9:30a and 11:15a Sunday Services ^“When Standing Counts”  Rev. Jeanne Pupke   Massive Resistance was Virginia’s effort to stop school integration after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Brown vs. the Board of Education. Our Sermon examines the response of congregation during troubled times.

The Nursery is open 9:15-12:30 for ages infant to three years.  Children are warmly greeted by a nurturing staff, and engaged in gentle play.

9:30 Classes:

Pre-K:  Story:  The Rooster Who Learned to Crow.   Little Rooster is growing up and needs to find his voice.  All his friends try to teach him using their voices. Ultimately, Rooster listens to his inner voice, and crows only as he can.

Gr. 1-3:  Session Title:  Friends and Enemies:  Students will explore the meaning of ‘friend’ and ‘enemy’ and enlarge awareness of these concepts.  They will discuss how it feels to be a friend, have a friend, to be an enemy, and to have an enemy.

Gr. 4-6:  Topic:  Teachers and Learners:  Students will focus on Principle 4—A Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning.

11:15 Classes

Pre-K:  Story:  The Rooster Who Learned to Crow.   Little Rooster is growing up and needs to find his voice.  All his friends try to teach him using their voices. Ultimately, Rooster listens to his inner voice and crows only as he can.

Gr. 1-3:  Session Title:  Friends and Enemies:  Students will explore the meaning of ‘friend’ and ‘enemy’ and enlarge awareness of these concepts.  They will discuss how it feels to be a friend, have a friend, to be an enemy, and to have an enemy.

Gr. 4-5:  Topic:  Teachers and Learners:  Students will focus on Principle 4—A Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning.

Gr. 6-7:  Topic:  Earth Awareness (Principle 7):  The goal is for students to become more aware and appreciative of the variety of things that share our environment; to consider what life is and what its requirements are. 

Gr. 8-9:  Topic:  Our Whole Lives: Sexuality and Our Faith.  Class is in session from 11-12:30.

Gr. 10-12: Topic:  Our Whole Lives: Sexuality and Our Faith.  Class is in session 11-12:30.

9:15a – 1:00p: Please turn in your pledge form by March 31.  Our ability to budget for next year depends on your response. Pledge forms may be found in your mail, at church or in the Members’ section of the website. In addition to your gift amount, please fill in your giving level.  If everyone gives at the Supporter level or higher (as shown on the Fair Share Giving Guide), we will be sure to meet our goal!  MANY THANKS if you’ve already pledged for the 2010-11 church year.

10:30a and 12:30p: Deadline for Spring Fling donation form a week away

Deadline for donations forms for Spring Fling, the Auction Thing is a little more than a week away. You’re in one of three categories:

1–You’ve thought through and carried through on your donation to the auction and we thank you. Or, (2) you’re still thinking (may we suggest gently that the form is on the UU web site under “Care” and you can either email it in or mail it in or drop it at the church? Forms are also available at the auction table on Sunday morning. Just don’t forget us.) Or, (3) you’ve decided that you’re not going to participate in the donation phase this year. All of those are OK except the forgetting one. If you want to participate, we really want you to, but we also have a printer’s deadline to meet.

And, of course, there are other opportunities to help. We need scads of volunteers the weekend of the event, April 24. These folks will help with set-up, display, computers, and food/drink. They all require willing hands and happy faces. Come join us. We’d love to have you.

And we’re happy to provide child care if you let us know your specific needs.

March 28: Deadline for donation forms

April 24:  Spring Fling, the Auction Thing

Come join us for Wednesdays Together. Vespers is a shorter, contemplative service, and the Simple Supper is provided by church members (vegetarian-friendly).  Child care is provided for these activities.

5:30 (Vespers): “Carrying Two Monkeys” – Rhonda Hodder

6:00: Simple Supper (donations appreciated)

6:30: Adult Religious Education Class: “Ethical Eating,”  Wednesdays, March 24- April 14

Fee: $20   Instructor:  Kate Ruby   Register by emailing Rhonda@richmonduu.org, calling 355-0777, or visiting the Religious Education table in the Middle Studio. Fees are due the first night of class.

Please turn in your form by March 31.  Our ability to budget for next year depends on your response. Pledge forms may be found in your mail, at church or in the Members’ section of the website. In addition to your gift amount, please fill in your giving level.  If everyone gives at the Supporter level or higher (as shown on the Fair Share Giving Guide), we will be sure to meet our goal!  MANY THANKS if you’ve already pledged for the 2010-11 church year.

First UU FUUN Night and Potluck is Saturday, Mar. 20 from 6-8pm.  Join in the fun and frivolity for all ages!  Make and sail paper airplanes, build a terrarium, create an old-fashioned toy, or begin seedlings for your home garden!  All the fun begins promptly at 6:00 with a Potluck dinner.

Deadline for donations forms for Spring Fling, the Auction Thing is a little more than a week away. You’re in one of three categories:

(1) You’ve thought through and carried through on your donation to the auction and we thank you. Or, (2) you’re still thinking (may we suggest gently that the form is on the UU web site under “Care” and you can either email it in or mail it in or drop it at the church? Forms are also available at the auction table on Sunday morning. Just don’t forget us.) Or, (3) you’ve decided that you’re not going to participate in the donation phase this year. All of those are OK except the forgetting one. If you want to participate, we really want you to, but we also have a printer’s deadline to meet.

And, of course, there are other opportunities to help. We need scads of volunteers the weekend of the event, April 24. These folks will help with set-up, display, computers, and food/drink. They all require willing hands and happy faces. Come join us. We’d love to have you.

And we’re happy to provide child care if you let us know your specific needs.

March 28: Deadline for donation forms

April 24:  Spring Fling, the Auction Thing

9:30a and 11:15a Sunday Services:  ^“The Human Journey” Youth-Led Service  (Multigenerational)

The Nursery is open 9:15-12:30 for ages infant to three years.  Children are warmly greeted by a nurturing staff, and engaged in gentle play.

Grades Pre-K through 9 are encouraged to attend the multigenerational service in the Great Hall with family and friends.  This is the annual youth service, with worship lead by students in Gr. 10-12. The sermon is named “The Human Journey,” but a very special theme runs through the entire service—and your children will thoroughly enjoy it.

Regularly scheduled religious education classes will be held again next week.

9:15a – 1:00p: Be sure to pledge by March 31! 

MANY THANKS if you’ve already pledged for the 2010-11 church year. Forty-two percent of pledges are in, and we’re at 44% of goal.  Please turn in your form by March 31 so that we may begin the budgeting process for next year. Pledge forms may be found in your mail, at church, or in the Members’ section of the website. In addition to your gift amount, please fill in your giving level.  If everyone gives at the Supporter level or higher (as shown on the Fair Share Giving Guide), we will be sure to meet our goal!

10:30a and 12:30p: As we approach mid-March, the excitement builds about the April 24 Spring Fling, the Auction Thing. Donation commitments are coming in and last year’s successful auction is being tweaked to make this year’s even more successful.

One of the most obvious changes: Doug Wall, a UU member from Fredericksburg will be our new auctioneer. Doug takes his job very seriously but doesn’t take himself very seriously at all. He’s fast, he’s efficient and he’s great fun. We think you’ll find that his enthusiasm fills a room.  He’s been doing the Fredericksburg church’s auction for years and has given us numerous helpful hints already. Combined with the food and drink that has proved popular in the past, “the show” and the deals to be had will make for a-not-to-be-missed evening. It promises to be a wonderful kick off to the many social gatherings that will be auctioned off.

The true success, of course, is in the contributions you volunteer. And the deadline for those contributions is March 28—which is one week closer than it was last week, in case you hadn’t noticed. The reason that deadline is important is that we really, really want your contribution in the catalogue that we mail to all church members so that they can study the goodies available prior to April 24. That’s why we need your contribution form by March 28. We want that catalogue to be as complete as possible. Categories are on the web site, as is the contribution form.

Auction: April 24

Deadline for contribution forms: March 28

Come join us for Wednesdays Together. Vespers is a shorter, contemplative service, and the Simple Supper is provided by church members (vegetarian-friendly).  Child care is provided for these activities.

5:30 (Vespers): “Driving Out the Snakes” – Rev. Jeanne Pupke

6:00: Simple Supper (donations appreciated)

6:30: Adult Religious Education Class  “Drawing as Meditation”

March 12, 7:00p: Second Friday Films presents “Food, Inc.“, a documentary exposé on the food industry. Find out about the corporations that are supposed to ensure the safety of the food you eat.

March 16, 7:00p: Film screening of “Fresh.” This is the kick-off of our newest Adult Religious Education class “Ethical Eating:  Food and Environmental Justice.” This class will be an exploration of the hidden ways our food choices impact our communities and our world.  Participants will have an opportunity to meet people involved in the local food movement as well as their critics.  The first session is a free, congregation-wide screening of the film “Fresh” on Tuesday, March 16, 7:00. The follow-up is a series of four classes.

Dates:  Wednesdays, March 24- April 14

Time:  6:30-7:30

Fee: $20      Instructor:  Kate Ruby 

Register by emailing Rhonda@richmonduu.org, calling 355-0777, or visiting the Religious Education table in the Middle Studio. Fees are due the first night of class.

On March 19-21, First UU is holding a Creating a Jubilee World anti-racism workshop right here at First UU. Facilitated by trainers from the Unitarian Universalist Association, this workshop is designed to help UU congregations dismantle racism by guiding participants to examine both personal and institutional racism, and by empowering them to develop a realistic plan that can move their congregations forward in working for racial justice. Participation is limited to 40 people, so register soon! The $30 fee includes all meals. For more information, stop by the Committee for Racial and Ethnic Unity (CREU) table between services (or email richmonduucreu@gmail.com).

Your Committee on Mission (COM) sent out the survey on your experience at First UU via email on February 17^th. You’ve had a few weeks to complete the survey and let us know how things are going at First UU. If you haven’t yet done so, please go online and take it. As always, there is room for comments and suggestions.

We have worked hard to make some changes we think you are going to like – making it shorter, for one. We value your input and will be having forums and discussions in the spring based on the results.

Let your voice be heard and look for your survey! If you haven’t taken the survey yet, click here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/firstuu2010