Greetings fellow UUs and supporters!

Our spiritual theme for August is .Communion'. If you were raised Catholic as I was, you might be thinking of the Communion ceremony during mass which commemorates Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples. The bread and wine consumed during this ceremony represent Jesus' body and blood and are a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for 'us' by dying on the cross and thus forgiving our sins. But for a Unitarian Universalist, 'Communion'  implies a deep connection, which is the outcome of participating in community in meaningful ways. It is a process of giving and receiving, the work of heart and hands, an invitation to friend and stranger alike. No altar is required, just a welcome table with room for one more, always one more. So this month we explore communions of friendship, tears, laughter, and with nature and the universe.

Our first August service about the Communion of Friendship. Wwe will hear the sermon 'Friendship As A Calling' by Barbara F. Meyers. Sociologist Jan Yager suggests that trust, honesty, loyalty, good listener, common ideas, love, and being there in times of need characterize close friendships. Martin Marty suggests that a friend is someone who loves and accepts one just the way you are, unconditionally. Regardless of how you define your friendships, this sermon offers some useful suggestions for making friends and maintaining friendships. Join us on this worthy quest!

We will meet in person this Sunday and on Zoom, but we need to be flexible if circumstances change in the future. As the rate of COVID-19 infections in Lafayette Parish has increased lately, we ask that even if you have been vaccinated that you wear a mask during the service. Thank you for your cooperation. The interactive service slides may be viewed here.

If you are on Facebook, the service event is here.

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Last Sunday's presentation by Consuela Gaines was eye-opening and interesting. She and the VOTE organization have been successful in sponsoring legislation that has enabled Formerly Incarcerated People (FIP) the right to vote. Her 'Beyond Forgiveness' presentation emphasized the need for us to create a culture and society in Louisiana that welcomes FIP back into the fold rather than continuing to punish them by denying them housing and jobs even though they have served their time and paid their debt to society. Thanks to Mary G, Kiera F, and Chris M of the Services Committee for their hard work making the service such a success!

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This Sunday, August 1st from 10-10:30 am is the last time you can drop off school supplies at the church for our local Acadiana students. Thank you for helping!

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We honor the memory of Maurice 'Butch' St. Julien who passed away last December. His funeral service and celebration of life was held last Sunday afternoon and Scott F had the great honor of playing songs requested by Butch's sister and UULaLa member, Chris Menard.

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Chrish Menard will place postcards to be mailed to our U.S. Senators on the Chalice table to let them know that we expect them to support the 'For the People Act' (SB 1.)

Please take some! We will have postcard stamps available as well. Thanks Chris!

Even if our Senators vote against the bill we have made our voices heard!

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Our August Executive Committee/Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 3rd at 6 pm on Zoom.

Members of the congregation are welcome to attend.

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8/01/21 - Service: Communing Friendship; last day for school supplies; postcards to Senators

8/08/21 - Service: Communion of Nature & Potluck -- bring flowers or other natural items to share

8/15/21 - Service: Communion of Tears:  “Is It Ok to Cry? | The Spiritual Meaning of Tears” (video)
8/22/21 - Service: Women’s Equality Day (Speaker) - TBD
8/26/21 - 101st Anniversary of Women’s Vote
8/29/21 - Service: Water Ceremony -- bring water that you have collected to share its meaning

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Have a great week!

Scott Ferguson, Services

Web: uulala.org

Facebook: @UULafayetteLA

Youtube: UULaLaFellowship