November!!!

by Tracy Cook on 11/6/2024

Welcome to November!

This month has so much going on, I can’t even keep up with all of it…

Let’s start with Gratitude, since this month has a very special holiday at the end of it. Take a moment to ponder what you are grateful for. Some people practice a month of gratitude, and share something each day. Others reflect on something 365 days a year in the morning, while others close the day with gratitude in their hearts.

This month, Tapestry has an opportunity to share breads and bread-based dishes with Framily at church for Bread Communion on November 24. There will be gluten-free and vegan options available. If someone forgets, or isn’t aware, then they are welcome to share in the bounty anyways. All are welcome!

The Circle of Trees class has been going well, with many new faces each time. I’ve enjoyed attending the sessions, and it has been beautiful weather to be outdoors! The next session is on November 17, please join if you’d like!

Tapestry held a Special Congregational Meeting to address some budgetary shortfalls, and the discussion went well. On a personal note, George and I will see where we are after the sale of our house (hopefully soon!) and make adjustments to our pledge. And I encourage each of you to do the same. We also have the Holiday Treats Bake Sale on December 7, so please sign up when the sheet comes around.

Tapestry’s Thanksgiving Camping Trip will be here before you know it! If you have been considering joining us, either for a day or several days, please sign up and reserve your spot. There’s also a sign-up sheet for food, if you wish to bring something. Just like Bread Communion, though, it is not necessary to bring something in order to participate. Several of us LOVE to share what we make, and there will be plenty of food! Please come and eat!

We have Meditation four times a month with Rev Alisha. If you wish to attend, please register so she knows to expect you. And, these sessions are a wonderful opportunity even if you are a newbie to meditating. Alisha is a gentle guide and practitioner. If you have no idea how to still your mind for even 30 seconds at a time, please attend and try it out. See the Newsletter or Tapestry Calendar for details.

And, since I am now living just a few minutes away, I will be attending our Playspace events at Tapestry twice a month! I know you were waiting to hear this with baited breath, ha! I have no idea what I will bring, so please make some suggestions to me. I haven’t lived this close to church since we moved a few years ago, and I am excited!

Month Four is Here!

by Tracy Cook on 9/25/2024

Hello, and welcome to October!

Wow, this year is passing waaaaay faster than I think it is, ha! I keep thinking we have PLENTY of time until Halloween, or SO MUCH time until the Camping Trip over Thanksgiving, or even until the Holiday Treats event at the start of December…

So, what actually *is* happening this month at Tapestry?! Well, on the first Saturday of the month Cooking Covenant Group will be hosting Spooky Foods! What a way to start the Spooky Month! For full details, see the Cooking Group’s blog or the Newsletter. Kids are welcome, so bring the little monsters with you.

Rev. Alisha has scheduled some recurring events for Tapestry people to attend. One event is a spiritual practice, the Be Still with Me days. These have both a morning and an evening time to meet. If you want to try meditating, but haven’t yet found the best way to work this into your day, go to one of the events. We are heading into a busy time of year, and so it is important to make time for yourself. Remember the lessons from the Autumn Equinox and keep the balance.

The second regularly-scheduled event is the Tapestry Playspace times. If you are looking for a space to craft and chat, this is it. Maybe you’re looking for some other people to play a game? Bring your game to Tapestry! I even heard a rumor that there might be karaoke happening…

October 20th will be the next Circle of Trees session. I enjoyed the conversations and activities for our first session, so I am looking forward to our second session! We will also kick off our annual Green Bean Casserole Kit collection for Northwest Assistance Ministries. More details coming soon.

I’m sitting here with my iced coffee, Pumpkin Spice of course, and wishing for cooler weather. What are you looking forward to?!

Welcome to Month Three!

by Tracy Cook on 8/28/2024

Hello, my Fellow Members and Friends, and welcome to the third month of the church year!

September brings a promise of cooler days to come, an uptick in outdoor activities, and Pumpkin Spice everything! I’m a huge Pumpkin Spice fan. I’ve already had a few coffees…

What are the different ways you can get involved this month?

Tapestry has just begun a postcard campaign for Reclaim Our Vote. The Social Justice Team wrote to the City of Tomball to have September 9-14 designated as Disability Voting Rights Week, and it was approved! I’ll keep boosting this important information as we move forward. Have you checked your voting status yet?

For Spiritual Practices, Tapestry is launching Circle of Trees on September 15. This Spiritual Formation class is multi-generational, which means people of all ages are welcome to attend. There are eight sessions, all using trees as metaphors for connections to life. This first session will be led by…me!

Are you interested in getting to know your fellow Tapestry friends a little better outside of church times? Well, if you don’t have family in the area, you do have FRamily! Tapestry Camping Group will be hosting a camping trip over Thanksgiving (I know, that’s a few months away, but time flies faster than one realizes!) Come up for the Big Meal, or come camping for several days - either way, you are welcome.

And lastly, I am the facilitator for the Cooking (and Eating) Covenant Group. We will be holding a Holiday Treats Bake Sale in December, so I am bringing in a few goodies for us to sample on September 8. That’s the same day as our Safety Drill practice. I’m looking for honest feedback. Would you pay money for these?! How can I make them tastier?

! I look forward to seeing you at one - or more! - of these events this month!

My First MONTH!!!

by Tracy Cook on 8/4/2024

Hello, Friends and Neighbors,

Tracy Cook here, talking to you about my first MONTH as your newly elected President!

First of all, I’d like to say that I am sooooooo glad we have a Covenant with one another. I have relied heavily on the grace of others as I moved into this position. Yes, I’ve been “here” before, but that was a long time ago. I’ve had to ask for help on how to get communications started, and who all is responsible for what. And ask for forgiveness when the answer is “you are”! I’ve been late on a few things and missed a deadline or two. But thankfully I am surrounded by wonderful people who have helped me get settled.

We know that we are better together, and we want to build beloved community, but just how do we go about this? How did I know that asking for help would get such an amazing result? We already have fun together, and that is great! I love laughing and sharing stories with everyone. But this is just the first step. It takes digging deeper to really connect with people. For those who have been through Weaving Our Lives, participants shared some intense experiences and practiced deep listening in these sessions. We have a Covenant now based on being together and avoiding some of the behaviors that we found hurtful.

We’ve been talking in one of the groups that I’m in - and I cannot recall now if this was the Board, or Worship Team, or something else - about some other ways we can have these deeper conversations and experiences. We may have Spiritual Formation classes (Adult RE) on one Sunday a month. The kids have been talking about having their own Spiritual Formation classes starting this fall, and what they might include as topics. Another choice would be a service project. I can’t remember if these would be in place of regular services or in addition, but I’d love to do something with the larger community! Talk about an opportunity to share deeply, can you imagine?!

And, of course, you can always choose to join an already-existing group. This could be Caring Team, or Cooking Covenant Group, or Justice.

Find something that you love, and come join in! Build the Beloved Community side by side with your church! 

Passing the Baton

by Geoff Sanders on 6/20/2024

I am very pleased that Tracy Cook is taking over as President on July 1st. I know that Tapestry will be in good hands with this experienced, dedicated leader.

I’ve known Tracy for many years. She was President of the Board of Tapestry’s predecessor, Northwest Community UU Church, in 2008, and we are lucky to have her reprise that role for us this coming year. But no one person can run a church. A church isn’t a business where a chief executive officer can dictate policy and hire and fire personnel.

No, a church is a collective enterprise. It must rely upon its members to work together if we are to pursue our mission and uphold the Congregational Covenant that we read together every Sunday morning.

Yes, we have a very capable, energetic and dedicated part time minister, but she wasn’t hired to run the church. Under our church’s current governance model, our Program Council, which is comprised of the leaders of all church groups, manages the day to day business of our church. Our elected Board of Trustees is charged with establishing church policies, overseeing church finances, supporting major programs and charting the church’s overall course. None of this happens, especially in a small church like ours, without the active participation of a lot of volunteers.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of a successful church. ⛪️ Fortunately we have a lovely place to meet and a good working relationship with our landlord. This relieves us from the headaches of property management and maintenance, and we can concentrate on how we spend our time together, our programs, and the wellbeing of our members and community.

In the last six months, 17 new adult members have joined our church, and they have brought with them many young ones. I give Alisha most of the credit for attracting these new people, but I also credit our existing members and their welcoming attitude towards newcomers.

Speaking of welcoming, Past President and incoming Treasurer Dawn Newcomer is leading our drive to renew our Certification under the UUA’s Welcoming Congregations Program. The idea is that we make the five practices of welcome renewal a regular part of our ongoing program. For more information, talk to Dawn or see: https://www.uua.org/lgbtq/welcoming/program/five-practices-welcome-renewal.

I also want to thank Elisa Kaplan who has agreed to continue serving as the Secretary of our Board of Trustees. Elisa has filled this role since 2018, and she is is a whiz at distributing minutes, often shortly after a meeting’s conclusion.

Erika Calderon is our outgoing Treasurer. Erika has done an excellent job of managing our finances and reporting regularly to the board. She has also, with the assistance of our Bookkeeper, Karin Gates, created the budget that was adopted at our May Congregational Meeting.

I want to welcome Eric Huckabay to the Board as President Elect. Eric has a wealth of UU experience, and we are very fortunate to have him step into this critical role. In the coming year, Eric will lead our Program Council. The following year he will serve as President of the Board, and he will remain on the board for a third year as Past President.

Lastly, I want to thank you all for all you are doing on behalf of our church. We have a great group of people and an excellent church. Keep up the good work, and have fun while you’re doing it!