After he was recently diagnosed, at age 59, with esophageal cancer, all his hard work paid off, not only for Church, but for us as well. My colleague has written one last book, from which this sermon's title was taken, to help you and I come to terms with our own termination. For the only way to truly live is to embrace fully both love and death.

Joining me on the Chancel will be Pastoral Care Minister Rev. Fred Rabidoux, Denis Paul, and Worship Associates Susan Anthony and Whitman Donaldson. The choir will minister in music and we will also celebrate new life in our midst through the ritual of child dedication.

This is one Sunday when you will surely want to bring a friend or two with you to church.

Children and youth grades K-12 and adults of any age are invited to join in the Intergenerational Sing-Along led by Youth Choir director Carolyn Jayne at 10 am in the Chapel. Newcomers are especially welcome this month as the group will practice songs to be sung at the Winter Shelter at dinner on February 13.

The Youth Chapel Service will begin at 11 am and will led by Ministerial Intern Peter Olandt. Early childhood (ages 0-5) care will be available from 9:45 am to 12:30 pm upstairs in the Montessori Classroom 1.

Check out the Children's Religious Education program this Sunday or any Sunday. Look for program brochures on the Greeters Table or on bulletin boards around the building. Email Acting Director of Religious Education Betty Skwarek for more information or phone her at 776-4580.

The photo at the top of this article is from Sr. Carmen Barsody and was taken last Sunday morning during the Faithful Fools presentation for social justice Sunday.

Reese Erlich will analyze United States foreign policy and will present his new book on Cuba, Dateline Havana: the Real Story of US Policy and the Future of Cuba.

Resse will offer ideas on Latin America and Cuba as a sequel to his presentation last fall on his book, The Iran Agenda.

Reese is a favorite at Forum and we welcome him back! He will have books available for sale and signing.

The free program will start at 9:45. Come at 9:30 for conversation, coffee, and (for a slight charge) a light breakfast.

The Great Green Auction is back and we are collecting your donations:

• brunch/lunch/dinner for 4/6/8 at your place
• tickets to opera, sporting events
• techy consulting on web design, digital tv setup
• time share vacations
• fine wines
• custom knitting or baking
• gift certificates
• hiking treks to Muir Woods
• gardening
• shopping trip to Costco
-- the list is UNLIMITED!

A premiere donation comes from the generosity of Barbara and Mark Allen -- a fabulous vacation stay in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! Win this bid and visit postcard beaches as well as interesting sites for the anthropologist/ archeologist. A vacation to please everyone!

Please stop by our Great Green Auction table after services and pick up a donation sheet! The donation deadline is February 24. Bidding is Sundays, March 8 and Mark 15.

Activists in the community will meet Sunday after the service to brainstorm a resource fair focusing on housing, work, health care, and transportation issues for people with disabilities.

Members and friends interested in promoting equality and access for community members with disabilities are invited to show up Sunday or contact Lori Guidos at 707-9680 or via email for more information.

Organizers are planning a local group which will connect with the Unitarian Universalist Association-based Equual Access organization.

When you hear the word "minister," do you think of a noun or a verb? Ordained ministers play a central role in the life of our community, but we would be a very poor community if we did not, as laity, continue to minister to each other.

The Caring Committee matches up volunteers from our congregation with members who have needs for lay ministry. The forms of ministry differ: a phone call, a card, a ride, a casserole, or a visit. But the message is always the same - you are a beloved member of our community, and we are here for each other.

Please let us know if we may call on you as needs for this sort of ministry arise. Please follow this link and complete the short survey to let us know what types of service you are interested in, how much time you are prepared to offer, and how we may best contact you. We will also have paper forms available at the Caring Committee table after services the first two Sundays in February.

Even if you have been active with Caring Committee in the past, signing up again lets us update your contact information and the ways you want to be involved.

Each Sunday we recite this affirmation:

Love is the spirit of our church
And service is our prayer.
This is our great covenant
To dwell together in peace
To seek the truth in freedom
And to help one another.

The William and Alice Hinckley Fund, a charitable foundation associated with our Society, funds grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships for graduate studies in the helping professions.

Graduate studies scholarship applications are available in the church office and are available for downloading. Completed scholarship applications, written essays on your financial need, the social (humanitarian) impact of your planned career, and your transcript must be in the Hinckley box in the church office on or before March 31 at 5 pm.

2009-2010 academic year scholarship applicants must be permanent Bay Area residents and full-time, graduate students in the helping professions. (This includes students of Starr King School for the Ministry.) Scholarship applicants who reach the last round of selection will be interviewed.

This past Sunday, over 20 folks gathered to share stories about their moments at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco that have been deeply meaningful and called forth their values, gifts, and aspirations. Working in small groups with facilitators, participants had a chance not only to share their stories but also to hear about what in our community was special to others. Folks left with a smile on their face and a great feeling!

In the coming weeks, you may be approached by someone asking you to share your stories about your experiences in our society. The questions are simple and straightforward, but we have discovered the answers tend to be wonderfully rich, diverse, and powerful.

What will we do with your story? The Board of Trustees is sponsoring an all-church event on February 28 where we will look at the results, and figure out ways to build on so many of the successful activities and accomplishments of this congregation.

We want to continue to make this a community where your gifts are called forth in ways that are meaningful. I hope you would agree that no one wants to be just a warm body on a committee, but that we all want to spend our precious free time engaged in activities that make a difference and call forth our gifts, whatever they may be.

If you have additional questions, you can contact Assistant Moderator Matt Fuller by email or by phone at 203-1745.

To bring the plans to life Nicolette organized help from other Members of the Congregation who have donated their time, services, and materials. The Society for Community Work also provided a generous grant for items that had to be purchased.

Nicolette published a progress report in her blog last week -- the picture for this article comes from that story. Check out the details on her site as she talks about "Inching Toward Our Happy Ending".