Planning Session for March 2025 Emergency Kit & Action Plan Workshop

A planning session for the Safety Committee's workshop on creating an Emergency Kit & Action Plan will be held in a classroom at 12:15 pm after the Jan. 12th worship service. Please join if interested or if you have a particular concern to touch on!

Monthly Fellowship Dinner at City Cafe Diner on Drake on Thursday, January 16

It's cold out so how about some comfort food this month at City Cafe Diner on Drake?

Restaurant: City Cafe Diner

Date: 01/16/2025 (Thu.)

Time: 5:30 pm CST

Location: 2003 Drake Ave SW, Huntsville, AL 35801

Website: https://www.citycafedinerhsv.com/

Money will never be a barrier to participating in Fellowship at UUCH. If you need financial assistance to participate, please email uurevruth@gmail.com.

Please sign up here so we know how many people will attend.

Contact Sarah Storm (sarahmstorm28@gmail.com) or Steve Rittenberg (srittenberg@gmail.com) if you have questions. Thanks!

We are grateful to anyone who can bring a non-perishable item for us to deliver to the UUCH Little Food Pantry.

Resolve to Volunteer!



Volunteers are the lifeblood of the church, and with Rev. Jaimie on Sabbatical, there’s even more to do! The start of a new year is a great time to wade in a little deeper and say yes to the work of UUCH.

The UUCH Council is made up of the leaders of various committees. Fill out the following Google Form to let them know your area(s) of interest.  

In the form, there's a one-line description of needed volunteer functions and committees.

Check areas you might be interested in helping out:

• Adult Religious Education Chair: Teri Thomas - adult.re@uuch.org Lead a class, book discussion, help plan Adult RE event or function
• Care Co-Chairs: Nancy Pettus and Melodie Brier - care@uuch.org Take a meal to someone in need, send a sympathy card, take some to an appointment, more
• Children & Youth Religious Education (CYRE) Chair: Holly Baker - cyre@uuch.org Lead a class, assist with class or event, other youth support
• Fellowship Co-Chairs: Steve Rittenberg and Sarah Rody - fellowship@uuch.org Organize a fellowship event, help with one, more
• Finance Chair: Bob Weed - finance@uuch.org Count donations from services, budget planning
• Hospitality Chair: June Norton - hospitality@uuch.org Help with potluck, coffee hour, events for planning, setup, cleanup, and execution
• Membership Chair: Pam Korb - membership@uuch.org Greeters for services, support new member classes
• Property Chair: Wayne Schroer - property@uuch.org Help with cleanup days, maintenance, more
• Sabbatical Committee Chair/Liaison to the Board: Cam Scales - sabbatical@uuch.org Worship coordination, pulpit hosts, planning
• Safety Co-Chairs: Shalin Mody and Trao Wesley - safety@uuch.org Safety monitoring for services, events
• Social Justice Coordinator: Brad Korb - social.justice@uuch.org Help coordinate events, participate
• Stewardship Chair: Zena Tucker - stewardship@uuch.org Annual Fund drive, service auction planning and execution
• Technology Chair: Matthew Bollinger - technology@uuch.org Audio and video for services and events, tech support for office, network, more

New UU Classes start Jan 19th!

New UU Class series at UUCH

Sunday, Jan 19th, Jan 26th, & Feb 2nd

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist? Newcomers and long-time members alike are invited to participate in the upcoming New UU classes. The 3-class series will be held before church on Jan 19th, Jan 26th, and Feb 2nd from 9-10:30 a.m. in the Adult Religious Education classroom at UUCH, located at the back of the Religious Education wing.

These classes are a great way to get to know others while learning about Unitarian Universalism and our local congregation. The classes are for sharing and learning, with no expectation that attendees will subsequently join UUCH. However, if you may want to become a member of UUCH in the future, attendance at New UU Classes is strongly encouraged.

Nancy Finley and Pam Korb will facilitate the discussions. Childcare will be provided. The first two sessions will cover UU beliefs and theology, while the third will introduce specifics about our local congregation. Each class deals with different topics, so attending all classes is ideal. However, if your schedule only allows you to attend one or two, we can provide materials for the missed class or meet with you separately to talk about the missed information.

Contact membership@uuch.org to let us know you plan to attend or for more information.

UUSC's Guest At Your Table

UUCH is wrapping up our participation in the annual Guest At Your Table (GAYT) program sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). The GAYT program has introduced generations of Unitarian Universalists to grassroots partners working for justice around the world with our support. This church year, we are celebrating Guest at Your Table’s 50th anniversary with the theme “Expanding the Welcome Table.”

Now that we have hosted our “guests,” it is time to return our boxes and donations to the UUSC. You can do this in one of 3 ways:



1. Return your box to UUCH. There is a table/basket in the Fellowship Hall in which to return your box. Make sure to fill out the label on the side of the box so you get credit for your contribution.
2. Make an on-line donation to UUSC at uusc.org/givetoguest
3. Mail a check directly to UUSC at:

Guest at Your Table – UUSC

P.O. Box 808

Newark, NJ .7101-0808

If you have any questions, please email Brad at social.justice@uuch.org

A Holiday Gift for the Congregation

The Property Committee is thrilled to announce that Ward Welty is giving our church a generous donation to make the patio space outside of the fellowship hall more beautiful, more comfortable, and more welcoming, as well as being more efficiently maintained. The improved patio garden project is being done in loving memory of Ward's late wife, Jane, who was a member of this congregation for 39 years. She served our church in many ways, including being a youth religious education teacher and serving on membership, hospitality, and social justice committees.

On January 13 at 7:00 PM, we will have a zoom meeting of any church members who are interested in giving input on what they would like to see included in the beautiful new patio garden. The Property Committee will take members' inputs and incorporate as many of them as possible in the final design, which will then go to the Board for approval. We hope to start construction this spring. Zoom info is as follows:

Topic: Patio Update Discussion

Time: Jan 13, 2025 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81712627587?pwd=wRK4DYj2kQrjJXkjaGlXG7yp8hodEK.1

Meeting ID: 817 1262 7587

Passcode: 073736

Habitat for Humanity Home Build

UUCH members and volunteers from other churches are making good progress at the Fazzingo/Turner house at 216 Lake Drive in Huntsville! Interior painting is in progress!

Your help is needed! Volunteers will be working at the site most Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays depending on weather and subcontractor activity.

All volunteers must take a volunteer orientation class that is given virtually every week. The dates of the training vary, so please contact Brad at social.justice@uuch.org for the latest schedule.

If you have any questions or are interested in helping out, please email social.justice@uuch.org

Upcoming Social Justice Events

Your participation is needed! Below is a list of local social justice events sponsored by groups that UUCH and/or our members support.

• January 11^th: Christmas Tree Recycling at John Hunt Park and Madison City Schools Stadium from 8 am to 1 pm (https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/city-calendar-event/christmas-tree-takeback/)
• January 14^th: UU the Vote 2024 Celebration and Look Ahead at 7 pm via Zoom (https://secure.everyaction.com/NLUVwx6-TEqD_EeHIbxQyg2)
• January 18^th: MLK National Day of Service Cleanup at 9 am at Campus 805 (https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/city-calendar-event/martin-luther-king-jr-national-day-of-service-cleanup/)
• January 19^th: Love Huntsville Homeless Camp Dinner at 3 pm (see Gail Williams)
• January 20^th: MLK Dream Dinner at 6 pm at the Omega Center (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mlk-dream-dinner-tickets-1113248699829?aff=erelexpmlt)
• January 28^th: Faith In Action Alabama Huntsville Hub Meeting at 5:30 at Phillips CME Church (see Brad Korb)

Here are some standing opportunities to get engaged with local organizations:

• First Stop:

1. Provide a meal for unhoused people (https://firststoporg.galaxydigital.com/)
2. Donate urgently needed items (https://firststop.org/category/needs-list/)
3. Other volunteer opportunities (https://firststop.org/ways-to-volunteer/)

• ShowerUp (showers for unhoused people): https://app.initlive.com/web-admin/app/#/join-party?k=aagp6mlprpk46k
• Land Trust of North Alabama: https://landtrustnal.org/support/volunteer/

For more information about a particular event or to list an event, please email social.justice@uuch.org.

Circle of Candles

Laura Johnson lit a candle of Sorrow: "During the Christmas Holidays my Aunt's Son died in a horrible motorcycle accident."

Kent de Jong lit a candle of Joy: "We are very happy our four-footed feline daughter, Zoe, is rapidly recovering from bladder surgery AND we can recover from sleep deprivation. YAY!"

Deb Delacey lit a candle of Joy: "Monday, Suz and I celebrated our 15th meet-a-versary, the day we had our first date."