2005 Letters

Letters from the President, 2005

by Daniel Kaulfus

December 2005

A huge Thank You to all of those involved in the UU Fall Conference held at our church on November 12 and 13. It was a huge success with over 120 participants from Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas coming to Live Oak for a time of learning, fun, and socializing!

I had the pleasure of having dinner with our District President, Joe Sullivan, the day before the conference began. Joe was very complimentary of our energetic and vibrant congregation. He was especially impressed with the variety of programming that we offer, including our strong RE program for our youth, our adult programming efforts, and our community outreach activities. In the words of Joe, “Live Oak is growing and developing in ways that other congregations talk about but never realize. You are well on your way to being a leading example for other congregations to follow!”

Thank you to everyone that is leading an activity or committee or volunteering your time to make our congregation special. We’ll all have several opportunities to continue this growing tradition, including our Holiday Party on December 10, our Giving Tree that collects presents for under-privileged youth in the area, and caroling on Christmas Day at local nursing homes.

Together we are a community that can do great things together. Let’s continue this growing tradition!

In peace,

Daniel Kaulfus

November 2005

The Dalai Lama came to Austin recently and left the Austin community with a very simple message: “Live in the moment, giving selflessly and with compassion”.

I am writing this article on Sunday evening after reflecting on the day at Live Oak. When I walked in this morning, Donna Durbin and our other cheerful greeters were giving selflessly, smiling warmly and greeting everyone that walked through the doors.

During the service, our choir sang in such a powerful way that everyone was talking about it after the service. Kathleen welcomed three new member families and Chuck gave a rousing talk from his own heart and soul. Meanwhile our selfless RE team (over 30 in all this morning – led by Nathan Ryan) provided a compassionate and safe environment for our children to grow with compassion.

After the service, almost everyone stayed around for lunch! We had over 130 people that partook in our trademark SoUUper Sunday, provided selflessly by our Fellowship Team. Those who prepared, served, and cleaned up afterward (Stephanie Martinez did all three!) put as much love and compassion into warm soup as humanly possible. Judging by all the smiles and conversation in the Fellowship Hall, it was warmly received.

And the day wasn’t over yet – kids played on the playground, our Evensong group met for a reunion and even our pets received their own spiritual blessing as Chuck and Kathleen reached those special loved one in our lives.

Today our community was living in the moment, giving selflessly and with compassion. The Dalai Lama would have been proud.

In peace,

Daniel Kaulfus

Live Oak UU President

October 2005

I usually start my day with a short yoga session and meditate on a quote from the Dalai Lama’s Words of Wisdom. Recently my favorite quote has been:

I feel a variety of religions is much better because the spirit needs a variety of food just as the body does. If the same dish is served over and over for every meal for months on end, I think (you will) not long (have) any customers.

Live Oak UU is that “variety of (spiritual) food” that the Dalai Lama refers to in the quote. With outstanding support from a talented staff and a dedicated group of lay leaders and teachers, our church is a wonderful melting pot for different religious ideas and perspectives.

Many of us were served the “same dish” over and over as we grew up and were pleasantly surprised when we found Live Oak. Whether we call ourselves Buddhists, Christians, Pagans, Wiccans, Shintos, Agnostics, Earth Lovers, Mystics, or are still searching for a spiritual path to take, we are all on a journey of spiritual growth.

Live Oak UU is a great sanctuary for that journey and I encourage you to “take an extra helping” and actively welcome others into our spiritual home. When you see unfamiliar faces in our home, please take the time to chat for a few minutes and help expand the diversity of our community. As we open ourselves up to receive new spiritual food, new perspectives are gained and our journey is enhanced.

In peace,

Daniel Kaulfus

Live Oak UU President

September 2005

A busy fall at Live Oak UU is in the works and we have as many activities at the church as your plate can hold! A few are highlighted below:

Our Right Relations Committee is planning a World Café as a way to build our church’s Covenant of Right Relations from input from all members of our community. This will be a fun evening of food and conversation on September 24.

Our semiannual Hands on Housing event is scheduled for October 1. Last spring we had over 80 Live Oakers participating with another 20 from Wildflower and First UU.

Our Adult Programming Team is busy at work with multiple activities including our fourth Evensong discussion group beginning September 5 and a Live Oak couples’ retreat planned on October 15 and 16.

If you are looking for a way to show your artistic side, the new Live Oak Art Gallery begins showing in September as well!

Especially mark your calendar for our first Community Outreach Pick-A-Park event planned for September 10. Based on our congregational survey last January, a large majority of our church said that they really enjoyed group community outreach events, and this fits right in. There is a wooded picnic and hiking site about two miles from the church with a running stream that we have adopted. The event is a great way to rub elbows with nature, do something good for the community, and introduce your kids to the outdoors first hand. The Pick part of Pick-A-Park is a picnic that we will have during the event. Cold drinks are included. Mark your calendars now and get ready for a busy fall. It’s going to be fun!

In peace,

Daniel Kaulfus

by Daniel Kaulfus

August 2005

Wow, Live Oak is such an amazing church community! Our church is so full of giving and generous people. You don’t have to look far to see the multiple examples of the good things that we do on a weekly basis. Two particular examples stand out …

On July 16 a spontaneous Live Oak UU “Lawn Party” was held. The church lawn was getting a little overgrown. (We lost our complimentary lawn service, as the gentleman’s community service was complete.) An email was sent out for anyone interested to meet up at the church the next Saturday to mow the lawn, trim the hedges, clean up the playground, work on the garden, and do other odd jobs around the church and (WOW!) 15 people showed up with work gloves, garden tools, and a beautiful “let’s get this show on the road” attitude. In a matter of hours, the place was clean cut and looking good. The most incredible thing was the team work, from Ravi, Karen, Juanita, Jon, Donna, and the kids working on the playground, to Joyce, John, and Donovan replacing a multitude of church ceiling tiles. By far the most fun of all was had by Sam Kalk, who rode the mower like an old pro. A little anxious to get his driver’s license, no doubt, he mowed the complete front lawn with a HUGE smile on his face … in fifth gear, of course!

On July 17, Kathleen Ellis led a great service and referenced the many community outreach activities that our congregation is currently supporting. The Summer Giving Tree, the return of Hungry Harry, and the Kids Care Homeless Bags were only a small part of her discussion that morning, but what amazing things happened the next Sunday! Food, school supplies and gifts for underprivileged families were overflowing out of the boxes in the Fellowship Hall. What a beautiful thing to see, the tangible results of a group of caring people giving to the larger community!

In the next two months we’ll have continued opportunities to build and support our church and community with our Pick a Park (September 10 – Live Oak adopts a park and hiking trail) and Hands On Housing (in October) activities, to name a few. I am proud to be a part of this church, the activities that we support, and the good things that we do for the community. I hope to see you at these next activities with a smile on your face “as big as Sam’s”!

In peace,

Daniel Kaulfus

Live Oak UU President

by John Phelps (shown here in profile!)

May 2005

It’s hard to believe it’s been two years. This strange and marvelous journey started at the end of May 2003 in the strip mall church down the road, affectionately known as “the old place”. The congregation voted me in as President and I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve.

We used the term “Culture of Gratitude” to set the tone for the future because, a couple of days later, we were scheduled to move into the new building. And that was like a gift from on high. We were definitely blessed and grateful for our blessings. That was June 1, 2003.

We thought we would get lost in the huge new building, rattling around like a BB in a tin can. And maybe for a couple of weeks we actually did rattle around a bit. But it didn’t take long before the sanctuary started to fill up.

Wonderful new people started to discover Live Oak and brought their families and an amazing richness to the fabric of our community.

With this incredible energy emanating from our growing community, we built a labyrinth, hired a second minister, ordained a minister, hired an RE director, had a couple of men’s and women’s retreats, started a Cinema Club, started the Unicorn Players, hosted the first Central Texas UU Network meeting, planted the garden, bought a grand piano, and generally prospered.

I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this wonderful journey and who have made this Live Oak community such a wonderfully rich fabric of life.

I have a confession to make. When we sing hymns on Sunday mornings, I sneak looks out across the congregation and my heart fills with love. I’m honored to have been able to serve as the President of this congregation for two years and grateful for your patience and support. It’s been a wonderfully rich and challenging journey.

I used to tell people that everything I know about management, I learned from coaching my daughter’s youth soccer team. But, after two years as President of Live Oak, I can say if you really want to learn about management, be president of a church!

Love,

John Phelps

Soon-to-be-Past President

February 2005

Whew! The results of the strategic planning survey are in and I’ve read every word. A total of 96 people responded to the survey, sharing their insight, wisdom, criticisms, and ideas. This is an amazing turnout with over half of our members responding to the survey. It’s a testimonial to the fact that all of us together are much smarter than any one of us individually.

It’s a mandate for growth! 85% want growth and 21% want substantial growth.

It’s a mandate for consensus! 96% want consensus but 46% say that our processes need work.

It’s a mandate for conflict resolution! 67% would like training in this area.

It’s about community. 88% come for fellowship and community and 94% said they were drawn specifically to the members of the congregation.

We are a mature group. 78% are over 40 and only about one-third have children in RE.

People put in a lot of time and effort into their comments. Among those that hit home with me:

Significant concern about the lack of diversity in church leadership. 22% expressed concern about this – everything from worry that people could become burned out to feelings of being driven away when trying to volunteer.

Moving to two services on Sunday mornings as we continue to grow. Also suggestions to have the kids go directly to RE to relieve crowding in the sanctuary.

Planning to spin off a daughter congregation at some point in either Georgetown or Round Rock.

Complete our Welcoming Congregation certification.

We need a volunteer coordinator – someone to go to when you want to help out. This was mentioned again and again.

More community outreach. Adult RE, NA and SOS sponsorship, etc.

Untapped potential. Several people mentioned that they wanted to do more but felt discouraged or unable to break in. Two even said that they would give more money if asked.

The survey makes great reading. Highly recommended! Dig in and let me know what you think…

Our next step in the strategic planning process is an all-church workshop scheduled for Saturday, February 19. More information will be coming in the near future.

Walk in peace,

John Phelps