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Thursday, May 23, 2013
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May 2013
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|  "Transformation"
I love stories of transformation. Whether it’s reading about Scrooge or the Ugly Duckling, or learning about the arctic wooly-bear caterpillar (it takes 7 years for their journey from caterpillar to moth, and they’re frozen for about 90% of that time!), I’m entranced. There are many theories about change, but most of them come down to, “It’s hard.” Whether you’re changing an organization, as we are, or trying to change something in your own life, it can be daunting. The task can seem overwhelming. And yet, most say that it comes down to taking small, manageable steps toward the goal. “One day at a time” is a phrase heard in popular culture, music, and 12 step programs. And it refers not only to the steps you take, the action you take, but also to not allowing the missteps to derail us from our goals. Cheated on a diet? It was only one day. Try again tomorrow. It might be difficult, but transformation is far from impossible. The world is full of stories of people who wanted something different in their lives, so either all at once, or bit by bit, they became the person they wanted to be, or created the relationships they wanted to have, or crafted the life they wanted to live. May we find in our church the community to inspire and strengthen us as we find our own transformation. Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford, minister@fuunco.org | |
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 | | Transition Team President's Letter | |
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|  May 2013
Believe it or not, it is our one year anniversary of moving into our Eldridge Parkway location. It is nice to see old friends visit and respond with positive comments about our home. We continue to work on improvements, and you will be seeing those unfold in the coming months.
Our third campus, Thoreau comes online as a First Unitarian Church location in July. At that point, signage will be designed for the three campuses that help visually tie us together.
I am very happy that Rev. Joanna will continue as our campus minister, I can’t think of anyone better suited. Jim Klein, will start as an official member of the board of First Unitarian in July, at that time he will take this space (in our newsletter) to report on the big picture. As we reorganize, training will take place for leadership positions that will further our ministry. Fresh faces are needed to help with the work of the church. Come on, you know who you are... ;-) Bil Cusack
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|  We've added a new poster and some new table tents regarding some upcoming meetings - briefly:
In preparation for the all campus meeting of May 19, we will have a phone in meeting on Sunday May 5 (1 PM) and Wednesday May 8 (7 PM) to hear Treasurer Evan Michaelides present the budget for next fiscal year. Copperfield campus members will meet at our campus where we will phone in to join the other two campuses. Sunday May 19 (11:30 AM) is the congregational meeting where we will once again convene at our respective campuses for voting on some constitutional changes as well as vote on the new board members for next year. These meetings are opportunities to participate in the governance of our full congregation. | |
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Step Out, Step Up The campaign is officially over, but not all pledge cards are in. To date we have $54,814 which is a little less than last year's pledge. For the remaining pledges, the church staff will be following up. We anticipate that our budget will be about $62,000 - $66,000, so we will need to have some fund raisers to make up the anticipated shortfall. The social committees have some ideas, so be ready to support these efforts. Peace,
Your stewardship team stewardship@fuunco.org | |
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Another fantastic month has gone by, and we've been able to settle into the routine of rehearsals and Sunday music leadership. A big THANK YOU is given to our hard-working instrumentalists and singers. Figuring out arrangements is challenging and they pull it off every week. The fUUn Co. Band will be taking a well-earned break for most of the summer, starting mid-June through July. We will be back with a fire for rehearsal on August 1. Meanwhile, you'll hear the stylings of Bil Cusack or yours truly during Sunday services. Have a great summer, full of love, laughter, and fUUn! Sing on, Jen Rathbun If you'd like more information about our music program, and/or you would like to join us, contact me at music@fuunco.org or by phone at 281-685-1455.
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| | Outreach - Faith in Action | |
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Share the Plate Report - Every Sunday, half of the undesignated collection goes to a worthy cause. Recent totals for share the plate were $731.00 to Reach Unlimited, a non-profit that serves developmentally delayed persons in Cypress and Northwest Houston, and $108.50 to Planned Parenthood of Northwest Houston, a non-profit that provides reproductive health care to low income women. Thanks to all who provided the funds for these donations! The recipient from mid-March to mid-April was Urban Harvest. The upcoming recipient will be the Texas Urban Wildlife Rehab Center. Following this will be the Katy Prairie Conservancy. The April Outreach meeting resulted in a great list of potential recipients for future Share the Plate. We will be meeting this summer with Social Justice committee members from the Museum District and Thoreau campuses and will be brainstorming ideas for coordinated giving several times a year. Also coming your way sometime between July and end of Septmeber will be a list of organizations to vote to support. Ideas include: AniMeals (outreach donating food for pets belonging to low income senior citizens), Houston Galveston Institute, Houston Food Bank, and continuation of donating to Cypress Helping Hands, Reach Unlimited, and Planned Parenthood of Northwest Houston. Blood Drive - Lea Mock is organizing a blood donation day for May 18. Read all about that in the article below! Especially with the accident in West, Texas, there is a need for blood donations. If you would like to donate, the group is meeting for lunch on Saturday, May 18, and then going to the donation center located near FM 1960 and Highway 290. Thanks, Lea, for initiating this great project! Windfern High School Project  Annual Outreach Major Donation - The budget for this year was 2% of our total church budget, about $1200. This amount was divided into $200 toward fruit trees, mulch, and water bags, and $1000 in the form of a check to Windfern High School. The principal, Martha Strothers, and Vice Principal Kris Schrandt, were delighted to receive this donation from our church.
 Garden Project - Several church members and friends had a fruit tree planting session at the high school on Saturday April 20. Two apple trees and two orange trees were donated to the school, along with water bags to keep the young trees hydrated. Students who attended the Beautify Windfern Day assisted with planting. Thank you to Rita Cusack for spearheading this, and to Carole Courtney, Geoff Sanders, Bil Cusack, and Julia Taylor for your hard work!
The container vegetable garden is thriving and should have mature produce by the end of the school year. Thanks to Rita Cusack for taking the training and helping the school plan and fill out the needed application, and to Heide Jones who assisted with the installation of this project. Several classes of students came out and received hands-on instruction in planting the containers with vegetables, including tomatoes, kale, and other healthy plants.  Global Volunteer Application - Summer Help with Fruit Tree Maintenance - If you are ready to sign up as a gardener at Windfern High School, please visit the link below, print and fill out the form, and mail it to Pam Scott at the address on the form. It is free of charge. List Windfern HS and grades 11-12 as your areas of interest: http://www.cfisd.net/dept2/pie/Global%20Volunteer%20Application.pdf
Next Outreach Team Meeting The next meeting will be on the third Saturday in June, 9-10:30 a.m. For more information, email faithinaction@fuunco.org. | |
| | Faith in Action: Give Blood, Save Lives | |
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|  Please be one of FUUNCO's first Faith in Action blood donors! Each person that is able to donate will save up to three lives in or near our community. We will be donating four times a year, with our first donation scheduled for Saturday, May 18th.
Who can donate? Anyone who is in good general health, is at least 16 years old, and is at least 110 lbs. Where will the donation be? At Gulf Coast Regional Blood Bank's CyFair Neighborhood Donation Center at 1960 and Fallbrook, less than 10 minutes from the church. We plan to also meet up for lunch beforehand—everyone is welcome, even if you cannot donate! Can you explain the donation process? After filling out a few forms, a medical professional will perform a quick health assessment: they check your blood pressure, temperature and iron level; take a look at the arm you will donate from; and ask you confidential questions about your health to ensure that you are eligible to donate blood that day. Then you are ready to donate! The actual whole blood donation takes between five and 10 minutes. Afterwards, we are given juice and light snacks to replenish lost fluids during donation and chat with our UU friends. There is another way to donate, where you give platelets instead of whole blood, this takes about an hour longer. It is your choice to donate whole blood or platelets. Where can I learn more about donating blood? Visit www.giveblood.org. You are also welcome to ask Lea Mock, her contact information is below. I am interested in joining the group, what do I do next? Contact Lea Mock at leamock1@gmail.com or 281-630-9775. The sooner the better, as she needs to get a headcount to make donation appointments for the group. | |
| | Lifespan Faith Development | |
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Religious Education for children from pre-k(4yrs old)- 12th grade is available at no cost for all interested persons. It is held on Sundays from 11:15am-12:00pm. Please see Adriana to sign up. The theme for Religious Education classes follows that of the sermon. For information, contact lifespan@fuunco.org. For Adult RE Growth Groups information, email adultre@fuunco.org. Our theme for May-early June is Transformations. We will focus on the topic and discuss it from various perspectives with help from a few stories about giraffes. Announcement: We are looking for a few good wizards to help with our summer religious education program! If you are a Harry Potter fan and if you would like an opportunity to be a wizard for the summer; here's your chance. There will be an orientation for wizards and prefects at the Museum district campus on June 1, 2013 from 3-4:30pm. This series is based on the Harry Potter books and we encourage creativity in the implementation of the lessons every week. There will be more announcements coming and if you are interested or have questions, please contact Adriana Gil Wilkerson- adrianawilkerson@yahoo.com | |
|  This month’s recipient has been with us only a couple of years, but, what I like is that she jumped right in from the beginning and became an involved member. From helping with the You Matter lunches, to participation in Sunday worship, Saturday work parties - when something is going on here, you will usually find Ruth Klein.
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| | SWUUSI Is Coming July 21-26, 2013! | |
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For many years I listened to the joy and excitement of members returning from SWUUSI (Southwest Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute) each summer. And every year I vowed to attend the next SWUUSI. But schedule conflicts inevitably arose, and I continued planning, yet failed to go. Then, finally, I went in 2006, and I have been making a determined effort to return every year since.
Why am I drawn back every summer? There are many reasons. I can tell you the things that move me, but there are numerous activities and opportunities, and I know people go for many other reasons as well.
First, for me, there is the spiritual experience. This is, after all, “church camp,” and SWUUSI nourishes my spirit on every level. There are always inspiring speakers (such as Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow), stimulating workshops, wonderful musicians (this year “emma’s revolution” is the artist in residence!), plus a host of some of the best UU ministers to be found outside of General Assembly.
Secondly, there is the social or community experience. For five days, SWUUSI becomes a mini-UU city populated by many of your closest friends (old and new) and acquaintances. Coming from a small congregation, I am always excited to be in the company of our extended UU family and its many thoughtful and generous people.
Thirdly, SWUUSI is one of the most economical vacations you will find. The cost is around $100/day, depending on your choices of accommodations, food and activities.
Fourthly, Sequoyah State Park in Oklahoma is a beautiful, tranquil setting. It is situated on a peninsula with a delightful lake on three sides. There are inviting trails, wildlife, cabins, cookouts, sunset talks, skits, games, a choir and other musical groups, and numerous other attractions. Etcetera: Everyone’s experience is different. I invite you to join us and discover your own reasons for making sure SWUUSI is always on your calendar. This year SWUUSI will be July 21-26. See you there!
Anyone who would like to publish their own SWUUSI testimonial in this newsletter should send it as soon as possible to Geoff Sanders at SpiritualCinema@fuunco.org. -- Geoff Sanders | | |
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Please verify all event times and locations before attending. See complete calendar details at fuunco.org/calendar
June 1 (Saturday):
10:00 AM - dUUdes Disc Golf @ Agnes Moffett or TC Jester Parks
June 2 (Sunday):
10:00 AM - Sunday Service
June 8 (Saturday):
9:00 AM - Work Day
10:00 AM - dUUdes Disc Golf @ Agnes Moffett or TC Jester Parks
6:30 PM - Merger Reception Celebration
June 9 (Sunday):
10:00 AM - Sunday Service
June 14 (Friday):
6:00 PM - Spiritual Cinema Circle
June 15 (Saturday):
9:00 AM - Outreach Committee Meeting
9:00 AM - Administrative Committee Meeting
10:00 AM - dUUdes Disc Golf @ Agnes Moffett or TC Jester Parks
10:30 AM - Transition Team Meeting
June 16 (Sunday):
10:00 AM - Sunday Service
10:00 AM - YRUU
June 19 (Wednesday):
7:30 PM - Poetry Discussion Group
June 22 (Saturday):
10:00 AM - dUUdes Disc Golf @ Agnes Moffett or TC Jester Parks
June 23 (Sunday):
10:00 AM - Sunday Service
10:00 AM - Yellow Rose Volunteer Recognition
June 29 (Saturday):
10:00 AM - dUUdes Disc Golf @ Agnes Moffett or TC Jester Parks
June 30 (Sunday):
10:00 AM - Sunday Service
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| | FUUNCO Transition Team Directory | |
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| Services are held each Sunday at 10:00 am. For further information call 281-656-6822, or visit our Sunday Services page. | |
| June 2, 2013 | Transforming Habits
Rev. Dr. Daniel O'Connell | | | Habits are good– they make routine things semi-automatic so we can be more productive. Habits are bad– they thwart our stated intentions about who we want to be or what we want to do. The “stickiness” of habits make them hard to change. How can we more closely walk our talk? |
| | | June 9, 2013 | Transformation: Swan Song
Natalie Brown | | | |
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| | FUUNCO Committee Directory | |
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