This Week at UUP: April 26-May 3

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, April 29th: "The Sound of Music"
Worship Associate: Stacey Meinzen with UUP Director of Religious Education, Marlene Abel
Come join us for an intergenerational service celebrating the power and joy of music. Religious Education Director Marlene Abel will be helping to lead the service, which will include performances by the children of UUP.

Sunday, May 6th: "Doing Worship Together"
Worship Associate: Elisabeth Hathaway
Unitarian Universalism is a tradition without dogma, without identified divinities, yet our principles include encouragement to spiritual growth, and a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Our Living Tradition, first and foremost affirms our "direct experience of that transcendent mystery and wonder affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to all the forces that create and uphold life." As we gather in the touchstone of our community, this community, in our ritual gathering place and time, we will worship. Together. Today's service includes Music, Silence, Spiritual Inspiration, Participation and an Ingathering for new members.

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Ladies, mark your calendars!

The date for the UUP Women's Fall Retreat has been set. Though usually on Columbus Day weekend, this year's retreat will be on the FOLLOWING weekend, October 12-15, 2007 (our house was already taken the regular weekend), so put it on your calendar!

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DISTRICT ASSEMBLY this weekend!

When: April 27-29, 2007
Where: The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Foster City
Don't miss this once-a-year gathering of our regional community, coming together for a weekend of learning, laughing, networking, and worship. The theme this year is Rise Up O Flame, with featured presentations from the Rev. Peter Morales and Holly Near.
Get all the information at the PCD website.

************************************************************************************
Time and Talent Auction: Following the Service on May 6th

Our annual fundraising event benefits the congregation financially and also brings us together as a community. Please contribute as you are able and, most importantly, come out and have fun! Live and Silent auctions. Childcare and lunch will be provided free, with wine available for sale by the glass. Terrific items and services are available such as landscape consultation, a barbecue for eight, handmade items created by UUP kids, and--late breaking news!--a stay at a vacation cabin in Maine!

Everyone is encouraged to participate by donating items or services for auction and joining in the fun at the event. Please consider contributing a dessert for the fabulous dessert auction or child-oriented items for the kids' silent auction. Additional suggestions are provided on the donation form. Please return donation forms to Leslie Harrison. If you'd like to help with the event, please contact Leslie.

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Regularly Scheduled Gatherings

- Love All (UUP Tennis Group): Friendly drop-in tennis game Sunday from 1:30-3:30 pm at the Petaluma High School courts.
- Larking About (UUP Choir): Rehearsal Tuesday at 8 pm at David and Diana's house.

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.

Religious Education Update: April 29

Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.
--Plato

Our society is committing cultural genocide. When the economy tightens and school budgets shrink, programs in music and the other arts are most often the first to be cut back or totally eliminated from the curriculum. … It strikes me as supremely ironic that today, we still have to try to make the case that music is indispensable if the term “educated” is to mean anything.
--Michael Greene, President of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

I volunteer in the schools and work with trumpet players. These nine to twelve year old children can be completely disorganized and unfocused. Some of them are forever losing their music, denting their horns, and talking when they should be listening. However, for some of them, music is their main source of happiness in school. One little boy insists on coming to band practice when he has been sick at home the rest of the day. Another boy has his music perfectly arranged in sheet protectors, practices constantly, and by sheer persistence and determination has managed to earn a spot in a more advanced group.

The school bands in my district presented their spring concert last Tuesday. The kids who had come to trumpet sectionals in blue jeans and t-shirts, were suddenly formally attired in black and white, with freshly washed and combed hair. They were transformed into serious musicians for that half an hour.

At the concert, my young students brought old music to life by performing songs written by composers who lived long ago. Perhaps without knowing it, the kids were developing an appreciation for our cultural past. The children then played contemporary songs, creating an emotional connection with their proud parents in the audience who recognized the melodies. For many of the people in the room, there was a spiritual connection with the music. They remembered their own musical experiences or saw the joy in the children’s faces. To hear these children making music and listening to each other was to know that a part of our cultural heritage was being passed on. The children were personally enriched by their musicianship as well. As Martin Luther said centuries ago, “Whoever has skill in music is of good temperament and fitted for all things. We must teach music in the schools.”

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

Religious Education Update: April 22, 2007

Flower Communion

The children will participate with us today in one of UU’s most beloved rituals: the Flower Communion. This service originated with Rev. Norbert Capek (1870-1942), founder of the Unitarian Church of Czechoslovakia. He created this celebration partly to reclaim the word “communion”, which means drawing together. He also wished to honor springtime and the season’s new life which draws Unitarians to closer connection with the Earth.

It is most appropriate for us to celebrate Flower Communion on Earth Day, a time when people of all faiths and many nations honor our Earth and reflect on how we can join together to protect our planet.

Today’s celebration includes many symbols. The diversity of flowers reflects the individuality of each of us. When we take home a different flower than what we brought, we remember how we share with each other in creating our fellowship. The flowers themselves symbolize life in all its fragility and beauty. The flowers joined together in a beautiful bouquet represent our shared community.

Rev. Capek was an inspiring preacher and the composer of many hymns. There are several of his hymns in our hymnal, including View the Starry Realm, number 28. In this hymn, he writes of the beauty of the night sky:

View the starry realm of the heaven,
Shining distant empires sing,
Skysong of celestial children turns each winter into spring
Turns each winter into spring.

Many modern Unitarian Universalists are inspired and uplifted by the wonder and beauty of the natural world, just as he was. As we honor community, the Earth, new life, and joy this morning, let us also honor this Unitarian leader who helped grow our faith in so many ways.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

This Week at UUP: April 19-26, 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

**************************************************************************
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, April 22: "Flower Communion"
Worship Associate: Lara Abel
Join us for this moving ritual. The Flower Communion begun in Czechoslovakia during the Nazi occupation as a defiant show of loving passive resistance and as an affirmation of religious diversity. The ritual is celebrated worldwide by Unitarian Universalists in memory of Norbert Capek, the Unitarian minister of Prague who began the tradition and who lost his life in the service of his beliefs. Please bring a flower, or two, if you have some to share!

Sunday, April 29: "The Sound of Music"
Worship Associate: Stacey Meinzen with UUP Director of Religious Education, Marlene Abel
Come join us for an intergenerational service celebrating the power and joy of music. Religious Education Director Marlene Abel will be helping to lead the service, which will include performances by the kids of UUP.


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The Chalice Lighter Grant

The Pacific Central District Growth Committee met last Saturday and of the requests they received, there were two very strong applications. UUP was one of them. After much deliberation they decided to choose both the Petaluma and San Mateo congregations to receive the money from this call. That means that we would get 1/2 of the total - and would make up the difference, if necessary, for the weekend minister program. The UUP Board met last Sunday and voted unanimously to accept the grant. We are excited (and maybe a little scared) about this bold step into new territory!

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Calling All Hymnals!

Those of you hiding under newspapers and balanced atop bookshelves, taken home in a fervor of UU eager exploration, please come home! We are missing about 8 hymnals and would love to have them back for our Sunday services. Thanks. (Maybe we need to have another hymnal drive soon?!). ~ The Worship Committee

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Ladies, mark your calendars!

The date for the UUP Women's Fall Retreat has been set. Though usually on Columbus Day weekend, this year's retreat will be on the FOLLOWING weekend, October 12-15, 2007 (our house was already taken the regular weekend), so PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR!

***************************************************************************
Annual Memorial Day Retreat Planning Meeting: This Sunday

Planning is now beginning for our annual retreat (scheduled for May 25-28) so gather up your ideas, mark your calendar and come to the potluck BBQ to help put it together! We are looking for a committee to form to make our plans: we need ideas for child activities and care, worship, scheduling, food etc. The planning meeting/potluck will take place this Sunday, April 22 at 4 pm at the Spaulding-Dodd house. Bring something to grill, share and drink, plus your enthusiastic selves. Questions, call T Hathaway.

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DISTRICT ASSEMBLY IS FOR EVERYONE!

When: April 27-29, 2007
Where: The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Foster City
Don't miss this once-a-year gathering of our regional community, coming together for a weekend of learning, laughing, networking, and worship. The theme this year is Rise Up O Flame, with featured presentations from the Rev. Peter Morales and Holly Near.
Get all the information at the PCD website.

***********************************************************
Time and Talent Auction: Following the Service on May 6th

Our annual fundraising event benefits the congregation financially and also brings us together as a community. Please contribute as you are able and, most importantly, come out and have fun! Live and Silent auctions. Childcare and lunch will be provided free, with wine available for sale by the glass. Terrific items and services available such as landscape consultation, a barbecue for eight, or handmade items created by UUP kids.

Everyone is encouraged to participate by donating items or services for auction and joining in the fun at the event. Please consider contributing a dessert for the fabulous dessert auction or child-oriented items for the kids' silent auction. Additional suggestions are provided on the donation form. Please return donation forms to Leslie Harrison. If you'd like to help with the event, please contact Leslie.

***************************************************************************
Regularly Scheduled Gatherings

- Love All (UUP Tennis Group): Friendly drop-in tennis game Sunday from 1:30-3:30 pm at the Petaluma High School courts.
- Membership Committee: Monday, 7:30 at Elaine and Gene Ellsworth's house.
- Larking About (UUP Choir): Rehearsal Tuesday at 8 pm at David and Diana's house.

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

UUP's Earl Cruser Preaches in San Miguel de Allende

Earl and Jane Cruser have been on their annual trip to Mexico, and last Sunday he preached at the UU congregation there. He blogged the entire sermon--take a look!.

It's on the topic of his theological lexicon, and contains wonderful and thought-provoking ideas about what we say and what we do; what we believe and how we live.

Can't wait to get them back home, and have Earl deliver this sermon on his home turf!

Religious Education Update: April 15, 2007

Learning to Slow Down

Most of the time, I live happily in a culture that values speed. I want my computer to work instantly, and I gladly pay more for a high speed connection. When shopping, I try to predict which checkout line will move the quickest. I enjoy driving at the speed limit in the carpool lane. I generally race through my day, trying to work efficiently and get more done. I realize that I’m paying a price for speed: that much beauty passes me by unnoticed and unappreciated.

This past week, my husband and I intentionally chose to slow down the frenetic pace by taking a train trip to Reno. I knew going into this mode of travel that I’d have to change my mindset about speed to keep my sanity. When we arrived at the Martinez Amtrak Station, we learned that the train was delayed. This was expected news, and we practiced being patient. We finally left an hour behind schedule. The train moved quietly and smoothly, but not quickly. Freight trains have right of way over passenger trains on this line, and we stopped several times to allow freight to go ahead.

I settled into a comfortable seat in the sightseeing car, and watched the egrets and Mallard ducks in the Delta. Later, over lunch in the dining car, I conversed with a young English man about his worldwide travels. As we climbed through the Sierras, I watched as the white flowering Dogwood trees were replaced by patches of snow. I wish I could say that slowing down was easy, but it wasn’t. I felt impatience as we pulled into Reno two hours late. I had enjoyed the natural beauty of the trip, but was frustrated by the delays.

I realize that slowing down as a spiritual practice is going to take more practice on my part than one short train trip. But when I do actually slow down, in quiet meditation, or in an extended conversation with a friend or family member, on a hike, or by spending time in my garden, I learn to appreciate the beauty that surrounds me and I feel more at peace. I think our children need this slower pace also. They need to read books, watch the stars, and dig in the dirt. I see children in our schools that can’t focus as they are used to the constant, intense stimulation of being plugged into technology. The greatest gift we could give these children would be a chance for them to live the “slow life” and see what they’ve missed.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

This Week at UUP: April 13-20, 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.

**************************************************************************
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, April 15: "Money: a Spiritual Currency" by Jan Ogren
Worship associate: Elisabeth Hathaway
WARNING: attending this service may lead to a change in beliefs and attitudes towards money. This service contains explicit content concerning money. Not only will money be discussed frankly but frequent references to God will be made. This sermon won the 2007 PCD (Pacific Central District) sermon award in the Connection to our Larger Movement category.

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No Foolin'--Pledge Campaign ends on Sunday!

Thank you to those who have pledged already this year. Members who have not are encouraged to visit the pledge table in the back of the room on Sunday.

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UUP Picnic Potluck and Play after the Service

Director of Education Marlene Abel invites everyone from UUP to join us after the service for a potluck picnic at Oak Hill Park. This park, less than a mile from the Women's Club, has picnic tables, shade from large oak trees and play structures for the children. Some members of UUP have already volunteered to bring apple juice, cheese, pasta salad and fruit salad. Please bring something to add to our shared lunch. Plates, silverware, napkins and cups will be provided.

Marelen will be setting up the picnic near the parking area on Pleasant Street. (Directions from the Women's Club. Drive on B St towards 6th St. Turn right on 6th, which becomes Howard St . Drive on Howard .5 mile crossing Washington Street, left on Prospect, immediate right on Pleasant to top of hill and the park.)

Twenty folks from UUP will be attending a matinee of the play The Green Bird (2 pm at Cinnabar Theater) after the picnic. This play stars our very own Amy West. If you're interested in going to the play, either contact Cinnabar Theater or Marlene for tickets. Of course, we'd love to see you at the picnic even if you're not going to the play!

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Larking About Is Open To All Who Like to Sing! Join Us!

Our singing group, Larking About, is currently working on a beautiful piece of music for our Earth Day service on April 22: Seth Houston's "Emerald Stream." This would be a wonderful time for anyone who has been thinking of joining in to test-drive the choir, as it were. Regular rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings from 8 to 9:30 at the home of David Dodd and Diana Spaulding, and on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. to 10 a.m. before the service at the Woman's Club.

Please feel free to just show up if you are at all interested! We have also begun work on Randall Thompson's "The Road Not Taken."

*********************************************************
"New to UUP" Visitors' Orientation: Sunday, April 15
Curious about UUism? About our congregation? Want to ask some questions? Please join with 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.

***********************************************************
Annual Memorial Day Retreat Planning Meeting: Sunday, April 22
Planning is now beginning for our annual retreat (scheduled for May 25-28) so gather up your ideas, mark your calendar and come to the potluck BBQ to help put it together! We are looking for a committee to form to make our plans: we need ideas for child activities and care, worship, scheduling, food etc. The planning meeting/potluck will take place SUNDAY, APRIL 22 at 4 pm at the Spaulding-Dodd house. Bring something to grill, share and drink, plus your enthusiastic selves. Questions, call T Hathaway.

***************************************************************************
DISTRICT ASSEMBLY IS FOR EVERYONE!
When: April 27-29, 2007
Where: The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Foster City
Don't miss this once-a-year gathering of our regional community, coming together for a weekend of learning, laughing, networking, and worship. The theme this year is Rise Up O Flame, with featured presentations from the Rev. Peter Morales and Holly Near. Get all the information at the PCD website.

***********************************************************
Time and Talent Auction May 6th Following the Service
Please plan on attending this annual fundraising event that benefits the congregation financially and also brings us together as a community. Live and Silent auctions. Childcare and lunch will be provided free, with wine available for sale by the glass. Come bid on terrific items and services such as an hour of landscape consultation, a barbecue for eight, or help clearing out your garage with a truck run to the dump!

Look for donation forms in the order of service this Sunday and use your imagination to contribute to the list of items and/or services up for bid at the auction. You may also provide a dessert for the fabulous dessert auction immediately following lunch. Please contribute as you are able and most importantly come out and have fun.

Planning is underway for this event so if you'd like to help please contact Leslie Harrison.
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Regularly Scheduled Gatherings- UUP Board of Trustees Meeting: Sunday at 8:30 am at the Woman's Club.
- Love All (UUP Tennis Group): Friendly drop-in tennis game Sunday from 1:30-3:30 pm at the Petaluma High School courts.
- Women's Group: Monday at 7:30 at Jean Conrad's home
- Larking About (UUP Choir): Rehearsal Tuesday at 8 pm at David and Diana's house.

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.

UU Author Kurt Vonnegut: 1922-2007

No doubt Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., would have something perfect to say about his own death. In fact, he said many of them in his writing.

Kurt Vonnegut was my particular favorite writer during high school and for quite some time after, and has always remained for me one of the best writers ever in American and world literature.

He was a Unitarian Universalist, and therefore I feel that this is a good place to mourn his passing, and to celebrate his life. He loved humanity, but didn't think too much of what people have done to each other, and to the planet. He wrote movingly about the horrors of war, which he experienced first-hand. He was funny! He could make you laugh at things you could barley stand to think about.

The trade paperbacks of his books that I purchased still sit on my bookshleves. Because I taught a course on his work in my own high school in my senior year, they are heavily marked up. I used highlighters to indicate passages on what I saw as his major themes: fate (pink), truth and lies (yellow), war and violence (orange), machines as metaphor (green).

Kurt Vonnegut is dead. So it goes.

"Wake, Now, My Senses"--Hymn of the Month, April 2007

This month's hymn is "Wake, Now, My Senses," with words by Thomas J.S. Mikelson (1936-), and a traditional Irish tune, harmozied by Carlton R. Young. According to Between the Lines:

Mikelson, born in Iowa, is a Unitarian Universalist minister. He has served congregations in Iowa City, Iowa, and Brookline and Dedham, Massachusetts, and is serving the First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This hymn was written for the ordination and installation of Charity Rowley as minister of religious education in the First Parish Church of Arlington, Massachusetts.

Mikelson retired in 2006 as minister of First Parish. He has written and lectured extensively about the theology of Martin Luther King, Jr., including an article in the UU World entitled "Martin Luther King Jr.'s Demanding God.

UUP sang this beautiful hymn at our Covenanting Sunday in October 2002.

Religious Education Update: April 8, 2007

Reclaiming Easter

When I was a little girl, my best friend was named Mary and lived next door. She had her own theories about how the world worked. If I complained about the evil taste of certain medicines, Mary would explain, “It won’t work unless it tastes bad.” When I went barefoot all summer, she’d warn, “People who go barefoot grow feet the size of rowboats.” She believed that suffering was necessary to produce good, and that pleasure could cause terrible things. Mary and I attended Methodist Sunday School together where we were taught that Jesus died on the cross to save our souls. The message was that he suffered for us, so that we could have eternal life.

Eventually, I cast off all of the beliefs listed above and became a Unitarian Universalist. Mary accepted traditional Christian dogma, and her husband is now the Senior Minister in the same building where we went to Sunday School together.

I enjoyed Easter as a child; how can I reclaim it as a meaningful holiday as an adult UU?

Rebecca Parker, President of the Starr King School for the Ministry, has written about her research into early Christianity in a way that has helped me. According to Dr. Parker, early Christianity did not focus on the Crucifixion. The artwork of early churches never depicted the dead body or Jesus’ death.

In Parker’s words, “Beginning with the first crusade, the crucifixion of Jesus became the central image for Christian worship. Before then Jesus had never been depicted dead, nor had his body been shown suffering in torment on the cross. At the time of the 11th century crusade, images of crucifixion began to proliferate. Anselm of Canterbury, Pope Urban’s friend, formulated an explicit theology of atonement, proposing that God became human in Jesus in order to die on the cross and pay God back for humanity’s sins. He described Jesus death as a pleasing gift to God. This theology supported the crusades: soldiers imitated Christ by offering themselves to be sacrificed for the cause. Such theologies functioned as war propaganda. To kill or be killed for God became the fastest route to Paradise.”

Somehow, knowing that a Pope developed the emphasis on atonement for his own war effort helps. While it is a terrible thing that the conquering Romans crucified 10,000 Jews during their occupation of ancient Jewish lands, the details of Jesus’ death are not important theologically, in my current belief system.

The triumph of Easter for me is that the teachings of Jesus survived his death. His wisdom outlasted his physical body, and has meaning that we can still understand today. In Jesus’ words, “he who taketh up the sword shall perish by the sword. Think ye that evil can be overcome by evil or violence by violence? The way of peace requireth courage and patience, but it will prevail.”

Happy Easter.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

This Week at UUP: April 5-11, 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

**************************************************************************
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, April 8: "Reborn, With a Derelict as My Midwife"
Regular Guest Minister: Leland Bond-Upson
Rebirth can come in many forms and sometimes from unlikely sources. As Mother Nature refreshes the Earth on her reliable schedule, let us consider the less predictable and often messier ways in which we ourselves experience emergence, new beginnings, and transformation.

Egg Hunt immediately following the service.

Sunday, April 15: "Money: a Spiritual Currency" by Jan Ogren
Worship associate: Elisabeth Hathaway
WARNING: attending this service may lead to a change in beliefs and attitudes towards money. This service
contains explicit content concerning money. Not only will money be discussed frankly but frequent references to God will be made.
This sermon won the 2007 PCD (Pacific Central District) sermon award in the Connection to our Larger Movement category.

**********************************************************
No Foolin'--Pledge Campaign Off to a Great Start

At Sunday's post-service lunch and pledge drive kickoff, we shared information about UUP's financial picture, talked about the process of pledging (making an advance financial commitment to support UUP), and then filled out pledge cards. We received 14 pledge cards. Eleven of our member pledges went up from the previous year. The total pledged on Sunday was $15,645. For the next two Sundays, those who have yet to pledge will have the opportunity to receive the materials handed out at the kick-off, along with their pledge card, and ask questions of representatives of our Stewardship Committee and Board of Trustees, at a table in the back of the room. Please visit!

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Religious Education Programs Coming Up

Easter Sunday: Immediately following the service on Easter morning, April 8, we will have an Egg Hunt in the grassy area between the Petaluma Woman's Club building and the Christian Science church. There will be two age groups for the hunt: under six and seven and over. If you would enjoy donating a dozen hard boiled and colored eggs to the hunt, please let Marlene know. (Marlene Abel, marlenea@sonic.net or 764-0443).

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Larking About Is Open To All Who Like to Sing! Join Us!

Our singing group, Larking About, is currently working on a beautiful piece of music for our Earth Day service on April 22: Seth Houston's "Emerald Stream." This would be a wonderful time for anyone who has been thinking of joining in to test-drive the choir, as it were. Regular rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings from 8 to 9:30 at the home of David Dodd and Diana Spaulding; and on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. to 10 a.m. before the service at the Woman's Club.

Please feel free to just show up if you are at all interested! We have also begun work on Randall Thompson's "The Road Not Taken."

*********************************************************
"New to UUP" Visitors' Orientation: Sunday, April 15

Curious about UUism? About our congregation? Want to ask some questions? Please join with 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.

***********************************************************
A Picnic and the Green Bird at Cinnabar Theater: Sunday, April 15

Come join Religious Education families and friends for a picnic at Oak Hill Park in the afternoon, followed by a trip to Cinnabar Theatre! We'll see our very own Amy West in the Green Bird at 2 pm. See Marlene Abel for tickets to the play ($12 adults, $8 for ages 12 and under.).

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Annual Memorial Day Retreat Planning Meeting: Sunday, April 22

Planning is now beginning for our annual retreat (scheduled for May 25-28) so gather up your ideas, mark your calendar and come to the potluck BBQ to help put it together! We are looking for a committee to form to make our plans: we need ideas for child activities and care, worship, scheduling, food etc. The planning meeting/potluck will take place SUNDAY, APRIL 22 at 4 pm at the Spaulding-Dodd house. Bring something to grill, share and drink, plus your enthusiastic selves. Questions, call T Hathaway.

***************************************************************************
DISTRICT ASSEMBLY IS FOR EVERYONE!

When: April 27-29, 2007
Where: The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Foster City

Don't miss this once-a-year gathering of our regional community, coming together for a weekend of learning, laughing, networking, and worship. The theme this year is Rise Up O Flame, with featured presentations from the Rev. Peter Morales and Holly Near.

Get all the information at the PCD website.

***********************************************************
Time & Talent Auction Coming Up May 6: Please Save the Date--and Invite Friends

Our once-a-year fundraiser, a Time & Talent Auction, will take place on May 6 following the service. Lunch, dessert, and entertainment are included in this lively and fun event. If you have a service to offer up for auction, or a cabin in the woods people might bid on to visit, or an item that would attract interest during the silent auction portion of the event, please consider contributing. Forms will be available beginning this coming Sunday.

We also need folks who would like to help organize the auction (auctioneer, set-up and take-down, tallying and cashiering, entertaining, food prep and clean-up, child care)--please contact Leslie Harrison. We will have a brief organizational meeting on Wednesday the 11th from 6 to 7:30 pm at Leslie's home for anyone who'd like to help out!

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Regularly Scheduled Gatherings

-Love All (UUP Tennis Group): Friendly drop-in tennis game Sunday from 1:30-3:30 pm at the Petaluma High School courts.
-Larking About (UUP Choir): Rehearsal Tuesday at 8 pm at David and Diana's house.
-Time and Talent Auction Planning Meeting: Wednesday at 6 pm at Leslie Harrison's house.

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.

Daily Kos Links to UUP Sermon Archive

Neat. I was looking at our website stats for the past week, and noticed a fair number of hits via The Daily Kos. Take a look at the interesting essay about UU author Kurt Vonnegut--it links to a UUP sermon given back in April 2003.

Our sermons have built up, over time, into a significant archive of good content, and they often lead the count in ongoing hits to our website. Maybe once in a while, someone decides to visit UUP, or another UU congregation, as a result of being intrigued by ideas they read on our site in our sermon archive. If so, then all the effort of posting the sermons is worthwhile.

Our top sermon ever, in terms of web readership, garnering 559 hits in the course of 2006 and 2007 (so far), was Elisabeth Hathaway's "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."