February 4, 2007
3:30 pm Forum: "Abstinence Comes to Albuquerque" Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent by the federal government on abstinence-from-sex-until-marriage education across America. This compelling documentary is a case study of abstinence education coming into one public school system in Albuquerque, N.M. and the firestorm of controversy that ensued. The debate is typical of what is happening on other communities around the country. Sex Education In California: Is Your School Following the Law?
In January 2004, new requirements for sex education programs in our schools were set in place. California law now states that if a school offers sex education, that curriculum must be medically accurate, age appropriate, and starting in grade 7 must cover contraceptive effectiveness as well as abstinence. Although these requirements are the law, the state does not have an enforcement mechanism to make sure school districts are complying with them. What can you do to make sure your school is in compliance.
A preview of the film is available online. 5:00 pm Worship Service: Imbolg, Candlemas, Brigit’s Eve - A time of physical and spiritual cleansing in preparation for the new year’s challenges.
6:00 pm Potluck & Religious Education Committee meeting

February 11, 2007
4:00 pm Drum Circle
5:00 Worship Service: Standing Up For Love
6:00 pm Potluck & Social Justice/Green Sanctuary Meeting

February 18, 2006
3:30 pm Board Meeting
5:00 pm Worship Service: Topic to be announced.
6:00 pm Potluck & Newcomer Orientation

February 20, 2007, Tuesday
Party (and assemble) workshop packets for UULM Conference “Liberal Voices in a Conservative Landscape”. 7PM at April’s home. RSVP to president@uuvisalia.org

February 25, 2007
5:00 Worship Service: Yvonne Rochon, Director of Faith Development for the Pacific Central District of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
6:00 pm Potluck

Regular Fellowship Events

Every Sunday at 5:00 PM - Regular Worship Service and Children's Religious Education. Every Sunday at 6:00 PM - Join us for Potluck after the Worship Service! Every Wednesday at 6:30 PM – Meditation Practice at Friends Meeting House. After silent and walking meditation, we continue discussion of Pema Chodron's book, Start Where You Are. For information, contact Rick Meyers at meditation@uuvisalia.org. 1st Sunday - 6 PM. - Religious Education Committee Meeting. Everyone interested in RE meet during potluck in the atrium. For info, April Hill, president@uuvisalia.org 2nd Sunday 4 PM. - Drumming Circle - Come early to the Friends Meeting House, with or without a percussion instrument. You can bring a drum, a shaker, or other percussion device. If you don't have one, we can provide one. Shared rhythm creates a spiritual feeling unlike anything else! 2nd Sunday 6 PM – Social Justice/Green Sanctuary Meeting after the service. All welcome! For info, Harold Wood, green@uuvisalia.org or visit our Green Sanctuary blog. 3rd Sunday 3:30 PM - Fellowship Board Meeting at Friends Meeting House. For info: April Hill, president@uuvisalia.org 4th Sunday 6 PM – Membership / Growth Committee Meeting in odd-numbered months, Newcomer Orientation in even- numbered months. For info, April Hill, president@uuvisalia.org

22nd of each month – Newsletter deadline. Send items for newsletter to: editor@uuvisalia.org.

By UU Visalia President April Hill The January 28, 2007 Special Congregational Meeting was attended by mostly the same UU Visalia members and friends who participated in the August 11-12, 2006 Planning Retreat. Lacking input from other members, no vote was taken. All members are encouraged to choose at least one project or committee to work on. During the month of February, UU Visalia members will be contacted by e-mail and phone to ask for their support. Progress was reported on the 2006-07 Strategic Plan priorities that were first publicized in the September 2006 Newsletter: 1) To establish a music committee and engage a music coordinator to play a musical instrument, arrange for soloists and organize a small choir.
Accomplishments: monthly drumming circle, occasional soloist, continuing hymn singing without instrumental accompanist.
To Do: design, print & distribute recruitment flier and application for musicians and a music coordinator; interview, audition & selection of candidate. 2) To research the possibilities of a part- or full-time minister.
Accomplishments: Research on optimum number of members and finances necessary to support a minister indicates UUFV must grow considerably first.
To Do: Meet as a committee, invite and recruit ministerial interns, retired or part-time ministers to assist with growth effort. 3) To expand the duties of the Caring Committee.
Accomplishments: Supportive and sympathetic cards, flowers and care packages delivered; ideas brainstormed to expand services.
To Do: recruit more members; determine protocol for providing assistance and scheduling; decide on scope of additional services. 4) To appoint a lay minister to perform rites such as weddings, memorial services and child naming services.
Accomplishments: sample ceremonies and scripts collected for handbook.
To Do: Meet as committee to develop procedures and protocols (such as whether to screen requests) and to establish a fee schedule with facility costs. 5) To establish a Religious Education Committee to plan programs for the spiritual growth of children and adults, determine funding, hire staff or recruit volunteers, and publicize. a. Children’s R.E. Accomplishments: Children’s RE resources reviewed and this year’s program selected; three teachers and two assistants volunteered for rotation, classes conducted for 1-4 children on a Sunday.
To Do: recruit more volunteers and/or hire staff; formally schedule teacher & assistant for each Sunday; publicize and invite families. b. Adult RE Accomplishments: Group met to discuss Articulating Your UU Faith in Oct-Nov 2006; larger group began in Jan 2007 to discuss Choices for Sustainable Living; formation of small groups introduced and choice of topics offered.
To Do: continue seasonal book discussion groups, study “best practices” for small groups, recruit & train leaders 6) To establish a Worship/Program Committee.
Accomplishments: Three person committee has met to plan worship/program services based on ecumenical religious events, as well as member-expressed interests; programs have been presented weekly; drumming circle.
To Do: recruit additional committee members to learn how to plan and present programs. 7) To establish a Membership Committee to develop welcoming and tracking protocols for visitors.
Accomplishments: registration form revised, continued practice of gathering info on each guest, adding to newsletter mailing list, producing name tag; began practice of hand written follow-up packet, using materials from UUA; procured a variety of brochures to attract interest; conducted Newcomer Orientations; committee members brainstormed strategies, attended growth workshop.
To Do: recruit additional people to assist with more intentional hospitality /greeting; better integrate newcomers into small groups; expand Newcomer classes, survey guests and regular attendees (friends) regarding their reasons for not returning after a few or several visits. 8) To complete a catalog of library resources.
Accomplishments: Current library books listed & entered into on-line at Librarything.com; additional books collected and cataloged; work day scheduled to catalog contributions for Green Sanctuary project.
To Do: Obtain reviews by members of books to enhance Librarything.com descriptions, promote use of library as membership benefit. 9) To develop a Forum Program to be held the hour before worship one Sunday each month.
Accomplishments: Monthly forums on a variety of topics.
To Do: Recruit additional committee members to learn how to plan and present programs. 10) To establish links with like-minded groups and expand publication of events of interest.
Accomplishments: Visited Porterville UU Fellowship to offer shared Valley Voice advertisement (funded by Chalice Lighter grant totaling $500); December service project with Congregation Beit Shalom of donating coats; subscribed to listservs of local gay/lesbian group, Sierra Club, South Valley Peace Center, Fresno Interfaith Alliance. Currently working with Fresno UU Church to host UU Legislative Ministry Conference on 2/24/07, present Green Sanctuary workshop, provide printed global warming, non toxic cleaning and misc. environmental materials.
To Do: Gather group to assemble packets for UULM Conference, meet to consider and act on additional service projects; participate in local community events; attend PCD District Assembly and other conferences; attend UUA General Assembly in Portland this summer. 11) To publish a quarterly calendar of events in the monthly newsletter.
Accomplishments: Continued practice of community events from website and newspaper listings to include in monthly newsletter.
To Do: Ask that our events be publicized in the newsletters of other groups 12) To initiate a skills and talents survey and database of members.
Accomplishments: Survey distributed via hard copy and posted on SurveyMonkey.com, with reference in 2/07 newsletter.
Click here to take survey)
To Do: collect data, match people by interests and invite into activities and responsibilities, report results, sign up group to meet to decide protocol for posting “Skills Bank” services on member web page.

Unitarian Universalists embrace Seven Principles and Six Sources of our faith. However, these Seven Principles and Six Sources are not like creeds which too often survive long after they may remain relevant. As many beliefs become inaccurate as human knowledge and experience expands, the UUA Bylaws include a provision for a study and review process of these principles not less than every 15 years. Such a review and study process was launched in May, 2006. Any changes require approval by 2/3 vote of representatives from all UU congregations at an annual General Assembly. The UUA's Commission on Appraisal is undertaking this review. While the Commission’s work provides multiple venues for individual UUs to weigh in on what, if any, revisions are needed to the Seven Principles, congregations like ours are especially asked to provide input. We have been invited to conduct a workshop to reflect on the meaning of these principles and to offer our recommendations. If you would like to help put on such a workshop for our congregation, please e-mail info@uuvisalia.org to volunteer!

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February 3, 2007- Saturday, 7PM - Fresno UU Church Theater Fundraiser at Second Space Theatre showing Neil Simon’s comedy “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” and offering appetizers, beverages (including wind), desserts and UU friends with a $25 ticket.

February 3, 2007 - Congregation Beit Shalom will host an introduction to Judaism and Hebrew starting Saturday morning, Feb 3. The course is for Jews who want to know more and for non-Jews who want to learn about Jewish culture and practices. Beginning Hebrew is included in the 18 week program. If interested, please call Cynthia at 625-0289. More events at www.congregationbeitshalom..com">

February 16, 2007 - 6 pm potluck, presentation at 7 pm Alternatives to Violence (AVP) - program at the Visalia Friends Meeting House. Do you believe that there is a pragmatic way to PEACE? Is the violence in our nation in any way connected to the security and peace of its citizens? Is violence in our schools in any way related to the security and peace in our pupils? This program goes to the core of what making peace is all about - affirmative relationships, community-building and non-violent conflict resolution. It's not about progressives vs conservatives, hawks vs doves, reds vs blues, rich vs poor or any other US vs THEM scenarios. In fact, it's about how to step out of that kind of thinking. An AVP workshop is NOT therapy, NOT lecture, NOT religion and NOT boring! It is experiential, experimental and driven by the workshop participants. You don't need a notebook, but you may need to reflect on your experience, as you come to better understand what you saw, heard and felt.

Mar 10, 2007, Saturday. CropWalk, Visalia, 9AM-12PM, starting at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Center at Hall St., Visalia. Are you interested in participating in a community service project with UU Fellowship members and friends, Quakers, and other local churches? Join us in walking a 1-5 mile route around downtown Visalia's Rescue Mission, Samaritan Center, Emergency Aid and Good News Center. If you prefer, you might staff a snack table, help register walkers, make phone calls to other religious organizations and/or pledge your support to a walker. Donations benefit both FoodLink of Tulare County and an international aid agency of your choice (UUSC, AFSC, Church World Service, etc.)