoid one-word answers, but instead be specific and explain our thoughts. THIS IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY to focus the media on the dangers and unpopularity of the current politicians’ repressive policies. As well, it helps us get the media to demand answers from standing politicians to OUR LEGITIMATE CONCERNS, rare as many politicians avoid discussions with “real” citizens. Progressives need to respond to this survey! We have strong thoughts and a
lot of them! Go to the Texas Tribune website under “gathering Texans’ election
questions and policy priorities” and GIVE THEM OUR FEEDBACK!
Second, exciting! A nonprofit for free speech started in 1999, named Foundation for Individual Right and Expression (FIRE) is looking for a high school student to use as a plaintiff in a freedom of speech lawsuit. The high school student needs to have been dealing with censorship or book banning in a way that impact her/him/them. Also, FIRE hopes to hear from librarians impacted by similar repressive policies. Texas is now the TOP STATE of 26 states banning books in the school and public libraries. We CERTAINLY have candidates for such a lawsuit. FIRE can be contacted at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression website. There is a brief form for the student to fill out. It would be exciting if we can help facilitate a FREE OF SPEECH LAWSUIT for Texas!
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Want to help get more Texas voters to the polls 11/8?
A million Texas voters need to hear from you!
There are still over a million Texans in underrepresented communities who could be motivated to go vote November 8 by a VoteForward letter from YOU! Live Oak will have another opportunity after the service August 21 to help prepare more VoteForward letters. Bring the letters you have prepared at home for help folding, sealing, and stamping them on Sunday. Supplies will be provided. Or just come to learn more about the VoteForward effort and help get letters other Live Oak members have written ready to mail. The national mail-out date is October 29, so there’s still lots of time to participate and prepare letters. All ages can help get the letters ready to mail! We prepared 40 letters last month; can we double that this Sunday? For more information, check the VoteForward.org website.
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Your Green Bag Shopping List
It’s time to grab your green bag or any bag and help feed our neighbors.
Bring food and other items for Hill Country Community Ministries (HCCM), our Fresh Food for All partner, to church and leave them in the narthex. Some of the highlighted canned items are green beans, tuna, spaghetti sauce, corn, peaches, peanut butter, jelly, fruit cocktail, apple juice. The whole needs list can be found here.
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HELP DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO OUR NEIGHBORS
Live Oak Church will be distributing food to our neighbors at Fresh Food for All and need volunteers to help
This month, on Friday, August 19th, Fresh Food For All participants will be able to select their own produce (Farmer's Market style), instead of having the prepackaged produce placed in their car trunks. This means that we will no longer need volunteers on Thursday to sort the food but need more volunteers on Friday to help filling bags, with directing traffic, weighing the food, and helping people carry food to their cars. If you can help anytime on August 19th between 8:30 and 11AM, RSVP to Donna Durbin at: HCCM@liveoakuu.org
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LOUU Voting Pledge Card Now Available
Let's be a 100% voting congregation!
The Live Oak voter pledge card is now in circulation. Look for the cards and the return box in the lobby each Sunday. We want to document how many registered voters, VDRs (Volunteer Deputy Registrars) and pollworkers we have at Live Oak. Those under 18 can sign too on the "I will vote when I'm eligible" line.
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UBarU Annual Star Party
August 27-30, 2022
The 2022 UBarU Star Party (USP) is being held over three nights in late August since it offers a phase of the Moon that is better-suited for deep-sky viewing than over Labor Day weekend 2022. This is our sixth comprehensive star-party event (which includes, in addition to the star parties: astronomy-related lectures, meals, lodging, and more) offered at our IDA-certified Dark-Sky Park in Mountain Home, Texas. Please register via https://www.ubaru.org/ubaru-star-party
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LiveOakUU.org Pages to Visit:
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The deadline for the weekly e-newsletter and the Sunday announcements is midnight on Tuesday. The submission form can be found here
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Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church
(737) 240-3455 | 3315 El Salido Pkwy, Cedar Park, TX 78613
www.liveoakuu.org
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