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 11, 2011. ~*~
-Darryl & Gina Nickles Hunt
This Sunday, March 13, 2011 “For the Beauty of this Earth�
The Reverend Lone Jensen Broussard Our seventh principle is to honor the interdependent web of which we are a part. From the very beginning of Unitarianism in this country Nature's God was honored. This Sunday we will celebrate spring and ask a question that still has relevance today: Where do we find the sacred? Shall we honor creation or only the creator? And why does it matter?
2011 STEWARDSHIP DRIVE UNDERWAY If you haven't picked up your packet of stewardship materials yet, you can get it immediately following this Sunday's service.
After March 13th, the packets will be mailed out to remaining members and friends. Please complete all the paperwork, including the 2011-2012 pledge form and software task force survey, and return as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Susan Silvernail, Stewardship Chair
Join the Stewardship Circle! If you would like a chance to talk about the future of Religious Education at UUCB and examine your own commitment to the program, please attend a discussion circle to be held on Sunday, March 27th, after the service, in the Volker Room. This special discussion will be led by Anthony Hamley.
Refreshments provided.
What's Happening in Religious Education for Children and Youth? 1. Please be sure your children have coins to contribute to the giant jar in the Narthex as part of our Stewardship Campaign!
2. If you have not yet picked up your Stewardship Packet, please do so on Sunday. 3. While it takes a few minutes to fill in, the data sheets for the software committee and the Pastoral Care sheet (for the minister's eyes only) contain extremely important information that will help us all take better care of each other. Please do sit down with a cup of coffee, tea, cocoa, or hey, even a glass of wine, to fill yours in. Then bring on Sunday and turn in so you can check that off your list. ON THE PASTORAL CARE SHEET, somehow we all forgot to include a line about what provisions you have made for your minor children in the event of your
untimely death. Not a pleasant thing to think about, but super-important! Please turn the sheet over and write this information on the back. PLEASE make sure that your family has a will with legal guardians specified for your child(ren). If you have not yet done this, please talk with the DRE, who can provide more information.
4. We truly hope that all of our Religious Education Families will find a way to make a monthly pledge to support the health and well-being of this congregation that gives us so much. Details in your stewardship packet. Take the time to fill this in and make a commitment. It matters more than you know!! 5. This month's UU Zoo Play Date has been postponed until March 26th due to Spring Break.
6. 8th through 12th graders will not have class this week or next week due to Spring Break. They can either
attend the service or speak with the DRE at the RE Welcome Table to determine a classroom downstairs where they can assist. 7. Parents of 3, 4, and 5-year olds, we need your help. Please check the sign-in sheet downstairs in the classroom and volunteer for at least one Sunday. All you have to do is stay in the classroom on that day and help where needed. Thanks!
8. 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).
9. 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 from 9-10 in Room 114 downstairs. All are welcome. No experience needed. 2. The latest round of the New UU Class continues this month, with two after-church sessions led by Chauma Smith Guss and Sam Guss. This Sunday, March 13th will be in the High School Room from 12-2. 3. In April, Rev. Broussard will be leading a "Bible Study for Religious Liberals" class entitled "Conversations with the Bible." It will take place in the Reading Room (114) downstairs, beginning April 4th from 7-8:30 pm on a series of 5 Monday evenings. Interested? E-mail Sharron Swain at dre@uucbham.org as soon as possible to reserve your spot!
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!
Share The Plate for this Sunday Our STP recipient this month will be World of Opportunity (WOO), an old friend of ours that has worked in the Birmingham community for 10 years. Serving about 400 individuals a year, WOO provides GED classes, Patient Care Assistant classes, literacy and other adult education classes. Find out more at www.worldofopportunitywoo.com.
From the Justice Committee The Sherman Heights Food Collaborative, with assistance from Teri Wright, will start providing mostly locally grown, fresh nutritious fruits & veggies to UUCB members and friends, starting Sunday, March 6th, Teri will start taking orders, then have the orders filled on Sunday, March 20th, the first day of Spring. This program will help participating DHR kids (now living in Sherman Heights), will provide a discount to clients for the products
available just outside the church on Sundays, will help Jay Craig in his community development effort with local gardens in Sherman Heights (Ensley), and will assist Teri with a small stipend (5% percent of which she will return each year to the UUCB Justice restricted fund). Please call Teri Wright at 243-6436 if you are interested in this program. She is looking for people who would like to sign up for food baskets on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
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 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
From the Kitchen Committee A GIGANTIC
THANK YOU to Destiny and the High Schoolers for their help in getting out
First Sunday Lunch this week. You're JUST TOO AWESOME for words!!!!! Thank You for All your help. Elisa Aboatiyeh, Kitchen Chair
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
th
10 , there have been 2000 downloads of UUCB sermons since mid June.
Upcoming Sermons: Sunday, March 20th - "On luck, chance and finding comfort in an unpredictable universe."
Since this is close to St Patrick's Day you may choose to wear green. Yes, we might mention the luck of the Irish. But the service requires no special attire or attitude. It is about survival and the amazing resilience of the human spirit in the face of an immense Universe.
~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
Don’t forget to do this‌
Set your clocks one hour ahead at 2 a.m. Saturday Night!!! 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