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President's Column	Thank You! Thank You!	Religious Education
Social Opportunities!	Social Action	UU Activities and Announcements

What’s going on.... July 2001

Sun	July 1	10:45 AM	Service – Carol Stiles, Molly Scholz, and Doug Fraser, "Community, Peace, Justice: How Womyn’s Music Embodies UU Principles"
Tues	July 3	7:00 PM	Women’s Group at the church
Sun	July 8	9:30 AM 10:45 AM 12:15 PM	Adult R.E. Planning Meeting Service – To be announced later. 2^nd Sunday Potluck and Board Meeting
Mon	July 9	11:00 AM	Break Bread delivery
Sat	July 14	9:00 AM 12:00 noon 1:30 PM	Workshop for all members with Rev. Mary Higgins, Florida District Executive Director Potluck lunch Board Retreat with Rev Mary Higgins
Sun	July 15	10:45 PM	Service - Rev Mary Higgins
Tues	July 17	7:00 PM	Women’s Group at the church
Sun	July 22	10:45 PM	Service – To be announced later.
Sun	July 29	10:45 PM	Service – To be announced later.

July……. Mark your calendar to participate in a weekend workshop in mid-July with Mary Higgins, the Executive Director of our Florida District. This should be a wonderful opportunity for all of us to learn from one of our UUA professionals. The leadership from the board will have an additional opportunity to discuss issues of concern to our congregation with Rev. Higgins. Carol Stiles, Molly Scholz, and Doug Fraser are planning a wonderful music program for the first weekend in July. Come when you can. You’ll be missed when you’re absent.

Water Service - A service is planned for early fall to share summer experiences and celebrate our community. Collect a vial of water from places you visit or from your home or workplace and save it for this service.

"Establishing our Unitarian Universalist Identity in Worship, in our Community and With Each Other": A Workshop with Rev Mary Higgins

Saturday, July 14, Rev Mary Higgins, the District Executive for the Florida District of the Unitarian Universalist Association, is coming to Valdosta to conduct this workshop. Rev Mary Higgins is very knowledgeable in this area and has had extensive experience working with Unitarian Universalist churches.

The morning workshop will start at 9 AM at the church. The workshop is open to all. Everyone is encouraged to come. Bring a potluck dish to share for lunch around noon.

In the afternoon Rev Higgins will meet with the board. She will provide information to the board about:

· Liability issues for the Church, including liability information about building and grounds, religious education, and managing our resources.

Please make every effort to attend the workshop and the service. We are fortunate to have Rev Higgins visit and provide this enriching experience for us.

Carol Stiles, Molly Scholz, and Doug Fraser will present a service focusing with music on the elements of the 6th UU principle, "Community, Peace, Justice." Music for listening will be on tape player ahead of the service, so come a few minutes early, get coffee and get settled for the service.

President’s Column

Thank you all for allowing me to serve as the President of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Valdosta. I strongly believe that there is a place for us as Unitarian Universalists in the Valdosta and South Georgia community. Our church with its principles and the larger organization, the UUA, has a lot to offer all members of this community.

This month I want to make a few comments about the responses from the congregational survey. Seventeen surveys were returned and for a congregation of approximately 30-40 members this is approximately a response rate of 50%.

From reading the open-ended comments from the surveys it looks like that many of you care a great deal about our community and have worked hard in this past year to keep it alive and vibrant. Most all of us who responded appreciate and value our church environment as being one of acceptance, cooperation, and respect. From the respondents, areas for improvement included increased membership, attendance, and volunteers. Other suggestions were that we attempt to employ a part-time minister, that we have a fund raiser to pay off the mortgage, and that we have more nature trips. These are certainly ideas for further discussion and planning!

This year one of my goals is to make sure that a UU minister is scheduled to conduct the service for us each month. This will provide us with a number of different styles and perspectives as well as keep us connected with the larger Unitarian Universalist community.

Lastly, if you wish to get in touch with me feel free to email me. I make every effort to check my email at least everyday and that is by far the best way to get in touch with me.

Youth R.E.: Religious education for young people will meet again on a regular schedule in the fall. During the summer there will be several special activites including a congregational outing to Gainesville later in the summer.

Adult R.E.: Joan Cline has planned a meeting on Sunday, July 8 at 9:30 AM to discuss plans for Adult R.E. Anyone who is interested plan to come.

We all need to work together to make certain that our Sunday morning services remain a valuable way to spend our time. I am counting on you, please let me hear from you! Ann Kasun

Thank You! Thank You!

TO THE PROGRAM COMMITTEE FOR THE 2000-2001 year: Lea Atkinson, Virginia Branan, Charles Green, Julie Halter, Diane Holliman, Ann Kasun, Theresa Thompson

A special thank you for their music and all the joy they have spread to our church and to the Valdosta community: Molly Scholz and Doug Fraser

For delivering meals in May and June: Dee Tait, Joan Cline, Randy Thompson, Jason Halter.

To those of you who have pledged your services for the 2001-2002 year:

Clean-up: Andre Asbury, Frank Asbury, Lea Atkinson, Julie Halter, Diane Holliman

Building and Grounds: William Atkinson, Bill Godwin, Jim Ingram

Break Bread Together: Virginia Branan, Diane Holliman, Pearl Helms

Newsletter Copying and Mailing: Betty Derrick, Charles Green, Sharon McKenzie

Book Discussion Organizers: Ann and Genna Kasun

Membership: Virginia Branan

Sunday morning coffee hour: Julie Halter

Bulletin Boards: René Kerr

to Rhett Fraser (Doug Fraser’s son), Jennifer Spreng (Frances Paterson’s daughter), and Jessica Li (Wing and May Lee’s daughter).

Congratulations to

Jessica Li who was selected to participate in the Rotary International Convention June 21-24.

Jason Halter who placed second in Computer Assisted Design and third in Technical Design Challenge in the Georgia Technology Association state competition.

Goodbye to

Tom Hallock, Julie Armstrong, Doug Fraser, and Molly Scholz. We’re going to miss you!

New Member

Welcome to our most recent new member Sharon McKenzie. You will want to add her name to your members list. You will learn more about Sharon Clontz McKenzie through her own words: Sharon McKenzie is from South Carolina but has lived in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Florida. She shares her household with cats Cassandra, Felix, Shadow and Tuesday as well as Trapper the beagle. She has an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Valdosta State College and a master’s degree in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University. Sharon is the reference librarian at South Georgia Regional Library.

Sharon’s interests include gardening, camping, genealogy, writing, and financial planning. “I have always been an eclectic, extensive reader bordering on the eccentric.” Her spiritual leaning is Deism with an awareness of the “real now” of the divine. Finding Quaker ancestry was a joyous occasion on her religious journey. Her motto is “Carpe diem.”

Are you planning to attend the UU Summer Institute (SUUSI) on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg? Dates are July 22-28. Brochures are available at the church. Sylvia Grandal, who attended our church in the past and now lives in Tallahassee, would like to share car expenses. Virginia Branan can put you in touch with Sylvia if you are interested.

Join us for good food and great company, the 1^stand 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.

Interested in learning to play bridge? Charles Green has indicated his willingness to organize a bridge group and to teach beginners to play. Let Charles know if you would be interested. The group will probably get started in September. Watch for more information. Charles Green .

Book Discussion: “Ethics for the New Millenium,” by the Dali Lama is planned for late August at John and Virginia Branan’s home. Start reading and watch for further details!

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.

Blood For Life Program

July 9-13 is our church’s week for this quarter. We have been asked as a congregation to donate blood during this week, if possible. The Red Cross Donation Center is located on Bemiss Road south of the intersection of Nortside Drive and Bemiss. The hours are MTTh (11:30 AM-7:00 PM) and WF (8:00 AM-3:30 PM). Give the Gift of Life!

We still need volunteers to help with various support areas that keep our church community functioning. If you can help those who have already volunteered in the areas noted in the Thank You column or could help in other ways, please contact Diane Holliman to sign up.

Governor’s Honors School: Some of you may recall that last summer several Governor’s Honors School students at VSU visited our church. Ann Kasun has agreed to coordinate transportation for any students who wish to visit us this year. Help out if you are able to do so.

Treasurer’s Report

The UUSC is a nonprofit, membership organization. It is an associate member of the UUA but it receives no operating funds from the UUA. Some 25000 members and donors fund its programs, which have been a powerful voice for justice and human rights both in the United States and internationally. UUSC was founded during World War II to help victims of Nazi oppression in Europe. Programs have varied during the years since 1939; however, the work of the UUSC has consistently been to empower women, support the struggles of oppressed racial, ethnic, and indigenous groups, and to defend the rights of children. Currently UUSC works for justice and human rights through combinations of advocacy, citizen action, and partnerships with grassroots organizations. UUSC believes that people working for economic change and social justice in their local communities know what is best for themselves. For membership information call: 800-766-5236.

July 22-28 SUUSI 2001 Mark your calendar now for this summer week of fellowship and fun on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA. Brochures are available at the church. This year’s theme is The Interdependent Web. Look on the web for further information at www.suusi.org.

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