CUUCSA ON-LINE NEWSLETTER/ VOL. 12, NO. 1/January 2000

Editor: Margaret Batschelet, mbatsche@aol.com

Nosotros, las congregaciones miembros de la Asociación UU, convenimos en afirmar y formentar el valor y la dignidad propria de cada persona.

New President

Dear CUUC,

At the December CUUC board meeting, I turned in my resignation as President. A huge measure of appreciation is due the board and the beloved advisors who supported me in making this decision, which is made with equal parts sadness and relief. Thank you for the privilege of serving as President during this period of one and a half years; I look forward to serving the church in other capacities in the days ahead.

Sincerely, Janet O.

On Sunday, January 9, Jim Hoar was elected president for the remainder of the term for this year's Board. Many thanks to Jim for taking on the task on short notice.

Committee Membership and Help

Several of Committees that perform the day to day functions of CUUC have no chairperson or have very limited participation. With the church getting a new president, a few new members, and a renewed sense of our need to grow this would be a good opportunity and lead or help out. The committees that need chair people as well as participants are Social Justice, Social Activities, Finance, and Membership. You can contact any of the Board members if you would like to lead or help on one of these committees or just find out more about the committee responsibilities.

The committees that could more help and would be a good place to meet and work with other members of the church are Buildings (chair: Catherine), Grounds (chair: Carol Canuteson) , Religious Education (chair: Joan Bradshaw), Pastoral Care (chair: Janet Oglethorpe), and Worship (chair: Peter Van Dusen). You can contact the chair person of any of these committees if you would like to help.

District Conferences

Several conference in which you might wish to participate are available in February and in April. A District Religious Education conference will take place on the weekend of February 11 through 13. Joan Bradshaw at 341-8506 has the information. The Southwest UU Women's Conference will be held in Dallas on February 18, 19 and 20. There is information posted at the web site, http:///kassarts.bizland.com/swuuw.html and on the church bulletin board or you can call (972) 278-5883 for more information. The official District Spring Conference with the theme of " Shared Ministries / Covenants for the New Century" will be held in San Antonio, at First UU Church on April 28 through 30. Our church will be helping with some of the activities and this will be a great opportunity for members of our church to participate in a district conference without traveling to a distant city. The first information available is posted on the church bulletin board and more information will become available as this event gets closer.

Interconnections

Interconnections is the approximately quarterly newsletter for lay leaders in UU congregations and is mailed to just a few of the officers and board members of each church. However, Interconnections is now available on the Internet so that everyone can look at and review the interesting articles, study results, and informative announcements that make up each issue. The address is http://www.uua.org/interconnections/. While you are there you can find many other interesting things starting from the uua home page.

Guest at Your Table

Thanks to everyone who made a contribution to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee on Jan 9. Anyone who still would like to bring back their Guest at Your Table box, or to make a contribution, may do so on Sun, Jan 16. For more info, call Jensie Madden.

Did You Know We Have Tenants?

Just a reminder to us all. We have a tenant, the Rhadna Soami Society, which uses our old worship space, nursery and kitchen on Sunday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 PM. They are such good tenants and so quiet that you could easily be unaware of their presence. There has not been any serious problem, but on occasion miscellaneous play stuff and papers from meetings have been left in the old worship space where they meet. Our Caretaker, Dave Collins, cleans the church before Sunday so we need to be careful to leave things picked up when we depart . Thanks.

RE News

Mary Grace Ketner will be teaching the Elementary RE class a unit on "Peace Tales from Around the World" for three weeks beginning Sunday, January 9. In order to provide a more flexible facility for our children we have decided to move the classroom for the elementary students to the Fireplace Room starting on January 9th. We believe that this will better meet the needs of the growing number of students and give them easier access to our other facilities.

News from Mantie Autry

Dear Friends at Community,

My daughter Mary Louise Autry Mazcuri "moved on to her rightful home" on Monday, January 3, in the evening. She was buried after a beautiful Baha'i ceremony here in Houston. I plan to give up my apartment in Houston by the end of the month and relocate in San Marcos near my daughter Carolyn Jennings. I would be happy to receive e.mail messages from my dear UU friends in San Antonio.

Love, Mantie

Our thoughts are with you, Mantie.

What Brings Us to CUUC?

At the January 9 service, each member of the congregation wrote on a card what, of a spiritual nature, brought them to church. Because the answers to this question tell us a good deal about ourselves, we'd like to publish one of them in each newsletter. We welcome any additional contributions from those not in attendance at the January 9 service or those who were.

Here is January's selection.

My left brain doesn't work when my right brain hears music [played during the interlude for meditation and writing], but what I thought of before the music started was ...

This church is my village. The children that I must help raise are here. The elders that I need are here. The middle aged people who are juggling work and family and relationships are here. I can give and receive here without counting the difference between giving and receiving.

All of this can be done in an atmosphere of forgiveness, openness, and love without judgment. And a place for learning, easing of sufferings great and small, and enhancement of great & small joys.

Note: Many thanks to Henry Halff for transcribing these notecards and putting them into electronic form!

Dates to Mark

January 16 - "Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King," Speaker: Steve Botts
January 19 - Women's Support Group, 7:30 p.m.
January 23 - "A Vision of the Future for CUUC," Speaker: Jim Hoar, Coord: Henry Halff
January 30 - "Reflections on Death: A Sharing Service," Coord: Steve Botts
February 2 - Women's Support Group, 7:30 p.m.
February 6 - "The Healing Power of Love and Laughter," Speaker: Rudi Harsh, Coord: Henry Halff
February 11-13 - SW District Religious Education Conference, Camp Copas, Denton, TX
February 18-20 - SW District Women's Conference, Dallas, TX
February 20 - "Living in the Present Moment," Speaker: Mobi Warren Phillips, Coord: Mary Grace Ketner
April 18-20 - SWUUD Spring Conference, First UU, San Antonio, TX

To Subscribe

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