Sept. 5th: “Overcoming Faith”
The Reverend Alice Syltie
 
A small country church with this name caught my attention years ago.  The church is still there and every time I see it, I think about the different ways I have interpreted that phrase.  I’ll say more about that when I talk about fear and faith, the Cordoba Controversy, and the strange way people interpret what’s going on around them.

Plus, we Share the Plate with the IMS
(see article below).

This week, September 5th:
The BIG, FUN, RE Clean-Up Day!  Come one down to freshen and decorate your room, reconnect with friends, and shiver at the Big, Bad RE Inspector.  Lots of laughs promised.

Sunday, September 12th, 9:30 AM: RE Teacher and Volunteer Orientation.  Breakfast provided.  All new and returning teachers welcome.

 The new RE year begins September 19th!

Sept. 8th, Join Us
for a Relaxed & Easy Dinner

Too busy to cook?  Drop by the church on September 8 and enjoy a delicious spaghetti dinner!  Take the pressure off your busy schedule.  Bring the kids, visit with friends, and leave the cooking to us.  Meat and veggie options will be available.  5:30 to 7:00 on Wednesday, September 8.  $5 per adult.  Children and youth are free.

Join us at NOON Thursdays! 
Sept 9th: Panera Bread @Airport Rd.
Sept. 16th: Texas Smokehouse @ NE corner of Church & Pratt

 ”Beyond These Walls”
                Congregational Dinner
September 25 will be a night of celebration and anticipation as we officially kick off our Capital Campaign with a congregational dinner.  This will be an evening of fun, companionship, entertainment, and information.  Gifts to the campaign will come in all sizes, and we hope that everyone in our UUCH community will attend.  There is no charge for the dinner, and no one will be asked to make a financial contribution that evening.  Transportation to and from the dinner is available for anyone who needs it.    Youth and Middle Schoolers are invited to attend the dinner, and child care is available for children under 12.

Invitations have gone out, and we hope that everyone who wants to be a part of the churches future will join us.  RSVPs are required so that we can plan for seating and provide a number for the caterers.  If you have received an invitation and have not yet RSVP’d, please do so now, following the instructions in the invitation.  If you want to be a part of the campaign and have not received an invitation, we’d love to invite you.  You can access the registration by clicking here: Campaign Dinner Invitation.  Or, if you prefer, please contact Vickie Goodman at vlgoodman@aol.com or 256-883-8226.  Don’t miss this celebration of UUCH’s future!!  It will be a night to remember!

Children’s RE Welcomes You
Back to a Year of Growing

Our UUCH Children’s Religious Education theme this year is “Growing into Who We Are.”  When we think of growing into who we are, we think of deepening and broadening an identity that is already ours.  As UUs we are already part of a long tradition that values love and loving action as the core of our principles, our critical thinking, and the way we treat each other.  What we want to do in RE this year is become even more ourselves.  And we want you to be there!

Our first day back to RE will be Sunday, September 19.  We invite all returning children and youth, your friends, new visitors, and anyone ready to be part of a regular church home.  We invite all ages from the newest newborn to the senior in high school.  You can be a lifelong UU or someone seeking to deepen your spiritual ties in community.  And, by the way, we have LOTS of fun. To kick off our new year, we will be having an ice cream social following the church service, downstairs in the RE area.  ALL church members, friends, and visitors are invited. Take this time to get to know the RE leaders, volunteers, children, youth, nursery staff, and more.

For those of you who know that you’d already like to enroll your child or youth into the program for the year, please follow this link to our electronic RE Registration form: http://www.uuch.org/?page_id=865

Register now!  It’s fast, easy, and you’ll help us get the year off to a good start! We’ll also have paper copies at the church this Sunday, September 5, which is our BIG, FUN RE Clean-Up Day!  Come on out, reunite with your friends, register for the year, and have a great time freshening and decorating your room.

For more information about the Children’s Religious Education Program at UUCH, please email Erin Reid, Director of Religious Education, at eereid@hotmail.com or call 256-694-6786.

The Road to Our New Home
PSPC Report

By the time you read this, you probably will have seen that the ‘For Sale’ and ‘We’re Growing and Moving’ signs have been hung from the arch over the roadway at UUCH.  In addition, you were given an opportunity to visit the Jordan Park Church of Christ.  The PSPC has not recommended this site, but it is the most promising building found to date, and we wanted anyone interested to have an opportunity to see it.
 
The PSPC is collecting comments, pro and con, related to the suitability of this property, and also solicits suggestions for modifications should this become the site chosen for relocation.  Whether or not this property is selected to be recommended, having a lot of us see it and begin to envision ourselves in a different home will help us all make good decisions about our future.  The PSPC invites your suggestions as it continues its search for a suitable property that has the right combination of meeting our wishes, needs and budget.
 
Please contact any members of the PSPC by email or telephone if you have comments or suggestions.  There will also be an opportunity to discuss this property at the Congregational Meeting on September 12th.
 
Property Sales & Purchase Committee
Steve Herold, Co-Chair
Kip Shepherd, Co-Chair
Catherine Hall
Carol Youkey
Paula Henderson
Jerome Belcher
Betsy Applegate

Update on the Proposed
UUCH Endowment Fund

I’M NOT RICH. I don’t have a major public building with my name on it. Why should I care if UUCH is setting up an Endowment Fund??? 

On Sunday, Sept.12, at our congregational meeting, we will vote on proposed UUCH Bylaw changes to establish an Endowment Fund.  Many UU churches the same size or smaller than UUCH have established Endowments as a fund to accept one-time gifts in the case where the donor wants to know the gift will be protected so that the income can serve the church for years to come.  Gifts to Endowment Funds are often considered as part of the estate planning process or from people with assets who want to make occasional one-time donations for tax purposes.  The Endowment Fund is perpetual in investment duration. The income from the Endowment can be used to help fund the church’s Annual Budget as well as for special projects that come up unexpectedly.  Only in a dire emergency, approved by the votes of a large percentage of the congregation, would any of the principal of the Endowment Fund ever be expended. The fund will be overseen by a new Endowment Fund committee who is responsible for managing the long-term growth of the assets 

Please note that the Endowment Fund is a distinct and separate fund from the Capital Campaign or the Annual Budget.  The Annual Budget helps pay our for our yearly operating expenses; the Capital Campaign we are about to begin is focused on funding our move to our new church home.  The Endowment Fund is being established at this time-as we are all deeply examining what we want UUCH to become in the future-to provide a trusted option for people who may be considering making a gift to UUCH as part of their estate planning process. Collectively, we are strong; small contributions from many individuals from a variety of sources (life insurance, retirement accounts, or even real property like coin collections!) can pool together to become a very valuable resource for the long-term financial stability of our church.

Information on the details of the proposed UUCH Endowment Fund are in the mailing that is being sent out ahead of the Sept 12^th Congregational Meeting; summary information will be presented by the Board at that meeting and will provide a forum for any questions that you have may have about the proposed Bylaw changes.

This Sunday We Share the Plate
With the IMS

The Cooperative of the Interfaith Mission Service is more than just a social service agency or your typical non-profit group.  It is a congregation-driven network where the member congregations “plan the work and work the plan.”  UUCH is a member congregation. The Interfaith Mission Service, which began in 1969, has a rich history of over 40 years of promoting religious harmony and interfaith dialogue, cultural and racial dialogue, and being an advocate for positive change in the Huntsville area. 
 
Together, the members of IMS have moved our community toward these goals:

Religious tolerance

Racial harmony

Care for the most vulnerable

A passion for justice for all

All IMS programs strive to meet those goals.  To learn more about the many ways IMS helps us achieve goals in Social Justice visit the web site at
http://www.interfaithmissionservice.org

*When we “Share the Plate,” all cash collected on the first Sunday of each month in the quarter (July, August, & September), along with any checks noted as “Share the Plate,” will be halved with IMS.