CUUC Newsletter, December, 2009
Editor, Steven Botts,
(210) 275-2056
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WE COVENANT TO PROMOTE:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equality, and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth,
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right to conscience and the use of the democratic process;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all,
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.
IN THIS ISSUE
Note to contributors and readers: Be advised that the newsletter deadline is the first Sunday after the CUUC Board meeting on the second Wednesday.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
November 23
Women’s Group, 7PM
November 24
Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7: PM
November 26
Thanksgiving Dinner, 4PM
November 28
Work and Maintenance Party, 10 AM
November 29
Morning Service
Yoga with Kitty Bevis
December 1
Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7: PM
December 6
Morning Service
Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
Brown Bag Socrates Cafe
December 8
Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7: PM
December 9
Committee for the Ministry, 4-5 PM
December 13
Morning Service
Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
Second Sunday Culinary Food Exchange
Men’s Group, 6:30 PM
December 14
Women’s Group, 7PM
December 15
Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7:00 PM
December 20
Morning Service
Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
December 21
Committee for Growth and Development, 7-8 PM
December 22
Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7:00 PM
December 24
Christmas Eve Service
December 26
Work and Maintenance Party, 10 AM
December 27
Morning Service
Fourth Sunday Soup Lunch
Yoga with Kitty Bevis, 1:30 PM
Men’s Group, 6:30 PM
December 28
Women’s Group, 7PM
December 29
Pastor’s Class: Compassionate Conversations, 7: PM
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HELP WANTED
Rev. Phil Schulman
Performers wanted for the Christmas Eve service. - Please sign up early. This will help me arrange the service. This year's theme is the miracle of the Christmas spirit. We are not looking for a discussion on what it means to you. Rather, we are asking you to consider "the miracle of Christmas spirit." Then with an appreciation of this spirit (as you understand it), choose a song, story, poem, dance or other creative expression and give this to the community as a Xmas present._
Unfinished Business
Glenna Jones-Kachtk
The annual tree trimming/hanging of the greens is held either the 1st or 2nd weekend in December. That means 12/5 or 12/12. A date needs to be decided and plans need to be made. Will it be a potluck or a dessert type thing? Tamales and chile? John will need to know ahead of time to get the tree and the boxes down from the attic.
RE is doing service 12/13 (childcare will be provided so our young families can participate too). I really need for John to go through the boxes to see if Phil's menorah was placed in with the Christmas stuff. If it wasn't, then the church and RE will buy one from Target.
Social Capital Group
Peter Van Dusen
The group will not meet in December.
The next meeting will be the third Sunday of January
Thanksgiving Dinner
Pierce Presley
I think it's vital that we come together in fellowship as a church, especially during the holidays. So much so that I'm willing to add to my already full plate and organize the Thanksgiving dinner, contingent upon at least 10 adults being willing to attend. I will also provide the turkey, stuffing and (if there's interest in one) a vegan substitute main dish, though I may need someone to propose a recipe. Other things we would need: three or four vegetable dishes, two bread dishes (though I may get ambitious and cook an excellent cornbread recipe I have), drinks (maybe wine, beer and soft drinks) and two desserts. Obviously, if more people come, we can add to this list. We would need two people (besides me) for set-up and decorating (and I'm certainly in favor of keeping this part as simple as possible; just tablecloths and whatever the kids make). Dinner would be at around 4:00 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
To contribute food or to help set up, click onto the document posted by Pierce in his message titled “Thanksgiving Dinner Planning Document” on 11/18, ed.
UPCOMING SERVICES
November 29
ANGELS for the Homeless
Ronald Hamilton
Ronald Hamilton is an advocate for the homeless who hosts a local access TV program in Corpus Christi on behalf of the homeless. Come and see what it takes to be an ANGEL.
December 6
Peacebuilding en las Americas
Val Liveoak
Learn about Friends (Quakers) Peace Teams' work in Central America and Colombia, including new Community-based trauma healing workshops in Colombia, based on work done in Rwanda and Burundi. Also, an update on the situation in Honduras and plans for helping the opposition develop stronger capacities for nonviolent action.
December 13
The Light of Life - A December Holiday Pageant
RE Committee
This is a simple celebration of the season told by narrators and put "together" by the children - covering Yule, Divali, Hanukkah, Advent, Christmas & Kwanzaa and how light plays into each of these festivals. It contains some carols and hymns appropriate to the season.
Child care will be available so parents of young children will be able to attend this service.
December 20
A Chaparral Christmas Gift
Mary Grace Ketner
This is an O. Henry story set in South Texas. He has over 50 such stories, having been sent to Lee Hall's sheep ranch near Cotulla by his parents at about 18 to "get the cure" for tuberculosis (and later lived in San Antonio and Austin, before he was wrongfully indicted for bank fraud.) It's a neat, Texas-local-color-full story about the Christmas spirit, but in a sort of backwards way.
December 24
Christmas Eve Service
Rev. Phil Schulman
The first 12 people who sign up will have the opportunity to share a performance offering expressing the miracle of the Christmas spirit. Performers are welcome to a liberal interpretation, and may draw on any source. And those who give will need people to receive. So give us the gift of your presence and receive the gifts of song, music, poetry, and story.
December 27
Rev. Phil Schulman
TBA
ARTICLES AND REPORTS
From Our Pastor
Willfulness and Willingness
At Thomas Starr King School for the UU Ministry, each student had a once-a-semester meeting and conversation with the core faculty members. Minutes before one of mine was due to start, I was sitting in my apartment and realized my mistake. I called to report that I would be a little late. The drive normally took 20-25 minutes, but in less than 15 minutes, I was sitting in the meeting. When I arrived the faculty looked shocked. "How did you manage to get here so fast?" the dean asked.--
Didn't Jesus say "if you had the faith of a mustard seed, you could tell the mountain to move and it would?" There wasn't time to act normally. Being late was totally unacceptable and I just had to get there. I demanded that reality submit to my will. I also broke a few traffic laws to get there.
Our movies are filled with heroes who assert one's will, defy the odds and find a way to make the impossible possible. More often than not, however, refusing to accept reality results in greater suffering for ourselves and for the people we run over as we insist on getting our way.
Rather than willfulness, what is more often needed for surviving and thriving is to surrender one's agenda and unite with a purpose that is greater that we had previously imagined. One great example is told in Three cups of Tea. This nonfiction book tells how Greg Mortensen set out to climb K9 and ended up initiating efforts that have resulted in hundreds of schools in Afganistan and Pakistan. After months of preparation and climbing, Mortensen's team gave up their attempt to reach the peak in order to perform a rescue mission of a climber. Mortensen then got lost on his way down and separated from his team. He stumbled into a Pakistan mountain community where he was nursed back to health. During his recuperation, he made a promise to see that a school would be built.
Back in the states his fundraising efforts failed. Then an elementary student generously contributed the contents of his piggy bank. Other students followed his example, and Pennies for Peace was born. Mortensen went on to raise enough money to build hundreds of schools. The positive effects of this school building efforts are just beginning to be understood and appreciated.
If we want to move from willfulness to willingness, here are some questions we can. "Am I / are we attached to an agenda when it might be better to consider other options? Might a shift enable a great splendor to arise?" Is it possible that there is a transformative, liberating or healing force waiting to emerge through us, if we will allow it? Could be that there is more help available if we avail ourselves to it? Where do we say to God, "I will receive your gift only when you put it in the package size and color of my choosing?
During this holiday season, may we be blessed with willingness to open to greater wisdom and purpose that we can create alone.
RE NEWS
Glenna Jones-Kachtik, DRE
Stephanie Walls, RE Chair
I have just returned from the Fall Conference where I participated in my 5th Renaissance Module for Religious Educators. This conference dwelt on Administration of Religious Education Programs and covered many topics dealing with duties of the DRE/RE Chairs/RE Committees; the delegation of tasks; forms; reporting; cost/risk assessments/and it was a chance to talk with Directors of Religious Education from all over our district. There were RE Chairs, Presidents of Congregations and interested parties as well as some of those who deal exclusively with youth programs. We were also lucky in that we were joined by 2 ministers – the Rev. Eric Posa (who used to be at 1st UU) now the Minister at College Station and our own Rev. Phil Schulman. I found it to be liberating to participate in a conference with my own minister, and he brought some unique perspectives to the class.
One thing that came to my attention as a result of this conference has to do with SAFE CONGREGATION POLICIES. It has me re assessing some things about our class structures and where we are holding them – as well as church-wide policies. I recommend that we order & get a copy of the SAFE CONGREGATION HANDBOOK, if we don’t already have one and also that if we do have it that all Board members read it as well as myself & the RE Chair.
The most fun part of the conference was what Susan Caldwell & Gaia Brown did for “energy breaks” – a bowl with pieces of paper in it. Each time our energy lagged or we were at the end of something we were allowed to take a paper from the “Blooper Bowl” and read it. These were examples of things in actual church bulletins. They included:
- The "Spiritually Spontaneous" rally will begin at 4:15.
- It's Drug Awareness Week: Get involved in drugs before your children do.
- The class on prophecy has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances
- Church Rummage Sale: A good opportunity to get rid of anything not worth keeping, but too good to throw away. Bring your spouse.
- The class on prophecy has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances
- The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.
- Thursday night—Potluck supper, Prayer and medication to follow.
- Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
- Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
- Ushers will eat latecomers
- The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
Laughter really is the best policy…I can guarantee you that during pledge time, you won’t see our Pastor, Phil with a button that says: “I upped my pledge – up yours!” You can find these bloopers and others to laugh at if you Google Church Bloopers
Social Justice
Glenna Jones-Kachtik
Guest At Your Table kicks off at our church on 11/29. In the next few weeks, I will be adding to the OOS some info about programs that UUSC helps with GAYT. UUSC provides programs that defend the right to water, rights in humanitarian crisis, the rights of workers and their JUSTWORKS camps. Stories of Hope talk about people in Myanmar, people in California, Afghanistan and Kenya.
Boxes will be placed in classrooms as well as in the coffee room. Families may take home a box; but Mary Beth & I ask everyone else to just take an envelope and you may go ahead and mail in your money. If you place money in the collection plate – please place for GAYT in the memo line – and go ahead and write your checks to CUUC. June will keep track of them for us.
I know that you get hit up a lot at this time of year. It is the time of year that we count our blessings, take stock of what we have and look at what others do not. There are so many things that we can do….
- Instead of giving big elaborate gifts, try going to the Heifer International Website & donate a whole animal or half an animal or trees to help someone’s life in a 3rd world country in someone’s name. Help them become self-sustaining.
- Donate some time to a soup kitchen. Make some goodie bags (with non perishable food) and give them to the homeless begging for food.
- The nights will now be getting colder. If you have some old blankets or quilts, you might think of donating them to the SAMMs shelter or giving them to the homeless. Collections of mittens, scarves, warm socks and caps might also help.
- Buy things from UNICEF.
- Buy Fair Trade goods: coffee, teas, jewelry, chocolates….
‘Tis the season to be generous. Don’t forget to include your church in your holiday giving…..
AFFINITY GROUPS
Socrates Cafe
Marilyn DeKing
The Brown Bag Socrates Cafe will meet at 12:15 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month at Community Unitarian Universalist Church. Bring your lunch and join us for a satisfying philosophical session.
At the beginning of each session, participants submit and vote on the question to be discussed. Resolution is not the goal of the discussion. We usually end with more questions than we began with.
Everyone is welcome to participate in Socrates Cafe or to visit and see what it is about.
Women's Group
Jean Halff
The Women's Group is open to CUUC women and friends of the church. We meet every 2 weeks, on a Monday night at the church, starting at 7 p.m. and usually finishing before 9 p.m.
Each woman usually talks for about 10 minutes about anything she wishes.
However, you don't have to talk if you would rather not. What is divulged is kept confidential unless otherwise stated. It is a great way to get to know the women in the church on a more personal level in a safe environment. We invite you to come and join us and let us get to know you.
Men's Group
Steven Botts
The CUUC men's group meets every second and fourth Sunday from 6:30 - 8:30 PM All CUUC men or male visitors are welcome to join us.
Group leadership rotates from meeting to meeting in alphabetical order of the members. . The leader for each meeting is also the host, and he is responsible for furnishing snacks and drinks.
We usually start off meetings with a clearing, in which each member is allowed to talk about recent events in his life, if he wishes to, for as long as he sees fit. Next, the facilitator introduces the topic for the evening. This may involve a short reading - a poem, an article or other text. The subject could be just about anything that the facilitator would like the group to address: What's going on at CUUC, religion, economics science, health, family, friendship, etc.
Around 8:30, we wind things up by deciding who is going to facilitate the next meeting, declare this one finished, clean up, and leave.
DIRECTORY
Officers:
President—Peter Van Dusen, 210 - 724 -1614,
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At Large—Mary Beth Romeo- 210- 694 5233,
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Treasurer—June Kachtik, 210-342-0135,
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Secretary—Pierce Presley,
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At Large—Veronica Gard, 210 - 499 4118,
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Coordinators:
Programs Committee—Nancy White, 210 - 650 4785,
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Member Services—Mark and Stephanie Walls, 210 - 681-8188,
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Operations Committee—John Bradshaw, 210-341-8506,
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and Mary Beth Romeo, 210 - 694 5233,
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Staff:
Minister—Phil Schulman, 210-614-2014,
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Director of Religious Education—Glenna Jones-Kachtik, 956-451-5925,
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E-mail Addresses
Messages to the Board of Trustees may be sent to
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Calendar additions and changes should be submitted to Glenna Jones-Kachtik
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Suggestions for and comments on the worship program may be sent to
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Requests for special assistance and pastoral care may be sent to
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Requests for use of the church facility and reports of maintenance problems may be sent to
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