Please complete the Ministerial Search Survey and return it at the Kickoff Party on August 20th 7 P.M. at the church.

Collection Boxes will be placed in the church as well, after the kickoff party.

At the beginning of each church year (typically in late August), members and friends of UUCG are invited to participate in Dinner Groups.  Information is gathered, hosts are selected for each of the four Dinner Group evenings, and guests are matched with hosts.

The last parties of the 2009-2010 season were held in March, 2010. The first party of the 2010 - 2011 season will be held in the fall of 2010.  If you wonder what Dinner Groups are all about, check out two group articles that are on uucg.org.

• Frequently Asked Questions About UUCG Dinner Groups
• Busting the Myths - Excuses for Not Participating in Dinner Groups

If you are interested in participating in the 2010-2011 season, you will need to submit the following information:

• Name(s)
• Address
• Phone number(s)
• Email address
• Allergies you have to animals or foods
• Animals that live at your house

This information will need to be submitted via email or online to June Warfield ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) between August 16, 2010 and August 31, 2010.  In early September, June will distribute the schedule for the season.  She will also send an email reminder one or two weeks before each set of dinner parties.

The UUCG monthly potluck on second Sundays continues in the summer.  All are welcome.  Please bring food to share. 

One of the finest books I have read since the year 2000 is A Hidden Wholeness, by Parker J. Palmer.  That book will form the basis for a book discussion group to be held at UUCG during Wednesdays with Friends on the following dates: September 8 and 22, and October 6, 13, and 20.  The purpose of offering this book is that it fits so well the principles that were adopted as the core ethic of the Covenant of Right Relations.  That core message – the ‘spiritual center’ - is that UUCG seeks to ‘maintain a community of love through trust, compassion and inquiry.’  Frankly, I know of no better book that articulates the values and practices for creating safe space for cultivating authentic, caring, and mutually empowering human relations.  There’s a lot ‘out there,’ but this I find is the best.
 
I am excited about this upcoming program and I want to provide plenty of time for you to preregister for this course, and for those interested to purchase a copy of the book through the UUCG web site portal to Amazon  I will limit the group to twelve people.
 
Just because I found this book engaging, may not mean that it will work for your temperament and interests.  This is not a book intended to stimulate you intellectually or politically, though it is both intellectually and politically very relevant.  Neither is its purpose meant to prompt strong opinions around which we can have a good debate.  It is not ‘issue-oriented.’  It is spiritually grounded in a set of well tested group practices that provide safety for the human soul to emerge and be given voice in a small group setting.
 
The primary practice is that of learning how to create and maintain ‘circles of trust.’  This may sound like the UUCG Chalice Circles that have existed, and still exist in one or two cases.  Circles of trust are similar to Chalice Circles, but they differ in a number of ways. Probably the biggest difference is that circles of trust are not focused on a designated topic or theme each time the circle gathers.  The emphasis is not on opinions or ideas, though sometimes themes help frame the experience.  The focus is on ‘holding the space’ so that each person present feels the safety, if he or she chooses, to express his/her soul’s yearnings.  This, as you might expect, makes circles of trust rare indeed.
 
The book discussion group will evolve toward becoming a circle of trust as the learning and conversations proceed.  After the course, it may be that UUCG will move toward having one or more circles of trust.  That is yet to be determined by the participants and to see if any of them actually want to serve as facilitators in creating a circle of trust based on the guidelines given through Palmer’s book.
 
If this intrigues you or has your interest piqued, please feel free to chat with me, or email me; and be sure to place your name on the sign up sheet.  The course registration will be on a first come, first served basis.  This fall is the only time I will lead this book discussion group at UUCG.
 
If you are really curious, and want to learn more, check out the reviews at Amazon.com.
You will see why I think this teacher and his book are so important.
 

Rev. Roy

Do you have some great shots from a service, a party, or a special ceremony?  The Ministeral Search Comittee is looking for fabulous images of our beautiful congregation doing all the things we do best...build, gather, laugh, hug, teach, learn, cook, eat, clean, sing, drum, strum, dance, rest, and everything in between.  Please contact anyone on the search team if you have shots to share.  Thanks for your help!

On Saturday, September 11th, the First Annual Georgia UU Social Justice Conference will take place at High Street Church in Macon.  UUs from three different districts will converge on Macon from 10A - 5P to learn from each others' experience, share the lessons we've learned from our work, and discern ways in which we can work together in the future to maximize our impact in the public arena.Registration is only $25.  Our program will include an opening worship service, led by Reverend Rhett Baird, a keynote speech by Ana Garcia Ashley, breakout sessions on:  GLBT issues, the environment, congregation-based community organizing, immigration and racial and ethnic concerns. At the conclusion of the day, we will reconvene to share what we have learned and make plans for the future.

First Annual Georgia UU Social Justice Conference
High Street Church
Macon, GA
Saturday, September 11th, 2010
10A - 5P
 
You are all welcome to attend.  You can check out the event information online or you call me with any questions you may have.