Welcome to March! And Happy Birthday, Tapestry!

by Tracy Cook on 3/5/2025

Welcome to March!

This is my birthday month, and also Tapestry’s birthday, how exciting is that?! We have so much going on this month, so let’s dive in…

For the first Sunday this month, we have Birthday Sunday, and I will be standing up there hearing all of y’all’s beautiful voices and basking in the love, along with several others! I wonder what kind of cake we will enjoy?!

The second Sunday this month we will be off-site at the Juge’s clubhouse. The location is at 17623 Moss Point Dr. The time is still the same, 11:00-12 noon. But there will be no Zoom, so make sure to adjust your plans if you wish to attend.

For the third Sunday, our Circle of Trees will meet starting just past 11:00. Hopefully we can meet outside! It has been so nice recently! But I enjoy this class any way I can get it. The sermon on Sunday promises to be a good one, from Melissa Huckabay, titled Poetic Justice. She is a published poet, so I think she may know a thing or two about the topic!

The fourth Sunday Rev Alisha Mills will be in the pulpit with a message about Spring. This season is all about creativity and new life, new energies brought into new or familiar projects and activities. I enjoy the invigorations of spring and what all is blooming and sprouting up from the ground.

And this month we have a fifth Sunday! Rev Alisha is in the pulpit again this week preaching about the creative contributions of five wise and wonderful women.

We also will be kicking off our Stewardship Campaign this month. Please keep an eye on our Stewardship Blog. And, hey, this month it features MEEEEEE! As if you don’t get enough of me already, ha! But, please do read the testimonies from other people and not just mine. There are soooooooo many reasons to love this church and this community. I’m very glad I found Tapestry. How about you?

February…a little late!

by Tracy Cook on 2/10/2025

Hello, and welcome to February…a little late!

Tapestry has been very busy at the start of February. On the Cooking (and Eating) Front, we had a Souper Sunday event on the 9th. And we found out that there was NO POWER to the room via outlets. We called Julie, the President for CJCN. She talked to me about the age of the wiring (40 years, can you believe it?!) and the results of the professional testing they paid for February 1st. We tried a few things, but in the end George and I grabbed some pots and reheated everyone’s soups the old-fashioned way. Apparently, we can run the hot water kettle and the coffee maker, and that’s it. Anything else pulls too much power. We solved the issue for Sunday, but that’s something to remember for future events.

Circle Of Trees continues on February 16. I have been attending, and I enjoy it very much. We have a different set of presenters each week, which is wonderful! Circle of Trees only has a few more months before it ends, so if you’ve been meaning to try it out, take a look at the Tapestry calendar (https://uutapestry.org/calendar) for the dates.

Youth Group met on February 9, as well. If this is something you’d like to support with your time or your talents, this is a reminder of our previous discussions. You can volunteer to provide materials for one of the events, or bring some snacks for them to nibble on (contact Rev Alisha for any dietary restrictions, please, but know that we are grateful). Alternately, you can look ahead to any school breaks and see if you’d like to volunteer for an outing. We post some suggestions on our Facebook page, or if you see an event that you think would be enjoyable then make the suggestion. It takes a village.

Happy New Year!

by Tracy Cook on 1/1/2025

Happy New Year!!! Welcome to 2025, y’all!!!

What a night we had last night, wow! We played games and sang karaoke and laughed! So much laughing! We were thinking of all of the Tapestry framily, and wishing all a Happy New Year. It has been a YEAR, has it not?! We welcomed new babies, we said good-bye to some people. There have been major news and weather events in 2024, and we experienced all the emotions that come with those unexpected situations. What is the saying? May you live in uninteresting times? I think I’m ready for a little uninteresting times.

I talked a bit about Tapestry’s Ministries on December 29, however I later learned that Zoom was not working properly and so several of you missed what I said. I apologize for that!

Let me sum up:

• When we signed The Book and joined Tapestry, we promised to support the church. But what does that look like?
• Time, Talent, Money
• UUA suggests 5% pledge and 5% other non-profits (review your pledge and see if you are at this level - I mentioned I do 7% pledge and 3% other non-profits)
• Get on the schedule for whatever Ministry you choose to support!
• Worship Team works hard to have good services *every Sunday*, and this is a LOT of time and effort.
• Can you speak? Do you know someone who would be good? Submit their name to Worship
• Sign up to help get the Sanctuary ready, or break it down after services.
• Join the Hospitality Ministry!
• Get on the schedule to bring a snack, set up Coffee/Tea, or clean up.
• Sign up to write cards
• Sign up to join the Greeter Ministry
• Sign up for a single Event on the calendar
• Participating is not the same as volunteering! Fill out any requested forms so the hosting Ministry knows you will volunteer.
• Sign up for Youth Ministry
• Bring a snack, sign up to buy materials, or chaperone a trip
• Find what calls to you, and sign up!

What’s coming up in January?! The Youth Group has a meeting on Sunday to plan the second half of the year. The calendar does have some suggested activities. If you picked chaperoning as your Ministry to support, then go to the calendar and click on the Youth Group link. Let Rev Alisha know which event you’d like to chaperone, or stay tuned for more events in the future. (Andy Savige chaperoned my kids and other Tapestry teens on a visit to the Holocaust Museum downtown. What a powerful experience!)

Cooking and Eating Covenant Group is holding our annual Calendaring event up at church on Saturday, January 4, from 3:00-4:30 if you want to suggest something. Can’t make the meeting, but still want to make a suggestion? Just contact me by email or text, and I will add your suggestion to the list. 

December

by Tracy Cook on 12/13/2024

Mmmmm, I’m sitting here nibbling on a slice of Cranberry-Orange bread I purchased at the Holiday Treats Bake Sale the other day, and it is delicious! I love the bite of cranberries and the sweetness of orange, what a wonderful combination!

I know this has been a rough month emotionally for many of us. I have moved, which was sad because I moved to be on a single story, and not because I didn’t love my house any more. I tell you, it *stinks* getting older! But, I moved to a house that is, like, less than ten minutes from church, so get ready to see me a lot more often!

Other people have experienced a death in the family. Still others have been devastated by the recent elections.

To give balance to our lives, I try to see something I am grateful for. Thank you so much to Otto and Taylor Pedersen, Todd Mills, and Dana Ashrawi for all of the help moving us into our new place. We could not have done it without y’all! And a very special thank you to Dawn and Elisa for your help in settling in. So glad we are moved in and have such wonderful neighbors! Hi, neighbors! That will *never* get old!

I am also grateful for Jasmine Pantuso and Alisha Mills, for honoring my tradition of eating pie for breakfast on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thank you for sitting and chatting with me - and eating pie!

Take a moment to think about what YOU are grateful for. Breathe deeply, close your eyes, and just be thankful. Even if you think it’s a small thing, it is still something. I realize that November is more seasonal for this, but 2024 has been a wild ride. Take the gifts where you can.

What do we have coming up?! Circle of Trees meets this Sunday, and I am excited to continue learning! I enjoy exploring how I can grow my faith and my understanding, and have a chance to listen to other people’s experiences.

If you like Christmas songs, then December 24th is your day! We will hold a celebration with songs and stories up at the church from 6:30-8:30 in the evening. Hot cocoa will be available, too.

I love a good New Year’s Eve party! And guess what?! We are hosting one at church from 6:00 until midnight! There’s a form to fill out to RSVP, and sign up to bring stuff. You can bring paper products or decorations, too, if you don’t want to make something. I’m bringing something to nibble on, and movies. Maybe, since I live so close, I’ll bring some popcorn 🍿

And have you heard about the new game that D&D is doing? It starts this Sunday, the 15th. The RPG is called “Coyote & Crow”, and is written by Indigenous-American writers. It imagines a world where colonialism never existed. I think I know someone who might be interested…

Shameless plug coming: January 4 is Cooking and Eating Covenant Group’s calendaring event. Come to the church on Saturday the 4th from 3:00-4:30, and talk about what you’d like to see happening in 2025. If you can’t make it in person, then you can text me or email me with your ideas.

And finally, I am so grateful for each and every one of y’all. I love being part of this community we are creating, and I am thankful that y’all help me grow. Y’all bring me back into Covenant when I stray too far, and forgive me for these setbacks. I try not to stumble too often, but November and December have been hard. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all that you do every day ❤️ 

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!