All Church Email May 1, 2020
- by
UUCL
UUCL| Dear UUCL Community, This Friday All-Church Email includes the schedule of staff-led events for the coming week. In particular, pay attention to the different mode and time of online worship Sunday May 3, as UUCL welcomes an invitation from First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia to worship with this UU community. Also see other announcements from the UUCL Community. Our schedule between Sunday, May 3 and Wednesday, May 7 includes: Sunday Worship Online: May 3, 10:30 Social Hour, 11:00 Shared Worship.Gather at 10:30 for UUCL social time and announcements. Join the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia at 11 am, led by UU minister Rev. Abbey Tennis. UUCL Social Hour (10:30AM): Join by Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/857097077?pwd=VFZLUmozK205UklQQWJhL3l0OE9KUT09 Join by phone: dial (301) 715-8592, Meeting ID: 857 097 077, Password: 71717 First Unitarian Philadelphia Worship (11AM): Join by Zoom: https://uuma.zoom.us/j/145662677 Call in number: (646) 876-9923 Meeting ID: 145 662 677 Children’s worship at UUCL: 10-10:45AM Note the time change! We will gather before worship at 11AM. Join by Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/120250912?pwd=d3RiU0ZuZlRUOGkySHlhbzZFQTFudz09 Mid-Week Check-In: Wednesday May 6: 7 p.m. Online Gathering for Personal Check-In, via Zoom. This week’s will be led by Lenore Bajare-Dukes and Eli Sauls. Join by Zoom: click on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/879307745?pwd=bWQrZXdGVGc4NldRYjdjR3lpNjNpUT09 or join by phone: dial 312-626-6799, Meeting ID: 879-307-745. Password: 71717 Come together Wednesday evening in community conversation to share personal joys and concerns, and to inform staff of any UUCL pastoral concerns. This week, we will play a piece of music as our focus for the evening. There is no time limit on this call. Every evening: 7 p.m.: We invite everyone to create a home chalice, and to light the chalice every evening, knowing that others from this congregation are doing the same. See the attachment for a new week of chalice readings. Every Day: Reach out to at least one other person in this congregation. May we continue to look for moments of gratitude. May we remember to take deep breaths, to laugh, and to send regular virtual hugs to all whom we love. In faith, Rev Barbara, Lenore, Eli Children’s Faith Development: In response to feedback from some families, we offer you an 8-week series of simple, nature-grounded faith development practices. You will have received packets including seeds, which you can use for the “Caring for Your Plant” activities. Please let us know if you need any materials to make this work! You will have two choices each week, which can be done at your own pace. We know there is a lot of pressure on families to do activities, so take what will nourish your family, leave what doesn’t…and share photos if you can with us to connect with other children! Join Joanna Loewenstein, myself, and other families at 10AM this week for children’s worship! Note the time change, and the Zoom link above. Adult Faith Development: Each Friday, I am offering resources for spiritual noticings in the current pandemic. This week: “In the Midst of Powerlessness,” reflections and a prayer from the UUA’s “Braver/Wiser” blog. https://www.uua.org/braverwiser/midst-powerlessness Register now! Saturday, May 9, 10-12, Adult Faith Development gathering on loss. Deadline is May 3. Please email Lenore to register: Lenore@uuclonline.org. Since the beginning of March, the impact of COVID19 has been keenly felt by all of us. We have experienced many of the changes as losses, large and small. No matter how large or small the losses, they often bring feelings of fear, anxiety, irritability, and sadness and can wreak havoc with our sense of well-being. What losses have you experienced related to COVID19? Loss of a job and financial security? Loss related to changes in health or changes in a loved one’s health? Loss of routine interactions with family and friends? Changes in how and where you work, or familiar routines? Loss of the ability to be with a loved one who is ill, or to participate in rituals for someone who has died? We often operate on a day to day basis as if we know where life is taking us and have some level of security that things will be OK. COVID19 has peeled away that sense of security for many of us. The uncertainty that COVID19 has created, is another type of loss. Kay Welty and Cindy Foster-Clark are offering an opportunity to gather together in a small group to name and bear witness to those losses. In preparation for this gathering, reading materials and a worksheet will be emailed out beforehand to help participants to begin their process of reflection prior to meeting together. This group meeting will offer an opportunity to share and listen deeply to one another and to create sacred space together. A Zoom meeting invitation will be sent to those who register by May 3. Registration is first come, first registered. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Kay or Cindy at: kawcc@verizon.net cfosterclark@gmail.com Message From the Board of Trustees Dear Church Family This is a message from the Board of Trustees. We all mourn the loss of our physical church world, but we do celebrate in some of the new ways that have brought our community together. What is our future? We have some things we know, and many things we don’t. We will be proposing a budget for 2020-21 that looks much the same in revenue and expenses compared to a normal year. If nothing else, it will give us benchmarks to meet as the new year unfolds. We might need to make further decisions as our expenses, and specially our revenue stream, becomes more certain. We are not laying off any staff – everyone is cranking it out in this new abnormal. The business of the church, and worship, continues. We will follow all state guidelines regarding any re-opening plans. Our sense is to err on the side of caution, rather than open too soon. Summer worship is being planned as virtual. Unless, you know… magic happens. We don’t think it will. The Zoom meetings have brought in some folks who couldn’t participate in regular church. When the church re-opens, we might be looking at delivering the experience in a hybrid fashion, both on line and in person, so all can be included. The Board is working out ways to have a congregational meeting, including how to vote, in a virtual meeting. The first one is planned for May 17, when we hope to vote on a budget and Board of Trustee members. In the olden days our in-person meeting requirements did exclude people who needed to be at work and others who could not travel, so no system is perfect. The Board is overwhelmingly grateful to all the members who have seen needs and stepped in to do work they recognized as needed to be done– everything from phoning all members to polishing the vacant floors. The time for naming names will come later, but you know who you are. Thanks. Peace! May we do better with battling climate change than we have done with this pandemic! Alan Jacobs For your Board of Trustees Announcements of Other UUCL and UUCL-Related Activities How to Contribute to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund This is a difficult time for all of us. So that we can help members who are affected financially, we are inviting those who are able to contribute to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. A donation can be made on line by going to the church web site, www.uuclonline.org and clicking the Contact Us drop down menu, then Donate. Again click the Donate button and you will be taken to our on line donation page. Complete the requested information, making sure you indicate your donation is for the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. If you prefer, you can send a check, indicating “MDF” on the memo line. Thank you in advance for your support. Stay Connected with Realm! We are in the process of building our on-line directory, and your input is vital! All members for whom we have an email address in the church data base have received an invitation to create a log in. Simply stated, it is a way to stay connected to other members of UUCL, keep your own information up to date, and keep track of your own pledge and contributions. Several volunteers are in the process of calling members to verify the information we currently have, as well as give a short introduction to Realm. It can be accessed on a computer or through the mobile app, RealmConnect. Please don’t hesitate to contact Bev Geib if you have any questions about the program Sharing the Love Dear UU members. A group of volunteers are contacting all members via phone call, email or the postal service to make a personal contact during this difficult time. This is not a committee, just a sharing of love. We have the approval of the Board and the Minister in this endeavor. If you need assistance or help with the Realm system, which will house our new Directory, we can help you. “Love is the spirit of this Church….” Any questions or concerns, please contact Lou Ann Miller at 717-354-6304 or lamiller49@gmail.com. Blessed be. Glorious Beltane Web and Wheel of UUCL celebrates the peak of Spring as the Wheel of the Year turns toward Summer and the Web enfolds and strengthens us. On Friday, May 1, the earth holiday Beltane or May Day arrives clothed in glorious natural beauty and bursting with new life. Earth energies are at their peak of power and renewal. This year is especially glorious as we witness our planet’s renewal with cleaner air and waters and the promise of greater planet health as we reevaluate our past abuse of Mother Earth. In our current crisis, one joy we have at hand is the flowering of the earth within our vision and immediate access. Take a long walk, inhale deeply, touch a blossom and rejoice! Artful Living Design Contest Maybe with all this extra time on your hands, you are feeling like you need a creative outlet? Creative energy is also a great way to deal with the stress you may be feeling. All UUCL members and friends are invited to submit a design that represents our identity as the UUCL community for a banner to be used at future UUA General Assemblies. There will be a $100 prize for the winner. The required dimensions for artwork are 8”x 12 ¾” and the content should not be date specific. A pole is being made by the committee and we have the seamstress ready and willing for the banner. We have provided the link below for specifications and to get an idea of the way it will hang. The second link shows a banner parade from a past GA to get inspiration and see what other UU congregations have done to represent themselves. CLICK HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIQ8d5mLviY Please submit ideas for the contest by emailing a pdf or jpeg to artfulliving@uuclonline.org. |
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