How can the Church — and our church — build the world we dream about by taking the lead rather than trudging behind less effective agents of social change?

On this Celebration Sunday we are blessed to have the Reverend Meg A. Riley, Director of Advocacy and Witness for the Unitarian Universalist Association, to help us put hands and feet on our liberal religious principles and purposes. Meg is both a powerful speaker to Unitarian Universalists and others and a personal friend and inspiration to me.

Drawing from the works of the celebrated Unitarian Universalist theologian James Luther Adams, Meg explores with us the possible and the practical when we stop just "practicing" our faith and instead fully live it.

Meg joins us for Celebration Sunday, the day each year when we commit or recommit our personal financial resources to the work of this church in the world.

Also on the Chancel will be Pastoral Care Minister Rev. Fred Rabidoux, Ministerial Intern Peter Olandt, and Acolyte Whitman Donaldson.

Extraordinary music — John Rutter's magnificent Gloria, will be presented by the combined choirs of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, and the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco and guest instrumentalists to accompany.

After this very special worship service, all are invited to a complimentary luncheon, a veritable banquet of good food and great fellowship. Come and experience Unitarian Universalism at its finest this Sunday, and be sure to bring a neighbor or friend with you to church. Truly, we have much to celebrate.

Do you need a grandparent fix, or maybe just enjoy small children? Our early childhood program can really use your assistance as an additional regular volunteer.

Under Marie Roark's leadership, the class is thriving! And, we are accepting volunteer offers from more caring hands.

Early Childhood is for children 0 to 5. It meets from 9:45 to 12:30 every Sunday.

So if you enjoy small children, let them enjoy you, too. Please contact the Religious Education office for details or call Betty at 776-4580.

Rev. Alyson Jacks, Community Minister affiliated with this Society and Associate Director of A Home Away from Homelessness at Fort Mason, together with Karen Zabel, volunteer, and Sandra Niman, Director of the School House Program, will speak on Home Away's programs serving homeless and formerly homeless children and youth.

Founded in 1994, A Home Away from Homelessness has four facilities, two at Fort Mason and two in the Marin Headlands at Fort Cronkhite. Partnering with the National Park Service, the program offers vulnerable children a safe, unique, and beautiful environment in which to learn and grow.

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

view from Dolores Park from San Francisco Cityscape online gallery

Every Saturday in April Intern Peter Olandt will be leading worship at 4 pm in Dolores Park. Come find the group at the corner of Dolores and 20th.

The services will be outdoors, informal, and open to all. There will be time for music, prayers, sharing and stories.

If you would like to read, lead a song, play an instrument, light the chalice, or participate in any other way, please contact Peter at 776-4580 or by email.

"How's that for destiny to be a Fool!!!" Carmen asks.

Saturday will be the first Council of Committee Chairs meeting of 2009. Doors open at 9 am for socializing, bagels, and coffee. The meeting will start promptly at 9:30am and will last until 12.

The group will begin by hearing committee updates (successes, challenges, lessons learned). The Board's leadership looks forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions as we move forward with our leadership empowerment initiative.

At last November's meeting, some of you suggested that these meetings would be helpful for other committee members, so we invite you to bring a second member of your committee to the meeting.

If you have not already, please RSVP to Moderator Jane Park, and please let us know if there will be a second person attending from your committee.

The Faithful Fools will be retreating for 7 days on the streets in San Francisco starting Saturday (April 4) through through 11. You are invited to join us during our reflection times which happen daily on the lawn in front of City Hall at 10 am and 3 pm, unless it is raining (when we take what cover we can find).

If you see us on steps or in a doorway, stop and reflect with us.

Oscard and all the Faithful Fools want to thank the First Unitarian Universalist Society and all the big and little elves who helped make Oscard's Feast a grand event last Saturday.

Here's a few photos to make you smile.

Stop by the Greeters Table after Services to pick up the secrets and details of Pacific Central District's District Assembly which runs from Friday, May 1 through that Sunday.

You'll learn how to join 400 Vibrant & Vital Unitarian Universalists for a weekend of laughing, learning, networking and worship.

Planned events include:

• Keynote Breakfast with the Rev. Peter Morales, Senior Minister, Jefferson Unitarian Church
• Banquet Dinner with our Featured Presenter: Rev. Laurel Hallman, Senior Minister (Ret.), First Unitarian Church of Dallas.
• Workshops for everyone
• Young Religious Unitarian Universalist Worship
• 5 levels of Child & Youth Programming
• Engaging conversations and Discoveries
and More!

Frequent "tagging" on our church walls has required weekly (sometimes daily) painting by our sexton staff.

The assault on the statue of Thomas Starr King was particularly distressing, and we are grateful to Eric Langhirt for his time, skill and patience in removing it with a drill sander.

Staff are exploring paints and finishes which will be graffiti resistant. Please know that we are doing all we can to meet this urban challenge.

Thanks to your generosity the Society received approximately $7,600 through the Great Green Auction! There are winning bids still unclaimed for another $900, and so the total raised will be over $8,500!

If you have not yet claimed your winnings, please settle up and mail your check marked "Auction" to the office.

And, if you are the winning bidder of a service item, please contact the host/hostess/donor to let them know who to expect for dinner -- and to confirm times for the frolicking.

Finally, for those people looking for more fun, donors have made available these items:

• one hour organ lesson with Reiko Lane - $25
• guided tour of Academy of Sciences with Don Heyneman - $40.
• Chinatown Cultural tour May 9th with dim sum lunch - $35
• Reception at Linda Enger's April 11 - $25.

Last Sunday the Congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco ordained Rev. Denis Paul a Unitarian Universalist minister.

In the Unitarian Universalist denomination new ministers are created by an act of the membership of a congregation. This Society voted to ordain Rev. Paul at the 2008 Annual Meeting, and the ceremony of ordination was conducted in the Sanctuary last week.