Wednesday, April 19 through Saturday, April 22!

2023 Auction - Coming Soon!!

Mark your calendars, the Spring Auction is almost here! 

This year, we’re offering a curated list of items with a focus on gourmet meals, gift cards and certificates, and events. The auction will be entirely virtual this year starting on Wednesday, April 19 until Saturday, April 22 at 11:59 pm. If you have any items or event suggestions you would like to donate, please let Nathan Boone or Marlies Grogg know by Thursday, April 13.

We’ll be using Auctria.com again to host our auction this year. A special email will be sent out before the auction starts, allowing you to register and view items. If you have trouble registering or navigating the website, please contact either Nathan Boone or Marlies Grogg. They will be in the office all day Wednesday, April 19 when the auction goes live!

And  after the auction is complete we will then gather to celebrate with a night of Bingo, Barbeque, and Beer (aptly named the BBB) on Friday, May 12, 2023. More details to come in the following weeks. 

Here’s to making this another successful auction! Let’s finish the church year strong and we look forward to seeing you at the BBB Party!

Sunday, April 16 - 11:00 am

"So Many Sunflowers: On Reckoning and Remembrance"

Join us in person or watch on YouTube (not Zoom).

On this Sunday before Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) and the anniversary of the Murrah Building Bombing, we consider the sacred responsibility of remembering and we wonder if and how repair can ever be possible.

Service Leader: Rev. Diana K. Davies, Lead Minister; Time for All Ages: Tim Atkins, Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration; Worship Associate: Susan Bishop; Music: Dianne Broyles and Wendy Pitt;  Technical Support:  Faith Nagel

Upcoming Sunday Morning Services - 11:00 am

April

April 23 - Honoring Earth Day

April 30 - "The Wonder of Nature"  [Note: this service will take place off-site, at Will Rogers Park, to avoid marathon traffic around the church]

May

May 7 - "Why Is the World So Beautiful: 100 Years of Flower Ceremony"

May 14 - Coming of Age

May 21 - Bridging

May 28- "Singing the Body Electric: On Spirit"

Sunday, April 16, 9:30 am - Meeting Room

New Friend Gathering

Join our Congregational Coordinator Nathan for a New Friend Gathering on Sunday, April 16 at 9:30 am. Enter through the sanctuary doors. If you are new to the church or wanting to know more information, this is the introduction for you!

Sunday, April 16 - 10:00 am

Sunday Morning Meditation (In-Person)

Please join us for meditation practice in the Buddhist tradition (lower level, next to Corley Commons).

All are welcome; no meditation experience necessary!

For more information contact Lori Jervis.

Sunday, Sunday, April 16 - 10:00 am

Adult Ed in the Eddy Room

Each week there are two options for 10:00 am Adult Ed:

• Our meditation group that meets downstairs in the Corley Commons - Meditation Room
• Our main Forum like programming will take place in  Daniel Hall every  Sunday at 10:00am (except the 3rd Sunday of the month it will be in Daniel Hall) and the topic will change each week. 

This Sunday - Open Discussion

Sunday, April 16, 1:30 pm - RSVP by Friday, April 14

Death Cafe

At a Death Cafe, people drink tea, eat cake, and discuss death. Our aim is to increase awareness of death to help people make the most of their (finite) lives. A Death Cafe is a group-directed discussion, not a grief support or counseling session. It is offered in an accessible, respectful, and confidential space, with no intention of leading people to any conclusion or course of action. And there's cake! All are welcome! Please feel free to invite friends and family.

To ensure enough tea and (vegan) cake, please RSVP by Friday, April 14.

RSVP to Rev. Diana (ddavies@1uc.org)

Monday, April 17 - 9:00 am

Closet Clean Out

The Alliance will be meeting on Monday April 17, 2023, at 9:00 am - at the church to clean out the Alliance closet in the lower level (basement) of the church.

Bring your favorite drink and I will supply donut holes and fruit to get us started. We plan on straightening out the closet which contains holiday decorations, Alliance memorabilia, tablecloths, decor and other collected items. Hopefully we can get rid of items that are no longer needed by donating them to another organization or throwing them away. We will be finished by noon so we can go out for lunch. Please let Lu Ann Faulkner-Schneider for more information.

Coming Soon - Sunday, May 7 - 12:00 pm

Plant Sale!

Sunday, May 7, will be the Gardening Covenant Group’s annual plant sale on the front lawn after church. More information will be published later, but we wanted to make you aware that it will be coming. If you have plants to donate to the sale, please inform Barbara Gallivan, bgallivan@cox.net.

2023 Article II Idea Submission Form

At General Assembly (GA) 2023, Unitarian Universalists will take an initial vote on proposed changes to Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bylaws, which includes the current UUA purposes, principles, sources, and clauses on inclusion and freedom of belief. Please use this link to submit any suggested edits that you may have to the current draft of Article II Study Commission's proposal (there is a link to the proposed draft in the form): https://form.jotform.com/UUA/A2Ideas. Suggested edits must be submitted by Sunday, April 30th.

Seeking disabled contributors, authors, and storytellers!

We invite you to contribute your story of lived experience of disability in a UU congregation.

Nothing about Us without Us! That is the rallying cry of the Disability Rights Movement and one we intend to honor.

We are working with Skinner House to publish a book on the lived experience of disability in congregations. We are seeking authors, named or anonymous, who would be willing to share their authentic story. If chosen, these candidates will receive an honorarium. We want the book to have a strong intersectional framework, so we are looking for stories in which authors bring their whole selves. We welcome you to reflect on how your other identities are part of your experience as a disabled person in a UU community. This book is meant to give insight into how disabled people worship and experience life in their congregations; how disability impacts a person’s faith, spiritual identity, and showing up with your authentic self. It will show the gifts that disabled people can bring to their congregations. It is also a book on moving from the Disability Rights Movement to the Disability Justice Movement. Please let us know if you would be able to write your story or be interviewed.

We hope that this message is viewed far and wide and realize that we may need additional permissions. If you are under 18, or sharing with someone under 18, we welcome your story! AND we ask that you let us know, so we may obtain the proper permissions.

To view or share this message online, visit  here!

A rough draft of your submission is due on May 15, 2023.

Rev. Barbara Meyers

Shelly Rohe

Please send your submission to uudisabilitybook@gmail.com

Thank you!

Barbara Meyers

June 5th through June 9th

SAVE THE DATE for Chalice Camp!

Every year in early June, we host a week long day camp called "Chalice Camp" that's been going for almost fifty years.

The dates for this years Chalice Camp will be June 5 through June 9! Mark your calendars!

Tuesday, April 18 - 11:00 am

Tuesday Ad Education Discussion Group

Chris Lopez will facilitate next Tuesday's discussion:

https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_widmaier_the_future_of_fashion_made_from_mushrooms

Watch the videos and then join us for a discussion.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/88013726474?pwd=akFrSUM1aVFJSGxWWU51WGRZVzUwZz09

Meeting ID: 880 1372 6474
Passcode: e9uCD3

If you would like to lead the discussion on a future Tuesday, please let Ron Wasson wassonr@sbcglobal.net know if you'd like to present.

Current Safety Level: Masks Are Encouraged

Masks are optional at all church events but are always welcome and encouraged.

• If you choose not to wear a mask, it is especially important that you do not attend services or events if you have any symptoms typical of COVID, flu, or RSV. Please stay home and join us online.
• Please continue to wash your hands frequently. And please be sure to throw away used tissues. Don't leave them in the pews.
• No one should ever be pressured into removing their mask. Please honor everyone's choice.
• If you haven't yet had your latest COVID booster please get it now!
  

Social Justice News!

We are seeing an unprecedented number of bills and actions taken against women and transgendered men and women in our state. Social Justice Council’s teams have worked hard this year and if you are interested and want to work towards equity and justice, please contact the facilitator for that team. Many hands make the work lighter, easier, and maybe even faster!

They are:

VOICE: Maureen Harvey

Racial Justice: Rebecca Schaller

Radical Welcoming: Lynn Ann Wagner

Change for Change: Deborah Shinn & Anne Murray

Reproductive Justice: Laura Lochner & Susan Bishop

FROM THE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

• On April 10^th the first day of Black Maternal Health Week  began in the United States, a national week of action to raise awareness around Black Maternal Health in the country. The Center for Reproductive Rights proudly joins the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA)—a national network of maternal health, human rights, and reproductive justice leaders—to amplify issues critical to Black birthing people. Founded by BMMA six years ago, Black Maternal Health Week is a week of awareness, activism, and community building aimed at amplifying the voices of Black Mamas, bringing visibility to Black-led maternal health initiatives, and centering the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements.  The Black Maternal Health Week theme this year is Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy. This theme speaks to Black Mamas' strength, power and resilience, and the unassailable right to live freely, safely, and joyfully. Recent data has shown an alarming rise of maternal deaths in the U.S. which has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the relentless attacks against reproductive rights and bodily autonomy in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The U.S. maternal health crisis disproportionately impacts Black mothers—Black women are nearly 3 times more likely to have a maternal death than white women. The work of eliminating inequities and human rights abuses in the field of maternal health belongs to everyone.  In February, the Center was proud to be a sponsor of Georgia Community Midwife Day where more than 100 community members, midwives, and lawmakers got together to demand expanded licensure for midwives in the state. Georgia has some of the most restrictive midwifery laws in the nation despite having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation and some of the most severe maternity care deserts. Black midwifery care and full spectrum Black-led doula services are practices and evidence-based solutions that incorporate the true needs, wants and desires of Black women and birthing people. The Center is working towards ensuring access to community-based doula services; expanding midwifery licensure, regardless of training pathway; and extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum in ALL states. Our Maternal Health & Rights Initiative promotes the human rights of pregnant, birthing, and postpartum people in the United States.

• 2023 Oklahoma Summer Policy Institute Applications are Now Open - OK Policy’s Oklahoma Summer Policy Institute (SPI) brings together highly-qualified college students for an exciting and stimulating four-day learning experience that will help inform about Oklahoma’s policy landscape and provide tools and resources to create change in our state. Learn More & Apply

• Together Oklahoma will be holding its 2023 Day of Action at the Capitol on Tuesday, May 9, to help everyday Oklahomans engage with lawmakers and help build political power in our communities. Advocates from around the state will gather together at the Oklahoma Capitol in Oklahoma City to advocate for change that makes Oklahoma healthier, safer, more equitable, and more representative. Together Oklahoma Day of Action at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Second Floor Rotunda, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd. Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m. | Event starts at 10:00 a.m. Register here!

If you are interested in becoming involved in social justice programs and activities, please contact Susan Bishop at (405) 623-4017 or sdbishop50@gmail.com

March Change for Change

For the month of April our Change for Change recipient is the is OKC Beautiful Garden Support Program/OKC Harvest (school gardens at Cleveland Elementary/Wilson Elementary/Bodine Elementary).

Their Mission: Is to bring environmental science to life through a school garden! To do this they involve students in the preparation of garden soil, planting, growing and eating healthy foods. Our educators provide curriculum tied to state standards.

The American Psychology Association (APA) describes eco-anxiety as “the chronic fear of environmental cataclysm that comes from observing the seemingly irrevocable impact of climate change and the associated concern for one's future and that of next generations”. I am pretty certain that anyone who has paid attention in the past fifty-three years has at least a touch of this feeling. I certainly do.

This emotion may be especially present in those of us who live in a place, like Oklahoma, where around 150,000 people make their living from the world’s prime polluters. Any candidate who runs for office in this state has a hard time without the blessing of the petroleum posse, and I have yet to hear much support from our legislators for clean energy.

Perhaps that is why I do the little things that can only slightly mitigate, and can be rather a pain. Turning off the shower while soaping cannot solve the water shortage, but I won’t pay as much as for water. Employing re-usable dishes and cutlery will not empty any landfills, but at least I will not need a new one. Taking cloth or multi-use plastic bags to shop does not change the fact that one of the first acts our governor did was to make it illegal for towns to outlaw single-use plastic, but stores are beginning to make that choice. Making the majority of my own clothes will not close any factory using un- or underpaid labor, but it will not be done for my vanity. Mending and darning my wardrobe, regarding any new purchase as an investment to be carefully considered, seems silly in a culture where telling people to buy things they don’t need is a career! However, although I may not be saving the planet, at least I try not to destroy it. Maybe that’s all we can do as individuals. After all, the Hippocratic oath begins: “Primum non nocere”, “First, do not harm.”

If you have a green hint, idea or suggestion, please let me know. Lonney Corder-Agnew, lacorderagnew@cox.net.

Sunday, April 23, 9:00 am - Eddy room

1UC VOICE- House Meeting Scheduled

Join us for our next VOICE 1UC meeting on Sunday, April 23rd, at 9:00 am in the Eddy Room.  For more information contact Maureen Harvey at mharvey5@cox.net.