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Weekly Newsletter for August 14, 2025
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Sunday Service
In Person and on Zoom
Sunday, August 17 at 11:45 am
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Living into Our Shared Values:
Transformation
During this worship service, we reflect on our UU shared value of Transformation, which means that we adapt to the changing world.
Each week, from June 1st through August 31st, the theme of our stories and music-filled services will reflect one of our UU Shared Values: Interdependence, Pluralism, Justice, Transformation, Generosity, Equity, with Love at the center of them all. Our summer services have a noticeably different intergenerational feel, with moments for journaling and self-reflection, inspired by and guided by our Time for All Ages story and special music meant to deepen our connection with the shared value of the day. (TFAA and music are our summer sermons.)
Our Opening Song for the month of August is Put a Little Love in Your Heart by Jackie DeShannon, Jimmy Holiday, and Randy Myers. Our summer-long Closing Hymn is #1008 When Our Heart is in a Holy Place music and lyrics by Joyce Poley.
Children and youth in kindergarten through 12th grade will be meeting in person in their classes after being present in the sanctuary for the first part of the service. The nursery is available for babies and children from 6 weeks to 5 years old during the entire service period. You may choose either option for your child if they are 5 years old.
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Congregational News and Events |
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Newsletter Content Submission Guidelines
The link to submit newsletter content has been updated.
Please submit content for weekly newsletter using this form.
Content should be submitted no more than (approximately) 2 weeks in advance of event.
Weekly Newsletter content deadline is Wednesday by 12 pm
Submissions received after the deadline will go in the following week’s edition.
NOTE: Please refrain from using ALL CAPS or “quotation marks” when submitting content.
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With summer coming to an end and school starting back up, we want to show how we care for our students and school staff with a Blessing of the Backpacks! While this blessing is traditionally a way to send our students and teachers into a new school year filled with Wildflower's love, we are widening the lens and sending everyone into the fall with the same congregational love! Bonus: you'll get a nifty backpack charm that works just as well on a gym bag, briefcase, keychain, suitcase, etc! No need to bring your backpacks/bags to the service unless you want to. Children and youth will be meeting in person for their classes after being present in the sanctuary for the first part of the service.
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Next Sunday, August 25
Parker Woodland is in the HOUSE!
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Parker Woodland will play a rare acoustic duo set during service on August 25, before the full band heads out on its first multistage tour in September. We will have t-shirts and records to sell to help put gas in the van, and we would also like to invite Wildflower members to two upcoming LGBTQIA+ benefit shows we are playing: Aug. 31 at 29th St Ballroom (Louder Than Hate fest benefiting Equality Texas) and Sept. 6 at Empire Control Room (benefiting Queer Liberation Network).
Activist power trio Parker Woodland plays dynamic, emotional rock-n-roll for finding joy in a world on fire and is hitting the road on their first multistage tour in September 2025. There's No Such Thing as Time, their debut full-length album, hit #24 on the Submodern album chart and includes summer bops "Ladder at Your Window" and "The World's on Fire (and We Still Fall in Love)." The female-majority band also addresses grief ("Stranger"), LGBTQIA+ rights ("Makeup") and climate chaos ("The Reckoning") in their songs while keeping hope alive with "major Go-Gos energy" (KUTX).
At SXSW 2024 and 2025, Parker Woodland brought punk exuberance, pop hooks and psychedelic guitars to some of the fest’s biggest official stages, and signed with Austin, TX, label Flak Records. The band sold out Mohawk Indoors during a two-night stand, packed Austin’s famed Waterloo Records for their release day in-store, and had Sept 12, 2024 declared Parker Woodland Day by the City of Austin.
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Erin is the minister and executive director of TXUUJM, of which Wildflower is a member. She is a former Wildflower intern minister and former affiliated community minister of Wildflower. Her daughter and sister are members of the church.
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Wildflower Community Altar
You may have noticed a new altar installed in the community room. It is available to all, both Wildflowers and friends who visit our space. Our community altar is inline with our shared value of pluralism. Please be encouraged to contribute to and to use the altar space, in ways that you find sacred and meaningful.
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How exciting to see our first harvest from our Three Sisters garden bed. And now we wait for the corn to dry so that it can be ground into flour. We look forwarding to making bread together this fall.
Read More…
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Wildflower Church 2nd Offering Recipient for Q’3 2025
Wildflower Church has selected Out Youth to be the recipient of our Second Offering for the third quarter. We collect our Second Offering on the third Sunday Service of each month during the quarter; that is July 20, August 17 and September 21. Payment from the collections will be forwarded in early October.
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About OutYouth:
For 35 years, OutYouth has supported Central Texas LGBTQIA+ youth and their families by providing safe spaces where they are loved, acknowledged, and accepted for exactly who they are.
We host a variety of programs and services aimed at promoting the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of LGBTQIA+ youth. These include social programming at our drop-in community center, individual and group therapy, case management to connect the community with resources, and so much more—all for free!
Learn more about OutYouth's work at outyouth.org
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The Evolution of our Website
You may have noticed some recent changes to the Wildflower website. These changes were not made lightly, and they are part of a broader effort to align our website with Wildflower's values by meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) international standard.After a careful review, our web techs have discovered that our site was not responsive at different breakpoints, meaning those on smaller screens (tablets or cell phones, for example) did not have full access to our main menu. The website also does not comply with WCAG 2.2 AA standards, which means it is not accessible to those with disabilities. We are working hard to fix this, so please understand and be patient as the changes roll out.
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Did you know you can donate your used car to Wildflower?
https://careasy.org/nonprofit/wildflower-church
Donating your used car or truck to Wildflower is easy-peasy! Just click on the above link to make your couch-potato friendly arrangements for your used car or truck to be picked up and turned into the cash Wildflower needs to continue our mission of spreading Love, Justice and Joy! |
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The Disability Team wants to hear from YOU!
Did you know that Wildflower has a Disability Team?? The Disability Advisory Team coordinates with our Facilities and Worship Teams along with the Board (and with Faith for all architectural/building modifications) to improve accessibility. Past projects include: installation of wall-hung diaper-changing stations in bathrooms, leveling of the sidewalk and courtyard pathways, Community Room ramp and doorbell, insulation of HVAC closet to decrease noise in Community Room, and a donated wheelchair left by a former team member.
What ideas and recommendations do you have to increase Wildflower's overall accessibility???
We'd love to hear from you! Contact Alyxis and Susie at: disability@wildflowerchurch.org |
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Wildflower Orientation Dates
We organize Orientations to Membership to help people understand Wildflower’s culture, structure, and history and how to become involved in the life of the congregation. We welcome new members and pledging friends
https://wildflowerchurch.breezechms.com/form/orientation-2025
Upcoming dates (on Zoom) are
Wed, Aug 27
Wed, Oct 22
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Coffee and Conversations
Wednesdays at 10 am
https://zoom.us/j/93681478930
Meeting ID: 936 8147 8930
Hi, Wildflowers! Come check in about life, the universe and everything with other Wildflowers, Chaplain Bis, and the Pastoral Care Team. Chaplain Bis is also available 1:1 Zoom sessions, which you can sign up for at calendly.com/wildflowerpastoralcare
Ideas Worth Contemplating
1st and 3rd Sundays at 9:30 am
https://zoom.us/j/97826544113?pwd=SVVPM2NaNm5vaXJtZmN3ZjgrU3l3UT09
Ideas Worth Contemplating is an ongoing group led by Wildflower Mike Ignatowski that uses inspiring and thought-provoking TED Talks to generate discussion about important topics.
Climate Education Zoom class
2nd Sunday, May 11, 9:30 am to 10:15 am
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2635700913?pwd=bjNxMEczWHU2bUp3dXpEcVRXWjhRUT09
Meeting ID: 263 570 0913 Passcode: 002030
Our Climate Education classes usually feature a 20-30 minute video, and ample time left over for lively discussion. Join us! Next class is a week from Sunday, topic To Be Determined, but probably related to this Spring's 15-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf. Our WildEarth Climate Action Team offers this class on most 2nd Sundays of the month.
Wildflower Book Club
1st Wednesdays at 7-8 pm via Zoom
Contact : ARE@wildflowerchurch.org if interested.
Tarot Circle: 3rd Wednesdays @ 7:00pm
Come and explore your spiritual life with support from the tarot!
On May 14th, the KNIGHTS of the tarot will guide us in the practice of aligned self-expression.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81959828225
Contact MelissaOMeeks@gmail.com to register. |
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Regional and National Information |
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Austin Youth River Watch Volunteers Needed
Austin Youth River Watch is looking for volunteers to help with meal deliveries to their students and families. The commitment is about 4 hours on Fridays starting between 10am-2pm (depending on your availability). You'll pick up meals at Cook's Nook in East Austin and deliver them to student's homes. Please fill out our Volunteer Meal Delivery Driver Form and Emma Walsh will reach out to you afterwards to go over the details.
Why We Need Your Help
Food security remains a concern for many of the students we work with. Each year, we hear from students who do not have consistent access to nutritious food. That's where our meal delivery program comes in!
For the past four years, our staff has been handling the delivery routes, but as our program grows, we’re hoping some of our awesome supporters (like you!) can step in to help out. This would really ease the load on our team and keep this program running smoothly.
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YOU'RE INVITED:TXUUJM NEWS
