Berkelly's Blog

UUP member Berkley Sturgeon and UUP friend and speaker Kelley Brisbois have started a wonderful blog, "Berkelly's Blog" (click the title above to visit), focusing on the use of locally grown and produced foods to prepare wonderful meals. This is right in line with the topic of yesterday's worship service: "Food For Thought: UU Values and Eating to Care for the World."

Marriage Equality Community Gathering

What We Know and What We Need to Do to Regain Marriage Equality in California

Wednesday, July 1st @ 7 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa

The California Supreme Court has ruled to uphold Prop 8. WE NEED YOU TO GET ENGAGED in the next stage of our marriage equality movement in California.

Join us at this community gathering to get the latest California polling results on local support for marriage equality, initiative options and where we can make a difference. Learn more about how our local community voted on Prop 8 and what we can do to regain marriage equality in California.

We will be creating the greatest grassroots movement this country has ever seen and we want you to be involved. This interactive gathering will provide you an opportunity to be informed on what we know now and then to share your ideas and get your questions answered.

So join us on July 1st and learn what you can do in our local marriage equality coalition and bring a friend! For more information, go to www.getengagedtour.com or write to ca-sonoma@marriagequality.org.

Partial List of Patricipating Organizations:

**CA Faith for Equality **Unitarian Universalist Congregation Santa Rosa
**Courage Campaign **Marriage Equality USA

If your business or organization would like to be involved in organizing this event or donating materials, please e-mail Chari Davidson at ca-sonoma@marriageequality.org or call (707) 332-9537.


Sign Language interpreting provided by Communique Interpreting www.communiqueinterpreting.com . Providing trained, certified, and accurate interpreting since 1994.

UUP Member and Animal Legal Defense Fund Founder In Oprah!

Joyce Tischler, a UUP member, worship leader, and an attorney who founded the Animal Legal Defense Fund, is featured in Oprah! magazine's June 2009 issue. The Oprah website is also hosting some video footage, including an interview with Joyce. (Click the title to this post to see the ALDF website's information on the Oprah story.)

Congratulations to ALDF and to Joyce for her incredible work.

This Week at UUP: Coming of Age Celebration

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


To subscribe to "This Week at UUP" for email delivery, please send a request to uupetaluma at gmail dot com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Coming of Age Celebration on Sunday
Please come join the celebration for our first UUP graduates of the Coming of Age program, beginning at 10 am and continuing after the service. There will be special brunch foods to honor Amy West, Bailey Boatsman and Lizzie Gardner on their achievement. Middle School youth are invited to arrive at 9:30 to bake muffins and prepare fruit for the celebration. Any questions, please contact Marlene Abel.

"New to UU" Visitors' Orientation on Sunday, May 17, after service
Trying out UUP? Visiting for the first time or have been 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. We’ll meet near the fireplace immediately following the service.

Upcoming Lecture of Interest
Scotty McLennan
Jesus Was a Liberal: Reclaiming Christianity for All
Dean for religious life at Stanford University, Unitarian Universalist Rev. Scotty McLennan introduces Jesus Was a Liberal, which advocates a sense of religion based not on doctrinal readings of scripture but on the humanity behind Christ's teachings.
Tuesday, May 19, 7pm
The Glaser Center - 547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa
Tickets are $7 and are available at all Copperfield's Books' Sonoma County locations.

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

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, May 17, 2009: "Coming of Age Celebration"
Worship Leader: Diana Spaulding
Join us in honoring our youth participants in the district-wide coming of age program. They will lead worship and share statements of belief that they have developed through their experiences. Everyone is invited to come early for a celebratory brunch at 10 am.

Sunday, May 24, 2009: "Forgiveness"
Guest Speaker: Dr. Karen Melander-Magoon
Worship Leader: Joyce Tischler
Celebrate the miracle of forgiveness and the bonds we share simply by being human and a part of this wonderful world.
Guest Speaker Dr. Karen Melander-Magoon comes to us from the First Unitarian Universalist Church in San Francisco, where she is a member. Last year she received her Doctorate of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary under the Graduate Theological Union, with coursework also at Starr King School for the Ministry. After years singing major opera roles in Europe and raising two children there, she returned to the States to continue performing and composed three one-woman musical portraits of women in history, including Georgia O’Keeffe and Clara Barton. Karen preaches and sings throughout the Bay Area and often weaves her own songs and poetry into her sermons and homilies.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
The UUP Women's Group will meet on Monday, May 18th at 7:30 pm at Jean Conrad's house. The topic is "New Beginnings", and attendees are welcome to bring a reading or a poem.
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

Therese Stewart in the News

UUP member Hope Stewart's daughter, Therese Stewart, is the cover story in this week's issue of the Pacific Sun--click on the title of this post to read the whole story.

Therese spoke at UUP last year. She successfully argued the case for same-sex marriage before the California Supreme Court, then saw that work reversed by Proposition 8. This week's story in the Pacific Sun is titled "Behind the 8 Ball," and includes an interview with Therese on her work to challenge the proposition in court.

Hurray, Therese!

This Week at UUP

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


To subscribe to "This Week at UUP" for email delivery, please send a request to uupetaluma at gmail dot com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Share the Plate this Sunday with the Petaluma Educational Foundation
As we express our support of the community, UUP will share its non-pledge offerings this Sunday with the Petaluma Educational Foundation (PEF), a privately funded, non-profit organization whose primary goal is to raise money in the community to directly benefit the schoolchildren of all Petaluma's 32 public, charter and non-profit private schools.

Coming of Age Celebration and Brunch - Sunday, May 17, 10 am
Join us for brunch and celebration as part of a district-wide Coming of Age program honoring our youth, who will lead worship and share statements of belief.

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

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, May 10, 2009: "Are You My Mother?"
Worship Leader: Elisabeth Hathaway
In 1929, The Times declared that "The greatest moral force in history is motherhood." Mother: archetypal image of life, symbol of love, and the insistent collaborative voice for peace, which inspired Mother's Day. Today we honor mothers, in all forms and on all levels. Join us, both in the service and by voicing your experiences and responses to the online questionnaire about mothers and mothering (visit www.uupetaluma.org for the survey).

Sunday, May 17, 2009: "Coming of Age Celebration"
Worship Leader: Diana Spaulding
Join us in honoring our youth participants in the district-wide coming of age program. They will lead worship and share statements of belief that they have developed through their experiences. Everyone is invited to come early for a celebratory brunch at 10 am.

Sunday, May 24, 2009: "Forgiveness"
Guest Speaker: Dr. Karen Melander-Magoon
Worship Leader: Joyce Tischler
Celebrate the miracle of forgiveness and the bonds we share simply by being human and a part of this wonderful world.
Guest Speaker Dr. Karen Melander-Magoon comes to us from the First Unitarian Universalist Church in San Francisco, where she is a member. Last year she received her Doctorate of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary under the Graduate Theological Union, with coursework also at Starr King School for the Ministry. After years singing major opera roles in Europe and raising two children there, she returned to the States to continue performing and composed three one-woman musical portraits of women in history, including Georgia O’Keeffe and Clara Barton. Karen preaches and sings throughout the Bay Area and often weaves her own songs and poetry into her sermons and homilies.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
* The UUP Board of Trustees will meet Monday, May 11th at 7:30 pm at Jean Conrad’s house.
* The UUP Women's Group will meet on Monday, May 18th at 7:30 pm at Jean Conrad's house. The topic is "New Beginnings", and attendees are welcome to bring a reading or a poem.
* 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

This Week at UUP

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


To subscribe to "This Week at UUP" for email delivery, please send a request to uupetaluma at gmail dot com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

From the President…
The March 1st Time and Talent Auction was a HUGE success! We made a total of $4,722. (Our goal was $2,800). In the live auction the largest draw was the Cultural Evening and Dinner, offered by Meredith Guest and the Boyles, it brought in $270. Second place went to the Tragical Magical Mystery Tour offered by Jan Ogren and Dean Watson - at $225. Third, at $200, was the Sightseeing Flight donated by Bob Minkin. The silent auction was also very successful with so many donated items that we had trouble finding table room! That is a really wonderful problem to have. Also, this year, for the first time we had donations from some Petaluma businesses. A truly luscious lunch, prepared by some of our youth and RE volunteers, was enjoyed by the 92 people who came to the event.
So many people to thank....donors, bidders (47 of them), dessert makers, people who set up and stayed after to clean up, the lunch makers, the organizers - with the leadership of Diana Spaulding, the musicians, and our talented auctioneer, Mike Iritz.
It was great fun. Let's do it again next year!
Blessings to all,
Jean Conrad
Board President

Come See UUP in the Butter & Eggs Day Parade!
We are float #35, so be sure to get your front row seat to cheer us on as we go by! Be there - along Kentucky Street or on Petaluma Blvd - at noon this Saturday. Look for the Indian elephant made of recycled parts. Hope to see you there! Contact Stacey Meinzen with questions.
If you would like to march with UUP in the parade, please be at Walnut Park at the corner of 4th and D streets by 11:45 am on Saturday. Please let Stacey know if you plan to join us!

District Assembly and General Assembly are coming up!
Pacific Central District Assembly
May 1-3, 2009
Fremont, CA
For more information, visit www.pcd-uua.org/events/DA-2009/index.htm .

UUA General Assembly
Salt Lake City, Utah
June 24-28, 2009
More information, contact Marlene Abel, UUP Director of Religious Education.

Space limited, sign up now for the Annual UUP Memorial Day Retreat - May 22nd-25th!
We have room for four more adults (kids, too) at Four Springs Retreat Center for our seventh annual four-day have-a-great-time-together fun fest! We live in community and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy: cooking & meals together, swimming pool, rustic cabins, beautiful remote location, a smattering of fun groups and mostly: time to visit and get to know each other. Please let T know ASAP if you would like to reserve a spot(s)… or help create & organize! We especially need people to organize kid events and support, support with food/meals, to plan the Worship Service, and to organize/communicate/administer the details! If interested, 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, April 26, 2009: "Shut up?!"
Guest Speaker: Russell Menk
Worship Leader: Joyce Tischler
Have you ever said anything you regretted afterwards? We have two eyes, two ears and one mouth, so we look and listen twice as much as we speak, but sometimes we still talk too much.
Guest Speaker Russell Menk is a retired rocket scientist who is now a first year Unitarian Universalist theology student at Pacific School of Religion. He moved to the Bay Area from Utah last summer with his partner, three dogs, and ¾’s of a cat to attend seminary. He and his family live in San Leandro.

Sunday, May 3, 2009: "Spring Forward: Pledge Sunday"
Worship Leaders: Elizabeth Nielsen and David Dodd

May 10, 2009: "Women's Decade Circle"
Worship Leader: Elisabeth Hathaway

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
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

This Week at UUP

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


To subscribe to "This Week at UUP" for email delivery, please send a request to uupetaluma at gmail dot com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Share-the-Plate Sunday
In keeping with UUP's commitment to supporting community efforts, on Sunday, we will split the non-pledge offerings with Petaluma People Services Center. Their goal is to reduce poverty, physical and mental abuse, chemical dependence, violence, ignorance, isolation and mental illness, among children, adults, families and seniors. The hands-on, face-to-face support that individuals receive from PPSC is wide ranging; counseling, job placement, gang prevention, daily hot meals, rides to the doctor, case management, financial assistance for homeless prevention, informational and referrals. People Helping People.

Easter Egg Hunt this Sunday
Our children and youth will participate in an Easter Egg Hunt immediately following the worship service. The hunt will take place in the grassy area between the Woman's Club and the Christian Science Building, with separate hunt areas for ages 5 and under, and our 6-10 year olds. The Middle School Group, grades 5-8, will decorate real hard boiled eggs, stuff plastic eggs and help the Easter Bunny hide them. The Easter Bunny will bring special treats for the Middle School youth for their assistance. UUP adults are invited to watch the fun of the hunt. We also welcome donations of a dozen, hard boiled eggs (colored or not).

District Assembly and General Assembly - from Marlene Abel, UUP Director of Religious Education
Members of UUP, including myself, will be attending District Assembly (DA) and General Assembly this year. DA will be in Fremont, May 1-3, and will offer truly outstanding program for children and youth this year. I particularly encourage Middle School Youth (grades 6-8) to attend, as they will have the opportunity to determine Middle School District programming for next year. Both Middle School and High School Youth will swim in a the hotel pool, play cooperative games, have a sleep over, worship, eat pizza and have fun! Elementary and younger kids will have lots of activities as well. Please ask me if you have questions about children's programs at DA. More information is available at http://www.pcd-uua.org/events/DA-2009/index.htm .

General Assembly (GA), a gathering of thousands of UU's from all over the country, is in Salt Lake City this year from June 24-28. It is a inspirational gathering with many workshops, worship services, social action, and entertainment. There is a GA choir and special youth programs. Please let me know if you have interest in GA, and I can tell you more. I've attended 6 previous GA's, and enjoyed every one of them.

UUP in Butter and Eggs: come build the float!
We will have another float building party on April 12th after service from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Woman's Club. Bring a snack to share and your creative capacities. RSVP to Stacey Meinzen by Friday if you plan to attend. Let's show Petaluma what we're made of – and what our big elephant float is made of (recycled parts). We need cereal boxes and cardboard milk cartons ... well rinsed.

Rebuilding Together
Please join the UUP Men's Group in the annual Rebuilding Together workday on Saturday, April 18th. Contact Phil Boyle by April 10th if you'd like to sign up or have questions. Service is our prayer.

Religious Education Committee Recruiting New Members
Please consider joining our Religious Education (RE) committee for the coming year. We help plan curriculum and provide support for ongoing RE classes and special services and events. The program serves 40 children and youth, and we have a lot of fun! If you are looking for ways to contribute to the congregation, we'd love your help. For more information, please contact Leslie Harrison.

SAVE THE DATE and SIGN UP NOW! Join us for the Annual UUP Memorial Day Retreat - May 22nd-25th!
We have room for fifty people (usually 30+adults and 20+ kids!) at Four Springs Retreat Center for our seventh annual four-day have-a-great-time-together fun fest. We live in community and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy: cooking & meals together, swimming pool, rustic cabins, beautiful remote location, a smattering of fun groups and mostly: time to visit and get to know each other. Please let T know ASAP if you would like to reserve a spot(s)… or help create & organize! We especially need people to organize kid events and support, support with food/meals, to plan the Worship Service, and to organize/communicate/administer the details! If interested, contact T Hathaway.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CORNER - "...service is our prayer"
A huge "thank you" to all who participated in UUP's first-ever 5th Sunday Luncheon on March 29th! It was a great success in many ways. We enjoyed several varieties of vegan chilies prepared by the SRC members, organic greens from Laguna Farm in Sebastapol (lagunafarm.com), organic sprouted wheat bread from Petaluma's Alvarado Street Bakery (alvaradostreetbakery.com), delicious non-dairy "ice cream," and - of course - great company! Due to several requests, we will have recipe booklets available at the Social Responsibility Table for all who would like one.

Many folks stayed to work on our float for the Butter and Eggs Day Parade, under the creative direction of Stacey Meinzen. We also collected several bags of groceries and $40 in cash donations for COTS/Petaluma Kitchen, to help meet their increasing need. Special thanks to Jean Conrad for delivering our donations to Petaluma Kitchen, to all who pitched in with set-up and clean-up, and to Barney Blankenship and George Beeler, our awesome dishwashing team! (No disposable paper or plastic products went into the landfill due to this luncheon! We even composted our leftover food scraps!)

It was a fun community building time for UUP and a great kick-off to the Unitarian Universalist Association's new Congregational Study/Action Issue, "Ethical Eating: Food & Environmental Justice." Please watch This Week at UUP for news of future events and visit the Social Responsibility Table for more information.

SRC thought 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.)

This Sunday, April 12, 2009: "The Passion of Jesus: A Critical Examination of Easter"
Guest Speaker: Meredith Guest
Worship Leader: Jodi Boyle
In certain Christian traditions, the week culminating in Easter Sunday is called the Passion of Christ, passion coming from the Latin word for suffering. But another meaning of the word 'passion' is something to which one gives oneself with devotion and commitment. Following the excellent book The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, the same authors I referenced for the Christmas sermon, let's look at the original intent of the early Christian writers within their historical circumstances and see if we can identify the real passion of Jesus and how that might still speak to us in our time. - Meredith
Meredith Guest is a member of our own Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma. A former Baptist minister, Meredith has become known for her passionate sermons, which inspire, incite, and invite us to examine our beliefs and assumptions more closely.


Sunday, April 19, 2009: "The Seventh Principle: Respect for the Interdependent Web of Existence"
Worship Leaders: Stacey Meinzen, David Dodd and Jan Crosby

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
* UUP Board of Trustees will meet Monday, April 13th 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

This Week at UUP

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


To subscribe to "This Week at UUP" for email delivery, please send a request to uupetaluma at gmail dot com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

UUP in Butter and Eggs: come build the float!
A huge THANK YOU to those that helped with the first Butter and Eggs Day float work party on Sunday. It was a hit! We will be having another one on April 12th after service from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Woman's Club. Bring a snack to share and your creative capacities. RSVP to Stacey Meinzen if you plan to take part in the April 12th work party. Let's show Petaluma what we're made of – and what our big elephant float is made of (recycled parts). We need cereal boxes and cardboard milk cartons ... well rinsed.

Rebuilding Together
Please join the UUP Men's Group in the annual Rebuilding Together workday on Saturday, April 18th. Contact Phil Boyle by April 10th if you'd like to sign up or have questions. Service is our prayer.

Religious Education Committee Recruiting New Members
Please consider joining our Religious Education (RE) committee for the coming year. We help plan curriculum and provide support for ongoing RE classes and special services and events. The program serves 40 children and youth, and we have a lot of fun! If you are looking for ways to contribute to the congregation, we'd love your help. For more information, please contact Leslie Harrison.

SAVE THE DATE and SIGN UP NOW! Join us for the Annual UUP Memorial Day Retreat - May 22nd-25th!
We have room for fifty people (usually 30+adults and 20+ kids!) at Four Springs Retreat Center for our seventh annual four-day have-a-great-time-together fun fest. We live in community and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy: cooking & meals together, swimming pool, rustic cabins, beautiful remote location, a smattering of fun groups and mostly: time to visit and get to know each other. Please let T know ASAP if you would like to reserve a spot(s)… or help create & organize! We especially need people to organize kid events and support, support with food/meals, to plan the Worship Service, and to organize/communicate/administer the details! If interested, 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, April 5, 2009: "The Individual Heart and the Congregational Vision"
Worship Leaders: Diana Spaulding and Elizabeth Nielsen
Our congregation is a beautiful tapestry woven by our common dreams and vision, and nurtured by our individual hearts. What meaningful spiritual moments have you experienced within our UUP community recently? What might we envision together as UUP sustains a religious liberal presence in our wider world, and grows and matures to serve our shared values?

April 12, 2009: "The Passion of Jesus: A Critical Examination of Easter"
Guest Speaker: Meredith Guest
Worship Leader: Jodi Boyle
In certain Christian traditions, the week culminating in Easter Sunday is called the Passion of Christ, passion coming from the Latin word for suffering. But another meaning of the word 'passion' is something to which one gives oneself with devotion and commitment. Following the excellent book The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, the same authors I referenced for the Christmas sermon, let's look at the original intent of the early Christian writers within their historical circumstances and see if we can identify the real passion of Jesus and how that might still speak to us in our time. - Meredith
Meredith Guest is a member of our own Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma. A former Baptist minister, Meredith has become known for her passionate sermons, which inspire, incite, and invite us to examine our beliefs and assumptions more closely.


REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
* UUP Men’s Group meets Friday, April 3rd - tea 7p, starting 7:30 - at George Beeler's house, 100 Fair Street at the corner of Douglas
* UUP Worship Leaders meets Sunday, April 5th from 12:45 pm to 3:30 pm in T's office
* 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

This Week at UUP: Luncheon, Food for COTS, Float Creation!

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


To subscribe to "This Week at UUP" for email delivery, please send a request to uupetaluma at gmail dot com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

UUP 5th Sunday Luncheon and Fun-Time - March 29th, noon to 2:00 pm
Who said "There's no such thing as a free lunch"? We're having one right here at UUP on Sunday! You will be served a tasty lunch prepared by the Social Responsibility Committee: Chili, salad, bread, dessert and beverage. We'll even have a little something extra for kids who don't like chili. All we ask is that you bring non-perishable canned or packaged food items for donation to COTS/Petaluma Pantry. Let's see how many bags of food UUP can collect for others in our community who are hungry and in need of our help. Or if you like, you may make a cash donation, and we'll do the grocery shopping. Then we'll have some fun as we prepare to support our community in a different way. The Butter & Eggs Day Parade Task Force will engage all ages in helping to create the UUP float for the April 25th parade! Don't miss it!

Take a tour of COTS
COTS offers tours of their family shelter on the second Thursday of every month. The next tour is April 9th and includes a free lunch.
When: Thurs., April 9th, noon - 1pm. Lunch served at 11:45 am, compliments of the Petaluma Kitchen
Where: Center for Homeless Children and Their Families, 1500 Petaluma Blvd. South

Religious Education Committee Recruiting New Members
Please consider joining our Religious Education (RE) committee for the coming year. We help plan curriculum and provide support for ongoing RE classes and special services and events. The program serves 40 children and youth, and we have a lot of fun! If you are looking for ways to contribute to the congregation, we'd love your help. For more information, please contact Leslie Harrison.

SAVE THE DATE and SIGN UP NOW! Join us for the Annual UUP Memorial Day Retreat - May 22nd-25th!
We have room for fifty people (usually 30+adults and 20+ kids!) at Four Springs Retreat Center for our seventh annual four-day have-a-great-time-together fun fest. We live in community and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy: cooking & meals together, swimming pool, rustic cabins, beautiful remote location, a smattering of fun groups and mostly: time to visit and get to know each other. Please let T know ASAP if you would like to reserve a spot(s)… or help create & organize! We especially need people to organize kid events and support, support with food/meals, to plan the Worship Service, and to organize/communicate/administer the details! If interested, 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 29, 2009: "The Transient and the Permanent"
Guest Speaker: Jamie McReynolds
Worship Leader: Elisabeth Hathaway
In the past several months we have been looking at our seven UU Principles. Today, join us to consider what are the transient and permanent aspects of our UU faith? Answers to this question have changed over the last two hundred years, and as we have been noting in our recent services, these principles and purposes are currently under review. Are our UU principles a transient or permanent aspect of our faith?
Jamie McReynolds is a seminarian at Starr King School for the Ministry and will be graduating with a Masters of Divinity degree in May 2009. He plans to serve as a chaplain in a hospital or hospice. Jamie is a former resident of Petaluma and was a lay leader in the UU Congregation, Santa Rosa.

April 5, 2009: "The Individual Heart and the Congregational Vision"
Worship Leaders: Diana Spaulding and Elizabeth Nielsen

April 12, 2009: "The Passion of Jesus: A Critical Examination of Easter"
Guest Speaker: Meredith Guest
Worship Leader: Jodi Boyle
In certain Christian traditions, the week culminating in Easter Sunday is called the Passion of Christ, passion coming from the Latin word for suffering. But another meaning of the word 'passion' is something to which one gives oneself with devotion and commitment. Following the excellent book The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, the same authors I referenced for the Christmas sermon, let's look at the original intent of the early Christian writers within their historical circumstances and see if we can identify the real passion of Jesus and how that might still speak to us in our time. - Meredith
Meredith Guest is a member of our own Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma. A former Baptist minister, Meredith has become known for her passionate sermons, which inspire, incite, and invite us to examine our beliefs and assumptions more closely.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
* 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

Religious Education Update: March 1, 2009

Connecting with Our Denomination

March is the time of year when I make my summer plans. I take a two month long, unpaid break from being your DRE, and recharge my spiritual batteries. I am blessed that my contract with UUP gives me this freedom.

I plan to attend General Assembly, which is in Salt Lake City this year, June 24-28. This conference is a gathering of UU’s from across the nation, and is quite amazing. For me, the highpoint of GA is talking to UU’s from all over, and the many worship services. GA can be done expensively, or on the economy plan. My plan is to take the train ($136 roundtrip), stay in a University of Utah dorm room ($225 for five nights), and volunteer to offset registration fees (free). Registration for GA, housing, and volunteer applications all open this coming week. If you’re interested in trying GA, I’d be happy to share my experiences.

Summer is also the time when my whole family goes to Family Camp. This particular camp is a gathering of 130 folks from UU congregations all over northern California. I hang out mostly in the kitchen, and have fun making desserts and breakfast pastries for the camp. (Camp food is mostly organic, made from scratch, healthy and delicious. I provide balance, by cooking with butter, sugar and chocolate. I feel very much appreciated by all the dessert loving campers!) The camp is rustic, and deep in a redwood forest near the town of Mendocino. Registration begins this month, and I love to see UU’s from Petaluma at camp. (The Greany/Boatmans, the Dodd/Spauldings, Amy West, Leslie Harrison and Eva came to camp last year!)

I’m a big believer in connecting with other UU’s, and I particularly recommend it for children and youth. According to the book, Growing Lifelong UU’s, children who have “UU immersion” experiences like camp or conferences are more likely to stay in the denomination. However, my own young adult children continue to be UU campers because they love it.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

UUP Martin Luther King Day Community Cleanup

Around 25 UUP members and friends spent the morning of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day cleaning up downtown Petaluma and distributing low-energy light bulbs to low-income families. It was a great morning! More pictures soon...

"Milk" Comes to Petaluma

I'm posting this note on behalf of Jenn Gamble, who was one of the folks we worked with to coordinate a day of UUP participation at the No On 8 demonstrations earlier this month:

Hello everyone at the UU,

My name is Jenn and I work at the theater here in Petaluma. I think I met
some of you during the No on 8 protest.

Anyway, I just found out that we are getting the film Milk, about Harvey
Milk. I am so excited I want everyone to know about it. We are getting
Dec 12 and tickets are on sale now. I am hoping it does well so the owner
will keep booking meaningful movies like this.

Hope to see some of you then ,

Thanks
Jenn Gamble
General Manager
Boulevard Cinemas

This Week at UUP: A Veteran's Day Sermon

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

UU Revival Service: An Old-time Revival at the Santa Rosa UU Church, November 9, 11 am
Personal invitation from Rev. Chris Bell, UU Santa Rosa:

Let me warmly invite you to come up to Santa Rosa this Sunday to join your fellow UUs from Napa, Marin and Sonoma counties for a post-election celebration of our hopeful vision of the world, and the inclusive, unifying faith that sustains it. Regardless of whether you experience triumph or despair on November 4th, this music-filled service with our UU brothers and sisters from the North Bay will surely renew your faith in the good, the sacred, and each other. Please come early, for it will likely be standing-room (perhaps dancing-room?) only, and we'll start at 10:40 with a big hymn sing-along. Also, a catered lunch will be available after the service for $5. Please, come meet old friends and new. I hope to see you there! -- Rev. Chris Bell

Four ministers who serve North Bay congregations are planning a Revival Service on November 9, and members of UUP are invited. The four ministers will offer a music filled service with four short homilies: Rev. Lisa Presley of the Marin UU church will speak on the need for UU'ism in our world; Rev, Bonnie Dlott of the Napa UU's will speak about how her life was saved by UU'ism; the Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers, who helps the Lake County group, will speak on why we teach UU values to our children; and the Rev. Chris Bell of the Santa Rosa church will speak on UU's saving message. Religious education and childcare will be provided. Afterwards, everyone is welcome to stay for a catered lunch. The purpose for this revival is to build connections between the North Bay congregations, in order to create future collaboration. UUP will be represented by our President, Jean Conrad. Contact Jean for possible carpooling or for more information.

Holiday Fundraiser for our high school age youth
Our high school youth will be selling Holiday Cards at UUP after the services, beginning on November 16. If you're thinking about buying cards this year, please consider buying from our youth. Our youth are also planning to create gift bags and gift tags, for sale in December. Proceeds from the sales will help pay for their Coming of Age Program, a series of retreats and UUP youth activities. Many thanks to Susan Price, KC Greaney, Ellen Beeler and Carol West for their support of this fundraiser at last Sunday's card making workshop. Also, special thanks to Rosemary Dodd and Ashley West for their artistic assistance.

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.)

November 2, 2008: "A Veteran's Day Sermon"
Worship Associate: Meredith Guest

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERINGS
UUP Men's Group will meet Friday, Nov 7, 7 pm at Dick Allen's house. Contact Dick for more details.
UUP Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, Nov 10, 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.

www.uupetaluma.org

UUP Performer has new CD!

David Gans, the guitarist who accompanied the service I did with Mary Goodenough in June, about the spirituality of the Grateful Dead, has a new CD out. It's called "The Ones That Look the Weirdest Taste The Best," and it contains, among a slew of tunes, the one he did at UUP called "Save Us From the Saved."

You can buy a copy through his blog--just click on the title link above or go to his blog post. Help support local musicians--David performed for free at UUP in June.

This Week at UUP: Day of the Dead service

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


ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Association Sunday Contributions Still Welcome
If you weren't able to attend last Sunday's celebration of our connections to the wider Unitarian Universalist community, please consider taking the opportunity this Sunday to contribute to the fundraising effort. There will be special envelopes available for mailing your donation, or you can give a check for the "UUA" to Diana Spaulding, worship associate. Donations will be used to strengthen our denomination's education of lay leaders (hey, that's us!) and to provide support for UU ministers, especially ministers of color.

UUP Inspiration! Community Music Jam, Intention Circle and Potluck on Saturday, November 1st

Jam 2:00-4:30; Intention Circle 4:30-5:30; potluck 5:30-7. Come for all or any of these parts!
Please join us for this community event to christen the Dodd-Spaulding bungalow for small group worship! Join us for an afternoon and evening of gathering, music, meditation and connection. Bring your voice and/or a musical instrument for the 2 pm jam session and musical sharing time. We will sing and play and generally share joy. Then a meditation and Intention Circle from 4:30 to 5:30: There is much to hope, dream and pray for--whether it be our loved ones, those whose jobs or homes are uncertain, the country on this eve of election, or the earth as it struggles to breathe and replenish--all of which requires our heartfelt individual and community intentions. From 5:30 on let's eat and talk! Childcare provided 2-5:30 (please RSVP!). For question about the Intention Circle, call T Hathaway (762-5432); Questions about music, childcare and the potluck, call David Dodd and Diana Spaulding.

UU Revival Service at the Santa Rosa UU Church, November 9, 11 am
Four ministers who serve North Bay congregations are planning a Revival Service on November 9, and members of UUP are invited. The four ministers will offer a music filled service with four short homilies: Rev. Lisa Presley of the Marin UU church will speak on the need for UU'ism in our world; Rev, Bonnie Dlott of the Napa UU's will speak about how her life was saved by UU'ism; the Rev. Ben Kocs-Meyers, who helps the Lake County group, will speak on why we teach UU values to our children; and the Rev. Chris Bell of the Santa Rosa church will speak on UU's saving message. Religious education and childcare will be provided. Afterwards, everyone is welcome to stay for a catered lunch. The purpose for this revival is to build connections between the North Bay congregations, in order to create future collaboration. UUP will be represented by our President, Jean Conrad. Contact Jean at conradpet at gmail dot com for possible carpooling or for more information.

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 November 2, 2008: "Day of the Dead"
On Sunday, Nov. 2, we will have a Day of the Dead service to remember and celebrate our interconnections that stretch across time. Please bring photographs or mementos of those beings who remain precious to you, though no longer alive. These photographs could be of relatives, friends or beloved pets. It will be a time of sharing happy and sad feelings, while honoring our place in the continuum of time.

REGULARLY SCHEDULED GATHERING

UUP Worship Associates will meet Sunday, Nov. 2nd at 12:30 pm at T's office.

Larking About, the UUP choir, will meet this Wednesday, November 5, at the UU Congregation of Santa Rosa at 7:30 pm, for a joint choirs rehearsal. Carpools can be arranged--contact David Dodd.

www.uupetaluma.org

Religious Education Update: August 10, 2008

Heroes at the Tennessee Valley UU Church

This past Sunday, the members of the TVUUC in Knoxville, Tennessee rededicated their sanctuary following an attack the prior week, in which a gunman killed two and wounded eight. The sanctuary last Sunday was filled to overflowing and spilled over to the outside and to the teen center next door.

A past minister of the church, who is also past President of the Unitarian Universalist Association spoke of the history of the TVUUC church. As reported in the blog, Street Prophets, the Rev. John Buehrens noted that,

“TVUUC's congregation was the first in the area to set up racially integrated summer camps, long before Knoxville's schools were forced to do so. The camps had to be moved many times over the years because of harassment by the KKK. The Klan also blew up mailboxes at many of the congregant’s homes, especially those who sat at lunch counters in solidarity with blacks. In the 1970's, the church was one of the first to be a welcoming congregation. Shortly after the first service, all of the church's sanctuary's windows were shot out, while children and teens were downstairs. “

The members of this church are heroes in my eyes, for their continued willingness to speak their truth. Last Sunday, the current minister of the church stood in the very spot where the gunman had stood a week before, and spoke these words, “"A man came in to invoke violence and hate; he unleashed unspeakable amounts of love. A man tried to strike a blow and to divide the community; instead he brought people together."

The Tennessee Valley UU’s are heroes in my eyes, as they reclaim their sacred space and their commitment to their faith. Instead of responding with justifiable anger, Sunday’s service was full of love and hope. I am inspired by their courage.

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education

Responding in Faith to the Tennessee Tragedy

As your Director of Religious Education, I am deeply saddened
and troubled by the recent tragedy at the Knoxville UU congregation,
particularly since it happened during a children's musical
performance. The specifics of that worship service make it hit even
closer to home for me. While I understand intellectually that these
events are very rare, and that church attendance is still a safe
activity on a Sunday morning, I'm alarmed that this could happen in
a UU congregation. How can I respond to these events?

What I would say to our UUP children is that they are safe at
church- that this type of incident is very rare. I might also talk
about the courage of the UU's who tackled the gunman and kept the
Tennessee children free from harm. The adults at UUP feel strongly
about keeping our children safe and protected, and we will do
everything possible to keep them out of danger.

I would also tell the kids that prejudice is wrong and
hurtful. The gunman apparently targeted a UU congregation for its
beliefs and for its support of gay and transgender people. One way
to demonstrate support for the folks in Tennessee would be for us at
UUP to continue our efforts towards fighting for equal civil rights
for all people and for fighting against religious intolerance. There
are many ways to show this support locally: we could join efforts to
keep anti-gay marriage initiative out of California's constitution;
we can speak up against hateful speech directed at any group of
people; and we can speak out against the politics of fear and
scapegoating in the upcoming election campaigns.

I feel blessed to live in Sonoma County, a progressive area
which celebrates diversity much more than other places. Yet, even
here, there is much to be done to fight for the rights of many
groups. I would want our children to know that hateful acts committed
against UU's just strengthens our resolve to work towards a better
world.

In Faith,
Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education
Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma

Called to Gather in Sympathy and Strength: Response to Knoxville Tragedy

The Tragedy at the Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville and UUP Children
As many of you know, two people were killed and six others wounded last Sunday by a non-member of the Tennessee Valley UU Church during a children's musical performance. This incident has been very disturbing for UU adults nationwide, and many are struggling to comprehend such violence in what should be a safe place. Information about this incident will NOT be shared with the children at UUP this Sunday, as many are too young to process the news. However, if an older child or youth wishes to talk, or to send a card of support to the TVUU Church, I will be happy to work with that young person or persons.
I expect that many UUP adults will need to share their thoughts about the incident during the social hour. I ask that you be sensitive to the presence of the very young within hearing distance of your discussions. Of course, I welcome thoughts and comments from our youth and adults about the tragedy, as I continue to process the incident for myself.
--Marlene Abel, Director of Religious Education

Called to Gather in Sympathy and Strength: Response to the Shootings at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Knoxville, Tennessee
It was with tremendous sadness that we learned this week of the shootings last Sunday at our sister congregation in Knoxville, Tennessee, in which a gunman angry at "liberals and gays" entered a worship service in progress and opened fire on the congregation. Two were killed and six were critically injured before a brave group of UUs tackled the shooter. Unitarian Universalists nationwide are called upon to attend their local services this week in solidarity with the Knoxville congregation. Please take a moment to read our UUA Moderator Gini Courter's letter, "Called to Gather in Sympathy and Strength."
* For a perspective from our UUA President, Rev. William Sinkford.
* To make a donation online to the Knoxville Relief Fund.
* And, lastly, for a summary of news and the UUA response to this tragedy.

UU TV Channel on the Web

Take a look at the new web TV channel, www.uuplanet.tv. A one-stop shop for the best video from UUs, including the famous alien speech video!

Other intriguing titles include "Unitarian Universalism in 30 Seconds," "Unitarian Symbol Video," and "Reach Deeper with Unitarian Universalism."