In this issue:

Ministry Musings Happy New Year! January 2012 Rev. Paul D. Daniel, Minister  As in every year past, we make resolutions, only to break them almost as soon as we make 'em. Mine is to lose the 10 pounds I gained in the last month. I could be more serious and try to put my dreams of saving some of the world from the scourges of war, famine and homelessness. You get the idea. But sometimes, that is all too much, so I settle on the little things I can manage in the moment: being a kinder, better, more loving and gentle person.  Perhaps that can be enough to enter the New Year, with a promise I can keep.

This is your church, and there is so much we can do here to better serve each other and the world, one person at a time if necessary. Like the programming and staffing, it all takes funding. In the end, how you support UUMAN is a measure of how important it is to you and your families’ lives.  We all must measure how vital a spiritual life is to our own well being; how important a community is to us in times of joys and sorrows. Your support in all ways demonstrates your commitment.

I know this community is important to you, or it would not be here these 20 years. It is only through the continued dedication of our members in all ways that we exist at all. But, we could do so much more for the world and each other if all our members were able to fully honor their pledges. Pledging is a serious and heartfelt commitment to support a community that represents your deepest and truest values. It is the way we give meaning to our lives and provide an environment especially for our children, to nurture authenticity and integrity in meeting the challenges we all face in life.

What better place exists to create good loving and compassionate people than this congregation? Deep connections are what keep people here, joining and coming back. It is what keeps me here as your minister. I believe that love is the prime motivating force behind all we do. UUMAN helps keep the world in perspective and our priorities straight. In a sea of conservative values, our progressive faith must provide an alternative perspective, a more welcoming, inclusive, diverse community. Where else can you find Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, humanists, pagans, and a host of other faith traditions worshipping together in peace and harmony, without judgment or exclusion.

My dream is to have this community grow in outreach and importance in Roswell and indeed Georgia. We can only do that if the spirit moves us to support this church and our shared values. I for one will continue to work for that. That is one resolution I have not wavered on in the 43 years I have been a Unitarian Universalist. I hope you can say the same thing, and your children’s children in the years to come. Without that kind of continued belief and support, our faith will not exist into the next century.  So when you make your New Year’s resolution for 2012, put yourself and what you receive from UUMAN at the top of the list of promises you will keep and honor this New Year of infinite possibilities and potential.

In Faith,
Many blessings,
— Rev. Paul

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Winter Celebrations

From the post-Thanksgiving Guest At Your Table MCY-led service on November 27th . . .

			By the way, Guest At Your Table boxes (chock-full of change, of course!) or personal checks are due back at UUMAN on Sunday, January 8th so we can send them on to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.
The Senior Youth singers were outstanding!	Kwanzaa candles	The Family Choir put on a great show!

. . . to the pre-Christmas December Holiday Party on December 4th . . .

Holiday Party photos courtesy of Heather Moll-Dunn

. . . to the Piano Dedication Concert on December 11th . . .

This special afternoon concert celebrated the marvellous donation of a grand piano to UUMAN. Our Music Director, Huu Mai, Pianist Elena Boguslavsky, UUMAN member Steve Allerton and Elena's talented young piano student, showed off the instrument's capabilities in works from the classical to the contemporary. Huu and Sue Tromblee also performed a Bach double violin concerto, accompanied by Elena on the piano. We enjoyed vocal performances as well. Marielle Mai sang classical works in her extraordinary soprano. Baritone Matthew Elliot and tenor Randy Blasch each soloed, and a men's group (including Mark Sexton, Doug Wilson, Nat Parker, Randy Blasch, Pat Lampert) gave us a rousing rendition of Johnny Mercer's "Something's Gotta Give". Thank you to all for performing, to Huu Mai for creating this concert, and to Larry and Lois Curry for donating the piano. Having this wonderful instrument may enable UUMAN to offer more concerts in the future. We will all be looking forward to the next one!

Concert photos courtesy of Steve Allerton

. . . there has been a lot to celebrate at UUMAN this winter!

— c.news

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Writer's Group Gets Going The next meeting of the new Writer's Group will be on Monday, January 16th at 7 PM. You don't need to be an experienced writer. All you need is to like the idea of writing and to want to hear what other writers are doing. We can help one another learn. For more information, contact Joe Saling at:
— Joe Saling	At the first meeting, December 5th, 2011

Next UUMANweave Meeting

We will be having our next UUMANweave event Monday, January 9th in Discovery Hall at 7 PM.  Carlton will host a discussion on how coming out has impacted spiritual belief and practice.  As always, all members of the LGBTQ community and supporters are invited to participate.  Please bring a snack and your choice of beverage.

Good Journeys,

— CarL3ton

NIA New Year Series

If you are looking for a new way to relax, stay fit, and and enjoy life just a little bit more, try Nia in 2012! Nia - joyful, gentle movement for Every Body - will kick off the new year right with a 6-week session starting Jan. 9 Dates:  Mondays, Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30 and Feb. 6, 13 Time: 6:45 - 7:45 Cost: $30 for 6-weeks Drop-in: $8/class

(Please call Marjorie at  or  for more information.  We do not want to turn anyone away for lack of funds.  Please contact Marjorie if you need to discuss payment options.)  

More About Nia
Nia blends Eastern and Western movement arts, including Tai Chi, Tai Kwon Do, Aikido, Yoga, Jazz and Modern Dance, to create a unique, non-impact aerobic workout. Each movement expresses the eloquence of the spirit moving in harmony with the mind and body, while utilizing all the essential fitness elements - strength, endurance, balance, relaxation, flexibility.

Nia is safe for all ages and body shapes, and is presented in levels of intensity so you can choose the degree of movement that's right for you. Within each class, you'll find a different intention and focus, with various styles of music, such as reggae, jazz, classical, world beat and celtic creating a fun and motivating environment!

— Marjorie Pomper

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Annual Chili Cookoff

UUMAN’s 10+ Annual Chili Cookoff will be held Sunday, January 15th right after the service. Members, friends and visitors are invited to participate in this first FUNd raiser of the year by sampling and voting on the year’s best chili recipe. The cost is $5.00 per person, $20.00 per family, children 3 and younger are free. Additional quarts of chili will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. Come have fun with your friends and help raise money for UUMAN.

— Rosie Popp

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Circle Suppers are Starting

Circle Suppers are a great way to get to know others in the church in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.  They are intimate potluck meals shared in a Host family’s home with generally 6 to 8 members and visitors participating.  Many UUMAN members have been asking, “When will Circle Suppers resume?” 

Circle Suppers have been scheduled for the following Saturday evenings:

• Jan 28th, 2012, cutoff date for signing up is Sunday, January 8th
• Feb 25th, 2012, cutoff date TBD
• Mar 24th, 2012, cutoff date TBD
  

They’re all 4th Saturdays of the month, if that helps you to remember.

There is still time to sign up for one or more of the Circle Suppers.  Reservation forms can be found on the Sign Up table in Fellowship Hall.  Place your completed form in the envelope provided.  The Circle Supper Committee will pick up completed forms on a regular basis and will match up Hosts with Guests.

You do not have to be a member of UUMAN to attend a Circle Supper.  Visitors are encouraged to sign up.  If you cannot get to Fellowship Hall to complete the reservation form, simply email the Committee () and they will be happy to email you a reservation form for you to complete and email back to them.

Some little known facts about Circle Suppers:

— Angel Dobs
Circle Supper Committee,

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February's Annual Heart's Desire Auction

5 Ways the Goods and Service Auction is Healthy  for the UUMAN Heart and Your Heart, too!

UUMAN’s biggest and most impactful fundraiser is approaching.  The formal festivities get under way February 4, 2012, at 6:30 PM. 

1.    There’s nothing like a fun filled evening with friends coming together to benefit a common cause to make the heart feel warm.

Enjoy great hors d’oeuvres, friendly libations and each other’s company as you raise the bar to get cool goods and services for you and your loved ones.  Tickets are $10.00 each and go on sale January 8, at UUMAN.  Bring your non-UUMAN friends with the party pack ticket bundle – $5 gets you six extra tickets.

If you’re thinking you’d like to come, but have childcare to worry about, don’t worry.  Childcare is a free feature of the evening, Sue Hagood will be there to ensure your young ones feel the love, too.

2.    Helping others makes the heart feel good.

The cool thing about this event is that, depending on how you participate, you have a chance to feel good all year long and you can plan when you’ll have those feelings.  How neat is that?

Some ideas to help your creative juices flow:

• A day (or half-day) of yard work
• Transportation to or from the airport or a doctor’s office
• Childcare
• An evening at a favorite local restaurant
• Teach a class or provide lessons in something you are reasonably good at
• A weekend at a second home you or a friend of yours owns
• Frequent flier miles for two to travel
• Planning or organizing help
• Soup of the month
• Combine with other UUMANs to offer a party or entertainment option
• Tickets to the Falcons, the Braves or The Fox
• Pet sitting
• And More…(add your own ideas here - email Kimberly Keeley, ,  or Kirk Bogue,  , with your contributions)

Almost as important, ok…equally as important, is the ability to give through helping on the planning committee and the night of the event.  Help is especially needed in the areas of advertising (e.g. writing inspirational and informal articles like this) and in food and beverage department (e.g.  need coordinators and a couple more culinary experts). A short email to me, , will get your name in the right place on the volunteer sign-up sheet.

3.    Fulfilling your own desires makes the heart feel satisfied.

This is the part where creativity, touchy-feely and the pocketbook all come together in harmony.

First, there are people out there looking to donate a good or service your heart truly desires.  You’ll do them and UUMAN a huge favor by sharing the good or service you’d be willing to bid for on February 4.  What could another UUMAN member give or do for you that you would find really special?  Or really useful?  Pass your ideas onto Kirk, your help here makes the next part possible.

Second, be thinking about the way you like to bid for your items.  You can avoid any competitive urges when you go for “just sign up items”.  Look there for social events or educational opportunities that other UUMAN members host.  Like to compete, but in secret? Then the  “silent auction” might be the best approach for you.  Some people are very good at watching the item they desire from afar, sneaking back to the table, hopefully unnoticed, to up the ante when someone else places a higher bid.  Look for items like jewelry, classy crafts, soup-of-the month and dinners at a member’s house to be in this category.

Of course the live auction is the most entertaining of the evening. You can’t really hide behind your paddle to win items offered at this part of the event.  Be on the lookout for cool evenings out, a weekend retreat or potential travel to faraway places.  Closer to UUMAN, I understand that the reserved parking space, a sermon of your special topic and proxy Friday cleaners will be available again this year.

4.    Letting someone else help you can make the heart feel valued.

Can’t be there February 4 and concerned that you’ll miss placing the winning bids for items you hold dear?  Good news, proxy bidders (hand-picked, trustworthy UUMANs) have been arranged and are interested and willing to help you if you can’t be present.  They’d be honored to be trusted with your money and your deepest and most secret desires.

5.    Having chocolate makes the heart feel joy.

Did I mention door prizes? Along with the great food, a glass of wine and good friends, there will be door prizes.  And there will be chocolate.  No love and heart related event would be complete without good chocolate.

See you on February 4!

— Kirk Bogue,
Chair – Heart’s Desire Goods and Services Auction

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Fundraiser: Kroger Gift Cards 

OK, we’re ready to roll! Kroger gift cards will be available in denominations of $25, $50, $100 and $200 and will be ordered by mail. Make checks payable to UUMAN and mail to:

If checks are received by the third Tuesday of the month, gift cards will be available in Fellowship Hall on the following two Sundays. On the memo line of your check, please show KROGER plus the denominations of the cards wanted.  For example, if your check is for $300, the memo line could read KROGER 3 – 100.

Thanks for participating!

Remember, Kroger donates 5% of the face value of each card to UUMAN.

— Bob Mihalik

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From the Social Justice Action Committee

Immigration Study Group

Our Immigration Study Group (the one on Monday nights) completed the UUA curriculum in late November. As a part of our “what’s next question” we came up with some suggestions that we would like to offer to the congregation for increasing awareness about the subject of immigration: 

1. Review the UUA curriculum that led our discussions at Immigration as a Moral Issue. The curriculum is available to everyone at http://www.uua.org/immigration/re/moral/guide/index.shtml. Although we weren’t completely satisfied with the curriculum, it is a good starting point which can be tailored to your own needs.

2. Consider writing to your legislator about your thoughts on immigration policies. Among the issues you might address are those included in the Interfaith Platform on Human Immigration Reform. This calls for legislation which: 

3. Some books recommended by the study group members include:

4. Join the ongoing UUMAN Book Discussion on immigration issues. For dates and readings please see the November newsletter article, or contact Linda Johnston for the latest schedule, at

5. Some movies you might find interesting:

There are many more fascinating books and movies on this issue, and we'll be adding to this list next time. Please share with us any others that you have discovered.

—  Pat Carter

SJAC's Plans for 2012

The Social Justice Committee is adding four new projects for 2012.  The projects will not require major funding for 2012.
 
1. Occupy Atlanta - Majorie Pomper will be our liaison with Occupy Atlanta.  Some of the objectives of Occupy Atlanta may coincide with the social objectives within the congregation. Majorie will develop a poster for the Social Justice corner. It was agreed that while the Social Justice Committee neither supports or opposes Occupy Atlanta, some members of the congregation are probably highly interested.

2. Immigration Research - Linda Moore gave an extensive rundown on not only immigration-related volunteer opportunities, but also opportunities in other areas.  The committee agreed to add volunteer opportunities (related to Social Justice) to our corner. Linda also contributed a written description of local opportunities.

3. LBGT UUMAN Interweave - Gary Uitvlugt will be our liaison with UUMANweave, UUMAN's Interweave chapter. At the last meeting there were 10 people. The purpose of the group is to provide a place for like minds and their supporters. While UUMANweave is not a Social Justice sub-committee, the commmittee has interest in its function.

4. India Partnership - The project was approved by the church is currently being pursued.  A partner church is being sought.

— Jim and Ginny Rogers

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Sharing the Plate:  50-50 Sundays

Once each month, 50% of the non-pledge offering collected during the Sunday service is given to a charitable organization designated by the Social Justice Action Committee. Beyond the act of giving money, UUMAN members are encouraged to seek out other opportunities to support these groups through their participation in volunteer activities.

December’s 50/50 Sunday pulled in $351.00 for our India Partner. Thanks very much to all!

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. The organization will be this month's recipient, on January 15th. Information on its website includes a listing of hate groups in Georgia, suggestions for what to say to one’s relative when racial slurs are made and information about our current Guest Worker program.  Go to http://www.splcenter.org for more.

SJAC is taking nominations for February and March 50-50 recipients.  Please email your suggestions to

— Michelle Liebergesell

North Fulton Community Charities

Thanks to UUMAN’s generosity, we donated over 100 toys to NFCC's holiday program. UUMAN's "Coming Of Age" Youth assisted in distributing holiday gifts to sponsored families and also assisted clients at the NFCC Santa Shop in December. With the hard work of our youth and the dedication of our MCY volunteers, we exceeded our goal for this year's program.

This is a photo of the Coming of Age mentors and facilitators who worked with our Coming of Age youth at the North Fulton Community Charities toy drive on Sunday Dec 11. We are standing in front of a "sea" of bikes (that nearly brought me to tears) donated by the community for our neighbors. Pictured left to right: Toniann Read, Heather Moll-Dunn, Kirsten Thornante, Jay Nalette, Jennifer Elliott.

— Heather Moll-Dunn, Mentor Coordinator

— Sue Tromblee

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Notes from the Sustainability Committee Invitation to a Book Discussion: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver On Tuesday, January 17th, at 7:00 PM, the Sustainability Committee invites members and friends of UUMAN to join us in a book discussion of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  The book chronicles the year she, along with her husband and children leave their home in Tucson, Arizona where most food is imported and water, which is supposedly safe to drink but will kill the fish in tanks, is piped in.  They move to a family farm in southern Appalachia to live as locavores, eating only home-grown foods and when that was not available, the items they consumed were locally grown. Two exceptions were allowed in olive oil and coffee of which they were able to obtain fair trade versions.

The Kingsolver clan grows a large garden and begins canning a vast variety of foods and learns to make their own cheese. The nine-year-old daughter, Lily, runs a profitable egg business by raising her own laying hens.  Later the decision is made to practice conscientious meat-eating, raising and humanely slaughtering their poultry for sale and the family’s consumption.

Living this way makes seasonal eating a necessity, so if you want asparagus, you must wait until it is in season unless, of course, it was canned from the previous year’s crops. The complexity of such an undertaking would make most of us give up before we’ve pulled the first carrot out of the ground. Scattered throughout are sidebars on industrial agriculture by Kingsolver’s husband, Steven Hopp, offering sobering facts such as each item served in an American meal has traveled an average of 1500 miles before it reaches the dinner table or that almost 75% of all antibiotics used in the United States today are used by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.  Despite the very real picture Kingsolver paints of the hard work and monumental commitment one cannot help but take pleasure in the family’s achievements and elation at every success. The book is truly entertaining and includes mouth-watering recipes by Kingsolver’s daughter, Camille. We feel confident that everyone who reads this book will be inspired to at least think about learning the pleasures of enjoying seasonal foods. We look forward to the lively conversation that will surely flow during our book discussion and we are certain to anticipate the opening of our local farmers markets in the spring. The members of the Sustainability Committee look forward to seeing you there.

— Margie Jacobs

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On the Path to the Ministry About 18 months ago, Kim Palmer, a long-time member of UUMAN, started on a path toward UU ministry. Currently, she is half-way through the Master's of Divinity degree program at Emory's Chandler School of Theology. As part of that curriculum, UUMAN is lucky enough to have her 8 hours a week in a part-time ministerial position. More information about the program and about Kim's goals for her time at UUMAN can be found in last month's UUMANTimes. On a more personal level, this month we're asking: Why did she decide to leave a successful career in chemical engineering to pursue the ministry? What brought her to UUMAN in the first place? Where did Kim's journey begin? Recalling her childhood, Kim told us, "I grew up in central New Jersey – the nice part – in a rural area, with a creek in the back yard and dairy cows next door. I was a free-range child . . . able to explore the woods and fields around my house. I would go outside after breakfast, and I had to be home for dinner. Otherwise, the day was mine." Often she would spend it aboard her wooden raft, anchored midstream in the creek, and read until dinnertime.

Her religious background was mixed. Until she was 8 or 9, Kim attended her town's Methodist church, of which her mother had been a founding member. On the other hand, though she later learned that back in his family history were some Unitarian ministers, her father never talked about religion. Kim recalls being something of a skeptic herself, even at a young age.  In college, Kim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and later became licensed as a professional engineer. She went on to spend 20 years in the environmental field. She had to research and identify possible environmental risks, such as: were there old storage tanks underground, or had chemicals been dumped out back; and then determine how to mitigate them. It was worthwhile  work, and she became so good at it that they put her in charge of training everybody else.

Looking back, she feels that that position as trainer, where she became close to many people throughout her company, and focused on communicating with them, had some things in common with chaplaincy.

What brought you to UUism, or to UUMAN?

Kim explained that she and Marty (her partner since 1993) had been looking for a place to be in community, and to serve. When they happened to attend a funeral at UUCA, and Marty noticed some gay-friendly literature on the bulletin board there, they began to consider this different, welcoming group. 

What's required to become a UU minister?

Starting over in a new vocation meant making significant changes. Kim's path entails three years of full-time study for her Master's of Divinity degree. In addition, there is internship, plus fulfilling the UUA's own academic requirements (e.g. a separate 80-book reading list, of which Kim is more than half-way through already).

Why ministry?

Asked about her call to the ministry, Kim described how a desire to be of service eventually coincided with a profound personal experience. In her words: "I had been feeling a general discontent with my professional life for a couple of years. I really enjoyed my job, but I didn't feel like I was doing anything very important. I wanted to do something where I could make a real difference in the world, but I didn't know doing what. Then I spent a lot of time with my mother when she was battling cancer . . . When she died and I came back to corporate America, it just felt really flat. . . Spending time with my mother in a nursing home at the end of her life was the pivotal event that illuminated my call to ministry and interest in chaplaincy."

Why chaplaincy?

Many of us UUMANs know Kim from her past service on the Board of Trustees, in MCY, and especially her sermons. Her sermons  are deeply felt, yet sparked with humor. The class she led this fall at UUMAN (based on John Buehren's book, "The Bible:  An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals") was very popular. With that background, wouldn't parish ministry be a good fit for her? But based on the experience in her mother's nursing home, she knew that she wanted to be a chaplain. 

Still, she does enjoy preaching and hopes to do more of it. During her internship last summer in the Emory Health Care System, Kim was responsible for leading worship services in the hospital. As she noted, "Because the hospital is a multi-faith environment, I think UUMAN has give me a real advantage in being able to prepare services that are meaningful to people with a wide range of religious affiliations and theological perspectives." Besides the hospital setting, Kim would still like to preach occasionally as a guest speaker at a UU church. Hopefully UUMAN will be one of them!

The prospect of working in a hospital or a hospice setting might give some pause, because it means dealing with pain, and, often, death. I asked Kim how will she sustain her spirits and avoid burn-out? Her thoughtful response shows how strong and compassionate her ministry will be.

She recognizes "that self-care is important – not just to protect against burn-out, but to ensure that the ministry I bring to others is healthy and appropriate. I anticipate having a support structure among my chaplaincy peers and also among other UU ministries in the region . . .

"Although many people feel depressed by an on-going exposure to suffering and death, I have found my work with sick and dying patients to be energizing. There is something primal and holy about the raw human conditions that are encountered in crisis and death. To some degree, I feel sustained by the work itself.

"Asking why are people in pain is equivalent to asking why are people happy. It's all just part of the human experience."

Kim will continue with her part-time ministerial position here at UUMAN until May. We wish her the best of luck as she goes forward with her vocation.

— Carole Herman

Highlights from the Membership Committee

COMING SOON: New Member Mentoring Program

The membership committee is pleased to announce that we will soon begin a new member mentoring program at UUMAN.  The purpose of the program is to pair new members with established UUMAN members who will help guide them as they ”learn the ropes” and grow comfortable in their new church home.  We hope this will help new members feel connected and become integrated into the life of the congregation.  There will be a short training session in January for those  who have been UUMAN members for at least 18 months and are interested in learning more about being a mentor.  Won’t you consider participating?  Stay tuned for more details!

— Laurie Wheeler

Next Path to Membership Class

The next Path to Membership Class will be held Saturday, January 21, in the sanctuary at UUMAN from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM.  A light lunch will be provided.  Child care is available if you let us know.

New Member Sunday will be February 12 during the church service.

If you are new to our church community or if you have been attending for some time, we welcome your membership and commitment to UUMAN.  You can sign up at the Membership table in Fellowship Hall.  Or you can e-mail me at  and I will add you to the list.

Suzanne Rezelman will lead the class with the participation of Rev. Paul, some of the leadership of the church, and Membership Committee members.

— Sue Holden

Meet Our Members

Once again, the Membership Committee is pleased to introduce  some of our newest UUMAN members. If you happened to have missed the New Member Sunday service, you probably also missed the brief biographies that new members provide. Here are the bios for Cindy Olney, Sandy McDowell and Joe Saling, who joined this past fall. 

Cindy Olney

Cindy Olney and her husband, Jim Denery, live in Roswell (Martin’s Landing).  Cindy owns a consulting business which helps libraries, nonprofit organizations, and academic health sciences programs develop and evaluate grant-funded projects. Cindy and Jim moved to the Atlanta area four years ago from Greensboro, NC, when Jim joined the newsroom staff of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For a brief time in the 1990s, Cindy belonged to a Unitarian-Universalist church in Harrisonburg, VA.

Sandy McDowell and Joe Saling

Sandy: is pretty much an open book. Talk with her for 10 minutes and you'll likely see that she likes to talk, laugh easily, and love fiercely. Among the things she loves: My husband of 17 years - Joe Saling, his 3 children, the in-laws that have joined them over the years, and the 5 grandchildren they've produced (I'm "Memay"), my Mom & sister's family in Jonesboro, our Golden Doodle, and Yeats. Here are some things that she is enthusiastic about: Craft fairs (especially holiday ones) folk art and art in general, volunteering for Strong4Life, which runs healthy camps for overweight kids (she’s not wild about their TV ads), improving her fiction writing and photography and gardening, leaving her inactive lifestyle behind to work with her trainer, put her large butt to use at last with Zumba, kickboxing, and racquetball (so far, she only plays alone) reading (favorite authors Anne Tyler, Nanci Kincaid, and many Southern writers) and kid's literature, cooking and eating low-fat meals. She has lived in 9 states along the East Coast but at heart considers herself a Southerner. She works at WebMD and lives in Smyrna.

Joe: On his blog, he calls himself a word mechanic. He is a freelance writer and editor who makes a living primarily by working in health communications for both professional and consumer audiences. But it’s all just an excuse to work on poetry between assignments. His book, A Matter of Mind, was published in 2004. He has been a professional writer since his early 20s and spent 20 years teaching writing in college before deciding almost 20 years ago to set out on his own and focus exclusively on publishing. He likes to do other things too – ride bikes, play at the piano, compose music, paint. But most of all, along with his wife Sandy, he enjoys their five grandkids, who can do all those things better than him, with one exception – root for the Ohio State Buckeyes. But they try.

Thanks so much to these new members for sharing their stories and for being part of our UUMAN community.

— Sue Holden

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Notes from the Board of Trustees

Secretary's Note

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to take stock of our blessings and to plan for magnifying those blessings.  Therefore, we, your Board of Trustees, recognize that UUMAN is truly blessed in so many ways, some of which follow below:

1.  UUMAN’s growth in number of members and programs offered.
2. The untiring and love-filled work of so many of our members (including many newer members) who make it possible for our community to function and thrive.
3. Our hard-working, underpaid staff:  (a) Rev. Paul’s effectiveness as our minister and his patience in waiting for us to fulfill our three-year-old promise to increase his compensation to that of a full-time minister within a year of his hiring.  (b) Huu Mai’s talent and work to make UUMAN a cultural center for North Fulton by developing an inspiring music program while contracted to work only 10 hours a week.  (c) Toniann’s loving and inspired direction of the MCY and her working tirelessly in spite of the fact that she also is not compensated as a full-time staff member.  (d) Suzy’s competence and quiet ability to effectively carry out the myriad of responsibilities that comprise the administration of UUMAN and doing it all within a very limited number of hours each week.
4.  Each and every member of this blessed community working individually and together to further UUMAN’s mission. 

With your help, including your financial support, we will be able to magnify these blessings and fulfill our promises to our staff, expand our programming, create a liberal cultural center for the larger community and, finally, more completely fulfill our mission.

— Beverly Jordan

Treasurer's Note

Let’s each of us make a New Year’s Resolution to do our part to get UUMAN back onto a sound financial footing. Let’s bring our pledges up to date so we can fulfill the obligations we committed to when we approved this year’s budget. And let’s provide a financial cushion by buying Miracle Shares to replenish our reserve.

We’re looking to have an exciting winter and spring with the Heart’s Desire auction and additional Fundraising activities. If you have ideas for fundraising, please let the Finance Committee know and we’ll pass them on to our new Fundraising Committee (still forming). If you’d like to be part of the Fundraising Committee let us know that too.

And thanks to all who contributed to the Septic Fund. As of this writing, we’ve almost reached our goal of $5000.

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Mid-South District News

The Mid-South District Faith Development Summit will be on Saturday, January 28th at FUUN, the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville. Beginning with breakfast at 8:30 a.m., workshops will include: 

• Adult Youth Advisor Training 
• What’s the Buzz – Changes in the Growth of our Association
• Baby Steps… 3 Places to Focus on Building Your Children’s & Youth RE Program
• Compassionate Communication 
• Making Your Youth Sunday Sing!
• Telling Our Stories

Our keynote is The Vision & Practice of 21st Century Faith Formation by the Rev. Sue Sinnamon, Director of Faith Development for the Southeast District of the UUA.  Then stay for worship on Sunday and experience Youth Sunday in Music City. The cost is $35.00 per person, which includes a light breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Children are free and childcare will be available.  Advance registration is required.

Flyer:  http://www.msduua.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FaithDevelopmentSummit2012-flier.pdf  

Registration:  https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e5f75sw2162887b2&oseq=

A Month of Sundays

Rev. Paul D. Daniel, Minister 

— Rev. Paul

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More January Events

Sunday, 1/8	Guest At Your Table — Please bring back your GAYT boxes or personal checks for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. Thanks for your contributions!
Sunday, 1/8	Sign up for the first Circle Supper — in Fellowship Hall. The first Circle Supper will be held on January 28th.
Sunday, 1/8	Tickets for the Heart's Desire Auction — go on sale starting today.
Sunday, 1/8	21st Century Humanism — after the service, at 11:45 AM in the Sanctuary. The Topic will be "Corporations, the Disadvantaged, and the Relevance of Humanist Principles."  Everyone is invited. For more information, please email John Peltier,
Monday, 1/9	Nia, the Joy of Movement — 6:45 PM, in the Sanctuary. A new series of Monday night sessions begins.
Monday, 1/9	UUMANweave Meeting — 7:00 PM, in Discovery Hall.
Sunday, 1/15	Annual Chili Cookoff — after the service.
Monday, 1/16	Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — MLK Walk. Please contact the Social Justice Action Committee for more information, at
Monday, 1/16	Writing Class — 7:00 PM.
Tuesday, 1/17	Book Discussion — 7:00 PM. Discussion of Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
Saturday, 1/21	Path to Membership Class — 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, in the Sanctuary.
Saturday, 1/28	Mid-South District Faith Development Summit — in Nashville, TN.
Sunday, 1/29	Pocket Neighborhoods — 12:00 Noon, in Fellowship Hall. A talk by Denise Donahue and Simone du Boise of Cadmus Environmental Design. Please see the article in the December UUMANTimes for more information about sustainable neighborhood design and how it might relate to UUMAN.
	Looking ahead:
Saturday, 2/4	Heart's Desire Auction — 6:30 PM.
Sunday, 2/12	New Member Sunday

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About the UUMANTimes

UUMANTimes is the newsletter of Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North (UUMAN), located at 11420 Crabapple Road, Roswell, GA 30075, on the web at www.uuman.org. We welcome almost all imaginable newsletter submissions, and publish as many as possible. We go live with each issue by the first Sunday of the month. The deadline for submissions is close of business on the 20th of the month preceding the issue date. Please email your articles, artwork, rants and recipes to c.news: 

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