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UU Visalia
Quick Links
Home Page:
uuvisalia.org
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Calendar
All regular services begin at 5 PM, followed by 6 PM potluck
June 2008
June 1, 2008 - "Getting Real about Food", a sermon by Rev. Anna Porter of Hinsdale, IL - presented by Debbie Wing.
June 8, 2008 - "Start Where You Are - Chapter 1", from Pema Chodron's book - presented by David Hodges.
June 15, 2008 -"Constants May Evolve" a sermon by Rev. Victoria Stafford, White Bear UU Church, MN - presented by Janet Wood
June 22, 2008 - "We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest", a sermon by Rev. Gail Geisenhainer, UU Fellowship of Vero Beach FL - presented by April Hill. Music by Ken Elias precedes service at 4:30.
June 29, 2008 - "SOULS ON FIRE - can UU's have religious experiences?" A Sermon by Rev. Richard Gilbert - Rev. Gilbert is a longtime UU minister, creator of "Building Your Own
Theology" and author of The Prophetic Imperative: Social Gospel in
Theory and Practice and many other books. Presented by Don Chapin and David Newman. Music by Ken Elias precedes service at 4:30.
Please Note: (Service topics are subject to change) Sunday Services from June through August are normally more casual. The basic format will be continued, with songs and written word, but formal children's Sunday School will not be offered, so that our teachers can enjoy the time off.
The 5PM Worship Service is followed by a light potluck supper at 6 PM to which all are welcome! Please do not hesitate to come to church and join us for dinner potluck. Even if you forget to bring a dish, we always have plenty and your company is most welcome. HINT: Beverages and desserts are always appreciated! |
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UU Visalia Fellowship News
UU VISALIA ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL BUSINESS MEETING REPORT:
On Sunday, 5/18/08, we elected new officers, adopted a budget for Fiscal Year 2008-09, revised our bylaws, and celebrated last year's accomplishments and next year's goals. Read the documents distributed on the member's section of our website (password required).
Newly elected Board Members are:
President - Harold Wood
Vice President - Debbie Wing
Secretary - Lesley Dyer
Treasurer - Sandy Beals
Past President - April Hill
Due to popular demand, in August 2008 services will consist of a discussion workshop on Articulating Your UU Faith. This workshop guides participants through a series of easy and engaging excercises - personal reflection, role-play, discussion and even the creation of a worship event -- that equip us to communicate our liberal religious ideals. To purchase the workbook, please give $15.00 to Janet Wood by June 30, 2008.
One Out of Two at Ten Campaign
The Pacific Central District (PCD) of the Unitarian Universalist Association challenges you to become a Chalice Lighter! The goal is a participation rate up to one out of two members from each congregation, each pledging at least $10 three times a year in response to a Chalice Lighter call. It's easy to sign up on the PCD web site, and doing so is a powerful act on behalf of growing Unitarian Universalism throughout our region. The Visalia UU Fellowship has already benefited from a Chalice Lighter Growth grant of $500 to pay for advertisements in the Valley Voice in 2006-07 and we plan to apply for a considerably larger grant later this year to seek a Weekend Minister. One of the requirements for receiving a Chalice Lighter grant is to have members actively participating. Please consider joining as a chalice lighter!
and Cottage Conversation about how marriage discrimination hurts. Discuss how we can be part of the UU Legislative Ministry campaign for civil marriage legislation and against the November 2008 anti-gay proposition.
MEETINGS
June 9, 2008 - Board Meeting Time & Place TBD.
June 15, 2008 - 6:00 PM Worship Team Meeting. During the potluck after the service.
Social Justice & Green Sanctuary Team Meeting
ADULT EDUCATION
We're considering several choices for next fall's adult education / discussion courses and will need to order books by mid-July. Would you be interested in Part Two of "Building Your Own Theology?" A Northwest Earth Institute course on "Deep Ecology"? Or another NWEI course on Ethical Eating"? Please e-mail your preference to: president@uuvisalia.org
Three Rivers Environmental Weekend
To participate in planning the second annual environmental event in Three Rivers with displays, demonstrations and tours of Visalia Green Homes, please contact 3rivers@uuvisalia.org. Sequoia Park volunteers will present and California Native Plant Society hosts their annual fall plant sale.
Ongoing Meditation Sessions Each Wednesday, 6:30-8PM at Friends Meeting House. An opportunity to practice this universal spiritual discipline and discuss mindfulness.
Friday UU Visalia Social Lunch Group
Join us every Friday for the lunch buffet at the Taj Palace Indian Restaurant, at the Marco Polo Motel, corner of Noble and Linwood, every Friday at 12:15 p.m. Address: 4545-B W. Noble Ave., Visalia, CA 93277 (559) 625-2500. For more info, call Harold at 739-8527 or email harold@uuvisalia.org. (We do miss an occasional Friday - so call or e-mail ahead to R.S.V.P. if you can!)
Our Vegetarian Cookbook Project
Please contribute your recipes for vegan / vegetarian / dishes for our planned Vegan / Vegetarian UU Visalia Cookbook. Please submit your items to Lesley or email them to: info@uuvisalia.org.
Caring as a Fellowship
If you know of any Fellowship member or friend experiencing a life challenge (including yourself!), please tell a board member so we can offer support. E-mail your request to: info@uuvisalia.org or mention during "Joys and Concerns."
Networking & Fundraising
UU Visalia on Facebook
Please join our new UU Visalia group on Facebook! for sharing, networking, online friendship, and to support causes, political campaigns, and social justice efforts. Once you join facebook.com, search for UU friends and Unitarian Fellowship of Visalia!
Raise Funds for UU Visalia in Several Different Ways!
1) Purchase anything available from Amazon.com at: www.uuvisalia.org/bookstore/ (even cameras, ipods, and auto parts) Our bookstore is a valuable resource for spiritual growth, learning and just plain fun. Please support our Fellowship fund-raising when buying online!
2) Search the World Wide Web with www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!
3) Use GoodShop.com as your online shopping mall -it donates a percentage of each purchase to your favorite cause! You can even give us points on Ebay or BestBuy or target or Apple.com! Just go to www.goodsearch.com before you go to any other online store, and enter Unitarian Visalia as the charity you want to support. See also the home page of our website, www.uuvisalia.org. (P.S. If you go to Amazon.com, it is better to use our online bookstore link rather than GoodSearch - we get a higher percentage.)
4) Bring in your used printer cartridges to be recycled and bring in funds for the Visalia UU Fellowship!
Visalia UU Fellowship Worship Meetings - 5PM, each Sunday - To find us, check out our new Directions and Map page on our website, including a printable map! go to www.uuvisalia.org |
Church of the Larger Fellowship Podcasts
Do you commute
to the office? Travel for your job? Train for the marathon? Wherever you
go, take the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) with you.
With just two
easy steps, the CLF can provide thought provoking, UU spiritual companionship
on your journeys, 24/7.
Step 1: Become a CLF member: www.clfuu.org
All proceeds from CLF membership support
CLF's work to bring Unitarian Universalism to isolated religious liberals
throughout the world.
Step 2: Subscribe to CLF's podcasts:
CLF members
are invited to subscribe to our podcasts, and you'll have access to Quest, CLF's monthly publication
which offers UU sermons, religious education ideas, and all manner of
inspiration at the ready wherever you go.
The CLF's Quest
Podcast brings the audio version of CLF's monthly publication to over
1,000 listeners each month - listeners from the US, Canada,
the UK, Germany, France,
Mexico, Japan, Taiwan,
Australia, and Macedonia,
among others.
Each episode contains content read in
contributors' own voices, along with photos and chapter headings for easy
navigation between segments. While podcast subscriber numbers tend to be volatile,
they generally total between 1,000 and 2,000 unique downloads per month.
As an alternative to podcast subscription, CLF
members and casual surfers alike can download individual mp3s from the CLF Quest page.
Happy
listening!
UU Legislative Ministry of California
Low Carbon Challenge:
Join UUs to Lose One Million Pounds!
Making lifestyle changes to reduce our carbon footprints require purpose, planning, and practice. It is difficult to do alone. That's we're issuing the UULM Low Carbon Challenge - to inspire and help UUs across the state to lose one million pounds of carbon by Earth Day 2009. "With a wonderful small group curriculum offering support from our faith community, we can help each household lose at least 5,000 pounds of carbon, " said UULM Executive Director Lindi Ramsden. The California UU congregation with the highest percentage of households participating before Earth Day 2009 will win a prize. (Hey - our small size in Visalia gives us a big advantage here!) Join us to organize Carbon Rings in UU Visalia.
For information about "Carbon Rings" forming in our UU Visalia congregation, contact Tyler Conrad and download the materials posted on the UULM website:
http://uulmca.org/main.html#climate CO2 is the primary cause of global warming. This program will save you money, save energy, and save the planet. Be part of the global warming solution and part of the growing number of citizens who have decided to take global warming into their own hands.
UUA General Assembly - June - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
June 25 - 29, 2008. Theme: "Common Threads"
Even though Florida may be too far to travel this year, note that many events are offered online via streaming video on the UUA.org website.
Supreme Court Affirms Freedom to Marry - Members of Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Christ, the Union for Reform Judaism, Soka Gakkai, and other religious congregations, across California are grateful for the May 15, 2008 watershed state Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex couples to get legally married. While no clergy person, nor faith organization, will ever be forced to marry a couple that does not fit their religious requirements, the ruling means that no longer will faith communities who do offer the religious rites of marriage to same-sex couples be required to treat them differently.
The Rev. Lindi Ramsden, Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry, whose organization sponsored an Interfaith Brief that included UU Visalia, stated "Today's court's decision answers the prayers of people from many faiths. How beautiful that the commitment and courage of California's same-sex couples can finally be recognized and protected, and that all Californians will now be able to marry the person they love. Today the court affirmed that the religious views of some cannot be used to restrict the rights of those with differing religious beliefs."
The Visalia Times Delta and the Fresno Bee published Harold Wood's letter to the editor on our behalf on this subject on May 26 & 27th:
Freedom of religion
Some religions and denominations do not believe in same-sex marriage,
others do. This very fact requires society to give freedom to both
views as an essential part of religious freedom. The
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Visalia was one of many religious
congregations submitting an amicus brief in the recent Supreme Court
case arguing in favor of love and freedom of belief, which requires us
to extend the same right to marry to gay people just as we allow
inter-racial marriage. People of faith from a wide spectrum of
religious traditions support the equal right of marriage, including
Native American, Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Unitarian Universalist
faiths. Marriage for same-sex couples has been celebrated by our
Unitarian Universalist denomination for more than four decades. The
court's decision recognizes not only the principle of individual
liberty, but also the principle of freedom of religion. After
this court decision, any particular religious denomination that opposes
the freedom of same-sex couples to marry remains just as free as before
to retain that opposition within their own churches. The California
Supreme Court case simply acknowledges tolerance and freedom of
religion for everyone.
Harold Wood
Vice president
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Visalia
What You Can Do
We've
learned that the California Governor's office is soliciting opinions on
the recent Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality. We'd
like to show him how widespread the support for this decision is. You
can cast your "vote" by calling 1-916-445-2841; then choose Option 1
for English, Option 5 to express your opinion on a hot issue, then
Option 1 for the marriage equality issue, and Option 1 to register your
support. It's fast and easy, and you do not have to be a resident of
California to participate.
Please consider a donation at http://www.uulmcaaction.org.
Children's Education Opportunities
Our Fellowship will not be offering Children's Religious Education during the summer months. But never fear - we have resources from the UU Church of the Larger Fellowship which you can use at home with your family!
Leadership School
Saturday 8/2/08 until Friday 8/8/08
Unitarian Universalist Leadership School
at Camp Tuolumne Trails, Groveland near Yosemite. Visit website at www.pcd-uua.org/pcdldrship/pcdleadershipschool.htm. Congregational sponsorship is required and financial support is possible. Please contact a Board member for more information.
Unitarian Universalism: Nurture Your Spirit. Help Heal Our World |
Community Events for Social Justice and/or Personal Spiritual Development
Saturdays - 8 AM - 11:30 AM - Visalia Farmer's Market - Come buy locally grown fruits and vegetables every Saturday, all year long at Sequoia Mall Parking Lot (near Sears). Remember - buying locally grown food is more sustainable and reduces your impact on global warming! It's all part of Ethical Eating!
CROP Walk - The Visalia/Tulare CROP Walk attracted about 75 volunteers and walkers on 5/10/08 to help raise awareness about hunger in our communities and raise funds for Food Link of Tulare County and Church World Service, which provides disaster relief in 80 countries around the world. You still have time to contribute at www.cropwalkonline.org or by talking with April.
South Valley Peace Center (SVPC) - SVPC has peace demonstrations the first Sunday of each month between 8-9AM on the northwest corner of Mooney and Caldwell. Come out and demonstrate for peace. Bring a sign with your favorite peace message.
Saturday, June 28, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Kaweah Oaks Preserve. "It's a Hoot!" Owl Demonstration and Walk at Kaweah Oaks Preserve. Back by popular demand, Burleigh Lockwood will lead this fun, family-friendly event, to learn about these nocturnal friends. Ms. Lockwood is a respected wildlife biologist from the Chaffee Zoological Gardens in Fresno, an active member of The Bat Conservancy and various local area conservancies. Burleigh was an official "hooter" on Spotted Owl surveys for the Forest Service, where she learned the habits and hoots of the owls in the Sierra. She has also worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Sponsored by Sequoia Riverlands Trust. Cost is $5 for Trust members; $10 non-members. Join that day and attend the program for free. Memberships start at $35 for an individual or $50 for a family. (Kaweah Oaks Preserve is located on Road 182, approximately seven miles east of downtown Visalia via Highway 198. Drive north on Road 182 one-half mile. Park on the west side of the road; walk past the gate to enter and meet in the picnic area.)
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Purchase Fair Trade Coffee
Through the UUSC COFFEE PROJECT, we can enjoy delicious coffee, tea and chocolate while helping small-scale farmers in Latin America, Africa and Asia as they build a better future for themselves and their families. Through the project, farmers earn a fair price for their products, have access to affordable credit, and gain a long-term trading partner they can trust, a Fair Trade Organization called Equal Exchange.
Our Amazon powered on-line book store carries a line of Equal Exchange products that you can order at your leisure. For every order of 5 cases or more, shipping is waved. Debbie Wing will be placing an order Mid-June for the Fellowship and has a complete product list and order form. If you want to save shipping charges and be included in this order, please contact Debbie Wing at info@uuvisalia.org.
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