This Week at UUP: July 13-18, 2007

The Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma
An Oasis for Heart and Mind Every Sunday in Downtown Petaluma


For complete up-to-date info on the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma, see our website: www.uupetaluma.org

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SUNDAY SERVICES

(Social time with refreshments begins at 10:00 am , at the Petaluma Woman's Club, 518 B Street. Worship service begins at 10:30 am. )

Sunday, July 15: "This I Believe"Two UUP members will share the story of their faith journey.

Sunday, July 22: "TBA" (First of a two-part series)
Guest Speaker: Meredith Guest

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"New to UUP" Visitors' Orientation - this Sunday

Curious about UUism? About our congregation? Want to ask some questions? Please join a small group of UUP members to hear about our congregation, ask questions about Unitarian Universalism, and generally get acquainted with UUP. We'll hold these sessions on the third Sunday of each month. Meet in the fireside room immediately following the service.

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Unsung Hero of the Month

In order to honor the many people who contribute to the realization of the goals of our religious community, the Board of Trustees of UUP is inaugurating an "Unsung Hero of the Month" recognition.

For July 2007 the Board would like to recognize Karen Elliott, a Board member herself, who has given selflessly (and cheerfully) of her time and skills as UUP Treasurer. Every month for the past two years, Karen has presented the monthly expenses and income statements to the Board, as well as making offering deposits weekly, preparing budgets annually, handling payroll, and paying our bills. Thank you, Karen, for all of your hard work and your consistently upbeat, but realistic perspective on our finances!

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One welcome and one thank you

The Board of Trustees met July 10th and chose Jean Conrad as President for the next two year term. (July 2007 - June 30, 2009).

Many, many thanks to David Hathaway for his leadership and devotion to our UUP community these past two years. We are grateful that he will continue to serve on the board.

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Gather Ye Water and Stones!

Don't forget that during your summer travels near and far you'll want to gather a small vial of water or a stone for our traditional early September "Water and Stones" service.

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UUP Rummage Sale coming August 18th!

Do you have good stuff in your garage or attic that you've been waiting to donate to a good cause? Save it for the UUP Rummage Sale on August 18. KC Greaney and Diana Spaulding, sale coordinators, ask that you sort your stuff, categorize bags or boxes, and check that everything you donate is in working order. Don't have stuff? You can also participate by working the sale or donating a baked good to sell.

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Book Discussion Group after service on Sunday--new members welcome any time!

Led by Earl Cruser and other volunteers, the book selected for this discussion group is "The Left Hand of God: Healing America's Political and Spiritual Crisis" by Rabbi Michael Lerner. It could be the most important book of the decade in that it sets forth a credible, if ambitious, plan for providing a spiritual alternative to the unholy alliance of fundamentalist religion and neo-conservative, unfettered capitalism that has held sway in our country increasingly since the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Lerner proposes no less that to change America's "bottom line" from money and power to love and caring.

An outgrowth of his Tikkun community and magazine, the Network of Spiritual Progressives motivates the liberal religious community to put a new face on spirituality and politics. Our study group will consider such topics as: the spiritual crisis of our time, a new Bottom Line for America, the true nature of spirituality and its relationship to social justice, the environment, peace and civil rights. Heavy stuff! But we're going to have an exciting time exploring important issues. The discussion group is underway, but new members are welcome to join at any time.

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Regularly Scheduled Gatherings

- UUP Women's Group: Monday, 7:30 pm at Jean Conrad's house. This month's topic is "Transitions".
- Love All (UUP Tennis Group): Friendly drop-in tennis game Sunday from 1:30-3:30 pm at the Petaluma High School courts.

If you have changed your email address or would like to be added to or removed from the UUP list, please email us at uupetaluma at gmail dot com.