NUUF Float Wins 1st Place Trophy!

NUUF won Best Adult Float at the Norman Holiday Parade on Sat.  They must have a very loose definition of Adult.  
   
  We had the Pirate Ship decorated for the Season.  The sides were covered with green butcher paper that said Happy Holidays and listed the different faiths with Winter Festivals in glitter.  This included Pagan.  And, we had a good showing of CUUPS folk.
   
  Everyone was done up in black with red foil garland scarves and black top hats.  We had the Beatles blasting and the three Christmas Ghosts.  Steph was the Ghost of Christmas Future.  She was wearing a black robe of her Mom's and really looked the part.  It was really wild when she got off the float and walked up Main Street with Adam on her shoulders.
   
  Ed Kearns had his bike done up for Winter with a two foot wagon wheel hanging up and covered in tin foil, wrapped in blue snowflake garland, and a big Stag ornament in the middle of it.  He also had big Pagan Winter Sun and Moon symbols hanging up. And, was shouting Blessed Be to the crowd.

A Good Time Was Had By All

December Sunday Programs

December 9:
Don Holyoke will present “The Life and Times of Don Holyoke”

December 16
Emilie Steele will present the next installment in the ongoing series on the Principles & Purposes and Sources. She will talk about the 4th Source “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves”

December 26:
The Christmas Holiday program: The children are cooking up something special

December 30:
The New Year Program: Greeting the New Year with Hope and Gladness

NUUF Night at the Movies: The Golden Compass

NUUF Night at the Movies
The Golden Compass
Saturday, December 15
Contact person:  Jesseca Timmons

This is the infamous “Christmastime atheist” movie that is being targeted by the right wing.  Based upon the first book of an award-winning, fantasy trilogy by  British author Philip Pullman, the movie is New Line Cinema’s latest effort to  follow up on the tremendous successes of its Lord of the Rings movies.  The  controversial critiques of organized religion found in the books have been greatly  diluted, so the objections, warnings, and boycotts of The Golden Compass by  religious conservatives are mostly based upon the fact that Pullman said he wrote the books to counter the religiosity of the Narnia books. In reality The Golden Compass is a fabulous fantasy story and  is suitable for all age groups.  Contact Jesseca for more information at 321-1973  or jpt10570@sbcglobal.net.

NUUF Christmas Carols Night

NUUF Christmas Carols Night
Friday, December 21, 7PM
Contact person:  Susan Cogan

Drop by the fellowship for an evening of singing and desserts.  The evening will start with a dessert potluck and will move to the sanctuary around the piano for  accompanied singing of carols in the hymnal and other familiar Christmas tunes. Words to all hymns will be provided.

New Member/Old Member Dinner Party

New Member/Old Member Dinner Party
Thursday December 27, 2007 at 6:30 PM
The Border Crossing, 606 W. Main
Contact person:  Susan Cogan

We return to the site of our September dinner on the south side of Main St. at Lahoma.  The Border Crossing is an inexpensive restaurant serving good Mexican food, and they have a quiet, spacious group of tables for about a dozen  diners.  Please plan to join your NUUF friends for this evening of fellowship.

NUUF Business Meetings

NUUF Business Meetings
Contact person:  Susan Cogan

1.  “Mini” Congregational Meeting Sunday, January 13 after Service Spaghetti Lunch provided by NUUF

This is purely a procedural meeting asking fellowship members to alter  NUUF Bylaws in two places.  First, in order to be most competitive with  the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding our  application for a radio station, the radio station lawyer recommends  approval of the FCC legal language assuring that NUUF is indeed a  congregation with members and leaders who reside locally.  

Second, according to the current Bylaws, Susan Cogan must step down from the NUUF Board and her role as NUUF President at the end of June 2008 due to a term-limit of five years.  Since Susan assumed the office of President as a result of the resignation of Anna Hollway, the NUUF Board recommends that the NUUF Bylaws be altered to allow Susan to complete a full two-year term as President before she steps down from the Board  


2. December Board Meeting Sunday, December 30, 5-7 PM

Board members are expected to attend, and all interested NUUF members are encouraged to attend.  Bring a contribution to the potluck dinner that is partaken during the meeting.

Building and Grounds News

Building and Grounds News
Contact person:  Susan Cogan

Steve Shore has spearheaded our purchase of twelve tons of sand for the play  area.  Steve and Kurt Bachmann are in the process of spreading the sand and  cleaning brush away from the sand pit area.  Everyone is invited to participate in  this task on Saturday mornings after 10 AM.  This is a job for strong backs, so  bring your shovel, rake, and hoe and be prepared to dig and spread for a couple  of hours.

We have hired Leslie Keller-Kenton (Leah’s sister) to clean the church twice a  month.  Leslie has been doing an excellent job; in fact it’s astounding how nice  the building looks after Leslie has cleaned, compared to its usual state of  disarray during the past few years.  This is another example of the money and  effort we have put into renovating the building and keeping it looking nice during  the past few months.

Religious Education (RE) News

Religious Education (RE) News
Contact person:  Jessica Timmons

Children’s classes have been busy this fall!  We have been learning games from  “Adventures in Peacemaking” which is used in by many Quaker meetings to teach conflict resolution through peaceful means.  All ages, from our toddlers to  our teens, have been able to take part in these games.

The Clara Barton Class (ages 11 and under) has been studying stories from the  Old Testament in conjunction with Greek and Norse myths as part of the  “Sources of our Tradition” curriculum.  Biblical examples include the stories of  Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, Abraham, and Noah.

Additional developments include our inception of Children’s Sharing Time during  the RE lesson, and we are in the process of planning our Christmas program.   Singing is part of our program, so listen for Christmas songs coming from the  RE wing.  As always we offer a big thanks to our childcare providers, Preston,  Stephanie and Lea, for watching the toddlers during service to give our moms a  break!

Equal Exchange Teas!

Equal Exchange Teas
Contact person: Kurt T. Bachmann

We just received our latest order, containing two boxes of Very Dark
Chocolate! This means that we have 24 of these chocolate bars at $2.50 per
bar. You better buy a few bars as soon as possible before they follow the
same sold out fate as the chocolate with almonds bars.
 We currently have a small sampling of many other products available for
immediate sale. Organic coffees ($6 /bag): whole bean Colombian, whole bean
Ethiopian, drip grind Breakfast Blend, and Percolator Fellowship Blend
Organic teas ($3/box of 25 bags): English Breakfast, Green, and Rooibos Hot
Cocoa Mix ($4/can)
 Please note that we have a new display stand, called a "shipper" by Equal
Exchange. Our shipper will stand between the front door and the sanctuary
door, so please take a look each week to see what products we have
available. You may also join NUUF's "Fair Trade Club" for $10 and purchase
all Equal Exchange products by the case.
 Remember that your purchase of high quality, organic coffees, teas, hot
cocoa mix, and chocolate bars from Equal Exchange, helps small farmers in
the developing world.