This Week at UUP: March 6-12, 2008

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



ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Time Change: Don't forget to spring ahead this weekend!

Special Congregational Meeting this Sunday, 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 this Sunday, March 9th to vote on this one issue. Please come.
Jean Conrad
Board President

Share-the-Plate Sunday
We will be sharing half of the non-pledge offering in our collection plate on Sunday with the Petaluma People Services Center. PPSC was started in 1974 by a handful of community people who were concerned that Petaluma and South County residents did not have ready access to county health and social services. Their mission is to help low income children, adults, families and seniors to empower themselves thereby reducing: poverty, abuse, chemical dependence, violence, ignorance, isolation and mental illness, while promoting socialization, health, education, independence, self reliance and self esteem. Thank you for your generosity.

UU Songwriter Jim Scott in Concert, Friday, March 14, 8:00 pm in Santa Rosa
UU songwriter of several songs in our hymnbook, notably Gather the Spirit, is giving a concert next Friday night at the Santa Rosa Congregation. His style is a mix of folk, jazz, and world-beat. His concerts are fun and well received, based on my experiences listening to Jim at General Assembly. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. If anyone is interested, please contact Marlene Abel,and I'll arrange to pick-up some of the $15 tickets.

Picnic, Kite Flying AND Wildflower Walk!" Saturday, March 15th
Please join us for an afternoon picnic and kite flying outing to Ragle Ranch Park in Sebastopol. Noon to 2 p.m. Bring a lunch, kite and good walking shoes if you'd like to enjoy the trails at this great county park. Ellen will also lead a wildflower walk. For directions and further info, visit the park's website. Meet at the pond to the left of the main entrance, near the restrooms. If you have extra space in your vehicle or would like to carpool, please contact Leslie Harrison.

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, or simply buttonhole him on a Sunday.

Time and Talent Auction March 30th!
The 30th will be upon us any minute. First of all, mark your calendar so you are sure to be there. The youth are doing the lunch, and then the action starts. Kindly be thinking and talking among yourselves about ideas, see last years brochure for ideas, and there is also a wish list so you can request things you might want… say golf lessons or your car detailed. Someone could then offer it. Bingo! Win-Win.
Do fill out and bring back the donation forms. You know a little visual might help if possible, like a picture of a car if you were to offer a detailing job.
I, Dick Allen, will not be there Sunday (skiing), but just turn them in on the back desk. Camille will pick them up. (I hope) Or give them to her personally.

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? Call or e-mail T Hathaway!

UUP Garage Sale: Save the stuff and Save the date!
The annual UUP religious education garage sale fundraiser will be held later in the year on Saturday, August 23. Please start saving items for this event. Last year's garage sale was very successful thanks to your generous donations.

Don't miss District Assembly 2008!
PCD-UUA
April 25 - 27, 2008, Fremont Marriott
Come join 400 Vibrant and Vital UU's from across the Pacific Central District for a weekend of laughing, learning, worship, meeting old friends and making new ones! Featuring:
Rev. Robert Latham, Saturday Keynote Speaker
Rev. Victoria Safford, Saturday Banquet Speaker
Roy Zimmerman, Satirist (Saturday night)
Over 20 different workshops, 5 levels of child / youth programming, Friday night Opening Worship, the PCD Annual Meeting, and Sunday Closing Worship.
We will meet at the Fremont Marriott, where we have received a Special Rate of only $89/night for this event.
For more information, please see: www.pcd-uua.org and click on the DA2008 link.

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, March 9: "Sacred Time Lost and Found"
Worship Leader Elisabeth Hathaway
This is daylight savings weekend--where does that hour go???!!! We spring forward but what happens to our soul; and do we have a choice? What if we don't want to spring, but would rather meander but still be in sync with those around us? Together we will consider how we "use" our time, how we choose to "spend" it, what makes time meaningful, and what could make our moments more conscious, sacred and spiritually satisfying.
Be sure to put your clocks forward to be at our consensual reality time!

Sunday, March 16, 2008: "Living From the Crossroads -- Choose Carefully"
Guest speaker: Kent McKusick, ministerial student
Worship Leader Diana Spaulding
Kent McKusick invites us to consider the Hebrew Bible story of Abram and Lot (Genesis 13) when they come to a crossroads (and a decision) on their journey to the Promised Land. As Unitarian Universalists, how might this story relate to the culture of decision making as we navigate our own journeys to beloved community? What consequences await us at the various crossroads of life?
Kent McKusick is a 3rd year Master of Divinity student from Maine at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley. Next year, he will be the intern minister in Kansas City, MO. Prior to seminary, Kent was active as a lay leader at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor and worked professionally in theatre, recreation (skiing and whitewater rafting), stained glass, and banking. There have been many crossroads!

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
The UUP Men's Group will meet NEXT Friday, March 14th at 7pm at Dick Allen's house.
The UUP Board of Trustees will meet Sunday, March 16th at 8:30 am in the Christian Science building.
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.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