This Week at UUP: Annual Congregational Meeting

The Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma
Nurture Your Spirit. Help Heal Our World.


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ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Come to the Congregational Meeting on Sunday, June 7th!
All members and friends are urged to come and have your voice heard at our Congregational Meeting on June 7th right after services.
* The Budget for the year 2009-2010 will be discussed and voted upon by the membership
* New Board member (s) and nominating committee elected
* You will meet the members of the newly formed Leadership Council
* Results of the congregational survey and the vision offering (including an update on getting a P.T. Minister)
* A delicious lunch is being planned by the Social Responsibility Committee

UUP celebrated our Seventh Annual Memorial Day Retreat
If you were not among the 32 adults and 20 kids to be there in person, the next best thing are some pictures of the retreat that have been posted thanks to David Dodd and Hope and others on our UUP website and Flickr page (link below). Thanks to all of you for a wonderful time--thanks to Marlene and David Hathaway and Tony for the DEE-licious and plentiful food, and to everyone for pitching in and making the retreat flow from hour to day, and to the women for the women's group, and to the kids for all the hilarity and lightness and joy, and to Jodi for the Sunday service, and to Carol and KC and Karen for the artwork and kid activities, and to Richard and David and Tony and all the singers for the music, and to Dick for the night of games, and to all the conversations and quiet times and pool games and haiku (which will be available soon for all to see) and to Four Springs for the beautiful and homey UUP home away from home. We honored Jan Crosby as this year's recipient of our Keepers of the Flame award, given to those UUP people who give of themselves above and beyond to keep our inspiration and community alive and thriving, and we honored Hope, Karen and Elizabeth Nielsen (in absentia) for their Firecracker energy and commitment, emerging in the past year as new leaders and voices among us. We enjoyed and deepened our connections to one another and our community. Until next year….
- T Hathaway

Norman Solomon Presentation
UUP is proud to sponsor the appearance of nationally syndicated columnist Norman Solomon, Sunday June 14, 12:30 PM, at Women's Club, 518 B Street in downtown Petaluma, discussing his book "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death". Following his discussion, we will show the film of the same title based on the book and narrated by Sean Penn, followed by a Q&A session conducted by Norman Solomon.
Norman Solomon is a nationally prominent media critic and is the founder and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is the author of numerous books. His latest book, "Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America’s Warfare State" was published in 2007.
Admission is free. A light lunch will be served. For further information contact Karen Elliott or David Strange.



Developing spiritual practice through movement with Meredith, Jodi and Jan
Members and friends of UUP are invited to come explore developing spiritual practice through movement with Jodi, Meredith and Jan, Meredith’s partner, as they host their third three-hour workshop on Friday, June 19th from 6:45 to 10 pm. Space is limited, so if you are interested in participating, please reply asap.
The introductory session will begin with improvisational movement to music. We’ll progress to moving without music wherein movement emerges from within. There will be time to reflect, journal, draw, etc., between sessions and then a time for sharing at the end. (Some light snacks will also be served.)
The three of us have all found this to be a fascinating practice and are constantly surprised at what emerges. It is a way to bypass the thinking mind and to access a kind of knowing that lives uniquely in the body, a truthfulness that gets around the censors of thought and ego.
Our intention is to offer these sessions until a group forms that will meet together regularly.
Let us know if you would like more information or to sign-up.

Meet with fellow UUs at the General Assembly!
UUA General Assembly
Salt Lake City, Utah
June 24-28, 2009
More information, talk to Marlene Abel, UUP Director of Religious Education

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CORNER: "...service is our prayer"
5th Sunday Luncheon moved to June 7th
We've moved the 5th Sunday Luncheon to June 7th to coincide with UUP's annual June Congregational Meeting. Plan to stay after services for a delicious, healthy salad bar lunch made with local, organic and vegan ingredients prepared by your Social Responsibility Committee. Lunch will be followed by our all-important Congregational Meeting, led by your Board of Trustees, where you will hear what's happening at UUP and be able to exercise your privilege and responsibility to vote on issues important to UUP's future. Don't miss it!
Social Responsibility Committee
What we do
The Social Responsibility Committee was formed last fall to create an avenue for folks at UUP to help make a difference in the world beyond our congregation. SRC includes both the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and Carbon Rings groups. SRC is also the committee tasked with presenting the UUA's Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI), "Ethical Eating: Food and Environmental Justice”, to our congregation. This CSAI encompasses aspects of environmental concern, world hunger, and concern for our treatment of animals. Whatever your passion, there is something here for you. On a local level, we have participated in the creation of UUP's environmental parade float, assisted COTS/Petaluma Kitchen with food drives, and we select the Share-The-Plate recipients each month.
How you can help
"Many hands make light work" - and allow us to do even more! You are invited to join us and help UUP make a difference in our community and in the wider world. As we say each Sunday in our Affirmation, "...service is our prayer."
Our next meeting is Tuesday, June 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm at Jan Crosby's. For directions and more information, contact Co-Chairs Jan Crosby or Earl Cruser.
SRC Quote for the Week
"Let us bless the source of life that brings forth bread from the Earth. Let our lives be a blessing to the Earth that sustains us, and to all the creatures who, like us, call this planet home." -- John Robbins

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 7, 2009: "An Evolutionary Parable about the Creation of Matter"
Worship Participants: Marlene Abel, Director of Religious Education, and the RE children and youth
Worship Leader: Jodi Boyle
Our RE youth will present "Startull", an evolutionary parable about an average yellow star who discovers the worth of being just medium size star and learns important lessons about the ways of the universe. Marlene Abel, Director of Religious Education and former chemist, will reflect on how the life cycles of stars and the formation of the chemical elements in stellar furnaces led to creation of life on our planet. This is an intergenerational service in which the "stars" of the RE program will be recognized and honored.

Sunday, June 14, 2009: "Flower Communion: Fostering Unity as Religious Liberals"
Join us for a celebration of unity in community with each other through our annual flower communion. Meredith Guest will offer a homily that speaks to how this tradition relates to our role as religious liberals. Please bring a flower or two from your garden.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
* The UUP Men’s Group will meet Friday, June 5th at George Beeler’s house - tea 7p, starting 7:30 - 100 Fair Street at the corner of Douglas.
* UUP Worship Leaders will meet Sunday, June 7th from 12:45 pm to 3:30 pm in T's office.
* The UUP Board of Trustees will meet Monday, June 8th at 7:30 pm at Jean Conrad’s house.
* Larking About, the UUP choir meets Wednesdays at 8 pm at David Dodd and Diana Spaulding's house, 716 Bassett St. New singers are always welcome!

Links:
www.uupetaluma.org
Facebook Page (be sociable with UUP friends!)
Flickr Gallery