CUUCSA ON-LINE NEWSLETTER/ VOL. 12, NO. 4/April 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.

Community Garage Sale

Start cleaning out those closets now -- the annual CUUCSA garage sale is at hand! This year's sale will take place on May 20 at CUUCSA; for those who are new to the sale, we accept items donated by Community members and friends - books, records, CD's, household items, electronics, etc. -- and sell them to the public at rock bottom prices. Proceeds of the sale go to CUUCSA and a good time is had by all, buyers and sellers alike. You can bring your items to donate to the church; prior to May 1, please store fragile items or items that might be rain-damaged in the upstairs office. All other items can be stored in the green shed in the backyard. If you have large items that need to be picked up, contact Steve Boyd at 830/606-0636. Steve is also the man to see for more information about the sale in general.

Congregational Meeting for Growth

An important Congregational meeting will be held Sunday April 30. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss congregational growth with Rev. Jonalu Johnstone, the Southwest District Growth Consultant. After the service there will be a sandwich lunch to be followed by the meeting. Do you want to see CUUC grow? If so then plan to participate in this meeting.<

RE News

REquest:
Our children are sponsoring a Service Project for the children (5-10-year-olds) at Meadowlands for Sunday, April 23. We will also conduct our annual Egg Hunt for the church children. Needed for outreach are small personal and play items to be put into baskets that will be delivered in the afternoon. All other supplies will be provided by the RE department.

Our first annual Spring Craft Caper will take place Sunday April 30th. Wanted are: discardable boots or high top sneakers (all sizes), faded silk or plastic flowers, plastic berry baskets and one gallon plastic milk cartons. Adults are invited to join us after services.

Worship Services

April 9--Our Spirituality: Young Religious UUs Unplugged. A worship experience crafted by the joint efforts of our high school youth from CUUC and First UU Church. A rare treat!
NOTE: Soup Lunch will follow worship on April 9. Proceeds go to our RE program.
April 16-- Visiting UU minister, Rev. Carolyn Brown, from Berkley, CA, will be our guest speaker. Her topic is unknown at this time, but we look forward to her fresh perspective.
April 23--An Intergenerational Easter Service, coordinated by Catherine McKee. To be followed by an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids, arranged by Joan Bradshaw.
April 30--Change, Choices, and Challenge, presented by Jonalu Johnstone, Growth Consultant for the Southwest UU District. Coordinator: Jim Hoar. To be followed by a congregational meeting on growth issues.
May 7--Understanding Fundamentalism, presented by Steve Botts. Is there any common ground between fundamentalists and UUs?

Church Security

Every so often we need to remind ourselves and our children about security and general healthful living issues around our church. We are fortunate to have a caretaker, Dave Collins, who catches our occassional splip-ups, but we still need to be careful because it can be some time before he discovers a problem. We have recently had some incidents involving windows and doors being left open, toilets being left unflushed, water left running in the backyard, and the refrigerator door being left ajar. No evil consequences resulted but lets all remind ourselves and our children to treat our church home with care, including assuring it is secure and welcoming for all. Dave particularly asked that I mention the importance of letting him know when someone is coming in the church for an unscheduled event after dark either by calling before hand or ringing the bell before entering. As Dave puts it, It is not fun being caught off guard. Thanks. Catherine McKee, Building Chair

M and M'S!

Music, drumming, movement, energy raising! John Wiesen is facilitating an Improve M and M Jam at CUUC on two Wednesdays: 4/19 and 5/17 from 7:30-9:00 p.m.

Pam Knight Minamon

The news about Pam Knight Minamon's health is relatively good. Confounding the doctor's expectations, Pam rallied and is eating again and even doing some reading. Her children have been taking turns being in Tuscon with Pam and Paul but they are all at their own homes right now. Cards and letters are welcome. Pam and Paul's address is 7731 E. Seneca, Tuscon, AZ 85715. The phone is (520) 296-1660.

Concern

We note with sadness the death of Phyllis Katcher's brother after a long illness. We want Phyllis to know that our thoughts are with her.

Million Mom March

On Sunday, May 14, there will be a pilgrimage walk beginning with a concert at San Fernando Cathedral at 3:30. The walk will be San Antonio's contribution/ recognition of the Million Mom March on Washington, DC to protest gun violence. Marchers will walk from San Fernando to Milam Park after the concert.

Unitarian Universalists Against the Death Penalty

Ever since 1961, the UUA has had General Resolutions opposing capital punishment. Now that Texas is widely known as the Death Penalty Capital of the Nation, every UU congregation in the Southwest District should have a chapter of UUADP. Come to a workshop on UUADP on Saturday April 29 from 12:45 to 1:45 during the Southwest District Spring Conference at First Unitarian. Location of the workshop will be announced; additional material will be available to everyone at the registration desk. For more information, contact Marjorie Loehlin, (512)327-2159, mloehlin@jump.net.

Adult RE

Join Us For Catechism with an Open Mind on Sunday, April 16, 2000, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. This will be the first meeting in a series that addresses basic religious questions in an open and personal inquiry based on the Unitarian Universalist curriculum authored by George Kimmich Beach. BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch).

Books for Catechism with an Open Mind are available through the U.U. Bookstore (800-215-9076) and we can make a group order after the first session. Coordinators for the course are Lisa Kuntz and Catherine McKee (681-4197).

Meanwhile, for the first session consider:*
Where does Michael Novak seek "God," in the following quote? Why does he say both "within" and "through"?

I think those philosophers are correct who stand in the tradition of St. Augustine and St. Bonaventure, who seek God within and through the human spirit. The question, then, is what I take the human spirit to be. In a word, spirit is inquiry, and its first manifestation is the question. Correspondingly, I take God to be the source of both the unrest and the rest of my spirit: the prompter of the drive to understand, and its fulfillment.

Michael Novak, Belief and Unbelief, p. 108.

For reflection:

We desire to praise thee, for we are part of thy creation; we bear our mortality about with us... Thou hast prompted us, that we should delight to praise thee, for thou has made us for thy self and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.
St. Augustine, Confessions

In the following passage is Thoreau just talking about the day he chased a bird around Walden Pond -- or is he also talking about his "Transcendentalist" religious vision?

Having looked in vain over the pond for a loon, suddenly one, sailing out from the shore toward the middle a few rods in front of me, set up his wild laugh and betrayed himself. I pursued with a paddle and he dived....But why after displaying so much cunning, did he invariably betray himself the moment he came up by that loud laugh? Did not his white breast enough betray him? He was a silly loon, I thought. I could commonly hear the splash of the water when he came up. and so also detected him. But after an hour he seemed as fresh as ever....

At length, having come up fifty rods off, he uttered one of those prolonged howls, as if calling on the god of the loons to aid him, and immediately there came a wind from the east and rippled the surface, and filled the whole air with misty rain, and I was impressed as if it were the prayer of the loon answered, and his god was angry with me; and so I left him disappearing far away on the tumultuous surface.

Henry David Thoreau, "Brute Neighbors," Walden

Another question:

Paul Tillich said: "Religion is the dimension of depth in all of life experience. My religion is the answer to the question which I am." What did he mean? In what sense are we "questions to ourselves"?

And another:

James Luther Adams has said that religion is concerned with the basic supports and threats to meaningful human existence. How would you complete these sentences:

1) To me, life is full of meaning and beauty when ...
2) The meaning and beauty of life are threatened when ...
3) The meaning and beauty of life are supported by ...

Quotation for reflection:

"To me, life is full of meaning and beauty when a mutual affirmation, appreciation, and care are felt, expressed, and sustained between people. These qualities of life are sustained between people. These qualities of life are threatened by callous disregard of others, by alienating fear of others, by a sense of weakness and insignificance. They are sustained by acts of creative justice -- holding fast to that which is good; and when we fall short of that, they are renewed by acts of self-giving love -- seeking a new beginning."

George Kimmich Beach

*Material extracted from the curriculum.

Dates to Mark

April 7-9 - Renaissance RE Module, Stonehaven Ranch, San Marcos, TX.
April 9 - YRUU Service presented by youth from CUUCSA and 1st UU, Coordinator: Jensie Madden
April 9 - Soup Lunch, following the service
April 12 - Women's Support Group, 7:30
April 16 - Speaker: Rev. Carolyn Brown, Berkley, CA. Topic TBA
April 16 - Catechism with an Open Mind. Noon.
April 19 - Improve Movement and Music Jam, 7:30
April 23 - Easter: an Intergenerational Service, Speaker/Coordinator: Catherine McKee
April 23 - Easter Egg Hunt, following services
April 26 - Women's Support Group, 7:30
April 28-30 - SWUUD Spring Conference, First UU, San Antonio, TX
April 30 - Change, Choices, and Challenge. Speaker: Rev. Jonalu Jonstone, District Growth Consultant; Coordinator: Jim Hoar
April 30 - Congregational Meeting with Rev. Jonalu Johnstone, after service
April 30 - Spring Craft Caper. After services
May 7 - Understanding Fundamentalism. Speaker: Steve Botts.
May 10 - Women's Support Group, 7:30
May 14 - Million Mom March, San Fernando Cathedral, 3:30
May 17 - Improve Movement and Music Jam, 7:30
May 20 - Community Garage Sale, 9:00 a.m.
May 21 - Intergenerational RE Sunday, Coordinators: Mary Grace Ketner and Joan Bradshaw
May 24 - Women's Support Group, 7:30
June 7 - Women's Support Group, 7:30

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