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Mission Peak UU – Fremont, CA
The Home of Liberal Religion in the Tri-Cities and Beyond!
September 18, 2019
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The Fremont City Council, a week ago, voted to take action toward curing our local homelessness problem by moving forward with a Homeless Navigation Center near City Hall and the BART station. Certainly more will need to be done, but this is a great step forward, and Mission Peak U-U Congregation played a significant role. Our Board adopted two successive public statements on the issue, first for the site at Niles Discovery Church, and then for any site still under consideration after that was eliminated. We signed on with about twenty other organizations to an open letter advocating the Center, which was circulated through the Tri-City Interfaith Council. Our members showed up at various City Council meetings and public hearings. I know that Kathi Bayne, Rev. Jo Green, Allie King, Joanne Landers, Rev. Barbara Meyers, Peggy Rahman, Katherine Rubie and Valerie Stewart did so; several of them spoke; Katherine Rubie even made it to the news media. Members Vinnie Bacon and Jenny Kassan were two of the City Council members supporting the decision. Let’s take a moment to be proud of ourselves, and then move on to further battles in the struggle to implement our positive values. — Paul K Davis
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Eddy Carroll is a self-proclaimed UU Evangelist, always willing to share our good news with others. He has served 3 UU congregations over the last few decades in almost every leadership role possible including being the President of two congregational boards. He has also been on committees both for the UUA and the MDD. He graduated from the Russell Lockwood Leadership School in 1999 and was on its staff in 2000. Doing BCTs are hands down a joy for him. He is presently a Member of The First Unitarian Society in Denver CO where he is on the Religious Exploration Committee, Chairs the Green Sanctuary Committee, administers the Church’s Facebook Page and is known as “The Church Lady”. He is an Intake Specialist at The St. Francis Center, a Day Shelter serving the Homeless Community of Denver. He lives in Denver with his husband Glenn. While they have been together for over 32 years, they were finally able to legally marry in Colorado in December of 2014.
Leading the service will be Eddy Carroll and assisting will be Worship Associate Drew Wilson. Jay Steele will provide our music.
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Rev Jo and Mission Peak UU Congregation members will join with students in the Global Climate Strike rally behind Thorton Junior High School THIS FRIDAY. Please join us!
Also, please consider wearing your MPUUC t-shirts for those who wish to help the community get to know our church. (Melissa Holmes will have MPUUC t-shirts available for sale at the event. $12 per shirt, cash or check. Check is preferred).
Start: Friday, September 20, 2019 3:30 PM
Where: 4375 Blue Ridge Street, Fremont, CA 94536
LET’S CONSIDER CAR POOLING. Parking may be limited.
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Have you filled out the Congregational Survey?
It is very important that you participate in this survey. We need to gather meaningful, accurate information about our congregation that we can then share with prospective ministerial candidates.
If you haven’t filled out the survey yet, there’s still time! Please click on this link
www.mpuuc.org/survey to be directed to the survey. It should take 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Thank you for your time!
Your Ministerial Search Committee
DeAnna Ilze Lance Stephen Tiffany Megan Don
Alm (chair) Duarte Holliday Longfield Longfield McMillen Ramie
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Beyond Categorical Thinking
on September 22
Our congregation is looking for a new minister, and perhaps distinct images come to mind of what a minister is. A particular gender? Race? Age? We can have biases we’re not even aware of, and limit ourselves in finding the minster who is really best for Mission Peak.
On Sunday, September 22, there with be a free workshop to help us be fair and open-and heard. The Unitarian Universalist Association is sending a facilitator to conduct “Beyond Categorical Thinking.” This will help us consider our hopes, expectations and concerns about a new minister.
After the Sunday service, there will be a light lunch provided for all attendees, with the program to run from noon to no later than 3:00 p.m. Childcare will be available if you RSVP. Use the online form link below to RSVP, or contact Don Ramie.
If you want to have input that will help the Search Committee find a great new minister, this workshop is for you! All are strongly encouraged to attend.
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Bring A Friend Sunday – September 29
Help share the good news about our caring and vibrant community! Invite a friend, relative, or acquaintance to attend the Sunday, September 29th service and learn more about Mission Peak UUC. There will be a potluck luncheon following the service. Visitors are our guests. Food will be provided by members and friends.
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CaYRE NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!!
The children and youth religious education program has been an integral part of the mission and vision of Mission Peak since the beginning. As we continue forward with that mission in the start of our Fall semester we are in dire need for volunteers to help provide continued education to the young people of our congregation. If you can lead or assist in the classroom, are willing to be on our substitute list, or even will to help us sort and organize supplies please contact Shawn Snavley our Interim DRE. We need all hands on deck to help provide safe and loving environment for our young people to grow!
All the Best,
Shawn
Interim Director of Religious Education
510-397-8758
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Black & White Gala – November 2, 2019 – Mark Your Calendar
Our annual Black & White Gala will be Saturday, November 2 from 6:00-10:00pm. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. It’s a great opportunity for you to dress up (if you’d like) and support Mission Peak by participating in our service auction, buying unique and handmade items at our boutique, and testing your luck by participating in our basket raffle. All while enjoying yummy sweet and savory snacks and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Please put the Black & White Gala on your calendar, invite friends, plan your outfit (our theme this year is Vintage Hollywood), and start thinking of items you can donate to the auction and make for the boutique. It will be a great event and a TON of fun, but we can’t do it without you!! Tickets are now on sale. Tickets are $25 each or you can reserve a table of eight for $200.
It’s also time to start figuring out what you can donate for the event. We need:
- Auction Items: Services only – no physical items. If you want to donate something, but don’t know what…ask Jen King and she’ll help you brainstorm ideas. The best idea is to offer to share what you enjoy doing!If you drive, offer transportation. If you garden, offer to beautify someones garden. If you like to bake, bake goodies for auction day or for a future date. If you like to cook, offer to cook a meal, deliver a meal, or share a meal. If you like picnics, offer to gather all the fixings for a dream picnic for 2. If you are good with hammer and nails, offer to help build or repair something. If you like to do a craft, offer to teach it to someone else or create a unique personalized item for someone.If you love kids, offer to babysit and give parents a much needed night out. If you have an eye for organizing, offer to help organize closets. If you own a truck, offer to haul stuff. If you love animals, offer to pet sit. If you have a talent, offer to share it. If you have a skill, offer to teach it.
- Items for the Boutique:- Homemade items – jewelry, knitted items, pottery, art, baked goods, bookmarks, stained glass, cross stitch, etc.
- Themed Baskets: You can shop and put together a themed basket or donate $$ for someone else to put together a basket. We also need volunteers to sell raffle tickets the night of the event.
- Sweet & Savory Snacks – We need both sweet and savory goodies donated for the buffet for the event. Items do not need to be homemade. Please sign-up to donate if you can.
- Beverages – We need donations of beer, wine, champagne, Martinellis, soda, etc. to serve at the event.
- Volunteers – We need lots and lots of volunteers for the day of the event.Sign-ups will be available every Sunday after services.
- Bidders & Buyers – Please plan to attend this fun event which provides not only finances for our congregation, but fellowship opportunities for the whole year. Please invite friends and family who you’d like to introduce to Mission Peak UU or who you believe would support our mission of inclusiveness and social justice. The more the merrier. Tickets are $25 each (although no one is turned away if the price of a ticket is a hardship). We will be selling tickets every Sunday after services.
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Appreciative Inquiry Committee
Hello everyone! There were 5 people during this workshop that offered to be on this committee and I neglected to write your names down! Please contact me as I know you were interested and I need your help!
Last June we held an Appreciative Inquiry workshop where many of the members interacted and answered questions about their memories of MPUUC, their hopes for the future and what they saw as this congregation’s strengths. I have compiled all of the information you all contributed and now I am looking for a committee to be formed to gain conclusions about what this congregation needs and wants and sees in their future.
As your Interim Minister, I have been guiding you through the journey of grieving, of healing, and preparing to transition you all for a new settled minister to come. This workshop gave us some answers as to how you see yourselves, what you value, what stories in this congregation are life-giving, and how this congregation has made a difference in your lives.
Appreciative Inquiry is a way to keep a congregation thriving and recreating itself by its conversations and its stories. It is a process that you can apply and look back on in the future and use in any walk of life. This is an opportunity for this congregation to define itself, to hold those memories which are most important and to define your future!
Please contact me, Rev Jo, and notify me if you would like to be on this committee. This work is very important for this congregation and will give you new insights and direction in moving towards the future you wish to have.
I look forward to meeting with you all!
Blessings,
Rev Jo
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The Fellowship Committee Needs YOU!
Do you enjoy the social events we have at Mission Peak? Would you like to see more events? The Fellowship Committee needs more members. Many hands make light work, and we could use a few more hands. We meet around once a quarter and try to plan or support 2-3 events a quarter. Best of all we have a lot of fun together. If you’re interested in joining our ‘merry band’, please contact Jen King.
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WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!
We NEED your help! Cole Hall does not magically transform into a special place for our services each Sunday. It requires a small army of volunteers. We’ve had a few ‘retirements’ lately and we have some spots
to fill. PLEASE let Jen King know if you can fill in for any of the following:
URGENT: We have no one to do set-up for the 2nd Sunday of each month!
We also need people for the following:
Additional Set-up assistance for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Sundays of each month
Additional Greeter for the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month
Powerpoint Clickers & AV Technicians for many Sundays (We will train you! We
promise!)
Additional Take-down assistance for the 2nd Sunday of each month.
You can sign up on an ongoing basis for the Sunday’s indicated above by contacting Jen King, or you can sign up on and ad hoc basis by following this link:
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UU Justice Ministry of California presents
An all-day event connecting Unitarian Universalists, faith leaders, and climate justice activists in California. Programming will include faith-grounding, presentations/workshops from local organizations, regional strategy building, and opportunities for congregations/communities to share their efforts, struggles, and successes in community.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Hosted by the Mt. Diablo UU Church (Walnut Creek, CA)
For more information and to register click here:
SUPPORT OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO BOYCOTT
(UUA 2019 Action of Immediate Witness)
UUA defines Immediate Witness as “the public profession by word or deed of the convictions of an individual or group regarding a particular issue. Actions of Immediate Witness profess convictions grounded in Unitarian Universalism” and “requires immediate action to make an impact.”
For those who are willing and able:
Then UUA is distributing a
Petition in Support of Our First Amendment Right of Free Speech!
…We affirm our commitment to the constitutional right to free speech. We affirm that boycotts and divestment in support of human rights are free speech and are aligned with UU principles upholding democracy in human affairs and the right of conscience…
Copy of the full petition will be available after the worship service on Sunday for all those interested in signing.
You can also print and sign a copy to mail at
Upcoming Training for Asylum Project Volunteers – Please RSVP
Last Sunday, Kelly Younger from Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity spoke to us about the Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Team (NEAT) program. NEAT trains teams of volunteers from congregations across the Bay Area to “accompany”, i.e., walk alongside, asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the United States and do not have family to support them. NEAT works with congregations whose members provide housing to asylum seekers and also matches congregations with asylum seekers who are already housed elsewhere.
NEAT has two upcoming training sessions for accompaniment team volunteers. These training sessions are both on Sundays from 2-5 pm, on October 6 (in San Francisco) and November 3 (in Contra Costa County). If you are interested in being part of an accompaniment team, if and when MPUUC decides to go forward with supporting one or more asylum seekers, or if you are interested volunteering more occasionally as part of this project, please consider attending one of these two NEAT training sessions. Email Allie King at
allie.king@gmail.com (or call 561-901-5446) with your availability and she will coordinate sign-up and carpools.
Write a Letter of Encouragement to Angel Benito
We have been contacted with an update on Angel Benito’s case from EBIIC, the East Bay Interfaith Immigration Coalition. They spoke with his mom Maricela today and unfortunately, Angel’s appeal was denied at the Board of Immigration Appeals and his family is now planning on moving the case to the 9th circuit court. Sadly, Angel has now been in detention for 2 years and he is crushed that this will still take more time to be resolved. Maricela shared that Angel is extremely depressed because he hasn’t seen his children during this time and the communication with them has become less. She asked if we could come together as a community once again and send Angel letters of encouragement and support. To read more about Angel’s story and for the instructions on writing him, see the
attached document.
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Turning Love Into Justice:
The Tri-City Interfaith Council (tcicouncil.weebly.com) is a grass-roots organization bringing together people of diverse religious beliefs from Fremont, Newark, and Union City (California). Rev. Jo Green, Rev. Barbara Meyers and Paul K. Davis are members. Join in!
Join the Interfaith council as we stand together for the
WE ARE ONE RALLY – CLIMATE JUSTICE
Thursday, September 26, 2019
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Paseo Padre & Walnut, Fremont
Call your Elected Officials!
Calls can make a difference! Contact your representatives to alert them to your views!
Congressperson Eric Swalwell 510-247-1388 or go to
house.gov
Senator Kamala Harris
(202) 224 – 3553
Senator Diane Feinstein (202) 224-3841
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Mission Peak UU | 2950 Washington Blvd Fremont CA | 510.252.1477 | missionpeakuu.org
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