Current Programs and Events
at First UU Church

Below is information about the worship services and other events at First UU Church Houston, as well as significant community events. Please check the calendar, the newsletter, or the Schedule of Ongoing Programs Sponsored by the Adult Programs Committee for information on these or other events that may be of interest to you.

Purchase Meal Packs for the Homeless and Hungry

Please help ease the pain of hunger for some of Houston's less fortunate citizens by ordering pre-packed, nonperishable meals to be distributed to the homeless and hungry.  First UU Church members, in partnership with the Emergency Aid Coalition (EAC), will prepare the packs on Saturday, May 17, and we need your orders early so that we can plan the project.  You may order meals to distribute yourself, to be handed out by First Church staff members, or you may designate packs to go to the Emergency Aid Coalition who will then hand them out to their clients.   

You may place your orders on line, or print the order form and mail your order to: 

First UU Church, 5200 Fannin, Houston, TX.  77004, ATTN:  Tom Cowen.  Thank you for your support of, and participation in, this project of sharing our gifts.

Please return the order form to First Church with complete information before May 13.  

Worship Services: 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM

 

Sunday Adult Discussion Groups

We encourage all interested folks (members and visitors) to join us for lively conversations.

 

Events (in date order)

Practicing Peace through Compassionate Communication 

2nd & 4th Sundays, February 24 – May 11 (6 sessions), 1:30—3:30 PM, Room 204 

Compassionate Communication, also called Nonviolent Communication ^sm (NVC), is Marshall Rosenberg’s clear and effective model for communicating in a way that is cooperative, conscious, and compassionate.  The process offers hope and immediately usable tools for resolving conflicts and reducing criticism, defensiveness, misunderstanding, and violence.  NVC strengthens our ability to inspire compassion from others and to respond compassionately to others and ourselves.  NVC guides us to reframe how we express ourselves, how we hear others, and how we resolve conflicts by focusing our consciousness on what we are observing, feeling, needing, and requesting.  It gives us new choices in responding to conflict that we may not be aware we have. 

Through the practice of Nonviolent Communication, we are able to begin to create peace within ourselves, so that we are able to extend that peace into the relationships that matter  to us. Viewed through NVC eyes, all anger and violence — both in the world at large and in our own personal lives — is a tragic and counter-productive attempt by people to meet their needs. 

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED because group size is limited to 12.  Register at church, or email church@firstuu.org or call the church office at 713-526-5200. 

The sessions are based on the book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg which is available for $18 from the facilitator Margaret Kallsen (mkallsen@yahoo.com, 713-869-0820).  Please speak with the facilitator if the cost of the book would prohibit you from participating. 

It is suggested that participants attend one of the Introduction to Compassionate Communication sessions on Sunday January 27, 1:30-3:30 PM, or Thursday, January 31, 7:00-9:00 PM (see page 9), at the church and/or that participants read the first four chapters of the book before the first session. 

Further information about NVC is available at www.nonviolentcommunication.com or www.cnvc.org.

The Technology Already Exists to Stabilize Global Warming Wedges into the Climate Solution

Dr. Ron Sass, Rice University Professor Emeritus of Natural Sciences, will give a presentation on Wedges on Sunday, April 6, 2:30 to 3:30 pm.  Each climate wedge provides an increasing part of the solution.   All the wedges, added together, could get carbon emissions under control by 2054, said Princeton University scientists in a Scientific American article that is now the generally accepted vision of solutions. http://tinyurl.com/ynl68s.  The two scientists also said it is urgent that we must stop new carbon-polluting energy sources, such as coal plants.  Any seven of fifteen possible wedges would be enough.  The talk will be at the regular monthly meeting of Houston Climate Protection Alliance.   Contact: Nan Hildreth 713-842-6643

Houston Peace Forum

Thursday, April 10, 7:15 p.m., Room 302

Open to the Public at No Cost; Donations Welcome

The April program of the Houston Peace Forum will be devoted to Darfur.  A video on Darfur will be shown followed by a discussion led by people who have been following the situation there, such as David Atwood, Phivan Wright of Amnesty International, and Jeremy Rutledge of Covenant Church.  Questions will be answered.  Refreshments are provided at 7:15 p.m. before the program, which begins at 7:30.  For further information, contact David Atwood at

dpatwood@igc.org or Pat Nichols, Coordinator, at nicholspat@awesome.net or 713.681.6267.

Second Saturday

Saturday, April 12, 9:30 a.m., Sanctuary and Job Sites

In March, we had First UU Church members helping out at The Dunn Center, Meredith Gardens at Mandel Park, Techs and Trainers, and Bering-Omega House.  Thanks to stalwart volunteers Carol Schwarten, Peggy Osborne, Frances Burford, Bob Miller and Lydia Luz.

In April, the UU Houston Network will be working on a Rebuilding Houston project (read more information on page 10).  The official dates are the 19th and 26th, but we will kick-off the project by doing prep work during for Second Saturday on the 12th.  Activities could include anything from cutting back brush, sweeping, washing walls, to digging postholes for a wheelchair ramp.  We will know the specific house the week before, so we will learn what is involved by Saturday morning.

Email your interest in this or other community projects to secondsaturday@firstuu.org.  We'll meet at the sanctuary at 9:30 am before heading to our job sites.

Lend A Hand, A Hammer, A Doughnut!

Saturday, April 19 and 26

For nearly 20 years, volunteers from Houston area UU Churches have gathered together in April and October to renovate the exterior of a home owned and occupied by a disabled or elderly, poverty-level Houston neighbor.  Last year, we won a city-wide award for it (our third!).  Join us in April for this hands-on, intergenerational project. 

Skilled and unskilled helpers build wheelchair ramps, hang safety doors and lights, paint, scrape, feed the volunteers, socialize with the (often lonely) homeowner, and haul off piles of accumulated detritus. It is a long-lasting endeavor that impacts not only the homeowner, but the neighborhood.  To get on the potential volunteer list (or just to ask questions), contact Laura Emerson at laura@starlightcapital.com.

Work dates are Saturday, April 19 and 26.  First UU’s traditional Second Saturday on April 12 will include advance work on the house, such as power-washing, post-hole digging, and building prep work. 

Tibetan Feng Shui MeetUp Gathering

Saturday, April 19, 10:00-Noon, Fireside Room

Tibetan Feng Shui, also called Western Feng Shui, is a very common-sense, down-to-earth practice with a dash of mystery thrown in.  Knowing its principles can help you overcome the barriers and obstacles to creating an exceptional life for yourself.  Donald Trump, who is a Feng Shui advocate, has said: "If I can move a desk and make a million dollars, why not?" Are you ready to give it a try? Do join us!

We'll view a slide show of rooms (or areas) submitted by YOU for evaluation. Send photos to juliebrittcoach@gmail.com on or before April 13. You're also invited to explore our MeetUp web page for more information on Feng Shui: http://fengshui.meetup.com/91

Facilitator: Julie Britt, 713-408-8177, juliebrittcoach@gmail.com.

Spring Nature Retreat – An Annual Tradition at First Church

Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27, 2008

Join us at the beautiful Piney Woods Conservation Center near Lufkin, Texas for a weekend of fellowship, relaxation, and renewal. You'll enjoy lots of rocking chairs with views of nature, hiking trails, a large pond with canoes, and a variety of optional workshops.  Activities for children and youth will be also be provided.

Registration forms with more retreat information are available at church, via our web site, by email at springretreat@firstuu.org, and in future newsletters.

Old Age in a New Age

Sunday, April 27, 1:30, Fireside Room

In her new book, Old Age in a New Age, award-winning freelance journalist, Beth Baker based in Maryland, tells the story of a new generation of visionary advocates and practitioners who are transforming both the culture of nursing homes and the way we view aging. She takes readers on a journey into some of the best places in America for elders to live with dignity. She will share surprising lessons she learned from this emerging culture change movement.

Beth will be signing her book, which will be available for sale for $24.95; cash and checks only

Beth Baker, a long-time freelance journalist based in Takoma Park, Maryland, contributes regularly to the Washington Post Health section.  She also covers aging issues for the AARP Bulletin, and her articles have appeared in Ms., Washingtonian, Nature Conservancy and Preservation, among many other publications.  She has won two Gold Mature Media Awards for her reporting on aging.  She is a former health care worker, a part-time caregiver to her mother, and a hospice volunteer.  

TNT (Talent/No Talent) Show and  Pizza Dinner

Saturday, May 3, 5:30 p.m. in Channing Hall

Please plan to join us for a fun filled evening with some of First Church’s most and least talented members and friends.  Your participation is requested and encouraged so let us know if you’d like to perform.  Sing, dance, recite a poem, tell a joke or two, play an instrument; almost anything goes on this night of celebrating our talented folks. 

There may even be some surprise celebrity guests!  Enter by calling the church office, 713-526-5200 or e-mailing us at church@firstuu.org.

All the pizza you can eat (or until we run out), salad, soft drinks and desserts.

Adults - $7.50; Children under 12 – free (whoo-hoo!)

Dinners for Eight

Friday,  May 16, 2008, Various Members’ Homes

Would you like to enjoy a delicious meal, good conversation and an opportunity to get to know other First UU members in an agenda-free, informal dinner party setting? If so, just say "Yes" when contacted by a Dinners for Eight committee member inviting you to participate.

Dinners are offered in the home of a UU member host who provides the main dish. Participants are only asked to bring themselves and a side dish suggested by the host.  The first scheduled dinner takes place Friday May 16, 2008.

Interested participants will be contacted by their assigned host with location and dinner details.  (Want to be included, but you’re not in the church directory? A sign-up list is in Channing Hall.) 

Look forward to an invite-phone call from a Dinners for Eight committee member.

Sponsored by Gulf Coast Volunteers For The Long Haul

Helping people in the Gulf Coast region rebuild their homes, their neighborhoods, their communities and their lives for as long as it takes.

Please Join Us: Experienced and first-time volunteers are needed for these relief and recovery service trips to the New Orleans area, to do rebuilding, painting (homes and schools), tutoring elementary school students, and lots of listening with residents in numerous neighborhoods that were severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina and subsequent flooding.  You will be working with experienced volunteers in a friendly, respectful, and welcoming group of up to 20 people. We arrange for housing, meals and ground transportation to and from the New Orleans airport and to and from work sites.

When: Monday, May 19 to Saturday, May 24 (college students and adults)

This will be the third year we have organized relief trips since we began doing this work just two months after the storm. Gulf Coast Volunteers for the Long Haul is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization — an outgrowth of disaster-related service work done by ministers and members of the Winchester Unitarian Society, Winchester, MA. We welcome other UUs and people of all faiths or no religious affiliation to join with us.

Trip Costs:  Volunteers are responsible for their own airfares, and we request a $100 contribution to offset on-the-ground expenses. Scholarships are available – don’t let the cost keep you from participating!

Trip Coordinator: For more information or to sign up, please contact Janet Parsons at:  jdparsons@alumni.tufts.edu, or at 781/721-9010

 

 

 On-Going Programs for Adults

Belly Dance for Women
2nd & 4th Mondays, 7:00 to 8:00 pm, Fireside Room
Facilitators:  Jane Bretz and Jennifer McDaniel

We will be focusing on beginning, individual (non-troupe) dance movements in the tribal/fusion dance style, not only for exercise, but for body awareness, flexibility, movement, and mental centeredness. Women of all ages and skill levels are welcome to join this class.Please register on the signup sheet at church or by calling the church at 713.526.5200.  If you require child care, email childcare@firstuu.org a week in advance with the names and ages of your children  Questions?  Contact church member Jane Bretz at jane.bretz@sbcglobal.net.

Book Discussion Group -- Sundays, 8:15-9:30 a.m.

Bring your coffee and join the early-bird readers on Sunday morning. Books are divided into manageable segments and chapters are assigned week to week for discussion. We are reading and discussing The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil.  Leader: Dave Bergt, dbergt@houston.rr.com

Guided Meditations at Brunch -- Sundays, 10:45-11:15 a.m.

Come enjoy a meditative half hour with a group of warm and friendly people.  Everyone is welcome, even if you come in late.  We are presently listening to guided meditations by Dr. Paul Overman from his 10 Minutes to Relax CD, and meditations by Jack Kornfield and Jon Kabat-Zinn.  We sometimes listen to Breathing exercises by Andrew Weil, MD and to music. We end our half hour with the group gathered in a circle to chant Om for a minute.  The group energy makes us feel more relaxed, centered and connected. Feel free to join us some Sunday.

Coordinator: Pam Perry with assistance from Denell Wiseman, Charles Johnson and others. 

Men's Group -- Sundays, 10:35-11:25 a.m.

Yoga for Beginners -- Mondays, 7-8:30 p.m.

This class addresses the yoga needs for beginners and those interested in developing a better mind/body integration.  Individual needs are addressed.  Classes include props to adjust to each person's limitations, and a directed meditation.  Instructor: Stan Polins

The Great Ideas Group -- 2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 7 – 9 pm – Rm 302 (On hiatus during December)

The Great Ideas Group studies the great thinkers, great writers, great religions and great ideas of the past and present. 

Our current topic is Transcendentalism, the American philosophical movement shaped, in part, by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.  We view lectures offered by Dr. Ashton Nichols Professor of English at Dickinson College.  Our next lectures will be on Thoreau at Walden Pond and one of Unitarianism's leading theologians, William Ellery Channing.  Join us for these interesting topics!

Contact Wendy Rodewald wjrodewald@yahoo.com or Eric Botts ericbotts@prodigy.net

Poetry in Motion  -- Fridays 10 a.m. to Noon

Poetry: "The Best Words in the Best Order" "A favorite Poem is your friend and compantion forever. It can more you, delight you, and enrich your hours of reflection over and over again." Members choose the selections. Contact: Lucrecia Cox - lcox@treysot.com

Yoga -- Saturdays, 9:00-10:00 a.m.

The word yoga means union.  In this class, we learn to unite the mind with the body to create muscular balance and improve flexibility and strength.  The class is gentle and open to beginners and intermediate level students.  Your first class is free. Suggested donation: church members $7, visitors $10. Instructor: Julie Byrd: 713-520-8165

Tai Chi Chuan Yang Style Short Form -- Saturdays, 10:15-11:15 a.m.

Often called a moving meditation, Tai Chi is an ancient form of movement that resembles a slow motion dance.  It enhances balance, coordination, muscular strength and develops internal energy. The class is open to beginners; the first class is free. Suggested donation: church members $7, visitors $10. Instructor: Julie Byrd: 713-520-8165. Take both of Julie Byrd’s classes and save. Suggested donation for both Yoga and Tai Chi: church members and visitors $12.