What

What’s going on.... September 2000

Sat	Sept 2	7:00 PM	Games Night at the church
Sun	Sept 3	9:30 AM 10:45 AM 3:00 PM	Youth R.E. Service – Jack Ford Party and Potluck at Doug and Molly’s
Tues	Sept 5	7:00 PM	Women’s Group at the church
Sat	Sept 9	1:00 PM 2:00 PM	Board Meeting, lunch provided for Board members Fall Cleanup, everyone come!
Sun	Sept 10	9:30AM 10:45 AM 12:15 PM	Youth R.E. Service – Gathering Together of the Waters and Recognition of New Members, René Kerr Third Anniversary in the new Building Potluck!!!
Mon	Sept 11	11:00 AM	Break Bread delivery
Sun	Sept 17	9:30 AM 10:45 AM	Youth R.E. Service –Theresa Thompson, “Understanding the Wheel of the Year"
Tues	Sept 19	7:00 PM	Women’s Group at the church
Sun	Sept 24	9:30 AM 10:45 AM	Youth R.E. Service - Rabbi Cassorla, "The Jewish High Holidays"

September ……. This is the month we have traditionally thought of as beginning our church year. Notice the fall cleaning and notice the ingathering and celebrations and PARTIES! We welcome Jack Ford back for a service. We welcome new members. Sunday services this month will celebrate our UU rituals as we share water from our travels and share our summer experiences. We will celebrate pagan rituals as we welcome the fall in mid-month. Rabbi Cassorla will share information about Jewish rituals at the end of the month in a discussion about the Jewish High Holidays.

Come, join in, and participate in as much as you can.

Jack will be here for our first service in September, Labor Day weekend. He says he is likely to be here for Games night and we hope he’ll stay for the party Sunday afternoon (See more information later in the newsletter).

We will have our end of summer service on September 10. We will have the opportunity after our summer vacations and other adventures to re-establish our community and welcome new comers. Bring the water you collected and other memories of your summer to share.

During the September 10 Water Service there will be a New Member Welcome. If you are interested in joining our church please let Virginia Branan know so that you can be recognized at this service. Any of our officers would be glad to discuss membership in our Unitarian Universalist Church with you.

Join us for good food and great company, the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Bring a snack, ideas for discussion, or just yourself! Contact Julie Halter for more information.

Bring $1.00, a dish, and your favorite game to the church on Saturday, September 2 at 7:00 PM. Call René Kerr or Julie Halter if you need further information.

Thank you, Molly and Doug!! Many people gathered at the home of our musicians for a great gathering over Labor Day Weekend.!! We enjoyed great food and company, and games such as ping pong, badminton, croquet, and horseshoes!

September! A time in our church year for renewed energy and enthusiasm. Welcome back to all who have been away some or most of the summer.

September! A month for CELEBRATIONS, too. We will be welcoming back to the pulpit Jack Ford, who was our minister for many years. CELEBRATE our anniversary in the new building, return of all our "old" members, and welcome our newest members in a special CELEBRATION SUNDAY, Sept. 10.

This month's vision is the formation of a Membership Team with Charles Judah as chair. If you are interested in outreach to our visitors and potential new members, ministering to our present members, and growth for our congregation, this is the place for you. Contact Charles or me.

Everyone can help with this vision by remembering to INVITE FRIENDS TO COME WITH YOU TO OUR SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES.

Because of the special potluck for the second Sunday the Board will meet on Saturday, September 9 from 1-2 PM this month. Virginia says she’ll be sure there is lunch available.

Everyone come from 2-4 PM for a major fall clean-up, indoors and outdoors!

Let’s make this month’s second Sunday potluck special to celebrate our Third Anniversary in the new building! Break out the recipes and start cooking!!!! We will be welcoming new members this day also. So there’s another reason to celebrate.

Our thoughts are with members who are experiencing health problems or other difficulties….

Break Bread Together

Our date for meal deliveries with the Break Bread Together program is the 2^nd Monday of each month. If you can deliver meals on this day beginning about 11:00 AM, please contact Virginia Branan.

Laurel Hahlen would like us as a group to sign onto the GA PIRG’S CLEAN WATER NOW CAMPAIGN ENDORSEMENT FORM SUMMER 2000. She says it seems to her that we share the same goals and should support this effort. Let Laurel know how you feel about this. She has further information about a letter the group will send to Governor Barnes asking that he make clean water in Georgia a top priority. It is worth noting that EPD has stated “It is the policy of the state of Georgia that we do not recommend swimming in natural waters.” 60% of Georgia’s waterways are too polluted to meet federal standards for fishing or swimming. This endorsement is a request to Governor Barnes to make clean water in Georgia a high priority for the state and to enforce existing laws.

The Aids quilt will be in downtown Douglas, GA at the Central Square Gym September 29-October 1. The hours will be Friday and Saturday, 8AM-8PM, and Sunday, 11AM-4 PM. If you would like more information the Wellness Center 912-389-4588.

If you were here in Valdosta several years ago you saw the AIDS Quilt and maybe helped with its display. If you haven’t seen the quilt it is a powerful experience. The Names Project who coordinates the quilt project is always looking for volunteers and donations.

We have been asked to encourage our members to donate blood on certain weeks this year. Our next date is the week of October 9-13. There will be a reminder in next month’s newsletter with more details. This is a Red Cross Project. Some of our members are ineligible to donate for various reasons. If you can this is a worthwhile project and you might consider letting Red Cross know you are from our church.

Youth R.E. The current curriculum “Neighboring Faiths” will continue on Sunday mornings. Julie Halter (first Sunday each month), Virginia Branan (second Sunday), Ann Kasun (third), the Sloans and Bibins families (fourth) and Diane Holliman (fifth) will continue to share in the teaching of these sessions.

The Board at its August meeting discussed the future of the RE program and the need for input from parents and youth about what they want through the RE program. At the moment there are very few youth in the RE program. Ann Kasun, R. E. Director, is interested in your thoughts and ideas.

Notice to Parents – Please note that for several years it has been the policy of this church that all school age children should plan to attend the Sunday service if they are on the church grounds. No childcare is provided for school age children. Nursery care will be provided as needed.

The Board recently reaffirmed this policy. Through the participation of school age children in the Sunday service they become a real part of our intergenerational community. The Board is also concerned about the safety of unsupervised children and potential church liability issues. As parents please note this church policy and be responsible for your children when they are at our church.

Adult R E. There are no plans for a regular Adult R E. program at the moment for this church year. If anyone is interested in coordinating this program and there is an interest among our members please step forward. Contact Ann Kasun, R. E. Director with your ideas.

We received a letter from Adam Sechelski and Laurie Vining, Church Coordinators for G.H.P. 2000, thanking us for our hospitality and kindness in welcoming GHP students into our church family. Appreciation for providing transportation and sharing our worship was expressed. They asked if we had recommendations of ways to make the program more efficient and indicated they looked forward to working with us next year.

Wasn’t it great to have those high school students visiting during the summer?

UU Coffeehouse Returning! Molly & Doug are planning a CoffeeHouse evening for November 4. René Kerr has volunteered to organize the menu and service for this popular fundraiser. Mark your calendar and help when asked.

A talented anonymous crocheter in our midst has donated a number of baby booties, which the Board has decided to sell at $8.00 a pair. This is a bargain for what would make a really nice baby gift. Contact René Kerr if interested.

More than a dozen folks have signed up for various service tasks at our church. Thank you! We still need volunteers to:

Thank You, Thank You

For delivering Break Bread Together meals: Dee Tait and Virginia Branan

For posting the newsletter to the website and maintaining the website: Carol Stiles and Earl Daniels

For arranging Valdosta Daily Times publicity in the Church Briefs column: Dee Tait

For demonstrating Tai Chi and Yoga for the RE class August 13: Betty Derrick and Dee Tait

GHP transportation volunteers: Ann Kasun, René Kerr, William Atkinson, Virginia Branan, Julie Halter, Betty Derrick

For the new church directory: Carol Stiles

For vacuuming the sanctuary each week: “Faithful” Lea Atkinson and

For all kinds of “fix-it” jobs around the church: William Atkinson who comes with Lea and finds things to do. What a team!

Gay-Straight Network - second Wednesday each month for a potluck social, 7:00 PM. Contact Ann Kasun for further information.

Cardio Karate - Tuesdays and Fridays, 7:00 - 8:15 PM. Call Albert and Delane Slone.

Tai Chi - Monday and Thursday evenings, A Senior Citizens class will start in September through continuing Education at VSU. Contact Vicki English.

Treasurer René Kerr discussed the budget and recommended moving funds to a savings account. The Board concurred. Vice President Holliman asked for volunteers for “to do" committees. Ann Kasun could not attend but President Virginia Branan discussed an e-mail from Ann with regard to plans for adult and youth R.E. The Board asked that the youth policy be restated in the newsletter.

There was discussion about publicity. Dee Tait who handles advertising suggested that the current phone book ad is sufficient for that medium. The Board decided after discussion to try one bench advertisement($200/yr) and check for effectiveness before committing further.

Smoke Signals: A current guide for staying connected with the UU-Valdosta community! It’s now available thanks to Carol Stiles and Virginia Branan. Contact Virginia if you haven’t gotten your copy. There is one correction. Diane Holliman says her e-mail and work phone is incorrect in the new directory. Please contact an officer to get in touch with Diane.

September 16-18, From Surviving to Thriving: A National Conference about Welfare Reform, Washington, DC

September 17-20, Prime Connections, a special program for gay men over 40. The Mountain, 828-526-5838 or mountain@dnet.net.

September 23, Northeast Cluster:RE Question & Answer Forum, Community UU Church in Daytona Beach

Discussion group, “Discovering the Faith of Our Fathers,” forming. During the UUA General Assembly in Nashville last month, a former Presbyterian minister from Birmingham, Alabama circulated among the gathering with a proposal If interested inquire at mstroud@icontvp.com or Circle1p@aol.com.

The UU Church of Little Rock, Arkansas will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary October 20-22, 2000, and would like to invite all former members to attend. They would especially like to contact all former presidents. Anyone who is a former member can contact the church at 1818 Reservoir Rd., Little Rock, AR 72227 or email them at: uuclr@aristotle.net

"Intimate Rituals and Personal Devotions: Spiritual Art through the Ages" display in the Harn Museum of Art in Gainesville

<http://www.arts.ufl.edu/harn/> through January 14. The Harn Museum (352-392-9826) is located on the Univ. of Florida campus in Gainesville. Take I-75 to Exit 75, take Archer Rd. east into Gainesville,turn left on 34th St., then right on Hull Rd. (Contact Carol Stiles if you need more info).

Break Bread Together

Newsletter Staff