Rev. Carol Robinson Yorke Visits on August 5 

Rev. Carole Robinson Yorke, minister of Spirit of Life Unitarian Church in Odessa, FL, will lead our service on the first Sunday in August.  Rev. Yorke writes that she and her partner have been in Florida for three years living in Safety Harbor with their three dogs.  They came to Florida from Massachusetts and Andover Newton Theological School.  She is originally from NJ.  Prior to becoming a minister she was a teacher and a customer engineer for IBM before going to theological school.   Her sermon topic will be  "What a Unitarian Universalist Church Could/Would/Should/Might be in 2001."  Plan to welcome Rev. Yorke to our church on August 5.

August Programs 

August has become a month of transition for many people.  For those on the academic or school calendar, August means the beginning of the new school year and the end of summer vacation. For those who are not on the academic or school calendar this means that Labor Day is weeks away and that the hot, humid summer weather is at its peak.  This August we will be focusing our connections with the Unitarian Universalist Association.  Rev Carole Yorke a UU minister will be with us and present on "What a Unitarian Universalist Church Could/Would/Should/Might be in 2001."  Also, during August we will explore the wealth of UU resources of literature, sermons, and ideas.  On Charles Green's trip to General Assembly (GA) he was introduced to a website designed for smaller congregations that has links to some of the best sermons and literature that the UUA has to offer today.  Join us on our summer journey through these ideas and principles. 

Anniversaries this fall!  We celebrate our 35th anniversary as a congregation and our 4^th anniversary in the new building this fall.  Watch for information about recognition of these milestones in upcoming newsletters.

President’s Column

Diane Holliman

 Happy Summer!  I hope you are having a chance to relax, have fun, and do what you want to do this summer. 

In this column I want to refresh your memory on how the Board works.  All UU churches and fellowships have boards.  Our board consists of a President, Vice President/Program Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, R.E. Director, and Buildings and Grounds Chair.  Although not a member of the Board, the Newsletter Editor usually attends the Board meetings as “a reporter.”  Our names and telephone numbers are listed on the front of the newsletter.  UU churches and fellowships with more members may have more board members and more committees than we do. 

In our church the Board meetings are generally on the second Sunday of each month, unless otherwise announced in the newsletter or by e-mail. These Board meetings follow the service and are the Sunday of the potluck lunch.   

The Board is a policy-setting body.  Since we have a small, but very active congregation, we try  to listen to all of our friends and members and we encourage participation.  Our Board meetings are OPEN, meaning anyone can attend to observe.  And, I encourage you to do this at least once to get an idea of how it works.  Through attending a Board meeting  you could possibly see if this is a leadership position that you might be interested in.  While we enjoy visitors, observing a Board meeting does not entitle you to join in the Board discussion.   At Board meeting we have a set agenda that we attempt to follow and we try to keep the Board meeting moving so the meetings don't last all afternoon!! :) 

If you would like to speak to the Board or if you have an issue that you would like to put on the agenda, please see me or one of the Board members so we can get the item on the agenda for our next meeting.  We like to have the agenda ready a week before the Board meeting. 

I hope you have found this helpful.  I look forward to your participation!

 Religious Education 

Youth R.E.: We need volunteers for Youth RE, please contact Diane Holliman to volunteer. 

Religious education for young people will meet again on a regular schedule in the fall.  During the summer there will be several special activities. 

Adult R.E.: Joan Cline wants to discuss plans for Adult R.E. with anyone who is interested.  She asks that you get in touch with her.

Women’s Group

Join us for good food and great company, the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Bring a snack, ideas for discussion, or just yourself!  Contact Julie Halter for more information. 

If you consider yourself a member of the current Women's Group please meet with the Board for a short meeting on Sunday, August 5 after the service.  If you cannot meet with the Board on August 5, please contact Diane Holliman.  We need to hear from you!   Thank you.

Book Discussion

“Ethics for the New Millennium,” by the Dalai Lama will be discussed at our potluck and book discussion on Saturday, August 18. We'll gather at 6:30 p.m. at John and Virginia Branan's home,   for dinner and socializing and begin the discussion about 8. The book is easy to read, but the subject matter will keep you thinking. Discussion of the quest for happiness and ethics of restraint, compassion, commitment will help us probe our personal moral fiber. Chapters on ethics in society and the role of religion challenge the world to a spiritual and ethical revolution. Paperback copies of the book are available at Waldenbooks and Books-a-Million. Mark your calendars now so you won't miss this stimulating evening!

Social Action Activities

Break Bread Together

Our date for meal deliveries with the Break Bread Together program is the 2^nd Monday of each month.  If you can deliver meals on this day beginning about 11:00 AM, please contact Virginia Branan.   

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Volunteers Still Needed

We still need volunteers to help with various support areas that keep our church community functioning. Someone is specifically needed to head up the Adopt a Stream commitment.  Please contact Diane Holliman to sign up for this or other duties.

Interested in learning to play bridge?  Charles Green has indicated his willingness to organize a bridge group and to teach beginners to play.  Let Charles know if you would be interested.  The group will probably get started in September.  Watch for more information. 

Slogan contest   Watch for more information in the next month about a contest for a new slogan for our UU bench out near the mall.  In the meantime be thinking about what you would like the bench to say to the folks of Valdosta about our church.

Some thoughts from Rev Mary Higgins' Visit

Rev Mary Higgins came to our church on July 14-15 for a workshop on July 14 and to conduct the service on July 15.  The focus of her visit was on our UU identity.  During the workshop and service I took some notes and I want to share some of the wisdom that I picked up from Rev Higgins and my UU friends who attended the workshop and service.   These may seem a little random, but use these quotes/notes as you wish.  I hope they have some type of meaning for you.

• It does not mean anything and it doesn't mean anything that it doesn't mean anything.
• We do not have to think alike, to love alike. ( Francis David)
• Think about where you go to restore yourself--to energize yourself.
• In this day and age, using email does not give us time to reflect on conversations and interactions and body language.  Perhaps, emails should only be used to convey facts, requests--not for feelings. Once something is in writing there it is very difficult to rein it back in.
• Seek first to understand.
• Honesty is an act of caring.
• Forgiveness opens conversations, hearts and doors.
• Conflict is not bad, but when conflict divides a community it is a problem.
• Live in the moment.
• Think about what you feel passionately about.                                                        D.H.

 UU-Valdosta Church Officers

Ann Kasun has resigned as President Elect/Program Chair. Diane Holliman, President, accepted her resignation and Charles Green resigned as Secretary and was appointed as Vice President/Program Chair.  Sharon McKenzie was appointed as the new Secretary.  These appointments are in accord with the bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Valdosta (1994, Article VI, #4), which state that in the event of a vacancy in an elective office, the Board of Trustees shall appoint a person to complete the term of the vacant office.  We will greatly miss Ann.  We  have appreciated her hard work and voice on the board.   Best wishes to Charles and Sharon in their new jobs.  Let us assist them and support them in their duties in any way that we can. 

UUA and Florida District Announcements

Rev. Sinkford New UUA President

At General Assembly on June 23, 2001 in Cleveland, OH, Rev. William G. Sinkford was elected as the seventh president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, becoming the first African American president of this or any historically white denomination.  Sinkford won the election against the Rev. Diane Miller by a vote total of 2218 to 1043.  Diane Olson was elected moderator over Patsy Sherrill Madden, by a vote total of 1985 to 1213. 

POETS WHO ARE UU--have a special place in our denomination

The Unitarian Universalist Poets Cooperative, a national UUA-affiliated collective, is listed in the UUA Directory and has members in nearly every state. It was an outcome of the anthology, The Unitarian Universalist Poets: A Contemporary American Survey (Pudding House Publications 1996, $18.95), edited by Jennifer Bosveld. UUPC is making a nationwide effort to connect with all poets in UU congregations so that they become aware of several CALLS FOR POEMS for upcoming books of special interest to UUs. This organization is welcoming (for just a $10 membership) to all who love poetry and all its various styles, all ages, and from formalists to slammers. More information: UUPC c/o Pudding House, 60 N. Main St., Johnstown Ohio 43031; or hit the website at www.puddinghouse.com click on "Unitarian Universalist." Pudding House is a UU press and is currently seeking poems, short short stories, and very short personal essays on Living Spirtitually in a Consumer Society, an anthology in the works.
Contact: Jennifer Bosveld, 740-967-6060
 

Respect For the Interdependent Web

UU’s are not the only church concerned about our “interdependent web of existence.”  The Presbyterian Church's (USA) 213th General Assembly approved an "Overture to Preserve Biodiversity and Halt Mass Extinction" at its annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky June 15. The overture, which passed by a resounding 85% vote, asked for a specific "Call to Halt the Mass Extinction" and reaffirmed policy statements of the 1990 General Assembly "Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice" and the 1996 General Assembly "Hope for a Global Future: Toward Just and Sustainable Human Development" The overture commended church members for becoming active in their communities and with secular organizations to care for creation, and urged them to send letters to the Bush Administration on several endangered species issues.