Welcome! You have discovered an exceptional congregation.  Our church is a place where we worship, find inspiration, challenge and support to learn and live out deeply held values.  Our shared task is the creation of the beloved community, where all people matter, where there is reverence for life, awe for the grandeur of creation, deepening awareness of our oneness.

We hope you find our approach to faith refreshing.   We do not expect or attempt to achieve uniformity of theological belief.  We celebrate the diversity of ways that people come to faith, meaning and peace. 

Our tradition holds that revelation is continuous rather than something given to one group of people in antiquity.   We draw upon many sources for inspiration, including text from the world's religious traditions, literature, science and from each other.  We offer a path of spiritual deepening, nurtured and challenged by people joined together in covenant and good will.

We proclaim a life-affirming faith that lifts us to a greater awareness of who are and what we might become.  We welcome the joyous and those who are hurting or bereaved. We welcome those who are searching and questioning, those who value life-long learning, those who seek to live lives of justice and compassion. 

We are a young and growing congregation.  We are pleased to provide NW Houston with a sanctuary of liberal religion, a enriching, non-dogmatic religious environment.  We are dedicated to providing a welcoming environment to everyone regardless of race, sexual orientation or physical ability. Everyone who shares this spirit of community is welcome to join us.

If you're familiar with this congregation, we hope this website will provide resources to enrich your experience.  If you are new to us, we have attempted to provide everything you need as an introduction to the religious life of the congregation; it's vision, spirit, its people and activities.  Blessings on your journey!

Sincerely,
Rev. Phillip Schulman
minister@nwcuuc.org
"I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being." ~Hafiz

Hello, fellow NWCUUC folks!

Ah, Back to School season! I am an office and school supply junkie, so this time of year just feeds my habit in a big way – I color code and add little sticky-note flags and snap things into all sorts of cool binders. And the fresh start of a new year always gets me excited about new adventures.

One new thing that we have implemented over the summer is a new policy around the supervision of our children. There was some confusion over what this actually meant, so I thought I would use this space here to clarify.

Church policy now states that our children must be supervised at all times. During the Religious Education times, this is done by our RE teachers and assistants. We are making an effort now to include children’s programming, or at minimum supervised play, at all of our church-sponsored events. But during the times when there is no church programming in effect, such as over the summer when we do not have RE classes in session, it is the responsibility of the parent(s) to monitor their own child(ren). This would also include the 15 minutes between the end of service and the start of RE classes.

Now, some of the older kids were upset thinking this meant they had to be attached at the hip to their parents. No, this is not necessarily the case! They should not be across the room, or in another room altogether. However, the adults could be at one café table socializing, and the kids at a separate table. They are within eyesight and earshot of their parents, and so under supervision.

This policy was implemented when we discovered that this was an area where we had liability concerns. This is not about anything the children did or did not do. If someone is injured at our church, and it is deemed that we did not do what we could to avoid the injury, we would be liable.

There is still some discussion around where “child” ends. Legally, age of a minor is under 18. But at NWCUUC we allow membership beginning at age 16. If you have some thoughts on this part of the policy, please share with a Board member.

At NWCUUC, we have some amazing kids! They are a treasure and a joy to all of us, whether they are our very own children or those of a fellow congregant. I encourage you to get to know these beautiful people better by volunteering to help with Religious Education classes, and by helping out during other church-sponsored events. I’ll even share my stickers with you!

See you next Sunday,
Tracy Cook - president@nwcuuc.org

NWCUUC RE Year Starts September 12 with Sources Curriculum

During the 2010 - 2011 School Year, participants in our Religious Education Program will be exploring sources of our UU values, such as:

* Returning (To our Church, To our Values, to Each Other)
* Celebrating Our UU Heritage (The Ancestors)
* Continuation of the Ancestors
* Season of Light - The Wise Ones
* Renewal of the Spirit
* Witnesses of Wonders (The Mind)
* The Transcending Mystery
* Reawakening and Restoration
* Spiritual Teachings of Earth- Centered Traditions

Children from 4yrs old through 8th grade meet to explore a variety of UU sources of belief each month. Through interactive adventures in music, games, art, science, and comparative religion all children will be given the opportunity to learn about core values of Unitarian Universalism and how they can utilize them in their daily lives.

Our educators this year will focus on an aspect of each Source theme of the month and teach alternative Sundays.

High schoolers will have a separate program this year focusing on Religious Education (RE), community service, and social actions. We now have two trained adults as Youth Advisers, and our youth are looking forward to an enriching year.

Registration for the 2010-2011 RE year will begin September 5th. We will begin our explorations on September 12th, starting with our first source 'Returning (To our Church, To our Values, to Each Other).' Religious Education meets from 11:15 to 12:00 pm on Sundays.

For more information about our Religious Education Program please contact:

Beth Hammer - ChildrensRE@nwcuuc.org

The 2011 Task Force has been taken up as a board responsibility. The charge of the taskforce had been to examine options for the board to approve at the end of our current lease. The results from the previous 2011 committee have been passed to the board. The board has determined that it would expedite the process and improve the board buy-in and approval process if we work through this process as board members. We will continue to take input from the congregation as the work proceeds.

Please watch this space for updates on our progress.

Thank you,
John Hammer - 2011@nwcuuc.org

As previously announced, the theme of our 2010 Stewardship Campaign is “Love Will Guide Us.” Thanks once again to Rev. Phil Schulman for suggesting this winning entry to our theme contest.  And thanks to Oktober Spoonemore for our beautiful new logo!

I believe that Love Will Guide Us perfectly captures the essence of our Stewardship Campaign. Although raising pledges is an unavoidable necessity for a properly functioning church, raising money is not our purpose. As Michael Durall teaches, people typically come to church to feed their spirit, build community and work for social justice. These are things that deeply matter, and they are all expressions of love – love for oneself and one’s family, community and the world at large. Since love is an integral part of what our church is all about, then it follows that love should be our guide.

What does this mean for Stewardship? To me, stewardship is a labor of love. Our church is vitally important to me and to many others. We support a host of activities, and virtually all of these activities are ministry in action – ministry among ourselves and to the community at large. Said another way, ministry is an expression and demonstration of love. Hence, we express and demonstrate love in almost everything we do for our church and fellow members.

It is my hope that our church will continue and even expand upon its delivery of ministry. And if I truly love my church and support its mission, then I must stretch myself, and perhaps even sacrifice, to help ensure its success. Love will guide me. I hope you feel the same.

For more information on Stewardship please contact Geoff Sanders - stewardship@nwcuuc.org

The August 14th workday consisted mostly of routine maintenance. Susan Berg is close to completing repair of the ceiling in the men's shower area and the art wall with the theme of ideas for our possible new location has some additions. We are still working on arranging for removal of the dead tree next to the parking area as well as plumbing and climate control improvements. The next workday will be September 11th.

Thanks,
Tom Parker - buildingandaesthetics@nwcuuc.org

Standing on the Side of Love - Welcome the Mosque and Immigration Rights

SPEAK OUT AGAINST ANTI-MUSLIM BIGOTRY AND FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND DIVERSITY

Anti-Muslim hate speech and hate crimes are spreading. Stabbings, arson, attacks on mosques, and vitriolic political speech is spinning far out of control. A fringe church in Gainesville, Florida, has even announced a planned "Burn a Quran Day" to take place on Sept. 11th. We must take a strong stand and speak out.

During worship services on September 10, 11, or 12, people of faith will combat religious discrimination by saying a few words about religious diversity and freedom. Can you urge your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and congregants to stand on the side of love and respect for religious diversity? Click on the subtitle above for a link to learn about events being held to promote religious freedom and diversity.

Rev. Schulman's sermon on September 12, "Welcome the Mosque," will address this current event which touches upon what it means to be UU and to be religiously welcoming in the 21st centure. Let your family and friends know - invite them from our public event posting at:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1272/t/9818/p/salsa/event/common/public/?key=62636.

Take some time before the September 12 service to read some of the recent blog posts on the Standing on the Side of Love website. Two so far have inspirational thoughts about welcoming all faiths in our nation and the implications about the building of the community center and mosque near ground zero of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center towers. Many of the posts are about the ongoing struggles against ethnic and racial profiling as related to immigrant legislation in Arizona. Several of the concepts are of particular concern to UUs living in Texas. One of the Texas Representatives has been speaking to the media about the concept of "Terrorist Babies." Several Texas legislators as well as the current governor are speaking to the media about trying to replicate the Arizona legislation in Texas. The next Texas legislative session begins in January.

To quote from one of the posts:

"We live in a democracy; a melting pot of ideas, cultures and religious beliefs. As religious people we are called to find that way. As religious people we are called to create the Beloved Community we seek by acting in manner that is consistent with our beliefs even when it is difficult to do so. We are called by our faith to move from judgment to compassion and from fear to love. This is a spiritual practice, a vital, life giving, life sustaining practice that brings us to the side of Love where we can stand with firm resolve, and the assurance that God, and the future of all people, is on our side. As religious people standing on the side of life, we must engage in this spiritual practice together- from judgment to compassion and from fear to love, each and everyday. This is to truly Stand on the Side of Love."

-- Rev. Paul Langston-Daley, West Valley Unitarian Universalist Church

http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/blog/

We can't tell you who to vote for, and we never would, but we can encourage you to consider the principles of UUism and Standing on the Side of Love, when making your ballot choices. Early voting begins in mid-October.

You Matter Project Sack Lunches - 4th Saturdays

The fourth Saturday of each month we will host the lunch making for www.YouMatterProject.org, and then join the caravan to downtown Houston to deliver sack lunches to the homeless. People of all ages are encouraged to participate! We will meet at church at 9:30, and the caravan will leave the parking lot at 10:15. So that we can include children who spend different weekends with different parents, the schedule will shift after a few months to be on the first Saturday of the month. Oktober Stone-Spoonemore is the area coordinator for Northwest Houston You Matter! Please contact oktober@youmatterproject.org for further information. September 24 is the next date.

Dana Ashrawi - faithinaction@nwcuuc.org