Bearing Witness
Sunday, October 7 at 11 am in the Church Sanctuary
service conducted by Small Group Ministry
Chair Carol Ruley
Achieving our full potential as human beings
and as a community requires the committed
presence of others. Carol will talk about
how this presence exists in Small Group
Ministry by exploring the topic of bearing
witness.
The Unitarian Universalist mission statement
for the San Francisco congregation calls us
upon us to bear witness.
The practice of participating in bearing
witness can bring
one face to face with insights and
experiences that are deeply enriching but
not for the faint of heart.
Join in this exploration and honor this
tradition within our community by bearing
witness as fellow leaders in Small Group
Ministry Alison Rittger, Stan
Hartzell, and Michael Walker join
Carol on the Chancel.
California Politics: Post Partisan?
Forum Sunday 9:45 in the Martin Luther King Room
from Henry Kroll
David Holwerk, Sacramento Bee Editorial Page
Director, returns to The Forum and asks: "Are
we really in a new 'post-partisan' era, as
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggests?"
Informed by a lifetime in newspaper
journalism, his Southern heritage, and his
catbird seat in the capital city of the most
influential state and nation, David will
provide unique and informed insights on our
state's politics.
The program will start at 9:45. Come at 9:30
for conversation, coffee, and (for a slight
charge) a light breakfast.
Over 80 people attended the September 24
Forum and heard Reese Erlich discuss his
new book, The
Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy
and the Middle East crisis. We
congratulate Reese who was honored Tuesday
(October 2)
as the City Council of Oakland declared Reese
Erlich Day.
Ministerial Intern Talks to Senior Youth
Events for Families Start at 10 Sunday -- Classes at 11
from Betty Skwarek, Acting Director of Religious
Education
Ministerial Intern Jeremy Nickel (pictured)
will explore
"The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation
X", the sermon he delivered last week, with
the Senior Youth religious education
participants at 11 am in the Kincaid Room.
The Junior Youth will be attending the
Sanctuary Service as their week's learning
experience.
Other children will be investigating Small
Group Ministries in their classrooms, and the
pre-Sunday School art, music, and parents'
discussion will start at 10. The complete
schedule of Religious Education activities is
available online.
Families are invited to register their children
for religious education this year using the
green forms at the welcoming table, in the
church office, and in the classrooms. Within
the next couple of weeks everyone who has
registered will receive an invitation to join
a Yahoo group for religious education. This
is a second attempt; sadly the first one got
lost in the Ethernet somewhere! This will be
a moderated group and will only contain
information about religious education for
children and youth.
Several people have asked if we have enough
teachers -- the answer is "yes" and "no".
The yes part is that we have enough people to
call on to cover the classes. The no part is
that we need more volunteers so that the
people who are working in our
classrooms can have time off to attend
services. We also need people to volunteer to
prepare snacks. You do not need to be a
parent to do either. All you need to do is
volunteer by emailing
Betty Skwarek, and saying what you want
to do and when you are available.
New students are welcome throughout the year,
and parents are invited to phone Acting
Director of Religious Education Betty Skwarek
at 776-4580 for more information. If you are
curious about our programs, you may ask to be
included in the Yahoo group even if your
children aren't registered.
Bearing Witness, the Class
Register by Tuesday (October 9) for 6-Week Class
from Sr. Carmen Barsody
The
Faithful Fools, Rev. Dr. Kay
Jorgensen, and Sr. Carmen Barsody,
OSF are offering a course titled, Bearing
Witness, beginning on Tuesday, October 16th
for 6 weeks, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at 234
Hyde Street. Registration for this free
class closes Tuesday (October 9).
The course is open to all... so long as you
call the Fools to register at 474-0508.
Books used by learners will include
Bearing Witness by Bernie Glassman,
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, by Paolo
Freire, Longing for Running Water by
Ivone Gebara, and Dismantling
Privilege by Mary Elizabeth Hobgood.
The Faithful Fools seek to make compassion,
solidarity, and community, in the midst of
human struggle, a reality.
Good and Welfare
Healing thoughts
to Nancy Rose who had
reconstructive knee surgery on September 24.
She is making good progress, walking down
the hall with the aid of a walker. Although
the pain is still with her,
she is in good spirits and as feisty as ever.
Nancy would appreciate calls at 776-5991
or visits.
Art is Going, Going, Going...
from Liz Breger
The Group Show for Members and Friends of the
Unitarian Universalist Society of San
Francisco ends Sunday. Artists are requested
to pick up their work
and take it home after coffee hour. Look for
the Art Committee at a table in the Starr
King Room between 12:30 and 2.
Newcomers, Find Out More about Us!
Sunday at 12:30 in the Chapel
from Kristen Kekich
If you are new to this congregation or to
Unitarian Universalism, the Newcomer
Orientation program is made for you.
Newcomer Orientation is for non-members and
is particularly good for anyone who wants to
know a little more about us and Unitarian
Universalism in general.
During this quick program, we will briefly
share how each of us got to this place,
provide some basic background on Unitarian
Universalism and this particular congregation,
and watch a snappy video featuring Rev. Greg
Stewart and our community's 2007 Mother's Day
witnessing for peace.
Visitors are invited to drop in the Chapel.
No reservations are needed, but please call
the office at 776-4580 if you have any questions.
Welcoming the Wider Community
from The Reverend Gregory Stewart
The $300,000 Unitarian Universalist Bay Area
marketing campaign is in high gear.
Postcards were delivered last week to
selected ZIP codes. Today (October 4)
inserts will be included in home-delivered
Chronicles in targeted areas,
billboards are up in MUNI and BART, and ads
have aired
on Air America, KQED, The Daily Show, and
The Colbert Report.
The graphic at the top of this article is
being shown on the oversized TV screen at the
3 Dollar Bill Cafe in San Francisco's
Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Center.
Bay Area Parent will have invitations
to check out Unitarian Universalism as will
October editions of several San Francisco
neighborhood papers.
Tomorrow (October 5) the first national
Unitarian Universalist media campaign in over
50 years will begin. Look in Time
magazine for a full page ad which asks the
question, "Is God Keeping You Out of Church?"
Over 20,000,000 Americans read Time
each week!
The combined efforts to invite people to
check out our community will mean that some
new people will be coming to our congregation
to find out if Unitarian Universalism can
become their religious home. Join me in
welcoming them!
Buildings and Grounds Cleans Up
from David Jones, Building and Grounds Chair
photos by Sonnie Willis
Many helping hands cleared weeds and planted
iris and ground cover around the Starr King
sarcophagus at last Saturday's work party.
Thank you to Heather Boshears and
Otto O'Connor of Young Adults;
Scott Miller, our sprinkler guru;
gardeners Wayne Baker, Gloria
Brobeck, Ardeth Fortie, Liz
Breger, and Bill and Angie Wise;
Mike McGirr, who power washed the
front steps, Don Williams, who
prepared lunch for everyone, and to Building
Maintenance Manager Donald Johnson for
working on his day off!
[Editor's note: thanks, too to David
Jones, who brought in new soil and plants.]
"Mark your calendar now for Saturday, October
20, for the final fall work party!" says David.
