You, Me, & Staying Connected

I will be in the office:

            Monday  11 A.M. – 9 P.M.

            Tuesday    9 A.M. – 1 P.M.

            Wednesday  Off

            Thursday  11 A.M. – 5 P.M.

            Friday  9 A.M. – 1 P.M.

Call me for appointments:

            Church  313-833-9107

            Cell Phone  517-403-6148

                                    Love, Larry

 

Committee News

Choir

Rehearsals for the upcoming months are as follows:

January 19, 9:30 A.M. rehearsal – 11 A.M. performance. 

January 26, 9:30 rehearsal. 

February 2, 9:30 rehearsal. 

February 8, 10:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. Choral Festival Rehearsal

February 9, 2:00 P.M. Call for 3:00 P.M. Choral Festival

February 16, 9:30 A.M. rehearsal – 11 A.M. performance

February 23 – NO REHEARSAL

 

Development Committee

            Thank you to everyone who made the Christmas season more enjoyable with our Christmas caroling with the St Matthew’s members and friends at St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged.  We also enjoyed seeing the residents singing along and keeping rhythm and we enjoyed the wonderful aquariums and birds at the home.

Thanks, also, to all who bought Entertainment Books.  $316.00 was raised for our treasury.  Special thanks to Lance Halsted, Sally Borden, and my niece, Nicole Ludwig, for selling to friends and Kathy Rock for buying extra books to give as gifts for friends.

Over the holidays, a friend used a coupon for the Fox Theater to get two tickets for the price of one to see the Rockettes.  You can use the Fox coupons for special dates but need to call first to see what dates are available.

I hope to have a Little Ceasar’s Pizza Kit sale in February for delivery the first Sunday in March. Different varieties of cookie dough and spices will also be for sale.

My friend contributed an exercise bike and a health rider for the garage sale.  If anyone would like to buy them it would be an excellent bargain for you and help the church and free up more garage space for other things.  If interested please call me.

Geri Larkin gave an excellent talk on  Sunday about how good people feel when getting rid of  “stuff”.  I’ll be glad to take anybody’s stuff for the church garage sale and you will feel even better as you will be helping to pay our church expenses.

Margaret Beck, Development Committee Trustee  313-882-7775

 

Membership Committee

Orientation of Ushers – Have you had questions about ushering but were afraid to ask?  Join us for an orientation of ushers on Sunday, January 23 at 1:00 P.M. in Memorial Hall.  We will share our concerns and explore ways in which we can improve this part of our worship service.  Please contact Nora Holt at 313-535-8998 or JoAnn Delore at 313-584-8837 regarding any questions and/or your plans to attend.

New UU Orientation  - An orientation for new or prospective members at First Church will be held for three sessions on consecutive Wednesday nights starting February 5 from 7:00 – 9:00 P.M. in Memorial Hall.  The series provides an opportunity for new members to meet more established members in an intimate atmosphere and to learn more about Unitarian Universalism.  The three sessions will allow us to:

·        Get to know one another

·        Share personal odysseys

·        Learn about this church in particular – why it has existed, what it has represented in the community, some of its struggles and successes

·        Learn about Unitarian Universalism and its history and beliefs

·        Learn about the structure and activities of the congregation

·        Discuss ways of becoming actively involved

I hope the series will prove as helpful to you as it has to past participants.  It is often in these more intimate settings that one can get a better feel or understanding of the group you have chosen to become a part of.

 

If you have further questions, feel free to call me, Dan Wiest, evenings at 313-567-2531 or Rev. Larry Hutchison during church office hours at 313-833-9107.

 

Worship

Have you ever thought of being a lay leader?  Well, now is your opportunity and invitation to explore that possibility.  On Monday, February 10 from 7 – 9 P.M. the Worship Committee will hold its Annual Lay Leader Learning session for those who want to join this wonderful cadre of members who help design Worship experiences at First UU.  Some time in January, during coffee hour, you will have an opportunity to dialogue with lay leaders about their roles in worship.  Look for details soon.  If you have an interest, call Gwen Winston at 313-832-2928 to put your name on the lay leaders RSVP list.

 

We Get Mail…

“Season’s Greetings to all of our First Church friends from Don and Ardith Dickason and Sophie (our dog).  We are a little tardy in getting our season’s newsletter ready to send, but we hope you won’t mind getting it a little late.  We are sure the Post Office won’t object!

            In February we were very busy with the church Service Auction.  Don was in charge of publishing the book.

            In March David and Laura, Jennifer and Mark, and grandson Scott and his friend Dawn came out to join the Tucson contingent for a very special birthday party.  We celebrated Don’s 75^th birthday, Carl’s 50^th and Christina’s (Chris’ fiancée) 40^th, with a family dinner, an open house for about 50 people and a picnic, among other things.  It was wonderful to have everyone together.

In April, we made our annual trip to Salt Lake City to do genealogical research in the Family History Library there and to get together with our friends from Oakland County, Michigan Genealogical Society.

In June Sophie was diagnosed with Valley Fever, a fungus carried in the dust in the Southwest.  Most people who have lived here through summers will test positive for it, but are aware only of a slight cold or allergy.  A few, like Sophie, are very ill.  We almost lost her, but thanks to her veterinarian and the surgical specialist he recommended, Sophie has recovered.  She will be on the medication prescribed for at least a year, possibly for the rest of her life.

            In September we returned to Europe for another river cruise on the M.P.S. Erasmus.  This time we took a canal from Amsterdam to the Rhine, up the Rhine to the Main, up the Main to the Main-Danube Canal and the Canal to the Danube and down river to Budapest, from which we flew back to Detroit.  We enjoyed the trip very much and visited several cities, including Amsterdam, Cologne, Wurzburg, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.  We spent a couple of days at each end of the trip in the Detroit area, doing business and seeing a few friends.

            Carl’s and Chris’ families and we all had Thanksgiving dinner at our house and we went to Carl’s for Chanukkah.  Altogether it has been quite a year!

            We really enjoy cards from our friends in Detroit.  Sorry we didn’t see all of you when we stopped in Detroit, but we weren’t there on a Sunday.  We moved 18 months ago.  Fortunately Chris lives at our former address and delivered your card to us.  Our new address is 6391 E. Printer Udell, Tucson, AZ 85710.  You may also e-mail us at  donardth@umich.edu             

            We wish you a joyous holiday season and a great New Year”.

 

Also from….

 

Laurin Foxworth and Lewis Thompson

“Thanks to everyone who signed the Happy Holiday card to us.  Receiving it was a very pleasant surprise.  Many of you we have not kept in contact with throughout the year, so it was doubly good to see your signature and remember you fondly.  We seem to have lost our FUUC member directory, which doesn’t help when it comes to writing letters and cards.

In a few words, we are both doing fine and loving Colorado life.  The weather, the friendly people, the architecture – all are profoundly beautiful.  We are so completely integrated into the life of our new church home.  First Unitarian Church of Denver, an urban church less than a mile from our apartment, that we are asked almost monthly to join this or that committee.  It feels very much like home.  Right now, we both are Head Ushers and Lewis is Chair of the Interweave chapter and a member of the brand-new Mission/Vision Committee.  We have a new minister, Mike Morran, up from High Plains Church, UU, Colorado Springs.  We’re very much liking what we’ve seen and heard from him so far.

Would love to receive UU visitors if any of you ever get out this way.  The accommodations are quite comfortable, as Dan & Lilly Secrest and Aydin Adcasu can attest.  Here is our address and phone number…2030 E. 11^th Ave. #1302, Denver, CO 80206   303-377-3102

May 2003 be a great one for all of you!  Much love and affection,  Laurin and Lewis

           

UUSC Announces Two New Workcamps for Spring 2003:

In cooperation with the La Jolla Native American Reservation, UUSC is returning to San Diego County for an Alternative Spring Break workcamp to be held March 9-15. Striving to advance human rights for Native Americans through education, action and advocacy, volunteers will work with Luiseño Native American youth to build bridges across cultural divides. 

UUSC has also teamed with BorderLinks, an Arizona-based nonprofit organization, to offer the On the Border Workcamp for Adults, being held May 1-4 along the Arizona/Mexico border. Through workshops, service work and local trips, volunteers will gain an understanding of the unique issues that face those who live along the border. Specific topics include discrimination issues, immigration, and civil

rights.  For more information contact the UUSC.

  

To Members of my UU Family

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your loving concern and communications with me during my two resent hospitalizations for knee replacement and then ulcers.  The second one was totally unexpected and harder to deal with, but it helped a lot knowing my friends were wishing me well. Thanks again.  Your love is reciprocated.

Affectionately, Lee Thume

Celebration Fund Started

We are happy to announce the beginning of our Celebration Fund peogram. The program gives each of us an opportunity to celebrate special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, use your imagination) and special people with a special contribution to First U-U. Funds can be identified for particular needs or the general programs of the Church. The form below can be used for that purpose. The celebration fund has been initiated with contributions by Board members in celebration of our hall of fame inductees.

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First Unitarian-Universalist Celebration Fund

Enclosed is my Celebration Fund contribution to celebrate _____________________________________________________________ for (check one)


|__| The ongoing Support of First U-U.

|__| _________________________________________ if possible.

|__| _________________________________________ or else please refund.



__________________________________________
Contributor.

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