Today at Our Fellowship May 2, 2024

Today At Our Fellowship

Thursday, May 2, 2024

This Weekend @ AUUF

Find Zoom links here.

Thursday 5/2/24

6:30 pm Choir

Friday 5/3/24

9:15 am-12:15 pm Private Rental

12:00 pm Freethinkers only at AUUF

Saturday 5/4/24

8:30-10:30 am AA Slap Happy Group

10:30 pm Private Rental

1:00-3:00 pm Private Rental

3:00-9:00 pm Private Rental

Sunday 5/5/24

10:00 am (Doors open at 9:30 am)

Annual Meeting

Live at AUUF only

4:00 pm Anchorage Friends Meeting

Monday 5/6/24

4:00-6:00 pm Private Rental

6:30 pm Fireweed Sangha of Mindful Living- Private Rental Visitors welcome

Tuesday 5/7/24

4:00 pm Forum Planning on Zoom

Wednesday 5/8/24

6:00 pm Safer Congregation Team Meeting

Thursday 5/9/24

5:30 pm CYRE Team Meeting

6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal

Half Portion for May

Facing Foster Care in Alaska

Annual Meeting this Sunday

In- person at AUUF only

Our AUUF Annual Meeting is on Sunday, May 5, at 10am, with registration and breakfast snacks beginning at 9:30. If you are a member, you should have received your packet in your email. If you did not get one or would like a hardcopy, please contact Peggy in the office and she will send one to you. There are also some copies available on the table box in the social room.

Click here for Notice of Annual Meeting.

Minister's Message

I was looking for something to write about, and when in doubt, I often search for historical things to inspire me. It reminds me how far we’ve come and that while things may seem bleak (because . . .please insert your own world or personal calamity here), we have made progress over the years. Progress for human rights, for caring for our Earth, for listening to one another, for joining our efforts for the common good. True, we have a long way to go and often it feels, and it is, one step forward followed by two or even three steps back, but we do continue forward movement.

Did you know that in the month of May, 1961, the Unitarians and the Universalists consolidated to create the Unitarian Universalist Association? And now 63 years later we continue to work for justice and love and honor our living tradition—we make room for growth and change. On May 2, 1994, Nelson Mandela gave his victory speech after beating President F.W. de Klerk in South Africa’s first democratic elections. This year thousands around the world spent May 1 in protest over their right to economic security and others continued to insist on a ceasefire in Gaza. And these are just four events that have happened over time.

These protestors, freedom fighters, and progressive religious visionaries have and continue to work for building the momentum necessary to change our world. And while some may think I’m naïve, I do truly believe that every action, every thought, every word that goes towards undoing oppression, no matter how small, is helpful. Tonight I saw a friend of mine on their bicycle and they had a small card, about 5” x 3”, woven into the spokes of their tire and it read “Ceasefire Now!” My friend is adding to the momentum, too, and by taking the time and effort to share his message, he’s showing everyone who sees it that he is one more person who doesn’t agree with what is happening. It’s all cumulative—we just have to make sure that we keep pouring our actions and our hopes onto the same side until we finally tip the scales for justice and love. May it be so.

Happy May Day and Happy Spring!

With blessings and love, Rev. Lise

Saturday Spiff-Up at AUUF May 18, 9 am - 1 pm

Join us Saturday, May 18, as we take some time to build community and spiff up our AUUF grounds. All ages are welcome! We'll have some coffee and muffins (feel free to bring snacks, too) to get us started and then we'll clean up beds, plant flowers and vegetables, talk, laugh, run around, shoot a few baskets, do chalk drawings on the sidewalk, eat another muffin, dig in the dirt again, etc. Please bring:

-- gardening tools and gloves if you have them;

-- perennials from your yard if you'd like to share--please bring them in a pot in case we don't get a chance to plant them on May 18;

-- a good amount of elbow grease;

-- a sense of humor;

-- excitement to create and chat with some new friends.

For more information please contact Koala (koalaak@hotmail.com) or Gwen (gjperrycrawford@gmail.com).

Winter Photos of Anchorage Needed for WhaleCoast Banquet

Do you have some beautiful, unique, fun, or horrifying photos of Anchorage in winter that you would like to share with our WhaleCoast guests? A suggestion was made to put together a slide show of them to play during part of the WhaleCoast banquet so guests can see what it looks like here in the winter. Please submit them to WhaleCoast@anchorageuuf.org. If it is important to understand the photo with a caption, please include it. No more than 5 from anyone person so we can get an assortment. Erik Hill, professional photographer and member, has graciously volunteered to compile them for us.

Peace Camp is back! June 24 - 28, 2024!

Children & youth from 1st - 8th grade are welcome to participate.

We are looking forward to a week in our beautiful Alaska outdoors, rain or shine! Music, stories, Crafts, games and bike rides. Lots of fun for everyone. Adults interested in volunteering in some way, please contact Elayne Hunter, Annie Belts or Rosene Beachy.

And if you’ve been saving any of those giant coffee /fruit cans, we would love to take them off your hands.

Registration forms are available on the AUUF website as well as the RE Facebook Group. Early bird registration by May 1. Payment can be made on the AUUF Donations page.

Help Others Remember Your Name! Name Badges Help

Hey long-timers at AUUF who would like a nice metal plate with the new logo added to their wooden name badge! We have a number of these that can be turned around in a week! Simply give your wooden badge to Denise Martin on a Sunday before or after the service. A new batch of name badges for new members is being ordered soon. If you’re a long-timer who has lost their wooden badge, we can order a replacement if you contact Denise by April 28th. (Or fill out an order form in the lobby and turn it in to the office).

Remember: we all help make connections easier by wearing our name tags on Sunday. We strive to provide printed paper ones for those who come regularly and are still on the journey to membership. Questions? Contact admin@anchorageuuf.org

WhaleCoast Alaska has been a successful and anticipated fundraiser for AUUF for many years. We host about 80 UU visitors from all over the United States in the two tours each summer. The dates for 2024 when guests are in Anchorage are June 15-17 and 19-20 and July 24-26.

Some of our AUUF hosts have opened their homes for many years, while others just had their first experience last year. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet some very nice UU travelers and show off a bit of our state to them. If you are not able to provide housing, you could help with providing food and setup for the banquet, driving guests, or maybe even hosting in another UU’s home if they can’t be there.

The Anchorage UU Fellowship receives $100 per person per night for a comfortable shared bedroom, breakfast, and transportation to and from the host home to the activity. Sometimes guests arrive early and stay with our hosts, or choose to pay double for a single room, earning us additional funds. In addition, we receive $32 per person for the banquet and entertainment we provide on June 16 and July 25. When we provide additional transportation between venues, we earn $5 per person per ride. Together, last year we earned almost $23,000 that provided a much-needed supplement to our operating budget!

For more information about the tours, visit www.WhaleCoastAK.org. On that website are the full itineraries, information about what to expect, and guidelines about traveling and health, including Covid protocols. All guests and hosts are required to be fully vaccinated (including boosters) against Covid to participate.

Peggy Robinson is the AUUF Coordinator. Attached is the volunteer form for you to complete and return ASAP. It is in a fillable PDF format,

(Must be downloaded to be fillable.)

if you prefer. Email to whalecoast@anchorageuuf.org.

Click here for the volunteer form.

AUUF Job Description: Congregational Administrator

Now Accepting Applications! AUUF members/friends are welcome to apply.

Do you know someone who is organized and detail-oriented, has great customer service skills, and you think would fit in well with our congregation? We are now accepting applications for the Congregational Administrator position. It is approximately 20 hours per week, mainly in the office during the day, and performs a wide variety of administrative tasks with minimal guidance.

Click on the job description link for full information about the position.

To apply:

1. Read more about us on our website and our national organization’s website,

uua.org .

2. Submit a resume and a cover letter describing why you want to work for AUUF in this position and how you meet the listed qualifications.

3. Email both to RevLise@anchorageuuf.org. Put “Administrator” in the subject line.

Applications will be reviewed upon receipt. The position is open until filled. References will be checked and a background check performed.

See AUUF Job descriptions. now accepting applications, congregational members are eligible to apply.

DRE Job opening

Now Accepting Applications! AUUF members/friends are welcome to apply.

Title: Director of Religious Exploration

Do you know someone who is welcoming, creative, enjoys children, loves to learn, collaborate and is organized? If you think they'd add positive elements to our congregational culture, please tell them about our Director of Religious Exploration position! This position is full-time with the ability to work in the office and at home, although working on Sundays and some evenings is required. We've recently increased the salary rate to make the position more competitive and interested parties may apply by following the below steps.

To Apply:

1. Explore our website, anchorageuuf.org, see full job description, and our national organization’s website, www.uua.org.

2. Submit a cover letter describing why you want to work for Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in this position and how you meet the listed qualifications.

3. Submit a resume. Email your resume and cover letter to RevLise@anchorageuuf.org with “DRE Job ” in the subject line

Applications will be reviewed upon receipt. Position is open until filled. References will be checked and a background check done.

May 2024

HALF PORTION FOR SOCIAL ACTION:

Facing Foster Care in Alaska

Facing Foster Care in Alaska (FFCA) is a lifeline for foster youth and alumni. As a statewide network of current and former foster youth, we lead efforts in advocacy, training, and peer support to improve the lives of thousands of foster youth across Alaska. FFCA empowers current and former foster youth to share their lived-expertise to be heard in key decisions affecting children and families.

Go to anchorageuuf.org

Click on the Half-Portion note or Donate/ Pay

at the bottom of the home page.

Enter your donation under

“Half-Portion for Social Action”