Our Mission Statement
We join together to create a nurturing, inclusive environment for the exploration
of ideas and the informed search for spiritual truth.
Upcoming Events
January 5 11 AM Stewart Guernsey from Water Valley, will speak on
"Looking for God or Somebody Like Her".
Service leaders: John & Gwen Wages.
A pot-luck lunch will follow the service.
January 19 11 AM Hank Jaeckel will review Cultural Creatives written
by Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson.
From the Mid-South District Office:
General Assembly 2003 -- in Boston next June 26-30, 2003 -- promises to be the largest and most inspiring ever. To check out the details, visit www.uua.org/ga, or go to the links on the Mid-South web site at www.uua.org/msd. Don't miss this opportunity to connect your congregation with the wider Unitarian Universalist movement.
UUA Website
Thanks to Robert Shin for putting together our website (www.msuua.org). Take a look.
Members' News
from Hank Jaeckel, UU Poem, 2002:
OUR VERY MOST EXCEPTIONAL INCREDIBLE TUPELO UU LEADERS
Jack Goodman excels at being our president
At recording the minutes Ruth is a honey
T. O. seems to enjoy controlling the vice
And Sammy does well at taking our money
At Membership we have Ima leading the way
When new folks come round she gives 'em her look
And keeps her pen handy
In case they might sign our book
Gwen is the Chair of our Children's' R.E.
She prepares and she plans for some children to teach
But without any kids coming to class
She might just as well spend Sundays down at the beach!
At Communication Barbara's a real whiz
We now even have a monthly newsletter
I don't think there's anyone
Who could do any better.
Margi handles all of the Social events
She does a fine job with her plain common sense
And she even invites us all to her home
The one that she owns; she no longer rents.
Luther does well with Structures and By-laws
Besides, he can play his guitar and he even can sing.
He has a cute little girl, Lisa by name
Who looks at her dad as if he's the king.
Sunday Programming is done by long distance
It's done by our Starkville member, you know, Louise
She thought all those miles might be a big problem
But she's handling it all with the greatest of ease.
Planning our Finances is the competent Otho.
For him thinking about money is a real delight.
Having him at the helm to watch over the budget
Bodes well for our future which seems very bright.
And I can't overlook our Adult R.E. leader
That's Denise, who raises dogs and attends cooking schools
We UU's especially like anyone who can cook
We may think "out of the box", but we ain't no fools.
There are other folks who contribute as well
Like set up the tables & bring good things to eat.
All in all we're a great bunch of people
I think we're a group you really can't beat.
Our Annual Christmas Service, by Gwen Wages (with inspiration from Hank Jaeckel):
A Chain of Christmas Memories
As we made our paper chain with lots of joys and a few tears,
Each member shared a favorite story from their Christmas years.
Most of us share this sweet memory of the candies and the nuts;
One remembered his first store-bought toy, a real dump truck.
Another recalled his mother's orange which took three days to
eat,
But said Agglomeration and Lady Baltimore Cake were his favorite treats.
One kept their grandchild's first Christmas chain which he still hangs on the
tree;
Another traveled far away to special friends who became part of her family.
One lady told of walking on very nice floors with a pair of
beautiful skates;
Another discovered Grandpa as the 5 AM culprit who kept the family from sleeping
late.
One son recalled the game of saying "Christmas gift"
as their family sign,
But Mother told the true story behind this historic line.
One parent said there is such joy in wrapping and placing presents
under the tree;
Another said they traveled Christmas Day and Christmas Eve so that both sets
of grandparents could see their family.
One remembered a Texas visit where her grandmother used towels
with warming irons to thaw their frozen feet;
Another said no matter what the spread it was Mom's sweet potato pie that made
Christmas meals complete.
One boy remembered with delight his first shiny new bike;
One girl recalled Father's Roman candle lighting the Christmas night.
A son recalls his father saying how much he enjoyed decorating
the tree;
One daughter said Christmas could have been bitter but memories of her dear
mother-in-law would always keep it sweet.
One daughter told that making a Christmas chain in her father's
office was not a chore,
For the special treat that came afterwards with Dad was shopping in the store.
A dear one remembered with a child's fear his father's threat to pull old Santa's
great white beard;
But when his father came home late, mother filled Dad's stocking with electric
switch waste, and prevented Christmas tears.
As the stories were told link by link and the Christmas chain made complete;
Memories with joys and tears make all our Christmases sweet.
From Ima Beam:
As a way to introduce ourselves, we are including brief biographies of members who contribute them. This month's bio. is from Ima Beam:
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
I, Ima Marlin Beam, was born in Itawamba County to Jack and Grace Marlin. I
graduated from Itawamba High School and Mississippi University for Women and
hold a master's from Western Maryland College. My parents, in their eighties,
live near me. I have one brother, Terry. I help care for my Aunt Mattie who
celebrated her 90th birthday last May. She has just returned to her apartment
after being in the Courtyard Care Facility for four months. I was married to
Norman Beam over thirty years. We lived in Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma and
Indiana. He died of cancer in l994. We have two children: John, who is hearing
impaired, lives with me, and Sally and her husband Aaron Rodden live in Conway,
AR.
I have worked as a 4-H agent with Mississippi Extension Service, have owned a florist shop, but most of my experience has been teaching in public schools and state schools for the deaf in Talladega, AL, and Indianapolis, IN. I now work as Deaf-Blind Specialist for the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services serving blind and deaf-blind individuals. Next year I will began teaching Adult Basic Education classes to our clients. I was fortunate to recently attend a week long seminar at Helen Keller National Center on Long Island, New York, sponsored through a grant paid to the University of Southern Mississippi.
My religious views have always been different from mainstream Southern beliefs. I first attended the UU Congregation in Florence, AL in the early 60's while my husband was a student at the University of North Alabama and I was a teacher in Lauderdale County Schools. We were members of All Souls Unitarian Church in Indianapolis, IN, whose building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I was a charter member of the UU Congregation in Oxford. Presently I serve as membership chair at UUF of Tupelo, serve on the communication committee, and setup and print the order of service bulletins. This year I was the recipient of the 2002 Unsung Hero Award from Mid-South District for my involvement in activities on local and district level, thanks to being nominated by my local fellowship.
In my free time I go to auction and flea markets. While living in Indiana, we were antique dealers and auctioneers working with three different auction companies. I like to fish and garden. I like animals and have 2 dogs and 5 cats. Boxers are my favorite breed of dog, and the Canadian goose is my favorite bird. I collect geese items. I look forward to retirement so I can spent time at more auctions.