Is a beautiful tribute to New Orleans recently published in New York Social Diary--read it!
Earth Day at GNOUU
The Joint Earth Day Service was held at the Ancient Grandmother Oak in Audubon Park, April 18, 2010. The first photo is Lydia Pe'lot-Hobbs, RE Director at First Church, reading to the kids attending our joint Earth Day Service.
The second photo is a group shot of the youth group from First Parish Needham, Massachusetts, in New Orleans to work with the New Orleans Rebirth Volunteer Program. They attended the Earth Day service along with Rev. Dr. John Buehrens, who is a Ministerial Co-Chair of the GNOUU campaign.
“Welcoming Spring” Picnic April 4, 2010
Spring comes once a year with the hope of new birth and new beginnings. North Shore Unitarian Universalists invited families to celebrate spring with an intergenerational picnic filled with fun for all ages. The picnic was held in the church Garden on Sunday, April 4, 2010 immediately after service from 12-2 PM. All area families were invited to attend this free picnic.
This intergenerational event included an egg hunt for youth led by Lisa Rustemeyer, Religious Education Director. Art projects for all were set up by Jude Selva. How do plants eat, drink or breathe in spring flower potting was handled by Bonnie Schmidt and Gail Grob. Face painting for all ages was done by Ginger Fortson. In addition, Patricia Stout guided the teens in making creative garden stones. Summer camp video was also available. The event culminated with Build Your Own Ice Cream Sunday for desert.
Terry Van Brunt, President of the congregation, says “We feel it is important to recognize and celebrate the families of our church and of our area. North Shore UU is a liberal religion. We welcome all regardless of their tradition, gender, race, sexual orientation, or age. We are committed to providing a loving and supportive environment for spiritual and intellectual growth.”
North Shore Unitarian Universalist is located at 28662 Krentel Road, Lacombe, just north of I-12. The planning committee provided the main courses and the ice cream Sunday desert. They requested side dishes and salads to help create this spring feast. Approximately fifty adults and children participated.
For more information about North Shore UU or map and directions visit us at www.NorthShoreUU.org.
Earthquake in Haiti--UU response update
Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on January 12, 2010. Its epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.
UUSC/UUA Joint Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund: $1,779,692.739 - 4/2/10
When Port-au-Prince, Haiti was rocked by a catastrophic earthquake on January 12, 2010, it affected close to 3.5 million people, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and causing untold suffering for those who survived. By now, nearly a month after the disaster, these consequences are well known.
Less familiar is that while the large-scale international aid response remained bottlenecked for weeks, local Haitian organizations and impromptu volunteer groups responded immediately, enacting compassionate concern for each other by digging through the rubble for survivors, finding food and water, building makeshift tent cities, and providing medical care.
Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. Rife with radical inequality, its society systematically leaves out large numbers of people. For them, daily survival was a challenge even before the earthquake. Now life is indescribably more difficult. At the same time, as hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors stream out of the city in search of water, food, medicine, and shelter, the very structure of the Haitian countryside is changing. Many villages have doubled and tripled in size, and people are scrambling to feed and house everyone.
In the months and years to come, how Haiti rebuilds and recovers will bear the stamp of the global community's values and priorities. UUSC stands with those who are working to reverse the cycle of collapse and dependence that has plagued Haiti throughout its star-crossed history. We partner with Haitian organizations and social movements to ensure that their vision becomes reality.
CCUU is Finally Rebuilding!
On Monday, March 29, 2010 the process of clearing our lot and bringing in fill began – we are FINALLY REBUILDING! On Tuesday night, March 30, our Board and Building Committee held a joint meeting with our architect. Final plans for our new building were reviewed and approved, and the Board has authorized the architect to begin negotiations with a contractor he highly recommends.
