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Live Oak
Unitarian Universalist Church
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Sunday, December 5th
9:30 or 11:30
Welcoming In the Yuletide
Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford
Thousands of years of evolution have wired us for a winter holiday season ... and this past year has amplified the need. It's a time for celebrating transformation, hope, and joy.
Join us for Worship at 9:30am in person or online: the link will be on the Live Oak homepage: www.liveoakuu.org. The 11:30am service will not be live streamed.
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Share the Plate
Our December Share the Plate recipient is the Minister’s Discretionary Fund at Live Oak. This fund enables Rev. Joanna to respond to members facing an immediate hardship or others who seek help from our church. Rev. Joanna has used the fund to address such needs as travel expenses to a parent’s funeral, school tuition and Covid-related medical expenses.
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 December will go to the fund.
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A Few Words from the Minister
Moving from "Be Patient" to "Making Hay"
As was said at the beginning of covid, we are building the plane as we fly it. Assumptions we operated on at the beginning no longer work... read more
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A Few Words from the DLFD
(Director of Lifespan Faith Development)
Important Faith Development News
Please read for the latest updates! Read more
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Back in the Building This Sunday
This Sunday, per the Risk-Based Staging recommended by the Safety Team and adopted by the Board, and the current staging for Austin, we will be returning to indoor in-person worship services at Live Oak, with livestreaming of the 9:30 service. Here's what that will look like. Read more
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Budget Q&A Meeting
In advance of the December Congregational Meeting on Dec 12, the Board of Trustees will be holding a multi-platform Q&A meeting about the 2022 church budget this Sunday, Dec 5th from 10:45-11:30 (between services) in room 107 and Zoom. Bring any questions you might have about the budget to this meeting to ensure a smooth and efficient congregational meeting!
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Exploring Membership this Sunday
Are you interested in learning more about Live Oak and considering becoming a member? Join Rev. Joanna in the Live Oak library this Sunday after the second service (~12:30) for our Exploring Membership gathering. In this hour long gathering, I'll share with you some information about Unitarian Universalism and what it means to be a member of this congregation, you'll share with me and the others a little bit about you.
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Selfies with Santa!
Selfies with Santa returns to Live Oak Saturday December 11 from 10:00 am - 2:00. This year, Santa will be outside our front doors. Sign up to reserve a time with him and be sure to bring your camera or smartphone.
This event is free and open to the public. Please share widely on neighborhood groups and with friends. Our Facebook event page is at https://fb.me/e/2EZclRnQR.
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Congregational Meeting
Join us for the for the Congregational Meeting on December 12, 2021
In this year's meeting we will discuss the 2022 budget, endowment awards, updates from the Executive Committee, Capital Fund updates, and more! The Congregational Meeting will occur immediately following the Pageant around 10:30 am. We will be meeting in the Sanctuary and Remotely https://youtu.be/2UB4OCK4jd8.
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Interfaith Holiday Pajama Storytime this Sunday!
This Sunday, Rabbi Reice and Reverend Joanna will be hosting an interfaith "PJ Storytime" in the sanctuary at 5:30 pm. Come in your jammies and mask as the two clergywomen read holiday stories, including the always hilarious, "The Latke That Couldn't Stop Screaming." Bring a set of new pajamas and/or a storybook to donate to PajamaProgram.org, which helps support a cozy bedtime routine for children living with uncertainty. (Please read guidelines for donations here)
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A “HOLE” LOT OF FUN ON SATURDAY
This Saturday (Dec. 4) at 10am ALL CHURCH MEMBERS are invited to join a Tree Planting Celebration. The Live Oak Environmental Awareness Group will be planting 2 trees in the church’s front yard. Coffee, Hot Chocolate, and Donut Holes will be served in our picnic area! We would love to see many people at this fun event. (The two holes have already been dug. Planting is the fun part!) PLEASE JOIN US!
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Hanging of the Greens is this Sunday
Join us to decorate the church for Christmas
This Sunday, December 5th, immediately after the second service, we will decorate the church for Christmas. Can't get enough tree trimming? We'll have three trees for you. There's also the Narthex and the Fellowship Hall to decorate. Finally, we'll be building a Zilker-like tree outside. So, we'll need as many hands as possible.
It will be inside the building, so please wear a mask. Pizza and soft drinks will be provided for lunch.
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At Your Service
"The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real."
M. Piercy, "To Be of Use"
The Live Oak Executive Committee is developing a Service Working Group charged with
• evaluating the degree to which service is embedded in the Live Oak culture
• proposing and implementing methods approved by the Executive Committee to cultivate the value of service in the Live Oak environment.
In this context, service means giving one’s time and talent to the church or the community as a volunteer. Read more
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Thank you!!!
We’ve donated 500 plus pounds in the last 2 months!
A Big Thank You to everyone for bringing food donations for Hill Country Community Ministries (HCCM) - We’ve donated 500 plus pounds in the last 2 months! The HCCM monthly needs list can be found here.
You can drop off food on Sunday or anytime during church office hours. Need a Live Oak Green Bag for HCCM Donations? You can pick one up on Sundays or at the church during office hours.
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Seeking: Your Pandemic Experiences
Religious historian and writer Diana Butler Bass has been talking about how after the 1918 pandemic, churches didn’t write anything about their experience. It’s like they just wanted to move on and forget about it. I know we’re not at the end yet, but I want to begin creating a repository of videos by members sharing a little of our experiences, things we learned or realized, and our hopes for the future based on this experience.
Excerpts from some of these videos will be used in our online worship service December 26. So, here’s what I need from you ... read more
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Ted Lasso Coming to Live Oak in January
Our January worship series will be drawing inspiration from the TV show on the Apple+ app, "Ted Lasso." You don't need to have seen the show to enjoy this series, but if you'd like to see it, but haven't budgeted for another streaming service, email minister@liveoakuu.org and ask for the "Ted Lasso Scholarship." If you're a Live Oak member, we'll get you all set up.
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Spring 2022 Campout!
It's been awhile, let's do this!
The 2022 spring campout will be the weekend of April 8-10 at Cedar Breaks Park on Lake Georgetown. Make your reservation here. It’s a COE (Corps of Engineers) park so if you have a national parks pass, you can use it here. I’ve made my reservation in one of the 20s facing the lake, if you want to try to be in the same area.
Everyone, friends and members alike, are welcome to camp with us! And if you just want to come out for the day it’s not far from Austin. Join the Live Oak UU Camping Group on Facebook here There you can ask questions and communicate with others about the campout.
Watch this space for more detailed info in future newsletters. - Jen Swan
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Live Oak Seniors' Coffee Hour
Join Rev. Joanna for Coffee hour on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays at 10:30am. The Zoom link will be on the What's Happening page. Here are the topics for December:
12/2 Memories of Joy
12/16 Unexpected Gifts
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The Mitten Tree is Back
Is it really time for the holidays again? The mitten tree says ‘yes.’
As you remember, LOUU partners every year with Hill Country Christmas Bureau. After some experimenting last year with how to navigate the mitten tree in a pandemic, the elves at the Christmas Bureau have asked us to just focus on a few different types of items that will cover a lot of the requests they get each year. Because we like alliteration, we decided to go with blankets and board games. Purchase any size or style of blanket, and/or board games for any ages, and drop them off at church unwrapped on December 12th.
That’s the day of the LOUU pageant, so bring the blankets and board games to service for collection. We will likely have an after-service drive-through option as well (details will be confirmed as we know them). If you have an item to donate but can’t get there on the 12th, please let Cindy La Greca know and we will figure out another day.
LOUU typically overachieves on the mitten tree and I hope this year is no exception.
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LiveOakUU.org Pages to Visit:
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Online Meditation Group
Meditation is a skill strengthened with practice. Join us on Tuesdays at 6:30 Central to share 30 minutes with other meditators. On the third Tuesday of each month, we add an extra half hour to explore different forms of meditation. The group is led by two Unitarian Universalist ministers, Rev. Betty Skwarek, and Rev. Rob Moore. We meet on Zoom To register follow this link.
For more information, contact Rev. Betty Skwarek at hskwarek@uuma.org or 512-994-8748.
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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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