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Pre-K – 5th Grade & 6th – 12th Grade
We have upcoming events for December that we would like everyone to be aware of! Our Solstice Service will be on December 21st, which is a Thursday, and will begin at 7 PM. There will not be any CYRE classes, but the Nursery will still be open starting at 6:45 PM.
For Christmas Eve, UUCH will have a Pancake Breakfast at 10:45 AM instead of our usual service. Rev Jaimie and others will be making pancakes in the kitchen, and Kristen will be in the Fellowship Hall with electric skillets set up for any kids/youths who would like to make pancakes. There will also be a topping bar and, most likely, some whipped cream! That same evening at 5:30 PM, we will have our Christmas Eve service. The Nursery will be open at 5:15 PM, but we will not have CYRE classes. CYRE classes will resume next month on January 14th.
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Holiday Office Hours
The office will be closed December 23rd - January 1st. Our office admin, Ryan, will still be checking emails if anything is needed. Happy Holidays!
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COVID Policy Update
The Board has reviewed the current church COVID policy and has decided to discontinue it at this time. The current version of the policy was written in August 2022 when the risks to our community were much higher. Since then, thanks to medical advancements, vaccines, therapeutics, and past COVID infections, the risk of severe illness and health has diminished. Our medical systems are not overwhelmed, and as a community we are able to congregate more freely. A church-wide policy which requires masks and vaccines in some situations no longer seems appropriate.
We remind everyone, however, that the number of cases of COVID have recently increased in our county during this winter season, as have colds, flu and other viruses. We know that as responsible individuals each of you will make decisions about attendance and vaccinations based on current medical information and your own risks. As a loving congregation, we will also make decisions based on what is good for the entire community. Some of our youngest and oldest members may be at a higher risk, as well as some of us who have health conditions that put us at a higher risk as well. Please honor this by practicing good prevention routines such as joining us through Zoom if you are not feeling well, washing hands, wearing masks when appropriate, and keeping up your vaccinations as recommended by CDC and your doctors.
Thank you all for your gracious and responsible actions as we went through the hardest part of this pandemic. We are proud of our congregation in its support of reason, science, and compassion for others. We will let you know if conditions warrant a change in the future. In the meantime, have a safe and healthy new year.
UUCH Board
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Message from our Care Commitee
Summer Peters is relocating to Las Vegas to be with her family. Summer entered hospice care in April this year after ending treatment for cancer. As her health is failing, being with family is best for her.
If you would like to send a card or contact her, her address is below:
Summer Peters
2701 North Decatur Blvd
Apt 1095
Las Vegas, Nevada. 89108
317-508-7697
Thanks to volunteers Lynda Lamitie, Gail Williams, Melodie Bier, and Rachel Schieb for helping to clean Summer's apartment last week.
If anyone is interested in Summer's gently used furniture, contact Nancy Pettus, 256-427-1427. Her belongings need to be removed by mid-January.
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Invite Guests to Your Table
We are encouraging UUCH members and friends to participate in the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s (UUSC) Guest at Your Table program now through the end of December. The UUSC is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization advancing human rights together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates. Striving to center the voices of people most affected by injustice, UUSC creates eye-to-eye relationships with frontline grassroots movements across the world that support marginalized communities in determining their steps for the future.
Guest at Your Table is UUSC’s annual intergenerational program to raise support for and awareness about key human rights issues. Since UUSC works in more than 20 countries, with over 50 grassroots partners, there are thousands of individuals involved in and who benefit from the work that our members make possible. The Guest at Your Table program is an opportunity to celebrate grassroots partnership, support human rights, and learn about just four of these individuals—the “guests” in Guest at Your Table.
This year’s Guests are fighting for the right to seek safety in Mexico and the United States, convincing the UN’s International Court of Justice to address the human rights threatened by the climate crisis in the South Pacific, and replenishing the energy of human rights activists in eastern Europe by addressing burn-out. At this extraordinary juncture in history, we think their stories will offer inspiration and guidance on the path toward justice and liberation for all.
In the Fellowship Hall, there is a table with boxes and information about this year’s Guests. You are welcome to pick up a box and have it represent one of the UUSC Guests at your dining table. The information sheets provide a background on these individuals along with data on how your contribution can help these people.
We will keep these Guests at our table through the holidays and then return the boxes to the church in January. If you prefer, you can send donations directly to the UUSC using the envelopes on the table or via the website below:
https://donate.uusc.org/give/75595/#!/donation/checkout
If you have any questions, please contact Brad Korb at social.justice@uuch.org.
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New 6-week Covenant Group
Contact Teri Thomas (terit4u@yahoo.come) for questions/signup or utilize the ARE table in fellowship hall. Please note: as this group is for discovery and growth, no new members will be admitted after the first meeting.
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Board Report
The Board of Trustees held its scheduled meeting on December 13, 2023.
The following Board goals for the year were approved:
- Do Vision and Mission process and talk about Covenant process (for next year).
- Decide whether or not we can fully support the Growth Through Service model of leadership development.
- Complete at least one Social Justice program together as a Board and support UUCH’s larger Social Justice efforts this year.
- Continue congregation-wide alignment work on Policies and Procedures Manual.
- Formalize how we document and share institutional knowledge by expanding the use of the UUCH-side Google Drive with associated processes, procedures, and training for staff and volunteers.
- Continue to care for the asset of the building and keep the congregation up to date on repair work.
The Board voted to suspend the current COVID Policy as the situation has changed since its last update (August 2022). A notification of this and a wellness statement describing this move is in this newsletter.
In other work, the Board continued to discuss and prepare an updated Building Use Policy. It received information from Rev. Jaimie and the Worship Committee about the survey concerning the stained-glass windows. Rev. Jaimie also reported on the four workshops on Mission and Vision with participation by the congregation, and stated that the drafting team has met to use the information from the workshops to form drafts of statements.
The Board was asked by another congregation to consider supporting an amendment to Article 2 of the UUA By-laws to be considered at the 2024 General Assembly. The Board voted to support adding this Amendment to the agenda for discussion at GA. (See Nancy Finley, Secretary, if you would like details of the amendment).
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board will be January 24.
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Circle of Candles
Dan McKitrick lit a candle of Sorrow: "Prayers for the husband and daughter of Robyn Golec upon her recent, unexpected passing."
Cam Scales lit a candle: "Some of you may remember Donnie Becht, who was a member here a while ago. He has recently had surgery. If you would like to send him a card, see Cam Scales for his address."
Wade Little lit a candle of Joy: "Thanks to all of the UUCH members who were so kind to me while recovering from back surgery. Barbara Hitt and her Care Team saved me with very good food for a week. I am forever grateful to Brad Korb who volunteered to stay through one very difficult night that kept us both up a lot. So, cheers from a very new member of UUCH."
A UUCH Member lit a candle of Joy: "Many thanks to Gail Williams for coordinating with the AL Hispanic Assoc. and the many volunteers that made the magic possible. Her energy, organization, and love are an inspiration to us all."
Heather Kyemba lit a candle of Joy: "Joy! Sophia is home from college!"
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Upcoming Events
Click the calendar to see all of our upcoming events!
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Little Food Pantry
The food pantry is a huge success, being utilized by numerous people!
If you are able to pick a day to re-stock the pantry, please do so, using the Sign-Up Genius link below.
There are also baskets in the Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary entry foyer for food collection. The collected food will ultimately be used to fill the pantry on days not chosen on the sign-up genius.
Canned meats, soups, veggies, mac-and-cheese, bread, fruit, fresh veggies--all kinds of foods are welcome.
Thank you for being so generous. We are making a difference!
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Submitted by the Social Justice Committee | |
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Donate Online
via CDM+ Engage
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Online:
Like our other online and mobile giving options, this option is through CDM+ Engage, is secure, and has a good option for "plate" donations as well as "pledge".
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Submit to the Newsletter
Do you have news to include in the newsletter next week? Please submit your article to the newsletter through our request form no later than 10:00 am each Wednesday. Please make sure to complete a new request form each time you make a submission to the newsletter.
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Minister
Rev. Jaimie Dingus
Office Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday by appointment.
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UUCH 2023-24
Board Members
President:
Susan Coddington
Vice President:
Bryan Walls
Secretary:
Nancy Finley
Treasurer:
David Bollinger
Trustees:
Will Garrison
Darlene Patten
Cam Scales
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 Susan Coddington via email no later than one week prior to the meeting (i.e. the Tuesday before). The next board meeting will be Wednesday, January 24th.
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Office Administrator
Ryan Vidal Gonzales
Main Office Hours:
Mondays 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Tuesdays through Thursdays 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
or by appointment.
*Please call/email the office in advance if you need building access.
Phone:
256-534-0508
Email: uuch@uuch.org
For more info on any event, contact the church office or visit our website.
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UUCH News is a publication of The Unitarian Universalist Church,
3921 Broadmor Rd., Huntsville, AL 35810
Editor-in-Chief:
Laurel Bollinger
Copy Editor:
Ryan Vidal Gonzales
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PO Box 5545
Huntsville, AL 35814
(256) 534-0508
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