Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham 4300 Hampton Heights Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209 Tel: 205.945.8109
Fax: 205.945.8111
Email: office@uucbham.org
Web: www.uucbham.org
Greetings, members and friends of the UU Church of Birmingham: this is your weekly All-Church E-mail for Friday, March 25, 2011. ~*~
“There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people in the right direction.”-Nelson Mandela ~*~
This Sunday, March 27, 2011
“Living the Impossible Dream” Rev. Ruth Vann Lillian
Persevering with unlikely hopes and impossible dreams, for the long-haul is hard!
Ruth Vann Lillian will celebrate some of our impossible dreams, and explore a few ideas on how to keep tilting at those windmills, and how we can help when someone gets knocked off the horse.
Join the Stewardship Circles! RE STEWARDSHIP CIRCLE will be held on THIS Sunday, March 27th immediately following
service in the Volker Room. Join this discussion circle if you are interested in the future of RE in
the church. The discussion will be led by Anthony Hamley of SEEC. Treasurer Susan Cockrell will be there to answer questions about the budget. Susan Silvernail of Stewardship will be there to take notes! Snacks and childcare will be provided. SOCIAL JUSTICE STEWARDSHIP CIRCLE
As we learn to express our UU values through actions, we become stewards. We will take this
opportunity to talk about the second UU principle and ways we can act in our community and church to further the second principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
Grab a cup of Birmingham's best coffee and join your UUCB friends in the coffeehouse loft for this discussion.
When: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 7 - 9 pm Where: O'Henry's Coffee at Brookwood
Address: 569 Brookwood Village, Suite 101 (in the office building behind Applebee's) A very big "Thank you!" to those of you who have already given us your pledge cards. It is vital that we receive your pledges so we can prepare our budget and move our church forward. You may submit your pledge in several ways:
Mail it to the church.
Bring it to the church at any time--there is a blue "locker" that you can put your pledge in. Or, you can hand it to Kim.
On the next three Sundays, Susan Cockrell will be at the church both before and after the service to collect pledges. She will also be available to answer your pledge questions.
E-mail your pledge to me at srcockrell@gmail.com. You can scan the completed pledge form and send it to me or just send me all the necessary information.
(Of course, you can e-mail me with any pledge questions!!)
The Stewardship Campaign ends April 11 so please do not delay! Thank you!
What's Happening in Religious Education for Children and Youth? **Please plan to attend the RE Stewardship Circle on Sunday immediately after the service downstairs in the Volker Room (11:45-1:45-ish). Snacks will be provided. Childcare for babies through two-year olds in the Nursery. Childcare for ages 3 and up in the pink-walled classroom. BE SURE TO BRING LUNCH FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES.** 1. Please be sure your children have coins to contribute to the giant jar in the Narthex as part of our Stewardship Campaign! 2. Please bring your completed pledge information in to turn in on Sunday at the table with the large blue locker in the Narthex. 3. Once you have completed your pledge information, please bring in the completed software forms to turn in the same place. 4. Once you have completed your pledge information or your completed software forms, then please bring in the confidential pastoral care sheet for the minister. We forgot to include a spot for provisions for your minor children in the event of your untimely death. Please turn the sheet over and include this information. If you have not yet made these difficult decisions and made them legal through a will or adoption agreement, please contact the DRE at dre@uucbham.org or 945-8109 for support. 5. This month's UU Zoo Play Date will take place tomorrow, Saturday, March 26th, 10 am-1 pm. Meet by the macaws at 10 am. 6. Nursery parents, please be sure your child has a diaper bag with sippy cups, bottles, diapers, etc. as needed. All must be clearly labeled with the child's name. If you've got any questions, please consult our Nursery Handbook or contact the DRE. 7. If you are the parent of a Nursery-age child, or a 3, 4, or 5-year old child who still wears diapers, please sit near the back of the Sanctuary so we can find you in case of upset or potty accidents (older children). 8. Parents with babies in the service, please sit near the back of the Sanctuary so you can slip out easily should your little one be talkative or fussy. We have a Family Room across from the Narthex where you can listen to the service over the loudspeaker. Thank you!
What's Happening in Adult RE? 1. The Sunday Morning Meditation Group meets form 9-10 in Room 114 downstairs. All are welcome. No experience needed.
2. The latest round of the New UU Class concludes today after church in Room 114, with the final session led by Chauma Smith Guss and Sam Guss. 3. In April, Rev. Broussard will be leading a "Bible Study for Religious Liberals" class entitled "Conversations with the Bible." It will begin on April 4th on a series of 5 Monday evenings. 11 out of 12 spaces are currently filled, so if you'd like to sign up, contact Sharron Swain as soon as possible to claim that last spot, or to get your name on a wait list! 4. Longing for a chance to get to know some other great folks from the Mid-South District? Involved in leadership (or want to be) at our church, and needing a little inspiration? Head over to Northwest UU Congregation in Atlanta from April 1st-3rd for this year's Annual Assembly. All sorts of great happenings. . . Visit www.msduua.org to learn more, or contact Sharron Swain, who will be going over on Friday and coming back Saturday night. 5. Food for Thought - Where can you go to spend time with other like minded UU's, learn and teach about Ethical Eating as a Justice issue, and enjoy the beauty of historic Charlotte NC? General Assembly! Join us for the 50th Anniversary UUA General Assembly, June 22-26 in Charlotte NC. Go to www.uua.org for registration and housing information - more information on the UUC Birmingham GA Caravan is coming soon!
Want to be a Service Leader? We would like to invite people to submit their application to be part of our evolving worship program here at UUCB. If you would like to find out more about being a Service Leader (SL) and take part in the upcoming ½ day SL training offered on May 7th, please contact Chauma Smith-Guss at chauma.guss@gmail.com or Patti Steelman at PattiSteelman@gmail.com.
New Member Link - Volunteers Needed: The Membership committee is looking for a few seasoned members and friends to volunteer to be a link for new members. If you like meeting new people and hanging around during coffee hour, then you have what it takes to help a new member make connections in our congregation. The job is simple and fun. Each member who completes the New UU class and signs the membership book will be paired with a volunteer who will introduce them to people who share their interests. Check back with them a few times throughout the first year of their membership and chances are you'll have made a new friend yourself. Please contact Holly Hilton hollyjhilton@gmail.com for more information and to volunteer.
From the Strategic Planning Council-Anthony Hamley Looking to the future‌.some thoughts from the strategic planning council
As we look to the future now that we have a new settled minister, it is an appropriate time for us as a congregation to set goals for what we want to be as a church in the next 5-10 years. To begin this process, a strategic planning work group has been formed with a two-fold purpose of 1) setting some goals for the near and immediate future, and 2) proposing a process whereby strategic planning will be formalized within the church’s governance structure.
Throughout the history of the UUCBham, strategic planning activities have by and large been relegated to the Board of Trustees. However, the size of our current board of trustees has not been conducive to doing this effectively, and there has been a perceived need to delegate this (and perhaps other functions) to smaller working groups or committees that are more conducive to effective discussion and action. On a historical note, during the initial year of his interim ministry with us several years ago, it was the opinion of the Rev David Johnson that our governing board was probably too large to govern effectively and we would be better served by a smaller Board, with some functions delegated to smaller constituted working groups. Our Board has a lot on its plate, and important tasks such as strategic planning, development of programming, and certain aspects of operations including personnel management are often not done as effectively as they need to be.
In recognition and mindful of this, one of the short term goals of the current strategic planning group is to develop a revised church governance structure whereby the talents of duly elected members of the congregation can be better distributed among positions on the Board and standing working councils that address three main areas of church governance: 1) strategic planning, 2) programming and 3)operations. One proposed model the SPC is considering is to redistribute the current nine at-large board members to elected councils that oversee each of these three areas. Under this potential model, each year, three congregation members would be elected to three year terms to serve on each of these councils. Strategic planning might be chaired by the congregation president, programming by the congregation vice-president, and operations by the congregation treasurer. The Executive Board of Trustees would shrink to just seven members (president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and three council members, one from each of the three respective councils).
The current strategic planning work group is eager to solicit your thoughts and ideas regarding this model or other ideas to render our governance more effective but at the same time sincerely representative of the congregation. In the coming months we will also be sharing our thoughts and soliciting your feedback regarding near and long-term goals for UUCBham! Winn Chatham, and the strategic planning work group (Anthony Hamley, Marlene Ricker, Marcia Clifton, Tara Bawden, Susan Cockrell, Diane Tucker, Sam Guss, and Lone Broussard [ex officio])
All Church Yard Sale - Saturday April 30 !!!! "Mark your calendars and save your stuff for the All-Church Spring-Cleaning Yard Sale, on Saturday April 30, 2011. Yes here's your chance to finally clean out that hall closet. Would you really like to re-gift some Christmas presents? Bring anything and everything that is cluttering up your life (except for livestock and strange relatives) down to the church during the week of April 26 - 29. This includes trash and treasures, clothes and cars, furniture and food processors, toys, trinkets, and trombones. Then on Saturday April 30 come back to peruse all the cool stuff your fellow church members have cast off. And bring friends, neighbors, and strange relatives because this sale is open to the public and we want to get as many people to in the doors as possible. If you can help with the yard sale please contact Jack Throp or Jim Albea. Jack Throp jackthrop@gmail.com 879-6306 or Jim Albea jim@civilian.org 807-8165
Sanctuary Art Exhibit Stories to Be Told
Our sanctuary artist for March and April is Jane Marshall, a narrative artist whose art is rich with animal and nature themes. Her exhibit includes prints and original color reduction woodcuts on rice paper. Jane is offering a gallery talk on THIS Sunday, March 27th from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. in the Reading Room, followed by a reception in the sanctuary. Price list is on the lectern at the rear of the church. To purchase, make checks payable
to "Jane Marshall" and leave in the envelope inside the lectern. A portion of the proceeds benefits the church. To see more of her work click on this link:
http://www.gracechosygallery.com/GraceChosyGallery_pages/GraceChosyGallery_artistimages_folder/GraceChosyGallery_artistimages_Marshall.htm
WANT TO MEET A 21st CENTURY PILGRIM? What Is the Unitarian Universalist Living Legacy Pilgrimage? On April 17, 2011 the pilgrimage of about 35 UUs will begin in Birmingham, Alabama guided by Rev. Gordon Gibson and his wife Judy. These are individuals from across the United States who are interested in equality and justice issues. They hope to gain new insights on ways to address the barriers to justice and equality in the 21st Century by exploring the rich history of the Civil Rights Movement in the South and meeting those still alive who were involved in the Movement and those who struggle in these arenas today. They will be visiting historical sites in Birmingham, Marion, Selma, Montgomery, and various sites in Mississippi. Rev. Gibson was a UU minister in Jackson Mississippi in the 1960s and currently lives in Knoxville, Tenn. The Justice Committee and our church will be their host for dinner and a sharing session on Sunday evening, April 17 at 7:15 pm. to 9:30pm How can you be involved? Be part of the host team in several ways:
Bring a contribution of a meat, vegetable or salad for the dinner Be with us to help in serving the food to our guest Assist in setting up the tables in the" dining room" Stay and help clean up afterward Be a greeter Be here to listen and share your insight-- --example what is it like to live in a city with a proud heritage of standing up successfully for justice in spite of the resistance? If you were here in the 1960s share your experiences of what it was like for UUs and others This will be a volunteer opportunity you will not forget because this group of dedicated pilgrims will also have stories to share! Call now Church Administrator Kim Shoemaker 945-8109 or respond by email to her. Let her know how you will be involved. This is an important way to tell our story and highlight our UU heritage in Birmingham in ways that will be remembered by those from other parts of the U.S. Several people who have been affiliated with our church in the past will be traveling with the group. They are Rev .Richard Speck and his wife Janet Tilman, and Jim Hobart, son of our first UU minister, Alfred Hobart. Note Website for UU Living Legacy, Pilgrimage
http://www.uulivinglegacy.org/
FROM THE JUSTICE COMMITTEE (Bob Dyck, Chair, Rev. 03-24-11) 1. UUCB Legislative Priorities for 2011: Lobby Day, Montgomery, March 31. The most immediately pressing bill is HB56, an Arizona-style immigration bill that would legalize racial profiling by police, make it a crime to
knowingly transport an illegal immigrant (even to the doctor or a grocery store), and require employers to use
specified verification systems to ensure new employees are authorized to work in the US. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Mickey Hammon (Decatur) has passed a House committee and is ready for vote by the full House. Rep. Merika Coleman and former Attorney General/Governor Don Siegelman, together with Rev. Fred Hammond (UU Pastor, Tuscaloosa), and our own Helen Rivas have spoken publicly against it. This legislation harks back to the
civil rights issues of the 60s. Please call your legislative representatives to let them know your strong opposition to this bill. In addition to immigration fairness, UUCB’s other priority issues include adequacy of the budget, grocery tax reform, equal pay for women, public transit, worker savings incentives (IDA program), BP reimbursements, and
the death penalty moratorium. Alabama Arise flyers on these issues are displayed on the Justice table in the Narthex.
The Justice Committee is organizing an urgent carpool for all UUCB members and friends who can participate. Please contact Bob Dyck right away at bobdyck@vt.edu or 991-9890 and let him know if you can participate or drive. We will leave from the UUCB parking lot at 7:30 am on Thursday, March 31. While traveling, we would
like to talk with anyone not already involved with the Justice Committee about their interests in joining us in the justice arena. Lobby Day begins with registration at 9:30 am and a briefing, by AL Arise, for all assembled lobbyists, at 10 am in the Capitol Auditorium. A sack lunch will be furnished at noon to all those who attend the Arise membership meeting. The press conference will be held at 1:00 pm and the meeting will adjourn at 1:30 pm. 2. Contributions to Japan Relief. As you know, Japan’s triple disaster has made relief contributions urgent. While
the UUA-UUSC Japan Relief Fund is a viable option, breaking information from Sharron Swain and her friend at Interaction, a coalition of relief and development NGOs for whom Sharron used to work, indicate that the relief agency of choice is the Japanese Red Cross. UUSC is one of its member agencies. Joel Charney, vice-president for humanitarian policy and practice at Inter-Action, stated in a recent New York Times post: “In this situation, donating cash to reputable organizations with Japanese partners able to turn this
cash into emergency assistance is the best way to respond… The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCRCS) is a reputable organization that includes the Japanese Red Cross Society as a member. Donations to the American Red Cross will be forwarded to the Japanese Red Cross Society.” Please go to the Red Cross website where you will find an online donation form for the Japan Earthquake and
Pacific Tsunami that will accept your credit card. The minimum donation amount is $10. Thanks so much for your assistance!
From the Committee on Ministry
The Committee on Ministry’s mission is to evaluate the shared ministry of the congregation and the minister of the UUCB. A shared ministry comprises the work of the members of the congregation, the standing committees of the church and the efforts of the minister. In addition, in concert with Rev. Broussard, we will continue to guide the work related to the covenant which began last year. As we go through this church year, we hope you will share your thoughts with us. We need to learn what works and what needs improvement in our shared ministry. You are encouraged to share your thoughts with any of the committee members. You can recognize us by our salmon-colored nametags. Please note that while we cannot accept anonymous comments, any that we receive will remain confidential within our committee. Committee on Ministry members for 2010-2011 are:
Juanzetta Flowers, Chair; Andy Duxbury, Vice-Chair; Tan Crochen, Mary Williams, Dale Hogeland, Winn Chatham, and Anthony Hamley, who serves as the transition member from last year. We welcome your input to our mission. Contact Juanzetta Flowers or any member of the Committee on Ministry if you have any questions or if you want to volunteer to be a part of this process.
From The Armed Services Welcoming Committee seeks to reach out to veterans, family and friends of veterans, to welcome them to a spiritual home and ensure that they are needed, wanted and accepted at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham. We will do so first through in-reach within our own congregation and afterwards through outreach to our broader community. For more information, contact samguss@gmail.com
From the Flower Committee
The flower committee is seeking new members. No experience required. Contact chair.flower@uucbham.org if you’d like to be part of this fun committee.
UUCB has a facebook page!! To find it, just search for UU Birmingham.
Please click on "Like," and off you go. Tell your friends! The page is in its beginning stages, so let us know what the page should offer. Please send any positive feedback or ideas for improvement to Donald at extant4@hotmail.com.
Podcasts of recent sermons are available at www.uucbpodcast.net.
It is exciting that as of 10:00 pm on Nov
10th, there have been 2000 downloads of UUCB sermons since mid June.
~Please remember to go through the church office to schedule all meetings and/or events held at the church. Thanks, Kim! To see all scheduled meetings/events at the church go to: http://uucbham.org/calendar.shtml
~*~
UPCOMING EVENT
Greg Mortenson will be speaking at Samford University in April.
Greg Mortenson, with author David
Oliver Relin, in the 2006 wrote the bestseller Three Cups of Tea. He has continued the story in a second book,
Stones Into Schools. Author Greg Mortenson Monday, April 11, 7:00pm Leslie S. Wright Fine Arts Center, Samford University Admission Tickets: $22
All Tickets include a $2 convenience fee, and web purchases incur an additional $1 per ticket fee Samford Faculty, Staff and Students are FREE with ID. Group Tickets are available at the Box Office or by phone at 205-726-2615. Group prices are $14 for groups of 10-24, and $17 for groups of 25 or more. Group tickets are not available online. URL is: http://events.samford.edu/default.aspx?id=19086&view=event&event_id=14836&res_id=279757&y=2011&m=4& d=11