A Taste of Soul

These two meetings, called A Taste of Soul, will provide a sample experience of a Chalice Circle meeting. They will be held on Sundays, August 4th and 11th at 12:30 p.m. after services. Each meeting will run for about 60-75 minutes and lunch will be provided.

To ensure we have enough food and materials, please be sure to register for the Sunday, August 4th meeting or you can sign up for the Sunday, August 11th meeting when registration opens on Wednesday, July 24th.

Dear Climate Justice Champion,

Green Sanctuary Ministry (GSM) is blessed to announce New leadership, new Co-Chairs are (GSM) Members Bob and Victoria Hendricks.

 Beki & Richard Halpin and Rev. Chris say “Welcome, Victoria & Bob, Thank you for the generosity of your Time, Talent and Treasure to this critical planet saving/ life saving work.”

Bob and Victoria are seasoned Planet Champions. They are leaders in  reclaiming our livable climate with the Sierra Club, Citizen’s Climate Lobby (CCL) and other partners. Their expertise, passion and inclusiveness invite all of us to participate in creating a livable, thrivable, future.

Join us in welcoming Bob & Victoria, if your available, let them know you will attend the next Climate Crises/Solutions meeting Tuesday, August 6th at 6:30 p.m. for potluck and 7 p.m. for meeting. in Howson Hall or by Zoom.  green@austinuu.org 

Here is a list of current- 7/1/’24, Green Sanctuary Ministry (GSM) projects, supported activities and resources. The new GSM leadership will have their own priorities, I’m sure climate restoration will be at the top. 

We’ve done a lot of work together, Dear Planet Champion. Work we are doing & Resources are here for you. 

Make a difference actions:  

A hands-on fun meeting to act on Fossil fuels, plastics and other critical Climate issues. The first Tuesday of the month GSM hosts the Sierra Club with Bob & Victoria Hendricks, Climate Crises/Solutions Meeting. in Howson Hall. 6:30 PM potluck, 7 Mtg. begins. Good Company * things get done.

Sign up now for Border trips, UU the Vote, and more!

This August, join the Texas UU Justice Ministry and our interfaith partner Texas Impact, in a timely and important border witness trip, one scheduled especially for Houston-area UUs (August 11-14, 2024) and another open to all Texas UUs (August 18-21, 2024). The trips include time in Harlingen, Brownsville, McAllen, and Matamoros (Mexico) witnessing at immigration court, observation at border wall and of Border Patrol, meeting with migrants and local humanitarian groups, community building among fellow UUs and partners, planning for how to share and act on your “courts and ports” witness effectively back home, and more.  Passport required.

UU THE VOTE: TXUUJM is also your source for Texas UU the Vote efforts this election year! Follow our Facebook and Instagram, and Sign up for TXUUJM emails to get the latest news and actions. [Please note: TXUUJM is closed for study leave and rest in July.]

The Monthly Service Offering for July is the Online Abortion Resource Squad (OARS). This trained volunteer group moderates the r/abortion community forum within the Reddit social media website. They oversee what is essentially a peer-based counseling service, where users offer non-stigmatized, accurate information on making decisions regarding accidental pregnancies and safe abortion care.  90,000 individuals visit r/abortion every month. This public forum is a critical resource for the people most impacted by restrictive laws and barriers to access.  These volunteers run the site 24×7, every day of the year, providing high quality information, navigation, and emotional support to folks at all stages of the abortion journey. For more information on OARS and how they operate, please visit oarsquad.org.

While Unitarian Universalism comes out of Christianity, many of us have–at best–mixed experiences with the Christian bible. Whether you are bible-curious or concerned about what’s in there, this workshop is for you.

Join UU seminary student AJ Juraska on Sunday, July 14th from 1-3pm in Room 17 to learn tools for understanding the bible from an academic/historical perspective, rather than a “literal” one. You’ll walk away not only knowing more ways to investigate this commonly referenced text, but also feeling more confident in how to approach the Christian bible on your own terms.

Denominational Connections

The UUA General Assembly was held from June 20 – 23. GA is the annual gathering where UUs gather to worship, celebrate, and make decisions.  This year GA was completely virtual.  

At this year’s General Assembly delegates debated revising Article II of the UUA bylaws, which outlines our UU values and sources.  The revision passed with a strong 80.2% positive vote.  Delegates also adopted a business resolution “Embracing Transgender, Nonbinary, Intersex and Gender Diverse People is a Fundamental Expression of UU Religious Values.”  Three Actions of Immediate Witnesses were approved, addressing climate change, support for Palestinians, and responses to epidemics.  

More information is available on the Article II revision and the three Actions of Immediate Witness.

For 2025, General Assembly will be held in Baltimore, MD, and virtually. Contact David Overton at denom@austinuu.org if you would like more information about General Assembly.  

Hi Earth Ship Partners,

If you know Seniors who are vulnerable to these Historic Heat levels there are lots of resources presented in last week’s newsletter.   Go there and check them out. Lots of ways to help Seniors.

and

“Women leading on climate, senior citizens at risk, and more climate voices to follow

Last week, my newsletter focused on the risks of extreme heat around the world, and how to stay safe: but I could write about this every week. The US National Weather Service just introduced a new Heat Risk forecast map showing where people will face dangerous levels of heat. The entire southern US, from California to Florida, is baking in yet another early-season heatwave, with Phoenix, AZ setting a new daily high of 112F (44C) last Thursday.

I also mentioned last week how heat disproportionately affects elderly people—and this new article goes into depth on exactly why that is.” more @ talkingclimatenewsletter@outlook.com

and

Hello! Wouldn’t it be cool if the world’s wealthiest companies — you know, the ones worth trillions of dollars — paid the bill for the shiny new technologies needed to achieve 24/7 clean power? Sigh. What a nice, idealistic dream. hello@canarymedia.com

Important Announcements:

Talks are underway with Austin Energy (AE) to replace AE’s proposed fossil fuel new gas plant with a renewables-based community plan. We will keep you posted. Come to or zoom into the next Climate Crises/solutions meeting @church.

July 2, 6:30-8PM, Next Climate Crises/Solutions mtg at Howson Hall. 6:30 potluck, 7 PM MTG. begins. Ping Bob for zoom link, roberthhendricks@aol.com, or join us in person.

The Unitarian Universalist Church (UUA) is about to take up the Climate Crisis with real actions at a grassroots level, here at our church, churches across the USA, and at the National office. The plan is already put together. Trainings are beginning now. Go to : https://www.uuclimatejustice.org/sponsorship and FAQ’s here.  Let Chris know you want to help out chris.jimmerson@austinuu.org

As previously mentioned, after 15 years as Green Sanctuary Ministry (GSM) Co-Chairs, Beki and I are retiring. If you are interested in Chairing Green Sanctuary Ministry and or managing the upcoming Climate Revival (much of the work is scripted to make it easy) Please let Chris know you’re interested.
It is a blessing to work with all of you on this Environmental Justice initiative to save our Home Planet.

Big THANKS to all Inside Books donors. The Spanish/English dictionaries were lifesavers!

Beki & Richard Halpin, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Green Sanctuary Ministry
green@austinuu.org.

Hello all Earth Ship travelers,

1.  Decide that our new Climate Protection and Generation Plan will be the fossil free community plan vs. AE’s plan that includes a new gas plant. Come August we will need to begin actions for September votes.
2. Closing, cleaning up and replacing the deadly generation at the Fayette Power Plant (FPP). Actions on this will pick up again in late Summer/ early Fall. View this Harvard study on how coal power.

Meeting Dates:

Unwound Sound presents a multimedia evening by cutting-edge composers Anuj Bhutani (Los Angeles) and Albert Yeh (San Francisco). The program features Bhutani’s performance of his electronic song cycle manu whilst Yeh evokes cinematic sonics from his innovative Motors/Pulses album. The composers will also join forces on a collaborative work with Unwound Sound artistic director, Brent Baldwin.

A freewill offering will be gratefully accepted, the proceeds of which will support the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry. TUUJM works to bend Texas toward justice  and equity for all.

About Our Guests:

ANUJ BHUTANI is an emerging composer/performer who crafts genre-fluid music with narrative depth. Since 2020, he has won an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, Chamber Music America’s Classical Commissioning Grant, 1st Prize in Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble’s Emerging Composer Competition, and Verdigris Ensemble’s ION Composer Competition. Bhutani has been selected for the American Composer’s Orchestra’s Earshot, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and residencies at Avaloch Farm Music Institute and Atlantic Center for the Arts (twice). His music has been commissioned and performed by Ashley Bathgate, Metropolis Ensemble, and more. 
Anuj earned his master’s degree from University of Southern California and his bachelor’s from University of North Texas. His primary teachers have included Andrew Norman, Ted Hearne, Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), Joseph Klein, Andrew May, Sungji Hong, Drew Schnurr, and Bruce Broughton. 

ALBERT YEH is a performer and composer from San Francisco who makes experimental electronic music. His sonic palette combines diverse influences ranging from the Western musical canon, electronic/electroacoustic genres, and progressive rock. Albert’s solo work is currently focused on examining the intersection between musical procedures and processes, as well as the meeting points between emotional states and qualities. Albert is involved in various musical projects, including the experimental metal bands Lotus Thief, Forlesen, and Wreche, and the chamber music group Insight Chamber Players.

About the Presenter:
UNWOUND SOUND is a forward-reaching arts presenting organization and performing ensemble created by award-winning composer/director/multi-instrumentalist Brent Baldwin. U/S draws upon Baldwin’s extensive collaborative work across all artistic disciplines and genres, promoting a diverse roster of audacious artists while supporting progressive non-profit organizations in Central Texas. In February 2024, U/S performed its sold-out Indie Orchestra series in partnership with KUTX, Austin PBS, and the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.

Hi Earth, Air, Water, living Things Champions,

Below are few specific easy ways you can pitch in to save our breathable planet home. A positive excerpt from our just published FUUCA Congregant Study and more. 

1. Thank you for your generous books and money support to our books recycling and people’s minds rehabilitating Inside Books Project (IBP). You can bring your gently used book treasures to the gray IBP book bin under the table in the Welcoming Center. Or drop them off at Inside Books Project (IBP), 3106 E. 14 1/2 Street (white church on the NW corner of 14 1/2 and Airport Streets, (Book Donation Bin on East side of building). Austin, Texas 78702  https://insidebooksproject.org/donate

2. Our church membership Report on the 2023-24 Congregational Survey mentions specific areas where we could focus our energy to make more progress. I’ve excerpted text on two areas Congregants say we could do more. The whole survey is worth your time. 

‘Church leadership could do more to focus more energy and investment in dismantling a culture of white supremacy and caring for our earth. Both areas because of their high importance and middling progress. I believe that includes stopping and cleaning up the toxic waste dumped into our earth, air and water by oppressively needlessly burning fossil fuels. An example of this is replacing and rehabilitating our coal burning Fayette Power Plant/site. Austin owns a third of this poisoning plant that a recent Harvard and UT, Austin study says the poison waste is sickening and killing Texans. Check out these links: 

Hi Our Home Planet Champions,