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The 2023 Interfaith Pride Worship Service took place at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Out of consideration for the health of the congregation, vaccinations are required for all eligible adults and children attending Sunday services and religious education activities, excluding those with medical exceptions.  Masks and social distancing are optional, and distanced seating is available.

Vaccinations are recommended but not required for participants in rental events.

The New Braunfels Chamber Music will be offering a season of concerts beginning October 21 and running through April 28. The programs will be presented at Unitarian Universalists of New Braunfels, 135 Alves Lane, beginning at 7 pm. There is no admission charge but a donation of $20 is suggested.

The first concert will be held on October 21 and feature William McNally, piano, Daveda Karanas, mezzo-soprano, and Kimberly Sullivan, viola and on November 11, Mark Dover, clarinet and Daniel Anastasio. The new year will start with a performance on January 20, 2023 with Daria Rabotkina piano solo; followed by February 24 appearance by Chavdar Parashkevav, violin and Natasha Kislenko, piano; and March 24 Brendan Shea, violin and Yerin Kim, piano. The final concert of the season will be on April 28 with Ian Davidson, oboe, Daris Hale, bassoon, and Jason Kwak. Mark your calendars now to enjoy superb chamber music presented conveniently in your hometown.

Ancestor Altar/Spirit Altar/Ofrenda (ALL of October)

For the month of October, there will be an altar at the back of the UUNB Gathering room leading up to our Sunday service on October 30th about honoring our ancestors and deceased loved ones. We will make a spirit altar, ask our loved ones to join us and rejoice in their presence.

As we enter a transitioning time between warmer and colder months the festivals and celebrations of ancestors and loved one’s passed emerge. Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead where we bring food and gifts to the dead; Samhain, the Celtic word for Summer’s End, marked a time to pay homage to the deceased; and many more. Celebrations for the dead span across the world. The traditions vary from culture to culture, region to region and family to family. Food and offerings to be shared with the departed. Bells to ring in spirits, drums to guide their footsteps, fires to open doorways and windows. Alters to pay respects and remembrance. Dances and songs to entice their presence. Stories of lore, love, laughter, and life.

The altar will be decorated with candles, marigolds, and pictures of our loved ones who have come and gone. Please feel free to bring pictures of loved ones passed to place upon the altar; ancestors, recent loved ones, and even pets. Feel free to be creative, maybe even leave a story about the person with their photo.

For questions contact: Chol at cholroman13@gmail.com

SHARE THE PLATE recipient for May is UBarU Retreat Center

Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, this Dark Sky UU camp has been enjoyed by many of our children, youth and adults as a perfect getaway from the busyness of the I-35 Corridor. You can share with UBarU the same way you donate to UUNB, which is either with a check mailed to our PO box or through the donate button here on our website. Make sure to designate the funds to UBarU.

Help the people of Ukraine! Read the Unitarian Universalist Association’s response to the crisis and find the donate button.

Two years after the breakout of COVID, UUNB members and friends wrote haikus to express their memories and thoughts about the pandemic as well as their hopes for the future.

We mask our faces
In the fear of fog and doubt
All paths are rocky.
 - Mary Powell

Green fields beckoning
Count lessons learned and move on
Fingers crossed, eyes bright.
 - Mary Powell

Time seems to stand still
Good friends seem farther away
But love connects us
 - Bruce Carpenter

Since 2020
An all-out fight to survive
Now we turn the tide
 - Kelly Schaefer

Covid visiting
Eating on the patio
No masking required
 - Diane Pepin

Another long night
Nothing exciting to do
But stay here with you
 - Diane Pepin 

My daughter arrives 
There’s a bright smile on her face 
Now my heart revives 
 - Diane Pepin 

Granddaughter is born 
Covid says don’t see her now 
That did not stop me 
 - Diane Pepin 

Shadow pear blossoms 
fatten shadow butterflies 
on a sky of earth. 
 - William Mills 

We have visitors 
Deer, critters, birds, butterflies 
Few human pals, though 
 - Sarah Laird 

Having to stay home 
Something I have never done 
How long can I last?   
 - Peggy Vieira 

Getting projects done 
Doll clothes made and pictures hung 
Quarantine bonus! 
 - Peggy Vieira 

Boundaries enclose 
What is safety really? 
Mist obscures the dawn 
 - Judith Ferrari 

Fear breathed loneliness 
Shadows hovered the landscape 
Hope smiles once again 
 - Irene Keller 

The world stood silent 
Bated breath in transition 
Inevitable 
 - Chol Romero-Dungan 

A single moment 
Nature was as it should be 
A beautiful sight 
 - Chol Romero-Dungan 

First we were afraid. 
Vaccines calmed us down. 
But still we wore masks. 
 - Carolyn Carr 

The church closed its doors— 
cameras appeared on site. 
Zoom hosts soon followed. 
 - Carolyn Carr 

Masks are coming off! 
The community is safe.  
Now coffee comes back! 
 - Carolyn Carr 

Like new butterflies, 
We emerge from private places 
to dance in the sun. 
 - Janyth Fredrickson 

How could a virus  
be red or blue? Get real, man. 
It’s really purple. 
 - Janyth Fredrickson 

Stuck indoors alone 
my iPhone was my best friend 
You’re the exception 
 - Trisha Stevens 

Northbound and Southbound 
all the freeways were quiet 
thanks to Covid-19 
 - Trisha Stevens 

Hard to understand 
why some won’t get vaccinated. 
What are they thinking? 
 - Trisha Steven 

Masks hide others’ faces 
cover laughter, expressions 
communication 
 - Trisha Stevens 

It could kill us all! 
So we stayed home and stopped living. 
Was that our best move? 
 - Allen Somers 

Down, up, all around 
To vaccinate or not 
Many lessons learned 
 - Bob Keyser 

Masking all the time 
No coffee drinking in stores 
No lost coffee cups! 
 - Bob Keyser 

Pandemic, like war 
Part of human life on Earth 
Up to us to fix 
 - Bob Keyser 

We stayed home in isolation. 
No hugs, no grandchildren, 
no Friday night dominoes. 
Life resumes, thanks, miracle vaccinations. 
 - Joan McGaffic 

After two long years 
Even an introvert wails 
“Enough already!” 
 - Jan Estes 

Washed produce outside. 
Let mail sit in the garage. 
Should I have washed the mail? 
 - Daria Rabotkina 

At first, walks were fun. 
Food was fun as well to me. 
Then food ate my walks. 
 - Daria Rabotkina 

School on Zoom for us. 
Why feeling tired more, not less? 
How low can this go? 
 - Daria Rabotkina 

Masks saved lives again. 
I learn to smile with my eyes. 
Bummer. Lips forget. 
 - Daria Rabotkina 

Want to hug someone! 
Whoa, radical. Now even 
Fistbumps bring goosebumps. 
 - Daria Rabotkina 

Basically, homeschool. 
And, yet, I’m seeing others. 
I can’t touch through Zoom. 
 - Nick McNally 

Trish Stevens welcomes 
Bob Keyser is president 
We’re no longer lost 
 - Peggy Ornelas 

Stewart’s ponytail 
Judith’s engaging laughter 
Jan’s Sisyphus Hill 
 - Peggy Ornelas 

SOS Food Bank 
On Wednesdays walking the walk 
Gathering to give 
 - Peggy Ornelas 

Joan Rabb teaching us 
To serve people with little 
Makes Red Cross a truth 
 - Peggy Ornelas 

And Thea makes five 
Who never thought ninety wasn’t young 
Never met our mom 
 - Peggy Ornelas 

Silent streets at fist 
Waiting for the gunslinger 
To show up on Main 
 - Bill McNally 

Marriage rates are up 
Cohabitation is king 
Your turn for the dishes 
 - Bill McNally