The First Church Nominating Committee has confirmed the following slate for open Board seats for the 2013-14 Leadership year:

Board members:

• Jenna McConnell-Seab
• Angie Palazzolo
• Mary Jo Day (nominated for re-election)

Annual Budget Drive Chair:

• Valerie Lowe

The 2013-14 Nominating Committee slate is still being finalized and will be made available shortly.

Respectfully submitted,
Jyaphia Christos-Rodgers
Coleen Murphy
and Cathy Harbison

Memorial Day Service: What Happened to Decoration Day?

Lay Leader: Betsy McGovern

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and was a day of mourning and remembrance. When did it morph into a day of celebration, patriotism, and shopping? And why? Join us for this sermon, written by UU minister and US military war veteran Rev. David Pyle, as we explore the relationship between Memorial Day and liberal religion.

Sunday Worship, June 2, 2013 at 10:30am

RE Sunday: “Come Sing a Song with Me”

Bart Frost, Director of Religious Education

Come and experience part of the rituals that the children and youth of First UU take part in every Sunday. Help us honor their milestones and thank the volunteer teachers for the generous sharing of their time and skills. Both learning and teaching require us to walk together as an intentional multigenerational community.

First Sunday's Special Collection: on the first Sunday of every month, we dedicate the offering to an important cause or organization. This Sunday the chosen recipient is Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC), a statewide membership-based organization that fights for a better life for all of Louisiana’s youth, especially those involved in or targeted by the juvenile justice system.

Sunday Worship, June 9, 2013 at 10:30am

"We Begin Again in Love"

The Rev. Kenneth Hurto

We will be welcoming the Reverend Kenneth Hurto, Lead Executive for the Southern Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association, to our pulpit for a service on healing and reconciliation. Rev. Kenn has served Unitarian Universalist ministries for 40 years in a variety of settings: congregations in Indiana and Iowa, northern Virginia, Pennsylvania, in New Zealand and Australia — and most recently in Fort Myers, Florida.

Widely sought out for his work with systems theory and congregational leadership, Kenn has served as one of seven Congregational Life Consultants since 2006. He leads the field staff who provide organizational development and leadership training for the 216 congregations that make up the Florida, Mid-South, Southeast, and Southwestern Districts.

Sunday Worship, June 16, 2013 at 10:30am

Father's Day Service

Lay Leader: Mary Jo Day

Long-time First UU member Mary Jo Day will share with us her reflections on Father's Day.

Friday, June 21, 2013 at 6:30pm

Summer Solstice Labyrinth Walk

Lay Leader: Mary Erickson

Come join us on the longest day of the year as we celebrate this time of brightness, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. Midsummer Day also marks the beginning of the waning half of the year, as the days will grow shorter, and the nights grow longer with the approach of winter. It is a time to be joyful for the summer, but also mindful of the coming darkness. We will contemplate the cycles of the seasons, and the cycles of our lives in walking the Labyrinth.

Sunday Worship, June 23, 2013 at 10:30am

Readers' Theater: "The True Story Stories of Marie Laveaux"

Performed by members of the Worship Team

In this play, written by our Music Director, Betsy McGovern, we learn about Marie Laveaux, The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Was she really a powerful witch? Was she an evil devil worshipper like the newspapers reported? Was she only following traditional West African religion? Was she a community activist bringing justice and medical care to the poor in her community? Join us as we explore the many aspects of this famous (or infamous?) woman.

Sunday Worship, June 30, 2013 at 10:30am

"A Brief History of Our Denomination & Why It Matters"

Lay Leader: Laurence Roberts

This summer we will be delivering a series of sermons on the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism, all of which were written by the Rev. Audette Fulbright. First in the series is a brief overview of our history and how it relates to the seven principles.

The Interim/Developmental Minister Search Committee, comprised of Katie Gelfand, Henry McCarthy, and Linda Reine has begun its work. The committee met earlier this week to generate and compile interview questions with written input provided by several church committee chairs. A conference call was held with Rev. Kenn Hurto, Lead Executive of the UUA Southern Region to help the committee more fully understand the search process and resources to facilitate it.

Currently we have two candidates from the Southern Region Transitions Office via Rev. Kenn whose interviews are being scheduled for next week. The committee will obtain written information, including resumes and sample sermons, in addition to interviewing the candidates. We will then make a recommendation to the Board by the end of the month. Rev. Hurto will be in New Orleans, working with church leaders and interested church members and friends on June 8th, as well as preaching from our pulpit on June 9th.

In January 2012, the UUA Board decided to meet in New Orleans, LA to engage the leadership of the local congregations in conversation about the post-Katrina response of the UUA and UUSC.  After nearly seven years, there were still hurt feelings and unanswered questions about how the monies raised by the UUA/UUSC joint campaign were distributed and accounted for.  The Board listened deeply, asked difficult questions, and left New Orleans with a commitment to address the issue.

In addition to speaking with the congregational leaders in New Orleans, the Board entered into conversations with a number of UUA staff and volunteers who spent time in the Gulf Coast area after the storms.  As a result of this process, at our April 2013 meeting in Boston, the UUA Board approved and sent a letter to the three Greater New Orleans UU churches, acknowledging the pain caused by the lack of clarity in the initial UUA/UUSC fundraising campaign and the well-meaning yet at times unhelpful assistance the UUA provided. Here is a copy of the letter.

In addition to the letter, the UUA Board voted to designate funds raised from the GA plenary collection to go to the Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists to use and distribute as they saw fit.  The UUA Board would like to thank the New Orleans area congregations and everyone who helped out in these difficult years since the storms and flooding of 2005.