Note: When the newsletter is sent via email, the text may be truncated. To be sure you are seeing the entire newsletter, please click on the "view in browser" link near the top of the message or scroll to the bottom where it says [Message clipped] and click on:  View entire message

Child Care and Nursery 

The Childcare Rooms are open from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm each Sunday morning. (10:00 am to 11:00 am for childcare for any adult programming happening and 11:00 am to 12:30 pm for worship.)

Childcare will be taking place in the nursery and attached preschool room.

By the time you are reading this there will be less than 48 hours left to bid in the on-line portion of our annual church auction. Yes – the 2024 on-line auction will close to new bids at 10:00 pm on the evening of Friday May 3.

For those who have not yet participated, it is not too late! We have 70 on-line items, which include dinners, parties, classes, gift cards, theatre tickets, museum passes and much more. Follow the link below to register and sign in. And, if you have already been bidding, it is time to increase your bids as needed so that you will not lose out on your favorite items. It’s fun AND a great fundraiser for the church.

Register for the online auction here!

A quick shout-out to families! There are several auction items, which children will really enjoy. These include - tickets to ride the train at the Railway Museum, admission passes to the Science Museum and Fire Fighter’s Museum, and a Zoo Friends annual membership for four. In addition, there is a Cookie Decorating Party with a Halloween theme and, the ultimate treat for busy parents, up to five hours of very experienced babysitting.

The LIVE AUCTION (see the poster below) will take place in Daniel Hall on Saturday, May 4. Snacks and cash bar at 6:00 pm and the Live Auction with Auctioneer, Paul Spicer begins at 7:00 pm.

On the auction website, you can preview the 7 items which will be auctioned live. You will also find information about the accompanying party, “Auction de Mayo.” We really hope that all of you will be there! In preparation for the party, Elizabeth Muller plans to decorate Daniel Hall on Friday May 3 at 11:00 am. She would love to have helpers. If you can help, please call her at (405) 630-0895.

This year we have 2 worthy missions to which you can contribute (you will see the tabs for each in the heading, just click on either or both to donate) – helping the church pay its dues to VOICE and starting to equip the anticipated playground. Further information about both missions is available on the auction website.

Marlies Grogg, our Church Administrator, has kindly offered to troubleshoot for those who experience problems with bidding. She can be reached through the church office or by email at mgrogg@1uc.org

The Auction Committee members welcome your comments and suggestions. We are Joan Cain, Deb Cretsinger, Emily Dunagin, Barbara Gallivan, Carmen McBride, Becky Tallent, and Mairead Todd.

Nominating Committee - 2023/2024

The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the following candidates for church leadership positions for the 2024/2025 church year:

Our nominees for officers are:

Sundra Flansburg, President-Elect

Doug Vincent, Clerk

Ron Wasson, Treasurer

Jeanne Parkhurst, Moderator

Gordon Greene, Parliamentarian

Our nominees for new board members are:

Emily Hildebrandt, replacing board member mid-term – term expires 2026

Cortney Custer - term expires 2027

Marilee Peryam – term expires 2027

Mairead Todd – term expires 2027

Our nominees for the Nominating Committee (serving with Immediate Past President Marcia Woodward and a board appointee TBD) are:

Ruth Gordon (third term)

Ellisya Ravencroft (third term)

Bruce Lochner (first term)

Our nominee for the Endowment Fund Committee is:

Tammy Epperson – term expires 2027

Respectfully submitted by the Nominating Committee,

Ruth Gordon, Elli Ravencroft, Jean McLaughlin and Marshal Gimpel

First Unitarian Cares!

If you (or someone you care about in our community) would like a caring card, a ride, a meal delivered to your home, a prayer, or a pastoral visit, please contact Susan Bishop (Chair of Befrienders).

Please contact Marcia Woodward (President of the Board) or Cathy Webster (President Elect) if you need financial assistance. The Minister's Discretionary Fund is available for anyone who needs emergency financial support. In the past, the fund has been used to help cover rent, groceries, fuel, home repairs, medical costs and other needs. Allocations from this fund are completely confidential.

Requests for support from this fund have risen significantly. If you have financial capacity, please consider making a gift to the Minister's Discretionary Fund. Thank you!

CHANGE FOR CHANGE needs your help. Did you know that anyone can suggest a worthy local non-profit in our community? Do you know how?

• Check out the 1uc.org website and click on the justice tab
• Then click on Community Partnerships and click on the application in green in the middle of the page.
• Submit the application to Deborah Shinn or Anne Murray, or leave it in the office Social Justice mailbox. Or you can email the completed application to them. They be found in Breeze.

WE APPRECIATE IT WHEN CONGREGANTS NOMINATE WORTHY COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THANK YOU!

NEWS FROM UUSC: Unitarian Universalist Service Committee: When you contribute to UUSC’s 2024 Annual Fund, you’re playing a part in the success stories of people uniting to create a better world.

In Nicaragua, where Fundación Entre Mujeres operates women’s cooperatives to ensure self-sufficiency, food security, and economic stability.

In Thailand, where refugees from Burma can safely connect with Kachin Women’s Association Thailand for aid, protection, and care.

In Poland, where Alliance for Black Justice is helping individuals access housing, healthcare, and other basic services after fleeing war in Ukraine.

UUSC’s partners address immediate harms, while working to develop long-term solutions to injustice and inequity.

The needs of today matter so that people can envision a brighter, more just tomorrow.

NEWS FROM V.O.I.C.E.: Ask State House Speaker McCall to run a trailer bill to HB 4156 opening up access to state IDs. Gov. Stitt has indicated a willingness to sign a trailer bill to HB 4156 that would provide our undocumented neighbors access to a state ID. That bill would protect residents from arrest and being charged criminally solely for being undocumented.

Please contact Speaker Charles McCall NOW (405-557-7412 or charles.mccall@okhouse.gov) to request that he run a trailer bill to HB 4156 allowing people who meet the following criteria to apply for a state ID:

• Have paid their 2023 state taxes
• Can provide an Oklahoma address
• Can verify their identity in some manner

Stand with your neighbors and immigrant families in Oklahoma:
Democracy depends upon the citizenry contacting their representatives with concerns, questions, and comments. How else will they know there are liberal thinking Oklahomans who care about marginalized and disenfranchised people. Contact your representative and let them know your thoughts and concerns.

BYSTANDER TRAINING: Witnessing public harassment or bullying can be scary - especially when you don't feel equipped to respond. To better help the OKC community in situations like that, the Oklahoma City Human Rights Commission is hosting a free Bystander Intervention Training on May 22 at noon. Through this training, you'll learn the psychology of bystander intervention, the techniques for successful intervention, and suggestions on other ways to build a safer, healthier world. The location is being finalized, and more information can be found at okc.gov/departments/city-clerk/meetings. For questions, email hrc@okc.gov.

NEWS FROM REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE: May 1 is “National College Decision Day” in the United States, when millions of students will officially commit to their college of choice. While students consider a number of factors when deciding on what college to attend—such as affordability, academics, and campus life—one concern is of growing importance: access to abortion care.

It has been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, and abortion is now banned or severely restricted in half of U.S. states. In the post-Roe landscape, that means millions of young people will be heading to colleges in places with far fewer options to manage unintended pregnancies.

An overwhelming majority of currently enrolled and prospective college students said reproductive health care policies are important in their enrollment decisions, according to the Lumina Foundation-Gallup 2024 State of Higher Education Study:

71% say state reproductive health care policies impact college choice AND 80% of all current/prospective students
prefer states with greater access

And it’s not just college students: in a study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, more than half (58%) of the medical students surveyed said they were unlikely to apply for residency programs in states with abortion restrictions. Because of these restrictions, maternal health care deserts are cropping up across the country, and these findings only point to a worsening of that crisis.

NEWS FROM OK WATCH: Oklahomans are zoned out.

That's what Heather Warlick reported after learning that zoning ordinances are significant contributors to a housing crisis that's left the state short on multifamily housing.

According to an Oklahoma Policy Institute study, households earning less than $18 per hour can't afford a two-bedroom apartment. That affects a lot of single parents working in food service, teaching assistants, health care and other jobs that come in well below $18 per hour.

As Heather reported, residential land is disproportionately skewed toward single-family zoning, particularly in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. In Norman, 98% of residential land is zoned for single-family homes; in Oklahoma City, 96% and in Tulsa, 81% of residential land is zoned exclusively for single-family dwellings.

That's left the state short by 77,000 lower-income housing units. That can lead to higher rents, more evictions, and increased homelessness.

Help us make a difference for Oklahoma families by contacting legislators today!

NEWS FROM C.A.I.R. (Council on American Islamic Relations Join with others as we celebrate the 10th Annual Muslim Day at the OK Capitol May 13^th. If you are interested or want more information, visit their website at www.cairoklahoma.com/event/mdac2024 

First Unitarian Covenant of Healthy Communication

“We need not think alike to love alike.” One of our Unitarian Universalist ancestors, Francis David, spoke those words more than 400 years ago to describe the foundation of our unity as a religious community. To this end, we, the people of the First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, agree to the following:

* I tell my own story and let others tell theirs.
* I use “I” statements when expressing my own views, always mindful that my thoughts, opinions, and experiences may not be shared by others
* I check the accuracy of my perceptions and assumptions.
* I avoid “awfulizing” negative experiences.
* I say what needs to be said to the one who needs to hear it.
Communicate directly with the person or group involved, instead of gossiping or speaking negatively about others in the wider community
* I devote at least as much energy to careful listening as to careful speaking.
Listen actively and seek to understand the perspectives and opinions of others
Be curious, appreciative, and informed about perspectives that differ from my own.
Recognize and honor the diversity of beliefs and spiritual paths within our community, including the words and ways people choose to express their spirituality
Honor the contributions and needs of those who have been historically marginalized in the larger world and in our congregation and seek growth in our ability to be welcoming.
* If something prompts anger in me, I report it honestly in a way that invites positive solutions.
Be forgiving and loving when I or others make mistakes
Apologize, when warranted, and seek to make amends
Call on congregational resources when help is needed
* I refrain from blaming and shaming.
Assume that others act with good intentions
Be respectful and kind in our words, tone, and body language
Use email, social media and other forms of electronic communication with respect, kindness, and special care.

Note: Most meetings continue to meet via Zoom but some groups may elect to meet in the building. Please contact the meeting organizer directly if you are uncertain of the location.

• Sunday Morning Meditation – Every Sunday at 10:00 am, Meditation Room - Corley Commons (contact Lori Jervis for information - see article above)

• Tuesday Discussion Group – Every Tuesday, 11:00 am (contact Ron Wasson for information - see article above)
  

• Bell Choir Rehearsal – Every Wednesday, 5:45 pm, Sanctuary (contact LaDonna Hunt for information)
  

• Wednesday Night Meditation - 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month, 6:00 pm, Meditation Room - Corley Commons (contact Larry Little for information)

• Choir Rehearsal – Every Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Sanctuary (contact 'Ebuka Ezeakacha for information)

• UU Book Club – Thursday, May 2, 7:00 pm (contact Steve Gryglewicz for information)
  

• Live Auction Party – Saturday, May 4, 6:00 pm, Daniel Hall (contact Joan Cain for information)

• Social Justice Meeting – Sunday, May 5, 9:00 am, Eddy Room (contact Susan Bishop for information)

• Gardening Covenant Group Plant Sale – Sunday, May 5, 12:00 pm, church lawn (contact Carmen McBride for information)

• 1UC Alliance Brown Bag Lunch/Program – Tuesday, May 7, 11:30 am, Daniel Hall (contact Maureen Harvey for information)

If you have a newsletter article you would like to submit please email your article to mgrogg@1uc.org no later than Tuesday (the day before the newsletter goes out) by 5:00 pm.

Did you know that you can access all church policies and procedures as well as Board meeting minutes on our new website? Just go to 1uc.org, and click on the "members" link in the upper right-hand corner (just to the left of the Facebook and other social media icons). This will open a page that says "Protected: Members." The password is @600NW13thSt [Note: the password is case-sensitive; do not put in additional punctuation or spaces.]

From here, click on "church documents." All official policies and procedures can be found in the "policies" folder. The bylaws and Board of Trustees meeting minutes are in the "governance" folder. Please disregard the "website SOPs" folder, which is for administrative use only.

CHURCH STAFF

Transitional Minister - Rev. Sue Redfern-Campbell

Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration - Tim Atkins

Choir Director - Chukwuebuka ('Ebuka) G. Ezeakacha

Accompanist - Steven Elkins Kennedy

Office Administrator - Marlies Grogg

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2023-2024

President of the Congregation – Marcia Woodward

President Elect – Cathy Webster

Immediate Past President – Marshal Gimpel

Clerk – Deborah Shinn

Treasurer – Ron Wasson

                Clare Auwarter               Emily Hildebrandt              Lorriana Lee-Knapp                          Larry Little                          Ann Meeks                            Doug Vincent

Committee on Ministry

                Suzanne Broadbent                Lori Jervis                             Liz Pillar-Little                              John Schneider                  Tom Peryam                       Derrick Wagner