Hello!
Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate. And to those of you who don't, it begins this week on Tuesday night. I have some great memories of celebrating Hanukkah at church. I know this sounds funny--but there are some unique things to being raised UU. One of them is becoming comfortable with the idea that there are stories and lessons for us in any of the world's religions. I remember a Jewish man who was a member of our congregation growing up, who had no family. He would call us children around, and light the Menorah, and tell us a bit about Hanukkah. I learned that it was a holiday celebrating freedom to practice your religion. And the miracle that sometimes, despite the odds, things line up just right, and go your way. I also learned that the man standing before us lost all his family during the Hallocaust, and we were now his family. The best part was that we each got a shiny dollar coin or 50 cent piece each year. He'd pull them out of his pocket at the end of story, and place them warm, in our palms. He'd ask us never to forget. And I never have.
The world invites us, over and over, to touch each other's souls. This man dared to reach out, in spite of an obvious amount of pain, to connect with us children. May we each have such courage.
Don't forget to invite friends to church during this holiday. They might just need a new family too.
See you in church!
~Eva
TONIGHT --Guatemalan Welcome Potluck
(see details below)
This Sunday: December 18th
8:30 am Music Rehearsal
9:30 am Service: "Life and Death" Rev. Eva Cameron, Bill Chene (Worship Associate)
Our Power of Creation theme continues as we explore the message Winter Solstice brings to us at this time and throughout the year.
10:45 am Fellowship Time
11:00 am Children's Chapel (balcony)
11:15 am Sunday School for Children & Youth (classrooms)
11:15 am Adult Religious Education "Immigration Reform"
Calendar Updates for this Coming Week
Tuesday
7:30 pm Board Meeting
Wednesday
11:00 am Friendship Village UU Ministry including Dick Shane's 100th Birthday Celebration
(All Welcome to pop in or come for Chapel and Lunch. See details below.)
Music Rehearsals TBA
Thursday7:30 pm Buddhist Path--Al Takes will host this evening.
Saturday
5:30 pm Christmas Eve Service
Join us for a family holiday tradition! Invite your neighbors and friends to join us as we welcome in the spirit of Christmas in carols, scripture, story and candlelight! Please bring a treat to share for our holiday party after the service. There will be a social action collection for our Khasi Hills School. We invite you to bring your Guest at Your Table boxes in to place under the mitten tree.
Pastoral Update
Dick Shane - will be 100 on December 17th !!!
We will host a birthday party for him during the lunch hour of Friendship Village Chapel service at Lakeview Lodge on Dec 21. Chapel at 11am, lunch at 12noon. All are welcome. Please RSVP to Judith Harrington, 277-1106. (She is heading up our little Dick Shane Birthday party committee--along with John Miller, Donna Kroeger, and Brian Forster). Judy will have some cards for you to sign after the service this Sunday as well.
Dick is having difficulty hearing, but his mind is sharp. We encourage you to send notes in big, bold print to him--tell him a story, or share your thoughts about things that are going on. He would love hearing from you, even if he doesn't know you!
Lakeview Landing
332 Southbrooke, Apt. 1010
Waterloo, Iowa 50702
I visited both Dottie Forsberg with her husband Gordon, and Don Wendt with his wife Dorothy at Lakeview Landing yesterday and brought them poinsettias from the congregation. They were all happy to see me. Both are currently in hospice, but seem to still able to sit up and converse a bit. If you have time during the winter break, now might be a good time to go visit or write a note. (Same address as above).
We have scheduled a Memorial Service for Mildred Peirce on Sunday January 15th at 11:15am. This is designed to honor Mildred's passion for energy conservation, by allowing you to come for church service and stay to remember and honor Mildred.
Do, please, let me know of any other pastoral updates to include from week to week. People want to know, and send you love, prayers or bring you a pot of soup! ~Eva
Church Announcements
| Potluck Tonight: Jimy and three of his family members will be arriving from Guatemala on Thursday. Let's give them a big UU welcome! If you are available, please bring the entire family to the UUSBHC tonight and join us for dinner and music. 5:30 setup and socializing 6pm potluck dinner 7pm music and dancing ... Black beans, rice and some chicken will be provided. Please bring a dish to share. If desired, you may also bring any of the following items to donate: a container to give your leftovers to the family, clothing (women's med/ men's med & large), bedding, school supplies, toiletries, cash / checks payable to UUSBHC (with u-visa in the subject line). Please email heather.flory@yahoo.com if you can help clean up. If you are musical, please bring your instrument(s)! |
YoUUth Bake Sale this Sunday!
The YoUUth will be selling yummy homemade treats in the fellowship hall this Sunday. For a few years now, they have been raising money for a youth trip. This year our goal is to attend Annual Conference in Minnesota the weekend of April 13th-15th. Please bring your cash and checkbooks to buy some holiday treats (consider it a holiday present for you and your belly) and help our youth attend Annual Conference.
Children's Chapel Ornament Sale
The children of the congregation will be selling handmade, by their very own little hands, ornaments this Sunday. The money raised will go towards their social action project, The Grout Museum. The children have a goal to raise at least $100 this year to donate to the Grout Museum for some special items that the museum is in need of. Please help them reach their goal by purchasing a lovely item to give as a gift or to decorate your tree at home.
Guatemalan Family
Heather Flory is still organizing all the things and clothing needed for our Guatemalan family that has just arrived. If you can't make it tonight, you can bring things on Sunday. Or take some time to look through your house over the holidays--I'm sure they will still need plenty of things after they get an apartment in January. Think about setting up house--there are many, many things that help to make life work. What can you give? Contact Heather with questions. <heather.flory@yahoo.com>
Alternative Activities
If your child or children are participating in Alternative Activities during the service, please pick them up upstairs after the service before you head down to the fellowship hall. This will make it easier for the childcare workers to make sure the children get to their parents. Thank you!
The Mitten Tree
The Social Action Committee and the children of our church have partnered up to gather mittens, hats and scarfs for the children of Khasi Hills. Please take an ornament off of the tree and return with a new hat, scarf or mittens for a youth or child and place your item under the tree. At the end of the holiday season, we will package up our gifts, along with messages from the children, and send it off to the Khasi Hills so our friends there can keep warm in their cooler months. Help us fill the bottom of our tree with colorful cold weather items!
Guest at Your Table Boxes
We invite you to bring your Guest at Your Table boxes back on Christmas Eve. If you won't be able to make that service, you are invited to bring them in to set at the bottom of the Mitten Tree THIS Sunday.
SCRIP FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS
Looking for a gift for that hard to please someone on your list? Gift cards make great gifts and are available in many denominations. Come see what's new at the scrip table during coffee hour on Sunday mornings, or contact scrip coordinator, Shanlee McNally, scrip@uusbhc.org or 296-2780.
Stay Informed/Keep Us Informed:
Please send any information for the Weekly Updates to administrator@uusbhc.org or call 266-5640.
The December newsletter is available as follows:
- for downloading UUSBHC December newsletter
- paper copies are available in the fellowship hall at church.
- Also let the office know if you would prefer to receive the newsletter by email administrator@uusbhc.org
Weekly Update of the
Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk County
Rev. Eva Cameron 319-610-6605 (cell) minister@uusbhc.org
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