This Week at UUP: March 28-April 2, 2008

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Time and Talent Auction: UUP's annual fundraiser!
THIS SUNDAY March 30th noon to 3pm!
Donate your time and talents to be auctioned off, then come and bid on the offerings of others--a fun way to get to know each other better AND raise funds for UUP's budget.

Gather, UUP Men!
The UUP Men's Group will meet at Dick Allen's house on Friday, April 4th at 7:30 pm. Carpoolers meet at City Hall at 7:00 pm. Contact Dick Allen or Phil Boyle for more info.
The UUP Men's Group will also be participating in Rebuilding Together Petaluma on Saturday, April 19th. All men are welcome. Contact Phil Boyle for more info.

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 the sign up sheet on Sunday! The deadline for signing up is April 20th. If you want to sign up by e-mail, please contact T Hathaway.

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. )

This Sunday, March 30, 2008: "In Praise of Organized Religion"
A sermon by the Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers
Individualism is the prevailing ideal in our culture. But the truth is, we find ourselves not independently of other people and institutions, but through them. This sermon is an unabashedly affirming anthem for organized religion, especially organized Unitarian Universalist communities (no, that's not an oxymoron!) This would be an excellent Sunday to bring a friend!

Sunday, April 6, 2008: "What's Your Story?"
Guest Speaker: Jamie McReynolds
Jamie McReynolds will be exploring our fourth UU principle, our free and responsible truth and meaning, and the ways that we make meaning in our lives. As an interfaith chaplain in a community hospital, ministering to patients, families and staff, he sees people making meaning of their lives in many different ways. How does our UU faith help us make meaning of our lives?
Jamie McReynolds is a 3rd year Master of Divinity student at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley . He is currently a resident hospital chaplain at John Muir Medical Center in Concord , CA. Prior to seminary, Jamie was a lay leader at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Santa Rosa and worked professionally in banking, manufacturing and the wine industry.

Sunday, April 13, 2008: "Membership Fees"
Guest Speaker: Garrick Linn
Worship Leader: Lara Abel
April 15th is a day of reckoning in the United States, a day when a portion of our hard-earned dollars is collected and eventually redistributed in the service of what we hope (and are promised) is the common good. One might expect for such democracy-loving Unitarian Universalists as ourselves that this day would warrant celebration rather than consternation, but I have noticed that our feelings towards filing tend to be, shall we say, ambivalent. As part of an attempt to reframe our thinking about what it means to be one among many, George Lakoff has proposed that the word "taxes" be replaced in our public discourse with "membership fees." In that spirit, let us frame and explore some of the connections and responsibilities we share in our various capacities as employers, employees, citizens and congregants. The taxman cometh...will we lay out the welcome mat, or lock the door?

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
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.

www.uupetaluma.org