Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma

The purpose of this congregation is to provide a haven where members can share in a spiritually, culturally, and socially diverse local religious community. We envision a congregation that will be welcoming to all, that values the contributions of each member in shared ministry, and that actively promotes and models individual development of an ethical way of living. We are intentionally intergenerational, and covenant to provide religious education and spiritual growth for children and adults.

Friday, September 28, 2007

This Week at UUP: September 26-October 3, 2007


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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Come out for the Progressive Festival
UUP will have a table at the Progressive Festival this Sunday. See Earl Cruser if you are able and willing to help staff it. The time slots are noon to 2p, 2 to 4p and 4 to 6p.

Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? Welcoming Ceremony scheduled for October 7th!
We will hold a welcoming ceremony for new members during the Sunday service on October 7 th. If you have questions about membership, please contact David Dodd.

Join a UUP Outdoor Adventure
Come watch the Blue Angels fly by the top of Angel Island, Saturday, Oct. 6. The highest point of Angel Island, Mt. Livermore, is an excellent spot to watch the Blue's Angels' performance during Fleet Week, as the airplanes swoop by directly overhead. Carpool from in front of the Petaluma Women's Club, 9:45 am, to catch the Tiburon Ferry at 11 am. There will be a roundtrip hike of about 5 miles, with some climbing. Bring water, lunch, hiking shoes and fare for the ferry: Adults- $13.50, Children 6-12, $11.50, Children 3-5 $3.50, age 2 and under are free. Contact Marlene Abel for more information. Rain cancels.

October 20th: Save the date!
Join us for this first evening of a delightful, new UUP tradition: the UUP potluck/social evening! Members will be hosting potluck dinners in their homes for 8 or so UUP friends, some with children, some without. Interested in being a guest or host? These dinners will meet at various members' houses, maybe yours if you offer to host! Sign up at church, or contact Nancy Blake. Please indicate if you wish to host or be a guest. Guests will be contacted by hosts with ideas on what to bring, as these are potluck events. We hope to be enjoying a meal together soon!

Share your garden
Our October 21st service will be a brunch and sermon about Ethical Eating as a Unitarian Universalist. If you are growing food in your yard and would consider sharing it with UUP for this brunch, please contact Stacey Meinzen. Sharing food is a great way to build community and to be sure that your surplus does not go to waste. No food donation is too small.

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. )

September 30: "Fried Green Tomatoes: Dealing with life's incompletions"
Guest Speaker: Alexandra McGee, ministerial student at Starr King School for the Ministry
Worship Associate: Lara Abel
As the fall equinox passes and the days grow shorter, we may have to let go of some of the summer goals that never got finished. How is this a metaphor for so many incompleted things in our lives? Where do we get the strength to move forward when we don't have everything in place the way we'd planned? Alexandra McGee is studying for her Masters of Divinity at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, with a focus on Sanskrit, yoga and cooperative ecological spirituality.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
- UUP Worship Associates: meets Monday 8:15p at Diana Spaulding's house.

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

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Saturday, September 22, 2007

This Week at UUP: September 20-26, 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. For information on finding other Bay Area UU congregations, please visit www.uuba.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. )

September 23: Rumi: Whirling to Stillness
Guest speaker: Elisabeth Hathaway
Greeters: Jean Conrad, Nancy Blake, Phil and Jodi Boyle
Rumi, the Persian Sufi poet, recognizes: "Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and scared." Writing 800 years ago, one of the most well-known voices of mystical Islam offers us his deeply personal yet profoundly universal visions of human experience, seeking and meeting the divine in our daily lives. He says simply we can "let the beauty we love be what we do, there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground". Join us in honoring the 800 th anniversary of his birth.

October 7: "The Cycle of Simchat Torah"
Worship associate: Mike Iritz
Greeters: Stacy Meinzen, Richard Stark, David Dodd, Elaine Ellsworth
Many outside of the Jewish faith know about some of the more popular Jewish holidays, but how many have heard of Simchat Torah? This holiday is known among observant Jews as the most celebratory - but the reasons for the "party" atmosphere apply to a number of UU Principles as well.

October 21: "Ethical Eating and the 7th Principle"
Guest Speaker: Grayson James
The food we eat may seem like a quotidian matter that does not merit theological debate. However, how we fill our bowls and our stomachs is a vital ingredient in our spiritual soup. Come hear Grayson James of Petaluma Bounty discuss our local food system, how he feeds the hungry, and how we can move from a culture of culinary profligacy to one of reverence and alimentary abundance for all.

October 28: "Day of the Dead"
Worship Associate: Meredith Guest
Death is one of those topics about which we'd rather not think. It brings up life's hardest emotions: grief, fear and even anger. No wonder we avoid it. Yet death is part of life and on Dia de los Muertos we embrace--with both tears and laughter--its reality. For this intergenerational service, we invite you to bring a photo or some object to place on the special altar in memory of a loved one (human or otherwise) who has passed into The Mystery.

Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? Welcoming Ceremony scheduled for October 7th!
We will hold a welcoming ceremony for new members during the Sunday service on October 7 th. If you have questions about membership, please contact David Dodd.

Join a UUP Outdoor Adventure
Come watch the Blue Angels fly by the top of Angel Island, Saturday, Oct. 6. The highest point of Angel Island, Mt. Livermore, is an excellent spot to watch the Blue's Angels' performance during Fleet Week, as the airplanes swoop by directly overhead. Carpool from in front of the Petaluma Women's Club, 9:45 am, to catch the Tiburon Ferry at 11 am. There will be a roundtrip hike of about 5 miles, with some climbing. Bring water, lunch, hiking shoes and fare for the ferry: Adults- $13.50, Children 6-12, $11.50, Children 3-5 $3.50, age 2 and under are free. Contact Marlene Abel for more information. Rain cancels.

October 20th: Save the date!
Join us for this first evening of a delightful, new UUP tradition: the UUP potluck/social evening! Members will be hosting potluck dinners in their homes for 8 or so UUP friends, some with children, some without. Interested in being a guest or host? These dinners will meet at various members' houses, maybe yours if you offer to host! Sign up at church, or email Nancy Blake at antsy.blake@comcast.net. Please indicate if you wish to host or be a guest. Guests will be contacted by hosts with ideas on what to bring, as these are potluck events. We hope to be enjoying a meal together soon!

Bay Area-wide UU Marketing Campaign
The UU marketing campaign is underway. You may have heard or seen radio commercials, TV ads, direct mail, BART station billboards or print ads in parenting and GLBT-oriented publications. The ads direct people to the uuba.org web site, to learn how to find a congregation near them.

Join in the excitement, and let's get ready for company -- let's all watch for visitors, and do everything we can to help them feel comfortable and welcomed. For more detail, see the UUP Blog article at http://uupetaluma.blogspot.com/2007/08/uu-marketing-campaign-set-to-launch.html

UUP Women's Fall Retreat! October 12-14
Join us! We are already getting ready for our twice-annual Women's Retreat! We rent an incredible house in Bodega Bay and enjoy talking circles, communal meals, walks on the beach and a general wonderful time, deepening our friendships and connections. For information and sign up contact T Hathaway.

Share your garden
Our October 21st service will be a brunch and sermon about Ethical Eating as a Unitarian Universalist. If you are growing food in your yard and would consider sharing it with UUP for this brunch, please email Stacey Meinzen at stacey at graphicsingreen dot com. Sharing food is a great way to build community and to be sure that your surplus does not go to waste. No food donation is too small.

Regularly Scheduled Gatherings
- UUP Membership Committee: meets Monday 7:30p at Hope Stewart's house.
- Book Discussion Group: The group discussing "The Left Hand of God" by Rabbi Michael Lerner meets this Sunday.

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

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Religious Education Update: September 23, 2007

Our Whole Lives

Beginning on October 14, a number of our children and youth will be participating in a comprehensive sexuality education program, known as OWL. This training is being held at the Santa Rosa UU church Sunday afternoons, in partnership with their RE program, and is not part of our Sunday morning RE program.

Why is it important for our kids to have faith-developed training?

Many children, particularly those who spend lots of time watching TV, are frequently exposed to messages about sexuality. They may accept that good looks, meaning attractiveness to the opposite sex, is more important than achievement. They may decide that popularity comes with early dating and early sexual activity. In addition, children are physically maturing at earlier ages now, partly due to childhood obesity and particularly due to environmental influences. Some children have to deal with first signs of puberty in third or fourth grade. Also, youth must learn to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases that can cause permanent health damage or even death.

But why should UU churches teach about sex? Our UU faith teaches about sexuality in the context of respect for one’s partner, respect for one’s body, and responsibility for one’s actions. We offer knowledge that helps youth stay healthy and safe. We teach about gender issues, including homosexuality, in the context of the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Erin Miller, a 16 year old UU youth wrote in the Register-Guard, a Eugene, Oregon newspaper, “OWL is creating a group of teens who will be sexually responsible and who will make choices based on health and knowledge.” The wealth of information that OWL provides us is something we're thankful for,” I’m grateful that our faith offers this resource to kids. If you’d like more information, please ask.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

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Monday, September 17, 2007

Speak Out for Peace: Friday, September 21

Join the San Francisco congregation on International Peace Day, September 21, and participate in public witness in commemoration of the lives lost in Iraq, calling for an end to the war in Iraq. 10:00-noon, 1187 Franklin, San Francisco.

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Saturday, September 15, 2007

This Week at UUP: September 14-19


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. )

September 16: Water and Stones Ingathering
Worship Associate: Tony Blake
Greeters: Lara Abel, Leslie Balestreri, Beatrice Pool
Bring water and a stone from your travels, whether at home in Petaluma or abroad, to leave in the common vessels as a symbol of our coming back together for the start of a new church year.

September 23: Rumi: Whirling to Stillness
Guest speaker: Elisabeth Hathaway
Greeters: Jean Conrad, Nancy Blake, Phil and Jodi Boyle
Rumi, the Persian Sufi poet, recognizes: "Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and scared." Writing 800 years ago, one of the most well-known voices of mystical Islam offers us his deeply personal yet profoundly universal visions of human experience, seeking and meeting the divine in our daily lives. He says simply we can "let the beauty we love be what we do, there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground". Join us in honoring the 800 th anniversary of his birth.



Gather your Water and Stones for this Sunday!
On Sunday, bring a small vial of water or a stone gathered during your summer travels for our traditional "Water and Stones" service.



Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? Orientation for Visitors and Friends on Sunday!
Following the service on Sunday, we will hold our regular third Sunday of the month orientation for those interested in learning more about UUP and about UUism generally. We'll gather in a circle of chairs in the fireside room area for an informal conversation. A representative of the Board and of the Membership Committee will be present.

Also, we are holding our quarterly welcoming ceremony for new members during the Sunday service on September 23, so if you'd like to join, please come to the orientation to let us know, and we'll be happy to answer any questions about membership, and give you all the details.

Hope to see you there!



Join a UUP Outdoor Adventure
Come watch the Blue Angels fly by the top of Angel Island, Saturday, Oct. 6. The highest point of Angel Island, Mt. Livermore, is an excellent spot to watch the Blue's Angels' performance during Fleet Week, as the airplanes swoop by directly overhead. Carpool from in front of the Petaluma Women's Club, 9:45 am, to catch the Tiburon Ferry at 11 am. There will be a roundtrip hike of about 5 miles, with some climbing. Bring water, lunch, hiking shoes and fare for the ferry: Adults- $13.50, Children 6-12, $11.50, Children 3-5 $3.50, age 2 and under are free. Contact Marlene Abel for more information. Rain cancels.



October 20th: Save the date!
Join us for this first evening of a delightful, new UUP tradition: the UUP potluck/social evening! Members will be hosting potluck dinners in their homes for 8 or so UUP friends, some with children, some without. Interested in being a guest or host? Sign up at church on Sunday.



Bay Area-wide UU Marketing Campaign
Radio commercials about the UU faith are currently airing and will be followed by TV, direct mail, BART station billboards, print ads in parenting and GLBT-oriented publications, an amazing 4-page, full-color newspaper insert, and more! The ads will direct people to the uuba.org web site, to learn how to find a congregation near them.

Join in the excitement, and let's get ready for company -- let's all watch for visitors, and do everything we can to help them feel comfortable and welcomed. For more detail, see the UUP Blog article.



UUP Women's Fall Retreat! October 12-14
Join us! We are already getting ready for our twice-annual Women's Retreat--in fact, astonishingly, the retreat is almost full! We rent an incredible house in Bodega Bay on Dillon Beach and enjoy talking circles, communal meals, walks on the beach and a general wonderful time, deepening our friendships and connections. For information and sign up contact T Hathaway.



Share your garden
Our October 21st service will be a brunch and sermon about Ethical Eating as a Unitarian Universalist. If you are growing food in your yard and would consider sharing it with UUP for this brunch, please email Stacey Meinzen at stacey at graphicsingreen dot com. Sharing food is a great way to build community and to be sure that your surplus does not go to waste. No food donation is too small.



Regularly Scheduled Gatherings - New to UU Visitors Orientation: Sunday, 11:30 am at the Woman's Club

- UUP Women's Group: Monday, 7:30 pm at Jean Conrad's house. Topic: Big Decisions

- Book Discussion Group: The group discussing "The Left Hand of God" by Rabbi Michael Lerner will meet again Sept 23.

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.

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Religious Education Update: September 15, 2007

Water and Stones

Many Unitarian Universalist congregations will be celebrating Water and Stone Ingatherings today, to honor their communities’ reconnecting at the beginning of the church year. This is a happy day, to welcome back the travelers; to admire how our children and youth have grown; and to celebrate that we are together once again.

The water we have gathered seems so commonplace and ordinary sometimes, but it is miraculous stuff. It can appear as glaciers, waterfalls, snow, tiny creeks and vast oceans. When it falls through sunshine, it creates beautiful rainbows. It is the solvent in every one of our cells in which all the chemical reactions of life occur. It cradles our unborn until the moment of birth. Our bodies have more water than any other molecule, and our very lives depend on its constant replenishment.

We pour our bottles of this miraculous, life-sustaining liquid together to symbolize joining together in community. We also bring the spiritual gifts from our summer apart. Did you experience the awe of natural beauty this summer, the warmth of family and friends in conversation or play, or did you explore intellectually? Were you moved by a place you saw, or an unusual experience? Did you find your insights close to home? What part of your summer’s inspiration do you bring to this morning’s service?

Welcome home! We’re glad you’re here!

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

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Friday, September 07, 2007

This Week at UUP: September 6-12, 2007


The Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma
Room for Different Beliefs--Yours!


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

September 9: "Mindfulness and the Prayer of Jesus."
Guest Minister, Timothy Locke, PhD
Worship Associate: Elisabeth Hathaway
Today we will look together at an unfamiliar version of perhaps a familiar prayer, to have an experience of how a meditative way can support a deeply personal spiritual practice, leading us into the present moment and into the presence of Holy Mystery.

September 16: Water and Stones Ingathering
Our community regathers following our summertime adventures, whether at home in Petaluma or abroad. Bring water and a stone from your travels, to leave in the common vessels as a symbol of our coming back together for the start of a new church year. Worship Associate: Tony Blake

September 23: On Rumi
Guest speaker: Elisabeth Hathaway



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Gather your Water and Stones!

Next Sunday, bring a small vial of water or a stone gathered during your summer travels for our traditional "Water and Stones" service.

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Marketing Campaign Launches next week

Donors from 17 Bay Area congregations -- including ours -- raised $300,000 to help others find their faith. Radio commercials will begin airing next week and will be followed by TV, direct mail, BART station billboards, print ads in parenting and GLBT-oriented publications, an amazing 4-page, full-color newspaper insert, and more! The ads will direct people to the uuba.org web site, to learn how to find a congregation near them.

Join in the excitement, and let's get ready for company -- let's all watch for visitors, and do everything we can to help them feel comfortable and welcomed. For more detail, see the UUP Blog article.

************************************************************************
UUP Women's Fall Retreat! October 12-14

Join us! We are already getting ready for our twice-annual Women's Retreat--in fact, astonishingly, the retreat is almost full! We rent an incredible house in Bodega Bay on Dillon Beach and enjoy talking circles, communal meals, walks on the beach and a general wonderful time, deepening our friendships and connections. For information and sign up contact T Hathaway.

************************************************************************
Share your garden

Our October 21st service will be a brunch and sermon about Ethical Eating as a Unitarian Universalist. If you are growing food in your yard and would consider sharing it with UUP for this brunch, please email Stacey Meinzen at stacey at graphicsingreen dot com. Sharing food is a great way to build community and to be sure that your surplus does not go to waste. No food donation is too small.

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Regularly Scheduled Gatherings

- Meeting of the UUP Board of Trustees: Sunday, 8:30 am at the Woman's Club

- Book Discussion Group: Discussion of "The Left Hand of God" by Rabbi Michael Lerner will again this Sunday after service.

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.

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Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Religious Education Update: September 2, 2007

A Creation Story

"In the beginning, there was nothing. It was a 'nothing' so profound, it defies human comprehension... Space did not exist; time did not flow. We cannot speak of what happened before the Big Bang, because time itself did not exist. Before space was created, nothing could exist, because there was nowhere for it to exist.

From nothing, a tiny speck of brilliant light appeared. It was almost infinitely hot. Inside this fireball was all of space. With the creation of space came the birth of time. The energy in the fireball was so concentrated that matter spontaneously began to appear: a distant ancestor of the matter that would later become building blocks of stars, planets and galaxies." Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest in The Big Bang.

A Different Creation Story
" In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." King James Bible

In the Big Bang creation story, the lightest elements (hydrogen, helium and lithium) were created in the first seconds of the universe. Heavier elements were formed by nuclear fusion in the depths of giant stars. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, was formed near the beginning of time. Our earth was created out of the dust of ancient supernovas. Our galaxy is just a small part of the known universe. Scientists estimate that there are 100 billion galaxies in the universe, and our sun is one of billions of stars in the Milky Way.

In the Biblical story, God focuses on our earth. The heavens seem to be created for the benefit of earthly creatures, particularly the people that God created several days later. In either creation story, the final result is our amazing universe. For me, one of the most important differences is the role of our planet in the story. Is the planet Earth the reason for all creation, or just a tiny part of an incomprehensibly large whole?

Some of our children will be studying plants today, older ones will learn about the Big Bang Theory and our expanding universe. Both groups will consider the wonder of creation, that great gift that we all share.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

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This Week at UUP: August 30-Sept. 5


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. )

September 2: Labor DayGuest speaker: Meredith Guest
On this Labor Day weekend, let's examine the complex and controversial issue of immigration, particularly illegal immigration and its impact on and implications for America's working class and ask ourselves: When compassion and concerns for social justice collide, how do we decide what to think, feel and do?

September 9: "Mindfulness and the Prayer of Jesus."
Guest Minister, Timothy Locke, PhD
Worship Associate: Elisabeth Hathaway
Today we will look together at an unfamiliar version of perhaps a familiar prayer, to have an experience of how a meditative way can support a deeply personal spiritual practice, leading us into the present moment and into the presence of Holy Mystery.

September 16: Water and Stones Ingathering
Our community regathers following our summertime adventures, whether at home in Petaluma or abroad. Bring water and a stone from your travels, to leave in the common vessels as a symbol of our coming back together for the start of a new church year. Worship Associate: Tony Blake

**************************************************************************
Gather your Water and Stones!

During your summer travels near and far, don't forget to gather a small vial of water or a stone for our traditional early September "Water and Stones" service.

************************************************************************
Marketing Campaign Launches in September

Donors from 17 Bay Area congregations -- including ours -- raised $300,000 to help others find their faith. Radio commercials will begin airing the week of September 10th and will be followed by TV, direct mail, BART station billboards, print ads in parenting and GLBT-oriented publications, an amazing 4-page, full-color newspaper insert, and more! The ads will direct people to the uuba.org web site, to learn how to find a congregation near them.

Join in the excitement, and let's get ready for company -- let's all watch for visitors, and do everything we can to help them feel comfortable and welcomed. For more detail, see the UUP Blog article.

************************************************************************
Share your garden

Our October 21st service will be a brunch and sermon about Ethical Eating as a Unitarian Universalist. If you are growing food in your yard and would consider sharing it with UUP for this brunch, please email Stacey Meinzen at stacey@graphicsingreen.com. Sharing food is a great way to build community and to be sure that your surplus does not go to waste. No food donation is too small.

************************************************************************
Regularly Scheduled Gatherings
- Book Discussion Group: The group discussing "The Left Hand of God" by Rabbi Michael Lerner will meet again Sunday, Sept. 9th.

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.

Labels: