Rev. Gaye. The Minister s Corner. Inside this issue

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1 Volume 22 Number 9 October 2018 Inside this issue The Minister s Corner 1 From the President... 2 Second Sunday Special Collection October 14 th 2 Full Moon Vespers 2 Blessing of the Animals 2 Happenings in the R.E. Wing 3 A Service for Healing of the Mind and Spirit 4 Four Seasons Jazz Concert Series 4 UUCA Family Tree 5 October Worship 5 The Minister s Corner Welcoming the Stranger is the worship theme for October. There is of course an obvious link to the current immigration scandal in this country, where children are separated from their families in detention centers in conditions that we would never allow for our own children, and to the treatment of people who come to this country to escape economic or political oppression and are treated like criminals by our government. Our first Sunday service in October will explore the way we treat animals, on the day we bless the pets that friends and members will bring to our service. We most likely consider the animal kingdom as the Other, but there are so many similarities and likenesses we share that the claim can hardly be sustained anymore that humans should be treated better than animals. The service on the 14th will bring welcoming the stranger a little closer to home: how do we at UUCA welcome visitors? I had the opportunity to check in with a recent visitor to a Sunday service, and found that there is room for improvement. It seems that the greeters are doing a good in making sure visitors are welcomed and given a name tag, an order of service, and pointed in the right direction into the Sanctuary before the service. Once visitors make their way into the Common Room for coffee and conversation, they find that, unlike what we, in our Welcome remarks at the start of the service, claim happens, coffee and conversation do not abound. More often, our visitors will stand awkwardly alone in the Common Room with their blue cup, while our folks cluster together to see friends and catch up with what they ve been doing the past week. What happens to us when we fail to greet the stranger? We give a lie to our covenant, I believe: in our covenant, we say we will communicate with kindness and support, serve the congregation with compassion and commitment, and freely explore our values and those of others. In not reaching out to those who have made the effort to visit our congregation, we are not living up to those promises we make when we sign our names to the UUCA covenant. I am not saying we are being malicious or deliberate in snubbing visitors! I believe most of us would be horrified to realize, as I did in my conversation with a person who did indeed stand alone with his cup of coffee waiting to be acknowledged, that we are falling down on our job of hospitality given to our visitors. That is a job for each and every one of us, not just the minister or the membership committee! What I would ask, however, is that, at coffee hour, as you begin to chat with a friend and sit down with them at a bistro table, you take a look around to see that no one is standing awkwardly alone, waiting to be seen and welcomed. Reaching out and welcoming the stranger will be both a spiritual practice for you and a fulfillment of our covenant. Rev. Gaye

2 From the President Happy October, Everyone, My favorite month of the year even though I do have to blow leaves out of my back yard! We ve had a busy September and October will continue be filled with new challenges. Many of you took a look around (on Sunday, 9/23) the house UUCA purchased. The Board voted to appoint Heather Belden as our architect to prepare plans for the renovations we planned well over a year ago when we had another house in our sights. The Project Team will keep you apprised of the progress and we ll present a detailed plan as we prepare for our Capital Campaign in February. We have a Finance Team in place to help us remain financially sound as we move ahead. Many of you met Barry Finkelstein from UUA last year during our Next Steps weekend when we hoped a Capital Campaign would follow. We kept his report on hand and he agreed help us reach our goals next year. With detailed plans, we will be able to renovate the areas we discussed: parking lot, kitchen, restrooms, landscaping, RE wing, and the new house to meet future needs as we grow. We hired a property management company to rent the house for the time being until we are ready to expand. This Board is working diligently to bring your vision for UUCA to life while respecting our covenant and upholding our UU Principles. The Boards to follow will need your support to keep the vision alive while continuing to be a welcoming, loving, joyful sanctuary for all. I m proud to be a part of it. Thank you for all you do and having faith in us to proceed. Catherine Prysiazny President, UUCA Board of Trustees Second Sunday Special Collection October 14 th On the second Sunday each month, members and friends of UUCA donate funds specifically contributed to organizations that do work consistent with our UU principles. The SJC shares responsibility for selecting the recipient of this collection during the year with the UUCA Board. On the second Sunday each month, members and friends of UUCA donate funds specifically contributed to organizations that do work consistent with our UU principles. The October Second Sunday Special Collection will benefit Augusta's fourth annual Out of the Darkness Walk, which raises funds for the Georgia chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Funds raised will help save lives in our state through education, advocacy, and support; in 2017, the Georgia chapter of AFSP held a community event or training an average of once every five days. This year's Walk will take place at Pendleton King Park on Sunday, October 21 st at 3pm. There is no cost to participate in the Walk; please register at afsp.org/ Augusta. Contact: Jenny Malizia, or j.malizia@gmail.com. Sunday Service October 7 th Blessing of the Animals All members and friends are invited to bring their well-behaved pets to the service for a blessing. Please make sure they are on leashes or in cages/boxes. Full Moon Vespers Samhain Vespers Sunday, October 28 th 7pm in the Sanctuary Samhain, between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice, is an ancient Celtic fire festival honoring the ancestors and the final harvest, recognizing the wisdom and power of the dark season and the eternal cycle of life and death. This is our most formal and solemn ritual and is not suitable for young children. Please dress up for this one - robes, garb, costume, cosplay, or at least all black. Contact: Jezibell Anat kyriapanagia@yahoo.com Page 2

3 Happenings in the R.E. Wing. October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace! ~ Rainbow Rowell, Attachments I LOVE Autumn! It is my favorite time of year. It has always been the season of beginnings for me, and it is this year as well. Religious Education Year Begins: Our Pre-K 2 nd Grade class will be exploring the wonders of our faith in Spirit Play. Our 3 rd -6 th Grade will be exploring our UU Principles as well with our Star War Jedi Training Academy, with an emphasis on the Seventh Principle, respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Our 7 th -12 th Graders will be working on Coming of Age in our UU community. They will be volunteering in different areas of the church, attending/participating in the Sanctuary services once a month, in addition to having class twice a month to re-center and discuss what it means to be part of a faith community and their rightful place in it. Check out the bulletin boards in the R.E. Hallway for more information or ask a teacher or assistant teacher! Inspired by the Above the Pew art gallery, we will be inaugurating a Youth Art Exhibition area at the end of the R.E. Hallway, next to the playground doors. It is just in the beginning stages, so stay tuned for more information coming soon! The month of October is a month of remembrance for those who passed. Many cultures of the world perform some type of this tradition. In honor of this occasion, beginning October 1 st, there will be table in the R.E. Wing that whomever would like are welcome to leave pictures, poems, thoughts, keys, or whatever they would like as a token of remembrance. Please put a name of the item so it can be returned to you in November. UU R.E. will be starting Youth Group soon. Those in 6 th grade and up are welcome to join in on the fun! We will be going to movies, working on service projects and other beyond-the-r.e. walls trips. We will be having our first meeting on Sunday, October 21 st, from 12:45pm to 1:15pm in Room 1-2. Please bring ideas for fun activities and service projects that YOU would like to see happen for YOUR Youth Group. If you have some thoughts that can t wait, feel free to drop by my office or drop a note in the R.E. Mail Box on the counter across from the Nursery. *** Adult Life Span Faith Development *** Coming to a galaxy near you! UUCA in conjunction with UUCA, R. E. will be showing Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace on Friday, October 19 th at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary. Bring family and friends for some Sci-Fi fellowship. Popcorn and drinks will be provided. Star Wars Episode II: The Clone Wars will be shown Saturday, November 3 rd. Stay tuned for more details! A reminder Sunday, October 14 th, from 12 12:30, in the Sanctuary is the kick-off for our new Parenting Class, Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids: 7 Keys to Turn Family Conflict Into Cooperation by Sura Hart and Victoria Kindle Hodson. The class will be held twice a month and facilitated by UUCA staff. If you are interested, please let me know - dre@uuaugusta.org or drop me a note in the R.E. Mailbox sitting on the counter in the Teacher s Area in the R.E. Wing. Wishing you all Peace and Joy, Ms. Mindy Religious Education Year starts October 7 th ***All curricula for the R.E. Year will begin on Sunday, October 7 th. To accommodate the teaching schedule, R.E. times will be adjusting. The children will continue to start R.E. with their parents in the Sanctuary. The kids will be dismissed at approximately 11:25 and will proceed to their classes, where they will remain until 12:30, when R.E. classes will end. There will be a 15 minute window to pick up your children. Our Whole Lives (OWL) has been cancelled. However, we are trying to schedule an OWL training here at UUCA in the spring for the younger groups. If you are interested in becoming an OWL leader, please let me know: dre@uuaugusta.org. Volunteers needed for Spirit Play! If you love kids, Pre-K to 2 nd, and love watching their imaginations run wild, then Spirit Play might be the volunteer fit for you! We are looking for lead teachers, assistant teachers, and back-up volunteers. We ask each person to volunteer once a month and pass a background check. For more information or to volunteer, contact Mindy: dre@uuaugusta.org. Volunteers needed for Star Wars! Our 3 rd -6 th Graders are looking for energetic fans of Star Wars to teach them the ways of the Force! If you love Star Wars and enjoy sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for it, please contact me (dre@uuaugusta.org) for more information or to volunteer. We are looking for lead teachers, assistant teachers, and back-up volunteers. We ask each person to volunteer once a month and pass a background check. Nursery Assistants and Back-ups needed! If you enjoy babies and toddlers, there is a volunteer opportunity for you! We are looking for two Nursery attendants and 2-3 back-up volunteers. We ask each person to volunteer once a month and pass a background check. If interested, contact me: dre@uuaugusta.org. New R.E. security measure in use There is a new security measure we now have in use. There is a R.E. sign-in table near the front of the Sanctuary. If you have a child(ren) in R.E. (Pre-K through 12 th grade), please sign them in on their corresponding classroom sheet before the service starts. You will be required to sign them out when you pick your child up from their classroom between 12:30 and 12:45. Thank you for your patience with this new change. Director of Lifespan Faith Development Schedule The office hours for the Director of Lifespan Faith Development will be as follows: Sunday, 8am 5pm Wednesday, 2pm 5pm Other hours by appointment Page 3

4 Four Seasons Jazz Concert Series The Fall concert will take place in the Sanctuary on Friday, October 12 th 7:30pm - 9pm, featuring singer Funmilayo Ngozi. Page 4

5 AND FINALLY... UUCA Family Tree submitted by Veronica Leaptrott, Youth Advisor Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (Charles Caleb Colton) As an artist I believe there is much truth in this statement. I once heard a fellow artist get angry because someone did a photoshoot which was similar to one she had recently done and posted it on Pinterest. She eventually calmed down and stated that she at least wanted acknowledgement as the person giving her the idea. While the person did end up giving credit to the person she got the idea from I believe that particular image has been tried by various artist prior. (I could be wrong). We all aspire to be like someone/idea who is greater than ourselves. With social media we have instant access to just about anything we can imagine. Pinterest is one of my favorite sites. I love the idea of pinning something that I can try at a later date and not have to try to remember where I found the idea later. I like to take multiple ideas and merge them into my own creation. I have multiple boards for art, from cake decoration to multi-media art. I have also been a rock hound lately. I love to go rock/gem mining with Katie, my daughter. She also loves to find rocks from Augusta Rocks. When Rev. Gaye asked me to come up with some ideas for crafts in case of rain at the retreat at Camp Long it didn t take much time for me to jump into action. I decided to merge my love for art and rocks into one creation. I saw several pins on Pinterest that got my mind going but none exactly like what I had in mind. UUCA is a family so I decided to do a family tree and have the members/ attendees at Camp Long paint their own rock and then write their name on it. Katie and I painted a large tree onto a piece of wood and then we glued the rocks over the tree. I then added all the names from the most recent UUCA directory to complete the family tree. While my idea is not 100% original I want to thank all the artists out there who inspire me and others to create. September Attendance September 2 nd 83 September 9 th 80 September 16 th 67 September 23 rd 78 September 30 th 86 We welcome stories, news and pictures sent in for our monthly Newsletter. Deadline: Monday before the last Thursday each month directly to the church office: officeadmin@uuaugusta.org Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta 3501 Walton Way Ext Augusta, GA Phone October Worship at UUCA - Welcoming the Stranger - Sundays at 11am Sunday, October 7 th Blessing of the Animals - Rev. Gaye Sunday, October 14 th Welcoming the Stranger - Rev. Gaye Sunday, October 21 st Social Injustice: A Look at our Country s Immoral Immigration Policies - Sandy Hochel, Guest-in-the-Pulpit Sunday, October 28 th Day of the Dead - Rev. Gaye 7pm Full Moon Vespers