2008: | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan |2007: | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan |
April 2008 • top
April 6, 2008 – “‘Beyond Viet Nam’ Revisited”
On the Sunday nearest the anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, members of UUFS will offer a response to Vicky’s 2008 MLK birthday sermon, “What Would Martin Do?” George Santayana said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” We know this to be true and yet why do the same old lies work time after time, war after war, with only the names and locations and dates changing?
Wenshen Wang, et al preaching.
Worship Associate: Terry Grant
April 13, 2008 – “Living Through Life’s Contortions”
When you find your spirit is twisted like a pretzel, how do you reconnect to your roots and wings? Alexandra McGee will discuss wisdom from the yoga tradition, with a perspective on how UUs can respect its origins in Hinduism. Alex is a 3rd year student at Starr King School for the Ministry, soon to complete her Masters of Divinity with a focus on Sanskrit, chaplaincy, and Hindu theology. Practicing yoga since 1989, she has taught in corporations, churches, gyms, eco-villages, country clubs, and a prison.
Alexandra McGee, preaching.
Worship Associate: Marge Goka
April 20, 2008 – “Is There Time Enough to Save the Earth for the Children?”
For many of us the Earth is inherently sacred, not sacred merely by virtue of its creation by some transcendent invisible male god as fundamentalist Christianity would have it (when not considered outright evil as a consequence of “the fall”), but inherently sacred as part and parcel of the cosmic dance of life. On this Earth Day Sunday we’ll examine to what possible stellar ministry this inspiration may lead UUFS (see minister’s column for a preview) J.
Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching.
Worship Associate: Charlie Ahern
April 27, 2008 – “Making Peace: A Reflection on the UUA’s Current Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI)”
"...should the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) reject the use of any and all kinds of violence and war...and adopt a principle of seeking just peace through nonviolent means?" The CSAI is a question, not a statement. It is meant to engage congregations in deep discussion that will seek solutions that encompass all truths.
Charlie Ahern, preaching.
Worship Associate: Howard Baldwin
March 2008 • top
March 2, 2008 – “The Angel, the Devil and the Soothsayer: Oracles of the Listening Circles”
The archetypes will join us to relay the wisdom gleaned from the Listening Circles. Dare you join us? Listening Circle Results and Vision Budget will be presented.
Worship Associate: Howard Baldwin
March 9, 2008 – “Making History”
On March 4th, sixty years after the 1948 CA Supreme Court decision made it possible for people of different races to legally marry in California, the CA Supreme Court will hear the oral arguments in the marriage equality case for same sex couples. At the same time, religious conservatives are gathering signatures to amend the CA constitution to prohibit same sex couples from marrying. Guest minister, the Rev. Lindi Ramsden, Executive Director of the UU Legislative Ministry, will examine how human rights become part of the fabric of society, and the role of communities of faith in such social change.
Worship Associate: Charlie Ahern.
Forum: Lindi will offer in depth discussion of this coming year’s UULM initiatives on marriage equality, climate change, and health care.
March 16, 2008 – “Co-Creating the Transformational Church”
A spiritual community is at its very best when it contributes to radical transformation in a person’s life, when it deepens one’s awareness of her/his authentic self, when it both challenges and enables a person to live a life of “compassion and service” as it reads on the UUFS order of service each Sunday. What would it take to do that? Have we met the challenge?
Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching.
Worship Associate: Gary Hartz
March 23, 2008 – “Jesus, the Ever Dying, Ever Rising God”
Only rarely does the Christian celebration of Easter fall so very near the vernal equinox celebration known as Eostar (alternately Ostara), so named for the Saxon Great Mother Goddess. The ancient universal honoring of rebirth after death in the great circle of life is a precious experience and we shall honor it this day.
Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching.
Worship Associate: Gary Hartz
March 30, 2008 – “Commitment Sunday: Funding “A Vision in Action.”
Join us as we gather to celebrate and proclaim our financial commitment to our “Community of Compassion and Service.” Let us “gladly bring to this community and its wide concerns a portion of our bounty” with laughter and celebration.
Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching.
Worship Associate: Gary Hartz.
February 2008 • top
February 24, 2008 – Spiritual Practice: Just What Do UUs Do?
Speaker(s): Rev. Dr. Deane Oliva, Guest Speaker; Gary Hartz, Worship AssociateTopic: Orientation classes for new Unitarian Universalists help us to formulate our personal beliefs, they do not address the next question, “What do UUs do?” For some of us, finding ways to nourish our faith is a journey of discovery. Join us as we explore some of the rituals, activities and exercises that can provide spiritual sustenance. UUFS Choir will sing at this service.
February 17, 2008 – “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching. Terry Grant, Worship AssociateTopic: On this Sunday following St. Valentine’s Day we’ll take a close look at love, that often used, abused and trivialized word. Has our culture’s “romantic ideal” set us up for failure? Whence cometh our guidance for intimate relationships? Come humming your favorite love song and let’s pay Valentine (Eros?) his due this Sunday.
February 10, 2008 – “Scout’s Honor? Or Scout’s Shame?”
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs and Ann Hepenstal, preaching;
Howard Baldwin, Worship AssociateTopic: On June 28, 2000, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that the Boy Scouts of America could discriminate against gay scout leaders. In recognition of the Feb. 8th founding of BSA, we’ll take a close look at this organization and its stated policies against both gays and atheists, consider how BSA helps institutionalize and promote homophobia and a narrow theism in our society, and examine how this conflicts with some of our most treasured Unitarian Universalist values.
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preachingTopic: Imbolc, the ancient feast of the Celtic Goddess Brigid is traditionally, among other things, a time of weather prognostication. So what do our groundhogs (scientists) have to say about the weather? As you know, it ain’t pretty. With poetry, song and inspiration we’ll see if we’ll take a peak into Brigid’s sacred well to divine what our Earth asks of us.
January 2008 • top
January 27, 2008 – Saving the Earth for the Children
Speaker(s): Children in the UUFS Religious Education program
Creators, Speaks, and Worship Associate
Director of Religious Education (DRE), Patty Petrie, facilitatorTopic: Saving the Earth for the Children is a service planned and conducted by the children in the UUFS Religious Education program.
Patty Petrie noted in the UUFS newsletter: "We look forward to the Sunday Service on January 27. The children are creating it and have chosen their theme "Who Will Save the Earth for the Children?" The children have a keen awareness of what needs to be done and what is do–able. Their choice was a thought–out one."
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Starhawk at UUFS January 27, 2008!!!
By Vicky Combs
We are delighted to announce that Starhawk will be speaking at UUFS today. Please mark your calendar and plan to join up for this very special event.
On her website Starhawk describes herself as "author of many works celebrating the Goddess movement and Earth-based, feminist spirituality. I’m a peace, environmental, and global justice activist and trainer, a permaculture designer and teacher, a Pagan and Witch." While I admire her humility, it could easily be argued that Starhawk has done more than perhaps any other living person to bring back the religion of the Great Goddess, to restore to human religious consciousness the restorative power of the Divine Feminine. And certainly, no other author has had a greater influence on my spiritual development and identity.
In the latest major international climate report (recently reported on National Public Radio) scientists say they were wrong in their previous predictions; the situation is worse than their earlier models had shown. We have but 8-10 years to make a dramatic shift in CO2 deposits in the atmosphere before a self-perpetuating climate warming cycle will kick in. Starhawk has devoted the greater part of her life to raising awareness about this crisis and what we must do to address it. She will speak to us about her response, Earth Activist Training (EAT, for short) www.earthactivisttraining.org, and invite us to both participate in one of these life transforming events and/or give generously to support it. I so hope you can join us.
Outreach Offering: UUFS’s collections during February will be donated to Starhawk’s non-profit organizations "Earth Activist Training" and "Marda", a permaculture farm in the West Bank.
Please join Starhawk following the service to discuss how to save the planet, and what you can do to help. Please give generously to support this worthy cause.
============================================January 20, 2008 – What Shall We Live For?
Speaker(s): Laila Ibrahim, Ministerial Settlement Representative
of theUnitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
Rev. Vicky Combs, Worship AssociateTopic: Dedicating ourselves to a religious path requires a leap of faith. With our congregation in the midst of a major transition it can be hard to hold onto what brought us here in the first place. A time of spiritual crisis can be an opportunity to deepen our commitment to our faith.
Laila Ibrahim is the Ministerial Settlement Representative of our national Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
The service will be followed by a presentation on the search process, with a question and answer period.After Service: Important Bi-Annual UUFS Business Meeting: open official business meeting in the chapel from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This will include a presentation on the search for a settled minister process, with a question and answer period.
============================================IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR UUFS MEMBERS
The semi-annual UUFS Congregational Business Meeting will start at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, January 20, 2008, in the chapel.
There will be important topics on the agenda, relating both to the search for a new minister and to proposed changes in the by-laws.
We need a quorum for the meeting, so please mark your calendars.
Howard Baldwin, Secretary of the Board of Trustees
============================================January 13, 2008 – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Birthday CelebrationSpeaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs & Bill Scott preaching
Howard Baldwin, Worship Associate
Carolyn Scott, guest soloistTopic: Weapons of Mass Destruction—WWMD? If it’s possible to ask what would Jesus do about this or that, then surely we can extrapolate, based on his voluminous writings, how Dr. King might respond to the crises facing us.
After Service: Outreach Offering Forum: Our speaker is Dan Hafeman, Garden Manager, Full Circle Farm, which is an 11 acre farm being developed in Sunnyvale on excess land from the Santa Clara School District. The district overlaps into Sunnyvale. UUFS’s Sunday Service collections in January will be donated to Full Circle Farm. Please give generously to support this worthy cause. Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM in classroom #2.
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Full Circle Farm needs your help. An 11 acre Organic farm is being created at Peterson Middle School. If you want to help volunteer in this project check out their website at www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org or call Program Director Liz Liles-Snyder at 650-283-9360 (and tell them that you heard about this through UUFS!!!)
============================================January 6, 2008 – Wild and Precious Life
Speaker(s): UUFS members, speaking; Marge Goka, Worship AssociateTopic: Join us as a UUFS member from each decade of life, from the 20 somethings to the 80 somethings, share what they shall do and/or have done with their one wild and precious life.
After Service: Forum preparing us for the Jan. 20, business meeting: open preparation meeting in the chapel, 11:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m. Howard Baldwin will be preparing us for the business meeting scheduled for January 20. The Capital Campaign will be one of the items on the agenda.
============================================Update on Capital Campaign
by Howard Baldwin, Chair, Capital Campaign CommitteeAs we welcome new visitors, attracted by the UUA marketing campaign, it’s clear that we started our capital campaign none too soon. As chair of the Capital Campaign Committee, I wanted to update the congregation on our progress to date.
To recap, we currently have a fund of $325,000 set aside for the purchase of property. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to authorize the Capital Campaign Committee to raise an additional $675,000 over the next five years. Our goal is to have a $1,000,000 down payment on an appropriate property.
Here’s what’s happened since the BOT’s vote.
Committee Formed. I am delighted to report that long-time members Gary Hartz, Bob Lawson, and Dick Wentz agreed to join me on the committee. Together we represent decades of experience in dealing with UUFS issues. After November, however, Gary will be focusing on the annual canvass, so if you’re interested in working on the Capital Campaign Committee, please let me know.
By-Laws Amendment Formulated. In order to establish a capital campaign, we are required to amend our by-laws so that it is clear how and why we’re raising this money. Kudos to Bob Lawson for creating the amendment that we’ll vote on at the January 20 business meeting.
Brochure. The committee is finalizing a brochure describing the goals of the campaign and how members can best contribute — even in ways that give them a lifetime annuity in return for a contribution!
Forums. We have scheduled a forum for Sunday, January 6th, to hear people’s ideas and questions about the capital campaign, its goals, and its interim activities.
In the meantime, if you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact Howard.
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2007 December top December Outreach Offering: UUFS’s collections will be donated to EHC LifeBuilders. Everyone deserves a decent place to live, but in Santa Clara County , more than 20,000 men, women, and children experience homelessness annually. EHC LifeBuilders is a leading provider of shelter, housing opportunities and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness or those at risk in our community. Please join EHC LifeBuilders following the service on December 2 nd to discuss homelessness in our community, the struggles and challenges of homelessness, and what you can do to help.December 30, 2007 – Beginner’s Mind
Speaker(s): Seminarians Lynn Kelly and Wendy Bartel, leadingTopic: How might we begin 2008 envisioning more possibilities? How might we, individually and/or collectively, set down our baggage that keeps us stuck? Please join seminarians Lynn Kelly and Wendy Bartel for a worship service including music, reflection, and a burning bowl ritual of release.
December 24, 2007 – Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Monday evening, Dec. 24, in the chapelSpeaker(s): Monday Evening Christmas Eve Candlelight ServiceTopic: Traditional carols, scripture readings and celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. Time: TBA. Our Christmas Eve offering will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
December 23, 2007 – Moderation Amidst the Merriment
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching; Howard Baldwin, Worship AssociateTopic: When it is supposed to be fulfilling, the holiday season can be incredibly draining — in terms of emotions, stamina, and finances.
In this sequel to Rev. Vicky Combs’ November 25th sermon, "If This Is Consumer Orgy Sunday, It Must Be the Holidays," Vicky and Howard Baldwin, talk about finding the true meaning of the holidays in the middle of what may seem like madness.
December 20, 2007 – Winter Solstice Ritual
Thursday, Dec. 20, 7:00 PM in the chapelSpeaker(s): Thursday Evening Winter Solstice RitualTopic: Join us in celebrating the turning of the wheel. What will you leave behind in the darkness this season? What will be reborn?
December 16, 2007 – “Oh, Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel”
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching; Howard Baldwin, Worship AssociateTopic: In this, the Christian season of Advent, we will ask ourselves for what exactly it is that we are waiting. Oddly enough, perhaps the Hopi elders and first millennia Christianity have the answer.
After Service: Annual Christmas Carol Sing: Please join us following the service for our annual Christmas carol sing hosted by UUFS board member, Virginia Shea, and her husband Andrew Mendelsohn. Starts 30 minutes after service ( 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM) in the chapel.
December 9, 2007 – Celebrating Community in a Time of Transition
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching; Gary Hartz, Worship AssociateTopic: Join us as we welcome new members to the UUFS community and examine what helps create and maintain healthy, vibrant community in these times.
December 2, 2007 – Annual Buddhist Meditation Service
Speaker(s): Seung Hong and Gary Hartz, Worship Associates, with Rev. Vicky CombsTopic: In this quiet service we will hear meditative music, practice both Zen and Vipassana meditation, and hear a recording from the famous Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. Please join us for a time of letting go mentally and spiritually.
After Service: Outreach Offering Forum: Join Hilary Barroga from EHC LifeBuilders following the service to discuss homelessness in our community. Starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM until 12:30 PM. See more details below.
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Forum: UUFS’ December collections go to EHC LifeBuilders.
Join Hilary Barroga from EHC LifeBuilders following the service to discuss homelessness in our community.
Everyone deserves a decent place to live, but in Santa Clara County , more than 20,000 men, women, and children experience homelessness annually. EHC LifeBuilders is a leading provider of shelter, housing opportunities and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness or those at risk in our community. In 2005, EHC LifeBuilders hosted a forum at UUFS about homelessness and several of our members have volunteered in various capacities, including Charlie Ahern who sits on EHC’s Board of Directors.
Please join EHC LifeBuilders following the service to discuss homelessness in our community, the struggles and challenges of homelessness, and what you can do to help. And please give generously during the month of December to support this worthy cause.
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2007 November top November Outreach Offerings: go to Friends Outside a nonprofit community based organization that has provided programs and service to families and individuals involved in the criminal justice system since 1955. They believe in respect, the capacity of human beings to change; and the importance of the family and the community in responsible and capable people.
November 25, 2007 – If Today is Consumer Orgy Sunday,
This Must Be the HolidaysSpeaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching; Charlie Ahern, Worship AssociateTopic: So do we need a 12 step program to free us from the orgy of consumerism that the winter holidays bring? Let’s look at some ways to liberate ourselves from an addiction that is killing us, literally and figuratively.
November 18, 2007 – The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Annual UUSC Guest at Your Table Fundraising Kickoff.Speaker(s): Atema Eclai, preaching; Gary Hartz, Worship AssociateTopic: Last year donations from UUFS to UUSC totaled over $16,000, once matching grants were factored in. How has our generosity made a difference? To help answer that question, we are privileged to have Atema Eclai as our guest speaker. She is UUSC Director of Programs and has worked around the world on issues of conflict resolution, negotiation, microcredit, health, genital mutilation, and participatory quality education. She has chaired sessions at the U.N. women’s conferences in Nairobi and Beijing and has facilitated many international meetings. Atema was also a chief facilitating team member for Women Waging Peace, an initiative of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
November 11, 2007 – “Support Our Troops?” Definition, please.
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching with Worship Associate, Terry Grant.Topic: On this Veterans Day we’ll try to hang some meat on the bones of that ever so manipulative phrase, “Support Our Troops.” If we were to truly do that, what would it look like?
After Service: Prison Reform Forum: There will be a forum on prison reform. It will feature Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, 22nd district. A question and answer period will follow. Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
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Forum for Sunday, November 11, 11:30 a.m.
Assemblywoman Sally Lieber
The state of California spends more money on prisons that it spends on education. Come learn more about the need for prison reform in our state. Please join us at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11 for a Forum with Assemblywoman Sally Lieber discussing her two bills currently in the State Assembly, AB 76 and 77, Women’s Prison Reform and Probation Reform and Alternative Sentencing.
============================================November 5, 2007 – Monday 7 PM – Samhain Ritual
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, leadingTopic: Join us as we trance to the Isle of Apples and dance the spiral dance of rebirth.
This year the Celtic feast of Samhain occurs at 11:13a.m. PST on November 7th. When the veil between the worlds is at its very thinnest we will welcome the spirits of our beloved dead.
November 4, 2007 – A UU Pilgrimage to South Africa!
Speaker(s): Pilgrimage group members, speaking; Bob Miess, volunteer worship associateTopic: A Unitarian Universalist Pilgrimage to South Africa! This past Summer a group of youth and adults from the First Unitarian Church in San José took a pilgrimage to South Africa to learn and to serve. Some members and friends of UUFS helped by providing shoes or money to purchase shoes for people in Lesotho. Come share some of their experience and their learning in a moving worship service. Bob Miess will serve as a volunteer worship associate.
2007 October top October 28, 2007 – All Hallows/El Dia de Los Muertes:
Remembering Our Beloved DeadSpeaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preachingTopic: Bring mementos or photos of your beloved dead, either those lost this past year or previously and we will create together our altar of remembrance. Let us honor the memories of our beloved dead in the last of the three harvest festivals.
Outreach Offerings: go to the Support Network for Battered Women in Mountain View.
October 21, 2007 – Gardens - Products or Compassion?
{October liturgy focused on the theme of vision & mission.}Speaker(s): Peter J. Olandt, Guest speakerTopic: Peter J. Olandt, is a third year student at Starr King School for the Ministry with a background in molecular biology and organic farming. In this liturgy Pete will explore what it is we really want out of our lives, our church, and our world through the lens of the plants in our backyards.
Outreach Offerings: go to the Support Network for Battered Women in Mountain View.
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Remember Larry Lynch and the Sunshine Mountain Band fund raising concert this afternoon!!! Are you ready to have some fun?What: Sunshine Mountain Band Benefit Concert for UUFS
When: This Sunday, Oct 21, 2007, 2pm - 5pm
Where: UUFS Chapel, 1112 S Bernardo Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Description: This is a benefit concert for UUFS given by Sunshine Mountain Band. Larry Lynch, a member of UUFS, plays in this band. They will play a mix of Bluegrass, Vintage Country and Western Swing. The group consists of local country/bluegrass music veterans that perform at music festivals in Northern California and are regulars at Sam’s BBQ in San Jose.
Flyer: UUFS Benefit Concert by Sunshine Mountain Band (pdf)
Bring yourself, your family, and your friends.
============================================October 14, 2007 – Now Is the Time: Association Sunday.
{October liturgy focused on the theme of vision & mission.}Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching with Worship Associate, Howard Baldwin.Topic: Celebrate our liberal faith as it is lived out in our association of congregations.
In an effort not to proselytize have we gone to the other extreme and hid our light under a bushel baske? As UUs we stand in a long line of reformers who helped make this world a better place. To what great acts of courage does this time in history call us? Will we rise to the occasion?
The offering from this service will go in its entirety to the UUA to fund, in part, the first national advertising campaign (done in conjunction with Time Magazine) in 50 years! No more bushel basket for us!! Now is the time to share our liberal faith with others. Our world needs it. (More below:)
Outreach Offerings: October 14 Association Sunday Nationwide, a special collection will be taken in UU churches to support the UUA’s growth and outreach projects.
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National UU Marketing Campaign
Coincides with Bay Area Campaign!By Bob Miess, Hospitality and Member Involvement Consultant
Rev. Bill Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), recently announced some exciting news. The UUA is launching the first national marketing campaign for Unitarian Universalism in fifty years! Beginning in early October, as part of an effort to offer the good news of our faith to the larger world, the Unitarian Universalist Association will begin a partnership with Time Magazine and their website, time.com.
This partnership will include:
Customized information on time.com directing users to specially designed pages on our national Unitarian Universalist Association website, http://www.UUA.org.
- Print ads in Time Magazine
- "Advertorials" - printed material that promotes Unitarian Universalism and directs readers to a web archive of Time articles focusing on current religious and ethical issues
============================================October 7th, 2007 – To Take a Dream and Make It Real:
The Lessons of Saturn in Times of Transition
{October liturgy focused on the theme of vision & mission.}Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preachingTopic: We will take to heart the chant "Weave and spin, weave and spin, that’s the way the work begins. Mend and heal, mend and heal, take a dream and make it real." So you want a home of your own, do you? Join us for a look at the fears that hold us back from having what we deeply desire and share in the challenge of overcoming them. Life is a risky business best lived in the company of those who encourage you to go for it!!
Outreach Offerings: go to the Support Network for Battered Women in Mountain View.
2007 September top September 30, 2007 – The Magic and Mystery of Friendship
Speaker(s): Led by the members of the Tuesday evening Covenant GroupTopic: The Tuesday Evening Covenant Group shares how they aim to listen deeply, share honestly and respect one another’s views in order to support their spiritual journeys through life.
Please join the eleven members of this small ministry as they share their thoughts, feelings, music, magic and insights into the Covenant Group experience.
Covenant Group members will be available after the service, during refreshments, to answer questions if you are interested in being part of a covenant group.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Informal Sermon Topic Forum starts after service at 11:00 AM to 11:30 PM during coffee, refreshments and conversation outside the Chapel.
September 23, 2007 – Finding and Keeping Our Balance;
a Fall Equinox CelebrationSpeaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, Interim Minister, preaching;
Worship Associate, Marge GokaTopic: At 2:52 this morning as the sun entered Libra day and night was, for a fleeting moment, in perfect balance. Ah, what a metaphor for our busy lives, wherein those times of light and darkness wax and wane unceasingly! Let us reflect together on what that might mean for us individually and UUFS collectively.
September 16, 2007 – Becoming a Treasure Seeking Devotee of Janus
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, preaching; Worship Associate, Terry GrantTopic: The Roman God Janus is depicted as looking both backward and forward. He is the deity of beginnings and endings who only later, scholars say, came to be associated with doorways.
A congregation’s search for a new settled minister is not simply a transition from one state to the next, but a sacred opportunity for radical transformation and a quantum leap forward… It invariably entails a search for the treasure of a new vision, that "glowing coal" spoken of in the UUA’s settlement handbook.
Let us take a close look at the five Developmental Tasks of Interim ministry as we begin our journey together.
September 9, 2007 – Black Sheep Speaks
Speaker(s): Rev. Vicky Combs, Interim Minister, preaching;
Worship Associates, Gary Hartz & Terri PowellTopic: As a reporter from the Kansas City Star once wrote,
"Vicky Combs says it’s a shorter trip than you might think from good Catholic girl to raging radical feminist lesbian witch to, finally, Unitarian minister and founder of one of the nation’s first Earth-based Unitarian Universalist congregations."So began an article that, Vicky notes, nearly sent her conservative Catholic siblings into apoplexy.
With both laughter and possibly tears (though not necessarily in that order) our new interim minister, the Rev. Vicky Combs, will introduce herself to UUFS with a reflection on the spiritual odyssey that ultimately led her here.
As the Gershwins so prophetically wrote, "The things that you’re liable to read in the Bible, they ain’t necessarily so." Come share a smile.
September 2, 2007 – Labor In the Pulpit
Speaker(s): Interfaith Council Guests speaking on behalf of fair wages,
Worship Associate, Virginia SheaTopic: In recent years, the Interfaith Council of Santa Clara County has sponsored Labor in the Pulpits and scheduled speakers to encourage us to be in solidarity with all workers—particularly low-wage workers.
Interfaith Councils throughout the nation speak to various congregations of different religious traditions in over 130 cities across the nation. Guests will be at our service in order to speak on behalf of fair wages for workers in Santa Clara County.
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting: Phase #2, 11:30-12:30, in the Chapel.After Service: Contact Ministry Meeting: 11:30am in Room #2. We want to establish a calling team that will make a few phone calls each month to make a more personal connection with visitors, and maintaining a personal connection with our members and friends.
2007 August top August 26, 2007 Health Care for All – An Issue of Faith?
Speaker(s): Suzanne M. Marsh, Intern Minister – UU Legislative Ministry in California,
UULM–CA, preaching, with Charlie Ahern, worship associateTopic: Suzanne Marsh is a Unitarian Universalist Candidate for Ministry and is currently serving as the Intern Minister for the UULM–CA, concentrating on organizing for healthcare reform. She is a member of First Unitarian of San Jose and earned an MDiv. from Pacific School of Religion in May 2007.
Why should we as Unitarian Universalists care about Health Care reform? As the debate heats up over what the "best plan" is to deal with our growing crisis here in California, we will explore some of the questions that we must address in the face of this crisis:
How do we understand the role of health in our community and our country?
Is health an individual commodity or a matter of public policy?
How did we get into this situation anyway?
Where do the seventh and the first UU Principles come into play?
How can we best work together for effective change?
Outreach Offering for August
Each month a different local or UU organization receives the offerings from every Sunday service.
Our Sunday Outreach Offering will go to Second Harvest Food Bank. This organization provides food for 162,000 people each month in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. 67% are families with children and 12% are seniors.
August 19, 2007 – Hospitality as a Spiritual Practice
Speaker(s): Summer Minister, Janis Hall-Fuller, preachingTopic: I have been exploring the idea of spiritual practices, like meditation and prayer, as transformational practices. What would hospitality look like if done as a transformational practice?
August 12, 2007 – Harvest of the Gathering
Speaker(s): UUFS Members who attended General AssemblyTopic: Members who attended General Assembly, our national gathering of congregations in June, will share with us the fruits of their experience: stories and insights from their time with over 6000 other UUs.
After Service: Forum "Putting Our Ideas to Work": Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM in the chapel with Bob Miess, facilitating.
August 5, 2007 - In The Shadow of Our Wings
Speaker(s): Rev. Dr. Bonnie Dlott preaching,
with Marge Goka, worship associate;
Patty Petrie & Janis Hall-Fuller leading Children’s Religious EducationTopic: In any given year, 1/4 of our members will suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder involving a degree of incapacity, although you probably won’t know about it.
Today we explore what is meant by the terms "mental health" and "mental illness," the nature of the stigma in our culture surrounding mental health, and possible responses as an inclusive community of faith.
Bonnie was our 2004-05 ministerial intern. After a year of consulting ministry in Napa, in June that congregation voted unanimously to call her.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM in Classroom #2.
2007 July top July 29, 2007 – Who Was That Man?
Speaker(s): Bob Miess preaching with Claire Wright, Worship AssociateTopic: Bob Miess, our Hospitality and Member Involvement Consultant, is also an Associate member of the Westar Institute, an organization dedicated to Religious Literacy, which sponsored the Jesus Seminar.
Bob offers us a glimpse of Jesus’ own provocative "Stories for All Ages," and helps us to experience how shockingly different they might have sounded in Jesus’ own time. Then he will explore their implications for our time.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Forum on the Historical Jesus and Unitarian Universalists, starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM in Classroom #2.
============================================The Historical Jesus and Unitarian Universalists,Bob is an Associate member of the Westar Institute, which is famous for its Jesus Seminar. Bob first encountered the historical Jesus when he read Albert Schweitzer’s "Quest of the Historical Jesus" as a teen-ager. His interest was reinforced when he attended the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminar in Bexley, Ohio, where he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1972. He left the Lutheran ministry three years later, but his interest has endured, and was re-invigorated in 1994 when he became an Associate member of the Westar Institute. For more information about Bob, visit www.creating-context.com. For more information about the Westar Institute, visit www.westarinstitute.com.
Sun, July 29, 11:30 – 1:30 in Room 2 with Bob Miess,
our Hospitality and Member Involvement Consultant
In this forum Bob brings his passion for the historical Jesus and the rich insights available from these studies to an engaging interactive workshop on the historical Jesus, early Christianities, and their value for Unitiarian Universalists. With a sweeping introduction to the last 300 years of historical investigations, Bob will help us to explore the images of Jesus that we and our society carry unconsciously. In the process we will re-discover the meaning that the ancient Christian sources can offer to people of intellectual and spiritual honesty. For questions, contact Bob.
You are invited to bring a lunch dish of your choice to the forum, so we can share a meal in memory of Jesus’ habit of ‘open commensality’ (sharing meals with everyone who comes). Plates, napkins, utensils, and cups will be provided.
========================================================================================Our Outreach Offering recipient on July Sundays is the local Planned Parenthood:Planned Parenthood Mar Monte improves the lives of over 300,000 people annually in 40 counties in mid-California and in Northern Nevada. They reach people through their medical services, education programs, and advocacy initiatives.
Their mission is to ensure that every individual has the knowledge, opportunity, and freedom to make every child a wanted child, and every family a healthy family.
Each month a different local or UU organization receives the offerings from every Sunday service.
============================================July 22, 2007 - Life Is Beautiful:
The Healing Power of LaughterSpeaker(s): UUFS Member - Erica Wang preaching,
with summer minister, Janis Hall-FullerTopic: Feeling funny, blue, bored, down trodden? Is laughter really the best medicine?
Do only fools laugh? Is it possible to lose your innocence but not your hope? How many UU Fellows does it take to...? Join Erica for a serious exploration on the healing power of laughter.
July 15, 2007 — Famous Last Words
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic: Today we say farewell as Roger concludes a decade of service as our settled parish minister and leaves to serve as interim minister at our church in Bloomington, MN.
We’ll sing a hymn with text written by Mark Belletini for our ceremony of ordination of Roger in 1998, and we’ll have snacks and hugs afterwards.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: The Farewell Brunch for Rev. Roger Jones starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM outside of Classroom #6.
============================================Farewell Brunch for Rev. Roger JonesOn July 15, Roger’s last day with UUFS, we will have a potluck brunch right after the service. The brunch will be instead of our usual coffee time and will take place in the outdoor area next to the religious education classrooms.
This event is organized by the Thursday Evening Covenant Group. Bring your famous EGG-BAKE, fabulous FRUIT SALAD, or fare-thee-well STICKY BUNS (!) or other favorite dish and follow the crowd to the Farewell Brunch.
Sign-ups for the potluck begin at church on July 1 and continue on July 8. If you can’t sign-up at church, sign-up by contacting Heather Hyde.
============================================July 9, 2007, Monday night, 7-9 PM, in the chapel
Speaker(s): Sunnyvale Community Health Care Forum at UUFS
The widely acclaimed DVD and a panel of speakersTopic: See the widely acclaimed DVD "The Healthcare Solution: California One Care" and hear a panel of speakers.
Senate Bill 840 is the only plan that will provide every Californian with comprehensive, affordable and guaranteed health insurance coverage.
The campaign is sponsored by The California Teachers Association, The California Nurses Association, California Physicians Alliance, the League of Women Voters and California Alliance for Retired Americans.
July 8, 2007 — Breaking the Mould:
The Vulnerability and Courage of GLBTQ TeenagersSpeaker(s): Guest Speakers from Outlet; Worship Associate: Janis Hall-FullerTopic: Gay Pride Month was celebrated in June. Today, we hear from a few teens who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning. They come from the speakers’ bureau of Outlet.
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting: 11:43am-12:43pm, in the Chapel.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: We will invite our guest speakers to attend the Strawberry Social and food drive at the playground behind the preschool; come greet them!
============================================June Outreach Organization "Outlet"To honor Gay Pride, our June offerings were designated for “Outlet,” a program of the Mountain View Community Health Council. Outlet supports and empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth. UUFS will present a check to Outlet Sunday, July 8, when members of its speakers’ bureau will speak in our worship service. Many such youth face big questions in their lives and great misunderstanding by others as they try to navigate school, friendships, family relationships and their religions in exploring who they are in terms of orientation or gender identity. If you would like to augment this gift, please be in touch with the Treasurer or Office Manager before July 5. Thank you!
============================================July 1, 2007 - The Devil’s Good Deal—Read the Fine Print!
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching; Guest pianist, Martin ManleyTopic: What did Mephistopheles mean when he told Dr. Faustus about hell? Have you been there? This sermon topic was chosen by the winning bidder at the spring Service Auction Fundraiser.
After Service: Newcomers’ Orientation: Visitors! Today is your last chance to attend a Newcomers’ Orientation with Roger Jones! This orientation is for visitors to meet with the ministers in the UUFS Office from 11:30-12:30. Listen for the bell to sound during the social time! Child Care available.
2007 June top June 24, 2007 - Bridges to Healing:
Handling Stress and Finding Strengths in Times of ChangeSpeaker(s): Worship Associates: Janna Mitchell & Patricia FitzgeraldTopic: About the Loss Curve. It isn’t linear. Emotions swing back and forth on the curve.
Where have you been? Where are you today?
Disbelief "This can’t be happening to me"============================================Anger "How can they do this to me?"Self-Blame "How did I let this happen?"Acceptance " I feel good, I am moving forward"Healing "I’m in a better place"============================================
June Outreach Offering:
Outlet Project of Mountain View
This is a program for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Question Youth throughout Silicon Valley.
============================================June 17, 2007 - Beyond Poverty, Beyond Charity:
Lessons Learned in Local Struggles for Worker JusticeSpeaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic: As Rev. Roger Jones ends six years as a board member of the Interfaith Council in Santa Clara County, he outlines the issues and tells of some high points of his recent involvement. Come hear stories of struggle and success in local clergy campaigns for low-wage working families.
Child Dedication.
After Service: Forum: Forum is "Repelling Fewer Visitors" (Also, Wed, June 13, 7-9). Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
June 10, 2007 - Spirituality and Ethics at Work
Speaker(s): Farewell service by Intern Minister Janis Hall-Fuller preaching, with Roger JonesTopic: Have you ever wondered how to do more meaningful work, or felt that your work as an employee, homemaker, or caretaker was undervalued? Do your religious life and your work life seem separate? Let’s take a look at how religion might transform the meaning and value of work.
After Service: Farwell To Janis: Join us after the service as we say farewell to Janis and thank her for a year of learning and serving with us. Listening Circle with Claire Wright from 11:45am – 12:45 pm.
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting: Future Facilities Task Force Phase 2 at 11:48am , in the Chapel.
June 3, 2007 - The Forgotten Virtue: How to Practice it
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching, with Janis Hall-FullerTopic: The experience of reverence is a virtue that transcends most cultures and theologies. Can you feel it?
After Service: Newcomers’ Orientation: Newcomers’ Orientation for visitors to meet with the ministers in the UUFS Office from 11:30-12:30. Listen for the bell to sound during the social time! Child Care available.11:30-12:30, UUFS Office.
After Service: Forum, Membership Committee reflects on March Hospitality Workshop in Palo Alto. All are welcome.
2007 May top May 27, 2007 - Flower Communion, An Intergenerational Service
Speaker(s): Intern Janis Hall-Fuller preachingTopic: Bring a bloom or two to share for this uniquely Unitarian ritual that honors the beauty in each one of us.
Children are encouraged to stay in the chapel for the entire service, but childcare will be available for those who need it.May 20, 2007 - The Anti-Religion Delusion
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones and Janis Hall-Fuller; New Member Ingathering RitualTopic: Recent books calling for the end of religion have cast a best-selling spell on many secularists and religious liberals. Today Roger wrestles with angels of anti-faith.
New Member Ingathering—We recognize new members in a brief ritual today. Contact a minister if you want to know what it means to join a UU congregation.
UUFS Congregational Business Meeting, 11:30-1:30; bring snacks to share.
Today is Christina Ford’s last day as our Child Care professional.After Service: UUFS Congregational Business Meeting: The UUFS Congregational Business Meeting Announcement is below. The meeting starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM in the Chapel, bring snacks to share.
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UUFS Congregational Business Meeting
May 20, 11:30 – 1:30, in the Chapel
Three Board Candidates
Heather Hyde is nominated for a second term; the Board appointed her to fill a vacancy in 2005. Currently she serves as the Board’s "champion" for property issues, attends Facilities Committee meetings and quarterly meetings with our landlord church. She also is a Board "champion" for governance, along with Kris Mordan; they prepare the monthly Board agenda. Among her many roles here have been Caring and Support Committee chair, Covenant Group co-leader, and member of the interviewing team for our new Hospitality and Involvement Consultant. She has worked as an attorney and mediator. She and Bruce Stowell come to services nearly every Sunday, and have been members since 1991, before which they were members of First Unitarian in Salt Lake City.
Janna Mitchell has been a member of UUFS since 1998 after relocating from San Francisco to Sunnyvale. She has been involved in several committees and she is a member of the Tuesday evening Covenant Group. She writes: “I appreciate the support and friendship I have received from UUFS and want to be able to give back to my community as a Board member. I hope to support our community in reaching our congregational goals over the next two years.”
Kris Mordan has been attending UUFS since 2001. Currently a member of the Social Concerns Committee and on various other committees in the past: Worship, Long Range Planning, Service Auction Planning. She is a member of the Tuesday night Covenant Group. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees for the past 2 years. This will be the second term.
She is currently retired but has worked as a teacher, credit and collections manager, computer programmer and childcare provider. She has 2 grown daughters and is currently living in Santa Clara with her partner, Bill Mordan, also a UUFS member.
============================================May 13, 2007 - The Courage of Atheists:
The Faithless Only a Mother Could LoveSpeaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching, with Child DedicationTopic: Those who do not believe in God are one of the least trusted groups in America. Let’s find out what matters to the non-theists within and beyond our Fellowship.
Child Dedication ceremony: We have a brief ritual today to welcome and bless children of our Fellowship. Contact Roger to reserve a place for your infant or young child.
Outreach Offerings May 13-27: We aid the UUSC campaign to stop the Darfur genocide.After Service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting: 11:33-12:33, in the Chapel.
After Service: Forum on end-of-life issues with Gary Hartz: End-of-Life Issues Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM in Classroom #2. More information is below. Child care available.
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Planning for end of life issues:
Writing effective Advance Directives
with Gary Hartz
Sunday May 13, Mother’s Day, 11:30 to 12:15 Ironically, one of the best Mother’s Day gifts you could give may be a kit for creating an advance directive, if your mother does not have one. In this "how to do it" forum, Gary will talk about the importance of advance directives, provide copies of the latest forms, and most importantly, provide you with optional addenda which can precisely clarify your wishes and give concrete instructions to your healthcare proxy. In discussing cases of intractable suffering, we will talk about voluntary refusal of food and fluid and physician aid in dying as possible interventions.============================================
Access to Health Care: What’s Fair?
Wednesday, May 29, 7-9 pm, in the chapel
with Intern Janis Hall-Fuller
In this class we will consider the ethical and spiritual dimensions of health care access through case studies and discussion. When health care resources are limited, who gets care and who doesn’t? And how is it decided: by age, ability to pay, chances of survival? Is there a difference between justice and equity? RSVP to Janis.
============================================May 6, 2007 - Hope For Sudan:
A Visit with “Lost Boys” Living HereSpeaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, Rev. Jerry Drino, and Special Guest PresentersTopic: Would you like to understand the issues behind the strife in Sudan--and meet some of the people behind the headlines? Many of the young African men who survived the genocide in southern Sudan have relocated to San Jose. Trinity Episcopal Cathedral provides practical support and a church community for them. Through Hope With Sudan, they raise funds for educational and medical projects for orphans and other child refugees in Kenya and Uganda. Guest Pianist is Brad Handshy.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum after Church with our guests: Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
2007 April top April 29, 2007 - Thinking Like a Child
Speaker(s): Virginia Shea preaching, with Intern Janis Hall-FullerTopic: As children, we absorb simple but powerful religious images and language from the culture around us. As adults, we sometimes feel those words and images are at odds with a mature understanding of reality. Can we reconcile our inner child’s world-view with a grown-up perspective?
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM in Classroom #2. Let Janis know if you need childcare.
April 22, 2007 - What Is Your Relationship to the Earth?
(And Why It’s a Religious Matter.)Speaker(s): Intern Minister Janis Hall-Fuller preaching, with Rev. Roger JonesTopic: What would drive an ecologist to become a minister? The religious foundations for environmentalism are deep and sturdy, let us explore the connections.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Gaining Environmental Insight Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM in Classroom #2.
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Concerned about global warming? Wondering how to tread more lightly on the planet? Join Janna Mitchell, Erica Wang, and Janis Hall-Fuller for a group discussion of local environmental issues. Topics can include anything from recycling to compost to carpooling. Find out what others are doing, bring your own ideas, and let’s search for better answers together. Our goal is to schedule these on a quarterly basis. Coordinator is Howard Baldwin.
============================================April 15, 2007 - Is Volunteering Voluntary?
Speaker(s): Bob Miess, guest preacher
with Intern Janis Hall-Fuller and Rev. Roger JonesTopic: Special music for the service will be announced. AS UUFS prepares for significant changes, Bob has agreed to provide support in the areas of outreach, hospitality, member retention and volunteer support. Read more about him below.
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force, Phase 2 (FFTF2) meeting: 11:28-12:28, Classroom 2.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: with Bob, Janis and UUFS Board Outreach Champions. Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM until 12:30 PM in the Chapel.
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April 15, Introducing Bob Miess
By Intern Janis Hall-Fuller
When Bob Miess came to talk with UUFS lay leaders and ministers about working with us as a consultant, I was impressed with his gentle demeanor and his intelligence. Bob, a Unitarian Universalist and the president of the San Jose congregation, is truly called to this work. When we advertised for someone to work with us on hospitality and member retention, I don’t think we imagined getting such a great applicant.
The Board of Trustees identified priorities for the year at their fall retreat, and one of them was the area of hospitality and membership. This includes welcoming new people; helping friends and members get connected in the ways they need and stay connected; nurturing volunteers; and working with the upcoming Bay Area Marketing Campaign. Now that UUFS has made clear an intention to grow in numbers, we can see that these activities are even more important.
At our meeting Bob answered questions and explained his approach to helping us welcome visitors and ensure member involvement and retention. I noticed the flexibility, inspiration, and systematic thinking that characterize his thoughts. His background as a Lutheran pastor and an engineer merge in his consulting work, bringing a breadth of perspective and a systematic approach that can benefit UUFS.
The plan we are developing with Bob is to have him work with us to analyze how we’re doing and how we can improve. To do this, Bob will attend Sunday service about once a month, attend committee meetings and other events, talk to members and leaders, and gather data however he can. In about three months he will provide to the Board a report with recommendations for improvements. At that time the Board may choose to engage him for continued work to help the Fellowship bring about the needed changes.
I am looking forward to seeing what Bob can help the Fellowship to do. I appreciated Bob’s approachability, and I hope that you will take advantage of upcoming opportunities to meet him.
============================================April 8, 2007 - Resurrecting Hope:
Does Global Warming Make Easter Irrelevant?Speaker(s): Easter service with Rev. Roger Jones and Janis Hall-Fuller; Music: Katie Coleman & Ariel Jessup, piano and trumpetTopic: Saturday, April 14 will be a day of nationwide protest to get our government to make urgent policy changes to stop global warming. Even if we summon the courage, is it too late? Today is also the birthday of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha).
April 1, 2007 — Foolish Faith: Beware the Trickster
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching; Martin Manley, pianoTopic: Foolish Faith: Beware the Trickster
Why do things go wrong, even when it’s not April Fool’s Day? What’s God trying to tell us?
Note: Outreach Offering in April: All monetary offerings (except those designated “UUFS only”) will go to maintain and build library services at Lakewood Elementary School.
After Service: Special Forum: Forum in Chapel at 11:30am: Guest speaker, Valerie Torres, from the Lakewood PTA.
After Service: Newcomers’ Orientation: Newcomers’ Orientation for visitors to meet with the ministers in the UUFS Office from 11:30-12:30. Listen for the bell to sound during the social time! Child Care available.
2007 March top March 25, 2007 — Good News from a War Zone:
The UU Gospel from FresnoSpeaker(s): Rev. Bryan Jessup, Guest Preacher
Special Music: Katie Coleman’s Brass EnsembleTopic: What is the mission and the message of our faith, and why should we care about spreading it? Shall we strive to make Unitarian Universalism stronger, bolder, and more loving? Come hear this passionate preacher! Rev. Jessup leads the fast-growing UU Church in Fresno, a moral beacon in the Central Valley.
This is the Sunday we kick off the UUFS Pledge Drive: Home for the Spirit!
After Service: Pledge Drive Visitor Orientation: Information meeting with Gary for Pledge Drive Visitor Volunteers. (Volunteers please attend one of these dates: Sunday March 18th or Sunday March 25th). Meet in Classroom #2, 11:30-12:30. Let Intern Janis know if you need child care in order to stay.
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Introducing Rev. Bryan Jessup
Guest preacher from Fresno
by Rev. Roger Jones
We welcome the Rev. Bryan Jessup to help us kick off our Pledge Drive with spirit, passion and fun. We also welcome his activist wife, Edie, who works for Fresno Metro Ministries as head of the Hunger and Nutrition Project.
Because of their interfaith activism and defense of freedom of religion and other civil liberties, they have come under suspicion by the FBI. Here are some other reasons to meet them. Bryan is a good soul and a soulful preacher.
His sermon will be “Good News from a War Zone: The UU Gospel from Fresno.” The UU Church there has been growing by leaps and bounds since they arrived a few years ago, and it knows it has a mission to serve the larger community—a city with high levels of violence, poverty, racism, and pollution (factors which are no doubt linked).
Religiously and socially conservative, Fresno has a way to go on the road toward understanding of its religious and sexual diversity. The UU Church and other liberal congregations are leading the way!
To accommodate its growth and reach out for more, the church bought five acres of land and is building a beautiful new ecologically responsible (and LEED-certified) facility with high visibility. It is a $4 million project, over half of which has been raised from donors. Phase 2 will be another $4 million. Because they are an inspiring example of living the UU message in a hostile territory, I am a contributor to the church and to its building fund.
In 2006 Bryan’s picture was in Newsweek, leading an earth ritual for the UU children’s Science Camp. Edie’s picture was in November’s Sierra magazine, and she explained a new program to make small parcels of land available to local residents, especially Hmong immigrants, to grow their own food.
The Fresno church called Bryan in 1998, before which he had served churches in Maine and Delaware. He and Edie are Central Valley natives.============================================
Our Annual Pledge Drive: Home for the Spirit
Questions and Answers
Is this your first time? You are invited to participate in the annual pledge drive at UUFS. This is when our members, friends and visitors commit to support the work of the congregation for the coming fiscal year. A pledge is a commitment to make a future donation over time. Pledges we make in March will take effect in the new fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008.
Why do we have a Pledge Drive at UUFS? Our financial pledges enable UUFS leaders to plan for the coming fiscal year. Based on the pledges we receive in this Pledge Drive, the Board of Trustees will present a revised budget for approval by the members in a congregational business meeting in May. If you have questions about the Vision Budget, feel free to attend a forum in March or consult a trustee.
How does it work? How can we be prepared for it? Many volunteers take time to schedule visits with our members and friends. A visit lasts 30-45 minutes. It includes a few questions for you about your experiences at UUFS, suggestions for improvement, and visions for our future as a community. Then you fill out a pledge card, put it in an envelope, and give it to the volunteer to give to Pledge Chair Gary Hartz. In advance of your canvass visit, please read the Pledge brochure and the related letters.
How should we think about pledging? Meeting the UUFS budget depends on the participation of everyone who supports the Fellowship. Your individual pledge is your own decision.
To achieve the goals of the current budget, a year ago we achieved an average pledge of almost $2,000 a year. Some people decide to pledge much more than this. For others, however, a smaller amount represents a significant commitment. The range of pledges last spring was $100 to $25,000. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated.
Our minister asks everyone to consider the practice of tithing for the good of the larger community. The goal is to give away at least 10% of our annual gross income to serve the needs of the larger world—with our UUFS community as one important recipient organization on your list.
How do we keep track of the pledge payments we make? Our Treasurer and Office Manager send out quarterly updates to compare each person’s contributions-to-date to the pledges each has made. Should financial circumstances change for the worse or for the better, it is understandable that you might need to change your pledge—either down or up! (Just contact the Minister or Treasurer.) By February the Treasurer sends out a summary of all donations from the prior calendar year. This is useful for those who itemize deductions when filing tax returns. Our Treasurer can also tell you how to make donations of appreciated shares of stock.============================================
Special Brass Music
A brass quintet will enliven the March 25 worship service. Thanks to our own staff pianist and trumpeter Katie Coleman for bringing to our church Ariel Jessup (trumpet), Andy Brown (trombone), Phil Halseth (tuba), and someone soon to be named on French horn.
This is Pledge Drive Kickoff Sunday—there is no better day to toot our own horn!
============================================March 18, 2007 - True Religion?
Speaker(s): Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers, preaching, with Intern Janis Hall-FullerTopic: True religion? Come hear reflections from one who had it, lost it, and later rediscovered it to be both essential and beyond belief! Ben is back visiting the UUFS pulpit after nine years. A great musician, Ben will lead us in some singing and offer a special story for all ages.
After Service: Pledge Drive Visitor Orientation: Information meeting with Gary for Pledge Drive Visitor Volunteers. (Volunteers please attend one of these dates: Sunday March 18th or Sunday March 25th). Meet in Classroom #2, 11:30-12:30. Let Intern Janis know if you need child care in order to stay.
March 11, 2007 - Interdependence: We Are Not Alone
Speaker(s): Intern Minister Janis Hall-Fuller, preaching, with Rev. Roger JonesTopic: Maya Angelou says, "In the face of uncertainty, believe in these two things -- that you are stronger than you think and you are not alone." Interdependence is a fundamental Buddhist concept. How does it apply to our congregation and our good work in the world?
SPRING FORWARD – Daylight Savings Time
After Service: Vision Budget Forum: Come learn the priorities. Starts about 30 minutes after the service 11:30am-12:30pm in Classroom #2. (Child Care available; reserve with Janis.)
March 4, 2007 - What Is the Religious Center
of Unitarian Universalism—If Any?Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic: Are we even a religion? If we are, is this religion dying, or thriving? Roger dares to ask such questions only weeks before the pledge drive--kajillions of dollars hang in the balance!
After Service: California’s UU Legislative Ministry Forum: Forum in the Chapel about the work of California’s UU Legislative Ministry, 11:35-12:35. in the chapel.
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force monthly meeting: Future Facilities Task Force meeting, Classroom 2, 11:37-12:37. Child care available, but let Christina or a minister know in advance.
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About our Forum Speaker, Suzanne Marsh, on March 4
The forum speaker will be Suzanne Marsh who is a Student at Pacific School of Religion and a member of the First Unitarian Church of San Jose. In June she will start as a Community Ministry Intern with the UU Legislative Ministry, CA for 2007-08. She is engaging with a good sense of humor. Her primary area of focus will be health care, but she can answer questions about the other parts of our work as well.
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2007 February top February 25, 2007 - Spirituality or Religion? Church or Society?
Speaker(s): Rev. Erika Orban, guest preacher from Transylvania, with Intern Janis Hall-FullerTopic: Erika has been a minister since 2003 in what is now an ethnic Hungarian province of Romania. It’s where Unitarian churches emerged in the late 1500s. Read about her below.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM in Classroom #2.
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Introducing Rev. Erika Orban Guest preacher from Transylvania
Sunday, Feb. 26, we welcome the Rev. Erika Orban, the current Balázs Scholar at Starr King School for the Ministry. Erika graduated in 2003 from the Protestant Theological Seminary in Kolozsvár, Transylvania (a.k.a. Cluj, Romania). She has been a Minister of Religious Education and a Hospital Chaplain as well as serving several small parishes outside Kolozsvár as Parish Minister
She served full time as Youth Minister in the 450-year old Unitarian high school in Kolozsvár in 2005-2006. The Balázs Scholars Program has brought a Transylvanian Unitarian minister to study at Starr King School yearly since 1994. Many have come to preach at UUFS, sometimes also to lead an evening Unitarian communion service in our chapel.
Please come to meet her and stay after church for a lively forum in Classroom 2, 11:30 to 12:30. To reserve child care, please let Intern Janis know.
Erika joins a long line of ministers who are committed to improving the lives of their congregants and sharing with North American UUs their passion and caring for their homeland and for our common faith tradition. Transylvania has been a province of Romania since 1918 but its people are mostly ethnic Hungarians. It is home to the first Unitarian churches in history, dating to the early decades of the Protestant Reformation.
The scholarship is named for Francis Balázs, a Transylvanian minister who graduated from seminary in Kolozsvar, then studied at Oxford and at Starr King School. After extensive traveling to learn from leaders such as Mohandas K. Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer about creating peace, he returned to Transylvania and became head of a Unitarian High School then minister in the village of Meszkö. He died in 1937 at the age of 36. Starr King School waives tuition for the Balázs scholar and provides fundraising and administrative assistance. Volunteers provide hospitality and support for every scholar and family, and schedules preaching engagements. The host church rotates among the UU churches in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. To support the program with gifts of time or money, contact Roger or Janis.
============================================February 18, 2007 - Money to Soothe Our Souls:
How Much Is Enough?Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching; Martin Manley, pianoTopic: Concerns with money should not cost us our souls. Yet money matters! Concerns of financial security, scarcity, abundance and generosity are of great spiritual importance. Come today and consider the Tao of Dough.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM in Classroom #2.
February 11, 2007 - How to be a Hero
Speaker(s): Fred L. Hammond, guest preacher with Intern Minister Janis Hall-FullerTopic: A new show called Heroes has become the latest TV sensation. How can we, with less than supernatural gifts, can be heroes in the lives of others. Fred is in his final year at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Last year, he served as the intern minister at First UU Church in San Diego. He is the co-founder and former Executive Director of Interfaith AIDS Ministry in Danbury, CT.
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting: 11:30-12:30, in the Chapel.
February 4, 2007 - A Welcoming Life:
Stories of Living our UU ValuesSpeaker(s): Rev. Keith Kron,
Director of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns,
Unitarian Universalist AssociationTopic: Three years ago members voted to declare UUFS a Welcoming Congregation to LGBT people and their families. Yes, we welcome everyone here. But what does that mean to us on a spiritual level? How do we benefit from being open to the stories of the lives of all those around us? We will explore the importance of welcome, the importance of story, the importance of wholeness and our faith--using a few stories and reflecting on our own lives and what we as UUs have to offer the world. Keith Kron is an amateur tennis champ, and has been friends with Roger over 15 years. A former 4th-grade teacher, he has collected 2,000 children’s books.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Discussion starts about 30 minutes after the service 11:40am-12:40pm in Classroom #2. (Child Care available; reserve with Janis.)
2007 January top January 28, 2007 - Us and Them
Speaker(s): Intern Minister Janis Hall-Fuller, preachingTopic: Come hear a story of unlikely allies who meet in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district... and the lesson I learned about how a small church can approach the work of making a big difference in the world.
January 21, 2007 - Fair Fights:
Agreeing to Disagree--and to ListenSpeaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching, with Intern Janis Hall-FullerTopic: In times of decision, challenge or crisis, reactiveness can inhibit listening and reflecting. How do you engage with others in crucial conversations?
After Service: Congregational Business Meeting: 11:30am-1:00pm, in the chapel.
Official notice and Parish Minister’s Message about the Congregational Business Meeting:
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OFFICIAL NOTICE from UUFS Board Secretary, Karen Hopkins
UUFS Congregational Meeting
Sunday, January 21, 2007, 11:30 to 1 PM
UUFS Chapel, 1112 S Bernardo Ave. , SunnyvaleAs required by UUFS Bylaws, we will hold a mid-year congregational meeting in January. This meeting will provide to the congregation updates on important UUFS programs and issues. Some of the topics planned for discussion are: the Board recommended Future Facilities Taskforce proposals (vote), Treasurer’s report, the 50/50 Shared Outreach Offering policy (vote), three congregates to the Nominating Committee (who will nominate Board of Trustees candidates for the May election).
This meeting will also be an opportunity for the congregation to discuss important issues with the Board and staff. Please plan to attend. Our community needs your presence and participation. All may attend, but only members in good standing may vote at the meeting, per the UUFS Bylaws.
============================================Parish Minister’s Message:
Decision Time, Listening Time
by the Rev. Roger JonesLast March the Board established the Future Facilities Task Force to consider options for appropriate space for UUFS programs. (This relates to our 2004-09 Long Range Goals.) Ben DeBolt recruited a team of energetic and resourceful members. The task force met monthly, putting minutes in the newsletter.
Our current five-year lease expires in a year. We are not likely to obtain another multiple-year lease then, which means we cannot plan well for rent increases. Much about our current rental space is attractive, but there are hindrances--to convenience, physical access, visibility, and growth—bathrooms, kitchen, signage, religious education rooms. People have started to hear one another’s experiences, fears and wishes.
The Board of Trustees has approved the task force’s three-phase recommendations and will send a letter to the voting members. If you do not receive one, let them know. We have an opportunity for lengthy discussion at the Jan. 14 Forum. You will be asked to vote on it at the Congregational Business Meeting, Jan. 21.
How shall we move into the future?
I am so happy that our lay leaders have made a thorough study and a considered decision—no fuzziness, no tentativeness—a clear recommendation for your approval. The fact that they did this is a great sign for UUFS. No matter what you members decide, I think it is a clear, bold and important step. Your votes will add more clarity.
If the members do approve the recommendations, please consider joining the Task Force for Phase II work.
If the members do not approve the recommendations, that will be okay. The important thing is to make a clear decision, so we can move into the future with clarity.
We also will receive a progress report Jan. 21 on the experiment of sharing 50% of our weekly offerings (non-pledge contributions) with a not-for-profit organization. This started in July. (Before then, UUFS gave away 100% of offerings, but on only one Sunday per month.) How shall we move into the future?
============================================January 14, 2007 - A Service for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic: Let him know if you would like to offer some brief words.
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting: 11:30am-12:30pm in the chapel.
Come hear the Future Facilities Task Force (FFTF) recommendations.
Important Forum on January 14, 2007! Ben DeBolt and Carol Harris attended the last Board meeting and presented the findings of the Future Facilities Task Force (FFTF). Carol and Ben also reviewed the FFTF’s reasons for recommending that we look for another facility to lease or rent and an outline on how to proceed. Please Note: Extra copies of the FFTF’s report will be available on Sundays, and we will learn about and discuss the recommendations at the forum on Jan 14.
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Report by Ben DeBolt of the Future Facilities Task Force (FFTF)At the final meeting of FFTF Phase One, it was decided to make our final recommendations to the board at their meeting on Dec. 7 ’06.
Here are the recommendations:
1. "That UUFS relocate to a rental/lease site large enough to allow growth to reach 250 members, a size sufficient to allow funding for the eventual purchase of a suitable permanent facility"
2. "That the board create a "Phase 2 FFT" whose mission would be that of locating a suitable rent/lease site to occupy by December 2007 and to furthur examine any concerns with CCC relating to our current site"
3. "At a suitable time the board create a "Phase 3 FFTF" whose mission would be to develop funding and search for property to buy".
At the meeting of the board on 12/7 these recommendations were presented and were approved by vote of the board for presentation to the at the January 21, ’07 semi-annual meeting.
Copies of the findings folders containing studies done by the FFTF in the ten months of "Phase 1" work were distributed to board members.
It was noted that all of the current "Phase 1" FFTF members would be willing to continue work with "Phase 2."
A forum on the recommendations will be held for discussion by the congregation on Sunday Jan.14 after the service. This is planned to be an informal discussion of the recomendations to the Semi-Annual meeting when they will be on the agenda.
The Board expressed its appreciation for the 10 months of effort by members of the FFTF.
============================================January 7, 2007 - Crafted in Wartime, Helpful in Personal Struggles:
The Serenity PrayerSpeaker(s): With Rev. Roger Jones, preaching, and Intern Minister Janis Hall-FullerTopic:To start off the new year, we consider the famous short prayer of activist theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. Well known to those in recovery from addictions, it can be useful in many situations.
After Service: Sunday Offering Program Forum: First Part: 11:25-11:55am, presentation, and Second Part: 12:00noon-1:00pm, discussion, in the chapel.
============================================First Part, 11:25-11:55am, Presentation: Impact Bay Area speaker and video.
Erica Neuman, executive director of Impact Bay Area, will be a guest speaker, with Claire Wright.
The UU Fellowship of Sunnyvale is currently practicing a "radical" program of sharing 50% of our weekly offerings for each month with one organization. I am delighted to introduce you to the non-profit that will receive our shared offerings for January: Impact Bay Area.
I am a graduate of their Basics Self Defense course for women. During the training I learned some incredibly simple yet powerful skills to defend myself. My classmates and I were taught how to use our voices and our bodies. Not only did we absorb the concepts through our instructor’s explanations and demonstrations, we then mastered the moves through practicing them with full impact on a man in protective clothing.
Some reports cite that 1 in 4 girls is a victim of molestation. I hope that someday this training becomes as routine for our school children as learning arithmetic. Impact Bay Area has regularly scheduled trainings for women and girls and, on occasion, offers courses for men to learn self-defense skills. Because these classes are expensive, I am so pleased that UUFS has designated our January offering to provide scholarships for their students in the SF Bay Area. (Claire Adalyn Wright)
============================================Second Part, 12:00noon-1:00pm, Discussion:
Bruce Stowell will lead a forum to discuss our Sunday Offering Program (also called Radical Generosity). Right now we split all Sunday morning basket donations not marked "pledge" between UUFS and recipients of our choosing. We will go over the history of this giving, the numbers, and what people have been giving. We will present what the Social Concerns committee recommends for the future of this program, and participation in choosing recipients of our giving.
This trial offering program will be reviewed at the January 21, 2007, UUFS congregational meeting. Comments or questions? See Bruce Stowell.
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2006 December top December 31, 2006 - Letting Go and Looking Forward:
The Cleansing Fire RitualSpeaker(s): With Rev. Roger Jones, Intern Minister Janis Hall-Fuller
and guest Leon Dunkeley, Starr King School for the Ministry student and musicologistTopic: Let’s say farewell to the passing year. This is a service for all ages, but nursery care is available. Also a children’s activity if volunteers are available; see a minister.
December 24, 2006 - Sunday at 5:00 PM: Christmas Eve Candle Light Service
Speaker(s): With Rev. Roger Jones, Intern Minister Janis Hall-Fuller, and Katie Coleman, pianoTopic: This annual service includes Christmas carols, the traditional Scripture readings, and “Silent Night” sung by the light of our candles. Bring a friend! Come early to bring refreshments or stay afterwards to sip, nibble and mingle. All of tonight’s offering will benefit our December chosen charity.
December 24, 2006 - Sunday at 10:00 AM: Jingle Your Bells!
Speaker(s): With Rev. Roger Jones and Intern Minister Janis Hall-FullerTopic: And now for something completely different. That is, the music, words and spirit of the morning service will be nothing like tonight’s service. This means you can go to church twice. Santa wants you to! See a minister if you wish to offer some special music. Join us for conversation after church.
December 17, 2006 - No-Rehearsal Holiday Pageant for All Ages
Speaker(s): with Rev. Roger, Intern Janis, and special music by students of Beth Hilton’s Suzuki Guitar StudioTopic: It’s time again to celebrate love, joy and seasonal chaos!
Come early to get a good seat. If you wish to help in decorating or planning, please contact a minister by Dec. 8.
December 10, 2006 - Buddhism’s Goddess of Compassion:
Smile--Kwan Yin Loves You!Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic: God’s feminine side is reflected in Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, Gaia, and Kwan Yin in Asia. Let’s meet this Buddhist goddess.
After Service: Health Care Access Task Force: open meeting in Chapel, 11:30-12:30.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: Sermon Topic Forum starts 30 minutes after service at 11:30 AM in Room 2.
December 4, 2006 – Advent season – Monday 7:15-8:15 PM – in the chapel
Speaker(s): Advent with Roger and JanisTopic: Tonight we mark the Advent season with simple rituals and music, helping one another to rest and reflect amid a too-busy world. We’ll begin in silence as people gather.
December 3, 2006 - The Powers That Be
Speaker(s) Janis Hall-Fuller, preachingTopic: This holiday season with all its expectations, sometimes stressful, prompts a thought experiment. Who or what rules you? And how much control do you have over this?
Before service Parenting Support Circle: 9:00-9:45 AM, Classroom 6.
After Service: Newcomers’ Orientation: Newcomers’ Orientation for visitors to meet with the ministers in the UUFS Office from 11:30-12:30. Listen for the bell to sound during the social time! Child Care available (11:30-12:30), in UUFS Office.
2006 November top November 26, 2006 - Moral Relativism: Santa Wants to Know!
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic: A month till Christmas! Have you been good or bad? Who’s to say, if it’s all relative? Some accuse liberals (both religious and political) of using moral relativism to excuse all kinds of behavior. Is that fair? (Topic chosen by the winning bidder at last winter’s UUFS Silent Auction.)
After service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting, 11:25am, in the Chapel.
November 19, 2006 - "Self-Reliance" Revisited:
Was Ralph Waldo Wrong?Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic: Let’s consider a great essay by a spiritual rebel, our Transcendentalist ancestor, Ralph Waldo Emerson. (Today we kick off the Guest At Your Table holiday campaign to support the human rights work of the UU Service Committee.)
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting: 11:25, in the Chapel.
Before service Parenting Support Circle: 9:00-9:45 AM, Classroom 6.
After Service: Newcomers’ Orientation: 11:30-12:30, UUFS Office.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: 11:30, Classroom #2.
November 12, 2006 - Our Tragic Greatness
Speaker(s): Intern Janis-Hall Fuller, preaching; Katie Coleman, trumpetTopic: James Luther Adams, the most influential 20th century Unitarian theologian, reminds us: "In the great Greek tragedies, the tragic element is discovered at the point at which human greatness and the divine sphere come into conflict. It is precisely human greatness that makes possible tragic guilt and self-destruction." Where does this lead us? Can we be saved from self-destruction?
Forum: No Sermon Topic Forum.November 5, 2006 - El Dia de los Muertos:
Loss, Grief, and Magical ThinkingSpeaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching, with Intern Janis-Hall FullerTopic: For our yearly ritual coming near All Souls Day, please bring a photo or other memento of one or two people you wish to remember. Thanks to the Lopez family for their work on the colorful Ofrenda.
Before service Parenting Support Circle: 9:00-9:45 AM, Classroom 6.
After Service: Newcomers’ Orientation: Newcomers’ Orientation for visitors to meet with the ministers in the UUFS Office from 11:30-12:30. Listen for the bell to sound during the social time! Child Care available (11:30-12:30), in UUFS Office.
2006 October top October 29, 2006 - "Render Unto Caesar": What Do We Owe the Empire?
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic:If the U.S. is an empire, what’s your role? (Feel free to wear a Halloween costume, whatever your age.)
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: 11:30, Classroom #2.
October 22, 2006 - Parenting with Faith: A "Reverend Mother"
Speaks on Rearing Children in Today’s WorldSpeaker(s): Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, guest preacher
with Rev. Roger Jones and Intern Janis Hall-FullerTopic: Rosemary is minister of 4 th Universalist Church on New York»s Upper West Side . She is a former editor at the New York Times Book Review. Her work also has appeared in Essence , Glamour , Ms. , Redbook , New York Times Magazine, and the Village Voice . Her three books include her memoir, Unafraid of the Dark . She’s a contributor to Beliefnet.com. She has served on the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Committee on Urban Concerns and as board chair for Starr King School for the Ministry. Currently she serves on the UUA Panel on Theological Education and is a founder of the UU Trauma Response Ministry, created to provide culturally sensitive liberal religious responses to mass disaster. She and her husband have two children, ages 9 & 12.
After Service: Future Facilities Task Force meeting: 11:25, in the Chapel.
Forum: No Sermon Topic Forum.
October 15, 2006 - The Pastor’s Odyssey: How Did I End Up Here?
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preachingTopic: Now in his 10 th year as our parish minister, Roger tells some stories about his growing up, spiritual seeking, finding a home in Unitarian Universalism, entering professional ministry, and coming here.
October 8, 2006 - A Natural History of the Spirit
Speaker(s): Intern Janis Hall-Fuller, preaching, with Rev. Roger JonesTopic: The spirit is a camera-shy creature. Where does it live, what does it feed on, how does it multiply? A dedicated observer shares some notes on the habits and behaviors of the spirit.
Before service Parenting Support Circle: 9:00-9:45 AM, Classroom 6.
After Service: Human Rights Task Force: meeting is 11:30 -1:00.
October 1, 2006 - To Scratch an Itch:
The Way of Suffering and a Way OutSpeaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching, with Intern Janis Hall-FullerTopic: Roger reflects on the experience of suffering and the seemingly conflicting goals of compassion and liberation. If you meditate or study Buddhist philosophy, let Roger know in advance. We have a silent sitting in the UUFS Chapel every Thursday morning at 8:30.
After Service: Newcomers’ Orientation: Newcomers’ Orientation for visitors to meet with the ministers in the UUFS Office from 11:30-12:30. Listen for the bell to sound during the social time! Child Care available.11:30-12:30, UUFS Office.
After Service: Sermon Topic Forum: 11:30, Classroom #2 (without preacher).
2006 September top September 24, 2006 - Atonement and Grace: Yom Kippur Reflections
Speaker(s): Rev. Roger Jones, preaching, and Katie Coleman, pianoTopic: om Kippur is the Day of Atonement, the end of the week that begins with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year). Grace is a concept from Christian theology. Come find out what it means both to atone and to stay open to grace, and why both are val