Religious Education Update: June 1, 2008

Weaving Connections

At the UUP retreat this past weekend, three of our young teens decided to tie themselves together with long strips of fabric, as if they were mountain climbers crossing a glacier. Their cloth ropes forced them to communicate with each other as they traveled around Four Springs. I overheard one of them say to another, “Tell us if you’re going to go somewhere!” The three girls- Amy, Bailey, and Lizzie- had already bonded as friends during previous times together, but now had a temporary physical connection that was fun to watch. Later, at our Sunday worship service, Diana Spaulding and Rev. Ben spoke of community and connections, and led all of us; children, youth and adults, in creating a colorful weaving of fabric strips.

These fabric constructions symbolized for me a weaving of community that creates a spiritual home. We create this fabric by spending time together, whether by singing into the night, breaking bread together, practicing laughing yoga, or engaging in heartfelt conversations.

I know that I have a spiritual home at UUP, and am very grateful to the people behind the scenes who work so hard to make this community possible. My thanks begin with the founding families who were brave enough to dream of their own home in Petaluma. The founders were the architects and planners. Next, I think of the board, the staff, and committee chairs who do the behind the scenes logistical work. They are the infrastructure- the beams and the pipes. My thanks then extend to the volunteers who greet people, make the coffee, teach RE classes, and create worship. They are the custodians, the plumbers, carpenters and electricians. Finally, my thanks go to everyone who makes time in their busy, busy lives to come to worship and learn on Sunday mornings. They are the beloved family who inhabits my spiritual home and enriches my life. I love you all.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

This Week at UUP: May 31-June 4, 2008

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

UUP Congregational Meeting
The UUP Congregational Meeting is tomorrow, Sunday, June 1st after the service. Please plan to attend!!

Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? The next New Member Ingathering is tomorrow, Sunday, June 1st
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 service tomorrow, Sunday, June 1st. For details, please contact Hope Stewart, for the UUP Membership Committee.

Ordination of Leland Bond-Upson
On Sunday, June 8th, the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma will ordain Leland Bond-Upson, a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry (class of 1976!) and a former Regular Guest Minister at UUP. The ceremony will begin at 4:30 and will include UU Ministers from throughout the Pacific Central District as well as representatives from the Unitarian Universalist Association. Our own Reverend Ben Kocs-Meyers will officiate. All those associated with UUP are welcome to attend! We also invited our neighbors from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin, as Lee is a long-time member of that congregation. As we are expecting a crowd, kindly R.S.V.P. to uupetaluma at gmail dot com or call 773-2835.

The members of UUP voted enthusiastically in favor of ordaining Lee and of hosting a party worthy of this important event. As such, we will be looking for help from UUPetaluminaries to help make the event a success. We will need volunteers to help set up and decorate, cook, clean up, etc. We also ask that Petaluma folks bring a pot-luck hors-devours tray to share with our guests. There will be a sign up sheet circulated, but if you are anxious to volunteer, please contact KC Greaney.

Curious about why Lee waited until now to be ordained? Here is his story, in his own words...

I have been asked why I waited so long to get ordained. After all, many of my Starr King School peers (class of 1976!), got ordained by their home or internship churches right away. I didn't, because my feeling was that ordination should come when a congregation has called a minister to serve.

At that point I wanted to work in partnership with my new wife and I wanted to stay in the Bay Area. Then, as we know, 'way leads on to way', and I went into education, started a family, and performed only incidental ministerial duties over the years. Internships, conducting rites of passage, preaching here and there, and service on Boards (Starr King, Marin, Legislative Ministry) are all worthy, but don't constitute a call.

However, when the UUs of Petaluma and I got together, and I began to preach there once a month, something good began, and it grew and deepened over the five years, and after it ended, I realized I had been called to ministry at last. So I asked to be ordained, and the Petaluminaries said yes, with feeling. And so, despite the long journey, I am perfectly happy and content with where I am and how I got here. Thank you for your help along the way.

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, June 1st: 'Saint Stephen with a Rose': Ritual, Rapture and the Grateful Dead Experience
Guest Speaker: Mary Goodenough
Guest musician: David Gans
Worship Leader: David Dodd
Drawing on mythologist Joseph Campbell's lecture: "Ritual and Rapture: From Dionysus to the Grateful Dead," Goodenough will discuss ritual and rapture as they relate to the Grateful Dead experience. Grateful Dead concerts were, as Campbell discovered first hand, a container for religious experience characterized by an opening of the heart. The music, dancing and participation of all present created a ritual performance that brought about a catharsis of mind, heart and senses, thus opening one both into full awareness of the self and one's relationship with the natural world. Goodenough will also consider a few lyrical images (from Grateful Dead anthem "Saint Stephen," and others), then briefly describe their personal significance as well as their centrality to the Grateful Dead experience. Appropriate dress encouraged!
Mary Goodenough, a member of UUP, is a published scholar on the topic of Grateful Dead spirituality. David Gans, guest musician, is a long-time authority on the band and a wonderful musician in his own right. UUP member David Dodd has published three books about the band, and runs the Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics website.

Sunday, June 8, 2008: Ordination Sunday
Later on this day, the congregation will gather to ordain Leland Bond-Upson into the Unitarian Universalist ministry. The authority of a congregation to ordain an individual who has fulfilled the requirements for ministerial service to the world is unique in the liberal religious tradition. It is both a joyous and an auspicious occassion. In honor of this milestone in the life of UUP (its first ordination) and the ordinand-elect (his ONLY ordination) there will be two brief homilies: "The Power of 'YES'", by the Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers, and "The Power of 'KNOW'", by Leland Bond-Upson. Diana Spaulding will serve as Worship Associate and special music for the occassion will be provided by Elizabeth Nielsen, and David Dodd. All are invited to share in this hour of worship and celebration in preparation for the Service of Ordination to be held later in the day.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
Joint meeting of the UPP Board of Trustees and Worship Associates Committee: Sunday June 1st, 8:30 am
Larking About, the UUP Singers, meets this Thursday from 8 to 9:30 at the home of Diana Spaulding and David Dodd.

www.uupetaluma.org

This Week at UUP: May 23-28, 2008

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

UUP Congregational Meeting Sunday, June 1st
Reminder that the UUP Congregational Meeting is Sunday, June 1st after the service. Please plan to attend!

Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? The next New Member Ingathering is Sunday, June 1st
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 June 1st. For details, please contact Hope Stewart, for the UUP Membership Committee.

Ric Masten
Ric Masten, UU poet/philosopher/troubador, died May 9, 2008, at his home in Big Sur. Sympathy cards may be sent to Billie Barbara Masten and Family, 37931 Palo Colorado Road, Carmel, CA 93923. To read an article about Ric and his life, including some of his poetry, go to www.montereycountyweekly.com/831. Information about a public memorial service scheduled for Ric's birthday, June 20, will be posted at www.ric-masten.net.

Ordination of Leland Bond-Upson
On Sunday, June 8th, the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma will ordain Leland Bond-Upson, a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry (class of 1976!) and a former Regular Guest Minister at UUP. The ceremony will begin at 4:30 and will include UU Ministers from throughout the Pacific Central District as well as representatives from the Unitarian Universalist Association. Our own Reverend Ben Kocs-Meyers will officiate. All those associated with UUP are welcome to attend! We also invited our neighbors from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin, as Lee is a long-time member of that congregation. As we are expecting a crowd, kindly R.S.V.P. to uupetaluma@gmail.com or call 773-2835.

The members of UUP voted enthusiastically in favor of ordaining Lee and of hosting a party worthy of this important event. As such, we will be looking for help from UUPetaluminaries to help make the event a success. We will need volunteers to help set up and decorate, cook, clean up, etc. We also ask that Petaluma folks bring a pot-luck hors-devours tray to share with our guests. There will be a sign up sheet circulated, but if you are anxious to volunteer, please contact KC Greaney at kgreaney at santarosa dot edu .

Curious about why Lee waited until now to be ordained? Here is his story, in his own words...

I have been asked why I waited so long to get ordained. After all, many of my Starr King School peers (class of 1976!), got ordained by their home or internship churches right away. I didn't, because my feeling was that ordination should come when a congregation has called a minister to serve.

At that point I wanted to work in partnership with my new wife and I wanted to stay in the Bay Area. Then, as we know, 'way leads on to way', and I went into education, started a family, and performed only incidental ministerial duties over the years. Internships, conducting rites of passage, preaching here and there, and service on Boards (Starr King, Marin, Legislative Ministry) are all worthy, but don't constitute a call.

However, when the UUs of Petaluma and I got together, and I began to preach there once a month, something good began, and it grew and deepened over the five years, and after it ended, I realized I had been called to ministry at last. So I asked to be ordained, and the Petaluminaries said yes, with feeling. And so, despite the long journey, I am perfectly happy and content with where I am and how I got here. Thank you for your help along the way.

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, May 25, 2008
Worship Leader: Meredith Guest
For the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend while most of the membership is on retreat, Joyce and Meredith are putting together a moving and powerful worship service focused on peace featuring one of the finest peace sermons you are likely ever to hear. If you're in town and of a mind, we hope you'll join our intimate gathering as we turn our thoughts to peace.

Sunday, June 1st: 'Saint Stephen with a Rose': Ritual, Rapture and the Grateful Dead Experience
Guest Speaker: Mary Goodenough
Guest musician: David Gans
Worship Leader: David Dodd
Drawing on mythologist Joseph Campbell's lecture: "Ritual and Rapture: From Dionysus to the Grateful Dead," Goodenough will discuss ritual and rapture as they relate to the Grateful Dead experience. Grateful Dead concerts were, as Campbell discovered first hand, a container for religious experience characterized by an opening of the heart. The music, dancing and participation of all present created a ritual performance that brought about a catharsis of mind, heart and senses, thus opening one both into full awareness of the self and one's relationship with the natural world. Goodenough will also consider a few lyrical images (from Grateful Dead anthem "Saint Stephen," and others), then briefly describe their personal signifiance as well as their centrality to the Grateful Dead experience.
Mary Goodenough, a member of UUP, is a published scholar on the topic of Grateful Dead spirituality. David Gans, guest musician, is a long-time authority on the band and a wonderful musician in his own right. UUP member David Dodd has published three books about the band, and runs the Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics website.

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.

This Week at UUP: May 16-21, 2008

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

UUP Congregational Meeting Sunday, June 1st
Reminder that the UUP Congregational Meeting is Sunday, June 1st after the service. Please plan to attend!

Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? The next New Member Ingathering is Sunday, June 1st
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 June 1st. For details, please contact Hope Stewart, for the UUP Membership Committee.

"New to UU" Visitors' Orientation this Sunday
Trying out UUP? Visiting for the first time, or for a while, and want to learn more about our congregation and about Unitarian Universalism? Gather with several UUP members to ask questions you might have, and to hear more about UUP. Meets near the fireplace immediately following the service on the third Sunday of each month.

Religious Education Volunteers Needed
Our program is growing! Please consider volunteering occasionally to help with the 7 to11 year old class on Sunday mornings. Volunteers will assist our regular teachers or help out on a service Sunday project. No advance preparation is required. This is a great opportunity to strengthen our intergenerational connections! Please contact Leslie Harrison for more information.

Spirit Rock Meditation Opportunity: A Note from UUP Member Dick Allen
Several of us went to hear Jack Kornfield speak at Copperfields recently…quite impressive. Several UUP'ers have also expressed interest in going to Spirit Rock. I have been going for over ten years, and it is always worthwhile. (It's only 45 minutes via D Street through Nicasio to Woodacre…. a lovely drive!) I am going to the day-long retreat lead by Jack on Saturday, May 31. Go to the Spirit Rock website for details. If you sign up, let me know at 762-4377. We'll carpool; maybe have dinner together in the evening. I anticipate this event will sell out, so moving quickly may assure you a spot. You also might want to read one of Jack's books; Copperfields has several.

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, May 18, 2008: "A Unitarian Considering Christ"
Speaker: Jim Weller, M.T.S.
Worship Leader: Lara Abel
How did a life-long Unitarian Universalist layman come to be a Christian theologian and religious scholar, preparing for ordination in the United Church of Christ? Grasped by the gospel of love, Jim Weller, a recent graduate of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, will come tell us the story of his journey of faith.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
The Women's Group: meet at Jean Conrad's house Mon., May 19, 7:30 pm. Topic: Friendship. Please bring something representing what friendship means to you.
Larking About, the UUP Singers, meets on Wednesday evenings from 8 to 9:30 at the home of Diana Spaulding and David Dodd.

Religious Education Update: May 18, 2008

Grasping the Tao
Our children and youth share a moving affirmation each Sunday in which they state that that we UU’s have “open minds, warm hearts and welcoming hands.” I cherish their affirmation, as it presents Unitarian Universalism in a positive, accessible way.

However, I recently had an experience in which I had to re-evaluate my own capacity to be open-minded. I was sitting in my Comparative Religion class at Santa Rosa Junior College, and our guest speaker was an ordained Taoist priest, raised in America. He is a rare person who has an intimate understanding of both Western and Eastern thought. He spoke of the importance of clarity and certainty for native speakers of English and German. Those of us who first learn to speak in these languages may have a harder time accepting the inherent ambiguity of Chinese religions.

He used the example of a beautifully arranged flower bouquet. On the one hand, the bouquet is artistic and esthetically pleasing. On the other hand, it is composed of flowers which have been cut off from their roots and will soon wither and die. Is the arranger an artist or a “flower assassin”? Both answers are equally true and valid: the yin and yang of flower arranging. Someone brought up in a Chinese religion is likely more accustomed to holding the two opposites in mind, considering both to be true. As a Westerner, I’m more likely to declare that something is true or false, right or wrong, and then to pronounce my judgment in a clear, non-ambiguous statement.

The Taoist priest continued his discussion, talking about reincarnation without the existence of individual souls, our existence in the Stream of Life, in which we manifest ourselves as part of the “immortal body”, and our functioning in the world without a true self. These concepts are challenging to someone like myself, raised with Western concepts of the importance of the individual and clear, moral judgments.

I failed to grasp the Tao this week, but knew that whatever part I could understand is not the Tao. I left class knowing that my brain hurt, and that having a “open mind” can be really difficult.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

This Week at UUP: May 9-14, 2008

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Share-the-Plate this Sunday: Burma Relief
In the wake of the flood and cyclone in Burma, UUP will direct its Share-the-Plate Sunday this month to support Burmese Relief. From the Unitarian Universalist Association website:
"The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) have joined to launch a humanitarian relief fund to help survivors of the recent Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) cyclone. Both organizations strive to coordinate strategic response to natural or man-made humanitarian crises, especially when rights are threatened or when those in need are overlooked or neglected by traditional relief approaches. Aid, which will be coordinated through the UUSC, will be channeled to humanitarian relief work in an effort to help survivors—especially those left out of traditional relief strategies—regain their lives and livelihoods. Please support this relief effort."
If you can't come on Sunday, but would like to support this important effort, please visit the UUSC website for information on how to contribute.

FLASH! Memorial Day Weekend Retreat spaces available!
Join us! We have a place for two more individuals or a family! Please contact T Hathaway ASAP to sign up.

Leadership Positions Available at UUP
This year's annual meeting (June 1) will see three members elected by congregational vote to the UUP Board of Trustees. These are three-year terms. Don't be surprised to be approached by a member of the Nominating Committee (Nancy Blake, David Dodd, and KC Greaney), who will be seeking out hidden talent throughout the membership. If you would like to know more about this opportunity, please don't hesitate to speak with any member of the Nominating Committee.

Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? The next New Member Ingathering is Sunday, June 1st
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 June 1st. For details, please contact Hope Stewart, for the UUP Membership Committee.

Unitarian Universalists are fighting global warming together with the "UULM Low Carbon Challenge"
Our goal is for Unitarian Universalists in California to collectively lose one million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions by Earth Day 2009. "Carbon Rings" in 50 of our California congregations are going on the "Low Carbon Diet" to lose 5,000 pounds of carbon emissions per household. Please contact Stacey Meinzen, David Dodd, or George Beeler for details.

Religious Education Volunteers Needed
Our program is growing! Please consider volunteering occasionally to help with the 7 to11 year old class on Sunday mornings. Volunteers will assist our regular teachers or help out on a service Sunday project. No advance preparation is required. This is a great opportunity to strengthen our intergenerational connections! Please contact Leslie Harrison for more information.

Zen Center Excursion
The next half-day introductory sitting at the San Francisco Zen Center is Saturday, May 17th from 9 am to 1 pm.
If you'd like to join a UUP group planning to attend - and possibly carpool, contact Susan Price. Here are more details: Details at the Zen Center website

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, May 11, 2008: "The Myths of War: A Sermon for Mother's Peace Day"
Minister: Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers
In the U.S., we celebrate Mother's Day with a flurry of gifts and greeting cards. However, this holiday was originally called "Mother's Peace Day", and one of the main organizers was the Unitarian Julia Ward Howe. Begun in 1870, it was a rallying cry for mothers who lost husbands and sons in the U.S. Civil War, and a renunciation of war, militarism, and patriarchy. In that original spirit, the service will focus on the ancient myths of war, our vulnerability to them, and, despite these, how to embolden ourselves to the peace that is yet possible and in our reach.

Sunday, May 18, 2008: "A Unitarian Considering Christ"
Speaker: Jim Weller, M.T.S.
Worship Leader: Lara Abel
How did a life-long Unitarian Universalist layman come to be a Christian theologian and religious scholar, preparing for ordination in the United Church of Christ? Grasped by the gospel of love, Jim Weller, a recent graduate of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, will come tell us the story of his journey of faith.


REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGSUUP Membership Committee will hold a retreat Saturday, May 10th at 11am at Hope's home.
The Women's Group will meet at Jean Conrad's house Friday, May 16th at 7:30 pm. Topic is "Friendship". Please bring something representing what friendship means to you.
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 (located at www.uupetaluma.org/calendars/current.html), please send your event details to the same email address.

www.uupetaluma.org

Religious Education Update: May 11, 2008

Happy Mother’s Day

This past Thursday Dan and I walked the two mile circular path around Shollenberger Park. It was a warm spring day and the trail was crowded for a weekday. As we strolled along, we soon spotted a pair of swans with three very young gray and fuzzy cygnets close to shore. Immediately after, we came across a mama Mallard duck with her nine tiny ducklings swimming all around her. As we walked along the banks of the Petaluma River, we watched the egrets flying to their nests in the eucalyptus trees on the opposite bank. Continuing on, I kept looking for the Canadian Geese babies who were so abundant on previous strolls. Finally, at the end of our walk, we spotted three families of Canadian Geese, with babies of varying ages, some still yellow, while others had sprouted brownish wing feathers.

Shollenberger Park is positively filled with new bird mothers this month. Many birds were still sitting on their nests, so the miracle of the tiny babies will continue for awhile.

As I watched the avian moms, I wondered if I could cope with their challenges. Could I stand sitting on a nest of swan eggs for 28 days? Could I keep nine ducklings reasonably together without the ability to pick them up? If I were a Canadian Goose, could I tell my babies apart from other goslings?

Nurturing others isn’t easy, whether you are a bird parent, or a human parent, or just someone who has chosen to assist other beings. It can be challenging to put the needs of others before one’s own wants and desires. As babies grow up, it can be difficult to stand back and allow them to fly on their own. However, the miracle of new life never ceases to fill me with awe and wonder. How beautiful and full of life, energy and hope are those little birds. I felt so blessed to be surrounded by them on my springtime walk.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

Religious Education Update: May 4, 2008

The Petaluminaries Shine at District Assembly
Several of our children and youth were shining stars at the closing worship service of the District Assembly in Fremont last Sunday. Five of them spoke about their experiences at DA and about Unitarian Universalism. Our young people were able to speak articulately about their faith and their experiences in front of several hundred people. Eva Harrison Lee, age 6, spoke about her experience making a mask in the children’s program focusing on cultural diversity. Our young teens, Barrett Bauer, Bailey Boatsman, Lizzie Gardner, and Amy West spoke about valuing a welcoming faith, and one which allows diversity of belief. One teen shared that it is okay to believe in God as a UU, and equally okay to not believe in God. Bailey spoke about her favorite UU principle, “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.” Barrett spoke about his positive experiences in attending UU youth conferences.

All of our children and youth at DA had a wonderful time, and bonded with each other and with kids from other UU churches. Every time I checked in with them, they were well behaved, smiling, and glad to be there.

The same morning, Meredith Guest, UUP Worship Leader, discussed our Children’s Affirmation with a large group of children in Petaluma. Our children could clearly articulate what it means to have open minds, warm hearts and welcoming hands.

I feel very proud of our UU kids, both those who were in Fremont last Sunday and those who were with us in Petaluma. Both groups were able to clearly express the essence of our faith in public worship. They demonstrated stage presence and leadership skills They are simply awesome! We know that, of course, because we have the opportunity to worship with them every week. But now, hundreds of people from UU churches all over the district know that our Petaluminaries are truly amazing.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

This Week at UUP: May 2-7, 2008

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Step Up to the Plate: Annual Pledge Drive "Opening Day" a Success
Last Sunday, this year's annual all-congregation pledge drive got off to an excellent start, with a lunch and a meeting following the service. We had a good "blue-sky" brainstorming, in which the enthusiasm and ideas of the group were elicited by Rev. Ben, and then we sang a silly version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," followed by pairing off and having one-on-one discussions about what UUP means to our lives. We filled out pledge cards and turned them in. Our stats so far: we have $25,175 in pledges, with 21 pledges altogether--a nice average of $1,260 per pledge unit! We're expecting about 25 more pledges, so if we keep up our pace, we'll have a nice healthy budget for the coming fiscal year. Pledge cards will be available on Sunday--or email uupetaluma at gmail dot com if you'd like one emailed to you. Go UUP!

Join UUP for the Annual Petaluma River Clean Up this Saturday, May 3rd
As part of our Service Sunday program, the Religious Education committee invites you to participate in this year's Petaluma River Clean Up. Please join our children and youth as we pull on our gloves and head down to the river. We'll work as a team under the guidance of Friends of the Petaluma River, city-wide sponsors of this event. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Petaluma Marina, 775 Baywood Drive. For directions: see the Friends of the Petaluma River Website. Friends of the River provides music, food and prizes for participants!

FLASH! Memorial Day Weekend Retreat spaces available!
Join us! We have a place for two more individuals or a family! Please contact T Hathaway ASAP to sign up.

Leadership Positions Available at UUP
This year's annual meeting (June 1) will see three members elected by congregational vote to the UUP Board of Trustees. These are three-year terms. Don't be surprised to be approached by a member of the Nominating Committee (Nancy Blake, David Dodd, and KC Greaney), who will be seeking out hidden talent throughout the membership. If you would like to know more about this opportunity, please don't hesitate to speak with any member of the Nominating Committee.

Considering Becoming a Member of UUP? The next New Member Ingathering is Sunday, June 1st
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 June 1st. For details, please contact Hope Stewart, for the UUP Membership Committee.

Unitarian Universalists are fighting global warming together with the "UULM Low Carbon Challenge"
Our goal is for Unitarian Universalists in California to collectively lose one million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions by Earth Day 2009. "Carbon Rings" in 50 of our California congregations are going on the "Low Carbon Diet" to lose 5,000 pounds of carbon emissions per household. Please contact Stacey Meinzen, David Dodd, or George Beeler for details.

Religious Education Volunteers Needed
Our program is growing! Please consider volunteering occasionally to help with the 7 to11 year old class on Sunday mornings. Volunteers will assist our regular teachers or help out on a service Sunday project. No advance preparation is required. This is a great opportunity to strengthen our intergenerational connections! Please contact Leslie Harrison at 773-2226 or lahlee10@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Interested in seeing 'West Side Story' at Sonoma State University?
A UUP group is gathering for Saturday, May 3. Order tickets through Sonoma State, then contact Dick Allen to coordinate a place to meet and eat. Maybe picnic on the lawn?… eat at a nice restaurant right across the street?

The next half-day introductory sitting at the San Francisco Zen Center is Saturday, May 17th from 9 am to 1 pm.
If you'd like to join a UUP group planning to attend - and possibly carpool, call Susan Price. For more details see the Zen Center website.

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, May 4, 2008: "Flower Communion"
Worship Leader: Diana Spaulding
Greeters: Stacy Meinzen, Richard Stark, David Dodd, Elaine Ellsworth, Karen Rutherford, David Gardner and Hope Stewart
This year marks the 85th annual Flower Communion Celebration. This beautiful celebration of community is one of the very few (almost) universally practiced Unitarian traditions. Each person is asked to bring one flower for the ritual.

Sunday, May 11, 2008: "Peace"
Minister: Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
The UUP Men's Group will meet at Dick Allen's house on Friday, May 2nd at 7:30 pm.
The UUP Board of Trustees will meet this Sunday, May 4th at 8:30 am in Christian Science Fireside Room.
UUP Worship Associates will meet Sunday, May 4th at 12:30 pm at T's office.
UUP Membership Committee will hold a retreat on May 10th at 11am at Hope's home.
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 (located at http://www.uupetaluma.org/calendars/current.html), please send your event details to the same email address.

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