This Week at UUP: February 22-28, 2008

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Special Congregational Meeting on March 9th
We have received a letter from Leland Bond-Upson asking us - UUP - to become his ordaining church. This decision is entirely up to the congregation and in order to proceed, there needs to be a congregational meeting where members have to opportunity to vote on the issue.
This is an honor and an opportunity for UUP to participate in a very old tradition that links us to all other congregations who have ordained someone. We will meet right after service on Sunday, March 9th to vote on this one issue. Please come.
Jean Conrad
UUP Board President

UUP "Carbon Rings" Groups Forming!
Join Stacey Meinzen, George Beeler, and David Dodd this Sunday, February 24th, immediately following the service for a very brief organizational meeting to discuss UUP's participation in the UU Legislative Ministry's "Low Carbon Challenge." We'll be forming UUP "Carbon Rings"--groups who will educate ourselves and then support each other in reducing our collective carbon footprint. California-wide, UUs plan to collectively lose a million pounds of carbon emissions by Earth Day 2009. Let's do our part!

UUP Adult Forum next Sunday
Topic: Do our individual personal relationships affect society?
The next session of the Adult Forum - Sharing and Learning, Faith and Life - will take place next Sunday, March 2nd. We'll gather in the upper room of the Woman's Club following the Sunday Service to 1:15 pm. Bring a beverage for a "Conversation Cafe."

Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? The next New Member Welcome is Sunday, March 16
If you've been attending UUP regularly and have been thinking about joining the congregation as a member, here's your chance! We will hold a new member welcome ceremony during the Sunday service on March 16. For details, please contact David Dodd, for the UUP Membership Committee.

Time and Talent Auction March 30th!
Our annual BIG FUN(D)RAISER is coming up the end of March. We will have a lunch after church services, and the auction will follow. Last year we had donations of dinners, hauling, landscape consultation, a bicycle adventure picnic, symphony tickets, art work, a basket of novels, car wash, etc…. you get the idea! We also include a children's silent auction, along with the other silent auction items.
We need volunteer help in putting this all together....See Dick Allen or Jean Conrad if you would like to be in on all this fun!

Annual Memorial Day Retreat!
The annual UUP all-community retreat is coming up, May 23-26, at Four Springs Retreat Center in Middletown north of Calistoga. Be sure to look for sign-up sheets in the coming weeks!
ALSO: Be sure to join the committee making the plans, and help put together this wonderful, fun, and very well attended traditional gathering. Interested in adult and/or kids activities? Food? Worship? General Planning? Contact T Hathaway!

District Assembly Registration Now Open
The annual meeting of UUs from our district (Northern California, Reno, and Hawaii) will be held at the Fremont Marriott, Friday April 25- Sunday, April 27. This gathering of 400 UUs promises to be inspirational, informative and fun. District Assembly's Children's and Youth program will be held at the hotel as well, run by the Director of Religious Education of the Davis UU church. The children's program features multicultural activities, games, worship and storytelling. There will also be separate programs for middle and high school youth. Last year, the DA's hotel sold out, so you will likely need to reserve a room early to stay at the Marriott.
For more details, check out the PCD website.

Spring Volunteer Work Weekend
May 9-11, 2008
Did you know about the UU Camps in our District? The next UU camp will be at the Mendocino Woodlands State Park, near Mendocino and Fort Bragg, about a 3 hour drive from Petaluma. This camp is located in a redwood forest, with individual rustic redwood cabins and a large dining hall. At Spring Volunteer Work Weekend, UUs from many congregations gather to open up the camps for the summer, performing tasks such as putting canvas over wooden frames for the tent cabins or doing trail building and maintenance. Marlene Abel will be one of the cooks, assisting chef extraordinaire Laurin Beckhusen of the Davis UU church. The cost of the weekend, including lodging and five outstanding meals is $30 for children, $35 for seniors/students and $40 for adults. For more information, go to www.unitariancamps.org.

Family Camp
July 13-19 or July 20-26, 2008
Another UU Camp is Family Camp, also at the Mendocino Woodlands. Registration for this camp isn't open yet, but if you have questions, one of the deans is our Lara Abel. Also, lots of details about the camp may be found at www.unitariancamps.org.

UPCOMING 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, February 24, 2008: "Living through Life's Contortions"
Guest Speaker: Alexandra McGee, Ministerial Student
Worship Leader: Diana Spaulding
Greeters: Phil Boyle, Jodi Boyle, Nancy Blake, Jean Conrad, Ellen Beeler and Bruce Eriksen
When you find your spirit is twisted like a pretzel, how do you reconnect to your roots and wings? Alexandra McGee will discuss wisdom from the yoga tradition, with a perspective on how UUs can respect its origins in Hinduism. Alex is a 3rd year student at Starr King School for the Ministry, soon to complete her Masters of Divinity with a focus on Sanskrit, chaplaincy, and Hindu theology. Practicing yoga since 1989, she has taught in corporations, churches, gyms, ecovillages, country clubs, and a prison.

Sunday, March 2, 2008: "Religion That Gets In the Way"
a sermon by the Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers
Lara Abel, Worship Associate
The function of all faith, religion, or even philosophy could well be assessed as the honest attempt to brace us when in the eye of the storm and guide us through the uncharted waters of the future. We may find that some are better than others as we live and learn and grow towards spiritual maturity. One of the guiding questions for this morning's service is: If your religious beliefs were a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Children from the Religious Education program will help present a parable during the service.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
UUP Membership Committee will meet Monday, Feb., 25th at 7:30 at Hope Stewart's house

Larking About, the UUP Singers, meets on Wednesday evenings from 8 to 9:30 at the home of Diana Spaulding and David Dodd

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION TO "THIS WEEK AT UUP" AND TO THE UUP CALENDAR

If you have an item for "This Week at UUP" (UU or UUP-related only, please), send it to our Administrator, Jennifer Newman at uupetaluma at gmail dot com by Wednesday for inclusion in that week's email newsletter. For information that needs to go on the calendar, please send your event details to the same email address.