This Week at UUP: Nov. 30- Dec. 7, 2007

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

New Religious Education Committee
A new UUP religious education committee is forming. If you'd like to get involved and support our religious education program, please meet with us after the service on December 2nd. If you have questions, please contact Leslie Harrison.

Get into the holiday spirit this Saturday!
This Saturday, Dec. 1st, come sing traditional Christmas Carols for some of our elderly and less mobile neighbors at Sunrise Assisted Living and Adobe House. Caroling from 3:00-4:00 p.m., with social time to follow. Contact Nancy Blake with questions or to RSVP.

UUP Adult Forum
"Sharing and Learning: Faith and Life"
Sunday, Dec 2, 11:45 am, Upper Room of the Woman's Club
Topic for this Sunday: "Does conventional Christianity have a future?" Join us if you can!

Guest At Your Table
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee's annual 'Guest at Your Table' program will begin this Sunday at UUP. UUSC is a human rights organization whose work is grounded in UU principles. Guest At Your Table is a way we can come together to give thanks, celebrate UU values and partner with UUSC to share our blessings and make a difference in the world. Come and find out about this meaningful UU tradition and take a donation box or envelope home for your family. Questions? Contact Jan Crosby.

UUP MEN!
First Gathering. Be there at the birth.
Fri Dec 7, 7 PM, Dick Allen's house.
Directions: W on Bodega HWY 5 miles or so. Rt on King. Go 2 stops to Queen. Rt on Queen to end of road. Big Parking lot full of cars. Park carefully. Take sidewalk 100 yards to top of hill to house with candles in the window welcoming you. It is a place to be known. Carpool please.

UUP Welcomes New Members on December 16
We'll be welcoming new members into our congregation on Sunday, December 16, during the service. If you have been considering becoming a member, and would like to join on the 16th, or if you have any questions about membership in UUP, please contact David Dodd, for the UUP Membership Committee.

NOTE: SYMPOSIUM POSTPONED
The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium for this Sunday has been postponed until early 2008, date to follow.
The Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium explores the link between three of humanity's most critical concerns: environmental sustainability, social justice, and spiritual fulfillment. Using video clips from some of the world's most respected thinkers, along with inspiring short films and leading-edge information, the symposium invites participants to gain a new insight into the very nature of our time and the opportunity we have to shape and impact the direction of our world with our everyday choices and actions.
$10-$30 sliding scale. Light refreshments will be served. Visit www.awakeningthedreamer.org for more info. Co-sponsored by the Pachamama Alliance and the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma

THIS SUNDAY'S SERVICE
(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, December 2nd: "Changing the Dream of the Modern World"
Guest Speaker: Dave Ergo
Worship Associate: Stacey Meinzen
Greeters: Stacy Meinzen, Richard Stark, David Dodd, Elaine Ellsworth
Change is an essential part of life, and humanity has faced enormous changes over the last century. From the industrial and agricultural revolutions to the technological revolution, we have seen major upheaval in the human experience. Humanity is again facing enormous changes with climate change and environmental degradation. Between utter chaos and utopian order lies the path that humanity will follow; how positive that change will be depends upon how well we understand the nature of change, how well we understand the critical role we can play, and how each of us chooses to face the challenges ahead.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
UUP Worship Associates meet Sunday, Dec 2 at 12:30pm at T's office.

Have an announcement to include in the UUP "This Week at UUP" email? Send notice of any and all UUP-related activities, announcements and events to Jennifer Newman, UUP Administrative Assistant, at uupetaluma at gmail.com by Tuesday for inclusion in that week's "This Week at UUP" email.

For complete and up-to-date info on the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma, visit www.uupetaluma.org.

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.com.

Marlene Abel Speaks Up at Immigration Forum

UUP's Director of Religious Education, Marlene Abel, was quoted in a recent article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Marlene was attending a forum on immigration issues held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Rosa.

It's good to have Marlene giving voice in the wider community on issues that affect our young people.

This Week at UUP: Nov. 22-28, 2007

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Join a UUP Greeter Team
This Sunday during the service, members and friends will have the opportunity to join one of UUP's Greeter Teams. Greeters extend a warm welcome to new and returning visitors. Greeters may also meet as a small group outside of Sundays to get to know each other better, or to explore the Unitarian Universalism or other spiritual topics, or just to have fun.

"Stone Soup" this Sunday
This Sunday the congregation's youth group will be cooking a "stone soup" for us, and all ages will be with us during the service. Please bring a small bag of chopped veggies, dry noodles, or other soup ingredient, and plan to stay after the service for a light meal! In addition, please bring a can of nutritious food to give to our local food bank.

New Religious Education Committee
A new UUP religious education committee is forming. If you'd like to get involved and support our religious education program, please meet with us after the service on December 2nd. If you have questions, please contact Leslie Harrison.

Save the Date and Get into the holiday spirit!
On Saturday, Dec. 1st, come sing traditional Christmas Carols for some of our elderly and less mobile neighbors at Sunrise Assisted Living and Adobe House. Caroling from 3:00-4:00 p.m., with social time to follow. Contact Nancy Blake with questions or to RSVP.

Awakening the Dreamer Symposium
Sunday, December 2, 2007 (12:30 PM - 05:00 PM)
Woman's Club
518 B Street, Petaluma
Co-sponsored by the Pachamama Alliance and the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma
The Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium explores the link between three of humanity's most critical concerns: environmental sustainability, social justice, and spiritual fulfillment. Using video clips from some of the world's most respected thinkers, along with inspiring short films and leading-edge information, the symposium invites participants to gain a new insight into the very nature of our time and the opportunity we have to shape and impact the direction of our world with our everyday choices and actions.
$10-$30 sliding scale. Light refreshments will be served. Visit www.awakeningthedreamer.org for more info.

THIS SUNDAY'S SERVICE
(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, November 25th: "The Grateful Heart: A Stone-Soup Service"
Worship Associate: Diana Spaulding
Greeters: Jean Conrad, Nancy Blake, Phil and Jodi Boyle
In the folktale "Stone Soup", the soup is a gift that the once stingy villagers give to each other and to the travelers; creating the soup is at once an act of community and an act of hospitality. On this special Sunday, we gather to cook our own communally-created "stone soup," and pause to consider what it takes to open our hearts to giving and receiving freely.
The youth group will be cooking soup for us, and all ages will join us during this warm and wonderful service. Please bring a small bag of chopped veggies, dry noodles, or other soup ingredient, and plan to stay after the service for a light meal! Also, please bring a can of nutritious food to give to the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
The Membership Committee meets next Monday, Nov 26th at 7:30pm at Hope Stewart's house.

Have an announcement to include in the UUP "This Week at UUP" email? Send notice of any and all UUP-related activities, announcements and events to Jennifer Newman, UUP Administrative Assistant, at uupetaluma at gmail.com by Tuesday for inclusion in that week's "This Week at UUP" email.

For complete and up-to-date info on the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma, visit www.uupetaluma.org.

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.com.

Religious Education Update: November 11, 2007

Religion and Science

Today our middle group of children (ages 7-11) will begin their study of Unitarian Universalist contributions to science and technology.

Science and religion are frequently thought to be in conflict with one another. For example, the four year daughter of an astronomer asks, “How old is the earth, Mom?” and is told that our earth is 4.5 billion years old. Next door, another four year old asks his father, who belongs to a certain fundamentalist Christian group, and is told that the earth is 6,000 years old.

In most cases, however, I believe that religious views and scientific views tend to move towards accommodation, rather than conflict. For example, the people who wrote the Bible clearly believed in a flat earth. The Old Testament refers to four pillars in the four corners holding up the vault or firmament which held all the celestial bodies. This flat earth model seemed obviously true to most people of the time, with some exceptions such as Aristotle, who proposed a spherical earth. Much later, astronomers such as Copernicus and Galileo challenged the flat earth model. Galileo was forced by the church to recant and lived the rest of his life under house arrest. By the time of Columbus, most educated people believed in a spherical earth. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologized for Galileo’s punishment and said the church was wrong. The Catholic Church and the astronomers had come to accommodation at last.

For me, scientific knowledge contributes to my faith. When I study astronomy and learn about the billions of galaxies in the universe, I am full of awe and wonder. Moderns have the good fortune to be able to look at the images from the Hubble telescope and see nebulas, star clusters, and distant worlds that the ancients could never imagine. Unitarian Universalists believe that scientific knowledge is a source for our faith, and that reason is one tool towards finding religious truth and meaning.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

This Week at UUP: November 8-14, 2007

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

UUP to welcome new Minister this Sunday
The Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers – our newly-hired Weekend Minister – will begin his tenure at UUP on Sunday with a service entitled "Now is the Time! Celebrating Unitarian Universalism and Growing our Faith". (See below for complete description.) Ben comes to us with a wealth of skills, talents, experience and knowledge. We are all very excited about working together during the next year.
Meet Rev. Ben
After the service this Sunday, please join in a Meet and Greet time with Rev. Ben. There will be a few extra treats on the coffee and bagel table in honor of our new consulting minister. Please stay and enjoy!

Questions about Unitarian Universalism or UUP?
On the third Sunday of each month, informal conversations are held after the service (11:45-12:15) about Unitarian Universalism and liberal religion. If you've been wondering about Unitarian Universalism or the UUP congregation, here's your chance to find out! This month's conversation will be held on November 18.

Save the Date and Get into the holiday spirit!
On Saturday, Dec. 1st, come sing traditional Christmas Carols for some of our elderly and less mobile neighbors at Sunrise Assisted Living and Adobe House. Caroling from 3:00-4:00 p.m., with social time to follow. Contact Nancy Blake with questions or to RSVP.

UUP Directory
The 2008 UUP Directory will be available soon. Please check your 2007 edition and confirm that your information is correct. Have you moved? Changed your email address?

For new members: we plan on listing contact info for all new members. If you prefer not to be listed, please email Jennifer Newman, UUP Admin Assistant, at uupetaluma@gmail.com.

For member parents of young children: We'd like to include the birthdays of our youngest members in the directory. Please forward your child(ren)'s birthday to Jennifer Newman at uupetaluma at gmail.com if you would like their birthdays published.

THIS SUNDAY'S SERVICE
(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. )

November 11

Now is the Time! Celebrating Unitarian Universalism and Growing our Faith
Speaker: UUP Minister Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers
Greeters: Michael Pool, Leslie Harrison, Dennis Zerbo
Worship Associate: Diana Spaulding
No man is an island…and no congregation stands alone. Our congregation is only one small strand of a larger interconnected web of Unitarian Universalist congregations. What does it mean to us personally to be part of a larger faith movement? What does it mean to our congregation to be part of the UUA? Today we begin to strengthen the bonds of our common purpose and combine our resources to make Unitarian Universalism a stronger voice for liberal religious values in our country. Join Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers, our new consulting minister, and Worship Associate Diana Spaulding for reflections on realizing our vision of a community of peace, justice, and love.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
The UUP Board of Trustee meets this Sunday Nov. 11th before the service at 8:30 am at the Woman's Club.

The Women's group meets next Monday, Nov 19th at 7:30pm at Jean Conrad's house. The group will be led by Stacey Meinzen. "Gratitude" is the topic for discussion.

Have an announcement to include in the UUP "This Week at UUP" email? Send notice of any and all UUP-related activities, announcements and events to Jennifer Newman, UUP Administrative Assistant, at uupetaluma at gmail.com by Tuesday for inclusion in that week's "This Week at UUP" email.

For complete up-to-date info on the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma, visit www.uupetaluma.org.

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

This Week at UUP: November 2-7, 2007

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Don't forget to fall back!
Daylight savings time ends this weekend, so don't forget to change your clocks for service on Sunday!

New UUP Weekend Minister to start next week
The Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers – our newly-hired Weekend Minister – starts next week. Ben comes to us with a wealth of skills, talents, experience and knowledge and is highly recommended by Cilla Raughly, the PCD Executive. We are all very excited about working together during the next year. His first Sunday will be Nov. 11th...mark your calendar...come meet him and welcome him to our UUP community!

Save the Date and Get into the holiday spirit!
On Saturday, Dec. 1st, come sing traditional Christmas Carols for some of our elderly and less mobile neighbors at Sunrise Assisted Living and Adobe House. Caroling from 3:00-4:00 p.m., with social time to follow. Contact Nancy Blake with questions or to RSVP.

Lost and Found
Found: a small, multi-bladed pocket knife, engraved with the words "Giant Steps". Is it yours? Contact Leslie Balestreri.

THIS SUNDAY'S SERVICE

(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. )

November 4: "A Journey I'd Like to Share"
Guest Speaker: Dick Allen
Worship Associate: Elisabeth Hathaway
"A faithful friend is a sure shelter. Whoever finds one has a rare treasure." Ecclesiasticus
Join UUP Member Dick Allen as he shares significant aspects of his lifetime spiritual journey with us, including the importance of friendship, community, love, and his connections with Buddhism and Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad are Friends. The Sunday service is the time we explore these themes together, between the greetings on the front porch and the after-service bagels and conversation.

Have an announcement to include in the UUP "This Week at UUP" email? Send notice of any and all UUP-related activities, announcements and events to Jennifer Newman, UUP Administrative Assistant, at uupetaluma@gmail.com by Tuesday for inclusion in that week's "This Week at UUP" email.

For complete up-to-date info on the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma, visit www.uupetaluma.org.



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.