The Board is pleased to announce that Beatrice Murray has joined us as our Community Life Coordinator. In 2017, Beatrice moved from Miami to the High Country to take a position as an Administrative Specialist at Grandfather Mountain State Park, and she brought with her three years of experience (2014-17) as the Director of Religious Exploration at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami. Beatrice joined our Fellowship over the summer, and you may already be aware of her musical contributions to our worship, most recently singing in her beautiful soprano voice during the Music for Centering portion of our August 26 service.
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​As Community Life Coordinator, Beatrice will grow our community by reaching out to new BUUF visitors and attendees, by following up on those joys, transitions, and concerns shared during services, and by participating in long-range planning with the BUUF Board and other staff members. She is eager to hear your ideas: during our Valle Crucis Day Retreat on Saturday, September 22, she will host a workshop on the topic on “Building BUUF Community,” and looks forward to everyone’s input. 

Marti Johnson, RISE Director for the Hospitality House, shared stories illustrating the employment challenges and triumphs faced by the homeless and low-income people participating in Hospitality House's Rise program. RISE stands for: Relationships Intended for Self-Sufficiency and Empowerment. Challenges include having an address in order to find employment; having a conviction that can prevent employment; having a safe place to keep personal items, having identification, and many more obstacle to find stability and security. Learn more about the RISE program.

​Read Martie's notes (PDF) from the presentation. 

Tuesday evening mindful meditation group has decided to disband effective immediately. We have had many years of peaceful times together, but the group seems to have run its course. For information on another local sangha (meditation group), contact Linda Larson.