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Anything you buy from Amazon.com after clicking on the
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logo, will provide a percentage to help support our Fellowship.
Editors suggestion:
Life After Faith: Radical Paths to a Reasonable Spirituality
By Chris Highland
From Amazon.com: In
the face of faith-based ignorance and weak "progressive" religious
movements Chris Highland presents a fresh path of liberation rooted in
freethinking beyond the walls of theology. With a refreshing style of
fearlessness and truthtelling, this unapologetic spiritual insurgent
points to what he sees as the Achilles' heel of the Christian religion,
nailed to a broken cross, and then offers surprisingly down-to-earth,
positive and joyful alternatives. Now this longtime interfaith
chaplain, teacher and former protestant minister presents his personal
voyage out of Christianism (and theism) through incisive questions,
thoughtful reasoning and anecdotes laced with a touch of wit and humor.
He grounds his practice of "happy heresy" in his own compassionate
counseling experience working with homeless folk, prisoners and people
with broken bodies and minds, as well as his many years exploring
religion, philosophy, Nature and the most troubling fractures of faith.
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UU Visalia
Quick Links
Home Page:
uuvisalia.org
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Ongoing Fellowship EventsPlease Use your S.H.A.R.E.S. Card
at Save-Mart, Our Fellowship is participating in the
Save-Mart S.H.A.R.E.S program. If you take one of our S.H.A.R.E.S.
cards and give it to the clerk at the check-out counter, our
Fellowship will receive 3% of your grocery purchases from
Save-Mart, at no extra cost to you. Please get your own
S.H.A.R.E.S. card from Jolene. And... bring your receipts for the
Raffle!
Friday UU Visalia Social Lunch
Group, Join us every Friday at 12:15 p.m.for lunch - we'll
be visiting different locations each week! If you'd like to attend,
contact Harold at 739-8527 or email harold@uuvisalia.org to be added
to our weekly notification list.Join Our Choir The Choir
practices at 4 PM for rehearsal on several designated Sundays each
month. If you are interested in joining the choir, contact Ken
Elias at kelias@prodigy.net or phone: (559) 561-0610.
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NEW UU CLASS
This
one-session class is designed specifically for newcomers to UU
Visalia, although it is also for anyone who may want a refresher
course! This class serves as an orientation for prospective new
members. Material covered includes Unitarian Universalist beliefs,
values, and history, along with information about our programs
and activities. The class is free but registration is required.
There is also an optional interactive
"online class" that will greatly enhance your participation. This
online class is intended to complement the "real world" session.
View it online at:
http://uuvisalia.ning.com/page/new-uu-orientation-class
Click here
Date: Saturday, August 21, 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. (lunch included)
Fee: None.
Registration is required: To register, contact: harold@uuvisalia.org or
call (559) 739-8527.
Facilitator: Adult Education Coordinator Harold Wood and Membership Chair
April Hill
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Worship Service Calendar
Our
second month of summer programming - for 2010 we will
share multicultural stories from the book titled Stories
in Faith: Exploring our UU Principles and Sources Through
Wisdom Tales by Forsyth-Vail and Hurd. In the
introduction to their book the authors describe the purpose
of these tales.
"We share our understanding of what it means to be
human in groups and storytelling is a primary vehicle for this sharing.
Stories reflect the wisdom and experience of the community. They are
meant to be told and retold. Unitarian Universalism is a living
tradition. We
believe that revelation is neither fixed nor complete: there is much
more spiritual truth yet to be discovered. One of the ways we discover
this truth is in the dialogue between stories of the past and challenges
of the present. Stories acquire overtones, for tellers and listeners,
that give insights into life's meaning and purpose."
You
and your family are invited to participate in the discussions which
will follow the reading of the story, and to share your
own family stories which relate to the topic of the day.
- Anna Garcia, Worship Team Chair
August 1, "For the Love of Stars" story for 1st Source: Direct Experience of Transcending Mystery & Wonder,
Leader: Janet Wood.
August 8, "Rosa Parks" & "Arius the Heretic" stories for 2nd
Source: Words and Deeds of Prophetic Women & Men, Leader: Daljit
Singh
August 15, "The Mustard Seed Medicine" and "Abu Kassim's Shoes" stories
for the 3rd Source: Wisom from World's Religions", Leader: Anna Garcia.
August 22, "The Call of Samuel" & "Easter" stories
for 4th Source: Jewish and Christian Teachings, Leader: David Hodges.
August
29,"Charles Darwin" & "Sand" stories for 5th Source:
Humanist Teachings & the Guidance of Reason and Science. Leader:
Rosie Bonar
The Social Justice Team meets after the potluck on the second Sunday of the month.
The Worship Team after potluck on the third Sunday of the month.
The Communications Team meets on the third Sunday of the month at 10 AM.
Visitors are cordially invited to join us for a buffet supper and fellowship immediately following the 5:00pm Worship Service.
Please Note - Service topics are subject to change
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UU Visalia Fellowship News
General Assembly focuses UUA on immigration
Immigration was a dominant theme of the Unitarian Universalist
Association's 2010 General Assembly in Minneapolis, June 23-27, 2010.
The Assembly selected "Immigration as a Moral Issue" as a
Congregational Study/Action Issue for the next four years. It also called
for a special General Assembly devoted to immigrant justice in Phoenix,
Ariz., in 2012 (see: http://uua.org/socialjustice/socialjustice/statements/169115.shtml Click here); andendorsed an Action of Immediate Witness calling for immigration reform at the state and federal levels.
The UUA is midway through a Congregational Study / Action Issue process on "Ethical Eating," and our congregation will continue to participate in this effort. In other business, the General Assembly adopted a Statement of Conscience on "Creating Peace" after four years of congregational study. See the complete text here:
http://uua.org/socialjustice/socialjustice/statements/13394.shtml Click here
Recognizing the upcoming 50th anniversary of the UUA in 2011, the General Assembly adopted a special resolution on the "Greening of Religion,"which stated: "The General Assembly calls upon the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association to make a special effort in the year 2011 to participate in the Association's continuing work for environmental justice, environmental stewardship, biodiversity and
ecosystem protection, and environmental restoration. We ask member
congregations to reflect on the religious teachings and experiences that
inspire Unitarian Universalists in this important work." UU Visalia President Marilyn Giese attended this General Assembly and will be giving our congregation a full report in August. For more info, see: http://uuworld.org/news/articles/168672.shtml Click here
Chalice Lighter Call - in the mail!
The
Visalia UU Fellowship has been accepted into the Pacific Central
District (PCD) Weekend Ministry program. The program will provide
professional minister to work with us over the next two years, helping
us get to the point where we are fully able to hire our own Consulting
Minister. A PCD mailing goes out in early July asking for Chalice
Lighter donations totaling $12,000 to pay for the Weekend Ministry
program. Please - give generously!
(The mailing also includes a
request from Walnut Creek's Mount Diablo UU Church to support religious
education and music programs.)
The Gift of You (from Kathy van Leuwen, UU San Mateo newsletter, June-August 2010)
"Ministry
happens wherever individuals embrace the belief that their good works,
their volunteerism, their acts, can help serve the mission and vision of
their congregation...ministry is something shared by all who are part
of a spiritual community; a way to put faith into action for the benefit
of the church and the wider community." (UUA website)
Giving of
ourselves in service of our mission is vital to healthy congregational
life. In contrast with the consumer culture which envelops us, it is
important that we don't come together to meet only our own needs or
contribute only to our own favorite causes or programs.
What is
your personal ministry? The process of discernment may require some
soul-searching, speaking with congregational leaders to learn more about
possible paths, and some trial and error. Four questions: What am I
doing right now in the congregation that fulfills me? What do I do well?
What fulfills me? What needs to be done?
Often, there is
not one simple answer to these questions. Sometimes what we long most to
do may not be the most pressing thing the congregation's mission
requires. Sometimes what we are good at isn't necessarily what fulfills
us. Sometimes it is more a matter of gathering the courage to do what
your heart is calling you to do; sometimes it is biting the bullet and
doing what you know only you can do. Sometimes we are doing exactly what
is right for us; sometimes we need to stop doing something that is not.
Visalia UU Fellowship's newly elected board is working on
appointments for our various committees in such areas as Community
Impact & Change, Life-Span Learning, Sunday Services, Membership,
and Administration.
Please contact new President Marilyn Giese if you are interested in serving on a committee.
P.S.
Another question we can ask ourselves when discerning our ministry is
this: "Is there stuff happening in my life right now that suggests I
scream for help?" There are times that we do the ministering, but it is
vital to recognize that there are also times when we must surrender to
receiving ministry: when we are ill, when we are in mourning, when we
are going through a break up or have lost a job, or when life simply has
left us depleted. Receiving ministry means reaching out and letting
people care for you, coming on Sundays simply to sit in the service and
talking with people who will listen.
Audio Recording from UU Visalia President Marilyn Giese
If
you missed Marilyn Giese's presentation on May 31, you can listen to
her 29 minute presentation on our website. Her topic was: Planning and Maintaining a Garden for The Spirit -
Musings on spiritual development and growth for our congregation.
You can download or listen to the mp3 audio recording of her
presentation file here:
http://www.uuvisalia.org/uuv_multimedia.html
Fellowship History.
We would like to write up a
history to post on the web and to format as a pamphlet. Do you have old
documents, newsletters, photos, news clippigs? Please contact a
Board member if you are interested. For more info, see:
A flyer announcing a new project on congregational histories led by the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society.
http://www.uua.org/documents/uuhs/create_cong_histories.pdf
Please Label Ingredients of Potluck Dishes.
Some members and visitors have serious food allergies
and we want them to enjoy dinner without worry. Please list the
ingredients of your potluck dish on a post-it or
index card. Particular concerns are meat, dairy products, peppers and
wheat gluten. Also, if you are willing to divulge your whole recipe, we
will
collect the cards to include in the Fellowship Cookbook Version #2.
SHARES 3rd quarter earnings are $184.75 and climbing.
Don't
forget that SHARES cards are also good at FoodMaxx and Lucky as well as
Save-Mart. Bring your receipt for the quarterly raffle of a Farmer's
Market Gift Certificate!
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Community Events
Public Hearing-STOP THE BOX!
Monday Sept. 13, 7:00 pm, City Council chambers 707 W. Acequia at S. Johnson. Stop
an out of town developer from bringing us one more "Big Box"
development. What this includes is: Another airplane hangar "grocery
warehouse" with it's big back-side towards an established neighborhood,
two 24/7 fast-food drive-thru's, a second gas station/mart, another ugly
fenced runoff basin, 600+ new parking spaces, yet another drive-thru
drug store, additional 32,000 feet of (likely empty) strip mall space,
all at the NW corner of Lovers Lane and Walnut ave.
What this
means: Extensive vacant space in town stays vacant. More air-noise-water
pollution, much more traffic, fewer decent jobs in the community, kills
local business + lower property values + more Fresno sprawl. Do we
really need more of this? Let's have real growth in Visalia.
For help with transportation call John Wells at 738-1129
for more info see www.stonebridgeinfo.com or email stonebridgecommunity@yahoo.com
Summer Hikes - Remember John Muir's advice: "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings!" Check the Sierra Club Mineral King Group Upcoming Events page for some local hiking opportunities!
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