How About a Summer Vacation with 1000 other UUs?!

The annual Southeast Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute (SUUSI) draws about 1000 folks, infants to 90-year-olds, with all levels of energy and mobility, for a week of living our UU values at Western Carolina University. This year it will meet July 16-22.

SUUSI is like a summer camp for individuals and families with something for everyone: hiking, kayaking, music, worship, dancing, art, games, thoughtful discussions, meeting other UUs from everywhere, and coffee any time! Families can be together, yet independent as youth and teens have their own programming.

Check out the SUUSI website ( https://www.suusi.org ) and contact some of our Fellowship members who can tell you more about it: Joy and Keith Irwin, Margaret Bender, Riely Woosley, and Andrea Morrison.

Meditation Mindfulness Labyrinth Walk June 12

Special Event on June 12 from 11 am – 1 pm

All are welcome to join the Monday Mindfulness group at Trellis (101 Hospice Lane, WS) to walk the outdoor labyrinth. After turning onto Hospice Lane from Bolton, go past the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home and the palliative care building. Turn right and follow the parking lot until it ends. The labyrinth is directly behind the buildings.

Bring a bag lunch if you’d like to visit with Fellowship friends at one of the garden shelters near the labyrinth following the walk.

Questions? Email Caron at coordinator@uufws.org.

Pam Lepley

Important Message From Our DRE

Please help us show our children, youth, families, Religious Education teachers, and staff support and respect for their time and programming. We ask everyone to please refrain from entering classrooms during childcare and religious education classes unless you are teaching or parenting/caregiving. Interrupting classes for any non-emergency reason sends the message, albeit unintentionally, that Religious Education for children and youth is less important than adult programming and that children and youth are less valued.

If you or your group need the use of any room in the Fellowship building or any space on the grounds at any time – either on Sunday or during the week – please reserve that space in advance through the online Announcement Request Form (ARF).

Although it is frequently possible to find an ‘open’ spot to hold an impromptu meeting that cannot be depended upon, doing so has frequently created a conflict when another group subsequently arrives for their scheduled meeting.

Please check the calendar, submit your request through the ARF, and show your support by waiting until scheduled programming concludes before entering those spaces.

Respectfully,

Pam Lepley
Director of Lifespan Religious Education

Additional Parking

We now have a mulched path leading from the upper gravel parking area at the Clothes Closet down to the main parking lot near the front entrance. If you are able to walk the hill and path, please enter at the Clothes Closet driveway off Robinhood and park in the upper lot, leaving more parking spaces in the lower lots for visitors and those less able bodied. Thank you.

article 2

Updated Information: Article II of the UUA Bylaws

Please review this information from the Unitarian Universalist Association about how to suggest an amendment and engage in online discussion workshops about those amendment ideas for the proposed revisions to Article II of the UUA Bylaws.

Suggesting Amendment Ideas – April

Until April 30, 2023, any Unitarian Universalist may submit suggestions and ideas through an online form for ways they recommend modifying the Article II Study Commission proposal (PDF). Each suggestion or idea should describe specific language changes to the proposal, explain the reason, and be limited to a single section of the proposal. Individuals may submit multiple suggestions and ideas.

All qualifying suggestions will be posted for public chat discussion at discuss.uua.org. Suggestions must be received by April 30 in order to be posted.

Additionally, the UUA Board of Trustees will host public discussion workshops on May 11, 18 and 21, 2023, to review suggestions and ideas (details below). These rounds of public discussion will inform the way amendments are prioritized for discussion and voting at General Assembly.

Click here to submit your suggestions and ideas on the Article II proposal now!

NOTE: Submitting suggestions and ideas through this form is for the purpose of public discussion, and does NOT submit an amendment which could be voted on at General Assembly. Amendments eligible for voting must be separately submitted by delegates through the online delegate platform, which will be available when the GA final agenda is published. Delegate amendments which are based on suggestions or ideas which had been previously discussed through this process are more likely to be prioritized for discussion and voting at General Assembly.

Discussing Amendment Ideas – May

The Board (ModSquad) will host three amendment discussion workshops. These are open to anyone, and may include A2SC members. Workshops will discuss areas where multiple amendments have been submitted, to help proposers align with each other. People can also self-organize based on posted amendments.

The following workshops are open to all Unitarian Universalists. Whether or not you submit a suggestion or idea, we encourage you to join us for one or more of these workshops. Register below.

Amendment Discussion Workshop #1
Thursday, May 11, 2023
7pm ET / 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT
Register now for the May 11th workshop.

Amendment Discussion Workshop #2
Thursday, May 18, 2023
7pm ET / 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT
Register now for the May 18th workshop.

Amendment Discussion Workshop #3
Sunday, May 21, 2023
4pm ET / 3pm CT / 2pm MT / 1pm PT
Register now for the May 21st workshop.

 

Further information can be found at this link:
https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/article-ii-study-commission

The 2023 Women’s Retreat is On!

The 2023 Women’s Retreat is scheduled for August 18-20 at Laurel Ridge Retreat Center. This is a beautiful natural place and perfect for us to gather together towards summer’s end. The theme this year is “Loving the World, Ourselves, and Each Other,” inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem, My Work Is Loving the World.

This retreat is only open to Fellowship Members and Supporters who identify as women. There are limited spaces available. We expect the registration to fill quickly.

Cost is the same as last year- $200 for a shared room and $300 for a single. Partial or full scholarships are available. Email Elisabeth at womensretreat@uufws.org.

Click HERE to sign up.

If you have questions you may email Deborah at: womensretreat@uufws.org or call her (phone number in Breeze)

If you wish to serve on the planning committee please contact either Elisabeth Motsinger, Deb Strube or Bonnie Doerr.

 

Thank You For Your Pledge!

Thank you so much for sending in your pledges! We have currently raised $446,055 of our pledge goal of $468,722 and our overall budgeted income goal of $542,674 (includes rental income, endowment distribution, plate contributions, auction and other income).

If you have not yet done so, please submit your pledge TODAY! If you have the resources, we encourage you to increase your pledge by 15%.

If you have any questions you may address them to the Liz McEntee, Fellowship Administrator at administrator@uufws.org or to Ann Roberts, Stewardship Chair at stewardship@uufws.org. THANK YOU for supporting the Fellowship during this exciting time!

Find full details about our Annual Fund Drive here: https://uufws.org/annual-fund-drive-2023/

Thank you!
The Stewardship Committee

 

Breeze Directory Photo

Let us see your face!

Our new minister is coming soon – wouldn’t it be great to start them off with a PICTURE directory to help match up our names and faces?  For that, we need a current photo of you!

Does the online Breeze directory have your likeness – or just an avatar? Was your photo from pre-Covid and now you have white hair, or a beard, or have aged ten years?  Or maybe you look ten years younger? Have you forgotten to even post a photo?  It’s time to update.  Directions are below.

The Ministerial Search Committee will be presenting our new Minister with a picture directory of all of our Members and Supporters to help them get to know us better.  Plus, the Breeze directory is a great way to identify that person you met in the Foyer, find a phone number or email address, and even get directions!

CLICK HERE to review instructions for uploading pictures.

CLICK HERE for more information about your Breeze profile.

 

Questions? Email Caron at coordinator@uufws.org.

Now Accepting ONLY Summer Donations

Please do not donate winter items to the Clothes Closet as we are short on storage space at this time. We would appreciate GENTLY worn summer clothing only, no stains or holes. We still have a great need for boys sizes 5-16 and toddlers sizes 18-24 months. We also accept gently worn shoes! Donations can be left in the bin at the closet or at the designated area in the lobby of the Fellowship. Please let us know when a donation is left by calling 336-659-0331 or emailing clothescloset@uufws.org.

Deep Nature Explorers – Monthly Outings

We each experience Nature in our own ways. While we easily know where our physical bodies are when in nature, what happens to our minds and spirits? How are our senses aroused? Do you think our interactions with nature have an impact on our day-to-day living and how we relate to ourselves, with others, and with the planet?

The intention of Deep Nature Explorers is to encourage people to delve into these questions using deep observation methods while interacting with nature. Jae Furman, a state and national park interpretive guide, will lead you through beautiful settings in the Blue Ridge Mountains, giving you cues to help you deepen your experience. In addition, there will be a 30-minute immersion stop somewhere intriguing, where you are welcome to sit with your journals, explore with your cameras, or otherwise enjoy in your own way.

These walks will be offered monthly and the location will change each time so you can experience a variety of habitats. The outings will usually be three to six miles and offered within a 30-60 minute drive of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although the walks are free, they are limited to 10 participants. Advance registration is required. For more information and to register, visit https://sweetmountainways.wixsite.com/visit/explore