UUFA Announcements for December 18, 2017

Good Afternoon UUFA Members and Friends,

Many thanks to Katie Evans, Program committee member for her Winter Solstice Intergenerational service yesterday  !  Thanks also to Megan Cameron , Choir Director for her work with the UUFA choir and the children to fill the hall with music !!

Here is what’s happening this week at UUFA:

Tuesday,  December 19th- Choir practice – – 7-8pm – all voices welcome !

Sunday , December 24th – In observation of the holiday NO SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE WILL BE HELD – we wish you a happy holiday season with your loved ones.

Sunday, December 24 – 7:00 pm  – Christmas Eve Service –  Please join us as we observe the Christmas holiday through word and song.

Executive Committee Updates:  

The UUFA Executive Committee met on December 10th and here are few items that you should know:

  • The year to date contributions for 2017 tax statements were sent out December 8.  All members should have received them. If you have not received your’s please contact Pat Gordon or Kate Mitchell.  Thank you for your generous support of UUFA this past year!
  • UUFA is hoping to have a table for 8 members to attend the 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. silent march and brunch at Ohio University on Monday, January 15th.  We are on a waiting list. If you would like to reserve seats at our “anticipated” table contact Barb Harrison.
  • Have a special memory or two about why UUFA has been significant in your life?  Get ready to participate in small group dialogues beginning in 2018!  More information coming soon from the Executive Committee and Rev. Rollins.
  • UUFA Executive Committee retreat for Saturday, February 3 at the fellowship from 11:30 – 3:30.  Members will be encouraged to bring a potluck dish to share.  Open to all members ! 
  • SAVE THE DATE – UUFA Annual Meeting 2018 – Sunday, April 8th

On-Going UUFA Announcements:

On Sunday we heard that sometimes our members give a Christmas gift to the fellowship. (Thank you!) 
Upon popular request, here’s a current wish list for the fellowship, with big items interspersed with little items:
* Black marine paint and lots of sandpaper for prepping and painting the twelve, sturdy, old, wooden chairs downstairs. 
* Air Conditioning (we raised some money towards AC at the Winter Breakaway, but need more.)
* Wiring improvements to support AC.
* A “Unitarian Universalist Fellowship” sign for the end of our driveway (we already have some donors for this item).
* New LED light fixtures for an RE room downstairs.
* A new piano bench. (Ours broke on Sunday—no one was hurt.)
* Two speaker stands so we can bring our big speakers down from the loft.
* Minor plumbing work to move a sink into the corner in the first bathroom downstairs in order to allow some wheelchair access.
* A full ADA-compliant handicap bathroom upstairs where the small upstairs kitchen is now (with soundproofing for privacy).
* A concrete, brick, or stone pad for our dumpster. (It’s on plywood right now.)
* Installation of the splash guard we already bought to put on the wall behind the downstairs kitchen sink.)

United Campus Ministry at 18 North College Street in Athens needs help continuing its Thursday free supper and Saturday free lunch over the holiday break. These meals often feed people who might not otherwise have food to eat. This Thursday, December 21st, several UUFA members and friends are going to help (Marsha, Katie, Nadia, Wenda, and possibly Melissa). The official helping hours for the supper are from 4-7pm, but come whenever you can help and make sure to bring your appetite. By the grace of many donors, UCM received a new kitchen about a year ago for the free meal efforts. If you can help on another Thursday, or on a Saturday during the OU break (ending mid-January), please call or email Wenda Sheard at 740-818-1845 or wendasheard@yahoo.com.  UUFA is a supporting congregation of UCM and while we provide financial support volunteering to assist with meals is another way we can support this vital resource in our community.

Adult discussion groups to form:  Brian Richards is interested in forming adult discussion groups in a flexible, after work style format.  These would be opportunities for discussions about a variety of issues.  Please see Brian if interested.
Social Action Leader/Chair Needed – Do you have an interest in organizing for social justice/action ?  Have a spare few hours per month to coordinate these activities for UUFA?  We are still seeking a chair person to head up our social action efforts for the year. We’ve committed to addressing food insecurity this year and are doing a great job with the monthly collection for Athens Food Panty, the collection box in the entry way as well as the lbs. of donated fresh vegetables to CFI’s donation station.  Please see Pat Gordon if interested !

Nominating Committee News –  As you think of your New Year’s resolutions, please be thinking of serving either on the UUFA Nominating Committee, or on the UUFA Board for 2017-2018. Please contact our President Elect, Wenda Sheard, at 740-818-1845 if you are interested. Here’s the scoop, directly from our by-laws:

“At least two months prior to any election of officers, the Executive Committee shall appoint a Nominating Committee. The duties of the nominating committee shall be to determine, under the advice of the Recorder, what elected offices will be going vacant at the end of the current fiscal year, to solicit nominations from voting UUFA members, and to present the resulting slate to the Executive Committee at least thirty (30) days prior to the election. The Nominating Committee shall consisting of no fewer than three (3) voting members of the UUFA, including the President-Elect, one elected official with a year of term remaining, and one member of the congregation who is not currently serving in any elected position. Members of the Nominating Committee shall not be nominated to any elected position.”

What’s Happening in the Athens Community? 

Mt. Zion Historic Baptist Church on Carpenter St. in Athens is in need of financial support .  They have reached out to the Athens faith community to ask for help in financially supporting an immediate need for roofing and structural repairs to their physical church before winter sets in.  If you can support please contact them by following their website link here:  http://www.mtzionathens.org/home.html

Emergence ; The Sacred Feminine Dances Once More – Coming in February 2018 !- Saturday, February, 17, 2018 –7:00 pm Sunday, February 18, 2018 – 2:00 pm Arts West 132 W. State St, Athens, OH .  Follow one woman’s journey away from the cultural messages that happiness is achieved outside herself through materials things, consuming and through other people. Trapped by feelings of doubt, inadequacy and helplessness, the woman is forced to go within herself to seek solitude and reconnect with her sacredness. She receives many lessons and bears witness to others, both women and men struggling with their personal journeys. The lessons received help her dance her own dance and stand in her own power. If interested in being a part of this performance please contact Megan Cameron at: megancameronmusic@yahoo.com or if interested in dancing contact Missy Whaley at  mwdances@gmail.comUUFA is a co-sponsor of this event and will provide our fellowship hall as a practice space ! 

If you have an items that you’d like to have appear in the weekly Greensheet please contact Barb Harrison at:  recorder@uuathens.org