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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.

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 fill out a pastoral care request form on our website: https://1uc.org/connect/pastor... or contact Rev. Diana or Susan Bishop (chair of the Befrienders).

Please contact Rev. Diana directly 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!

The next meeting of the Council will be February 4 at 9:00 am in the Eddy Room.

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): Cyclone Mocha made landfall in Rakhine State, Burma on May 14, 2023 breaking records as one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded in the country. Striking in the midst of ongoing military violence, and in the wake of lasting devastation from a genocide against the Rohingya, the storm impacted an estimated 3.4 million people and killed more than 400 people in Rakhine alone. Through our Emergency Response Fund, UUSC immediately provided our partners in the region with the funding they needed to distribute life-saving aid including shelter, medicine, food, and water.

NEWS FROM OK POLICY INSTITUTE: Oklahoma's annual legislative session begins Monday, February 5th: Monday is the first Monday of February, which means the Oklahoma Legislature will commence its annual four-month dramady at the state Capitol. Formally, this will be the second session of the 59th Oklahoma Legislature. Like Congress, Oklahoma’s lawmaking is on a two-year cycle that begins and ends with elections. [Tulsa World]

• Tax cuts, tribal relations issues could dominate upcoming 2024 legislative session [The Oklahoman]

• Tax cuts, education among issues that will likely dominate conversation at Oklahoma state Capitol [Oklahoma Voice]

• Tax cuts, flat government spending among top priorities for Gov. Stitt [Oklahoma Voice]

• Gov. Stitt's sixth State of the State address kicks off Oklahoma's 2024 legislative session [KOSU]

• Tracking Key Legislative Dates and Deadlines [Oklahoma Watch]

NEWS FROM CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations):  CAIR Oklahoma Condemns Distribution of Racist, Antisemitic Flyers in OKC - The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) today condemned the distribution of racist, antisemitic flyers in an Oklahoma City neighborhood and called for the community to remain vigilant in a time of rising hatred and bigotry. These items were reported to the CAIR-OK office as having been distributed in the Nichols Hills area over the weekend. “We are disgusted by this attempt to attack our Jewish neighbors and spread fear, mistrust, and division amongst our beloved Oklahoma City community,” said CAIR-OK Executive Director Adam Soltani...[CAIR Oklahoma]

NEWS FROM REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE: At least four Senate bills the OK Legislature will consider during the session that started Feb 5 could tweak the system in favor of domestic violence victims. One in four Oklahomans are affected by domestic violence and the state is perennially at or near the top for both domestic violence incidents per capita and the rate of women murdered by men.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and House Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, filed Senate Bill 1470, the Oklahoma Survivor’s Act, which would allow judges to impose lesser sentences if domestic violence was a contributing factor. The law would be retroactive, making resentencing possible for victims already imprisoned.

State Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City, authored Senate Bill 1326, adding domestic violence crimes to the state’s Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act.

1UC Recycles! Look for the blue bins lined with plastic bags throughout the church. Deposit your paper, cans, and plastic bottles. The kitchen and Daniel Hall have compost buckets that can take food waste including meat and even napkins! There is a separate blue bin for glass in the hallway west of Daniel Hall.

Back in the spring of 2020, the 1UC Board of Trustees expressed support (without specific next steps) for renaming the Jefferson Room, based on reasons you can find HERE, at the bottom of the page. The "Jefferson Room" sign was removed and we began referring to the room as simply "the meeting room," but COVID froze any other movement on this project.

In early 2022, we started meeting in person again, around the same time that the new Racial Justice team was formed. The Racial Justice team crafted a survey that went out to the whole congregation that spring, asking for nominations for a new name for the meeting room. 32 people responded and offered a variety of thoughtful suggestions, which included UUs who were active in racial justice (such as James Reeb and Theodore Parker), local racial justice leaders (such as Clara Luper), and members of the congregation who have had a lasting positive impact. Names were also suggested that reflected UU values instead of specific individuals. 

Around this same time, the Board noted that the congregation did not have a formal policy or procedure for naming rooms or other parts of the church building. A policy was developed and approved by the Board at their December 2022 meeting.  This policy established a new protocol for naming rooms either in connection with a major donation or when the congregation deems that it is appropriate to name or rename a space.

Rather than continuing to work according to a process that was launched before the creation of the naming policy, the Board has determined that it would be appropriate to operate under the guidelines of the policy, which requires any naming that is not connected to a major donation to be initiated via a petition process.

Here is an excerpt from that policy:

Facilities, rooms, and gardens/landscaping that are new, renovated, or existing may be named or renamed through a process of petition to the Board, followed by congregational study and input. Because the naming or renaming process involves a significant investment of time and energy on the part of the Board and other members of the congregation, petitions must include evidence that at least 10% of the current membership supports the naming or renaming process and the individuals or group(s) submitting the petition must be willing to take a leadership role in facilitating communication and education about the process.

A petition may be made to give a facility/room/garden a specific name or to open a congregational process for choosing a name. Spaces do not necessarily need to be named after individuals. They may be named after Unitarian Universalist principles or values. As with donor-based naming opportunities, named individuals should have a personal connection to the congregation, to Unitarian Universalism, and/or to Oklahoma. Honored individuals should exemplify our larger faith’s principles and purposes with their legacy or life accomplishments. As a general rule, spaces that are named by petition rather than donation should not be named after individuals who are still living.

Before initiating a naming/renaming process, the Board should ensure that: 1) the space hasn’t previously been named by arrangement with a donor; 2) the space isn’t already named after a member of the congregation whose positive legacy should be remembered and honored; 3) a name change wouldn’t result in significant confusion or disruption.

If the Board votes to launch a naming/renaming process unrelated to a donation, it should also specify: 1) individuals who will lead the process; 2) specific steps of the process; and 3) a targeted date for completion. In most cases, a formal, congregational vote is not required, but the Board should be guided by the values of openness, inclusivity, and covenantal communication.

You can find the full text of the policy, as well as all other church policies and Board minutes under the "Members" link on the 1uc.org website.

To access all materials in the Members section, just go to 1uc.org, and click on "Members" (in the upper right-hand corner). The password is @600NW13thSt [Note: there is no period at the end of the password, with no spacing between numbers and letters]. To find the naming policy, click on "church documents," then click on "policies," then click on "facilities." The naming policy is included in the facilities folder. 

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 - Beginning January 3 - Every Wednesday, 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)

• Fiber Connections – Sunday, February 11, 12:00 pm, Eddy Room (contact Paula Geisinger for information)
  

• Celebration of Life of Ingrid Ellen Young – Sunday, February 11, 1:30 pm, Sanctuary (reception following)

• Racial Justice Team – Wednesday, February 14, 11:00 am (contact Becky Tallent for information)

• Radical Welcoming Team – Thursday, February 15, 6:30 pm (contact Lynn Ann Wagner for information)
  

• Exploring Spirituality – Friday, February 16, 7:00 pm (contact Lu Ann Faulkner-Schneider for information)

• 1UC Alliance Buck-a-Dip Luncheon – Sunday, February 18, 12:00 pm, 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

Lead Minister - Rev. Diana K. Davies

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