Each of us are gifted with the grace of life through no doings of our own. In our daily lives, we are constantly surrounded by products not of our own making, both by the handiwork of other people and by the mysteries of nature's providence.

When we get too caught up in our own lives, it can be easy to forget and take these gifts for granted until Thanksgiving's reminder. How can we incorporate and strengthen our practice of gratitude into our daily lives the whole year long? We'll take a close look at those things which continuously support and energize us, while re-committing to nurture these worthy processes for the benefit of all in present and future generations.

Joining me on the chancel will be Rev. Denis Paul, Rev. Greg Stewart, and Worship Associate Alison Rittger. Our musical guests will be Young Performers International, a non-profit children's performing arts company that performs all around the Bay Area.

Come share your Sunday morning with us -- and invite your friends -- as we dive into the interconnected web of our seventh Unitarian Universalist principle!

Carol Whiteside, President Emeritus of Great Valley Center, will speak to the forum on Eco-Justice and livable cities.

The Great Valley Center is a nonprofit organization working to improve California's Central Valley. They manage leadership development programs, provide technical support, and hold events on issues important to the Valley's future.

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

Sculptors are invited to a special session of "Art for Everyone" from 10 to 11 Sunday. If you have created a clay piece in an earlier art session, please come this week to paint it so that it can be fired and finished for the show in February.

Some beautiful tiles and other clay pieces need their creator's attention.

Fifth Sundays are "Funday Sundays," and this is Sunday is #5 for November. So, from 10 to 12:15 all children and youth will be having fun with art.

Participants will be making corn-husk figures that are wonderful for decorating tree or table during this holiday season.

Newcomers are welcome throughout the year. Please call Betty at 776-4580 so you may be welcomed as an expected guest on Sunday.

Meet new people, share important parts of your life, explore interesting topics and grow spiritually in a welcoming setting! While this year's Small Groups are already underway, there is still room in the Sunday group for additional members. The group meets at the church on the first and third Sundays of each month from 1pm to 3pm.

Small Group Ministry invites anyone who is interested - members, friends, and visitors - to apply online, or fill out a paper application in the church office.

Please feel free to email the volunteers of the Small Group Ministry or contact Carol Ruley at 846-3986 or Kate Kuckro at 308-1976 with your questions.

Looking for a way to share your gifts and further the cause of peace and justice this holiday season? We invite you to celebrate the work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), our denomination's human rights and faith-in-action organization, by participating in the Guest at Your Table program.

From Thanksgiving through the December holiday season, thousands of Unitarian Universalists nationwide place Guest at Your Table boxes on their dining tables or other family gathering places and "feed" the box daily with contributions for the work of the Service Committee.

Many participants develop associated spiritual rituals to help them reflect on our UU commitment to social justice and human rights work, the choices we make on a daily basis about our material resources, and the deeper meaning of the holiday season.

If you missed our major distribution of Guest at Your Table boxes during last Sunday's service, its not too late to get a box and participate in the program. You can stop by our congregation's Unitarian Universalist Service committee table after the service Sunday to pick up a box and find out more about the dynamic projects with which UUSC is currently involved.

Participants are invited to bring their boxes back and place them under the Christmas tree in the Sanctuary on Christmas Eve or turn them in during a special in-gathering on Sunday, January 3rd. For more information, contact Linda Harris at 215-7292.

The Bay Area Women and Children's Center (BAWCC) is collecting the names of children from families residing in the Tenderloin and Western Addition and the description of a gift which each child would like to have. Our church hopes to provide presents for 50 children on the list this year.

If you would like to sponsor a child or find out more about the program, stop by the Angel Child Table after the service on Sunday.

The last date for distribution of names and gift requests is Sunday December 6th. All presents will need to be returned to the church by Sunday, December 13th so that they can be distributed before the holidays.

For more information and to volunteer to help with this program, please contact Linda Harris at 215-7292.

International World Peace Marchers who have encircled the globe since October 2, will reach San Francisco on Wednesday (December 2). This international undertaking was the first ever six-continent, three-month peace march to create a world consciousness that rejects all forms of violence! It began in New Zealand on October 2, the date of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, and will end at the foot of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina on January 2, 2010.

After touring the North Bay and the City on that day via the "Cable Car Peace Ride" the marchers and local peace advocates will march from UN Plaza to City Hall at 4 pm to be welcomed by representatives of the Board of Supervisors. On November 17, Supervisor Eric Mar of San Francisco's 1st District introduced to the Board of Supervisors a Resolution endorsing the World March for Peace and Nonviolence.

After the City Hall event, the marchers will come for a special reception at our UU Center in the Martin Luther King Room from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. This welcoming event will include songs of peace, poetry, the Azteca Xitlalli dancers, speakers and refreshments. Participants will hear from marchers from Spain, Italy, Mexico and India.

Join in! The celebration is free and open to everyone! The reception is co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalists for Peace and the local chapter of the Unitarian Universalist - United Nations Office.

For more information contact Dolores Perez Priem.

Last week the Congregation was fed food for the ears, stomach, and soul with Haydn's Missa in Angustiis in a service that included the annual Bread Communion. Photographer Sonnie Willis shares some of the visual memories from the service.