Congregation News
Nominations Open for 2020-21 Justice Partners
Each month the Church supports a social justice organization by donating one Sunday’s plate collection to the organization. The Action Council will review the current and proposed recipients and present a slate for 2020-21 at the Annual Meeting on April 19, 2020 for a congregational vote. If you would like to nominate an organization to support or voice your ...February 2020 Justice Partner Donation Day is Feb 2
The Justice Partner for February 2020, as chosen by the congregation at the annual meeting, is Stevenson House. Stevenson House’s mission is to provide affordable housing where older, independent adults enjoy a safe and caring community. Stevenson House opened its doors in 1968. Built under the sponsorship of Palo Alto Senior Housing Project, Inc., Stevenson House ...Jan. 25, 2020 – UUCPA Community Dinner
Our Annual Community Dinner happens on Saturday, January 25, at 5:30 pm in the Main Hall. All are invited to this fun, community-building event! Delicious food, company, and childcare provided.
UUCPA Directory Makeover
It’s been a while since we’ve updated the printed church directory because we’ve been working on a major update. Here’s an overview of what’s changed: A new Table of Contents makes it easier to find information like the First Name Index (there is one!) and Key UUCPA Contacts. The Family Directory, listing individuals and households, has moved ...Winter 2020 Adult Religious Education Brochure
The Winter 2020 Adult and Family Activities Brochure is now available. Pick one up at church or here below. Winter 2020 Classes include:
Exploring Mind, Hands, Spirit and Heart Through Art – Home
01/05/2020
1 – 3 pm
Resources for Creating Community and Connection for Seniors
01/19/2020
12:30 – 2 pm
My Adventures in Good Music
01/26/2020
12:30 – 2 pm
Exploring Mind, Hands, Spirit and ...The Brown Bag Book Group – February 2020 Update
The Brown Bag Books (BBB) selection for February is A Place for Us: A Novel by Fatima Mizra (Fiction) “Absolutely gorgeous …Mirza finds in the intensity of a faithful Muslim family a universal language of love and anguish that speaks to us all… In prose of quiet beauty and measured restraint, Mirza traces those twined ...Transitioning UUCPA Email Lists And Aliases
—Heather Chen A couple of years ago, UUCPA set up an account with Google for Non-Profits to host/manage our uucpa.org domain email accounts. The first step was to transition the staff email accounts which has already been done. The second step, which has been happening slowly since then, was to transition the mailman lists to Google ...Story Time – Second Sundays Between Services
Come join us between services every second Sunday in Room 1 for
UUCPA Story Time, where each month we will read a short story
about a different religion or social issue. Children young and old are
welcome to join us!
After the story, children with their parents are welcome to check out a book bag containing books on different ...January 12, 2020 Bulletin
Announcing January Electoral Justice Events at UUCPA
In December the UUA announced its new #UUtheVote Campaign, calling on UUs to “join forces with all people who want to organize our communities and our nation to #VoteLove and #DefeatHate”, in accordance with our UU principles. The UUA is providing guidance and a framework for UU congregations to use in doing this electoral justice work, ...Obtaining Audio Recordings of Sunday Services
—Maribea Berry and Heather Chen There is a new procedure for providing audio recordings of Sunday Services. If you want a recording only of the sermon, it will be available for listening and/or downloading on the website within a few days of the day of the service. Access the sermon here: http://www. uucpa.org/worship/past-worship-services/ and select the ...Bookstore – Special Interest Donations
—Marilyn Alexander Stoddard Millennium, Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World – large, many photos Mayo Clinic Family Health Book John James Audubon, the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds – many plates, large format Lorna Doone. 2 vols. 1893 – some damage to the back of vol. 2 Sara Crewe, or, What Happened at Miss Minchin’s, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. ...Free Small Agave Plants
I have seven Agave parryi plants that were offshoots from the mother plants in front of the Main Hall. These are not California natives but if you want any, let me know. I am also posting on NextDoor. (3 photos attached: one of the available plants, one showing how some look after a year in ...Contribution Statements
Contribution Statements will be mailed out on or before January 31, 2020. You can access your statement immediately by logging onto your Profile via our church database, Realm. www.onrealm.org/uucpa. If you need assistance accessing your profile, please contact Jeff Cashdollar during office hours Monday – Thursday, 9:00 am – 2:30 pm. Jeff will be happy ...Smile For UUCPA!
We now have an Amazon Smile account! This means that UUCPA will receive a small percentage of every dollar you spend at Amazon. You only have to set it up once and then it’s automatic. Go to smile. amazon.com and when asked what charity you want Amazon to support, put in UUCPA. After that, whenever ...Upcoming Bulletin Deadlines – Jan 10 and Feb 2, 2020
January 19 and February 2 are the next two deadlines to submit items for publication. Send them to newsletter@uucpa.org or leave hardcopy in the church office. Note that we do not publish personal phone numbers/email addresses to safeguard privacy.From the Associate Minister of Religious Education
Our Our Whole Lives (OWL) comprehensive sexuality education seems to keep increasing in popularity, and for the first time ever we were not able to accommodate all the children and teens who wanted to enroll in our OWL classes. (Fortunately, however, we were able to accommodate all the children and teens from UUCPA who wanted ...Spring 2020 OWL programs are now full
All three age levels of the Our Whole Lives (OWL) comprehensive sexuality education curriculum are now completely filled and will be serving almost 40 UUCPA children and teens. This includes OWL gr. 4-6, OWL gr. 7-9, and OWL gr. 10-12. We will next offer OWL gr. 4-6 and OWL gr. 7-9 in the 2021-2022 school ...Summer 2020 Ecojustice Camp registration is open
Ecojustice Camp, a week-long day camp sponsored by UUCPA, believes that humans can have a positive impact on each other, and on the natural world. Ecojustice Camp is a time for campers to feel a part of the interdependent web of all life. See the camp Web site for photos and more info about activities: ecojusticecamp.org
This ...Navigators Bias-Free Scouting Group
Navigators, our bias-free scouting group, meets twice a month, September through May. Contact Ed Vail at chapter42leaders@navigatorsusa.org to be put on the email list. Read more about Navigators at UUCPA here: Navigators
Upcoming events:
PCD Women’s Retreat, March 5-8, 2020
The annual PCD Women’s Retreat is coming up on March 5 – 8, 2020. All self-identified women are welcome to join us. Our retreat offers something for everyone: delicious meals; workshops for the mind, body and spirit; hiking in beautiful woods; conversations with new and old friends; time for quiet contemplation; and a boutique, silent ...Weaving the Web
I’m so excited. A small and mighty group of UUCPA members – Kristi Iverson, Anne Frahn, and Elsa Schafer – has put together a January packed full of voter empowerment events. This project is nonpartisan, as our political actions should be, and it’s an initiative that everyone can support, wherever they are on the political ...Last 3 Sessions of Rev. Amy’s Art Class: Exploring Mind, Hands, Spirit & Heart Through Art
Exploring Mind, Hands, Spirit & Heart Through Art Each month on the first Sunday, you are welcome to join in a small-group session of spiritual exploration through art. January 5th session: Home. What does home mean to you? — your ideal home, your actual home, your future or past homes …? Starting with images ...New Group – First Sunday Mahjong Games
There is a new Mahjong Games group meeting on 1st Sundays starting in January, 2020 at UUCPA. Come one, come all, no experience necessary. Mahjong is not just a game of concentration you play online. Come learn how to play this gin rummy-like game, with tiles of three suits.For these monthly meetings, we will: ...Four Congregation Invitations WhaleCoast Alaska 2020
Have you ever dreamed of visiting Alaska? If so, WhaleCoast Alaska 2020 is for you! Four Alaska UU congregations invite you to experience our unique environmental/cultural/spiritual program this summer. See Alaska through the eyes of local UUs, with friendly homestays and unique tour activities. See wildlife, including moose, bears, caribou, whales, bald eagles, sea lions, ...Office Closed on New Year’s Day – Jan 1, 2020
The UUCPA Office will be closed New Years Day, Wednesday, January 1, 2020.December 29, 2019 Bulletin
January 2020 Justice Partner Donation Day is January 5
The Justice Partner for January 2020, as chosen by the congregation at the annual meeting, is Parents Helping Parents. They provide low or no cost support for parents with special needs children in the Bay Area. On Sunday, January 5th, Karen Mueller will speak in both services about Parents Helping Parents and the entire offering collection ...December 15, 2019 Bulletin
Brown Bag Books Jan/Feb ’20 Update
The January Brown Bag Book selection is Tattoos on the Heart: the Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle (nonfiction.) It is …“an astounding book and a remarkable testament. No one brings more triumph and tragedy to the street gang story than Greg Boyle. No one brings more conviction and compassion than Greg Boyle. And ...Lookin’ Good! Directory Photo Update
In October, fifty individuals and couples posed for new or updated photos that will appear in the next UUCPA Directory in January. Thanks to organizer Bob Ohlman and volunteer photographers Dick Duda, Anne Zeis, Jan Bruner, and Riki Bruner for making this happen! If you didn’t get a chance to participate in the photoshoots, stop ...Canvass Volunteers Needed!
Volunteers needed! Would you be willing to visit with 2-4 people at UUCPA to chat about why you like this place, as well as your hopes for our community? These 30-minute canvass visits deepen our commitments and grow our connections. They also support our annual pledge drive in February. Our goal is to reach ...New UUCPA Electoral Justice Project Approved
The Action Council recently approved a new justice project relating to the UUA Voting Rights, Election Reform, and Democracy Initiative (https://www.uua.org/liberty/electionreform) and the new UUA “UU The Vote” campaign (https://www.uua.org/justice/vote2020). The newly approved partner organization is Vote Forward (https://votefwd.org/), a 501(c)4, non-partisan organization. The new UUCPA justice effort will provide opportunities to send personalized letters to register and turn out ...UUCPA Banner Approval Notification – Interfaith Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence
On December 2, 2019, the Action Council approved a request to carry the UUCPA rally banner at the Interfaith Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence, which will be held on December 14 from 4 to 5:30 pm in Lytton Plaza in downtown Palo Alto. The vigil was arranged by a number of organizations that work ...Office Holiday Closures – Dec 2019-Jan 2020
The UUCPA Office will be closed Wednesday, December 25, 2019 through Through Friday, December 27, 2019 and Wednesday, January 1, 2020.Reviving Parent Journey (Discussion group for parents)
Parents regularly ask if UUCPA has a discussion group for parents of children and teens. For many years, there was such a group, called “Parent Journey.” This group was organized and facilitated by parents, and it faded away a couple of years ago when the parents who organized it moved away.
The Children and Youth Religious ...What! No boxes?
Yes, this year we will celebrate the UUSC (UU Service Committee), but we will encourage your awareness and donations all on one day – Sunday, December 15.
UUSC assists people all over the world to work on justice issues in their communities, including women’s rights, climate change preparation, fairness for immigrants, and many other initiatives ...From the Associate Minister for Religious Education – Holidays @ UUCPA
If you’re going to be around during the holidays, there are some fun things happening at UUCPA that you and your kids might enjoy. The No-Rehearsal Christmas Pageant on Sun., Dec. 22, at 9:30 and 11:00, allows kids to participate (if they want to), as we retell the Christmas story from a Unitarian Universalist perspective. Kids ...December 1, 2019 Bulletin
The Brown Bag Book Discussion Group – January 2020 Update
The January Brown Bag Book selection is Tattoos on the Heart: the Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle (nonfiction.) It is …“an astounding book and a remarkable testament. No one brings more triumph and tragedy to the street gang story than Greg Boyle. No one brings more conviction and compassion than Greg Boyle. And ...December 2019 Justice Partner Donation Day is December 8
The Justice Partner for December 2019, as chosen by the congregation at the annual meeting, is Ada’s Cafe, the non-profit cafe at the Mitchell Park Library that hires, trains, and empowers people with disabilities. On Sunday, December 8, Erin Fishman will speak in both services about Ada’s Cafe and the entire offering collection that day ...Join us to Decorate the Main Hall on December 1st
Perform a small service to warm up the holiday season. Join the Grant-Bier family on Sunday, December 1st from 1-4 pm to decorate the Main Hall for the winter holiday season. We will hang lights and decorations, eat cider & cookies, all are welcome. RSVP Lynn Grant (whose contact information can be found by contacting ...Undie Sundays – Bring your Donations – December 1st and 8th, 2019
Undie Sunday, Sunday, December 1st and 8th, 2019 Main Hall, 9:30 & 11:00 am.
Undie Sunday is the time we ask everyone to bring one new set of underwear and a pair of warm gloves, socks, or hat to give to homeless people. For them, these things are difficult to obtain and are particularly helpful ...November 17, 2019 Bulletin
Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale – Donations Needed
It’s almost that time of year already. The holidays will be here soon and so will our annual Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale. Do you have like-new holiday decorations that you no longer need or want? Need to get rid of some of the old ones to make room for something new? Bring your holiday ...Amy’s Schedule – Nov 2019
I’m delighted to report that Skinner House Press will be publishing a book I proposed, a guide to running an art-based spiritual exploration group like the one we have at UUCPA on first Sundays. So with a draft deadline coming up, this is a good time for me to take some of my annual study ...Changes in Leadership
In recent months, two board members have had to resign for personal reasons. When a board member resigns, the bylaws call for the board to appoint someone to fill their seat until the next board election at the annual meeting in April. I’m pleased to announce that the board has appointed two fantastic new board ...Help Cook for Stevenson House on Nov. 23
Stevenson House is located right next door to UUCPA, and offers low-cost Senior Housing. UUCPA connects with our neighbors by providing a Saturday lunch several times a year. The next lunch is Saturday, November 23, and we can use volunteers of any age on Saturday. Come for part or all of our timeline.
10:00 Help prepare ...From the Associate Minister of Religious Education – November, 2019
Parents regularly ask if UUCPA has a discussion group for parents of children and teens. For many years, there was such a group, called “Parent Journey.” This group was organized and facilitated by parents, and it faded away a couple of years ago when the parents who organized it moved away. The Children and Youth Religious ...Why YOUR Family will enjoy the UUCPA Auction (Sat, Nov 16, 2019)
If you have some time on Saturday, November 16, 2019, consider coming to the UUCPA auction! It’s fun for the whole family. The kids can stay in childcare until the children’s auction, after which they can watch a movie.
Activities for kids include:
5:30 – 7:15 pm
Childcare
Finger foods
Balloon hats
7:15 – 7:45 ...