News from UUCH

Calendar of Events

February 08, 2024

Vol. 24 Issue 06

Upcoming Service

An Afterlife We Can Agree On

Matthew Villareal

10:45 a.m., Sunday, February 11, 2024

In Unitarian Universalism, we are deeply diverse in our beliefs about what happens after death. Some of us might believe that our souls continue to evolve and grow or reincarnate into new forms after we die, while others of us might believe that we simply cease to exist after the body has died. In all of this diversity, is there anything we can agree on? What message of comfort might Unitarian Universalism provide for those who are grappling with their own death or the death of a loved one?

Worship Zoom Link

This Sunday Events Following Service

Coffee Hour

Fellowship Hall

Choir News

This Sunday the UUCH Choir will sing Winds Be Still. Although this is in our hymnal, we will present it as an anthem. We invite you to experience this as a meditation, preparing your heart to hear our guest speaker, Matthew Villareal, and his sermon “An Afterlife We Can Agree On.”

In the Christian tradition, this hymn is known as "Lead Me, Lord," and the message is one of trust and safety in God. In Winds Be Still, UU hymn writer Richard Kimball has employed references to stillness and light, seeming to offer a prayer for eternal peace and harmony. The music by Samuel Sebastian Wesley is a masterpiece of melody and harmony, complementing both the original text as well as the words we will sing.

Choir rehearsal this Sunday is at 12:10, after coffee hour.

Nursery Care

Nursery care will be available during the service

from 10:30-12:15.

Little ones can be signed in and out upon arrival and departure in the RE wing.

Update on Repairing the A-Frame Beams

It has taken a while, but the contract with Rhodes Construction has been signed and the subcontractor, Dajon Associates, will begin repair work on the beams soon, though the exact date has not yet been scheduled. The work will be performed in three phases.

In Phase I the steel plates on beam 7 will be removed, after supports are installed, and the end will be amputated to determine the full extent of the decay. That will take only a few days.
Phase II will involve designing and fabricating the steel replacements. That will take a few weeks, but will be off-site.
For Phase III the ends of all of the beams with decay will be amputated and the steel replacements inserted. That will also take a few weeks. It is expected that the supports for the beams will only be outside of the building, but it may be necessary to provide support in the sanctuary. If so, that will be done in the least disruptive manner, though it may involve temporarily removing some pews.

Thanks for your patience and support as we address this critical repair for our building!

- Property Committee

RE News

Pre-K/Elementary & YoUUth Group

The theme this month is The Gift of Liberating Love. This week our kids will explore how self-love pulls us towards accepting and being kind to ourselves. In our society, it can be easy to get stuck in the idea of perfectionism and the thought patterns of “I have to be perfect to be enough, to have value, or for people to like me.” Our faith reminds us that self-acceptance is like a magnet and pulls us back to a place of accepting ourselves, loving our imperfections, and, in doing so, creating space for us to love ourselves.

***CYRE Parents and Caregivers***

In an attempt to bring together and build our church community, CYRE and Adult RE are joining together to host a "Buddy Breakfast" on 2/25 @ 9:45 AM before the church service. We will be pairing up children and YoUUth with an adult for a pancake breakfast so that by the end, everyone will have an extra buddy at church! Kristen will be emailing google forms to parents for kids who would like to be at the breakfast and please feel free to email any questions to dre@uuch.org.

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Who: The Transforming Hearts Collective (facilitated by Rev. Jaimie and Kristen)

What: Transgender Inclusion in Congregations

When: 2/22/24 6 PM - 7:30 PM

Where: Fellowship Hall

UUCH is so excited to announce that the Board has approved the purchase of this course for the entire congregation and staff. There will be many upcoming opportunities to learn the material and engage in thoughtful discussion. Rev. Jaimie and Kristen will kick off the first workshop beginning 2/22 and continue on a weekly basis and will conclude on 3/28. We welcome anyone and, while we would love it if you could attend all six, we realize the constraints of modern life. If you can only make it to one or a few, we still encourage you to join us whenever you can. We are happy to provide popcorn since it is a wonderful symbol of transformation! Please bring your own drinks or refreshments and we also ask that you be prepared to clean up after yourselves at the conclusion of the workshop. If you would like more information about the course, you can visit The Transforming Hearts Collective here.

News from your Stewardship Team

We are excited to announce our upcoming pledge drive in March. Our theme will be “Together We Can”! We are seeking members willing to host a cottage meeting - a small gathering of 6-12 people where we share our stories and dreams for this beloved community and answer questions about the pledge drive. If you are interested in hosting, please contact stewardship@uuch.org

We are also excited to share this retrospective of 2023 in pictures. What a year we had! What will we accomplish next year?

View at this link: UUCH In Action 2023 slideshow

Finally, we are seeking three leaders for our spring fundraiser. We intend to conduct a book sale in April or May. If you are interested in supporting this effort, please email stewardship@uuch.org

This Month's Fellowship Dinner - Viet House

Please join us this month for some great Vietnamese food!

Thursday, February 15 @ 5:30

Viet House

975 Airport Rd SW Suite B2,

Huntsville, AL 35802

Please bring a can for the Little Food Pantry

Money will never be a barrier to participating in Fellowship at UUCH. If you need financial assistance to participate, please contact Rev. Jaimie @ minister@uuch.org.

Contact Sarah Rody at sarahsrody28@gmail.com or Steve Rittenberg @ srittenberg@gmail.com if you have any questions or need assistance.

Buddy Breakfast

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Who are these kids that come to the front for their stories each week and then disappear to classrooms?" Well, now is your chance to get to know one of these young people. ARE and CYRE are joining forces to pair an adult with a child to share a pancake breakfast on Sunday, February 25. A signup sheet will be in the fellowship hall. Spaces are limited for adults, so sign up soon if you want this opportunity. Registration closes on 2/18. Contact Teri Thomas (terit4u@yahoo.com) for any questions or to sign up virtually.

Free Tax Service

Come and have your tax returns prepared for free! This free tax service is open to any income and any age. It is sponsored by the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide and the IRS. Visit www.seniorview.com>PROGRAMS>TAX AIDE to see tax sites in our area.

Main Location: Studio 60 Senior Center, 2200 Drake Avenue, Huntsville
Times: Mon – Thu, 8:30 – 3:30, Fri 8:30 – 11:30
Dates: February 5 – April 11, 2024
Appointment Process: Come in person to fill out a request for appointment, pick up a tax package for completing at your convenience. You will be called back ASAP with an appointment date and time.

For more info, please contact Khoe Tran, CPA, at kqtran1@yahoo.com

Upcoming Events

Click the calendar to see all of our upcoming events!

Little Food Pantry

The food pantry is a huge success, being utilized by numerous people!

If you are able to pick a day to re-stock the pantry, please do so, using the Sign-Up Genius link below.

There are also baskets in the Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary entry foyer for food collection. The collected food will ultimately be used to fill the pantry on days not chosen on the sign-up genius.

Canned meats, soups, veggies, mac-and-cheese, bread, fruit, fresh veggies--all kinds of foods are welcome.

Thank you for being so generous. We are making a difference!

Sign-Up Genius

Submitted by the Social Justice Committee

Donate Online

via CDM+ Engage

Online:

Like our other online and mobile giving options, this option is through CDM+ Engage, is secure, and has a good option for "plate" donations as well as "pledge".

Donate

COVID Policy as of 10/25/2022

Submit to the Newsletter

Do you have news to include in the newsletter next week? Please submit your article to the newsletter through our request form no later than 10:00 am each Wednesday. Please make sure to complete a new request form each time you make a submission to the newsletter.

Minister

Rev. Jaimie Dingus

Office Hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday by appointment.

Calendar: https://calendly.com/rev-jaimie-dingus

Email: minister@uuch.org

Make an Appointment with the Minister

UUCH 2023-24

Board Members

President:

Susan Coddington

Vice President:

Bryan Walls

Secretary:

Nancy Finley

Treasurer:

David Bollinger

Trustees:

Will Garrison

Darlene Patten

Cam Scales

Minister:

Rev. Jaimie Dingus

Do you have an agenda item for the Board?

The Board respectfully requests that all agenda items for the meeting be submitted to Board President Susan Coddington via email no later than one week prior to the meeting (i.e. the Tuesday before). The next board meeting will be announced as soon as possible.