By John Hartman On Oct. 16, WUUC celebrated the completion of the Vote Forward, Get Out the Vote letter-writing initiative.
Over the last 7½ months, 42 WUUC letter writers wrote a total of 5,405 letters. The letters are targeted to registered voters in Texas and Nevada who are infrequent voters. The letters were mailed on Oct. 16, with hopes that they reach the hearts of these voters and they help to make a difference in voter turnout this year.
We had a brief, socially distanced, gathering outside WUUC to celebrate the success of the project and award prizes to the top letter writers.
The top three letter writers received Ruth Bader Ginsburg bobblehead dolls:
Top letter writers include, from left, Lou Anne Maxwell, Jane Mathewson and Jan Anderson.
Lou Anne Maxwell – who wrote 500 letters.
Jane Mathewson – who wrote 420 letters.
Jan Anderson – who wrote 400 letters.
Everyone who wrote at least 200 letters received a “Let People Vote” pin:
Displaying their “Let People Vote” pins are, from left, Janice Anthony, Marilyn Schmitt and Grace Simons.
Janice Anthony – who wrote 370 letters
Marilyn Schmitt – who wrote 350 letters
Hilarie Cash – who wrote 320 letters
Grace Simons – who wrote 220 letters
Stephana Ditzler – who wrote 200 letters
John Hilke – who wrote 200 letters.
Stephana Ditzler and John Hilke each wrote 200 letters, while John Hartman coordinated the entire effort.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this project. I am so grateful this resonated with so many people in WUUC.
Our new settled minister Dan Lillie will be co-ordained by
Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church and First Unitarian Church of
Albuquerque on Sunday, October 4.
The act of ordination happens just once for a minister. It
is the moment when a congregation (or sometimes more than one!) affirms a
minister’s call to a lifetime of service to the living tradition of Unitarian
Universalism.
Please attend this special (entirely virtual) ceremony to
show your support and be part of the celebration!
“Without music life would be a mistake. – Friedrich Nietzsch
From the UUA web: “Music
and singing are integral parts of our Unitarian Universalist (UU) worship
services……music shifts the energy of worship and moves it into our bodies.”
By Donna Johnson At our recent Worship Team retreat we spent time with WUUC’s music leaders – Matt Smith (Choir Director), Terry Levitt (Accompanist Plus), and Brad Hull (Special Music Coordinator). WUUC has been very lucky to have these three in place during our many months of Zoom services. They brought amazing renditions of choral pieces, hymns, musical responses, and special music into our homes each Sunday, and they have plans for more ways to use music to “shift the energy of worship” at WUUC in the coming months.
Matt, Terry, and Brad don’t make music all alone. They collaborate with many members of our WUUC community. These members give the gifts of their voices and musical talents when they volunteer to sing in the choir or to create “special music” for our services.
If you have been
thinking about joining the choir or sharing your instrumental and/or vocal musical
talents with us this is the time to step up!
Choir meets each
Thursday evening over zoom. For more information, contact Matt Smith at choirdirector@wuuc.org.
Special musical pieces are used in services most weeks at WUUC. For more information or to volunteer, contact Brad Hull at bkhull@gmail.com.
As we move into October and our Soul Matters theme of Deep Listening, I am reflecting on how important it is to listen to the call within our own hearts, to periodically take time to reflect on our lives and discern the next best steps on our path. Each of our journeys is unique and we are the only ones who can determine how we want to exist in the world.
With that in mind, we are offering two different programs within our senior youth group this year. The 9-11 graders will have the opportunity to participate in the Coming of Age program throughout the year. Coming of Age (COA) is a first step in developing a lifelong skill of discernment about what it means to live a life of faith, individually and as part of the larger Unitarian Universalist (UU) faith community.
The senior class, most of whom completed Coming of Age when they were younger, will meet once a month to discuss the issues and learn skills to help them transition into young adulthood. There are many decisions to make as one moves from adolescence into adulthood, and it is more important than ever for youth to revisit their individual values, and how to live those values in the world.
I invite you to
support our youth in whatever ways you are able this year as they all do the
challenging work of personal discernment and development. Keep them in
your thoughts and prayers, volunteer to be a Coming of Age mentor, participate
in social justice activities with them, send cards or notes, listen to them
when they speak or share, or maybe you have some other ideas!
