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Newsletter of the Oak Cliff Unitarian Universalist Church Editor: E. Beth Ferree Email: ella-editor@oakcliffuu.org

Index

From the Editor Service Schedule

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Calendar 2

News and Information

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Events to Consider

4-5

About Our Members

6

Various Info 7

Who’s Who, What’s What and When’s That?

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OakCliff Unitarian Universalist Church

3839 Kiest Blvd.

Dallas, Texas 75233

(214) 337-2429

The Oak Leaf

Sunday Service:

10-11 AM

Adult Talkback:

11:15 AM – Noon

Youth Religious Education:

During Service (Hope Bldg.)

Young Adult Gathering

12:30 PM (Charity)

From the Editor

Beth Ferree, Editor

It’s February, the weather is just plain strange as

is the political climate. According to an odd little

rodent in Pennsylvania Spring is still a ways

away, yet Valentine’s Day proves that love still

conquers all.

The elections are just around the corner so we’re

reminded that this is the time to focus on what we

want our future to hold. What type of world do

we want our children, and grandchildren to be

born into? We are very aware things must change

if there is even going to be a future for them.

It’s February, the second month of the year and

we’ve already had too many school shootings.

Children are dying and we seem only to be

capable of sending thoughts and prayers in the

wake of tragedy.

I just discovered I’m going to be a grandmother

so this is what is on my mind today. What I, as a

mother, grandmother, and human being can do to

provide a safer world.

In this edition we celebrate Sherri Randall who

has shown us all what Social Justice can look like

if we simply decide that action, rather than

thoughts and prayers are formed. Together, we

can change the world.

February Services

18th – Standards of Beauty

We all use multiple lenses to view the world. What makes someone or something beautiful? Tracy Tanwar will be in our pulpit.

25th -The Faith Journey

We are all engaged in a process of faith development whether we realize it or not. How far one progresses down this road depends on a number of factors. Donna Leach returns to our pulpit.

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FEBRUARY SUND AY MO NDA Y TUE SDA Y WED NE SDA Y THUR SDA Y FRID AY SATUR DAY

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3 NTUUC Awards

Luncheon 12 Noon –5PM

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Shambala Open Mediation 11:15 AM

Services 10 AM Social Justice Mtg

12:30 PM Shambala Heart of

Recovery 6:00 PM

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A Course in Miracles

7 PM

6

Shambala Open Meditation and Dharma Talks

7 -9 PM

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Choir Rehearsal 7-8 PM

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9

10

11 Shambala Open

Mediation 11:15 AM Services 10 AM

Jazz Jam 5-7 PM Shambala Heart of

Recovery 6:00 PM

12

A Course in Miracles

7 PM

13

UUCOC Coordinating

Council 7PM

Shambala Open Meditation

and Dharma Talks

7 -9 PM

14

Choir Rehearsal 7-8 PM

15

16 17

18 Shambala Open

Mediation 11:15 AM Services 10 AM

LWCH Mtg. 12:30 PM

Shambala Heart of Recovery 6:00 PM

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A Course in Miracles

7 PM

20

Shambala Open Meditation and Dharma Talks

7 -9 PM

21

Choir Rehearsal 7-8 PM

Indivisible Oak cliff Happy Hour

5-7PM

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23 24

25 Shambala Open

Mediation 11:15 AM Services 10 AM

Shambala Heart of Recovery 6:00 PM

26 A Course in

Miracles 7 PM 9

27 Gem and Mineral

Society 7 PM

UUCOC Board mtg.

7PM

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Choir Rehearsal 7-8 PM

Calendar at a Glance

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Our Cottage Meetings

By: Ben Marmaduke

We have conducted all but one of our Cottage Meetings and have had great feedback from participants! The Cottage Meetings were organized to allow our congregation to get to know each other better and to hear about our own personal visions for our church. Our hope was that the Meetings would both assist in realizing the future of our church and also be the beginning of extending the boundaries of the church beyond 3839 West Kiest and into our neighborhoods. So far so good. Participants have enjoyed sharing the pot luck dinners and getting to know each other in a different context with a little more time. The general feedback is that Members want to continue periodic Cottage Meetings. We want to make sure every Member has the chance to participate in one of our Meetings, so there will be a “Make-up Cottage Meeting” at UUCOC to be announced soon. Please contact me or any board member if you would like more information. Ben Marmaduke 214-490-9022 treasurer@oakcliffuu.org

News and Information

The Breeze Project

By: Scott Grey

Not only will Breeze allow us to keep track of information such as

the areas of interest of our members so we can better coordinate

volunteer opportunities and religious education, but we will be able

to simplify many aspects of church communications. You will be

able, for example, to tell us whether you prefer to be contacted by

text message or by telephone in case of an emergency situation.

Breeze has the tools to allow us to almost instantly send out text

messages to those members who choose that option. We are

discussing other exciting options, such as being able to coordinate

ride-sharing opportunities.

Our plan is to have the system live for our membership by the end

of this month and we will be sending out additional information as

we get closer to that date.

A few FAQs:

Will my information remain private?

Only church members will have access to the system and YOU are

able to control what information you share.

Will I have to be online to maintain my profile information?

No. Our new UUCOC Administrative Assistant will be able to help in

this process.

Will this replace the current directory?

It will allow us to quickly generate printable photo or text

directories of our membership from the online database. (And

BTW - the new church website - coming shortly - will provide much

easier access to our members-only information pages, including the

directory.)

Breeze (breezechms.com) bills itself as the "world's easiest web-

based church management software for small and mid-sized

churches" and so far our initial experience with the setup and

configuration of this online system has borne out their claim!

Working with our UUCOC leadership, we are making certain that

the information we need to help manage and grow our church has

been identified and the tools we need are in place before we invite

all of our members to log on, verify, and update their profiles.

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Indivisible Oak Cliff meets monthly

at UUCOC From the website:

Indivisible Oak Cliff is a nonpartisan group, based in Oak

Cliff, Texas. We started in January 2017, after the

Inauguration, the Women’s March, and the release of the

Indivisible Guide.

Our mission is supporting the values of inclusiveness,

the freedoms codified in the Constitution, respect for

human rights and dignity, and the peace and well-being

of future generations; and opposing government actions

and officials who disregard these values.

We founded the group with passion but limited

knowledge, so it took some months to get our footing, but

following the interests of our members, we are now

focused on voter registration and education. (More at

IndivisibleOakCliff.org)

NOTE: Everyone is welcome. You do not need to be a

resident of OakCliff to attend.

Special Events

is

.

A community dedicated to providing

support to those who suffer from mental

illness.

www.wellcommunity.org

ww

Join us every Second Sunday of the month from 5 to 7 PM

for Jazz Jam! You are welcome to listen or even join in!

Whether your chops are up, down, or out in left field you

are encouraged to bring the instrument of your choice and

have fun.

You’re welcome to BYOB, but nothing stronger than wine or

beer. We may be making music and merry, but there’s no

reason to get rowdy.

For the players who understand the “code”: you are asked

to bring your REAL books (Hal Leonard 6th Edition, Volumes

1&2). All tips will be evenly distributed among the players.

If you decide to play along please RSVP, if possible to

Jazzjam2017@labyrinthwalkcoffeehouse.com

Early voting for the primaries is February 20

to March 2.

Election Day is March 6

Remember, our local elections count!

Next Indivisible Oak Cliff Happy Hour is

February 21, 5-7 PM

Small Brewpub 333 W. Jefferson Blvd.

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Special Events

Join us on March 4th after RE for a fish fry! It’s

a time to gather, eat fish and share a story

about when you caught that “big” one. If you

see this, ask me about my favorite feline

fishing partner. This one I ain’t “lion” about!

Bring sides, ketchup, tartar sauce and anything

else you might like to use to spice up your life,

or fish.

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About Our Members

First Tuesday Film Festival

Co-sponsored by the Dallas Peace & Justice

Center

Every month, at 7:00pm on the first Tuesday, The

Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff screens a film

focusing on an important social justice issue. We

promise you'll come away inspired and ready to hit the

road in your own quest for a better world.

The best way to make a difference in the world is to

first learn how others have done so. Is there a film

you'd love to see to inspire you? Perhaps you have that

one movie that just recharges you before a social

justice battle. If so, please share with us and we'll see

about putting it on our list of films to show at the

UUCOC First Tuesday Social Justice Film Festival.

Retreats at UbarU This Spring

April 6-8 Men’s Retreat

April 13-15 Women’s Retreat

For more information, see www.ubaru.org. Register through this

email or at our website! We hope to see you at one of our

events!

Sherri Randall Wins NTUUC Award!!

Sherri received the Marty Robinson Award for Volunteer Service at the

Feb. 3 NTUUC Awards Luncheon.

“Sherri is the dependable volunteer who lives our UU values, whether

addressing serious social issues by providing access to award-winning

documentaries, or directing traffic in the rain and staying late to pick up

trash after a church event – and does it all with kindness and respect.

Sherri is the face of UUCOC’s First Tuesday Social Justice Film Festival.

Since assuming responsibilities for planning and setup a number of years

ago, she has kept the Film Festival going — through thick and thin. She is

superb at facilitating the after-film discussion due to her wealth of

knowledge on so many social justice topics, despite the fact that she

modestly claims all she does is set up chairs and make popcorn. Is there a

rally, protest, or parade? There's Sherri with her yellow SSL t-shirt!”

Photo at right: NTUUC Awards Committee member Elbert Hill and NTUUC

President Anita Mills present Sherri with the award.

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Various Church Stuff

Social Justice Meeting Notes

from February 4

The February film is One Woman, One Vote. Other film options for showing were discussed and include:

Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse — To coordinate with the first quarter STP recipient. Chronicles “one man’s struggle with schizophrenia and examines the actions of the police officers responsible for his death, exposing a city grappling with accountability in the death of an innocent, unarmed man.” Willie Valasquez: Your Vote is Your Voice — “Political empowerment for Latinos in the United States has always faced adverse circumstances. From poll taxes and gerrymandering to outright intimidation, Latinos have been kept from the ballot box in both local and national elections throughout history. A Mexican-American butcher’s son from San Antonio, Texas, Willie Velasquez questioned the lack of Latino representation in his city’s government, propelling him into a lifelong battle to gain political equality for Latinos.”

TCADP (Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty) contacted us about cosponsoring the film True Conviction. Screening cost is high, but Sherri is checking into the possibility of a sliding scale.

The homeless count was done and discussed. The purpose of the count to determine federal funding for programs needed to combat the issue.

From the filmmakers: On a summer afternoon in 2006, James Chasse was stopped by three law enforcement officers in Portland, Oregon. A dozen eyewitnesses watched in horror as they tackled, beat, kicked, and Taser'd James until he lay motionless on the pavement with 16 broken ribs and a punctured lung. He died in the back seat of a Portland Police car two hours later. This documentary chronicles one man’s struggle with schizophrenia and examines the actions of the police officers responsible for his death, exposing a city grappling with accountability in the death of an innocent, unarmed man. From the director, Brian Lindstrom “Using interviews, personal writings, archival footage, official documents and depositions the film explores James Chasse’s life and the actions and decisions that led to his death. What emerges is an intimate and complex story of one man’s life, the struggle for his family to find justice after his tragic death, and a city and a system grappling with accountability.”

"Infuriating, tragic, heartbreaking and incendiary in equal measures...plays out like a horror film and leaves you absolutely

breathless." - AP Kryza, Willamette Week

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Social Justice Meeting Sunday, February 4

12:30pm, Hope

(1st Sunday)

Coordinating Council Mtg. Tuesday, February 13

7pm, Faith Lobby

LWCH Planning Meeting Sunday, February 18

(Third Sunday)

Worship Ministry Meeting Sunday, February 25

12:30pm, Hope

(4th Sunday)

UUCOC Board Meeting Tuesday, February 27

7pm, Faith Lobby

(4th Tuesday)

Who’s Who, What’s What and When’s That?

Board of Trustees: (1 year term) President: Vijay Tanwar (2018) Vice President: Darvin Stephens (2018) Secretary: Susan Ammons (2018)

Endowment Fund Managers (3 years) Sherri van der Wege (’19) David Biehl (’18) Stephen Betzen (’20)

Board of Trustees (2 years) Treasurer: Ben Marmaduke (’19) Trustees: Jose Espericuenta (’19) Charlie Cranford (’19) Kathy Grey (’18)

Leadership Development Committee (2 years) Chair: Brad Guerrero-Neri (’19) Barbara Fudge (’18) Becky Brown (’18) Robertus van der Wege (’19) Gus Warren (’19)

Past President: Dan Brown

Sherri in her element