News & Events

Serendipity Auction
Saturday, April 12
6:00 PM at UUFHC

Look in your closet, find the most brilliant, dazzling, piece of clothing you own, fluff it out and get ready to wear it to the most colorful event of the year—the 2008 Serendipity Auction! The year's auction, Coloring Outside the Lines, will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2008, starting at 6:00 PM. Pre-auction booklets will be distributed on Sunday, April 6th.

The auction is a major fundraiser for our Fellowship, helping to offset expenses not covered through pledges. We look forward to everyone supporting the auction with contributions of services and items, as well as generous bidding the night of the event. (Contract forms are available here.)

With all of the wonderful social opportunities listed, bidding at the auction can assure that your lives remain bursting with excitement and color. This is an evening of unrestricted creativity, enabling our Fellowship to remain a vibrant splash of color in Harford County—crayons provided!

Ministerial Survey

Randomly chosen members of the congregation were asked for the amount of effort that Rev. Lisa should put into each of the following eight Areas of Ministry:

• Counseling and Pastoral Care
  Consider: availability, responsiveness, warmth, empathy, knowledge of family systems, confidentiality, hospital visitation, etc.
• Practical Arts
  Consider: administration, organizational development in and out of the congregation, management of staff, attention to detail, recognition and appreciation of others, delegation of responsibility and authority, follow through and completion of tasks, time management, ability to work with boards and committees, atention to long range plans, etc.
• Congregational Ministry
  Consider: integration of new members, creates welcoming environment, encourages a sense of community, encourages growth, supports broad variety of programs, involvement of others in planning and conducting programs, nurtures lay leadership, professional presentation of self, pastors to various age groups, etc.
• Personal and Professional Growth
  Consider: performance under stress, hears criticism and feedback, skillfully gives constructive criticism and feedback, conveys energy and enthusiasm, gives and receives praise, sense of humor, manages conflict, models a healthy balance of work and personal/family life, engages in rewarding spiritual practices, etc.
• Teaching
  Consider: provides a variety of offerings, encourages lay participation, conducts interesting and informative classes.
• Worship
  Consider: preparedness, coherence, intellectual challenge, spirituality, creativity, inspirational message, effective use of humor, effective use of ritual and liturgical arts, music, prayer, and meditation, readings/stories, rites of passage, pulpit presence, voice, etc.
• UU Denominational Activities
  Consider: involvement in UU denominational and District events, UUMA Chapter meetings, interfaith activities, encouragement of member involvement at the district and continental levels, informing congregation of UUA denominational concerns and issues, etc.
• Prophetic Outreach
  Consider: public relations, involvement in witnessing and advocating for social justice issues, encourages congregational involvement in social justice issues, leads the congregation in addressing issues specifically related to anti-racism, etc.

There were five possible choices on the survey:

• No Effort
• A Little Effort
• Some Effort
• A Lot of Effort
• Maximum Effort

The results from all those surveyed (with a 43% response) are as follows:

Survey Results (%)

Adding the results from A Lot of Effort and Maximum Effort gives the following rankings from high to low order of importance to the congregation:

Literature Rack

Check the literature racks in the coat rack hall. If you missed the information about the Rowe Conference Center, SUUSI, and UUMAC for this summer and autumn, please be aware that there are so many wonderful opportunities for families and single persons to extend the realm of fellowship and to meet other UUs at these UU-sponsored places.

Besides camp and conference information, there are periodicals which you may take home, read and bring back, or pass along to others. Magazines such as UU World, HOPE, Science & Spirit, UTNE, and many others are in the racks. Catalogs from the fair trade artisans and teaching tapes are interesting! You don't have to sign-out anything. If you have some to contribute, simply place in the mailbox marked "Literature Rack" with your name and telephone number if you are not a member. No obvious political items, please. Enjoy!

Newsletter Deadline

The Newsletter deadline is the second Sunday of each month. Newsletter articles can be submitted via e-mail to newsletter@uufhc.net or hardcopy can be placed in the Newsletter mailbox located on the office door.

Newsletter Collating

The Newsletter is collated and prepared for bulk mailing on the second Thursday after the Newsletter deadline, which is the second Sunday of the month.

UUFHC Yellow Pages

List your business and/or service in the UUFHC Yellow Pages 2003.

Recycling Reminder

Please remember to recycle your cans and paper. We have recycle bins outside the kitchen, in the administrative hallway, and new ones in the RE hallway.