First Unitarian Weekly News
    July 29, 2010

Announcements

•  Church Photo Directory — Sign-ups Begin August 15
Starting August 15 during coffee hour, you can sign you and your family up for a photo session at the church. The photo sessions are scheduled for September 16, 17 and 18. Sessions will run 10-20 minutes long. Appointments are required. We would like every member to please get his or her photo taken. There is no obligation to buy and just for getting your photo taken, you get a free 8 x 10 and a free photo church directory. Please call the office 345-3039 ext. 101 if you have any questions. Even if you aren’t an official member, please come out and get your picture taken so we can put a face with the name in our church directory.

•  Parents of Sunday School children and youth from nursery through 12th grade: The annual Religious Education informational flyer and registration forms went out to RE families via e-mail last week. If I do not have an e-mail address for you, your mailing went out this week. Please return the registration forms to Cheryll Wallace at the church by August 22 so we can get an accurate count of how many children and youth to plan for each Sunday morning. If you do not receive a registration form please contact Cheryll Wallace at the church or by e-mail at dre@firstuuomaha.org  so that she can get one out to you. THANK YOU TO THE SIMON, GIRON and JANTZI FAMILIES- they were the first families to return their forms!

WAYS YOU CAN HELP

• 9:30 Coffee Hour Coordinator Needed
Are you looking for something important to do around the church? We are looking for a Coffee Hour Coordinator for the early service. The coordinator recruits volunteers to provide for the Coffee Hour at the 9:30 service from August 29 through the end of May. A list of people who usually attend the early service is available to use as a tool. Cheryll Wallace is also available to help you as you learn the ropes. After you get the volunteers in place, Matt Dewell, our trusty Coffee Hour Communicator, sends out a reminder to the volunteers for you. Please contact Cheryll at the church or at dre@firstuuomaha.org to volunteer. THANKS!

• OTOC House Meeting Training – August 9
Join Cheryll Wallace and other interested church members at the OTOC House Meeting Training on Monday August 9 from 7 to 9 P.M. at First United Methodist Church. A house meeting is a small gathering of ten to fifteen people who are invited to the home of someone they know and trust to discuss issues of shared concern and develop ways to work together. There are many ways we could use this style of communication to achieve our goals here at First Unitarian. Come! Let's learn about this together.

• Brush Up Nebraska Paint-A-Thon – August 20-21
It's almost time for the annual Brush Up Nebraska Paint-A-Thon. This year it will be held on Friday & Saturday, August 20 and 21, and, as always, First and Second Unitarian Churches are teaming up.  Go to www.secondunitarianomaha.org/?id=paintathon for details and to view photos of the house we have been assigned this year. This is just one example of the rewarding work we do for those who are not able. We will need ladders and you can bring along scrapers, brushes, and gloves if you have any of these items. We also need volunteers to bring food and beverages for the hungry and thirsty workers. If you have questions or to sign up to help, contact Clyde Anderson or Melissa Konecky. There will be sign up sheet on the bulletin board THIS Sunday.

• August 21 — Pancake Breakfast for Neighbors’ United Community Center Fund
— 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. — First Baptist Fellowship Hall
Mark your calendars for a Pancake Breakfast.  Location will be First Baptist Fellowship Hall at 421 Park Avenue.  Same place that serves community meals. The menu will consist of pancakes, bacon, sausage, bread, coffee and juice all for only $5.00.  All proceeds will go to the Neighbor's United Community Center Fund.
See you there and invite your neighbors and friends!

• Standing On The Side Of Love: Arizona
SB 1070, the law that jails anyone not carrying paperwork proving citizenship, goes into effect on July 29 in Arizona. UU Churches there have asked us to come join them in a stand of solidarity with the people of Arizona, where we are known as "The Love People." Please come to Arizona to represent First Unitarian of Omaha, or please help UU Omahans get there with the donation of Sky Miles or funds. Want to know exactly what we'll be doing? Visit www.altoarizona.com  and www.standingonthesideoflove.org and look for information about July 29 and the day of National Non-Compliance.

• Share-the-plate for August. The ACLU Racial Justice Project is a live presentation program designed to educate the public, and particularly minority youth, about their rights during a traffic stop.  The object is to inform people how to have the lowest risk, least confrontational stop with police, but still have a means to report concerns after a stop has concluded.  ACLU will gather information about stops from the public and attempt to work with the police department to alleviate those complaints.

SATURDAY  – JULY 31

• A memorial service remembering long time church member Joan Frost Kriegler will be held at the First Unitarian Church at 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, July 31.

SUNDAY – AUGUST 1

• Sunday Service:  ONLY ONE SERVICE AT 10:30 A.M.
Modern Poet, Old Testament
Published poet and writing instructor Matt Mason will read poems inspired by a modern-day look at some of the Old Testament's books and the confusion, beauty, and oddness he sees.
Music: Donovan Johnson with the Early Morning Risers

NEXT WEEK

• August 3 — Finance Team Meeting — 7:00 P.M. — Merritt Lounge

• August 5 — Women’s Religious Studies Group — 1:00 P.M. — Merritt Lounge

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

• August 8 — Sunday Service:  ONLY ONE SERVICE AT 10:30 A.M.
Nothing is Settled. Everything Matters
Laura Shennum
What are the resources we as Unitarian Universalists use to let go of our worries and burdens? How does letting go of those burdens allow us to be present in our life to our self and others? I invite you to come and explore this topic with me to see ways we can all grow to be more present in our daily lives.
Music: Donovan Johnson with the Early Morning Risers

• August 8 — Second Sunday Salon
Choose from the GLBTQ Film & Forum at 6:00 P.M. -- NOTE TIME CHANGE THIS MONTH ONLY or the Creative Art Group at 7:00 P.M.   Snacks will be served. Persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome.
The August GLBTQ film is: Fingersmith - In a BBC adaptation of Sarah Water's third novel, Fingersmith is a compelling period drama about conning and being conned. It's also a lesbian love story set in 19th century England, with complex characters from opposite ends of the social spectrum, both in their own desperate situations.   2005, Not Rated, 180 minutes

• August 10 — Board Meeting — 7:00 P.M. — Common Room

• August 15 — The Flame Deadline — Noon

• August 15 — Photo Sessions Sign-ups Begin — During Coffee Hour

• August 18 and 25 — 7:00 P.M. — Choir rehearsals begin again! — Sanctuary

• August 21 — Pancake Breakfast for Neighbors’ United Community Center Fund
— 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. — First Baptist Fellowship Hall
Mark your calendars for a Pancake Breakfast.  Location will be First Baptist Fellowship Hall at 421 Park Avenue.  Same place that serves community meals. The menu will consist of pancakes, bacon, sausage, bread, coffee and juice all for only $5.00.  All proceeds will go to the Neighbor's United Community Center Fund.
See you there and invite your neighbors and friends!

• August 22 — Choir Picnic — Offsite
Contact Bob McMeen for more information.

• August 29 — Ministry Team Job Fair — During both coffee hours — Save the date. More details to come.

FIRST UNITARIAN BLOGS & RELATED WEB SITES

You're invited to read or join in our online conversations:

Social Justice Committee Blog
Omaha Unitarian Universalists for Tolerance (OUUT) Blog
Omaha Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (OCUUPs) Web Site
 

GENERAL INFORMATION AND DEADLINES

Office Hours:  Mondays-Fridays,  9 a.m. - 12 noon and 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. 

For information on parking, please visit our Parking Information page.

For information on our various publications deadlines, please visit our General Information page.

Updated Jul 30, 2010 gae