Editor: Margaret Batschelet, typea45@swbell.net
Nosotros, las congregaciones miembros de la Asociación UU, convenimos en afirmar y formentar el valor y la dignidad propria de cada persona.
On February 22, Dr. Coeyman will lead an orientation session for those interested in joining the church and for those who have recently joined and want to get more involved in church activities. Those attending will learn what it's like to be a Unitarian Universalist and a member of CUUC. The session will also afford an opportunity to get better acquainted with members of the congregation. Please let Henry Halff (210-493-7501, henry@quiensabe.com) know if would like to attend, if you have questions, or if you need further information.
Sonya Graham & Patrick Woosley have risen to the challenge of causing this event to happen this time around. The Service Auction Fund Raiser will be held this year at 6.00 PM on Saturday February 28th at the Church.
As always it will be hugely enjoyable and highly successful at raising money for our Church. All members are therefore urged to dive in with both feet to help with preparations, donations of goods and services and, of course, with the odd bid at the appropriate time to the tune of a generous amount.
Forms will be distributed soon (very soon) to facilitate the process of coordinating donations and whipping up dollops of anticipation prior to the actual event itself.
In the meantime there is quite a bit of prep work and Sonya & Patrick (virgins in this territory) will need all the help they can get. Stay tuned! There will be announcements a plenty in due course if not sooner.
Many of us have noted how great the bulletin boards have looked since Marilyn DeKing took responsibility for them. We've also noticed the effects of her temporary absence on the state of the bulletin boards. We desperately need someone to fill in for her until she can get back on her feet. The job description is simple. Take any material that's been placed in the Bulletin Board Queen's box and find a place for it on the bulletin boards (or in the trash) and remove any out-of-date material. Please contact Henry Halff (210-493-7501, henry@quiensabe.com) if you're interested in this position.
Another way you can help keep the bulletin boards current is to submit your own personal notices. You might like to promote your cat-sitting service or the items in your moving sale. If you do submit such items, please put an expiration date on them so that we know when to take them down.
January 25 - "Youth Empowerment: What's It All About?" Speaker: Rev. Barbara Coeyman
February 1 - Annual Worship Review
The Women's Support Group will meet at the church at 7:00 p.m. on the following dates: January 26th and February 9th.
The Remarkable Films Series will be showing the 1962 film: "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" starring Glenn Ford and directed by Vincente Minnelli. The film will be shown at the church at 6:00 PM on Sunday, February 1.
The idea has been bounced around the membership over the past couple of months that we might try hosting a Toastmasters' club here at our church. There are about 8,000 clubs worldwide and approximately 35 here in San Antonio.
Toastmasters International is simply a network of clubs comprised of piers who meet regularly with the sole (& soul) objective of enabling one another to become more effective in the arena of public speaking. The benefits to any individual enlisting in the Toastmasters's program are usually huge and there might be considerable synergy for CUUC also.
Sign-up sheets will be available at the Church to indicate your own level of interest in improving your effectiveness and confidence at speaking in public. More information will be forthcoming too.
If we are to grow, we need to make it easy for visitors to learn about us. Our literature rack is getting pretty thin and out of date. This state of affairs offers someone, maybe you, the opportunity to take a look at our literature rack, poke around the UUA pamphlet catalog http://www.uua.org/pamphlet and maybe even revise our CUUC materials. If you're interested in taking on this task, get in touch with Henry Halff (210-493-7501, henry@quiensabe.com).
And, while we're on the subject, one of the most important items to hand a visitor is a copy of our newsletter, so, will whoever removed the newsletter rack from the coffee room, please return it.
The CUUC Men's Group meets on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the church for beer and soda, guy food, and occasional conversation. All male friends and members of the church are urged to attend. The next two meetings are scheduled for January 25 and February 8.
Interested men can join the Men's Group's secret mailing list by sending an email to cuuc-men-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Henry Halff (210-493-7501, henry@quiensabe.com) can answer questions and provide further information.
Do you need a little extra help or do you know someone who does? To contact the pastoral care sub-committee, please call any of the following individuals: Joan Bradshaw at 341-8506, Catherine McKee at 681-4197 Sally Wiesen at 256-9732 or Henry Halff at 493-7501. Our minister, Barbara Coeyman is more than willing to help in any emergencies were she might be of service. You can contact her at 512-453-2026 (home) or 503-806-7593 (mobile). You can also contact the pastoral care committee by confidential (but not anonymous) email to cuuc-cares@yahoogroups.com.
Soup lunches scheduled for the fourth Sunday of the month, and each group in the church is expected to take responsibility for a single lunch. There are still gaps in the soup-lunch schedule. Group leaders can sign their groups up on the sign-up sheet in the coffee room.
Dave Collins is still listed on the wounded but recovering list. Many thanks to Joyce, Clem, Catherine, Joan, and Gina for providing our weekly church cleaning for the week of January 11th. At press time, no volunteers have been scheduled for the week of January 18. The January Church Clean-Up Day was cancelled because of a lack of volunteers.
The Freethinkers Association of South Texas will begin their monthly meetings at CUUC this Saturday, January 17, at 1:00 p.m. All CUUC members are invited to participate. "More Than Abstinence" a cutting-edge arts event to benefit Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas. The exhibit, with Kathy Armstrong-Gillis as curator, will include an opening party; and will feature 21 San Antonio artists exploring themes surrounding family planning and reproductive rights. Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14th, 5-8 pm at the Joan Grona Gallery at the Blue Star Arts Complex. For ticket information call 736-2244 ext. 318 or email nancy.mifflin@ppfa.org. Tickets are $25 each or $40 /couple and will also be available at the event.
The showing dates for the Moveon.Org film, "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War," will be rescheduled for a weekend in February. Please refer to the CUUC website calendar And cuuc-announce postings for further information.
The Member Services Committee meets on the fourth Sunday of every month, after services. The next meeting is on January 25. If you are involved in membership, pastoral care, social activities, communications, or denominational affairs, please plan on attending. Questions? Contact Henry Halff (210-493-7501, henry@quiensabe.com)
The committee is responsible for the soup lunch on January 25. Please let Henry know if you can bring soup, salad, dessert, bread, or some other contribution.
Sermon: 25 January 2004: "Youth Empowerment: What's It All About?" Dr. Barbara Coeyman
The current Unitarian Universalist youth program is grounded in an approach to youth development called "youth empowerment." Faithful to the liberal values of Unitarian Universalism, youth empowerment promotes the rights of our youth to free and open searching for truth and meaning as they understand it. But youth empowerment is not only about the youth. The other equally important component of youth empowerment lies with the adults around them: youth advisers, parents, and members of their congregations. Youth empowerment charges adults with responsible guidance and mentoring.
I learned about youth empowerment first-hand through my serving as an adult adviser at a recent national youth conference, and as youth chaplain at last summer's southwest district youth camp. Come hear about my experiences!
Over the rest of the month of January I will be preparing and sending out IRS Statements giving the required documentation of member's contributions to CUUC during tax year 2003. (I understand you keep the statement in case your charitable deductions are audited; you don't need to send it in.) I have information about contributions made by check or identified cash. If you made a contribution to the church in other forms i.e. bought something for the church without reimbursement, that you would like to get credit for on your taxes, please send me information by snail mail or e-mail. I will (so far as reasonable) include it on your personal statement. Regards to all; John Bradshaw jandjbradshaw@WebTV.net
If you recall, at our last board retreat and again at the Southwest District Leadership Conference, Rev. Bob Hill spoke of the benefits of covenant groups: "They help us to more effectively welcome individuals who have not yet discovered that we offer the church homes that they need. They offer us contexts in which to speak to our concerns in a safe setting. They can further greater openness to spiritual exploration."
Many UU churches throughout the country are forming small groups within their congregations. The board invites you to join in our first Covenant Group of 2004. It will follow the recommended format of a reading and a check-in, topic of discussion, and a reading and a check-out. The topic is: "Small groups at Community UU Church - How do we form groups that will benefit our congregation?"
Eight is supposed to be a good number for such a group. We already have five interested members. If you want to experiment with us, let me know. We will meet on the fourth Wednesday evening of the month in January, February, and March, from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. at the church. So, the first meeting will be January 28, 2004. --June Kachtik
Hear the roar! Feel the mist! See the mighty Falls! July 18-21, 2004
Come experience the wonder of Niagara Falls including some great educational opportunities while being taken care of like royalty. The UU Church of Niagara is conducting a four day UU Niagara Experience which is a lifetime opportunity to encounter the Falls up close from every perspective, even safely riding beneath a tethered balloon. Spend four days with us exploring the rich history and natural wonders around the Falls. For information visit our web site : http://www.uunex.net/; Email : info@uunex.net; Telephone : (716) 791-4453
January 18 - "Liberation Theology," Catherine Nolan Ferrell
January 18 - Remarkable Films series, "This Is My Father," 6:00 p.m.
January 25 - "Youth Empowerment: What's It All About?" Speaker: Rev. Barbara Coeyman
January 25 - Soup Lunch after service
January 25 - Men's group, 7:00 p.m.
January 26 - Women's group, 7:00 p.m.
January 28 - First Covenant Group meeting, 7:00 p.m.
February 1 - Annual Worship Review
February 1 - Remarkable Films series, "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," 6:00 p.m.
February 8 - Men's Group, 7:00 p.m.
February 9 - Women's group, 7:00 p.m.
February 11 - Board of Trustees meeting, 7:00 p.m.
February 22 - New and Prospective Member Orientation
February 28 - Service Auction, 6:00 p.m.
July 18-21 - UU Niagara Experience
If you'd like to receive the e-mail version of this newsletter every month, send a message to Margaret Batschelet, the newsletter editor.