Weekly Update of the
Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk County
Rev. Eva Cameron 319-610-6605 (cell) minister@uusbhc.org
January 6, 2012
Hello!
How’s your week been? Some are back into the routine, some are preparing to get back into things. We had a nice return to Wednesday night activities with good food, good practices, and new company. Haven’t tried a Wednesday night yet? Come on out and give it a try. You don’t have to sing for your supper! Thursday night activities were thriving too. We had a meeting for the War on Drugs downstairs while the Buddhist Path met upstairs. And we had several new people at Buddhist Path too. While you are still setting your schedule, I hope you will pencil in some good times with friends in our community.
This week, a lot of my colleagues have been posting blogs and commentary about what they like and don’t like about our faith . . . or perhaps, to say it with more nuance, what they find appealing and what they feel repels people from joining or sticking with the faith. I’d love to hear your thoughts. What keeps you coming? What is the hardest part about being a UU in our community? Haven’t come in a while, but still reading the newsletters . . . I’d love to know what keeps you at home.
This month we continue to explore the power of creation as we continue on our theme of Reconnecting with our Creative, Compassionate Center. I hope you’ll join us!
See you in church!
~Eva
This Sunday 1/8/12
8:30 am Music Rehearsal
9:30 am Service: “The Audacity of It” Rev. Eva Cameron,
Creating a church in January 5, 1875, choosing to start something new,takes bravery, time, and financial commitment: what audacity our forefathers and mothers showed! We only do this if we have the passion to make a difference. Annual Communion using the old Universalist silver is offered.
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 Stories, Part 1”
In keeping with this year's UUA theme of Immigration Reform, the second Sunday of each month will be dedicated to immigration issues. Our focal point will be the UUA "common read" book The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands, plus updates on local immigration stories. To order the book at the UUA bookstore, visit: http://www.uuabookstore.org/ This month, we will also discuss the UUSBHC's future involvement, if any, to support the Guatemalan family that arrived in Waterloo in December. For more information about this family, visit: http://jimyandfamily.blogspot.com
3:00 – 5:00 pm International Folk Dancing
Religious Education Resumes
Children’s RE starts up in the new year this Sunday, 8th! If you have kids that haven’t attended RE this year or haven’t attended regularly, please have them join us. We’d love to see their smiling faces!
Calendar Updates for this Coming Week
Monday
7:00 pm Green Living
Tuesday
7:00 pm Religious Services Council
Wednesday
5:00 pm Festival Sunday planning meeting
5:15 pm Children’s Choir
5:45 pm Dinner: Lasagna, beans, rice, salad & fruit.
6:30 pm Adult Choir
6:30 pm OWL meeting for parents of 4-6th graders (middle school room)
7:30 pm Theoretical String Band
Thursday
7:30 pm Buddhist Path
Saturday
6:30 pm Card Club
Pastoral Update
Sending love and hope to anyone who is hurting in this season.
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
Our Whole Lives, 4th, 5th and 6th grades
If you have a child in 4th, 5th or 6th grade, please plan on attending the parent informational meeting for OWL on January 11th at 6:30. The meeting will be held at the church in the Middle School room and will be led by the teachers of OWL for this age group, Mary and Bryce Watson. As described on the UUA website, “Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.” You MUST attend the parent meeting for you child to participate. This is a opportunity for you child to attend a fabulous class. Even if they do not attend RE, they can still participate in OWL.
Mildred Pierce Memorial Service
We invite you to attend Mildred Pierce’s Memorial Service on Sunday, Jan 15th at 11:15am. Please come with a story to share, and an open heart to listen to a life made rich with passion for our earth. If you know of anyone outside of the church who knew Mildred, please be sure to invite them.
Guatemalan Family
Heather Flory is still organizing all of the things and help needed for our Guatemalan family that arrived earlier this month. Housing has been located in Waterloo, and moving day is scheduled for Monday, January 2nd. For current information about the family and what help is still needed, please visit the new website and blog which have now been set up for Jimy and family: http://jimyandfamily.blogspot.com/
If you have furniture to donate or would like to help the family move, please contact Heather at heather.flory@yahoo.com
What happens after December? Will the UUSBHC continue to sponsor the family in some way? Although most of the family has now arrived in Waterloo, their journey is just getting started. The family members do not speak English, and most of them will not receive their work permits for several months. The NE Iowa Peace & Justice Center (www.neipjc.org) in Decorah will provide expense money for three months, however, additional support is needed in the local area. Join Sally Browne and Heather Flory on January 8 at 11:15am ET to discuss whether or not the UUSBHC would like to continue being involved with the family as a congregation. If so, in what ways would we like to help, and how might we use this as an opportunity to network with other churches and organizations in the local area? If we decide not to help the family as a congregation, there are still opportunities for those interested to help as individuals.
Group Book Order:
Join us as we spend the some of January and February learning about what Karen Armstrong has to teach us about compassion. Her new book, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, provides practical advice on compassionate living. We can place a group order from Amazon and save on shipping. Cost is $14. Please contact Janet in the office, email Eva or sign-up in the Fellowship Hall by January 15th.
Stay Informed/Keep Us Informed:
The January newsletter is available as follows:
- for downloading UUSBHC January 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
Community Announcements
Empowering Parents
The Empowering Parents program is a 6-week program to give parents the group support they need to reach their parenting goals. It helps families improve their parenting skills using the Nurturing Program Curriculum. The program is taught in a group setting at Family & Children's Council. Issues covered in the curriculum include using effective discipline, understanding age appropriate behaviors, establishing family rules and stress management techniques.
Next Session: Tuesday January 31st at 5:30 - 7:30 pm (Every Tuesday for 6 weeks)
at the Family & Children’s Council Office; 500 E 4th St (KWWL building - 4th floor) Room #409.
All classes are free to participants and include a free meal!
**Call 319-234-7600 ext 12 to reserve your spot!!!
*******URGENT*******
The Greater Cedar Valley needs thousands of votes right now!
Your Blue Zone pledge improves The Cedar Valley's chance of being selected to become a Blue Zone Community and eligible to share $25 million for health and wellness projects in the Cedar Valley. This is a contest and lots of places in Iowa are competing and gathering pledges. If we don't get enough, we cannot win! We need thousands of people to do this and each person getting this needs to take the pledge for themselves, thenforward to family, friends, club friends and co-workers. We need people to be a part of it! Life will be better! It's an easy way to get resources in the community for real quality of health - the ultimate amenity!
The Cedar Valley's enthusiasm, shown by the number of residents that pledge to participate, will influence our chances for the $25 million!
With your pledge, it can be ours! Please complete the Blue Zone Personal Pledge toward living a longer, healthier and happier life. It only takes a minute and could change The Cedar Valley immeasurably!
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What is a Blue Zone Project Community?
There are places in the world where people live healthy, happy lives well into their nineties or even 100s. Dubbed “Blue Zones” by National Geographic researcher Dan Buettner, these longevity hotspots share nine lifestyle habits - Power 9™ - responsible for their remarkable results.
About 75% of how long we live - and our chances of suffering from a heart attack, diabetes and certain cancers - is determined by our behaviors. By adopting Power 9™, we can transform our well-being and increase our longevity.
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Blue Zone Project Scoreboard
Click here to see how our community compares to others in the state. We need to improve our score. Let this be a challenge to everyone! Please forward this email to your family, friends and co-workers!
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Contact Information
Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber
Sue Hansen
Admin. Mgr. Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber
319-232-1156
City of Cedar Falls
Mayor Crews
319-268-5119
City of Waterloo
Suzy Schares
Mayor Buck Clark's appointed chair
319-291-4522 #3008
Healthier Cedar Falls Task Force
MaraBeth Soneson, Co-Chair
319.290.7733
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