May 15, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, May 15, 11am
Our Coming of Age 9th-10th graders will share their credos in this beloved UU tradition. These teens have worked all year to explore, define, and articulate their spiritual beliefs, what they set their hearts to, and how they can live their values in the world. What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist at this moment in their lives? We hope you will come to learn from our youth and honor their journeys in this milestone year of faith development.
May 12, 2022 | Weekly Message
Patricia Adams Farmer, a minister and a writer, tells us: “Beauty is that which glistens on the edges of our yearnings and lures us into the depths of things.” Rev. Claudia gave me a gift of beauty a year ago, unbeknownst to me or her at the time. Let me tell you about it.
You may remember in April or May of last year, Rev. Claudia put a call out to the congregation for someone to volunteer to investigate the organization BeLoved Asheville and how UU Asheville might partner with them. I volunteered for this; to go to a meeting with BeLoved Asheville to learn more about them. I adore Claudia and thought I could certainly attend a meeting for her. I remember explaining via email to Claudia that my only commitment was to gather information…that I was not volunteering for anything else! I think I was a little abrupt about it! So I attended the meeting–via Zoom–and my life was shaken up!!! My yearnings that I had not yet named were stirred up. As I listened to Rev. Amy Cantrell, a BeLoved Asheville co-Director, tell the story of how BeLoved Asheville came to be and how it lives its mission, I had an epiphany that what was being revealed to me was how I could live my faith. What. A. Gift!!!! By the end of the meeting, I had my list of UU Asheville members I wanted to invite to explore with me.
Anita Feldman said yes, and over the next months, oversaw UU Asheville members and friends establish a Street Pantry which is located on Charlotte Street, and coordinated 60 volunteers (UU Asheville members and friends) to keep the pantry stocked. It is the first of the 15 BeLoved pantries in Buncombe County that has been adopted by an outside organization, and the first that has been made into a painted work of art by young community artist Jamie Morris. UU Asheville member Jensen Gelfond organized a Charlotte Pantry Google Group so that all the volunteers can easily communicate with each other about the types of supplies most needed, substitute needs, and any other issues. Thanks to Anita Feldman and Jim Gamble for continued leadership, and the 60 volunteers who have generously made this an ongoing project!
Jim Gamble said yes, and became the UU Asheville liaison with the BeLoved Village project manager. He coordinated a Work Day with many UU Asheville teens and looks forward to coordinating more projects around the construction of the homes in the BeLoved Village when we are called to do so by BeLoved Asheville.
Jen Johnson and several RE youth said yes. They came out in November to the BeLoved Village property, learned about BeLoved’s missions, and then rolled up their sleeves and worked a couple of hours clearing the land where the homes will go. They are on standby for more work and assisting BeLoved with the project of building the BeLoved Village.
Nancy Gamble said yes, and joined me on an odyssey of planning an auction to benefit the building of one home for BeLoved Village. With Amy’s help, we recruited committee members from other faith organizations including St. Mathias, All Souls Church, and the Jewish Secular Community of Asheville. We eight named ourselves the RAH (Raise A Home) Committee. We were coming from different places in more ways than one, but we were in lockstep about our mission and as we grew to know each other, we saw that we each had talents and skills that were essential to pull this off, and we did it! We sold out, had over 300 guests, and made $25,000 over our goal, netting just over $120,000! Special thanks also go to Anita Feldman, Michael Majewski, Jim Gamble, Fredda Mangel, and Reed Olszack for their help leading up to the event & during the event. (The 2nd annual Raise A Home Auction will be May 6, 2023- mark your calendars!)
What’s next? I have asked Rev. Cantrell to think about how I and we can get involved with BeLoved more directly because we can be vocal advocates for them. They are doing amazing things!! Read about them here: www.belovedasheville.com
I want to be boots on the ground for them. I want to pray with my feet for them. Yearnings stirred up?! I’ll say. Will you say yes, too? Will you come out from your committee meetings (that’s where I was!!) and pray with your feet with me?! Are you ready to be “lured into the depth of things”?
Join me and all the people above- we’ll be glad to have you and you’ll be glad you did.
Thank you for reading,
Margaret McAlister, Board Member
May 8, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, May 8, 11am
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
This Sunday we will celebrate those who have mothered us in our lives. If you would like to share a photo of your mother or anyone who has “mothered” you (your dad, aunt, sister, neighbor, etc.) send it to me via email attachment and I’ll add it to the slides for Sunday. minister@uuasheville.org. Below is a photo of four generations, my grandmother, my mother, me, and my daughter, Leslie to encourage you to share your memories.
May 6, 2022 | Faith Development
We look to the ideas of theologian John Westerhoff summarizing his theory of “how faith happens”[1]. He explains that faith is initially “caught,” like a cold, as children imitate their parents and the adults in church. Children learn: This is what we do. As children grow older, religion is “taught.” Children learn about history, traditions, rituals and other aspects of their faith and the community they are a part of. It is a time of belonging to a group. Children learn: This is 
what we believe and do. Later, in adolescence questioning happens, faith is “sought.” It is a time of inquisitiveness and curiosity. Adolescents ask: Is this what I believe? So, faith is first caught, then taught, then sought and, in early adulthood…. faith is “bought.” After much searching and questioning the individual states: This is what I believe. And, throughout our lives that faith is “wrought” as we continue to learn, question and deepen our understanding of what gives meaning to our 
lives.
Faith Development is for everyone, and nearly anything can be an opportunity for Faith Development; programs, classes, hikes, soup-selling, bird-watching, worship….. You get the idea.
May 6, 2022 | Vespers & Wednesday Program
We’ll be taking the summer off but plan to be back in action in September. Planning has already started. Right now, we’re expecting this faith development opportunity to continue on Zoom next year. See you in September!
Adult Faith Development Planning Team: John Bloomer, Kim Collins, Sherry Lundquist, Jim Steffe, Kelly Wedell, with staff liaison Rev. Claudia Jiménez.
