This Week on the Peak



This Week on the Peak
Mission Peak UU – Fremont, CA
The Home of Liberal Religion in the Tri-Cities and Beyond!
March 7, 2018

 

SPRING FORWARD
THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!

 

set your clocks ahead one hour before you hit the sack
Saturday night so you won’t be late

for
Rev. John Buehrens!

 

 

This Sunday’s Service:
The Chicken and the Egg
Rev. Dr. John Buehrens, former UUA President and parish minister, joins us for the kick-off of our annual canvass. Following the service, Rev. Buehrens will give a talk about the Transcendentalists, the subject of his latest book. Join us!

 

Rev John Buehrens will lead the service and assisting will be Rev. Benson. Our DRE will lead the Time for All Ages and Jay Steele will provide our music.
BENEFIT FOR MPUUC
The hilarious, politically savvy comedy of Will Durst,
Sunday,
April 22, 7pm, to be held at
36600 Niles Blvd (Niles Discovery Church).

Tickets available in advance $25 (plus small fee)
www.mpuuc.org/durst; $30 at the door.
Buy early, buy for all your family, friends, neighbors: everyone could use a good evening of laughs about now, right?
Building the Future by Building a Bridge
By Allysson McDonald
Graham and I recently visited Suzhou, near Shanghai in China. Our son Greg is working there temporarily. The region is filled with lakes, canals, and rivers so getting from one place to another by land used to be an arduous process. Originally people had to pay boatmen to ferry them across each waterway. Eventually bridges were built between the more populous places. As we travelled the region sightseeing, we were whisked along through tunnels and over bridges that have opened up areas previously inaccessible except by boat, some until quite recently. The most famous bridge in Suzhou, the Baodai, or “Treasure Belt Bridge,” is actually very old.
In 806 AD, Wang Zhongshu, the  Governor of Suzhou, donated a precious belt to pay for its construction, hence its name. The current structure,
built of stone in 1446,
winds 317 metres across the grand canal,
with
53 arches.
Suzhou Baodai Bridge
This year Mission Peak’s canvass campaign – our annual pledge drive kicking off this Sunday, March 11 – has “building our future” as its theme. The future is unknown, yet bridges connect us to the unknown, and represent longevity, abundance and fulfillment! Our canvass is a way to build a bridge between the Mission Peak UU Congregation that we know and love, and the future congregation – as yet unknown. On a practical level, it pays for the physical plant and our staff – it gives us a physical presence without which the congregation is just an idea. Like Suzhou of 806, we have a lot of potential. The future awaits! But people need to be able to get here and we need to be able to move out into the community.
Wang Zhongshu dreamed big, but he was not just a dreamer. He knew the importance of bridges and was willing to make a donation of great value to build Baodai.- his bridge to the future. Suzhou was really nowhere without its bridge. Afterwards Suzhou became a nationally important commercial and cultural center. Today it is one of the fastest growing major cities in the world! Together we can donate something of great value to Mission Peak so that we too can build a bridge, build our future, perhaps helping it become a great spiritual center known for love and justice. What future would you build?
Mission Peak’s annual canvass is our primary source of income. Canvass is an opportunity to plan your giving for the year so we can plan our budget for the year. It’s also an opportunity to make a statement about the kind of future you want for Mission Peak. Someone once said “not moving forward is moving backwards.” Suzhou, without bridges, would be lost in the mists (perhaps literally). One of Mission Peak’s households has already made their statement – they are helping to build the bridge! They will be
matching all increases in pledges up to $8000, meaning that if someone pledged $1000 last year and they pledge $1200 this year, the donors will match the $200 pledge increase so Mission Peak gets a total of $400, up to a total matching amount of $8000 (which would mean a $16,000 increase for Mission Peak, not including any pledge increases above the $8000 matching).
Come hear former UUA president Rev. Dr. John Buehrens on Sunday, get more detailed information from the Canvass Brochure, and fill out your pledge card. Dare to dream – dare to build the future! Bridges, while practical, also add beauty to the landscape. Let’s build a beautiful bridge – lets build a beautiful future together at Mission Peak.
NEW DUE DATE FOR
WEEK ON PEAK AND OOS ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

 

Effective April 3, 2018 the deadline for submitting both Week on Peak and OOS announcements will be Tuesday at 5 p.m.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation with the new time frame for announcements.
A few words from our minister in the interim…
Dear Ones,
We could all use a good laugh about now, right? So go to the link below that I picked up from webmd, hit “return,” go through the questions. Hey, did you know you can lose up to 40 calories in 10-15 minutes laughing? Ok, I gave you one of the answers.
The questions are all about the health benefits of laughter. When you’re done with the questions go to mpuuc.org/durst and, with reading glasses on and credit card in-hand, order tickets to the MPUUC benefit offered by the very funny Will Durst. Get tickets for your family, your friends and your neighbors too–especially the ones that won’t cut their lawns, trim their hedges or who park their RVs in front of your house because they don’t want to block their view.  Go to it and enjoy!  – Rev Benson
A Message from Your DRE
Hi Everyone!
Each week we are tasked to find members of the community who are willing to be part of sharing their UU values with the children in this congregation. Unfortunately, we are unable to meet our goal each week, and sometimes we have to cancel classes or host a game day to keep the kids busy. This is a decision that has to be made by
Wednesday night of each week for planning purposes and to ensure that the information listed in the OOS is accurate. It is a decision we hate to make, but without 2 community members, we are unable to hold classes.
I was recently told in a meeting that our children value the relationships they build with their peers, and the only way we are able to do this is if we have space for them to connect with each other.
Each week you receive an email from myself or Shyno asking that you contribute to this program because it’s important to the children we serve, and to the longevity of Mission Peak as a sustainable community. I ask again, that you please take a look at our calendar and sign up for 2 teaching positions and 2 assistant positions from now until the end of May, with a special emphasis on this Sunday. We have 26 slots to fill over the next few months and this commitment of 3 hours over 3 months will make an incredible difference to these children.
Thank you!

 

 

Right Now:
 

 

 

OUR Tri-City Interfaith Council MPUUC is now a member organization. Only individual members can vote and anyone from the congregation may join for a $25 dues, and attend whether a member or not. Rev. Benson is a member. Join in!

 

 

 

 

              

Our friends at Temple Beth Torah will once again host the annual

 

Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day Service:
April 15th at 7:30 pm.  Interfaith participation is in the planning through our TCIC.
 

 

 

                  LGBT tobacco prevention project
:  Contact Tri-City Health Center,  Brian Davis, for more
information. HIV-infected individuals and Trans women on hormones have increased negative health consequences if they smoke. Help with this education project.

 

 

 

 

 

Call your Elected Officials!  
Keep your representatives alerted to your views! Keep these names and numbers where you can refer to them at any time. There’s a new bill to be introduced in the House of Representatives to decriminalize marijuana. So many people are in prison, in some places for long prison sentences, even for small amounts of marijuana.  Rep. Barbara Lee, Oakland, is one of the bill’s sponsors.  Let your representatives know your thoughts.  Let’s do all we can to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline!

And let them know what you think about immigration justice, DACA, and the proposed “wall” between the US and Mexico.

Congressperson Eric Swalwell 510-247-1388 or go to
house.gov
Ro Khanna  (202) 225-2631
Senator Kamala Harris
(202) 224 – 3553
Senator Diane Feinstein

(202) 224-3841

Amazon Smiles:
3x your impact!
From March 12-31, Amazon is tripling the donation rate on your first smile.amazon.com purchase! Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/94-3196344 and Amazon donates to Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
 

 

*Baby ShowerTime
:  Allysson McDonald is looking for one or two folks who would enjoy helping coordinate a virtual baby shower for an expectant mom recently rehoused by Abode Services. The money collected by our congregation in December will go towards the purchase of a crib. Rhea’s baby is due in just a few weeks! Please contact Allysson if you can help.

 

 

 

 

*Ask what committees can use new members or specific tasks done: contact Gayle Tupper, Membership or Jen King, Leadership Development

 

It’s your community. Be a part of it with a little time and talent, too!

Save the date:
 
 

 

 

 

 

Our friends at Niles Discovery Church, Second Saturday film series, invite one and all:
On 3/10 at 1:30 pm the movie at Niles Discovery Church will be “Requiem for the American Dream.”  Noam Chomsky unpacks the principles that have brought us to the crossroads of historically unprecedented inequality in the United States.

 
 

 

 

Regional Assembly Delegates Needed

 

This year, a Regional Assembly for the Pacific Western Region is replacing our annual District Assembly. It is coming up in Portland on
April 27-29. Because of the added travel costs for attending, the Pacific Central District is providing funds to each congregation in the district to help offset some of the costs.
This year’s theme is
Stories of Hope, Courage, Resistance and Resilience. One of the featured speakers is Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, the new president of the UUA. Complete information and schedule is available at
https://www.uua.org/pacific-western
Mission Peak is entitled to 3 delegates (in addition to our ministers who are automatically delegates). If you think you might be interested in attending let Holly Ito or President Michealle Havenhill know.

Also, if you’re not already receiving the regional newsletter, you can go to this same website to signup.

 

 

 

 

Anne Abrams
A Celebration of Life will be held for former member Anne Abrams at the Palo Alto Unitarian Church at
3 pm
on
March 11
. Please rsvp Leonard Abrams
lnrdabrams2@gmail.com
Help for
Sunday Services Needed
Helping set up or take down for our services every
Sunday is one of the easiest ways to give back to the congregation and get involved. We currently have several spots that we DESPERATELY need volunteers for:
  • 1st Sunday of the Month: Set-up (1 person needed), Greeter (2 people needed), and Take Down (1 person needed)
  • 2nd Sunday of the Month: Take Down (1 person needed)
  • 3rd Sunday of the Month: Aesthetics (1 person needed)
We also need more people to sign up to fill in for coffee subs.
If you can’t commit to one
Sunday per month, please consider being a substitute so we won’t have as much trouble filling slots when our regular volunteers have to be out of town.
Please contact Colleen Arnold at
colleenag@sbcglobal.net
  or text her at 510-589-7481, if you can help. Thank you!

 

UU in America: Learning Opportunities
On March 11, from 12 noon to 2 pm, members of our congregation and the larger community are invited to hear Rev. Dr. John Buehrens discuss the subject of his newest book. The title of his presentation is “The Transcendentalists: What You Didn’t Know That You Didn’t Know About Them.”
Rev. Dr. John Buehrens was president of the UUA from 1994 through 2001 and has authored many books.
This presentation will take place in the Sanctuary of First United Methodist Church, down the driveway. No sign up necessary.
STAY CONNECTED:
Mission Peak UU | 2950 Washington Blvd Fremont CA | 510.252.1477 | missionpeakuu.org