Saturday, January 24th
The Big Event (the UU Youth/YRUU fundraiser scheduled for Sandburg Hall starting at 5:30 PM)
has been POSTPONED.
New date to be chosen soon; details to follow.
Questions? Reach out to Jen Johnson. 

Sunday, January 25th 

BOTH IN-PERSON SERVICES ARE CANCELED.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL TO THE CHURCH.
There will be one service *online only* at 11:15 AM on Zoom, not our typical YouTube Livestream link. More details to follow. *Please note, power and/or internet outages may force full cancelation of the Zoom service. Questions? Reach out to Lauren in the office.

Associated Sunday church/worship/after church events are canceled on 1/25: Faith Formation, Coffee Hour, *Long-Range Planning Town Hall, Soul Collage. Questions about these events? Click the event name, and you can email the respective organizer.

This weekend’s forecast is projecting a serious winter storm with heavy snow and ice headed to our area as well as many other parts of the country. To keep our members, friends, visitors, and staff safe, we have preemptively made some changes to the schedule for congregational events and worship this weekend. 

Saturday, January 24th
The Big Event (the UU Youth/YRUU fundraiser scheduled for Sandburg Hall starting at 5:30 PM)
has been POSTPONED.
New date to be chosen soon; details to follow.
Questions? Reach out to Jen Johnson. 

Sunday, January 25th 

BOTH IN-PERSON SERVICES ARE CANCELED.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL TO THE CHURCH.
There will be one service *online only* at 11:15 AM on Zoom, not our typical YouTube Livestream link. More details to follow. *Please note, power and/or internet outages may force full cancelation of the Zoom service. Questions? Reach out to Lauren in the office.

Associated Sunday church/worship/after church events are canceled on 1/25: Faith Formation, Coffee Hour, *Long-Range Planning Town Hall, Soul Collage. Questions about these events? Click the event name, and you can email the respective organizer.

The post WINTER WEATHER CANCELATIONS/POSTPONED EVENTS appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Rose, bud, thorn. Do you know that check in practice? A common one in youth programming, it’s a way of sharing with the group something good, something prickly, and something ready to bloom in your life. My check in is about our high school teens at UU Asheville.

Rose: My heart is glowing after a full day and eve of winter retreat happenings for both of our youth groups this past Saturday.

The Coming of Agers defined UUism in Madlib form and in UU elevator speeches as an introduction to credo formation; completed a fun, mission-based scavenger hunt; tuned in to their inner selves in a labyrinth walk; and bonded with their mentors and peers – all as rich ways to grow in community and to explore their values, beliefs, and UU faith.

Our YRUU (Young Religious UU) youth group had a full day and evening too! They volunteered at First Presbyterian’s Saturday Sanctuary, dug into YRUU worship planning work, and also walked the labyrinth as a new spiritual practice.

Both groups had playful and spirited blended time together in the evening with games; conversation & competition; campfire & s’mores; and some older teens sharing pearls of wisdom with younger youth. It was truly a beautiful (double!) retreat and heartwarming to witness the growing bonds and support they freely give one another. 

Our UU Asheville teens are inspiring, playful, mature, funny, willing and helpful, spirited, serious… they are beautiful humans, and we are fortunate to have them in our community! We hope you will honor them and attend the upcoming winter and spring happenings involving our children & youth.

Buds: Upcoming events — all are invited and encouraged to attend! 

You’re invited to the Big Event! Get your tickets this week for an evening of dinner and entertainment on Saturday, January 24 at 5:30pm in Sandburg Hall. Get ready for a family-friendly evening of ENTERTAINMENT, TRIVIA, BAKED ZITI, and COMMUNITY, hosted by our youth families. They’ve assured us it will be fun! Tickets are sliding scale with suggested donation: adults $15-20, children $7-10, and family tickets are $40-50. Click here to purchase tickets in advance or buy them at the table in Sandburg Hall this Sunday. If you want child care for your littles under 8, contact Kimberly Mason ASAP at masonfab5@gmail.com. Funds raised will support the summer youth work trip to West Virginia. 

Save the date for the annual YRUU-led worship on Sunday, February 22. We hope you’ll join us for that special service!

As well as the…

• Faith Formation worship service: March 22.
• Coming of Age credo service: May 17. 

We are deeply grateful for the good UU adult guides who work with our youth! This year’s YRUU advisors: Jim Gamble, Margaret McAlister, Emily Pegram, Connie Silver, CoA facilitators: Allison Hardesty, Brett Johnson, Langdon Martin, Kelly Wedell. CoA mentors: Nancy Bragg, Allen Currens, Iris Hardin, Patrick Hester, Lisa Horak, Mike Horak, Tom House, Steve Lapointe, Sharon LeDuc, and Matt Reynolds. Thanks also to recent spiritual practice activity leaders: Joanne Fox, Gini Jones, and Fredda Mangel. Our youth programs thrive because of their dedicated and skilled time and energy.

Oh, and the thorn? A few youth couldn’t attend the retreat due to wrestling tourney, play performance, sickness, end of semester tests or missing the memo. That will happen but still a bummer they couldn’t be there and the group missed them. 

Thanks so much,

Jen Johnson

The post My Rose: UU Youth! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

We launch the new congregational year with the goal of living love through the practice of invitation.
“Come, come whoever you are,
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
Ours is no caravan of despair.
Come, yet again come.” – Hymn #188
There is an additional sentence in the original poem by Sufi poet Jamal al-Din Rumi that inspired this hymn:
“Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times.”
Perfection is not expected in our welcome. We do hold each other accountable for the covenants we make to each other as UUs. And, when we miss the mark, because we are human and we will make mistakes, we strive to stay in relationship with grace and curiosity as we explore how to mend our relationships. Our invitation is an exploration of how we are human together in the search for meaning and the co-creation of communities where all will thrive. Faith Formation at UU Avl supports us on this journey. And our Soul Matters groups are one vehicle for learning and growing together. They resume in October. If you are interested in joining a group let us know here.

Tentative Fall Calendar Questions? Contact Rev. Claudia faithdev@uuasheville.org

Highlights! Launching this fall:
First Wednesday Dinner & Vespers returns Sept 4.

Unitarian Universalist Views on Jesus
We gather on-line one Sunday each month for group reflection/discussion. Each month, participants will discuss a selection from “Christ for Unitarian Universalists.”
More details here.
Meeting Dates: Nov. 17; Dec. 15; Jan. 26; Feb. 9, March 23, 4-5 PM
Facilitator: Amy Wright Glenn

Onsite book study – “Not The End of The World ” by data scientist Hannah Ritchie
Are you looking for a fresh perspective on environmental issues? We invite you to join our reading and discussion group starting this September! Our goal is to reframe our views to a historic and data-backed perspective, moving away from the doomsday approach that often dominates conversations.Let’s come together to inspire hope and action!
Meeting dates: 9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10; Board room, 23 Edwin; between services
Facilitators & Details: Olivia <Olivia.themartins@gmail.com> 
Kelly <kellyqmcenany@gmail.com>

Adult Faith Formation Team meets monthly to plan programs and learn together, 2nd Mon., 4PM, online. We welcome your proposals for programs (use this form to propose a program).

Spiritual Deepening Groups
Covenant of UU Pagans – CUUPS. Contact: Sherry Lundquist sherry_lundquist@yahoo.com
Buddhist Sangha – Meets 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7:30 pm in Sandburg Hall; 1st Sunday Meditation Circle, 10:15AM (Resumes in the Fall). Contact: Duane Bigelow duanelbigelow@gmail.com
Soul Matters Groups – Conversation Groups, UU Writers Group and Creativity Matters group explore monthly themes Oct.- June.  New groups launch in October. Contact: Rev. Claudia faithdev@uuasheville.org

The post Adult Faith Formation – September Happenings appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.