This Week:

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Sunday, April 21 at 10:30am, in person or online via Youtube

“For the Beauty of the Earth – A Soulful Songs Sunday” 

With Rev. Shari Woodbury

On the brink of Earth Day, join us to celebrate the beauty of the earth in words, images, and communal singing. This Soulful Songs Sunday is heart-centered and uplifting as spring sunshine. Our choir, the Sanctuary Singers, offers musical gifts too.

Come, Sing A Song with Me -- and Bring Dirt!  You are invited to bring a bit of soil from a garden bed, houseplant or elsewhere for a Dirt Communion during the Time for All Ages (we'll have some extra soil on hand too).

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YouTube page for livestream:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3uthKVVYfWS55zpRTv8LA

(then click on the livestream for that day's date)

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The Order of Service may be downloaded on Sunday morning.

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Our Share the Plate recipient for the month of April is NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). NAMI is a grassroots organization dedicated to education, support and advocacy with anyone whose life has been touched by mental illness. Click here to donate.

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Coming Up...​

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Sunday, April 28 at 10:30am, in person or online via Youtube

“Four Cather Tableaux”

Presented by the Bel Canto Duo

 

Commissioned by the National Cather Center for the 150th celebration of the American author Four Cather Tableaux were inspired by Cather's poetry, essays & fictional work. Bel Canto Duo's soundscape breathe life into Cather's evocative portrayal of life on the prairie in the late 19th century.  

 

The work opens with Nebraska: Pre-Settlement, an excerpt from Cather's essay, "Nebraska: The End of the First Cycle". Dramatic, Copland-esque intervals bring to life Cather's powerful imagery depicting the Great Plains. The first theme morphs into a Lakota Sioux-inspired melody that fades away on the wind - a musical depiction of the Pawnee being forced to give up their lands and departing Nebraska for Indian Territory in Oklahoma. 

 

A slow sunrise, Dawn was inspired by Cather's "A Lost Lady" and incorporates instrumental text painting of dawn on the prairie with sweeping melodies depicting native grasses, wildflowers and birds. It concludes with the cello foreshadowing the bookend of the day - Dusk. 

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Drawing from “Prairie Spring,April Twilights & Other Poems", Dusk weaves its magic through lush, lyrical poetry that Cather employs so skillfully. Mesmeric cello lines incorporate arpeggiated chords reminiscent of a classical guitarist, with sensuous English horn interweaving seamlessly -transporting the listener into an otherworldly state.

 

Nebraska: Post-Settlement channels the joy of Cather's selection from "One of Ours". It portrays the exhaustion of harvest & agrarian society in the 1880s. The oppressive, stifling heat of late-July transitions from a minimalist, solitary English horn to a joyous, energetic fanfare that fades away as the sun rises again.

 

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More information about Bel Canto Duo:

Lifelines collide - brought together by friends, a shooting star & an open mic night, Bel Canto Duo was founded in 2016 by looping artist & cellist, David Downing, and English horn specialist, Darci Griffith Gamerl. Bel Canto’s mission is to create meaningful connection by providing world-class classical-crossover music in an entertaining & engaging format. The group combines their minimalist, cross-genre compositions with classical music favorites and healing music therapy.

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Notice of the Annual Congregational Meeting:   

​The 155th Annual Congregational Meeting of First Unitarian Church of Omaha will take place in person only on Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 10:30am in place of the regular Sunday service.
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​Eligible voting members* of the church will adopt an operating budget for the 2024-2025 church year; elect a President, President-elect, members of the Board of Trustees, Right Relations Committee members, Nominating Committee members and Trustee of the Trust Fund; consider reports from church leaders and celebrate our annual awards winners. And we will vote in a straw poll to guide our General Assembly delegates about the Article II proposal.

*Individuals are eligible to vote who have been members of the church for at least three months and have made a financial contribution in their name to the church between April 5, 2023 and April 5, 2024.
 

Sincerely,​ 
Board of Trustees, First Unitarian Church of Omaha

(This letter was sent to all church members on 4/5/2024)

Go here for more info: www.firstuuomaha.org/annualmeeting

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Sunday, May 12 at 10:30am, in person or online via Youtube

Youth Group Service 

More information will be shared soon. 

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Sunday, May 19 at 10:30am, in person or online via Youtube

Sanctuary Singers: Choir Concert 

The group, under the direction of William Miller and accompanied by J Gawf, will showcase a variety of choral works. We are excited to share our gifts with you and look forward to seeing you at the service.

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Sunday, May 26 at 10:30am, in person or online via Youtube

"Beyond the Poppies: Exploring our Experiences"

More information will be shared soon. 

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Our Share the Plate recipient for May is Access Period. This group helps combat period poverty by distributing period products free of charge throughout Omaha and across the state of Nebraska. Website: www.accessperiod.com

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Land Acknowledgment

It is appropriate to acknowledge that the First Unitarian Church of Omaha occupies the traditional treaty lands of the Omaha and Otoe-Missouria Tribal Nations whose sovereignty existed long before the state of Nebraska. We would also like to express our respect to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, and over 170 other tribes represented within the Omaha area