Sunday, November 24, 11:00 am, Sanctuary

"Struggle and Gratitude"

Join us in person or watch on YouTube.

Its that time of the year, when tradition and media reminds us to be grateful. For our families, our homes, our jobs, our friends, But for some of us Gratitude is a struggle. Especially for the marginalized communities facing attack. Yet in truth, for most of us even the Gratitude we often can find comes from Our Struggles. Please join us Sunday as we explore the frustration of struggling to be Grateful in a hostile world, and the Gratitude we find Together in that shared Struggle.

Participating in today’s service:

Service Leader: Elli Ravencroft; Worship Associate:  Sue Scott; Chalice Lighters: Rosalinda Espinosa and Caleb Gonzles; Call to Offering: Carmen McBride; Choir Director: Chukwuebuka ('Ebuka) G. Ezeakacha; Music: 1UC Choir; Accompanist: Steven Elkins Kennedy; Technical Support: Tammy Epperson and Ellisya Ravencroft: Ushers: Members of 1UC VOICE

Our Ushers for the month of November are: Members of 1UC VOICE. VOICE (Voices Organized in Civic Engagement) is a coalition of dues-paying congregations, nonprofits, worker associations, and schools that have come together out of a deep sense of mission and concern about the pressures families face in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. They work to better understand those pressures by listening to the experiences of the people in our member institutions. They then engage those impacted in better understanding the issues and learning to work effectively for improvements that benefit all. While they differ on some issues, they focus on the areas in which they find the common ground that allows them to work together. They develop the leadership skills of our own members to work effectively within the democratic process with civic leaders and public officials on issues of concern to families.

Sunday, November 24, 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, December 1, 6:00 pm

Join Us for the Interfaith World AIDS Day Service

First Unitarian Church is hosting The World AIDS Day Service, 6 pm December 1, 2024. 

It will be a Service OF Reflection, Healing, & Hope. Everyone, Every Faith is warmly invited to attend and participate in this meaningful collective action. World AIDS Day is a time to come together to remember those we've lost to HIV and AIDS, celebrate our successes in saving and improving the lives of people living with HIV, and renew our collective commitment to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world by advancing education, providing better access to testing, and improving adherence to therapies and pre-exposure prophylaxis

There will be an opportunity for reflection in Daniel Hall immediately following the Service. For those who are able, please bring finger foods prior to the Service.

Spirit of life and love, keep us connected to life’s inspiration and to each other. Spark our imaginations to create the world we dream about. 

Our Radical Welcoming Team warmly invites you to attend the evening service, followed by a reception.

To help make this event a success, we’re seeking volunteers to contribute desserts and hors d’oeuvres for the reception. If you’re unable to attend the evening service, you can still participate by dropping off your items in the kitchen during our regular morning service.

We greatly appreciate your support and generosity in making this gathering meaningful for all. Thank you!

Sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4BABA82EA2FBC25-53187772-world

Thanks from Jan Staat

I would like to thank everyone for the thoughtful cards, kind words, and phone calls I received after Henry’s death. It’s difficult to express how much these meant to me.  Thank you so much for your care and concern. 

Jan Staat

Sunday, November 24

Food Drive at 1UC

This is the last week of our church food drive benefiting Other Options! Please bring some non perishable food items with you Sunday morning! You can leave them in Daniel Hall. We didn’t collect a whole lot of food this past Sunday, so we’re hoping folks bring a bunch this Sunday!

Other Options is a food bank exclusively for HIV and AIDS patients in Oklahoma. Looking for ideas on what to bring? Other Options recommends:

Applesauce – individual servings, Canned beans, Canned chicken, Canned fish (tuna or salmon), Canned meat (spam or ham), Canned vegetables, Small bottles of cooking oils, Crackers, Dried herbs and spices, Fruit (canned or dried), Granola bars, Meals in a box (individual servings), Pasta, Peanut butter, Rice, Shelf-stable and powdered, Soup, Stew & Chili, Whole grain cereal.

Sunday, November 24

People’s Budget Coalition of OKC

If you are looking for a new way to participate in local community building, read below!

I, Marilee Peryam, am a member of the newly formed People’s Budget Coalition of OKC. This is a group dedicated to organizing around the City of OKC’s budget making process with the following goals:

1. Significant funding increase for human-centered services
2. Increasing the number of citizens involved in the budget making process
3. Changing the narrative around community safety and policing

The group currently includes City Councilors, JoBeth Hamon and James Cooper; co-founders of the Foundation for Liberating Minds, Aurelius Francisco and Tevin McDaniel; Executive Director of Freedom Oklahoma, Nicole McCafee; as well as little ol’ me!

We are looking to get people from all 8 wards to work on teams on the following tasks:
Education: help develop and lead education on city budget, process, and making information more accessible to neighbors in your ward

Participation: plan events to build community, lead 1 on 1 relational organizing and canvassing efforts in your ward

Action: plan public direct action to demonstrate the people power behind this work
The work will be long-term, centered around budget decision times and events, and not a large time commitment.

If you're interested in learning more and meeting others involved in this coalition, please contact Marilee Peryam! We will be meeting Sunday November 24th to plan next steps.

Thursday, November 28, 12:00 pm, Daniel Hall

Thanksgiving Lunch at the Church!

Come sit down with your fellow UU's for a Thanksgiving Day dinner! Bring something tasty to share! 

Contact Becky Tallent at (405) 882-8295 or beckyktallent@gmail.com if you aren't sure what to bring, or if you have any questions!

There will be two fully cooked turkeys and a ham ready for you to "gobble up" and enjoy!

Please be ready and willing to set up and clean up if you attend! It will be "all hands on deck".

Come and enjoy the day with your friends at church! Hope to see you there!

SURVEY!

The Adult RE Committee is conducting a survey of congregant interests for planning and programming.  

We need your input. Please click on the following link i for a 5 to 10 minute long survey. Please submit by Saturday, November 23.

https://forms.gle/jhBAfsDNYYJNERQNA 

Young Adult Game Night

We are looking at starting a weekly Young Adult game night at the church! We’re thinking Wednesday evenings, but we’re open to a different time. This would be just for folks between the ages of 18 and 40. Would you be interested in participating? Shoot Tim an email at tatkins@1uc.org – once we’ve got interested folks, we’ll talk about scheduling inside the group!

2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month - 6:00 pm

Wednesday Night Meditation

Interested in meditation but can't quite make it on Sunday mornings? Or maybe you just want more meditation? We are adding a Wednesday night session to our schedule (6:00 pm - 7:00 pm) in the meditation room in the lower level (Corley Commons).

For more information contact Mary Tate.

Tuesday, November 26, 6:30 pm

Board of Trustees Meeting

Join us for the Board of Trustees Meeting on Tuesday, November 26, at 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome!

See Board documents here.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://zoom.us/j/97199144268?...

Meeting ID: 971 9914 4268

Passcode: 541007

For more information or questions, contact Cathy Webster csw202@nyu.edu.

Saturday, December 7, 10:30 am, Eddy Room

Racial Justice Team Book Club

Your Racial Justice Team will be hosting a book club. We have done this occasionally over time. Our upcoming book is "Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race" by Debby Irving. Rev. Sue recommended it to us. We have 9 people signed up so far.

We will meet in person in Eddy Room the first Saturday of the month:  December 7, January 4 and February 1 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. 

The book is available through Half Priced Books, etc. I will try to explore ordering them in bulk through the book store once we have a number.

Text or call Becky Tallent at 405.882.8095 or email beckyktallent@gmail.com.

News from Befrienders

BEFRIENDERS WELCOMES REV. JONALU JOHNSTONE TO OUR MERRY BAND.

Befrienders relies upon donations. Those donations are used to provide cards, stamps, and items for memorial receptions. If you wish to make a donation, please send a check and put Befrienders on the purpose line of your check. Thank you.

Befrienders is ready to assist members of our church who are recovering from surgeries or illnesses by offering cards of well-wishes, meal trains, transportation to church or medical appointments as well as arranging for visitations, and we provide the receptions following memorial services.

Befrienders have teams assigned for specific roles.

• Lana Henson leads our Cards of Well Wishes team and can always use extra hands to write cards to our members who are ill or who are recovering from surgeries. If you enjoy writing cards to people, let her know.
• Ginny Boykin leads our Memorial Receptions team. She calls on folks to bring food for the receptions. If you are a baker or cook, let her know.
• Patti Kate leads our Transportation team and is looking for folks to be added to her list of people willing to be drivers for anyone needing a ride to a doctor’s appointment, therapy appointment, etc. She is actively recruiting for folks to be on her team.
• Meal Trains – we don’t have a team leader yet for this team of people willing to step up and provide a meal to an individual or family. Much of the work of the leader is organizing the Meal Train on-line. If you are interested, please contact Susan Bishop for more info,

If you are interested in joining any of these teams, please let Susan Bishop know at sdbishop50@gmail.com.

Change for Change

For the month of November our Change for Change partner is  VOICE.

VOICE (Voices Organized in Civic Engagement) is a coalition of dues-paying congregations, nonprofits, worker associations, and schools that have come together out of a deep sense of mission and concern about the pressures families face in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. They work to better understand those pressures by listening to the experiences of the people in our member institutions. They then engage those impacted in better understanding the issues and learning to work effectively for improvements that benefit all. While they differ on some issues, they focus on the areas in which they find the common ground that allows them to work together. They develop the leadership skills of our own members to work effectively within the democratic process with civic leaders and public officials on issues of concern to families.

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 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 THE SOCIAL JUSTICE COUNCIL:

BOHEMIAN CAFÉ is January 18^th 7-10p. Come join with friends as we imbibe from the fruit of the vine, gnosh on wonderful tidbits, and dance to the sounds of Ms Brown To You. Mark your 2025 calendar now for an evening’s entertainment you don’t want to miss.

1UC’S CURBSIDE PANTRY needs donations. When you attend services or activities at church, please bring a can or other non-perishable food item and place it in our pantry along Dewey St. If you can’t bring food, consider making a financial donation to the pantry instead. We have a very helpful elf who does the shopping.

NEWS FROM UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee)

Since it began in 1975, the Guest at Your Table program has introduced generations of Unitarian Universalists to our grassroots partners working for justice around the world with your support. This church year, we are celebrating Guest at Your Table’s 50thanniversary with the theme “Expanding the Welcome Table.”

As we transition into our 50th year and five decades of partner-centered advocacy and activism, you will meet:

• Young climate activists in the Marshall Islands helping their communities heal from the destructive legacy of nuclear testing by the United States while envisioning a sustainable future for their people;

• LGBTQ+ leaders in Ukraine offering resources and companionship to the queer community impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion;

• Haitian academics researching racism’s impacts on the experiences of migrants of color in the United States; and

• Trans organizers forming networks of safety and welcome for trans and gender expansive people forced to flee unsafe communities and states.

OK WATCH REPORTS:

Oklahoma utility customers might be in for another round of rate hikes due to the 2021 winter storm. The Oklahoma Supreme Court recently overturned a decision by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to waive franchise fees and municipal taxes on storm-related charges. That means customers could end up paying an additional $60 million to $100 million in fees and taxes on top of the storm's $3.07 billion in natural gas costs.

The court's decision sent the case back to the Corporation Commission for further review, and it's likely to end up in district court. Vice-Chief Justice Dustin Rowe pointed out that the additional costs could come from securitized revenue or the utility companies' balance sheets.

The city of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma Municipal League challenged the Commission's order, arguing that franchise fees and gross receipts taxes owed to municipalities should be protected. Outgoing Commissioner Bob Anthony, who voted against the order, expressed concerns about the public bearing the burden of these additional costs.

VOICE engaged in challenging rate hikes in 2020 and 2021 and will participate again in opposing additional rate hikes by OG&E and ONG.

OPINION: November is the month to pay special tribute to Native Americans: November ushers in Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor the history, culture and contributions of Native Americans — often seen as the quintessential underdogs in American history. Their resilience and self-determination shine through, overcoming the harsh policies of the past.

November 20

Transgender Day of Remembrance: Honoring Lives Lost Amidst a Growing Threat

November 20 marks the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), a solemn occasion to honor the memory of transgender individuals whose lives were lost to violence, discrimination, and hatred. This day serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and humanity of transgender folx, even as the community faces increasing threats in today’s political climate.

Across the nation, anti-trans legislation continues to strip away rights, healthcare access, and dignity. These actions fuel an already hostile environment, making the safety and survival of transgender folx increasingly precarious.

This year, join the Oklahoma City community for a TDOR observance hosted by the Diversity Center of Oklahoma. The event will occur on November 20 at 6:00 PM, at 2242 NW 39th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73112. Together, we will honor those lost and stand in solidarity with the transgender community. View the Facebook event and RSVP here: facebook.com/events/s/tdor-transgender-day-of-rememb/1527508211212555/.

For those seeking to learn more, take action, or find support, visit transgenderdor.org/about-2/.

As we light candles and speak names this TDOR, let us remember that honoring the dead means fighting for the living.

Information for our Consulting Minister - Rev. David Messner

Schedule a meeting directly: https://revdave.youcanbook.me/

Professional FB Profile - like/follow: https://www.facebook.com/revmessner

Visit his website:  messnerministry.com

You can email him directly at:  dhmessner@1uc.org